It’s gonna be Mandleson that brings Starmer down, isn’t it? Of course it will turn out he and his husband-to-be received the money, of course they both knew that at the time and since, and of course it was paid to his partner so Mandleson could try and get away with not declaring it, despite acting under Epstein’s direction regarding his lobbying in regard to UK taxation of bankers’ bonuses. All allegedly, for now, but there’ll be enough muddy water around Starmer and his decision to send this guy to represent us in the US that he won’t be able to swim clear.
“I also have respect for our Speaker, and this is not directed at him. The Senate is very, very corrupt. Many of the Senators we would consider our ‘friends’ don’t want the filibuster removed because they don’t actually want President Trump’s agenda to succeed,” Luna said in a lengthy Sunday post on the social platform X.
“Many of these people have been in office for far too long and think they are the ones in power, not [the president of the United States (POTUS)],” she added.
Solution: Get rid of RINO's and put in Trump backed candidates. Problem solved.
She’s a Representative, having a go at the Senators.
The background is that the House has passed a number of Bills codifying Exec Orders and cutting spending to NGOs, but the Senate leadership (John Thune, Chuck Grassley) is refusing to bring then to the Senate floor because he says they don’t have the 60 votes.
The Reps either want to abolish the Senate filibuster, on the basis that the Democrats will absolutely do so when they’re next in power, or to bring the Bills for a vote anyway, so the Senators have to show their hand and those opposed can be primaried with Elon Musk’s financial backing.
The Reps suspect, not without reason, that the Senators are way more interested in their donors and very cushy jobs for life, than they are in passing Trump’s agenda. The Reps are all-up in November and want to show their voters what has been achieved - which right now isn’t much.
There are a lot of people on the right who don't understand why, after Brexit, Boris Johnson enormously increased immigration. But I think this is a big part of it. Huge immigration meant the GDP number went up instead of stagnating and the right could dispute Brexit's failure. https://x.com/thomasforth/status/2018006003309011054
I don't think this is a staggering revelation. People on here said it at the time (and before it actually happened).
“I also have respect for our Speaker, and this is not directed at him. The Senate is very, very corrupt. Many of the Senators we would consider our ‘friends’ don’t want the filibuster removed because they don’t actually want President Trump’s agenda to succeed,” Luna said in a lengthy Sunday post on the social platform X.
“Many of these people have been in office for far too long and think they are the ones in power, not [the president of the United States (POTUS)],” she added.
Solution: Get rid of RINO's and put in Trump backed candidates. Problem solved.
She’s a Representative, having a go at the Senators.
The background is that the House has passed a number of Bills codifying Exec Orders and cutting spending to NGOs, but the Senate leadership (John Thune, Chuck Grassley) is refusing to bring then to the Senate floor because he says they don’t have the 60 votes.
The Reps either want to abolish the Senate filibuster, on the basis that the Democrats will absolutely do so when they’re next in power, or to bring the Bills for a vote anyway, so the Senators have to show their hand and those opposed can be primaried with Elon Musk’s financial backing.
The Reps suspect, not without reason, that the Senators are way more interested in their donors and very cushy jobs for life, than they are in passing Trump’s agenda. The Reps are all-up in November and want to show their voters what has been achieved - which right now isn’t much.
So what you're saying is, all that stands between America and the absolute Fascism Trump's mad minions want to impose is the Republicans in the Senate are so corrupt even he can't afford to buy them?
Here’s the news anchor saying that Russia need to send nukes into space to take out Starlink satellites, SpaceX blocked Russian drones from using them over Ukraine.
They somehow got hold of a batch of them from somewhere, and SpaceX took about 48 hours working with Ukranian intelligence to get the Russian ones shut down without affecting the legitimately-obtained Ukranian receivers.
(He has no idea how Starlink actually works, with thousands of tiny satellites).
PMQs is going to be fun, questioning Starmer on what exactly he asked Mandelson about Epstein before appointing him to the US Ambassador role. It’s difficult to see what could possibly be a good answer to that question for the PM.
Here’s the news anchor saying that Russia need to send nukes into space to take out Starlink satellites, after SpaceX blocked Russian drones from using them over Ukraine.
(He has no idea how Starlink actually works, with thousands of tiny satellites).
This is what it's been guiding - the plywood Molniya drone. Seems that the war has regressed to WWI levels.
Here’s the news anchor saying that Russia need to send nukes into space to take out Starlink satellites, SpaceX blocked Russian drones from using them over Ukraine.
They somehow got hold of a batch of them from somewhere, and SpaceX took about 48 hours working with Ukranian intelligence to get the Russian ones shut down without affecting the legitimately-obtained Ukranian receivers.
(He has no idea how Starlink actually works, with thousands of tiny satellites).
Where America leads, the rest of the world shall follow.
“I also have respect for our Speaker, and this is not directed at him. The Senate is very, very corrupt. Many of the Senators we would consider our ‘friends’ don’t want the filibuster removed because they don’t actually want President Trump’s agenda to succeed,” Luna said in a lengthy Sunday post on the social platform X.
“Many of these people have been in office for far too long and think they are the ones in power, not [the president of the United States (POTUS)],” she added.
Solution: Get rid of RINO's and put in Trump backed candidates. Problem solved.
She’s a Representative, having a go at the Senators.
The background is that the House has passed a number of Bills codifying Exec Orders and cutting spending to NGOs, but the Senate leadership (John Thune, Chuck Grassley) is refusing to bring then to the Senate floor because he says they don’t have the 60 votes.
The Reps either want to abolish the Senate filibuster, on the basis that the Democrats will absolutely do so when they’re next in power, or to bring the Bills for a vote anyway, so the Senators have to show their hand and those opposed can be primaried with Elon Musk’s financial backing.
The Reps suspect, not without reason, that the Senators are way more interested in their donors and very cushy jobs for life, than they are in passing Trump’s agenda. The Reps are all-up in November and want to show their voters what has been achieved - which right now isn’t much.
F1: rather surprised Alonso and Norris have the same odds (8) as third favourite on Ladbrokes, behind Russell at 3 and Verstappen at 4.5.
Suspect the engine may cost Alonso.
Alonso is difficult to price in this market until we see the relative performance of the cars, which is probably not before qualifying in Melbourne.
He should either be the favourite or a 100/1 outsider, but we don’t yet know which.
The aero performance of the car should be good, because Newey and team, but the PU might be a little short of the P and there’s potential reliability issues with lots of new systems on the car.
Councils are caught in a trap where councillors think they can rewind the clock 20 plus years and go back to thriving High streets pre Internet. Sadly this is unlikely to happen.
In Greenock, which I unfortunately have to visit occasionally, the main shopping street ended up in a terrible state. About half of the shops closed, with much of the rest being bookies (5 of them), shady 'slots' places, charity shops and dodgy Turkish barbers.
The Council pulled together funding from various bodies to renovate the area. Lots of nice paving, new trees, benches, etc.
Result? Nada. No new shops have opened, the existing ones still struggle and pedestrian traffic is no higher than before. The big retail park a few miles away in Port Glasgow has hoovered up all the business and some slabs and trees-inna-box isn't going to change that.
At least they do seem to have now accepted the days of a bustling high street are gone. The rest of the town centre is being redeveloped with UK government funds, which involves demolishing half of the run down shopping mall to make way for new housing.
What you've said for Greenock applies to so many towns right across the west of Scotland - theres a real divide in afffluence between areas of growing population around Edinburgh and areas like Inverclyde and D & G. And no, I don't think the lack of cycle lanes or trees surrounded by slabs is the big problem, nice as they may look.
You can hardly blame people for shopping online when its cheaper. You can even get goods carted to your door for less price than it takes you to go downtown and buy from a shop.
Long term, not sure what the solution is, other than more housing in high streets. It's just going to take some Councils a wee while yet before they figure it all out. The UK government levelling up cash needs to be targeted much better than some examples I've seen
Drastic measures are needed to unblock the greedy landlord / property fund / bank rental logjam. I would give local authorities the legal right to set a fair rent for the property, overriding existing rent agreements. If property is classed as an investment, it should be an investment that can fall, not just rise in value.
State intervention in pricing and overriding private contracts rarely works.
Rents are two high. That is telling us two things: (I) there is an imbalance of supply and demand; and (b) the government are idiots for not using their quasi-monopolistic power to drive better pricing for housing benefit claimants
F1: rather surprised Alonso and Norris have the same odds (8) as third favourite on Ladbrokes, behind Russell at 3 and Verstappen at 4.5.
Suspect the engine may cost Alonso.
Alonso is difficult to price in this market until we see the relative performance of the cars, which is probably not before qualifying in Melbourne.
He should either be the favourite or a 100/1 outsider, but we don’t yet know which.
The aero performance of the car should be good, because Newey and team, but the PU might be a little short of the P and there’s potential reliability issues with lots of new systems on the car.
I've read some suggestions that the new cars will depend more on the driver making the difference. If so, that'll benefit Alonso a lot as he tended to do well at sprint weekends which have minimal practice and a premium on adaptability.
But if we're in an engine formula that might not be enough.
I guess the folk that said Trump-whisperer Mandelson was a genius appointment for US ambo and his part in the Starmer state visit conjuring trick in the Oval Office was a master stroke will be feeling a bit queasy. Never mind lads, we all make sphincter-clenching fck ups from time to time.
“I also have respect for our Speaker, and this is not directed at him. The Senate is very, very corrupt. Many of the Senators we would consider our ‘friends’ don’t want the filibuster removed because they don’t actually want President Trump’s agenda to succeed,” Luna said in a lengthy Sunday post on the social platform X.
“Many of these people have been in office for far too long and think they are the ones in power, not [the president of the United States (POTUS)],” she added.
Solution: Get rid of RINO's and put in Trump backed candidates. Problem solved.
She’s a Representative, having a go at the Senators.
The background is that the House has passed a number of Bills codifying Exec Orders and cutting spending to NGOs, but the Senate leadership (John Thune, Chuck Grassley) is refusing to bring then to the Senate floor because he says they don’t have the 60 votes.
The Reps either want to abolish the Senate filibuster, on the basis that the Democrats will absolutely do so when they’re next in power, or to bring the Bills for a vote anyway, so the Senators have to show their hand and those opposed can be primaried with Elon Musk’s financial backing.
The Reps suspect, not without reason, that the Senators are way more interested in their donors and very cushy jobs for life, than they are in passing Trump’s agenda. The Reps are all-up in November and want to show their voters what has been achieved - which right now isn’t much.
It's not the job of the Senate to rubber stamp Trump's agenda. Congress is a coequal branch of government.
Senators have six year terms precisely because they're supposed to be independent of the current administration.
Musk's deployment of untold millions to sway voters is the absolute antithesis of democracy.
There are a lot of people on the right who don't understand why, after Brexit, Boris Johnson enormously increased immigration. But I think this is a big part of it. Huge immigration meant the GDP number went up instead of stagnating and the right could dispute Brexit's failure. https://x.com/thomasforth/status/2018006003309011054
I don't think this is a staggering revelation. People on here said it at the time (and before it actually happened).
“I also have respect for our Speaker, and this is not directed at him. The Senate is very, very corrupt. Many of the Senators we would consider our ‘friends’ don’t want the filibuster removed because they don’t actually want President Trump’s agenda to succeed,” Luna said in a lengthy Sunday post on the social platform X.
“Many of these people have been in office for far too long and think they are the ones in power, not [the president of the United States (POTUS)],” she added.
Solution: Get rid of RINO's and put in Trump backed candidates. Problem solved.
She’s a Representative, having a go at the Senators.
The background is that the House has passed a number of Bills codifying Exec Orders and cutting spending to NGOs, but the Senate leadership (John Thune, Chuck Grassley) is refusing to bring then to the Senate floor because he says they don’t have the 60 votes.
The Reps either want to abolish the Senate filibuster, on the basis that the Democrats will absolutely do so when they’re next in power, or to bring the Bills for a vote anyway, so the Senators have to show their hand and those opposed can be primaried with Elon Musk’s financial backing.
The Reps suspect, not without reason, that the Senators are way more interested in their donors and very cushy jobs for life, than they are in passing Trump’s agenda. The Reps are all-up in November and want to show their voters what has been achieved - which right now isn’t much.
It's not the job of the Senate to rubber stamp Trump's agenda. Congress is a coequal branch of government.
Senators have six year terms precisely because they're supposed to be independent of the current administration.
Musk's deployment of untold millions to sway voters is the absolute antithesis of democracy.
It isn’t that they don’t want to rubber stamp anything, it’s that they don’t even want to debate it. The Senate is basically shut down.
Yes the amount of money in US politics is terrible. But it’s the current game in town, whether you’re Musk or Soros. Musk has said he’ll fund primary campaigns against legislators who don’t want to legislate, which doesn’t seem particularly unreasonable given the logjam.
“I also have respect for our Speaker, and this is not directed at him. The Senate is very, very corrupt. Many of the Senators we would consider our ‘friends’ don’t want the filibuster removed because they don’t actually want President Trump’s agenda to succeed,” Luna said in a lengthy Sunday post on the social platform X.
“Many of these people have been in office for far too long and think they are the ones in power, not [the president of the United States (POTUS)],” she added.
Solution: Get rid of RINO's and put in Trump backed candidates. Problem solved.
She’s a Representative, having a go at the Senators.
The background is that the House has passed a number of Bills codifying Exec Orders and cutting spending to NGOs, but the Senate leadership (John Thune, Chuck Grassley) is refusing to bring then to the Senate floor because he says they don’t have the 60 votes.
The Reps either want to abolish the Senate filibuster, on the basis that the Democrats will absolutely do so when they’re next in power, or to bring the Bills for a vote anyway, so the Senators have to show their hand and those opposed can be primaried with Elon Musk’s financial backing.
The Reps suspect, not without reason, that the Senators are way more interested in their donors and very cushy jobs for life, than they are in passing Trump’s agenda. The Reps are all-up in November and want to show their voters what has been achieved - which right now isn’t much.
It's not the job of the Senate to rubber stamp Trump's agenda. Congress is a coequal branch of government.
Senators have six year terms precisely because they're supposed to be independent of the current administration.
Musk's deployment of untold millions to sway voters is the absolute antithesis of democracy.
I'd also argue that Trump is a RINO, as previously defined:
- Not supportive of 2nd amendment rights to carry guns in public - Fiscally irresponsible with close to record deficits given there is no recent recession or similar to blame - Protectionist and opposed to relatively free trade with allies, a cornerstone of Reagan Republicanism - Undermining NATO and American military alliances.
The paradox is that MAGA Republicans have become a cult who believe whatever their dear leader tells them to believe. Republicans in the Senate standing up for what Republicans have stood for decades are not RINO just because they don't 100% bend their knee to whatever the tinpot wannabe dictator in the White House currently supports.
There are a lot of people on the right who don't understand why, after Brexit, Boris Johnson enormously increased immigration. But I think this is a big part of it. Huge immigration meant the GDP number went up instead of stagnating and the right could dispute Brexit's failure. https://x.com/thomasforth/status/2018006003309011054
I don't think this is a staggering revelation. People on here said it at the time (and before it actually happened).
It bears repetition.
Sounds like we would be better off if GDP per capita became the standard headline figure globally.
There are a lot of people on the right who don't understand why, after Brexit, Boris Johnson enormously increased immigration. But I think this is a big part of it. Huge immigration meant the GDP number went up instead of stagnating and the right could dispute Brexit's failure. https://x.com/thomasforth/status/2018006003309011054
I don't think this is a staggering revelation. People on here said it at the time (and before it actually happened).
It bears repetition.
Sounds like we would be better off if GDP per capita became the standard headline figure globally.
It depends whether you give more priority to Boris's ego, or individual prosperity.
For rcs1000: "Meetings of the president with the full cabinet tend to get a pretty bad press. Many who have attended them describe them as boring and a waste of time. Indeed, some presidents have held very few. Most presidents have held cabinet meetings only about once a month. Clinton managed only 2 or 3 a year, while at the other extreme both Carter and Reagan held 36 meetings in their first year in office. The number of meetings tends to decline as the administration wears on." https://quizlet.com/gb/12658529/the-presidency-the-cabinet-flash-cards/
So, the short answer for how often the US Cabinet meets is: "It depends/"
On the general question of Biden's disability: From what I can tell, he often had periods of lucidity, but would fade out from time to time, especially when he was tired.
(One thing that kept me from paying as much attention to it as I should have, is his stuttering problem. He overcame it mostly, but even when he was much younger, he had periods in which he had trouble speaking clearly.)
Isn’t that because in the UK the Cabinet is a sub-committee of the Privy Council so members are collectively responsible. In the US each Secretary has independent executive authority sub directly to the President. So the US Cabinet is just a means to update colleagues while - in theory - the UK Cabinet is a decision making body
Here’s the news anchor saying that Russia need to send nukes into space to take out Starlink satellites, SpaceX blocked Russian drones from using them over Ukraine.
They somehow got hold of a batch of them from somewhere, and SpaceX took about 48 hours working with Ukranian intelligence to get the Russian ones shut down without affecting the legitimately-obtained Ukranian receivers.
(He has no idea how Starlink actually works, with thousands of tiny satellites).
Where America leads, the rest of the world shall follow.
The Kepler constellation (now renamed Amazon LEO) is being launched now.
The Chinese are beginning several. And have applied to the ITU to put 200,000 satellites in orbit. That’s right, two hundred thousand.
ESA/Arisne are declaring that Ariane 6 is awesome and there is no need, in Europe for reusable launch. Just yet. Maybe in a few years.
Here’s the news anchor saying that Russia need to send nukes into space to take out Starlink satellites, SpaceX blocked Russian drones from using them over Ukraine.
They somehow got hold of a batch of them from somewhere, and SpaceX took about 48 hours working with Ukranian intelligence to get the Russian ones shut down without affecting the legitimately-obtained Ukranian receivers.
(He has no idea how Starlink actually works, with thousands of tiny satellites).
Where America leads, the rest of the world shall follow.
The Kepler constellation (now renamed Amazon LEO) is being launched now.
The Chinese are beginning several. And have applied to the ITU to put 200,000 satellites in orbit. That’s right, two hundred thousand.
ESA/Arisne are declaring that Ariane 6 is awesome and there is no need, in Europe for reusable launch. Just yet. Maybe in a few years.
Does nobody regret that our view of the night sky is being ruined?
There are a lot of people on the right who don't understand why, after Brexit, Boris Johnson enormously increased immigration. But I think this is a big part of it. Huge immigration meant the GDP number went up instead of stagnating and the right could dispute Brexit's failure. https://x.com/thomasforth/status/2018006003309011054
I don't think this is a staggering revelation. People on here said it at the time (and before it actually happened).
It bears repetition.
Sounds like we would be better off if GDP per capita became the standard headline figure globally.
IIRC actual documents were released that showed the Treasury, in the post COVID labour shortage/crunch, was panicking about a labour shortage driving inflation.
As business secretary Peter Mandelson conspired with leading US bank to end tax on bankers' bonuses. He told Epstein that JPMorgan CEO Jamie Dimon should “threaten” chancellor Alistair Darling over the tax. A year later, Mandy was seeking work with JPMorgan.
After the 2010 election Mandelson wanted a job with JP Morgan & wrote this to Epstein: "“My aim is to acquire enough knowledge and networks in time to participate in real deals. I do not want to live by salary alone."
Unlike the overwhelming majority of us who do have to. Labour: the party of the workers.
Why was Epstein bothered by the bankers' bonus tax? He was not affected. Why was he even involved? UK banks were well able to lobby the government without needing the assistance of a man convicted of procuring a child for prostitution in 2008.
So who really was helping who? Was this Mandelson trying to show Epstein that he could get a result so that Epstein would recommend him to his mate Jes Staley at JP Morgan?
The whole affair stinks.
You wonder what Peter Mandelson thought about the ethics and propriety training all ministers are expected attend to and adhere to?
I feel quite a fool that my entire career I've studiously avoided conflicts of interest that would have benefitted me.
That's why you can only afford 100 pairs of shoes.
Mandelson was selling a project to Epstein. Epstein would tell JP Moron how to leverage the government. Epstein would get banking help - lines of cheap credit? - in return. And Epstein would give Mandelson a piece. Plus, Epstein would pass on where he got the ideas - so Mandelson would be in JP Moron's good books (ha!) as well.
A happy circle of happy people, all helping each other.
I'm sure that Mandelson is proud never to have even visited Ethics.
The behaviour of the 0.1%, whether left or right, royalist or republican, hasn’t changed much, since Ancient Rome.
Mandelson's problem is that he really really wanted to be part of it.
Comments
He may yet have a career in panto.
In his pants.
The background is that the House has passed a number of Bills codifying Exec Orders and cutting spending to NGOs, but the Senate leadership (John Thune, Chuck Grassley) is refusing to bring then to the Senate floor because he says they don’t have the 60 votes.
The Reps either want to abolish the Senate filibuster, on the basis that the Democrats will absolutely do so when they’re next in power, or to bring the Bills for a vote anyway, so the Senators have to show their hand and those opposed can be primaried with Elon Musk’s financial backing.
The Reps suspect, not without reason, that the Senators are way more interested in their donors and very cushy jobs for life, than they are in passing Trump’s agenda. The Reps are all-up in November and want to show their voters what has been achieved - which right now isn’t much.
F1: rather surprised Alonso and Norris have the same odds (8) as third favourite on Ladbrokes, behind Russell at 3 and Verstappen at 4.5.
Suspect the engine may cost Alonso.
https://x.com/osinttechnical/status/2018214371139182770
Here’s the news anchor saying that Russia need to send nukes into space to take out Starlink satellites, SpaceX blocked Russian drones from using them over Ukraine.
They somehow got hold of a batch of them from somewhere, and SpaceX took about 48 hours working with Ukranian intelligence to get the Russian ones shut down without affecting the legitimately-obtained Ukranian receivers.
(He has no idea how Starlink actually works, with thousands of tiny satellites).
https://oboronka.mezha.ua/en/udarni-droni-molniya-harateristiki-chim-nebezpechni-307515/
Green 1.86
Reform 3.15
Labour 6.4
I can hear Andy Burnham laughing his arse off from 3,500 miles away.
He should either be the favourite or a 100/1 outsider, but we don’t yet know which.
The aero performance of the car should be good, because Newey and team, but the PU might be a little short of the P and there’s potential reliability issues with lots of new systems on the car.
Their behind you….
Rents are two high. That is telling us two things: (I) there is an imbalance of supply and demand; and (b) the government are idiots for not using their quasi-monopolistic power to drive better pricing for housing benefit claimants
But if we're in an engine formula that might not be enough.
Senators have six year terms precisely because they're supposed to be independent of the current administration.
Musk's deployment of untold millions to sway voters is the absolute antithesis of democracy.
NEW THREAD
Yes the amount of money in US politics is terrible. But it’s the current game in town, whether you’re Musk or Soros. Musk has said he’ll fund primary campaigns against legislators who don’t want to legislate, which doesn’t seem particularly unreasonable given the logjam.
- Not supportive of 2nd amendment rights to carry guns in public
- Fiscally irresponsible with close to record deficits given there is no recent recession or similar to blame
- Protectionist and opposed to relatively free trade with allies, a cornerstone of Reagan Republicanism
- Undermining NATO and American military alliances.
The paradox is that MAGA Republicans have become a cult who believe whatever their dear leader tells them to believe. Republicans in the Senate standing up for what Republicans have stood for decades are not RINO just because they don't 100% bend their knee to whatever the tinpot wannabe dictator in the White House currently supports.
A tough decision for some.
The Chinese are beginning several. And have applied to the ITU to put 200,000 satellites in orbit. That’s right, two hundred thousand.
ESA/Arisne are declaring that Ariane 6 is awesome and there is no need, in Europe for reusable launch. Just yet. Maybe in a few years.