I could see Farage squeezed down to 25% and "losing it" during a GE, whilst the Tories (miraculously) end up getting about the same. He doesn't have the organisation skills or the message discipline - he gravitates towards those that venerate or like him.
You could have a hell of a weird parliament where Reform, the Tories and Labour are all in the 140-190 seat bracket, and the LDs have a good chunk of seats and maybe the Greens break double-figures too.
My point being that if, by some psephological fluke, Kemi is the one on top with seats (even if she has a lower number than Michael Howard in the GE2025) she could still become the next Prime Minister. If she deals with Reform as her partner.
I wouldn't rule her out yet. Nor do I think it's inevitable she goes next year.
I could see Farage squeezed down to 25% and "losing it" during a GE, whilst the Tories (miraculously) end up getting about the same. He doesn't have the organisation skills or the message discipline - he gravitates towards those that venerate or like him.
You could have a hell of a weird parliament where Reform, the Tories and Labour are all in the 140-190 seat bracket, and the LDs have a good chunk of seats and maybe the Greens break double-figures too.
My point being that if, by some psephological fluke, Kemi is the one on top with seats (even if she has a lower number than Michael Howard in the GE2025) she could still become the next Prime Minister. If she deals with Reform as her partner.
I wouldn't rule her out yet. Nor do I think it's inevitable she goes next year.
She'll come under pressure in May but I don't know if it'll be enough to cross the new threshold for letters. If it doesn't she can just tell her opponents to do one.
After wasting billions on Ajax (why didn't we just buy the extremely successful CV90, which is made by BAE ?), it looks as though the new Challenger, which has little or no purpose for the defence of the UK, will be too heavy for NATO standard bridges.
I could see Farage squeezed down to 25% and "losing it" during a GE, whilst the Tories (miraculously) end up getting about the same. He doesn't have the organisation skills or the message discipline - he gravitates towards those that venerate or like him.
You could have a hell of a weird parliament where Reform, the Tories and Labour are all in the 140-190 seat bracket, and the LDs have a good chunk of seats and maybe the Greens break double-figures too.
My point being that if, by some psephological fluke, Kemi is the one on top with seats (even if she has a lower number than Michael Howard in the GE2025) she could still become the next Prime Minister. If she deals with Reform as her partner.
I wouldn't rule her out yet. Nor do I think it's inevitable she goes next year.
I wouldn't rule anything out for an autumn 2028 or spring 2029 election at this time and that's the beauty of electoral volatility - we can all believe we are still "in the game" and it really is all to play for.
Badenoch has had a good week - no question - and, rather like Starmer, the principal leadership rival has been discredited. That doesn't mean there may not be another convulsion after the May 2026 elections - the problem for her may be expectations management. The general view currently is the Conservatives will do poorly but there may be more optimism in Conservative circles after this week - the other positive was while there were some Councillor defections, there wasn't an MP who defected to Reform during the week of the conference.
Off-topic: If I posted links from Guido, I would rightly be ribbed. But links to Byline Times (aka Waitrose Infowars) seem to pass on PB without comment.
Off-topic: If I posted links from Guido, I would rightly be ribbed. But links to Byline Times (aka Waitrose Infowars) seem to pass on PB without comment.
Having been here two days now - and walked and waymo’d much of the city, I can reliably inform PBers that - far from being a zombie-strewn hellzone, San Francisco is the delightful, eccentric, vibrant, historic, quirky and beautifully located city I remember from my last visit 20 years ago. If anything, it has improved
The food is good, the people are fun, the oysters and lobster ravioli at johns grill (established 1908) are ace
Yes, there are two neighbourhoods - Soma and tenderloin - where juddering fent addicts stagger around and droop to the ground, but you just speed through them in your luxury robocab
Let this be a lesson to the more gullible PBers who spend all their time on X. Don’t believe everything you see on social media, kids
Are you shilling for the San Francisco tourist board? I've heard it as crime-ridden and dangerous as London.
It helps that I am getting MAJOR amounts of grovelling
I turned up at John’s Grill last night - it’s a really famous SF institution, Dashiel Hammet, Sam Spade, the beat poets, etc - and the maitre d’ said “oh we were just talking about you!!”
He then escorted me to the finest table in the restaurant and forced me to drink the best Sancerre with the best oysters etc as dozens of flunkeys did their best to make me extremely happy for free
Stuff like that leaves a positive glow, if I’m honest
But nonetheless it is a gorgeous, youthful, optimistic city and the doom is much overdone. Yesterday I listened to some of the best buskers I’ve ever heard, doing a searing guitar versing of “autumn leaves” by the Asian Art museum, then I went into the museum and was moved almost tk years by the “Betty bogart contemplative alcove”
And now I’m off to cycle across the Golden Gate Bridge to Sausalito
Go to Osso Steakhouse at 1177 California if you can
Off-topic: If I posted links from Guido, I would rightly be ribbed. But links to Byline Times (aka Waitrose Infowars) seem to pass on PB without comment.
I can’t quite put my finger on it but I sense that someone has commented on this.
We might get to something approaching a cross-party consensus on this.
It doesn't matter because the UN will never change the current rules. The only way will be to exit the convention and find other countries who will exit with us. Reform of any international agreements that allow developed countries to deport people who are shitting them up runs completely contrary to the UN's agenda of destroying the west.
Is that right? The Graun feed has a markedly different and much more neutral take:
'Asked about Trump pressure campaign, Nobel chair says committee has 'courage and integrity' Responding to the question about the Trump lobbying effort to win the prize, Nobel committee chair, Jørgen Watne Frydnes, says the committee receives thousands of letters every year and makes its decision in a room “filled with both courage and integrity”.'
Off-topic: If I posted links from Guido, I would rightly be ribbed. But links to Byline Times (aka Waitrose Infowars) seem to pass on PB without comment.
After wasting billions on Ajax (why didn't we just buy the extremely successful CV90, which is made by BAE ?), it looks as though the new Challenger, which has little or no purpose for the defence of the UK, will be too heavy for NATO standard bridges.
The Zircon affair was an incident in 1986 and 1987 caused by the planned broadcast on the BBC of a television programme about the ultimately cancelled Zircon signals intelligence satellite, as part of the six-part Secret Society series. It raised many important issues in the British constitution, particularly concerning parliamentary privilege and "gagging orders".
...
Under the authority of a warrant under section 9 of the Official Secrets Act 1911, Special Branch raided Campbell's London home, those of his researchers Jolyon Jenkins and Patrick Forbes, and the New Statesman's offices. On 31 January 1987, Strathclyde Police conducted a raid of BBC Scotland's premises in Glasgow which lasted for 28 hours. The Controller of BBC Scotland, Pat Chalmers was questioned by Special Branch police, and Protheroe was arrested and questioned by the Strathclyde police.
I wonder if there's some risk here for Farage. Nathan Gill was found guilty of criminal charges of bribery in circumstances that somewhat resemble Farage's.
The Gulf states are very adept at appealing to rich, right wing Westerners. People who in normal times would be Islamophobes get rather weak at the knees at what they offer: old fashioned family values; immaculately turned out men and women, dripping with wealth, well versed in flattery with just a soupçon of subtle menace; zero taxes and no truck with nonsense like the welfare state. Above all, extremely deep pockets and the ability to offer regulatory certainty over multiple years because they don’t have to worry about democracy.
Ever heard about male incontinence? Absorbent things can be a life saver if one is distant from home. (Fortunately not from experience, on my part.)
My comment was meant as a joke. 😉
My Dad had prostate cancer which made him incontinent which, as a private person, he found very embarrassing,
Pads helped not sure a vegan tampon would.
Oh, I didn't think you were being nasty, it's the sort of thing that isn't obvious - and while you have a point, 'tampon' could cover pads as well, by the time it's been through the usual mill.
You have to remember that the usual suspects slagged off the NT for having a statue of a slave on display: bought by the original builder of the grand house in question precisely to express his views on the issue, and displayed precisely in the alcove which he built specially for it (Armstrong at Cragside). And that some on PB chorused in condemnation of the poor NT.
On veganism, etc., it's an entirely sensible thing to do, to avoid any issues with religion or conscience.
Ever heard about male incontinence? Absorbent things can be a life saver if one is distant from home. (Fortunately not from experience, on my part.)
My comment was meant as a joke. 😉
My Dad had prostate cancer which made him incontinent which, as a private person, he found very embarrassing,
Pads helped not sure a vegan tampon would.
Oh, I didn't think you were being nasty, it's the sort of thing that isn't obvious - and while you have a point, 'tampon' could cover pads as well, by the time it's been through the usual mill.
You have to remember that the usual suspects slagged off the NT for having a statue of a slave on display: bought by the original builder of the grand house in question precisely to express his views on the issue, and displayed precisely in the alcove which he built specially for it (Armstrong at Cragside). And that some on PB chorused in condemnation of the poor NT.
On veganism, etc., it's an entirely sensible thing to do, to avoid any issues with religion or conscience.
We’re National Trust members and will continue to be.
Gibside is not far from us. Neither is Crook Hall.
Cragside is a favourite spot of ours even if the walk up to the large ponds is somewhat challenging !!!!
Ever heard about male incontinence? Absorbent things can be a life saver if one is distant from home. (Fortunately not from experience, on my part.)
My comment was meant as a joke. 😉
My Dad had prostate cancer which made him incontinent which, as a private person, he found very embarrassing,
Pads helped not sure a vegan tampon would.
Oh, I didn't think you were being nasty, it's the sort of thing that isn't obvious - and while you have a point, 'tampon' could cover pads as well, by the time it's been through the usual mill.
You have to remember that the usual suspects slagged off the NT for having a statue of a slave on display: bought by the original builder of the grand house in question precisely to express his views on the issue, and displayed precisely in the alcove which he built specially for it (Armstrong at Cragside). And that some on PB chorused in condemnation of the poor NT.
On veganism, etc., it's an entirely sensible thing to do, to avoid any issues with religion or conscience.
We’re National Trust members and will continue to be.
Gibside is not far from us. Neither is Crook Hall.
Cragside is a favourite spot of ours even if the walk up to the large ponds is somewhat challenging !!!!
Me too, in Scotland (and therefore by courtesy with access to NT in England).
One other thought - putting animal-derived stuff in contact with one's mucous membranes is a potentially dodgy business, especially in the era of rendered animal carcasses and such things as prion diseases. Another reason to avoid it and make life simpler.
Is that right? The Graun feed has a markedly different and much more neutral take:
'Asked about Trump pressure campaign, Nobel chair says committee has 'courage and integrity' Responding to the question about the Trump lobbying effort to win the prize, Nobel committee chair, Jørgen Watne Frydnes, says the committee receives thousands of letters every year and makes its decision in a room “filled with both courage and integrity”.'
Yes, given the chequered history of their past choices, the "mic drop" account seems decidedly iffy.
All very humorous and all that but Obama got his for simply being black, whereas when Trumpy gets his next year, he will genuinely have achieved something.
Its not Obama's fault, and I have a lot of time for him. I imagine him running again is the main reason Trump would not abolish the two term limit. But he really didn't deserve the Nobel for simply getting elected.
I think Obama got his for simply not being Dubya.
I you really think this, you and the eight who have liked the comment are naive fools. Do you think a white democrat would have got the Nobel for beating Dubya? Biden didn’t for beating Trump.
Obama didn't beat Dubya.
You forget though how much of the world hated Dubya for Iraq and how it was as if America was lead by a warmongerer because of that.
Yes, I 100% think a white Democrat would have got it for not being Dubya and speaking up about peace etc just as Obama did.
Many were happy to turn the page from Dubya. Trump to Biden was an entirely different kettle of fish, and Trump for all his faults never invaded Iraq or anywhere else.
The fact that it was awarded barely as the applause died down on his election (in my head, at least) suggests otherwise. If it had been after a period of years of Obama as president I’d could see it, but there it is.
The fact it was awarded barely as tbe applause died down on his election reinforces a "thank goodness Dubya has gone" narrative.
If it was after a period of years of Obama, then it'd be more about Obama and less about Not Dubya.
It was about 10 months after Obama took over (the nomination was very quick)
Ever heard about male incontinence? Absorbent things can be a life saver if one is distant from home. (Fortunately not from experience, on my part.)
My comment was meant as a joke. 😉
My Dad had prostate cancer which made him incontinent which, as a private person, he found very embarrassing,
Pads helped not sure a vegan tampon would.
Oh, I didn't think you were being nasty, it's the sort of thing that isn't obvious - and while you have a point, 'tampon' could cover pads as well, by the time it's been through the usual mill.
You have to remember that the usual suspects slagged off the NT for having a statue of a slave on display: bought by the original builder of the grand house in question precisely to express his views on the issue, and displayed precisely in the alcove which he built specially for it (Armstrong at Cragside). And that some on PB chorused in condemnation of the poor NT.
On veganism, etc., it's an entirely sensible thing to do, to avoid any issues with religion or conscience.
We’re National Trust members and will continue to be.
Gibside is not far from us. Neither is Crook Hall.
Cragside is a favourite spot of ours even if the walk up to the large ponds is somewhat challenging !!!!
Me too, in Scotland (and therefore by courtesy with access to NT in England).
One other thought - putting animal-derived stuff in contact with one's mucous membranes is a potentially dodgy business, especially in the era of rendered animal carcasses and such things as prion diseases. Another reason to avoid it and make life simpler.
My last job was based in the pharma industry and BSE/TSE compliance was something our products had to comply with.
The Gulf states are very adept at appealing to rich, right wing Westerners. People who in normal times would be Islamophobes get rather weak at the knees at what they offer: old fashioned family values; immaculately turned out men and women, dripping with wealth, well versed in flattery with just a soupçon of subtle menace; zero taxes and no truck with nonsense like the welfare state. Above all, extremely deep pockets and the ability to offer regulatory certainty over multiple years because they don’t have to worry about democracy.
I am sure that is the reason that Tice and Oakshott have decided to live in an Islamic monarchy.
Ever heard about male incontinence? Absorbent things can be a life saver if one is distant from home. (Fortunately not from experience, on my part.)
My comment was meant as a joke. 😉
My Dad had prostate cancer which made him incontinent which, as a private person, he found very embarrassing,
Pads helped not sure a vegan tampon would.
Oh, I didn't think you were being nasty, it's the sort of thing that isn't obvious - and while you have a point, 'tampon' could cover pads as well, by the time it's been through the usual mill.
You have to remember that the usual suspects slagged off the NT for having a statue of a slave on display: bought by the original builder of the grand house in question precisely to express his views on the issue, and displayed precisely in the alcove which he built specially for it (Armstrong at Cragside). And that some on PB chorused in condemnation of the poor NT.
On veganism, etc., it's an entirely sensible thing to do, to avoid any issues with religion or conscience.
We’re National Trust members and will continue to be.
Gibside is not far from us. Neither is Crook Hall.
Cragside is a favourite spot of ours even if the walk up to the large ponds is somewhat challenging !!!!
Me too, in Scotland (and therefore by courtesy with access to NT in England).
One other thought - putting animal-derived stuff in contact with one's mucous membranes is a potentially dodgy business, especially in the era of rendered animal carcasses and such things as prion diseases. Another reason to avoid it and make life simpler.
My last job was based in the pharma industry and BSE/TSE compliance was something our products had to comply with.
So, no pineapples on your pizzas then? Or was it a different @TSE?
The Gulf states are very adept at appealing to rich, right wing Westerners. People who in normal times would be Islamophobes get rather weak at the knees at what they offer: old fashioned family values; immaculately turned out men and women, dripping with wealth, well versed in flattery with just a soupçon of subtle menace; zero taxes and no truck with nonsense like the welfare state. Above all, extremely deep pockets and the ability to offer regulatory certainty over multiple years because they don’t have to worry about democracy.
Largely true, though they have used their oil revenues to build a basic welfare street in recent years though only for Arabs.
Plus traditional very conservative social values, no same sex couples kissing or holding hands in public, no drag queens and still have a tough approach to crime and the death penalty. Plus don't care less about Woke and unashamedly use their fossil fuels like oil
The ironic corollary of all this is that 80% of Americans don’t realise how good they have it
Yes prices are mad, yes healthcare, yes urban issues. But they are better off than almost anywhere else in the world - apart from a few unique spots like Switzerland, Singapore, etc
The politics here is so intense and polarised Americans - on both sides - have convinced themselves the country is utterly fucked and the other side is entirely to blame
They should travel more and get some perspective. It broadens the mind
Strange that what you say about the US is almost exactly what Kinabulu says about Britain down thread.
So decisions made on the basis of "it's fucked, let's try anything different" would be bad decisions surely.
A lot of this, obviously, is to do with our malignant media, amplified by technology.
My nominee for who has done most, singlehandedly, to accelerate the decline of the West: Rupert Murdoch. A truly toxic conttibution, decades in the making. The original oligarch - selfish, greedy, philistine, megalomaniac, and utterly amoral.
The ironic corollary of all this is that 80% of Americans don’t realise how good they have it
Yes prices are mad, yes healthcare, yes urban issues. But they are better off than almost anywhere else in the world - apart from a few unique spots like Switzerland, Singapore, etc
The politics here is so intense and polarised Americans - on both sides - have convinced themselves the country is utterly fucked and the other side is entirely to blame
They should travel more and get some perspective. It broadens the mind
It's easy to be positive about America when you have plenty of money in your pocket (metaphorically speaking).
Ever heard about male incontinence? Absorbent things can be a life saver if one is distant from home. (Fortunately not from experience, on my part.)
My comment was meant as a joke. 😉
My Dad had prostate cancer which made him incontinent which, as a private person, he found very embarrassing,
Pads helped not sure a vegan tampon would.
Oh, I didn't think you were being nasty, it's the sort of thing that isn't obvious - and while you have a point, 'tampon' could cover pads as well, by the time it's been through the usual mill.
You have to remember that the usual suspects slagged off the NT for having a statue of a slave on display: bought by the original builder of the grand house in question precisely to express his views on the issue, and displayed precisely in the alcove which he built specially for it (Armstrong at Cragside). And that some on PB chorused in condemnation of the poor NT.
On veganism, etc., it's an entirely sensible thing to do, to avoid any issues with religion or conscience.
We’re National Trust members and will continue to be.
Gibside is not far from us. Neither is Crook Hall.
Cragside is a favourite spot of ours even if the walk up to the large ponds is somewhat challenging !!!!
Me too, in Scotland (and therefore by courtesy with access to NT in England).
One other thought - putting animal-derived stuff in contact with one's mucous membranes is a potentially dodgy business, especially in the era of rendered animal carcasses and such things as prion diseases. Another reason to avoid it and make life simpler.
Pretty sure they are “vegan” not because they don’t contain animal products (cotton etc tends to be classified as a plant) but because they are not single use and not tested on animals (yep, vegan has seen mission creep).
Assuming the reporting is correct this is more a story about whether people having menstrual bleeds should be using the mens toilets.
Like usual then. I’m yet to be convinced of the full teleconnection links here, and there are always winters that defy the background predictions. Time will tell.
The ironic corollary of all this is that 80% of Americans don’t realise how good they have it
Yes prices are mad, yes healthcare, yes urban issues. But they are better off than almost anywhere else in the world - apart from a few unique spots like Switzerland, Singapore, etc
The politics here is so intense and polarised Americans - on both sides - have convinced themselves the country is utterly fucked and the other side is entirely to blame
They should travel more and get some perspective. It broadens the mind
If you are unemployed and poor though that isn't really true, never mind the rest of the West you are probably even better off in most of Latin America than the US now given how limited the welfare state and publicly available healthcare is in the US and it's low minimum wage.
If you are on an average wage the US is OK. If you are a high earner who can afford private healthcare and education for children and can buy a Mansion and wants low tax then the US offers high incomes and little tax and yes beats virtually everywhere bar Singapore and Switzerland and maybe the UAE
The ironic corollary of all this is that 80% of Americans don’t realise how good they have it
Yes prices are mad, yes healthcare, yes urban issues. But they are better off than almost anywhere else in the world - apart from a few unique spots like Switzerland, Singapore, etc
The politics here is so intense and polarised Americans - on both sides - have convinced themselves the country is utterly fucked and the other side is entirely to blame
They should travel more and get some perspective. It broadens the mind
Strange that what you say about the US is almost exactly what Kinabulu says about Britain down thread.
So decisions made on the basis of "it's fucked, let's try anything different" would be bad decisions surely.
A lot of this, obviously, is to do with our malignant media, amplified by technology.
My nominee for who has done most, singlehandedly, to accelerate the decline of the West: Rupert Murdoch. A truly toxic conttibution, decades in the making. The original oligarch - selfish, greedy, philistine, megalomaniac, and utterly amoral.
Fortunately he is not immortal and a lot of people will be quietly celebrating his departure. Many of them closest to him.
TRUMP on China: "Starting November 1st, 2025 (or sooner, depending on any further actions or changes taken by China), the United States of America will impose a Tariff of 100% on China, over and above any Tariff that they are currently paying. Also on November 1st, we will impose Export Controls on any and all critical software."
Off-topic: If I posted links from Guido, I would rightly be ribbed. But links to Byline Times (aka Waitrose Infowars) seem to pass on PB without comment.
Off-topic: If I posted links from Guido, I would rightly be ribbed. But links to Byline Times (aka Waitrose Infowars) seem to pass on PB without comment.
I can’t quite put my finger on it but I sense that someone has commented on this.
It’s Fleet Week, it turns out. Which means the USAF and Navy are doing jetplane acrobatics over the sunny and glittering Bay. San Francisco is doing a very good job of being utterly irresistible
The Gulf states are very adept at appealing to rich, right wing Westerners. People who in normal times would be Islamophobes get rather weak at the knees at what they offer: old fashioned family values; immaculately turned out men and women, dripping with wealth, well versed in flattery with just a soupçon of subtle menace; zero taxes and no truck with nonsense like the welfare state. Above all, extremely deep pockets and the ability to offer regulatory certainty over multiple years because they don’t have to worry about democracy.
Largely true, though they have used their oil revenues to build a basic welfare street in recent years though only for Arabs.
Plus traditional very conservative social values, no same sex couples kissing or holding hands in public, no drag queens and still have a tough approach to crime and the death penalty. Plus don't care less about Woke and unashamedly use their fossil fuels like oil
Actually Arab men often walk together holding hands- it's one of the odd things in Dubai- no belief that they are more than friends, and you get used to it, but all the same.
Is that right? The Graun feed has a markedly different and much more neutral take:
'Asked about Trump pressure campaign, Nobel chair says committee has 'courage and integrity' Responding to the question about the Trump lobbying effort to win the prize, Nobel committee chair, Jørgen Watne Frydnes, says the committee receives thousands of letters every year and makes its decision in a room “filled with both courage and integrity”.'
I think he links “courage and integrity” to the “portraits of all Nobel Laureates” though so the tweet is stretching it, but a reasonable inference
What a bizarre and concerning poll. Not the American thing, the other bit at the bottom. We (along with many similar countries) are struggling with a flat economy, ageing demographics, stagnant living standards, and tight public finances. That 88% of people consider this to mean "Britain is Broken" shows that febrile hyperbole has become the norm. Unless it's just become a phrase that means all is not well and some things need to change. Perhaps that's it. I don't like it anyway, all this "broken" and "fix" business. It's overwrought and leading to poor debate and decisions. We are not broken, and if we were it wouldn't be something fixable by politicians at Westminster.
The problem is Starmer and Reeves, from before and after their election win, complained how bad everything is after 14 years of Tory rule, then produced the most anti business budget anyone could imagine, so yes Labour need to reflect on their own behaviour in this story
No, that's not the problem. It's the gormless gullible public. I never went round saying Britain is Broken even during the worst times under the Tories, nor when I personally was struggling.
The public have had years of being let down by politicians of all colours. It is hardly surprising they have a dim view of things, after that experience.
Dim view, sure. I can relate to that. But Britain is Broken say 88%? Cmon. That's a major loss of judgement and perspective. And a dangerous one too since it fuels charlatans and extremists.
It’s quite clear the country doesn’t work as it should for lots of people. It works fine for some - but that number is, I think, decreasing as each day goes by.
There are a lot of reasons why. Housing costs, general costs of living, societal splintering/isolation, geographical inequalities, longer working hours for many, high taxes, cultural change/loss of identity. And many more. The solutions to these problems are myriad and in all fairness are probably not all preserves of either the right or the left. Some need global change and co-operation, not just national. But it is hard to look at the country now and see a country at ease with itself or that works well for its people.
I’ve travelled extensively around both the USA and Europe these last 3 years. I’ve been all over both
Objectively, Europe seems way more fucked up than America. Poorer, sadder, edgier, more fractious, more troubled, more menaced. Sadly I very much include the UK in this
America has its issues but it is also has money energy and hope. The idea states are going to secede is a ludicrous fever dream of liberals (or QAnons on the other side). America’s borders are now secure (thanks to Trump). It is not militarily threatened by anyone. It does not have a massive problem with Muslim immigration. It has a commanding hold on the best technology. It has falling crime rates - San Francisco’s murder rate is at a 60 year low
By contrast, Europe DOES seem broken. Free speech is collapsing. We are corralled by hideous new laws (online safety act). EU citizens can’t even use fucking AirPods because of their insane technology restrictions
Europe needs a populist right revolution across the board, to become much more like America
I accept PBers are largely going to hate this opinion, but it is my honest take from my intense travels in both places
I an sure VP Vance is keenly reading your above application to be a speechwriter on his 2028 campaign with interest
Like usual then. I’m yet to be convinced of the full teleconnection links here, and there are always winters that defy the background predictions. Time will tell.
We do seem to get a lot of La Ninas these days. And regularly a double dip La Niña over 2 winters. Negative climate feedback, or coincidence / natural macro cycles, but whatever it does mean we get a lot of very mild Jan-Feb periods.
This one is quite shallow and next year looks a bit Nino-ish, though.
Ever heard about male incontinence? Absorbent things can be a life saver if one is distant from home. (Fortunately not from experience, on my part.)
My comment was meant as a joke. 😉
My Dad had prostate cancer which made him incontinent which, as a private person, he found very embarrassing,
Pads helped not sure a vegan tampon would.
Oh, I didn't think you were being nasty, it's the sort of thing that isn't obvious - and while you have a point, 'tampon' could cover pads as well, by the time it's been through the usual mill.
You have to remember that the usual suspects slagged off the NT for having a statue of a slave on display: bought by the original builder of the grand house in question precisely to express his views on the issue, and displayed precisely in the alcove which he built specially for it (Armstrong at Cragside). And that some on PB chorused in condemnation of the poor NT.
On veganism, etc., it's an entirely sensible thing to do, to avoid any issues with religion or conscience.
We’re National Trust members and will continue to be.
Gibside is not far from us. Neither is Crook Hall.
Cragside is a favourite spot of ours even if the walk up to the large ponds is somewhat challenging !!!!
Me too, in Scotland (and therefore by courtesy with access to NT in England).
One other thought - putting animal-derived stuff in contact with one's mucous membranes is a potentially dodgy business, especially in the era of rendered animal carcasses and such things as prion diseases. Another reason to avoid it and make life simpler.
Pretty sure they are “vegan” not because they don’t contain animal products (cotton etc tends to be classified as a plant) but because they are not single use and not tested on animals (yep, vegan has seen mission creep).
Assuming the reporting is correct this is more a story about whether people having menstrual bleeds should be using the mens toilets.
Ever heard about male incontinence? Absorbent things can be a life saver if one is distant from home. (Fortunately not from experience, on my part.)
My comment was meant as a joke. 😉
My Dad had prostate cancer which made him incontinent which, as a private person, he found very embarrassing,
Pads helped not sure a vegan tampon would.
Oh, I didn't think you were being nasty, it's the sort of thing that isn't obvious - and while you have a point, 'tampon' could cover pads as well, by the time it's been through the usual mill.
You have to remember that the usual suspects slagged off the NT for having a statue of a slave on display: bought by the original builder of the grand house in question precisely to express his views on the issue, and displayed precisely in the alcove which he built specially for it (Armstrong at Cragside). And that some on PB chorused in condemnation of the poor NT.
On veganism, etc., it's an entirely sensible thing to do, to avoid any issues with religion or conscience.
We’re National Trust members and will continue to be.
Gibside is not far from us. Neither is Crook Hall.
Cragside is a favourite spot of ours even if the walk up to the large ponds is somewhat challenging !!!!
Me too, in Scotland (and therefore by courtesy with access to NT in England).
One other thought - putting animal-derived stuff in contact with one's mucous membranes is a potentially dodgy business, especially in the era of rendered animal carcasses and such things as prion diseases. Another reason to avoid it and make life simpler.
Pretty sure they are “vegan” not because they don’t contain animal products (cotton etc tends to be classified as a plant) but because they are not single use and not tested on animals (yep, vegan has seen mission creep).
Assuming the reporting is correct this is more a story about whether people having menstrual bleeds should be using the mens toilets.
But you knew that, didn’t you!
A tampon that is “not single use”?!
Ewwwh!
Wait till you hear what people do when they don’t have single use nappies…
Ever heard about male incontinence? Absorbent things can be a life saver if one is distant from home. (Fortunately not from experience, on my part.)
My comment was meant as a joke. 😉
My Dad had prostate cancer which made him incontinent which, as a private person, he found very embarrassing,
Pads helped not sure a vegan tampon would.
Oh, I didn't think you were being nasty, it's the sort of thing that isn't obvious - and while you have a point, 'tampon' could cover pads as well, by the time it's been through the usual mill.
You have to remember that the usual suspects slagged off the NT for having a statue of a slave on display: bought by the original builder of the grand house in question precisely to express his views on the issue, and displayed precisely in the alcove which he built specially for it (Armstrong at Cragside). And that some on PB chorused in condemnation of the poor NT.
On veganism, etc., it's an entirely sensible thing to do, to avoid any issues with religion or conscience.
We’re National Trust members and will continue to be.
Gibside is not far from us. Neither is Crook Hall.
Cragside is a favourite spot of ours even if the walk up to the large ponds is somewhat challenging !!!!
Has the National Trust still got any members?
Surely they all left in protest after the NT's woke insistence on mentioning the role of slavery in funding the great houses of Britain?
Like usual then. I’m yet to be convinced of the full teleconnection links here, and there are always winters that defy the background predictions. Time will tell.
All I know if it's a La Nina winter it will be mild, if it's an El Nino winter it will be mild and if it's neutral it will be mild.
No one ever got poor betting against a mild winter in the UK - anyone would think we were surrounded by warmish waters with the prevailing current bringing our air from sub-tropical latitudes....
TRUMP on China: "Starting November 1st, 2025 (or sooner, depending on any further actions or changes taken by China), the United States of America will impose a Tariff of 100% on China, over and above any Tariff that they are currently paying. Also on November 1st, we will impose Export Controls on any and all critical software."
Trump REALLY did not like Xi hosting a cackling Putin and Kim in Beijing a few weeks ago did he
Ever heard about male incontinence? Absorbent things can be a life saver if one is distant from home. (Fortunately not from experience, on my part.)
My comment was meant as a joke. 😉
My Dad had prostate cancer which made him incontinent which, as a private person, he found very embarrassing,
Pads helped not sure a vegan tampon would.
Oh, I didn't think you were being nasty, it's the sort of thing that isn't obvious - and while you have a point, 'tampon' could cover pads as well, by the time it's been through the usual mill.
You have to remember that the usual suspects slagged off the NT for having a statue of a slave on display: bought by the original builder of the grand house in question precisely to express his views on the issue, and displayed precisely in the alcove which he built specially for it (Armstrong at Cragside). And that some on PB chorused in condemnation of the poor NT.
On veganism, etc., it's an entirely sensible thing to do, to avoid any issues with religion or conscience.
We’re National Trust members and will continue to be.
Gibside is not far from us. Neither is Crook Hall.
Cragside is a favourite spot of ours even if the walk up to the large ponds is somewhat challenging !!!!
Me too, in Scotland (and therefore by courtesy with access to NT in England).
One other thought - putting animal-derived stuff in contact with one's mucous membranes is a potentially dodgy business, especially in the era of rendered animal carcasses and such things as prion diseases. Another reason to avoid it and make life simpler.
Pretty sure they are “vegan” not because they don’t contain animal products (cotton etc tends to be classified as a plant) but because they are not single use and not tested on animals (yep, vegan has seen mission creep).
Assuming the reporting is correct this is more a story about whether people having menstrual bleeds should be using the mens toilets.
But you knew that, didn’t you!
A tampon that is “not single use”?!
Ewwwh!
Wait till you hear what people do when they don’t have single use nappies…
Ever heard about male incontinence? Absorbent things can be a life saver if one is distant from home. (Fortunately not from experience, on my part.)
My comment was meant as a joke. 😉
My Dad had prostate cancer which made him incontinent which, as a private person, he found very embarrassing,
Pads helped not sure a vegan tampon would.
Oh, I didn't think you were being nasty, it's the sort of thing that isn't obvious - and while you have a point, 'tampon' could cover pads as well, by the time it's been through the usual mill.
You have to remember that the usual suspects slagged off the NT for having a statue of a slave on display: bought by the original builder of the grand house in question precisely to express his views on the issue, and displayed precisely in the alcove which he built specially for it (Armstrong at Cragside). And that some on PB chorused in condemnation of the poor NT.
On veganism, etc., it's an entirely sensible thing to do, to avoid any issues with religion or conscience.
We’re National Trust members and will continue to be.
Gibside is not far from us. Neither is Crook Hall.
Cragside is a favourite spot of ours even if the walk up to the large ponds is somewhat challenging !!!!
Me too, in Scotland (and therefore by courtesy with access to NT in England).
One other thought - putting animal-derived stuff in contact with one's mucous membranes is a potentially dodgy business, especially in the era of rendered animal carcasses and such things as prion diseases. Another reason to avoid it and make life simpler.
Pretty sure they are “vegan” not because they don’t contain animal products (cotton etc tends to be classified as a plant) but because they are not single use and not tested on animals (yep, vegan has seen mission creep).
Assuming the reporting is correct this is more a story about whether people having menstrual bleeds should be using the mens toilets.
But you knew that, didn’t you!
Assuming the reporting is correct ... which is a huge if when bashing the NT is concerned.
I've been very glad to see the kind of sanitary towel bins used in womens' toilets added to mens' toilets - or just unisex ones - as there is somewhere to dispose of out of the ordinary waste (nose bleed, for instance, or worse).
TRUMP on China: "Starting November 1st, 2025 (or sooner, depending on any further actions or changes taken by China), the United States of America will impose a Tariff of 100% on China, over and above any Tariff that they are currently paying. Also on November 1st, we will impose Export Controls on any and all critical software."
Trump REALLY did not like Xi hosting a cackling Putin and Kim in Beijing a few weeks ago did he
No, but the timing of this is probably more to do with rare earths
Like usual then. I’m yet to be convinced of the full teleconnection links here, and there are always winters that defy the background predictions. Time will tell.
All I know if it's a La Nina winter it will be mild, if it's an El Nino winter it will be mild and if it's neutral it will be mild.
No one ever got poor betting against a mild winter in the UK - anyone would think we were surrounded by warmish waters with the prevailing current bringing our air from sub-tropical latitudes....
I like mild winters. Which makes me a bit of an outcast on weather forums during the winter.
Don’t get me wrong, a day or two of snow can be pretty, and hoar frost is lovely particularly if somewhere has been in freezing fog for days and suddenly finds itself in the sunshine. But mild winters for the win.
The Gulf states are very adept at appealing to rich, right wing Westerners. People who in normal times would be Islamophobes get rather weak at the knees at what they offer: old fashioned family values; immaculately turned out men and women, dripping with wealth, well versed in flattery with just a soupçon of subtle menace; zero taxes and no truck with nonsense like the welfare state. Above all, extremely deep pockets and the ability to offer regulatory certainty over multiple years because they don’t have to worry about democracy.
Largely true, though they have used their oil revenues to build a basic welfare street in recent years though only for Arabs.
Plus traditional very conservative social values, no same sex couples kissing or holding hands in public, no drag queens and still have a tough approach to crime and the death penalty. Plus don't care less about Woke and unashamedly use their fossil fuels like oil
Actually Arab men often walk together holding hands- it's one of the odd things in Dubai- no belief that they are more than friends, and you get used to it, but all the same.
Not sure what the big problem is. I can’t talk for the efficacy of vegan tampons but even as a staunch righty I have no problem with tampons being accessible for men - I remember fondly searching a night market in Jaipur looking for tampons for my girlfriend as her period started very early and regularly bought tampons for girlfriends when shopping.
Funnily enough, periods aren’t clockwork and so if you are out with your gf and it arrives early it’s actually quite a good thing that a chap can get access to tampons - it’s not going to turn society upside down.
Just to repeat, I can be a horrid old school righty but I have no problem with it unless pumpkin tampons (or whatever they are made from) just don’t absorb period blood.
Ever heard about male incontinence? Absorbent things can be a life saver if one is distant from home. (Fortunately not from experience, on my part.)
My comment was meant as a joke. 😉
My Dad had prostate cancer which made him incontinent which, as a private person, he found very embarrassing,
Pads helped not sure a vegan tampon would.
Oh, I didn't think you were being nasty, it's the sort of thing that isn't obvious - and while you have a point, 'tampon' could cover pads as well, by the time it's been through the usual mill.
You have to remember that the usual suspects slagged off the NT for having a statue of a slave on display: bought by the original builder of the grand house in question precisely to express his views on the issue, and displayed precisely in the alcove which he built specially for it (Armstrong at Cragside). And that some on PB chorused in condemnation of the poor NT.
On veganism, etc., it's an entirely sensible thing to do, to avoid any issues with religion or conscience.
We’re National Trust members and will continue to be.
Gibside is not far from us. Neither is Crook Hall.
Cragside is a favourite spot of ours even if the walk up to the large ponds is somewhat challenging !!!!
Has the National Trust still got any members?
Surely they all left in protest after the NT's woke insistence on mentioning the role of slavery in funding the great houses of Britain?
The only good thing about the National Trust is their Book of Scones.
Having been here two days now - and walked and waymo’d much of the city, I can reliably inform PBers that - far from being a zombie-strewn hellzone, San Francisco is the delightful, eccentric, vibrant, historic, quirky and beautifully located city I remember from my last visit 20 years ago. If anything, it has improved
The food is good, the people are fun, the oysters and lobster ravioli at johns grill (established 1908) are ace
Yes, there are two neighbourhoods - Soma and tenderloin - where juddering fent addicts stagger around and droop to the ground, but you just speed through them in your luxury robocab
Let this be a lesson to the more gullible PBers who spend all their time on X. Don’t believe everything you see on social media, kids
Are you shilling for the San Francisco tourist board? I've heard it as crime-ridden and dangerous as London.
A lot of London is neither crime-ridden or dangerous.
Nonsense, the entirety of London, even Penge!!, is a dangerous crime-ridden no go zone.
Especially Penge.
Did you not hear about the Penge Bungalow murders?
Having been here two days now - and walked and waymo’d much of the city, I can reliably inform PBers that - far from being a zombie-strewn hellzone, San Francisco is the delightful, eccentric, vibrant, historic, quirky and beautifully located city I remember from my last visit 20 years ago. If anything, it has improved
The food is good, the people are fun, the oysters and lobster ravioli at johns grill (established 1908) are ace
Yes, there are two neighbourhoods - Soma and tenderloin - where juddering fent addicts stagger around and droop to the ground, but you just speed through them in your luxury robocab
Let this be a lesson to the more gullible PBers who spend all their time on X. Don’t believe everything you see on social media, kids
Are you shilling for the San Francisco tourist board? I've heard it as crime-ridden and dangerous as London.
A lot of London is neither crime-ridden or dangerous.
Nonsense, the entirety of London, even Penge!!, is a dangerous crime-ridden no go zone.
Especially Penge.
Did you not hear about the Penge Bungalow murders?
TRUMP on China: "Starting November 1st, 2025 (or sooner, depending on any further actions or changes taken by China), the United States of America will impose a Tariff of 100% on China, over and above any Tariff that they are currently paying. Also on November 1st, we will impose Export Controls on any and all critical software."
Trump REALLY did not like Xi hosting a cackling Putin and Kim in Beijing a few weeks ago did he
If you were a top banana Dictator wouldn't you be triggered if you weren't invited to the top table bun fight?
Like usual then. I’m yet to be convinced of the full teleconnection links here, and there are always winters that defy the background predictions. Time will tell.
All I know if it's a La Nina winter it will be mild, if it's an El Nino winter it will be mild and if it's neutral it will be mild.
No one ever got poor betting against a mild winter in the UK - anyone would think we were surrounded by warmish waters with the prevailing current bringing our air from sub-tropical latitudes....
I like mild winters. Which makes me a bit of an outcast on weather forums during the winter.
Don’t get me wrong, a day or two of snow can be pretty, and hoar frost is lovely particularly if somewhere has been in freezing fog for days and suddenly finds itself in the sunshine. But mild winters for the win.
Having been here two days now - and walked and waymo’d much of the city, I can reliably inform PBers that - far from being a zombie-strewn hellzone, San Francisco is the delightful, eccentric, vibrant, historic, quirky and beautifully located city I remember from my last visit 20 years ago. If anything, it has improved
The food is good, the people are fun, the oysters and lobster ravioli at johns grill (established 1908) are ace
Yes, there are two neighbourhoods - Soma and tenderloin - where juddering fent addicts stagger around and droop to the ground, but you just speed through them in your luxury robocab
Let this be a lesson to the more gullible PBers who spend all their time on X. Don’t believe everything you see on social media, kids
Are you shilling for the San Francisco tourist board? I've heard it as crime-ridden and dangerous as London.
A lot of London is neither crime-ridden or dangerous.
Nonsense, the entirety of London, even Penge!!, is a dangerous crime-ridden no go zone.
Especially Penge.
Did you not hear about the Penge Bungalow murders?
I’m watching ‘Sweet As You Are’ starring Liam Neeson and Miranda Richardson. Richardson is so beautiful. I had only really ever seen her in BlackAdder II as Queen Elizabeth before.
I’m not particularly that way inclined but Neeson is also fairly beauteous. They made a lovely couple.
Is he not dating Pamela Anderson now?
That was just marketing shit for the Naked Gunb movie.
The ironic corollary of all this is that 80% of Americans don’t realise how good they have it
Yes prices are mad, yes healthcare, yes urban issues. But they are better off than almost anywhere else in the world - apart from a few unique spots like Switzerland, Singapore, etc
The politics here is so intense and polarised Americans - on both sides - have convinced themselves the country is utterly fucked and the other side is entirely to blame
They should travel more and get some perspective. It broadens the mind
Is the tipping culture as insane as we read about. It’s about a decade since I visited.
Yes. It’s horrifying. Possibly the worst aspect of visiting the country! I had to tip a fucking robot the other day
What !!!
Tell more !!
Sex workers - even robot sex workers - expect to be tipped. (Geddit?)
The ironic corollary of all this is that 80% of Americans don’t realise how good they have it
Yes prices are mad, yes healthcare, yes urban issues. But they are better off than almost anywhere else in the world - apart from a few unique spots like Switzerland, Singapore, etc
The politics here is so intense and polarised Americans - on both sides - have convinced themselves the country is utterly fucked and the other side is entirely to blame
They should travel more and get some perspective. It broadens the mind
Is the tipping culture as insane as we read about. It’s about a decade since I visited.
Yes. It’s horrifying. Possibly the worst aspect of visiting the country! I had to tip a fucking robot the other day
What !!!
Tell more !!
Sex workers - even robot sex workers - expect to be tipped. (Geddit?)
Beginning to look very smelly for the markets next week. Jamie Dimon's comments, plus tariffs, the US Federal shut down, there's an awful lot of shit just waiting to devalue the US... feeling a bit Lehman levels of nasty but with a five year old in charge this time...
Beginning to look very smelly for the markets next week. Jamie Dimon's comments, plus tariffs, the US Federal shut down, there's an awful lot of shit just waiting to devalue the US... feeling a bit Lehman levels of nasty but with a five year old in charge this time...
I bought some gold this week. I was slightly worried I had bought at the peak, but perhaps not...
Ever heard about male incontinence? Absorbent things can be a life saver if one is distant from home. (Fortunately not from experience, on my part.)
My comment was meant as a joke. 😉
My Dad had prostate cancer which made him incontinent which, as a private person, he found very embarrassing,
Pads helped not sure a vegan tampon would.
Oh, I didn't think you were being nasty, it's the sort of thing that isn't obvious - and while you have a point, 'tampon' could cover pads as well, by the time it's been through the usual mill.
You have to remember that the usual suspects slagged off the NT for having a statue of a slave on display: bought by the original builder of the grand house in question precisely to express his views on the issue, and displayed precisely in the alcove which he built specially for it (Armstrong at Cragside). And that some on PB chorused in condemnation of the poor NT.
On veganism, etc., it's an entirely sensible thing to do, to avoid any issues with religion or conscience.
We’re National Trust members and will continue to be.
Gibside is not far from us. Neither is Crook Hall.
Cragside is a favourite spot of ours even if the walk up to the large ponds is somewhat challenging !!!!
Me too, in Scotland (and therefore by courtesy with access to NT in England).
One other thought - putting animal-derived stuff in contact with one's mucous membranes is a potentially dodgy business, especially in the era of rendered animal carcasses and such things as prion diseases. Another reason to avoid it and make life simpler.
Pretty sure they are “vegan” not because they don’t contain animal products (cotton etc tends to be classified as a plant) but because they are not single use and not tested on animals (yep, vegan has seen mission creep).
Assuming the reporting is correct this is more a story about whether people having menstrual bleeds should be using the mens toilets.
But you knew that, didn’t you!
A tampon that is “not single use”?!
Ewwwh!
Wait till you hear what people do when they don’t have single use nappies…
Don't tell RFK Jr - he'll blame disposible nappies for autism.
Beginning to look very smelly for the markets next week. Jamie Dimon's comments, plus tariffs, the US Federal shut down, there's an awful lot of shit just waiting to devalue the US... feeling a bit Lehman levels of nasty but with a five year old in charge this time...
Marc Andreessen 🇺🇸
@pmarca · 32m Years the commentariat has been convinced there is a tech bubble: 1995, 1996, 1997, 1998, 1999, 2000, 2002, 2003, 2004, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014, 2015, 2016, 2017, 2018, 2019, 2020, 2022, 2023, 2024, 2025.
The Mad King (he's REALLY SHARP actually) is in the Oval Office now explaining how drug companies are going to pay people to take their pills (1000% discount...)
On topic, I dont think this will a problem for Reform at all. They will have other problems.
Off topic: I think the comment downthread about the financial markets might have something in it. The China tariffs thing is a blindsider & I'm not sure will last, as its a classic Trump tactic, The opaque world of private credit going awry a little bit, a US stock market that is being driven disproportionately by public rather than institutional money and some mad circular deals around OpenAi tell you that its getting a bit too excitable
Off topic: Football is so fucking stressful to watch.
Another night of much of Newsnight approaching the atmosphere of a BBC One magazine show.
The issues of distinctiveness at the BBC at the momenf are quite significant
Someone appears to have looked at the One Show and Radio 5 and thought “that’s lovely” and decided that every bit of news and discussion needs to match. Wankers.
Another night of much of Newsnight approaching the atmosphere of a BBC One magazine show.
The issues of distinctiveness at the BBC at the momenf are quite significant
Someone appears to have looked at the One Show and Radio 5 and thought “that’s lovely” and decided that every bit of news and discussion needs to match. Wankers.
I've spent the last 10 years avoiding The One Show as much as possible.
Another night of much of Newsnight approaching the atmosphere of a BBC One magazine show.
The issues of distinctiveness at the BBC at the momenf are quite significant
Someone appears to have looked at the One Show and Radio 5 and thought “that’s lovely” and decided that every bit of news and discussion needs to match. Wankers.
I've spent the last 10 years avoiding The One Show as much as possible.
Comments
It's all about grift with Trump.
Challenger 3 programme - breaking the 76.4t "do not exceed" weight in all-up battlefield configuration.
https://x.com/FTusa284/status/1976256865991590343
Even if we needed an MBT (we don't) the Korean or German offerings are much superior.
Might be nothing, might be something to stymie Blair's appointment as Lord High Protector of Gaza.
Badenoch has had a good week - no question - and, rather like Starmer, the principal leadership rival has been discredited. That doesn't mean there may not be another convulsion after the May 2026 elections - the problem for her may be expectations management. The general view currently is the Conservatives will do poorly but there may be more optimism in Conservative circles after this week - the other positive was while there were some Councillor defections, there wasn't an MP who defected to Reform during the week of the conference.
https://bsky.app/profile/peterjukes.bsky.social/post/3m2u5i75ujs2m
https://www.theguardian.com/world/2025/oct/10/nobel-peace-prize-bets-polymarket
'Asked about Trump pressure campaign, Nobel chair says committee has 'courage and integrity'
Responding to the question about the Trump lobbying effort to win the prize, Nobel committee chair, Jørgen Watne Frydnes, says the committee receives thousands of letters every year and makes its decision in a room “filled with both courage and integrity”.'
My Dad had prostate cancer which made him incontinent which, as a private person, he found very embarrassing,
Pads helped not sure a vegan tampon would.
https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/articles/cdx21gzl9dlo.amp
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Zircon_affair
You have to remember that the usual suspects slagged off the NT for having a statue of a slave on display: bought by the original builder of the grand house in question precisely to express his views on the issue, and displayed precisely in the alcove which he built specially for it (Armstrong at Cragside). And that some on PB chorused in condemnation of the poor NT.
On veganism, etc., it's an entirely sensible thing to do, to avoid any issues with religion or conscience.
He might last a full Truss after all…
Gibside is not far from us. Neither is Crook Hall.
Cragside is a favourite spot of ours even if the walk up to the large ponds is somewhat challenging !!!!
One other thought - putting animal-derived stuff in contact with one's mucous membranes is a potentially dodgy business, especially in the era of rendered animal carcasses and such things as prion diseases. Another reason to avoid it and make life simpler.
Could mean a wet but mild UK winter.
Fun fact: Seismometers have been installed to measure the crowd noise.
They'll soon stop it.
Plus traditional very conservative social values, no same sex couples kissing or holding hands in public, no drag queens and still have a tough approach to crime and the death penalty. Plus don't care less about Woke and unashamedly use their fossil fuels like oil
My nominee for who has done most, singlehandedly, to accelerate the decline of the West: Rupert Murdoch. A truly toxic conttibution, decades in the making. The original oligarch - selfish, greedy, philistine, megalomaniac, and utterly amoral.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tamponade
Assuming the reporting is correct this is more a story about whether people having menstrual bleeds should be using the mens toilets.
But you knew that, didn’t you!
If you are on an average wage the US is OK. If you are a high earner who can afford private healthcare and education for children and can buy a Mansion and wants low tax then the US offers high incomes and little tax and yes beats virtually everywhere bar Singapore and Switzerland and maybe the UAE
@JenniferJJacobs
TRUMP on China: "Starting November 1st, 2025 (or sooner, depending on any further actions or changes taken by China), the United States of America will impose a Tariff of 100% on China, over and above any Tariff that they are currently paying. Also on November 1st, we will impose Export Controls on any and all critical software."
This one is quite shallow and next year looks a bit Nino-ish, though.
Ewwwh!
Surely they all left in protest after the NT's woke insistence on mentioning the role of slavery in funding the great houses of Britain?
No one ever got poor betting against a mild winter in the UK - anyone would think we were surrounded by warmish waters with the prevailing current bringing our air from sub-tropical latitudes....
I've been very glad to see the kind of sanitary towel bins used in womens' toilets added to mens' toilets - or just unisex ones - as there is somewhere to dispose of out of the ordinary waste (nose bleed, for instance, or worse).
Explain Kissinger's award then.
(For the record: The two 2023 "Swift Quakes" were even louder.)
Don’t get me wrong, a day or two of snow can be pretty, and hoar frost is lovely particularly if somewhere has been in freezing fog for days and suddenly finds itself in the sunshine. But mild winters for the win.
Funnily enough, periods aren’t clockwork and so if you are out with your gf and it arrives early it’s actually quite a good thing that a chap can get access to tampons - it’s not going to turn society upside down.
Just to repeat, I can be a horrid old school righty but I have no problem with it unless pumpkin tampons (or whatever they are made from) just don’t absorb period blood.
Did you not hear about the Penge Bungalow murders?
Spencer Hakimian
@SpencerHakimian
·
27m
Bitcoin COLLAPSING on Trump’s 100% tariff announcement on China.
Here we go all over again.
https://x.com/SpencerHakimian
Thoughts and prayers. And for @HYUFD
Snowy weather for joy.
Frosty weather to kill the pests.
Maybe these robots.
🙏🙏
Marc Andreessen 🇺🇸
@pmarca
·
32m
Years the commentariat has been convinced there is a tech bubble: 1995, 1996, 1997, 1998, 1999, 2000, 2002, 2003, 2004, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014, 2015, 2016, 2017, 2018, 2019, 2020, 2022, 2023, 2024, 2025.
https://x.com/pmarca/status/1976760221126299673
Not sure Jamie Dimon is "commentariat".
Off topic: I think the comment downthread about the financial markets might have something in it. The China tariffs thing is a blindsider & I'm not sure will last, as its a classic Trump tactic, The opaque world of private credit going awry a little bit, a US stock market that is being driven disproportionately by public rather than institutional money and some mad circular deals around OpenAi tell you that its getting a bit too excitable
Off topic: Football is so fucking stressful to watch.
The issues of distinctiveness at the BBC at the momenf are becoming quite significant.
https://www.fmn.dk/en/news/2025/denmark-to-acquire-16-additional-f-35-fighter-jets/