Danny (Dennis) Citrinowicz ,داني سيترينوفيتش @citrinowicz
The administration now faces a stark choice—one it can no longer avoid.
A. Use force to reopen the strait, knowing full well that any strike on Iran’s energy infrastructure will trigger retaliation. This is not a limited operation. It’s escalation—potentially rapid, and potentially uncontrollable. There are no half-measures here: if Washington wants the strait open, it will have to fight for it.
B. Accept reality, cut losses, and pursue a deal with Tehran over the terms of access. Politically unpalatable? Absolutely. But when global oil flows and the stability of Asian markets are at stake, strategic necessity tends to override rhetoric.
What last night made unmistakably clear is this: there is no clean solution. No surgical fix. No easy win.
The longer the administration pretends otherwise, the higher the cost will be
That's not *quite* true: can the US degrade Iranian capability to a level where it can no longer threaten maritime traffic in the Straits.
And we don't know the answer to that question yet.
My assumption, though, is that is the US goal. And they will attempt to prove it is safe in the coming weeks, by having US naval vessels transit the Straits, and emerge without -hopefully- having been fired upon.
The inability to defeat the Houthis shows how hard that will be.
That's a fair point; albeit the Houthis didn't get the full force of the US and Israeli airforces (and associated Naval aviators).
Sir Keir Starmer needs to remove the whip from Lucy Powell and she needs to resign for this disgracefully unBritish act.
Shocked of Vauxhall writes:
“The 87 bus stop at Vauxhall frequently has a queue form up for its popular eastbound service towards Aldwych.
“I have just walked past Lucy Powell who was hovering near the entrance of the bus and studiously ignoring the long queue of more than 20 people, before hopping on after two or three people had boarded - scandalously queue jumping!”
Being a lefty w***** I was always one of those useless ****s who waited in the left hand lane for 800 yards before a lane closure. Then I discovered Bigjobber on 'tinternet. Bigjobber who is a master of roadcraft as well as an insurance liability expert says we should use both lanes before zipper merging at the point of the lane closure. So now I take Bigjobber's advice and use the right hand lane as the highway code recommends. The entitlement bonus is fantastic, I feel I am on the first step to becoming a PB Tory.
My walking to work route used to take me past a long bus queue around Waterloo. I got so much abuse from people thinking I was queue jumping i would go out of my way to avoid the area.
I am one of those who move in to the middle of the road protecting the lefties in front on me, stopping the right German car driving twats behind me... Occasionally you'll get one who tries to squeeze past bursting blood vessels in their necks yelling at you... Tossers
I give them the little finger W sign.
Best is when a 32 tonne does exactly the same 2pp yards back in your mirror
The Timothy story isn't really about him, it's about Badenoch. David Cameron of (blessed?) memory would simply have sacked him saying these aren't Conservative Party values and quietly let him back in again after a few months. Badenoch doesn't do this. She pretends Timothy said something different what he actually said - that doesn't make sense either - and doubles down on how excellent he is. She's Corbyn basically.
Accept not everyone is following the story closely.
Katie Lam wouldn't get herself into this sort of mess.
The attempt to cancel Nick Timothy doesn't seem to be having the desired effect and has instead boosted his profile and turned him into a more significant political figure than he was before.
I have read some of (I got distracted and could not finish it) Seldon's book about the May Premiership. He was at best a SPAD who had the ear of May and became her (Joint) Chief of Staff. His influence on the 2017 GE turned an over-20pt lead in the polls to a minority government. He is significant only in the negative sense.
imo it was Lynton Crosby who ballsed up the 2017 campaign. You can't parrot the slogan Strong & Stable while ditching policies halfway through, and nor should you hide the Cabinet away and rely on a camera-shy Prime Minister.
Sir Keir Starmer needs to remove the whip from Lucy Powell and she needs to resign for this disgracefully unBritish act.
Shocked of Vauxhall writes:
“The 87 bus stop at Vauxhall frequently has a queue form up for its popular eastbound service towards Aldwych.
“I have just walked past Lucy Powell who was hovering near the entrance of the bus and studiously ignoring the long queue of more than 20 people, before hopping on after two or three people had boarded - scandalously queue jumping!”
Being a lefty w***** I was always one of those useless ****s who waited in the left hand lane for 800 yards before a lane closure. Then I discovered Bigjobber on 'tinternet. Bigjobber who is a master of roadcraft as well as an insurance liability expert says we should use both lanes before zipper merging at the point of the lane closure. So now I take Bigjobber's advice and use the right hand lane as the highway code recommends. The entitlement bonus is fantastic, I feel I am on the first step to becoming a PB Tory.
I tell you what’s been really been boiling my piss recently.
People boarding trains before everyone has alighted.
I’ve been using the trains regularly for 30 years and up to quite recent it has always been everyone alights then everyone else boards, now you’ve got selfish fuckwits boarding without adhering to convention that goes back to Magna Carta.
I hold these people lower than people who think pineapple is an acceptable topping on pizza.
That and people who insist on putting their bloody bags next to them on the neighbouring seat, even when people are crammed in the aisle and standing.
Just ask them to move the bag and sit down. Even more fun if you do it in the voice of Papa Lazarou.
Sir Keir Starmer needs to remove the whip from Lucy Powell and she needs to resign for this disgracefully unBritish act.
Shocked of Vauxhall writes:
“The 87 bus stop at Vauxhall frequently has a queue form up for its popular eastbound service towards Aldwych.
“I have just walked past Lucy Powell who was hovering near the entrance of the bus and studiously ignoring the long queue of more than 20 people, before hopping on after two or three people had boarded - scandalously queue jumping!”
A south London bus expert writes:
"Eastbound" is not an accurate characterisation of the service - from Vauxhall it heads due west across the Thames, which runs north-south at this point, before heading north. By the time it reaches Aldwych it is very marginally east of where it was when it was at Vauxhall, but really the journey from there is best described as northbound. In my experience bus "queue jumping" is fairly common, bus queues being ill defined since people are usually waiting for several different services at the same stop. Social sanctions are limited. I think what Powell is described as doing, waiting for a few people to board so as to not be too cheeky about it, is reasonable etiquette.
Yes, bus qs are not linear. They're a kind of organism. I tend to loiter away from the action, perhaps by the nearest lamppost, and ghost in when I see mine coming, then when close to the door I make a point of hanging back, let a few people on first, before boarding with a pleasant to neutral face. I've actually jumped the q (technically) but it looks like I've been quite selfless. Only somebody tracking my every movement would know differently and few people do that. Goal of all this - top deck front seat.
Sir Keir Starmer needs to remove the whip from Lucy Powell and she needs to resign for this disgracefully unBritish act.
Shocked of Vauxhall writes:
“The 87 bus stop at Vauxhall frequently has a queue form up for its popular eastbound service towards Aldwych.
“I have just walked past Lucy Powell who was hovering near the entrance of the bus and studiously ignoring the long queue of more than 20 people, before hopping on after two or three people had boarded - scandalously queue jumping!”
Being a lefty w***** I was always one of those useless ****s who waited in the left hand lane for 800 yards before a lane closure. Then I discovered Bigjobber on 'tinternet. Bigjobber who is a master of roadcraft as well as an insurance liability expert says we should use both lanes before zipper merging at the point of the lane closure. So now I take Bigjobber's advice and use the right hand lane as the highway code recommends. The entitlement bonus is fantastic, I feel I am on the first step to becoming a PB Tory.
My walking to work route used to take me past a long bus queue around Waterloo. I got so much abuse from people thinking I was queue jumping i would go out of my way to avoid the area.
I am one of those who move in to the middle of the road protecting the lefties in front on me, stopping the right German car driving twats behind me... Occasionally you'll get one who tries to squeeze past bursting blood vessels in their necks yelling at you... Tossers
I give them the little finger W sign.
Best is when a 32 tonne does exactly the same 2pp yards back in your mirror
What do you think the other lane is there for? Decoration?
Merge in turn is better for everyone. You lane 1 lemmings are making the queue longer than it needs to be and spreading the congestion further than it needs to be.
The ideal is the queue in all lanes being the same length.
Sir Keir Starmer needs to remove the whip from Lucy Powell and she needs to resign for this disgracefully unBritish act.
Shocked of Vauxhall writes:
“The 87 bus stop at Vauxhall frequently has a queue form up for its popular eastbound service towards Aldwych.
“I have just walked past Lucy Powell who was hovering near the entrance of the bus and studiously ignoring the long queue of more than 20 people, before hopping on after two or three people had boarded - scandalously queue jumping!”
Being a lefty w***** I was always one of those useless ****s who waited in the left hand lane for 800 yards before a lane closure. Then I discovered Bigjobber on 'tinternet. Bigjobber who is a master of roadcraft as well as an insurance liability expert says we should use both lanes before zipper merging at the point of the lane closure. So now I take Bigjobber's advice and use the right hand lane as the highway code recommends. The entitlement bonus is fantastic, I feel I am on the first step to becoming a PB Tory.
I tell you what’s been really been boiling my piss recently.
People boarding trains before everyone has alighted.
I’ve been using the trains regularly for 30 years and up to quite recent it has always been everyone alights then everyone else boards, now you’ve got selfish fuckwits boarding without adhering to convention that goes back to Magna Carta.
I hold these people lower than people who think pineapple is an acceptable topping on pizza.
That and people who insist on putting their bloody bags next to them on the neighbouring seat, even when people are crammed in the aisle and standing.
Similarly, people who default to the outside seat rather than the inside seat because they assume that people aren't likely to ask them to shift unless it's crazy busy, and thus getting two seats to themselves.
Sir Keir Starmer needs to remove the whip from Lucy Powell and she needs to resign for this disgracefully unBritish act.
Shocked of Vauxhall writes:
“The 87 bus stop at Vauxhall frequently has a queue form up for its popular eastbound service towards Aldwych.
“I have just walked past Lucy Powell who was hovering near the entrance of the bus and studiously ignoring the long queue of more than 20 people, before hopping on after two or three people had boarded - scandalously queue jumping!”
A south London bus expert writes:
"Eastbound" is not an accurate characterisation of the service - from Vauxhall it heads due west across the Thames, which runs north-south at this point, before heading north. By the time it reaches Aldwych it is very marginally east of where it was when it was at Vauxhall, but really the journey from there is best described as northbound. In my experience bus "queue jumping" is fairly common, bus queues being ill defined since people are usually waiting for several different services at the same stop. Social sanctions are limited. I think what Powell is described as doing, waiting for a few people to board so as to not be too cheeky about it, is reasonable etiquette.
Yes, bus qs are not linear. They're a kind of organism. I tend to loiter away from the action, perhaps by the nearest lamppost, and ghost in when I see mine coming, then when close to the door I make a point of hanging back, let a few people on first, before boarding with a pleasant to neutral face. I've actually jumped the q (technically) but it looks like I've been quite selfless. Only somebody tracking my every movement would know differently and few people do that. Goal of all this - top deck front seat.
Ha ha sometimes I wonder if we are the same person!
That exit poll in the 2017 GE was one of those wow moments .
Even though Survation showed that shock poll , the polls close to election day were better for May .
I'd bet on Con most votes. I was somewhat smug (the YouGov had cued me in to the situation). Although I was genuinely sympathetic to those PB Tories who were shell shocked. It got a bit better when the Scots votes rolled in later in the night, but some were actually distressed earlier in the night.
Reports from Qatar indicate that Qatari security forces have arrested Hamas propagandist and Al Jazeera analyst Saeed Ziad over his support for Iranian attacks targeting Gulf states.
The attempt to cancel Nick Timothy doesn't seem to be having the desired effect and has instead boosted his profile and turned him into a more significant political figure than he was before.
I have read some of (I got distracted and could not finish it) Seldon's book about the May Premiership. He was at best a SPAD who had the ear of May and became her (Joint) Chief of Staff. His influence on the 2017 GE turned an over-20pt lead in the polls to a minority government. He is significant only in the negative sense.
imo it was Lynton Crosby who ballsed up the 2017 campaign. You can't parrot the slogan Strong & Stable while ditching policies halfway through, and nor should you hide the Cabinet away and rely on a camera-shy Prime Minister.
Is this Hari Seldon, the psychohistorian? I always thought he would be brilliant at political betting.
The attempt to cancel Nick Timothy doesn't seem to be having the desired effect and has instead boosted his profile and turned him into a more significant political figure than he was before.
I have read some of (I got distracted and could not finish it) Seldon's book about the May Premiership. He was at best a SPAD who had the ear of May and became her (Joint) Chief of Staff. His influence on the 2017 GE turned an over-20pt lead in the polls to a minority government. He is significant only in the negative sense.
imo it was Lynton Crosby who ballsed up the 2017 campaign. You can't parrot the slogan Strong & Stable while ditching policies halfway through, and nor should you hide the Cabinet away and rely on a camera-shy Prime Minister.
Is this Hari Seldon, the psychohistorian? I always thought he would be brilliant at political betting.
Sir Keir Starmer needs to remove the whip from Lucy Powell and she needs to resign for this disgracefully unBritish act.
Shocked of Vauxhall writes:
“The 87 bus stop at Vauxhall frequently has a queue form up for its popular eastbound service towards Aldwych.
“I have just walked past Lucy Powell who was hovering near the entrance of the bus and studiously ignoring the long queue of more than 20 people, before hopping on after two or three people had boarded - scandalously queue jumping!”
A south London bus expert writes:
"Eastbound" is not an accurate characterisation of the service - from Vauxhall it heads due west across the Thames, which runs north-south at this point, before heading north. By the time it reaches Aldwych it is very marginally east of where it was when it was at Vauxhall, but really the journey from there is best described as northbound. In my experience bus "queue jumping" is fairly common, bus queues being ill defined since people are usually waiting for several different services at the same stop. Social sanctions are limited. I think what Powell is described as doing, waiting for a few people to board so as to not be too cheeky about it, is reasonable etiquette.
Yes, bus qs are not linear. They're a kind of organism. I tend to loiter away from the action, perhaps by the nearest lamppost, and ghost in when I see mine coming, then when close to the door I make a point of hanging back, let a few people on first, before boarding with a pleasant to neutral face. I've actually jumped the q (technically) but it looks like I've been quite selfless. Only somebody tracking my every movement would know differently and few people do that. Goal of all this - top deck front seat.
Watched a bit of it. She and David Bull truly grisly and their references to Scotland fairly set the teeth on edge, A+ cringeworthy. Where do they find them, and why send them north of the border?
Sir Keir Starmer needs to remove the whip from Lucy Powell and she needs to resign for this disgracefully unBritish act.
Shocked of Vauxhall writes:
“The 87 bus stop at Vauxhall frequently has a queue form up for its popular eastbound service towards Aldwych.
“I have just walked past Lucy Powell who was hovering near the entrance of the bus and studiously ignoring the long queue of more than 20 people, before hopping on after two or three people had boarded - scandalously queue jumping!”
A south London bus expert writes:
"Eastbound" is not an accurate characterisation of the service - from Vauxhall it heads due west across the Thames, which runs north-south at this point, before heading north. By the time it reaches Aldwych it is very marginally east of where it was when it was at Vauxhall, but really the journey from there is best described as northbound. In my experience bus "queue jumping" is fairly common, bus queues being ill defined since people are usually waiting for several different services at the same stop. Social sanctions are limited. I think what Powell is described as doing, waiting for a few people to board so as to not be too cheeky about it, is reasonable etiquette.
Yes, bus qs are not linear. They're a kind of organism. I tend to loiter away from the action, perhaps by the nearest lamppost, and ghost in when I see mine coming, then when close to the door I make a point of hanging back, let a few people on first, before boarding with a pleasant to neutral face. I've actually jumped the q (technically) but it looks like I've been quite selfless. Only somebody tracking my every movement would know differently and few people do that. Goal of all this - top deck front seat.
You are a bad man.
But sitting on the front seat upstairs is no less thrilling at the age of 50 than it was at the age of 5. In fact, probably more so.
It takes a very big brain to defeat these ancient civilizations and that is something the Trump/Kushners are severely lacking. When you read about the Iranian hospital in Tehran with 600 beds calling itself 'The Ghandi Hospital" and that it's situated on 'Mandela Avenue' you know the game's up.
The release of 250 political prisoners in Belarus is a welcome and tangible step forward.
I thank the United States for brokering this deal. For many families, this is a moment of long-awaited relief and a chance to reunite with their loved ones.
Lowest Reform score with FoN's regular weekly poll since January 2025
I know we can't criticise a BPC pollster but surely there would be a correlation between Reform shipping nearly ten points over several months and an increase in Conservative fortunes. So if Reform are on 25 so are the Tories.
Sir Keir Starmer needs to remove the whip from Lucy Powell and she needs to resign for this disgracefully unBritish act.
Shocked of Vauxhall writes:
“The 87 bus stop at Vauxhall frequently has a queue form up for its popular eastbound service towards Aldwych.
“I have just walked past Lucy Powell who was hovering near the entrance of the bus and studiously ignoring the long queue of more than 20 people, before hopping on after two or three people had boarded - scandalously queue jumping!”
Being a lefty w***** I was always one of those useless ****s who waited in the left hand lane for 800 yards before a lane closure. Then I discovered Bigjobber on 'tinternet. Bigjobber who is a master of roadcraft as well as an insurance liability expert says we should use both lanes before zipper merging at the point of the lane closure. So now I take Bigjobber's advice and use the right hand lane as the highway code recommends. The entitlement bonus is fantastic, I feel I am on the first step to becoming a PB Tory.
My walking to work route used to take me past a long bus queue around Waterloo. I got so much abuse from people thinking I was queue jumping i would go out of my way to avoid the area.
I am one of those who move in to the middle of the road protecting the lefties in front on me, stopping the right German car driving twats behind me... Occasionally you'll get one who tries to squeeze past bursting blood vessels in their necks yelling at you... Tossers
I give them the little finger W sign.
Best is when a 32 tonne does exactly the same 2pp yards back in your mirror
What do you think the other lane is there for? Decoration?
Merge in turn is better for everyone. You lane 1 lemmings are making the queue longer than it needs to be and spreading the congestion further than it needs to be.
The ideal is the queue in all lanes being the same length.
Of course. But what happens is that the toddlers in the right hand lane push in so aggressively that the left lane becomes stationary.
I come to a halt in line with the back of the queue in the RH lane and wait for movement to be restored. Then match speeds (going slightly faster).
Result - two lane efficiency is restored, and half a dozen pushy gits are frustrated. Win/win.
This afternoon all 5 opposition parties at Kent CC walked out of the Chamber in protest at ReformUKs gagging of democracy.
Against advice and guidance of the Electoral Commission, independent Constitutional Barristers and the Council's own Monitoring Officer, ReformUK insisted on tabling their motion, self-declaring a 'Migration Emergency', even though the council is within the 'Purdah" period when they are legally prohibited from debating issues which might influence the outcome of local elections presently taking place.
Andrew Kennedy @Andrew__Kennedy · 1h (5/5) This is a sad day for democracy, a sad day for good governance and a sad day for Kent. An example of what ReformUK will be like in government.
Sir Keir Starmer needs to remove the whip from Lucy Powell and she needs to resign for this disgracefully unBritish act.
Shocked of Vauxhall writes:
“The 87 bus stop at Vauxhall frequently has a queue form up for its popular eastbound service towards Aldwych.
“I have just walked past Lucy Powell who was hovering near the entrance of the bus and studiously ignoring the long queue of more than 20 people, before hopping on after two or three people had boarded - scandalously queue jumping!”
Being a lefty w***** I was always one of those useless ****s who waited in the left hand lane for 800 yards before a lane closure. Then I discovered Bigjobber on 'tinternet. Bigjobber who is a master of roadcraft as well as an insurance liability expert says we should use both lanes before zipper merging at the point of the lane closure. So now I take Bigjobber's advice and use the right hand lane as the highway code recommends. The entitlement bonus is fantastic, I feel I am on the first step to becoming a PB Tory.
My walking to work route used to take me past a long bus queue around Waterloo. I got so much abuse from people thinking I was queue jumping i would go out of my way to avoid the area.
I am one of those who move in to the middle of the road protecting the lefties in front on me, stopping the right German car driving twats behind me... Occasionally you'll get one who tries to squeeze past bursting blood vessels in their necks yelling at you... Tossers
I give them the little finger W sign.
Best is when a 32 tonne does exactly the same 2pp yards back in your mirror
What do you think the other lane is there for? Decoration?
Merge in turn is better for everyone. You lane 1 lemmings are making the queue longer than it needs to be and spreading the congestion further than it needs to be.
The ideal is the queue in all lanes being the same length.
100%
There is a road that I travel on daily that is perpetually backed up because of muppet Lemmings, ironically before a split, not a merge.
2 lanes to a T Junction, I need to turn right and so do most others. The left lane is always clear but the right lane is backed up ages. Just before the junction there is a Keep Clear patch, then after it the right lane splits into 2. There are 2 lanes out of the junction too, so both lanes can go simultaneously.
Unfortunately most Lemmings just queue in the main lane and don't take the extra one that opens up, so when the light goes green only half the traffic can flow out at once. Morons.
So I drive down the left hand lane daily to the keep clear box, then use that box to pull into the invariably empty right hand lane. Amazing how often Lemmings hoot because they are annoyed someone has gone in front of them, but that open lane was available to them too.
The attempt to cancel Nick Timothy doesn't seem to be having the desired effect and has instead boosted his profile and turned him into a more significant political figure than he was before.
I have read some of (I got distracted and could not finish it) Seldon's book about the May Premiership. He was at best a SPAD who had the ear of May and became her (Joint) Chief of Staff. His influence on the 2017 GE turned an over-20pt lead in the polls to a minority government. He is significant only in the negative sense.
imo it was Lynton Crosby who ballsed up the 2017 campaign. You can't parrot the slogan Strong & Stable while ditching policies halfway through, and nor should you hide the Cabinet away and rely on a camera-shy Prime Minister.
Is this Hari Seldon, the psychohistorian? I always thought he would be brilliant at political betting.
His bets are so long term that the counterparty risk, along with the opportunity cost of capital tied up, would likely render his advice useless.
I’m making a pasta dinner tonight. Kind of like a bolognaise, but different
I’m slow cooking two beef short ribs in wine and stock with garlic and onion. I’m going to let it cook for about five hours in total. A little before it finishes, I’m going to use all the juices in my sauce. I’m going to fry more garlic and onion in butter, then add all those juices, then stir in a load of sliced olives and fresh oregano. I’ll then mix in the shredded slow cooked meat. Last of all I’ll add roasted Pome dei Moro cherry tomatoes and fresh basil. Then mix with the pasta. Then loads of black pepper and Parmesan
Loads of different religions use Trafalgar Square for celebrations.
Would Timothy had said anything if it was a Jewish or Sikh event ?
He clearly was picking on the Muslim community to score points with Reform voters . As for Badenochs speech this morning , a dreadful start with more attempts to suck up to Reform voters .
You are not her audience and she does seem to be upsetting her opponents who wouldn't vote for her anyway
Her policies so far are attractive including abolishing stamp duty and the farm tax, addressing student loans and helping young people, maximising revenue from the North Sea, and increasing defence spending, together with stopping the boats and controlling immigration
I would suggest that is where a lot of the country is at present
A leading Jewish cleric pointed out to her that certain Jewish factions separate men and women at some services, she chose to ignore him.
Things have moved on thanks to Trump.
after being asked why the US didn't tell allies in Europe and Asia ahead of launching strikes on Iran. The US president told reporters: "We wanted a surprise. "Who knows better about surprises than Japan? "Why didn't you tell me about Pearl Harbour?" he asks, turning to Takaichi.
Kemi’s “Starmer sucking up to Jews” comment before lunch, massively eclipsed by the US President before dinner. You can always rely on Trump.
With Kemi disgracing herself again in public
Farage threatening journalists
Davey non existent
Polanski getting weirder by the day
SKS is currently looking like a generational Statesman
Sir Keir Starmer needs to remove the whip from Lucy Powell and she needs to resign for this disgracefully unBritish act.
Shocked of Vauxhall writes:
“The 87 bus stop at Vauxhall frequently has a queue form up for its popular eastbound service towards Aldwych.
“I have just walked past Lucy Powell who was hovering near the entrance of the bus and studiously ignoring the long queue of more than 20 people, before hopping on after two or three people had boarded - scandalously queue jumping!”
Being a lefty w***** I was always one of those useless ****s who waited in the left hand lane for 800 yards before a lane closure. Then I discovered Bigjobber on 'tinternet. Bigjobber who is a master of roadcraft as well as an insurance liability expert says we should use both lanes before zipper merging at the point of the lane closure. So now I take Bigjobber's advice and use the right hand lane as the highway code recommends. The entitlement bonus is fantastic, I feel I am on the first step to becoming a PB Tory.
I tell you what’s been really been boiling my piss recently.
People boarding trains before everyone has alighted.
I’ve been using the trains regularly for 30 years and up to quite recent it has always been everyone alights then everyone else boards, now you’ve got selfish fuckwits boarding without adhering to convention that goes back to Magna Carta.
I hold these people lower than people who think pineapple is an acceptable topping on pizza.
Wot TSE said!
Happened at New Street 40 years ago.
I agree piss boiling
The only line I agree with there is Polanski is beginning to come across as a bit weird.
The only way to make breasts bigger is plastic surgery. Hypnosis won’t work. It sounds like con artist.
Besides someone to go to for reassurance that your small, different sized and shaped but beautiful round and firm boobs, like Roman statues have, are lovely, you should relax and love them - would be better fit with selling us happiness.
Polanski is a charlatan.
BJO please explain.
Errr, hello: have you not heard of Photoshop?
There is also the question of "The Fallen Madonna With The Big Boobies", by Van Clomp. This prestige artwork was last sold for a record £15,000 sum in (checks notes) Bristol. Yes, really.
The Timothy story isn't really about him, it's about Badenoch. David Cameron of (blessed?) memory would simply have sacked him saying these aren't Conservative Party values and quietly let him back in again after a few months. Badenoch doesn't do this. She pretends Timothy said something different what he actually said - that doesn't make sense either - and doubles down on how excellent he is. She's Corbyn basically.
Accept not everyone is following the story closely.
I don't think anyone off PB is following the story at all. Nick Timothy is hardly a household name.
Not even in his own household. Anyway, how can you take seriously somebody who doesn't even tell you their surname?
The attempt to cancel Nick Timothy doesn't seem to be having the desired effect and has instead boosted his profile and turned him into a more significant political figure than he was before.
I have read some of (I got distracted and could not finish it) Seldon's book about the May Premiership. He was at best a SPAD who had the ear of May and became her (Joint) Chief of Staff. His influence on the 2017 GE turned an over-20pt lead in the polls to a minority government. He is significant only in the negative sense.
imo it was Lynton Crosby who ballsed up the 2017 campaign. You can't parrot the slogan Strong & Stable while ditching policies halfway through, and nor should you hide the Cabinet away and rely on a camera-shy Prime Minister.
Is this Hari Seldon, the psychohistorian? I always thought he would be brilliant at political betting.
His bets are so long term that the counterparty risk, along with the opportunity cost of capital tied up, would likely render his advice useless.
I seem to recall that he was pretty successful in identifying both that the Foundation would be created and where it would be so not necessarily.
I’m making a pasta dinner tonight. Kind of like a bolognaise, but different
I’m slow cooking two beef short ribs in wine and stock with garlic and onion. I’m going to let it cook for about five hours in total. A little before it finishes, I’m going to use all the juices in my sauce. I’m going to fry more garlic and onion in butter, then add all those juices, then stir in a load of sliced olives and fresh oregano. I’ll then mix in the shredded slow cooked meat. Last of all I’ll add roasted Pome dei Moro cherry tomatoes and fresh basil. Then mix with the pasta. Then loads of black pepper and Parmesan
Sir Keir Starmer needs to remove the whip from Lucy Powell and she needs to resign for this disgracefully unBritish act.
Shocked of Vauxhall writes:
“The 87 bus stop at Vauxhall frequently has a queue form up for its popular eastbound service towards Aldwych.
“I have just walked past Lucy Powell who was hovering near the entrance of the bus and studiously ignoring the long queue of more than 20 people, before hopping on after two or three people had boarded - scandalously queue jumping!”
Being a lefty w***** I was always one of those useless ****s who waited in the left hand lane for 800 yards before a lane closure. Then I discovered Bigjobber on 'tinternet. Bigjobber who is a master of roadcraft as well as an insurance liability expert says we should use both lanes before zipper merging at the point of the lane closure. So now I take Bigjobber's advice and use the right hand lane as the highway code recommends. The entitlement bonus is fantastic, I feel I am on the first step to becoming a PB Tory.
My walking to work route used to take me past a long bus queue around Waterloo. I got so much abuse from people thinking I was queue jumping i would go out of my way to avoid the area.
I am one of those who move in to the middle of the road protecting the lefties in front on me, stopping the right German car driving twats behind me... Occasionally you'll get one who tries to squeeze past bursting blood vessels in their necks yelling at you... Tossers
I give them the little finger W sign.
Best is when a 32 tonne does exactly the same 2pp yards back in your mirror
What do you think the other lane is there for? Decoration?
Merge in turn is better for everyone. You lane 1 lemmings are making the queue longer than it needs to be and spreading the congestion further than it needs to be.
The ideal is the queue in all lanes being the same length.
Of course. But what happens is that the toddlers in the right hand lane push in so aggressively that the left lane becomes stationary.
I come to a halt in line with the back of the queue in the RH lane and wait for movement to be restored. Then match speeds (going slightly faster).
Result - two lane efficiency is restored, and half a dozen pushy gits are frustrated. Win/win.
I'm having trouble picturing what you mean but I don't like the sound of it. Which is not to say that being a pushy git is a good thing either. In practice there is no need to be, with even a slight bit of anticipation.
I’m making a pasta dinner tonight. Kind of like a bolognaise, but different
I’m slow cooking two beef short ribs in wine and stock with garlic and onion. I’m going to let it cook for about five hours in total. A little before it finishes, I’m going to use all the juices in my sauce. I’m going to fry more garlic and onion in butter, then add all those juices, then stir in a load of sliced olives and fresh oregano. I’ll then mix in the shredded slow cooked meat. Last of all I’ll add roasted Pome dei Moro cherry tomatoes and fresh basil. Then mix with the pasta. Then loads of black pepper and Parmesan
Lowest Reform score with FoN's regular weekly poll since January 2025
I know we can't criticise a BPC pollster but surely there would be a correlation between Reform shipping nearly ten points over several months and an increase in Conservative fortunes. So if Reform are on 25 so are the Tories.
Sir Keir Starmer needs to remove the whip from Lucy Powell and she needs to resign for this disgracefully unBritish act.
Shocked of Vauxhall writes:
“The 87 bus stop at Vauxhall frequently has a queue form up for its popular eastbound service towards Aldwych.
“I have just walked past Lucy Powell who was hovering near the entrance of the bus and studiously ignoring the long queue of more than 20 people, before hopping on after two or three people had boarded - scandalously queue jumping!”
A south London bus expert writes:
"Eastbound" is not an accurate characterisation of the service - from Vauxhall it heads due west across the Thames, which runs north-south at this point, before heading north. By the time it reaches Aldwych it is very marginally east of where it was when it was at Vauxhall, but really the journey from there is best described as northbound. In my experience bus "queue jumping" is fairly common, bus queues being ill defined since people are usually waiting for several different services at the same stop. Social sanctions are limited. I think what Powell is described as doing, waiting for a few people to board so as to not be too cheeky about it, is reasonable etiquette.
Yes, bus qs are not linear. They're a kind of organism. I tend to loiter away from the action, perhaps by the nearest lamppost, and ghost in when I see mine coming, then when close to the door I make a point of hanging back, let a few people on first, before boarding with a pleasant to neutral face. I've actually jumped the q (technically) but it looks like I've been quite selfless. Only somebody tracking my every movement would know differently and few people do that. Goal of all this - top deck front seat.
You are a bad man.
But sitting on the front seat upstairs is no less thrilling at the age of 50 than it was at the age of 5. In fact, probably more so.
I'm 65 - and it's definitely more so. You don't fully appreciate it when you're a young boy. Ditto quite a few things actually.
Watched a bit of it. She and David Bull truly grisly and their references to Scotland fairly set the teeth on edge, A+ cringeworthy. Where do they find them, and why send them north of the border?
They don’t seem to have fallen very far from the David Coburn tree. Let’s hope ‘not British’ Zia Yusuf (ironically born in Scotland) never reaches a position of power.
EXCLUSIVE: Fife Reform election candidate called Humza Yousaf ‘Islamist moron’ and ‘not British’
I’m making a pasta dinner tonight. Kind of like a bolognaise, but different
I’m slow cooking two beef short ribs in wine and stock with garlic and onion. I’m going to let it cook for about five hours in total. A little before it finishes, I’m going to use all the juices in my sauce. I’m going to fry more garlic and onion in butter, then add all those juices, then stir in a load of sliced olives and fresh oregano. I’ll then mix in the shredded slow cooked meat. Last of all I’ll add roasted Pome dei Moro cherry tomatoes and fresh basil. Then mix with the pasta. Then loads of black pepper and Parmesan
I’m looking forward to this
I made Bolognese according to the new 2023 version of the official recipe yesterday:
My immediate instinctive thought on the day Donald Trump got reelected was if the world gets through his term without catastrophic damage it will be a result.
My immediate instinctive thought on the day Donald Trump got reelected was if the world gets through his term without catastrophic damage it will be a result.
And we’re Newcastle United, drawing 2:2 with Barcelona in the 30th minute…
My immediate instinctive thought on the day Donald Trump got reelected was if the world gets through his term without catastrophic damage it will be a result.
I remember a tweet I saw the day after he was elected the first time. "All I'm holding onto is that global thermo-nuclear war would be bad for the hotel and golf business."
A senior council worker repeatedly shared with West Midlands authorities reports of children as young as 11 being sexually abused in High Street mini-marts, the BBC can reveal.
The reports were raised multiple times with police and safeguarding partners over the past 10 years, according to internal Dudley Council documents seen by the BBC.
Extracts from intelligence briefings from 2019 to 2024 also claim that children may have been at risk of being sexually abused after being offered drugs, alcohol and cigarettes in mini-marts.
A West Midlands Police spokesman initially said: "There is currently no evidence to substantiate these claims of child sexual exploitation (CSE) connected to shops in Dudley."
But after further evidence was presented to it today by the BBC, West Midlands Police asked us to use an updated statement which did not contain the claims of "no evidence". It said instead: "We have a robust partnership approach to CSE and safeguarding in the borough and across the wider West Midlands.
"CSE is a serious crime, so we will always act on any information we receive."
Definitely goalhanging. As I'm in an online interview watching a candidate drown...
Hopefully not a lifeguard job.
Sadly its applicants to study pharmacy (but from Access to HE courses). Usually very poor, the current one is one of the worst I've seen. He's trying a calculation right now that I suspect every PB member would achieved in 20 s or less. And failing.
I'm surprised that its usually very poor from Access courses.
I don't know what they're generally like, but my wife started Uni this year after doing an Access course (self-study, online, as well as working) last year. She was advised before she started that, that if you can do well on the Access course you should be good for Uni and that the Access course is quite challenging. She said in hindsight she agrees with that, in part as was then working so juggling the course with her job, whereas now she's full-time doing her degree/placements, but that the Access course was good prep.
Don't know if all Access courses are similar or some are better than others.
There is significant variation. I have interviewed into the three figures products of access courses. There are some good students there - typically ones who choose the wrong route early but then want to do pharmacy and don't have the A levels in the right subjects. I have accepted one such this morning.
Then there are the vast majority that were not good enough to get the right grades initially but can get the lower grades for the Access to HE courses and hope that will get them on the main course. At a Top 10 Uni like Bath (are you listening @HYUFD - we not a Russel Group but we are better than most of them) they don't cut it.
At some point I'll share a typical calculation that floors them. PBers will have no dificulty.
Is is
Simplify (a-x)(b-x)(c-x)...(z-x)
?
=0
Only when x is equal to one of the constants (I presume they are constants) a to z.
At a guess, the one between w and y?
Yes, yes. Now I'm embarrassed. I'm just so used to a, b, c, etc being constants and x, y , z, etc being variables.
x can be as variable as it likes, and (x-x) will always be zero
I've always wondered how double posts appeared. You've just managed 5 of them!
Sorry. I got error ‘failed’ messages from the site on my posts so clicked on ‘post’ again. I had no way of knowing it would eventually post my comment over and over.
I’m also quite stressed out as yesterday I had to wrestle a close friend to the ground to stop her throwing herself out of a third floor window, and today I was phoned by the Police to say that this morning she’d done precisely that. This week is one I won’t ever forget.
"If only it was the picture who was to grow old, and I remain young. There's nothing in the world I wouldn't give for that. Yes, I would give even my soul for it."
Lowest Reform score with FoN's regular weekly poll since January 2025
I know we can't criticise a BPC pollster but surely there would be a correlation between Reform shipping nearly ten points over several months and an increase in Conservative fortunes. So if Reform are on 25 so are the Tories.
"If only it was the picture who was to grow old, and I remain young. There's nothing in the world I wouldn't give for that. Yes, I would give even my soul for it."
Are you suggetsing he should take a walk on the Wilde side?
A senior council worker repeatedly shared with West Midlands authorities reports of children as young as 11 being sexually abused in High Street mini-marts, the BBC can reveal.
The reports were raised multiple times with police and safeguarding partners over the past 10 years, according to internal Dudley Council documents seen by the BBC.
Extracts from intelligence briefings from 2019 to 2024 also claim that children may have been at risk of being sexually abused after being offered drugs, alcohol and cigarettes in mini-marts.
A West Midlands Police spokesman initially said: "There is currently no evidence to substantiate these claims of child sexual exploitation (CSE) connected to shops in Dudley."
But after further evidence was presented to it today by the BBC, West Midlands Police asked us to use an updated statement which did not contain the claims of "no evidence". It said instead: "We have a robust partnership approach to CSE and safeguarding in the borough and across the wider West Midlands.
"CSE is a serious crime, so we will always act on any information we receive."
Watched a bit of it. She and David Bull truly grisly and their references to Scotland fairly set the teeth on edge, A+ cringeworthy. Where do they find them, and why send them north of the border?
They don’t seem to have fallen very far from the David Coburn tree. Let’s hope ‘not British’ Zia Yusuf (ironically born in Scotland) never reaches a position of power.
EXCLUSIVE: Fife Reform election candidate called Humza Yousaf ‘Islamist moron’ and ‘not British’
"If only it was the picture who was to grow old, and I remain young. There's nothing in the world I wouldn't give for that. Yes, I would give even my soul for it."
Are you suggetsing he should take a walk on the Wilde side?
David Cameron's Lord Henry to Clegg's Dorian “The only way to get rid of temptation is to yield to it... join me in a Coalition as the junior partner"
A senior council worker repeatedly shared with West Midlands authorities reports of children as young as 11 being sexually abused in High Street mini-marts, the BBC can reveal.
The reports were raised multiple times with police and safeguarding partners over the past 10 years, according to internal Dudley Council documents seen by the BBC.
Extracts from intelligence briefings from 2019 to 2024 also claim that children may have been at risk of being sexually abused after being offered drugs, alcohol and cigarettes in mini-marts.
A West Midlands Police spokesman initially said: "There is currently no evidence to substantiate these claims of child sexual exploitation (CSE) connected to shops in Dudley."
But after further evidence was presented to it today by the BBC, West Midlands Police asked us to use an updated statement which did not contain the claims of "no evidence". It said instead: "We have a robust partnership approach to CSE and safeguarding in the borough and across the wider West Midlands.
"CSE is a serious crime, so we will always act on any information we receive."
That is quite the dramatic change in statement tone.
Definitely goalhanging. As I'm in an online interview watching a candidate drown...
Hopefully not a lifeguard job.
Sadly its applicants to study pharmacy (but from Access to HE courses). Usually very poor, the current one is one of the worst I've seen. He's trying a calculation right now that I suspect every PB member would achieved in 20 s or less. And failing.
I'm surprised that its usually very poor from Access courses.
I don't know what they're generally like, but my wife started Uni this year after doing an Access course (self-study, online, as well as working) last year. She was advised before she started that, that if you can do well on the Access course you should be good for Uni and that the Access course is quite challenging. She said in hindsight she agrees with that, in part as was then working so juggling the course with her job, whereas now she's full-time doing her degree/placements, but that the Access course was good prep.
Don't know if all Access courses are similar or some are better than others.
There is significant variation. I have interviewed into the three figures products of access courses. There are some good students there - typically ones who choose the wrong route early but then want to do pharmacy and don't have the A levels in the right subjects. I have accepted one such this morning.
Then there are the vast majority that were not good enough to get the right grades initially but can get the lower grades for the Access to HE courses and hope that will get them on the main course. At a Top 10 Uni like Bath (are you listening @HYUFD - we not a Russel Group but we are better than most of them) they don't cut it.
At some point I'll share a typical calculation that floors them. PBers will have no dificulty.
Is is
Simplify (a-x)(b-x)(c-x)...(z-x)
?
=0
Only when x is equal to one of the constants (I presume they are constants) a to z.
At a guess, the one between w and y?
Yes, yes. Now I'm embarrassed. I'm just so used to a, b, c, etc being constants and x, y , z, etc being variables.
x can be as variable as it likes, and (x-x) will always be zero
I've always wondered how double posts appeared. You've just managed 5 of them!
Sorry. I got error ‘failed’ messages from the site on my posts so clicked on ‘post’ again. I had no way of knowing it would eventually post my comment over and over.
I’m also quite stressed out as yesterday I had to wrestle a close friend to the ground to stop her throwing herself out of a third floor window, and today I was phoned by the Police to say that this morning she’d done precisely that. This week is one I won’t ever forget.
No apology needed, it's interesting to know how it happens.
A senior council worker repeatedly shared with West Midlands authorities reports of children as young as 11 being sexually abused in High Street mini-marts, the BBC can reveal.
The reports were raised multiple times with police and safeguarding partners over the past 10 years, according to internal Dudley Council documents seen by the BBC.
Extracts from intelligence briefings from 2019 to 2024 also claim that children may have been at risk of being sexually abused after being offered drugs, alcohol and cigarettes in mini-marts.
A West Midlands Police spokesman initially said: "There is currently no evidence to substantiate these claims of child sexual exploitation (CSE) connected to shops in Dudley."
But after further evidence was presented to it today by the BBC, West Midlands Police asked us to use an updated statement which did not contain the claims of "no evidence". It said instead: "We have a robust partnership approach to CSE and safeguarding in the borough and across the wider West Midlands.
"CSE is a serious crime, so we will always act on any information we receive."
There’s a touching naivety in asking a country at war (however evil its govt may be) to exercise “restraint”. If you bomb someone, anyone, there’s a significant possibility they’re going to bomb you (or someone else) where it hurts. What are these people smoking?
Lowest Reform score with FoN's regular weekly poll since January 2025
I know we can't criticise a BPC pollster but surely there would be a correlation between Reform shipping nearly ten points over several months and an increase in Conservative fortunes. So if Reform are on 25 so are the Tories.
Restore
Reform has also shipped younger voters to the Greens. I know you don't think that makes sense but I'll guarantee it is the case. Reform ceased to be the only populist option and most people really do not like Mr Toad. The RefUK/Con combined vote has been slipping for a while and fell a couple of percent this month. Apparently something happened that made years of submissive devotion to Trump make them look less than attractive to a small but significant numner
My immediate instinctive thought on the day Donald Trump got reelected was if the world gets through his term without catastrophic damage it will be a result.
I remember a tweet I saw the day after he was elected the first time. "All I'm holding onto is that global thermo-nuclear war would be bad for the hotel and golf business."
A senior council worker repeatedly shared with West Midlands authorities reports of children as young as 11 being sexually abused in High Street mini-marts, the BBC can reveal.
The reports were raised multiple times with police and safeguarding partners over the past 10 years, according to internal Dudley Council documents seen by the BBC.
Extracts from intelligence briefings from 2019 to 2024 also claim that children may have been at risk of being sexually abused after being offered drugs, alcohol and cigarettes in mini-marts.
A West Midlands Police spokesman initially said: "There is currently no evidence to substantiate these claims of child sexual exploitation (CSE) connected to shops in Dudley."
But after further evidence was presented to it today by the BBC, West Midlands Police asked us to use an updated statement which did not contain the claims of "no evidence". It said instead: "We have a robust partnership approach to CSE and safeguarding in the borough and across the wider West Midlands.
"CSE is a serious crime, so we will always act on any information we receive."
"If only it was the picture who was to grow old, and I remain young. There's nothing in the world I wouldn't give for that. Yes, I would give even my soul for it."
Are you suggetsing he should take a walk on the Wilde side?
You’re making an Earnest attempt at punning tonight. Well done.
There’s a touching naivety in asking a country at war (however evil its govt may be) to exercise “restraint”. If you bomb someone, anyone, there’s a significant possibility they’re going to bomb you (or someone else) where it hurts. What are these people smoking?
A bit like how Putin, probably genuinely in his mind, would get utterly outraged at Ukraine defending itself from attack.
"If only it was the picture who was to grow old, and I remain young. There's nothing in the world I wouldn't give for that. Yes, I would give even my soul for it."
Are you suggetsing he should take a walk on the Wilde side?
You’re making an Earnest attempt at punning tonight. Well done.
Just trying to lighten the mood. I'm feeling a bit Grey with everything going on.
Edit - although I think IanB2 has every right to feel greyer on reading the comment below.
Definitely goalhanging. As I'm in an online interview watching a candidate drown...
Hopefully not a lifeguard job.
Sadly its applicants to study pharmacy (but from Access to HE courses). Usually very poor, the current one is one of the worst I've seen. He's trying a calculation right now that I suspect every PB member would achieved in 20 s or less. And failing.
I'm surprised that its usually very poor from Access courses.
I don't know what they're generally like, but my wife started Uni this year after doing an Access course (self-study, online, as well as working) last year. She was advised before she started that, that if you can do well on the Access course you should be good for Uni and that the Access course is quite challenging. She said in hindsight she agrees with that, in part as was then working so juggling the course with her job, whereas now she's full-time doing her degree/placements, but that the Access course was good prep.
Don't know if all Access courses are similar or some are better than others.
There is significant variation. I have interviewed into the three figures products of access courses. There are some good students there - typically ones who choose the wrong route early but then want to do pharmacy and don't have the A levels in the right subjects. I have accepted one such this morning.
Then there are the vast majority that were not good enough to get the right grades initially but can get the lower grades for the Access to HE courses and hope that will get them on the main course. At a Top 10 Uni like Bath (are you listening @HYUFD - we not a Russel Group but we are better than most of them) they don't cut it.
At some point I'll share a typical calculation that floors them. PBers will have no dificulty.
Is is
Simplify (a-x)(b-x)(c-x)...(z-x)
?
=0
Only when x is equal to one of the constants (I presume they are constants) a to z.
At a guess, the one between w and y?
Yes, yes. Now I'm embarrassed. I'm just so used to a, b, c, etc being constants and x, y , z, etc being variables.
x can be as variable as it likes, and (x-x) will always be zero
I've always wondered how double posts appeared. You've just managed 5 of them!
Sorry. I got error ‘failed’ messages from the site on my posts so clicked on ‘post’ again. I had no way of knowing it would eventually post my comment over and over.
I’m also quite stressed out as yesterday I had to wrestle a close friend to the ground to stop her throwing herself out of a third floor window, and today I was phoned by the Police to say that this morning she’d done precisely that. This week is one I won’t ever forget.
No apology needed, it's interesting to know how it happens.
And my condolences. A harrowing couple of days.
Her mistake, if that's the right word, was not looking down before she jumped, and hence not noticing that despite being very high up and with paving stones below, the flat beneath hers had a balcony with a washing line strung along it and the door open. It appears that after jumping from the window, she tangled with the washing line, impacted the top of the door, then the railings of the balcony, before falling one more storey to the hard ground below. She was determined to end her life, being terminally ill, but is now in a London hospital with several broken ribs and a punctured lung. It's a truly tragic story, from start to finish. It would play into the assisted dying debate, save for the fact that the mental breakdown she has had, following her terminal diagnosis, would render her considered incapable of making a considered decision about how she wishes her life to end.
Now, she faces a few weeks heavily sedated - as a suicide risk in a regular hospital - and once the injuries from her fall have healed, being returned under section 3 of the MHA to a secure mental health ward where her life will likely end.
We need alternative routes instead of the Hormuz Strait. We should have oil and gas pipelines going west through the Arabian Peninsula right up to our ports in Israel.
"If only it was the picture who was to grow old, and I remain young. There's nothing in the world I wouldn't give for that. Yes, I would give even my soul for it."
Are you suggetsing he should take a walk on the Wilde side?
You’re making an Earnest attempt at punning tonight. Well done.
Lowest Reform score with FoN's regular weekly poll since January 2025
I know we can't criticise a BPC pollster but surely there would be a correlation between Reform shipping nearly ten points over several months and an increase in Conservative fortunes. So if Reform are on 25 so are the Tories.
Restore
Reform has also shipped younger voters to the Greens. I know you don't think that makes sense but I'll guarantee it is the case. Reform ceased to be the only populist option and most people really do not like Mr Toad. The RefUK/Con combined vote has been slipping for a while and fell a couple of percent this month. Apparently something happened that made years of submissive devotion to Trump make them look less than attractive to a small but significant numner
I can see that it makes sense; a vote for a party that isn't the Tories or Labour.
Definitely goalhanging. As I'm in an online interview watching a candidate drown...
Hopefully not a lifeguard job.
Sadly its applicants to study pharmacy (but from Access to HE courses). Usually very poor, the current one is one of the worst I've seen. He's trying a calculation right now that I suspect every PB member would achieved in 20 s or less. And failing.
I'm surprised that its usually very poor from Access courses.
I don't know what they're generally like, but my wife started Uni this year after doing an Access course (self-study, online, as well as working) last year. She was advised before she started that, that if you can do well on the Access course you should be good for Uni and that the Access course is quite challenging. She said in hindsight she agrees with that, in part as was then working so juggling the course with her job, whereas now she's full-time doing her degree/placements, but that the Access course was good prep.
Don't know if all Access courses are similar or some are better than others.
There is significant variation. I have interviewed into the three figures products of access courses. There are some good students there - typically ones who choose the wrong route early but then want to do pharmacy and don't have the A levels in the right subjects. I have accepted one such this morning.
Then there are the vast majority that were not good enough to get the right grades initially but can get the lower grades for the Access to HE courses and hope that will get them on the main course. At a Top 10 Uni like Bath (are you listening @HYUFD - we not a Russel Group but we are better than most of them) they don't cut it.
At some point I'll share a typical calculation that floors them. PBers will have no dificulty.
Is is
Simplify (a-x)(b-x)(c-x)...(z-x)
?
=0
Only when x is equal to one of the constants (I presume they are constants) a to z.
At a guess, the one between w and y?
Yes, yes. Now I'm embarrassed. I'm just so used to a, b, c, etc being constants and x, y , z, etc being variables.
x can be as variable as it likes, and (x-x) will always be zero
I've always wondered how double posts appeared. You've just managed 5 of them!
Sorry. I got error ‘failed’ messages from the site on my posts so clicked on ‘post’ again. I had no way of knowing it would eventually post my comment over and over.
I’m also quite stressed out as yesterday I had to wrestle a close friend to the ground to stop her throwing herself out of a third floor window, and today I was phoned by the Police to say that this morning she’d done precisely that. This week is one I won’t ever forget.
No apology needed, it's interesting to know how it happens.
And my condolences. A harrowing couple of days.
Her mistake, if that's the right word, was not looking down before she jumped, and hence not noticing that despite being very high up and with paving stones below, the flat beneath hers had a balcony with a washing line strung along it and the door open. It appears that after jumping from the window, she tangled with the washing line, impacted the top of the door, then the railings of the balcony, before falling one more storey to the hard ground below. She was determined to end her life, being terminally ill, but is now in a London hospital with several broken ribs and a punctured lung. It's a truly tragic story, from start to finish. It would play into the assisted dying debate, save for the fact that the mental breakdown she has had, following her terminal diagnosis, would render her considered incapable of making a considered decision about how she wishes her life to end.
Now, she faces a few weeks heavily sedated - as a suicide risk in a regular hospital - and once the injuries from her fall have healed, being returned under section 3 of the MHA to a secure mental health ward where her life will likely end.
"If only it was the picture who was to grow old, and I remain young. There's nothing in the world I wouldn't give for that. Yes, I would give even my soul for it."
Are you suggetsing he should take a walk on the Wilde side?
You’re making an Earnest attempt at punning tonight. Well done.
Just trying to lighten the mood. I'm feeling a bit Grey with everything going on.
Edit - although I think IanB2 has every right to feel greyer on reading the comment below.
Definitely goalhanging. As I'm in an online interview watching a candidate drown...
Hopefully not a lifeguard job.
Sadly its applicants to study pharmacy (but from Access to HE courses). Usually very poor, the current one is one of the worst I've seen. He's trying a calculation right now that I suspect every PB member would achieved in 20 s or less. And failing.
I'm surprised that its usually very poor from Access courses.
I don't know what they're generally like, but my wife started Uni this year after doing an Access course (self-study, online, as well as working) last year. She was advised before she started that, that if you can do well on the Access course you should be good for Uni and that the Access course is quite challenging. She said in hindsight she agrees with that, in part as was then working so juggling the course with her job, whereas now she's full-time doing her degree/placements, but that the Access course was good prep.
Don't know if all Access courses are similar or some are better than others.
There is significant variation. I have interviewed into the three figures products of access courses. There are some good students there - typically ones who choose the wrong route early but then want to do pharmacy and don't have the A levels in the right subjects. I have accepted one such this morning.
Then there are the vast majority that were not good enough to get the right grades initially but can get the lower grades for the Access to HE courses and hope that will get them on the main course. At a Top 10 Uni like Bath (are you listening @HYUFD - we not a Russel Group but we are better than most of them) they don't cut it.
At some point I'll share a typical calculation that floors them. PBers will have no dificulty.
Is is
Simplify (a-x)(b-x)(c-x)...(z-x)
?
=0
Only when x is equal to one of the constants (I presume they are constants) a to z.
At a guess, the one between w and y?
Yes, yes. Now I'm embarrassed. I'm just so used to a, b, c, etc being constants and x, y , z, etc being variables.
x can be as variable as it likes, and (x-x) will always be zero
I've always wondered how double posts appeared. You've just managed 5 of them!
Sorry. I got error ‘failed’ messages from the site on my posts so clicked on ‘post’ again. I had no way of knowing it would eventually post my comment over and over.
I’m also quite stressed out as yesterday I had to wrestle a close friend to the ground to stop her throwing herself out of a third floor window, and today I was phoned by the Police to say that this morning she’d done precisely that. This week is one I won’t ever forget.
No apology needed, it's interesting to know how it happens.
And my condolences. A harrowing couple of days.
Her mistake, if that's the right word, was not looking down before she jumped, and hence not noticing that despite being very high up and with paving stones below, the flat beneath hers had a balcony with a washing line strung along it and the door open. It appears that after jumping from the window, she tangled with the washing line, impacted the top of the door, then the railings of the balcony, before falling one more storey to the hard ground below. She was determined to end her life, being terminally ill, but is now in a London hospital with several broken ribs and a punctured lung. It's a truly tragic story, from start to finish. It would play into the assisted dying debate, save for the fact that the mental breakdown she has had, following her terminal diagnosis, would render her considered incapable of making a considered decision about how she wishes her life to end.
Now, she faces a few weeks heavily sedated - as a suicide risk in a regular hospital - and once the injuries from her fall have healed, being returned under section 3 of the MHA to a secure mental health ward where her life will likely end.
Such a sad story
Our son and his colleagues recently rescued a young girl who jumped into the sea determined to drown only to repeatedly say sorry when rescued and expressed gratitude for saving her
Lowest Reform score with FoN's regular weekly poll since January 2025
I know we can't criticise a BPC pollster but surely there would be a correlation between Reform shipping nearly ten points over several months and an increase in Conservative fortunes. So if Reform are on 25 so are the Tories.
Not quite. There has been a general slight drift in the Ref+Tory polling figure, a trend of great significance for the prospects in a GE, as one of the ways this complicated election is likely to be framed WRT tactical voting is 'Right Of Centre v Left Of Centre.'
It is apparent that, for whatever cause, the Reform decline is mirrored not by a Tory advance but by the march of the Greens, solidly in place now for several months. You can indeed fool some of the people all of the time, but perhaps the pool of the fools is finite?
Comments
More and more to the right of Reform
I give them the little finger W sign.
Best is when a 32 tonne does exactly the same 2pp yards back in your mirror
One of the things about our unpredictable weather is that we really appreciate and notice it when it is as lovely as today.
Even though Survation showed that shock poll , the polls close to election day were better for May .
Merge in turn is better for everyone. You lane 1 lemmings are making the queue longer than it needs to be and spreading the congestion further than it needs to be.
The ideal is the queue in all lanes being the same length.
Reports from Qatar indicate that Qatari security forces have arrested Hamas propagandist and Al Jazeera analyst Saeed Ziad over his support for Iranian attacks targeting Gulf states.
But sitting on the front seat upstairs is no less thrilling at the age of 50 than it was at the age of 5. In fact, probably more so.
Trump: You started it!
Takaichi: I did not start it
Trump: Yes, you did. You bombed Pearl Harbour
https://x.com/kajakallas/status/2034693979753652648
The release of 250 political prisoners in Belarus is a welcome and tangible step forward.
I thank the United States for brokering this deal. For many families, this is a moment of long-awaited relief and a chance to reunite with their loved ones.
But what happens is that the toddlers in the right hand lane push in so aggressively that the left lane becomes stationary.
I come to a halt in line with the back of the queue in the RH lane and wait for movement to be restored.
Then match speeds (going slightly faster).
Result - two lane efficiency is restored, and half a dozen pushy gits are frustrated.
Win/win.
Utterly chilling.
Andrew Kennedy
@Andrew__Kennedy
(1/5)
This afternoon all 5 opposition parties at Kent CC walked out of the Chamber in protest at ReformUKs gagging of democracy.
Against advice and guidance of the Electoral Commission, independent Constitutional Barristers and the Council's own Monitoring Officer, ReformUK
insisted on tabling their motion, self-declaring a 'Migration Emergency', even though the council is within the 'Purdah" period when they are legally prohibited from debating issues which might influence the outcome of local elections presently taking place.
Andrew Kennedy
@Andrew__Kennedy
·
1h
(5/5)
This is a sad day for democracy, a sad day for good governance and a sad day for Kent. An example of what ReformUK will be like in government.
https://x.com/citrinowicz/status/2034680352698954158
There is a road that I travel on daily that is perpetually backed up because of muppet Lemmings, ironically before a split, not a merge.
2 lanes to a T Junction, I need to turn right and so do most others. The left lane is always clear but the right lane is backed up ages. Just before the junction there is a Keep Clear patch, then after it the right lane splits into 2. There are 2 lanes out of the junction too, so both lanes can go simultaneously.
Unfortunately most Lemmings just queue in the main lane and don't take the extra one that opens up, so when the light goes green only half the traffic can flow out at once. Morons.
So I drive down the left hand lane daily to the keep clear box, then use that box to pull into the invariably empty right hand lane. Amazing how often Lemmings hoot because they are annoyed someone has gone in front of them, but that open lane was available to them too.
https://x.com/TheGreenParty/status/2034687678826869004
US bombers are flying from British soil every day.
Answer the key question Keir Starmer: what are they being used for?
I’m slow cooking two beef short ribs in wine and stock with garlic and onion. I’m going to let it cook for about five hours in total. A little before it finishes, I’m going to use all the juices in my sauce. I’m going to fry more garlic and onion in butter, then add all those juices, then stir in a load of sliced olives and fresh oregano. I’ll then mix in the shredded slow cooked meat. Last of all I’ll add roasted Pome dei Moro cherry tomatoes and fresh basil. Then mix with the pasta. Then loads of black pepper and Parmesan
I’m looking forward to this
But is it pre flaked Parmesan?
https://x.com/JavierBlas/status/2034628353685127188
A few more of these, and we've got a huge problem.
Geopolitical analyst:
Aidan Simardone
@AidanSimardone
I have an awful feeling I haven’t felt since the first week of March 2020
https://x.com/AidanSimardone/status/2034462967807299623
EXCLUSIVE: Fife Reform election candidate called Humza Yousaf ‘Islamist moron’ and ‘not British’
https://x.com/thecourieruk/status/2034683979128086556?s=61&t=LYVEHh2mqFy1oUJAdCfe-Q
Who are the 20%?
https://www.accademiaitalianadellacucina.it/it/node/62013
On the one hand, italian cuisine's modern tendency to ossification is to its discredit. On the other, it was fucking delicious.
https://x.com/libdemlife/status/2034590347544690782?s=61&t=LYVEHh2mqFy1oUJAdCfe-Q
It's the potential for a global energy crisis lasting half a decade that scares me. It wouldn't take much escalation to precipitate that.
And williamglenn.
Is that really meant to be Nick Clegg?
Then she recalled she was dealing with a human vacuum.
And it's not a very good portrait either.
https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/articles/clyzy0y20qlo
A senior council worker repeatedly shared with West Midlands authorities reports of children as young as 11 being sexually abused in High Street mini-marts, the BBC can reveal.
The reports were raised multiple times with police and safeguarding partners over the past 10 years, according to internal Dudley Council documents seen by the BBC.
Extracts from intelligence briefings from 2019 to 2024 also claim that children may have been at risk of being sexually abused after being offered drugs, alcohol and cigarettes in mini-marts.
A West Midlands Police spokesman initially said: "There is currently no evidence to substantiate these claims of child sexual exploitation (CSE) connected to shops in Dudley."
But after further evidence was presented to it today by the BBC, West Midlands Police asked us to use an updated statement which did not contain the claims of "no evidence". It said instead: "We have a robust partnership approach to CSE and safeguarding in the borough and across the wider West Midlands.
"CSE is a serious crime, so we will always act on any information we receive."
I’m also quite stressed out as yesterday I had to wrestle a close friend to the ground to stop her throwing herself out of a third floor window, and today I was phoned by the Police to say that this morning she’d done precisely that. This week is one I won’t ever forget.
And my condolences. A harrowing couple of days.
Edit - although I think IanB2 has every right to feel greyer on reading the comment below.
Now, she faces a few weeks heavily sedated - as a suicide risk in a regular hospital - and once the injuries from her fall have healed, being returned under section 3 of the MHA to a secure mental health ward where her life will likely end.
Netanyahu:
We need alternative routes instead of the Hormuz Strait. We should have oil and gas pipelines going west through the Arabian Peninsula right up to our ports in Israel.
That is definitely possible.
A puntail.
Our son and his colleagues recently rescued a young girl who jumped into the sea determined to drown only to repeatedly say sorry when rescued and expressed gratitude for saving her
NETANYAHU: AIR STRIKES NOT ENOUGH, GROUND ACTION ALSO REQUIRED; OPTIONS BEING CONSIDERED BUT NOT DISCLOSED
if you look at the recent curves
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Opinion_polling_for_the_next_United_Kingdom_general_election#/media/File:Opinion_polling_graph_for_the_next_United_Kingdom_general_election_(post-2024).svg
It is apparent that, for whatever cause, the Reform decline is mirrored not by a Tory advance but by the march of the Greens, solidly in place now for several months. You can indeed fool some of the people all of the time, but perhaps the pool of the fools is finite?