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politicalbetting.com » Blog Archive » The Ladbrokes 20/1 that the Brexit Secretary, DDavis, will be

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    Mr. Observer, how is free trade imperialist?

    It isn't. It makes about as much sense as calling the EU a German empire. But the diehard Remainers aren't necessarily sensible about such things. Although it is a handy signifier of whether it's a pro-European worth debating with or not.

    The Anglosphere that Boris, Dan Hannan etc all obssess about is clearly an imperial throwback. Google Canzuk.

    That "Anglosphere" is also a curiously pale geography. No dark skinned Anglophone countries included, not even ones with strong British values like the West Indies, or India.
    The West Indies and India have strong British values?

    Now I've heard it all
    Some of their highest appellate courts are and have been The Judicial Committee of the Privy Council.
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    ThreeQuidderThreeQuidder Posts: 6,133

    Mortimer said:

    @southam

    I'd like to press you on this:

    Throw in her decision to embrace the Brexit right's extremism

    I'd be grateful if you could give an example of this. Please bear in mind last night's conversation centred around the KKK.

    I would not compare the Brexit right to the KKK. They are deluded imperialists yearning for a trade-based Empire 2.0, not white supremacists. We are nowhere near having the same breakdown the US is in the process of having.

    But May embraced the No Surrender, White Cliffs of Dover, cliff-edge Brexiteers after the referendum. She's been hobbled because voters did not give her the mandate to pursue that. But her bed has been made.

    Brexit bot malfunction this morning - neither swivel eyed nor willy waving mentioned.

    Mrs May embraced the only form of Brexit which is actually worthwhile or achivable - so called soft Brexit would be worse than we have now (from a sovereignty POV).

    Mrs May put her Brexit vision in front of the ectorate and voters said No Thank-you.
    Exactly. There is NO mandate for TMay's Brexit
    MSmithson, there is no specific mandate for any other particular form either. The mandate will come when the Commons votes between the deal her government negotiates and leaving with no deal at all.

    What there is unquestionably a mandate for, and arguably two mandates, is for us to Leave the EU in some form. I know you hate this to the point that it's made you lose the plot, but it's true.
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    GeoffMGeoffM Posts: 6,071
    HYUFD said:

    Mr. Observer, how is free trade imperialist?

    It isn't. It makes about as much sense as calling the EU a German empire. But the diehard Remainers aren't necessarily sensible about such things. Although it is a handy signifier of whether it's a pro-European worth debating with or not.

    The Anglosphere that Boris, Dan Hannan etc all obssess about is clearly an imperial throwback. Google Canzuk.

    That "Anglosphere" is also a curiously pale geography. No dark skinned Anglophone countries included, not even ones with strong British values like the West Indies, or India.
    The West Indies and India have strong British values?

    Now I've heard it all
    Democracy, English language, free judiciary, free press, parliamentary government. etc etc. Plenty of shared cultural values. Many even have our Queen as head of state.



    While most former colonies now have their own Presidents or monarchs, Canada, Australia, New Zealand, the Falklands, Gibraltar and a few Caribbean islands like Barbados and Jamaica do indeed share our Queen with us as well as most of our political and legal traditions
    Jersey has the Duke of Normandy as Head of State - who happens to also be the Queen at the same time.
  • Options
    rottenboroughrottenborough Posts: 58,436
    chrisoxon said:

    TOPPING said:

    chrisoxon said:

    I could spend all day talking about how James Chapman's entire strategy is utterly flawed, I hope he's just being used as a face man at Bell Pottinger because he's demonstrating a complete lack of knowledge on how to manage a campaign;

    - Attacking media outlets and journalists who presumably you will want to cover your story
    - Making unsubstantiated allegations against a dozen politicians and sounding spiteful while making them
    - Giving an interview to GQ and then making directly contradictory statements on twitter
    - Deciding to start your own political party thus transforming into muck raking politician rather than white knight whistleblower
    - Announcing all of your plans through a series of tweets while on holiday rather than in a co-ordinated fashion surrounded by your campaign team
    - Claiming that he has politicians lined up to join him - defections only work if kept secret
    - Waiting until AFTER a general election to launch a single issue political party on an issue that will probably be done and dusted by the next general election
    - Sending out hundreds of messages insulting everyone who chose to vote leave ie. those he needs to convert in the long run

    I could go on and on! This is exactly the type of person that those of us who support Brexit would love to have as an opponent, it could only be better if he could just remove his mask and reveal that it is in fact Tony Blair underneath.

    "I could go on and on!" - game, set and match to Mr Chapman.
    Oh he wins troll of the year certainly, but that does not a leader make. Exhibit 1 - the current occupant of the oval office.
    Who won.
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    CarlottaVanceCarlottaVance Posts: 59,789
    Britain will not police cross-border smuggling in Ireland with permanent customs checks in the event of a hard Brexit, ministers warned the European Union yesterday.

    In an explicit threat before the next round of negotiations in Brussels, the government said that Britain would “always prioritise” demands to keep a soft border between north and south


    https://www.thetimes.co.uk/edition/news/britain-will-not-police-the-irish-border-ministers-say-5fx5fz6qh
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    Alice_AforethoughtAlice_Aforethought Posts: 772
    edited August 2017
    ydoethur said:

    Yes but if a PR company can put up a plausible defence of the indefensible, then it is surely a feather in their cap?

    Totally off topic, but to lighten the mood:

    I came across a poem by Burns I'd never heard of yesterday. It was about a young soldier who duebto his prowess was allowed to put a feather in his hat.

    Unfortunately the feather came from a male chicken, and the hat in question was a beaver hat...

    ...so there really is a Burns poem called Cock Up Your Beaver.

    How language changes, eh?
    edit: someone else got there...
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    FF43FF43 Posts: 15,798

    The government has recognised that leaving the customs union will push up business costs and increase bureaucracy. That, of course, is the direct opposite of what we were told would happen.

    I don't know this for a fact, of course, not least because the government says the opposite, but I think we will stay in the EU "customs union". The logic of what the government says drives that. Yesterday we saw an abysmal "position" paper on customs arrangements that put forward no meaningful positions on those arrangements. Today apparently there will be no customs posts on the Irish border. The papers have no position because the probable real position is one they are not prepared to admit to. Not being willing to state your objectives is a nonsense way to negotiate, but there we go.

    As people probably don't mind too much being rule takers on tariffs and product regulation, being in the EU "customs union" should be relatively uncontroversial, unlike the EEA. But it removes the final justification for Brexit - the mythical "ability* to do our own trade deals". Everything else is a mediocre mess.

    * The weasel word is ability. Even in a customs union we have to do our own trade deals. The question is whether we work with the EU system or outside it, bearing in mind those third countries also work with the the EU system, including currently with us.
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    chrisoxonchrisoxon Posts: 204

    chrisoxon said:

    TOPPING said:

    chrisoxon said:

    I could spend all day talking about how James Chapman's entire strategy is utterly flawed, I hope he's just being used as a face man at Bell Pottinger because he's demonstrating a complete lack of knowledge on how to manage a campaign;

    - Attacking media outlets and journalists who presumably you will want to cover your story
    - Making unsubstantiated allegations against a dozen politicians and sounding spiteful while making them
    - Giving an interview to GQ and then making directly contradictory statements on twitter
    - Deciding to start your own political party thus transforming into muck raking politician rather than white knight whistleblower
    - Announcing all of your plans through a series of tweets while on holiday rather than in a co-ordinated fashion surrounded by your campaign team
    - Claiming that he has politicians lined up to join him - defections only work if kept secret
    - Waiting until AFTER a general election to launch a single issue political party on an issue that will probably be done and dusted by the next general election
    - Sending out hundreds of messages insulting everyone who chose to vote leave ie. those he needs to convert in the long run

    I could go on and on! This is exactly the type of person that those of us who support Brexit would love to have as an opponent, it could only be better if he could just remove his mask and reveal that it is in fact Tony Blair underneath.

    "I could go on and on!" - game, set and match to Mr Chapman.
    Oh he wins troll of the year certainly, but that does not a leader make. Exhibit 1 - the current occupant of the oval office.
    Who won.
    Oh and it is going swimmingly isn't it...
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    TOPPINGTOPPING Posts: 41,403
    chrisoxon said:

    TOPPING said:

    chrisoxon said:

    TOPPING said:

    chrisoxon said:

    I could spend all day talking about how James Chapman's entire strategy is utterly flawed, I hope he's just being used as a face man at Bell Pottinger because he's demonstrating a complete lack of knowledge on how to manage a campaign;

    - Attacking media outlets and journalists who presumably you will want to cover your story
    - Making unsubstantiated allegations against a dozen politicians and sounding spiteful while making them
    - Giving an interview to GQ and then making directly contradictory statements on twitter
    - Deciding to start your own political party thus transforming into muck raking politician rather than white knight whistleblower
    - Announcing all of your plans through a series of tweets while on holiday rather than in a co-ordinated fashion surrounded by your campaign team
    - Claiming that he has politicians lined up to join him - defections only work if kept secret
    - Waiting until AFTER a general election to launch a single issue political party on an issue that will probably be done and dusted by the next general election
    - Sending out hundreds of messages insulting everyone who chose to vote leave ie. those he needs to convert in the long run

    I could go on and on! This is exactly the type of person that those of us who support Brexit would love to have as an opponent, it could only be better if he could just remove his mask and reveal that it is in fact Tony Blair underneath.

    "I could go on and on!" - game, set and match to Mr Chapman.
    Oh he wins troll of the year certainly, but that does not a leader make. Exhibit 1 - the current occupant of the oval office.
    Huh? POTUS is not a leader? He is the most important leader on the planet.
    You've been taking lessons from Chapman! You can take on a leadership role without having leadership skills...
    Of course you can. You would then be a leader without leadership skills. But you would still be a leader.
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    Scott_PScott_P Posts: 51,453
    chrisoxon said:

    Oh and it is going swimmingly isn't it...

    Almost as well as Brexit
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    NigelbNigelb Posts: 62,829

    Excellent tip Mike, glad I took the 20/1 too, especially as the price is currently suspended.

    I note with interest that James has retweeted Mike's tweet about the bet.

    You don't think there's an element of Mike talking his own book in what is essentially a very thin market ?
    (I'm not suggesting any hint of impropriety, merely saying that this one doesn't appeal to me as a trading bet.)
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    rottenboroughrottenborough Posts: 58,436
    Brexiteers who are laughing Chappers off, are probably right, but not certainly right.

    This is beginning to have a feel that something might happen.

    And the idea that a insurrection of Remainers twinned with people fed up of extremists running both main parties (huge numbers) will never take off because of X,Y and Z lessons of history, clearly haven't been following the news in the last two years.

    This is pure black swan. Far end of the tail, but nevertheless on the tail.
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    HYUFDHYUFD Posts: 117,168
    GeoffM said:

    HYUFD said:

    Mr. Observer, how is free trade imperialist?

    It isn't. It makes about as much sense as calling the EU a German empire. But the diehard Remainers aren't necessarily sensible about such things. Although it is a handy signifier of whether it's a pro-European worth debating with or not.

    The Anglosphere that Boris, Dan Hannan etc all obssess about is clearly an imperial throwback. Google Canzuk.

    That "Anglosphere" is also a curiously pale geography. No dark skinned Anglophone countries included, not even ones with strong British values like the West Indies, or India.
    The West Indies and India have strong British values?

    Now I've heard it all
    Democracy, English language, free judiciary, free press, parliamentary government. etc etc. Plenty of shared cultural values. Many even have our Queen as head of state.



    While most former colonies now have their own Presidents or monarchs, Canada, Australia, New Zealand, the Falklands, Gibraltar and a few Caribbean islands like Barbados and Jamaica do indeed share our Queen with us as well as most of our political and legal traditions
    Jersey has the Duke of Normandy as Head of State - who happens to also be the Queen at the same time.
    Yes, she still has a lot of titles some even dating back to the Middle Ages like the Duke of Normandy
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    Mr. Observer, the only people who keep banging on about the empire are those attacking our departure from the EU.

    It must be the first time in history a country has left a supra-national body by its own volition, only for those unhappy with the decision to cite imperialism as the cause.

    Interesting point actually. Were there Remainers in India in 1947?
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    GIN1138GIN1138 Posts: 20,920
    DD is going nowhere.

    We could bet on whether Isobel Oakshott has hair extensions though...
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    BenpointerBenpointer Posts: 31,847
    edited August 2017

    ydoethur said:

    Charles said:

    Scott_P said:

    free trade Brexiteers want to trade with and embrace the world

    By pulling out of the largest free trade agreement in the World

    Delusional
    The EU is not the largest free trade agreement in the world. NAFTA is. NAFTA also does not restrict you from joining other free trade agreements as the EU does.
    Europe is a Customs Union (or Zollverein) not a Free Trade Area.

    It puts up protectionist walls around itself, rather than advocating free trade

    Hence the dozens of free trade agreements it has concluded, of course.
    Charles didn't know or care that the EMA is an EU institution. It's fair to say his understanding of the EU is incomplete.
    I was wondering what the Education Maintenance Allowance had to do with the EU, then I realised you meant the European Medicines Agency.

    Fewer alphabet soups would be nice. I feel we have become fat on them.
    IAWEM (*)
    (*) I agree with Elon Musk:
    https://twitter.com/davejohnson/status/602951117413216256
    I also agree with the sentiment but am shocked by the apparent dictatorial control style:
    "I will take drastic action... ...Unless an acronym is approved by me".

    Presumably there will have to be an EAAL (Elon Approved Acronym List) maintained.

    Sounds like a fun environment to work in!
  • Options
    rottenboroughrottenborough Posts: 58,436
    Great thread. Opening comment from FT's man in Brussels:

    https://twitter.com/alanbeattie/status/897571614409326592
  • Options
    freetochoosefreetochoose Posts: 1,107

    Mr. Observer, how is free trade imperialist?

    It isn't. It makes about as much sense as calling the EU a German empire. But the diehard Remainers aren't necessarily sensible about such things. Although it is a handy signifier of whether it's a pro-European worth debating with or not.

    The Anglosphere that Boris, Dan Hannan etc all obssess about is clearly an imperial throwback. Google Canzuk.

    That "Anglosphere" is also a curiously pale geography. No dark skinned Anglophone countries included, not even ones with strong British values like the West Indies, or India.
    The West Indies and India have strong British values?

    Now I've heard it all
    Democracy, English language, free judiciary, free press, parliamentary government. etc etc. Plenty of shared cultural values. Many even have our Queen as head of state.



    FGM, the caste system, abject poverty, shanty towns etc etc.

    Confirmation bias is evident in every one of your posts. Go to Kingston and congratulate them on their "strong British values".
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    A testament to the golden economic legacy George Osborne bequeathed Mrs May.
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    NickPalmerNickPalmer Posts: 21,369
    HYUFD said:



    While most former colonies now have their own Presidents or monarchs, Canada, Australia, New Zealand, the Falklands, Gibraltar and a few Caribbean islands like Barbados and Jamaica and Pacific islands like Papua New Guinea do indeed share our Queen with us as well as most of our political and legal traditions

    Who needs Europe when we have Papua New Guinea to work with?
  • Options
    freetochoosefreetochoose Posts: 1,107

    Mr. Observer, how is free trade imperialist?

    It isn't. It makes about as much sense as calling the EU a German empire. But the diehard Remainers aren't necessarily sensible about such things. Although it is a handy signifier of whether it's a pro-European worth debating with or not.

    The Anglosphere that Boris, Dan Hannan etc all obssess about is clearly an imperial throwback. Google Canzuk.

    That "Anglosphere" is also a curiously pale geography. No dark skinned Anglophone countries included, not even ones with strong British values like the West Indies, or India.
    The West Indies and India have strong British values?

    Now I've heard it all
    Parliamentary democracy, trial by jury. and test cricket.
    Well you've just precluded 27 EU states, all the more reason to Leave
  • Options
    GeoffMGeoffM Posts: 6,071

    Great thread. Opening comment from FT's man in Brussels:

    twitter.com/alanbeattie/status/897571614409326592

    Thanks for saying "FT" before the retweet. Saved me paying it any credit.
  • Options
    rottenboroughrottenborough Posts: 58,436
    chrisoxon said:

    chrisoxon said:

    TOPPING said:

    chrisoxon said:

    I could spend all day talking about how James Chapman's entire strategy is utterly flawed, I hope he's just being used as a face man at Bell Pottinger because he's demonstrating a complete lack of knowledge on how to manage a campaign;

    - Attacking media outlets and journalists who presumably you will want to cover your story
    - Making unsubstantiated allegations against a dozen politicians and sounding spiteful while making them
    - Giving an interview to GQ and then making directly contradictory statements on twitter
    - Deciding to start your own political party thus transforming into muck raking politician rather than white knight whistleblower
    - Announcing all of your plans through a series of tweets while on holiday rather than in a co-ordinated fashion surrounded by your campaign team
    - Claiming that he has politicians lined up to join him - defections only work if kept secret
    - Waiting until AFTER a general election to launch a single issue political party on an issue that will probably be done and dusted by the next general election
    - Sending out hundreds of messages insulting everyone who chose to vote leave ie. those he needs to convert in the long run

    I could go on and on! This is exactly the type of person that those of us who support Brexit would love to have as an opponent, it could only be better if he could just remove his mask and reveal that it is in fact Tony Blair underneath.

    "I could go on and on!" - game, set and match to Mr Chapman.
    Oh he wins troll of the year certainly, but that does not a leader make. Exhibit 1 - the current occupant of the oval office.
    Who won.
    Oh and it is going swimmingly isn't it...
    Don't disagree.

    But the idea that someone who doesn't play the playbook, but instead runs a campaign of virtual insurrection using social media and rallies etc etc and doesn't give two f**** what the results of the last election tell you about seat X, can't win has been disproved.

    Lying also helps.
  • Options
    Morris_DancerMorris_Dancer Posts: 61,010
    Mr. Eagles, Antifa sound pretty scummy. Opposing Neo-Nazis doesn't mean supporting Antifa.
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    CarlottaVanceCarlottaVance Posts: 59,789

    HYUFD said:



    While most former colonies now have their own Presidents or monarchs, Canada, Australia, New Zealand, the Falklands, Gibraltar and a few Caribbean islands like Barbados and Jamaica and Pacific islands like Papua New Guinea do indeed share our Queen with us as well as most of our political and legal traditions

    Who needs Europe when we have Papua New Guinea to work with?
    You've got to have a soft spot for a country where violent criminals are called "rascals"!
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    PAWPAW Posts: 1,074
    nichomar - but there is a customs system for half our imports already?
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    FF43FF43 Posts: 15,798

    Britain will not police cross-border smuggling in Ireland with permanent customs checks in the event of a hard Brexit, ministers warned the European Union yesterday.

    In an explicit threat before the next round of negotiations in Brussels, the government said that Britain would “always prioritise” demands to keep a soft border between north and south


    https://www.thetimes.co.uk/edition/news/britain-will-not-police-the-irish-border-ministers-say-5fx5fz6qh

    Britain is not enforcing external borders now apparently, so it must be an empty threat.

    The European anti-fraud office, OLAF, has recommended the UK pay €1.98bn into the EU budget to compensate for lost customs duties, as a result of a failure by British customs officials to crack down on criminal gangs using fake invoices and making false claims about the value of clothes and shoes imported from China.m...OLAF said the fraud was ongoing and pointed out the cost to national exchequers was even greater. France, Germany, Spain and Italy are estimated to have lost a combined €3.2bn from 2013 to 2016 in VAT revenues, as a result of British failures in handling imports at its ports. ... A senior French anti-fraud investigator said the UK had mostly not responded to requests to trace goods. [He] told Politico that his British counterparts had not made an effort. “UK authorities are not interested at all in co-operating in this field, probably because the phenomenon does not directly affect them.”
  • Options
    GeoffMGeoffM Posts: 6,071

    Mr. Observer, how is free trade imperialist?

    It isn't. It makes about as much sense as calling the EU a German empire. But the diehard Remainers aren't necessarily sensible about such things. Although it is a handy signifier of whether it's a pro-European worth debating with or not.

    The Anglosphere that Boris, Dan Hannan etc all obssess about is clearly an imperial throwback. Google Canzuk.

    That "Anglosphere" is also a curiously pale geography. No dark skinned Anglophone countries included, not even ones with strong British values like the West Indies, or India.
    The West Indies and India have strong British values?

    Now I've heard it all
    Parliamentary democracy, trial by jury. and test cricket.
    Well you've just precluded 27 EU states, all the more reason to Leave
    Pedant mode: Ireland have just got Test status :)
  • Options
    GeoffM said:

    Mr. Observer, how is free trade imperialist?

    It isn't. It makes about as much sense as calling the EU a German empire. But the diehard Remainers aren't necessarily sensible about such things. Although it is a handy signifier of whether it's a pro-European worth debating with or not.

    The Anglosphere that Boris, Dan Hannan etc all obssess about is clearly an imperial throwback. Google Canzuk.

    That "Anglosphere" is also a curiously pale geography. No dark skinned Anglophone countries included, not even ones with strong British values like the West Indies, or India.
    The West Indies and India have strong British values?

    Now I've heard it all
    Parliamentary democracy, trial by jury. and test cricket.
    Well you've just precluded 27 EU states, all the more reason to Leave
    Pedant mode: Ireland have just got Test status :)
    And France are reigning Olympic cricket champions.
  • Options
    GeoffMGeoffM Posts: 6,071

    Mr. Eagles, Antifa sound pretty scummy. Opposing Neo-Nazis doesn't mean supporting Antifa.

    They beat up a rather pretty young political reporter called Taylor Lorenz at the demonstration but that doesn't fit the lefty narrative so it's been airbrushed.
  • Options
    NigelbNigelb Posts: 62,829

    ydoethur said:

    Charles said:

    Scott_P said:

    free trade Brexiteers want to trade with and embrace the world

    By pulling out of the largest free trade agreement in the World

    Delusional
    The EU is not the largest free trade agreement in the world. NAFTA is. NAFTA also does not restrict you from joining other free trade agreements as the EU does.
    Europe is a Customs Union (or Zollverein) not a Free Trade Area.

    It puts up protectionist walls around itself, rather than advocating free trade

    Hence the dozens of free trade agreements it has concluded, of course.
    Charles didn't know or care that the EMA is an EU institution. It's fair to say his understanding of the EU is incomplete.
    I was wondering what the Education Maintenance Allowance had to do with the EU, then I realised you meant the European Medicines Agency.

    Fewer alphabet soups would be nice. I feel we have become fat on them.
    IAWEM (*)
    (*) I agree with Elon Musk:
    https://twitter.com/davejohnson/status/602951117413216256
    I also agree with the sentiment but am shocked by the apparent dictatorial control style:
    "I will take drastic action... ...Unless an acronym is approved by me".

    Presumably there will have to be an EAAL (Elon Approved Acronym List) maintained.

    Sounds like a fun environment to work in!
    As quite a few are former NASA engineers, it's possibly rather less oppressive environment in some respects than that bureaucracy. And if you're going to work for a tech 'visionary', it comes with the territory...
  • Options
    chrisoxonchrisoxon Posts: 204

    chrisoxon said:

    chrisoxon said:

    TOPPING said:

    chrisoxon said:

    I could spend all day talking about how James Chapman's entire strategy is utterly flawed, I hope he's just being used as a face man at Bell Pottinger because he's demonstrating a complete lack of knowledge on how to manage a campaign;

    - Attacking media outlets and journalists who presumably you will want to cover your story
    - Making unsubstantiated allegations against a dozen politicians and sounding spiteful while making them
    - Giving an interview to GQ and then making directly contradictory statements on twitter
    - Deciding to start your own political party thus transforming into muck raking politician rather than white knight whistleblower
    - Announcing all of your plans through a series of tweets while on holiday rather than in a co-ordinated fashion surrounded by your campaign team
    - Claiming that he has politicians lined up to join him - defections only work if kept secret
    - Waiting until AFTER a general election to launch a single issue political party on an issue that will probably be done and dusted by the next general election
    - Sending out hundreds of messages insulting everyone who chose to vote leave ie. those he needs to convert in the long run

    I could go on and on! This is exactly the type of person that those of us who support Brexit would love to have as an opponent, it could only be better if he could just remove his mask and reveal that it is in fact Tony Blair underneath.

    "I could go on and on!" - game, set and match to Mr Chapman.
    Oh he wins troll of the year certainly, but that does not a leader make. Exhibit 1 - the current occupant of the oval office.
    Who won.
    Oh and it is going swimmingly isn't it...
    Don't disagree.

    But the idea that someone who doesn't play the playbook, but instead runs a campaign of virtual insurrection using social media and rallies etc etc and doesn't give two f**** what the results of the last election tell you about seat X, can't win has been disproved.

    Lying also helps.
    Yes, but if that is what our political system has become then we should all be ashamed. Besides, I thought those fighting to stop brexit were meant to be the "good guys"? I'm not sure Chapman's stance of imprisoning or gagging opponents fits that image too well
  • Options
    freetochoosefreetochoose Posts: 1,107
    GeoffM said:

    Mr. Observer, how is free trade imperialist?

    It isn't. It makes about as much sense as calling the EU a German empire. But the diehard Remainers aren't necessarily sensible about such things. Although it is a handy signifier of whether it's a pro-European worth debating with or not.

    The Anglosphere that Boris, Dan Hannan etc all obssess about is clearly an imperial throwback. Google Canzuk.

    That "Anglosphere" is also a curiously pale geography. No dark skinned Anglophone countries included, not even ones with strong British values like the West Indies, or India.
    The West Indies and India have strong British values?

    Now I've heard it all
    Parliamentary democracy, trial by jury. and test cricket.
    Well you've just precluded 27 EU states, all the more reason to Leave
    Pedant mode: Ireland have just got Test status :)
    Groan.

    No doubt they'll have a series versus Malta.
  • Options
    CharlesCharles Posts: 35,758

    Charles said:

    Charles said:

    Scott_P said:

    free trade Brexiteers want to trade with and embrace the world

    By pulling out of the largest free trade agreement in the World

    Delusional
    The EU is not the largest free trade agreement in the world. NAFTA is. NAFTA also does not restrict you from joining other free trade agreements as the EU does.
    Europe is a Customs Union (or Zollverein) not a Free Trade Area.

    It puts up protectionist walls around itself, rather than advocating free trade

    Hence the dozens of free trade agreements it has concluded, of course.

    Yes. A Zollverein attempt to maximise the benefits to its members. Bilateral agreements are part of that.

    Sounds awful.

    Well it benefits its members at the expense of the overall world, so I don't like it. But it's better than a closed economy.

    If it was just a Customs Union between equal members then I would have been fine with that. It was the direction of travel - and the fact that we were likely to have been consistently outvoted in future - that troubled me.
  • Options
    FF43FF43 Posts: 15,798

    Britain will not police cross-border smuggling in Ireland with permanent customs checks in the event of a hard Brexit, ministers warned the European Union yesterday.

    In an explicit threat before the next round of negotiations in Brussels, the government said that Britain would “always prioritise” demands to keep a soft border between north and south


    https://www.thetimes.co.uk/edition/news/britain-will-not-police-the-irish-border-ministers-say-5fx5fz6qh

    It's also a profoundly stupid threat to make. Not only does it annoy the people you are negotiating with when you have a weak hand and are dependent on their indifference, if not good will. The mearest threat of flooding the EU with smuggled goods will see the borders between us and the EU tightened up and our exports slowed to a trickle.
  • Options
    freetochoosefreetochoose Posts: 1,107
    chrisoxon said:

    chrisoxon said:

    chrisoxon said:

    TOPPING said:

    chrisoxon said:

    I could spend all day talking about how James Chapman's entire strategy is utterly flawed, I hope he's just being used as a face man at Bell Pottinger because he's demonstrating a complete lack of knowledge on how to manage a campaign;

    - Attacking media outlets and journalists who presumably you will want to cover your story
    - Making unsubstantiated allegations against a dozen politicians and sounding spiteful while making them
    - Giving an interview to GQ and then making directly contradictory statements on twitter
    - Deciding to start your own political party thus transforming into muck raking politician rather than white knight whistleblower
    - Announcing all of your plans through a series of tweets while on holiday rather than in a co-ordinated fashion surrounded by your campaign team
    - Claiming that he has politicians lined up to join him - defections only work if kept secret
    - Waiting until AFTER a general election to launch a single issue political party on an issue that will probably be done and dusted by the next general election
    - Sending out hundreds of messages insulting everyone who chose to vote leave ie. those he needs to convert in the long run

    I could go on and on! This is exactly the type of person that those of us who support Brexit would love to have as an opponent, it could only be better if he could just remove his mask and reveal that it is in fact Tony Blair underneath.

    "I could go on and on!" - game, set and match to Mr Chapman.
    Oh he wins troll of the year certainly, but that does not a leader make. Exhibit 1 - the current occupant of the oval office.
    Who won.
    Oh and it is going swimmingly isn't it...
    Don't disagree.

    But the idea that someone who doesn't play the playbook, but instead runs a campaign of virtual insurrection using social media and rallies etc etc and doesn't give two f**** what the results of the last election tell you about seat X, can't win has been disproved.

    Lying also helps.
    Yes, but if that is what our political system has become then we should all be ashamed. Besides, I thought those fighting to stop brexit were meant to be the "good guys"? I'm not sure Chapman's stance of imprisoning or gagging opponents fits that image too well
    I raised my eyebrows when I saw that Mr Chapman and Mr Smithson had been slapping each other on the back this morning.
  • Options
    ydoethur said:

    Sean_F said:

    ydoethur said:

    Yes but if a PR company can put up a plausible defence of the indefensible, then it is surely a feather in their cap?

    Totally off topic, but to lighten the mood:

    I came across a poem by Burns I'd never heard of yesterday. It was about a young soldier who duebto his prowess was allowed to put a feather in his hat.

    Unfortunately the feather came from a male chicken, and the hat in question was a beaver hat...

    ...so there really is a Burns poem called Cock Up Your Beaver.

    How language changes, eh?
    Arthur Ransome included three characters called Able Seaman Titty, Salty Seaman, and Roger the Ship's Boy, in Swallows and Amazons.
    My goodness.
    I don't remember any Salty Seaman. Titty was short for Titania.

    Something I have always found a bit odd is how often children's fiction about prosperous middle-class characters at private schools turns out to have been written by prosperous middle-class lefties who sent their children to private schools and who loathe other people's prosperity (even when less than their own), the middle class, and private schools.

    Anthony Buckeridge worked at, wrote about (Jennings) and hated private schools. Arthur Ransome was another lefty and now of course we have J K Rowling.

    I daily expect to learn that Dornford Yates voted Labour.
  • Options
    GeoffMGeoffM Posts: 6,071

    GeoffM said:

    Mr. Observer, how is free trade imperialist?

    It isn't. It makes about as much sense as calling the EU a German empire. But the diehard Remainers aren't necessarily sensible about such things. Although it is a handy signifier of whether it's a pro-European worth debating with or not.

    The Anglosphere that Boris, Dan Hannan etc all obssess about is clearly an imperial throwback. Google Canzuk.

    That "Anglosphere" is also a curiously pale geography. No dark skinned Anglophone countries included, not even ones with strong British values like the West Indies, or India.
    The West Indies and India have strong British values?

    Now I've heard it all
    Parliamentary democracy, trial by jury. and test cricket.
    Well you've just precluded 27 EU states, all the more reason to Leave
    Pedant mode: Ireland have just got Test status :)
    And France are reigning Olympic cricket champions.
    Are you sure?

    Would you like to check that before your comment editing time runs out?
  • Options
    isamisam Posts: 41,005

    chrisoxon said:

    chrisoxon said:

    chrisoxon said:

    TOPPING said:

    chrisoxon said:

    I could spend all day talking about how James Chapman's entire strategy is utterly flawed, I hope he's just being used as a face man at Bell Pottinger because he's demonstrating a complete lack of knowledge on how to manage a campaign;

    - y thus transforming into muck raking politician rather than white knight whistleblower
    - Announcing all of your plans through a series of tweets while on holiday rather than in a co-ordinated fashion surrounded by your campaign team
    - Claiming that he has politicians lined up to join him - defections only work if kept secret
    - Waiting until AFTER a general election to launch a single issue political party on an issue that will probably be done and dusted by the next general election
    - Sending out hundreds of messages insulting everyone who chose to vote leave ie. those he needs to convert in the long run

    I could go on and on! This is exactly the type of person that those of us who support Brexit would love to have as an opponent, it could only be better if he could just remove his mask and reveal that it is in fact Tony Blair underneath.

    "I could go on and on!" - game, set and match to Mr Chapman.
    Oh he wins troll of the year certainly, but that does not a leader make. Exhibit 1 - the current occupant of the oval office.
    Who won.
    Oh and it is going swimmingly isn't it...
    Don't disagree.

    But the idea that someone who doesn't play the playbook, but instead runs a campaign of virtual insurrection using social media and rallies etc etc and doesn't give two f**** what the results of the last election tell you about seat X, can't win has been disproved.

    Lying also helps.
    Yes, but if that is what our political system has become then we should all be ashamed. Besides, I thought those fighting to stop brexit were meant to be the "good guys"? I'm not sure Chapman's stance of imprisoning or gagging opponents fits that image too well
    I raised my eyebrows when I saw that Mr Chapman and Mr Smithson had been slapping each other on the back this morning.
    Buy a Koresh hoodie, get a retweet?

    Can't believe we are taking seriously an obsessed saddo who spends his family holiday moaning about last years referendum on twitter. Sign of a proper weirdo
  • Options
    freetochoosefreetochoose Posts: 1,107
    GeoffM said:

    GeoffM said:

    Mr. Observer, how is free trade imperialist?

    It isn't. It makes about as much sense as calling the EU a German empire. But the diehard Remainers aren't necessarily sensible about such things. Although it is a handy signifier of whether it's a pro-European worth debating with or not.

    The Anglosphere that Boris, Dan Hannan etc all obssess about is clearly an imperial throwback. Google Canzuk.

    That "Anglosphere" is also a curiously pale geography. No dark skinned Anglophone countries included, not even ones with strong British values like the West Indies, or India.
    The West Indies and India have strong British values?

    Now I've heard it all
    Parliamentary democracy, trial by jury. and test cricket.
    Well you've just precluded 27 EU states, all the more reason to Leave
    Pedant mode: Ireland have just got Test status :)
    And France are reigning Olympic cricket champions.
    Are you sure?

    Would you like to check that before your comment editing time runs out?
    tbh there is so much tosh posted on here it pays to ignore most of it
  • Options
    TOPPINGTOPPING Posts: 41,403
    isam said:

    chrisoxon said:

    chrisoxon said:

    chrisoxon said:

    TOPPING said:

    chrisoxon said:

    I could spend all day talking about how James Chapman's entire strategy is utterly flawed, I hope he's just being used as a face man at Bell Pottinger because he's demonstrating a complete lack of knowledge on how to manage a campaign;

    - y thus transforming into muck raking politician rather than white knight whistleblower
    - Announcing all of your plans through a series of tweets while on holiday rather than in a co-ordinated fashion surrounded by your campaign team
    - Claiming that he has politicians lined up to join him - defections only work if kept secret
    - Waiting until AFTER a general election to launch a single issue political party on an issue that will probably be done and dusted by the next general election
    - Sending out hundreds of messages insulting everyone who chose to vote leave ie. those he needs to convert in the long run

    I could go on and on! This is exactly the type of person that those of us who support Brexit would love to have as an opponent, it could only be better if he could just remove his mask and reveal that it is in fact Tony Blair underneath.

    "I could go on and on!" - game, set and match to Mr Chapman.
    Oh he wins troll of the year certainly, but that does not a leader make. Exhibit 1 - the current occupant of the oval office.
    Who won.
    Oh and it is going swimmingly isn't it...
    Don't disagree.

    But the idea that someone who doesn't play the playbook, but instead runs a campaign of virtual insurrection using social media and rallies etc etc and doesn't give two f**** what the results of the last election tell you about seat X, can't win has been disproved.

    Lying also helps.
    Yes, but if that is what our political system has become then we should all be ashamed. Besides, I thought those fighting to stop brexit were meant to be the "good guys"? I'm not sure Chapman's stance of imprisoning or gagging opponents fits that image too well
    I raised my eyebrows when I saw that Mr Chapman and Mr Smithson had been slapping each other on the back this morning.
    Buy a Koresh hoodie, get a retweet?

    Can't believe we are taking seriously an obsessed saddo who spends his family holiday moaning about last years referendum on twitter. Sign of a proper weirdo
    I think we are all on dangerous territory pronouncing someone sad because of when or where they post on social media (24,173 and counting, eh Sam...)
  • Options
    TheScreamingEaglesTheScreamingEagles Posts: 114,602
    edited August 2017
    GeoffM said:

    GeoffM said:

    Mr. Observer, how is free trade imperialist?

    It isn't. It makes about as much sense as calling the EU a German empire. But the diehard Remainers aren't necessarily sensible about such things. Although it is a handy signifier of whether it's a pro-European worth debating with or not.

    The Anglosphere that Boris, Dan Hannan etc all obssess about is clearly an imperial throwback. Google Canzuk.

    That "Anglosphere" is also a curiously pale geography. No dark skinned Anglophone countries included, not even ones with strong British values like the West Indies, or India.
    The West Indies and India have strong British values?

    Now I've heard it all
    Parliamentary democracy, trial by jury. and test cricket.
    Well you've just precluded 27 EU states, all the more reason to Leave
    Pedant mode: Ireland have just got Test status :)
    And France are reigning Olympic cricket champions.
    Are you sure?

    Would you like to check that before your comment editing time runs out?
    Oops. I meant reigning runners up. Honest.
  • Options
    freetochoosefreetochoose Posts: 1,107
    isam said:

    chrisoxon said:

    chrisoxon said:

    chrisoxon said:

    TOPPING said:

    chrisoxon said:

    I could spend all day talking about how James Chapman's entire strategy is utterly flawed, I hope he's just being used as a face man at Bell Pottinger because he's demonstrating a complete lack of knowledge on how to manage a campaign;

    - y thus transforming into muck raking politician rather than white knight whistleblower
    - Announcing all of your plans through a series of tweets while on holiday rather than in a co-ordinated fashion surrounded by your campaign team
    - Claiming that he has politicians lined up to join him - defections only work if kept secret
    - Waiting until AFTER a general election to launch a single issue political party on an issue that will probably be done and dusted by the next general election
    - Sending out hundreds of messages insulting everyone who chose to vote leave ie. those he needs to convert in the long run

    I could go on and on! This is exactly the type of person that those of us who support Brexit would love to have as an opponent, it could only be better if he could just remove his mask and reveal that it is in fact Tony Blair underneath.

    "I could go on and on!" - game, set and match to Mr Chapman.
    Oh he wins troll of the year certainly, but that does not a leader make. Exhibit 1 - the current occupant of the oval office.
    Who won.
    Oh and it is going swimmingly isn't it...
    Don't disagree.

    But the idea that someone who doesn't play the playbook, but instead runs a campaign of virtual insurrection using social media and rallies etc etc and doesn't give two f**** what the results of the last election tell you about seat X, can't win has been disproved.

    Lying also helps.
    Yes, but if that is what our political system has become then we should all be ashamed. Besides, I thought those fighting to stop brexit were meant to be the "good guys"? I'm not sure Chapman's stance of imprisoning or gagging opponents fits that image too well
    I raised my eyebrows when I saw that Mr Chapman and Mr Smithson had been slapping each other on the back this morning.
    Buy a Koresh hoodie, get a retweet?

    Can't believe we are taking seriously an obsessed saddo who spends his family holiday moaning about last years referendum on twitter. Sign of a proper weirdo
    Yeah, Chapman's no better ;-)

    (joke Mr Smithson)
  • Options
    PeterCPeterC Posts: 1,274
    chrisoxon said:

    chrisoxon said:

    chrisoxon said:

    TOPPING said:

    chrisoxon said:

    I could spend all day talking about how James Chapman's entire strategy is utterly flawed, I hope he's just being used as a face man at Bell Pottinger because he's demonstrating a complete lack of knowledge on how to manage a campaign;

    - Attacking media outlets and journalists who presumably you will want to cover your story
    - Making unsubstantiated allegations against a dozen politicians and sounding spiteful while making them
    - Giving an interview to GQ and then making directly contradictory statements on twitter
    - Deciding to start your own political party thus transforming into muck raking politician rather than white knight whistleblower
    - Announcing all of your plans through a series of tweets while on holiday rather than in a co-ordinated fashion surrounded by your campaign team
    - Claiming that he has politicians lined up to join him - defections only work if kept secret
    - Waiting until AFTER a general election to launch a single issue political party on an issue that will probably be done and dusted by the next general election
    - Sending out hundreds of messages insulting everyone who chose to vote leave ie. those he needs to convert in the long run

    I could go on and on! This is exactly the type of person that those of us who support Brexit would love to have as an opponent, it could only be better if he could just remove his mask and reveal that it is in fact Tony Blair underneath.

    "I could go on and on!" - game, set and match to Mr Chapman.
    Oh he wins troll of the year certainly, but that does not a leader make. Exhibit 1 - the current occupant of the oval office.
    Who won.
    Oh and it is going swimmingly isn't it...
    Don't disagree.

    But the idea that someone who doesn't play the playbook, but instead runs a campaign of virtual insurrection using social media and rallies etc etc and doesn't give two f**** what the results of the last election tell you about seat X, can't win has been disproved.

    Lying also helps.
    Yes, but if that is what our political system has become then we should all be ashamed. Besides, I thought those fighting to stop brexit were meant to be the "good guys"? I'm not sure Chapman's stance of imprisoning or gagging opponents fits that image too well
    Perhaps Chapman has looked at Trump and Momentum and concluded that you need to be as obnoxious and in your face as possible, and eshew all previous conventions. It might work but I have my doubts.
  • Options
    Morris_DancerMorris_Dancer Posts: 61,010
    Mr. Topping, all the cool kids chat about the Second Punic War. Everyone knows that.
  • Options
    BannedInParisBannedInParis Posts: 2,191
    GeoffM said:

    Mr. Eagles, Antifa sound pretty scummy. Opposing Neo-Nazis doesn't mean supporting Antifa.

    They beat up a rather pretty young political reporter called Taylor Lorenz at the demonstration but that doesn't fit the lefty narrative so it's been airbrushed.
    There's a sense of the ends justify the means about them that I'm not particularly happy with.

    If you've followed some of the stuff going down in US campuses (Evergreen state college for a start, but there's many more), its the same mentality.

    So, this weekend, yes, these are pretty much all real Nazis.

    Tomorrow?

    The day after that?
  • Options
    GeoffMGeoffM Posts: 6,071
    edited August 2017

    GeoffM said:

    GeoffM said:

    Mr. Observer, how is free trade imperialist?

    It isn't. It makes about as much sense as calling the EU a German empire. But the diehard Remainers aren't necessarily sensible about such things. Although it is a handy signifier of whether it's a pro-European worth debating with or not.

    The Anglosphere that Boris, Dan Hannan etc all obssess about is clearly an imperial throwback. Google Canzuk.

    That "Anglosphere" is also a curiously pale geography. No dark skinned Anglophone countries included, not even ones with strong British values like the West Indies, or India.
    The West Indies and India have strong British values?

    Now I've heard it all
    Parliamentary democracy, trial by jury. and test cricket.
    Well you've just precluded 27 EU states, all the more reason to Leave
    Pedant mode: Ireland have just got Test status :)
    And France are reigning Olympic cricket champions.
    Are you sure?

    Would you like to check that before your comment editing time runs out?
    tbh there is so much tosh posted on here it pays to ignore most of it
    Yes but this is *cricket* and therefore important.

    As any fule kno, cricket was only in the 1900 Olympics and the Devon and Somerset Wanderers beat the French Athletic Club Union (made up mostly of GB expats) by 158 runs.

    Standard pub quiz trivia, to be fair.
  • Options

    Mr. Topping, all the cool kids chat about the Second Punic War. Everyone knows that.

    But only the real cool kids know that the Second Punic War was a disaster for Carthage.
  • Options
    CharlesCharles Posts: 35,758

    Charles said:

    Charles said:

    Scott_P said:

    free trade Brexiteers want to trade with and embrace the world

    By pulling out of the largest free trade agreement in the World

    Delusional
    The EU is not the largest free trade agreement in the world. NAFTA is. NAFTA also does not restrict you from joining other free trade agreements as the EU does.
    Europe is a Customs Union (or Zollverein) not a Free Trade Area.

    It puts up protectionist walls around itself, rather than advocating free trade

    Hence the dozens of free trade agreements it has concluded, of course.
    Charles didn't know or care that the EMA is an EU institution. It's fair to say his understanding of the EU is incomplete.
    Because when I think about the EMA I am working, not playing. Its origins are utterly irrelevant.

    I do find it interesting that you think a minor factual error with no wider implications is some sort of killer debating point. It really isn't.
    You could apply the same logic to almost anything: "When I think about borderless trade within Europe I am working, not playing. Its origins are utterly irrelevant." Who cares about the political developments that have underpinned it? Thinking that politics is something for other people to worry about is a perfectly noble position, but it breaks down when you start commenting on it and seeking to influence others.
    There was an informal collaboration between national regulatory bodies that was brought together under the aegis of the EU. They didn't create that concept of collaboration - it existed before they got involved.

    As for the working/playing comment: I have significant capital deployed in businesses that are dependent on decisions made by the FDA, USDA, EMA and various other regulatory bodies. That is more important to me than ancient history.
  • Options
    freetochoosefreetochoose Posts: 1,107
    GeoffM said:

    GeoffM said:

    GeoffM said:

    Mr. Observer, how is free trade imperialist?

    It isn't. It makes about as much sense as calling the EU a German empire. But the diehard Remainers aren't necessarily sensible about such things. Although it is a handy signifier of whether it's a pro-European worth debating with or not.

    The Anglosphere that Boris, Dan Hannan etc all obssess about is clearly an imperial throwback. Google Canzuk.

    That "Anglosphere" is also a curiously pale geography. No dark skinned Anglophone countries included, not even ones with strong British values like the West Indies, or India.
    The West Indies and India have strong British values?

    Now I've heard it all
    Parliamentary democracy, trial by jury. and test cricket.
    Well you've just precluded 27 EU states, all the more reason to Leave
    Pedant mode: Ireland have just got Test status :)
    And France are reigning Olympic cricket champions.
    Are you sure?

    Would you like to check that before your comment editing time runs out?
    tbh there is so much tosh posted on here it pays to ignore most of it
    Yes but this is *cricket* and therefore important.

    As any fule kno, cricket was only in the 1900 Olympics and the Devon and Somerset Wanderers beat the French Athletic Club Union (made up mostly of GB expats) by 158 runs.

    Standard pub quiz trivia, to be fair.
    Yeah I fess up to googling it with a furrowed brow. Sounds like a hell of a game.
  • Options
    DecrepitJohnLDecrepitJohnL Posts: 13,300
    GeoffM said:

    GeoffM said:

    GeoffM said:

    Mr. Observer, how is free trade imperialist?

    It isn't. It makes about as much sense as calling the EU a German empire. But the diehard Remainers aren't necessarily sensible about such things. Although it is a handy signifier of whether it's a pro-European worth debating with or not.

    The Anglosphere that Boris, Dan Hannan etc all obssess about is clearly an imperial throwback. Google Canzuk.

    That "Anglosphere" is also a curiously pale geography. No dark skinned Anglophone countries included, not even ones with strong British values like the West Indies, or India.
    The West Indies and India have strong British values?

    Now I've heard it all
    Parliamentary democracy, trial by jury. and test cricket.
    Well you've just precluded 27 EU states, all the more reason to Leave
    Pedant mode: Ireland have just got Test status :)
    And France are reigning Olympic cricket champions.
    Are you sure?

    Would you like to check that before your comment editing time runs out?
    tbh there is so much tosh posted on here it pays to ignore most of it
    Yes but this is *cricket* and therefore important.

    As any fule kno, cricket was only in the 1900 Olympics and the Devon and Somerset Wanderers beat the French Athletic Club Union (made up mostly of GB expats) by 158 runs.

    Standard pub quiz trivia, to be fair.
    So France are the reigning Olympic silver medallists in cricket.
  • Options
    The Manchester Arena is to reopen on the 9th of September, Rick Astley is going to perform.

    Sod Chappers rally that day, I'm going to see Rick Astley live again.
  • Options
    Stark_DawningStark_Dawning Posts: 9,324
    Terrible to hear from the Mighty Chappers that old DD is a lazy bones. This doesn't surprise me though - Dominic Cummings revealed that DD and IDS were more interested in silly gossip about Cherie Blair than in vital matters of national import. Quite frankly, the 'Three Brexiteers' have done nothing but disappoint and are ruining the Brexit brand. Theresa should do something radical. Sack Boris, DD and Fox and get Rees-Mogg to do the job of all three. Whilst he may not be to everyone's taste, you can't dispute that he's a fairly bright chap and is very keen.
  • Options
    CharlesCharles Posts: 35,758
    TOPPING said:

    chrisoxon said:

    TOPPING said:

    chrisoxon said:

    TOPPING said:

    chrisoxon said:

    I could spend all day talking about how James Chapman's entire strategy is utterly flawed, I hope he's just being used as a face man at Bell Pottinger because he's demonstrating a complete lack of knowledge on how to manage a campaign;

    - Attacking media outlets and journalists who presumably you will want to cover your story
    - Making unsubstantiated allegations against a dozen politicians and sounding spiteful while making them
    - Giving an interview to GQ and then making directly contradictory statements on twitter
    - Deciding to start your own political party thus transforming into muck raking politician rather than white knight whistleblower
    - Announcing all of your plans through a series of tweets while on holiday rather than in a co-ordinated fashion surrounded by your campaign team
    - Claiming that he has politicians lined up to join him - defections only work if kept secret
    - Waiting until AFTER a general election to launch a single issue political party on an issue that will probably be done and dusted by the next general election
    - Sending out hundreds of messages insulting everyone who chose to vote leave ie. those he needs to convert in the long run

    I could go on and on! This is exactly the type of person that those of us who support Brexit would love to have as an opponent, it could only be better if he could just remove his mask and reveal that it is in fact Tony Blair underneath.

    "I could go on and on!" - game, set and match to Mr Chapman.
    Oh he wins troll of the year certainly, but that does not a leader make. Exhibit 1 - the current occupant of the oval office.
    Huh? POTUS is not a leader? He is the most important leader on the planet.
    You've been taking lessons from Chapman! You can take on a leadership role without having leadership skills...
    Of course you can. You would then be a leader without leadership skills. But you would still be a leader.
    Only if people follow you. Otherwise you're just a bloke talking to himself.
  • Options
    BannedInParisBannedInParis Posts: 2,191
    edited August 2017
    GeoffM said:

    GeoffM said:

    Mr. Observer, how is free trade imperialist?

    It isn't. It makes about as much sense as calling the EU a German empire. But the diehard Remainers aren't necessarily sensible about such things. Although it is a handy signifier of whether it's a pro-European worth debating with or not.

    The Anglosphere that Boris, Dan Hannan etc all obssess about is clearly an imperial throwback. Google Canzuk.

    That "Anglosphere" is also a curiously pale geography. No dark skinned Anglophone countries included, not even ones with strong British values like the West Indies, or India.
    The West Indies and India have strong British values?

    Now I've heard it all
    Parliamentary democracy, trial by jury. and test cricket.
    Well you've just precluded 27 EU states, all the more reason to Leave
    Pedant mode: Ireland have just got Test status :)
    And France are reigning Olympic cricket champions.
    Are you sure?

    Would you like to check that before your comment editing time runs out?
    Odd thing - I thought that, I'd read that 'fact' plenty of times. One check - nope. GB won silver on the day, but its been recognised as a full olympic event subsequently.

    There's a statue of a lion in my home town. Everyone knew the guy committed suicide after he built it as the stance was wrong. Everyone. Except,

    wikipedia

    "Rumours persist that Simonds committed suicide on learning that the lion's gait was incorrectly that of a domestic cat. In fact, he made careful observations on lions and the stance was anatomically correct. He also lived for another 43 years, enjoying continuing success as a sculptor going on to create a statue of Queen Victoria (1887) and a statue of George Palmer (1891). He retired from sculpting in 1903 and worked in the family business eventually becoming its chairman in 1910. In 1922 he temporarily came out of retirement to build the Bradfield war memorial which commemorated the deaths in the First World War of those in the 2nd Battalion, South Wales Borderers which included his son."

    amazing.
  • Options
    freetochoosefreetochoose Posts: 1,107
    Can't help thinking we're witnessing some sort of online breakdown here.

    Poor chap, so many on here have placed such great faith in him.
  • Options
    ThreeQuidderThreeQuidder Posts: 6,133

    ydoethur said:

    ydoethur said:

    How did it differ substantially from Labour's position?

    Genuine question.

    The evidence seems to suggest that whatever it said in the Labour manifesto, Labour's surge in support came as a result of a lot of voters believing that there would be a kinder, gentler Brexit were Labour to negotiate it. Labour's manifesto was full cake and eat it. The one area of major difference with the Tories was on EU citizens' rights.
    So no practical difference then?

    I can't help but feel that if you vote for what a party puts in its manifesto, you are supporting that manifesto, although it may be (indeed probably is!) naive of me.

    Of course we all know politicians have been lying about this all the way through. Although much is made of this NHS pledge, to my mind the far more deceitful phrase was Hannan claiming nobody was suggesting we would leave the single market (which was false on every possible level).

    But if people voted Labour, Labour were quite open about their wish to leave the SM and end unrestricted free movement. Therefore, it has to be considered it is supported by their voters, or at least the majority of them. I can't see that those two did not show a huge majority - and since that is in effect hard Brexit there was a mandate for it.
    Voting Labour was seen as way of impeding Brexit, particularly TMay's interpretation of it, as all the post election research show
    So what you're saying, MSmithson, is that voters voted Labour on a false prospectus.
  • Options
    rottenboroughrottenborough Posts: 58,436

    Terrible to hear from the Mighty Chappers that old DD is a lazy bones. This doesn't surprise me though - Dominic Cummings revealed that DD and IDS were more interested in silly gossip about Cherie Blair than in vital matters of national import. Quite frankly, the 'Three Brexiteers' have done nothing but disappoint and are ruining the Brexit brand. Theresa should do something radical. Sack Boris, DD and Fox and get Rees-Mogg to do the job of all three. Whilst he may not be to everyone's taste, you can't dispute that he's a fairly bright chap and is very keen.

    He certainly wouldn't be seen dead in a 'DD' t-shirt.

    Or, indeed, any type of t-shirt.
  • Options
    Morris_DancerMorris_Dancer Posts: 61,010
    Mr. Eagles, it's ironic that the city itself (rather than Hamilcar or Hannibal individually) only really put its shoulder to the wheel in the Third Punic War. What should've been a two day walkover for Rome lasted years.

    Mr. Eagles (2), fair enough. He'll never let you down.
  • Options
    SlackbladderSlackbladder Posts: 9,713
    Is he really equating the tories with Nazis now?

    The world's gone mad, or at least he has.
  • Options
    rottenboroughrottenborough Posts: 58,436
    edited August 2017
  • Options
    OldKingColeOldKingCole Posts: 32,068
    GeoffM said:

    GeoffM said:

    GeoffM said:

    Mr. Observer, how is free trade imperialist?

    It isn't. It makes about as much sense as calling the EU a German empire. But the diehard Remainers aren't necessarily sensible about such things. Although it is a handy signifier of whether it's a pro-European worth debating with or not.

    The Anglosphere that Boris, Dan Hannan etc all obssess about is clearly an imperial throwback. Google Canzuk.

    That "Anglosphere" is also a curiously pale geography. No dark skinned Anglophone countries included, not even ones with strong British values like the West Indies, or India.
    The West Indies and India have strong British values?

    Now I've heard it all
    Parliamentary democracy, trial by jury. and test cricket.
    Well you've just precluded 27 EU states, all the more reason to Leave
    Pedant mode: Ireland have just got Test status :)
    And France are reigning Olympic cricket champions.
    Are you sure?

    Would you like to check that before your comment editing time runs out?
    tbh there is so much tosh posted on here it pays to ignore most of it
    Yes but this is *cricket* and therefore important.

    As any fule kno, cricket was only in the 1900 Olympics and the Devon and Somerset Wanderers beat the French Athletic Club Union (made up mostly of GB expats) by 158 runs.

    Standard pub quiz trivia, to be fair.
    There is a suggestion that cricket (almost) in the form of t20 be included in the 2024 Olympics and there’s some discussion about havimng it again in a future Commonweath Games.It was included in 1988.
  • Options
    CarlottaVanceCarlottaVance Posts: 59,789

    Can't help thinking we're witnessing some sort of online breakdown here.

    Poor chap, so many on here have placed such great faith in him.
    That's what occurred to me when this started a few days ago and before the alleged "anti-Chappers briefing" started. And now he's up against Rock Astley.....we know what that day's news lead will be.
  • Options
    OldKingColeOldKingCole Posts: 32,068
    Said on the BBC this morning that she was visiting the QEII, ...... that’s the ship, for avoidance of doubt ..... ‘soon’!
    The Admiral being interviewd was very upbeat about it!
  • Options
    BannedInParisBannedInParis Posts: 2,191

    GeoffM said:

    GeoffM said:

    GeoffM said:

    Mr. Observer, how is free trade imperialist?

    It isn't. It makes about as much sense as calling the EU a German empire. But the diehard Remainers aren't necessarily sensible about such things. Although it is a handy signifier of whether it's a pro-European worth debating with or not.

    The Anglosphere that Boris, Dan Hannan etc all obssess about is clearly an imperial throwback. Google Canzuk.

    That "Anglosphere" is also a curiously pale geography. No dark skinned Anglophone countries included, not even ones with strong British values like the West Indies, or India.
    The West Indies and India have strong British values?

    Now I've heard it all
    Parliamentary democracy, trial by jury. and test cricket.
    Well you've just precluded 27 EU states, all the more reason to Leave
    Pedant mode: Ireland have just got Test status :)
    And France are reigning Olympic cricket champions.
    Are you sure?

    Would you like to check that before your comment editing time runs out?
    tbh there is so much tosh posted on here it pays to ignore most of it
    Yes but this is *cricket* and therefore important.

    As any fule kno, cricket was only in the 1900 Olympics and the Devon and Somerset Wanderers beat the French Athletic Club Union (made up mostly of GB expats) by 158 runs.

    Standard pub quiz trivia, to be fair.
    There is a suggestion that cricket (almost) in the form of t20 be included in the 2024 Olympics and there’s some discussion about havimng it again in a future Commonweath Games.It was included in 1988.
    Given that rugby 7s is in, I don't see why T20 and futsal shouldn't be considered.
  • Options
    CarlottaVanceCarlottaVance Posts: 59,789
    edited August 2017
    Back in Downing St tomorrow- visiting Portsmouth today to see the Navy's new toy HMS QUEEN ELIZABETH (the ship!)
  • Options
    rottenboroughrottenborough Posts: 58,436

    ydoethur said:

    ydoethur said:

    How did it differ substantially from Labour's position?

    Genuine question.

    The evidence seems to suggest that whatever it said in the Labour manifesto, Labour's surge in support came as a result of a lot of voters believing that there would be a kinder, gentler Brexit were Labour to negotiate it. Labour's manifesto was full cake and eat it. The one area of major difference with the Tories was on EU citizens' rights.
    So no practical difference then?

    I can't help but feel that if you vote for what a party puts in its manifesto, you are supporting that manifesto, although it may be (indeed probably is!) naive of me.

    Of course we all know politicians have been lying about this all the way through. Although much is made of this NHS pledge, to my mind the far more deceitful phrase was Hannan claiming nobody was suggesting we would leave the single market (which was false on every possible level).

    But if people voted Labour, Labour were quite open about their wish to leave the SM and end unrestricted free movement. Therefore, it has to be considered it is supported by their voters, or at least the majority of them. I can't see that those two did not show a huge majority - and since that is in effect hard Brexit there was a mandate for it.
    Voting Labour was seen as way of impeding Brexit, particularly TMay's interpretation of it, as all the post election research show
    So what you're saying, MSmithson, is that voters voted Labour on a false prospectus.
    Well, I am certainly not expecting Corbyn, Milne and co, to impede Brexit; they think its a great idea.

    How long will Starmer last?
  • Options
    isamisam Posts: 41,005
    TOPPING said:

    isam said:

    chrisoxon said:

    chrisoxon said:

    chrisoxon said:

    TOPPING said:

    chrisoxon said:

    I could spend all day talking about how James Chapman's entire strategy is utterly flawed, I hope he's just being used as a face man at Bell Pottinger because he's demonstrating a complete lack of knowledge on how to manage a campaign;

    - y thus transforming into muck raking politician rather than white knight whistleblower
    - Announcing all of your plans through a series of tweets while on holiday rather than in a co-ordinated fashion surrounded by your campaign team
    - Claiming that he has politicians lined up to join him - defections only work if kept secret
    - Waiting until AFTER a general election to launch a single issue political party on an issue that will probably be done and dusted by the next general election
    - Sending out hundreds of messages insulting everyone who chose to vote leave ie. those he needs to convert in the long run

    I could go on and on! This is exactly the type of person that those of us who support Brexit would love to have as an opponent, it could only be better if he could just remove his mask and reveal that it is in fact Tony Blair underneath.

    "I could go on and on!" - game, set and match to Mr Chapman.
    Oh he wins troll of the year certainly, but that does not a leader make. Exhibit 1 - the current occupant of the .
    Who won.
    Oh and it is going swimmingly isn't it...
    Don't disagree.

    But the idea that someone who doesn't play the playbook, but instead runs a campaign of virtual insurrection using social media and rallies etc etc and doesn't give two f**** what the results of the last election tell you about seat X, can't win has been disproved.

    Lying also helps.
    Yes, but if that is what our political system has become then we should all be ashamed. Besides, I thought those fighting to stop brexit were meant to be the "good guys"? I'm not sure Chapman's stance of imprisoning or gagging opponents fits that image too well
    I raised my eyebrows when I saw that Mr Chapman and Mr Smithson had been slapping each other on the back this morning.
    Buy a Koresh hoodie, get a retweet?

    Can't believe we are taking seriously an obsessed saddo who spends his family holiday moaning about last years referendum on twitter. Sign of a proper weirdo
    I think we are all on dangerous territory pronouncing someone sad because of when or where they post on social media (24,173 and counting, eh Sam...)
    Think what it could have been if not for bans!
  • Options
    TOPPINGTOPPING Posts: 41,403
    Charles said:

    TOPPING said:

    chrisoxon said:

    TOPPING said:

    chrisoxon said:

    TOPPING said:

    chrisoxon said:

    I could spend all day talking about how James Chapman's entire strategy is utterly flawed, I hope he's just being used as a face man at Bell Pottinger because he's demonstrating a complete lack of knowledge on how to manage a campaign;

    - Attacking media outlets and journalists who presumably you will want to cover your story
    - Making unsubstantiated allegations against a dozen politicians and sounding spiteful while making them
    - Giving an interview to GQ and then making directly contradictory statements on twitter
    - Deciding to start your own political party thus transforming into muck raking politician rather than white knight whistleblower
    - Announcing all of your plans through a series of tweets while on holiday rather than in a co-ordinated fashion surrounded by your campaign team
    - Claiming that he has politicians lined up to join him - defections only work if kept secret
    - Waiting until AFTER a general election to launch a single issue political party on an issue that will probably be done and dusted by the next general election
    - Sending out hundreds of messages insulting everyone who chose to vote leave ie. those he needs to convert in the long run

    I could go on and on! This is exactly the type of person that those of us who support Brexit would love to have as an opponent, it could only be better if he could just remove his mask and reveal that it is in fact Tony Blair underneath.

    "I could go on and on!" - game, set and match to Mr Chapman.
    Oh he wins troll of the year certainly, but that does not a leader make. Exhibit 1 - the current occupant of the oval office.
    Huh? POTUS is not a leader? He is the most important leader on the planet.
    You've been taking lessons from Chapman! You can take on a leadership role without having leadership skills...
    Of course you can. You would then be a leader without leadership skills. But you would still be a leader.
    Only if people follow you. Otherwise you're just a bloke talking to himself.
    You have the mechanics of power to ensure that people follow you. Because you are a leader.
  • Options
    CarlottaVanceCarlottaVance Posts: 59,789
    One in five unemployed people in the UK are migrants, official figures have revealed for the first time.

    The figures show that 317,000 migrants are unemployed, including 98,000 who were born in the EU and 219,000 born outside the EU.


    http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/2017/08/16/one-five-unemployed-people-uk-migrantsofficial-figures-reveal/amp/
  • Options
    NigelbNigelb Posts: 62,829

    GeoffM said:

    GeoffM said:

    Mr. Observer, how is free trade imperialist?

    It isn't. It makes about as much sense as calling the EU a German empire. But the diehard Remainers aren't necessarily sensible about such things. Although it is a handy signifier of whether it's a pro-European worth debating with or not.

    The Anglosphere that Boris, Dan Hannan etc all obssess about is clearly an imperial throwback. Google Canzuk.

    That "Anglosphere" is also a curiously pale geography. No dark skinned Anglophone countries included, not even ones with strong British values like the West Indies, or India.
    The West Indies and India have strong British values?

    Now I've heard it all
    Parliamentary democracy, trial by jury. and test cricket.
    Well you've just precluded 27 EU states, all the more reason to Leave
    Pedant mode: Ireland have just got Test status :)
    And France are reigning Olympic cricket champions.
    Are you sure?

    Would you like to check that before your comment editing time runs out?
    Odd thing - I thought that, I'd read that 'fact' plenty of times. One check - nope. GB won silver on the day, but its been recognised as a full olympic event subsequently.

    There's a statue of a lion in my home town. Everyone knew the guy committed suicide after he built it as the stance was wrong. Everyone. Except,

    wikipedia

    "Rumours persist that Simonds committed suicide on learning that the lion's gait was incorrectly that of a domestic cat. In fact, he made careful observations on lions and the stance was anatomically correct. He also lived for another 43 years, enjoying continuing success as a sculptor going on to create a statue of Queen Victoria (1887) and a statue of George Palmer (1891). He retired from sculpting in 1903 and worked in the family business eventually becoming its chairman in 1910. In 1922 he temporarily came out of retirement to build the Bradfield war memorial which commemorated the deaths in the First World War of those in the 2nd Battalion, South Wales Borderers which included his son."

    amazing.
    That appears to be a common urban myth, not restricted to lion statues..
    http://www.historywebsite.co.uk/listed/princealbert.htm
  • Options
    Stark_DawningStark_Dawning Posts: 9,324

    Terrible to hear from the Mighty Chappers that old DD is a lazy bones. This doesn't surprise me though - Dominic Cummings revealed that DD and IDS were more interested in silly gossip about Cherie Blair than in vital matters of national import. Quite frankly, the 'Three Brexiteers' have done nothing but disappoint and are ruining the Brexit brand. Theresa should do something radical. Sack Boris, DD and Fox and get Rees-Mogg to do the job of all three. Whilst he may not be to everyone's taste, you can't dispute that he's a fairly bright chap and is very keen.

    He certainly wouldn't be seen dead in a 'DD' t-shirt.

    Or, indeed, any type of t-shirt.
    Quite right. Whilst it might be a touch contrived, Rees-Mogg comes across as a gent with impeccable manners. I can't see him leering at busty women or groping Diane Abbott. Fox and DD are just grim old throwbacks from the IDS era who are treating Brexit as a leisure subject. I'm amazed the Leavers on here are in such a flap about the Mighter Chappers and his revelations. By exposing the haplessness of those charged with implementing it, he's actually doing their cause a great favour.
  • Options
    ThreeQuidderThreeQuidder Posts: 6,133

    chrisoxon said:

    chrisoxon said:

    chrisoxon said:

    TOPPING said:

    chrisoxon said:

    I could spend all day talking about how James Chapman's entire strategy is utterly flawed, I hope he's just being used as a face man at Bell Pottinger because he's demonstrating a complete lack of knowledge on how to manage a campaign;

    - Attacking media outlets and journalists who presumably you will want to cover your story
    - Making unsubstantiated allegations against a dozen politicians and sounding spiteful while making them
    - Giving an interview to GQ and then making directly contradictory statements on twitter
    - Deciding to start your own political party thus transforming into muck raking politician rather than white knight whistleblower
    - Announcing all of your plans through a series of tweets while on holiday rather than in a co-ordinated fashion surrounded by your campaign team
    - Claiming that he has politicians lined up to join him - defections only work if kept secret
    - Waiting until AFTER a general election to launch a single issue political party on an issue that will probably be done and dusted by the next general election
    - Sending out hundreds of messages insulting everyone who chose to vote leave ie. those he needs to convert in the long run

    I could go on and on! This is exactly the type of person that those of us who support Brexit would love to have as an opponent, it could only be better if he could just remove his mask and reveal that it is in fact Tony Blair underneath.

    "I could go on and on!" - game, set and match to Mr Chapman.
    Oh he wins troll of the year certainly, but that does not a leader make. Exhibit 1 - the current occupant of the oval office.
    Who won.
    Oh and it is going swimmingly isn't it...
    Don't disagree.

    But the idea that someone who doesn't play the playbook, but instead runs a campaign of virtual insurrection using social media and rallies etc etc and doesn't give two f**** what the results of the last election tell you about seat X, can't win has been disproved.

    Lying also helps.
    Yes, but if that is what our political system has become then we should all be ashamed. Besides, I thought those fighting to stop brexit were meant to be the "good guys"? I'm not sure Chapman's stance of imprisoning or gagging opponents fits that image too well
    I raised my eyebrows when I saw that Mr Chapman and Mr Smithson had been slapping each other on the back this morning.
    MSmithson cares about nothing except overturning the referendum result. No wonder he gets on so well with JChapman.
  • Options
    ThreeQuidderThreeQuidder Posts: 6,133
    Why are you giving this tit the oxygen of publicity? I've muted him on Twitter but can't do the same here.
  • Options
    Stark_DawningStark_Dawning Posts: 9,324
    Here's any PB Leaver in response to the latest James Chapman tweet:

    http://bit.ly/2aekdwQ
  • Options
    BannedInParisBannedInParis Posts: 2,191
    Nigelb said:

    GeoffM said:

    GeoffM said:

    Mr. Observer, how is free trade imperialist?

    It isn't. It makes about as much sense as calling the EU a German empire. But the diehard Remainers aren't necessarily sensible about such things. Although it is a handy signifier of whether it's a pro-European worth debating with or not.

    The Anglosphere that Boris, Dan Hannan etc all obssess about is clearly an imperial throwback. Google Canzuk.

    That "Anglosphere" is also a curiously pale geography. No dark skinned Anglophone countries included, not even ones with strong British values like the West Indies, or India.
    The West Indies and India have strong British values?

    Now I've heard it all
    Parliamentary democracy, trial by jury. and test cricket.
    Well you've just precluded 27 EU states, all the more reason to Leave
    Pedant mode: Ireland have just got Test status :)
    And France are reigning Olympic cricket champions.
    Are you sure?

    Would you like to check that before your comment editing time runs out?
    Odd thing - I thought that, I'd read that 'fact' plenty of times. One check - nope. GB won silver on the day, but its been recognised as a full olympic event subsequently.

    There's a statue of a lion in my home town. Everyone knew the guy committed suicide after he built it as the stance was wrong. Everyone. Except,

    wikipedia

    "Rumours persist that Simonds committed suicide on learning that the lion's gait was incorrectly that of a domestic cat. In fact, he made careful observations on lions and the stance was anatomically correct. He also lived for another 43 years, enjoying continuing success as a sculptor going on to create a statue of Queen Victoria (1887) and a statue of George Palmer (1891). He retired from sculpting in 1903 and worked in the family business eventually becoming its chairman in 1910. In 1922 he temporarily came out of retirement to build the Bradfield war memorial which commemorated the deaths in the First World War of those in the 2nd Battalion, South Wales Borderers which included his son."

    amazing.
    That appears to be a common urban myth, not restricted to lion statues..
    http://www.historywebsite.co.uk/listed/princealbert.htm
    That's rather nice - will be using that in the future.
  • Options
    ThreeQuidderThreeQuidder Posts: 6,133

    Here's any PB Leaver in response to the latest James Chapman tweet:

    http://bit.ly/2aekdwQ

    I think you mean:

    :lol:
  • Options
    CharlesCharles Posts: 35,758
    TOPPING said:

    Charles said:

    TOPPING said:

    chrisoxon said:

    TOPPING said:

    chrisoxon said:

    TOPPING said:

    chrisoxon said:

    I could spend all day talking about how James Chapman's entire strategy is utterly flawed, I hope he's just being used as a face man at Bell Pottinger because he's demonstrating a complete lack of knowledge on how to manage a campaign;

    - Attacking media outlets and journalists who presumably you will want to cover your story
    - Making unsubstantiated allegations against a dozen politicians and sounding spiteful while making them
    - Giving an interview to GQ and then making directly contradictory statements on twitter
    - Deciding to start your own political party thus transforming into muck raking politician rather than white knight whistleblower
    - Announcing all of your plans through a series of tweets while on holiday rather than in a co-ordinated fashion surrounded by your campaign team
    - Claiming that he has politicians lined up to join him - defections only work if kept secret
    - Waiting until AFTER a general election to launch a single issue political party on an issue that will probably be done and dusted by the next general election
    - Sending out hundreds of messages insulting everyone who chose to vote leave ie. those he needs to convert in the long run

    I could go on and on! This is exactly the type of person that those of us who support Brexit would love to have as an opponent, it could only be better if he could just remove his mask and reveal that it is in fact Tony Blair underneath.

    "I could go on and on!" - game, set and match to Mr Chapman.
    Oh he wins troll of the year certainly, but that does not a leader make. Exhibit 1 - the current occupant of the oval office.
    Huh? POTUS is not a leader? He is the most important leader on the planet.
    You've been taking lessons from Chapman! You can take on a leadership role without having leadership skills...
    Of course you can. You would then be a leader without leadership skills. But you would still be a leader.
    Only if people follow you. Otherwise you're just a bloke talking to himself.
    You have the mechanics of power to ensure that people follow you. Because you are a leader.
    How are you going to make people follow you? Use people with fatigues and assault rifles to encourage them?

    As Alexandre Ledru-Rollin said: "There go the people. I must follow them, for I am their leader."
  • Options
    ThomasNasheThomasNashe Posts: 5,018

    Why are you giving this tit the oxygen of publicity? I've muted him on Twitter but can't do the same here.
    LOL! You really don't get how this kind of thing works, do you?
  • Options
    GIN1138GIN1138 Posts: 20,920
    edited August 2017
    If Theresa May really was a Nazi Chappers would be on his way to the Russian front by now...

    Or worse... ;)
  • Options
    FF43FF43 Posts: 15,798

    ydoethur said:

    Charles said:

    Scott_P said:

    free trade Brexiteers want to trade with and embrace the world

    By pulling out of the largest free trade agreement in the World

    Delusional
    The EU is not the largest free trade agreement in the world. NAFTA is. NAFTA also does not restrict you from joining other free trade agreements as the EU does.
    Europe is a Customs Union (or Zollverein) not a Free Trade Area.

    It puts up protectionist walls around itself, rather than advocating free trade

    Hence the dozens of free trade agreements it has concluded, of course.
    Charles didn't know or care that the EMA is an EU institution. It's fair to say his understanding of the EU is incomplete.
    I was wondering what the Education Maintenance Allowance had to do with the EU, then I realised you meant the European Medicines Agency.

    Fewer alphabet soups would be nice. I feel we have become fat on them.
    IAWEM (*)
    (*) I agree with Elon Musk:
    https://twitter.com/davejohnson/status/602951117413216256
    Elon kicks ASS ( acronyms seriously suck) I will always spell out an acronym the first time i use it or explain what it is, unless it is in common usage. USA for instance. You probably don't want to spell out every letter of USDAW but it could be useful to explain it's a trades union or the shop workers union.
  • Options
    ThreeQuidderThreeQuidder Posts: 6,133

    Why are you giving this tit the oxygen of publicity? I've muted him on Twitter but can't do the same here.
    LOL! You really don't get how this kind of thing works, do you?
    At first it was shocking, then it was worrying, now it's just boring.
  • Options
    ThomasNasheThomasNashe Posts: 5,018

    Why are you giving this tit the oxygen of publicity? I've muted him on Twitter but can't do the same here.
    LOL! You really don't get how this kind of thing works, do you?
    At first it was shocking, then it was worrying, now it's just boring.
    And yet you continue to respond ...
  • Options
    ThreeQuidderThreeQuidder Posts: 6,133

    Why are you giving this tit the oxygen of publicity? I've muted him on Twitter but can't do the same here.
    LOL! You really don't get how this kind of thing works, do you?
    At first it was shocking, then it was worrying, now it's just boring.
    And yet you continue to respond ...
    Just to plead with people who should know better not to clog up the threads.
  • Options
    DecrepitJohnLDecrepitJohnL Posts: 13,300
    FF43 said:

    ydoethur said:

    Charles said:

    Scott_P said:

    free trade Brexiteers want to trade with and embrace the world

    By pulling out of the largest free trade agreement in the World

    Delusional
    The EU is not the largest free trade agreement in the world. NAFTA is. NAFTA also does not restrict you from joining other free trade agreements as the EU does.
    Europe is a Customs Union (or Zollverein) not a Free Trade Area.

    It puts up protectionist walls around itself, rather than advocating free trade

    Hence the dozens of free trade agreements it has concluded, of course.
    Charles didn't know or care that the EMA is an EU institution. It's fair to say his understanding of the EU is incomplete.
    I was wondering what the Education Maintenance Allowance had to do with the EU, then I realised you meant the European Medicines Agency.

    Fewer alphabet soups would be nice. I feel we have become fat on them.
    IAWEM (*)
    (*) I agree with Elon Musk:
    https://twitter.com/davejohnson/status/602951117413216256
    Elon kicks ASS ( acronyms seriously suck) I will always spell out an acronym the first time i use it or explain what it is, unless it is in common usage. USA for instance. You probably don't want to spell out every letter of USDAW but it could be useful to explain it's a trades union or the shop workers union.
    Otoh, jargon and acronyms can be important in any specialised field. It might be that the only person confused is Musk himself.
  • Options
    TOPPINGTOPPING Posts: 41,403
    isam said:

    TOPPING said:

    isam said:

    chrisoxon said:

    chrisoxon said:

    chrisoxon said:

    TOPPING said:

    chrisoxon said:

    I could spend all day talking about how James Chapman's entire strategy is utterly flawed, I hope he's just being used as a face man at Bell Pottinger because he's demonstrating a complete lack of knowledge on how to manage a campaign;

    - y thus transforming into muians lined up to join him - defections only work if kept secret
    - Waiting until AFTER a general election to launch a single issue political party on an issue that will probably be done and dusted by the next general election
    - Sending out hundreds of messages insulting everyone who chose to vote leave ie. those he needs to convert in the long run

    I could go on and on! This is exactly the type of person that those of us who support Brexit would love to have as an opponent, it could only be better if he could just remove his mask and reveal that it is in fact Tony Blair underneath.

    "I could go on and on!" - game, set and match to Mr Chapman.
    Oh he wins troll of the year certainly, but that does not a leader make. Exhibit 1 - the current occupant of the .
    Who won.
    Oh and it is going swimmingly isn't it...
    Don't disagree.

    But the idea that someone who doesn't play the playbook, but instead runs a campaign of virtual insurrection using social media and rallies etc etc and doesn't give two f**** what the results of the last election tell you about seat X, can't win has been disproved.

    Lying also helps.
    Yes, but if that is what our political system has become then we should all be ashamed. Besides, I thought those fighting to stop brexit were meant to be the "good guys"? I'm not sure Chapman's stance of imprisoning or gagging opponents fits that image too well
    I raised my eyebrows when I saw that Mr Chapman and Mr Smithson had been slapping each other on the back this morning.
    Buy a Koresh hoodie, get a retweet?

    Can't believe we are taking seriously an obsessed saddo who spends his family holiday moaning about last years referendum on twitter. Sign of a proper weirdo
    I think we are all on dangerous territory pronouncing someone sad because of when or where they post on social media (24,173 and counting, eh Sam...)
    Think what it could have been if not for bans!
    haha! I still miss ***** and ******.
  • Options
    TOPPINGTOPPING Posts: 41,403

    One in five unemployed people in the UK are migrants, official figures have revealed for the first time.

    The figures show that 317,000 migrants are unemployed, including 98,000 who were born in the EU and 219,000 born outside the EU.


    http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/2017/08/16/one-five-unemployed-people-uk-migrantsofficial-figures-reveal/amp/

    Blimmin heck imagine the inflationary pressures that will arise should they fuck off back home. Or be thrown out. Or not be replaced when they have had their fun living in the UK.
  • Options
    williamglennwilliamglenn Posts: 48,147
    Charles said:

    TOPPING said:

    Charles said:

    TOPPING said:

    chrisoxon said:

    TOPPING said:

    chrisoxon said:

    TOPPING said:

    chrisoxon said:

    I could spend all day talking about how James Chapman's entire strategy is utterly flawed, I hope he's just being used as a face man at Bell Pottinger because he's demonstrating a complete lack of knowledge on how to manage a campaign;

    - Attacking media outlets and journalists who presumably you will want to cover your story
    - Making unsubstantiated allegations against a dozen politicians and sounding spiteful while making them
    - Giving an interview to GQ and then making directly contradictory statements on twitter
    - Deciding to start your own political party thus transforming into muck raking politician rather than white knight whistleblower
    - Announcing all of your plans through a series of tweets while on holiday rather than in a co-ordinated fashion surrounded by your campaign team
    - Claiming that he has politicians lined up to join him - defections only work if kept secret
    - Waiting until AFTER a general election to launch a single issue political party on an issue that will probably be done and dusted by the next general election
    - Sending out hundreds of messages insulting everyone who chose to vote leave ie. those he needs to convert in the long run

    I could go on and on! This is exactly the type of person that those of us who support Brexit would love to have as an opponent, it could only be better if he could just remove his mask and reveal that it is in fact Tony Blair underneath.

    "I could go on and on!" - game, set and match to Mr Chapman.
    Oh he wins troll of the year certainly, but that does not a leader make. Exhibit 1 - the current occupant of the oval office.
    Huh? POTUS is not a leader? He is the most important leader on the planet.
    You've been taking lessons from Chapman! You can take on a leadership role without having leadership skills...
    Of course you can. You would then be a leader without leadership skills. But you would still be a leader.
    Only if people follow you. Otherwise you're just a bloke talking to himself.
    You have the mechanics of power to ensure that people follow you. Because you are a leader.
    How are you going to make people follow you? Use people with fatigues and assault rifles to encourage them?

    As Alexandre Ledru-Rollin said: "There go the people. I must follow them, for I am their leader."
    Chapman has gained about 3000 followers since last night. I wonder how many he'll have on 9/9.
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    Morris_DancerMorris_Dancer Posts: 61,010
    Mr. L, must say I think jargon is one of the reasons people are so politically polarised. SJWs can mean people opposed to bigotry, or censorious puritans who don't tolerate alternative perspectives, for example [depending whether you're pro- or anti-].
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    GIN1138GIN1138 Posts: 20,920
    edited August 2017



    Chapman has gained about 3000 followers since last night. I wonder how many he'll have on 9/9.

    How many of those are actually following him because they agree with him and want to stop democracy and how many are following him because it's like gawping at a motorway pile up (but nobody has got hurt... YET) ??? ;)
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    TOPPINGTOPPING Posts: 41,403
    edited August 2017
    Charles said:

    TOPPING said:

    Charles said:

    TOPPING said:

    chrisoxon said:

    TOPPING said:

    chrisoxon said:

    TOPPING said:

    chrisoxon said:

    I could spend all day talking about how James Chapman's entire strategy is utterly flawed, I hope he's just being used as a face man at Bell Pottinger because he's demonstrating a complete lack of knowledge on how to manage a campaign;

    - Attacking media outlets eath.

    "I could go on and on!" - game, set and match to Mr Chapman.
    Oh he wins troll of the year certainly, but that does not a leader make. Exhibit 1 - the current occupant of the oval office.
    Huh? POTUS is not a leader? He is the most important leader on the planet.
    You've been taking lessons from Chapman! You can take on a leadership role without having leadership skills...
    Of course you can. You would then be a leader without leadership skills. But you would still be a leader.
    Only if people follow you. Otherwise you're just a bloke talking to himself.
    You have the mechanics of power to ensure that people follow you. Because you are a leader.
    How are you going to make people follow you? Use people with fatigues and assault rifles to encourage them?

    As Alexandre Ledru-Rollin said: "There go the people. I must follow them, for I am their leader."
    As to your first example, then yes. POTUS (who @chrisoxon said was not a leader) has much at his disposal to make people follow him including fatigues and assault rifles. Because he is POTUS and the leader of the armed forces/country/free world.

    Now, you (and Alex) might say, well if I stand up in the middle of Parliament Hill fields and say: "come on lads", and no one follows then I will not be a leader. And indeed you might be right.

    And to bring it back to Chappers, he is standing in the middle of Parliament Hill fields, and saying "Come on lads". We shall see who follows him.
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    ThreeQuidderThreeQuidder Posts: 6,133
    GIN1138 said:



    Chapman has gained about 3000 followers since last night. I wonder how many he'll have on 9/9.

    How many of those are actually following him because they agree with him and want to stop democracy and how many are following him because it's like gawping at a motorway pile up (but nobody had got hurt... YET) ??? ;)
    Pretty much the definition of "clicktivist", I would say.
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    AlastairMeeksAlastairMeeks Posts: 30,340

    GeoffM said:

    GeoffM said:

    Mr. Observer, how is free trade imperialist?

    It isn't. It makes about as much sense as calling the EU a German empire. But the diehard Remainers aren't necessarily sensible about such things. Although it is a handy signifier of whether it's a pro-European worth debating with or not.

    The Anglosphere that Boris, Dan Hannan etc all obssess about is clearly an imperial throwback. Google Canzuk.

    That "Anglosphere" is also a curiously pale geography. No dark skinned Anglophone countries included, not even ones with strong British values like the West Indies, or India.
    The West Indies and India have strong British values?

    Now I've heard it all
    Parliamentary democracy, trial by jury. and test cricket.
    Well you've just precluded 27 EU states, all the more reason to Leave
    Pedant mode: Ireland have just got Test status :)
    And France are reigning Olympic cricket champions.
    Are you sure?

    Would you like to check that before your comment editing time runs out?
    Odd thing - I thought that, I'd read that 'fact' plenty of times. One check - nope. GB won silver on the day, but its been recognised as a full olympic event subsequently.

    There's a statue of a lion in my home town. Everyone knew the guy committed suicide after he built it as the stance was wrong. Everyone. Except,

    wikipedia

    "Rumours persist that Simonds committed suicide on learning that the lion's gait was incorrectly that of a domestic cat. In fact, he made careful observations on lions and the stance was anatomically correct. He also lived for another 43 years, enjoying continuing success as a sculptor going on to create a statue of Queen Victoria (1887) and a statue of George Palmer (1891). He retired from sculpting in 1903 and worked in the family business eventually becoming its chairman in 1910. In 1922 he temporarily came out of retirement to build the Bradfield war memorial which commemorated the deaths in the First World War of those in the 2nd Battalion, South Wales Borderers which included his son."

    amazing.
    There's a similar story about the lions on the Chain Bridge in Budapest. Supposedly the sculptor committed suicide by throwing himself into the Danube when he was laughed at because they had no tongues. A sad story but:

    1) he didn't commit suicide; and

    2) the lions on the bridge have tongues.
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    foxinsoxukfoxinsoxuk Posts: 23,548
    TOPPING said:

    One in five unemployed people in the UK are migrants, official figures have revealed for the first time.

    The figures show that 317,000 migrants are unemployed, including 98,000 who were born in the EU and 219,000 born outside the EU.


    http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/2017/08/16/one-five-unemployed-people-uk-migrantsofficial-figures-reveal/amp/

    Blimmin heck imagine the inflationary pressures that will arise should they fuck off back home. Or be thrown out. Or not be replaced when they have had their fun living in the UK.
    I think wage inflation is not much affected by high employment levels in the globalised world, and not just in the UK. The jobs will either disappear to automation or be exported.
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