The prefix "re-" is about doing something again. All these hard right parties share a vision that things were better in the past, so we need to "re-" something to get back to that situation.
And "rebirth" is at the harder end. It's saying we're not so much broken as dead. It also implies an embrace of fascism will be like having a baby.
But lastly, cheer up. In the end, no matter how bad the depressions, or how annoying the nappies, very few people regret becoming a parent. It will be the same for Fascism. In ten years’ time we’ll look through the kitchen window of renewed prosperity, watch the laughing Centrist Dads playing football with our smiling Fascist child, and we’ll quietly sip tea from a swastika mug, and we’ll think: best thing I ever did.
"In an effort to change their fortunes, residents voted for Brexit nearly a decade ago. Since then, official data shows the area has become poorer still and last May, people decided to toss the political dice once more by voting Reform."
I wonder how these voters will feel after Reform's planned budget cuts, NHS privatisation etc.
Youth unemployment is now higher in the UK than the EU for the first time since we started recording the figures, apparently.
Another Brexit dividend.
Fuck knows why anyone believes Brexit's chief propagandist can sort out the mess he created.
(Also FPT, as somewhat on topic.)
Youth unemployment is higher because we have an economically illiterate government who thought it was a good idea to increase the costs of employing somebody by increasing Employers NI, by increasing the NMW ahead of inflation, that increased rates for businesses forcing businesses to reduce other costs, typically labour, and who spent that money extorted from those businesses on making a life on benefits more attractive whilst doing nothing about the very poor effort our education system makes in terms of making them more employable.
These are choices we have made and they are nearly all bad ones. None of them are a consequence of Brexit, they are a consequence of mind blowing ineptitude and incompetence. If you don't want higher unemployment, don't vote Labour. Its that simple.
Between the third quarter of 2022 and the third quarter of 2024, under the Conservatives, the unemployment rate for 18-24 year olds rose by 5.0pp to 13.6%. Since then, under Labour, it has risen a further 0.4pp, to 14.0%. I just thought the rant above might be improved by some passing reference to the facts.
National Rebirth. Without looking that sounds unapologetically fascist.
I'm intrigued by the idea of an apologetically fascist party. "Look, I'm terribly sorry about this, but would you mind terribly if I were to ask you and your family to just go with my colleague here - gosh, yes, the one with the big gun. He's actually a lovely guy. I know, I hate to ask. The camp is a little bit make do and mend I'm afraid. That's on us, I am just so sorry. It's embarrassing actually. You can speak with my manager if it helps at all. I'm only here for the flags."
"In an effort to change their fortunes, residents voted for Brexit nearly a decade ago. Since then, official data shows the area has become poorer still and last May, people decided to toss the political dice once more by voting Reform."
I wonder how these voters will feel after Reform's planned budget cuts, NHS privatisation etc.
Youth unemployment is now higher in the UK than the EU for the first time since we started recording the figures, apparently.
Another Brexit dividend.
Fuck knows why anyone believes Brexit's chief propagandist can sort out the mess he created.
(Also FPT, as somewhat on topic.)
Youth unemployment is higher because we have an economically illiterate government who thought it was a good idea to increase the costs of employing somebody by increasing Employers NI, by increasing the NMW ahead of inflation, that increased rates for businesses forcing businesses to reduce other costs, typically labour, and who spent that money extorted from those businesses on making a life on benefits more attractive whilst doing nothing about the very poor effort our education system makes in terms of making them more employable.
These are choices we have made and they are nearly all bad ones. None of them are a consequence of Brexit, they are a consequence of mind blowing ineptitude and incompetence. If you don't want higher unemployment, don't vote Labour. Its that simple.
Between the third quarter of 2022 and the third quarter of 2024, under the Conservatives, the unemployment rate for 18-24 year olds rose by 5.0pp to 13.6%. Since then, under Labour, it has risen a further 0.4pp, to 14.0%. I just thought the rant above might be improved by some passing reference to the facts.
Don't give the Tories facts
They haven't dealt in fact since the days of Thatcher.
The mantra tell a lie often enough and it will be believed.
9,710 UK medical graduate applications to specialty training programmes.
6,913 International medical graduate applications to speciality training programmes.
In 2025:
12,316 UK medical graduate applications to specialty training programmes.
20,807 International medical graduate applications to speciality training programmes.
No wonder UK grads now finish university, do two years on the job training as foundation doctors and then end up unemployed.
Number of grad applications though increased for both UK and overseas applicants but the number of doctor and consultant training places hasn't. There are only 12,000 such training places a year and only 23% of overseas applicants are successful compared to 69% of UK applicants
Yes, but that means 5 000 successful IMG applications out of 12 807 places, so over a 3rd of ST places go to IMGs.
Yes but given the majority of applications are from overseas now that is a far lower success rate for ST places than UK applicants
That isn’t the point. The point is that we (i.e. the country) have paid a lot of money to train our best and brightest as doctors to leave them unemployed. That’s a ridiculous state of affairs.
So ban immigrants from overseas taking medical jobs then I presume, British doctor jobs for only British medical grads! Nige and Rupert would be proud of you!
Alternatively, give anyone graduating from a U.K. university absolute priority for a training place.
Which is effectively the same thing, given there are 12,316 UK medical grad applicants and only 12,000 training places available
9,710 UK medical graduate applications to specialty training programmes.
6,913 International medical graduate applications to speciality training programmes.
In 2025:
12,316 UK medical graduate applications to specialty training programmes.
20,807 International medical graduate applications to speciality training programmes.
No wonder UK grads now finish university, do two years on the job training as foundation doctors and then end up unemployed.
Number of grad applications though increased for both UK and overseas applicants but the number of doctor and consultant training places hasn't. There are only 12,000 such training places a year and only 23% of overseas applicants are successful compared to 69% of UK applicants
Yes, but that means 5 000 successful IMG applications out of 12 807 places, so over a 3rd of ST places go to IMGs.
Yes but given the majority of applications are from overseas now that is a far lower success rate for ST places than UK applicants
That isn’t the point. The point is that we (i.e. the country) have paid a lot of money to train our best and brightest as doctors to leave them unemployed. That’s a ridiculous state of affairs.
So ban immigrants from overseas taking medical jobs then I presume, British doctor jobs for only British medical grads! Nige and Rupert would be proud of you!
Alternatively, give anyone graduating from a U.K. university absolute priority for a training place.
Which is effectively the same thing, given there are 12,316 UK medical grad applicants and only 12,000 training places available
Some applicants will apply for more than one training programme so not quite
I believe the LibDem candidate is reasonably well known in local political circles, with a track record - so betting on her to come in very last place is *bold*
I have heard from people on the ground in the seat that the Lib Dems are getting squeezed like mad, 'do you really want Reform and their candidate who says plenty of people in this seat aren't British to win?'
For sure, they’ll be squeezed, but for someone who might have a personal vote, if small, it’s bold to put them in absolutely last place. The LDs also bave a core vote in most seats, small though it may be, but that should put them ahead of the likes of the SDP
For all our excitement about tactical voting on here, large numbers of people simply vote for their favourite party. That alone should be enough not to come last.
"In an effort to change their fortunes, residents voted for Brexit nearly a decade ago. Since then, official data shows the area has become poorer still and last May, people decided to toss the political dice once more by voting Reform."
I wonder how these voters will feel after Reform's planned budget cuts, NHS privatisation etc.
Youth unemployment is now higher in the UK than the EU for the first time since we started recording the figures, apparently.
Another Brexit dividend.
Fuck knows why anyone believes Brexit's chief propagandist can sort out the mess he created.
(Also FPT, as somewhat on topic.)
Youth unemployment is higher because we have an economically illiterate government who thought it was a good idea to increase the costs of employing somebody by increasing Employers NI, by increasing the NMW ahead of inflation, that increased rates for businesses forcing businesses to reduce other costs, typically labour, and who spent that money extorted from those businesses on making a life on benefits more attractive whilst doing nothing about the very poor effort our education system makes in terms of making them more employable.
These are choices we have made and they are nearly all bad ones. None of them are a consequence of Brexit, they are a consequence of mind blowing ineptitude and incompetence. If you don't want higher unemployment, don't vote Labour. Its that simple.
Between the third quarter of 2022 and the third quarter of 2024, under the Conservatives, the unemployment rate for 18-24 year olds rose by 5.0pp to 13.6%. Since then, under Labour, it has risen a further 0.4pp, to 14.0%. I just thought the rant above might be improved by some passing reference to the facts.
I believe the LibDem candidate is reasonably well known in local political circles, with a track record - so betting on her to come in very last place is *bold*
I have heard from people on the ground in the seat that the Lib Dems are getting squeezed like mad, 'do you really want Reform and their candidate who says plenty of people in this seat aren't British to win?'
"Do you really want to be represented by a Reform MP? It'll crash house prices..." probably works better.
Though quite a large chunk in G&D aren't homeowners.
I believe the LibDem candidate is reasonably well known in local political circles, with a track record - so betting on her to come in very last place is *bold*
I have heard from people on the ground in the seat that the Lib Dems are getting squeezed like mad, 'do you really want Reform and their candidate who says plenty of people in this seat aren't British to win?'
For sure, they’ll be squeezed, but for someone who might have a personal vote, if small, it’s bold to put them in absolutely last place. The LDs also bave a core vote in most seats, small though it may be, but that should put them ahead of the likes of the SDP
Agree entirely. And finishing behind the Loonies and Communists would be Bootle 1990/continuing SDP territory anyway
9,710 UK medical graduate applications to specialty training programmes.
6,913 International medical graduate applications to speciality training programmes.
In 2025:
12,316 UK medical graduate applications to specialty training programmes.
20,807 International medical graduate applications to speciality training programmes.
No wonder UK grads now finish university, do two years on the job training as foundation doctors and then end up unemployed.
Number of grad applications though increased for both UK and overseas applicants but the number of doctor and consultant training places hasn't. There are only 12,000 such training places a year and only 23% of overseas applicants are successful compared to 69% of UK applicants
Yes, but that means 5 000 successful IMG applications out of 12 807 places, so over a 3rd of ST places go to IMGs.
Yes but given the majority of applications are from overseas now that is a far lower success rate for ST places than UK applicants
That isn’t the point. The point is that we (i.e. the country) have paid a lot of money to train our best and brightest as doctors to leave them unemployed. That’s a ridiculous state of affairs.
So ban immigrants from overseas taking medical jobs then I presume, British doctor jobs for only British medical grads! Nige and Rupert would be proud of you!
Alternatively, give anyone graduating from a U.K. university absolute priority for a training place.
Which is effectively the same thing, given there are 12,316 UK medical grad applicants and only 12,000 training places available
Some applicants will apply for more than one training programme so not quite
'The government has put an offer to the British Medical Association (BMA) that would put in place emergency legislation for UK and Republic of Ireland medical graduates and doctors who have worked in the NHS for a significant period of time to be prioritised for specialty training and tackling bottlenecks through an overhaul of recruitment for medical training. Should the BMA accept this offer, the government will accelerate plans to prioritise these medics, addressing the current system that has led to soaring competition ratios - with current applicants set to benefit from the 2026 intake.
9,710 UK medical graduate applications to specialty training programmes.
6,913 International medical graduate applications to speciality training programmes.
In 2025:
12,316 UK medical graduate applications to specialty training programmes.
20,807 International medical graduate applications to speciality training programmes.
No wonder UK grads now finish university, do two years on the job training as foundation doctors and then end up unemployed.
Number of grad applications though increased for both UK and overseas applicants but the number of doctor and consultant training places hasn't. There are only 12,000 such training places a year and only 23% of overseas applicants are successful compared to 69% of UK applicants
Yes, but that means 5 000 successful IMG applications out of 12 807 places, so over a 3rd of ST places go to IMGs.
Yes but given the majority of applications are from overseas now that is a far lower success rate for ST places than UK applicants
That isn’t the point. The point is that we (i.e. the country) have paid a lot of money to train our best and brightest as doctors to leave them unemployed. That’s a ridiculous state of affairs.
So ban immigrants from overseas taking medical jobs then I presume, British doctor jobs for only British medical grads! Nige and Rupert would be proud of you!
Alternatively, give anyone graduating from a U.K. university absolute priority for a training place.
Which is effectively the same thing, given there are 12,316 UK medical grad applicants and only 12,000 training places available
Some applicants will apply for more than one training programme so not quite
'The government has put an offer to the British Medical Association (BMA) that would put in place emergency legislation for UK and Republic of Ireland medical graduates and doctors who have worked in the NHS for a significant period of time to be prioritised for specialty training and tackling bottlenecks through an overhaul of recruitment for medical training. Should the BMA accept this offer, the government will accelerate plans to prioritise these medics, addressing the current system that has led to soaring competition ratios - with current applicants set to benefit from the 2026 intake.
National Rebirth. Without looking that sounds unapologetically fascist.
I'm intrigued by the idea of an apologetically fascist party. "Look, I'm terribly sorry about this, but would you mind terribly if I were to ask you and your family to just go with my colleague here - gosh, yes, the one with the big gun. He's actually a lovely guy. I know, I hate to ask. The camp is a little bit make do and mend I'm afraid. That's on us, I am just so sorry. It's embarrassing actually. You can speak with my manager if it helps at all. I'm only here for the flags."
You jest amusingly, but I suggest apologetic fascism is alive and well. We see it among those who say they've moved to the hard right because the Left forced them to with all their "wokery". They try to assert that they've been forced into extreme views.
I believe the LibDem candidate is reasonably well known in local political circles, with a track record - so betting on her to come in very last place is *bold*
I have heard from people on the ground in the seat that the Lib Dems are getting squeezed like mad, 'do you really want Reform and their candidate who says plenty of people in this seat aren't British to win?'
For sure, they’ll be squeezed, but for someone who might have a personal vote, if small, it’s bold to put them in absolutely last place. The LDs also bave a core vote in most seats, small though it may be, but that should put them ahead of the likes of the SDP
For all our excitement about tactical voting on here, large numbers of people simply vote for their favourite party. That alone should be enough not to come last.
If I were living in Gorton, the call for tactical voting would be too much for me to vote libdem this time. I'm not upset about this as I'm a believer in tactical voting and most parties will benefit from it somewhere (hopefully not the fukkers).
I did hear that there was pushback at the “nativist” idea of absolute priority for U.K. grads. Seemed a bit colic to call it nativist, when so many students are literally foreigners, but hey ho.
Pitch for my idea on NHS doctor training - increasing (year by year) NHS “scholarships”. Uni, training etc is free at point of access. Plus a yearly stipend. Training place guaranteed in the NHS.
All is free if they then do 7 years as an NHS doctor. No repayments - paid off in chunks (in effect) by the NHS.
If they quit early, becomes a loan for the remainder.
Merryn Somerset Webb advocated something similar on QT last year.
9,710 UK medical graduate applications to specialty training programmes.
6,913 International medical graduate applications to speciality training programmes.
In 2025:
12,316 UK medical graduate applications to specialty training programmes.
20,807 International medical graduate applications to speciality training programmes.
No wonder UK grads now finish university, do two years on the job training as foundation doctors and then end up unemployed.
Number of grad applications though increased for both UK and overseas applicants but the number of doctor and consultant training places hasn't. There are only 12,000 such training places a year and only 23% of overseas applicants are successful compared to 69% of UK applicants
Yes, but that means 5 000 successful IMG applications out of 12 807 places, so over a 3rd of ST places go to IMGs.
Yes but given the majority of applications are from overseas now that is a far lower success rate for ST places than UK applicants
That isn’t the point. The point is that we (i.e. the country) have paid a lot of money to train our best and brightest as doctors to leave them unemployed. That’s a ridiculous state of affairs.
So ban immigrants from overseas taking medical jobs then I presume, British doctor jobs for only British medical grads! Nige and Rupert would be proud of you!
Alternatively, give anyone graduating from a U.K. university absolute priority for a training place.
Which is effectively the same thing, given there are 12,316 UK medical grad applicants and only 12,000 training places available
And so we use the overseas aid budget to increase the number of training places in the NHS.
National Rebirth. Without looking that sounds unapologetically fascist.
I'm intrigued by the idea of an apologetically fascist party. "Look, I'm terribly sorry about this, but would you mind terribly if I were to ask you and your family to just go with my colleague here - gosh, yes, the one with the big gun. He's actually a lovely guy. I know, I hate to ask. The camp is a little bit make do and mend I'm afraid. That's on us, I am just so sorry. It's embarrassing actually. You can speak with my manager if it helps at all. I'm only here for the flags."
Am I alone in imagining that spoken in a very camp voice?
9,710 UK medical graduate applications to specialty training programmes.
6,913 International medical graduate applications to speciality training programmes.
In 2025:
12,316 UK medical graduate applications to specialty training programmes.
20,807 International medical graduate applications to speciality training programmes.
No wonder UK grads now finish university, do two years on the job training as foundation doctors and then end up unemployed.
Number of grad applications though increased for both UK and overseas applicants but the number of doctor and consultant training places hasn't. There are only 12,000 such training places a year and only 23% of overseas applicants are successful compared to 69% of UK applicants
Yes, but that means 5 000 successful IMG applications out of 12 807 places, so over a 3rd of ST places go to IMGs.
Yes but given the majority of applications are from overseas now that is a far lower success rate for ST places than UK applicants
That isn’t the point. The point is that we (i.e. the country) have paid a lot of money to train our best and brightest as doctors to leave them unemployed. That’s a ridiculous state of affairs.
So ban immigrants from overseas taking medical jobs then I presume, British doctor jobs for only British medical grads! Nige and Rupert would be proud of you!
It’s funny that mass inward migration causing competition for jobs is only a problem when it affects the aspirant middle classes.
"In an effort to change their fortunes, residents voted for Brexit nearly a decade ago. Since then, official data shows the area has become poorer still and last May, people decided to toss the political dice once more by voting Reform."
I wonder how these voters will feel after Reform's planned budget cuts, NHS privatisation etc.
Youth unemployment is now higher in the UK than the EU for the first time since we started recording the figures, apparently.
Another Brexit dividend.
Fuck knows why anyone believes Brexit's chief propagandist can sort out the mess he created.
(Also FPT, as somewhat on topic.)
Blaming Brexit - the last refuge of the progressive loon whose policies over nearly 30 years have utterly wrecked the country.
In today's ten minute monologue, Jacob Rees-Mogg addresses the question of our times.
She wasn't right, so much as batshit crazy far right.
It was just very peculiar.
I'm on the right, the idea of tax cuts, promoting growth etc is all good. But you've got to analyse the impact of policies and changing rates of tax/revenue. You can't just make changes and cross your fingers.
Maybe this is the saving grace of the OBR. For all its failings, it did for Truss in short order.
She would I think have got away with the tax cuts if it wasn't for the massive unfunded income spending spree she went on at the same time with the fuel price cap.
The markets operate, if not on Mr Micawber's dictum, at least the principle you lend money when you can see it will be going into projects that will generate a substantial return.
Truss' plans reminded me of nothing so much as the post-Ruhr borrowing of the German economy under Stresemann - $11 billion borrowed commercially on five-year terms and spent on municipal grandeur (parks, stadiums, town halls) - and then of course, not paid back, leading to a major credit crunch and indirectly the Wall Street Crash.
Though at least that left parks, stadiums and town halls.
One of the nagging doubts I have about Britain's collective debt pickle is that I can't see where the money has gone.
Pensions, the NHS, debt service and Brexit.
Well over a quarter of pensioners have become millionaires too.
Thats not debunked. Full fact say "Some may consider both to be millionaires, and others may believe that neither are."
I'm in the former camp, you are in the latter. Most couples have shared finances.
And that data is from 2018-2020, since then there has been significant asset inflation so may be true on an individual basis too.
Regardless a large chunk of "where the money has gone" is into the hands of the richest 20-30% of pensioners.
I’m always baffled by the accepted movement / creation of money in assets.
Mr XYZ bought a house for £200k in 2000 and he could sell it now for £500k. But until he does, that £300k is notional.
Claiming a £300k sized lump of the national wealth, shared national wealth, exists in the hands of a million XYZs is clearly bonkers. That would be £300bn. How could it ever be realised?
In today's ten minute monologue, Jacob Rees-Mogg addresses the question of our times.
She wasn't right, so much as batshit crazy far right.
It was just very peculiar.
I'm on the right, the idea of tax cuts, promoting growth etc is all good. But you've got to analyse the impact of policies and changing rates of tax/revenue. You can't just make changes and cross your fingers.
Maybe this is the saving grace of the OBR. For all its failings, it did for Truss in short order.
She would I think have got away with the tax cuts if it wasn't for the massive unfunded income spending spree she went on at the same time with the fuel price cap.
The markets operate, if not on Mr Micawber's dictum, at least the principle you lend money when you can see it will be going into projects that will generate a substantial return.
Truss' plans reminded me of nothing so much as the post-Ruhr borrowing of the German economy under Stresemann - $11 billion borrowed commercially on five-year terms and spent on municipal grandeur (parks, stadiums, town halls) - and then of course, not paid back, leading to a major credit crunch and indirectly the Wall Street Crash.
Though at least that left parks, stadiums and town halls.
One of the nagging doubts I have about Britain's collective debt pickle is that I can't see where the money has gone.
Pensions, the NHS, debt service and Brexit.
Well over a quarter of pensioners have become millionaires too.
Thats not debunked. Full fact say "Some may consider both to be millionaires, and others may believe that neither are."
I'm in the former camp, you are in the latter. Most couples have shared finances.
And that data is from 2018-2020, since then there has been significant asset inflation so may be true on an individual basis too.
Regardless a large chunk of "where the money has gone" is into the hands of the richest 20-30% of pensioners.
I’m always baffled by the accepted movement / creation of money in assets.
Mr XYZ bought a house for £200k in 2000 and he could sell it now for £500k. But until he does, that £300k is notional.
Claiming a £300k sized lump of the national wealth, shared national wealth, exists in the hands of a million XYZs is clearly bonkers. That would be £300bn. How could it ever be realised?
There’s some economist laughing somewhere.
It is certainly not the 30 year old couple both working hard, paying not just taxes but also student loans on top, whilst trying to buy a home to raise a family who are the ones laughing.
It's probably one of the older economists, who have that asset safe and secure and got it at a fraction of the cost of their grandchildren would have to pay for similar.
National Rebirth. Without looking that sounds unapologetically fascist.
I'm intrigued by the idea of an apologetically fascist party. "Look, I'm terribly sorry about this, but would you mind terribly if I were to ask you and your family to just go with my colleague here - gosh, yes, the one with the big gun. He's actually a lovely guy. I know, I hate to ask. The camp is a little bit make do and mend I'm afraid. That's on us, I am just so sorry. It's embarrassing actually. You can speak with my manager if it helps at all. I'm only here for the flags."
You jest amusingly, but I suggest apologetic fascism is alive and well. We see it among those who say they've moved to the hard right because the Left forced them to with all their "wokery". They try to assert that they've been forced into extreme views.
That's not apologetic, though. If anything, it's the opposite- I don't need to apologise for going fascist, becuase it's not my fault. You made me do it.
Yes I was wondering about that as I listened to 5Live on the way to work, thought a 0.4% drop pretty much must have involved a MoM drop in the last month of data collection.
The prefix "re-" is about doing something again. All these hard right parties share a vision that things were better in the past, so we need to "re-" something to get back to that situation.
And "rebirth" is at the harder end. It's saying we're not so much broken as dead. It also implies an embrace of fascism will be like having a baby.
In today's ten minute monologue, Jacob Rees-Mogg addresses the question of our times.
She wasn't right, so much as batshit crazy far right.
It was just very peculiar.
I'm on the right, the idea of tax cuts, promoting growth etc is all good. But you've got to analyse the impact of policies and changing rates of tax/revenue. You can't just make changes and cross your fingers.
Maybe this is the saving grace of the OBR. For all its failings, it did for Truss in short order.
She would I think have got away with the tax cuts if it wasn't for the massive unfunded income spending spree she went on at the same time with the fuel price cap.
The markets operate, if not on Mr Micawber's dictum, at least the principle you lend money when you can see it will be going into projects that will generate a substantial return.
Truss' plans reminded me of nothing so much as the post-Ruhr borrowing of the German economy under Stresemann - $11 billion borrowed commercially on five-year terms and spent on municipal grandeur (parks, stadiums, town halls) - and then of course, not paid back, leading to a major credit crunch and indirectly the Wall Street Crash.
Though at least that left parks, stadiums and town halls.
One of the nagging doubts I have about Britain's collective debt pickle is that I can't see where the money has gone.
Pensions, the NHS, debt service and Brexit.
Well over a quarter of pensioners have become millionaires too.
Thats not debunked. Full fact say "Some may consider both to be millionaires, and others may believe that neither are."
I'm in the former camp, you are in the latter. Most couples have shared finances.
And that data is from 2018-2020, since then there has been significant asset inflation so may be true on an individual basis too.
Regardless a large chunk of "where the money has gone" is into the hands of the richest 20-30% of pensioners.
I’m always baffled by the accepted movement / creation of money in assets.
Mr XYZ bought a house for £200k in 2000 and he could sell it now for £500k. But until he does, that £300k is notional.
Claiming a £300k sized lump of the national wealth, shared national wealth, exists in the hands of a million XYZs is clearly bonkers. That would be £300bn. How could it ever be realised?
There’s some economist laughing somewhere.
Just wait for the idea of taxing unrealised gains.
9,710 UK medical graduate applications to specialty training programmes.
6,913 International medical graduate applications to speciality training programmes.
In 2025:
12,316 UK medical graduate applications to specialty training programmes.
20,807 International medical graduate applications to speciality training programmes.
No wonder UK grads now finish university, do two years on the job training as foundation doctors and then end up unemployed.
Number of grad applications though increased for both UK and overseas applicants but the number of doctor and consultant training places hasn't. There are only 12,000 such training places a year and only 23% of overseas applicants are successful compared to 69% of UK applicants
Yes, but that means 5 000 successful IMG applications out of 12 807 places, so over a 3rd of ST places go to IMGs.
Yes but given the majority of applications are from overseas now that is a far lower success rate for ST places than UK applicants
That isn’t the point. The point is that we (i.e. the country) have paid a lot of money to train our best and brightest as doctors to leave them unemployed. That’s a ridiculous state of affairs.
So ban immigrants from overseas taking medical jobs then I presume, British doctor jobs for only British medical grads! Nige and Rupert would be proud of you!
Alternatively, give anyone graduating from a U.K. university absolute priority for a training place.
Which is effectively the same thing, given there are 12,316 UK medical grad applicants and only 12,000 training places available
Some applicants will apply for more than one training programme so not quite
'The government has put an offer to the British Medical Association (BMA) that would put in place emergency legislation for UK and Republic of Ireland medical graduates and doctors who have worked in the NHS for a significant period of time to be prioritised for specialty training and tackling bottlenecks through an overhaul of recruitment for medical training. Should the BMA accept this offer, the government will accelerate plans to prioritise these medics, addressing the current system that has led to soaring competition ratios - with current applicants set to benefit from the 2026 intake.
"In an effort to change their fortunes, residents voted for Brexit nearly a decade ago. Since then, official data shows the area has become poorer still and last May, people decided to toss the political dice once more by voting Reform."
I wonder how these voters will feel after Reform's planned budget cuts, NHS privatisation etc.
Youth unemployment is now higher in the UK than the EU for the first time since we started recording the figures, apparently.
Another Brexit dividend.
Fuck knows why anyone believes Brexit's chief propagandist can sort out the mess he created.
(Also FPT, as somewhat on topic.)
Youth unemployment is higher because we have an economically illiterate government who thought it was a good idea to increase the costs of employing somebody by increasing Employers NI, by increasing the NMW ahead of inflation, that increased rates for businesses forcing businesses to reduce other costs, typically labour, and who spent that money extorted from those businesses on making a life on benefits more attractive whilst doing nothing about the very poor effort our education system makes in terms of making them more employable.
These are choices we have made and they are nearly all bad ones. None of them are a consequence of Brexit, they are a consequence of mind blowing ineptitude and incompetence. If you don't want higher unemployment, don't vote Labour. Its that simple.
Youth unemployment has been steadily increasing since summer 2022, which is harder to blame on Reeves.
In the summer of 2022 the UK had full employment so its not surprising that unemployment has increased since then.
Though it only increased from 3.6% in July 2022 to 4.1% in July 2024 but has now reached 5.2%:
The prefix "re-" is about doing something again. All these hard right parties share a vision that things were better in the past, so we need to "re-" something to get back to that situation.
And "rebirth" is at the harder end. It's saying we're not so much broken as dead. It also implies an embrace of fascism will be like having a baby.
But lastly, cheer up. In the end, no matter how bad the depressions, or how annoying the nappies, very few people regret becoming a parent. It will be the same for Fascism. In ten years’ time we’ll look through the kitchen window of renewed prosperity, watch the laughing Centrist Dads playing football with our smiling Fascist child, and we’ll quietly sip tea from a swastika mug, and we’ll think: best thing I ever did.
They may well be (mis)appropriating language from the Evangelical "born again" term. See John 3:3 Nicodemus:
3Jesus replied, “Very truly I tell you, no one can see the kingdom of God unless they are born again. ”
“How can someone be born when they are old?” Nicodemus asked. “Surely they cannot enter a second time into their mother’s womb to be born!” https://biblehub.com/niv/john/3.htm
Many people from the USA will be familiar with that language, less so in the UK.
But even in the Book of Common Prayer language around "regenerate" is used in Adult Baptism servuce: "these persons are regenerate and grafted into the body of Christ's Church".
There's going to be a tussle over coming years as to what these words which are being appropriated to apply to politics in the country, rather than spiritually to an individual, come to mean in popular culture. Enthusiasts trying to make Jesus into some kind of revolutionary king are in the Gospels trying something similar, and Christian Nationalists try to promote similar interpretations.
(That was perhaps too much detail for a Wednesday, but we do need to get to grips with the dynamics that are being imported.)
"In an effort to change their fortunes, residents voted for Brexit nearly a decade ago. Since then, official data shows the area has become poorer still and last May, people decided to toss the political dice once more by voting Reform."
I wonder how these voters will feel after Reform's planned budget cuts, NHS privatisation etc.
But Brexit has removed a key source of funding, which the area desperately needs. County Durham received £154m of EU funding between 2014 and 2020, about £22m a year. Since the UK left the European Union, it receives about half that amount, £12m annually, under the UK Shared Prosperity Fund.
Well done pit yakkers, you got the Brexit you deserved.
Fair point. Whatever the inefficiencies of EU regional aid (and it's debatable whether they were worse than our own highly centralised government), they did at least present something of a counterbalance to the extraordinary tendency of London to keeep resources to itself.
One of the Brexit promises was that government would replace that aid funding. It hasn't.
9,710 UK medical graduate applications to specialty training programmes.
6,913 International medical graduate applications to speciality training programmes.
In 2025:
12,316 UK medical graduate applications to specialty training programmes.
20,807 International medical graduate applications to speciality training programmes.
No wonder UK grads now finish university, do two years on the job training as foundation doctors and then end up unemployed.
Number of grad applications though increased for both UK and overseas applicants but the number of doctor and consultant training places hasn't. There are only 12,000 such training places a year and only 23% of overseas applicants are successful compared to 69% of UK applicants
Yes, but that means 5 000 successful IMG applications out of 12 807 places, so over a 3rd of ST places go to IMGs.
Yes but given the majority of applications are from overseas now that is a far lower success rate for ST places than UK applicants
That isn’t the point. The point is that we (i.e. the country) have paid a lot of money to train our best and brightest as doctors to leave them unemployed. That’s a ridiculous state of affairs.
So ban immigrants from overseas taking medical jobs then I presume, British doctor jobs for only British medical grads! Nige and Rupert would be proud of you!
Alternatively, give anyone graduating from a U.K. university absolute priority for a training place.
Which is effectively the same thing, given there are 12,316 UK medical grad applicants and only 12,000 training places available
Some applicants will apply for more than one training programme so not quite
'The government has put an offer to the British Medical Association (BMA) that would put in place emergency legislation for UK and Republic of Ireland medical graduates and doctors who have worked in the NHS for a significant period of time to be prioritised for specialty training and tackling bottlenecks through an overhaul of recruitment for medical training. Should the BMA accept this offer, the government will accelerate plans to prioritise these medics, addressing the current system that has led to soaring competition ratios - with current applicants set to benefit from the 2026 intake.
"In an effort to change their fortunes, residents voted for Brexit nearly a decade ago. Since then, official data shows the area has become poorer still and last May, people decided to toss the political dice once more by voting Reform."
I wonder how these voters will feel after Reform's planned budget cuts, NHS privatisation etc.
Youth unemployment is now higher in the UK than the EU for the first time since we started recording the figures, apparently.
Another Brexit dividend.
Fuck knows why anyone believes Brexit's chief propagandist can sort out the mess he created.
(Also FPT, as somewhat on topic.)
Blaming Brexit - the last refuge of the progressive loon whose policies over nearly 30 years have utterly wrecked the country.
Blaming the EU for everything was fine and dandy pre-2016, so why not.
National Rebirth. Without looking that sounds unapologetically fascist.
I'm intrigued by the idea of an apologetically fascist party. "Look, I'm terribly sorry about this, but would you mind terribly if I were to ask you and your family to just go with my colleague here - gosh, yes, the one with the big gun. He's actually a lovely guy. I know, I hate to ask. The camp is a little bit make do and mend I'm afraid. That's on us, I am just so sorry. It's embarrassing actually. You can speak with my manager if it helps at all. I'm only here for the flags."
Am I alone in imagining that spoken in a very camp voice?
9,710 UK medical graduate applications to specialty training programmes.
6,913 International medical graduate applications to speciality training programmes.
In 2025:
12,316 UK medical graduate applications to specialty training programmes.
20,807 International medical graduate applications to speciality training programmes.
No wonder UK grads now finish university, do two years on the job training as foundation doctors and then end up unemployed.
Number of grad applications though increased for both UK and overseas applicants but the number of doctor and consultant training places hasn't. There are only 12,000 such training places a year and only 23% of overseas applicants are successful compared to 69% of UK applicants
Yes, but that means 5 000 successful IMG applications out of 12 807 places, so over a 3rd of ST places go to IMGs.
Yes but given the majority of applications are from overseas now that is a far lower success rate for ST places than UK applicants
That isn’t the point. The point is that we (i.e. the country) have paid a lot of money to train our best and brightest as doctors to leave them unemployed. That’s a ridiculous state of affairs.
So ban immigrants from overseas taking medical jobs then I presume, British doctor jobs for only British medical grads! Nige and Rupert would be proud of you!
Alternatively, give anyone graduating from a U.K. university absolute priority for a training place.
Which is effectively the same thing, given there are 12,316 UK medical grad applicants and only 12,000 training places available
Some applicants will apply for more than one training programme so not quite
'The government has put an offer to the British Medical Association (BMA) that would put in place emergency legislation for UK and Republic of Ireland medical graduates and doctors who have worked in the NHS for a significant period of time to be prioritised for specialty training and tackling bottlenecks through an overhaul of recruitment for medical training. Should the BMA accept this offer, the government will accelerate plans to prioritise these medics, addressing the current system that has led to soaring competition ratios - with current applicants set to benefit from the 2026 intake.
This should be held off and only implemented once the strikes have been called off and the union commits to no further action this negotiation cycle.
Some doctors are voting to strike due to pay, others are voting to strike due to training programme availability. This possibly vastly reduces the appetite to strike without having to agree anything.
It’s also the right thing to do and doesn’t cost anything.
The prefix "re-" is about doing something again. All these hard right parties share a vision that things were better in the past, so we need to "re-" something to get back to that situation.
And "rebirth" is at the harder end. It's saying we're not so much broken as dead. It also implies an embrace of fascism will be like having a baby.
Surely a Speccie piece due along these lines?
Don't give them ideas. They'll have a 600 word essay from some travel tart extolling the virtues of Blackshirts 2.0 to own the Libs. Then they'll do a podcast with them.
National Rebirth. Without looking that sounds unapologetically fascist.
I'm intrigued by the idea of an apologetically fascist party. "Look, I'm terribly sorry about this, but would you mind terribly if I were to ask you and your family to just go with my colleague here - gosh, yes, the one with the big gun. He's actually a lovely guy. I know, I hate to ask. The camp is a little bit make do and mend I'm afraid. That's on us, I am just so sorry. It's embarrassing actually. You can speak with my manager if it helps at all. I'm only here for the flags."
Am I alone in imagining that spoken in a very camp voice?
9,710 UK medical graduate applications to specialty training programmes.
6,913 International medical graduate applications to speciality training programmes.
In 2025:
12,316 UK medical graduate applications to specialty training programmes.
20,807 International medical graduate applications to speciality training programmes.
No wonder UK grads now finish university, do two years on the job training as foundation doctors and then end up unemployed.
Number of grad applications though increased for both UK and overseas applicants but the number of doctor and consultant training places hasn't. There are only 12,000 such training places a year and only 23% of overseas applicants are successful compared to 69% of UK applicants
Yes, but that means 5 000 successful IMG applications out of 12 807 places, so over a 3rd of ST places go to IMGs.
Yes but given the majority of applications are from overseas now that is a far lower success rate for ST places than UK applicants
That isn’t the point. The point is that we (i.e. the country) have paid a lot of money to train our best and brightest as doctors to leave them unemployed. That’s a ridiculous state of affairs.
So ban immigrants from overseas taking medical jobs then I presume, British doctor jobs for only British medical grads! Nige and Rupert would be proud of you!
Alternatively, give anyone graduating from a U.K. university absolute priority for a training place.
Which is effectively the same thing, given there are 12,316 UK medical grad applicants and only 12,000 training places available
Some applicants will apply for more than one training programme so not quite
'The government has put an offer to the British Medical Association (BMA) that would put in place emergency legislation for UK and Republic of Ireland medical graduates and doctors who have worked in the NHS for a significant period of time to be prioritised for specialty training and tackling bottlenecks through an overhaul of recruitment for medical training. Should the BMA accept this offer, the government will accelerate plans to prioritise these medics, addressing the current system that has led to soaring competition ratios - with current applicants set to benefit from the 2026 intake.
This should be held off and only implemented once the strikes have been called off and the union commits to no further action this negotiation cycle.
Some doctors are voting to strike due to pay, others are voting to strike due to training programme availability. This possibly vastly reduces the appetite to strike without having to agree anything.
It’s also the right thing to do and doesn’t cost anything.
Yep I think there's two camps here, one justifiably mad (Docs that can't get in such as your other half); the other... not so much. I reckon there's probably something like this going on with GPs too - GP partnerships who have completely overloaded their books and refuse to take on salaried GPs as they've got used to big old profit shares.
9,710 UK medical graduate applications to specialty training programmes.
6,913 International medical graduate applications to speciality training programmes.
In 2025:
12,316 UK medical graduate applications to specialty training programmes.
20,807 International medical graduate applications to speciality training programmes.
No wonder UK grads now finish university, do two years on the job training as foundation doctors and then end up unemployed.
Number of grad applications though increased for both UK and overseas applicants but the number of doctor and consultant training places hasn't. There are only 12,000 such training places a year and only 23% of overseas applicants are successful compared to 69% of UK applicants
Yes, but that means 5 000 successful IMG applications out of 12 807 places, so over a 3rd of ST places go to IMGs.
Yes but given the majority of applications are from overseas now that is a far lower success rate for ST places than UK applicants
That isn’t the point. The point is that we (i.e. the country) have paid a lot of money to train our best and brightest as doctors to leave them unemployed. That’s a ridiculous state of affairs.
So ban immigrants from overseas taking medical jobs then I presume, British doctor jobs for only British medical grads! Nige and Rupert would be proud of you!
Alternatively, give anyone graduating from a U.K. university absolute priority for a training place.
Which is effectively the same thing, given there are 12,316 UK medical grad applicants and only 12,000 training places available
Some applicants will apply for more than one training programme so not quite
'The government has put an offer to the British Medical Association (BMA) that would put in place emergency legislation for UK and Republic of Ireland medical graduates and doctors who have worked in the NHS for a significant period of time to be prioritised for specialty training and tackling bottlenecks through an overhaul of recruitment for medical training. Should the BMA accept this offer, the government will accelerate plans to prioritise these medics, addressing the current system that has led to soaring competition ratios - with current applicants set to benefit from the 2026 intake.
This should be held off and only implemented once the strikes have been called off and the union commits to no further action this negotiation cycle.
Some doctors are voting to strike due to pay, others are voting to strike due to training programme availability. This possibly vastly reduces the appetite to strike without having to agree anything.
It’s also the right thing to do and doesn’t cost anything.
It may or may not be the right thing to do however don’t give everything away for nothing.
Quite frankly striking for pay when there is massive oversupply into the labour market doesn’t strike me as sensible. I expect they will end up like the Birmingham Bin Workers. Two sides entrenched and a settlement not likely without a major shift.
It means we've used too many of them so vanilla is being arsey about them (sorry to put actual facts in what is likely to be a whole set of puns about men claiming small is really beautiful).
9,710 UK medical graduate applications to specialty training programmes.
6,913 International medical graduate applications to speciality training programmes.
In 2025:
12,316 UK medical graduate applications to specialty training programmes.
20,807 International medical graduate applications to speciality training programmes.
No wonder UK grads now finish university, do two years on the job training as foundation doctors and then end up unemployed.
Number of grad applications though increased for both UK and overseas applicants but the number of doctor and consultant training places hasn't. There are only 12,000 such training places a year and only 23% of overseas applicants are successful compared to 69% of UK applicants
Yes, but that means 5 000 successful IMG applications out of 12 807 places, so over a 3rd of ST places go to IMGs.
Yes but given the majority of applications are from overseas now that is a far lower success rate for ST places than UK applicants
That isn’t the point. The point is that we (i.e. the country) have paid a lot of money to train our best and brightest as doctors to leave them unemployed. That’s a ridiculous state of affairs.
So ban immigrants from overseas taking medical jobs then I presume, British doctor jobs for only British medical grads! Nige and Rupert would be proud of you!
Alternatively, give anyone graduating from a U.K. university absolute priority for a training place.
Which is effectively the same thing, given there are 12,316 UK medical grad applicants and only 12,000 training places available
Some applicants will apply for more than one training programme so not quite
'The government has put an offer to the British Medical Association (BMA) that would put in place emergency legislation for UK and Republic of Ireland medical graduates and doctors who have worked in the NHS for a significant period of time to be prioritised for specialty training and tackling bottlenecks through an overhaul of recruitment for medical training. Should the BMA accept this offer, the government will accelerate plans to prioritise these medics, addressing the current system that has led to soaring competition ratios - with current applicants set to benefit from the 2026 intake.
30% of Labour voters and 25% of Green voters and 45% of LDs would vote Tory in a seat where only Reform or the Conservatives could win on that new Yougov poll
"In an effort to change their fortunes, residents voted for Brexit nearly a decade ago. Since then, official data shows the area has become poorer still and last May, people decided to toss the political dice once more by voting Reform."
I wonder how these voters will feel after Reform's planned budget cuts, NHS privatisation etc.
Youth unemployment is now higher in the UK than the EU for the first time since we started recording the figures, apparently.
Another Brexit dividend.
Fuck knows why anyone believes Brexit's chief propagandist can sort out the mess he created.
(Also FPT, as somewhat on topic.)
Blaming Brexit - the last refuge of the progressive loon whose policies over nearly 30 years have utterly wrecked the country.
Half of the last 30 years have had Conservative Prime Ministers in number 10.
The UK has the sixth largest GDP in the world. We're 20th on GDP per capita. We're 17th on the Economist's Democracy Index. We're 3rd on number of scientific publications and keep winning Nobel prizes (two last year, four the year before). We're 5th by military expenditure. And we're 13th in the Winter Olympics medals table so far! It doesn't seem like the country is "utterly wrecked".
The launch of the next PlayStation console may be pushed back as the technology industry grapples with a chip shortage that has been exacerbated by the boom in artificial intelligence.
Sony is considering delaying the release of the PlayStation 6 until 2028 or 2029, according to reports by Bloomberg, as the Japanese manufacturer struggles to get the memory chips needed for the console.
The scarcity of Dram, or dynamic random-access memory, has been stoked by competing demand from AI data centres.
The PlayStation 6, the successor to the PS5 that launched in 2020, had been planned for release towards the end of next year. Sony has typically launched a new console generation every six or seven years since the original PlayStation debuted in 1994.
9,710 UK medical graduate applications to specialty training programmes.
6,913 International medical graduate applications to speciality training programmes.
In 2025:
12,316 UK medical graduate applications to specialty training programmes.
20,807 International medical graduate applications to speciality training programmes.
No wonder UK grads now finish university, do two years on the job training as foundation doctors and then end up unemployed.
Number of grad applications though increased for both UK and overseas applicants but the number of doctor and consultant training places hasn't. There are only 12,000 such training places a year and only 23% of overseas applicants are successful compared to 69% of UK applicants
Yes, but that means 5 000 successful IMG applications out of 12 807 places, so over a 3rd of ST places go to IMGs.
Yes but given the majority of applications are from overseas now that is a far lower success rate for ST places than UK applicants
That isn’t the point. The point is that we (i.e. the country) have paid a lot of money to train our best and brightest as doctors to leave them unemployed. That’s a ridiculous state of affairs.
So ban immigrants from overseas taking medical jobs then I presume, British doctor jobs for only British medical grads! Nige and Rupert would be proud of you!
Alternatively, give anyone graduating from a U.K. university absolute priority for a training place.
Which is effectively the same thing, given there are 12,316 UK medical grad applicants and only 12,000 training places available
Some applicants will apply for more than one training programme so not quite
'The government has put an offer to the British Medical Association (BMA) that would put in place emergency legislation for UK and Republic of Ireland medical graduates and doctors who have worked in the NHS for a significant period of time to be prioritised for specialty training and tackling bottlenecks through an overhaul of recruitment for medical training. Should the BMA accept this offer, the government will accelerate plans to prioritise these medics, addressing the current system that has led to soaring competition ratios - with current applicants set to benefit from the 2026 intake.
National Rebirth. Without looking that sounds unapologetically fascist.
I'm intrigued by the idea of an apologetically fascist party. "Look, I'm terribly sorry about this, but would you mind terribly if I were to ask you and your family to just go with my colleague here - gosh, yes, the one with the big gun. He's actually a lovely guy. I know, I hate to ask. The camp is a little bit make do and mend I'm afraid. That's on us, I am just so sorry. It's embarrassing actually. You can speak with my manager if it helps at all. I'm only here for the flags."
You jest amusingly, but I suggest apologetic fascism is alive and well. We see it among those who say they've moved to the hard right because the Left forced them to with all their "wokery". They try to assert that they've been forced into extreme views.
That's not apologetic, though. If anything, it's the opposite- I don't need to apologise for going fascist, becuase it's not my fault. You made me do it.
I would have thought that unapologetic fascism is someome just saying they think fascism is the best option. Giving some external reason for their support seems like a degree of apology to me.
30% of Labour voters and 25% of Green voters and 45% of LDs would vote Tory in a seat where only Reform or the Conservatives could win on that new Yougov poll
The launch of the next PlayStation console may be pushed back as the technology industry grapples with a chip shortage that has been exacerbated by the boom in artificial intelligence.
Sony is considering delaying the release of the PlayStation 6 until 2028 or 2029, according to reports by Bloomberg, as the Japanese manufacturer struggles to get the memory chips needed for the console.
The scarcity of Dram, or dynamic random-access memory, has been stoked by competing demand from AI data centres.
The PlayStation 6, the successor to the PS5 that launched in 2020, had been planned for release towards the end of next year. Sony has typically launched a new console generation every six or seven years since the original PlayStation debuted in 1994.
National Rebirth. Without looking that sounds unapologetically fascist.
I'm intrigued by the idea of an apologetically fascist party. "Look, I'm terribly sorry about this, but would you mind terribly if I were to ask you and your family to just go with my colleague here - gosh, yes, the one with the big gun. He's actually a lovely guy. I know, I hate to ask. The camp is a little bit make do and mend I'm afraid. That's on us, I am just so sorry. It's embarrassing actually. You can speak with my manager if it helps at all. I'm only here for the flags."
You jest amusingly, but I suggest apologetic fascism is alive and well. We see it among those who say they've moved to the hard right because the Left forced them to with all their "wokery". They try to assert that they've been forced into extreme views.
That's not apologetic, though. If anything, it's the opposite- I don't need to apologise for going fascist, becuase it's not my fault. You made me do it.
I would have thought that unapologetic fascism is someome just saying they think fascism is the best option. Giving some external reason for their support seems like a degree of apology to me.
In PB terms fascism is anyone centrists don’t agree with.
9,710 UK medical graduate applications to specialty training programmes.
6,913 International medical graduate applications to speciality training programmes.
In 2025:
12,316 UK medical graduate applications to specialty training programmes.
20,807 International medical graduate applications to speciality training programmes.
No wonder UK grads now finish university, do two years on the job training as foundation doctors and then end up unemployed.
Number of grad applications though increased for both UK and overseas applicants but the number of doctor and consultant training places hasn't. There are only 12,000 such training places a year and only 23% of overseas applicants are successful compared to 69% of UK applicants
Yes, but that means 5 000 successful IMG applications out of 12 807 places, so over a 3rd of ST places go to IMGs.
Yes but given the majority of applications are from overseas now that is a far lower success rate for ST places than UK applicants
That isn’t the point. The point is that we (i.e. the country) have paid a lot of money to train our best and brightest as doctors to leave them unemployed. That’s a ridiculous state of affairs.
So ban immigrants from overseas taking medical jobs then I presume, British doctor jobs for only British medical grads! Nige and Rupert would be proud of you!
Alternatively, give anyone graduating from a U.K. university absolute priority for a training place.
Which is effectively the same thing, given there are 12,316 UK medical grad applicants and only 12,000 training places available
Some applicants will apply for more than one training programme so not quite
'The government has put an offer to the British Medical Association (BMA) that would put in place emergency legislation for UK and Republic of Ireland medical graduates and doctors who have worked in the NHS for a significant period of time to be prioritised for specialty training and tackling bottlenecks through an overhaul of recruitment for medical training. Should the BMA accept this offer, the government will accelerate plans to prioritise these medics, addressing the current system that has led to soaring competition ratios - with current applicants set to benefit from the 2026 intake.
"In an effort to change their fortunes, residents voted for Brexit nearly a decade ago. Since then, official data shows the area has become poorer still and last May, people decided to toss the political dice once more by voting Reform."
I wonder how these voters will feel after Reform's planned budget cuts, NHS privatisation etc.
Youth unemployment is now higher in the UK than the EU for the first time since we started recording the figures, apparently.
Another Brexit dividend.
Fuck knows why anyone believes Brexit's chief propagandist can sort out the mess he created.
(Also FPT, as somewhat on topic.)
Blaming Brexit - the last refuge of the progressive loon whose policies over nearly 30 years have utterly wrecked the country.
Half of the last 30 years have had Conservative Prime Ministers in number 10.
The UK has the sixth largest GDP in the world. We're 20th on GDP per capita. We're 17th on the Economist's Democracy Index. We're 3rd on number of scientific publications and keep winning Nobel prizes (two last year, four the year before). We're 5th by military expenditure. And we're 13th in the Winter Olympics medals table so far! It doesn't seem like the country is "utterly wrecked".
Spreadsheets don’t win wars - it’s clear that our military has a huge problem. From the spending on Ajax and other failed projects, the huge cost of trident being taken out of the military budget so whilst budget it big it’s not conventionally effective. We’ve seen the latest where NATO troops were wiped out in an exercise against Ukrainian kit and tactics.
So one really needs to get a grip of the MOD and military and have a brutal focus on the kit we need now and near future for the only wars we should be involved in.
Sell Chagos to the US for starters and use the money on buying the rights to build tested kit and building the factories to make them here under licence.
30% of Labour voters and 25% of Green voters and 45% of LDs would vote Tory in a seat where only Reform or the Conservatives could win on that new Yougov poll
Indeed. Reform sweeping East Anglia as per MRPs looks a stretch.
The number of left wing voters who would switch to the Conservatives, and the number of Conservative voters who would switch to Labour, under any circumstances, is miniscule. If Reform really do poll 29%, they will sweep East Anglia.
In today's ten minute monologue, Jacob Rees-Mogg addresses the question of our times.
She wasn't right, so much as batshit crazy far right.
It was just very peculiar.
I'm on the right, the idea of tax cuts, promoting growth etc is all good. But you've got to analyse the impact of policies and changing rates of tax/revenue. You can't just make changes and cross your fingers.
Maybe this is the saving grace of the OBR. For all its failings, it did for Truss in short order.
She would I think have got away with the tax cuts if it wasn't for the massive unfunded income spending spree she went on at the same time with the fuel price cap.
The markets operate, if not on Mr Micawber's dictum, at least the principle you lend money when you can see it will be going into projects that will generate a substantial return.
Truss' plans reminded me of nothing so much as the post-Ruhr borrowing of the German economy under Stresemann - $11 billion borrowed commercially on five-year terms and spent on municipal grandeur (parks, stadiums, town halls) - and then of course, not paid back, leading to a major credit crunch and indirectly the Wall Street Crash.
Though at least that left parks, stadiums and town halls.
One of the nagging doubts I have about Britain's collective debt pickle is that I can't see where the money has gone.
Pensions, the NHS, debt service and Brexit.
Well over a quarter of pensioners have become millionaires too.
Thats not debunked. Full fact say "Some may consider both to be millionaires, and others may believe that neither are."
I'm in the former camp, you are in the latter. Most couples have shared finances.
And that data is from 2018-2020, since then there has been significant asset inflation so may be true on an individual basis too.
Regardless a large chunk of "where the money has gone" is into the hands of the richest 20-30% of pensioners.
I’m always baffled by the accepted movement / creation of money in assets.
Mr XYZ bought a house for £200k in 2000 and he could sell it now for £500k. But until he does, that £300k is notional.
Claiming a £300k sized lump of the national wealth, shared national wealth, exists in the hands of a million XYZs is clearly bonkers. That would be £300bn. How could it ever be realised?
There’s some economist laughing somewhere.
It is certainly not the 30 year old couple both working hard, paying not just taxes but also student loans on top, whilst trying to buy a home to raise a family who are the ones laughing.
It's probably one of the older economists, who have that asset safe and secure and got it at a fraction of the cost of their grandchildren would have to pay for similar.
Inequality is driven by and benefits the people with money I guess. I’m all for a national target of zero house price inflation for the next decade or two. Unfortunately the method is not clear.
In today's ten minute monologue, Jacob Rees-Mogg addresses the question of our times.
She wasn't right, so much as batshit crazy far right.
It was just very peculiar.
I'm on the right, the idea of tax cuts, promoting growth etc is all good. But you've got to analyse the impact of policies and changing rates of tax/revenue. You can't just make changes and cross your fingers.
Maybe this is the saving grace of the OBR. For all its failings, it did for Truss in short order.
She would I think have got away with the tax cuts if it wasn't for the massive unfunded income spending spree she went on at the same time with the fuel price cap.
The markets operate, if not on Mr Micawber's dictum, at least the principle you lend money when you can see it will be going into projects that will generate a substantial return.
Truss' plans reminded me of nothing so much as the post-Ruhr borrowing of the German economy under Stresemann - $11 billion borrowed commercially on five-year terms and spent on municipal grandeur (parks, stadiums, town halls) - and then of course, not paid back, leading to a major credit crunch and indirectly the Wall Street Crash.
Though at least that left parks, stadiums and town halls.
One of the nagging doubts I have about Britain's collective debt pickle is that I can't see where the money has gone.
Pensions, the NHS, debt service and Brexit.
Well over a quarter of pensioners have become millionaires too.
Thats not debunked. Full fact say "Some may consider both to be millionaires, and others may believe that neither are."
I'm in the former camp, you are in the latter. Most couples have shared finances.
And that data is from 2018-2020, since then there has been significant asset inflation so may be true on an individual basis too.
Regardless a large chunk of "where the money has gone" is into the hands of the richest 20-30% of pensioners.
I’m always baffled by the accepted movement / creation of money in assets.
Mr XYZ bought a house for £200k in 2000 and he could sell it now for £500k. But until he does, that £300k is notional.
Claiming a £300k sized lump of the national wealth, shared national wealth, exists in the hands of a million XYZs is clearly bonkers. That would be £300bn. How could it ever be realised?
There’s some economist laughing somewhere.
Just wait for the idea of taxing unrealised gains.
Followed by “Wut? Where did all the gains go?”
A 1% then / 2% wealth tax on over ten million / one billion will be an interesting exercise. I’d do it just to watch.
"In an effort to change their fortunes, residents voted for Brexit nearly a decade ago. Since then, official data shows the area has become poorer still and last May, people decided to toss the political dice once more by voting Reform."
I wonder how these voters will feel after Reform's planned budget cuts, NHS privatisation etc.
Youth unemployment is now higher in the UK than the EU for the first time since we started recording the figures, apparently.
Another Brexit dividend.
Fuck knows why anyone believes Brexit's chief propagandist can sort out the mess he created.
(Also FPT, as somewhat on topic.)
Blaming Brexit - the last refuge of the progressive loon whose policies over nearly 30 years have utterly wrecked the country.
Half of the last 30 years have had Conservative Prime Ministers in number 10.
The UK has the sixth largest GDP in the world. We're 20th on GDP per capita. We're 17th on the Economist's Democracy Index. We're 3rd on number of scientific publications and keep winning Nobel prizes (two last year, four the year before). We're 5th by military expenditure. And we're 13th in the Winter Olympics medals table so far! It doesn't seem like the country is "utterly wrecked".
Spreadsheets don’t win wars - it’s clear that our military has a huge problem. From the spending on Ajax and other failed projects, the huge cost of trident being taken out of the military budget so whilst budget it big it’s not conventionally effective. We’ve seen the latest where NATO troops were wiped out in an exercise against Ukrainian kit and tactics.
So one really needs to get a grip of the MOD and military and have a brutal focus on the kit we need now and near future for the only wars we should be involved in.
Sell Chagos to the US for starters and use the money on buying the rights to build tested kit and building the factories to make them here under licence.
But it's clear that our military might is much greater than Portugal's, or Ecuador's, or Panama's, or Ghana's, or Malaysia's, or many other countries. Sure, you can discuss whether we are spending our money as effectively as possible, but that's irrelevant to the point being made, which is that @Luckyguy1983 is a doommonger prone to exaggeration.
@MustaphaMondeo High interest rates, no wage growth, no inflation is the recipe for zero or negative house price growth/inflation I think. A painful recipe (Except the low/no inflation part) noone would willingly go for.
American prediction markets firms Kalshi and Polymarket have become huge by offering markets on anything (including politics as PB knows). The key is that traditional bookmakers are still heavily restricted in the Land of the Free but these new companies, more akin to betting exchanges in British terms, have convinced TPTB they are investment not gambling vehicles.
The Rest is Entertainment takes a look, but what it does not mention is both companies signed up Donald Trump Jr, no doubt for his entrepreneurial drive and not to keep the White House off their back.
30% of Labour voters and 25% of Green voters and 45% of LDs would vote Tory in a seat where only Reform or the Conservatives could win on that new Yougov poll
Indeed. Reform sweeping East Anglia as per MRPs looks a stretch.
The number of left wing voters who would switch to the Conservatives, and the number of Conservative voters who would switch to Labour, under any circumstances, is miniscule. If Reform really do poll 29%, they will sweep East Anglia.
In today's ten minute monologue, Jacob Rees-Mogg addresses the question of our times.
She wasn't right, so much as batshit crazy far right.
It was just very peculiar.
I'm on the right, the idea of tax cuts, promoting growth etc is all good. But you've got to analyse the impact of policies and changing rates of tax/revenue. You can't just make changes and cross your fingers.
Maybe this is the saving grace of the OBR. For all its failings, it did for Truss in short order.
She would I think have got away with the tax cuts if it wasn't for the massive unfunded income spending spree she went on at the same time with the fuel price cap.
The markets operate, if not on Mr Micawber's dictum, at least the principle you lend money when you can see it will be going into projects that will generate a substantial return.
Truss' plans reminded me of nothing so much as the post-Ruhr borrowing of the German economy under Stresemann - $11 billion borrowed commercially on five-year terms and spent on municipal grandeur (parks, stadiums, town halls) - and then of course, not paid back, leading to a major credit crunch and indirectly the Wall Street Crash.
Though at least that left parks, stadiums and town halls.
One of the nagging doubts I have about Britain's collective debt pickle is that I can't see where the money has gone.
Pensions, the NHS, debt service and Brexit.
Well over a quarter of pensioners have become millionaires too.
Thats not debunked. Full fact say "Some may consider both to be millionaires, and others may believe that neither are."
I'm in the former camp, you are in the latter. Most couples have shared finances.
And that data is from 2018-2020, since then there has been significant asset inflation so may be true on an individual basis too.
Regardless a large chunk of "where the money has gone" is into the hands of the richest 20-30% of pensioners.
I’m always baffled by the accepted movement / creation of money in assets.
Mr XYZ bought a house for £200k in 2000 and he could sell it now for £500k. But until he does, that £300k is notional.
Claiming a £300k sized lump of the national wealth, shared national wealth, exists in the hands of a million XYZs is clearly bonkers. That would be £300bn. How could it ever be realised?
There’s some economist laughing somewhere.
Just wait for the idea of taxing unrealised gains.
Followed by “Wut? Where did all the gains go?”
Land does not go anywhere, so taxing land is the logical solution.
If that makes the cost of land go down, even better.
The country has a finite supply of land, those who own a portion of it should pay a portion of the country's upkeep costs.
It is better than taxing income, which people work for and is not finite.
@MustaphaMondeo High interest rates, no wage growth, no inflation is the recipe for zero or negative house price growth/inflation I think. A painful recipe (Except the low/no inflation part) noone would willingly go for.
No wage growth?
Good wage growth surely is needed to deflate house price to income ratios?
"In an effort to change their fortunes, residents voted for Brexit nearly a decade ago. Since then, official data shows the area has become poorer still and last May, people decided to toss the political dice once more by voting Reform."
I wonder how these voters will feel after Reform's planned budget cuts, NHS privatisation etc.
Youth unemployment is now higher in the UK than the EU for the first time since we started recording the figures, apparently.
Another Brexit dividend.
Fuck knows why anyone believes Brexit's chief propagandist can sort out the mess he created.
(Also FPT, as somewhat on topic.)
Blaming Brexit - the last refuge of the progressive loon whose policies over nearly 30 years have utterly wrecked the country.
Half of the last 30 years have had Conservative Prime Ministers in number 10.
The UK has the sixth largest GDP in the world. We're 20th on GDP per capita. We're 17th on the Economist's Democracy Index. We're 3rd on number of scientific publications and keep winning Nobel prizes (two last year, four the year before). We're 5th by military expenditure. And we're 13th in the Winter Olympics medals table so far! It doesn't seem like the country is "utterly wrecked".
Spreadsheets don’t win wars - it’s clear that our military has a huge problem. From the spending on Ajax and other failed projects, the huge cost of trident being taken out of the military budget so whilst budget it big it’s not conventionally effective. We’ve seen the latest where NATO troops were wiped out in an exercise against Ukrainian kit and tactics.
So one really needs to get a grip of the MOD and military and have a brutal focus on the kit we need now and near future for the only wars we should be involved in.
Sell Chagos to the US for starters and use the money on buying the rights to build tested kit and building the factories to make them here under licence.
But it's clear that our military might is much greater than Portugal's, or Ecuador's, or Panama's, or Ghana's, or Malaysia's, or many other countries. Sure, you can discuss whether we are spending our money as effectively as possible, but that's irrelevant to the point being made, which is that @Luckyguy1983 is a doommonger prone to exaggeration.
But it's much less than other countries too: we have fewer tanks than Algeria.
We need enough kit (and the skill to make it work) to win the wars we expect to fight. Those are currently a Russian invasion in the Baltics, a Chinese invasion of Taiwan, and (hopefully not) an Argentinian invasion of the Falklands. We don't. We're not even close. Telling me how much we are spending doesn't help.
9,710 UK medical graduate applications to specialty training programmes.
6,913 International medical graduate applications to speciality training programmes.
In 2025:
12,316 UK medical graduate applications to specialty training programmes.
20,807 International medical graduate applications to speciality training programmes.
No wonder UK grads now finish university, do two years on the job training as foundation doctors and then end up unemployed.
Number of grad applications though increased for both UK and overseas applicants but the number of doctor and consultant training places hasn't. There are only 12,000 such training places a year and only 23% of overseas applicants are successful compared to 69% of UK applicants
Yes, but that means 5 000 successful IMG applications out of 12 807 places, so over a 3rd of ST places go to IMGs.
Yes but given the majority of applications are from overseas now that is a far lower success rate for ST places than UK applicants
That isn’t the point. The point is that we (i.e. the country) have paid a lot of money to train our best and brightest as doctors to leave them unemployed. That’s a ridiculous state of affairs.
So ban immigrants from overseas taking medical jobs then I presume, British doctor jobs for only British medical grads! Nige and Rupert would be proud of you!
Alternatively, give anyone graduating from a U.K. university absolute priority for a training place.
Which is effectively the same thing, given there are 12,316 UK medical grad applicants and only 12,000 training places available
Some applicants will apply for more than one training programme so not quite
'The government has put an offer to the British Medical Association (BMA) that would put in place emergency legislation for UK and Republic of Ireland medical graduates and doctors who have worked in the NHS for a significant period of time to be prioritised for specialty training and tackling bottlenecks through an overhaul of recruitment for medical training. Should the BMA accept this offer, the government will accelerate plans to prioritise these medics, addressing the current system that has led to soaring competition ratios - with current applicants set to benefit from the 2026 intake.
American prediction markets firms Kalshi and Polymarket have become huge by offering markets on anything (including politics as PB knows). The key is that traditional bookmakers are still heavily restricted in the Land of the Free but these new companies, more akin to betting exchanges in British terms, have convinced TPTB they are investment not gambling vehicles.
The Rest is Entertainment takes a look, but what it does not mention is both companies signed up Donald Trump Jr, no doubt for his entrepreneurial drive and not to keep the White House off their back.
Are you implying that if you want to keep doing business in America you need to keep the chief mafiosa personally happy...
National Rebirth. Without looking that sounds unapologetically fascist.
Just to help with a visual aid this is a photo of them campaigning. The clothing and hair choices of a couple and the gulag might help work out their view on life. Cosplay Adolf on one end and man with secret urges for men in SS uniforms on the other.
Why is vanilla making photos pointlessly small
I enjoy a good PB photo. Whether it’s someone’s dinner, view, wife, husband, husband and wife, Nordic dog, favourite Scottish train station, or Lakeland garden in springtime
They add variety, personality and gaiety to the site. They brighten up the place. Like photos in a magazine
A 1% then / 2% wealth tax on over ten million / one billion will be an interesting exercise. I’d do it just to watch.
It's an experiment which I think is best witnessed from a distance away - thankfully there are so many countries where spending is greater than income that we are likely to see a lot of similar experiments in the near future...
30% of Labour voters and 25% of Green voters and 45% of LDs would vote Tory in a seat where only Reform or the Conservatives could win on that new Yougov poll
Indeed. Reform sweeping East Anglia as per MRPs looks a stretch.
The number of left wing voters who would switch to the Conservatives, and the number of Conservative voters who would switch to Labour, under any circumstances, is miniscule. If Reform really do poll 29%, they will sweep East Anglia.
45% of LDs and 30% of Labour voters being willing to tactically vote Tory to beat Reform with Yougov today is not miniscule it is nearly half of LD voters and nearly a third of Labour voters!
National Rebirth. Without looking that sounds unapologetically fascist.
Just to help with a visual aid this is a photo of them campaigning. The clothing and hair choices of a couple and the gulag might help work out their view on life. Cosplay Adolf on one end and man with secret urges for men in SS uniforms on the other.
Why is vanilla making photos pointlessly small
I enjoy a good PB photo. Whether it’s someone’s dinner, view, wife, husband, husband and wife, Nordic dog, favourite Scottish train station, or Lakeland garden in springtime
They add variety, personality and gaiety to the site. They brighten up the place. Like photos in a magazine
Otherwise it’s an endless scroll of text
Bring back proper PB photos!
There is an cheering bit of PB schadenfreude when someone makes a momentous point 'Look at the HUGE turnout to the Green Party rally' only to be cruelly undermined by a photo with size issues.
It's like someone dropping a plate in a restaurant.
"In an effort to change their fortunes, residents voted for Brexit nearly a decade ago. Since then, official data shows the area has become poorer still and last May, people decided to toss the political dice once more by voting Reform."
I wonder how these voters will feel after Reform's planned budget cuts, NHS privatisation etc.
Youth unemployment is now higher in the UK than the EU for the first time since we started recording the figures, apparently.
Another Brexit dividend.
Fuck knows why anyone believes Brexit's chief propagandist can sort out the mess he created.
(Also FPT, as somewhat on topic.)
Youth unemployment is higher because we have an economically illiterate government who thought it was a good idea to increase the costs of employing somebody by increasing Employers NI, by increasing the NMW ahead of inflation, that increased rates for businesses forcing businesses to reduce other costs, typically labour, and who spent that money extorted from those businesses on making a life on benefits more attractive whilst doing nothing about the very poor effort our education system makes in terms of making them more employable.
These are choices we have made and they are nearly all bad ones. None of them are a consequence of Brexit, they are a consequence of mind blowing ineptitude and incompetence. If you don't want higher unemployment, don't vote Labour. Its that simple.
Between the third quarter of 2022 and the third quarter of 2024, under the Conservatives, the unemployment rate for 18-24 year olds rose by 5.0pp to 13.6%. Since then, under Labour, it has risen a further 0.4pp, to 14.0%. I just thought the rant above might be improved by some passing reference to the facts.
9,710 UK medical graduate applications to specialty training programmes.
6,913 International medical graduate applications to speciality training programmes.
In 2025:
12,316 UK medical graduate applications to specialty training programmes.
20,807 International medical graduate applications to speciality training programmes.
No wonder UK grads now finish university, do two years on the job training as foundation doctors and then end up unemployed.
Number of grad applications though increased for both UK and overseas applicants but the number of doctor and consultant training places hasn't. There are only 12,000 such training places a year and only 23% of overseas applicants are successful compared to 69% of UK applicants
Yes, but that means 5 000 successful IMG applications out of 12 807 places, so over a 3rd of ST places go to IMGs.
Yes but given the majority of applications are from overseas now that is a far lower success rate for ST places than UK applicants
That isn’t the point. The point is that we (i.e. the country) have paid a lot of money to train our best and brightest as doctors to leave them unemployed. That’s a ridiculous state of affairs.
So ban immigrants from overseas taking medical jobs then I presume, British doctor jobs for only British medical grads! Nige and Rupert would be proud of you!
Alternatively, give anyone graduating from a U.K. university absolute priority for a training place.
Which is effectively the same thing, given there are 12,316 UK medical grad applicants and only 12,000 training places available
Some applicants will apply for more than one training programme so not quite
'The government has put an offer to the British Medical Association (BMA) that would put in place emergency legislation for UK and Republic of Ireland medical graduates and doctors who have worked in the NHS for a significant period of time to be prioritised for specialty training and tackling bottlenecks through an overhaul of recruitment for medical training. Should the BMA accept this offer, the government will accelerate plans to prioritise these medics, addressing the current system that has led to soaring competition ratios - with current applicants set to benefit from the 2026 intake.
Brewdog sold 22% of itself to private equity in 2019 - they will always have contracts that say they get money before any other shareholder.
I suspect the issue was that the other crowdfunded share holders didn't understand what the other shareholders meant..
I put the minimum £90 in, and took out £400 when the opportunity was given. The rest will be lost. Later rounds I think didn't get the opportunity to withdraw, but I forget the details.
National Rebirth. Without looking that sounds unapologetically fascist.
Just to help with a visual aid this is a photo of them campaigning. The clothing and hair choices of a couple and the gulag might help work out their view on life. Cosplay Adolf on one end and man with secret urges for men in SS uniforms on the other.
Why is vanilla making photos pointlessly small
I enjoy a good PB photo. Whether it’s someone’s dinner, view, wife, husband, husband and wife, Nordic dog, favourite Scottish train station, or Lakeland garden in springtime
They add variety, personality and gaiety to the site. They brighten up the place. Like photos in a magazine
Otherwise it’s an endless scroll of text
Bring back proper PB photos!
There is an cheering bit of PB schadenfreude when someone makes a momentous point 'Look at the HUGE turnout to the Green Party rally' only to be cruelly undermined by a photo with size issues.
It's like someone dropping a plate in a restaurant.
True. The bathos can be amusing
Nonetheless I genuinely enjoy the PB photos, they can be delightfully unexpected. “Dog for scale” is one of our better in-jokes
I see that @TSE has explained upthread that it’s because some fools are breaking the sensible 1 photo a day limit
That’s certainly not me, I barely post one a week. But whoever it is: STOP DOING IT
National Rebirth. Without looking that sounds unapologetically fascist.
Just to help with a visual aid this is a photo of them campaigning. The clothing and hair choices of a couple and the gulag might help work out their view on life. Cosplay Adolf on one end and man with secret urges for men in SS uniforms on the other.
Why is vanilla making photos pointlessly small
I enjoy a good PB photo. Whether it’s someone’s dinner, view, wife, husband, husband and wife, Nordic dog, favourite Scottish train station, or Lakeland garden in springtime
They add variety, personality and gaiety to the site. They brighten up the place. Like photos in a magazine
Otherwise it’s an endless scroll of text
Bring back proper PB photos!
There is an cheering bit of PB schadenfreude when someone makes a momentous point 'Look at the HUGE turnout to the Green Party rally' only to be cruelly undermined by a photo with size issues.
It's like someone dropping a plate in a restaurant.
True. The bathos can be amusing
Nonetheless I genuinely enjoy the PB photos, they can be delightfully unexpected. “Dog for scale” is one of our better in-jokes
I see that @TSE has explained upthread that it’s because some fools are breaking the sensible 1 photo a day limit
That’s certainly not me, I barely post one a week. But whoever it is: STOP DOING IT
I dont even know how to add a photo due to technical spazzery so its not me.
National Rebirth. Without looking that sounds unapologetically fascist.
Just to help with a visual aid this is a photo of them campaigning. The clothing and hair choices of a couple and the gulag might help work out their view on life. Cosplay Adolf on one end and man with secret urges for men in SS uniforms on the other.
Why is vanilla making photos pointlessly small
I enjoy a good PB photo. Whether it’s someone’s dinner, view, wife, husband, husband and wife, Nordic dog, favourite Scottish train station, or Lakeland garden in springtime
They add variety, personality and gaiety to the site. They brighten up the place. Like photos in a magazine
Otherwise it’s an endless scroll of text
Bring back proper PB photos!
There is an cheering bit of PB schadenfreude when someone makes a momentous point 'Look at the HUGE turnout to the Green Party rally' only to be cruelly undermined by a photo with size issues.
It's like someone dropping a plate in a restaurant.
True. The bathos can be amusing
Nonetheless I genuinely enjoy the PB photos, they can be delightfully unexpected. “Dog for scale” is one of our better in-jokes
I see that @TSE has explained upthread that it’s because some fools are breaking the sensible 1 photo a day limit
That’s certainly not me, I barely post one a week. But whoever it is: STOP DOING IT
Is Vanilla clever enough not to count separately each quoted photo in a subthread?
It is unnecessary photos that annoy me: copy and paste text; don't screenshot it.
Iran looks like it might kick off any minute now. There’s another dozen American tanker aircraft heading across the Atlantic as we speak. It’s looking like the biggest US military buildup operation since Desert Storm.
If Trump’s bluffing with Khameni, it’s one hell of a show of force he’s projecting.
Not that I’m worried at all, sitting in a pub about 150 miles from Iran…
"In an effort to change their fortunes, residents voted for Brexit nearly a decade ago. Since then, official data shows the area has become poorer still and last May, people decided to toss the political dice once more by voting Reform."
I wonder how these voters will feel after Reform's planned budget cuts, NHS privatisation etc.
Youth unemployment is now higher in the UK than the EU for the first time since we started recording the figures, apparently.
Another Brexit dividend.
Fuck knows why anyone believes Brexit's chief propagandist can sort out the mess he created.
(Also FPT, as somewhat on topic.)
Blaming Brexit - the last refuge of the progressive loon whose policies over nearly 30 years have utterly wrecked the country.
Half of the last 30 years have had Conservative Prime Ministers in number 10.
The UK has the sixth largest GDP in the world. We're 20th on GDP per capita. We're 17th on the Economist's Democracy Index. We're 3rd on number of scientific publications and keep winning Nobel prizes (two last year, four the year before). We're 5th by military expenditure. And we're 13th in the Winter Olympics medals table so far! It doesn't seem like the country is "utterly wrecked".
Spreadsheets don’t win wars - it’s clear that our military has a huge problem. From the spending on Ajax and other failed projects, the huge cost of trident being taken out of the military budget so whilst budget it big it’s not conventionally effective. We’ve seen the latest where NATO troops were wiped out in an exercise against Ukrainian kit and tactics.
So one really needs to get a grip of the MOD and military and have a brutal focus on the kit we need now and near future for the only wars we should be involved in.
Sell Chagos to the US for starters and use the money on buying the rights to build tested kit and building the factories to make them here under licence.
But it's clear that our military might is much greater than Portugal's, or Ecuador's, or Panama's, or Ghana's, or Malaysia's, or many other countries. Sure, you can discuss whether we are spending our money as effectively as possible, but that's irrelevant to the point being made, which is that @Luckyguy1983 is a doommonger prone to exaggeration.
But it's much less than other countries too: we have fewer tanks than Algeria.
We need enough kit (and the skill to make it work) to win the wars we expect to fight. Those are currently a Russian invasion in the Baltics, a Chinese invasion of Taiwan, and (hopefully not) an Argentinian invasion of the Falklands. We don't. We're not even close. Telling me how much we are spending doesn't help.
And does that change whether @Luckyguy1983 is a doommonger prone to exaggeration?
"In an effort to change their fortunes, residents voted for Brexit nearly a decade ago. Since then, official data shows the area has become poorer still and last May, people decided to toss the political dice once more by voting Reform."
I wonder how these voters will feel after Reform's planned budget cuts, NHS privatisation etc.
Youth unemployment is now higher in the UK than the EU for the first time since we started recording the figures, apparently.
Another Brexit dividend.
Fuck knows why anyone believes Brexit's chief propagandist can sort out the mess he created.
(Also FPT, as somewhat on topic.)
Blaming Brexit - the last refuge of the progressive loon whose policies over nearly 30 years have utterly wrecked the country.
Half of the last 30 years have had Conservative Prime Ministers in number 10.
The UK has the sixth largest GDP in the world. We're 20th on GDP per capita. We're 17th on the Economist's Democracy Index. We're 3rd on number of scientific publications and keep winning Nobel prizes (two last year, four the year before). We're 5th by military expenditure. And we're 13th in the Winter Olympics medals table so far! It doesn't seem like the country is "utterly wrecked".
Spreadsheets don’t win wars - it’s clear that our military has a huge problem. From the spending on Ajax and other failed projects, the huge cost of trident being taken out of the military budget so whilst budget it big it’s not conventionally effective. We’ve seen the latest where NATO troops were wiped out in an exercise against Ukrainian kit and tactics.
So one really needs to get a grip of the MOD and military and have a brutal focus on the kit we need now and near future for the only wars we should be involved in.
Sell Chagos to the US for starters and use the money on buying the rights to build tested kit and building the factories to make them here under licence.
But it's clear that our military might is much greater than Portugal's, or Ecuador's, or Panama's, or Ghana's, or Malaysia's, or many other countries. Sure, you can discuss whether we are spending our money as effectively as possible, but that's irrelevant to the point being made, which is that @Luckyguy1983 is a doommonger prone to exaggeration.
But it's much less than other countries too: we have fewer tanks than Algeria.
We need enough kit (and the skill to make it work) to win the wars we expect to fight. Those are currently a Russian invasion in the Baltics, a Chinese invasion of Taiwan, and (hopefully not) an Argentinian invasion of the Falklands. We don't. We're not even close. Telling me how much we are spending doesn't help.
I don’t think we have any business getting involved with China/Taiwan. Protect Europe/North Atlantic and the Falklands and Any overseas territories at risk but a huge war in Taiwan - there is nothing we can add that would affect the result and would be simply left with many dead military and much lost kit for nothing.
9,710 UK medical graduate applications to specialty training programmes.
6,913 International medical graduate applications to speciality training programmes.
In 2025:
12,316 UK medical graduate applications to specialty training programmes.
20,807 International medical graduate applications to speciality training programmes.
No wonder UK grads now finish university, do two years on the job training as foundation doctors and then end up unemployed.
Number of grad applications though increased for both UK and overseas applicants but the number of doctor and consultant training places hasn't. There are only 12,000 such training places a year and only 23% of overseas applicants are successful compared to 69% of UK applicants
Yes, but that means 5 000 successful IMG applications out of 12 807 places, so over a 3rd of ST places go to IMGs.
Yes but given the majority of applications are from overseas now that is a far lower success rate for ST places than UK applicants
That isn’t the point. The point is that we (i.e. the country) have paid a lot of money to train our best and brightest as doctors to leave them unemployed. That’s a ridiculous state of affairs.
So ban immigrants from overseas taking medical jobs then I presume, British doctor jobs for only British medical grads! Nige and Rupert would be proud of you!
Alternatively, give anyone graduating from a U.K. university absolute priority for a training place.
Which is effectively the same thing, given there are 12,316 UK medical grad applicants and only 12,000 training places available
Some applicants will apply for more than one training programme so not quite
'The government has put an offer to the British Medical Association (BMA) that would put in place emergency legislation for UK and Republic of Ireland medical graduates and doctors who have worked in the NHS for a significant period of time to be prioritised for specialty training and tackling bottlenecks through an overhaul of recruitment for medical training. Should the BMA accept this offer, the government will accelerate plans to prioritise these medics, addressing the current system that has led to soaring competition ratios - with current applicants set to benefit from the 2026 intake.
This should be held off and only implemented once the strikes have been called off and the union commits to no further action this negotiation cycle.
Some doctors are voting to strike due to pay, others are voting to strike due to training programme availability. This possibly vastly reduces the appetite to strike without having to agree anything.
It’s also the right thing to do and doesn’t cost anything.
Yep I think there's two camps here, one justifiably mad (Docs that can't get in such as your other half); the other... not so much. I reckon there's probably something like this going on with GPs too - GP partnerships who have completely overloaded their books and refuse to take on salaried GPs as they've got used to big old profit shares.
The GP partnership model is broken.
Starmer has stated that the traditional GP partnership model is "coming to an end of its life" and that the NHS needs more salaried GPs. The government is trialling local health centres with salaried GPs. This is a positive move that doesn't get as much attention as it should.
Brewdog sold 22% of itself to private equity in 2019 - they will always have contracts that say they get money before any other shareholder.
I suspect the issue was that the other crowdfunded share holders didn't understand what the other shareholders meant..
I put the minimum £90 in, and took out £400 when the opportunity was given. The rest will be lost. Later rounds I think didn't get the opportunity to withdraw, but I forget the details.
Investment genius, me. Just this morning I was looking at my £20,000 ISA in an investment trust from four or five years ago and it is still there, all £20,000 of it. Just as safe as putting it under the mattress, and just as lucrative.
9,710 UK medical graduate applications to specialty training programmes.
6,913 International medical graduate applications to speciality training programmes.
In 2025:
12,316 UK medical graduate applications to specialty training programmes.
20,807 International medical graduate applications to speciality training programmes.
No wonder UK grads now finish university, do two years on the job training as foundation doctors and then end up unemployed.
Number of grad applications though increased for both UK and overseas applicants but the number of doctor and consultant training places hasn't. There are only 12,000 such training places a year and only 23% of overseas applicants are successful compared to 69% of UK applicants
Yes, but that means 5 000 successful IMG applications out of 12 807 places, so over a 3rd of ST places go to IMGs.
Yes but given the majority of applications are from overseas now that is a far lower success rate for ST places than UK applicants
That isn’t the point. The point is that we (i.e. the country) have paid a lot of money to train our best and brightest as doctors to leave them unemployed. That’s a ridiculous state of affairs.
So ban immigrants from overseas taking medical jobs then I presume, British doctor jobs for only British medical grads! Nige and Rupert would be proud of you!
Alternatively, give anyone graduating from a U.K. university absolute priority for a training place.
Which is effectively the same thing, given there are 12,316 UK medical grad applicants and only 12,000 training places available
Some applicants will apply for more than one training programme so not quite
'The government has put an offer to the British Medical Association (BMA) that would put in place emergency legislation for UK and Republic of Ireland medical graduates and doctors who have worked in the NHS for a significant period of time to be prioritised for specialty training and tackling bottlenecks through an overhaul of recruitment for medical training. Should the BMA accept this offer, the government will accelerate plans to prioritise these medics, addressing the current system that has led to soaring competition ratios - with current applicants set to benefit from the 2026 intake.
This should be held off and only implemented once the strikes have been called off and the union commits to no further action this negotiation cycle.
Some doctors are voting to strike due to pay, others are voting to strike due to training programme availability. This possibly vastly reduces the appetite to strike without having to agree anything.
It’s also the right thing to do and doesn’t cost anything.
Yep I think there's two camps here, one justifiably mad (Docs that can't get in such as your other half); the other... not so much. I reckon there's probably something like this going on with GPs too - GP partnerships who have completely overloaded their books and refuse to take on salaried GPs as they've got used to big old profit shares.
The GP partnership model is broken.
Starmer has stated that the traditional GP partnership model is "coming to an end of its life" and that the NHS needs more salaried GPs. The government is trialling local health centres with salaried GPs. This is a positive move that doesn't get as much attention as it should.
This all goes back to GPs in 1945 being opposed to the creation of the NHS, so the government let them stay out of the system and remain independent.
Comments
But lastly, cheer up. In the end, no matter how bad the depressions, or how annoying the nappies, very few people regret becoming a parent. It will be the same for Fascism. In ten years’ time we’ll look through the kitchen window of renewed prosperity, watch the laughing Centrist Dads playing football with our smiling Fascist child, and we’ll quietly sip tea from a swastika mug, and we’ll think: best thing I ever did.
"Look, I'm terribly sorry about this, but would you mind terribly if I were to ask you and your family to just go with my colleague here - gosh, yes, the one with the big gun. He's actually a lovely guy. I know, I hate to ask. The camp is a little bit make do and mend I'm afraid. That's on us, I am just so sorry. It's embarrassing actually. You can speak with my manager if it helps at all. I'm only here for the flags."
They haven't dealt in fact since the days of Thatcher.
The mantra tell a lie often enough and it will be believed.
And finishing behind the Loonies and Communists would be Bootle 1990/continuing SDP territory anyway
The more images on a thread then Vanilla shrinks them.
I’ll fix it later when I’m back in front of my laptop.
Other measures in the offer include:
creating 4,000 more specialty training places, with 1,000 of these brought forward to this year
cost-related measures, such as reimbursement for exam fees, to address the unique costs that resident doctors face
increasing the less-than-full-time allowance by 50% to £1,500'
https://www.gov.uk/government/news/government-to-prioritise-uk-medical-graduates-for-training-places#:~:text=Press release-,Government to prioritise UK medical graduates for training places,MP Published 10 December 2025
It’s an idea with merit
Reform aint winning jack
Win, win, win…
Cabaret and all that…
Mr XYZ bought a house for £200k in 2000 and he could sell it now for £500k. But until he does, that £300k is notional.
Claiming a £300k sized lump of the national wealth, shared national wealth, exists in the hands of a million XYZs is clearly bonkers. That would be £300bn. How could it ever be realised?
There’s some economist laughing somewhere.
Ha ha they fell by 0.5% in January.
It's probably one of the older economists, who have that asset safe and secure and got it at a fraction of the cost of their grandchildren would have to pay for similar.
Followed by “Wut? Where did all the gains go?”
Though it only increased from 3.6% in July 2022 to 4.1% in July 2024 but has now reached 5.2%:
https://www.ons.gov.uk/employmentandlabourmarket/peoplenotinwork/unemployment/timeseries/mgsx/lms
Perhaps a more interesting question is why is youth unemployment so much higher than general unemployment.
3Jesus replied, “Very truly I tell you, no one can see the kingdom of God unless they are born again. ”
“How can someone be born when they are old?” Nicodemus asked. “Surely they cannot enter a second time into their mother’s womb to be born!”
https://biblehub.com/niv/john/3.htm
Many people from the USA will be familiar with that language, less so in the UK.
But even in the Book of Common Prayer language around "regenerate" is used in Adult Baptism servuce: "these persons are regenerate and grafted into the body of Christ's Church".
(I have not met a Regenerate Britain Party yet.)
Johh Wesley himself spoke of the "new birth":
https://wesley.nnu.edu/john-wesley/the-sermons-of-john-wesley-1872-edition/sermon-45-the-new-birth/
There's going to be a tussle over coming years as to what these words which are being appropriated to apply to politics in the country, rather than spiritually to an individual, come to mean in popular culture. Enthusiasts trying to make Jesus into some kind of revolutionary king are in the Gospels trying something similar, and Christian Nationalists try to promote similar interpretations.
(That was perhaps too much detail for a Wednesday, but we do need to get to grips with the dynamics that are being imported.)
Whatever the inefficiencies of EU regional aid (and it's debatable whether they were worse than our own highly centralised government), they did at least present something of a counterbalance to the extraordinary tendency of London to keeep resources to itself.
One of the Brexit promises was that government would replace that aid funding. It hasn't.
It’s also the right thing to do and doesn’t cost anything.
Quite frankly striking for pay when there is massive oversupply into the labour market doesn’t strike me as sensible. I expect they will end up like the Birmingham Bin Workers. Two sides entrenched and a settlement not likely without a major shift.
Last I looked (which was not recently to be fair) paying by age bands was quite standard in many entry-level jobs, such as hospitality and retail.
And why should it not be?
Youth unemployment is far higher than regular unemployment, so a lower rate makes sense economically based on supply and demand.
Furthermore given most people aren't parents nowadays until after 21, costs are generally lower too. Especially if working for beer money.
Companies that offer someone a first-time job, that can generate work experience and lead on to later, better work are not cowboys.
https://yougov.co.uk/politics/articles/54117-what-is-the-tactical-voting-landscape-in-february-2026?utm_source=website_article&utm_medium=twitter&utm_campaign=54117
The UK has the sixth largest GDP in the world. We're 20th on GDP per capita. We're 17th on the Economist's Democracy Index. We're 3rd on number of scientific publications and keep winning Nobel prizes (two last year, four the year before). We're 5th by military expenditure. And we're 13th in the Winter Olympics medals table so far! It doesn't seem like the country is "utterly wrecked".
Found it: the Hitch Hiker "Demands of the Philosophers".
https://youtu.be/GHZzh2Wv9lg?t=51
If a settled status EU citizen went into a British Uni, then they'd be counted within the 12,316 UK medical grad applicants surely?
Maldon, Castle Point, Rayleigh, Brentwood all look set for a showdown
Those disks are currently worth £40-50 each at CEX. I'm rather glad I did all my hardware upgrades last year.
So one really needs to get a grip of the MOD and military and have a brutal focus on the kit we need now and near future for the only wars we should be involved in.
Sell Chagos to the US for starters and use the money on buying the rights to build tested kit and building the factories to make them here under licence.
A 1% then / 2% wealth tax on over ten million / one billion will be an interesting exercise. I’d do it just to watch.
https://www.youtube.com/shorts/8BASjekDogI
TAIWAN
Heh
The Rest is Entertainment takes a look, but what it does not mention is both companies signed up Donald Trump Jr, no doubt for his entrepreneurial drive and not to keep the White House off their back.
If that makes the cost of land go down, even better.
The country has a finite supply of land, those who own a portion of it should pay a portion of the country's upkeep costs.
It is better than taxing income, which people work for and is not finite.
Good wage growth surely is needed to deflate house price to income ratios?
We need enough kit (and the skill to make it work) to win the wars we expect to fight. Those are currently a Russian invasion in the Baltics, a Chinese invasion of Taiwan, and (hopefully not) an Argentinian invasion of the Falklands. We don't. We're not even close. Telling me how much we are spending doesn't help.
‘ I invested £12,000 in Brewdog - I think I've lost it all’
https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/articles/c795879x08go?xtor=AL-71-[partner]-[bbc.news.twitter]-[headline]-[news]-[bizdev]-[isapi]&at_campaign_type=owned&at_link_id=5767D97C-0C6E-11F1-88E7-E7CBC50A0EFC&at_link_type=web_link&at_bbc_team=editorial&at_campaign=Social_Flow&at_medium=social&at_ptr_name=twitter&at_format=link&at_link_origin=BBCNews
I enjoy a good PB photo. Whether it’s someone’s dinner, view, wife, husband, husband and wife, Nordic dog, favourite Scottish train station, or Lakeland garden in springtime
They add variety, personality and gaiety to the site. They brighten up the place. Like photos in a magazine
Otherwise it’s an endless scroll of text
Bring back proper PB photos!
Brewdog sold 22% of itself to private equity in 2019 - they will always have contracts that say they get money before any other shareholder.
I suspect the issue was that the other crowdfunded share holders didn't understand what the other shareholders meant..
You know @TSE is also away this week?
Cue China?
It's like someone dropping a plate in a restaurant.
Nonetheless I genuinely enjoy the PB photos, they can be delightfully unexpected. “Dog for scale” is one of our better in-jokes
I see that @TSE has explained upthread that it’s because some fools are breaking the sensible 1 photo a day limit
That’s certainly not me, I barely post one a week. But whoever it is: STOP DOING IT
It is unnecessary photos that annoy me: copy and paste text; don't screenshot it.
"TfL advert banned for harmful racial stereotype"
Laughable from the ASA.
If Trump’s bluffing with Khameni, it’s one hell of a show of force he’s projecting.
Not that I’m worried at all, sitting in a pub about 150 miles from Iran…
It’s just incredible, isn’t it?
We are the only culture which is overtly racist but ONLY racist against its native population
I cannot think of an equivalent in history. If humanity survives this century we will look back on this phenomenon with total incredulity
Starmer has stated that the traditional GP partnership model is "coming to an end of its life" and that the NHS needs more salaried GPs. The government is trialling local health centres with salaried GPs. This is a positive move that doesn't get as much attention as it should.
https://x.com/fhollande/status/2024043559070904333
https://x.com/chriso_wiki/status/2024039105101701506
Two-tier Vladimir.