Morning all, I was going to post last night but didn't get round to it.
America stands at a crossroads. We can see that the regime has two choices - fall next year, or embed itself for the long haul.
If they follow the constitution then MAGA loses control, a lot of them go to jail, and perhaps America will once again align itself with democracy instead of with dictators. But that means various people taking the brave pill and doing the right thing.
Or they do the other thing. The naughty list of media becomes the banned list. The opinion polls go the way of the economic measures he's dispensed with. And he provokes violence in cities by sending in blackshirts from out of state to create the excuse to send in more troops, arrest officials and "postpone" elections.
In either case, the World Cup will be symbolic of the state of things. A bloated absurdity of a tournament where officials want 5 years of penis size measurements and a pledge of fealty to the fuhrer before they let you into a country where tickets for the tournament cost $fuckoff.
I remember World Cup Italia 90, where for Egypt games there were a lot of Egyptian Navy personnel filling the seats. This time they will fill the seats with stormtroopers. With normals arrested at the end of the quarter...
Mike Pence was a horrible man who nodded along to many horrible things between 2016 and 2020. But at the vital moment he stood firm and did the right thing.
Is there a Mike Pence in the current Administration? I think Team MAGA learned their lesson, unfortunately.
Pence isn’t a horrible man. He’s a committed evangelical Christian and you probably don’t agree with many of his positions. But he’s not a “horrible man” any more than Sadiq Khan is.
I can cope with the concept that many evangelical "Christians" are horrible because they seem to have a bible that only has bits of Genesis and Leviticus. All that woke Jesus stuff can get right out. We're about to see the same from the Reform "Christians" where Jesus opened the temple to the shirt sellers and told thy neighbour to fuck off from whence they came.
As for Pence, his replacement is a man who called the President a Nazi and then decided that he wanted to be Rudolf Hess. Could Vance oust the regime? Sure - to install himself as leader.
The big question remains Trump. We can say pretty confidently that he has serious health conditions. Will one of these incapacitate him and thus force a change? Or like previous mad dictators does he just step it up?
That makes them wrong, not bad people.
Trump was rightly criticised for describing Khan as “horrible” and “vicious”. Others should be held to the same standard
There are a lot of bad ideas, but very few bad people once we get past the Putins of this world.
Yes Trump does sometimes go too far with his language, and American political discourse in general is much more coarse than elsewhere, even before the current incumbent takes it to another level.
He doesn't seem too popular in Ukraine either.
While latest polls show Ukrainians want nothing to do with the Trump/Kushner treason weasel "deal" to lick Putin's ass at the expense of millions of Ukrainians, he blatantly lies here and says they "love the deal" and that it's only Zelensky that's the problem.
🔥 @repdeliaramirez to @KristiNoem: “Bottom Line: You lie with impunity. You reject checks & balances. You ignore Congress & the courts… you can either resign, Trump will fire you, or you’ll be impeached.
You’re going to be held accountable. I’m going to make sure of that.”
BREAKING: Democrats CAUGHT in massive fake news operation in DHS Sec. Kristi Noem hearing - lying that President Trump deported a Veteran to South Korea
Rep. Magaziner tried a "gotcha": "We are now joined on Zoom by a veteran YOU deported."
HE SELF-DEPORTED.
Sae Joon Park had a removal order over felony drug charges and bail jumping - and was NOT a citizen, but a green card holder.
Usually the way self-deportation works is you are given a choice between self-deporting with the ability to reapply or being deported with a big red line through your record meaning you can never come back again.
It sounds good on social media posts but reality is usually more complicated (this is not to say the democrats aren’t idiots for highlighting this case)
Oh absolutely.
What I don’t understand is the Dems highlighting cases that, when the full facts are known, most people think probably should be deported. They hope that only half the story makes their case appear better, and trust their friendly media to keep reinforcing half the story.
Having lost to Trump, of all people, by consistently being on the wrong side of a whole bunch of 80-20 social issues, they appear not to have learned their lesson and keep doing it.
From the header on Trump's approval ratings:
🟤 Crime: -12 (was +8 in Aug) 🟤 Immigration: -22 (new low)
It seems to me that the Dems are getting their message across very effectively.
Trump being unpopular is different to the Dems being popular. It is probably enough for the Dems to win the next set of fair elections, if they are held. But as soon as the Dems take power, they will be unpopular again and the next MAGA will be next in line.
There's some analysis out that contrary to common belief, the Harris campaign was actually quite effective. Where they went head-to-head with Trump in marginal states they were able to pull back. The problem was they weren't able to pull back enough with an electorate that was disinclined to give the Democrats time of day.
Also virtually every incumbent in every liberal democracy was either being replaced or at least losing ground. The unpopularity of our governments cannot be solely down to them being crap, the economic conditions have a bigger influence than candidate quality and capability.
Cannot be emphasised enough. It's a delusion that economies in an electoral timeframe perform principally according to the talents of whoever happens to be in government. But politics (with the connivance of politicians) operates on that basis. Maybe it's unrealistic to expect otherwise.
This is why I'm not writing off MAGA in the US yet. The American economy is an awesome beast and I can perfectly well imagine it picking up and motoring under Trump despite everything. If that happens his ratings will almost certainly rise and both the midterms and 28 could be anything but a cruise for the Dems.
A rare case of agreement between the USA government and right thinking people.
A law imposing the death penalty for use of Comic Sans would be even better. Especially in primary schools.
As the Romans allegedly once said Straight is great, curvy is pervy. All right thinking people use TNR for all official documents. It is clear, it is clean, it is less smudgy and it is right.
Morning all, I was going to post last night but didn't get round to it.
America stands at a crossroads. We can see that the regime has two choices - fall next year, or embed itself for the long haul.
If they follow the constitution then MAGA loses control, a lot of them go to jail, and perhaps America will once again align itself with democracy instead of with dictators. But that means various people taking the brave pill and doing the right thing.
Or they do the other thing. The naughty list of media becomes the banned list. The opinion polls go the way of the economic measures he's dispensed with. And he provokes violence in cities by sending in blackshirts from out of state to create the excuse to send in more troops, arrest officials and "postpone" elections.
In either case, the World Cup will be symbolic of the state of things. A bloated absurdity of a tournament where officials want 5 years of penis size measurements and a pledge of fealty to the fuhrer before they let you into a country where tickets for the tournament cost $fuckoff.
I remember World Cup Italia 90, where for Egypt games there were a lot of Egyptian Navy personnel filling the seats. This time they will fill the seats with stormtroopers. With normals arrested at the end of the quarter...
Mike Pence was a horrible man who nodded along to many horrible things between 2016 and 2020. But at the vital moment he stood firm and did the right thing.
Is there a Mike Pence in the current Administration? I think Team MAGA learned their lesson, unfortunately.
Pence isn’t a horrible man. He’s a committed evangelical Christian and you probably don’t agree with many of his positions. But he’s not a “horrible man” any more than Sadiq Khan is.
I can cope with the concept that many evangelical "Christians" are horrible because they seem to have a bible that only has bits of Genesis and Leviticus. All that woke Jesus stuff can get right out. We're about to see the same from the Reform "Christians" where Jesus opened the temple to the shirt sellers and told thy neighbour to fuck off from whence they came.
As for Pence, his replacement is a man who called the President a Nazi and then decided that he wanted to be Rudolf Hess. Could Vance oust the regime? Sure - to install himself as leader.
The big question remains Trump. We can say pretty confidently that he has serious health conditions. Will one of these incapacitate him and thus force a change? Or like previous mad dictators does he just step it up?
That makes them wrong, not bad people.
Trump was rightly criticised for describing Khan as “horrible” and “vicious”. Others should be held to the same standard
There are a lot of bad ideas, but very few bad people once we get past the Putins of this world.
Yes Trump does sometimes go too far with his language, and American political discourse in general is much more coarse than elsewhere, even before the current incumbent takes it to another level.
He doesn't seem too popular in Ukraine either.
While latest polls show Ukrainians want nothing to do with the Trump/Kushner treason weasel "deal" to lick Putin's ass at the expense of millions of Ukrainians, he blatantly lies here and says they "love the deal" and that it's only Zelensky that's the problem.
I’m surprised the SNP didn’t win that after transfers. Who was Lynch and where did their transfers go? Are Labour transfers going to Reform or the SNP or nowhere?
Just a word of warning for anyone wanting to travel to the World Cup next year: think twice before posting on this thread.
Just for the record, I shitpost as much as many about Trump on here, but didn't have the slightest difficulty getting into the US last month.
So though we can blame him for undermining the rule of law, murdering random people on the high seas, undermining the economy, trashing the constitution and destroying America's standing in the free world, we can absolve him of the ultimate crime against humanity of banning PBers from the US.
He's not a monster after all.
I'm about to cancel my long-booked crossing to the US for next autumn, and am planning to take the dog to Crete instead.
A rare case of agreement between the USA government and right thinking people.
A law imposing the death penalty for use of Comic Sans would be even better. Especially in primary schools.
As the Romans allegedly once said Straight is great, curvy is pervy. All right thinking people use TNR for all official documents. It is clear, it is clean, it is less smudgy and it is right.
It's old fashioned in appearance, and though OK in printed stuff, is a bit crap in the new digital world. Calibri is the Microsoft font, so while Rubio is wasting a lot of time, effort, and taxpayers cash in making the change, I won't mourn it.
The doctrines of the populist right do indeed contain much to condemn. Yet talking about them in apocalyptic terms is doomed to fail. For their own sake, and for the good of their countries, mainstream politicians and their supporters urgently need a different approach.
If demonisation is failing, what is the alternative? The answer starts with that impatience for change which the populist right harnesses so successfully—and which this newspaper shares.
For Britain, France and Germany, European economic integration is the most obvious source of growth. Yet the populists are set on a collision course with the European Union, which would lead to growth-destroying degradation of the single market. On other issues, populists latch onto discontent, but propose solutions that are foolish.
If mainstream politicians spend it shrilly demonising populists, they will doubtless make themselves feel better, but they will not help their countries. They would be wiser to subject governments-in-waiting to the democratic scrutiny they deserve.
The Economist is completely wrong - European economic integration might do a tiny bit to boost economic growth, but it be lost in the noise, especially for this country. It would inevitably focus on manufactured goods, which are not where we have a comparative advantage, because liberalising services is much more difficult, both practically and politically, and services are less likely to be traded. Trade with the EU is a relatively small part of our economy - exports to the EU are only about 13% of GDP. And liberalising trade with the EU comes with all sorts of constraints on sovereignty, which are exactly what made Brexit more than a fringe movement in the first place, and was perhaps the second biggest factor, after immigration, in the rise of UKIP/Reform.
The most obvious way to boost growth is to focus on competitiveness throughout the economy - deregulating product and labour markets, getting malingerers off welfare and reducing the size of the public sector. Just cutting size of the state by 3% of GDP, reversing the planned increases since Labour took power, should increase GDP by 2-3% over the long run, more if it's done in a pro-growth way, and much more than any realistic boost from closer ties with the EU, whatever the more absurd studies say.
I have been a subscriber since school and I am on the brink of cancelling my subscription to The Economist. The New "Insider" video interviews are pathetic- the interview with Bannon might as well have been done by Russell Harty it was so weak. The analysis of UK politics used to be a High Table discussion of principles, but is now the same kind of shallow tactical analysis that you can find anywhere- including here- and is increasingly an insult to the intelligence of the reader..
May I apologise to you on behalf of us all. I'll try to up my game.
🔥 @repdeliaramirez to @KristiNoem: “Bottom Line: You lie with impunity. You reject checks & balances. You ignore Congress & the courts… you can either resign, Trump will fire you, or you’ll be impeached.
You’re going to be held accountable. I’m going to make sure of that.”
BREAKING: Democrats CAUGHT in massive fake news operation in DHS Sec. Kristi Noem hearing - lying that President Trump deported a Veteran to South Korea
Rep. Magaziner tried a "gotcha": "We are now joined on Zoom by a veteran YOU deported."
HE SELF-DEPORTED.
Sae Joon Park had a removal order over felony drug charges and bail jumping - and was NOT a citizen, but a green card holder.
Usually the way self-deportation works is you are given a choice between self-deporting with the ability to reapply or being deported with a big red line through your record meaning you can never come back again.
It sounds good on social media posts but reality is usually more complicated (this is not to say the democrats aren’t idiots for highlighting this case)
Oh absolutely.
What I don’t understand is the Dems highlighting cases that, when the full facts are known, most people think probably should be deported. They hope that only half the story makes their case appear better, and trust their friendly media to keep reinforcing half the story.
Having lost to Trump, of all people, by consistently being on the wrong side of a whole bunch of 80-20 social issues, they appear not to have learned their lesson and keep doing it.
From the header on Trump's approval ratings:
🟤 Crime: -12 (was +8 in Aug) 🟤 Immigration: -22 (new low)
It seems to me that the Dems are getting their message across very effectively.
Trump being unpopular is different to the Dems being popular. It is probably enough for the Dems to win the next set of fair elections, if they are held. But as soon as the Dems take power, they will be unpopular again and the next MAGA will be next in line.
There's some analysis out that contrary to common belief, the Harris campaign was actually quite effective. Where they went head-to-head with Trump in marginal states they were able to pull back. The problem was they weren't able to pull back enough with an electorate that was disinclined to give the Democrats time of day.
Also virtually every incumbent in every liberal democracy was either being replaced or at least losing ground. The unpopularity of our governments cannot be solely down to them being crap, the economic conditions have a bigger influence than candidate quality and capability.
Cannot be emphasised enough. It's a delusion that economies in an electoral timeframe perform principally according to the talents of whoever happens to be in government. But politics (with the connivance of politicians) operates on that basis. Maybe it's unrealistic to expect otherwise.
This is why I'm not writing off MAGA in the US yet. The American economy is an awesome beast and I can perfectly well imagine it picking up and motoring under Trump despite everything. If that happens his ratings will almost certainly rise and both the midterms and 28 could be anything but a cruise for the Dems.
If the economy does ok, the vast majority of growth is going to the top 1% under Trump so the voters won't feel it. Hence the scapegoating of anyone and everyone to blame for anything and everything.
Just a word of warning for anyone wanting to travel to the World Cup next year: think twice before posting on this thread.
Just for the record, I shitpost as much as many about Trump on here, but didn't have the slightest difficulty getting into the US last month.
So though we can blame him for undermining the rule of law, murdering random people on the high seas, undermining the economy, trashing the constitution and destroying America's standing in the free world, we can absolve him of the ultimate crime against humanity of banning PBers from the US.
He's not a monster after all.
I'm about to cancel my long-booked crossing to the US for next autumn, and am planning to take the dog to Crete instead.
Excellent call. My tour of Dixie remains on ice.
I've said hurty words about Trump, so I will be avoiding the USA, so long as he is in power.
I’m surprised the SNP didn’t win that after transfers. Who was Lynch and where did their transfers go? Are Labour transfers going to Reform or the SNP or nowhere?
I’m surprised the SNP didn’t win that after transfers. Who was Lynch and where did their transfers go? Are Labour transfers going to Reform or the SNP or nowhere?
Good questions, looking forward to seeing the transfers data.
Just a word of warning for anyone wanting to travel to the World Cup next year: think twice before posting on this thread.
Just for the record, I shitpost as much as many about Trump on here, but didn't have the slightest difficulty getting into the US last month.
So though we can blame him for undermining the rule of law, murdering random people on the high seas, undermining the economy, trashing the constitution and destroying America's standing in the free world, we can absolve him of the ultimate crime against humanity of banning PBers from the US.
He's not a monster after all.
I'm about to cancel my long-booked crossing to the US for next autumn, and am planning to take the dog to Crete instead.
Excellent call. My tour of Dixie remains on ice.
I've said hurty words about Trump, so I will be avoiding the USA, so long as he is in power.
I've just booked a long weekend in Naples.
Great place. But make sure you just do the "see it" part.
🔥 @repdeliaramirez to @KristiNoem: “Bottom Line: You lie with impunity. You reject checks & balances. You ignore Congress & the courts… you can either resign, Trump will fire you, or you’ll be impeached.
You’re going to be held accountable. I’m going to make sure of that.”
BREAKING: Democrats CAUGHT in massive fake news operation in DHS Sec. Kristi Noem hearing - lying that President Trump deported a Veteran to South Korea
Rep. Magaziner tried a "gotcha": "We are now joined on Zoom by a veteran YOU deported."
HE SELF-DEPORTED.
Sae Joon Park had a removal order over felony drug charges and bail jumping - and was NOT a citizen, but a green card holder.
Usually the way self-deportation works is you are given a choice between self-deporting with the ability to reapply or being deported with a big red line through your record meaning you can never come back again.
It sounds good on social media posts but reality is usually more complicated (this is not to say the democrats aren’t idiots for highlighting this case)
Oh absolutely.
What I don’t understand is the Dems highlighting cases that, when the full facts are known, most people think probably should be deported. They hope that only half the story makes their case appear better, and trust their friendly media to keep reinforcing half the story.
Having lost to Trump, of all people, by consistently being on the wrong side of a whole bunch of 80-20 social issues, they appear not to have learned their lesson and keep doing it.
From the header on Trump's approval ratings:
🟤 Crime: -12 (was +8 in Aug) 🟤 Immigration: -22 (new low)
It seems to me that the Dems are getting their message across very effectively.
Trump being unpopular is different to the Dems being popular. It is probably enough for the Dems to win the next set of fair elections, if they are held. But as soon as the Dems take power, they will be unpopular again and the next MAGA will be next in line.
Maybe but remember when Herbert Hoover lost in 1932 to FDR, Hoover the last President as pro tariff and protectionist as Trump, the Republicans didn't win another presidential election for 20 years. Even then only with the very moderate IKE in 1952
Just a word of warning for anyone wanting to travel to the World Cup next year: think twice before posting on this thread.
Just for the record, I shitpost as much as many about Trump on here, but didn't have the slightest difficulty getting into the US last month.
So though we can blame him for undermining the rule of law, murdering random people on the high seas, undermining the economy, trashing the constitution and destroying America's standing in the free world, we can absolve him of the ultimate crime against humanity of banning PBers from the US.
He's not a monster after all.
I'm about to cancel my long-booked crossing to the US for next autumn, and am planning to take the dog to Crete instead.
Excellent call. My tour of Dixie remains on ice.
I've said hurty words about Trump, so I will be avoiding the USA, so long as he is in power.
Just a word of warning for anyone wanting to travel to the World Cup next year: think twice before posting on this thread.
Just for the record, I shitpost as much as many about Trump on here, but didn't have the slightest difficulty getting into the US last month.
So though we can blame him for undermining the rule of law, murdering random people on the high seas, undermining the economy, trashing the constitution and destroying America's standing in the free world, we can absolve him of the ultimate crime against humanity of banning PBers from the US.
He's not a monster after all.
I'm about to cancel my long-booked crossing to the US for next autumn, and am planning to take the dog to Crete instead.
Excellent call. My tour of Dixie remains on ice.
I've said hurty words about Trump, so I will be avoiding the USA, so long as he is in power.
I've just booked a long weekend in Naples.
Great place. But make sure you just do the "see it" part.
The King of Naples' historic porn collection is amusing. And make sure you see Pompeii before the overdue next eruption of Vesuvius
🔥 @repdeliaramirez to @KristiNoem: “Bottom Line: You lie with impunity. You reject checks & balances. You ignore Congress & the courts… you can either resign, Trump will fire you, or you’ll be impeached.
You’re going to be held accountable. I’m going to make sure of that.”
BREAKING: Democrats CAUGHT in massive fake news operation in DHS Sec. Kristi Noem hearing - lying that President Trump deported a Veteran to South Korea
Rep. Magaziner tried a "gotcha": "We are now joined on Zoom by a veteran YOU deported."
HE SELF-DEPORTED.
Sae Joon Park had a removal order over felony drug charges and bail jumping - and was NOT a citizen, but a green card holder.
Usually the way self-deportation works is you are given a choice between self-deporting with the ability to reapply or being deported with a big red line through your record meaning you can never come back again.
It sounds good on social media posts but reality is usually more complicated (this is not to say the democrats aren’t idiots for highlighting this case)
Oh absolutely.
What I don’t understand is the Dems highlighting cases that, when the full facts are known, most people think probably should be deported. They hope that only half the story makes their case appear better, and trust their friendly media to keep reinforcing half the story.
Having lost to Trump, of all people, by consistently being on the wrong side of a whole bunch of 80-20 social issues, they appear not to have learned their lesson and keep doing it.
From the header on Trump's approval ratings:
🟤 Crime: -12 (was +8 in Aug) 🟤 Immigration: -22 (new low)
It seems to me that the Dems are getting their message across very effectively.
Trump being unpopular is different to the Dems being popular. It is probably enough for the Dems to win the next set of fair elections, if they are held. But as soon as the Dems take power, they will be unpopular again and the next MAGA will be next in line.
There's some analysis out that contrary to common belief, the Harris campaign was actually quite effective. Where they went head-to-head with Trump in marginal states they were able to pull back. The problem was they weren't able to pull back enough with an electorate that was disinclined to give the Democrats time of day.
Also virtually every incumbent in every liberal democracy was either being replaced or at least losing ground. The unpopularity of our governments cannot be solely down to them being crap, the economic conditions have a bigger influence than candidate quality and capability.
Cannot be emphasised enough. It's a delusion that economies in an electoral timeframe perform principally according to the talents of whoever happens to be in government. But politics (with the connivance of politicians) operates on that basis. Maybe it's unrealistic to expect otherwise.
This is why I'm not writing off MAGA in the US yet. The American economy is an awesome beast and I can perfectly well imagine it picking up and motoring under Trump despite everything. If that happens his ratings will almost certainly rise and both the midterms and 28 could be anything but a cruise for the Dems.
If the economy does ok, the vast majority of growth is going to the top 1% under Trump so the voters won't feel it. Hence the scapegoating of anyone and everyone to blame for anything and everything.
Yes but inflation might come down, ditto interest rates, bit of a boom gets going, some feelgood, jobs, payrises, deficit fuelled and unsustainable but, you know, who cares. It's the nightmare scenario and I give it a 25% chance.
Just a word of warning for anyone wanting to travel to the World Cup next year: think twice before posting on this thread.
Just for the record, I shitpost as much as many about Trump on here, but didn't have the slightest difficulty getting into the US last month.
So though we can blame him for undermining the rule of law, murdering random people on the high seas, undermining the economy, trashing the constitution and destroying America's standing in the free world, we can absolve him of the ultimate crime against humanity of banning PBers from the US.
He's not a monster after all.
I'm about to cancel my long-booked crossing to the US for next autumn, and am planning to take the dog to Crete instead.
Excellent call. My tour of Dixie remains on ice.
I've said hurty words about Trump, so I will be avoiding the USA, so long as he is in power.
I've just booked a long weekend in Naples.
Great place. But make sure you just do the "see it" part.
Just a word of warning for anyone wanting to travel to the World Cup next year: think twice before posting on this thread.
Just for the record, I shitpost as much as many about Trump on here, but didn't have the slightest difficulty getting into the US last month.
So though we can blame him for undermining the rule of law, murdering random people on the high seas, undermining the economy, trashing the constitution and destroying America's standing in the free world, we can absolve him of the ultimate crime against humanity of banning PBers from the US.
He's not a monster after all.
I'm about to cancel my long-booked crossing to the US for next autumn, and am planning to take the dog to Crete instead.
Excellent call. My tour of Dixie remains on ice.
I've said hurty words about Trump, so I will be avoiding the USA, so long as he is in power.
I've just booked a long weekend in Naples.
Great place. But make sure you just do the "see it" part.
The King of Naples' historic porn collection is amusing. And make sure you see Pompeii before the overdue next eruption of Vesuvius
I visited Pompeii a couple of years ago. This time, I want to do Herculaneum and Paestum.
Just a word of warning for anyone wanting to travel to the World Cup next year: think twice before posting on this thread.
Just for the record, I shitpost as much as many about Trump on here, but didn't have the slightest difficulty getting into the US last month.
So though we can blame him for undermining the rule of law, murdering random people on the high seas, undermining the economy, trashing the constitution and destroying America's standing in the free world, we can absolve him of the ultimate crime against humanity of banning PBers from the US.
He's not a monster after all.
I'm about to cancel my long-booked crossing to the US for next autumn, and am planning to take the dog to Crete instead.
Excellent call. My tour of Dixie remains on ice.
I've said hurty words about Trump, so I will be avoiding the USA, so long as he is in power.
I've just booked a long weekend in Naples.
In any event, the new rules are new. We still have to see if the change is significant from the normie traveller's POV.
Indiana GOP lawmakers have refused to bow to Trump's demand they redraw districts for 2026.
Trump managed to really piss off one of the senior Republicans there by casually using the "retard" word - said senior Republican having a Downs syndrome child. Ooops.
Just a word of warning for anyone wanting to travel to the World Cup next year: think twice before posting on this thread.
Just for the record, I shitpost as much as many about Trump on here, but didn't have the slightest difficulty getting into the US last month.
So though we can blame him for undermining the rule of law, murdering random people on the high seas, undermining the economy, trashing the constitution and destroying America's standing in the free world, we can absolve him of the ultimate crime against humanity of banning PBers from the US.
He's not a monster after all.
I'm about to cancel my long-booked crossing to the US for next autumn, and am planning to take the dog to Crete instead.
Excellent call. My tour of Dixie remains on ice.
And my tour of the civil war battlefields. Its sad.
Interesting to see that Sharron Davies is to be made a peer as she is quite vociferous in supporting women's rights in sport, ie against transwomen being able to compete as women
Major investigation into GMP officers and staff making 'non-legitimate' contact with sex workers
EXCLUSIVE: Three people have been sacked and another 10 are being investigated amid a probe into 'non-legitimate contact' with sex workers, the Manchester Evening News can reveal
A major investigation into Greater Manchester Police officers and staff allegedly making 'non-legitimate' contact with sex workers has been launched. Three people have been sacked and another 10 are being investigated by the force's Anti-Corruption Unit.
The probe into 'non-legitimate' police contact with sex workers was triggered by the case of Inspector Toby Knight. The disgraced cop scheduled hundreds of meetings with sex workers on his force-issued phone, including some while he was on duty.
After serving nearly 30 years with GMP, Knight retired in May this year, the day before a gross misconduct hearing concluded that had he still been serving he would have been dismissed without notice.
The force said eight police officers - including a Superintendent who has been suspended - and two staff members are under investigation. Knight and two staff members have already been dismissed. The two sacked civilian staff members have not been named.
Four of those under investigation have been served with misconduct papers. Bosses do not believe the alleged actions of the 13 people are linked, other than by the nature of their alleged behaviour.
The doctrines of the populist right do indeed contain much to condemn. Yet talking about them in apocalyptic terms is doomed to fail. For their own sake, and for the good of their countries, mainstream politicians and their supporters urgently need a different approach.
If demonisation is failing, what is the alternative? The answer starts with that impatience for change which the populist right harnesses so successfully—and which this newspaper shares.
For Britain, France and Germany, European economic integration is the most obvious source of growth. Yet the populists are set on a collision course with the European Union, which would lead to growth-destroying degradation of the single market. On other issues, populists latch onto discontent, but propose solutions that are foolish.
If mainstream politicians spend it shrilly demonising populists, they will doubtless make themselves feel better, but they will not help their countries. They would be wiser to subject governments-in-waiting to the democratic scrutiny they deserve.
The Economist is completely wrong - European economic integration might do a tiny bit to boost economic growth, but it be lost in the noise, especially for this country. It would inevitably focus on manufactured goods, which are not where we have a comparative advantage, because liberalising services is much more difficult, both practically and politically, and services are less likely to be traded. Trade with the EU is a relatively small part of our economy - exports to the EU are only about 13% of GDP. And liberalising trade with the EU comes with all sorts of constraints on sovereignty, which are exactly what made Brexit more than a fringe movement in the first place, and was perhaps the second biggest factor, after immigration, in the rise of UKIP/Reform.
The most obvious way to boost growth is to focus on competitiveness throughout the economy - deregulating product and labour markets, getting malingerers off welfare and reducing the size of the public sector. Just cutting size of the state by 3% of GDP, reversing the planned increases since Labour took power, should increase GDP by 2-3% over the long run, more if it's done in a pro-growth way, and much more than any realistic boost from closer ties with the EU, whatever the more absurd studies say.
I have been a subscriber since school and I am on the brink of cancelling my subscription to The Economist. The New "Insider" video interviews are pathetic- the interview with Bannon might as well have been done by Russell Harty it was so weak. The analysis of UK politics used to be a High Table discussion of principles, but is now the same kind of shallow tactical analysis that you can find anywhere- including here- and is increasingly an insult to the intelligence of the reader..
May I apologise to you on behalf of us all. I'll try to up my game.
Yes let's have a bit more High Table commentary on here. We're well capable of it. I'll lead the way once I've had a sandwich.
Lib dem victor Matthew Prosser stood as an independent in the recent Caol and Mallaig by election
Credit to andrewp from vote 2012 forum, council didn't have figures on web page
Not a good day for the SNP, local by election losses to Reform and the LDs. A reminder they are unpopular now too, not just Labour and the Tories
Yes, its a bit "plague on all your houses" at the moment. The seats were notionally Lib Dem and Lab respectively, I think the SNP will be more concerned about the Whitburn result
🔥 @repdeliaramirez to @KristiNoem: “Bottom Line: You lie with impunity. You reject checks & balances. You ignore Congress & the courts… you can either resign, Trump will fire you, or you’ll be impeached.
You’re going to be held accountable. I’m going to make sure of that.”
BREAKING: Democrats CAUGHT in massive fake news operation in DHS Sec. Kristi Noem hearing - lying that President Trump deported a Veteran to South Korea
Rep. Magaziner tried a "gotcha": "We are now joined on Zoom by a veteran YOU deported."
HE SELF-DEPORTED.
Sae Joon Park had a removal order over felony drug charges and bail jumping - and was NOT a citizen, but a green card holder.
Usually the way self-deportation works is you are given a choice between self-deporting with the ability to reapply or being deported with a big red line through your record meaning you can never come back again.
It sounds good on social media posts but reality is usually more complicated (this is not to say the democrats aren’t idiots for highlighting this case)
Oh absolutely.
What I don’t understand is the Dems highlighting cases that, when the full facts are known, most people think probably should be deported. They hope that only half the story makes their case appear better, and trust their friendly media to keep reinforcing half the story.
Having lost to Trump, of all people, by consistently being on the wrong side of a whole bunch of 80-20 social issues, they appear not to have learned their lesson and keep doing it.
From the header on Trump's approval ratings:
🟤 Crime: -12 (was +8 in Aug) 🟤 Immigration: -22 (new low)
It seems to me that the Dems are getting their message across very effectively.
Trump being unpopular is different to the Dems being popular. It is probably enough for the Dems to win the next set of fair elections, if they are held. But as soon as the Dems take power, they will be unpopular again and the next MAGA will be next in line.
There's some analysis out that contrary to common belief, the Harris campaign was actually quite effective. Where they went head-to-head with Trump in marginal states they were able to pull back. The problem was they weren't able to pull back enough with an electorate that was disinclined to give the Democrats time of day.
Also virtually every incumbent in every liberal democracy was either being replaced or at least losing ground. The unpopularity of our governments cannot be solely down to them being crap, the economic conditions have a bigger influence than candidate quality and capability.
Cannot be emphasised enough. It's a delusion that economies in an electoral timeframe perform principally according to the talents of whoever happens to be in government. But politics (with the connivance of politicians) operates on that basis. Maybe it's unrealistic to expect otherwise.
This is why I'm not writing off MAGA in the US yet. The American economy is an awesome beast and I can perfectly well imagine it picking up and motoring under Trump despite everything. If that happens his ratings will almost certainly rise and both the midterms and 28 could be anything but a cruise for the Dems.
If the economy does ok, the vast majority of growth is going to the top 1% under Trump so the voters won't feel it. Hence the scapegoating of anyone and everyone to blame for anything and everything.
Yes but inflation might come down, ditto interest rates, bit of a boom gets going, some feelgood, jobs, payrises, deficit fuelled and unsustainable but, you know, who cares. It's the nightmare scenario and I give it a 25% chance.
Inflation won't come down while Trump has his tariffs
I’m surprised the SNP didn’t win that after transfers. Who was Lynch and where did their transfers go? Are Labour transfers going to Reform or the SNP or nowhere?
Not seen the transfers yet but Reform had a bigger lead in Whitburn than Stranraer a fortnight ago (led by 80). A lot of votes would be non transferable, but i dont know much about weightings
Lib dem victor Matthew Prosser stood as an independent in the recent Caol and Mallaig by election
Credit to andrewp from vote 2012 forum, council didn't have figures on web page
Not a good day for the SNP, local by election losses to Reform and the LDs. A reminder they are unpopular now too, not just Labour and the Tories
Yes, its a bit "plague on all your houses" at the moment. The seats were notionally Lib Dem and Lab respectively, I think the SNP will be more concerned about the Whitburn result
The significance there is the fact voters united against the SNP rather than Reform. That is certainly notable. The Highlands result was a continuation of the Lib Dems restoring that area as the stronghold it once was. Also a decent night for the Cons in holding two wards nicely against Reform attacks. They lost elsewhere but this is the first sign of a recovery for them. The LIb Dems beat a Con in Devon where Reform would have hoped to win. Reform again did very well generally - just not as well as in May. Should any Lab partizans remain on the board you might like to give this week's results a miss (well - just about every week's results to be honest)
Morning all, I was going to post last night but didn't get round to it.
America stands at a crossroads. We can see that the regime has two choices - fall next year, or embed itself for the long haul.
If they follow the constitution then MAGA loses control, a lot of them go to jail, and perhaps America will once again align itself with democracy instead of with dictators. But that means various people taking the brave pill and doing the right thing.
Or they do the other thing. The naughty list of media becomes the banned list. The opinion polls go the way of the economic measures he's dispensed with. And he provokes violence in cities by sending in blackshirts from out of state to create the excuse to send in more troops, arrest officials and "postpone" elections.
In either case, the World Cup will be symbolic of the state of things. A bloated absurdity of a tournament where officials want 5 years of penis size measurements and a pledge of fealty to the fuhrer before they let you into a country where tickets for the tournament cost $fuckoff.
I remember World Cup Italia 90, where for Egypt games there were a lot of Egyptian Navy personnel filling the seats. This time they will fill the seats with stormtroopers. With normals arrested at the end of the quarter...
Mike Pence was a horrible man who nodded along to many horrible things between 2016 and 2020. But at the vital moment he stood firm and did the right thing.
Is there a Mike Pence in the current Administration? I think Team MAGA learned their lesson, unfortunately.
Pence isn’t a horrible man. He’s a committed evangelical Christian and you probably don’t agree with many of his positions. But he’s not a “horrible man” any more than Sadiq Khan is.
I can cope with the concept that many evangelical "Christians" are horrible because they seem to have a bible that only has bits of Genesis and Leviticus. All that woke Jesus stuff can get right out. We're about to see the same from the Reform "Christians" where Jesus opened the temple to the shirt sellers and told thy neighbour to fuck off from whence they came.
As for Pence, his replacement is a man who called the President a Nazi and then decided that he wanted to be Rudolf Hess. Could Vance oust the regime? Sure - to install himself as leader.
The big question remains Trump. We can say pretty confidently that he has serious health conditions. Will one of these incapacitate him and thus force a change? Or like previous mad dictators does he just step it up?
That makes them wrong, not bad people.
Trump was rightly criticised for describing Khan as “horrible” and “vicious”. Others should be held to the same standard
There are a lot of bad ideas, but very few bad people once we get past the Putins of this world.
Yes Trump does sometimes go too far with his language, and American political discourse in general is much more coarse than elsewhere, even before the current incumbent takes it to another level.
8 years ago Trump denied calling countries shitholes
Now he boasts about it
That’s dementia eroding the filter between brain and mouth
Meanwhile various US states such as Utah, Arizona and South Carolina are all suffering epidemics of measles once again. The degree of immunisation in South Carolina in particular is thought to be suboptimal. "Of the 111 measles cases recorded in that area, known as the Upstate region, 105 involved people who were unvaccinated, while three involved those who were partially vaccinated, state epidemiologist Linda Bell said at a news briefing."
It looks as if Darwin may prove to be correct yet again. Its just a pity that so much damage can be done in the meantime to so many innocents.
Lib dem victor Matthew Prosser stood as an independent in the recent Caol and Mallaig by election
Credit to andrewp from vote 2012 forum, council didn't have figures on web page
Not a good day for the SNP, local by election losses to Reform and the LDs. A reminder they are unpopular now too, not just Labour and the Tories
Yes, its a bit "plague on all your houses" at the moment. The seats were notionally Lib Dem and Lab respectively, I think the SNP will be more concerned about the Whitburn result
The significance there is the fact voters united against the SNP rather than Reform. That is certainly notable. The Highlands result was a continuation of the Lib Dems restoring that area as the stronghold it once was. Also a decent night for the Cons in holding two wards nicely against Reform attacks. They lost elsewhere but this is the first sign of a recovery for them. The LIb Dems beat a Con in Devon where Reform would have hoped to win. Reform again did very well generally - just not as well as in May. Should any Lab partizans remain on the board you might like to give this week's results a miss (well - just about every week's results to be honest)
Nicely summarised
For the SNP, in constituency seats next year they may get away with at in the central belt as the challengers are divided. In the Highland and south, its Lib dem, Tory or Reform. Slab have a mountain to climb and the UK leadership aren't helping
Just a word of warning for anyone wanting to travel to the World Cup next year: think twice before posting on this thread.
Just for the record, I shitpost as much as many about Trump on here, but didn't have the slightest difficulty getting into the US last month.
So though we can blame him for undermining the rule of law, murdering random people on the high seas, undermining the economy, trashing the constitution and destroying America's standing in the free world, we can absolve him of the ultimate crime against humanity of banning PBers from the US.
He's not a monster after all.
I'm about to cancel my long-booked crossing to the US for next autumn, and am planning to take the dog to Crete instead.
Excellent call. My tour of Dixie remains on ice.
I've said hurty words about Trump, so I will be avoiding the USA, so long as he is in power.
I've just booked a long weekend in Naples.
Great place. But make sure you just do the "see it" part.
The King of Naples' historic porn collection is amusing. And make sure you see Pompeii before the overdue next eruption of Vesuvius
We honeymooned on the Amalfi and went to Pompeii. My wife climbed it whilst I bottled out due to the high temp and feeling slightly off. The toilet I used at the base remains vivid in mind to this day. If I hadn't felt 'off" beforehand I sure would have done afterwards. Lots of better memories, of course, from our holiday as newly weds but that one refuses to budge.
Since Rubio has been sidelined from Ukraine, the Middle East, China and any other foreign policy matters, the Secretary of State has taken a keen personal interest in office stationery.
🔥 @repdeliaramirez to @KristiNoem: “Bottom Line: You lie with impunity. You reject checks & balances. You ignore Congress & the courts… you can either resign, Trump will fire you, or you’ll be impeached.
You’re going to be held accountable. I’m going to make sure of that.”
BREAKING: Democrats CAUGHT in massive fake news operation in DHS Sec. Kristi Noem hearing - lying that President Trump deported a Veteran to South Korea
Rep. Magaziner tried a "gotcha": "We are now joined on Zoom by a veteran YOU deported."
HE SELF-DEPORTED.
Sae Joon Park had a removal order over felony drug charges and bail jumping - and was NOT a citizen, but a green card holder.
Usually the way self-deportation works is you are given a choice between self-deporting with the ability to reapply or being deported with a big red line through your record meaning you can never come back again.
It sounds good on social media posts but reality is usually more complicated (this is not to say the democrats aren’t idiots for highlighting this case)
Oh absolutely.
What I don’t understand is the Dems highlighting cases that, when the full facts are known, most people think probably should be deported. They hope that only half the story makes their case appear better, and trust their friendly media to keep reinforcing half the story.
Having lost to Trump, of all people, by consistently being on the wrong side of a whole bunch of 80-20 social issues, they appear not to have learned their lesson and keep doing it.
From the header on Trump's approval ratings:
🟤 Crime: -12 (was +8 in Aug) 🟤 Immigration: -22 (new low)
It seems to me that the Dems are getting their message across very effectively.
Trump being unpopular is different to the Dems being popular. It is probably enough for the Dems to win the next set of fair elections, if they are held. But as soon as the Dems take power, they will be unpopular again and the next MAGA will be next in line.
There's some analysis out that contrary to common belief, the Harris campaign was actually quite effective. Where they went head-to-head with Trump in marginal states they were able to pull back. The problem was they weren't able to pull back enough with an electorate that was disinclined to give the Democrats time of day.
Also virtually every incumbent in every liberal democracy was either being replaced or at least losing ground. The unpopularity of our governments cannot be solely down to them being crap, the economic conditions have a bigger influence than candidate quality and capability.
Cannot be emphasised enough. It's a delusion that economies in an electoral timeframe perform principally according to the talents of whoever happens to be in government. But politics (with the connivance of politicians) operates on that basis. Maybe it's unrealistic to expect otherwise.
This is why I'm not writing off MAGA in the US yet. The American economy is an awesome beast and I can perfectly well imagine it picking up and motoring under Trump despite everything. If that happens his ratings will almost certainly rise and both the midterms and 28 could be anything but a cruise for the Dems.
If the economy does ok, the vast majority of growth is going to the top 1% under Trump so the voters won't feel it. Hence the scapegoating of anyone and everyone to blame for anything and everything.
Yes but inflation might come down, ditto interest rates, bit of a boom gets going, some feelgood, jobs, payrises, deficit fuelled and unsustainable but, you know, who cares. It's the nightmare scenario and I give it a 25% chance.
Inflation won't come down while Trump has his tariffs
The funniest thing about Labour's by-election losses is that they're frequently not even finishing a close or even distant second. Whether it's Plaid, Reform, SNP, Greens they're getting torn apart every which way.
West Lothian, Darlington, Caerphilly - all historical Labour areas, now Labour absolutely nowhere in any of them.
I’m surprised the SNP didn’t win that after transfers. Who was Lynch and where did their transfers go? Are Labour transfers going to Reform or the SNP or nowhere?
Not seen the transfers yet but Reform had a bigger lead in Whitburn than Stranraer a fortnight ago (led by 80). A lot of votes would be non transferable, but i dont know much about weightings
Whitburn only a dozen miles from Falkirk, scene of refugee hotel protests and the turquoise ones’ recent rally. Perhaps they’ve identified the area as a suitable scab to pick, correctly it would appear.
Doesn't stack up with the assumptions that underpinned her Budget last month. Ooops.
It starts (again). Sigh. Allowing planned borrowing to increase this year on a set of assumptions that might well prove optimistic for any number of reasons was not prudent, or wise or even rational.
Just a word of warning for anyone wanting to travel to the World Cup next year: think twice before posting on this thread.
Just for the record, I shitpost as much as many about Trump on here, but didn't have the slightest difficulty getting into the US last month.
So though we can blame him for undermining the rule of law, murdering random people on the high seas, undermining the economy, trashing the constitution and destroying America's standing in the free world, we can absolve him of the ultimate crime against humanity of banning PBers from the US.
He's not a monster after all.
I'm about to cancel my long-booked crossing to the US for next autumn, and am planning to take the dog to Crete instead.
Excellent call. My tour of Dixie remains on ice.
I've said hurty words about Trump, so I will be avoiding the USA, so long as he is in power.
I've just booked a long weekend in Naples.
Great place. But make sure you just do the "see it" part.
The King of Naples' historic porn collection is amusing. And make sure you see Pompeii before the overdue next eruption of Vesuvius
We honeymooned on the Amalfi and went to Pompeii. My wife climbed it whilst I bottled out due to the high temp and feeling slightly off. The toilet I used at the base remains vivid in mind to this day. If I hadn't felt 'off" beforehand I sure would have done afterwards. Lots of better memories, of course, from our holiday as newly weds but that one refuses to budge.
Amalfi is quite the most beautiful place and we have visited it several times
Many years ago we stayed in a fabulous hotel with its own beach and chapel and where our daughter had her first holiday romance
Subsequently we returned for a couple of days with the family after a holiday in Italy, and also landed from a cruise ship and took communion in the Cathedral
I understand the hotel we stayed in years ago is vastly expensive catering for the very wealthy but when we went we were just an ordinary family with 3 children having hired a car in Naples
The funniest thing about Labour's by-election losses is that they're frequently not even finishing a close or even distant second. Whether it's Plaid, Reform, SNP, Greens they're getting torn apart every which way.
West Lothian, Darlington, Caerphilly - all historical Labour areas, now Labour absolutely nowhere in any of them.
Can you blame the voters?
Historically a party of the working class, now a party of the metropolitan elite. They need better policies to attract those voters back but it will require a gutting of the present UK leadership
Just a word of warning for anyone wanting to travel to the World Cup next year: think twice before posting on this thread.
Just for the record, I shitpost as much as many about Trump on here, but didn't have the slightest difficulty getting into the US last month.
So though we can blame him for undermining the rule of law, murdering random people on the high seas, undermining the economy, trashing the constitution and destroying America's standing in the free world, we can absolve him of the ultimate crime against humanity of banning PBers from the US.
He's not a monster after all.
I'm about to cancel my long-booked crossing to the US for next autumn, and am planning to take the dog to Crete instead.
Excellent call. My tour of Dixie remains on ice.
I've said hurty words about Trump, so I will be avoiding the USA, so long as he is in power.
I've just booked a long weekend in Naples.
Great place. But make sure you just do the "see it" part.
The King of Naples' historic porn collection is amusing. And make sure you see Pompeii before the overdue next eruption of Vesuvius
We honeymooned on the Amalfi and went to Pompeii. My wife climbed it whilst I bottled out due to the high temp and feeling slightly off. The toilet I used at the base remains vivid in mind to this day. If I hadn't felt 'off" beforehand I sure would have done afterwards. Lots of better memories, of course, from our holiday as newly weds but that one refuses to budge.
Italian plumbing seems to have declined since Roman times
Doesn't stack up with the assumptions that underpinned her Budget last month. Ooops.
It starts (again). Sigh. Allowing planned borrowing to increase this year on a set of assumptions that might well prove optimistic for any number of reasons was not prudent, or wise or even rational.
And yet, she was called on to resign by all the opposition parties as she put up taxes which the opposition claimed were not needed according to the OBR.
Just a word of warning for anyone wanting to travel to the World Cup next year: think twice before posting on this thread.
Just for the record, I shitpost as much as many about Trump on here, but didn't have the slightest difficulty getting into the US last month.
So though we can blame him for undermining the rule of law, murdering random people on the high seas, undermining the economy, trashing the constitution and destroying America's standing in the free world, we can absolve him of the ultimate crime against humanity of banning PBers from the US.
He's not a monster after all.
I'm about to cancel my long-booked crossing to the US for next autumn, and am planning to take the dog to Crete instead.
Excellent call. My tour of Dixie remains on ice.
I've said hurty words about Trump, so I will be avoiding the USA, so long as he is in power.
I've just booked a long weekend in Naples.
Great place. But make sure you just do the "see it" part.
The King of Naples' historic porn collection is amusing. And make sure you see Pompeii before the overdue next eruption of Vesuvius
We honeymooned on the Amalfi and went to Pompeii. My wife climbed it whilst I bottled out due to the high temp and feeling slightly off. The toilet I used at the base remains vivid in mind to this day. If I hadn't felt 'off" beforehand I sure would have done afterwards. Lots of better memories, of course, from our holiday as newly weds but that one refuses to budge.
Not sure how long you've been married but if it is still refusing to budge definitely call the doctor!
Just a word of warning for anyone wanting to travel to the World Cup next year: think twice before posting on this thread.
Just for the record, I shitpost as much as many about Trump on here, but didn't have the slightest difficulty getting into the US last month.
So though we can blame him for undermining the rule of law, murdering random people on the high seas, undermining the economy, trashing the constitution and destroying America's standing in the free world, we can absolve him of the ultimate crime against humanity of banning PBers from the US.
He's not a monster after all.
I'm about to cancel my long-booked crossing to the US for next autumn, and am planning to take the dog to Crete instead.
Excellent call. My tour of Dixie remains on ice.
I've said hurty words about Trump, so I will be avoiding the USA, so long as he is in power.
I've just booked a long weekend in Naples.
Great place. But make sure you just do the "see it" part.
The King of Naples' historic porn collection is amusing. And make sure you see Pompeii before the overdue next eruption of Vesuvius
We honeymooned on the Amalfi and went to Pompeii. My wife climbed it whilst I bottled out due to the high temp and feeling slightly off. The toilet I used at the base remains vivid in mind to this day. If I hadn't felt 'off" beforehand I sure would have done afterwards. Lots of better memories, of course, from our holiday as newly weds but that one refuses to budge.
We divided our honeymoon between Venice and Sorrento. Travelling by train to Rome, then changing to Naples, it was like switching from Germany to the Middle East. The train from Venice to Rome was luxurious and air-conditioned. The train we switched to was falling to pieces, with people bringing chickens and ducks on board. We arrived at Sorrento in the middle of a thunder storm, soaked and bedraggled. The Maitre D' plainly wanted to tell us to get lost, but he couldn't as we were guests. So, he found a table, hidden behind an aspidistra, to hide us at.
Doesn't stack up with the assumptions that underpinned her Budget last month. Ooops.
It starts (again). Sigh. Allowing planned borrowing to increase this year on a set of assumptions that might well prove optimistic for any number of reasons was not prudent, or wise or even rational.
And yet, she was called on to resign by all the opposition parties as she put up taxes which the opposition claimed were not needed according to the OBR.
No, the calls for her to resign were because she lied about whether there was another £20bn hole which did not in fact exist and which she knew did not exist on the basis of the figures provided by the OBR. Increasing taxes to improve her headroom was a sensible move and I said so at the time. Ensuring that total spending was reduced at the same time reducing borrowing rather than increasing it would have been even more sensible. Not finding yet more freebies not paid for by cuts elsewhere would have been more sensible still.
The funniest thing about Labour's by-election losses is that they're frequently not even finishing a close or even distant second. Whether it's Plaid, Reform, SNP, Greens they're getting torn apart every which way.
West Lothian, Darlington, Caerphilly - all historical Labour areas, now Labour absolutely nowhere in any of them.
Can you blame the voters?
Historically a party of the working class, now a party of the metropolitan elite. They need better policies to attract those voters back but it will require a gutting of the present UK leadership
On that note I see Baron Offord of Garvel is ditching his title to run for Holyrood while Baroness Clark of Kilwinning still sits as a SLab MSP under that title. Varying degrees of tone deafness seems to be a recurring factor with Labour across the nations.
Meanwhile various US states such as Utah, Arizona and South Carolina are all suffering epidemics of measles once again. The degree of immunisation in South Carolina in particular is thought to be suboptimal. "Of the 111 measles cases recorded in that area, known as the Upstate region, 105 involved people who were unvaccinated, while three involved those who were partially vaccinated, state epidemiologist Linda Bell said at a news briefing."
It looks as if Darwin may prove to be correct yet again. Its just a pity that so much damage can be done in the meantime to so many innocents.
On the subject of vaccines, I was picking up some bits in the chemist and the pharmacist was busy phoning around patients and cancelling those booked for flu jabs next week as no vaccine anywhere and apparently none to be had elsewhere.
Maybe just Leicester, but if anyone hasn't had it they may well have missed the boat.
Has anyone detected any practical signs of this actually happening, beyond the rhetoric ?
The UK is "rapidly developing" plans to prepare the whole country for the possible outbreak of war, the armed forces minister has said. @AlistairCarns said armies, navies & air forces respond to crises but "societies, industries & economies win wars" https://x.com/haynesdeborah/status/1999369740356063625
Carns seems to have been unusually visible this week (I'd never before heard of him). Is he on manoeuvres ?
Major investigation into GMP officers and staff making 'non-legitimate' contact with sex workers
EXCLUSIVE: Three people have been sacked and another 10 are being investigated amid a probe into 'non-legitimate contact' with sex workers, the Manchester Evening News can reveal
A major investigation into Greater Manchester Police officers and staff allegedly making 'non-legitimate' contact with sex workers has been launched. Three people have been sacked and another 10 are being investigated by the force's Anti-Corruption Unit.
The probe into 'non-legitimate' police contact with sex workers was triggered by the case of Inspector Toby Knight. The disgraced cop scheduled hundreds of meetings with sex workers on his force-issued phone, including some while he was on duty.
After serving nearly 30 years with GMP, Knight retired in May this year, the day before a gross misconduct hearing concluded that had he still been serving he would have been dismissed without notice.
The force said eight police officers - including a Superintendent who has been suspended - and two staff members are under investigation. Knight and two staff members have already been dismissed. The two sacked civilian staff members have not been named.
Four of those under investigation have been served with misconduct papers. Bosses do not believe the alleged actions of the 13 people are linked, other than by the nature of their alleged behaviour.
NEWS -- SPEAKER MIKE JOHNSON and his leadership team will meet with the "Five Families" today to pitch an idea to give mods an amendment vote to the GOP health care bill.
The amendment: extending the Obamacare premium subsidies.
Just a word of warning for anyone wanting to travel to the World Cup next year: think twice before posting on this thread.
Just for the record, I shitpost as much as many about Trump on here, but didn't have the slightest difficulty getting into the US last month.
So though we can blame him for undermining the rule of law, murdering random people on the high seas, undermining the economy, trashing the constitution and destroying America's standing in the free world, we can absolve him of the ultimate crime against humanity of banning PBers from the US.
He's not a monster after all.
I'm about to cancel my long-booked crossing to the US for next autumn, and am planning to take the dog to Crete instead.
Excellent call. My tour of Dixie remains on ice.
I've said hurty words about Trump, so I will be avoiding the USA, so long as he is in power.
I've just booked a long weekend in Naples.
Great place. But make sure you just do the "see it" part.
The King of Naples' historic porn collection is amusing. And make sure you see Pompeii before the overdue next eruption of Vesuvius
We honeymooned on the Amalfi and went to Pompeii. My wife climbed it whilst I bottled out due to the high temp and feeling slightly off. The toilet I used at the base remains vivid in mind to this day. If I hadn't felt 'off" beforehand I sure would have done afterwards. Lots of better memories, of course, from our holiday as newly weds but that one refuses to budge.
Amalfi is quite the most beautiful place and we have visited it several times
Many years ago we stayed in a fabulous hotel with its own beach and chapel and where our daughter had her first holiday romance
Subsequently we returned for a couple of days with the family after a holiday in Italy, and also landed from a cruise ship and took communion in the Cathedral
I understand the hotel we stayed in years ago is vastly expensive catering for the very wealthy but when we went we were just an ordinary family with 3 children having hired a car in Naples
Yes, a fabulous place. We pushed the boat out on the hotel. A ham sandwich was £10 (2006). A fellow guest was the actor Peter Strauss (Rich Man Poor Man) who apparently used to spend a month every summer there. Nice work if you can get it, that starring in a hit tv drama gig.
A law firm has set up a specialist service to models and agencies working with 'adult sites' such as OnlyFans.
Blackmont Legal, based in Manchester, already provides legal advice to social media influencers who make money on TikTok, YouTube and Instagram.
The firm is also eyeing up adult site creators (so to speak), by launching dedicated legal services for OnlyFans models and agencies.
Spotting the "rise" in this area (get your mind out of the gutter, please), Blackmont Legal noted that there are almost 23,000 Only Fans creators in the UK, and that top performers can earn in excess of £20,000 monthly.
The firm said the growth of subscription-based content has resulted in a so-called 'under economy' where workers earn significant sums but function outside traditional employment frameworks. As a result, many of them can lack business support, operating without VAT registration or proper contracts.
A law firm has set up a specialist service to models and agencies working with 'adult sites' such as OnlyFans.
Blackmont Legal, based in Manchester, already provides legal advice to social media influencers who make money on TikTok, YouTube and Instagram.
The firm is also eyeing up adult site creators (so to speak), by launching dedicated legal services for OnlyFans models and agencies.
Spotting the "rise" in this area (get your mind out of the gutter, please), Blackmont Legal noted that there are almost 23,000 Only Fans creators in the UK, and that top performers can earn in excess of £20,000 monthly.
The firm said the growth of subscription-based content has resulted in a so-called 'under economy' where workers earn significant sums but function outside traditional employment frameworks. As a result, many of them can lack business support, operating without VAT registration or proper contracts.
@Foxy , @MattW , @rcs1000 etc - just caught up on your comments from last night: fair enough, I hold my hand up: the figure I had for 1995 was clearly erroneous. On which basis I am wrong.
Thank-you for that. Looking at the estimates no one seems particularly clear before 2001, when a question came into the census. For 1990 Google AI seems to give a range of 500k to 1000k, which is a huge error margin. Plus of course there has always been a significant group of people not here legally.
Just as background context from earlier - I was in Bradford 1985-1988 and at that time I think between 1/3 and 1/4 of the city was the population fraction described as Muslim. This was pre-Satanic Verses of course. There were harder line organisations being developed in places like Dewsbury some with explicit Middle Eastern links or funding, but also more ideologically open versions of Islam such as Ahmadiyya with open centres to visit in BD7 near the University.
The main numerical work I am familiar with from that sort of period was being done by the likes of Peter Brierley, then of Marc Europe (which was spun out of the BIble Society) and later of Christian Research. Their main activity was publication of a thing called the UK Christian Handbook, which was an enormous directory and reference volume from an Evangelical base, but covering the whole UK Christian sector. They were basically a resource and research organisation for churches and mission, from an evangelical focus but working across the piece.
They did a pioneering survey of Mosques and Mosque attendance in the second half of the 1980s, where one interesting number was Mosque attendance in the UK was around half of the adherent community - an interesting early number pointing at "drift". This is one reason I have always thought that the Muslim-background community is far broader than is readily admitted, whilst being less diffuse than the Christian-background community.
The mantle of Peter Brierley, who is still going as a consultant after starting in this arena in the mid-1970s, has been picked up by groups such as the Religion in Numbers project at Lancaster University, and Prof Linda Woodhead.
The funniest thing about Labour's by-election losses is that they're frequently not even finishing a close or even distant second. Whether it's Plaid, Reform, SNP, Greens they're getting torn apart every which way.
West Lothian, Darlington, Caerphilly - all historical Labour areas, now Labour absolutely nowhere in any of them.
The London Borough results next May are going to be quite something…a lot of their councillors who worked so hard to put Labour into government will find that they effectively dug their own graves
@Foxy , @MattW , @rcs1000 etc - just caught up on your comments from last night: fair enough, I hold my hand up: the figure I had for 1995 was clearly erroneous. On which basis I am wrong.
Thank-you for that. Looking at the estimates no one seems particularly clear before 2001, when a question came into the census. For 1990 Google AI seems to give a range of 500k to 1000k, which is a huge error margin. Plus of course there has always been a significant group of people not here legally.
Just as background context from earlier - I was in Bradford 1985-1988 and at that time I think between 1/3 and 1/4 of the city was the population fraction described as Muslim. This was pre-Satanic Verses of course. There were harder line organisations being developed in places like Dewsbury some with explicit Middle Eastern links or funding, but also more ideologically open versions of Islam such as Ahmadiyya with open centres to visit in BD7 near the University.
The main numerical work I am familiar with from that sort of period was being done by the likes of Peter Brierley, then of Marc Europe (which was spun out of the BIble Society) and later of Christian Research. Their main activity was publication of a thing called the UK Christian Handbook, which was an enormous directory and reference volume from an Evangelical base, but covering the whole UK Christian sector. They were basically a resource and research organisation for churches and mission, from an evangelical focus but working across the piece.
They did a pioneering survey of Mosques and Mosque attendance in the second half of the 1980s, where one interesting number was Mosque attendance in the UK was around half of the adherent community - an interesting early number pointing at "drift". This is one reason I have always thought that the Muslim-background community is far broader than is readily admitted, whilst being less diffuse than the Christian-background community.
The mantle of Peter Brierley, who is still going as a consultant after starting in this arena in the mid-1970s, has been picked up by groups such as the Religion in Numbers project at Lancaster University, and Prof Linda Woodhead.
Peach & Glebe (1995) say:
The probable Muslim population in Britain in 1951 was approximately 23,000. By 1961 there were about 82,000 Muslims in Britain, by 1971 about 369,000, by 1981 about 553,000 (Peach 1990b) and by 1991 about 1,000,000. These numbers are based on the ethnic origin of the minority population of Britain and about 75 per cent is made up of groups originating in the Indian subcontinent
The funniest thing about Labour's by-election losses is that they're frequently not even finishing a close or even distant second. Whether it's Plaid, Reform, SNP, Greens they're getting torn apart every which way.
West Lothian, Darlington, Caerphilly - all historical Labour areas, now Labour absolutely nowhere in any of them.
As I commented about Darlington last night - what was surprising was how split the not reform vote was.
That's going to be the biggest problem in a lot of areas, Tories were found wanting, Labour is wanting and the Lib Dems aren't an obvious NTA but not Reform party in large parts of the country.
Just a word of warning for anyone wanting to travel to the World Cup next year: think twice before posting on this thread.
Just for the record, I shitpost as much as many about Trump on here, but didn't have the slightest difficulty getting into the US last month.
So though we can blame him for undermining the rule of law, murdering random people on the high seas, undermining the economy, trashing the constitution and destroying America's standing in the free world, we can absolve him of the ultimate crime against humanity of banning PBers from the US.
He's not a monster after all.
I'm about to cancel my long-booked crossing to the US for next autumn, and am planning to take the dog to Crete instead.
Excellent call. My tour of Dixie remains on ice.
I've said hurty words about Trump, so I will be avoiding the USA, so long as he is in power.
I've just booked a long weekend in Naples.
Great place. But make sure you just do the "see it" part.
The King of Naples' historic porn collection is amusing. And make sure you see Pompeii before the overdue next eruption of Vesuvius
We honeymooned on the Amalfi and went to Pompeii. My wife climbed it whilst I bottled out due to the high temp and feeling slightly off. The toilet I used at the base remains vivid in mind to this day. If I hadn't felt 'off" beforehand I sure would have done afterwards. Lots of better memories, of course, from our holiday as newly weds but that one refuses to budge.
Amalfi is quite the most beautiful place and we have visited it several times
Many years ago we stayed in a fabulous hotel with its own beach and chapel and where our daughter had her first holiday romance
Subsequently we returned for a couple of days with the family after a holiday in Italy, and also landed from a cruise ship and took communion in the Cathedral
I understand the hotel we stayed in years ago is vastly expensive catering for the very wealthy but when we went we were just an ordinary family with 3 children having hired a car in Naples
Yes, a fabulous place. We pushed the boat out on the hotel. A ham sandwich was £10 (2006). A fellow guest was the actor Peter Strauss (Rich Man Poor Man) who apparently used to spend a month every summer there. Nice work if you can get it, that starring in a hit tv drama gig.
🔥 @repdeliaramirez to @KristiNoem: “Bottom Line: You lie with impunity. You reject checks & balances. You ignore Congress & the courts… you can either resign, Trump will fire you, or you’ll be impeached.
You’re going to be held accountable. I’m going to make sure of that.”
BREAKING: Democrats CAUGHT in massive fake news operation in DHS Sec. Kristi Noem hearing - lying that President Trump deported a Veteran to South Korea
Rep. Magaziner tried a "gotcha": "We are now joined on Zoom by a veteran YOU deported."
HE SELF-DEPORTED.
Sae Joon Park had a removal order over felony drug charges and bail jumping - and was NOT a citizen, but a green card holder.
You don't think that revoking his green card was a way of getting him to self-deport ?
In 2009, by Obama, after felony drugs offences and skipping bail.
It’s rather amusing to see the Democrats line up behind the idea that foreign felons shouldn’t be deported, of course totally forgetting to mention the felony bit.
It’s “Maryland Man” all over again, they think that if they keep omitting and ignoring that he’s a violent gang member, people will eventually believe he’s just a happy family man being deported by Evil Orange.
Felony drugs offences in 2009 doesn’t mean he’s a violent gang member.
In any event, is he a veteran or not, which is the actual issue being discussed.
You’re confusing two people, the gang member is a different individual the Democrats and media also keep lying about by omission.
This guy is a veteran, but he wasn’t deported, he chose to leave the US of his own volition.
Sandpit no offence but that’s total horseshit. Just because someone “self deported” under threat of indefinite detention doesn’t mean they chose to leave the US of their own volition. You really do drink the kool aid sometimes.
Except that the Democrats said he was deported by Trump. Which was a lie.
If they had said he was offered the chance to leave himself and took it, that would be truth.
There’s two sides to every story, but too many people think that whatever Trump’s opponents say is absolute truth with nothing added and nothing missing.
Shall we split the difference and say Mr Park was made an offer he couldn't refuse?
That much is definitely true!
You really don’t want the US federal government going after you, especially not when the President sees your specific problem as a national priority.
I recall seeing figures that suggested that an order of magnitude more wanted people have left the country of their own volition for every one who gets deported against their will, which solves a lot of the problems without costing the government too much money.
People who have overstayed or have been ordered deported know they really should leave the US, and prefer to go quietly rather than risk a knock on the door in the middle of the night. We’ve all seen how American police “knock” on doors, they start from the assumption that anyone they’re looking for is heavily armed and go in accordingly.
ICE are not a police force. They're a bunch of paramilitary thugs who routinely violate the law.
That's an educational narrative, and highlights the grey areas between narratives.
AFAICS he was issued a removal notice, and left first.
With added traditional USA practices of never ending pursuit for relative trivialities from the long past. If he has lived lawfully for 10-15 years after a prison release, to say "this guy is a dangerous criminal now" seems to be an excuse, like the person thrown out for bouncing a cheque decades ago, or the new assault on Abrego Garcia using a never-purside traffic citation and dodgy extra evidence in order to save the MAGA Regime embarrassment.
I'm reminded of the USA's habit of pursuing "deserters" for decades.
After prison (ie 2011-12), Park received a removal order but was allowed to stay in the U.S. and required annual check-ins with immigration agents — which is typical for individuals that ICE does not consider a priority for deportation.
That changed earlier this month. At a meeting with local ICE officials in Hawaii, Park said he was warned that he would be detained and deported unless he left voluntarily within the next few weeks.
So, Park booked his flight and spent his final days in the U.S. — playing one last round of golf with his friends, savoring Hawaii's famous garlic shrimp, and enjoying time with his children and 85-year-old mother.
" I have to accept the fact that this is probably the last time I'll see her," he said.
Zelensky made a surprise visit to the frontline city of Kupyansk, which Russia claimed its forces had captured – but now Ukraine's soldiers "are achieving results" and pushing them back, the president said.
Zelensky underscored the importance of the shooting war as well as narrative warfare: "Today it is extremely important to achieve results at the front so that Ukraine can achieve results in diplomacy. This is exactly how it works: all our strong positions inside the country become strong positions in discussions about ending the war."
Lawyer serves up ‘council estate dinner’ of chicken dippers and Sunny D
A solicitor has been criticised for throwing what she described as a ‘council estate dinner’ which featured Fray Bentos pies and spam fritters.
Sophie Murgatroyd posted on LinkedIn, ‘I love cooking for my friends... the theme of tonight's meal was "council estate dinner”’.
The lawyer said she cooked the main course and that it consisted of crispy pancakes, chicken dippers, turkey dinosaurs, potato waffles, smiley faces, oven chips, beans, Frey Bentos Pies and spam fritters.
Her two guests took care of pudding (Vienetta, spotted dick and custard, and ginger cake) and drinks (Sunny Delight and Buck’s Fizz).
@Foxy , @MattW , @rcs1000 etc - just caught up on your comments from last night: fair enough, I hold my hand up: the figure I had for 1995 was clearly erroneous. On which basis I am wrong.
Thank-you for that. Looking at the estimates no one seems particularly clear before 2001, when a question came into the census. For 1990 Google AI seems to give a range of 500k to 1000k, which is a huge error margin. Plus of course there has always been a significant group of people not here legally.
Just as background context from earlier - I was in Bradford 1985-1988 and at that time I think between 1/3 and 1/4 of the city was the population fraction described as Muslim. This was pre-Satanic Verses of course. There were harder line organisations being developed in places like Dewsbury some with explicit Middle Eastern links or funding, but also more ideologically open versions of Islam such as Ahmadiyya with open centres to visit in BD7 near the University.
The main numerical work I am familiar with from that sort of period was being done by the likes of Peter Brierley, then of Marc Europe (which was spun out of the BIble Society) and later of Christian Research. Their main activity was publication of a thing called the UK Christian Handbook, which was an enormous directory and reference volume from an Evangelical base, but covering the whole UK Christian sector. They were basically a resource and research organisation for churches and mission, from an evangelical focus but working across the piece.
They did a pioneering survey of Mosques and Mosque attendance in the second half of the 1980s, where one interesting number was Mosque attendance in the UK was around half of the adherent community - an interesting early number pointing at "drift". This is one reason I have always thought that the Muslim-background community is far broader than is readily admitted, whilst being less diffuse than the Christian-background community.
The mantle of Peter Brierley, who is still going as a consultant after starting in this arena in the mid-1970s, has been picked up by groups such as the Religion in Numbers project at Lancaster University, and Prof Linda Woodhead.
Half of Muslims never going to Mosque does fit with this survey:
Lawyer serves up ‘council estate dinner’ of chicken dippers and Sunny D
A solicitor has been criticised for throwing what she described as a ‘council estate dinner’ which featured Fray Bentos pies and spam fritters.
Sophie Murgatroyd posted on LinkedIn, ‘I love cooking for my friends... the theme of tonight's meal was "council estate dinner”’.
The lawyer said she cooked the main course and that it consisted of crispy pancakes, chicken dippers, turkey dinosaurs, potato waffles, smiley faces, oven chips, beans, Frey Bentos Pies and spam fritters.
Her two guests took care of pudding (Vienetta, spotted dick and custard, and ginger cake) and drinks (Sunny Delight and Buck’s Fizz).
A law firm has set up a specialist service to models and agencies working with 'adult sites' such as OnlyFans.
Blackmont Legal, based in Manchester, already provides legal advice to social media influencers who make money on TikTok, YouTube and Instagram.
The firm is also eyeing up adult site creators (so to speak), by launching dedicated legal services for OnlyFans models and agencies.
Spotting the "rise" in this area (get your mind out of the gutter, please), Blackmont Legal noted that there are almost 23,000 Only Fans creators in the UK, and that top performers can earn in excess of £20,000 monthly.
The firm said the growth of subscription-based content has resulted in a so-called 'under economy' where workers earn significant sums but function outside traditional employment frameworks. As a result, many of them can lack business support, operating without VAT registration or proper contracts.
Lawyer serves up ‘council estate dinner’ of chicken dippers and Sunny D
A solicitor has been criticised for throwing what she described as a ‘council estate dinner’ which featured Fray Bentos pies and spam fritters.
Sophie Murgatroyd posted on LinkedIn, ‘I love cooking for my friends... the theme of tonight's meal was "council estate dinner”’.
The lawyer said she cooked the main course and that it consisted of crispy pancakes, chicken dippers, turkey dinosaurs, potato waffles, smiley faces, oven chips, beans, Frey Bentos Pies and spam fritters.
Her two guests took care of pudding (Vienetta, spotted dick and custard, and ginger cake) and drinks (Sunny Delight and Buck’s Fizz).
Lawyer serves up ‘council estate dinner’ of chicken dippers and Sunny D
A solicitor has been criticised for throwing what she described as a ‘council estate dinner’ which featured Fray Bentos pies and spam fritters.
Sophie Murgatroyd posted on LinkedIn, ‘I love cooking for my friends... the theme of tonight's meal was "council estate dinner”’.
The lawyer said she cooked the main course and that it consisted of crispy pancakes, chicken dippers, turkey dinosaurs, potato waffles, smiley faces, oven chips, beans, Frey Bentos Pies and spam fritters.
Her two guests took care of pudding (Vienetta, spotted dick and custard, and ginger cake) and drinks (Sunny Delight and Buck’s Fizz).
@Foxy , @MattW , @rcs1000 etc - just caught up on your comments from last night: fair enough, I hold my hand up: the figure I had for 1995 was clearly erroneous. On which basis I am wrong.
Thank-you for that. Looking at the estimates no one seems particularly clear before 2001, when a question came into the census. For 1990 Google AI seems to give a range of 500k to 1000k, which is a huge error margin. Plus of course there has always been a significant group of people not here legally.
Just as background context from earlier - I was in Bradford 1985-1988 and at that time I think between 1/3 and 1/4 of the city was the population fraction described as Muslim. This was pre-Satanic Verses of course. There were harder line organisations being developed in places like Dewsbury some with explicit Middle Eastern links or funding, but also more ideologically open versions of Islam such as Ahmadiyya with open centres to visit in BD7 near the University.
The main numerical work I am familiar with from that sort of period was being done by the likes of Peter Brierley, then of Marc Europe (which was spun out of the BIble Society) and later of Christian Research. Their main activity was publication of a thing called the UK Christian Handbook, which was an enormous directory and reference volume from an Evangelical base, but covering the whole UK Christian sector. They were basically a resource and research organisation for churches and mission, from an evangelical focus but working across the piece.
They did a pioneering survey of Mosques and Mosque attendance in the second half of the 1980s, where one interesting number was Mosque attendance in the UK was around half of the adherent community - an interesting early number pointing at "drift". This is one reason I have always thought that the Muslim-background community is far broader than is readily admitted, whilst being less diffuse than the Christian-background community.
The mantle of Peter Brierley, who is still going as a consultant after starting in this arena in the mid-1970s, has been picked up by groups such as the Religion in Numbers project at Lancaster University, and Prof Linda Woodhead.
Half of Muslims never going to Mosque does fit with this survey:
I have some very pious Muslim friends, and others that never go at all, being "culturally Muslim" in the same way many "Christian" Brits are.
The optimistic scenario is that the upcoming generation assimilates and many of them become less overtly religious, as has been the case with previous immigrations to our country. The time I spent with Muslim teenagers during my many years as a councillor in east London tended me towards an optimistic outlook, since they seemed acutely aware of their responsibility to find a reconciliation between the attitudes of their home environment and the cultural values they were coming to understand and appreciate at school and as British citizens.
@Foxy , @MattW , @rcs1000 etc - just caught up on your comments from last night: fair enough, I hold my hand up: the figure I had for 1995 was clearly erroneous. On which basis I am wrong.
Thank-you for that. Looking at the estimates no one seems particularly clear before 2001, when a question came into the census. For 1990 Google AI seems to give a range of 500k to 1000k, which is a huge error margin. Plus of course there has always been a significant group of people not here legally.
Just as background context from earlier - I was in Bradford 1985-1988 and at that time I think between 1/3 and 1/4 of the city was the population fraction described as Muslim. This was pre-Satanic Verses of course. There were harder line organisations being developed in places like Dewsbury some with explicit Middle Eastern links or funding, but also more ideologically open versions of Islam such as Ahmadiyya with open centres to visit in BD7 near the University.
The main numerical work I am familiar with from that sort of period was being done by the likes of Peter Brierley, then of Marc Europe (which was spun out of the BIble Society) and later of Christian Research. Their main activity was publication of a thing called the UK Christian Handbook, which was an enormous directory and reference volume from an Evangelical base, but covering the whole UK Christian sector. They were basically a resource and research organisation for churches and mission, from an evangelical focus but working across the piece.
They did a pioneering survey of Mosques and Mosque attendance in the second half of the 1980s, where one interesting number was Mosque attendance in the UK was around half of the adherent community - an interesting early number pointing at "drift". This is one reason I have always thought that the Muslim-background community is far broader than is readily admitted, whilst being less diffuse than the Christian-background community.
The mantle of Peter Brierley, who is still going as a consultant after starting in this arena in the mid-1970s, has been picked up by groups such as the Religion in Numbers project at Lancaster University, and Prof Linda Woodhead.
Half of Muslims never going to Mosque does fit with this survey:
I have some very pious Muslim friends, and others that never go at all, being "culturally Muslim" in the same way many "Christian" Brits are.
I watch Carols at Kings every Christmas and retain from childhood an emotional connection to the Nativity story. Also like poking around churches and graveyards. So I wouldn't reject a label of 'cultural Christian'.
Doesn't stack up with the assumptions that underpinned her Budget last month. Ooops.
It starts (again). Sigh. Allowing planned borrowing to increase this year on a set of assumptions that might well prove optimistic for any number of reasons was not prudent, or wise or even rational.
And yet, she was called on to resign by all the opposition parties as she put up taxes which the opposition claimed were not needed according to the OBR.
No, the calls for her to resign were because she lied about whether there was another £20bn hole which did not in fact exist and which she knew did not exist on the basis of the figures provided by the OBR. Increasing taxes to improve her headroom was a sensible move and I said so at the time. Ensuring that total spending was reduced at the same time reducing borrowing rather than increasing it would have been even more sensible. Not finding yet more freebies not paid for by cuts elsewhere would have been more sensible still.
I'm inclined to the view that the actual black hole that exists is not just in the finances, and includes for example the parts of the progressive cuts of 1/4 or 1/3 of local Government expenditure over 12-14 years that has not been invested in local facilities. I'd say the actual black holes is well into the 100s of billions.
The maintenance that has not been done on roads and footpaths, which has resulted in a dangerous moonscapes in our towns, is part of the black hole that we will have to fill. And now it will need many -places rebuilding far more heavily, and not just repairing.
As is, for example, the 6 Type 26 frigates which do not exist in our navy, being cancelled by Blair, then later Cameron. The people who seem to have the best strategy on this one are the Japanese, who build one submarine a year and flex it by deployment lifetime rather than by starving the businesses to death and destroying the industry and workforce. I think we may have learnt that one lesson (at least until we forget again).
Dame Meg Hillier, the Labour chairwoman of the Treasury select committee, is not holding back in her criticism of Reeves and the Treasury this morning for their approach to the Budget
Writing in The i she accuses Reeves of committing a 'glaring error' in the run-up to the Budget with her u-turn on income tax and that Budget leaks had been 'akin to throwing several grenades on the pitch'
She told @TimesRadio that the Treasury had been 'over-egging and spinning things' in the run-up to the Budget
“What I’m saying here very clearly is that the Treasury as a whole has a responsibility ... pitch-rolling is one thing, but over-egging things or spinning things or changing positions has been quite, there’s been a lot of that noise around this budget.
“It has not been helpful. She [Reeves] herself has said she wants to change it. So hopefully, when we look at the OBR and how it works, it’s part of that""
Lawyer serves up ‘council estate dinner’ of chicken dippers and Sunny D
A solicitor has been criticised for throwing what she described as a ‘council estate dinner’ which featured Fray Bentos pies and spam fritters.
Sophie Murgatroyd posted on LinkedIn, ‘I love cooking for my friends... the theme of tonight's meal was "council estate dinner”’.
The lawyer said she cooked the main course and that it consisted of crispy pancakes, chicken dippers, turkey dinosaurs, potato waffles, smiley faces, oven chips, beans, Frey Bentos Pies and spam fritters.
Her two guests took care of pudding (Vienetta, spotted dick and custard, and ginger cake) and drinks (Sunny Delight and Buck’s Fizz).
I don't know the independents so lets do transfers between parties Green votes: 102. Transfers to SNP 43, to LD 17, to Lab 5, to Reform 5 LD votes 121. Transfers to SNP 30, to Lab 19, to Con 12, to Reform 6 Con votes 142. Transfers to Reform 40, to LABOUR 28, to SNP 9 Indy votes 549. Transfers to SNP 120, to Reform 90, to Lab 79 Lab votes 762. Transfers to SNP 157, to Reform 90 SNP votes 1,387. Transfers to Reform 242
Green, LD and Lab voters wanted to stop Reform. Con voters went Reform with a surprising number to Labour!
Point is that Reform weren't that far ahead of Reform in the first preference but couldn't pick up the relatively light number of transfers needed to win.
And I get why. If you want to stop the division and othering and bigotry of Reform why would you vote for the bigotry and othering and division of the SNP?
Doesn't stack up with the assumptions that underpinned her Budget last month. Ooops.
It starts (again). Sigh. Allowing planned borrowing to increase this year on a set of assumptions that might well prove optimistic for any number of reasons was not prudent, or wise or even rational.
And yet, she was called on to resign by all the opposition parties as she put up taxes which the opposition claimed were not needed according to the OBR.
No, the calls for her to resign were because she lied about whether there was another £20bn hole which did not in fact exist and which she knew did not exist on the basis of the figures provided by the OBR. Increasing taxes to improve her headroom was a sensible move and I said so at the time. Ensuring that total spending was reduced at the same time reducing borrowing rather than increasing it would have been even more sensible. Not finding yet more freebies not paid for by cuts elsewhere would have been more sensible still.
I'm inclined to the view that the actual black hole that exists is not just in the finances, and includes for example the parts of the progressive cuts of 1/4 or 1/3 of local Government expenditure over 12-14 years that has not been invested in local facilities. I'd say the actual black holes is well into the 100s of billions.
The maintenance that has not been done on roads and footpaths, which has resulted in a dangerous moonscapes in our towns, is part of the black hole that we will have to fill. And now it will need many -places rebuilding far more heavily, and not just repairing.
As is, for example, the 6 Type 26 frigates which do not exist in our navy, being cancelled by Blair, then later Cameron. The people who seem to have the best strategy on this one are the Japanese, who build one submarine a year and flex it by deployment lifetime rather than by starving the businesses to death and destroying the industry and workforce. I think we may have learnt that one lesson (at least until we forget again).
Adjusting for what we spend on our deterrent, I think Japan spends a similar amount to us on defence. They get better value, I think ?
Lib dem victor Matthew Prosser stood as an independent in the recent Caol and Mallaig by election
Credit to andrewp from vote 2012 forum, council didn't have figures on web page
Not a good day for the SNP, local by election losses to Reform and the LDs. A reminder they are unpopular now too, not just Labour and the Tories
SNP vote share was essentially static in Whitburn and Blackburn. It was the collapse in Slab and Scon that gave Reform their initial 149 vote lead, whittled down to only 24 in the head to head.
@Foxy , @MattW , @rcs1000 etc - just caught up on your comments from last night: fair enough, I hold my hand up: the figure I had for 1995 was clearly erroneous. On which basis I am wrong.
Thank-you for that. Looking at the estimates no one seems particularly clear before 2001, when a question came into the census. For 1990 Google AI seems to give a range of 500k to 1000k, which is a huge error margin. Plus of course there has always been a significant group of people not here legally.
Just as background context from earlier - I was in Bradford 1985-1988 and at that time I think between 1/3 and 1/4 of the city was the population fraction described as Muslim. This was pre-Satanic Verses of course. There were harder line organisations being developed in places like Dewsbury some with explicit Middle Eastern links or funding, but also more ideologically open versions of Islam such as Ahmadiyya with open centres to visit in BD7 near the University.
The main numerical work I am familiar with from that sort of period was being done by the likes of Peter Brierley, then of Marc Europe (which was spun out of the BIble Society) and later of Christian Research. Their main activity was publication of a thing called the UK Christian Handbook, which was an enormous directory and reference volume from an Evangelical base, but covering the whole UK Christian sector. They were basically a resource and research organisation for churches and mission, from an evangelical focus but working across the piece.
They did a pioneering survey of Mosques and Mosque attendance in the second half of the 1980s, where one interesting number was Mosque attendance in the UK was around half of the adherent community - an interesting early number pointing at "drift". This is one reason I have always thought that the Muslim-background community is far broader than is readily admitted, whilst being less diffuse than the Christian-background community.
The mantle of Peter Brierley, who is still going as a consultant after starting in this arena in the mid-1970s, has been picked up by groups such as the Religion in Numbers project at Lancaster University, and Prof Linda Woodhead.
Half of Muslims never going to Mosque does fit with this survey:
I have some very pious Muslim friends, and others that never go at all, being "culturally Muslim" in the same way many "Christian" Brits are.
There are interesting sociological trends in Islamic communities that mirror trends in Christian-adherent or secular communities that are not ever noticed by wider media - the coverage is as shallow as it is of any religion.
One is an expectation of young men to go a bit wild in their early 20s and 'sow their wild oats', then grow up a bit and become sound members of the community aka "good Muslims". That's a direct parallel in any Western community - in the UK we indulge bad behaviour in young adults, and expect them to grow up and settle down.
One of the things I have sometimes observed over the years has been the number of massively-bitter formerly evangelical men, who maintained the "no sex outside marriage, holy living" discipline preached from the pulpit, then suddenly find they are 40 and single, never having had a real girlfriend beyond the platonic. That group can look back in anger. It can be a particular issue in more puritanical communities, and can help feed a completely screwed-up mentality like Pete Hegseth and unrealistic, sometimes abusive or contemptuous, attitudes to women. Fortunately many grow out of it.
Lawyer serves up ‘council estate dinner’ of chicken dippers and Sunny D
A solicitor has been criticised for throwing what she described as a ‘council estate dinner’ which featured Fray Bentos pies and spam fritters.
Sophie Murgatroyd posted on LinkedIn, ‘I love cooking for my friends... the theme of tonight's meal was "council estate dinner”’.
The lawyer said she cooked the main course and that it consisted of crispy pancakes, chicken dippers, turkey dinosaurs, potato waffles, smiley faces, oven chips, beans, Frey Bentos Pies and spam fritters.
Her two guests took care of pudding (Vienetta, spotted dick and custard, and ginger cake) and drinks (Sunny Delight and Buck’s Fizz).
Lib dem victor Matthew Prosser stood as an independent in the recent Caol and Mallaig by election
Credit to andrewp from vote 2012 forum, council didn't have figures on web page
Not a good day for the SNP, local by election losses to Reform and the LDs. A reminder they are unpopular now too, not just Labour and the Tories
SNP vote share was essentially static in Whitburn and Blackburn. It was the collapse in Slab and Scon that gave Reform their initial 149 vote lead, whittled down to only 24 in the head to head.
People dislike Reform UK. Then again, people also dislike the SNP. Voting SNP to stop Reform may be a step beyond what many voters are prepared to...
@Foxy , @MattW , @rcs1000 etc - just caught up on your comments from last night: fair enough, I hold my hand up: the figure I had for 1995 was clearly erroneous. On which basis I am wrong.
Thank-you for that. Looking at the estimates no one seems particularly clear before 2001, when a question came into the census. For 1990 Google AI seems to give a range of 500k to 1000k, which is a huge error margin. Plus of course there has always been a significant group of people not here legally.
Just as background context from earlier - I was in Bradford 1985-1988 and at that time I think between 1/3 and 1/4 of the city was the population fraction described as Muslim. This was pre-Satanic Verses of course. There were harder line organisations being developed in places like Dewsbury some with explicit Middle Eastern links or funding, but also more ideologically open versions of Islam such as Ahmadiyya with open centres to visit in BD7 near the University.
The main numerical work I am familiar with from that sort of period was being done by the likes of Peter Brierley, then of Marc Europe (which was spun out of the BIble Society) and later of Christian Research. Their main activity was publication of a thing called the UK Christian Handbook, which was an enormous directory and reference volume from an Evangelical base, but covering the whole UK Christian sector. They were basically a resource and research organisation for churches and mission, from an evangelical focus but working across the piece.
They did a pioneering survey of Mosques and Mosque attendance in the second half of the 1980s, where one interesting number was Mosque attendance in the UK was around half of the adherent community - an interesting early number pointing at "drift". This is one reason I have always thought that the Muslim-background community is far broader than is readily admitted, whilst being less diffuse than the Christian-background community.
The mantle of Peter Brierley, who is still going as a consultant after starting in this arena in the mid-1970s, has been picked up by groups such as the Religion in Numbers project at Lancaster University, and Prof Linda Woodhead.
Half of Muslims never going to Mosque does fit with this survey:
I have some very pious Muslim friends, and others that never go at all, being "culturally Muslim" in the same way many "Christian" Brits are.
There are interesting sociological trends in Islamic communities that mirror trends in Christian-adherent or secular communities that are not ever noticed by wider media - the coverage is as shallow as it is of any religion.
One is an expectation of young men to go a bit wild in their early 20s and 'sow their wild oats', then grow up a bit and become sound members of the community aka "good Muslims". That's a direct parallel in any Western community - in the UK we indulge bad behaviour in young adults, and expect them to grow up and settle down.
One of the things I have sometimes observed over the years has been the number of massively-bitter formerly evangelical men, who maintained the "no sex outside marriage, holy living" discipline preached from the pulpit, then suddenly find they are 40 and single, never having had a real girlfriend beyond the platonic. That group can look back in anger. It can be a particular issue in more puritanical communities, and can help feed a completely screwed-up mentality like Pete Hegseth and unrealistic, sometimes abusive or contemptuous, attitudes to women. Fortunately many grow out of it.
There's also another issue (which I think is just human nature): we tend to assume that our own group is heterogeneous, while other groups are homogenuous.
Hence the bizarre belief that a Muslim will cast aside all other considerations, and always vote for another Muslim.
Comments
RefUK 1177
SNP 1028
Lab 627
Ind Lynch 484
Con 129
LD 102
Green 101
Ind Millar 27
RefUK gain from Lab"
https://vote-2012.proboards.com/thread/19796/local-council-elections-11th-december?page=5
While latest polls show Ukrainians want nothing to do with the Trump/Kushner treason weasel "deal" to lick Putin's ass at the expense of millions of Ukrainians, he blatantly lies here and says they "love the deal" and that it's only Zelensky that's the problem.
Trump is Putin's whore.
https://x.com/JayinKyiv/status/1999393164386254889
LD 925
SNP 665
RefUK 220
Green 216
Con 175
Lab 87
LD gain from SNP"
https://vote-2012.proboards.com/thread/19796/local-council-elections-11th-december?page=5
This is why I'm not writing off MAGA in the US yet. The American economy is an awesome beast and I can perfectly well imagine it picking up and motoring under Trump despite everything. If that happens his ratings will almost certainly rise and both the midterms and 28 could be anything but a cruise for the Dems.
Lib dems win, technically a gain from SNP
LD 925
SNP 665
RefUK 220
Green 216
Con 175
Lab 87
Lib dem victor Matthew Prosser stood as an independent in the recent Caol and Mallaig by election
Credit to andrewp from vote 2012 forum, council didn't have figures on web page
Prostitutes may consider it slanderous.
Calibri is the Microsoft font, so while Rubio is wasting a lot of time, effort, and taxpayers cash in making the change, I won't mourn it.
I'll try to up my game.
I've just booked a long weekend in Naples.
https://x.com/i/status/1998853971507818634
"UK economy shrank unexpectedly by 0.1% in October - BBC News" https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/articles/cwyp7v7r28yo
We still have to see if the change is significant from the normie traveller's POV.
The Highlands result was a continuation of the Lib Dems restoring that area as the stronghold it once was.
Also a decent night for the Cons in holding two wards nicely against Reform attacks. They lost elsewhere but this is the first sign of a recovery for them.
The LIb Dems beat a Con in Devon where Reform would have hoped to win.
Reform again did very well generally - just not as well as in May.
Should any Lab partizans remain on the board you might like to give this week's results a miss (well - just about every week's results to be honest)
"Of the 111 measles cases recorded in that area, known as the Upstate region, 105 involved people who were unvaccinated, while three involved those who were partially vaccinated, state epidemiologist Linda Bell said at a news briefing."
It looks as if Darwin may prove to be correct yet again. Its just a pity that so much damage can be done in the meantime to so many innocents.
For the SNP, in constituency seats next year they may get away with at in the central belt as the challengers are divided. In the Highland and south, its Lib dem, Tory or Reform. Slab have a mountain to climb and the UK leadership aren't helping
West Lothian, Darlington, Caerphilly - all historical Labour areas, now Labour absolutely nowhere in any of them.
Many years ago we stayed in a fabulous hotel with its own beach and chapel and where our daughter had her first holiday romance
Subsequently we returned for a couple of days with the family after a holiday in Italy, and also landed from a cruise ship and took communion in the Cathedral
I understand the hotel we stayed in years ago is vastly expensive catering for the very wealthy but when we went we were just an ordinary family with 3 children having hired a car in Naples
Historically a party of the working class, now a party of the metropolitan elite. They need better policies to attract those voters back but it will require a gutting of the present UK leadership
West Lothian. Whitburn and Blackburn
Ref 32.03% [+15.71]
SNP 27.97% [-0.88]
Lab 17.06% [-13.80]
Ind Lynch 13.17% [+1.28]
Con 3.51% [-3.24]
LD 2.78% [+0.04]
Grn 2.75% [+0.15]
Ind Millar 0.73% [new]
Highland, Fort William and Ardnamurchan
LD 40.43% [-18.48]
SNP 29.06% [+3.52]
Ref 9.62% [new]
Grn 9.44% [+3.42]
Con 7.65% [+3.24]
Lab 3.80% [-0.70]
(Libtn prev 0.62%)
Maybe just Leicester, but if anyone hasn't had it they may well have missed the boat.
The UK is "rapidly developing" plans to prepare the whole country for the possible outbreak of war, the armed forces minister has said.
@AlistairCarns said armies, navies & air forces respond to crises but "societies, industries & economies win wars"
https://x.com/haynesdeborah/status/1999369740356063625
Carns seems to have been unusually visible this week (I'd never before heard of him).
Is he on manoeuvres ?
Pedant alert: In printing, a font refers to an instance of a typeface. (This makes sense if you remember how physical printing worked.)
Simpler - you can retire while under active investigation. But the investigation continues.
Oh, and you don’t get your pension until after the investigation has concluded.
@JakeSherman
NEWS -- SPEAKER MIKE JOHNSON and his leadership team will meet with the "Five Families" today to pitch an idea to give mods an amendment vote to the GOP health care bill.
The amendment: extending the Obamacare premium subsidies.
MORE IN AM
https://x.com/JakeSherman/status/1999467054219620585?s=20
GLASHEEN: I'm familiar with the name
WALKINSHAW: Does the FBI still designate them as an extremist organization? They did during Trump's first term
GLASHEEN: We are in the process right now of changing our, uh, categories for domestic terrorism...
https://x.com/atrupar/status/1999174741945401659
Haven't they all joined ICE by now ?
A law firm has set up a specialist service to models and agencies working with 'adult sites' such as OnlyFans.
Blackmont Legal, based in Manchester, already provides legal advice to social media influencers who make money on TikTok, YouTube and Instagram.
The firm is also eyeing up adult site creators (so to speak), by launching dedicated legal services for OnlyFans models and agencies.
Spotting the "rise" in this area (get your mind out of the gutter, please), Blackmont Legal noted that there are almost 23,000 Only Fans creators in the UK, and that top performers can earn in excess of £20,000 monthly.
The firm said the growth of subscription-based content has resulted in a so-called 'under economy' where workers earn significant sums but function outside traditional employment frameworks. As a result, many of them can lack business support, operating without VAT registration or proper contracts.
https://www.rollonfriday.com/news-content/exclusive-law-firm-sets-onlyfans-team
Just as background context from earlier - I was in Bradford 1985-1988 and at that time I think between 1/3 and 1/4 of the city was the population fraction described as Muslim. This was pre-Satanic Verses of course. There were harder line organisations being developed in places like Dewsbury some with explicit Middle Eastern links or funding, but also more ideologically open versions of Islam such as Ahmadiyya with open centres to visit in BD7 near the University.
The main numerical work I am familiar with from that sort of period was being done by the likes of Peter Brierley, then of Marc Europe (which was spun out of the BIble Society) and later of Christian Research. Their main activity was publication of a thing called the UK Christian Handbook, which was an enormous directory and reference volume from an Evangelical base, but covering the whole UK Christian sector. They were basically a resource and research organisation for churches and mission, from an evangelical focus but working across the piece.
They did a pioneering survey of Mosques and Mosque attendance in the second half of the 1980s, where one interesting number was Mosque attendance in the UK was around half of the adherent community - an interesting early number pointing at "drift". This is one reason I have always thought that the Muslim-background community is far broader than is readily admitted, whilst being less diffuse than the Christian-background community.
The mantle of Peter Brierley, who is still going as a consultant after starting in this arena in the mid-1970s, has been picked up by groups such as the Religion in Numbers project at Lancaster University, and Prof Linda Woodhead.
The probable Muslim population in Britain in 1951 was approximately 23,000. By 1961 there were about 82,000 Muslims in Britain, by 1971 about 369,000, by 1981 about 553,000 (Peach 1990b) and by 1991 about 1,000,000. These numbers are based on the ethnic origin of the minority population of Britain and about 75 per cent is made up of groups originating in the Indian subcontinent
Peach, C., & Glebe, G. (1995). Muslim minorities in Western Europe. Ethnic and Racial Studies, 18(1), 26–45. https://doi.org/10.1080/01419870.1995.9993852
That's going to be the biggest problem in a lot of areas, Tories were found wanting, Labour is wanting and the Lib Dems aren't an obvious NTA but not Reform party in large parts of the country.
AFAICS he was issued a removal notice, and left first.
With added traditional USA practices of never ending pursuit for relative trivialities from the long past. If he has lived lawfully for 10-15 years after a prison release, to say "this guy is a dangerous criminal now" seems to be an excuse, like the person thrown out for bouncing a cheque decades ago, or the new assault on Abrego Garcia using a never-purside traffic citation and dodgy extra evidence in order to save the MAGA Regime embarrassment.
I'm reminded of the USA's habit of pursuing "deserters" for decades.
NPR account: https://www.npr.org/2025/06/24/g-s1-74036/trump-ice-self-deportation-army-veteran-hawaii
After prison (ie 2011-12), Park received a removal order but was allowed to stay in the U.S. and required annual check-ins with immigration agents — which is typical for individuals that ICE does not consider a priority for deportation.
That changed earlier this month. At a meeting with local ICE officials in Hawaii, Park said he was warned that he would be detained and deported unless he left voluntarily within the next few weeks.
So, Park booked his flight and spent his final days in the U.S. — playing one last round of golf with his friends, savoring Hawaii's famous garlic shrimp, and enjoying time with his children and 85-year-old mother.
" I have to accept the fact that this is probably the last time I'll see her," he said.
Putin three weeks ago: I congratulate our troops on liberating Kupyansk.
Zelensky in Kupyansk today: cool story, bro.
https://x.com/yarotrof/status/1999462576078618996?s=20
Zelensky made a surprise visit to the frontline city of Kupyansk, which Russia claimed its forces had captured – but now Ukraine's soldiers "are achieving results" and pushing them back, the president said.
Zelensky underscored the importance of the shooting war as well as narrative warfare: "Today it is extremely important to achieve results at the front so that Ukraine can achieve results in diplomacy. This is exactly how it works: all our strong positions inside the country become strong positions in discussions about ending the war."
https://x.com/ChristopherJM/status/1999459116071227795?s=20
A solicitor has been criticised for throwing what she described as a ‘council estate dinner’ which featured Fray Bentos pies and spam fritters.
Sophie Murgatroyd posted on LinkedIn, ‘I love cooking for my friends... the theme of tonight's meal was "council estate dinner”’.
The lawyer said she cooked the main course and that it consisted of crispy pancakes, chicken dippers, turkey dinosaurs, potato waffles, smiley faces, oven chips, beans, Frey Bentos Pies and spam fritters.
Her two guests took care of pudding (Vienetta, spotted dick and custard, and ginger cake) and drinks (Sunny Delight and Buck’s Fizz).
https://www.rollonfriday.com/news-content/exclusive-lawyer-serves-council-estate-dinner-chicken-dippers-and-sunny-d
https://pollingreport.uk/articles/nop-poll-of-british-muslims
I have some very pious Muslim friends, and others that never go at all, being "culturally Muslim" in the same way many "Christian" Brits are.
The maintenance that has not been done on roads and footpaths, which has resulted in a dangerous moonscapes in our towns, is part of the black hole that we will have to fill. And now it will need many -places rebuilding far more heavily, and not just repairing.
As is, for example, the 6 Type 26 frigates which do not exist in our navy, being cancelled by Blair, then later Cameron. The people who seem to have the best strategy on this one are the Japanese, who build one submarine a year and flex it by deployment lifetime rather than by starving the businesses to death and destroying the industry and workforce. I think we may have learnt that one lesson (at least until we forget again).
@Steven_Swinford
Dame Meg Hillier, the Labour chairwoman of the Treasury select committee, is not holding back in her criticism of Reeves and the Treasury this morning for their approach to the Budget
Writing in The i she accuses Reeves of committing a 'glaring error' in the run-up to the Budget with her u-turn on income tax and that Budget leaks had been 'akin to throwing several grenades on the pitch'
She told
@TimesRadio
that the Treasury had been 'over-egging and spinning things' in the run-up to the Budget
“What I’m saying here very clearly is that the Treasury as a whole has a responsibility ... pitch-rolling is one thing, but over-egging things or spinning things or changing positions has been quite, there’s been a lot of that noise around this budget.
“It has not been helpful. She [Reeves] herself has said she wants to change it. So hopefully, when we look at the OBR and how it works, it’s part of that""
https://x.com/Steven_Swinford/status/1999434402137272622
Stage 1 - Ref 1177, SNP 1028, Lab 627, Ind Lynch 484, Con 129, LD 102, Grn 101, Ind Millar 27
Stage 2 - Ref 1180 (+3), SNP 1028, Lab 631 (+4), Ind Lynch 497 (+13), Con 129, LD 104 (+2), Grn 102 (+1)
Stage 3 - Ref 1185 (+5), SNP 1071 (+43), Lab 636 (+5), Ind Lynch 505 (+8), Con 130 (+1), LD 121 (+17)
Stage 4 - Ref 1191 (+6), SNP 1101 (+30), Lab 655 (+19), Ind Lynch 530 (+25), Con 142 (+12)
Stage 5 - Ref 1231 (+40), SNP 1110 (+9), Lab 683 (+28), Ind Lynch 549 (+19)
Stage 6 - Ref 1321 (+90), SNP 1230 (+120), Lab 762 (+79)
Stage 7 - Ref 1411 (+90), SNP 1387 (+157)"
https://vote-2012.proboards.com/thread/19796/local-council-elections-11th-december?page=6&scrollTo=1690994
https://www.westlothian.gov.uk/media/68369/Transfers-Report-Whitburn-Blackburn-12122025/pdf/Transfers_V0001_Ward-7---Whitburn-and-Blackburn_12122025_110355.pdf
I don't know the independents so lets do transfers between parties
Green votes: 102. Transfers to SNP 43, to LD 17, to Lab 5, to Reform 5
LD votes 121. Transfers to SNP 30, to Lab 19, to Con 12, to Reform 6
Con votes 142. Transfers to Reform 40, to LABOUR 28, to SNP 9
Indy votes 549. Transfers to SNP 120, to Reform 90, to Lab 79
Lab votes 762. Transfers to SNP 157, to Reform 90
SNP votes 1,387. Transfers to Reform 242
Green, LD and Lab voters wanted to stop Reform. Con voters went Reform with a surprising number to Labour!
Point is that Reform weren't that far ahead of Reform in the first preference but couldn't pick up the relatively light number of transfers needed to win.
And I get why. If you want to stop the division and othering and bigotry of Reform why would you vote for the bigotry and othering and division of the SNP?
They get better value, I think ?
One is an expectation of young men to go a bit wild in their early 20s and 'sow their wild oats', then grow up a bit and become sound members of the community aka "good Muslims". That's a direct parallel in any Western community - in the UK we indulge bad behaviour in young adults, and expect them to grow up and settle down.
One of the things I have sometimes observed over the years has been the number of massively-bitter formerly evangelical men, who maintained the "no sex outside marriage, holy living" discipline preached from the pulpit, then suddenly find they are 40 and single, never having had a real girlfriend beyond the platonic. That group can look back in anger. It can be a particular issue in more puritanical communities, and can help feed a completely screwed-up mentality like Pete Hegseth and unrealistic, sometimes abusive or contemptuous, attitudes to women. Fortunately many grow out of it.
Hence the bizarre belief that a Muslim will cast aside all other considerations, and always vote for another Muslim.