Beta = lower status male, as opposed to alpha; wimpy, uses oat milk and eats vegan scones at NT cafes as opposed to raw steaks Cuck = cuckoo = allusion to the beta status male's wife being rogered by alpha males, I believe, with ensuing illegitimate offspring (yes, yes, I know, but those of a certain tendency probably don't spend their weekends birdwatching, or at least watching the feathered variety)
It's a very nasty insult when used in person.
Ouch. That’s quite comprehensive.
So presumably swingers who go to dogging sites.
Self-image vs actuality for Pete Hegseth?
(Amusingly, on his "no fatties in the military" speech, they withdrew some Texas National Guard from their invasion of Chicago after some on social media published photos of the cowboy chunkers.
Hegseth isn’t wrong, the old movie stereotype of the cops sitting in their car outside the donut shop does appear to have spread to certain areas of the military.
Those TX National Guard aren’t going to be chasing anyone, isn’t military service supposed to be about discipline and readiness? That bunch of fatties clearly isn’t passing any fitness test.
Here's one of the young MAGA crowd in the Politico story.
That's the advantage of being a MAGA and the world of alternative truths. In his mind he is most definitely the alpha.
The last thing that you can still be rude about - weight. I see a lad who has taken care of his appearance - hair is well cut and under control, he's clean shaven and wearing a nice suit that fits his, admittedly somewhat large, frame.
I'm not sure that's true actually. People are extremely touchy about weight and it's absolutely not acceptable to bring it up in the workplace or as a term of abuse.
That's a big part of the problem with weight - normalisation. It's an exceptionally serious problem that is hushed up - consider all the "no underlying health conditions" stories we saw during COVID and it turned out the patient was obese and their body was already under huge strain.
They might not do it in person but just now on PB people are laughing at this chap because if his weight. They wouldn't about his ethnicity or sex or height. (Actually if he was short some probably would, and that's even less fair).
Those aren't things you can change*. In 99% of cases your weight reflects your behaviour and comparing it to something like height or ethnicity is crass.
*I know, I know.
In any case, people are poking fun of him, because he described other men as "Beta Cucks."
Those who are failing so badly at organising the launch of Your Party approached us in Bristol a couple of weeks ago and asked us to book a venue that would hold 1-2k people for the regional assembly which was going to happen in 3 weeks time. They said book it and we'll pay
LOL, they couldn’t organise the proverbial pissup in the brewery.
Who tries to find a conference room for up to 2k people at three weeks’ notice? That’s a bloody big room given they wanted round tables and not just theatre seats. Bloody big rooms are really expensive to maintain, and get booked out at least several months ahead of time.
I doubt it, the fact the Nobel Committee nominated a Venezuelan pro democracy activist over Trump this year too makee that clear. Even if Trump brought peace between Ukraine and Russia next year and the Middle East peace held he likely would not be awarded the prize
TBF, even that doesn't need to be brought into consideration; the Nobel award committee met *before* the news from the ME (and pointed that out a little later).
Sure, but the committee had already made the point about the timing of the decision being before the peace agreement. You can't win a prize for something that happens after the committee decides, still less long after nominations close.
Obama won it for something that never happened at all.
"Not being Dubya" happened...
Being the first Black 'leader of the free world' happened.
You keep saying this but not being George Bush fits the facts better (consider Bush's wars in Afghanistan and Iraq, the axis of evil, and America's withdrawal from the anti ballistic missile treaty) and is also what was said at the time.
Why does that fit the facts better? I was alive at the time too. The palpable sense that a black man could be the US president was huge. I have no doubt that many dressed it up as because of his politics, but I think a large driving force was his ethnicity.
Because we are trying to explain why Obama was given the Nobel peace prize, not why he was elected President (where race absolutely was a factor).
And can you not see why a committee might embrace the first Black President of a nation of Jim Crow, segregation, race riots etc? It was so early in his presidency that he hadn't achieved anything outside of the US at that point. The only achievement was his election, but they didn't want to say it was that.
Those who are failing so badly at organising the launch of Your Party approached us in Bristol a couple of weeks ago and asked us to book a venue that would hold 1-2k people for the regional assembly which was going to happen in 3 weeks time. They said book it and we'll pay
One of the reasons we should resist the politicisation of the civil service is the risk that inept people like this might be voted to run the country - at which stage you're going to want as many experienced people in the civil service as possible.
I know we moan about the civil service a lot - the innate conservatism, the departmental dogmas, the petty empire-building - but there is also a basic level of competency that keeps the business of the State running, that would be absent if you had a new government bring in its own people wholesale, and those people had the level of competency being exhibited by Your Party.
Those who are failing so badly at organising the launch of Your Party approached us in Bristol a couple of weeks ago and asked us to book a venue that would hold 1-2k people for the regional assembly which was going to happen in 3 weeks time. They said book it and we'll pay
Beta = lower status male, as opposed to alpha; wimpy, uses oat milk and eats vegan scones at NT cafes as opposed to raw steaks Cuck = cuckoo = allusion to the beta status male's wife being rogered by alpha males, I believe, with ensuing illegitimate offspring (yes, yes, I know, but those of a certain tendency probably don't spend their weekends birdwatching, or at least watching the feathered variety)
It's a very nasty insult when used in person.
Ouch. That’s quite comprehensive.
So presumably swingers who go to dogging sites.
Self-image vs actuality for Pete Hegseth?
(Amusingly, on his "no fatties in the military" speech, they withdrew some Texas National Guard from their invasion of Chicago after some on social media published photos of the cowboy chunkers.
Hegseth isn’t wrong, the old movie stereotype of the cops sitting in their car outside the donut shop does appear to have spread to certain areas of the military.
Those TX National Guard aren’t going to be chasing anyone, isn’t military service supposed to be about discipline and readiness? That bunch of fatties clearly isn’t passing any fitness test.
Here's one of the young MAGA crowd in the Politico story.
That's the advantage of being a MAGA and the world of alternative truths. In his mind he is most definitely the alpha.
The last thing that you can still be rude about - weight. I see a lad who has taken care of his appearance - hair is well cut and under control, he's clean shaven and wearing a nice suit that fits his, admittedly somewhat large, frame.
I'm not sure that's true actually. People are extremely touchy about weight and it's absolutely not acceptable to bring it up in the workplace or as a term of abuse.
That's a big part of the problem with weight - normalisation. It's an exceptionally serious problem that is hushed up - consider all the "no underlying health conditions" stories we saw during COVID and it turned out the patient was obese and their body was already under huge strain.
They might not do it in person but just now on PB people are laughing at this chap because if his weight. They wouldn't about his ethnicity or sex or height. (Actually if he was short some probably would, and that's even less fair).
Those aren't things you can change*. In 99% of cases your weight reflects your behaviour and comparing it to something like height or ethnicity is crass.
*I know, I know.
He doesn't look that old. Mostly fat children are down to their parents. And actually weight is not a simple issue. It certainly isn't as simple as just reflecting behaviour. Environment is important too. As are genetics. I used to run 3 x weekly, 5 or more miles. I was never slim. My body type does not do that. My sister is hugely active - runs and walks most days. She's also not slim.
My wife is never overweight whether she is running a lot (as now) or not (as sometimes happens).
Beta = lower status male, as opposed to alpha; wimpy, uses oat milk and eats vegan scones at NT cafes as opposed to raw steaks Cuck = cuckoo = allusion to the beta status male's wife being rogered by alpha males, I believe, with ensuing illegitimate offspring (yes, yes, I know, but those of a certain tendency probably don't spend their weekends birdwatching, or at least watching the feathered variety)
It's a very nasty insult when used in person.
Ouch. That’s quite comprehensive.
So presumably swingers who go to dogging sites.
Self-image vs actuality for Pete Hegseth?
(Amusingly, on his "no fatties in the military" speech, they withdrew some Texas National Guard from their invasion of Chicago after some on social media published photos of the cowboy chunkers.
Hegseth isn’t wrong, the old movie stereotype of the cops sitting in their car outside the donut shop does appear to have spread to certain areas of the military.
Those TX National Guard aren’t going to be chasing anyone, isn’t military service supposed to be about discipline and readiness? That bunch of fatties clearly isn’t passing any fitness test.
Here's one of the young MAGA crowd in the Politico story.
"How Clacton-on-Sea became one of Britain’s unhealthiest towns Nigel Farage’s constituency has the lowest life expectancy of anywhere in Britain – can health checks really avert the crisis?
It seems a bit unfair to include the photo of Tubby Isaacs' sea-food stall; despite the name, it sells cockles and mussels (other songs are available) which are pretty much 100 per cent protein. All the pictures show the seaside tourism parts. I was half expecting to see Leon's trademark plate, napkin and half-full glass.
Beta = lower status male, as opposed to alpha; wimpy, uses oat milk and eats vegan scones at NT cafes as opposed to raw steaks Cuck = cuckoo = allusion to the beta status male's wife being rogered by alpha males, I believe, with ensuing illegitimate offspring (yes, yes, I know, but those of a certain tendency probably don't spend their weekends birdwatching, or at least watching the feathered variety)
It's a very nasty insult when used in person.
Ouch. That’s quite comprehensive.
So presumably swingers who go to dogging sites.
Self-image vs actuality for Pete Hegseth?
(Amusingly, on his "no fatties in the military" speech, they withdrew some Texas National Guard from their invasion of Chicago after some on social media published photos of the cowboy chunkers.
Hegseth isn’t wrong, the old movie stereotype of the cops sitting in their car outside the donut shop does appear to have spread to certain areas of the military.
Those TX National Guard aren’t going to be chasing anyone, isn’t military service supposed to be about discipline and readiness? That bunch of fatties clearly isn’t passing any fitness test.
Here's one of the young MAGA crowd in the Politico story.
He bought a suit!
For years I thought that was Norman Cook as a child and he had lost loads of weight (probably the acid)
Western electorates are getting increasingly delusional with regard to public finances.
Debt/GDP is around 100% in most developed countries, and with interest rates around 5% that’s 5% of GDP just on the debt interest.
Add to the demographic time bomb and increasing life expectancy, and it’s unrealistic to be retiring at 65, let alone 60.
In the U.K. state pensions are going up by around 4.5% (can’t remember exact number) due to the triple lock.
Crazy
The whole idea of a state pension is ridiculous. It discourages private pension provision and distorts the labour market.
Many over-68s are perfectly capable of working so why should they be paid £12k a year to sit around doing nothing? We have far too many entitled layabouts in this country as it is. A relative of mine just retired at 79 and one of his colleagues famously was still working at 105 (!).
Pensions should be merged with incapacity benefit and the rules tightened up. People should only qualify once old age makes them genuinely incapable of working, not just too lazy to work, any more.
The triple lock is indefensible, but I'm doubtful about everyone working till they drop (not sure if you're making a serious suggestion, but assuming yes). At 75 I'd be quite capable of some work, but my memory is patchy; others of my age have various physical problems. Would we do the available work better than unemplyed younger people? Doubtful.
What would be really helpful would be a system encouraging gradual retirement, rather than an on/off system. That could be combined with incentives to carry on working, so that the pension increased with fewer years expected to be claimed. For a start, though, increasing it to 70 except where there's a clear medical reason why not does make sense.
I would very much like there to be some way of encouraging continued work schemes with employers, for older employees. As I approach retirement I suspect I won’t want to continue doing the full time job I do now, but rather than being economically inactive for a few early retirement years I can imagine benefitting from a few days a week in some form of employment, to help supplement the bill payments etc.
Beta = lower status male, as opposed to alpha; wimpy, uses oat milk and eats vegan scones at NT cafes as opposed to raw steaks Cuck = cuckoo = allusion to the beta status male's wife being rogered by alpha males, I believe, with ensuing illegitimate offspring (yes, yes, I know, but those of a certain tendency probably don't spend their weekends birdwatching, or at least watching the feathered variety)
It's a very nasty insult when used in person.
Ouch. That’s quite comprehensive.
So presumably swingers who go to dogging sites.
Self-image vs actuality for Pete Hegseth?
(Amusingly, on his "no fatties in the military" speech, they withdrew some Texas National Guard from their invasion of Chicago after some on social media published photos of the cowboy chunkers.
Hegseth isn’t wrong, the old movie stereotype of the cops sitting in their car outside the donut shop does appear to have spread to certain areas of the military.
Those TX National Guard aren’t going to be chasing anyone, isn’t military service supposed to be about discipline and readiness? That bunch of fatties clearly isn’t passing any fitness test.
Here's one of the young MAGA crowd in the Politico story.
That's the advantage of being a MAGA and the world of alternative truths. In his mind he is most definitely the alpha.
The last thing that you can still be rude about - weight. I see a lad who has taken care of his appearance - hair is well cut and under control, he's clean shaven and wearing a nice suit that fits his, admittedly somewhat large, frame.
I'm not sure that's true actually. People are extremely touchy about weight and it's absolutely not acceptable to bring it up in the workplace or as a term of abuse.
That's a big part of the problem with weight - normalisation. It's an exceptionally serious problem that is hushed up - consider all the "no underlying health conditions" stories we saw during COVID and it turned out the patient was obese and their body was already under huge strain.
They might not do it in person but just now on PB people are laughing at this chap because if his weight. They wouldn't about his ethnicity or sex or height. (Actually if he was short some probably would, and that's even less fair).
Those aren't things you can change*. In 99% of cases your weight reflects your behaviour and comparing it to something like height or ethnicity is crass.
*I know, I know.
In any case, people are poking fun of him, because he described other men as "Beta Cucks."
Western electorates are getting increasingly delusional with regard to public finances.
Debt/GDP is around 100% in most developed countries, and with interest rates around 5% that’s 5% of GDP just on the debt interest.
Add to the demographic time bomb and increasing life expectancy, and it’s unrealistic to be retiring at 65, let alone 60.
In the U.K. state pensions are going up by around 4.5% (can’t remember exact number) due to the triple lock.
Crazy
4.8% - 1% above today's inflation.
It's not so much what it will cost in a single year, so much as its unsustainability in future years. Until a government has the courage to scrap it, it makes future spending projections steadily worse.
Compared to what they piss up the wall everyday it is peanuts, chagos , ppe theft , HS2 bat tunnels , HOL, MP's expenses and on and on and on. Junior Doc's got 29% FFS.
Beta = lower status male, as opposed to alpha; wimpy, uses oat milk and eats vegan scones at NT cafes as opposed to raw steaks Cuck = cuckoo = allusion to the beta status male's wife being rogered by alpha males, I believe, with ensuing illegitimate offspring (yes, yes, I know, but those of a certain tendency probably don't spend their weekends birdwatching, or at least watching the feathered variety)
It's a very nasty insult when used in person.
Ouch. That’s quite comprehensive.
So presumably swingers who go to dogging sites.
Self-image vs actuality for Pete Hegseth?
(Amusingly, on his "no fatties in the military" speech, they withdrew some Texas National Guard from their invasion of Chicago after some on social media published photos of the cowboy chunkers.
Hegseth isn’t wrong, the old movie stereotype of the cops sitting in their car outside the donut shop does appear to have spread to certain areas of the military.
Those TX National Guard aren’t going to be chasing anyone, isn’t military service supposed to be about discipline and readiness? That bunch of fatties clearly isn’t passing any fitness test.
Here's one of the young MAGA crowd in the Politico story.
That's the advantage of being a MAGA and the world of alternative truths. In his mind he is most definitely the alpha.
The last thing that you can still be rude about - weight. I see a lad who has taken care of his appearance - hair is well cut and under control, he's clean shaven and wearing a nice suit that fits his, admittedly somewhat large, frame.
I'm not sure that's true actually. People are extremely touchy about weight and it's absolutely not acceptable to bring it up in the workplace or as a term of abuse.
That's a big part of the problem with weight - normalisation. It's an exceptionally serious problem that is hushed up - consider all the "no underlying health conditions" stories we saw during COVID and it turned out the patient was obese and their body was already under huge strain.
They might not do it in person but just now on PB people are laughing at this chap because if his weight. They wouldn't about his ethnicity or sex or height. (Actually if he was short some probably would, and that's even less fair).
Those aren't things you can change*. In 99% of cases your weight reflects your behaviour and comparing it to something like height or ethnicity is crass.
*I know, I know.
He doesn't look that old. Mostly fat children are down to their parents. And actually weight is not a simple issue. It certainly isn't as simple as just reflecting behaviour. Environment is important too. As are genetics. I used to run 3 x weekly, 5 or more miles. I was never slim. My body type does not do that. My sister is hugely active - runs and walks most days. She's also not slim.
My wife is never overweight whether she is running a lot (as now) or not (as sometimes happens).
That betrays the usual mistake that people make - that exercise is the way to reduce weight. It takes a significant amount of running/cycling/swimming to burn off a single slice of cake. It's all about diet. 200-300 calories in a pint of beer etc etc.
Anyway, whenever you bring this up you just get a host of excuses and whataboutery with people unable to take personal responsibility. That's why it will take a significant government intervention to solve.
Beta = lower status male, as opposed to alpha; wimpy, uses oat milk and eats vegan scones at NT cafes as opposed to raw steaks Cuck = cuckoo = allusion to the beta status male's wife being rogered by alpha males, I believe, with ensuing illegitimate offspring (yes, yes, I know, but those of a certain tendency probably don't spend their weekends birdwatching, or at least watching the feathered variety)
It's a very nasty insult when used in person.
Ouch. That’s quite comprehensive.
So presumably swingers who go to dogging sites.
Self-image vs actuality for Pete Hegseth?
(Amusingly, on his "no fatties in the military" speech, they withdrew some Texas National Guard from their invasion of Chicago after some on social media published photos of the cowboy chunkers.
Hegseth isn’t wrong, the old movie stereotype of the cops sitting in their car outside the donut shop does appear to have spread to certain areas of the military.
Those TX National Guard aren’t going to be chasing anyone, isn’t military service supposed to be about discipline and readiness? That bunch of fatties clearly isn’t passing any fitness test.
Here's one of the young MAGA crowd in the Politico story.
That's the advantage of being a MAGA and the world of alternative truths. In his mind he is most definitely the alpha.
The last thing that you can still be rude about - weight. I see a lad who has taken care of his appearance - hair is well cut and under control, he's clean shaven and wearing a nice suit that fits his, admittedly somewhat large, frame.
It doesn't fit him. If it's buttoned up at the top button and there's an "X" in stress folds radiating out from the button, then it doesn't fit. I read too much dieworkwear...
Western electorates are getting increasingly delusional with regard to public finances.
Debt/GDP is around 100% in most developed countries, and with interest rates around 5% that’s 5% of GDP just on the debt interest.
Add to the demographic time bomb and increasing life expectancy, and it’s unrealistic to be retiring at 65, let alone 60.
In the U.K. state pensions are going up by around 4.5% (can’t remember exact number) due to the triple lock.
Crazy
The whole idea of a state pension is ridiculous. It discourages private pension provision and distorts the labour market.
Many over-68s are perfectly capable of working so why should they be paid £12k a year to sit around doing nothing? We have far too many entitled layabouts in this country as it is. A relative of mine just retired at 79 and one of his colleagues famously was still working at 105 (!).
Pensions should be merged with incapacity benefit and the rules tightened up. People should only qualify once old age makes them genuinely incapable of working, not just too lazy to work, any more.
I'd increase it to about £15k to eliminate pensioner poverty but apply a private pension/earnings taper at 50%.
You could call it "Universal Pension".
So kill pension savings, great idea lets soak the responsible people to fund the slackers who pissed all their money away or lazed about on the dole all their lives..
Western electorates are getting increasingly delusional with regard to public finances.
Debt/GDP is around 100% in most developed countries, and with interest rates around 5% that’s 5% of GDP just on the debt interest.
Add to the demographic time bomb and increasing life expectancy, and it’s unrealistic to be retiring at 65, let alone 60.
Just as with car finance a lot of this is to do with expectations. I am bombarded daily with adverts on social media telling me that "anyone can retire early at 50 if they just follow these three simple steps".
Social Media is rotting our brains and destroying democracy. I would ban online advertising. They would force a radical change in business model for social media that would stop a lot of the brain rot.
Have a lifetime limit of a few years on benefits and force the bone idle out of their beds. Only a very small amount of really disabled people should be getting benefits. Those getting largesse because they feel sad or have a headache now and again should be cut adrift.
Beta = lower status male, as opposed to alpha; wimpy, uses oat milk and eats vegan scones at NT cafes as opposed to raw steaks Cuck = cuckoo = allusion to the beta status male's wife being rogered by alpha males, I believe, with ensuing illegitimate offspring (yes, yes, I know, but those of a certain tendency probably don't spend their weekends birdwatching, or at least watching the feathered variety)
It's a very nasty insult when used in person.
Ouch. That’s quite comprehensive.
So presumably swingers who go to dogging sites.
Self-image vs actuality for Pete Hegseth?
(Amusingly, on his "no fatties in the military" speech, they withdrew some Texas National Guard from their invasion of Chicago after some on social media published photos of the cowboy chunkers.
Hegseth isn’t wrong, the old movie stereotype of the cops sitting in their car outside the donut shop does appear to have spread to certain areas of the military.
Those TX National Guard aren’t going to be chasing anyone, isn’t military service supposed to be about discipline and readiness? That bunch of fatties clearly isn’t passing any fitness test.
Here's one of the young MAGA crowd in the Politico story.
That's the advantage of being a MAGA and the world of alternative truths. In his mind he is most definitely the alpha.
The last thing that you can still be rude about - weight. I see a lad who has taken care of his appearance - hair is well cut and under control, he's clean shaven and wearing a nice suit that fits his, admittedly somewhat large, frame.
I'm not sure that's true actually. People are extremely touchy about weight and it's absolutely not acceptable to bring it up in the workplace or as a term of abuse.
That's a big part of the problem with weight - normalisation. It's an exceptionally serious problem that is hushed up - consider all the "no underlying health conditions" stories we saw during COVID and it turned out the patient was obese and their body was already under huge strain.
They might not do it in person but just now on PB people are laughing at this chap because if his weight. They wouldn't about his ethnicity or sex or height. (Actually if he was short some probably would, and that's even less fair).
Those aren't things you can change*. In 99% of cases your weight reflects your behaviour and comparing it to something like height or ethnicity is crass.
*I know, I know.
He doesn't look that old. Mostly fat children are down to their parents. And actually weight is not a simple issue. It certainly isn't as simple as just reflecting behaviour. Environment is important too. As are genetics. I used to run 3 x weekly, 5 or more miles. I was never slim. My body type does not do that. My sister is hugely active - runs and walks most days. She's also not slim.
My wife is never overweight whether she is running a lot (as now) or not (as sometimes happens).
That betrays the usual mistake that people make - that exercise is the way to reduce weight. It takes a significant amount of running/cycling/swimming to burn off a single slice of cake. It's all about diet. 200-300 calories in a pint of beer etc etc.
Anyway, whenever you bring this up you just get a host of excuses and whataboutery with people unable to take personal responsibility. That's why it will take a significant government intervention to solve.
And calories is also a poor measure. Multiple studies suggest that if you consume more calories than 'required' you will gain weight but nothing like the amount expected. And the reverse is also true. A low calorie diet does not mean you will keep losing weight.
The food industry is a lot to blame. Convenience food, heavily processed food (a good guide is any ingredients that you wouldn't use in your kitchen such as calcium carbonate, emulsifiers etc) are the root of all evil. If we only ate meat, veg and fruit we would most likely all be healthy.
Western electorates are getting increasingly delusional with regard to public finances.
Debt/GDP is around 100% in most developed countries, and with interest rates around 5% that’s 5% of GDP just on the debt interest.
Add to the demographic time bomb and increasing life expectancy, and it’s unrealistic to be retiring at 65, let alone 60.
In the U.K. state pensions are going up by around 4.5% (can’t remember exact number) due to the triple lock.
Crazy
The whole idea of a state pension is ridiculous. It discourages private pension provision and distorts the labour market.
Many over-68s are perfectly capable of working so why should they be paid £12k a year to sit around doing nothing? We have far too many entitled layabouts in this country as it is. A relative of mine just retired at 79 and one of his colleagues famously was still working at 105 (!).
Pensions should be merged with incapacity benefit and the rules tightened up. People should only qualify once old age makes them genuinely incapable of working, not just too lazy to work, any more.
I'd increase it to about £15k to eliminate pensioner poverty but apply a private pension/earnings taper at 50%.
You could call it "Universal Pension".
So kill pension savings, great idea lets soak the responsible people to fund the slackers who pissed all their money away or lazed about on the dole all their lives..
I just don't think these public sector workers with insane final salary defined benefit pensions should also get £12k state pension on top.
You could have £6k protected from the taper perhaps, or a lower taper at 30%.
Western electorates are getting increasingly delusional with regard to public finances.
Debt/GDP is around 100% in most developed countries, and with interest rates around 5% that’s 5% of GDP just on the debt interest.
Add to the demographic time bomb and increasing life expectancy, and it’s unrealistic to be retiring at 65, let alone 60.
In the U.K. state pensions are going up by around 4.5% (can’t remember exact number) due to the triple lock.
Crazy
The whole idea of a state pension is ridiculous. It discourages private pension provision and distorts the labour market.
Many over-68s are perfectly capable of working so why should they be paid £12k a year to sit around doing nothing? We have far too many entitled layabouts in this country as it is. A relative of mine just retired at 79 and one of his colleagues famously was still working at 105 (!).
Pensions should be merged with incapacity benefit and the rules tightened up. People should only qualify once old age makes them genuinely incapable of working, not just too lazy to work, any more.
I'd increase it to about £15k to eliminate pensioner poverty but apply a private pension/earnings taper at 50%.
You could call it "Universal Pension".
So kill pension savings, great idea lets soak the responsible people to fund the slackers who pissed all their money away or lazed about on the dole all their lives..
I just don't think these public sector workers with insane final salary defined benefit pensions should also get £12k state pension on top.
You could have £6k protected from the taper perhaps, or a lower taper at 30%.
A lot of this would be seen as unfair on people who have made assumptions about income in retirement based on pension planning. I think a far better reform is to tax pension income the same a working income is taxed.
It should be pointed out though the state pension is now significantly below minimum wage, so if you don't means test it a lot of poor pensioners who have no significant private pension would be hit by scrapping the triple lock if they rely on the state pension
And so they should be.
If this country doesn't have some poor pensioners then it has its priorities wrong.
shoudl be also applied to the scroungers who neither work nor want. To get benefits they should be given overalls a brush and shovel and have to return a weighted amount of garbage/ clean a set amount of toilets / clean x graffiti a day to get anything.
Beta = lower status male, as opposed to alpha; wimpy, uses oat milk and eats vegan scones at NT cafes as opposed to raw steaks Cuck = cuckoo = allusion to the beta status male's wife being rogered by alpha males, I believe, with ensuing illegitimate offspring (yes, yes, I know, but those of a certain tendency probably don't spend their weekends birdwatching, or at least watching the feathered variety)
It's a very nasty insult when used in person.
Ouch. That’s quite comprehensive.
So presumably swingers who go to dogging sites.
Self-image vs actuality for Pete Hegseth?
(Amusingly, on his "no fatties in the military" speech, they withdrew some Texas National Guard from their invasion of Chicago after some on social media published photos of the cowboy chunkers.
Hegseth isn’t wrong, the old movie stereotype of the cops sitting in their car outside the donut shop does appear to have spread to certain areas of the military.
Those TX National Guard aren’t going to be chasing anyone, isn’t military service supposed to be about discipline and readiness? That bunch of fatties clearly isn’t passing any fitness test.
Here's one of the young MAGA crowd in the Politico story.
That's the advantage of being a MAGA and the world of alternative truths. In his mind he is most definitely the alpha.
The last thing that you can still be rude about - weight. I see a lad who has taken care of his appearance - hair is well cut and under control, he's clean shaven and wearing a nice suit that fits his, admittedly somewhat large, frame.
I'm not sure that's true actually. People are extremely touchy about weight and it's absolutely not acceptable to bring it up in the workplace or as a term of abuse.
That's a big part of the problem with weight - normalisation. It's an exceptionally serious problem that is hushed up - consider all the "no underlying health conditions" stories we saw during COVID and it turned out the patient was obese and their body was already under huge strain.
They might not do it in person but just now on PB people are laughing at this chap because if his weight. They wouldn't about his ethnicity or sex or height. (Actually if he was short some probably would, and that's even less fair).
Those aren't things you can change*. In 99% of cases your weight reflects your behaviour and comparing it to something like height or ethnicity is crass.
*I know, I know.
He doesn't look that old. Mostly fat children are down to their parents. And actually weight is not a simple issue. It certainly isn't as simple as just reflecting behaviour. Environment is important too. As are genetics. I used to run 3 x weekly, 5 or more miles. I was never slim. My body type does not do that. My sister is hugely active - runs and walks most days. She's also not slim.
My wife is never overweight whether she is running a lot (as now) or not (as sometimes happens).
That betrays the usual mistake that people make - that exercise is the way to reduce weight. It takes a significant amount of running/cycling/swimming to burn off a single slice of cake. It's all about diet. 200-300 calories in a pint of beer etc etc.
Anyway, whenever you bring this up you just get a host of excuses and whataboutery with people unable to take personal responsibility. That's why it will take a significant government intervention to solve.
And calories is also a poor measure. Multiple studies suggest that if you consume more calories than 'required' you will gain weight but nothing like the amount expected. And the reverse is also true. A low calorie diet does not mean you will keep losing weight.
The food industry is a lot to blame. Convenience food, heavily processed food (a good guide is any ingredients that you wouldn't use in your kitchen such as calcium carbonate, emulsifiers etc) are the root of all evil. If we only ate meat, veg and fruit we would most likely all be healthy.
Exactly - it's a choice. Those things are available in supermarkets.
So, either we ask people to stop eating crap (won't work) or tax/regulate that stuff into oblivion.
Or restrict NHS care to people with a healthy weight.
Western electorates are getting increasingly delusional with regard to public finances.
Debt/GDP is around 100% in most developed countries, and with interest rates around 5% that’s 5% of GDP just on the debt interest.
Add to the demographic time bomb and increasing life expectancy, and it’s unrealistic to be retiring at 65, let alone 60.
In the U.K. state pensions are going up by around 4.5% (can’t remember exact number) due to the triple lock.
Crazy
The whole idea of a state pension is ridiculous. It discourages private pension provision and distorts the labour market.
Many over-68s are perfectly capable of working so why should they be paid £12k a year to sit around doing nothing? We have far too many entitled layabouts in this country as it is. A relative of mine just retired at 79 and one of his colleagues famously was still working at 105 (!).
Pensions should be merged with incapacity benefit and the rules tightened up. People should only qualify once old age makes them genuinely incapable of working, not just too lazy to work, any more.
BY the same token the workplace has to value older people too. One of the reasons I retired early was I did not feel valued. They’ve learned the hard way I actually did contribute far more than they thought.
I get my state pension in six and a half years. My pension planning and savings was based on that.
I get my state pension in about fifteen years. My pension planning and savings is based on not getting my state pension!
If you have worked hard and saved you will only get half of it , they take the other half in tax
Western electorates are getting increasingly delusional with regard to public finances.
Debt/GDP is around 100% in most developed countries, and with interest rates around 5% that’s 5% of GDP just on the debt interest.
Add to the demographic time bomb and increasing life expectancy, and it’s unrealistic to be retiring at 65, let alone 60.
In the U.K. state pensions are going up by around 4.5% (can’t remember exact number) due to the triple lock.
Crazy
The whole idea of a state pension is ridiculous. It discourages private pension provision and distorts the labour market.
Many over-68s are perfectly capable of working so why should they be paid £12k a year to sit around doing nothing? We have far too many entitled layabouts in this country as it is. A relative of mine just retired at 79 and one of his colleagues famously was still working at 105 (!).
Pensions should be merged with incapacity benefit and the rules tightened up. People should only qualify once old age makes them genuinely incapable of working, not just too lazy to work, any more.
I'd increase it to about £15k to eliminate pensioner poverty but apply a private pension/earnings taper at 50%.
You could call it "Universal Pension".
So kill pension savings, great idea lets soak the responsible people to fund the slackers who pissed all their money away or lazed about on the dole all their lives..
I just don't think these public sector workers with insane final salary defined benefit pensions should also get £12k state pension on top.
You could have £6k protected from the taper perhaps, or a lower taper at 30%.
A lot of this would be seen as unfair on people who have made assumptions about income in retirement based on pension planning. I think a far better reform is to tax pension income the same a working income is taxed.
Yes, I agree with that. A retrospective change is unfair and politically impossible.
Those who are failing so badly at organising the launch of Your Party approached us in Bristol a couple of weeks ago and asked us to book a venue that would hold 1-2k people for the regional assembly which was going to happen in 3 weeks time. They said book it and we'll pay
I am still adding 5 points to Your Party and removing 5 from Labour from polls as advised on PB a while ago. Is that still recognised thinking?
Rentoul's quote relates only to a Bristol event (dunno what happened there), and things seem generally on track, judging by the emails I get as an "interested but not yet a member" reader, e.g. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Y8c8lB9wROY and https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oPtLEevhgbE. I'd guess that Lab -2 Green -3 YP +5 would be a median figure at the moment, but adjustable up or down depending on whether the conference is seen as successful or a shambles or just ignored.
Beta = lower status male, as opposed to alpha; wimpy, uses oat milk and eats vegan scones at NT cafes as opposed to raw steaks Cuck = cuckoo = allusion to the beta status male's wife being rogered by alpha males, I believe, with ensuing illegitimate offspring (yes, yes, I know, but those of a certain tendency probably don't spend their weekends birdwatching, or at least watching the feathered variety)
It's a very nasty insult when used in person.
Ouch. That’s quite comprehensive.
So presumably swingers who go to dogging sites.
Self-image vs actuality for Pete Hegseth?
(Amusingly, on his "no fatties in the military" speech, they withdrew some Texas National Guard from their invasion of Chicago after some on social media published photos of the cowboy chunkers.
Hegseth isn’t wrong, the old movie stereotype of the cops sitting in their car outside the donut shop does appear to have spread to certain areas of the military.
Those TX National Guard aren’t going to be chasing anyone, isn’t military service supposed to be about discipline and readiness? That bunch of fatties clearly isn’t passing any fitness test.
Here's one of the young MAGA crowd in the Politico story.
That's the advantage of being a MAGA and the world of alternative truths. In his mind he is most definitely the alpha.
The last thing that you can still be rude about - weight. I see a lad who has taken care of his appearance - hair is well cut and under control, he's clean shaven and wearing a nice suit that fits his, admittedly somewhat large, frame.
I'm not sure that's true actually. People are extremely touchy about weight and it's absolutely not acceptable to bring it up in the workplace or as a term of abuse.
That's a big part of the problem with weight - normalisation. It's an exceptionally serious problem that is hushed up - consider all the "no underlying health conditions" stories we saw during COVID and it turned out the patient was obese and their body was already under huge strain.
They might not do it in person but just now on PB people are laughing at this chap because if his weight. They wouldn't about his ethnicity or sex or height. (Actually if he was short some probably would, and that's even less fair).
Those aren't things you can change*. In 99% of cases your weight reflects your behaviour and comparing it to something like height or ethnicity is crass.
*I know, I know.
He doesn't look that old. Mostly fat children are down to their parents. And actually weight is not a simple issue. It certainly isn't as simple as just reflecting behaviour. Environment is important too. As are genetics. I used to run 3 x weekly, 5 or more miles. I was never slim. My body type does not do that. My sister is hugely active - runs and walks most days. She's also not slim.
My wife is never overweight whether she is running a lot (as now) or not (as sometimes happens).
That betrays the usual mistake that people make - that exercise is the way to reduce weight. It takes a significant amount of running/cycling/swimming to burn off a single slice of cake. It's all about diet. 200-300 calories in a pint of beer etc etc.
Anyway, whenever you bring this up you just get a host of excuses and whataboutery with people unable to take personal responsibility. That's why it will take a significant government intervention to solve.
And calories is also a poor measure. Multiple studies suggest that if you consume more calories than 'required' you will gain weight but nothing like the amount expected. And the reverse is also true. A low calorie diet does not mean you will keep losing weight.
The food industry is a lot to blame. Convenience food, heavily processed food (a good guide is any ingredients that you wouldn't use in your kitchen such as calcium carbonate, emulsifiers etc) are the root of all evil. If we only ate meat, veg and fruit we would most likely all be healthy.
Exactly - it's a choice. Those things are available in supermarkets.
So, either we ask people to stop eating crap (won't work) or tax/regulate that stuff into oblivion.
Or restrict NHS care to people with a healthy weight.
And then ban those who do dangerous hobbies from A and E (climbing, abseiling, mountain biking etc)?
Beta = lower status male, as opposed to alpha; wimpy, uses oat milk and eats vegan scones at NT cafes as opposed to raw steaks Cuck = cuckoo = allusion to the beta status male's wife being rogered by alpha males, I believe, with ensuing illegitimate offspring (yes, yes, I know, but those of a certain tendency probably don't spend their weekends birdwatching, or at least watching the feathered variety)
It's a very nasty insult when used in person.
Ouch. That’s quite comprehensive.
So presumably swingers who go to dogging sites.
Self-image vs actuality for Pete Hegseth?
(Amusingly, on his "no fatties in the military" speech, they withdrew some Texas National Guard from their invasion of Chicago after some on social media published photos of the cowboy chunkers.
Hegseth isn’t wrong, the old movie stereotype of the cops sitting in their car outside the donut shop does appear to have spread to certain areas of the military.
Those TX National Guard aren’t going to be chasing anyone, isn’t military service supposed to be about discipline and readiness? That bunch of fatties clearly isn’t passing any fitness test.
Here's one of the young MAGA crowd in the Politico story.
That's the advantage of being a MAGA and the world of alternative truths. In his mind he is most definitely the alpha.
The last thing that you can still be rude about - weight. I see a lad who has taken care of his appearance - hair is well cut and under control, he's clean shaven and wearing a nice suit that fits his, admittedly somewhat large, frame.
I'm not sure that's true actually. People are extremely touchy about weight and it's absolutely not acceptable to bring it up in the workplace or as a term of abuse.
That's a big part of the problem with weight - normalisation. It's an exceptionally serious problem that is hushed up - consider all the "no underlying health conditions" stories we saw during COVID and it turned out the patient was obese and their body was already under huge strain.
They might not do it in person but just now on PB people are laughing at this chap because if his weight. They wouldn't about his ethnicity or sex or height. (Actually if he was short some probably would, and that's even less fair).
Those aren't things you can change*. In 99% of cases your weight reflects your behaviour and comparing it to something like height or ethnicity is crass.
*I know, I know.
In any case, people are poking fun of him, because he described other men as "Beta Cucks."
Wasn’t that Leon ?
I don't think Leon originate the term. In any event, JD Vance's "I'm not going to join the pearl clutching" intervention notwithstanding, it looks as though they're to be airbrushed out of MAGA history.
..Kansas Young Republicans were deactivated Tuesday after a Politico investigation uncovered racist messages in a group chat among young GOP members in four states.
Chair Alex Dwyer reportedly reacted to “Great. I love Hitler” with a smiley face and heart-reacted to a message about killing political opponents in a gas chamber.
Western electorates are getting increasingly delusional with regard to public finances.
Debt/GDP is around 100% in most developed countries, and with interest rates around 5% that’s 5% of GDP just on the debt interest.
Add to the demographic time bomb and increasing life expectancy, and it’s unrealistic to be retiring at 65, let alone 60.
In the U.K. state pensions are going up by around 4.5% (can’t remember exact number) due to the triple lock.
Crazy
The whole idea of a state pension is ridiculous. It discourages private pension provision and distorts the labour market.
Many over-68s are perfectly capable of working so why should they be paid £12k a year to sit around doing nothing? We have far too many entitled layabouts in this country as it is. A relative of mine just retired at 79 and one of his colleagues famously was still working at 105 (!).
Pensions should be merged with incapacity benefit and the rules tightened up. People should only qualify once old age makes them genuinely incapable of working, not just too lazy to work, any more.
BY the same token the workplace has to value older people too. One of the reasons I retired early was I did not feel valued. They’ve learned the hard way I actually did contribute far more than they thought.
I get my state pension in six and a half years. My pension planning and savings was based on that.
I get my state pension in about fifteen years. My pension planning and savings is based on not getting my state pension!
When I was in your shoes, about a decade ago. That was not a likely prospect for me. If it was I’d have planned accordingly.
It needs to be sustainable and the triple lock needs to go.
It was necessary at first as pension was so shit no-one could have survived on it but crazy now, worst case it should be inflation. However there are far more low hanging fruits that would save gazillions also.
Beta = lower status male, as opposed to alpha; wimpy, uses oat milk and eats vegan scones at NT cafes as opposed to raw steaks Cuck = cuckoo = allusion to the beta status male's wife being rogered by alpha males, I believe, with ensuing illegitimate offspring (yes, yes, I know, but those of a certain tendency probably don't spend their weekends birdwatching, or at least watching the feathered variety)
It's a very nasty insult when used in person.
Ouch. That’s quite comprehensive.
So presumably swingers who go to dogging sites.
Self-image vs actuality for Pete Hegseth?
(Amusingly, on his "no fatties in the military" speech, they withdrew some Texas National Guard from their invasion of Chicago after some on social media published photos of the cowboy chunkers.
Hegseth isn’t wrong, the old movie stereotype of the cops sitting in their car outside the donut shop does appear to have spread to certain areas of the military.
Those TX National Guard aren’t going to be chasing anyone, isn’t military service supposed to be about discipline and readiness? That bunch of fatties clearly isn’t passing any fitness test.
Here's one of the young MAGA crowd in the Politico story.
That's the advantage of being a MAGA and the world of alternative truths. In his mind he is most definitely the alpha.
The last thing that you can still be rude about - weight. I see a lad who has taken care of his appearance - hair is well cut and under control, he's clean shaven and wearing a nice suit that fits his, admittedly somewhat large, frame.
I'm not sure that's true actually. People are extremely touchy about weight and it's absolutely not acceptable to bring it up in the workplace or as a term of abuse.
That's a big part of the problem with weight - normalisation. It's an exceptionally serious problem that is hushed up - consider all the "no underlying health conditions" stories we saw during COVID and it turned out the patient was obese and their body was already under huge strain.
They might not do it in person but just now on PB people are laughing at this chap because if his weight. They wouldn't about his ethnicity or sex or height. (Actually if he was short some probably would, and that's even less fair).
Those aren't things you can change*. In 99% of cases your weight reflects your behaviour and comparing it to something like height or ethnicity is crass.
*I know, I know.
He doesn't look that old. Mostly fat children are down to their parents. And actually weight is not a simple issue. It certainly isn't as simple as just reflecting behaviour. Environment is important too. As are genetics. I used to run 3 x weekly, 5 or more miles. I was never slim. My body type does not do that. My sister is hugely active - runs and walks most days. She's also not slim.
My wife is never overweight whether she is running a lot (as now) or not (as sometimes happens).
That betrays the usual mistake that people make - that exercise is the way to reduce weight. It takes a significant amount of running/cycling/swimming to burn off a single slice of cake. It's all about diet. 200-300 calories in a pint of beer etc etc.
Anyway, whenever you bring this up you just get a host of excuses and whataboutery with people unable to take personal responsibility. That's why it will take a significant government intervention to solve.
And calories is also a poor measure. Multiple studies suggest that if you consume more calories than 'required' you will gain weight but nothing like the amount expected. And the reverse is also true. A low calorie diet does not mean you will keep losing weight.
The food industry is a lot to blame. Convenience food, heavily processed food (a good guide is any ingredients that you wouldn't use in your kitchen such as calcium carbonate, emulsifiers etc) are the root of all evil. If we only ate meat, veg and fruit we would most likely all be healthy.
Exactly - it's a choice. Those things are available in supermarkets.
So, either we ask people to stop eating crap (won't work) or tax/regulate that stuff into oblivion.
Or restrict NHS care to people with a healthy weight.
And then ban those who do dangerous hobbies from A and E (climbing, abseiling, mountain biking etc)?
And weed and schizophrenia? The negative effects of circumcision? Depression and being a lawyer?
Western electorates are getting increasingly delusional with regard to public finances.
Debt/GDP is around 100% in most developed countries, and with interest rates around 5% that’s 5% of GDP just on the debt interest.
Add to the demographic time bomb and increasing life expectancy, and it’s unrealistic to be retiring at 65, let alone 60.
In the U.K. state pensions are going up by around 4.5% (can’t remember exact number) due to the triple lock.
Crazy
The whole idea of a state pension is ridiculous. It discourages private pension provision and distorts the labour market.
Many over-68s are perfectly capable of working so why should they be paid £12k a year to sit around doing nothing? We have far too many entitled layabouts in this country as it is. A relative of mine just retired at 79 and one of his colleagues famously was still working at 105 (!).
Pensions should be merged with incapacity benefit and the rules tightened up. People should only qualify once old age makes them genuinely incapable of working, not just too lazy to work, any more.
The triple lock is indefensible, but I'm doubtful about everyone working till they drop (not sure if you're making a serious suggestion, but assuming yes). At 75 I'd be quite capable of some work, but my memory is patchy; others of my age have various physical problems. Would we do the available work better than unemplyed younger people? Doubtful.
What would be really helpful would be a system encouraging gradual retirement, rather than an on/off system. That could be combined with incentives to carry on working, so that the pension increased with fewer years expected to be claimed. For a start, though, increasing it to 70 except where there's a clear medical reason why not does make sense.
A permanent triple lock is indefensible, but the place we start is the post WWII welfare deal, with NIC based universal state pension + a welfare safety net unprepared to have old people in the workhouse or homeless, even if they are lifelong feckless wasters. I don't think this should change.
Pensioner poverty (which like child poverty should be eliminated as far as humanly possible) will remain real unless the state pension starting point is above a miserable minimal level. That starting point should be higher, and the tax system should operate on better off pensioners to ensure fairness. at the moment better off pensioners are taxed too lightly compared with workers in employment.
The state pension is a very decent starting point base for those with other pensions and assets but not really for those without, especially singles. The triple lock helps a bit is very slowly reaching a basic level that's OK.
Beta = lower status male, as opposed to alpha; wimpy, uses oat milk and eats vegan scones at NT cafes as opposed to raw steaks Cuck = cuckoo = allusion to the beta status male's wife being rogered by alpha males, I believe, with ensuing illegitimate offspring (yes, yes, I know, but those of a certain tendency probably don't spend their weekends birdwatching, or at least watching the feathered variety)
It's a very nasty insult when used in person.
Ouch. That’s quite comprehensive.
So presumably swingers who go to dogging sites.
Self-image vs actuality for Pete Hegseth?
(Amusingly, on his "no fatties in the military" speech, they withdrew some Texas National Guard from their invasion of Chicago after some on social media published photos of the cowboy chunkers.
Hegseth isn’t wrong, the old movie stereotype of the cops sitting in their car outside the donut shop does appear to have spread to certain areas of the military.
Those TX National Guard aren’t going to be chasing anyone, isn’t military service supposed to be about discipline and readiness? That bunch of fatties clearly isn’t passing any fitness test.
Here's one of the young MAGA crowd in the Politico story.
That's the advantage of being a MAGA and the world of alternative truths. In his mind he is most definitely the alpha.
Beta = lower status male, as opposed to alpha; wimpy, uses oat milk and eats vegan scones at NT cafes as opposed to raw steaks Cuck = cuckoo = allusion to the beta status male's wife being rogered by alpha males, I believe, with ensuing illegitimate offspring (yes, yes, I know, but those of a certain tendency probably don't spend their weekends birdwatching, or at least watching the feathered variety)
It's a very nasty insult when used in person.
Ouch. That’s quite comprehensive.
So presumably swingers who go to dogging sites.
Self-image vs actuality for Pete Hegseth?
(Amusingly, on his "no fatties in the military" speech, they withdrew some Texas National Guard from their invasion of Chicago after some on social media published photos of the cowboy chunkers.
Hegseth isn’t wrong, the old movie stereotype of the cops sitting in their car outside the donut shop does appear to have spread to certain areas of the military.
Those TX National Guard aren’t going to be chasing anyone, isn’t military service supposed to be about discipline and readiness? That bunch of fatties clearly isn’t passing any fitness test.
Here's one of the young MAGA crowd in the Politico story.
He bought a suit!
For years I thought that was Norman Cook as a child and he had lost loads of weight (probably the acid)
Beta = lower status male, as opposed to alpha; wimpy, uses oat milk and eats vegan scones at NT cafes as opposed to raw steaks Cuck = cuckoo = allusion to the beta status male's wife being rogered by alpha males, I believe, with ensuing illegitimate offspring (yes, yes, I know, but those of a certain tendency probably don't spend their weekends birdwatching, or at least watching the feathered variety)
It's a very nasty insult when used in person.
Ouch. That’s quite comprehensive.
So presumably swingers who go to dogging sites.
Self-image vs actuality for Pete Hegseth?
(Amusingly, on his "no fatties in the military" speech, they withdrew some Texas National Guard from their invasion of Chicago after some on social media published photos of the cowboy chunkers.
Hegseth isn’t wrong, the old movie stereotype of the cops sitting in their car outside the donut shop does appear to have spread to certain areas of the military.
Those TX National Guard aren’t going to be chasing anyone, isn’t military service supposed to be about discipline and readiness? That bunch of fatties clearly isn’t passing any fitness test.
Here's one of the young MAGA crowd in the Politico story.
He bought a suit!
For years I thought that was Norman Cook as a child and he had lost loads of weight (probably the acid)
Western electorates are getting increasingly delusional with regard to public finances.
Debt/GDP is around 100% in most developed countries, and with interest rates around 5% that’s 5% of GDP just on the debt interest.
Add to the demographic time bomb and increasing life expectancy, and it’s unrealistic to be retiring at 65, let alone 60.
In the U.K. state pensions are going up by around 4.5% (can’t remember exact number) due to the triple lock.
Crazy
The whole idea of a state pension is ridiculous. It discourages private pension provision and distorts the labour market.
Many over-68s are perfectly capable of working so why should they be paid £12k a year to sit around doing nothing? We have far too many entitled layabouts in this country as it is. A relative of mine just retired at 79 and one of his colleagues famously was still working at 105 (!).
Pensions should be merged with incapacity benefit and the rules tightened up. People should only qualify once old age makes them genuinely incapable of working, not just too lazy to work, any more.
BY the same token the workplace has to value older people too. One of the reasons I retired early was I did not feel valued. They’ve learned the hard way I actually did contribute far more than they thought.
I get my state pension in six and a half years. My pension planning and savings was based on that.
I get my state pension in about fifteen years. My pension planning and savings is based on not getting my state pension!
When I was in your shoes, about a decade ago. That was not a likely prospect for me. If it was I’d have planned accordingly.
It needs to be sustainable and the triple lock needs to go.
It was necessary at first as pension was so shit no-one could have survived on it but crazy now, worst case it should be inflation. However there are far more low hanging fruits that would save gazillions also.
Hi Malc, hope all is good with you.
Completely agree. It was necessary to start to rebuild for the years where it increased at a meagre rate. Change it now to inflation, GDP, average earnings. Something else.
Honestly you read this place you’d think nothing can be cut from govt spending
It is next door to his Tees Valley fiefdom and is about a safe a Tory seat as you will now find. In any event he would easily win - hugely popular locally - and is on to his third term as Mayor and in 3/4 years time might want a change. And, remarkably, is only 38 years old.
Teesside, btw, looks a nailed-on Reform landslide at the moment. The Mayoralty, if Houchen sticks around, would be about the only non-Reform elected position left.
Those who are failing so badly at organising the launch of Your Party approached us in Bristol a couple of weeks ago and asked us to book a venue that would hold 1-2k people for the regional assembly which was going to happen in 3 weeks time. They said book it and we'll pay
I am still adding 5 points to Your Party and removing 5 from Labour from polls as advised on PB a while ago. Is that still recognised thinking?
Rentoul's quote relates only to a Bristol event (dunno what happened there), and things seem generally on track, judging by the emails I get as an "interested but not yet a member" reader, e.g. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Y8c8lB9wROY and https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oPtLEevhgbE. I'd guess that Lab -2 Green -3 YP +5 would be a median figure at the moment, but adjustable up or down depending on whether the conference is seen as successful or a shambles or just ignored.
They are supposed to be having a vote on the name this month, they have two weeks left but I haven't heard anything
Beta = lower status male, as opposed to alpha; wimpy, uses oat milk and eats vegan scones at NT cafes as opposed to raw steaks Cuck = cuckoo = allusion to the beta status male's wife being rogered by alpha males, I believe, with ensuing illegitimate offspring (yes, yes, I know, but those of a certain tendency probably don't spend their weekends birdwatching, or at least watching the feathered variety)
It's a very nasty insult when used in person.
Ouch. That’s quite comprehensive.
So presumably swingers who go to dogging sites.
Self-image vs actuality for Pete Hegseth?
(Amusingly, on his "no fatties in the military" speech, they withdrew some Texas National Guard from their invasion of Chicago after some on social media published photos of the cowboy chunkers.
Hegseth isn’t wrong, the old movie stereotype of the cops sitting in their car outside the donut shop does appear to have spread to certain areas of the military.
Those TX National Guard aren’t going to be chasing anyone, isn’t military service supposed to be about discipline and readiness? That bunch of fatties clearly isn’t passing any fitness test.
Here's one of the young MAGA crowd in the Politico story.
That's the advantage of being a MAGA and the world of alternative truths. In his mind he is most definitely the alpha.
The last thing that you can still be rude about - weight. I see a lad who has taken care of his appearance - hair is well cut and under control, he's clean shaven and wearing a nice suit that fits his, admittedly somewhat large, frame.
carrying a lot of timber, must be big boned. As you say he does not look like your average ned/druggie/skanky layabout
Western electorates are getting increasingly delusional with regard to public finances.
Debt/GDP is around 100% in most developed countries, and with interest rates around 5% that’s 5% of GDP just on the debt interest.
Add to the demographic time bomb and increasing life expectancy, and it’s unrealistic to be retiring at 65, let alone 60.
In the U.K. state pensions are going up by around 4.5% (can’t remember exact number) due to the triple lock.
Crazy
The whole idea of a state pension is ridiculous. It discourages private pension provision and distorts the labour market.
Many over-68s are perfectly capable of working so why should they be paid £12k a year to sit around doing nothing? We have far too many entitled layabouts in this country as it is. A relative of mine just retired at 79 and one of his colleagues famously was still working at 105 (!).
Pensions should be merged with incapacity benefit and the rules tightened up. People should only qualify once old age makes them genuinely incapable of working, not just too lazy to work, any more.
The triple lock is indefensible, but I'm doubtful about everyone working till they drop (not sure if you're making a serious suggestion, but assuming yes). At 75 I'd be quite capable of some work, but my memory is patchy; others of my age have various physical problems. Would we do the available work better than unemplyed younger people? Doubtful.
What would be really helpful would be a system encouraging gradual retirement, rather than an on/off system. That could be combined with incentives to carry on working, so that the pension increased with fewer years expected to be claimed. For a start, though, increasing it to 70 except where there's a clear medical reason why not does make sense.
A permanent triple lock is indefensible, but the place we start is the post WWII welfare deal, with NIC based universal state pension + a welfare safety net unprepared to have old people in the workhouse or homeless, even if they are lifelong feckless wasters. I don't think this should change.
Pensioner poverty (which like child poverty should be eliminated as far as humanly possible) will remain real unless the state pension starting point is above a miserable minimal level. That starting point should be higher, and the tax system should operate on better off pensioners to ensure fairness. at the moment better off pensioners are taxed too lightly compared with workers in employment.
The state pension is a very decent starting point base for those with other pensions and assets but not really for those without, especially singles. The triple lock helps a bit is very slowly reaching a basic level that's OK.
I'm all for eliminating poverty, but which poverty? The cheeky use of relative poverty that is in vogue does not help.
Beta = lower status male, as opposed to alpha; wimpy, uses oat milk and eats vegan scones at NT cafes as opposed to raw steaks Cuck = cuckoo = allusion to the beta status male's wife being rogered by alpha males, I believe, with ensuing illegitimate offspring (yes, yes, I know, but those of a certain tendency probably don't spend their weekends birdwatching, or at least watching the feathered variety)
It's a very nasty insult when used in person.
Ouch. That’s quite comprehensive.
So presumably swingers who go to dogging sites.
Self-image vs actuality for Pete Hegseth?
(Amusingly, on his "no fatties in the military" speech, they withdrew some Texas National Guard from their invasion of Chicago after some on social media published photos of the cowboy chunkers.
Hegseth isn’t wrong, the old movie stereotype of the cops sitting in their car outside the donut shop does appear to have spread to certain areas of the military.
Those TX National Guard aren’t going to be chasing anyone, isn’t military service supposed to be about discipline and readiness? That bunch of fatties clearly isn’t passing any fitness test.
Here's one of the young MAGA crowd in the Politico story.
That's the advantage of being a MAGA and the world of alternative truths. In his mind he is most definitely the alpha.
The last thing that you can still be rude about - weight. I see a lad who has taken care of his appearance - hair is well cut and under control, he's clean shaven and wearing a nice suit that fits his, admittedly somewhat large, frame.
I'm not sure that's true actually. People are extremely touchy about weight and it's absolutely not acceptable to bring it up in the workplace or as a term of abuse.
That's a big part of the problem with weight - normalisation. It's an exceptionally serious problem that is hushed up - consider all the "no underlying health conditions" stories we saw during COVID and it turned out the patient was obese and their body was already under huge strain.
They might not do it in person but just now on PB people are laughing at this chap because if his weight. They wouldn't about his ethnicity or sex or height. (Actually if he was short some probably would, and that's even less fair).
Those aren't things you can change*. In 99% of cases your weight reflects your behaviour and comparing it to something like height or ethnicity is crass.
*I know, I know.
In any case, people are poking fun of him, because he described other men as "Beta Cucks."
Wasn’t that Leon ?
I don't think Leon originate the term. In any event, JD Vance's "I'm not going to join the pearl clutching" intervention notwithstanding, it looks as though they're to be airbrushed out of MAGA history.
..Kansas Young Republicans were deactivated Tuesday after a Politico investigation uncovered racist messages in a group chat among young GOP members in four states.
Chair Alex Dwyer reportedly reacted to “Great. I love Hitler” with a smiley face and heart-reacted to a message about killing political opponents in a gas chamber.
Would like to think this indicates that even the MAGA GOP has a point beyond which it will not go, but much more likely shutting up those pesky kids for saying the quiet part out loud.
Beta = lower status male, as opposed to alpha; wimpy, uses oat milk and eats vegan scones at NT cafes as opposed to raw steaks Cuck = cuckoo = allusion to the beta status male's wife being rogered by alpha males, I believe, with ensuing illegitimate offspring (yes, yes, I know, but those of a certain tendency probably don't spend their weekends birdwatching, or at least watching the feathered variety)
It's a very nasty insult when used in person.
Ouch. That’s quite comprehensive.
So presumably swingers who go to dogging sites.
Self-image vs actuality for Pete Hegseth?
(Amusingly, on his "no fatties in the military" speech, they withdrew some Texas National Guard from their invasion of Chicago after some on social media published photos of the cowboy chunkers.
Hegseth isn’t wrong, the old movie stereotype of the cops sitting in their car outside the donut shop does appear to have spread to certain areas of the military.
Those TX National Guard aren’t going to be chasing anyone, isn’t military service supposed to be about discipline and readiness? That bunch of fatties clearly isn’t passing any fitness test.
Here's one of the young MAGA crowd in the Politico story.
That's the advantage of being a MAGA and the world of alternative truths. In his mind he is most definitely the alpha.
The last thing that you can still be rude about - weight. I see a lad who has taken care of his appearance - hair is well cut and under control, he's clean shaven and wearing a nice suit that fits his, admittedly somewhat large, frame.
I'm not sure that's true actually. People are extremely touchy about weight and it's absolutely not acceptable to bring it up in the workplace or as a term of abuse.
That's a big part of the problem with weight - normalisation. It's an exceptionally serious problem that is hushed up - consider all the "no underlying health conditions" stories we saw during COVID and it turned out the patient was obese and their body was already under huge strain.
They might not do it in person but just now on PB people are laughing at this chap because if his weight. They wouldn't about his ethnicity or sex or height. (Actually if he was short some probably would, and that's even less fair).
Those aren't things you can change*. In 99% of cases your weight reflects your behaviour and comparing it to something like height or ethnicity is crass.
*I know, I know.
He doesn't look that old. Mostly fat children are down to their parents. And actually weight is not a simple issue. It certainly isn't as simple as just reflecting behaviour. Environment is important too. As are genetics. I used to run 3 x weekly, 5 or more miles. I was never slim. My body type does not do that. My sister is hugely active - runs and walks most days. She's also not slim.
My wife is never overweight whether she is running a lot (as now) or not (as sometimes happens).
That betrays the usual mistake that people make - that exercise is the way to reduce weight. It takes a significant amount of running/cycling/swimming to burn off a single slice of cake. It's all about diet. 200-300 calories in a pint of beer etc etc.
Anyway, whenever you bring this up you just get a host of excuses and whataboutery with people unable to take personal responsibility. That's why it will take a significant government intervention to solve.
And calories is also a poor measure. Multiple studies suggest that if you consume more calories than 'required' you will gain weight but nothing like the amount expected. And the reverse is also true. A low calorie diet does not mean you will keep losing weight.
The food industry is a lot to blame. Convenience food, heavily processed food (a good guide is any ingredients that you wouldn't use in your kitchen such as calcium carbonate, emulsifiers etc) are the root of all evil. If we only ate meat, veg and fruit we would most likely all be healthy.
Exactly - it's a choice. Those things are available in supermarkets.
So, either we ask people to stop eating crap (won't work) or tax/regulate that stuff into oblivion.
Or restrict NHS care to people with a healthy weight.
And then ban those who do dangerous hobbies from A and E (climbing, abseiling, mountain biking etc)?
Another classic. You'll find someone who eats well and keeps active will have a significantly reduced impact on the NHS over someone who is sedentary and overweight over the course iof their life, even accounting for the odd broken collarbone.
This attitude to keeping healthy is so ingrained in UK culture that it's very difficult to see a sustainable path for the NHS. People like me will start to refuse to pay the tax that supports such an attitude.
Western electorates are getting increasingly delusional with regard to public finances.
Debt/GDP is around 100% in most developed countries, and with interest rates around 5% that’s 5% of GDP just on the debt interest.
Add to the demographic time bomb and increasing life expectancy, and it’s unrealistic to be retiring at 65, let alone 60.
In the U.K. state pensions are going up by around 4.5% (can’t remember exact number) due to the triple lock.
Crazy
4.8% - 1% above today's inflation.
It's not so much what it will cost in a single year, so much as its unsustainability in future years. Until a government has the courage to scrap it, it makes future spending projections steadily worse.
Compared to what they piss up the wall everyday it is peanuts, chagos , ppe theft , HS2 bat tunnels , HOL, MP's expenses and on and on and on. Junior Doc's got 29% FFS.
Question: Do I want to upgrade my iPhone 15 Pro Max for a 17 Pro Max? £480 trade in is tempting - will I be able to keep it in tradable condition for another year...?
New cameras will be useful for filming, especially the selfie camera as I use that a lot. Then again there is literally nothing wrong with it...
Interested in the replies as this is something my wife and I are considering.
Taz, for me unless you can put it as a business expense or you have some money burning a hole in your pocket you would bebetter sticking and having a holiday on the cash.
Beta = lower status male, as opposed to alpha; wimpy, uses oat milk and eats vegan scones at NT cafes as opposed to raw steaks Cuck = cuckoo = allusion to the beta status male's wife being rogered by alpha males, I believe, with ensuing illegitimate offspring (yes, yes, I know, but those of a certain tendency probably don't spend their weekends birdwatching, or at least watching the feathered variety)
It's a very nasty insult when used in person.
Ouch. That’s quite comprehensive.
So presumably swingers who go to dogging sites.
Self-image vs actuality for Pete Hegseth?
(Amusingly, on his "no fatties in the military" speech, they withdrew some Texas National Guard from their invasion of Chicago after some on social media published photos of the cowboy chunkers.
Hegseth isn’t wrong, the old movie stereotype of the cops sitting in their car outside the donut shop does appear to have spread to certain areas of the military.
Those TX National Guard aren’t going to be chasing anyone, isn’t military service supposed to be about discipline and readiness? That bunch of fatties clearly isn’t passing any fitness test.
Here's one of the young MAGA crowd in the Politico story.
That's the advantage of being a MAGA and the world of alternative truths. In his mind he is most definitely the alpha.
The last thing that you can still be rude about - weight. I see a lad who has taken care of his appearance - hair is well cut and under control, he's clean shaven and wearing a nice suit that fits his, admittedly somewhat large, frame.
I'm not sure that's true actually. People are extremely touchy about weight and it's absolutely not acceptable to bring it up in the workplace or as a term of abuse.
That's a big part of the problem with weight - normalisation. It's an exceptionally serious problem that is hushed up - consider all the "no underlying health conditions" stories we saw during COVID and it turned out the patient was obese and their body was already under huge strain.
They might not do it in person but just now on PB people are laughing at this chap because if his weight. They wouldn't about his ethnicity or sex or height. (Actually if he was short some probably would, and that's even less fair).
Those aren't things you can change*. In 99% of cases your weight reflects your behaviour and comparing it to something like height or ethnicity is crass.
*I know, I know.
He doesn't look that old. Mostly fat children are down to their parents. And actually weight is not a simple issue. It certainly isn't as simple as just reflecting behaviour. Environment is important too. As are genetics. I used to run 3 x weekly, 5 or more miles. I was never slim. My body type does not do that. My sister is hugely active - runs and walks most days. She's also not slim.
My wife is never overweight whether she is running a lot (as now) or not (as sometimes happens).
That betrays the usual mistake that people make - that exercise is the way to reduce weight. It takes a significant amount of running/cycling/swimming to burn off a single slice of cake. It's all about diet. 200-300 calories in a pint of beer etc etc.
Anyway, whenever you bring this up you just get a host of excuses and whataboutery with people unable to take personal responsibility. That's why it will take a significant government intervention to solve.
And calories is also a poor measure. Multiple studies suggest that if you consume more calories than 'required' you will gain weight but nothing like the amount expected. And the reverse is also true. A low calorie diet does not mean you will keep losing weight.
The food industry is a lot to blame. Convenience food, heavily processed food (a good guide is any ingredients that you wouldn't use in your kitchen such as calcium carbonate, emulsifiers etc) are the root of all evil. If we only ate meat, veg and fruit we would most likely all be healthy.
Exactly - it's a choice. Those things are available in supermarkets.
So, either we ask people to stop eating crap (won't work) or tax/regulate that stuff into oblivion.
Or restrict NHS care to people with a healthy weight.
And then ban those who do dangerous hobbies from A and E (climbing, abseiling, mountain biking etc)?
Another classic. You'll find someone who eats well and keeps active will have a significantly reduced impact on the NHS over someone who is sedentary and overweight over the course iof their life, even accounting for the odd broken collarbone.
This attitude to keeping healthy is so ingrained in UK culture that it's very difficult to see a sustainable path for the NHS. People like me will start to refuse to pay the tax that supports such an attitude.
So you want the NHS to treat only healthy people? Is that right?
Beta = lower status male, as opposed to alpha; wimpy, uses oat milk and eats vegan scones at NT cafes as opposed to raw steaks Cuck = cuckoo = allusion to the beta status male's wife being rogered by alpha males, I believe, with ensuing illegitimate offspring (yes, yes, I know, but those of a certain tendency probably don't spend their weekends birdwatching, or at least watching the feathered variety)
It's a very nasty insult when used in person.
Ouch. That’s quite comprehensive.
So presumably swingers who go to dogging sites.
Self-image vs actuality for Pete Hegseth?
(Amusingly, on his "no fatties in the military" speech, they withdrew some Texas National Guard from their invasion of Chicago after some on social media published photos of the cowboy chunkers.
Hegseth isn’t wrong, the old movie stereotype of the cops sitting in their car outside the donut shop does appear to have spread to certain areas of the military.
Those TX National Guard aren’t going to be chasing anyone, isn’t military service supposed to be about discipline and readiness? That bunch of fatties clearly isn’t passing any fitness test.
Here's one of the young MAGA crowd in the Politico story.
I bet he would ace Whiskey Pete's military PT requirement.
So personal abuse is okay as long as it’s a political opponent.
Yeah, he’s packing a few extra pounds. So what.
Lots of unpleasant comments aimed at, or subtly about, his physique.
I’m sure his politics is worth criticising but his appearance/physique ?
In one sense that's a fair criticism. But the context of this is that's it's one of the crew in the Politico story. For example: ...“Minnesota - f----ts,” he messaged, continuing: “Arkansas - inbred cow fuckers Nebraska - revolt in our favor; blocked their bind and have a majority of their delegates Maryland - fat stinky Jew … Rhode Island - traitorous c---s who I will eradicate from the face of this planet...
I don't have a problem with fat politicians (Pritzker, for example, whose weight Trump regularly criticises, seems a quite admirable guy), but the cult of the physical is very much part of MAGA - which is why I posted the pic in response to the Hegseth story.
Do they not look at Trump? He is hardly a fine svelte specimen.
Beta = lower status male, as opposed to alpha; wimpy, uses oat milk and eats vegan scones at NT cafes as opposed to raw steaks Cuck = cuckoo = allusion to the beta status male's wife being rogered by alpha males, I believe, with ensuing illegitimate offspring (yes, yes, I know, but those of a certain tendency probably don't spend their weekends birdwatching, or at least watching the feathered variety)
It's a very nasty insult when used in person.
Ouch. That’s quite comprehensive.
So presumably swingers who go to dogging sites.
Self-image vs actuality for Pete Hegseth?
(Amusingly, on his "no fatties in the military" speech, they withdrew some Texas National Guard from their invasion of Chicago after some on social media published photos of the cowboy chunkers.
Hegseth isn’t wrong, the old movie stereotype of the cops sitting in their car outside the donut shop does appear to have spread to certain areas of the military.
Those TX National Guard aren’t going to be chasing anyone, isn’t military service supposed to be about discipline and readiness? That bunch of fatties clearly isn’t passing any fitness test.
Here's one of the young MAGA crowd in the Politico story.
That's the advantage of being a MAGA and the world of alternative truths. In his mind he is most definitely the alpha.
The last thing that you can still be rude about - weight. I see a lad who has taken care of his appearance - hair is well cut and under control, he's clean shaven and wearing a nice suit that fits his, admittedly somewhat large, frame.
I'm not sure that's true actually. People are extremely touchy about weight and it's absolutely not acceptable to bring it up in the workplace or as a term of abuse.
That's a big part of the problem with weight - normalisation. It's an exceptionally serious problem that is hushed up - consider all the "no underlying health conditions" stories we saw during COVID and it turned out the patient was obese and their body was already under huge strain.
They might not do it in person but just now on PB people are laughing at this chap because if his weight. They wouldn't about his ethnicity or sex or height. (Actually if he was short some probably would, and that's even less fair).
Those aren't things you can change*. In 99% of cases your weight reflects your behaviour and comparing it to something like height or ethnicity is crass.
*I know, I know.
He doesn't look that old. Mostly fat children are down to their parents. And actually weight is not a simple issue. It certainly isn't as simple as just reflecting behaviour. Environment is important too. As are genetics. I used to run 3 x weekly, 5 or more miles. I was never slim. My body type does not do that. My sister is hugely active - runs and walks most days. She's also not slim.
My wife is never overweight whether she is running a lot (as now) or not (as sometimes happens).
That betrays the usual mistake that people make - that exercise is the way to reduce weight. It takes a significant amount of running/cycling/swimming to burn off a single slice of cake. It's all about diet. 200-300 calories in a pint of beer etc etc.
Anyway, whenever you bring this up you just get a host of excuses and whataboutery with people unable to take personal responsibility. That's why it will take a significant government intervention to solve.
And calories is also a poor measure. Multiple studies suggest that if you consume more calories than 'required' you will gain weight but nothing like the amount expected. And the reverse is also true. A low calorie diet does not mean you will keep losing weight.
The food industry is a lot to blame. Convenience food, heavily processed food (a good guide is any ingredients that you wouldn't use in your kitchen such as calcium carbonate, emulsifiers etc) are the root of all evil. If we only ate meat, veg and fruit we would most likely all be healthy.
Exactly - it's a choice. Those things are available in supermarkets.
So, either we ask people to stop eating crap (won't work) or tax/regulate that stuff into oblivion.
Or restrict NHS care to people with a healthy weight.
And then ban those who do dangerous hobbies from A and E (climbing, abseiling, mountain biking etc)?
Another classic. You'll find someone who eats well and keeps active will have a significantly reduced impact on the NHS over someone who is sedentary and overweight over the course iof their life, even accounting for the odd broken collarbone.
This attitude to keeping healthy is so ingrained in UK culture that it's very difficult to see a sustainable path for the NHS. People like me will start to refuse to pay the tax that supports such an attitude.
So you want the NHS to treat only healthy people? Is that right?
PMQs has a lively back and forth over the China spy case collapse.
A classic in Starmer over-lawyering again.
That said, much more heat than light generated there. Again, Badenoch shown not to be forensic enough. Neither came away looking great.
I found her comment "You didn't prove that China was *not* a threat". Didn't know that courts worked that way with double negatives. And she passed her law exams?
Question: Do I want to upgrade my iPhone 15 Pro Max for a 17 Pro Max? £480 trade in is tempting - will I be able to keep it in tradable condition for another year...?
New cameras will be useful for filming, especially the selfie camera as I use that a lot. Then again there is literally nothing wrong with it...
Interested in the replies as this is something my wife and I are considering.
Taz, for me unless you can put it as a business expense or you have some money burning a hole in your pocket you would bebetter sticking and having a holiday on the cash.
Do you know what Malc, we’re looking at next years holidays this weekend. So I think your advice is good.
Beta = lower status male, as opposed to alpha; wimpy, uses oat milk and eats vegan scones at NT cafes as opposed to raw steaks Cuck = cuckoo = allusion to the beta status male's wife being rogered by alpha males, I believe, with ensuing illegitimate offspring (yes, yes, I know, but those of a certain tendency probably don't spend their weekends birdwatching, or at least watching the feathered variety)
It's a very nasty insult when used in person.
Ouch. That’s quite comprehensive.
So presumably swingers who go to dogging sites.
Self-image vs actuality for Pete Hegseth?
(Amusingly, on his "no fatties in the military" speech, they withdrew some Texas National Guard from their invasion of Chicago after some on social media published photos of the cowboy chunkers.
Hegseth isn’t wrong, the old movie stereotype of the cops sitting in their car outside the donut shop does appear to have spread to certain areas of the military.
Those TX National Guard aren’t going to be chasing anyone, isn’t military service supposed to be about discipline and readiness? That bunch of fatties clearly isn’t passing any fitness test.
Here's one of the young MAGA crowd in the Politico story.
That's the advantage of being a MAGA and the world of alternative truths. In his mind he is most definitely the alpha.
The last thing that you can still be rude about - weight. I see a lad who has taken care of his appearance - hair is well cut and under control, he's clean shaven and wearing a nice suit that fits his, admittedly somewhat large, frame.
I'm not sure that's true actually. People are extremely touchy about weight and it's absolutely not acceptable to bring it up in the workplace or as a term of abuse.
That's a big part of the problem with weight - normalisation. It's an exceptionally serious problem that is hushed up - consider all the "no underlying health conditions" stories we saw during COVID and it turned out the patient was obese and their body was already under huge strain.
They might not do it in person but just now on PB people are laughing at this chap because if his weight. They wouldn't about his ethnicity or sex or height. (Actually if he was short some probably would, and that's even less fair).
Those aren't things you can change*. In 99% of cases your weight reflects your behaviour and comparing it to something like height or ethnicity is crass.
*I know, I know.
He doesn't look that old. Mostly fat children are down to their parents. And actually weight is not a simple issue. It certainly isn't as simple as just reflecting behaviour. Environment is important too. As are genetics. I used to run 3 x weekly, 5 or more miles. I was never slim. My body type does not do that. My sister is hugely active - runs and walks most days. She's also not slim.
My wife is never overweight whether she is running a lot (as now) or not (as sometimes happens).
That betrays the usual mistake that people make - that exercise is the way to reduce weight. It takes a significant amount of running/cycling/swimming to burn off a single slice of cake. It's all about diet. 200-300 calories in a pint of beer etc etc.
Anyway, whenever you bring this up you just get a host of excuses and whataboutery with people unable to take personal responsibility. That's why it will take a significant government intervention to solve.
Exactly , you don't stuff your pie hole you don't get fat. If you like your food get fat and be happy or don't eat and be less happy.
Beta = lower status male, as opposed to alpha; wimpy, uses oat milk and eats vegan scones at NT cafes as opposed to raw steaks Cuck = cuckoo = allusion to the beta status male's wife being rogered by alpha males, I believe, with ensuing illegitimate offspring (yes, yes, I know, but those of a certain tendency probably don't spend their weekends birdwatching, or at least watching the feathered variety)
It's a very nasty insult when used in person.
Ouch. That’s quite comprehensive.
So presumably swingers who go to dogging sites.
Self-image vs actuality for Pete Hegseth?
(Amusingly, on his "no fatties in the military" speech, they withdrew some Texas National Guard from their invasion of Chicago after some on social media published photos of the cowboy chunkers.
Hegseth isn’t wrong, the old movie stereotype of the cops sitting in their car outside the donut shop does appear to have spread to certain areas of the military.
Those TX National Guard aren’t going to be chasing anyone, isn’t military service supposed to be about discipline and readiness? That bunch of fatties clearly isn’t passing any fitness test.
Here's one of the young MAGA crowd in the Politico story.
That's the advantage of being a MAGA and the world of alternative truths. In his mind he is most definitely the alpha.
The last thing that you can still be rude about - weight. I see a lad who has taken care of his appearance - hair is well cut and under control, he's clean shaven and wearing a nice suit that fits his, admittedly somewhat large, frame.
I'm not sure that's true actually. People are extremely touchy about weight and it's absolutely not acceptable to bring it up in the workplace or as a term of abuse.
That's a big part of the problem with weight - normalisation. It's an exceptionally serious problem that is hushed up - consider all the "no underlying health conditions" stories we saw during COVID and it turned out the patient was obese and their body was already under huge strain.
They might not do it in person but just now on PB people are laughing at this chap because if his weight. They wouldn't about his ethnicity or sex or height. (Actually if he was short some probably would, and that's even less fair).
Those aren't things you can change*. In 99% of cases your weight reflects your behaviour and comparing it to something like height or ethnicity is crass.
*I know, I know.
He doesn't look that old. Mostly fat children are down to their parents. And actually weight is not a simple issue. It certainly isn't as simple as just reflecting behaviour. Environment is important too. As are genetics. I used to run 3 x weekly, 5 or more miles. I was never slim. My body type does not do that. My sister is hugely active - runs and walks most days. She's also not slim.
My wife is never overweight whether she is running a lot (as now) or not (as sometimes happens).
That betrays the usual mistake that people make - that exercise is the way to reduce weight. It takes a significant amount of running/cycling/swimming to burn off a single slice of cake. It's all about diet. 200-300 calories in a pint of beer etc etc.
Anyway, whenever you bring this up you just get a host of excuses and whataboutery with people unable to take personal responsibility. That's why it will take a significant government intervention to solve.
And calories is also a poor measure. Multiple studies suggest that if you consume more calories than 'required' you will gain weight but nothing like the amount expected. And the reverse is also true. A low calorie diet does not mean you will keep losing weight.
The food industry is a lot to blame. Convenience food, heavily processed food (a good guide is any ingredients that you wouldn't use in your kitchen such as calcium carbonate, emulsifiers etc) are the root of all evil. If we only ate meat, veg and fruit we would most likely all be healthy.
Exactly - it's a choice. Those things are available in supermarkets.
So, either we ask people to stop eating crap (won't work) or tax/regulate that stuff into oblivion.
Or restrict NHS care to people with a healthy weight.
And then ban those who do dangerous hobbies from A and E (climbing, abseiling, mountain biking etc)?
Another classic. You'll find someone who eats well and keeps active will have a significantly reduced impact on the NHS over someone who is sedentary and overweight over the course iof their life, even accounting for the odd broken collarbone.
This attitude to keeping healthy is so ingrained in UK culture that it's very difficult to see a sustainable path for the NHS. People like me will start to refuse to pay the tax that supports such an attitude.
So you want the NHS to treat only healthy people? Is that right?
Now *there’s* a way to make cost savings at the NHS!
Question: Do I want to upgrade my iPhone 15 Pro Max for a 17 Pro Max? £480 trade in is tempting - will I be able to keep it in tradable condition for another year...?
New cameras will be useful for filming, especially the selfie camera as I use that a lot. Then again there is literally nothing wrong with it...
Who owns the phone, if you own it personally you could get you business to buy the new one and pocket the £480 cash
PMQs has a lively back and forth over the China spy case collapse.
A classic in Starmer over-lawyering again.
That said, much more heat than light generated there. Again, Badenoch shown not to be forensic enough. Neither came away looking great.
I found her comment "You didn't prove that China was *not* a threat". Didn't know that courts worked that way with double negatives. And she passed her law exams?
Already some comment from journos that Starmer might have misled parliament today, at least will likely need to 'correct the record' All so he could try and 'win' PMQs.
Beta = lower status male, as opposed to alpha; wimpy, uses oat milk and eats vegan scones at NT cafes as opposed to raw steaks Cuck = cuckoo = allusion to the beta status male's wife being rogered by alpha males, I believe, with ensuing illegitimate offspring (yes, yes, I know, but those of a certain tendency probably don't spend their weekends birdwatching, or at least watching the feathered variety)
It's a very nasty insult when used in person.
Ouch. That’s quite comprehensive.
So presumably swingers who go to dogging sites.
Self-image vs actuality for Pete Hegseth?
(Amusingly, on his "no fatties in the military" speech, they withdrew some Texas National Guard from their invasion of Chicago after some on social media published photos of the cowboy chunkers.
Hegseth isn’t wrong, the old movie stereotype of the cops sitting in their car outside the donut shop does appear to have spread to certain areas of the military.
Those TX National Guard aren’t going to be chasing anyone, isn’t military service supposed to be about discipline and readiness? That bunch of fatties clearly isn’t passing any fitness test.
Here's one of the young MAGA crowd in the Politico story.
That's the advantage of being a MAGA and the world of alternative truths. In his mind he is most definitely the alpha.
The last thing that you can still be rude about - weight. I see a lad who has taken care of his appearance - hair is well cut and under control, he's clean shaven and wearing a nice suit that fits his, admittedly somewhat large, frame.
I'm not sure that's true actually. People are extremely touchy about weight and it's absolutely not acceptable to bring it up in the workplace or as a term of abuse.
That's a big part of the problem with weight - normalisation. It's an exceptionally serious problem that is hushed up - consider all the "no underlying health conditions" stories we saw during COVID and it turned out the patient was obese and their body was already under huge strain.
They might not do it in person but just now on PB people are laughing at this chap because if his weight. They wouldn't about his ethnicity or sex or height. (Actually if he was short some probably would, and that's even less fair).
Those aren't things you can change*. In 99% of cases your weight reflects your behaviour and comparing it to something like height or ethnicity is crass.
*I know, I know.
He doesn't look that old. Mostly fat children are down to their parents. And actually weight is not a simple issue. It certainly isn't as simple as just reflecting behaviour. Environment is important too. As are genetics. I used to run 3 x weekly, 5 or more miles. I was never slim. My body type does not do that. My sister is hugely active - runs and walks most days. She's also not slim.
My wife is never overweight whether she is running a lot (as now) or not (as sometimes happens).
That betrays the usual mistake that people make - that exercise is the way to reduce weight. It takes a significant amount of running/cycling/swimming to burn off a single slice of cake. It's all about diet. 200-300 calories in a pint of beer etc etc.
Anyway, whenever you bring this up you just get a host of excuses and whataboutery with people unable to take personal responsibility. That's why it will take a significant government intervention to solve.
I saw a discussion about the potato famine a while ago where people didn't believe the pre-famine diet - which was about 4,000 calories of potatoes and buttermilk daily.
That diet would make you fantastically obese today, but people are much less active than 19th century farm labourers. Similarly, I was very surprised to learn that average calorie consumption in Britain has declined, even as the obesity epidemic has exploded.
If you could break the stranglehold that cars have on cities, and put more walking back into people's daily life, then you'd make a big difference to obesity.
This China controversy, plus the issue of the London China Embassy, is going to make it very difficult for Starmer to do trade deals with China
Murky realpolitik, rather reminiscent of when Blair intervened in a Saudi bribery case way back when. But the job of the politician is to explain what happened and why, not to try and wriggle out with some legalese, or to throw a civil servant under the bus.
The Chinese embassy is such a crazy idea, no sane government would let an enemy nation build a massive spy operation in a such a strategic location.
Already some comment from journos that Starmer might have misled parliament today, at least will likely need to 'correct the record' All so he could try and 'win' PMQs.
There is a danger that Labour are becoming far too wed on last-government-itis. A lot of this does seem to hinge on them trying to make the Tories take the fall, when it appears to be a bit of a grey area.
I hardly exonerate the Tories here - their track record shows a frightening lack of competence across all sorts of topics - but you do get the feeling that by trying to pin all this on the last government this government is starting to tie itself in knots.
PMQs has a lively back and forth over the China spy case collapse.
A classic in Starmer over-lawyering again.
That said, much more heat than light generated there. Again, Badenoch shown not to be forensic enough. Neither came away looking great.
I've not been a follower of PMQs, and I can't comment on who's right about the details of the China case, but my impression is that Kemi must have improved as she seemed pretty confident, combative and didn't let up. Starmer was OK too, if a bit lawyerly-dull. Quite well-matched.
But KB does seem as if she has passed through the novitiate stage of her time as LOTO, with the party conference another staging post. Won't, in itself, shift the polling, but must reinforce the impression that moving to Jenrick won't help.
Beta = lower status male, as opposed to alpha; wimpy, uses oat milk and eats vegan scones at NT cafes as opposed to raw steaks Cuck = cuckoo = allusion to the beta status male's wife being rogered by alpha males, I believe, with ensuing illegitimate offspring (yes, yes, I know, but those of a certain tendency probably don't spend their weekends birdwatching, or at least watching the feathered variety)
It's a very nasty insult when used in person.
Ouch. That’s quite comprehensive.
So presumably swingers who go to dogging sites.
Self-image vs actuality for Pete Hegseth?
(Amusingly, on his "no fatties in the military" speech, they withdrew some Texas National Guard from their invasion of Chicago after some on social media published photos of the cowboy chunkers.
Hegseth isn’t wrong, the old movie stereotype of the cops sitting in their car outside the donut shop does appear to have spread to certain areas of the military.
Those TX National Guard aren’t going to be chasing anyone, isn’t military service supposed to be about discipline and readiness? That bunch of fatties clearly isn’t passing any fitness test.
Here's one of the young MAGA crowd in the Politico story.
That's the advantage of being a MAGA and the world of alternative truths. In his mind he is most definitely the alpha.
The last thing that you can still be rude about - weight. I see a lad who has taken care of his appearance - hair is well cut and under control, he's clean shaven and wearing a nice suit that fits his, admittedly somewhat large, frame.
I'm not sure that's true actually. People are extremely touchy about weight and it's absolutely not acceptable to bring it up in the workplace or as a term of abuse.
That's a big part of the problem with weight - normalisation. It's an exceptionally serious problem that is hushed up - consider all the "no underlying health conditions" stories we saw during COVID and it turned out the patient was obese and their body was already under huge strain.
They might not do it in person but just now on PB people are laughing at this chap because if his weight. They wouldn't about his ethnicity or sex or height. (Actually if he was short some probably would, and that's even less fair).
Those aren't things you can change*. In 99% of cases your weight reflects your behaviour and comparing it to something like height or ethnicity is crass.
*I know, I know.
In any case, people are poking fun of him, because he described other men as "Beta Cucks."
Wasn’t that Leon ?
I don't think Leon originate the term. In any event, JD Vance's "I'm not going to join the pearl clutching" intervention notwithstanding, it looks as though they're to be airbrushed out of MAGA history.
..Kansas Young Republicans were deactivated Tuesday after a Politico investigation uncovered racist messages in a group chat among young GOP members in four states.
Chair Alex Dwyer reportedly reacted to “Great. I love Hitler” with a smiley face and heart-reacted to a message about killing political opponents in a gas chamber.
Would like to think this indicates that even the MAGA GOP has a point beyond which it will not go, but much more likely shutting up those pesky kids for saying the quiet part out loud.
Beta = lower status male, as opposed to alpha; wimpy, uses oat milk and eats vegan scones at NT cafes as opposed to raw steaks Cuck = cuckoo = allusion to the beta status male's wife being rogered by alpha males, I believe, with ensuing illegitimate offspring (yes, yes, I know, but those of a certain tendency probably don't spend their weekends birdwatching, or at least watching the feathered variety)
It's a very nasty insult when used in person.
Ouch. That’s quite comprehensive.
So presumably swingers who go to dogging sites.
Self-image vs actuality for Pete Hegseth?
(Amusingly, on his "no fatties in the military" speech, they withdrew some Texas National Guard from their invasion of Chicago after some on social media published photos of the cowboy chunkers.
Hegseth isn’t wrong, the old movie stereotype of the cops sitting in their car outside the donut shop does appear to have spread to certain areas of the military.
Those TX National Guard aren’t going to be chasing anyone, isn’t military service supposed to be about discipline and readiness? That bunch of fatties clearly isn’t passing any fitness test.
Here's one of the young MAGA crowd in the Politico story.
That's the advantage of being a MAGA and the world of alternative truths. In his mind he is most definitely the alpha.
The last thing that you can still be rude about - weight. I see a lad who has taken care of his appearance - hair is well cut and under control, he's clean shaven and wearing a nice suit that fits his, admittedly somewhat large, frame.
I'm not sure that's true actually. People are extremely touchy about weight and it's absolutely not acceptable to bring it up in the workplace or as a term of abuse.
That's a big part of the problem with weight - normalisation. It's an exceptionally serious problem that is hushed up - consider all the "no underlying health conditions" stories we saw during COVID and it turned out the patient was obese and their body was already under huge strain.
They might not do it in person but just now on PB people are laughing at this chap because if his weight. They wouldn't about his ethnicity or sex or height. (Actually if he was short some probably would, and that's even less fair).
Those aren't things you can change*. In 99% of cases your weight reflects your behaviour and comparing it to something like height or ethnicity is crass.
*I know, I know.
He doesn't look that old. Mostly fat children are down to their parents. And actually weight is not a simple issue. It certainly isn't as simple as just reflecting behaviour. Environment is important too. As are genetics. I used to run 3 x weekly, 5 or more miles. I was never slim. My body type does not do that. My sister is hugely active - runs and walks most days. She's also not slim.
My wife is never overweight whether she is running a lot (as now) or not (as sometimes happens).
That betrays the usual mistake that people make - that exercise is the way to reduce weight. It takes a significant amount of running/cycling/swimming to burn off a single slice of cake. It's all about diet. 200-300 calories in a pint of beer etc etc.
Anyway, whenever you bring this up you just get a host of excuses and whataboutery with people unable to take personal responsibility. That's why it will take a significant government intervention to solve.
And calories is also a poor measure. Multiple studies suggest that if you consume more calories than 'required' you will gain weight but nothing like the amount expected. And the reverse is also true. A low calorie diet does not mean you will keep losing weight.
The food industry is a lot to blame. Convenience food, heavily processed food (a good guide is any ingredients that you wouldn't use in your kitchen such as calcium carbonate, emulsifiers etc) are the root of all evil. If we only ate meat, veg and fruit we would most likely all be healthy.
Exactly - it's a choice. Those things are available in supermarkets.
So, either we ask people to stop eating crap (won't work) or tax/regulate that stuff into oblivion.
Or restrict NHS care to people with a healthy weight.
And then ban those who do dangerous hobbies from A and E (climbing, abseiling, mountain biking etc)?
Another classic. You'll find someone who eats well and keeps active will have a significantly reduced impact on the NHS over someone who is sedentary and overweight over the course iof their life, even accounting for the odd broken collarbone.
This attitude to keeping healthy is so ingrained in UK culture that it's very difficult to see a sustainable path for the NHS. People like me will start to refuse to pay the tax that supports such an attitude.
So you want the NHS to treat only healthy people? Is that right?
Now *there’s* a way to make cost savings at the NHS!
Tbh - there is a grain of truth to that. The NHS is an incredibly effective and cost-efficient system for keeping unwell people alive to a bare-minimum standard. A&E is typically excellent if you're about to die etc etc
But it's supposed to be a health service. It's failing badly at keeping people out of the GP practice, out of the hospital.
Already some comment from journos that Starmer might have misled parliament today, at least will likely need to 'correct the record' All so he could try and 'win' PMQs.
There is a danger that Labour are becoming far too wed on last-government-itis. A lot of this does seem to hinge on them trying to make the Tories take the fall, when it appears to be a bit of a grey area.
I hardly exonerate the Tories here - their track record shows a frightening lack of competence across all sorts of topics - but you do get the feeling that by trying to pin all this on the last government this government is starting to tie itself in knots.
The electorate (i think) have started to move beyond 'grrrrr those Toreeez' (started mind you, not finished) so the 'we inherited/the last government' stuff falls flatter. A by product of insanely low approval of SKS and co. And, of course, getting g rid woukd also get rid of the 'last government' angle. They need a new spiel
@CAForever submitted detailed plans for the next great American city, an hour north of Silicon Valley, including: Solano Foundry, America’s largest manufacturing park, Solano Shipyard, our largest shipyard, and walkable neighborhoods for 400,000 Californians. https://x.com/jansramek/status/1978161081928572975
PMQs has a lively back and forth over the China spy case collapse.
A classic in Starmer over-lawyering again.
That said, much more heat than light generated there. Again, Badenoch shown not to be forensic enough. Neither came away looking great.
I've not been a follower of PMQs, and I can't comment on who's right about the details of the China case, but my impression is that Kemi must have improved as she seemed pretty confident, combative and didn't let up. Starmer was OK too, if a bit lawyerly-dull. Quite well-matched.
But KB does seem as if she has passed through the novitiate stage of her time as LOTO, with the party conference another staging post. Won't, in itself, shift the polling, but must reinforce the impression that moving to Jenrick won't help.
The Tories had started to decline a bit further in polling late Aug to early Sept. The conference season and the Mandy/China hits seem to have restabilised them at least. Maybe theyve put a proper foundation in and can now try and build
Controversial take. I think Hamas are worse than Netanyahu. They're already meting out violence against the population in Gaza, who funnily enough no-one cares about anymore, and they will simply try to rebuild in order to attack Israel again. Because that is their manifest destiny. The only solution is to try to suffocate them from outside. Stop the support they get from Qatar, Iran, the 'international community' and our very own useful idiots in the UK. They will not be reformed.
Interesting to see that Reeves is starting to be more publicly critical of Brexit in regards to our economic performance.
Does it not feel a bit like desperation now though? Bad workman blaming tools etc. She's in a pickle because of her tax and spend policies.
The desperation is more that Brexit happened some time ago and, if they thought it was going so badly, why aren't they seeking to reverse it? (and they did some deal with the EU not so long ago, which they claimed had fixed a lot of the problems, so why complain about Brexit?)
Already some comment from journos that Starmer might have misled parliament today, at least will likely need to 'correct the record' All so he could try and 'win' PMQs.
There is a danger that Labour are becoming far too wed on last-government-itis. A lot of this does seem to hinge on them trying to make the Tories take the fall, when it appears to be a bit of a grey area.
I hardly exonerate the Tories here - their track record shows a frightening lack of competence across all sorts of topics - but you do get the feeling that by trying to pin all this on the last government this government is starting to tie itself in knots.
The Labour line on this doesn't pass the smell test. If the Tories were to blame for the collapse of the case, then it would have happened last year and not now.
The reality is that the Labour Government wants closer relations with China and therefore the case was an embarrassment that needed to go away. But they can't admit that, so hence why we are where we are.
Controversial take. I think Hamas are worse than Netanyahu. They're already meting out violence against the population in Gaza, who funnily enough no-one cares about anymore, and they will simply try to rebuild in order to attack Israel again. Because that is their manifest destiny. The only solution is to try to suffocate them from outside. Stop the support they get from Qatar, Iran, the 'international community' and our very own useful idiots in the UK. They will not be reformed.
Depends how you measure it I guess - deaths or motivation. At least Netanyahu is governed primarily by naked political ambition/survival , so can be negotiated with. Hamas are the same but with an underlying death cult that has likely deepened over the last few years.
Interesting to see that Reeves is starting to be more publicly critical of Brexit in regards to our economic performance.
Does it not feel a bit like desperation now though? Bad workman blaming tools etc. She's in a pickle because of her tax and spend policies.
Every western country, regardless of government has similar issues. Mostly it is the global economy and our own demographics that drive the budget, not political preferences.
Interesting to see that Reeves is starting to be more publicly critical of Brexit in regards to our economic performance.
Does it not feel a bit like desperation now though? Bad workman blaming tools etc. She's in a pickle because of her tax and spend policies.
The desperation is more that Brexit happened some time ago and, if they thought it was going so badly, why aren't they seeking to reverse it? (and they did some deal with the EU not so long ago, which they claimed had fixed a lot of the problems, so why complain about Brexit?)
The EU deal hasn’t gone into force and only mitigates a very small part of the damage . Hunts unfunded NI cut hasn’t helped matters and the new trade deals are negligible in terms of helping GDP . They’re sticking plasters on the gaping wound of the economic impact of Brexit .
No one cares about the China spy case . And most realize that with Trump in the WH we need to suck up to China.
If the government sabotaged the case then I’m afraid that’s the reality of where we are .
A lot of people and mps do care about the China case and frankly this controversy plus the London Chinese Embassy has made it near impossible for Starmer to do a trade deal
Furthermore , you do know the Speaker is furious about this controversy and the safety of mps
Beta = lower status male, as opposed to alpha; wimpy, uses oat milk and eats vegan scones at NT cafes as opposed to raw steaks Cuck = cuckoo = allusion to the beta status male's wife being rogered by alpha males, I believe, with ensuing illegitimate offspring (yes, yes, I know, but those of a certain tendency probably don't spend their weekends birdwatching, or at least watching the feathered variety)
It's a very nasty insult when used in person.
Ouch. That’s quite comprehensive.
So presumably swingers who go to dogging sites.
Self-image vs actuality for Pete Hegseth?
(Amusingly, on his "no fatties in the military" speech, they withdrew some Texas National Guard from their invasion of Chicago after some on social media published photos of the cowboy chunkers.
Hegseth isn’t wrong, the old movie stereotype of the cops sitting in their car outside the donut shop does appear to have spread to certain areas of the military.
Those TX National Guard aren’t going to be chasing anyone, isn’t military service supposed to be about discipline and readiness? That bunch of fatties clearly isn’t passing any fitness test.
Here's one of the young MAGA crowd in the Politico story.
That's the advantage of being a MAGA and the world of alternative truths. In his mind he is most definitely the alpha.
The last thing that you can still be rude about - weight. I see a lad who has taken care of his appearance - hair is well cut and under control, he's clean shaven and wearing a nice suit that fits his, admittedly somewhat large, frame.
I'm not sure that's true actually. People are extremely touchy about weight and it's absolutely not acceptable to bring it up in the workplace or as a term of abuse.
That's a big part of the problem with weight - normalisation. It's an exceptionally serious problem that is hushed up - consider all the "no underlying health conditions" stories we saw during COVID and it turned out the patient was obese and their body was already under huge strain.
They might not do it in person but just now on PB people are laughing at this chap because if his weight. They wouldn't about his ethnicity or sex or height. (Actually if he was short some probably would, and that's even less fair).
Those aren't things you can change*. In 99% of cases your weight reflects your behaviour and comparing it to something like height or ethnicity is crass.
*I know, I know.
He doesn't look that old. Mostly fat children are down to their parents. And actually weight is not a simple issue. It certainly isn't as simple as just reflecting behaviour. Environment is important too. As are genetics. I used to run 3 x weekly, 5 or more miles. I was never slim. My body type does not do that. My sister is hugely active - runs and walks most days. She's also not slim.
My wife is never overweight whether she is running a lot (as now) or not (as sometimes happens).
That betrays the usual mistake that people make - that exercise is the way to reduce weight. It takes a significant amount of running/cycling/swimming to burn off a single slice of cake. It's all about diet. 200-300 calories in a pint of beer etc etc.
Anyway, whenever you bring this up you just get a host of excuses and whataboutery with people unable to take personal responsibility. That's why it will take a significant government intervention to solve.
I saw a discussion about the potato famine a while ago where people didn't believe the pre-famine diet - which was about 4,000 calories of potatoes and buttermilk daily.
That diet would make you fantastically obese today, but people are much less active than 19th century farm labourers. Similarly, I was very surprised to learn that average calorie consumption in Britain has declined, even as the obesity epidemic has exploded.
If you could break the stranglehold that cars have on cities, and put more walking back into people's daily life, then you'd make a big difference to obesity.
Yes, that is true. It's not calories that have increased but rather the nature of those calories (processed foods instead of bread and potatoes) and activity reduced that has made us obese as a nation.
The genetics haven't changed much over the decades, neither here nor the USA, to account for the huge rise in obesity.
No one cares about the China spy case . And most realize that with Trump in the WH we need to suck up to China.
If the government sabotaged the case then I’m afraid that’s the reality of where we are .
A lot of people and mps do care about the China case and frankly this controversy plus the London Chinese Embassy has made it near impossible for Starmer to do a trade deal
Furthermore , you do know the Speaker is furious about this controversy and the safety of mps
I don’t care and the papers are flogging a dead horse .
No one cares about the China spy case . And most realize that with Trump in the WH we need to suck up to China.
If the government sabotaged the case then I’m afraid that’s the reality of where we are .
Yeah, China is our mate because of Trump
😂
We can’t afford to really piss China off . That’s the reality . Out of the EU and with Trump in the WH means the spy case had to implode .
As always it's the cover-up that will get the attention. Whether the original issue had salience or not. Looks like the government has been telling some big fibs on this one.
No one cares about the China spy case . And most realize that with Trump in the WH we need to suck up to China.
If the government sabotaged the case then I’m afraid that’s the reality of where we are .
The media, civil service and politicians care a lot. And as they say it's not the crime but the cover up. It feels like someone will have to resign over this - probably Powell.
"@Nigel_Farage Fayaz Khan received an 8 month sentence for illegal entry into the UK. Where are the sentences for the 35,000 migrants who've illegally entered this year?"
No one cares about the China spy case . And most realize that with Trump in the WH we need to suck up to China.
If the government sabotaged the case then I’m afraid that’s the reality of where we are .
Yeah, China is our mate because of Trump
😂
We can’t afford to really piss China off . That’s the reality . Out of the EU and with Trump in the WH means the spy case had to implode .
That is the grim truth of the post Brexit world. We cannot afford trade hostility with China or other Asian powers. It is the nineteenth century reversed, and we must kowtow to economic inevitability.
Already some comment from journos that Starmer might have misled parliament today, at least will likely need to 'correct the record' All so he could try and 'win' PMQs.
There is a danger that Labour are becoming far too wed on last-government-itis. A lot of this does seem to hinge on them trying to make the Tories take the fall, when it appears to be a bit of a grey area.
I hardly exonerate the Tories here - their track record shows a frightening lack of competence across all sorts of topics - but you do get the feeling that by trying to pin all this on the last government this government is starting to tie itself in knots.
The Labour line on this doesn't pass the smell test. If the Tories were to blame for the collapse of the case, then it would have happened last year and not now.
The reality is that the Labour Government wants closer relations with China and therefore the case was an embarrassment that needed to go away. But they can't admit that, so hence why we are where we are.
What I don't understand - and none of the reporting has made this very clear - is that the alleged criminal offence happened under the last government. Whatever way the current government defines our relationship with China ought to be irrelevant to whether or not acting for China at the time amounted to espionage (or whatever the precise charge was).
Can anyone explain this to me ?
Cleverly's "clarification" of the previous government's stance is even more baffling.
..As we just reported, at the end of PMQs, the Speaker granted Tory shadow housing secretary James Cleverly an intervention to clarify what he had said in a speech about China. Standing at the dispatch box, Cleverly says he was misquoted by the prime minister. He says describing China in “one word” was impossible, impractical and unwise. Here's the section of the 2023 speech he's referring to: “I’m often asked to express that policy in a single phrase, or to sum up China itself in one word, whether ‘threat’, or ‘partner’, or ‘adversary’. And I want to start by explaining why that is impossible, impractical and – most importantly – unwise.”
Starmer has said he'll publish the documents relating to the case. Which might - or might not - make things a little clearer ?
Comments
Who tries to find a conference room for up to 2k people at three weeks’ notice? That’s a bloody big room given they wanted round tables and not just theatre seats. Bloody big rooms are really expensive to maintain, and get booked out at least several months ahead of time.
I know we moan about the civil service a lot - the innate conservatism, the departmental dogmas, the petty empire-building - but there is also a basic level of competency that keeps the business of the State running, that would be absent if you had a new government bring in its own people wholesale, and those people had the level of competency being exhibited by Your Party.
My wife is never overweight whether she is running a lot (as now) or not (as sometimes happens).
Anyway, whenever you bring this up you just get a host of excuses and whataboutery with people unable to take personal responsibility. That's why it will take a significant government intervention to solve.
The food industry is a lot to blame. Convenience food, heavily processed food (a good guide is any ingredients that you wouldn't use in your kitchen such as calcium carbonate, emulsifiers etc) are the root of all evil. If we only ate meat, veg and fruit we would most likely all be healthy.
You could have £6k protected from the taper perhaps, or a lower taper at 30%.
So, either we ask people to stop eating crap (won't work) or tax/regulate that stuff into oblivion.
Or restrict NHS care to people with a healthy weight.
In any event, JD Vance's "I'm not going to join the pearl clutching" intervention notwithstanding, it looks as though they're to be airbrushed out of MAGA history.
..Kansas Young Republicans were deactivated Tuesday after a Politico investigation uncovered racist messages in a group chat among young GOP members in four states.
Chair Alex Dwyer reportedly reacted to “Great. I love Hitler” with a smiley face and heart-reacted to a message about killing political opponents in a gas chamber.
Vice Chair William Hendrix, who worked for AG Kris Kobach, used the N-word more than a dozen times...
https://x.com/RpsAgainstTrump/status/1978296010649604181
However there are far more low hanging fruits that would save gazillions also.
Pensioner poverty (which like child poverty should be eliminated as far as humanly possible) will remain real unless the state pension starting point is above a miserable minimal level. That starting point should be higher, and the tax system should operate on better off pensioners to ensure fairness. at the moment better off pensioners are taxed too lightly compared with workers in employment.
The state pension is a very decent starting point base for those with other pensions and assets but not really for those without, especially singles. The triple lock helps a bit is very slowly reaching a basic level that's OK.
Completely agree. It was necessary to start to rebuild for the years where it increased at a meagre rate. Change it now to inflation, GDP, average earnings. Something else.
Honestly you read this place you’d think nothing can be cut from govt spending
https://www.newstatesman.com/politics/uk-politics/2025/10/is-ben-houchen-moving-into-rishi-sunaks-house
It is next door to his Tees Valley fiefdom and is about a safe a Tory seat as you will now find. In any event he would easily win - hugely popular locally - and is on to his third term as Mayor and in 3/4 years time might want a change. And, remarkably, is only 38 years old.
Teesside, btw, looks a nailed-on Reform landslide at the moment. The Mayoralty, if Houchen sticks around, would be about the only non-Reform elected position left.
This attitude to keeping healthy is so ingrained in UK culture that it's very difficult to see a sustainable path for the NHS. People like me will start to refuse to pay the tax that supports such an attitude.
Starmer looked really shifty and the bit about double checking didn't engender confidence.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=v1Gm1OR2SPg (80mins)
That said, much more heat than light generated there. Again, Badenoch shown not to be forensic enough. Neither came away looking great.
Poland's foreign minister Radosław Sikorski brings a Russian drone with him to speak at Westminster.
I'm not sure what Starmer thought he was doing opening up a new chapter with China, as if the previous government had been too hardline.
All so he could try and 'win' PMQs.
That diet would make you fantastically obese today, but people are much less active than 19th century farm labourers. Similarly, I was very surprised to learn that average calorie consumption in Britain has declined, even as the obesity epidemic has exploded.
If you could break the stranglehold that cars have on cities, and put more walking back into people's daily life, then you'd make a big difference to obesity.
Even uber marxist Goodall knows hes in the shit over this obvious lie
The Chinese embassy is such a crazy idea, no sane government would let an enemy nation build a massive spy operation in a such a strategic location.
I hardly exonerate the Tories here - their track record shows a frightening lack of competence across all sorts of topics - but you do get the feeling that by trying to pin all this on the last government this government is starting to tie itself in knots.
But KB does seem as if she has passed through the novitiate stage of her time as LOTO, with the party conference another staging post. Won't, in itself, shift the polling, but must reinforce the impression that moving to Jenrick won't help.
But it's supposed to be a health service. It's failing badly at keeping people out of the GP practice, out of the hospital.
They need a new spiel
@CAForever submitted detailed plans for the next great American city, an hour north of Silicon Valley, including: Solano Foundry, America’s largest manufacturing park, Solano Shipyard, our largest shipyard, and walkable neighborhoods for 400,000 Californians.
https://x.com/jansramek/status/1978161081928572975
Controversial take. I think Hamas are worse than Netanyahu. They're already meting out violence against the population in Gaza, who funnily enough no-one cares about anymore, and they will simply try to rebuild in order to attack Israel again. Because that is their manifest destiny. The only solution is to try to suffocate them from outside. Stop the support they get from Qatar, Iran, the 'international community' and our very own useful idiots in the UK. They will not be reformed.
If the government sabotaged the case then I’m afraid that’s the reality of where we are .
The reality is that the Labour Government wants closer relations with China and therefore the case was an embarrassment that needed to go away. But they can't admit that, so hence why we are where we are.
"How China Tracks Everyone
Vice News"
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CLo3e1Pak-Y
😂
It is China that is supporting the aggressive side in the most barbaric European war since 1945. That alone is enough to outweigh everything else.
Furthermore , you do know the Speaker is furious about this controversy and the safety of mps
The genetics haven't changed much over the decades, neither here nor the USA, to account for the huge rise in obesity.
"@Nigel_Farage
Fayaz Khan received an 8 month sentence for illegal entry into the UK.
Where are the sentences for the 35,000 migrants who've illegally entered this year?"
https://x.com/Nigel_Farage/status/1978108565022794173
Whatever way the current government defines our relationship with China ought to be irrelevant to whether or not acting for China at the time amounted to espionage (or whatever the precise charge was).
Can anyone explain this to me ?
Cleverly's "clarification" of the previous government's stance is even more baffling.
..As we just reported, at the end of PMQs, the Speaker granted Tory shadow housing secretary James Cleverly an intervention to clarify what he had said in a speech about China.
Standing at the dispatch box, Cleverly says he was misquoted by the prime minister. He says describing China in “one word” was impossible, impractical and unwise.
Here's the section of the 2023 speech he's referring to:
“I’m often asked to express that policy in a single phrase, or to sum up China itself in one word, whether ‘threat’, or ‘partner’, or ‘adversary’. And I want to start by explaining why that is impossible, impractical and – most importantly – unwise.”
Starmer has said he'll publish the documents relating to the case.
Which might - or might not - make things a little clearer ?
We need to re-learn to be far far more critical of bad behaviour. Both of foreign actors and, where applicable, any interference by govt!