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Johnsons needs to be more careful about off the cuff comments like this – politicalbetting.com

SystemSystem Posts: 11,002
edited August 2021 in General
Johnsons needs to be more careful about off the cuff comments like this – politicalbetting.com

Only a matter of time before we see a 'clarification', if not an apology, for his remarks.Story by @journoamrogers https://t.co/7B2eeyGU2a

Read the full story here

«13

Comments

  • First.
  • Second and spot on Mike
  • StuartDicksonStuartDickson Posts: 12,146
    Third like Scottish Labour.
  • squareroot2squareroot2 Posts: 6,287
    The miners and ex miners were not going to vote for him anyway. An incautious remark nonetheless.
  • StuartDicksonStuartDickson Posts: 12,146
    Thatcher closed the coal industry, but then vastly expanded the oil & gas industry. She was no environmentalist. Johnson think ordinary people are mugs.
  • YoungTurkYoungTurk Posts: 158
    Labour closed many more coalmines than the Tories under Thatcher did. You don't have to know much about the history of British coalmines to know that.

    The main difference was a redundant miner's chance of walking into a reasonably paid new job.
  • kle4kle4 Posts: 91,408
    I don't think he can be more cautious. Yes he is more calculating than his manner might suggest, but I feel like that it is still probably an exagerration of his real demeanour, and as being off the cuff (or seeming like it) is a bit of a strength in making him more normal seeming for a politician, as OGH suggests, it will also lead to him overstepping.
  • The miners and ex miners were not going to vote for him anyway. An incautious remark nonetheless.

    As a resident of South Yorkshire and child of the 80s, I was astonished to see just how many ex mining areas went Tory in 2019, I'm sure plenty of ex miners and their families went Tory in 2019.
  • LeonLeon Posts: 46,262
    fpt on this Speccie thing


    I have no dog in this fight, but that magazine has boasted some amazing writers in its 2 centuries of publication.

    Douglas Murray went through ALL 200 years of them and chose the four best articles ever. And, when you read them, it is hard not to sit back with a certain awed, dumbstruck admiration. Just pure journalistic genius. The kind of stuff you cannot fake.

    Occasionally, one simply has to stand, and applaud.

    https://www.spectator.co.uk/article/four-of-the-best-spectator-pieces-i-ve-ever-read
  • kle4kle4 Posts: 91,408
    This case looks meritless eveb from the statement of the losmg party.

    A family-run farm has won a legal battle against the multimillion-pound makers of plant milk, Oatly, which accused it of trademark infringement.

    Oatly brought legal action against Glebe Farm Foods, in Cambridgeshire, saying their product PureOaty took "unfair advantage" of their own drink.

    A High Court judge ruled in favour of the farm saying he did not see "any risk of injury to the distinctive character" of the Oatly brand...

    A spokeswoman for Oatly said the company would not be appealing the decision.

    "For us, this case has always been about protecting our trademark and how the single letter Y creates too much of a similarity between Oaty and Oatly."


    https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-cambridgeshire-58102252
  • LeonLeon Posts: 46,262
    I just want to spend the rest of my life drinking Nyetimber rose

    Is that too much to ask of a cruel, cold world?
  • StuartDicksonStuartDickson Posts: 12,146
    kle4 said:

    I don't think he can be more cautious. Yes he is more calculating than his manner might suggest, but I feel like that it is still probably an exagerration of his real demeanour, and as being off the cuff (or seeming like it) is a bit of a strength in making him more normal seeming for a politician, as OGH suggests, it will also lead to him overstepping.

    He can afford to “overstep” in England. He cannot afford to “overstep” in Scotland. He is way, way out of his depth and out of his comfort zone. And boy, does it show.
  • ThomasNasheThomasNashe Posts: 4,922

    The miners and ex miners were not going to vote for him anyway. An incautious remark nonetheless.

    The results in Bishop Auckland and Sedgefield would suggest that quite a few already have.
  • philiphphiliph Posts: 4,704
    I would love to see a poll in ex mining communities along the lines of:
    'Would thou like t'work down t'mine?'
    Yes % DK% No %

    Us old fossils may not have moved on. Miners and the desolation of the communities they had are still vivid images in our minds. There is no sanitisation of that period.

    However that does not mean that an awful lot of good hasn't arisen from closing mines. The good may be unintended consequences, but this far after the act there is more positive than negative from a policy of 40 years ago.
  • YoungTurkYoungTurk Posts: 158

    The miners and ex miners were not going to vote for him anyway. An incautious remark nonetheless.

    As a resident of South Yorkshire and child of the 80s, I was astonished to see just how many ex mining areas went Tory in 2019, I'm sure plenty of ex miners and their families went Tory in 2019.
    They'll probably go back to Labour if Johnson keeps on like this.

  • StuartDicksonStuartDickson Posts: 12,146

    The miners and ex miners were not going to vote for him anyway. An incautious remark nonetheless.

    As a resident of South Yorkshire and child of the 80s, I was astonished to see just how many ex mining areas went Tory in 2019, I'm sure plenty of ex miners and their families went Tory in 2019.
    Good point. A lot of Tory strategists must be holding their heads in their hands this evening. But are the markets going to react? Starmer also had a poor day in Jockland.
  • kle4kle4 Posts: 91,408
    How does any major, successful club get themselves into such a pathetic financial position?

    Barcelona say Lionel Messi will not be staying at the club "because of financial and structural obstacles"...

    Barcelona had said Messi was poised to extend his 21-year career with the club by signing the new deal on Thursday, and blame La Liga for the failure to do so.

    He had reached an agreement to stay with the Catalan side until 2026 - but La Liga said the club must reduce wages before he and any new players can be registered.

    "Despite FC Barcelona and Lionel Messi having reached an agreement and the clear intention of both parties to sign a new contract today, this cannot happen because of financial and structural obstacles [Spanish La Liga regulations]," the club said.


    https://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/football/58108298
  • FoxyFoxy Posts: 44,069
    Leon said:

    I just want to spend the rest of my life drinking Nyetimber rose

    Is that too much to ask of a cruel, cold world?

    I reckon half a case could do it if you drink quickly.
  • TOPPINGTOPPING Posts: 40,950
    Now they're talking about the Kieran (watching the Beeb's highlights).

    Is that the one with the Honda C50 in front?
  • OnlyLivingBoyOnlyLivingBoy Posts: 14,912
    These comments will have zero impact. Everybody knows Johnson is a prick, even people who voted for him. And he can't be shamed because he has no shame. Whatever fog of national delusion that has settled over England to make this man our PM is not going to disperse any time soon.
  • StuartDicksonStuartDickson Posts: 12,146
    YoungTurk said:

    The miners and ex miners were not going to vote for him anyway. An incautious remark nonetheless.

    As a resident of South Yorkshire and child of the 80s, I was astonished to see just how many ex mining areas went Tory in 2019, I'm sure plenty of ex miners and their families went Tory in 2019.
    They'll probably go back to Labour if Johnson keeps on like this.

    Johnson’s minders will change his nappies and stick a dummy in his mouth. But he’ll be back to fouling his surroundings in no time.

    He’d have done less damage if he’d just had that quiet chat with the First Minister.
  • ThomasNasheThomasNashe Posts: 4,922
    kle4 said:

    How does any major, successful club get themselves into such a pathetic financial position?

    Barcelona say Lionel Messi will not be staying at the club "because of financial and structural obstacles"...

    Barcelona had said Messi was poised to extend his 21-year career with the club by signing the new deal on Thursday, and blame La Liga for the failure to do so.

    He had reached an agreement to stay with the Catalan side until 2026 - but La Liga said the club must reduce wages before he and any new players can be registered.

    "Despite FC Barcelona and Lionel Messi having reached an agreement and the clear intention of both parties to sign a new contract today, this cannot happen because of financial and structural obstacles [Spanish La Liga regulations]," the club said.


    https://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/football/58108298

    Citeh might not be signing Kane after all?
  • LeonLeon Posts: 46,262
    edited August 2021
    Foxy said:

    Leon said:

    I just want to spend the rest of my life drinking Nyetimber rose

    Is that too much to ask of a cruel, cold world?

    I reckon half a case could do it if you drink quickly.
    You think 3 bottles of fizz could kill me?! I reckon I could even do 6

  • kle4 said:

    This case looks meritless eveb from the statement of the losmg party.

    A family-run farm has won a legal battle against the multimillion-pound makers of plant milk, Oatly, which accused it of trademark infringement.

    Oatly brought legal action against Glebe Farm Foods, in Cambridgeshire, saying their product PureOaty took "unfair advantage" of their own drink.

    A High Court judge ruled in favour of the farm saying he did not see "any risk of injury to the distinctive character" of the Oatly brand...

    A spokeswoman for Oatly said the company would not be appealing the decision.

    "For us, this case has always been about protecting our trademark and how the single letter Y creates too much of a similarity between Oaty and Oatly."


    https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-cambridgeshire-58102252

    What the L were they thinking?!
  • StuartDicksonStuartDickson Posts: 12,146
    Foxy said:

    Leon said:

    I just want to spend the rest of my life drinking Nyetimber rose

    Is that too much to ask of a cruel, cold world?

    I reckon half a case could do it if you drink quickly.
    One lives in hope.
  • eekeek Posts: 24,797

    kle4 said:

    How does any major, successful club get themselves into such a pathetic financial position?

    Barcelona say Lionel Messi will not be staying at the club "because of financial and structural obstacles"...

    Barcelona had said Messi was poised to extend his 21-year career with the club by signing the new deal on Thursday, and blame La Liga for the failure to do so.

    He had reached an agreement to stay with the Catalan side until 2026 - but La Liga said the club must reduce wages before he and any new players can be registered.

    "Despite FC Barcelona and Lionel Messi having reached an agreement and the clear intention of both parties to sign a new contract today, this cannot happen because of financial and structural obstacles [Spanish La Liga regulations]," the club said.


    https://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/football/58108298

    Citeh might not be signing Kane after all?
    Worth reading this from the FT earlier today

    https://www.ft.com/content/c2c8565a-e282-481c-8897-0530b0c81bce
  • theProletheProle Posts: 948
    edited August 2021

    kle4 said:

    I don't think he can be more cautious. Yes he is more calculating than his manner might suggest, but I feel like that it is still probably an exagerration of his real demeanour, and as being off the cuff (or seeming like it) is a bit of a strength in making him more normal seeming for a politician, as OGH suggests, it will also lead to him overstepping.

    He can afford to “overstep” in England. He cannot afford to “overstep” in Scotland. He is way, way out of his depth and out of his comfort zone. And boy, does it show.
    Surely Johnson could advocate for anything up to killing the firstborn north of the border, and unless it resonated with his English base its not going to make a blind bit of difference at the next election. Almost no Scots vote for the Tories anyway, they only have 6 Scottish MPs.

    What the Scots think of him is probably going to have about as much bearing on the next election as the views of the French - he's unlikely to need a single vote in Scotland to form a working majority.

    Different story for Starmer of course, as his performance on Scotland is the potential difference between a difficult coalition with the Nat's and governing on his own right (but in both cases only if Johnson loses enough English votes).
  • StuartDicksonStuartDickson Posts: 12,146

    These comments will have zero impact. Everybody knows Johnson is a prick, even people who voted for him. And he can't be shamed because he has no shame. Whatever fog of national delusion that has settled over England to make this man our PM is not going to disperse any time soon.

    Agreed.

    England has gone bonkers.
  • FoxyFoxy Posts: 44,069
    philiph said:

    I would love to see a poll in ex mining communities along the lines of:
    'Would thou like t'work down t'mine?'
    Yes % DK% No %

    Us old fossils may not have moved on. Miners and the desolation of the communities they had are still vivid images in our minds. There is no sanitisation of that period.

    However that does not mean that an awful lot of good hasn't arisen from closing mines. The good may be unintended consequences, but this far after the act there is more positive than negative from a policy of 40 years ago.

    The problem wasn't so much the move against coal (or British Coal at least, as we imported quite a lot since) but rather the perceived abandonment of pit communities. A more planned and supported shift to alternative employment would have helped.
  • OmniumOmnium Posts: 9,688
    Leon said:

    Foxy said:

    Leon said:

    I just want to spend the rest of my life drinking Nyetimber rose

    Is that too much to ask of a cruel, cold world?

    I reckon half a case could do it if you drink quickly.
    You think 3 bottles of fizz could kill me?! I reckon I could even do 6

    Don't try.
  • StuartDicksonStuartDickson Posts: 12,146
    Leon said:

    Foxy said:

    Leon said:

    I just want to spend the rest of my life drinking Nyetimber rose

    Is that too much to ask of a cruel, cold world?

    I reckon half a case could do it if you drink quickly.
    You think 3 bottles of fizz could kill me?! I reckon I could even do 6
    Go for it Sean. You are so witty when you are blind drunk.
  • FlatlanderFlatlander Posts: 3,853
    edited August 2021
    YoungTurk said:

    Labour closed many more coalmines than the Tories under Thatcher did. You don't have to know much about the history of British coalmines to know that.

    The main difference was a redundant miner's chance of walking into a reasonably paid new job.

    I don't think that's true.

    A number of mining towns had very little in the way of alternative employment, because they were built solely for the mine. Labour or Tory made little difference to that. It was just a matter of geography. Trying to invent a new industry in an out of the way place just didn't work.
  • FoxyFoxy Posts: 44,069
    Leon said:

    Foxy said:

    Leon said:

    I just want to spend the rest of my life drinking Nyetimber rose

    Is that too much to ask of a cruel, cold world?

    I reckon half a case could do it if you drink quickly.
    You think 3 bottles of fizz could kill me?! I reckon I could even do 6

    Sorry, the joke was in poor taste. I shouldn't have made it.
  • MexicanpeteMexicanpete Posts: 24,587

    The miners and ex miners were not going to vote for him anyway. An incautious remark nonetheless.

    Patrick McLaughlin says hi!
  • LeonLeon Posts: 46,262
    Foxy said:

    Leon said:

    Foxy said:

    Leon said:

    I just want to spend the rest of my life drinking Nyetimber rose

    Is that too much to ask of a cruel, cold world?

    I reckon half a case could do it if you drink quickly.
    You think 3 bottles of fizz could kill me?! I reckon I could even do 6

    Sorry, the joke was in poor taste. I shouldn't have made it.
    It was. You are forgiven
  • StuartDicksonStuartDickson Posts: 12,146
    theProle said:

    kle4 said:

    I don't think he can be more cautious. Yes he is more calculating than his manner might suggest, but I feel like that it is still probably an exagerration of his real demeanour, and as being off the cuff (or seeming like it) is a bit of a strength in making him more normal seeming for a politician, as OGH suggests, it will also lead to him overstepping.

    He can afford to “overstep” in England. He cannot afford to “overstep” in Scotland. He is way, way out of his depth and out of his comfort zone. And boy, does it show.
    Surely Johnson could advocate for anything up to killing the firstborn north of the border, and unless it resonated with his English base its not going to make a blind bit of difference at the next election. Almost no Scots vote for the Tories anyway, they only have 6 Scottish MPs.

    What the Scots think of him is probably going to have about as much bearing on the next election as the views of the French - he's unlikely to need a single vote in Scotland to form a working majority.

    Different story for Starmer of course, as his performance on Scotland is the potential difference between a difficult coalition with the Nat's and governing on his own right (but in both cases only if Johnson loses enough English votes).
    His 6 Scottish MPs are entirely dependent on tactical votes from SLab and SLD supporters. Even they have limits to how daft the donkeys in the blue rosettes can be before they revert back to their first preferences.

    Starmer’s key problem is that the Scottish Labour party have very clearly and very publicly hitched their wagon to the Tory train. If they are to have any hope of making inroads into SNP territory they have to drop all links to the Conservatives pronto.
  • kle4 said:

    This case looks meritless eveb from the statement of the losmg party.

    A family-run farm has won a legal battle against the multimillion-pound makers of plant milk, Oatly, which accused it of trademark infringement.

    Oatly brought legal action against Glebe Farm Foods, in Cambridgeshire, saying their product PureOaty took "unfair advantage" of their own drink.

    A High Court judge ruled in favour of the farm saying he did not see "any risk of injury to the distinctive character" of the Oatly brand...

    A spokeswoman for Oatly said the company would not be appealing the decision.

    "For us, this case has always been about protecting our trademark and how the single letter Y creates too much of a similarity between Oaty and Oatly."


    https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-cambridgeshire-58102252

    A good friend of mine was on the inside at Glebe Farm. Baseless doesn't cover it - absolutely bloody absurd from Oatly.
  • ydoethurydoethur Posts: 66,758

    YoungTurk said:

    The miners and ex miners were not going to vote for him anyway. An incautious remark nonetheless.

    As a resident of South Yorkshire and child of the 80s, I was astonished to see just how many ex mining areas went Tory in 2019, I'm sure plenty of ex miners and their families went Tory in 2019.
    They'll probably go back to Labour if Johnson keeps on like this.

    Johnson’s minders will change his nappies and stick a dummy in his mouth. But he’ll be back to fouling his surroundings in no time.

    He’d have done less damage if he’d just had that quiet chat with the First Minister.
    As long as she remembered to turn up. I mean, given her legendarily bad memory that was no certainty.
  • StuartDicksonStuartDickson Posts: 12,146
    Foxy said:

    philiph said:

    I would love to see a poll in ex mining communities along the lines of:
    'Would thou like t'work down t'mine?'
    Yes % DK% No %

    Us old fossils may not have moved on. Miners and the desolation of the communities they had are still vivid images in our minds. There is no sanitisation of that period.

    However that does not mean that an awful lot of good hasn't arisen from closing mines. The good may be unintended consequences, but this far after the act there is more positive than negative from a policy of 40 years ago.

    The problem wasn't so much the move against coal (or British Coal at least, as we imported quite a lot since) but rather the perceived abandonment of pit communities. A more planned and supported shift to alternative employment would have helped.
    Funny that, the Tories at the time thought that Tebbit’s bike was an act of genius.
  • ydoethurydoethur Posts: 66,758
    Foxy said:

    philiph said:

    I would love to see a poll in ex mining communities along the lines of:
    'Would thou like t'work down t'mine?'
    Yes % DK% No %

    Us old fossils may not have moved on. Miners and the desolation of the communities they had are still vivid images in our minds. There is no sanitisation of that period.

    However that does not mean that an awful lot of good hasn't arisen from closing mines. The good may be unintended consequences, but this far after the act there is more positive than negative from a policy of 40 years ago.

    The problem wasn't so much the move against coal (or British Coal at least, as we imported quite a lot since) but rather the perceived abandonment of pit communities. A more planned and supported shift to alternative employment would have helped.
    Arthur Scargill and the NUM would probably have disagreed.

    But then, they were so stupid that their opinion probably wasn’t worth an awful lot.
  • IshmaelZIshmaelZ Posts: 21,830
    Leon said:

    Foxy said:

    Leon said:

    I just want to spend the rest of my life drinking Nyetimber rose

    Is that too much to ask of a cruel, cold world?

    I reckon half a case could do it if you drink quickly.
    You think 3 bottles of fizz could kill me?! I reckon I could even do 6

    Half of 12 is 3?
  • StuartDicksonStuartDickson Posts: 12,146

    I just accidentally clicked on Johnson on the thread header and the dictionary defined it as a man's penis.. interesting if spooky....

    Well, it wouldn’t be a woman’s penis.
  • squareroot2squareroot2 Posts: 6,287
    Leon needs to broaden his horizons. There are lots of very good vineyards in East and West Sussex.
  • kle4 said:

    How does any major, successful club get themselves into such a pathetic financial position?

    Barcelona say Lionel Messi will not be staying at the club "because of financial and structural obstacles"...

    Barcelona had said Messi was poised to extend his 21-year career with the club by signing the new deal on Thursday, and blame La Liga for the failure to do so.

    He had reached an agreement to stay with the Catalan side until 2026 - but La Liga said the club must reduce wages before he and any new players can be registered.

    "Despite FC Barcelona and Lionel Messi having reached an agreement and the clear intention of both parties to sign a new contract today, this cannot happen because of financial and structural obstacles [Spanish La Liga regulations]," the club said.


    https://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/football/58108298

    See this for an explainer.

    https://twitter.com/SwissRamble/status/1419540799440707584
  • williamglennwilliamglenn Posts: 47,789
    ydoethur said:

    Foxy said:

    philiph said:

    I would love to see a poll in ex mining communities along the lines of:
    'Would thou like t'work down t'mine?'
    Yes % DK% No %

    Us old fossils may not have moved on. Miners and the desolation of the communities they had are still vivid images in our minds. There is no sanitisation of that period.

    However that does not mean that an awful lot of good hasn't arisen from closing mines. The good may be unintended consequences, but this far after the act there is more positive than negative from a policy of 40 years ago.

    The problem wasn't so much the move against coal (or British Coal at least, as we imported quite a lot since) but rather the perceived abandonment of pit communities. A more planned and supported shift to alternative employment would have helped.
    Arthur Scargill and the NUM would probably have disagreed.

    But then, they were so stupid that their opinion probably wasn’t worth an awful lot.
    Scargill didn’t want a planned shift to alternative employment. He wanted a violent shift to a socialist dictatorship.
  • I just accidentally clicked on Johnson on the thread header and the dictionary defined it as a man's penis.. interesting if spooky....

    Well, it wouldn’t be a woman’s penis.
    Scottish Nationalism: The home of transphobia.
  • YoungTurkYoungTurk Posts: 158
    edited August 2021
    The way the Johnson brand has been managed has been quite masterful ever since before he won the London mayorship. Sure, one facet of him is that he looks and sounds like a complete pillock, but that doesn't seem to have done him much harm so far. Tories both in the party (south of the border) and the British parliament love him. (Checks: there are only six Tory MPs for Scottish constituencies. That's so few that I doubt anyone cares what they think.)

    Today's wasn't a mega-gaffe. Hardly anybody likes him north of the border, except maybe a few who have voted at least once in their lives for UKIP. That's a very small part of the electorate. I haven't seen a popularity McSubsample but that's going by the impression I get. Not even Scottish Tory activists and representatives like him. But there probably won't be another Holyrood election until 2026, so I don't think he'll b*llocks things up north of the border. He's obviously the wrong person to lead Britain during an independence referendum in Scotland and he could easily have a Gillian Duffy moment during a campaign. In the unlikely event there's an indyref rerun when he would otherwise be in office, he will be removed for that reason.

    That's UNLESS he can pull a plan out of his pocket for reforming the Union in a popular way. (Such an option has been thought of, but I can't mention it here.)

    He remains the guy who's headed for the big banana skin moment that doesn't actually come and may in fact never come.

    I hope I'm wrong by the way and there's a big swing back to Labour in the north of England...
  • TheuniondivvieTheuniondivvie Posts: 39,749
    edited August 2021

    Foxy said:

    philiph said:

    I would love to see a poll in ex mining communities along the lines of:
    'Would thou like t'work down t'mine?'
    Yes % DK% No %

    Us old fossils may not have moved on. Miners and the desolation of the communities they had are still vivid images in our minds. There is no sanitisation of that period.

    However that does not mean that an awful lot of good hasn't arisen from closing mines. The good may be unintended consequences, but this far after the act there is more positive than negative from a policy of 40 years ago.

    The problem wasn't so much the move against coal (or British Coal at least, as we imported quite a lot since) but rather the perceived abandonment of pit communities. A more planned and supported shift to alternative employment would have helped.
    Funny that, the Tories at the time thought that Tebbit’s bike was an act of genius.
    Personally can't quite see the philosophical difference between getting on yer bike and in yer inflatable..
  • CarnyxCarnyx Posts: 39,149
    Foxy said:

    philiph said:

    I would love to see a poll in ex mining communities along the lines of:
    'Would thou like t'work down t'mine?'
    Yes % DK% No %

    Us old fossils may not have moved on. Miners and the desolation of the communities they had are still vivid images in our minds. There is no sanitisation of that period.

    However that does not mean that an awful lot of good hasn't arisen from closing mines. The good may be unintended consequences, but this far after the act there is more positive than negative from a policy of 40 years ago.

    The problem wasn't so much the move against coal (or British Coal at least, as we imported quite a lot since) but rather the perceived abandonment of pit communities. A more planned and supported shift to alternative employment would have helped.
    North-west Leicestershire made a memorable visit in 1979 - a studert colleague was a RC and I went with him to stay at Mount St Bernard Abbey for a few days of pre-Finals work in the Easter vac before finals. Fascinating experience, but also to get some feel of an English mining area - Whitwick and so on.
  • StuartDicksonStuartDickson Posts: 12,146
    edited August 2021

    I just accidentally clicked on Johnson on the thread header and the dictionary defined it as a man's penis.. interesting if spooky....

    Well, it wouldn’t be a woman’s penis.
    Scottish Nationalism: The home of transphobia.
    British Nationalism: The home of Jockophobia..
  • NigelbNigelb Posts: 61,575
    Leon said:

    fpt on this Speccie thing


    I have no dog in this fight, but that magazine has boasted some amazing writers in its 2 centuries of publication.

    Douglas Murray went through ALL 200 years of them and chose the four best articles ever. And, when you read them, it is hard not to sit back with a certain awed, dumbstruck admiration. Just pure journalistic genius. The kind of stuff you cannot fake.

    Occasionally, one simply has to stand, and applaud.

    https://www.spectator.co.uk/article/four-of-the-best-spectator-pieces-i-ve-ever-read

    Self pleasuring to excess is undeniably emblematic of Spectator journalism, I suppose.
  • I'm not going to be critical of FC Barcelona.

    They paid LFC £142 million for Coutinho which allowed us to sign Van Dijk and Alisson Becker.

    Helped end the thirty years of hurt and helped us win old big ears for a sixth time.
  • CarnyxCarnyx Posts: 39,149

    I just accidentally clicked on Johnson on the thread header and the dictionary defined it as a man's penis.. interesting if spooky....

    Well, it wouldn’t be a woman’s penis.
    Okay, call the damned thing a hominine penis and we can all agree.
  • PulpstarPulpstar Posts: 75,842
    Dingwall axed from JCVI
  • FoxyFoxy Posts: 44,069

    Foxy said:

    philiph said:

    I would love to see a poll in ex mining communities along the lines of:
    'Would thou like t'work down t'mine?'
    Yes % DK% No %

    Us old fossils may not have moved on. Miners and the desolation of the communities they had are still vivid images in our minds. There is no sanitisation of that period.

    However that does not mean that an awful lot of good hasn't arisen from closing mines. The good may be unintended consequences, but this far after the act there is more positive than negative from a policy of 40 years ago.

    The problem wasn't so much the move against coal (or British Coal at least, as we imported quite a lot since) but rather the perceived abandonment of pit communities. A more planned and supported shift to alternative employment would have helped.
    Funny that, the Tories at the time thought that Tebbit’s bike was an act of genius.
    Britain in the Seventies and Eighties was one of the countries at the forefront of moving to the post industrial age. No more would manufacturing and extractive industries provide secure mass employment of the unskilled. What manufacturing we have left employs far fewer, and those are more highly skilled.

    Other countries have followed the same transition, and almost all have had similar dislocated communities, from Picardy, to the Appalachians to the Donbass. To a degree it was inevitable, but the precipitate nature of the transition was perhaps unnecessary, as was the Thatcherites seeming rather uncaring or even gleeful about it.
  • williamglennwilliamglenn Posts: 47,789
    Starmer urges Labour to embrace Blair’s legacy

    https://www.ft.com/content/34ec43b9-5dcd-46cd-b284-093e8f13714d
  • I just accidentally clicked on Johnson on the thread header and the dictionary defined it as a man's penis.. interesting if spooky....

    Well, it wouldn’t be a woman’s penis.
    Scottish Nationalism: The home of transphobia.
    British Nationalism: The home of Jockophobia..
    There you go again.

    Conflating criticism of the SNP with criticism of Scotland.

    Fortunately the majority of Scots know that too.
  • ydoethur said:

    Foxy said:

    philiph said:

    I would love to see a poll in ex mining communities along the lines of:
    'Would thou like t'work down t'mine?'
    Yes % DK% No %

    Us old fossils may not have moved on. Miners and the desolation of the communities they had are still vivid images in our minds. There is no sanitisation of that period.

    However that does not mean that an awful lot of good hasn't arisen from closing mines. The good may be unintended consequences, but this far after the act there is more positive than negative from a policy of 40 years ago.

    The problem wasn't so much the move against coal (or British Coal at least, as we imported quite a lot since) but rather the perceived abandonment of pit communities. A more planned and supported shift to alternative employment would have helped.
    Arthur Scargill and the NUM would probably have disagreed.

    But then, they were so stupid that their opinion probably wasn’t worth an awful lot.
    Scargill didn’t want a planned shift to alternative employment. He wanted a violent shift to a socialist dictatorship.
    Fake news, Scargill was a Thatcherite.

    Former miners' union leader Arthur Scargill tried to use laws introduced by Margaret Thatcher to buy a council flat in London, the BBC has found.

    In 1993 he applied to buy the flat on the prestigious Barbican estate under the right-to-buy scheme championed by Thatcher, his political enemy.

    News that he tried to exploit a flagship Conservative policy has angered current miners' union leaders.


    https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-25731328
  • StuartDicksonStuartDickson Posts: 12,146
    YoungTurk said:

    The way the Johnson brand has been managed has been quite masterful ever since before he won the London mayorship. Sure, one facet of him is that he looks and sounds like a complete pillock, but that doesn't seem to have done him much harm so far. Tories both in the party (south of the border) and the British parliament love him. (Checks: there are only six Tory MPs for Scottish constituencies. That's so few that I doubt anyone cares what they think.)

    Today's wasn't a mega-gaffe. Hardly anybody likes him north of the border, except maybe a few who have voted at least once in their lives for UKIP. That's a very small part of the electorate. I haven't seen a popularity McSubsample but that's going by the impression I get. Not even Scottish Tory activists and representatives like him. But there probably won't be another Holyrood election until 2026, so I don't think he'll b*llocks things up north of the border. He's obviously the wrong person to lead Britain during an independence referendum in Scotland and he could easily have a Gillian Duffy moment during a campaign. In the unlikely event there's an indyref rerun when he would otherwise be in office, he will be removed for that reason.

    That's UNLESS he can pull a plan out of his pocket for reforming the Union in a popular way. (Such an option has been thought of, but I can't mention it here.)

    He remains the guy who's headed for the big banana skin moment that doesn't actually come and may in fact never come.

    I hope I'm wrong by the way and there's a big swing back to Labour in the north of England...

    - “That's UNLESS he can pull a plan out of his pocket for reforming the Union in a popular way. (Such an option has been thought of, but I can't mention it here.)”

    Please tell us that it’s not Gordon Brown’s 52,168th federalism relaunch.
  • CarnyxCarnyx Posts: 39,149
    theProle said:

    kle4 said:

    I don't think he can be more cautious. Yes he is more calculating than his manner might suggest, but I feel like that it is still probably an exagerration of his real demeanour, and as being off the cuff (or seeming like it) is a bit of a strength in making him more normal seeming for a politician, as OGH suggests, it will also lead to him overstepping.

    He can afford to “overstep” in England. He cannot afford to “overstep” in Scotland. He is way, way out of his depth and out of his comfort zone. And boy, does it show.
    Surely Johnson could advocate for anything up to killing the firstborn north of the border, and unless it resonated with his English base its not going to make a blind bit of difference at the next election. Almost no Scots vote for the Tories anyway, they only have 6 Scottish MPs.

    What the Scots think of him is probably going to have about as much bearing on the next election as the views of the French - he's unlikely to need a single vote in Scotland to form a working majority.

    Different story for Starmer of course, as his performance on Scotland is the potential difference between a difficult coalition with the Nat's and governing on his own right (but in both cases only if Johnson loses enough English votes).
    I think the issue is the wider image it conveys. It's not just about Mr Johnson. Remembner that SLAB has nailed its colours to the mast of being the Tories' little helpers since 2013, to the degree that PBTories were astounded and indignant that Mr Sarwar attacked the Tories rather than the SNP in the recent Holyrood election.
  • CarnyxCarnyx Posts: 39,149

    I just accidentally clicked on Johnson on the thread header and the dictionary defined it as a man's penis.. interesting if spooky....

    Well, it wouldn’t be a woman’s penis.
    Scottish Nationalism: The home of transphobia.
    British Nationalism: The home of Jockophobia..
    There you go again.

    Conflating criticism of the SNP with criticism of Scotland.

    Fortunately the majority of Scots know that too.
    For someone who is professionally assessing the situation in Scotland, you do need to do a little more research on that aspect of SNP policy. But maybe not got that far yet tbf.
  • Pro_RataPro_Rata Posts: 4,785

    kle4 said:

    How does any major, successful club get themselves into such a pathetic financial position?

    Barcelona say Lionel Messi will not be staying at the club "because of financial and structural obstacles"...

    Barcelona had said Messi was poised to extend his 21-year career with the club by signing the new deal on Thursday, and blame La Liga for the failure to do so.

    He had reached an agreement to stay with the Catalan side until 2026 - but La Liga said the club must reduce wages before he and any new players can be registered.

    "Despite FC Barcelona and Lionel Messi having reached an agreement and the clear intention of both parties to sign a new contract today, this cannot happen because of financial and structural obstacles [Spanish La Liga regulations]," the club said.


    https://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/football/58108298

    See this for an explainer.

    https://twitter.com/SwissRamble/status/1419540799440707584
    Brilliant, didn't know SwissRamble was still doing his thing.
  • CarnyxCarnyx Posts: 39,149
    Foxy said:

    Foxy said:

    philiph said:

    I would love to see a poll in ex mining communities along the lines of:
    'Would thou like t'work down t'mine?'
    Yes % DK% No %

    Us old fossils may not have moved on. Miners and the desolation of the communities they had are still vivid images in our minds. There is no sanitisation of that period.

    However that does not mean that an awful lot of good hasn't arisen from closing mines. The good may be unintended consequences, but this far after the act there is more positive than negative from a policy of 40 years ago.

    The problem wasn't so much the move against coal (or British Coal at least, as we imported quite a lot since) but rather the perceived abandonment of pit communities. A more planned and supported shift to alternative employment would have helped.
    Funny that, the Tories at the time thought that Tebbit’s bike was an act of genius.
    Britain in the Seventies and Eighties was one of the countries at the forefront of moving to the post industrial age. No more would manufacturing and extractive industries provide secure mass employment of the unskilled. What manufacturing we have left employs far fewer, and those are more highly skilled.

    Other countries have followed the same transition, and almost all have had similar dislocated communities, from Picardy, to the Appalachians to the Donbass. To a degree it was inevitable, but the precipitate nature of the transition was perhaps unnecessary, as was the Thatcherites seeming rather uncaring or even gleeful about it.
    A diplomatic way of putting it.
  • StuartDicksonStuartDickson Posts: 12,146

    Foxy said:

    philiph said:

    I would love to see a poll in ex mining communities along the lines of:
    'Would thou like t'work down t'mine?'
    Yes % DK% No %

    Us old fossils may not have moved on. Miners and the desolation of the communities they had are still vivid images in our minds. There is no sanitisation of that period.

    However that does not mean that an awful lot of good hasn't arisen from closing mines. The good may be unintended consequences, but this far after the act there is more positive than negative from a policy of 40 years ago.

    The problem wasn't so much the move against coal (or British Coal at least, as we imported quite a lot since) but rather the perceived abandonment of pit communities. A more planned and supported shift to alternative employment would have helped.
    Funny that, the Tories at the time thought that Tebbit’s bike was an act of genius.
    Personally can't quite see the philosophical difference between getting on yer bike and in yer inflatable..
    We all know what the difference is. Bike-riding ex coal miners in the 1980s were largely white.
  • NigelbNigelb Posts: 61,575
    IshmaelZ said:

    Leon said:

    Foxy said:

    Leon said:

    I just want to spend the rest of my life drinking Nyetimber rose

    Is that too much to ask of a cruel, cold world?

    I reckon half a case could do it if you drink quickly.
    You think 3 bottles of fizz could kill me?! I reckon I could even do 6

    Half of 12 is 3?
    After the first three, that’s entirely plausible maths.
  • FoxyFoxy Posts: 44,069
    Carnyx said:

    Foxy said:

    philiph said:

    I would love to see a poll in ex mining communities along the lines of:
    'Would thou like t'work down t'mine?'
    Yes % DK% No %

    Us old fossils may not have moved on. Miners and the desolation of the communities they had are still vivid images in our minds. There is no sanitisation of that period.

    However that does not mean that an awful lot of good hasn't arisen from closing mines. The good may be unintended consequences, but this far after the act there is more positive than negative from a policy of 40 years ago.

    The problem wasn't so much the move against coal (or British Coal at least, as we imported quite a lot since) but rather the perceived abandonment of pit communities. A more planned and supported shift to alternative employment would have helped.
    North-west Leicestershire made a memorable visit in 1979 - a studert colleague was a RC and I went with him to stay at Mount St Bernard Abbey for a few days of pre-Finals work in the Easter vac before finals. Fascinating experience, but also to get some feel of an English mining area - Whitwick and so on.
    Mount St Bernard's Abbey is magnificent. I have treated a number of the monks from there and they are a lovely spiritual bunch. I highly recommend it for a retreat and in a glorious setting.

    The youngest monks are in their sixties though, and mostly Polish. I do wonder how long the traditions can go on.
  • CarnyxCarnyx Posts: 39,149

    Foxy said:

    philiph said:

    I would love to see a poll in ex mining communities along the lines of:
    'Would thou like t'work down t'mine?'
    Yes % DK% No %

    Us old fossils may not have moved on. Miners and the desolation of the communities they had are still vivid images in our minds. There is no sanitisation of that period.

    However that does not mean that an awful lot of good hasn't arisen from closing mines. The good may be unintended consequences, but this far after the act there is more positive than negative from a policy of 40 years ago.

    The problem wasn't so much the move against coal (or British Coal at least, as we imported quite a lot since) but rather the perceived abandonment of pit communities. A more planned and supported shift to alternative employment would have helped.
    Funny that, the Tories at the time thought that Tebbit’s bike was an act of genius.
    Personally can't quite see the philosophical difference between getting on yer bike and in yer inflatable..
    We all know what the difference is. Bike-riding ex coal miners in the 1980s were largely white.
    After they had been in the pitheid baths. But 'largely' is the operative word. I can still remember the coal dust tattooed into their faces from all the minor grazes and abrasions.
  • StuartDicksonStuartDickson Posts: 12,146
    Nigelb said:

    IshmaelZ said:

    Leon said:

    Foxy said:

    Leon said:

    I just want to spend the rest of my life drinking Nyetimber rose

    Is that too much to ask of a cruel, cold world?

    I reckon half a case could do it if you drink quickly.
    You think 3 bottles of fizz could kill me?! I reckon I could even do 6

    Half of 12 is 3?
    After the first three, that’s entirely plausible maths.
    Sean’s arithmetic skills go downhill at the same pace as his linguistic skills.
  • CarnyxCarnyx Posts: 39,149
    Foxy said:

    Carnyx said:

    Foxy said:

    philiph said:

    I would love to see a poll in ex mining communities along the lines of:
    'Would thou like t'work down t'mine?'
    Yes % DK% No %

    Us old fossils may not have moved on. Miners and the desolation of the communities they had are still vivid images in our minds. There is no sanitisation of that period.

    However that does not mean that an awful lot of good hasn't arisen from closing mines. The good may be unintended consequences, but this far after the act there is more positive than negative from a policy of 40 years ago.

    The problem wasn't so much the move against coal (or British Coal at least, as we imported quite a lot since) but rather the perceived abandonment of pit communities. A more planned and supported shift to alternative employment would have helped.
    North-west Leicestershire made a memorable visit in 1979 - a studert colleague was a RC and I went with him to stay at Mount St Bernard Abbey for a few days of pre-Finals work in the Easter vac before finals. Fascinating experience, but also to get some feel of an English mining area - Whitwick and so on.
    Mount St Bernard's Abbey is magnificent. I have treated a number of the monks from there and they are a lovely spiritual bunch. I highly recommend it for a retreat and in a glorious setting.

    The youngest monks are in their sixties though, and mostly Polish. I do wonder how long the traditions can go on.
    It was certainly very different from the Kirk, a\nd a small insight into how the many ruined abbeys might have seemed in their glory. My friend was a novice friar and wanted to have a talk with a mentor of his there. But we had pleasant rambles in Charnwood Forest, ending at the pub outside the gates.
  • TheScreamingEaglesTheScreamingEagles Posts: 113,969
    edited August 2021
    Carnyx said:

    I just accidentally clicked on Johnson on the thread header and the dictionary defined it as a man's penis.. interesting if spooky....

    Well, it wouldn’t be a woman’s penis.
    Scottish Nationalism: The home of transphobia.
    British Nationalism: The home of Jockophobia..
    There you go again.

    Conflating criticism of the SNP with criticism of Scotland.

    Fortunately the majority of Scots know that too.
    For someone who is professionally assessing the situation in Scotland, you do need to do a little more research on that aspect of SNP policy. But maybe not got that far yet tbf.
    We've done a brief intro on it.

    It is in the political violence section, in the same section as the Orange Order, Sevco fans, and the SDL.

    Although not at the same level of frequency fortunately.

    https://www.dailyrecord.co.uk/news/scottish-news/snp-mp-joanna-cherry-boosted-24203922

    https://www.shropshirestar.com/news/uk-news/2021/07/30/cherry-disappointed-with-snp-as-man-who-sent-twitter-abuse-sentenced/

    It is also in our section of equality, we take pride and wider LGBTQIA+ issues very seriously. It triggers the extremes in society.
  • turbotubbsturbotubbs Posts: 14,884
    Pulpstar said:

    Dingwall axed from JCVI

    Seems he was opposed to vaccinating 12-15 year olds. Might see a shift fairly soon then In the policy.
  • TheuniondivvieTheuniondivvie Posts: 39,749
    edited August 2021

    Foxy said:

    philiph said:

    I would love to see a poll in ex mining communities along the lines of:
    'Would thou like t'work down t'mine?'
    Yes % DK% No %

    Us old fossils may not have moved on. Miners and the desolation of the communities they had are still vivid images in our minds. There is no sanitisation of that period.

    However that does not mean that an awful lot of good hasn't arisen from closing mines. The good may be unintended consequences, but this far after the act there is more positive than negative from a policy of 40 years ago.

    The problem wasn't so much the move against coal (or British Coal at least, as we imported quite a lot since) but rather the perceived abandonment of pit communities. A more planned and supported shift to alternative employment would have helped.
    Funny that, the Tories at the time thought that Tebbit’s bike was an act of genius.
    Personally can't quite see the philosophical difference between getting on yer bike and in yer inflatable..
    We all know what the difference is. Bike-riding ex coal miners in the 1980s were largely white.
    They were certainly white after stopping going underground.

    One of many interesting snippets in Orwell's diaries is that pre-nationalised British mines were among the last in Europe to provide showers/baths for their miners, and initially it was done by subscriptions from the miners themselves. A mystery why the miners were suspicious of their bosses..
  • StuartDicksonStuartDickson Posts: 12,146
    Nigelb said:

    Leon said:

    fpt on this Speccie thing


    I have no dog in this fight, but that magazine has boasted some amazing writers in its 2 centuries of publication.

    Douglas Murray went through ALL 200 years of them and chose the four best articles ever. And, when you read them, it is hard not to sit back with a certain awed, dumbstruck admiration. Just pure journalistic genius. The kind of stuff you cannot fake.

    Occasionally, one simply has to stand, and applaud.

    https://www.spectator.co.uk/article/four-of-the-best-spectator-pieces-i-ve-ever-read

    Self pleasuring to excess is undeniably emblematic of Spectator journalism, I suppose.
    Some reading for Fraser Nelson and his voyeurs:

    “Frequent or rough masturbation can cause minor skin irritation. Forcefully bending an erect penis can rupture the chambers that fill with blood, a rare but gruesome condition called penile fracture.

    Köhler has seen guys with it after vigorous masturbation. "Afterward, the penis looks like an eggplant," he says. "It's purple and swollen." Most men need surgery to repair it.”

    Ouch! Take care Fraser!

    https://www.webmd.com/men/guide/male-masturbation-5-things-you-didnt-know
  • CarnyxCarnyx Posts: 39,149

    Nigelb said:

    Leon said:

    fpt on this Speccie thing


    I have no dog in this fight, but that magazine has boasted some amazing writers in its 2 centuries of publication.

    Douglas Murray went through ALL 200 years of them and chose the four best articles ever. And, when you read them, it is hard not to sit back with a certain awed, dumbstruck admiration. Just pure journalistic genius. The kind of stuff you cannot fake.

    Occasionally, one simply has to stand, and applaud.

    https://www.spectator.co.uk/article/four-of-the-best-spectator-pieces-i-ve-ever-read

    Self pleasuring to excess is undeniably emblematic of Spectator journalism, I suppose.
    Some reading for Fraser Nelson and his voyeurs:

    “Frequent or rough masturbation can cause minor skin irritation. Forcefully bending an erect penis can rupture the chambers that fill with blood, a rare but gruesome condition called penile fracture.

    Köhler has seen guys with it after vigorous masturbation. "Afterward, the penis looks like an eggplant," he says. "It's purple and swollen." Most men need surgery to repair it.”

    Ouch! Take care Fraser!

    https://www.webmd.com/men/guide/male-masturbation-5-things-you-didnt-know
    Please don't. Aubergine, hot smoked salmon, capers and onions, with scrambled egg and tagliatelli, is a staple chez Carnyx.
  • StuartDicksonStuartDickson Posts: 12,146
    Carnyx said:

    I just accidentally clicked on Johnson on the thread header and the dictionary defined it as a man's penis.. interesting if spooky....

    Well, it wouldn’t be a woman’s penis.
    Okay, call the damned thing a hominine penis and we can all agree.
    Just keep Boris’s simian penis out of it.
  • stodgestodge Posts: 12,745
    Evening all :)

    Margaret Thatcher understood the threat of climate change and the impact on the environment - her speech to the UN in November 1989 was unfortunately overshadowed by the small matter of the fall of the Berlin Wall 24 hours later.

    The cynic might of course argue it was a response to the surge in popularity of the Greens at the 1989 European elections but at least Thatcher started to see the issue.

    After that, however, environmental issues faded out of the limelight and some in the Conservative Party, possibly those who had affiliations to the fossil fuel industry, opted to peddle some of the climate change denial lines and I can honestly not remember a single Labour politician talking much about the environment during the Blair years.

    David Cameron was the first Conservative I can recall after Thatcher saying anything about the environment though again the cynic might argue it was both about trying to get LD votes and a change from "banging on about Europe".

    Johnson sounds confident if not cocky. Perhaps he believes he can say anything and there will be plenty to defend him or excuse him or seek to justify him. To be fair, a GE victory and an 80-seat majority will do that and I suspect he looks at the short-term post-Covid environment with happy people and a surging economy and he thinks it's all going his way.

    Well, that's hubris for you - doesn't often end well.
  • LeonLeon Posts: 46,262
    Carnyx said:

    Nigelb said:

    Leon said:

    fpt on this Speccie thing


    I have no dog in this fight, but that magazine has boasted some amazing writers in its 2 centuries of publication.

    Douglas Murray went through ALL 200 years of them and chose the four best articles ever. And, when you read them, it is hard not to sit back with a certain awed, dumbstruck admiration. Just pure journalistic genius. The kind of stuff you cannot fake.

    Occasionally, one simply has to stand, and applaud.

    https://www.spectator.co.uk/article/four-of-the-best-spectator-pieces-i-ve-ever-read

    Self pleasuring to excess is undeniably emblematic of Spectator journalism, I suppose.
    Some reading for Fraser Nelson and his voyeurs:

    “Frequent or rough masturbation can cause minor skin irritation. Forcefully bending an erect penis can rupture the chambers that fill with blood, a rare but gruesome condition called penile fracture.

    Köhler has seen guys with it after vigorous masturbation. "Afterward, the penis looks like an eggplant," he says. "It's purple and swollen." Most men need surgery to repair it.”

    Ouch! Take care Fraser!

    https://www.webmd.com/men/guide/male-masturbation-5-things-you-didnt-know
    Please don't. Aubergine, hot smoked salmon, capers and onions, with scrambled egg and tagliatelli, is a staple chez Carnyx.
    You strike me a bit of a gourmet

    Have you encountered Dr Trouble's hot chili sauce?

    Matthew Parris has, apparently, been banging on about it for months. It's made in Zimbabwe of all places, and it is utter genius. Very smoky, very rich, must be used sparingly, but omg

    https://www.amazon.co.uk/Dr-Trouble-African-Lemon-Chilli/dp/B07QVFYDBG?th=1

    I prefer the double oak smoked chile to the lemon version. Both are Wow

    https://www.thetimes.co.uk/article/dr-troubles-sauce-is-gift-that-keeps-on-giving-cm3thlbh6
  • DavidLDavidL Posts: 50,772
    Surely SKS has been all over this showing that Labour shut more mines than Thatcher? Or something.
  • CarnyxCarnyx Posts: 39,149
    Leon said:

    Carnyx said:

    Nigelb said:

    Leon said:

    fpt on this Speccie thing


    I have no dog in this fight, but that magazine has boasted some amazing writers in its 2 centuries of publication.

    Douglas Murray went through ALL 200 years of them and chose the four best articles ever. And, when you read them, it is hard not to sit back with a certain awed, dumbstruck admiration. Just pure journalistic genius. The kind of stuff you cannot fake.

    Occasionally, one simply has to stand, and applaud.

    https://www.spectator.co.uk/article/four-of-the-best-spectator-pieces-i-ve-ever-read

    Self pleasuring to excess is undeniably emblematic of Spectator journalism, I suppose.
    Some reading for Fraser Nelson and his voyeurs:

    “Frequent or rough masturbation can cause minor skin irritation. Forcefully bending an erect penis can rupture the chambers that fill with blood, a rare but gruesome condition called penile fracture.

    Köhler has seen guys with it after vigorous masturbation. "Afterward, the penis looks like an eggplant," he says. "It's purple and swollen." Most men need surgery to repair it.”

    Ouch! Take care Fraser!

    https://www.webmd.com/men/guide/male-masturbation-5-things-you-didnt-know
    Please don't. Aubergine, hot smoked salmon, capers and onions, with scrambled egg and tagliatelli, is a staple chez Carnyx.
    You strike me a bit of a gourmet

    Have you encountered Dr Trouble's hot chili sauce?

    Matthew Parris has, apparently, been banging on about it for months. It's made in Zimbabwe of all places, and it is utter genius. Very smoky, very rich, must be used sparingly, but omg

    https://www.amazon.co.uk/Dr-Trouble-African-Lemon-Chilli/dp/B07QVFYDBG?th=1

    I prefer the double oak smoked chile to the lemon version. Both are Wow

    https://www.thetimes.co.uk/article/dr-troubles-sauce-is-gift-that-keeps-on-giving-cm3thlbh6
    Interesting!
  • StuartDicksonStuartDickson Posts: 12,146
    Foxy said:

    Foxy said:

    philiph said:

    I would love to see a poll in ex mining communities along the lines of:
    'Would thou like t'work down t'mine?'
    Yes % DK% No %

    Us old fossils may not have moved on. Miners and the desolation of the communities they had are still vivid images in our minds. There is no sanitisation of that period.

    However that does not mean that an awful lot of good hasn't arisen from closing mines. The good may be unintended consequences, but this far after the act there is more positive than negative from a policy of 40 years ago.

    The problem wasn't so much the move against coal (or British Coal at least, as we imported quite a lot since) but rather the perceived abandonment of pit communities. A more planned and supported shift to alternative employment would have helped.
    Funny that, the Tories at the time thought that Tebbit’s bike was an act of genius.
    Britain in the Seventies and Eighties was one of the countries at the forefront of moving to the post industrial age. No more would manufacturing and extractive industries provide secure mass employment of the unskilled. What manufacturing we have left employs far fewer, and those are more highly skilled.

    Other countries have followed the same transition, and almost all have had similar dislocated communities, from Picardy, to the Appalachians to the Donbass. To a degree it was inevitable, but the precipitate nature of the transition was perhaps unnecessary, as was the Thatcherites seeming rather uncaring or even gleeful about it.
    I vividly remember Thatcher. She was utterly mesmerising. Like that python in The Jungle Book. Ugly as sin, evil and foul, but so rock-solid sure of herself it was like a spell. She absolutely *loved* screwing folk over. She exuded raw, reptilian pleasure in the pain of others.
  • StuartDicksonStuartDickson Posts: 12,146

    Starmer urges Labour to embrace Blair’s legacy

    https://www.ft.com/content/34ec43b9-5dcd-46cd-b284-093e8f13714d

    Ha ha. I’m almost beginning to feel sorry for poor Anas.
  • TheuniondivvieTheuniondivvie Posts: 39,749
    Sainties draw with the mighty Galatasaray at home, no bad.
  • CarnyxCarnyx Posts: 39,149
    stodge said:

    Evening all :)

    Margaret Thatcher understood the threat of climate change and the impact on the environment - her speech to the UN in November 1989 was unfortunately overshadowed by the small matter of the fall of the Berlin Wall 24 hours later.

    The cynic might of course argue it was a response to the surge in popularity of the Greens at the 1989 European elections but at least Thatcher started to see the issue.

    After that, however, environmental issues faded out of the limelight and some in the Conservative Party, possibly those who had affiliations to the fossil fuel industry, opted to peddle some of the climate change denial lines and I can honestly not remember a single Labour politician talking much about the environment during the Blair years.

    David Cameron was the first Conservative I can recall after Thatcher saying anything about the environment though again the cynic might argue it was both about trying to get LD votes and a change from "banging on about Europe".

    Johnson sounds confident if not cocky. Perhaps he believes he can say anything and there will be plenty to defend him or excuse him or seek to justify him. To be fair, a GE victory and an 80-seat majority will do that and I suspect he looks at the short-term post-Covid environment with happy people and a surging economy and he thinks it's all going his way.

    Well, that's hubris for you - doesn't often end well.

    stodge said:

    Evening all :)

    Margaret Thatcher understood the threat of climate change and the impact on the environment - her speech to the UN in November 1989 was unfortunately overshadowed by the small matter of the fall of the Berlin Wall 24 hours later.

    The cynic might of course argue it was a response to the surge in popularity of the Greens at the 1989 European elections but at least Thatcher started to see the issue.

    After that, however, environmental issues faded out of the limelight and some in the Conservative Party, possibly those who had affiliations to the fossil fuel industry, opted to peddle some of the climate change denial lines and I can honestly not remember a single Labour politician talking much about the environment during the Blair years.

    David Cameron was the first Conservative I can recall after Thatcher saying anything about the environment though again the cynic might argue it was both about trying to get LD votes and a change from "banging on about Europe".

    Johnson sounds confident if not cocky. Perhaps he believes he can say anything and there will be plenty to defend him or excuse him or seek to justify him. To be fair, a GE victory and an 80-seat majority will do that and I suspect he looks at the short-term post-Covid environment with happy people and a surging economy and he thinks it's all going his way.

    Well, that's hubris for you - doesn't often end well.

    Mrs T does have one whacking great thing to her credit by any standard - her reaction to the BAS discoveries about the ozone layer thinning. In the long term, undoubtedly more important than trivia such as the Falklands war, or economic policy. (And yes, I do know.)
  • LeonLeon Posts: 46,262
    Carnyx said:

    Leon said:

    Carnyx said:

    Nigelb said:

    Leon said:

    fpt on this Speccie thing


    I have no dog in this fight, but that magazine has boasted some amazing writers in its 2 centuries of publication.

    Douglas Murray went through ALL 200 years of them and chose the four best articles ever. And, when you read them, it is hard not to sit back with a certain awed, dumbstruck admiration. Just pure journalistic genius. The kind of stuff you cannot fake.

    Occasionally, one simply has to stand, and applaud.

    https://www.spectator.co.uk/article/four-of-the-best-spectator-pieces-i-ve-ever-read

    Self pleasuring to excess is undeniably emblematic of Spectator journalism, I suppose.
    Some reading for Fraser Nelson and his voyeurs:

    “Frequent or rough masturbation can cause minor skin irritation. Forcefully bending an erect penis can rupture the chambers that fill with blood, a rare but gruesome condition called penile fracture.

    Köhler has seen guys with it after vigorous masturbation. "Afterward, the penis looks like an eggplant," he says. "It's purple and swollen." Most men need surgery to repair it.”

    Ouch! Take care Fraser!

    https://www.webmd.com/men/guide/male-masturbation-5-things-you-didnt-know
    Please don't. Aubergine, hot smoked salmon, capers and onions, with scrambled egg and tagliatelli, is a staple chez Carnyx.
    You strike me a bit of a gourmet

    Have you encountered Dr Trouble's hot chili sauce?

    Matthew Parris has, apparently, been banging on about it for months. It's made in Zimbabwe of all places, and it is utter genius. Very smoky, very rich, must be used sparingly, but omg

    https://www.amazon.co.uk/Dr-Trouble-African-Lemon-Chilli/dp/B07QVFYDBG?th=1

    I prefer the double oak smoked chile to the lemon version. Both are Wow

    https://www.thetimes.co.uk/article/dr-troubles-sauce-is-gift-that-keeps-on-giving-cm3thlbh6
    Interesting!
    It is honestly fantastic. Matthew Parris may be a mad Remainer but he is totally right about this. It is the best hot sauce in the world.

    I had a ham and cheese sourdough toastie the other day - thick lovely ham, tangy mature Cheddar, some tiger tomatoes, I took out the Dijon mustard and added Dr Trouble and flash fried the result

    SENSATIONAL
  • CarnyxCarnyx Posts: 39,149

    Starmer urges Labour to embrace Blair’s legacy

    https://www.ft.com/content/34ec43b9-5dcd-46cd-b284-093e8f13714d

    Ha ha. I’m almost beginning to feel sorry for poor Anas.
    Can't get at it. What's in there to trouble the Glaswegian supermarket magnate shareholder-as-was?
  • StuartDicksonStuartDickson Posts: 12,146

    I just accidentally clicked on Johnson on the thread header and the dictionary defined it as a man's penis.. interesting if spooky....

    Well, it wouldn’t be a woman’s penis.
    Scottish Nationalism: The home of transphobia.
    British Nationalism: The home of Jockophobia..
    There you go again.

    Conflating criticism of the SNP with criticism of Scotland.

    Fortunately the majority of Scots know that too.
    Yeah, that’s right, BritNats like you are so in tune with “the majority of Scots”.
  • Starmer urges Labour to embrace Blair’s legacy

    https://www.ft.com/content/34ec43b9-5dcd-46cd-b284-093e8f13714d

    Ha ha. I’m almost beginning to feel sorry for poor Anas.
    Scottish Labour won their highest percentage of Scottish seats under Blair, in 1997 and 2001.
  • FoxyFoxy Posts: 44,069
    stodge said:

    Evening all :)

    Margaret Thatcher understood the threat of climate change and the impact on the environment - her speech to the UN in November 1989 was unfortunately overshadowed by the small matter of the fall of the Berlin Wall 24 hours later.

    The cynic might of course argue it was a response to the surge in popularity of the Greens at the 1989 European elections but at least Thatcher started to see the issue.

    After that, however, environmental issues faded out of the limelight and some in the Conservative Party, possibly those who had affiliations to the fossil fuel industry, opted to peddle some of the climate change denial lines and I can honestly not remember a single Labour politician talking much about the environment during the Blair years.

    David Cameron was the first Conservative I can recall after Thatcher saying anything about the environment though again the cynic might argue it was both about trying to get LD votes and a change from "banging on about Europe".

    Johnson sounds confident if not cocky. Perhaps he believes he can say anything and there will be plenty to defend him or excuse him or seek to justify him. To be fair, a GE victory and an 80-seat majority will do that and I suspect he looks at the short-term post-Covid environment with happy people and a surging economy and he thinks it's all going his way.

    Well, that's hubris for you - doesn't often end well.

    I think that a little unfair on Ed Miliband who was the first minister for Climate Change, and acted on the basis of the 2006 Stern review.

    https://www.theguardian.com/uk/2008/oct/16/11

    https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Stern_Review
  • StuartDicksonStuartDickson Posts: 12,146

    Starmer urges Labour to embrace Blair’s legacy

    https://www.ft.com/content/34ec43b9-5dcd-46cd-b284-093e8f13714d

    Ha ha. I’m almost beginning to feel sorry for poor Anas.
    Scottish Labour won their highest percentage of Scottish seats under Blair, in 1997 and 2001.
    Historical events A and B do not prove future hypothesis C. Just ask arch-Blairite Jim Murphy.
  • HeathenerHeathener Posts: 5,097
    stodge said:

    Evening all :)

    Margaret Thatcher understood the threat of climate change and the impact on the environment - her speech to the UN in November 1989 was unfortunately overshadowed by the small matter of the fall of the Berlin Wall 24 hours later.

    The cynic might of course argue it was a response to the surge in popularity of the Greens at the 1989 European elections but at least Thatcher started to see the issue.

    That speech is dynamite. An incredible tour de force. I think she's quite wrong that the solution lay in the private sector but it's an amazingly brilliant speech nonetheless. Astonishing foresight. I wonder how much of it she wrote herself? I wouldn't be surprised if the answer is, the whole thing.

    She was a political giant, for all her faults. Wow she would have been good in charge with the pandemic.

    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VnAzoDtwCBg&t=10s
  • CarnyxCarnyx Posts: 39,149
    Heathener said:

    stodge said:

    Evening all :)

    Margaret Thatcher understood the threat of climate change and the impact on the environment - her speech to the UN in November 1989 was unfortunately overshadowed by the small matter of the fall of the Berlin Wall 24 hours later.

    The cynic might of course argue it was a response to the surge in popularity of the Greens at the 1989 European elections but at least Thatcher started to see the issue.

    That speech is dynamite. An incredible tour de force. I think she's quite wrong that the solution lay in the private sector but it's an amazingly brilliant speech nonetheless. Astonishing foresight. I wonder how much of it she wrote herself? I wouldn't be surprised if the answer is, the whole thing.

    She was a political giant, for all her faults. Wow she would have been good in charge with the pandemic.

    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VnAzoDtwCBg&t=10s
    I wonder how much it contributed to her overthrow by the Tories? Never even considered that possibility before; could be not at all.
  • StuartDicksonStuartDickson Posts: 12,146
    Carnyx said:

    theProle said:

    kle4 said:

    I don't think he can be more cautious. Yes he is more calculating than his manner might suggest, but I feel like that it is still probably an exagerration of his real demeanour, and as being off the cuff (or seeming like it) is a bit of a strength in making him more normal seeming for a politician, as OGH suggests, it will also lead to him overstepping.

    He can afford to “overstep” in England. He cannot afford to “overstep” in Scotland. He is way, way out of his depth and out of his comfort zone. And boy, does it show.
    Surely Johnson could advocate for anything up to killing the firstborn north of the border, and unless it resonated with his English base its not going to make a blind bit of difference at the next election. Almost no Scots vote for the Tories anyway, they only have 6 Scottish MPs.

    What the Scots think of him is probably going to have about as much bearing on the next election as the views of the French - he's unlikely to need a single vote in Scotland to form a working majority.

    Different story for Starmer of course, as his performance on Scotland is the potential difference between a difficult coalition with the Nat's and governing on his own right (but in both cases only if Johnson loses enough English votes).
    I think the issue is the wider image it conveys. It's not just about Mr Johnson. Remembner that SLAB has nailed its colours to the mast of being the Tories' little helpers since 2013, to the degree that PBTories were astounded and indignant that Mr Sarwar attacked the Tories rather than the SNP in the recent Holyrood election.
    Inadvisable for lapdogs to nip the master’s ankle. It’ll be a trip to the vets for Anas.
  • TheScreamingEaglesTheScreamingEagles Posts: 113,969
    edited August 2021

    I just accidentally clicked on Johnson on the thread header and the dictionary defined it as a man's penis.. interesting if spooky....

    Well, it wouldn’t be a woman’s penis.
    Scottish Nationalism: The home of transphobia.
    British Nationalism: The home of Jockophobia..
    There you go again.

    Conflating criticism of the SNP with criticism of Scotland.

    Fortunately the majority of Scots know that too.
    Yeah, that’s right, BritNats like you are so in tune with “the majority of Scots”.
    I accurately forecast that Scotland would vote No in 2014 when you said the clueless wonders on here were in for a shock. I believe 55% of Scots constitutes a majority of Scots.

    I also accurately predicted that Alba would do shite in the Holyrood elections when one of your fellow Nats was predicting 12%-14% minimum for Alba on the list.

    I also successfully tipped the SCons would get over 9.5 seats in 2017 at 20/1.
  • TheuniondivvieTheuniondivvie Posts: 39,749

    I just accidentally clicked on Johnson on the thread header and the dictionary defined it as a man's penis.. interesting if spooky....

    Well, it wouldn’t be a woman’s penis.
    Scottish Nationalism: The home of transphobia.
    British Nationalism: The home of Jockophobia..
    There you go again.

    Conflating criticism of the SNP with criticism of Scotland.

    Fortunately the majority of Scots know that too.
    Yeah, that’s right, BritNats like you are so in tune with “the majority of Scots”.
    I accurately forecast that Scotland would vote No in 2014 when you said the clueless wonders on here were in for a shock. I believe 55% of Scots constitutes a majority of Scots.

    I also accurately predicted that Alba would do shite in the Holyrood elections when one of your fellow Nats was predicting 12%-14% minimum for Alba on the list.

    I also successfully tipped the SCons would get over 9.5 seats in 2017 at 20/1.
    You also expected Salmond to get a seat, no?
  • DavidLDavidL Posts: 50,772

    I just accidentally clicked on Johnson on the thread header and the dictionary defined it as a man's penis.. interesting if spooky....

    Well, it wouldn’t be a woman’s penis.
    Scottish Nationalism: The home of transphobia.
    British Nationalism: The home of Jockophobia..
    There you go again.

    Conflating criticism of the SNP with criticism of Scotland.

    Fortunately the majority of Scots know that too.
    Yeah, that’s right, BritNats like you are so in tune with “the majority of Scots”.
    Only 52% of them in fairness.
  • BenpointerBenpointer Posts: 31,281
    edited August 2021
    O/T:

    @DavidL, I seem to recall you are a Scottish lawyer (apols if I have got that wrong).

    Do you or any other PB posters know if there's a way to find out details of Sheriff Court judgements? I am specifically interested in a case from this monday, 2nd August, at Jedburgh Sheriff Court .

    Thanks in anticipation.
  • TheScreamingEaglesTheScreamingEagles Posts: 113,969
    edited August 2021

    I just accidentally clicked on Johnson on the thread header and the dictionary defined it as a man's penis.. interesting if spooky....

    Well, it wouldn’t be a woman’s penis.
    Scottish Nationalism: The home of transphobia.
    British Nationalism: The home of Jockophobia..
    There you go again.

    Conflating criticism of the SNP with criticism of Scotland.

    Fortunately the majority of Scots know that too.
    Yeah, that’s right, BritNats like you are so in tune with “the majority of Scots”.
    I accurately forecast that Scotland would vote No in 2014 when you said the clueless wonders on here were in for a shock. I believe 55% of Scots constitutes a majority of Scots.

    I also accurately predicted that Alba would do shite in the Holyrood elections when one of your fellow Nats was predicting 12%-14% minimum for Alba on the list.

    I also successfully tipped the SCons would get over 9.5 seats in 2017 at 20/1.
    You also expected Salmond to get a seat, no?
    No, I said the tragic/comedy sweet spot was if Alba ended up with just one seat, and that was Salmond.

    I think it was when Sir John Curtice predicted Alba would end up with one MSP and that it was unlikely to be Salmond.

    If you remember I kept on flagging up just how bad Salmond's ratings were, even worse than the PM in Scotland.
  • IshmaelZIshmaelZ Posts: 21,830

    Nigelb said:

    IshmaelZ said:

    Leon said:

    Foxy said:

    Leon said:

    I just want to spend the rest of my life drinking Nyetimber rose

    Is that too much to ask of a cruel, cold world?

    I reckon half a case could do it if you drink quickly.
    You think 3 bottles of fizz could kill me?! I reckon I could even do 6

    Half of 12 is 3?
    After the first three, that’s entirely plausible maths.
    Sean’s arithmetic skills go downhill at the same pace as his linguistic skills.
    Actually I think it was a (passable) joke and I was being dim.
  • FoxyFoxy Posts: 44,069

    Foxy said:

    Foxy said:

    philiph said:

    I would love to see a poll in ex mining communities along the lines of:
    'Would thou like t'work down t'mine?'
    Yes % DK% No %

    Us old fossils may not have moved on. Miners and the desolation of the communities they had are still vivid images in our minds. There is no sanitisation of that period.

    However that does not mean that an awful lot of good hasn't arisen from closing mines. The good may be unintended consequences, but this far after the act there is more positive than negative from a policy of 40 years ago.

    The problem wasn't so much the move against coal (or British Coal at least, as we imported quite a lot since) but rather the perceived abandonment of pit communities. A more planned and supported shift to alternative employment would have helped.
    Funny that, the Tories at the time thought that Tebbit’s bike was an act of genius.
    Britain in the Seventies and Eighties was one of the countries at the forefront of moving to the post industrial age. No more would manufacturing and extractive industries provide secure mass employment of the unskilled. What manufacturing we have left employs far fewer, and those are more highly skilled.

    Other countries have followed the same transition, and almost all have had similar dislocated communities, from Picardy, to the Appalachians to the Donbass. To a degree it was inevitable, but the precipitate nature of the transition was perhaps unnecessary, as was the Thatcherites seeming rather uncaring or even gleeful about it.
    I vividly remember Thatcher. She was utterly mesmerising. Like that python in The Jungle Book. Ugly as sin, evil and foul, but so rock-solid sure of herself it was like a spell. She absolutely *loved* screwing folk over. She exuded raw, reptilian pleasure in the pain of others.
    She screwed over the scabs and the Nottinghamshire miners as much as the rest.
  • LeonLeon Posts: 46,262
    Heathener said:

    stodge said:

    Evening all :)

    Margaret Thatcher understood the threat of climate change and the impact on the environment - her speech to the UN in November 1989 was unfortunately overshadowed by the small matter of the fall of the Berlin Wall 24 hours later.

    The cynic might of course argue it was a response to the surge in popularity of the Greens at the 1989 European elections but at least Thatcher started to see the issue.

    That speech is dynamite. An incredible tour de force. I think she's quite wrong that the solution lay in the private sector but it's an amazingly brilliant speech nonetheless. Astonishing foresight. I wonder how much of it she wrote herself? I wouldn't be surprised if the answer is, the whole thing.

    She was a political giant, for all her faults. Wow she would have been good in charge with the pandemic.

    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VnAzoDtwCBg&t=10s
    Tremendous authority. Confident, articulate, never dumbing down, sigh
This discussion has been closed.