Some more easy savings for the BBC that nobody will notice. Get rid of Bellator Cage fighting deal. Even hardcore MMA fans don't really give a shit about what is the Vanarama National League equivalent of MMA and the BBC stick it hidden away on iPlayer.
That's a few more million quid saved.
Listing things you don't like so the BBC can spend more on things you do like is fine, except everyone will have a different list of things they don't like, that the BBC should cut.
You are wrong, I am a massive MMA fan, and I watch Bellator. But I am probably about one of a handful watching it.
It actually a good example of the BBC deciding it HAD to get into a sport that the is big in youth culture, but can't afford to buy the UFC rights, so rather than say well we can't get into that sector, they paid money for a second / third tier offering. It is absolutely tiny niche appeal.
Doesn't stop them endlessly tweeting about it.
Its because MMA is a big sport among the young male working class demographic. But its an example of the BBC trying to get into something they don't really understand. They are trying to big up a promotion that every hardcore fan sees as a secondary promotion, where there is the odd "superstar" and big fight, but really it is full of those who can't make it in the big show.
Its a bit like buying the rights to the Challenge Tour in golf or rather than IPL in cricket you buy the Caribbean T20 league. Is that really the best use of the BBC money, especially when the commercial sector already caters to MMA fans.
The BBC can only generally afford (with the greatest will in the world) second-rate sport, though. Other than Listed events, what top-class sport does the BBC show?
Having been away for an hour or two and having missed the PB declaration of war on Russia and a poster being banned, did we conclude, finally what nationality Emma Radacanu is now that she is through to the next round of the Australian Open.
Can he or @Isam come to the PB get together on March 2nd if they are banned?
Please can we stop banning people for naff all.
Sadly, risking libel actions against the site is probably something that cannot be overlooked.
Yeah - Ok - one was a baddie but I genuinely cannot see why Isam was banned (and still is).
@isam opinion on Johnsons charisma and common touch would be quite diverting right now...
His post last autumn about LOL at old the old bores opining that Boris would get his comeuppance one day, would they still be saying that as he increased his majority in 2024, deserves revisiting.
Some more easy savings for the BBC that nobody will notice. Get rid of Bellator Cage fighting deal. Even hardcore MMA fans don't really give a shit about what is the Vanarama National League equivalent of MMA and the BBC stick it hidden away on iPlayer.
That's a few more million quid saved.
Listing things you don't like so the BBC can spend more on things you do like is fine, except everyone will have a different list of things they don't like, that the BBC should cut.
You are wrong, I am a massive MMA fan, and I watch Bellator. But I am probably about one of a handful watching it.
It actually a good example of the BBC deciding it HAD to get into a sport that the is big in youth culture, but can't afford to buy the UFC rights, so rather than say well we can't get into that sector, they paid money for a second / third tier offering. It is absolutely tiny niche appeal.
Doesn't stop them endlessly tweeting about it.
Its because MMA is a big sport among the young male working class demographic. But its an example of the BBC trying to get into something they don't really understand. They are trying to big up a promotion that every hardcore fan sees as a secondary promotion, where there is the odd "superstar" and big fight, but really it is full of those who can't make it in the big show.
Its a bit like buying the rights to the Challenge Tour in golf or rather than IPL in cricket you buy the Caribbean T20 league. Is that really the best use of the BBC money, especially when the commercial sector already caters to MMA fans.
The BBC can only generally afford (with the greatest will in the world) second-rate sport, though. Other than Listed events, what top-class sport does the BBC show?
The point is, it is a waste of money even to bother with this. Nobody will be watching it, and you can't really argue "grass roots" importance in say the way you can for football or cricket.
If you really wanted to cover a growing grass roots sport especially with your diversity agenda etc, BBL basketball.
Watching Boris interview on Sky he looks broken and I would not be surprised if he did resign on the publication of the report
Neither would I. He looks defeated. There’s a fair bit of gloating on social media and, I dare say, some pleasures in a part of County Durham.
Raab's statement also significant. If he had thought BJ would survive (and therefore his position would not be at risk), he would have been more circumspect. He must have known how his comments would be read.
Can he or @Isam come to the PB get together on March 2nd if they are banned?
Please can we stop banning people for naff all.
Leon should have been banned long ago. The abject dishonesty. The unacceptable personal abuse. The racism and sexism. The vulgarity, and ignorant alarmism.
Sadly, too many find his schtick mildly amusing and hence he gets away with it. Which, really, is a sad commentary on us.
Is that like the old (Jewish?) joke of one guy asks the other how was dinner at the new restaurant the night before, and the other guy said it was dreadful, almost inedible. And the portions so small...
If you are so distressed at how sad we all are there is always the self-banning option.
No, that’s not the answer, and you know it.
Pay attention! That we Brits are prepared to accept humour as compensation for abject mendacity is the lead story on the news.
Watching Boris interview on Sky he looks broken and I would not be surprised if he did resign on the publication of the report
Neither would I. He looks defeated. There’s a fair bit of gloating on social media and, I dare say, some pleasures in a part of County Durham.
Raab's statement also significant. If he had thought BJ would survive (and therefore his position would not be at risk), he would have been more circumspect. He must have known how his comments would be read.
I wonder what instructions @HYUFD is currently downloading
EDIT: In fact, not just watchable - actually enjoyable. I'd rather have an evening with that lot to choose from than an evening with the whole of iplayer.
I don't know if they spent more per programme in those days and did fewer programmes, or were just - you know - better. Eastenders is unchanged of course. But I'd have avoided that back then as assiduously as I avoid it now.
Sadly it highlights one thing the BBC used to excel at but no longer do and that is the standalone play.
From the Wednesday play through to Play for Today, Screen One, Screen Two, screenplay firsts.
Anyone else seen that New Zealand quietly closed their borders last night Aaron Dahmen @dahmenaaron On Twitter, at 7.47pm on a Tuesday night, the country of New Zealand effectively shuts its border. No one, other than those with an MIQ room already secured/emergency allocations, can come home. And there’s no fixed end date. Inconceivable.
You can't travel without an MIQ quarantine room booked so unless you've already got one allocated you aren't going back to New Zealand for a (long) while.
Thanks for that
I was not aware of it and my son was hoping to revist NZ later this year where he lived from 2003 - 2015 and was caught up in ground zero in the Christchurch earthquake
Our former neighbours were due to emigrate to NZ in 2020 - they brought flights forward but missed the border closure by - I think - three days, so never went. Still intend to go and they still have a shipping container of their posessions in NZ and they had some hope when the borders were reopening. They'll be gutted by this.
Anyone else seen that New Zealand quietly closed their borders last night Aaron Dahmen @dahmenaaron On Twitter, at 7.47pm on a Tuesday night, the country of New Zealand effectively shuts its border. No one, other than those with an MIQ room already secured/emergency allocations, can come home. And there’s no fixed end date. Inconceivable.
You can't travel without an MIQ quarantine room booked so unless you've already got one allocated you aren't going back to New Zealand for a (long) while.
Thanks for that
I was not aware of it and my son was hoping to revist NZ later this year where he lived from 2003 - 2015 and was caught up in ground zero in the Christchurch earthquake
Our former neighbours were due to emigrate to NZ in 2020 - they brought flights forward but missed the border closure by - I think - three days, so never went. Still intend to go and they still have a shipping container of their posessions in NZ and they had some hope when the borders were reopening. They'll be gutted by this.
I have great sympathy for all those effected by NZ problems as I have a great love of the country and my son would not be suffering serious PTSD if the Christchurch earthquake had not happened and he had not attended ground zero where most of the fatalities occurred, indeed he would still be there rather than in Canada as he is now
EDIT: In fact, not just watchable - actually enjoyable. I'd rather have an evening with that lot to choose from than an evening with the whole of iplayer.
I don't know if they spent more per programme in those days and did fewer programmes, or were just - you know - better. Eastenders is unchanged of course. But I'd have avoided that back then as assiduously as I avoid it now.
Much of the superiority of that BBC2 schedule, in particular, is nothing to do with money - many of these programmes were cheaper than now - but simply the entirely different ethos that prevailed before Birt's changes fed through. It can also be summed as a form of boldness and freshness that had very little to with market research and the way television works now ; six authors giving their political and social views on the 1980's ; a dreamy and artistic portrait of a lake in Kashmir ; a full one and a half hours of a David Bowie concert ; a long-form documentary about a tribe in Alaska ; Horizon in its uncompromising days. On other evenings this would be accompanied by international cinema, or Alex Cox presenting cult and subcultural British ilm classics.
Although its nonsense to suggest the freezing the licence fee is really making a difference to hard up families, at the same time BBC going full back to Wigan pier stuff when they still get £4bn a year, is a bit like MPs complaining about not getting a pay rise.
I imagine if they had raised the licence fee by £10 a year the public wouldn't be very happy.
Say the government had given the BBC an increase that met the inflation seen in programme production, which is apparenly quite high, would that save the BBC? No, not at all. A licence fee for a household to watch free-to-air broadcast progammes mainly shown on the BBC used to make sense when the BBC dominated viewing and broadcast television was the only way of watching television, but that world is ending. A licence for broadcast television made by the BBC when most people will be watching streaming video from other companies, and many of them will be using devices other than TVs and frequently viewing that video outside of the home just doesn't make sense. And if it doesn't make sense the already declining legitimacy and compliance with the licence fee will fall further.
The government and BBC need to answer three questions. What is the licence fee for? How is the fee collected? How are the things the licence fee pays for delivered? I'm sure that the answer is no longer to have a TV licence where we give almost all of the money collected to the BBC for broadcast television and radio. I don't know the answer, but the status quo is not it.
This is the core issue. The problem is the BBC won't entertain real change and the government a) looking for points scoring with their base and b) I don't think have any real plan nor the balls to actually go through with it. They should have put in motion the reforms needed last time around, rather than can kicking. 5+ years ago it was absolutely clear where this was going.
So instead its this silly proxy war. Government freeze it, BBC go its the end of the world as we know it, and the reality is its bumbles along, but doesn't address the fundamental change in the world. A licence fee attached to a physical property in the 21st Century is absolutely nonsense and unenforceable, while the entertainment industry is now truly globalised (rather than the old model of protected regions, that the plebs couldn't access easily).
The BBC has consistently made major changes and has been to the fore of responding to a changing landscape. iPlayer was a leader, for example. This characterisation of “bumbling” is groundless. If you had to pick who was bumbling, the BBC or the current Govt., I think most people would pick the Govt.
And bolder strategic plans have been vetoed by government in the past.
Can he or @Isam come to the PB get together on March 2nd if they are banned?
Please can we stop banning people for naff all.
Leon should have been banned long ago. The abject dishonesty. The unacceptable personal abuse. The racism and sexism. The vulgarity, and ignorant alarmism.
Sadly, too many find his schtick mildly amusing and hence he gets away with it. Which, really, is a sad commentary on us.
Is that like the old (Jewish?) joke of one guy asks the other how was dinner at the new restaurant the night before, and the other guy said it was dreadful, almost inedible. And the portions so small...
If you are so distressed at how sad we all are there is always the self-banning option.
No, that’s not the answer, and you know it.
Pay attention! That we Brits are prepared to accept humour as compensation for abject mendacity is the lead story on the news.
Apples and chalk.
Or was the whole flint-knapping thing a ruse to put us off the fact that actually @Leon is an elected official of some significant influence over our lives.
Bloody hell $70bn for Call of Duty seems like a lot of money.
Next version, going to be less micro-transactions and more mega-transactions....doesn't the deal include King software though, which is "ka ching" as they own all those pay to win mobile games. Also, Overwatch, Hearthstone and StarCraft, all still massive.
Anyone else seen that New Zealand quietly closed their borders last night Aaron Dahmen @dahmenaaron On Twitter, at 7.47pm on a Tuesday night, the country of New Zealand effectively shuts its border. No one, other than those with an MIQ room already secured/emergency allocations, can come home. And there’s no fixed end date. Inconceivable.
You can't travel without an MIQ quarantine room booked so unless you've already got one allocated you aren't going back to New Zealand for a (long) while.
According to WhatsApp messages form my family over there, there has been at least one community transmition of the omicron variant confirmed 24 hours ago. I haven't seen it on news, but also haven't looked, so I cant confirm, however this may be a response to that, if so it may tern out to be 'shutting the stable door after the horses has bolted'
Bigger pitcher, what now for NZ? my 2 nepheshes are now back in school, if you count 2 days a week as 'back in school' because they are different years its different days so my sister in law is now trapped at home supervising them most of the week.
They have had very good take up of vaccine, but sociologically they don't seem ready to open up and let it rip. perhaps when the Australians are past there peek, then it will not look so scary.
Just seen Boris being interviewed on Sky by Beth Rigby.
Looks a broken man.
'In a pool clip with @BethRigby Boris Johnson looks visibly shaken & teary.'
I hope that that teariness is genuine but BJ has a whole 'I've been such a fool darling, take me back' playbook to draw from. First time for everything I guess..
Sources say about a dozen 2019ers met in one Tory MP’s office this afternoon to talk about submitting letters of no confidence - some at different stages than others but am told “wheels are in motion”. https://twitter.com/breeallegretti/status/1483443966636867588
Can he or @Isam come to the PB get together on March 2nd if they are banned?
Please can we stop banning people for naff all.
Leon should have been banned long ago. The abject dishonesty. The unacceptable personal abuse. The racism and sexism. The vulgarity, and ignorant alarmism.
Sadly, too many find his schtick mildly amusing and hence he gets away with it. Which, really, is a sad commentary on us.
Is that like the old (Jewish?) joke of one guy asks the other how was dinner at the new restaurant the night before, and the other guy said it was dreadful, almost inedible. And the portions so small...
If you are so distressed at how sad we all are there is always the self-banning option.
No, that’s not the answer, and you know it.
Pay attention! That we Brits are prepared to accept humour as compensation for abject mendacity is the lead story on the news.
Apples and chalk.
Or was the whole flint-knapping thing a ruse to put us off the fact that actually @Leon is an elected official of some significant influence over our lives.
Unlike many of us, no-one would ever elect Leon to anything.
What’s the idiot been banned for now, anyway?
I’ve seen so many of his drunken offensive posts ignored over the years that I must have missed something truly remarkable if he is banned right now?
EDIT: In fact, not just watchable - actually enjoyable. I'd rather have an evening with that lot to choose from than an evening with the whole of iplayer.
I don't know if they spent more per programme in those days and did fewer programmes, or were just - you know - better. Eastenders is unchanged of course. But I'd have avoided that back then as assiduously as I avoid it now.
Sadly it highlights one thing the BBC used to excel at but no longer do and that is the standalone play.
From the Wednesday play through to Play for Today, Screen One, Screen Two, screenplay firsts.
They’ve lost the art of it sadly.
Yes - that's definitely AWOL.
It's tough though - the great thing about the commercial space is it forces people to try hard to make stuff good. If only good meant some actual standards though! Good in this context means what the masses like, and the masses have (I'm wildly overplaying this, so tongue in cheek a little) been dumbed down by the crap the BBC has recently produced.
I think the BBC is precisely the place where an oligarchy works best, and we need to go back to the old way of choosing those oligarchs.
Anyone else seen that New Zealand quietly closed their borders last night Aaron Dahmen @dahmenaaron On Twitter, at 7.47pm on a Tuesday night, the country of New Zealand effectively shuts its border. No one, other than those with an MIQ room already secured/emergency allocations, can come home. And there’s no fixed end date. Inconceivable.
You can't travel without an MIQ quarantine room booked so unless you've already got one allocated you aren't going back to New Zealand for a (long) while.
According to WhatsApp messages form my family over there, there has been at least one community transmition of the omicron variant confirmed 24 hours ago. I haven't seen it on news, but also haven't looked, so I cant confirm, however this may be a response to that, if so it may tern out to be 'shutting the stable door after the horses has bolted'
Bigger pitcher, what now for NZ? my 2 nepheshes are now back in school, if you count 2 days a week as 'back in school' because they are different years its different days so my sister in law is now trapped at home supervising them most of the week.
They have had very good take up of vaccine, but sociologically they don't seem ready to open up and let it rip. perhaps when the Australians are past there peek, then it will not look so scary.
Just seen Boris being interviewed on Sky by Beth Rigby.
Looks a broken man.
'In a pool clip with @BethRigby Boris Johnson looks visibly shaken & teary.'
I hope that that teariness is genuine but BJ has a whole 'I've been such a fool, take me back' playbook to draw from. First time for everything I guess..
No - he looked genuinely broken
It is now at the point I hope he does resign for his own mental health
Can he or @Isam come to the PB get together on March 2nd if they are banned?
Please can we stop banning people for naff all.
Leon should have been banned long ago. The abject dishonesty. The unacceptable personal abuse. The racism and sexism. The vulgarity, and ignorant alarmism.
Sadly, too many find his schtick mildly amusing and hence he gets away with it. Which, really, is a sad commentary on us.
Is that like the old (Jewish?) joke of one guy asks the other how was dinner at the new restaurant the night before, and the other guy said it was dreadful, almost inedible. And the portions so small...
If you are so distressed at how sad we all are there is always the self-banning option.
No, that’s not the answer, and you know it.
Pay attention! That we Brits are prepared to accept humour as compensation for abject mendacity is the lead story on the news.
Apples and chalk.
Or was the whole flint-knapping thing a ruse to put us off the fact that actually @Leon is an elected official of some significant influence over our lives.
Unlike many of us, no-one would ever elect Leon to anything.
What’s the idiot been banned for now, anyway?
I’ve seen so many of his drunken offensive posts ignored over the years that I must have missed something truly remarkable if he is banned right now?
Apparently he is and I missed why. I take your point about the drunken offensive posts (bless his heart he even attempted to direct some at me) but I think it's all in the game on PB at times.
EDIT: In fact, not just watchable - actually enjoyable. I'd rather have an evening with that lot to choose from than an evening with the whole of iplayer.
I don't know if they spent more per programme in those days and did fewer programmes, or were just - you know - better. Eastenders is unchanged of course. But I'd have avoided that back then as assiduously as I avoid it now.
Sadly it highlights one thing the BBC used to excel at but no longer do and that is the standalone play.
From the Wednesday play through to Play for Today, Screen One, Screen Two, screenplay firsts.
They’ve lost the art of it sadly.
Yes - that's definitely AWOL.
It's tough though - the great thing about the commercial space is it forces people to try hard to make stuff good. If only good meant some actual standards though! Good in this context means what the masses like, and the masses have (I'm wildly overplaying this, so tongue in cheek a little) been dumbed down by the crap the BBC has recently produced.
I think the BBC is precisely the place where an oligarchy works best, and we need to go back to the old way of choosing those oligarchs.
I am not sure we need the BBC doing quite so many comedy celeb panel game shows....Between ITV and Dave there is more than enough already.
Having been away for an hour or two and having missed the PB declaration of war on Russia and a poster being banned, did we conclude, finally what nationality Emma Radacanu is now that she is through to the next round of the Australian Open.
EDIT: In fact, not just watchable - actually enjoyable. I'd rather have an evening with that lot to choose from than an evening with the whole of iplayer.
I don't know if they spent more per programme in those days and did fewer programmes, or were just - you know - better. Eastenders is unchanged of course. But I'd have avoided that back then as assiduously as I avoid it now.
Sadly it highlights one thing the BBC used to excel at but no longer do and that is the standalone play.
From the Wednesday play through to Play for Today, Screen One, Screen Two, screenplay firsts.
They’ve lost the art of it sadly.
Yes - that's definitely AWOL.
It's tough though - the great thing about the commercial space is it forces people to try hard to make stuff good. If only good meant some actual standards though! Good in this context means what the masses like, and the masses have (I'm wildly overplaying this, so tongue in cheek a little) been dumbed down by the crap the BBC has recently produced.
I think the BBC is precisely the place where an oligarchy works best, and we need to go back to the old way of choosing those oligarchs.
I am not sure we need the BBC doing quite so many comedy celeb panel game shows....Between ITV and Dave there is more than enough already.
They’re relatively cheap to make. You want fewer of them, increase the license fee. :-)
Can he or @Isam come to the PB get together on March 2nd if they are banned?
Please can we stop banning people for naff all.
Leon should have been banned long ago. The abject dishonesty. The unacceptable personal abuse. The racism and sexism. The vulgarity, and ignorant alarmism.
Sadly, too many find his schtick mildly amusing and hence he gets away with it. Which, really, is a sad commentary on us.
Is that like the old (Jewish?) joke of one guy asks the other how was dinner at the new restaurant the night before, and the other guy said it was dreadful, almost inedible. And the portions so small...
If you are so distressed at how sad we all are there is always the self-banning option.
No, that’s not the answer, and you know it.
Pay attention! That we Brits are prepared to accept humour as compensation for abject mendacity is the lead story on the news.
Apples and chalk.
Or was the whole flint-knapping thing a ruse to put us off the fact that actually @Leon is an elected official of some significant influence over our lives.
Unlike many of us, no-one would ever elect Leon to anything.
What’s the idiot been banned for now, anyway?
I’ve seen so many of his drunken offensive posts ignored over the years that I must have missed something truly remarkable if he is banned right now?
I believe he called Nicola Sturgeon something that she isn't.
Just seen Boris being interviewed on Sky by Beth Rigby.
Looks a broken man.
'In a pool clip with @BethRigby Boris Johnson looks visibly shaken & teary.'
I hope that that teariness is genuine but BJ has a whole 'I've been such a fool, take me back' playbook to draw from. First time for everything I guess..
No - he looked genuinely broken
It is now at the point I hope he does resign for his own mental health
Banged up in a London terrace begging the spec/tele to accept his pieces while Carrie yells WE HAD IT ALL YOU WANKER at him?
Tip to anyone tempted to feel sorry for him: Afghans who are in Afghanistan but would be in the UK but for Air Petacci are probably not having a great time either.
Boris Johnson saying no one told him the Downing Street gathering was against the rules is a new level of dissociation, almost like he’s spent two years watching someone else be prime minister and is now scratching his head about the decisions they’ve taken. https://twitter.com/IsabelHardman/status/1483431497751318530
WTF... is he an actual child (well a man-baby)??
He should be on top of everything nd know exactly whats going on.
Get rid of him!
It was all so very predictable.
ScottXP is a prodigous poster, but I think this is the most he's ever made me laugh. Not even the mildly comedic observation at the end of the sentence, just the first 15 words. It's as if Boris is actively trying to alienate people. I'm quite a fan of excuses which may be technically correct but will go down extremely poorly. It's in the same category as 'it's crown property so the rules don't apply' (from the same source), and Gordon Brown's memorable 'no, I only promised to abolish TORY boom and bust'.
Politicians need to realise that they are held to a higher standard, so "it's technically legal" doesn't wash.
Yes, but he's parsing to the nth degree to avoid the lethal 'lied to the house' charge being proved beyond all doubt.
Not knowing the rules and when he sees a party?! Is he a sentient being? The flat-coated retriever puppy in a story on dog intelligence currently in the Graun could do better than that.
Oh I'm not disagreeing. It's truly pathetic. He's pathetic - both meanings now. But what I reckon's happening is that "lied to the house" has been identified (by him) as something he cannot survive. Therefore he's contorting and machinating beyond measure in order to avoid that conclusion becoming indisputable.
Can he or @Isam come to the PB get together on March 2nd if they are banned?
Please can we stop banning people for naff all.
Leon should have been banned long ago. The abject dishonesty. The unacceptable personal abuse. The racism and sexism. The vulgarity, and ignorant alarmism.
Sadly, too many find his schtick mildly amusing and hence he gets away with it. Which, really, is a sad commentary on us.
Is that like the old (Jewish?) joke of one guy asks the other how was dinner at the new restaurant the night before, and the other guy said it was dreadful, almost inedible. And the portions so small...
If you are so distressed at how sad we all are there is always the self-banning option.
No, that’s not the answer, and you know it.
Pay attention! That we Brits are prepared to accept humour as compensation for abject mendacity is the lead story on the news.
Apples and chalk.
Or was the whole flint-knapping thing a ruse to put us off the fact that actually @Leon is an elected official of some significant influence over our lives.
Unlike many of us, no-one would ever elect Leon to anything.
What’s the idiot been banned for now, anyway?
I’ve seen so many of his drunken offensive posts ignored over the years that I must have missed something truly remarkable if he is banned right now?
I believe he called Nicola Sturgeon something that she isn't.
Anyone else seen that New Zealand quietly closed their borders last night Aaron Dahmen @dahmenaaron On Twitter, at 7.47pm on a Tuesday night, the country of New Zealand effectively shuts its border. No one, other than those with an MIQ room already secured/emergency allocations, can come home. And there’s no fixed end date. Inconceivable.
You can't travel without an MIQ quarantine room booked so unless you've already got one allocated you aren't going back to New Zealand for a (long) while.
According to WhatsApp messages form my family over there, there has been at least one community transmition of the omicron variant confirmed 24 hours ago. I haven't seen it on news, but also haven't looked, so I cant confirm, however this may be a response to that, if so it may tern out to be 'shutting the stable door after the horses has bolted'
Bigger pitcher, what now for NZ? my 2 nepheshes are now back in school, if you count 2 days a week as 'back in school' because they are different years its different days so my sister in law is now trapped at home supervising them most of the week.
They have had very good take up of vaccine, but sociologically they don't seem ready to open up and let it rip. perhaps when the Australians are past there peek, then it will not look so scary.
How many more years are NZ going to keep this up?
Next autumn. They'll want to travel to France to watch the All Blacks at the rugby world cup.
Can he or @Isam come to the PB get together on March 2nd if they are banned?
Please can we stop banning people for naff all.
Leon should have been banned long ago. The abject dishonesty. The unacceptable personal abuse. The racism and sexism. The vulgarity, and ignorant alarmism.
Sadly, too many find his schtick mildly amusing and hence he gets away with it. Which, really, is a sad commentary on us.
Sorry you feel that way about Leon - I personally enjoy his postings, they can be amusing, insightful, inciteful (ok made that word up) happy, drunken drivel, blind irrational panic, a bit on the nose, rude and frankly different.
One of the joys of the site is that there are a range of posters politically, in manner, experience, sobriety and perhaps even reality.
Sometimes some unpleasant realities of life, or how a sizeable segment of life really is, are expressed in his more rumbunctious posts but life is not always civil.
And frankly I want to know what Albanian taxi drivers are saying, which wines go best whilst sitting on your own overlooking the sea, where the prettiest girls are and aren’t in South America and that the Bronze Age didn’t kill off the noble art of crafting flint sex toys.
There are plenty of combative posters and it’s great even when you get a kick in the balls from one occasionally and long may it continue as the mix of insight, professional knowledge, bullshit and humour means that the site is always lively but never not informative.
IANAL but is there not some sort of disclaimer that OGH can have on the site clearly noting that the views are the views of the poster and not the site so if anyone wants to cast aspersions on the existence of someone’s genitalia or sexual preferences then the site cannot be held responsible?
Dominic Raab says Keir Starmer is "apparently" a former Director of Public Prosecutions, applying a significantly higher level of scepticism to the Labour leader's CV than he does to the prime minister's party claims. https://twitter.com/RobDotHutton/status/1483353944457990145
The only thing more worrying than a Russian invasion of Ukraine, is a UK response to one led by Johnson
There will not be a UK response, certainly not a military one as the Ukraine is not a member of NATO.
Only if Russia invaded Poland or the Baltic states for example, which are NATO members, would there be a UK military response. At most there would be some economic sanctions
You do know we are already providing arms to Ukraine
We will not be sending ground troops, tanks or fighter jets to defend Ukraine, a non NATO member state.
We sell arms to lots of countries
You are off your head with this analysis. It is not just annexing Ukraine that concerns most of us it is what happens next too.
If Putin takes Ukraine without so much as a whimper, why not all the former Soviet satellite states, plus Finland Sweden and Norway?
Finland and Sweden are not in NATO, so we would not be obliged to defend them either.
We would only be required to defend Norway and the Baltic states which are in NATO
You can't defend either Norway or the Baltic States without defending Sweden and Finland.
You can, if Sweden and Finland want to join NATO then we can defend them, not before. Same with non NATO Ireland.
Our terms of NATO membership do not prevent us from going to war to defend other countries if we wish.
Kuwait wasn't in NATO either.
Taking military action against Russia is a rather more tough proposition than taking military action against Iraq. The former leads to WW3, the latter does not.
Plus Russia has a permanent veto on the UN Security Council which Iraq did not, so UN approved action was easier when Iraq invaded Kuwait.
The main defence v Russia therefore remains NATO
There are concerns, according to BBC correspondent Mark Orban last, that the EU is about to soften its stance to Russia.
Orban claimed t on TV that in bolstering Ukraine's defences, British forces flying men and gear to the region were asked to avoid German and Dutch airspace. Germany is also reported about threats to freeze Russia out of the global payments system.
If naked aggression from belligerent governments is what works with the EU then maybe we should put 20,000 troops in South Armagh and post the Queen Elizabeth permanently in the Irish Sea.
If RAF fighter sorties over Dublin might get an agreement, perhaps we should do that.
No request was made for a flight over Germany, so none was refused:
I also asked them, "why did the Royal air force rather circumfly Germany than using its air space to fly to Ukraine the shortest way?", but got no reply on that question.
Can he or @Isam come to the PB get together on March 2nd if they are banned?
Please can we stop banning people for naff all.
Leon should have been banned long ago. The abject dishonesty. The unacceptable personal abuse. The racism and sexism. The vulgarity, and ignorant alarmism.
Sadly, too many find his schtick mildly amusing and hence he gets away with it. Which, really, is a sad commentary on us.
Is that like the old (Jewish?) joke of one guy asks the other how was dinner at the new restaurant the night before, and the other guy said it was dreadful, almost inedible. And the portions so small...
If you are so distressed at how sad we all are there is always the self-banning option.
No, that’s not the answer, and you know it.
Pay attention! That we Brits are prepared to accept humour as compensation for abject mendacity is the lead story on the news.
Apples and chalk.
Or was the whole flint-knapping thing a ruse to put us off the fact that actually @Leon is an elected official of some significant influence over our lives.
Unlike many of us, no-one would ever elect Leon to anything.
What’s the idiot been banned for now, anyway?
I’ve seen so many of his drunken offensive posts ignored over the years that I must have missed something truly remarkable if he is banned right now?
I believe he called Nicola Sturgeon something that she isn't.
Hmm… I remember the comment you’re alluding to and it hadn’t occurred to me it was anything other than a childishly amusing bit of shitposting rather than anything libellous.
Can he or @Isam come to the PB get together on March 2nd if they are banned?
Please can we stop banning people for naff all.
Leon should have been banned long ago. The abject dishonesty. The unacceptable personal abuse. The racism and sexism. The vulgarity, and ignorant alarmism.
Sadly, too many find his schtick mildly amusing and hence he gets away with it. Which, really, is a sad commentary on us.
Is that like the old (Jewish?) joke of one guy asks the other how was dinner at the new restaurant the night before, and the other guy said it was dreadful, almost inedible. And the portions so small...
If you are so distressed at how sad we all are there is always the self-banning option.
No, that’s not the answer, and you know it.
Pay attention! That we Brits are prepared to accept humour as compensation for abject mendacity is the lead story on the news.
Apples and chalk.
Or was the whole flint-knapping thing a ruse to put us off the fact that actually @Leon is an elected official of some significant influence over our lives.
Unlike many of us, no-one would ever elect Leon to anything.
What’s the idiot been banned for now, anyway?
I’ve seen so many of his drunken offensive posts ignored over the years that I must have missed something truly remarkable if he is banned right now?
I believe he called Nicola Sturgeon something that she isn't.
More seriously he called X rapey, which is rich considering his own history.
Can he or @Isam come to the PB get together on March 2nd if they are banned?
Please can we stop banning people for naff all.
Sadly, risking libel actions against the site is probably something that cannot be overlooked.
Yeah - Ok - one was a baddie but I genuinely cannot see why Isam was banned (and still is).
Both of these posters have been banned on several occasions in the past. Whilst I'd like to see them both back, there must to be some limit to how often someone gets banned before it becomes permanent.
Can he or @Isam come to the PB get together on March 2nd if they are banned?
Please can we stop banning people for naff all.
Leon should have been banned long ago. The abject dishonesty. The unacceptable personal abuse. The racism and sexism. The vulgarity, and ignorant alarmism.
Sadly, too many find his schtick mildly amusing and hence he gets away with it. Which, really, is a sad commentary on us.
Sorry you feel that way about Leon - I personally enjoy his postings, they can be amusing, insightful, inciteful (ok made that word up) happy, drunken drivel, blind irrational panic, a bit on the nose, rude and frankly different.
One of the joys of the site is that there are a range of posters politically, in manner, experience, sobriety and perhaps even reality.
Sometimes some unpleasant realities of life, or how a sizeable segment of life really is, are expressed in his more rumbunctious posts but life is not always civil.
And frankly I want to know what Albanian taxi drivers are saying, which wines go best whilst sitting on your own overlooking the sea, where the prettiest girls are and aren’t in South America and that the Bronze Age didn’t kill off the noble art of crafting flint sex toys.
There are plenty of combative posters and it’s great even when you get a kick in the balls from one occasionally and long may it continue as the mix of insight, professional knowledge, bullshit and humour means that the site is always lively but never not informative.
IANAL but is there not some sort of disclaimer that OGH can have on the site clearly noting that the views are the views of the poster and not the site so if anyone wants to cast aspersions on the existence of someone’s genitalia or sexual preferences then the site cannot be held responsible?
HE DOESNT NEED ONE
CBA to go through this again, butr here's a random site telling it like it is
"In terms of the liability of the website, internet service or social media platform, the law states that they can only be considered liable if you cannot identify the author of the comments."
Can he or @Isam come to the PB get together on March 2nd if they are banned?
Please can we stop banning people for naff all.
Leon should have been banned long ago. The abject dishonesty. The unacceptable personal abuse. The racism and sexism. The vulgarity, and ignorant alarmism.
Sadly, too many find his schtick mildly amusing and hence he gets away with it. Which, really, is a sad commentary on us.
Is that like the old (Jewish?) joke of one guy asks the other how was dinner at the new restaurant the night before, and the other guy said it was dreadful, almost inedible. And the portions so small...
If you are so distressed at how sad we all are there is always the self-banning option.
No, that’s not the answer, and you know it.
Pay attention! That we Brits are prepared to accept humour as compensation for abject mendacity is the lead story on the news.
Apples and chalk.
Or was the whole flint-knapping thing a ruse to put us off the fact that actually @Leon is an elected official of some significant influence over our lives.
Unlike many of us, no-one would ever elect Leon to anything.
What’s the idiot been banned for now, anyway?
I’ve seen so many of his drunken offensive posts ignored over the years that I must have missed something truly remarkable if he is banned right now?
Apparently he is and I missed why. I take your point about the drunken offensive posts (bless his heart he even attempted to direct some at me) but I think it's all in the game on PB at times.
Can he or @Isam come to the PB get together on March 2nd if they are banned?
Please can we stop banning people for naff all.
Leon should have been banned long ago. The abject dishonesty. The unacceptable personal abuse. The racism and sexism. The vulgarity, and ignorant alarmism.
Sadly, too many find his schtick mildly amusing and hence he gets away with it. Which, really, is a sad commentary on us.
Is that like the old (Jewish?) joke of one guy asks the other how was dinner at the new restaurant the night before, and the other guy said it was dreadful, almost inedible. And the portions so small...
If you are so distressed at how sad we all are there is always the self-banning option.
No, that’s not the answer, and you know it.
Pay attention! That we Brits are prepared to accept humour as compensation for abject mendacity is the lead story on the news.
Apples and chalk.
Or was the whole flint-knapping thing a ruse to put us off the fact that actually @Leon is an elected official of some significant influence over our lives.
Unlike many of us, no-one would ever elect Leon to anything.
What’s the idiot been banned for now, anyway?
I’ve seen so many of his drunken offensive posts ignored over the years that I must have missed something truly remarkable if he is banned right now?
I believe he called Nicola Sturgeon something that she isn't.
More seriously he called X rapey, which is rich considering his own history.
The only thing more worrying than a Russian invasion of Ukraine, is a UK response to one led by Johnson
There will not be a UK response, certainly not a military one as the Ukraine is not a member of NATO.
Only if Russia invaded Poland or the Baltic states for example, which are NATO members, would there be a UK military response. At most there would be some economic sanctions
You do know we are already providing arms to Ukraine
We will not be sending ground troops, tanks or fighter jets to defend Ukraine, a non NATO member state.
We sell arms to lots of countries
You are off your head with this analysis. It is not just annexing Ukraine that concerns most of us it is what happens next too.
If Putin takes Ukraine without so much as a whimper, why not all the former Soviet satellite states, plus Finland Sweden and Norway?
Finland and Sweden are not in NATO, so we would not be obliged to defend them either.
We would only be required to defend Norway and the Baltic states which are in NATO
You can't defend either Norway or the Baltic States without defending Sweden and Finland.
You can, if Sweden and Finland want to join NATO then we can defend them, not before. Same with non NATO Ireland.
Our terms of NATO membership do not prevent us from going to war to defend other countries if we wish.
Kuwait wasn't in NATO either.
Taking military action against Russia is a rather more tough proposition than taking military action against Iraq. The former leads to WW3, the latter does not.
Plus Russia has a permanent veto on the UN Security Council which Iraq did not, so UN approved action was easier when Iraq invaded Kuwait.
The main defence v Russia therefore remains NATO
There are concerns, according to BBC correspondent Mark Orban last, that the EU is about to soften its stance to Russia.
Orban claimed t on TV that in bolstering Ukraine's defences, British forces flying men and gear to the region were asked to avoid German and Dutch airspace. Germany is also reported about threats to freeze Russia out of the global payments system.
If naked aggression from belligerent governments is what works with the EU then maybe we should put 20,000 troops in South Armagh and post the Queen Elizabeth permanently in the Irish Sea.
If RAF fighter sorties over Dublin might get an agreement, perhaps we should do that.
No request was made for a flight over Germany, so none was refused:
I also asked them, "why did the Royal air force rather circumfly Germany than using its air space to fly to Ukraine the shortest way?", but got no reply on that question.
Can he or @Isam come to the PB get together on March 2nd if they are banned?
Please can we stop banning people for naff all.
Sadly, risking libel actions against the site is probably something that cannot be overlooked.
Yeah - Ok - one was a baddie but I genuinely cannot see why Isam was banned (and still is).
Both of these posters have been banned on several occasions in the past. Whilst I'd like to see them both back, there must to be some limit to how often someone gets banned before it becomes permanent.
The Fruity One is normally back before the cock has crowed thrice.
Boris Johnson saying no one told him the Downing Street gathering was against the rules is a new level of dissociation, almost like he’s spent two years watching someone else be prime minister and is now scratching his head about the decisions they’ve taken. https://twitter.com/IsabelHardman/status/1483431497751318530
WTF... is he an actual child (well a man-baby)??
He should be on top of everything nd know exactly whats going on.
Get rid of him!
It was all so very predictable.
ScottXP is a prodigous poster, but I think this is the most he's ever made me laugh. Not even the mildly comedic observation at the end of the sentence, just the first 15 words. It's as if Boris is actively trying to alienate people. I'm quite a fan of excuses which may be technically correct but will go down extremely poorly. It's in the same category as 'it's crown property so the rules don't apply' (from the same source), and Gordon Brown's memorable 'no, I only promised to abolish TORY boom and bust'.
Politicians need to realise that they are held to a higher standard, so "it's technically legal" doesn't wash.
Yes, but he's parsing to the nth degree to avoid the lethal 'lied to the house' charge being proved beyond all doubt.
Not knowing the rules and when he sees a party?! Is he a sentient being? The flat-coated retriever puppy in a story on dog intelligence currently in the Graun could do better than that.
Oh I'm not disagreeing. It's truly pathetic. He's pathetic - both meanings now. But what I reckon's happening is that "lied to the house" has been identified (by him) as something he cannot survive. Therefore he's contorting and machinating beyond measure in order to avoid that conclusion becoming indisputable.
*But* he is very obviously *not* prepared to call Dom C or Dom L a liar.
Boris Johnson saying no one told him the Downing Street gathering was against the rules is a new level of dissociation, almost like he’s spent two years watching someone else be prime minister and is now scratching his head about the decisions they’ve taken. https://twitter.com/IsabelHardman/status/1483431497751318530
WTF... is he an actual child (well a man-baby)??
He should be on top of everything nd know exactly whats going on.
Get rid of him!
It was all so very predictable.
ScottXP is a prodigous poster, but I think this is the most he's ever made me laugh. Not even the mildly comedic observation at the end of the sentence, just the first 15 words. It's as if Boris is actively trying to alienate people. I'm quite a fan of excuses which may be technically correct but will go down extremely poorly. It's in the same category as 'it's crown property so the rules don't apply' (from the same source), and Gordon Brown's memorable 'no, I only promised to abolish TORY boom and bust'.
Politicians need to realise that they are held to a higher standard, so "it's technically legal" doesn't wash.
Yes, but he's parsing to the nth degree to avoid the lethal 'lied to the house' charge being proved beyond all doubt.
Not knowing the rules and when he sees a party?! Is he a sentient being? The flat-coated retriever puppy in a story on dog intelligence currently in the Graun could do better than that.
Oh I'm not disagreeing. It's truly pathetic. He's pathetic - both meanings now. But what I reckon's happening is that "lied to the house" has been identified (by him) as something he cannot survive. Therefore he's contorting and machinating beyond measure in order to avoid that conclusion becoming indisputable.
He's denying any conscious knowledge of the English language.
Can he or @Isam come to the PB get together on March 2nd if they are banned?
Please can we stop banning people for naff all.
Leon should have been banned long ago. The abject dishonesty. The unacceptable personal abuse. The racism and sexism. The vulgarity, and ignorant alarmism.
Sadly, too many find his schtick mildly amusing and hence he gets away with it. Which, really, is a sad commentary on us.
Sorry you feel that way about Leon - I personally enjoy his postings, they can be amusing, insightful, inciteful (ok made that word up) happy, drunken drivel, blind irrational panic, a bit on the nose, rude and frankly different.
One of the joys of the site is that there are a range of posters politically, in manner, experience, sobriety and perhaps even reality.
Sometimes some unpleasant realities of life, or how a sizeable segment of life really is, are expressed in his more rumbunctious posts but life is not always civil.
And frankly I want to know what Albanian taxi drivers are saying, which wines go best whilst sitting on your own overlooking the sea, where the prettiest girls are and aren’t in South America and that the Bronze Age didn’t kill off the noble art of crafting flint sex toys.
There are plenty of combative posters and it’s great even when you get a kick in the balls from one occasionally and long may it continue as the mix of insight, professional knowledge, bullshit and humour means that the site is always lively but never not informative.
IANAL but is there not some sort of disclaimer that OGH can have on the site clearly noting that the views are the views of the poster and not the site so if anyone wants to cast aspersions on the existence of someone’s genitalia or sexual preferences then the site cannot be held responsible?
HE DOESNT NEED ONE
CBA to go through this again, butr here's a random site telling it like it is
"In terms of the liability of the website, internet service or social media platform, the law states that they can only be considered liable if you cannot identify the author of the comments."
Can he or @Isam come to the PB get together on March 2nd if they are banned?
Please can we stop banning people for naff all.
Leon should have been banned long ago. The abject dishonesty. The unacceptable personal abuse. The racism and sexism. The vulgarity, and ignorant alarmism.
Sadly, too many find his schtick mildly amusing and hence he gets away with it. Which, really, is a sad commentary on us.
Is that like the old (Jewish?) joke of one guy asks the other how was dinner at the new restaurant the night before, and the other guy said it was dreadful, almost inedible. And the portions so small...
If you are so distressed at how sad we all are there is always the self-banning option.
No, that’s not the answer, and you know it.
Pay attention! That we Brits are prepared to accept humour as compensation for abject mendacity is the lead story on the news.
Apples and chalk.
Or was the whole flint-knapping thing a ruse to put us off the fact that actually @Leon is an elected official of some significant influence over our lives.
Unlike many of us, no-one would ever elect Leon to anything.
What’s the idiot been banned for now, anyway?
I’ve seen so many of his drunken offensive posts ignored over the years that I must have missed something truly remarkable if he is banned right now?
I believe he called Nicola Sturgeon something that she isn't.
Hmm… I remember the comment you’re alluding to and it hadn’t occurred to me it was anything other than a childishly amusing bit of shitposting rather than anything libellous.
It doesn't appear as a Google autofill suggestion for "is Nicola Sturgeon a [...]", even with including some part of the word in question, so I suspect lawyers' letters.
Can the licensing authorities really detect whether or not I’m watching television?
A TV Licensing spokesman said its systems "enable us to identify whether live TV is being watched, regardless of the technology used. “We don’t talk in detail about detection because we do not want to inadvertently aid people deliberately trying to evade the licence."
Are they ever going to just stop this absurd lie. Its a laughable as Boris saying he didn't know a party was a party. All all the history of the BBC, not a single individual has ever been prosecuted by these secretive methods. That's why the man from C(r)apita has to go around with his clipboard knocking on doors saying are you watching live tv?
Can he or @Isam come to the PB get together on March 2nd if they are banned?
Please can we stop banning people for naff all.
Leon should have been banned long ago. The abject dishonesty. The unacceptable personal abuse. The racism and sexism. The vulgarity, and ignorant alarmism.
Sadly, too many find his schtick mildly amusing and hence he gets away with it. Which, really, is a sad commentary on us.
Sorry you feel that way about Leon - I personally enjoy his postings, they can be amusing, insightful, inciteful (ok made that word up) happy, drunken drivel, blind irrational panic, a bit on the nose, rude and frankly different.
One of the joys of the site is that there are a range of posters politically, in manner, experience, sobriety and perhaps even reality.
Sometimes some unpleasant realities of life, or how a sizeable segment of life really is, are expressed in his more rumbunctious posts but life is not always civil.
And frankly I want to know what Albanian taxi drivers are saying, which wines go best whilst sitting on your own overlooking the sea, where the prettiest girls are and aren’t in South America and that the Bronze Age didn’t kill off the noble art of crafting flint sex toys.
There are plenty of combative posters and it’s great even when you get a kick in the balls from one occasionally and long may it continue as the mix of insight, professional knowledge, bullshit and humour means that the site is always lively but never not informative.
IANAL but is there not some sort of disclaimer that OGH can have on the site clearly noting that the views are the views of the poster and not the site so if anyone wants to cast aspersions on the existence of someone’s genitalia or sexual preferences then the site cannot be held responsible?
HE DOESNT NEED ONE
CBA to go through this again, butr here's a random site telling it like it is
"In terms of the liability of the website, internet service or social media platform, the law states that they can only be considered liable if you cannot identify the author of the comments."
Can he or @Isam come to the PB get together on March 2nd if they are banned?
Please can we stop banning people for naff all.
Sadly, risking libel actions against the site is probably something that cannot be overlooked.
Yeah - Ok - one was a baddie but I genuinely cannot see why Isam was banned (and still is).
@isam opinion on Johnsons charisma and common touch would be quite diverting right now...
His post last autumn about LOL at old the old bores opining that Boris would get his comeuppance one day, would they still be saying that as he increased his majority in 2024, deserves revisiting.
While far from being a fan of @isam for his Powellite views on immigration, he always pushed these politely and was far less mealy mouthed about his reasons.
Can he or @Isam come to the PB get together on March 2nd if they are banned?
Please can we stop banning people for naff all.
Sadly, risking libel actions against the site is probably something that cannot be overlooked.
Yeah - Ok - one was a baddie but I genuinely cannot see why Isam was banned (and still is).
Both of these posters have been banned on several occasions in the past. Whilst I'd like to see them both back, there must to be some limit to how often someone gets banned before it becomes permanent.
I am sure that Leon will return in a new guise...
I'll keep my eyes out for a new poster called Alessandra, a Peruvian trans woman who happens to travel the world a lot and know lots of people in the literary world, and who hand-knits sweaters made from the pubic hair of lesbians which she sells in Camden Market.
Can he or @Isam come to the PB get together on March 2nd if they are banned?
Please can we stop banning people for naff all.
Sadly, risking libel actions against the site is probably something that cannot be overlooked.
Yeah - Ok - one was a baddie but I genuinely cannot see why Isam was banned (and still is).
Both of these posters have been banned on several occasions in the past. Whilst I'd like to see them both back, there must to be some limit to how often someone gets banned before it becomes permanent.
The Fruity One is normally back before the cock has crowed thrice.
Are they ever going to just stop this absurd lie. Its a laughable as Boris saying he didn't know a party was a party. All all the history of the BBC, not a single individual has ever been prosecuted by these secretive methods.
Can the licensing authorities really detect whether or not I’m watching television?
A TV Licensing spokesman said its systems "enable us to identify whether live TV is being watched, regardless of the technology used. “We don’t talk in detail about detection because we do not want to inadvertently aid people deliberately trying to evade the licence."
Theoretically back when we were all using Cathode Ray Tube sets there was an attack known as TEMPEST that would allow you to remotely see what was on someone's TV screen.
The Licensing authorities were not using that. And they sure as hell have no way of detecting what is on your LCD bar looking in the window.
EDIT: In fact, not just watchable - actually enjoyable. I'd rather have an evening with that lot to choose from than an evening with the whole of iplayer.
I don't know if they spent more per programme in those days and did fewer programmes, or were just - you know - better. Eastenders is unchanged of course. But I'd have avoided that back then as assiduously as I avoid it now.
Sadly it highlights one thing the BBC used to excel at but no longer do and that is the standalone play.
From the Wednesday play through to Play for Today, Screen One, Screen Two, screenplay firsts.
They’ve lost the art of it sadly.
Yes, Screenplay is another notable part of that schedule. The BBC had a world-beating pedigree of one-off television plays going back to the early 1960's, but, like so much else, it was all junked in the 1990s. Dennis Potter was one of the angriest about it all, I think also in that famous interview with he gave with Melvyn Bragg before he died.
Can the licensing authorities really detect whether or not I’m watching television?
A TV Licensing spokesman said its systems "enable us to identify whether live TV is being watched, regardless of the technology used. “We don’t talk in detail about detection because we do not want to inadvertently aid people deliberately trying to evade the licence."
Are they ever going to just stop this absurd lie. Its a laughable as Boris saying he didn't know a party was a party. All all the history of the BBC, not a single individual has ever been prosecuted by these secretive methods. That's why the man from C(r)apita has to go around with his clipboard knocking on doors saying are you watching live tv?
I always found it amusing when they tried to enforce the fee against university students by parking a visible van in the car park. As if they had the ability to pinpoint a TV to rooms about two yards in width.
Can he or @Isam come to the PB get together on March 2nd if they are banned?
Please can we stop banning people for naff all.
Leon should have been banned long ago. The abject dishonesty. The unacceptable personal abuse. The racism and sexism. The vulgarity, and ignorant alarmism.
Sadly, too many find his schtick mildly amusing and hence he gets away with it. Which, really, is a sad commentary on us.
Sorry you feel that way about Leon - I personally enjoy his postings, they can be amusing, insightful, inciteful (ok made that word up) happy, drunken drivel, blind irrational panic, a bit on the nose, rude and frankly different.
One of the joys of the site is that there are a range of posters politically, in manner, experience, sobriety and perhaps even reality.
Sometimes some unpleasant realities of life, or how a sizeable segment of life really is, are expressed in his more rumbunctious posts but life is not always civil.
And frankly I want to know what Albanian taxi drivers are saying, which wines go best whilst sitting on your own overlooking the sea, where the prettiest girls are and aren’t in South America and that the Bronze Age didn’t kill off the noble art of crafting flint sex toys.
There are plenty of combative posters and it’s great even when you get a kick in the balls from one occasionally and long may it continue as the mix of insight, professional knowledge, bullshit and humour means that the site is always lively but never not informative.
IANAL but is there not some sort of disclaimer that OGH can have on the site clearly noting that the views are the views of the poster and not the site so if anyone wants to cast aspersions on the existence of someone’s genitalia or sexual preferences then the site cannot be held responsible?
HE DOESNT NEED ONE
CBA to go through this again, butr here's a random site telling it like it is
"In terms of the liability of the website, internet service or social media platform, the law states that they can only be considered liable if you cannot identify the author of the comments."
The RL identity of @Leon is not exactly a closely-guarded secret, either.
Really? I have no idea and please don't tell me. Don't ask, don't tell is my motto, after being attacked for "outing" someone who had previously linked on the site to an obituary of his own dad. But the point is if you can't immediately ID the author you'll be able to once OGH quite rightly tells you who they are.
Can he or @Isam come to the PB get together on March 2nd if they are banned?
Please can we stop banning people for naff all.
Leon should have been banned long ago. The abject dishonesty. The unacceptable personal abuse. The racism and sexism. The vulgarity, and ignorant alarmism.
Sadly, too many find his schtick mildly amusing and hence he gets away with it. Which, really, is a sad commentary on us.
Sorry you feel that way about Leon - I personally enjoy his postings, they can be amusing, insightful, inciteful (ok made that word up) happy, drunken drivel, blind irrational panic, a bit on the nose, rude and frankly different.
One of the joys of the site is that there are a range of posters politically, in manner, experience, sobriety and perhaps even reality.
Sometimes some unpleasant realities of life, or how a sizeable segment of life really is, are expressed in his more rumbunctious posts but life is not always civil.
And frankly I want to know what Albanian taxi drivers are saying, which wines go best whilst sitting on your own overlooking the sea, where the prettiest girls are and aren’t in South America and that the Bronze Age didn’t kill off the noble art of crafting flint sex toys.
There are plenty of combative posters and it’s great even when you get a kick in the balls from one occasionally and long may it continue as the mix of insight, professional knowledge, bullshit and humour means that the site is always lively but never not informative.
IANAL but is there not some sort of disclaimer that OGH can have on the site clearly noting that the views are the views of the poster and not the site so if anyone wants to cast aspersions on the existence of someone’s genitalia or sexual preferences then the site cannot be held responsible?
HE DOESNT NEED ONE
CBA to go through this again, butr here's a random site telling it like it is
"In terms of the liability of the website, internet service or social media platform, the law states that they can only be considered liable if you cannot identify the author of the comments."
Are they ever going to just stop this absurd lie. Its a laughable as Boris saying he didn't know a party was a party. All all the history of the BBC, not a single individual has ever been prosecuted by these secretive methods.
Can the licensing authorities really detect whether or not I’m watching television?
A TV Licensing spokesman said its systems "enable us to identify whether live TV is being watched, regardless of the technology used. “We don’t talk in detail about detection because we do not want to inadvertently aid people deliberately trying to evade the licence."
Theoretically back when we were all using Cathode Ray Tube sets there was an attack known as TEMPEST that would allow you to remotely see what was on someone's TV screen.
The Licensing authorities were not using that. And they sure as hell have no way of detecting what is on your LCD bar looking in the window.
If I remember even back when they tried to claim they had detector vans looking in on CRT, various other government agencies, including intelligence agencies, contacted them and said how are you doing this, we don't think this is possible in the real world at scale, but if you, are we want to know...radio silence.
I honestly thought they had come clean by now and just admitting it was that simply they looked at residual addresses without them and sent Capita officials around to ask (not telling people, that such officials have basically zero legal powers).
Can he or @Isam come to the PB get together on March 2nd if they are banned?
Please can we stop banning people for naff all.
Sadly, risking libel actions against the site is probably something that cannot be overlooked.
Yeah - Ok - one was a baddie but I genuinely cannot see why Isam was banned (and still is).
Both of these posters have been banned on several occasions in the past. Whilst I'd like to see them both back, there must to be some limit to how often someone gets banned before it becomes permanent.
I am sure that Leon will return in a new guise...
I'll keep my eyes out for a new poster called Alessandra, a Peruvian trans woman who happens to travel the world a lot and know lots of people in the literary world, and who hand-knits sweaters made from the pubic hair of lesbians which she sells in Camden Market.
Just seen Boris being interviewed on Sky by Beth Rigby.
Looks a broken man.
'In a pool clip with @BethRigby Boris Johnson looks visibly shaken & teary.'
I hope that that teariness is genuine but BJ has a whole 'I've been such a fool darling, take me back' playbook to draw from. First time for everything I guess..
Smokey Robinson comes to mind.
I'm a big softy who's normally moved - sometimes to tears - by tears but not sure I will be in this case.
Can he or @Isam come to the PB get together on March 2nd if they are banned?
Please can we stop banning people for naff all.
Sadly, risking libel actions against the site is probably something that cannot be overlooked.
Yeah - Ok - one was a baddie but I genuinely cannot see why Isam was banned (and still is).
Both of these posters have been banned on several occasions in the past. Whilst I'd like to see them both back, there must to be some limit to how often someone gets banned before it becomes permanent.
I am sure that Leon will return in a new guise...
I'll keep my eyes out for a new poster called Alessandra, a Peruvian trans woman who happens to travel the world a lot and know lots of people in the literary world, and who hand-knits sweaters made from the pubic hair of lesbians which she sells in Camden Market.
Can he or @Isam come to the PB get together on March 2nd if they are banned?
Please can we stop banning people for naff all.
Sadly, risking libel actions against the site is probably something that cannot be overlooked.
Yeah - Ok - one was a baddie but I genuinely cannot see why Isam was banned (and still is).
Both of these posters have been banned on several occasions in the past. Whilst I'd like to see them both back, there must to be some limit to how often someone gets banned before it becomes permanent.
I am sure that Leon will return in a new guise...
I'll keep my eyes out for a new poster called Alessandra, a Peruvian trans woman who happens to travel the world a lot and know lots of people in the literary world, and who hand-knits sweaters made from the pubic hair of lesbians which she sells in Camden Market.
You are SeanT and I claim my half price taxi ride with the Albanian Black Cab driver.....
Are they ever going to just stop this absurd lie. Its a laughable as Boris saying he didn't know a party was a party. All all the history of the BBC, not a single individual has ever been prosecuted by these secretive methods.
Can the licensing authorities really detect whether or not I’m watching television?
A TV Licensing spokesman said its systems "enable us to identify whether live TV is being watched, regardless of the technology used. “We don’t talk in detail about detection because we do not want to inadvertently aid people deliberately trying to evade the licence."
Theoretically back when we were all using Cathode Ray Tube sets there was an attack known as TEMPEST that would allow you to remotely see what was on someone's TV screen.
The Licensing authorities were not using that. And they sure as hell have no way of detecting what is on your LCD bar looking in the window.
If I remember even back when they tried to claim they had detector vans looking in on CRT, various other government agencies, including intelligence agencies, contacted them and said how are you doing this, we don't think this is possible in the real world at scale, but if you, are we want to know...radio silence.
Like, TEMPEST "attacks" against LCDs still work but the amount of signal leakage is tiny and unequivocally not be able to be detected through walls. In the below link they've got the receiver parked right next to the monitor
Can he or @Isam come to the PB get together on March 2nd if they are banned?
Please can we stop banning people for naff all.
Sadly, risking libel actions against the site is probably something that cannot be overlooked.
Yeah - Ok - one was a baddie but I genuinely cannot see why Isam was banned (and still is).
Both of these posters have been banned on several occasions in the past. Whilst I'd like to see them both back, there must to be some limit to how often someone gets banned before it becomes permanent.
I am sure that Leon will return in a new guise...
I'll keep my eyes out for a new poster called Alessandra, a Peruvian trans woman who happens to travel the world a lot and know lots of people in the literary world, and who hand-knits sweaters made from the pubic hair of lesbians which she sells in Camden Market.
You can but Lesbians in Camden Market?
*Logs on to trainline*
I must say I also made a double take, but that 'which' rather than 'who' is the precise grammatical distinguishing element. Unless one is so into anti-woke and new slavery ...
Can he or @Isam come to the PB get together on March 2nd if they are banned?
Please can we stop banning people for naff all.
Leon should have been banned long ago. The abject dishonesty. The unacceptable personal abuse. The racism and sexism. The vulgarity, and ignorant alarmism.
Sadly, too many find his schtick mildly amusing and hence he gets away with it. Which, really, is a sad commentary on us.
Leon gives no more abuse than many others on here. Even if he uses colourful language he still writes well. He is mildly rightwing but not massively so.
Otherwise we will end up with only supporters of Starmer Labour and the LDs on here soon.
"Yes, Douglas Ross has now called for Boris Johnson's resignation, but Douglas Ross enthusiastically supported him in his attempts to become Prime Minister."
Boris - ‘Nobody told me we were breaking Covid rules’
You made the sodding rules.
That is the problem with Boris's excuse, most people are very unwilling to correct the person who wrote the rulebook, especially when the person is also a petulant child.
It's only a matter of time before Sean T's 'new regeneration' shows up. Wonder what it will will be. An ex-Downing Street SPAD who was at one of the boozy parties?
IANAL but is there not some sort of disclaimer that OGH can have on the site clearly noting that the views are the views of the poster and not the site so if anyone wants to cast aspersions on the existence of someone’s genitalia or sexual preferences then the site cannot be held responsible?
Can he or @Isam come to the PB get together on March 2nd if they are banned?
Please can we stop banning people for naff all.
Leon should have been banned long ago. The abject dishonesty. The unacceptable personal abuse. The racism and sexism. The vulgarity, and ignorant alarmism.
Sadly, too many find his schtick mildly amusing and hence he gets away with it. Which, really, is a sad commentary on us.
The only thing more worrying than a Russian invasion of Ukraine, is a UK response to one led by Johnson
There will not be a UK response, certainly not a military one as the Ukraine is not a member of NATO.
Only if Russia invaded Poland or the Baltic states for example, which are NATO members, would there be a UK military response. At most there would be some economic sanctions
You do know we are already providing arms to Ukraine
We will not be sending ground troops, tanks or fighter jets to defend Ukraine, a non NATO member state.
We sell arms to lots of countries
You are off your head with this analysis. It is not just annexing Ukraine that concerns most of us it is what happens next too.
If Putin takes Ukraine without so much as a whimper, why not all the former Soviet satellite states, plus Finland Sweden and Norway?
Finland and Sweden are not in NATO, so we would not be obliged to defend them either.
We would only be required to defend Norway and the Baltic states which are in NATO
You can't defend either Norway or the Baltic States without defending Sweden and Finland.
You can, if Sweden and Finland want to join NATO then we can defend them, not before. Same with non NATO Ireland.
Our terms of NATO membership do not prevent us from going to war to defend other countries if we wish.
Kuwait wasn't in NATO either.
Taking military action against Russia is a rather more tough proposition than taking military action against Iraq. The former leads to WW3, the latter does not.
Plus Russia has a permanent veto on the UN Security Council which Iraq did not, so UN approved action was easier when Iraq invaded Kuwait.
The main defence v Russia therefore remains NATO
There are concerns, according to BBC correspondent Mark Orban last, that the EU is about to soften its stance to Russia.
Orban claimed t on TV that in bolstering Ukraine's defences, British forces flying men and gear to the region were asked to avoid German and Dutch airspace. Germany is also reported about threats to freeze Russia out of the global payments system.
If naked aggression from belligerent governments is what works with the EU then maybe we should put 20,000 troops in South Armagh and post the Queen Elizabeth permanently in the Irish Sea.
If RAF fighter sorties over Dublin might get an agreement, perhaps we should do that.
No request was made for a flight over Germany, so none was refused:
I also asked them, "why did the Royal air force rather circumfly Germany than using its air space to fly to Ukraine the shortest way?", but got no reply on that question.
They were unofficially told "you'll get refused so don't bother applying"?
It's entirely possible there was a perfectly innocent explanation - winds at altitude, speed of getting agreement from two countries known to be cooperative (Denmark, Poland) rather than others known to take their time (Belgium, Netherlands, Germany) when speed is of the essence. However, the day a German Minister says "Germany won't arm Ukraine" having earned a fortune training the Russian military, before flying on to Moscow, the optics are unfortunate, and certainly will have been noted in Eastern Europe.
I’m told this is the second meeting to take place this week where 2019 MPs have met to discuss submitting letters of no confidence to Sir Graham Brady 📝
Can he or @Isam come to the PB get together on March 2nd if they are banned?
Please can we stop banning people for naff all.
Sadly, risking libel actions against the site is probably something that cannot be overlooked.
Yeah - Ok - one was a baddie but I genuinely cannot see why Isam was banned (and still is).
Both of these posters have been banned on several occasions in the past. Whilst I'd like to see them both back, there must to be some limit to how often someone gets banned before it becomes permanent.
I am sure that Leon will return in a new guise...
I hope he does. Whatever you may think of his views, he's easily the best writer on the site in terms of his sheer writerly ability, and can be pretty insightful in some areas. And no-one can touch him for entertainment value. A very sad loss if he doesn't return.
IANAL but is there not some sort of disclaimer that OGH can have on the site clearly noting that the views are the views of the poster and not the site so if anyone wants to cast aspersions on the existence of someone’s genitalia or sexual preferences then the site cannot be held responsible?
No.
Yes. He could properly have one if he wanted to, it would just be superfluous.
"Yes, Douglas Ross has now called for Boris Johnson's resignation, but Douglas Ross enthusiastically supported him in his attempts to become Prime Minister."
Comments
https://www.bbc.com/sport/rugby-union/60036981
If you really wanted to cover a growing grass roots sport especially with your diversity agenda etc, BBL basketball.
Pay attention! That we Brits are prepared to accept humour as compensation for abject mendacity is the lead story on the news.
From the Wednesday play through to Play for Today, Screen One, Screen Two, screenplay firsts.
They’ve lost the art of it sadly.
Gone by end March 4.1
End Jan 7.6
look value to me
Her form is totally deserting her.
Or was the whole flint-knapping thing a ruse to put us off the fact that actually @Leon is an elected official of some significant influence over our lives.
Bigger pitcher, what now for NZ? my 2 nepheshes are now back in school, if you count 2 days a week as 'back in school' because they are different years its different days so my sister in law is now trapped at home supervising them most of the week.
They have had very good take up of vaccine, but sociologically they don't seem ready to open up and let it rip. perhaps when the Australians are past there peek, then it will not look so scary.
I hope that that teariness is genuine but BJ has a whole 'I've been such a fool darling, take me back' playbook to draw from. First time for everything I guess..
https://twitter.com/breeallegretti/status/1483443966636867588
What’s the idiot been banned for now, anyway?
I’ve seen so many of his drunken offensive posts ignored over the years that I must have missed something truly remarkable if he is banned right now?
It's tough though - the great thing about the commercial space is it forces people to try hard to make stuff good. If only good meant some actual standards though! Good in this context means what the masses like, and the masses have (I'm wildly overplaying this, so tongue in cheek a little) been dumbed down by the crap the BBC has recently produced.
I think the BBC is precisely the place where an oligarchy works best, and we need to go back to the old way of choosing those oligarchs.
It is now at the point I hope he does resign for his own mental health
https://order-order.com/2022/01/18/watch-boriss-emotional-apology-for-april-16-parties/
Beth Rigby being all hyper outraged about COVID rule breaking takes some brass.
Tip to anyone tempted to feel sorry for him: Afghans who are in Afghanistan but would be in the UK but for Air Petacci are probably not having a great time either.
(runs for cover)
One of the joys of the site is that there are a range of posters politically, in manner, experience, sobriety and perhaps even reality.
Sometimes some unpleasant realities of life, or how a sizeable segment of life really is, are expressed in his more rumbunctious posts but life is not always civil.
And frankly I want to know what Albanian taxi drivers are saying, which wines go best whilst sitting on your own overlooking the sea, where the prettiest girls are and aren’t in South America and that the Bronze Age didn’t kill off the noble art of crafting flint sex toys.
There are plenty of combative posters and it’s great even when you get a kick in the balls from one occasionally and long may it continue as the mix of insight, professional knowledge, bullshit and humour means that the site is always lively but never not informative.
IANAL but is there not some sort of disclaimer that OGH can have on the site clearly noting that the views are the views of the poster and not the site so if anyone wants to cast aspersions on the existence of someone’s genitalia or sexual preferences then the site cannot be held responsible?
https://twitter.com/RobDotHutton/status/1483353944457990145
Mince.
I also asked them, "why did the Royal air force rather circumfly Germany than using its air space to fly to Ukraine the shortest way?", but got no reply on that question.
https://twitter.com/JulianRoepcke/status/1483409933051826177?s=20
CBA to go through this again, butr here's a random site telling it like it is
"In terms of the liability of the website, internet service or social media platform, the law states that they can only be considered liable if you cannot identify the author of the comments."
https://www.igniyte.co.uk/blog/can-you-sue-for-defamation-on-social-media/
Pain grille.
Which presumably means she doesn't stand a snowball's chance in hell.
A TV Licensing spokesman said its systems "enable us to identify whether live TV is being watched, regardless of the technology used. “We don’t talk in detail about detection because we do not want to inadvertently aid people deliberately trying to evade the licence."
https://www.telegraph.co.uk/bills-and-utilities/tv/the-legal-way-to-avoid-paying-the-tv-licence-fee/
Are they ever going to just stop this absurd lie. Its a laughable as Boris saying he didn't know a party was a party. All all the history of the BBC, not a single individual has ever been prosecuted by these secretive methods. That's why the man from C(r)apita has to go around with his clipboard knocking on doors saying are you watching live tv?
He is a good tipster though.
Mr Johnson and the people of the UK, on the oither hand ...
Theoretically back when we were all using Cathode Ray Tube sets there was an attack known as TEMPEST that would allow you to remotely see what was on someone's TV screen.
The Licensing authorities were not using that. And they sure as hell have no way of detecting what is on your LCD bar looking in the window.
https://twitter.com/PippaCrerar/status/1483449714196549639
https://twitter.com/breeallegretti/status/1483443966636867588
I honestly thought they had come clean by now and just admitting it was that simply they looked at residual addresses without them and sent Capita officials around to ask (not telling people, that such officials have basically zero legal powers).
I'm a big softy who's normally moved - sometimes to tears - by tears but not sure I will be in this case.
*Logs on to trainline*
You made the sodding rules.
https://www.digitalinterruption.com/tempest-in-action
Otherwise we will end up with only supporters of Starmer Labour and the LDs on here soon.
https://twitter.com/KirstyStricklan/status/1483450407984807938
@NicolaSturgeon on @SkyNews:
"Yes, Douglas Ross has now called for Boris Johnson's resignation, but Douglas Ross enthusiastically supported him in his attempts to become Prime Minister."
https://twitter.com/LeePirie/status/1483043510274207753?s=20
I enjoyed the new rule about tables on dancefloors - that is no longer an available loophole for dancing, apparently.
And it’s only Tuesday…
https://twitter.com/MhariAurora/status/1483452059747864586
https://twitter.com/breeallegretti/status/1483443966636867588
If he had any respect for the British public, he would do the decent thing and resign.
https://twitter.com/AngelaRayner/status/1483441227567616007
https://twitter.com/SkyNews/status/1483431855001063429
https://twitter.com/fleetstreetfox/status/1483452634593910786
https://twitter.com/BorisJohnson/status/1241348429546217475
https://www.cnbc.com/2022/01/17/chamath-palihapitiya-says-nobody-cares-about-uyghur-genocide-in-china.html