We are going to need a kind of counter Reformation
“In the last few days, jury trials have been scrapped, Churchill has been taken off bank notes and hereditary peers have been booted. England’s cultural heritage is being gutted terrifyingly quickly.”
“Ok so in the news this week it's quite clear the UK is undergoing a Cultural Revolution.
The Chinese Cultural Revolution attacked "The 4 Olds" in an attempt to destroy the past.
The UK is no different. The 4 Olds of the UK: 1. Old History - removal of historic figures from banknotes 2. Old Legal Rights - Removal of Jury Trials 3. Old Government - Removal of Hereditary Peers 4. Old Alliances - Destroying alliances across Europe, the Middle East and with the US to avoid upsetting "communities" in a handful of constituencies.”
Incredible. You can't even be right when you quote someone else.
1. Old History - removal of historic figures from banknotes - historical figures have only been on banknotes since the 70s. The monarch has ony been on them since the 50s. Clearly we were in a void of unremembering before then only to be enlightened when the Bank of England put the Duke of Wellington on fivers. 2. Old Legal Rights - Removal of Jury Trials Jury trials are not being "removed". They are being limited, not removed. 3. Old Government - Removal of Hereditary Peers Hereditary peers are being removed from the Legislature. HM Government is the executive. 4. Old Alliances - Destroying alliances across Europe, the Middle East and with the US to avoid upsetting "communities" in a handful of constituencies. Oh fuck off, seriously, just fuck off.
You are, in many ways, a remarkable human being. Not remarkable in the way that, say, Napoleon was remarkable, or Keats, or even that bloke who free-climbed El Capitan in under four hours. No. You are remarkable in a much rarer, much more statistically improbable sense. You have never, in living memory, been right about anything. You provide the dark mirror to reliable epistemic guidance.
There will be no smoking guns in these Mandy files. Embarassing stuff, probably in the second lot things that piss off Trump some more as that will be messages from when Mandy was in his role. But Starmer will "brave" it out by making others answer the questions (so much for his quotes about leadership at the CPS), and the world will more on.
We are going to need a kind of counter Reformation
“In the last few days, jury trials have been scrapped, Churchill has been taken off bank notes and hereditary peers have been booted. England’s cultural heritage is being gutted terrifyingly quickly.”
“Ok so in the news this week it's quite clear the UK is undergoing a Cultural Revolution.
The Chinese Cultural Revolution attacked "The 4 Olds" in an attempt to destroy the past.
The UK is no different. The 4 Olds of the UK: 1. Old History - removal of historic figures from banknotes 2. Old Legal Rights - Removal of Jury Trials 3. Old Government - Removal of Hereditary Peers 4. Old Alliances - Destroying alliances across Europe, the Middle East and with the US to avoid upsetting "communities" in a handful of constituencies.”
No, hereditary peers are Unelected Never-Beens, whereas life peers making up the new House of Lords are Unelected Has-Beens. You have to have done something to become a life peer.
We are going to need a kind of counter Reformation
“In the last few days, jury trials have been scrapped, Churchill has been taken off bank notes and hereditary peers have been booted. England’s cultural heritage is being gutted terrifyingly quickly.”
“Ok so in the news this week it's quite clear the UK is undergoing a Cultural Revolution.
The Chinese Cultural Revolution attacked "The 4 Olds" in an attempt to destroy the past.
The UK is no different. The 4 Olds of the UK: 1. Old History - removal of historic figures from banknotes 2. Old Legal Rights - Removal of Jury Trials 3. Old Government - Removal of Hereditary Peers 4. Old Alliances - Destroying alliances across Europe, the Middle East and with the US to avoid upsetting "communities" in a handful of constituencies.”
Ironically, the remaining hereditaries are probably some of the best parliamentarians we have.
My observation is that the political classes, these days, are often made up the sort of people you least want running things - on a sliding scale from the overly ambitious to the downright megalomaniac. The hereditaries - accidents of birth - mixed things up a bit and some (god forbid) were actually interested in old ideas like public service.
Not for nothing did Clement Attlee say the best PM of his lifetime was the 3rd Marquess of Salisbury. Attlee himself, being an unusually modest and sane individual, happily agreed to becoming the 1st Earl Attlee. His grandson will, presumably, lose his place in the Lords.
Jonathon Powell stated the Mandy appointment was 'weirdly rushed' Oops
No wonder Starmer was angry at PMQs with these revelations
He wanted a political appointment and ignored all the warnings about the inappropriateness of Mandelsons past and connections. Same as Johnson knew Pincher was a groper and appointed him anyway.
We are going to need a kind of counter Reformation
“In the last few days, jury trials have been scrapped, Churchill has been taken off bank notes and hereditary peers have been booted. England’s cultural heritage is being gutted terrifyingly quickly.”
“Ok so in the news this week it's quite clear the UK is undergoing a Cultural Revolution.
The Chinese Cultural Revolution attacked "The 4 Olds" in an attempt to destroy the past.
The UK is no different. The 4 Olds of the UK: 1. Old History - removal of historic figures from banknotes 2. Old Legal Rights - Removal of Jury Trials 3. Old Government - Removal of Hereditary Peers 4. Old Alliances - Destroying alliances across Europe, the Middle East and with the US to avoid upsetting "communities" in a handful of constituencies.”
Starmers briefing on Mandelson confirned general reputational risk in appointing him and warned of possible Russia and China links. Mandelson tried to fet a 500 grand pay off. We paid him 75 grand and Olly Robbins covered it up by 'not publishing' it
First tranche.... lol
He was always going to look for ways to supplement his salary at 75k...
Lord Mandelson described Epstein as “young and vibrant”.
“He is safe (whatever that means) and Clinton is now doing a lot of travelling with him,” the note read. “I think TB would be interested in meeting Jeffrey, who is also a friend of mine, because Jeffrey is an active scientific catalyst/entrepreneur as well as someone who has his finger on the pulse of many worldwide markets and currencies.”
We are going to need a kind of counter Reformation
“In the last few days, jury trials have been scrapped, Churchill has been taken off bank notes and hereditary peers have been booted. England’s cultural heritage is being gutted terrifyingly quickly.”
“Ok so in the news this week it's quite clear the UK is undergoing a Cultural Revolution.
The Chinese Cultural Revolution attacked "The 4 Olds" in an attempt to destroy the past.
The UK is no different. The 4 Olds of the UK: 1. Old History - removal of historic figures from banknotes 2. Old Legal Rights - Removal of Jury Trials 3. Old Government - Removal of Hereditary Peers 4. Old Alliances - Destroying alliances across Europe, the Middle East and with the US to avoid upsetting "communities" in a handful of constituencies.”
Too fucking busy to be outraged. But it is drearily obvious this government, this Woke "elite", hates anything and everything British, ppartly coz they just do, but also in case something "British" offends someone non British, and so the entire country is being turned into beigeland of meaninglessness
There will be no smoking guns in these Mandy files. Embarassing stuff, probably in the second lot things that piss off Trump some more as that will be messages from when Mandy was in his role. But Starmer will "brave" it out by making others answer the questions (so much for his quotes about leadership at the CPS), and the world will more on.
Starmer is saved by what’s going on in the world right now. No-one on his side has any great desire to move against him now, not while there’s a war on and he can still take the flak for May.
We are going to need a kind of counter Reformation
“In the last few days, jury trials have been scrapped, Churchill has been taken off bank notes and hereditary peers have been booted. England’s cultural heritage is being gutted terrifyingly quickly.”
“Ok so in the news this week it's quite clear the UK is undergoing a Cultural Revolution.
The Chinese Cultural Revolution attacked "The 4 Olds" in an attempt to destroy the past.
The UK is no different. The 4 Olds of the UK: 1. Old History - removal of historic figures from banknotes 2. Old Legal Rights - Removal of Jury Trials 3. Old Government - Removal of Hereditary Peers 4. Old Alliances - Destroying alliances across Europe, the Middle East and with the US to avoid upsetting "communities" in a handful of constituencies.”
The bank notes is because it’s time to start the next set of security redesigns - and the BoE decided to have a public consultation on it. Surely they remember Boaty McBoatface but clearly they didn’t
What’s wrong with just doing the security redesign?
A public consultation will likely get hijacked by the sort of people who think we shouldn’t have a king and that Churchill was the bad guy in WWII.
The $100 Bill has been a Benjamin Franklin for decades.
We are going to need a kind of counter Reformation
“In the last few days, jury trials have been scrapped, Churchill has been taken off bank notes and hereditary peers have been booted. England’s cultural heritage is being gutted terrifyingly quickly.”
“Ok so in the news this week it's quite clear the UK is undergoing a Cultural Revolution.
The Chinese Cultural Revolution attacked "The 4 Olds" in an attempt to destroy the past.
The UK is no different. The 4 Olds of the UK: 1. Old History - removal of historic figures from banknotes 2. Old Legal Rights - Removal of Jury Trials 3. Old Government - Removal of Hereditary Peers 4. Old Alliances - Destroying alliances across Europe, the Middle East and with the US to avoid upsetting "communities" in a handful of constituencies.”
The bank notes is because it’s time to start the next set of security redesigns - and the BoE decided to have a public consultation on it. Surely they remember Boaty McBoatface but clearly they didn’t
What’s wrong with just doing the security redesign?
The $100 Bill has been a Benjamin Franklin for decades.
The longer a note is in circulation with the same design the easier it is create fake versions of them.
Grateful to @SenJeffMerkley for allowing me time to explain the con job that Trump has pulled when it comes to "enforcing the law." As I say: "It's a total misdirection to blame the county when the Department of Homeland Security isn't even following the law that they passed." https://x.com/David_J_Bier/status/2031484706919776441
This exchange between David Bier and Sen Foghorn Leghorn (R-LA) is something else. Kennedy thinks he has him in three separate gotcha moments, but not so fast Bier had his number. The clip is a bit long but it’s 3 minutes of Kennedy getting owned. https://x.com/cardon_brian/status/2031430115012301114
Talking about Due Diligence .... "President Trump’s nominee for a State Department role withdrew himself from consideration on Tuesday after lawmakers questioned his past comments on race."
Seems he has a theory that doesn't quite sit well with GOP but seems OK with the White House.
Carl has said he believes in the “great replacement theory,” a conspiracy that suggests Jewish elites are working to replace white European populations with non-white immigrants.
"There you have it, in black and white. The PM, Keir Starmer, warned in the clearest possible terms that Peter Mandelson maintained his relationship [with Epstein] after the conviction.. there is no escape from this"
We are going to need a kind of counter Reformation
“In the last few days, jury trials have been scrapped, Churchill has been taken off bank notes and hereditary peers have been booted. England’s cultural heritage is being gutted terrifyingly quickly.”
“Ok so in the news this week it's quite clear the UK is undergoing a Cultural Revolution.
The Chinese Cultural Revolution attacked "The 4 Olds" in an attempt to destroy the past.
The UK is no different. The 4 Olds of the UK: 1. Old History - removal of historic figures from banknotes 2. Old Legal Rights - Removal of Jury Trials 3. Old Government - Removal of Hereditary Peers 4. Old Alliances - Destroying alliances across Europe, the Middle East and with the US to avoid upsetting "communities" in a handful of constituencies.”
The bank notes is because it’s time to start the next set of security redesigns - and the BoE decided to have a public consultation on it. Surely they remember Boaty McBoatface but clearly they didn’t
What’s wrong with just doing the security redesign?
A public consultation will likely get hijacked by the sort of people who think we shouldn’t have a king and that Churchill was the bad guy in WWII.
The $100 Bill has been a Benjamin Franklin for decades.
Well... I don't think we should have a King, but I'm adamant Winston Churchill was a hero and definitely the good guy in WWII. Even back in 1919, he stood up for the Indians murdered by General Dyer.
We are going to need a kind of counter Reformation
“In the last few days, jury trials have been scrapped, Churchill has been taken off bank notes and hereditary peers have been booted. England’s cultural heritage is being gutted terrifyingly quickly.”
“Ok so in the news this week it's quite clear the UK is undergoing a Cultural Revolution.
The Chinese Cultural Revolution attacked "The 4 Olds" in an attempt to destroy the past.
The UK is no different. The 4 Olds of the UK: 1. Old History - removal of historic figures from banknotes 2. Old Legal Rights - Removal of Jury Trials 3. Old Government - Removal of Hereditary Peers 4. Old Alliances - Destroying alliances across Europe, the Middle East and with the US to avoid upsetting "communities" in a handful of constituencies.”
The bank notes is because it’s time to start the next set of security redesigns - and the BoE decided to have a public consultation on it. Surely they remember Boaty McBoatface but clearly they didn’t
What’s wrong with just doing the security redesign?
The $100 Bill has been a Benjamin Franklin for decades.
The longer a note is in circulation with the same design the easier it is create fake versions of them.
As was pointed out on here earlier the figures on bank notes is fairly modern.
So you can say it involves removing history from our notes and a celebration of our national figures but it is not some ancient custom to put them on notes.
The $100 will have Trump and not Franklin on it before too long.
"There you have it, in black and white. The PM, Keir Starmer, warned in the clearest possible terms that Peter Mandelson maintained his relationship [with Epstein] after the conviction.. there is no escape from this"
Misleading the house. Serious matter. Opposition and press should go in for the kill. Even if he clings on like a turd pellet on arse hair the even more damaging stuff to come will flush him
We are going to need a kind of counter Reformation
“In the last few days, jury trials have been scrapped, Churchill has been taken off bank notes and hereditary peers have been booted. England’s cultural heritage is being gutted terrifyingly quickly.”
“Ok so in the news this week it's quite clear the UK is undergoing a Cultural Revolution.
The Chinese Cultural Revolution attacked "The 4 Olds" in an attempt to destroy the past.
The UK is no different. The 4 Olds of the UK: 1. Old History - removal of historic figures from banknotes 2. Old Legal Rights - Removal of Jury Trials 3. Old Government - Removal of Hereditary Peers 4. Old Alliances - Destroying alliances across Europe, the Middle East and with the US to avoid upsetting "communities" in a handful of constituencies.”
The bank notes is because it’s time to start the next set of security redesigns - and the BoE decided to have a public consultation on it. Surely they remember Boaty McBoatface but clearly they didn’t
What’s wrong with just doing the security redesign?
The $100 Bill has been a Benjamin Franklin for decades.
The longer a note is in circulation with the same design the easier it is create fake versions of them.
As was pointed out on here earlier the figures on bank notes is fairly modern.
So you can say it involves removing history from our notes and a celebration of our national figures but it is not some ancient custom to put them on notes.
The $100 will have Trump and not Franklin on it before too long.
Such is our rich history we could change the person on the bank of notes yearly and we still wouldn’t cover all the best people in a century.
Would they have been able to apply for visa to get to the US? Suspect that a football team, their families, all the ticket holders and the Iran FA staff might have wanted to extend their stay in the US rather than going home to get bombed.
Yes, team visas are part of the deal with FIFA.
The problem for Iran is that boycotting the WC may mean a ban from international competition for some years.
I suspect they may have more problems than just that.
We are going to need a kind of counter Reformation
“In the last few days, jury trials have been scrapped, Churchill has been taken off bank notes and hereditary peers have been booted. England’s cultural heritage is being gutted terrifyingly quickly.”
“Ok so in the news this week it's quite clear the UK is undergoing a Cultural Revolution.
The Chinese Cultural Revolution attacked "The 4 Olds" in an attempt to destroy the past.
The UK is no different. The 4 Olds of the UK: 1. Old History - removal of historic figures from banknotes 2. Old Legal Rights - Removal of Jury Trials 3. Old Government - Removal of Hereditary Peers 4. Old Alliances - Destroying alliances across Europe, the Middle East and with the US to avoid upsetting "communities" in a handful of constituencies.”
Ironically, the remaining hereditaries are probably some of the best parliamentarians we have.
My observation is that the political classes, these days, are often made up the sort of people you least want running things - on a sliding scale from the overly ambitious to the downright megalomaniac. The hereditaries - accidents of birth - mixed things up a bit and some (god forbid) were actually interested in old ideas like public service.
Not for nothing did Clement Attlee say the best PM of his lifetime was the 3rd Marquess of Salisbury. Attlee himself, being an unusually modest and sane individual, happily agreed to becoming the 1st Earl Attlee. His grandson will, presumably, lose his place in the Lords.
some of the hereditaries have been given life peerage to get the deal through iirc. Maybe Atlee was one??
We are going to need a kind of counter Reformation
“In the last few days, jury trials have been scrapped, Churchill has been taken off bank notes and hereditary peers have been booted. England’s cultural heritage is being gutted terrifyingly quickly.”
“Ok so in the news this week it's quite clear the UK is undergoing a Cultural Revolution.
The Chinese Cultural Revolution attacked "The 4 Olds" in an attempt to destroy the past.
The UK is no different. The 4 Olds of the UK: 1. Old History - removal of historic figures from banknotes 2. Old Legal Rights - Removal of Jury Trials 3. Old Government - Removal of Hereditary Peers 4. Old Alliances - Destroying alliances across Europe, the Middle East and with the US to avoid upsetting "communities" in a handful of constituencies.”
Incredible. You can't even be right when you quote someone else.
1. Old History - removal of historic figures from banknotes - historical figures have only been on banknotes since the 70s. The monarch has ony been on them since the 50s. Clearly we were in a void of unremembering before then only to be enlightened when the Bank of England put the Duke of Wellington on fivers. 2. Old Legal Rights - Removal of Jury Trials Jury trials are not being "removed". They are being limited, not removed. 3. Old Government - Removal of Hereditary Peers Hereditary peers are being removed from the Legislature. HM Government is the executive. 4. Old Alliances - Destroying alliances across Europe, the Middle East and with the US to avoid upsetting "communities" in a handful of constituencies. Oh fuck off, seriously, just fuck off.
You are, in many ways, a remarkable human being. Not remarkable in the way that, say, Napoleon was remarkable, or Keats, or even that bloke who free-climbed El Capitan in under four hours. No. You are remarkable in a much rarer, much more statistically improbable sense. You have never, in living memory, been right about anything. You provide the dark mirror to reliable epistemic guidance.
My last putdown really hurt you, didn't it? It was two days back. Get over it, man
It is becomiming very obvious that Starmer listened to Morgan McSweeney's advice who was a prodigy of Mandleson
Rigby suggesting Starmer was a passenger in this rather than overseeing it
How can a PM be a passenger when appointing the UK ambassador to the US ?
It used to be the case that we had such a good relationship with the US it didn't matter much who the two ambassadors were. The US used to hand it out to donors like a gong. Though with Trump it becomes important.
We are going to need a kind of counter Reformation
“In the last few days, jury trials have been scrapped, Churchill has been taken off bank notes and hereditary peers have been booted. England’s cultural heritage is being gutted terrifyingly quickly.”
“Ok so in the news this week it's quite clear the UK is undergoing a Cultural Revolution.
The Chinese Cultural Revolution attacked "The 4 Olds" in an attempt to destroy the past.
The UK is no different. The 4 Olds of the UK: 1. Old History - removal of historic figures from banknotes 2. Old Legal Rights - Removal of Jury Trials 3. Old Government - Removal of Hereditary Peers 4. Old Alliances - Destroying alliances across Europe, the Middle East and with the US to avoid upsetting "communities" in a handful of constituencies.”
The bank notes is because it’s time to start the next set of security redesigns - and the BoE decided to have a public consultation on it. Surely they remember Boaty McBoatface but clearly they didn’t
What’s wrong with just doing the security redesign?
The $100 Bill has been a Benjamin Franklin for decades.
The longer a note is in circulation with the same design the easier it is create fake versions of them.
Almost certainly untrue. Exactly the opposite I would guess.
When people used to write letters and use stamps definitive stamps were easy to recognise as the designs were well known. As the commemoratives became an ever increasing portion of Royal Mail's income, the chances of them being recognisable as genuine or fake deminished towards zero.
When in New Zealand two years ago, there were two different versions of every banknote and all featuring pretty pictures of all sorts of things. To us as non natives the chance of being fooled could have been absolute. But the designs were no more familiar to New Zealanders themselves as far as we could see as they were a lot further down the online banking route than we were in the UK. The only protection was it said something like Bank of New Zealand but if most had said Bank of Toytown they wouldn't have looked any more or less genuine.
We are going to need a kind of counter Reformation
“In the last few days, jury trials have been scrapped, Churchill has been taken off bank notes and hereditary peers have been booted. England’s cultural heritage is being gutted terrifyingly quickly.”
“Ok so in the news this week it's quite clear the UK is undergoing a Cultural Revolution.
The Chinese Cultural Revolution attacked "The 4 Olds" in an attempt to destroy the past.
The UK is no different. The 4 Olds of the UK: 1. Old History - removal of historic figures from banknotes 2. Old Legal Rights - Removal of Jury Trials 3. Old Government - Removal of Hereditary Peers 4. Old Alliances - Destroying alliances across Europe, the Middle East and with the US to avoid upsetting "communities" in a handful of constituencies.”
Incredible. You can't even be right when you quote someone else.
1. Old History - removal of historic figures from banknotes - historical figures have only been on banknotes since the 70s. The monarch has ony been on them since the 50s. Clearly we were in a void of unremembering before then only to be enlightened when the Bank of England put the Duke of Wellington on fivers. 2. Old Legal Rights - Removal of Jury Trials Jury trials are not being "removed". They are being limited, not removed. 3. Old Government - Removal of Hereditary Peers Hereditary peers are being removed from the Legislature. HM Government is the executive. 4. Old Alliances - Destroying alliances across Europe, the Middle East and with the US to avoid upsetting "communities" in a handful of constituencies. Oh fuck off, seriously, just fuck off.
You are, in many ways, a remarkable human being. Not remarkable in the way that, say, Napoleon was remarkable, or Keats, or even that bloke who free-climbed El Capitan in under four hours. No. You are remarkable in a much rarer, much more statistically improbable sense. You have never, in living memory, been right about anything. You provide the dark mirror to reliable epistemic guidance.
My last putdown really hurt you, didn't it? It was two days back. Get over it, man
Seems like an apposite riposte to me. And rather more polite.
WTF is happening at Dubai airport? Reports range from "virtually nothing, it's operating almost normally" to "it got hit by drones, there is mass panic"
As the UAE is now - apparently - jailing people for posting negative news/videos it's hard to see through the fog of war
But I do note that this is confirmed:
"Yes, confirmed. Citi instructed staff today to evacuate its Dubai offices in DIFC and Oud Metha due to heightened security concerns. This follows Iran's threats to target US/Israeli-linked banks amid the regional conflict (recent drone strikes near Dubai airport). Staff shifting to remote work; operations continue uninterrupted. Similar moves by Standard Chartered & others. Sources: AFP, Reuters, Daily Mail (Mar 11, 2026)."
All Iran has to do is lob a drone at Dubai airport, every few days, for a few months, making flying impossible (not least because of insurance issues, not just human fear and panic) and they can destroy the UAE economy
Glasgow Central Station update. Network Rail now have some access to the site, and are carrying out inspections, but the fire scene is still under control of the fire service. Once the fire service hands it to the council, there needs to be a decision on whether to shore up or demolish the Gordon St facade, and that needs to be done before the roads can reopen. There’s two lower-level platforms through which trains are passing. The main station won’t be open before Monday, and even then there might be only limited platforms and entrances available.
Its another nothing burger everyone will get very excited about.
The due diligence files simply collate what was already in the public eye at the time of his appointment as ambassador, and actually for many years before that. So these concerns could have been raised at the time of appointment, yet there were not just govt supporters but Spectator and Telegraph journalists praising Mandelson's appointment as sensible real politik knowing full well he was a wrong un.
Starmer took a risk on the appointment as he specifically wanted someone comfortable dealing with immoral, untrustworthy wrong uns, so chose our best immoral untrustworthy wrong un. That was a reasonable choice at the time for those who believe real politik can outrank moral considerations and an immoral choice for those who prefer to stay true to their values even when there are associated costs. Nothing in the reports changes any of that.
WTF is happening at Dubai airport? Reports range from "virtually nothing, it's operating almost normally" to "it got hit by drones, there is mass panic"
As the UAE is now - apparently - jailing people for posting negative news/videos it's hard to see through the fog of war
But I do note that this is confirmed:
"Yes, confirmed. Citi instructed staff today to evacuate its Dubai offices in DIFC and Oud Metha due to heightened security concerns. This follows Iran's threats to target US/Israeli-linked banks amid the regional conflict (recent drone strikes near Dubai airport). Staff shifting to remote work; operations continue uninterrupted. Similar moves by Standard Chartered & others. Sources: AFP, Reuters, Daily Mail (Mar 11, 2026)."
All Iran has to do is lob a drone at Dubai airport, every few days, for a few months, making flying impossible (not least because of insurance issues, not just human fear and panic) and they can destroy the UAE economy
Oh dear.
I’m watching the planes fly past my window. I’ve been working from home since last Monday, same as many others in the city. There’s no panic and no mass exodus.
We are going to need a kind of counter Reformation
“In the last few days, jury trials have been scrapped, Churchill has been taken off bank notes and hereditary peers have been booted. England’s cultural heritage is being gutted terrifyingly quickly.”
“Ok so in the news this week it's quite clear the UK is undergoing a Cultural Revolution.
The Chinese Cultural Revolution attacked "The 4 Olds" in an attempt to destroy the past.
The UK is no different. The 4 Olds of the UK: 1. Old History - removal of historic figures from banknotes 2. Old Legal Rights - Removal of Jury Trials 3. Old Government - Removal of Hereditary Peers 4. Old Alliances - Destroying alliances across Europe, the Middle East and with the US to avoid upsetting "communities" in a handful of constituencies.”
The bank notes is because it’s time to start the next set of security redesigns - and the BoE decided to have a public consultation on it. Surely they remember Boaty McBoatface but clearly they didn’t
What’s wrong with just doing the security redesign?
The $100 Bill has been a Benjamin Franklin for decades.
The longer a note is in circulation with the same design the easier it is create fake versions of them.
As was pointed out on here earlier the figures on bank notes is fairly modern.
So you can say it involves removing history from our notes and a celebration of our national figures but it is not some ancient custom to put them on notes.
The $100 will have Trump and not Franklin on it before too long.
The monarch first appeared on bank notes in 1960, and historical figures first appeared in 1970.
We are going to need a kind of counter Reformation
“In the last few days, jury trials have been scrapped, Churchill has been taken off bank notes and hereditary peers have been booted. England’s cultural heritage is being gutted terrifyingly quickly.”
“Ok so in the news this week it's quite clear the UK is undergoing a Cultural Revolution.
The Chinese Cultural Revolution attacked "The 4 Olds" in an attempt to destroy the past.
The UK is no different. The 4 Olds of the UK: 1. Old History - removal of historic figures from banknotes 2. Old Legal Rights - Removal of Jury Trials 3. Old Government - Removal of Hereditary Peers 4. Old Alliances - Destroying alliances across Europe, the Middle East and with the US to avoid upsetting "communities" in a handful of constituencies.”
Incredible. You can't even be right when you quote someone else.
1. Old History - removal of historic figures from banknotes - historical figures have only been on banknotes since the 70s. The monarch has ony been on them since the 50s. Clearly we were in a void of unremembering before then only to be enlightened when the Bank of England put the Duke of Wellington on fivers. 2. Old Legal Rights - Removal of Jury Trials Jury trials are not being "removed". They are being limited, not removed. 3. Old Government - Removal of Hereditary Peers Hereditary peers are being removed from the Legislature. HM Government is the executive. 4. Old Alliances - Destroying alliances across Europe, the Middle East and with the US to avoid upsetting "communities" in a handful of constituencies. Oh fuck off, seriously, just fuck off.
You are, in many ways, a remarkable human being. Not remarkable in the way that, say, Napoleon was remarkable, or Keats, or even that bloke who free-climbed El Capitan in under four hours. No. You are remarkable in a much rarer, much more statistically improbable sense. You have never, in living memory, been right about anything. You provide the dark mirror to reliable epistemic guidance.
My last putdown really hurt you, didn't it? It was two days back. Get over it, man
Seems like an apposite riposte to me. And rather more polite.
Thanks, I always strive for politesse, as you know. I regard it as my duty to raise the tone on PB
I should also point out, on topic, that today I received a peice of fossilised Burmese amber, from the Cretaceous. It contains a perfectly preserved tiny red spider. Trapped, in that amber, 100 million years ago. When dinosaurs stomped the earth
It's a magical thing. I can stare at it for ages, hypnotised. A warm frozen golden glowing jewel of deeptime, a kind of ultra-ruby, prised from the Tiara of Antiquity
Its another nothing burger everyone will get very excited about.
The due diligence files simply collate what was already in the public eye at the time of his appointment as ambassador, and actually for many years before that. So these concerns could have been raised at the time of appointment, yet there were not just govt supporters but Spectator and Telegraph journalists praising Mandelson's appointment as sensible real politik knowing full well he was a wrong un.
Starmer took a risk on the appointment as he specifically wanted someone comfortable dealing with immoral, untrustworthy wrong uns, so chose our best immoral untrustworthy wrong un. That was a reasonable choice at the time for those who believe real politik can outrank moral considerations and an immoral choice for those who prefer to stay true to their values even when there are associated costs. Nothing in the reports changes any of that.
It confirms he knew of Mandelsons ongoing relationship with the kiddy fiddler and thus misled the house, was warned appointing him was a reputational risk, his NSA raised concerns and his team hushed up a 75 grand pay off. About 100 of several thousand documents due for release. Not a nothing burger.
Its another nothing burger everyone will get very excited about.
The due diligence files simply collate what was already in the public eye at the time of his appointment as ambassador, and actually for many years before that. So these concerns could have been raised at the time of appointment, yet there were not just govt supporters but Spectator and Telegraph journalists praising Mandelson's appointment as sensible real politik knowing full well he was a wrong un.
Starmer took a risk on the appointment as he specifically wanted someone comfortable dealing with immoral, untrustworthy wrong uns, so chose our best immoral untrustworthy wrong un. That was a reasonable choice at the time for those who believe real politik can outrank moral considerations and an immoral choice for those who prefer to stay true to their values even when there are associated costs. Nothing in the reports changes any of that.
It confirms he knew of Mandelsons ongoing relationship with the kiddy fiddler and thus misled the house, was warned appointing him was a reputational risk, his NSA raised concerns and his team hushed up a 75 grand pay off. About 100 of several thousand documents due for release. Not a nothing burger.
As I said, pb posters will get very excited about it.
Its another nothing burger everyone will get very excited about.
The due diligence files simply collate what was already in the public eye at the time of his appointment as ambassador, and actually for many years before that. So these concerns could have been raised at the time of appointment, yet there were not just govt supporters but Spectator and Telegraph journalists praising Mandelson's appointment as sensible real politik knowing full well he was a wrong un.
Starmer took a risk on the appointment as he specifically wanted someone comfortable dealing with immoral, untrustworthy wrong uns, so chose our best immoral untrustworthy wrong un. That was a reasonable choice at the time for those who believe real politik can outrank moral considerations and an immoral choice for those who prefer to stay true to their values even when there are associated costs. Nothing in the reports changes any of that.
It confirms he knew of Mandelsons ongoing relationship with the kiddy fiddler and thus misled the house, was warned appointing him was a reputational risk, his NSA raised concerns and his team hushed up a 75 grand pay off. About 100 of several thousand documents due for release. Not a nothing burger.
As I said, pb posters will get very excited about it.
Its another nothing burger everyone will get very excited about.
The due diligence files simply collate what was already in the public eye at the time of his appointment as ambassador, and actually for many years before that. So these concerns could have been raised at the time of appointment, yet there were not just govt supporters but Spectator and Telegraph journalists praising Mandelson's appointment as sensible real politik knowing full well he was a wrong un.
Starmer took a risk on the appointment as he specifically wanted someone comfortable dealing with immoral, untrustworthy wrong uns, so chose our best immoral untrustworthy wrong un. That was a reasonable choice at the time for those who believe real politik can outrank moral considerations and an immoral choice for those who prefer to stay true to their values even when there are associated costs. Nothing in the reports changes any of that.
It confirms he knew of Mandelsons ongoing relationship with the kiddy fiddler and thus misled the house, was warned appointing him was a reputational risk, his NSA raised concerns and his team hushed up a 75 grand pay off. About 100 of several thousand documents due for release. Not a nothing burger.
As I said, pb posters will get very excited about it.
As will the media and a lot of the public. And Starmer will end up resigning over it if May doesnt finish him off first
WTF is happening at Dubai airport? Reports range from "virtually nothing, it's operating almost normally" to "it got hit by drones, there is mass panic"
As the UAE is now - apparently - jailing people for posting negative news/videos it's hard to see through the fog of war
But I do note that this is confirmed:
"Yes, confirmed. Citi instructed staff today to evacuate its Dubai offices in DIFC and Oud Metha due to heightened security concerns. This follows Iran's threats to target US/Israeli-linked banks amid the regional conflict (recent drone strikes near Dubai airport). Staff shifting to remote work; operations continue uninterrupted. Similar moves by Standard Chartered & others. Sources: AFP, Reuters, Daily Mail (Mar 11, 2026)."
All Iran has to do is lob a drone at Dubai airport, every few days, for a few months, making flying impossible (not least because of insurance issues, not just human fear and panic) and they can destroy the UAE economy
Oh dear.
I’m watching the planes fly past my window. I’ve been working from home since last Monday, same as many others in the city. There’s no panic and no mass exodus.
That's good to hear
But the orders for everyone to evacuate these offices seem to be real?
Currently away, and just catching up on the Mandelson docs. The key issue for me is this. On 10 September, 2025 Starmer told the House “full due process was followed during this appointment, as it is with all ambassadors”. The Powell note shows beyond doubt that was a lie.
Its another nothing burger everyone will get very excited about.
The due diligence files simply collate what was already in the public eye at the time of his appointment as ambassador, and actually for many years before that. So these concerns could have been raised at the time of appointment, yet there were not just govt supporters but Spectator and Telegraph journalists praising Mandelson's appointment as sensible real politik knowing full well he was a wrong un.
Starmer took a risk on the appointment as he specifically wanted someone comfortable dealing with immoral, untrustworthy wrong uns, so chose our best immoral untrustworthy wrong un. That was a reasonable choice at the time for those who believe real politik can outrank moral considerations and an immoral choice for those who prefer to stay true to their values even when there are associated costs. Nothing in the reports changes any of that.
It confirms he knew of Mandelsons ongoing relationship with the kiddy fiddler and thus misled the house, was warned appointing him was a reputational risk, his NSA raised concerns and his team hushed up a 75 grand pay off. About 100 of several thousand documents due for release. Not a nothing burger.
As I said, pb posters will get very excited about it.
The media certainly are
The media upset with and attacking Starmer? Must be another of those rare days ending in a y.
Its another nothing burger everyone will get very excited about.
The due diligence files simply collate what was already in the public eye at the time of his appointment as ambassador, and actually for many years before that. So these concerns could have been raised at the time of appointment, yet there were not just govt supporters but Spectator and Telegraph journalists praising Mandelson's appointment as sensible real politik knowing full well he was a wrong un.
Starmer took a risk on the appointment as he specifically wanted someone comfortable dealing with immoral, untrustworthy wrong uns, so chose our best immoral untrustworthy wrong un. That was a reasonable choice at the time for those who believe real politik can outrank moral considerations and an immoral choice for those who prefer to stay true to their values even when there are associated costs. Nothing in the reports changes any of that.
It confirms he knew of Mandelsons ongoing relationship with the kiddy fiddler and thus misled the house, was warned appointing him was a reputational risk, his NSA raised concerns and his team hushed up a 75 grand pay off. About 100 of several thousand documents due for release. Not a nothing burger.
As I said, pb posters will get very excited about it.
As will the media and a lot of the public. And Starmer will end up resigning over it if May doesnt finish him off first
We are going to need a kind of counter Reformation
“In the last few days, jury trials have been scrapped, Churchill has been taken off bank notes and hereditary peers have been booted. England’s cultural heritage is being gutted terrifyingly quickly.”
“Ok so in the news this week it's quite clear the UK is undergoing a Cultural Revolution.
The Chinese Cultural Revolution attacked "The 4 Olds" in an attempt to destroy the past.
The UK is no different. The 4 Olds of the UK: 1. Old History - removal of historic figures from banknotes 2. Old Legal Rights - Removal of Jury Trials 3. Old Government - Removal of Hereditary Peers 4. Old Alliances - Destroying alliances across Europe, the Middle East and with the US to avoid upsetting "communities" in a handful of constituencies.”
Incredible. You can't even be right when you quote someone else.
1. Old History - removal of historic figures from banknotes - historical figures have only been on banknotes since the 70s. The monarch has ony been on them since the 50s. Clearly we were in a void of unremembering before then only to be enlightened when the Bank of England put the Duke of Wellington on fivers. 2. Old Legal Rights - Removal of Jury Trials Jury trials are not being "removed". They are being limited, not removed. 3. Old Government - Removal of Hereditary Peers Hereditary peers are being removed from the Legislature. HM Government is the executive. 4. Old Alliances - Destroying alliances across Europe, the Middle East and with the US to avoid upsetting "communities" in a handful of constituencies. Oh fuck off, seriously, just fuck off.
You are, in many ways, a remarkable human being. Not remarkable in the way that, say, Napoleon was remarkable, or Keats, or even that bloke who free-climbed El Capitan in under four hours. No. You are remarkable in a much rarer, much more statistically improbable sense. You have never, in living memory, been right about anything. You provide the dark mirror to reliable epistemic guidance.
My last putdown really hurt you, didn't it? It was two days back. Get over it, man
Seems like an apposite riposte to me. And rather more polite.
Thanks, I always strive for politesse, as you know. I regard it as my duty to raise the tone on PB
I should also point out, on topic, that today I received a peice of fossilised Burmese amber, from the Cretaceous. It contains a perfectly preserved tiny red spider. Trapped, in that amber, 100 million years ago. When dinosaurs stomped the earth
It's a magical thing. I can stare at it for ages, hypnotised. A warm frozen golden glowing jewel of deeptime, a kind of ultra-ruby, prised from the Tiara of Antiquity
I AM GETTING WELL INTO FOSSILS
Perfectly natural since you are a fossil.
Has somebody already done that? Suppose they have.
Its another nothing burger everyone will get very excited about.
The due diligence files simply collate what was already in the public eye at the time of his appointment as ambassador, and actually for many years before that. So these concerns could have been raised at the time of appointment, yet there were not just govt supporters but Spectator and Telegraph journalists praising Mandelson's appointment as sensible real politik knowing full well he was a wrong un.
Starmer took a risk on the appointment as he specifically wanted someone comfortable dealing with immoral, untrustworthy wrong uns, so chose our best immoral untrustworthy wrong un. That was a reasonable choice at the time for those who believe real politik can outrank moral considerations and an immoral choice for those who prefer to stay true to their values even when there are associated costs. Nothing in the reports changes any of that.
Of course you are absolutely correct.
There is nothing to see here at all that wasn't already known.
We got the best tariffs precisely because Mandy knew Epstein knew Trump, nod and a wink, give us the deal or we'll spill the beans.
Risk and reward.
It's positively masonic which is an hilarious paradox
The usual 3 or 4 suspects in deluded glee.
Somebody needs to ringing the NHS as masturbating over a poiitical stury at such an advanced age can be very dangerous.
Starmer has nothing to fear.
It wont even register oitside the bubble, no pun intended
If Peston is right giving Mandelson £75K of our money is a disgrace. Typical govt.
‘ But Mandelson’s contact stipulates that he is “not entitled to a period of notice” terminating his employment, because of “the power of the Crown to dismiss at will”. So it is not at all clear why Mandelson was paid £75,000 as a termination payment’
If Peston is right giving Mandelson £75K of our money is a disgrace. Typical govt.
‘ But Mandelson’s contact stipulates that he is “not entitled to a period of notice” terminating his employment, because of “the power of the Crown to dismiss at will”. So it is not at all clear why Mandelson was paid £75,000 as a termination payment’
Glasgow Central Station update. Network Rail now have some access to the site, and are carrying out inspections, but the fire scene is still under control of the fire service. Once the fire service hands it to the council, there needs to be a decision on whether to shore up or demolish the Gordon St facade, and that needs to be done before the roads can reopen. There’s two lower-level platforms through which trains are passing. The main station won’t be open before Monday, and even then there might be only limited platforms and entrances available.
Network rail will be under huge pressure to get things moving again. Platforms with lower numbers are closer to Union street, may be a case of shuffling as many passengers through the Hope Street entrance. I would not be surprised if upper level remained out of action for more than a week, there will be a lot of structure to check and some demolition may be needed first
When you see the drone photos its very fortunate the main station building didn't catch fire
Its another nothing burger everyone will get very excited about.
The due diligence files simply collate what was already in the public eye at the time of his appointment as ambassador, and actually for many years before that. So these concerns could have been raised at the time of appointment, yet there were not just govt supporters but Spectator and Telegraph journalists praising Mandelson's appointment as sensible real politik knowing full well he was a wrong un.
Starmer took a risk on the appointment as he specifically wanted someone comfortable dealing with immoral, untrustworthy wrong uns, so chose our best immoral untrustworthy wrong un. That was a reasonable choice at the time for those who believe real politik can outrank moral considerations and an immoral choice for those who prefer to stay true to their values even when there are associated costs. Nothing in the reports changes any of that.
Of course you are absolutely correct.
There is nothing to see here at all that wasn't already known.
We got the best tariffs precisely because Mandy knew Epstein knew Trump, nod and a wink, give us the deal or we'll spill the beans.
Risk and reward.
It's positively masonic which is an hilarious paradox
The usual 3 or 4 suspects in deluded glee.
Somebody needs to ringing the NHS as masturbating over a poiitical stury at such an advanced age can be very dangerous.
Starmer has nothing to fear.
It wont even register oitside the bubble, no pun intended
Its another nothing burger everyone will get very excited about.
The due diligence files simply collate what was already in the public eye at the time of his appointment as ambassador, and actually for many years before that. So these concerns could have been raised at the time of appointment, yet there were not just govt supporters but Spectator and Telegraph journalists praising Mandelson's appointment as sensible real politik knowing full well he was a wrong un.
Starmer took a risk on the appointment as he specifically wanted someone comfortable dealing with immoral, untrustworthy wrong uns, so chose our best immoral untrustworthy wrong un. That was a reasonable choice at the time for those who believe real politik can outrank moral considerations and an immoral choice for those who prefer to stay true to their values even when there are associated costs. Nothing in the reports changes any of that.
It confirms he knew of Mandelsons ongoing relationship with the kiddy fiddler and thus misled the house, was warned appointing him was a reputational risk, his NSA raised concerns and his team hushed up a 75 grand pay off. About 100 of several thousand documents due for release. Not a nothing burger.
As I said, pb posters will get very excited about it.
As will the media and a lot of the public. And Starmer will end up resigning over it if May doesnt finish him off first
We are going to need a kind of counter Reformation
“In the last few days, jury trials have been scrapped, Churchill has been taken off bank notes and hereditary peers have been booted. England’s cultural heritage is being gutted terrifyingly quickly.”
“Ok so in the news this week it's quite clear the UK is undergoing a Cultural Revolution.
The Chinese Cultural Revolution attacked "The 4 Olds" in an attempt to destroy the past.
The UK is no different. The 4 Olds of the UK: 1. Old History - removal of historic figures from banknotes 2. Old Legal Rights - Removal of Jury Trials 3. Old Government - Removal of Hereditary Peers 4. Old Alliances - Destroying alliances across Europe, the Middle East and with the US to avoid upsetting "communities" in a handful of constituencies.”
Incredible. You can't even be right when you quote someone else.
1. Old History - removal of historic figures from banknotes - historical figures have only been on banknotes since the 70s. The monarch has ony been on them since the 50s. Clearly we were in a void of unremembering before then only to be enlightened when the Bank of England put the Duke of Wellington on fivers. 2. Old Legal Rights - Removal of Jury Trials Jury trials are not being "removed". They are being limited, not removed. 3. Old Government - Removal of Hereditary Peers Hereditary peers are being removed from the Legislature. HM Government is the executive. 4. Old Alliances - Destroying alliances across Europe, the Middle East and with the US to avoid upsetting "communities" in a handful of constituencies. Oh fuck off, seriously, just fuck off.
You are, in many ways, a remarkable human being. Not remarkable in the way that, say, Napoleon was remarkable, or Keats, or even that bloke who free-climbed El Capitan in under four hours. No. You are remarkable in a much rarer, much more statistically improbable sense. You have never, in living memory, been right about anything. You provide the dark mirror to reliable epistemic guidance.
My last putdown really hurt you, didn't it? It was two days back. Get over it, man
Seems like an apposite riposte to me. And rather more polite.
Thanks, I always strive for politesse, as you know. I regard it as my duty to raise the tone on PB
I should also point out, on topic, that today I received a peice of fossilised Burmese amber, from the Cretaceous. It contains a perfectly preserved tiny red spider. Trapped, in that amber, 100 million years ago. When dinosaurs stomped the earth
It's a magical thing. I can stare at it for ages, hypnotised. A warm frozen golden glowing jewel of deeptime, a kind of ultra-ruby, prised from the Tiara of Antiquity
I AM GETTING WELL INTO FOSSILS
Perfectly natural since you are a fossil.
Has somebody already done that? Suppose they have.
No, you can proudly take ownership of this incredibly unexpected joke, which shows one of the many facets of your dazzling intellect, your gift for surreal yet exhilarating wordplay. It's all yours!
What is the polling firms record for accuracy svp.?
IF the polling firm is a member of the British Polling Council, AND the thing being polled is General Election voting intention, THEN the margin of error will be specified in the tables for that poll, which is usually a PDF file published some days after the poll is released online.
Glasgow Central Station update. Network Rail now have some access to the site, and are carrying out inspections, but the fire scene is still under control of the fire service. Once the fire service hands it to the council, there needs to be a decision on whether to shore up or demolish the Gordon St facade, and that needs to be done before the roads can reopen. There’s two lower-level platforms through which trains are passing. The main station won’t be open before Monday, and even then there might be only limited platforms and entrances available.
Network rail will be under huge pressure to get things moving again. Platforms with lower numbers are closer to Union street, may be a case of shuffling as many passengers through the Hope Street entrance. I would not be surprised if upper level remained out of action for more than a week, there will be a lot of structure to check and some demolition may be needed first
When you see the drone photos its very fortunate the main station building didn't catch fire
That’s what the spokesman was saying, at the moment Hope St is the only accessible entrance, and there’s a limit to how you can operate the station in that manner for safety reasons.
It does appear very fortunate that the fire was contained in the one building, and didn’t spread to the station itself nor further down Union St.
Why despite the likes of Fraser Nelson telling us crime is way down and people are just wrong to get pissy about crime...watch the last 10 minutes. Tracked down £100k stolen car, sorry mate, nought we can do, up to you. What no investigation, sorry we don't attend, and if we do just a crime number, not getting involved, too busy. Tracked down chop shop with a £120k car being stripped, two arrested working on it, guy had been attacked in own home with people tooled up to get the keys, not enough evidence to proceed with an prosecution and by the way you can't have your car back.
Whatever the fate of polls and petrol prices, it was a wonderful opening day to the Cheltenham Festival yesterday and for a change I managed to find a couple of winners - obviously, @MoonRabbit found all seven, I imagine, or that's what I was led to believe.
Day Two beckons and another stellar card and if you want to read my innermost cerebral musings, I post a more detailed summation of the main races on racecafe.co.nz
I won't post all that here cos it's boring for those strange people who aren't horse racing fans and cut to the chase (or hurdle or indeed bumper) with today's selections:
Turners Novices Hurdle: BALLYFAD
Brown Advisory Chase: THE BIG WESTERNER (win), OSCAR'S BROTHER (each way)
Queen Mother Champion Chase: QUILIXIOS (each way)
Champion Bumper: KEEP HIM COMPANY
Mine for today, yesterday was terrible ,
13:20 No Drama This End 14:00 Kaid D'Authie 14:40 Storm Heart
Wide open racing. Even the cross country has more genuine contenders this time.
I’ll post mine again, as we are all on different runners!
13:20 - Taurus Bay {long shot rabbit from the hat} 14:00 - Wendigo 14:40 - The Yellow Clay 15:20 - Stumptown 16:00 - L'Eau Du Sud 16:40 - Be Aware 17:20 - Love Sign d'Aunou
It’s a worry to me you’ve gone for something different in the 2M flat race with uphill finish Stodge! I poured over it for hours and never seriously considered keep him company. I was thinking this is endurance test for the poor newbies.
PS I only had two winners not 7 yesterday. Only in my dreams I had 7!
QUILIXIOS Certainly too far out in the betting with 10 minutes to considering the genuine chance here,
The Maj for the Maj? Fences at the gallop this will go, no one should go off odd on imo.
We are going to need a kind of counter Reformation
“In the last few days, jury trials have been scrapped, Churchill has been taken off bank notes and hereditary peers have been booted. England’s cultural heritage is being gutted terrifyingly quickly.”
“Ok so in the news this week it's quite clear the UK is undergoing a Cultural Revolution.
The Chinese Cultural Revolution attacked "The 4 Olds" in an attempt to destroy the past.
The UK is no different. The 4 Olds of the UK: 1. Old History - removal of historic figures from banknotes 2. Old Legal Rights - Removal of Jury Trials 3. Old Government - Removal of Hereditary Peers 4. Old Alliances - Destroying alliances across Europe, the Middle East and with the US to avoid upsetting "communities" in a handful of constituencies.”
Incredible. You can't even be right when you quote someone else.
1. Old History - removal of historic figures from banknotes - historical figures have only been on banknotes since the 70s. The monarch has ony been on them since the 50s. Clearly we were in a void of unremembering before then only to be enlightened when the Bank of England put the Duke of Wellington on fivers. 2. Old Legal Rights - Removal of Jury Trials Jury trials are not being "removed". They are being limited, not removed. 3. Old Government - Removal of Hereditary Peers Hereditary peers are being removed from the Legislature. HM Government is the executive. 4. Old Alliances - Destroying alliances across Europe, the Middle East and with the US to avoid upsetting "communities" in a handful of constituencies. Oh fuck off, seriously, just fuck off.
You are, in many ways, a remarkable human being. Not remarkable in the way that, say, Napoleon was remarkable, or Keats, or even that bloke who free-climbed El Capitan in under four hours. No. You are remarkable in a much rarer, much more statistically improbable sense. You have never, in living memory, been right about anything. You provide the dark mirror to reliable epistemic guidance.
My last putdown really hurt you, didn't it? It was two days back. Get over it, man
Seems like an apposite riposte to me. And rather more polite.
Thanks, I always strive for politesse, as you know. I regard it as my duty to raise the tone on PB
I should also point out, on topic, that today I received a peice of fossilised Burmese amber, from the Cretaceous. It contains a perfectly preserved tiny red spider. Trapped, in that amber, 100 million years ago. When dinosaurs stomped the earth
It's a magical thing. I can stare at it for ages, hypnotised. A warm frozen golden glowing jewel of deeptime, a kind of ultra-ruby, prised from the Tiara of Antiquity
I AM GETTING WELL INTO FOSSILS
Perfectly natural since you are a fossil.
Has somebody already done that? Suppose they have.
No, you can proudly take ownership of this incredibly unexpected joke, which shows one of the many facets of your dazzling intellect, your gift for surreal yet exhilarating wordplay. It's all yours!
If Peston is right giving Mandelson £75K of our money is a disgrace. Typical govt.
‘ But Mandelson’s contact stipulates that he is “not entitled to a period of notice” terminating his employment, because of “the power of the Crown to dismiss at will”. So it is not at all clear why Mandelson was paid £75,000 as a termination payment’
Why despite the likes of Fraser Nelson telling us crime is way down and people are just wrong to get pissy about crime...watch the last 10 minutes. Tracked down £100k stolen car, sorry mate, nought we can do, up to you. What no investigation, sorry we don't attend, and if we do just a crime number, not getting involved, too busy. Tracked down chop shop with a £120k car being stripped, two arrested working on it, not enough evidence to proceed with an prosecution and by the way you can't have your car back.
Its another nothing burger everyone will get very excited about.
The due diligence files simply collate what was already in the public eye at the time of his appointment as ambassador, and actually for many years before that. So these concerns could have been raised at the time of appointment, yet there were not just govt supporters but Spectator and Telegraph journalists praising Mandelson's appointment as sensible real politik knowing full well he was a wrong un.
Starmer took a risk on the appointment as he specifically wanted someone comfortable dealing with immoral, untrustworthy wrong uns, so chose our best immoral untrustworthy wrong un. That was a reasonable choice at the time for those who believe real politik can outrank moral considerations and an immoral choice for those who prefer to stay true to their values even when there are associated costs. Nothing in the reports changes any of that.
Of course you are absolutely correct.
There is nothing to see here at all that wasn't already known.
We got the best tariffs precisely because Mandy knew Epstein knew Trump, nod and a wink, give us the deal or we'll spill the beans.
Risk and reward.
It's positively masonic which is an hilarious paradox
The usual 3 or 4 suspects in deluded glee.
Somebody needs to ringing the NHS as masturbating over a poiitical stury at such an advanced age can be very dangerous.
Starmer has nothing to fear.
It wont even register oitside the bubble, no pun intended
I hope it makes Starmer squirm and squirm and squirm Its going to be the narrative for some time.
Im sure his hilariously angry outbursts st PMQs today were in no way connected to his imminent defenestration
Not sure that is the Party's strategy. Given the likelihood of a hung parliament and the difficulty of whichever future PM will have in getting any legislation through, Labour should be pressing on with as much of their manifesto (plus anything else) while they have the numbers.
The previous governments wasted so much time in infighting they p**sed their advantage and the country's wealth away. Labour would be mad to follow the Conservatives' track record of internecine warfare over progress. But then politicians can't help stabbing each other in the back with the encouragement of the MSM.
If Peston is right giving Mandelson £75K of our money is a disgrace. Typical govt.
‘ But Mandelson’s contact stipulates that he is “not entitled to a period of notice” terminating his employment, because of “the power of the Crown to dismiss at will”. So it is not at all clear why Mandelson was paid £75,000 as a termination payment’
We are going to need a kind of counter Reformation
“In the last few days, jury trials have been scrapped, Churchill has been taken off bank notes and hereditary peers have been booted. England’s cultural heritage is being gutted terrifyingly quickly.”
“Ok so in the news this week it's quite clear the UK is undergoing a Cultural Revolution.
The Chinese Cultural Revolution attacked "The 4 Olds" in an attempt to destroy the past.
The UK is no different. The 4 Olds of the UK: 1. Old History - removal of historic figures from banknotes 2. Old Legal Rights - Removal of Jury Trials 3. Old Government - Removal of Hereditary Peers 4. Old Alliances - Destroying alliances across Europe, the Middle East and with the US to avoid upsetting "communities" in a handful of constituencies.”
Its another nothing burger everyone will get very excited about.
The due diligence files simply collate what was already in the public eye at the time of his appointment as ambassador, and actually for many years before that. So these concerns could have been raised at the time of appointment, yet there were not just govt supporters but Spectator and Telegraph journalists praising Mandelson's appointment as sensible real politik knowing full well he was a wrong un.
Starmer took a risk on the appointment as he specifically wanted someone comfortable dealing with immoral, untrustworthy wrong uns, so chose our best immoral untrustworthy wrong un. That was a reasonable choice at the time for those who believe real politik can outrank moral considerations and an immoral choice for those who prefer to stay true to their values even when there are associated costs. Nothing in the reports changes any of that.
Of course you are absolutely correct.
There is nothing to see here at all that wasn't already known.
We got the best tariffs precisely because Mandy knew Epstein knew Trump, nod and a wink, give us the deal or we'll spill the beans.
Risk and reward.
It's positively masonic which is an hilarious paradox
The usual 3 or 4 suspects in deluded glee.
Somebody needs to ringing the NHS as masturbating over a poiitical stury at such an advanced age can be very dangerous.
Starmer has nothing to fear.
It wont even register oitside the bubble, no pun intended
Is it Kemi’s fault that the PM appointed Mandy?
Not at sll
Don't be silly
She'd have appointed Chris Pincher anyway
Johnson did and paid the price and the hapless SKS mercilessly, deservedly, stuck the boot in.
If Peston is right giving Mandelson £75K of our money is a disgrace. Typical govt.
‘ But Mandelson’s contact stipulates that he is “not entitled to a period of notice” terminating his employment, because of “the power of the Crown to dismiss at will”. So it is not at all clear why Mandelson was paid £75,000 as a termination payment’
We are going to need a kind of counter Reformation
“In the last few days, jury trials have been scrapped, Churchill has been taken off bank notes and hereditary peers have been booted. England’s cultural heritage is being gutted terrifyingly quickly.”
“Ok so in the news this week it's quite clear the UK is undergoing a Cultural Revolution.
The Chinese Cultural Revolution attacked "The 4 Olds" in an attempt to destroy the past.
The UK is no different. The 4 Olds of the UK: 1. Old History - removal of historic figures from banknotes 2. Old Legal Rights - Removal of Jury Trials 3. Old Government - Removal of Hereditary Peers 4. Old Alliances - Destroying alliances across Europe, the Middle East and with the US to avoid upsetting "communities" in a handful of constituencies.”
Sir Keir Starmer has ordered a standards overhaul in an attempt to boost integrity in public life following the Mandelson scandal.
The overhall will be run by Damien McBride, who doesn’t need clearance for the role (it would be rude to ask) and will get £2,457.34 an hour for this work. Plus expenses.
We are going to need a kind of counter Reformation
“In the last few days, jury trials have been scrapped, Churchill has been taken off bank notes and hereditary peers have been booted. England’s cultural heritage is being gutted terrifyingly quickly.”
“Ok so in the news this week it's quite clear the UK is undergoing a Cultural Revolution.
The Chinese Cultural Revolution attacked "The 4 Olds" in an attempt to destroy the past.
The UK is no different. The 4 Olds of the UK: 1. Old History - removal of historic figures from banknotes 2. Old Legal Rights - Removal of Jury Trials 3. Old Government - Removal of Hereditary Peers 4. Old Alliances - Destroying alliances across Europe, the Middle East and with the US to avoid upsetting "communities" in a handful of constituencies.”
The bank notes is because it’s time to start the next set of security redesigns - and the BoE decided to have a public consultation on it. Surely they remember Boaty McBoatface but clearly they didn’t
What’s wrong with just doing the security redesign?
The $100 Bill has been a Benjamin Franklin for decades.
The longer a note is in circulation with the same design the easier it is create fake versions of them.
As was pointed out on here earlier the figures on bank notes is fairly modern.
So you can say it involves removing history from our notes and a celebration of our national figures but it is not some ancient custom to put them on notes.
The $100 will have Trump and not Franklin on it before too long.
The monarch first appeared on bank notes in 1960, and historical figures first appeared in 1970.
I idly looked up pre-1960 bank notes on wiki and went down a slight rabbit hole on finding out the tiny island of Tristan da Cunha in south Atlantic uses GB pounds.
Comments
1. Old History - removal of historic figures from banknotes - historical figures have only been on banknotes since the 70s. The monarch has ony been on them since the 50s. Clearly we were in a void of unremembering before then only to be enlightened when the Bank of England put the Duke of Wellington on fivers.
2. Old Legal Rights - Removal of Jury Trials Jury trials are not being "removed". They are being limited, not removed.
3. Old Government - Removal of Hereditary Peers Hereditary peers are being removed from the Legislature. HM Government is the executive.
4. Old Alliances - Destroying alliances across Europe, the Middle East and with the US to avoid upsetting "communities" in a handful of constituencies. Oh fuck off, seriously, just fuck off.
You are, in many ways, a remarkable human being. Not remarkable in the way that, say, Napoleon was remarkable, or Keats, or even that bloke who free-climbed El Capitan in under four hours. No. You are remarkable in a much rarer, much more statistically improbable sense. You have never, in living memory, been right about anything. You provide the dark mirror to reliable epistemic guidance.
Opposition parties won't need scriptwriters for the upcoming elections
My observation is that the political classes, these days, are often made up the sort of people you least want running things - on a sliding scale from the overly ambitious to the downright megalomaniac. The hereditaries - accidents of birth - mixed things up a bit and some (god forbid) were actually interested in old ideas like public service.
Not for nothing did Clement Attlee say the best PM of his lifetime was the 3rd Marquess of Salisbury. Attlee himself, being an unusually modest and sane individual, happily agreed to becoming the 1st Earl Attlee. His grandson will, presumably, lose his place in the Lords.
Same as Johnson knew Pincher was a groper and appointed him anyway.
“He is safe (whatever that means) and Clinton is now doing a lot of travelling with him,” the note read. “I think TB would be interested in meeting Jeffrey, who is also a friend of mine, because Jeffrey is an active scientific catalyst/entrepreneur as well as someone who has his finger on the pulse of many worldwide markets and currencies.”
Hardly knew the man....
'When you see it in black and white it's really damning for the PM'
My firm is currently complying with a SAR, and in one of the emails my team uses the term ‘stepmommed.’
A public consultation will likely get hijacked by the sort of people who think we shouldn’t have a king and that Churchill was the bad guy in WWII.
The $100 Bill has been a Benjamin Franklin for decades.
Grateful to @SenJeffMerkley for allowing me time to explain the con job that Trump has pulled when it comes to "enforcing the law." As I say: "It's a total misdirection to blame the county when the Department of Homeland Security isn't even following the law that they passed."
https://x.com/David_J_Bier/status/2031484706919776441
This exchange between David Bier and Sen Foghorn Leghorn (R-LA) is something else. Kennedy thinks he has him in three separate gotcha moments, but not so fast Bier had his number. The clip is a bit long but it’s 3 minutes of Kennedy getting owned.
https://x.com/cardon_brian/status/2031430115012301114
Seems he has a theory that doesn't quite sit well with GOP but seems OK with the White House.
https://thehill.com/homenews/administration/5778632-trump-state-dept-nominee-withdraws/
"There you have it, in black and white. The PM, Keir Starmer, warned in the clearest possible terms that Peter Mandelson maintained his relationship [with Epstein] after the conviction.. there is no escape from this"
Rigby suggesting Starmer was a passenger in this rather than overseeing it
How can a PM be a passenger when appointing the UK ambassador to the US ?
Even back in 1919, he stood up for the Indians murdered by General Dyer.
So you can say it involves removing history from our notes and a celebration of our national figures but it is not some ancient custom to put them on notes.
The $100 will have Trump and not Franklin on it before too long.
Opposition and press should go in for the kill. Even if he clings on like a turd pellet on arse hair the even more damaging stuff to come will flush him
When people used to write letters and use stamps definitive stamps were easy to recognise as the designs were well known. As the commemoratives became an ever increasing portion of Royal Mail's income, the chances of them being recognisable as genuine or fake deminished towards zero.
When in New Zealand two years ago, there were two different versions of every banknote and all featuring pretty pictures of all sorts of things. To us as non natives the chance of being fooled could have been absolute. But the designs were no more familiar to New Zealanders themselves as far as we could see as they were a lot further down the online banking route than we were in the UK. The only protection was it said something like Bank of New Zealand but if most had said Bank of Toytown they wouldn't have looked any more or less genuine.
And rather more polite.
As the UAE is now - apparently - jailing people for posting negative news/videos it's hard to see through the fog of war
But I do note that this is confirmed:
"Yes, confirmed. Citi instructed staff today to evacuate its Dubai offices in DIFC and Oud Metha due to heightened security concerns. This follows Iran's threats to target US/Israeli-linked banks amid the regional conflict (recent drone strikes near Dubai airport). Staff shifting to remote work; operations continue uninterrupted. Similar moves by Standard Chartered & others. Sources: AFP, Reuters, Daily Mail (Mar 11, 2026)."
https://x.com/grok/status/2031749789562409291?s=20
All Iran has to do is lob a drone at Dubai airport, every few days, for a few months, making flying impossible (not least because of insurance issues, not just human fear and panic) and they can destroy the UAE economy
https://x.com/clyde1news/status/2031702994841116734
The due diligence files simply collate what was already in the public eye at the time of his appointment as ambassador, and actually for many years before that. So these concerns could have been raised at the time of appointment, yet there were not just govt supporters but Spectator and Telegraph journalists praising Mandelson's appointment as sensible real politik knowing full well he was a wrong un.
Starmer took a risk on the appointment as he specifically wanted someone comfortable dealing with immoral, untrustworthy wrong uns, so chose our best immoral untrustworthy wrong un. That was a reasonable choice at the time for those who believe real politik can outrank moral considerations and an immoral choice for those who prefer to stay true to their values even when there are associated costs. Nothing in the reports changes any of that.
I’m watching the planes fly past my window. I’ve been working from home since last Monday, same as many others in the city. There’s no panic and no mass exodus.
I should also point out, on topic, that today I received a peice of fossilised Burmese amber, from the Cretaceous. It contains a perfectly preserved tiny red spider. Trapped, in that amber, 100 million years ago. When dinosaurs stomped the earth
It's a magical thing. I can stare at it for ages, hypnotised. A warm frozen golden glowing jewel of deeptime, a kind of ultra-ruby, prised from the Tiara of Antiquity
I AM GETTING WELL INTO FOSSILS
About 100 of several thousand documents due for release.
Not a nothing burger.
But the orders for everyone to evacuate these offices seem to be real?
Currently away, and just catching up on the Mandelson docs. The key issue for me is this. On 10 September, 2025 Starmer told the House “full due process was followed during this appointment, as it is with all ambassadors”. The Powell note shows beyond doubt that was a lie.
We have had just 147 pages of 100,000 pages
So much more to come
Has somebody already done that? Suppose they have.
There is nothing to see here at all that wasn't already known.
We got the best tariffs precisely because Mandy knew Epstein knew Trump, nod and a wink, give us the deal or we'll spill the beans.
Risk and reward.
It's positively masonic which is an hilarious paradox
The usual 3 or 4 suspects in deluded glee.
Somebody needs to ringing the NHS as masturbating over a poiitical stury at such an advanced age can be very dangerous.
Starmer has nothing to fear.
It wont even register oitside the bubble, no pun intended
‘ But Mandelson’s contact stipulates that he is “not entitled to a period of notice” terminating his employment, because of “the power of the Crown to dismiss at will”. So it is not at all clear why Mandelson was paid £75,000 as a termination payment’
https://x.com/peston/status/2031744835644706835?s=61
Its going to be the narrative for some time.
When you see the drone photos its very fortunate the main station building didn't catch fire
It does appear very fortunate that the fire was contained in the one building, and didn’t spread to the station itself nor further down Union St.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ggGmHMELqt0
The Maj for the Maj? Fences at the gallop this will go, no one should go off odd on imo.
https://x.com/geoffnorcott/status/2031662388185825367?s=61
Oh dear......
Don't be silly
She'd have appointed Chris Pincher anyway
The previous governments wasted so much time in infighting they p**sed their advantage and the country's wealth away. Labour would be mad to follow the Conservatives' track record of internecine warfare over progress. But then politicians can't help stabbing each other in the back with the encouragement of the MSM.
https://x.com/politlcsuk/status/2031756785803985137
NEW: Peter Mandelson was given access to highly-classified Government briefings before he had completed formal vetting
This is far worse.
Sir Keir Starmer has ordered a standards overhaul in an attempt to boost integrity in public life following the Mandelson scandal.
Peter was a Proper Person. Proper People deserve a Proper Golden Goodbye. After all, if you are Proper Person, you’d expect one as well.
Rough old game, hard right politics.
NEW THREAD
Not quite up with not attending five pre COVID COBRA meetings but heading in that direction.
Another few minutes of the afternoon used up!