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5 days before becoming PM Brown faced a tough BBC grilling – politicalbetting.com

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Comments

  • DougSealDougSeal Posts: 11,059
    edited August 2022
    Is there any chance people could quit on the AI pics? It’s a bit disturbing and I think there’s a ban on them?

    EDIT - sorry, I see management has already stepped in.
  • LeonLeon Posts: 46,210
    rcs1000 said:

    Leon said:

    rcs1000 said:

    Leon said:

    I fed in this prompt


    “A bunch of PB-ers cowering in a cupboard, staring in bewilderment at Stable Diffusion”


    You have been warned once already.
    I only posted this because others posted theirs, and they received no warning. So I plead innocence in this case. I was not trying to provoke, just illustrate

    However, you're the boss, so I will desist - until and unless the ban is lifted
    I wasn't on-line.

    I am now.

    Enough.
    Wilko

    I'm now writing about all this for the Knapper's Gazette. So their readership of 3 will get the benefit of my imagistic wisdom
  • NigelbNigelb Posts: 61,562
    .
    Leon said:

    kyf_100 said:

    Leon said:

    kyf_100 said:

    Selebian said:

    kyf_100 said:

    Leon said:

    @kyf_100

    “Free version (slow, queue)

    https://huggingface.co/spaces/stabilityai/stable-diffusion

    Paid with credits (instant, and you get a few credits free)

    https://beta.dreamstudio.ai/home

    I've been playing with both all afternoon and have barely got anything coherent, let alone anything chuckleworthty.”

    ++++

    I don’t wish to boast - you know what I’m like - but I was getting memorable results within 20 minutes and Holy Shit results within 2 hours

    You just have to work out what Stable Diffusion is good at - and what it isn’t - and also what words trigger it into doing the good shit, without also triggering it’s no-porn no-violence censor modules

    Perhaps I’m good at it because I’m good with flints and words? Which is slightly reassuring. Still a small role for the artist

    I found it absolutely spot on at creating stock-y images like "attractive boho girl stares longingly at you across the room at party" or "windswept man on yacht stares out to sea" but when you try to feed it anything unexpected or contradictory, it struggles. "Man high fiving giant rat" delivered nothing of the sort, "dictator in general's uniform at a warehouse rave surrounded by gurning idiots" delivered an image that looked more like a bunch of army blokes in a barracks, and certainly not passable as photographic (too many distortions), and when I tried "the sugababes doing karaoke at a death metal concert, the stage is on fire", it delivered neither sugababes nor fire - no death metal either, come to think of it - just three generic singers standing on a generic stage.

    So my takeaway is it's fairly good at producing stock-y expected images, but if you want to get granular about the details of the image, or throw something unexpected at it in terms of proportion size or "something that shouldn't be in the room is present" it can't cope.
    Stock images are where I can see this kind of thing taking off. I guess it's a huge enough market to go after. I just hope the developers have been scrupulous about the licensing of training sets - it seems a bit of a stretch to call a generated image a derived work, but a stretch is no impediment to long court battles for vested interests with deep pockets (e.g. Oracle versus Google).

    On some of your specific examples, moral rights are an interesting one. If you can create a recognisable image of the sugababes then what restrictions do they have on how it is used? You'd probably be fine in certain contexts with some of the normal defences, but others could be tricky.
    I've controlled for "it won't let you do famous people" - since I've had remarkable success at prompts including "Britney Spears holding hands with a clown" and "Britney and Rhianna kissing" (which is surprising it got through the filter as the final result is *nearly* lewd).

    In terms of usefulness, I once did some work for a company whose big idea for a PR stunt was to get the lead singers of two notorious rival bands to sing together on stage (sponsored by the company of course). A photoshopper was duly appointed and spent a day creating a realistic looking image of the two rival singers loved up and crooning together in a duet (the company logo flying proudly behind them on stage). The image was borderline believable, though still photoshopped if you looked at it closely. Hence my interest in working with prompts like this. I've had situations where it would have actually been useful at work.

    The type of images I've been generating today look absolutely nothing close to what the professional photoshopper was able to achieve in a few hours, and it really does feel like pot luck more than anything else. One of the images I generated gave me two sugababes, but one of them had three legs.

    My overall impression of it is "meh, it's a bit of fun but it's wrong 9 times out of 10 and generates nothing close to what a skilled human can create, though using AI may well in the future cut down on a professional designer's workflow substantially (a lot of modern photoshopping is automated through ai tools, albeit guided by a human hand).
    You’re using it wrong. It’s that basic
    I'm giving it prompts similar to prompts I've given a real life person who is skilled in photoshop in order to put together key visuals for a PR campaign I was working on, in order to answer the question "could it replace that person's job?" and the answer is a resounding no.

    I'm using it. Is there a right way or a wrong way to use it? Why is generating endless images of horrific clown faced children the right way to use it?
    You're not an artist. You have no idea how to use it…

    Your talent for ironic comment hasn’t failed you.
  • pingping Posts: 3,724
    edited August 2022
    I’ve dwelt on the Meghan/Windsor thingy for a while and come to a firm, devastating - and I believe, accurate conclusion.

    https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-62717696

    I mean, I basically don’t care about the Windsors or Meghan and Harry. But it’s still oddly fascinating.

    Anyway, my conclusion. The BBC have, whether they meant to or not, picked up the killer line in that cut interview.

    “We upset Royal dynamic just by existing”

    Says the headline.

    Yes. Yes, that’s exactly it. In her own way, using her own distorted logic, she’s realised something deep, profound, and disturbing.

    A truth that any woman who has married a man with a more powerful, higher status,(usually older) brother eventually realises.

    She married the wrong prince.

    And it’s destroying her.

    That’s why she’s lashing out.

    “We upset Royal dynamic just by existing”

    That problem would not have happened had she married the correct prince. She’s destroying her relationship with Harry, with her logic. And he’s too dumb/infatuated to understand this. And the real story has flown over the heads of the media.
  • DougSeal said:

    Is there any chance people could quit on the AI pics? It’s a bit disturbing and I think there’s a ban on them?

    EDIT - sorry, I see management has already stepped in.

    I have thought about it but I do value this forum, (even if I post rubbish according to some), but I also trust the moderators
  • LeonLeon Posts: 46,210
    Jesus Z Christ

    You should see the image I am looking at now. Ravishing

    If I saw this on a magazine cover in Tesco I'd stop and pick it up and admire the brilliance of the designer, the beauty of the model, the costume, the concept

    And yet a computer made it in 10 seconds
  • MISTYMISTY Posts: 1,594

    Support for Welsh independence is growing – people are fed up with being forgotten
    - As in Scotland, many people have looked at the United Kingdom and decided that it’s simply not working for them

    The idea of an independent Wales is no longer just a hobby-horse of bearded men in Carmarthenshire pubs on Six Nations rugby match days. Polls put support for independence at about 30%, (and skew more pro- the younger you go): not enough to signal anything imminent, but high enough for us to be certain something real is happening. After all, Scotland was polling similar numbers in 2007, and just seven years later David Cameron, Ed Miliband and Nick Clegg were making “the vow” to the people of Scotland as they scrambled to keep the union together.

    https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2022/aug/30/support-welsh-independence-growing-scotland-uk

    Wales is not Scotland. You could not even hold a debate about whether it could survive as an independent country. It has no oil and gas, no large financial sector, no massive drinks industry and does not play a huge part in the UK's defence arrangements.

    It could not even begin to create the wealth it would need to support itself. Drakeford, an uninspiring Marxist apparatchik, does not even try. Its public services, already crumbling on the giant bung it gets from England every year, would simply collapse.

  • Leon said:

    Jesus Z Christ

    You should see the image I am looking at now. Ravishing

    If I saw this on a magazine cover in Tesco I'd stop and pick it up and admire the brilliance of the designer, the beauty of the model, the costume, the concept

    And yet a computer made it in 10 seconds

    You really need to stop please
  • DougSealDougSeal Posts: 11,059

    DougSeal said:

    Is there any chance people could quit on the AI pics? It’s a bit disturbing and I think there’s a ban on them?

    EDIT - sorry, I see management has already stepped in.

    I have thought about it but I do value this forum, (even if I post rubbish according to some), but I also trust the moderators
    Sorry I meant “cease and desist” from posting the pictures rather than leave the site

  • LeonLeon Posts: 46,210

    Leon said:

    Jesus Z Christ

    You should see the image I am looking at now. Ravishing

    If I saw this on a magazine cover in Tesco I'd stop and pick it up and admire the brilliance of the designer, the beauty of the model, the costume, the concept

    And yet a computer made it in 10 seconds

    You really need to stop please
    What??

    I'm not posting any images. Now you are complaining that I am merely commenting on something?

    Get a grip

    I accept that a visual suddenly appearing can be upsetting, but there is an easy remedy for a comment you find tedious. irrelevant, repetitive, or whatever: you scroll past. I do it to you
  • MISTY said:

    Support for Welsh independence is growing – people are fed up with being forgotten
    - As in Scotland, many people have looked at the United Kingdom and decided that it’s simply not working for them

    The idea of an independent Wales is no longer just a hobby-horse of bearded men in Carmarthenshire pubs on Six Nations rugby match days. Polls put support for independence at about 30%, (and skew more pro- the younger you go): not enough to signal anything imminent, but high enough for us to be certain something real is happening. After all, Scotland was polling similar numbers in 2007, and just seven years later David Cameron, Ed Miliband and Nick Clegg were making “the vow” to the people of Scotland as they scrambled to keep the union together.

    https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2022/aug/30/support-welsh-independence-growing-scotland-uk

    Wales is not Scotland. You could not even hold a debate about whether it could survive as an independent country. It has no oil and gas, no large financial sector, no massive drinks industry and does not play a huge part in the UK's defence arrangements.

    It could not even begin to create the wealth it would need to support itself. Drakeford, an uninspiring Marxist apparatchik, does not even try. Its public services, already crumbling on the giant bung it gets from England every year, would simply collapse.

    And the North would declare UDI and join Lancashire and Cheshire

    It is not going to happen for many reasons including those you mention
  • DougSealDougSeal Posts: 11,059
    Is there any chance we could run a membership d
    Leon said:

    Jesus Z Christ

    You should see the image I am looking at now. Ravishing

    If I saw this on a magazine cover in Tesco I'd stop and pick it up and admire the brilliance of the designer, the beauty of the model, the costume, the concept

    And yet a computer made it in 10 seconds

    I’m delighted for you. Now change the record. Please.

  • CyclefreeCyclefree Posts: 25,074
    Leon said:

    Jesus Z Christ

    You should see the image I am looking at now. Ravishing

    If I saw this on a magazine cover in Tesco I'd stop and pick it up and admire the brilliance of the designer, the beauty of the model, the costume, the concept

    And yet a computer made it in 10 seconds

    Really, @Leon, that's no way to talk about Meghan. Tsk!
  • Big_G_NorthWalesBig_G_NorthWales Posts: 60,001
    edited August 2022
    Leon said:

    Leon said:

    Jesus Z Christ

    You should see the image I am looking at now. Ravishing

    If I saw this on a magazine cover in Tesco I'd stop and pick it up and admire the brilliance of the designer, the beauty of the model, the costume, the concept

    And yet a computer made it in 10 seconds

    You really need to stop please
    What??

    I'm not posting any images. Now you are complaining that I am merely commenting on something?

    Get a grip

    I accept that a visual suddenly appearing can be upsetting, but there is an easy remedy for a comment you find tedious. irrelevant, repetitive, or whatever: you scroll past. I do it to you
    Your avatar repeats it every time
  • carnforthcarnforth Posts: 3,054
    ping said:

    I’ve dwelt on the Meghan/Windsor thingy for a while and come to a firm, devastating - and I believe, accurate conclusion.

    https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-62717696

    I mean, I basically don’t care about the Windsors or Meghan and Harry. But it’s still oddly fascinating.

    Anyway, my conclusion. The BBC have, whether they meant to or not, picked up the killer line in that cut interview.

    “We upset Royal dynamic just by existing”

    Says the headline.

    Yes. Yes, that’s exactly it. In her own way, using her own distorted logic, she’s realised something deep, profound, and disturbing.

    A truth that any woman who has married a man with a more powerful, higher status,(usually older) brother eventually realises.

    She married the wrong prince.

    And it’s destroying her.

    That’s why she’s lashing out.

    “We upset Royal dynamic just by existing”

    That problem would not have happened had she married the correct prince. She’s destroying her relationship with Harry, with her logic. And he’s too dumb/infatuated to understand this. And the real story has flown over the heads of the media.

    The Times was uncharcteristically bitchy this morning:




  • LeonLeon Posts: 46,210
    DougSeal said:

    Is there any chance we could run a membership d

    Leon said:

    Jesus Z Christ

    You should see the image I am looking at now. Ravishing

    If I saw this on a magazine cover in Tesco I'd stop and pick it up and admire the brilliance of the designer, the beauty of the model, the costume, the concept

    And yet a computer made it in 10 seconds

    I’m delighted for you. Now change the record. Please.

    I'll comment on whatever I like - within the rules of moderation

    We have been discussing this amazing new tech on and off all day. It makes a refreshing change, I find, from discussing the impending heat death of the universe and the simultaneous nuclear apocalypse

    You differ. Meh. Whatever
  • LeonLeon Posts: 46,210

    Leon said:

    Leon said:

    Jesus Z Christ

    You should see the image I am looking at now. Ravishing

    If I saw this on a magazine cover in Tesco I'd stop and pick it up and admire the brilliance of the designer, the beauty of the model, the costume, the concept

    And yet a computer made it in 10 seconds

    You really need to stop please
    What??

    I'm not posting any images. Now you are complaining that I am merely commenting on something?

    Get a grip

    I accept that a visual suddenly appearing can be upsetting, but there is an easy remedy for a comment you find tedious. irrelevant, repetitive, or whatever: you scroll past. I do it to you
    Your avatar repeats it every time
    Really??? Is that what's upsetting you?

    You have to click on it to see anything shocking. Are you clicking on it?

    STOP CLICKING ON MY AVATAR, BIG G
  • MISTYMISTY Posts: 1,594

    MISTY said:

    Support for Welsh independence is growing – people are fed up with being forgotten
    - As in Scotland, many people have looked at the United Kingdom and decided that it’s simply not working for them

    The idea of an independent Wales is no longer just a hobby-horse of bearded men in Carmarthenshire pubs on Six Nations rugby match days. Polls put support for independence at about 30%, (and skew more pro- the younger you go): not enough to signal anything imminent, but high enough for us to be certain something real is happening. After all, Scotland was polling similar numbers in 2007, and just seven years later David Cameron, Ed Miliband and Nick Clegg were making “the vow” to the people of Scotland as they scrambled to keep the union together.

    https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2022/aug/30/support-welsh-independence-growing-scotland-uk

    Wales is not Scotland. You could not even hold a debate about whether it could survive as an independent country. It has no oil and gas, no large financial sector, no massive drinks industry and does not play a huge part in the UK's defence arrangements.

    It could not even begin to create the wealth it would need to support itself. Drakeford, an uninspiring Marxist apparatchik, does not even try. Its public services, already crumbling on the giant bung it gets from England every year, would simply collapse.

    And the North would declare UDI and join Lancashire and Cheshire

    It is not going to happen for many reasons including those you mention
    As a welsh exile the relationship always fascinates me. The Conservative government is quite happy to sponsor socialism in Wales, year in year out, with no conditions whatever. Why?

    Why not make the money conditional on Wales reaching some basic targets? Like having a private sector that actually generates some wealth?

  • Leon said:

    Leon said:

    Leon said:

    Jesus Z Christ

    You should see the image I am looking at now. Ravishing

    If I saw this on a magazine cover in Tesco I'd stop and pick it up and admire the brilliance of the designer, the beauty of the model, the costume, the concept

    And yet a computer made it in 10 seconds

    You really need to stop please
    What??

    I'm not posting any images. Now you are complaining that I am merely commenting on something?

    Get a grip

    I accept that a visual suddenly appearing can be upsetting, but there is an easy remedy for a comment you find tedious. irrelevant, repetitive, or whatever: you scroll past. I do it to you
    Your avatar repeats it every time
    Really??? Is that what's upsetting you?

    You have to click on it to see anything shocking. Are you clicking on it?

    STOP CLICKING ON MY AVATAR, BIG G
    I do not click on your avatar - it is shown on your posts

    However, I have no more to say and it is up to the moderators to moderate their site
  • DougSealDougSeal Posts: 11,059
    Leon said:

    DougSeal said:

    Is there any chance we could run a membership d

    Leon said:

    Jesus Z Christ

    You should see the image I am looking at now. Ravishing

    If I saw this on a magazine cover in Tesco I'd stop and pick it up and admire the brilliance of the designer, the beauty of the model, the costume, the concept

    And yet a computer made it in 10 seconds

    I’m delighted for you. Now change the record. Please.

    I'll comment on whatever I like - within the rules of moderation

    We have been discussing this amazing new tech on and off all day. It makes a refreshing change, I find, from discussing the impending heat death of the universe and the simultaneous nuclear apocalypse

    You differ. Meh. Whatever
    It’s not a refreshing change though, is it? You’ve been telling us how amazing this new tech is for days, weeks. It’s not really a discussion either.

    Anyway, you can post what you want, as you say, and I can criticise those posts, as you imply.

  • MISTY said:

    MISTY said:

    Support for Welsh independence is growing – people are fed up with being forgotten
    - As in Scotland, many people have looked at the United Kingdom and decided that it’s simply not working for them

    The idea of an independent Wales is no longer just a hobby-horse of bearded men in Carmarthenshire pubs on Six Nations rugby match days. Polls put support for independence at about 30%, (and skew more pro- the younger you go): not enough to signal anything imminent, but high enough for us to be certain something real is happening. After all, Scotland was polling similar numbers in 2007, and just seven years later David Cameron, Ed Miliband and Nick Clegg were making “the vow” to the people of Scotland as they scrambled to keep the union together.

    https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2022/aug/30/support-welsh-independence-growing-scotland-uk

    Wales is not Scotland. You could not even hold a debate about whether it could survive as an independent country. It has no oil and gas, no large financial sector, no massive drinks industry and does not play a huge part in the UK's defence arrangements.

    It could not even begin to create the wealth it would need to support itself. Drakeford, an uninspiring Marxist apparatchik, does not even try. Its public services, already crumbling on the giant bung it gets from England every year, would simply collapse.

    And the North would declare UDI and join Lancashire and Cheshire

    It is not going to happen for many reasons including those you mention
    As a welsh exile the relationship always fascinates me. The Conservative government is quite happy to sponsor socialism in Wales, year in year out, with no conditions whatever. Why?

    Why not make the money conditional on Wales reaching some basic targets? Like having a private sector that actually generates some wealth?

    Airbus is huge in North Wales and generates wealth and good paid secure jobs for many thousands
  • ydoethurydoethur Posts: 66,733

    Support for Welsh independence is growing – people are fed up with being forgotten
    - As in Scotland, many people have looked at the United Kingdom and decided that it’s simply not working for them

    The idea of an independent Wales is no longer just a hobby-horse of bearded men in Carmarthenshire pubs on Six Nations rugby match days. Polls put support for independence at about 30%, (and skew more pro- the younger you go): not enough to signal anything imminent, but high enough for us to be certain something real is happening. After all, Scotland was polling similar numbers in 2007, and just seven years later David Cameron, Ed Miliband and Nick Clegg were making “the vow” to the people of Scotland as they scrambled to keep the union together.

    https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2022/aug/30/support-welsh-independence-growing-scotland-uk

    Are you now a Welch expert?

    If so, I'd keep off betting sites...
  • IcarusIcarus Posts: 885
    What if Truss isn't as bad as we all expect? What if she comes up with a half decent way of making energy affordable? Will she be hailed as the new Messiah?
  • LeonLeon Posts: 46,210
    DougSeal said:

    Leon said:

    DougSeal said:

    Is there any chance we could run a membership d

    Leon said:

    Jesus Z Christ

    You should see the image I am looking at now. Ravishing

    If I saw this on a magazine cover in Tesco I'd stop and pick it up and admire the brilliance of the designer, the beauty of the model, the costume, the concept

    And yet a computer made it in 10 seconds

    I’m delighted for you. Now change the record. Please.

    I'll comment on whatever I like - within the rules of moderation

    We have been discussing this amazing new tech on and off all day. It makes a refreshing change, I find, from discussing the impending heat death of the universe and the simultaneous nuclear apocalypse

    You differ. Meh. Whatever
    It’s not a refreshing change though, is it? You’ve been telling us how amazing this new tech is for days, weeks. It’s not really a discussion either.

    Anyway, you can post what you want, as you say, and I can criticise those posts, as you imply.

    It is a discussion, see upthread

    And this is not the same tech, this is new: Stable Diffusion not GPT3 or Dalle-2, though they are all part of the same astonishing and accelerating rush to true AI, which will transform our relationship with art, and much else. Human society is about to be revolutionised

    Personally, I find that almost as interesting as the prospects for Welsh independence, but each to their own, as you say
  • Icarus said:

    What if Truss isn't as bad as we all expect? What if she comes up with a half decent way of making energy affordable? Will she be hailed as the new Messiah?

    If it happens there are going to be a lot of very red faces !!!!
  • CarnyxCarnyx Posts: 39,123
    edited August 2022

    Support for Welsh independence is growing – people are fed up with being forgotten
    - As in Scotland, many people have looked at the United Kingdom and decided that it’s simply not working for them

    The idea of an independent Wales is no longer just a hobby-horse of bearded men in Carmarthenshire pubs on Six Nations rugby match days. Polls put support for independence at about 30%, (and skew more pro- the younger you go): not enough to signal anything imminent, but high enough for us to be certain something real is happening. After all, Scotland was polling similar numbers in 2007, and just seven years later David Cameron, Ed Miliband and Nick Clegg were making “the vow” to the people of Scotland as they scrambled to keep the union together.

    https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2022/aug/30/support-welsh-independence-growing-scotland-uk

    Totally unsurprising when the country is ruled by an English (actually a particular form of English) nationalist party.
    I did not know Welsh Labour were an English party
    It's all one London-based Labour party, GB-wide, if it's like Scotland. There's no legal separation - accounting and so on. Hence why Kezia Dugdale was stopped by Jenny Formby in Labour HQ from spending money on a law case. In Scotland at least they only get away wiuth calling themselves the Scottish Labour Party by a fiddle clause in the electoral registration (which IIRC is not required by the SGs, SLD or STs).
  • MexicanpeteMexicanpete Posts: 24,583
    edited August 2022
    MISTY said:

    Support for Welsh independence is growing – people are fed up with being forgotten
    - As in Scotland, many people have looked at the United Kingdom and decided that it’s simply not working for them

    The idea of an independent Wales is no longer just a hobby-horse of bearded men in Carmarthenshire pubs on Six Nations rugby match days. Polls put support for independence at about 30%, (and skew more pro- the younger you go): not enough to signal anything imminent, but high enough for us to be certain something real is happening. After all, Scotland was polling similar numbers in 2007, and just seven years later David Cameron, Ed Miliband and Nick Clegg were making “the vow” to the people of Scotland as they scrambled to keep the union together.

    https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2022/aug/30/support-welsh-independence-growing-scotland-uk

    Wales is not Scotland. You could not even hold a debate about whether it could survive as an independent country. It has no oil and gas, no large financial sector, no massive drinks industry and does not play a huge part in the UK's defence arrangements.

    It could not even begin to create the wealth it would need to support itself. Drakeford, an uninspiring Marxist apparatchik, does not even try. Its public services, already crumbling on the giant bung it gets from England every year, would simply collapse.

    Do you think after independence we in Wales will have to start paying income tax and VAT like you do in England (before all the revenue is handed to us)?
  • pingping Posts: 3,724
    edited August 2022
    carnforth said:

    ping said:

    I’ve dwelt on the Meghan/Windsor thingy for a while and come to a firm, devastating - and I believe, accurate conclusion.

    https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-62717696

    I mean, I basically don’t care about the Windsors or Meghan and Harry. But it’s still oddly fascinating.

    Anyway, my conclusion. The BBC have, whether they meant to or not, picked up the killer line in that cut interview.

    “We upset Royal dynamic just by existing”

    Says the headline.

    Yes. Yes, that’s exactly it. In her own way, using her own distorted logic, she’s realised something deep, profound, and disturbing.

    A truth that any woman who has married a man with a more powerful, higher status,(usually older) brother eventually realises.

    She married the wrong prince.

    And it’s destroying her.

    That’s why she’s lashing out.

    “We upset Royal dynamic just by existing”

    That problem would not have happened had she married the correct prince. She’s destroying her relationship with Harry, with her logic. And he’s too dumb/infatuated to understand this. And the real story has flown over the heads of the media.

    The Times was uncharcteristically bitchy this morning:



    The truth is too unpalatable for them to print, so they come out with that bitchy crap.

    I mean, yes, she wants control, but that’s hardly a revelation. So does Kate, in her own way. And the queen? Complete control freak.

    Barely worthy of printing.

    Unreasonably cruel, even. All the while missing the even crueler truth that her words reveal. She’s fallen out of love with Harry and is desperately, head-over-heels, in love with William.

    And she, consciously, knows it.

    It’s tragic.
  • CarnyxCarnyx Posts: 39,123

    It's a pity that @RochdalePioneers got rid of his safe - otherwise he could have lent it to Liz to hide in!

    I am sure Johnson could find a suitable fridge for her.
    Left over from the wine parties in No 10.
  • Carnyx said:

    Support for Welsh independence is growing – people are fed up with being forgotten
    - As in Scotland, many people have looked at the United Kingdom and decided that it’s simply not working for them

    The idea of an independent Wales is no longer just a hobby-horse of bearded men in Carmarthenshire pubs on Six Nations rugby match days. Polls put support for independence at about 30%, (and skew more pro- the younger you go): not enough to signal anything imminent, but high enough for us to be certain something real is happening. After all, Scotland was polling similar numbers in 2007, and just seven years later David Cameron, Ed Miliband and Nick Clegg were making “the vow” to the people of Scotland as they scrambled to keep the union together.

    https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2022/aug/30/support-welsh-independence-growing-scotland-uk

    Totally unsurprising when the country is ruled by an English (actually a particular form of English) nationalist party.
    I did not know Welsh Labour were an English party
    It's all one Labour party, if it's like Scotland. There's no legal separation - accounting and so on. Hence why Kezia Dugdale was stopped by Jenny Formby in Labour HQ from spending money on a law case. In Scotland at least they only get away wiuth calling themselves the Scottish Labour Party by a fiddle clause in the electoral registration (which IIRC is not required by the SGs, SLD or STs).
    I am afraid that is not the case in practice as Welsh labour is run by a Corbynista a long way from Starmer attitudes
  • LeonLeon Posts: 46,210

    Leon said:

    Leon said:

    Leon said:

    Jesus Z Christ

    You should see the image I am looking at now. Ravishing

    If I saw this on a magazine cover in Tesco I'd stop and pick it up and admire the brilliance of the designer, the beauty of the model, the costume, the concept

    And yet a computer made it in 10 seconds

    You really need to stop please
    What??

    I'm not posting any images. Now you are complaining that I am merely commenting on something?

    Get a grip

    I accept that a visual suddenly appearing can be upsetting, but there is an easy remedy for a comment you find tedious. irrelevant, repetitive, or whatever: you scroll past. I do it to you
    Your avatar repeats it every time
    Really??? Is that what's upsetting you?

    You have to click on it to see anything shocking. Are you clicking on it?

    STOP CLICKING ON MY AVATAR, BIG G
    I do not click on your avatar - it is shown on your posts

    However, I have no more to say and it is up to the moderators to moderate their site
    I'm taking this as the most enormous compliment, and I'll hand it on to Stable Diffusion

    I presume you aren't clicking on my avatar. I do not believe you are genuinely shocked by an image which is 1cm wide. Therefore that tiny 1cm square must be enough to trigger the MEMORY of the image from yesterday. Meaning it is seared on your brain. Nice one. That's what I was going for

    However I genuinely don't want to give you or anyone conniptions every time I comment, so if the mods feel I should change my avi, I will do so
  • CarnyxCarnyx Posts: 39,123

    Truss’s refusal to come on the national broadcaster - while plausibly logical in terms of pure campaign strategy - is absolutely shit in terms of what it says about her willingness to *lead* the country.

    Truss is in a difficult position because of the assumption that she'll win, but technically she's still just a leadership candidate in the same position as Sunak.
    Not really.

    She is heir assumptive and thinks she is above going on the national broadcaster.
    It's synthetic outrage. Nick Robinson doesn't have any role in our constitution.

    The problem is that she hasn't got the job yet because the contest was made too long.
    Neither does Ms Truss (other than her existing job, obvs) or the Tory Party, as regards UK constitution.
  • ydoethurydoethur Posts: 66,733
    Leon said:

    DougSeal said:

    Leon said:

    DougSeal said:

    Is there any chance we could run a membership d

    Leon said:

    Jesus Z Christ

    You should see the image I am looking at now. Ravishing

    If I saw this on a magazine cover in Tesco I'd stop and pick it up and admire the brilliance of the designer, the beauty of the model, the costume, the concept

    And yet a computer made it in 10 seconds

    I’m delighted for you. Now change the record. Please.

    I'll comment on whatever I like - within the rules of moderation

    We have been discussing this amazing new tech on and off all day. It makes a refreshing change, I find, from discussing the impending heat death of the universe and the simultaneous nuclear apocalypse

    You differ. Meh. Whatever
    It’s not a refreshing change though, is it? You’ve been telling us how amazing this new tech is for days, weeks. It’s not really a discussion either.

    Anyway, you can post what you want, as you say, and I can criticise those posts, as you imply.

    It is a discussion, see upthread

    And this is not the same tech, this is new: Stable Diffusion not GPT3 or Dalle-2, though they are all part of the same astonishing and accelerating rush to true AI, which will transform our relationship with art, and much else. Human society is about to be revolutionised

    Personally, I find that almost as interesting as the prospects for Welsh independence, but each to their own, as you say
    If people want to me, I'm happy to talk at enormous length about the treasures of Newent until he changes his mind.
  • MISTY said:

    Support for Welsh independence is growing – people are fed up with being forgotten
    - As in Scotland, many people have looked at the United Kingdom and decided that it’s simply not working for them

    The idea of an independent Wales is no longer just a hobby-horse of bearded men in Carmarthenshire pubs on Six Nations rugby match days. Polls put support for independence at about 30%, (and skew more pro- the younger you go): not enough to signal anything imminent, but high enough for us to be certain something real is happening. After all, Scotland was polling similar numbers in 2007, and just seven years later David Cameron, Ed Miliband and Nick Clegg were making “the vow” to the people of Scotland as they scrambled to keep the union together.

    https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2022/aug/30/support-welsh-independence-growing-scotland-uk

    Wales is not Scotland. You could not even hold a debate about whether it could survive as an independent country. It has no oil and gas, no large financial sector, no massive drinks industry and does not play a huge part in the UK's defence arrangements.

    It could not even begin to create the wealth it would need to support itself. Drakeford, an uninspiring Marxist apparatchik, does not even try. Its public services, already crumbling on the giant bung it gets from England every year, would simply collapse.

    Do you think after independence we in Wales will have to start paying income tax and VAT like you do in England (before all the revenue is handed to us)?
    The only certain thing is that we would be paying a whole lot more tax and vat than England
  • LeonLeon Posts: 46,210
    ydoethur said:

    Leon said:

    DougSeal said:

    Leon said:

    DougSeal said:

    Is there any chance we could run a membership d

    Leon said:

    Jesus Z Christ

    You should see the image I am looking at now. Ravishing

    If I saw this on a magazine cover in Tesco I'd stop and pick it up and admire the brilliance of the designer, the beauty of the model, the costume, the concept

    And yet a computer made it in 10 seconds

    I’m delighted for you. Now change the record. Please.

    I'll comment on whatever I like - within the rules of moderation

    We have been discussing this amazing new tech on and off all day. It makes a refreshing change, I find, from discussing the impending heat death of the universe and the simultaneous nuclear apocalypse

    You differ. Meh. Whatever
    It’s not a refreshing change though, is it? You’ve been telling us how amazing this new tech is for days, weeks. It’s not really a discussion either.

    Anyway, you can post what you want, as you say, and I can criticise those posts, as you imply.

    It is a discussion, see upthread

    And this is not the same tech, this is new: Stable Diffusion not GPT3 or Dalle-2, though they are all part of the same astonishing and accelerating rush to true AI, which will transform our relationship with art, and much else. Human society is about to be revolutionised

    Personally, I find that almost as interesting as the prospects for Welsh independence, but each to their own, as you say
    If people want to me, I'm happy to talk at enormous length about the treasures of Newent until he changes his mind.
    I'm gonna feed the prompt, "the treasures of Newent" into Stable Diffusion

  • NigelbNigelb Posts: 61,562
    DougSeal said:

    Leon said:

    DougSeal said:

    Is there any chance we could run a membership d

    Leon said:

    Jesus Z Christ

    You should see the image I am looking at now. Ravishing

    If I saw this on a magazine cover in Tesco I'd stop and pick it up and admire the brilliance of the designer, the beauty of the model, the costume, the concept

    And yet a computer made it in 10 seconds

    I’m delighted for you. Now change the record. Please.

    I'll comment on whatever I like - within the rules of moderation

    We have been discussing this amazing new tech on and off all day. It makes a refreshing change, I find, from discussing the impending heat death of the universe and the simultaneous nuclear apocalypse

    You differ. Meh. Whatever
    It’s not a refreshing change though, is it? You’ve been telling us how amazing this new tech is for days, weeks. It’s not really a discussion either.

    Anyway, you can post what you want, as you say, and I can criticise those posts, as you imply.

    Characteristically, Leon is missing the most interesting bit of the story, since it doesn’t involve his own use of the app.
  • HYUFDHYUFD Posts: 116,709
    Truss should do the interview. However at least she will have got the Tory leadership and become PM after a genuine contest amongst Tory MPs and members.

    Brown's team just ensured he was nominated by Labour MPs unopposed. Despite the fact John McConnell for instance wanted to challenge him
  • CarnyxCarnyx Posts: 39,123
    ydoethur said:

    Truss’s refusal to come on the national broadcaster - while plausibly logical in terms of pure campaign strategy - is absolutely shit in terms of what it says about her willingness to *lead* the country.

    Perhaps she wouldn't have got a hard enough thrashing?
    That's C4 as any fule kno.
  • MISTYMISTY Posts: 1,594

    MISTY said:

    Support for Welsh independence is growing – people are fed up with being forgotten
    - As in Scotland, many people have looked at the United Kingdom and decided that it’s simply not working for them

    The idea of an independent Wales is no longer just a hobby-horse of bearded men in Carmarthenshire pubs on Six Nations rugby match days. Polls put support for independence at about 30%, (and skew more pro- the younger you go): not enough to signal anything imminent, but high enough for us to be certain something real is happening. After all, Scotland was polling similar numbers in 2007, and just seven years later David Cameron, Ed Miliband and Nick Clegg were making “the vow” to the people of Scotland as they scrambled to keep the union together.

    https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2022/aug/30/support-welsh-independence-growing-scotland-uk

    Wales is not Scotland. You could not even hold a debate about whether it could survive as an independent country. It has no oil and gas, no large financial sector, no massive drinks industry and does not play a huge part in the UK's defence arrangements.

    It could not even begin to create the wealth it would need to support itself. Drakeford, an uninspiring Marxist apparatchik, does not even try. Its public services, already crumbling on the giant bung it gets from England every year, would simply collapse.

    Do you think after independence we in Wales will have to start paying income tax and VAT like you do in England (before all the revenue is handed to us)?

    Of course there are hard working high performing people in the private sector in Wales. I know this because I was born and bred there, and still have connections.

  • ydoethurydoethur Posts: 66,733
    Leon said:

    ydoethur said:

    Leon said:

    DougSeal said:

    Leon said:

    DougSeal said:

    Is there any chance we could run a membership d

    Leon said:

    Jesus Z Christ

    You should see the image I am looking at now. Ravishing

    If I saw this on a magazine cover in Tesco I'd stop and pick it up and admire the brilliance of the designer, the beauty of the model, the costume, the concept

    And yet a computer made it in 10 seconds

    I’m delighted for you. Now change the record. Please.

    I'll comment on whatever I like - within the rules of moderation

    We have been discussing this amazing new tech on and off all day. It makes a refreshing change, I find, from discussing the impending heat death of the universe and the simultaneous nuclear apocalypse

    You differ. Meh. Whatever
    It’s not a refreshing change though, is it? You’ve been telling us how amazing this new tech is for days, weeks. It’s not really a discussion either.

    Anyway, you can post what you want, as you say, and I can criticise those posts, as you imply.

    It is a discussion, see upthread

    And this is not the same tech, this is new: Stable Diffusion not GPT3 or Dalle-2, though they are all part of the same astonishing and accelerating rush to true AI, which will transform our relationship with art, and much else. Human society is about to be revolutionised

    Personally, I find that almost as interesting as the prospects for Welsh independence, but each to their own, as you say
    If people want to me, I'm happy to talk at enormous length about the treasures of Newent until he changes his mind.
    I'm gonna feed the prompt, "the treasures of Newent" into Stable Diffusion

    Perhaps you could then use it as your avatar and solve the problem?

    Be it the horse trough, market house, Black Dog, St Mary's Church, Stardens, the lake, 25 Church Street, The Old Bank House, America Gardens, Old Picklenash or indeed the Jubilee Spinney it couldn't possibly be worse than what you've got now...
  • Luckyguy1983Luckyguy1983 Posts: 25,042
    Leon said:

    ydoethur said:

    Leon said:

    DougSeal said:

    Leon said:

    DougSeal said:

    Is there any chance we could run a membership d

    Leon said:

    Jesus Z Christ

    You should see the image I am looking at now. Ravishing

    If I saw this on a magazine cover in Tesco I'd stop and pick it up and admire the brilliance of the designer, the beauty of the model, the costume, the concept

    And yet a computer made it in 10 seconds

    I’m delighted for you. Now change the record. Please.

    I'll comment on whatever I like - within the rules of moderation

    We have been discussing this amazing new tech on and off all day. It makes a refreshing change, I find, from discussing the impending heat death of the universe and the simultaneous nuclear apocalypse

    You differ. Meh. Whatever
    It’s not a refreshing change though, is it? You’ve been telling us how amazing this new tech is for days, weeks. It’s not really a discussion either.

    Anyway, you can post what you want, as you say, and I can criticise those posts, as you imply.

    It is a discussion, see upthread

    And this is not the same tech, this is new: Stable Diffusion not GPT3 or Dalle-2, though they are all part of the same astonishing and accelerating rush to true AI, which will transform our relationship with art, and much else. Human society is about to be revolutionised

    Personally, I find that almost as interesting as the prospects for Welsh independence, but each to their own, as you say
    If people want to me, I'm happy to talk at enormous length about the treasures of Newent until he changes his mind.
    I'm gonna feed the prompt, "the treasures of Newent" into Stable Diffusion

    I suggest you post your images as links, then people can enjoy your oeuvre if they so desire.
  • HYUFDHYUFD Posts: 116,709

    Support for Welsh independence is growing – people are fed up with being forgotten
    - As in Scotland, many people have looked at the United Kingdom and decided that it’s simply not working for them

    The idea of an independent Wales is no longer just a hobby-horse of bearded men in Carmarthenshire pubs on Six Nations rugby match days. Polls put support for independence at about 30%, (and skew more pro- the younger you go): not enough to signal anything imminent, but high enough for us to be certain something real is happening. After all, Scotland was polling similar numbers in 2007, and just seven years later David Cameron, Ed Miliband and Nick Clegg were making “the vow” to the people of Scotland as they scrambled to keep the union together.

    https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2022/aug/30/support-welsh-independence-growing-scotland-uk

    Considering 47% of voters living in Wales voted to Remain in the EU, for only 30% of Welsh voters to want independence even after Brexit is
    actually pretty low
  • LeonLeon Posts: 46,210
    Nigelb said:

    DougSeal said:

    Leon said:

    DougSeal said:

    Is there any chance we could run a membership d

    Leon said:

    Jesus Z Christ

    You should see the image I am looking at now. Ravishing

    If I saw this on a magazine cover in Tesco I'd stop and pick it up and admire the brilliance of the designer, the beauty of the model, the costume, the concept

    And yet a computer made it in 10 seconds

    I’m delighted for you. Now change the record. Please.

    I'll comment on whatever I like - within the rules of moderation

    We have been discussing this amazing new tech on and off all day. It makes a refreshing change, I find, from discussing the impending heat death of the universe and the simultaneous nuclear apocalypse

    You differ. Meh. Whatever
    It’s not a refreshing change though, is it? You’ve been telling us how amazing this new tech is for days, weeks. It’s not really a discussion either.

    Anyway, you can post what you want, as you say, and I can criticise those posts, as you imply.

    Characteristically, Leon is missing the most interesting bit of the story, since it doesn’t involve his own use of the app.
    No, I'm not

    I know all about the way the model/code is given away, I know all about the upcoming audio, 3D, animation, the use of images to prompt other images

    https://simonwillison.net/2022/Aug/29/stable-diffusion/

    I also know that it only cost them $600k

    https://thealgorithmicbridge.substack.com/p/stable-diffusion-is-the-most-important
  • Luckyguy1983Luckyguy1983 Posts: 25,042
    FpT

    Pulpstar said:

    kjh said:

    Leon said:

    Another thread stuffed with Trump hatred. It gets quite monotonous. Leave the old guy alone FFS

    What would you prefer: Aliens, Weird pseudo AI creations, Covid from the lab, or Remoaners?
    Hang on, are you seriously suggesting Trump is not a pseudo AI creation produced in an alien lab?
    HOLD THE PHONE

    The Aliens thing explained. At last

    - One group of Aliens is Woke (Vorlons)
    - The other group is anti-Woke (Shadows)

    They have agreed to use Earth as a Battle Royale to settle the matter. Without actually appearing to us.

    This explains the ludicrous nature of their technology, why the whole thing is being hidden...

    It strikes me the entire debate on Meghan Markle is essentially a woke test, not that such trivialities as the wife of the 3rd spare to the throne matter in the grand scheme of things.
    Annoyingly wind & solar power seems to have come under this test too which means large portions of the right seem to have ruled out any of it on almost religous grounds.
    My issue with wind (solar imo is a non starter in the UK apart from domestically) is that there's no serious attempt being made to store the power for times when there's no wind generation. Every so often there's an excited post on PB about clever new batteries that Tesla are making, but precisely none of it is here, now. Yet we continue to build wind capacity like it's going out of fashion. That bakes gas into the future.

    One of the many things that needs fixing in our broken energy system is that we need to stop paying renewables providers NOT to provide power. How quickly would those companies build storage capacity if every time their power stopped being used, they stopped being paid?
  • JosiasJessopJosiasJessop Posts: 38,517
    rcs1000 said:

    Leon said:

    rcs1000 said:

    Leon said:

    I fed in this prompt


    “A bunch of PB-ers cowering in a cupboard, staring in bewilderment at Stable Diffusion”


    You have been warned once already.
    I only posted this because others posted theirs, and they received no warning. So I plead innocence in this case. I was not trying to provoke, just illustrate

    However, you're the boss, so I will desist - until and unless the ban is lifted
    I wasn't on-line.

    I am now.

    Enough.
    Your image "A bunch of PB-ers cowering in a cupboard, staring in bewilderment at Stable Diffusion” shows just one area where this sh*t fall over. Few PBers are female, few (male or female) are young, the expressions are not what I would call 'bewilderment', and it doesn't particularly look like a cupboard.

    That same image could cover lots of prompts - many horror related. So in that one case, it probably does match PB... ;)
  • ydoethurydoethur Posts: 66,733
    HYUFD said:

    Support for Welsh independence is growing – people are fed up with being forgotten
    - As in Scotland, many people have looked at the United Kingdom and decided that it’s simply not working for them

    The idea of an independent Wales is no longer just a hobby-horse of bearded men in Carmarthenshire pubs on Six Nations rugby match days. Polls put support for independence at about 30%, (and skew more pro- the younger you go): not enough to signal anything imminent, but high enough for us to be certain something real is happening. After all, Scotland was polling similar numbers in 2007, and just seven years later David Cameron, Ed Miliband and Nick Clegg were making “the vow” to the people of Scotland as they scrambled to keep the union together.

    https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2022/aug/30/support-welsh-independence-growing-scotland-uk

    Considering 47% of voters living in Wales voted to Remain in the EU, for only 30% of Welsh voters to want independence even after Brexit is
    actually pretty low
    Also, it's not really a meaningful question. I can think of plenty of Welsh people who want independence in the sense of 'we would like it to happen once we've sorted all the issues that make it pretty well impossible right now.' Things like the transport network, brain drain to England, lack of affordable housing in some areas and over reliance on a couple of key industries including volatile seasonal work like tourism.

    Snag is, they would be impossible while Wales is part of the UK, because they would always be a less satisfactory alternative to the other options which require close links to England.

    There are also a few who see it the other way around - independence is needed so these issues can be sorted out (Leanne Wood being the obvious example). But they aren't so stupid as to say it openly for the simple reason that the independence process under such circumstances would be absolutely brutal. It would be Irish independence on acid and probably would involve the total breakdown of both the economy and law and order.
  • LeonLeon Posts: 46,210
    ydoethur said:

    Leon said:

    ydoethur said:

    Leon said:

    DougSeal said:

    Leon said:

    DougSeal said:

    Is there any chance we could run a membership d

    Leon said:

    Jesus Z Christ

    You should see the image I am looking at now. Ravishing

    If I saw this on a magazine cover in Tesco I'd stop and pick it up and admire the brilliance of the designer, the beauty of the model, the costume, the concept

    And yet a computer made it in 10 seconds

    I’m delighted for you. Now change the record. Please.

    I'll comment on whatever I like - within the rules of moderation

    We have been discussing this amazing new tech on and off all day. It makes a refreshing change, I find, from discussing the impending heat death of the universe and the simultaneous nuclear apocalypse

    You differ. Meh. Whatever
    It’s not a refreshing change though, is it? You’ve been telling us how amazing this new tech is for days, weeks. It’s not really a discussion either.

    Anyway, you can post what you want, as you say, and I can criticise those posts, as you imply.

    It is a discussion, see upthread

    And this is not the same tech, this is new: Stable Diffusion not GPT3 or Dalle-2, though they are all part of the same astonishing and accelerating rush to true AI, which will transform our relationship with art, and much else. Human society is about to be revolutionised

    Personally, I find that almost as interesting as the prospects for Welsh independence, but each to their own, as you say
    If people want to me, I'm happy to talk at enormous length about the treasures of Newent until he changes his mind.
    I'm gonna feed the prompt, "the treasures of Newent" into Stable Diffusion

    Perhaps you could then use it as your avatar and solve the problem?

    Be it the horse trough, market house, Black Dog, St Mary's Church, Stardens, the lake, 25 Church Street, The Old Bank House, America Gardens, Old Picklenash or indeed the Jubilee Spinney it couldn't possibly be worse than what you've got now...
    Stable Diffusion does a really rubbish version of Newent, making it look quite boring. How???

    However I can happily report that Hieronymous Bosch - via the magic of AI - does a mean take on Wick, Scotland
  • MexicanpeteMexicanpete Posts: 24,583
    ydoethur said:

    Leon said:

    ydoethur said:

    Leon said:

    DougSeal said:

    Leon said:

    DougSeal said:

    Is there any chance we could run a membership d

    Leon said:

    Jesus Z Christ

    You should see the image I am looking at now. Ravishing

    If I saw this on a magazine cover in Tesco I'd stop and pick it up and admire the brilliance of the designer, the beauty of the model, the costume, the concept

    And yet a computer made it in 10 seconds

    I’m delighted for you. Now change the record. Please.

    I'll comment on whatever I like - within the rules of moderation

    We have been discussing this amazing new tech on and off all day. It makes a refreshing change, I find, from discussing the impending heat death of the universe and the simultaneous nuclear apocalypse

    You differ. Meh. Whatever
    It’s not a refreshing change though, is it? You’ve been telling us how amazing this new tech is for days, weeks. It’s not really a discussion either.

    Anyway, you can post what you want, as you say, and I can criticise those posts, as you imply.

    It is a discussion, see upthread

    And this is not the same tech, this is new: Stable Diffusion not GPT3 or Dalle-2, though they are all part of the same astonishing and accelerating rush to true AI, which will transform our relationship with art, and much else. Human society is about to be revolutionised

    Personally, I find that almost as interesting as the prospects for Welsh independence, but each to their own, as you say
    If people want to me, I'm happy to talk at enormous length about the treasures of Newent until he changes his mind.
    I'm gonna feed the prompt, "the treasures of Newent" into Stable Diffusion

    Perhaps you could then use it as your avatar and solve the problem?

    Be it the horse trough, market house, Black Dog, St Mary's Church, Stardens, the lake, 25 Church Street, The Old Bank House, America Gardens, Old Picklenash or indeed the Jubilee Spinney it couldn't possibly be worse than what you've got now...
    Who is the little horse that features prominently by the Market House and elsewhere? That horse would be a nice contention - free avatar for Leon. The Newent pony called...
  • CarnyxCarnyx Posts: 39,123
    In West Central Belt news ...

    https://www.thenational.scot/news/20849562.former-east-dunbartonshire-council-co-leader-andrew-polson-charged-romance-fraud/

    'FORMER co-leader of East Dunbartonshire Council Andrew Polson has been charged over alleged romance fraud.

    A Police Scotland spokesperson said: “A 50-year-old man has been arrested and charged on Tuesday, 30 August, 2022 in connection with a series of financial crimes. [...]'
  • CarnyxCarnyx Posts: 39,123

    ydoethur said:

    Leon said:

    ydoethur said:

    Leon said:

    DougSeal said:

    Leon said:

    DougSeal said:

    Is there any chance we could run a membership d

    Leon said:

    Jesus Z Christ

    You should see the image I am looking at now. Ravishing

    If I saw this on a magazine cover in Tesco I'd stop and pick it up and admire the brilliance of the designer, the beauty of the model, the costume, the concept

    And yet a computer made it in 10 seconds

    I’m delighted for you. Now change the record. Please.

    I'll comment on whatever I like - within the rules of moderation

    We have been discussing this amazing new tech on and off all day. It makes a refreshing change, I find, from discussing the impending heat death of the universe and the simultaneous nuclear apocalypse

    You differ. Meh. Whatever
    It’s not a refreshing change though, is it? You’ve been telling us how amazing this new tech is for days, weeks. It’s not really a discussion either.

    Anyway, you can post what you want, as you say, and I can criticise those posts, as you imply.

    It is a discussion, see upthread

    And this is not the same tech, this is new: Stable Diffusion not GPT3 or Dalle-2, though they are all part of the same astonishing and accelerating rush to true AI, which will transform our relationship with art, and much else. Human society is about to be revolutionised

    Personally, I find that almost as interesting as the prospects for Welsh independence, but each to their own, as you say
    If people want to me, I'm happy to talk at enormous length about the treasures of Newent until he changes his mind.
    I'm gonna feed the prompt, "the treasures of Newent" into Stable Diffusion

    Perhaps you could then use it as your avatar and solve the problem?

    Be it the horse trough, market house, Black Dog, St Mary's Church, Stardens, the lake, 25 Church Street, The Old Bank House, America Gardens, Old Picklenash or indeed the Jubilee Spinney it couldn't possibly be worse than what you've got now...
    Who is the little horse that features prominently by the Market House and elsewhere? That horse would be a nice contention - free avatar for Leon. The Newent pony called...
    We'd get him muddled with HYUFD and Horse.
  • EabhalEabhal Posts: 5,781
    I think Truss has one chance to sort out the energy crisis or we get an election. Maybe December, maybe May.

    My local, excellent pizzeria has just put a notice up in the window. Survived COVID, fucked by Putin.

    Bin workers in Edinburgh are striking because they can't get more than 5%. Inflation is north of 10%.
  • LeonLeon Posts: 46,210

    rcs1000 said:

    Leon said:

    rcs1000 said:

    Leon said:

    I fed in this prompt


    “A bunch of PB-ers cowering in a cupboard, staring in bewilderment at Stable Diffusion”


    You have been warned once already.
    I only posted this because others posted theirs, and they received no warning. So I plead innocence in this case. I was not trying to provoke, just illustrate

    However, you're the boss, so I will desist - until and unless the ban is lifted
    I wasn't on-line.

    I am now.

    Enough.
    Your image "A bunch of PB-ers cowering in a cupboard, staring in bewilderment at Stable Diffusion” shows just one area where this sh*t fall over. Few PBers are female, few (male or female) are young, the expressions are not what I would call 'bewilderment', and it doesn't particularly look like a cupboard.

    That same image could cover lots of prompts - many horror related. So in that one case, it probably does match PB... ;)
    Amazingly, "A bunch of PB-ers cowering in a cupboard, staring in bewilderment at Stable Diffusion" was not the prompt I fed into Stable Diffusion. You have to work a bit harder than that to get weird soulful scary images


    But I will feed it in now and see....


    Hahahaha
  • MexicanpeteMexicanpete Posts: 24,583
    MISTY said:

    MISTY said:

    Support for Welsh independence is growing – people are fed up with being forgotten
    - As in Scotland, many people have looked at the United Kingdom and decided that it’s simply not working for them

    The idea of an independent Wales is no longer just a hobby-horse of bearded men in Carmarthenshire pubs on Six Nations rugby match days. Polls put support for independence at about 30%, (and skew more pro- the younger you go): not enough to signal anything imminent, but high enough for us to be certain something real is happening. After all, Scotland was polling similar numbers in 2007, and just seven years later David Cameron, Ed Miliband and Nick Clegg were making “the vow” to the people of Scotland as they scrambled to keep the union together.

    https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2022/aug/30/support-welsh-independence-growing-scotland-uk

    Wales is not Scotland. You could not even hold a debate about whether it could survive as an independent country. It has no oil and gas, no large financial sector, no massive drinks industry and does not play a huge part in the UK's defence arrangements.

    It could not even begin to create the wealth it would need to support itself. Drakeford, an uninspiring Marxist apparatchik, does not even try. Its public services, already crumbling on the giant bung it gets from England every year, would simply collapse.

    Do you think after independence we in Wales will have to start paying income tax and VAT like you do in England (before all the revenue is handed to us)?

    Of course there are hard working high performing people in the private sector in Wales. I know this because I was born and bred there, and still have connections.

    Nah, we are all ex- miners who have been workshy and on benefits since 1985.
  • Icarus said:

    What if Truss isn't as bad as we all expect? What if she comes up with a half decent way of making energy affordable? Will she be hailed as the new Messiah?

    If it happens there are going to be a lot of very red faces !!!!
    Trouble is that, even if the next few months are managed well, life in April 2023 will be significantly less peachy for everyone than it was in April 2022.

    Has "it could have been a great deal worse" ever been a winning slogan?
  • pingping Posts: 3,724
    Julian Knight MP, worked with Truss in the treasury, bigged her up before she aborted her bid in 2019. Early backer this time around. Will be hoping for a decent promotion at the heart of Truss’s government. One to watch.

    https://twitter.com/julianknight15/status/1564666655539707905

    “Ed Davey, Lib Dem Leader, proudly said that he "basically stopped the fracking industry in this country". With the energy price cap now rising to £3,549, people are genuinely struggling. This is another reminder why the Liberal Democrats can never be trusted in Gov't ever again. https://twitter.com/julianknight15/status/1564666655539707905/photo/1

    Note to Julian. The graphic is ridiculous. But I’m sure it pleases Liz. Which is the point.
  • ydoethurydoethur Posts: 66,733

    ydoethur said:

    Leon said:

    ydoethur said:

    Leon said:

    DougSeal said:

    Leon said:

    DougSeal said:

    Is there any chance we could run a membership d

    Leon said:

    Jesus Z Christ

    You should see the image I am looking at now. Ravishing

    If I saw this on a magazine cover in Tesco I'd stop and pick it up and admire the brilliance of the designer, the beauty of the model, the costume, the concept

    And yet a computer made it in 10 seconds

    I’m delighted for you. Now change the record. Please.

    I'll comment on whatever I like - within the rules of moderation

    We have been discussing this amazing new tech on and off all day. It makes a refreshing change, I find, from discussing the impending heat death of the universe and the simultaneous nuclear apocalypse

    You differ. Meh. Whatever
    It’s not a refreshing change though, is it? You’ve been telling us how amazing this new tech is for days, weeks. It’s not really a discussion either.

    Anyway, you can post what you want, as you say, and I can criticise those posts, as you imply.

    It is a discussion, see upthread

    And this is not the same tech, this is new: Stable Diffusion not GPT3 or Dalle-2, though they are all part of the same astonishing and accelerating rush to true AI, which will transform our relationship with art, and much else. Human society is about to be revolutionised

    Personally, I find that almost as interesting as the prospects for Welsh independence, but each to their own, as you say
    If people want to me, I'm happy to talk at enormous length about the treasures of Newent until he changes his mind.
    I'm gonna feed the prompt, "the treasures of Newent" into Stable Diffusion

    Perhaps you could then use it as your avatar and solve the problem?

    Be it the horse trough, market house, Black Dog, St Mary's Church, Stardens, the lake, 25 Church Street, The Old Bank House, America Gardens, Old Picklenash or indeed the Jubilee Spinney it couldn't possibly be worse than what you've got now...
    Who is the little horse that features prominently by the Market House and elsewhere? That horse would be a nice contention - free avatar for Leon. The Newent pony called...
    Can't think of a horse. It's the Red Lion next to the Market House.
  • StuartDicksonStuartDickson Posts: 12,146
    MISTY said:

    Support for Welsh independence is growing – people are fed up with being forgotten
    - As in Scotland, many people have looked at the United Kingdom and decided that it’s simply not working for them

    The idea of an independent Wales is no longer just a hobby-horse of bearded men in Carmarthenshire pubs on Six Nations rugby match days. Polls put support for independence at about 30%, (and skew more pro- the younger you go): not enough to signal anything imminent, but high enough for us to be certain something real is happening. After all, Scotland was polling similar numbers in 2007, and just seven years later David Cameron, Ed Miliband and Nick Clegg were making “the vow” to the people of Scotland as they scrambled to keep the union together.

    https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2022/aug/30/support-welsh-independence-growing-scotland-uk

    Wales is not Scotland. You could not even hold a debate about whether it could survive as an independent country. It has no oil and gas, no large financial sector, no massive drinks industry and does not play a huge part in the UK's defence arrangements.

    It could not even begin to create the wealth it would need to support itself. Drakeford, an uninspiring Marxist apparatchik, does not even try. Its public services, already crumbling on the giant bung it gets from England every year, would simply collapse.

    Huh? Lots of countries have no oil and gas, no large financial sector, no massive drinks industry and do not play a huge part defence arrangements. In fact, that is more common than not.
  • turbotubbsturbotubbs Posts: 14,878

    MISTY said:

    Support for Welsh independence is growing – people are fed up with being forgotten
    - As in Scotland, many people have looked at the United Kingdom and decided that it’s simply not working for them

    The idea of an independent Wales is no longer just a hobby-horse of bearded men in Carmarthenshire pubs on Six Nations rugby match days. Polls put support for independence at about 30%, (and skew more pro- the younger you go): not enough to signal anything imminent, but high enough for us to be certain something real is happening. After all, Scotland was polling similar numbers in 2007, and just seven years later David Cameron, Ed Miliband and Nick Clegg were making “the vow” to the people of Scotland as they scrambled to keep the union together.

    https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2022/aug/30/support-welsh-independence-growing-scotland-uk

    Wales is not Scotland. You could not even hold a debate about whether it could survive as an independent country. It has no oil and gas, no large financial sector, no massive drinks industry and does not play a huge part in the UK's defence arrangements.

    It could not even begin to create the wealth it would need to support itself. Drakeford, an uninspiring Marxist apparatchik, does not even try. Its public services, already crumbling on the giant bung it gets from England every year, would simply collapse.

    Huh? Lots of countries have no oil and gas, no large financial sector, no massive drinks industry and do not play a huge part defence arrangements. In fact, that is more common than not.
    But how would wales repel Hyfud’s tanks with no defence arrangements?
  • FoxyFoxy Posts: 44,052

    Leon said:

    ydoethur said:

    Leon said:

    DougSeal said:

    Leon said:

    DougSeal said:

    Is there any chance we could run a membership d

    Leon said:

    Jesus Z Christ

    You should see the image I am looking at now. Ravishing

    If I saw this on a magazine cover in Tesco I'd stop and pick it up and admire the brilliance of the designer, the beauty of the model, the costume, the concept

    And yet a computer made it in 10 seconds

    I’m delighted for you. Now change the record. Please.

    I'll comment on whatever I like - within the rules of moderation

    We have been discussing this amazing new tech on and off all day. It makes a refreshing change, I find, from discussing the impending heat death of the universe and the simultaneous nuclear apocalypse

    You differ. Meh. Whatever
    It’s not a refreshing change though, is it? You’ve been telling us how amazing this new tech is for days, weeks. It’s not really a discussion either.

    Anyway, you can post what you want, as you say, and I can criticise those posts, as you imply.

    It is a discussion, see upthread

    And this is not the same tech, this is new: Stable Diffusion not GPT3 or Dalle-2, though they are all part of the same astonishing and accelerating rush to true AI, which will transform our relationship with art, and much else. Human society is about to be revolutionised

    Personally, I find that almost as interesting as the prospects for Welsh independence, but each to their own, as you say
    If people want to me, I'm happy to talk at enormous length about the treasures of Newent until he changes his mind.
    I'm gonna feed the prompt, "the treasures of Newent" into Stable Diffusion

    I suggest you post your images as links, then people can enjoy your oeuvre if they so desire.
    Or post them on twitter, where there is a niche interest for everything, even bad machine art.
  • Eabhal said:

    I think Truss has one chance to sort out the energy crisis or we get an election. Maybe December, maybe May.

    My local, excellent pizzeria has just put a notice up in the window. Survived COVID, fucked by Putin.

    Bin workers in Edinburgh are striking because they can't get more than 5%. Inflation is north of 10%.

    How do we get an election, though? The PM controls the timing, and history shows that doomed PMs (Brown, Major) run down the clock on the off chance that Something Turns Up.

    The worse the political situation, the more likely that the next GE is in January 2025, even if that is seen as a massive V-sign to the electorate.
  • StuartDicksonStuartDickson Posts: 12,146

    MISTY said:

    Support for Welsh independence is growing – people are fed up with being forgotten
    - As in Scotland, many people have looked at the United Kingdom and decided that it’s simply not working for them

    The idea of an independent Wales is no longer just a hobby-horse of bearded men in Carmarthenshire pubs on Six Nations rugby match days. Polls put support for independence at about 30%, (and skew more pro- the younger you go): not enough to signal anything imminent, but high enough for us to be certain something real is happening. After all, Scotland was polling similar numbers in 2007, and just seven years later David Cameron, Ed Miliband and Nick Clegg were making “the vow” to the people of Scotland as they scrambled to keep the union together.

    https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2022/aug/30/support-welsh-independence-growing-scotland-uk

    Wales is not Scotland. You could not even hold a debate about whether it could survive as an independent country. It has no oil and gas, no large financial sector, no massive drinks industry and does not play a huge part in the UK's defence arrangements.

    It could not even begin to create the wealth it would need to support itself. Drakeford, an uninspiring Marxist apparatchik, does not even try. Its public services, already crumbling on the giant bung it gets from England every year, would simply collapse.

    And the North would declare UDI and join Lancashire and Cheshire

    It is not going to happen for many reasons including those you mention
    What is it about Unionists that they fantasise about partitioning perceived inferior states? Putin is inspired by British Nationalism’s Divide & Rule.

  • ydoethurydoethur Posts: 66,733

    MISTY said:

    Support for Welsh independence is growing – people are fed up with being forgotten
    - As in Scotland, many people have looked at the United Kingdom and decided that it’s simply not working for them

    The idea of an independent Wales is no longer just a hobby-horse of bearded men in Carmarthenshire pubs on Six Nations rugby match days. Polls put support for independence at about 30%, (and skew more pro- the younger you go): not enough to signal anything imminent, but high enough for us to be certain something real is happening. After all, Scotland was polling similar numbers in 2007, and just seven years later David Cameron, Ed Miliband and Nick Clegg were making “the vow” to the people of Scotland as they scrambled to keep the union together.

    https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2022/aug/30/support-welsh-independence-growing-scotland-uk

    Wales is not Scotland. You could not even hold a debate about whether it could survive as an independent country. It has no oil and gas, no large financial sector, no massive drinks industry and does not play a huge part in the UK's defence arrangements.

    It could not even begin to create the wealth it would need to support itself. Drakeford, an uninspiring Marxist apparatchik, does not even try. Its public services, already crumbling on the giant bung it gets from England every year, would simply collapse.

    Huh? Lots of countries have no oil and gas, no large financial sector, no massive drinks industry and do not play a huge part defence arrangements. In fact, that is more common than not.
    But how would wales repel Hyfud’s tanks with no defence arrangements?
    He's welcome to Cardiff.

    Good luck getting tanks round the rest of it.
  • MexicanpeteMexicanpete Posts: 24,583
    ydoethur said:

    ydoethur said:

    Leon said:

    ydoethur said:

    Leon said:

    DougSeal said:

    Leon said:

    DougSeal said:

    Is there any chance we could run a membership d

    Leon said:

    Jesus Z Christ

    You should see the image I am looking at now. Ravishing

    If I saw this on a magazine cover in Tesco I'd stop and pick it up and admire the brilliance of the designer, the beauty of the model, the costume, the concept

    And yet a computer made it in 10 seconds

    I’m delighted for you. Now change the record. Please.

    I'll comment on whatever I like - within the rules of moderation

    We have been discussing this amazing new tech on and off all day. It makes a refreshing change, I find, from discussing the impending heat death of the universe and the simultaneous nuclear apocalypse

    You differ. Meh. Whatever
    It’s not a refreshing change though, is it? You’ve been telling us how amazing this new tech is for days, weeks. It’s not really a discussion either.

    Anyway, you can post what you want, as you say, and I can criticise those posts, as you imply.

    It is a discussion, see upthread

    And this is not the same tech, this is new: Stable Diffusion not GPT3 or Dalle-2, though they are all part of the same astonishing and accelerating rush to true AI, which will transform our relationship with art, and much else. Human society is about to be revolutionised

    Personally, I find that almost as interesting as the prospects for Welsh independence, but each to their own, as you say
    If people want to me, I'm happy to talk at enormous length about the treasures of Newent until he changes his mind.
    I'm gonna feed the prompt, "the treasures of Newent" into Stable Diffusion

    Perhaps you could then use it as your avatar and solve the problem?

    Be it the horse trough, market house, Black Dog, St Mary's Church, Stardens, the lake, 25 Church Street, The Old Bank House, America Gardens, Old Picklenash or indeed the Jubilee Spinney it couldn't possibly be worse than what you've got now...
    Who is the little horse that features prominently by the Market House and elsewhere? That horse would be a nice contention - free avatar for Leon. The Newent pony called...
    Can't think of a horse. It's the Red Lion next to the Market House.
    There is a statue of a little pony on the left hand side of the Market House, (if) the Red Lion is on the right of the Market House. He can't be as important as I had assumed.

    There were some lairy chaps coming out of the social club (opp. the Red Lion) last Friday.
  • ydoethurydoethur Posts: 66,733

    MISTY said:

    Support for Welsh independence is growing – people are fed up with being forgotten
    - As in Scotland, many people have looked at the United Kingdom and decided that it’s simply not working for them

    The idea of an independent Wales is no longer just a hobby-horse of bearded men in Carmarthenshire pubs on Six Nations rugby match days. Polls put support for independence at about 30%, (and skew more pro- the younger you go): not enough to signal anything imminent, but high enough for us to be certain something real is happening. After all, Scotland was polling similar numbers in 2007, and just seven years later David Cameron, Ed Miliband and Nick Clegg were making “the vow” to the people of Scotland as they scrambled to keep the union together.

    https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2022/aug/30/support-welsh-independence-growing-scotland-uk

    Wales is not Scotland. You could not even hold a debate about whether it could survive as an independent country. It has no oil and gas, no large financial sector, no massive drinks industry and does not play a huge part in the UK's defence arrangements.

    It could not even begin to create the wealth it would need to support itself. Drakeford, an uninspiring Marxist apparatchik, does not even try. Its public services, already crumbling on the giant bung it gets from England every year, would simply collapse.

    And the North would declare UDI and join Lancashire and Cheshire

    It is not going to happen for many reasons including those you mention
    What is it about Unionists that they fantasise about partitioning perceived inferior states? Putin is inspired by British Nationalism’s Divide & Rule.

    Is that why Salmond got on so well with him?
  • StuartDicksonStuartDickson Posts: 12,146

    Support for Welsh independence is growing – people are fed up with being forgotten
    - As in Scotland, many people have looked at the United Kingdom and decided that it’s simply not working for them

    The idea of an independent Wales is no longer just a hobby-horse of bearded men in Carmarthenshire pubs on Six Nations rugby match days. Polls put support for independence at about 30%, (and skew more pro- the younger you go): not enough to signal anything imminent, but high enough for us to be certain something real is happening. After all, Scotland was polling similar numbers in 2007, and just seven years later David Cameron, Ed Miliband and Nick Clegg were making “the vow” to the people of Scotland as they scrambled to keep the union together.

    https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2022/aug/30/support-welsh-independence-growing-scotland-uk

    Totally unsurprising when the country is ruled by an English (actually a particular form of English) nationalist party.
    Labour are not an English nationalist party, they are a British nationalist party.
  • rottenboroughrottenborough Posts: 58,038
    HYUFD said:

    Truss should do the interview. However at least she will have got the Tory leadership and become PM after a genuine contest amongst Tory MPs and members.

    Brown's team just ensured he was nominated by Labour MPs unopposed. Despite the fact John McConnell for instance wanted to challenge him

    PMs being replaced during office should be decided by Cabinet or party MPs NOT members. Just a recipe for the kind of problem we are about see when Truss takes office.
  • CarnyxCarnyx Posts: 39,123

    ydoethur said:

    ydoethur said:

    Leon said:

    ydoethur said:

    Leon said:

    DougSeal said:

    Leon said:

    DougSeal said:

    Is there any chance we could run a membership d

    Leon said:

    Jesus Z Christ

    You should see the image I am looking at now. Ravishing

    If I saw this on a magazine cover in Tesco I'd stop and pick it up and admire the brilliance of the designer, the beauty of the model, the costume, the concept

    And yet a computer made it in 10 seconds

    I’m delighted for you. Now change the record. Please.

    I'll comment on whatever I like - within the rules of moderation

    We have been discussing this amazing new tech on and off all day. It makes a refreshing change, I find, from discussing the impending heat death of the universe and the simultaneous nuclear apocalypse

    You differ. Meh. Whatever
    It’s not a refreshing change though, is it? You’ve been telling us how amazing this new tech is for days, weeks. It’s not really a discussion either.

    Anyway, you can post what you want, as you say, and I can criticise those posts, as you imply.

    It is a discussion, see upthread

    And this is not the same tech, this is new: Stable Diffusion not GPT3 or Dalle-2, though they are all part of the same astonishing and accelerating rush to true AI, which will transform our relationship with art, and much else. Human society is about to be revolutionised

    Personally, I find that almost as interesting as the prospects for Welsh independence, but each to their own, as you say
    If people want to me, I'm happy to talk at enormous length about the treasures of Newent until he changes his mind.
    I'm gonna feed the prompt, "the treasures of Newent" into Stable Diffusion

    Perhaps you could then use it as your avatar and solve the problem?

    Be it the horse trough, market house, Black Dog, St Mary's Church, Stardens, the lake, 25 Church Street, The Old Bank House, America Gardens, Old Picklenash or indeed the Jubilee Spinney it couldn't possibly be worse than what you've got now...
    Who is the little horse that features prominently by the Market House and elsewhere? That horse would be a nice contention - free avatar for Leon. The Newent pony called...
    Can't think of a horse. It's the Red Lion next to the Market House.
    There is a statue of a little pony on the left hand side of the Market House, (if) the Red Lion is on the right of the Market House. He can't be as important as I had assumed.

    There were some lairy chaps coming out of the social club (opp. the Red Lion) last Friday.
    This thing?

    https://www.horseandhound.co.uk/news/valegro-bronze-statue-newent-728722
  • MISTY said:

    Support for Welsh independence is growing – people are fed up with being forgotten
    - As in Scotland, many people have looked at the United Kingdom and decided that it’s simply not working for them

    The idea of an independent Wales is no longer just a hobby-horse of bearded men in Carmarthenshire pubs on Six Nations rugby match days. Polls put support for independence at about 30%, (and skew more pro- the younger you go): not enough to signal anything imminent, but high enough for us to be certain something real is happening. After all, Scotland was polling similar numbers in 2007, and just seven years later David Cameron, Ed Miliband and Nick Clegg were making “the vow” to the people of Scotland as they scrambled to keep the union together.

    https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2022/aug/30/support-welsh-independence-growing-scotland-uk

    Wales is not Scotland. You could not even hold a debate about whether it could survive as an independent country. It has no oil and gas, no large financial sector, no massive drinks industry and does not play a huge part in the UK's defence arrangements.

    It could not even begin to create the wealth it would need to support itself. Drakeford, an uninspiring Marxist apparatchik, does not even try. Its public services, already crumbling on the giant bung it gets from England every year, would simply collapse.

    Do you think after independence we in Wales will have to start paying income tax and VAT like you do in England (before all the revenue is handed to us)?
    The only certain thing is that we would be paying a whole lot more tax and vat than England
    They won't have a National Debt to service though, if they adopt the Welsh Dollar instead of Sterling.
  • Well now.

    A spy working for Canadian intelligence smuggled Shamima Begum and her two friends from Bethnal Green into Syria and Britain later conspired with Canada to cover up its role, an explosive new book has claimed.

    Scotland Yard was told that the teenagers were trafficked into Syria by a people-smuggler who was a double agent working for both Islamic State and Canadian intelligence.

    An inquiry was demanded last night as it emerged that Canada knew about the teenagers’ fate but kept silent while the Metropolitan Police ran a frantic, international search for the trio.

    Canada privately admitted its involvement only when it feared being exposed, and then successfully asked the British to cover up its role, the book claimed.

    The revelation reopens the debate over stripping Begum of her nationality, if an asset of western intelligence gave practical help in her journey to become a jihadist bride, even organising her bus tickets.


    https://www.thetimes.co.uk/article/shamima-begum-was-smuggled-into-syria-by-western-spy-dqkkr8qlf
  • williamglennwilliamglenn Posts: 47,786
    edited August 2022

    What is it about Unionists that they fantasise about partitioning perceived inferior states?

    Says the Swede fantasising about partitioning a state that he certainly regards as inferior.
  • StuartDicksonStuartDickson Posts: 12,146
    MISTY said:

    MISTY said:

    Support for Welsh independence is growing – people are fed up with being forgotten
    - As in Scotland, many people have looked at the United Kingdom and decided that it’s simply not working for them

    The idea of an independent Wales is no longer just a hobby-horse of bearded men in Carmarthenshire pubs on Six Nations rugby match days. Polls put support for independence at about 30%, (and skew more pro- the younger you go): not enough to signal anything imminent, but high enough for us to be certain something real is happening. After all, Scotland was polling similar numbers in 2007, and just seven years later David Cameron, Ed Miliband and Nick Clegg were making “the vow” to the people of Scotland as they scrambled to keep the union together.

    https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2022/aug/30/support-welsh-independence-growing-scotland-uk

    Wales is not Scotland. You could not even hold a debate about whether it could survive as an independent country. It has no oil and gas, no large financial sector, no massive drinks industry and does not play a huge part in the UK's defence arrangements.

    It could not even begin to create the wealth it would need to support itself. Drakeford, an uninspiring Marxist apparatchik, does not even try. Its public services, already crumbling on the giant bung it gets from England every year, would simply collapse.

    And the North would declare UDI and join Lancashire and Cheshire

    It is not going to happen for many reasons including those you mention
    As a welsh exile the relationship always fascinates me. The Conservative government is quite happy to sponsor socialism in Wales, year in year out, with no conditions whatever. Why?

    Why not make the money conditional on Wales reaching some basic targets? Like having a private sector that actually generates some wealth?

    The Welsh government is answerable to the Welsh electorate, not to the Imperial regime in London.
  • On topic, she's frit, she's continuity Boris Johnson.
  • EabhalEabhal Posts: 5,781

    Eabhal said:

    I think Truss has one chance to sort out the energy crisis or we get an election. Maybe December, maybe May.

    My local, excellent pizzeria has just put a notice up in the window. Survived COVID, fucked by Putin.

    Bin workers in Edinburgh are striking because they can't get more than 5%. Inflation is north of 10%.

    How do we get an election, though? The PM controls the timing, and history shows that doomed PMs (Brown, Major) run down the clock on the off chance that Something Turns Up.

    The worse the political situation, the more likely that the next GE is in January 2025, even if that is seen as a massive V-sign to the electorate.
    You're right, of course. But I just can't see the country accept what is going to happen.

    January 2025 is two and half years away. Unacceptable. I think there might be something for Starmer putting forward a symbolic vote of no confidence mid-winter.
  • MexicanpeteMexicanpete Posts: 24,583

    Support for Welsh independence is growing – people are fed up with being forgotten
    - As in Scotland, many people have looked at the United Kingdom and decided that it’s simply not working for them

    The idea of an independent Wales is no longer just a hobby-horse of bearded men in Carmarthenshire pubs on Six Nations rugby match days. Polls put support for independence at about 30%, (and skew more pro- the younger you go): not enough to signal anything imminent, but high enough for us to be certain something real is happening. After all, Scotland was polling similar numbers in 2007, and just seven years later David Cameron, Ed Miliband and Nick Clegg were making “the vow” to the people of Scotland as they scrambled to keep the union together.

    https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2022/aug/30/support-welsh-independence-growing-scotland-uk

    Totally unsurprising when the country is ruled by an English (actually a particular form of English) nationalist party.
    Labour are not an English nationalist party, they are a British nationalist party.
    The BNP? Perhaps Liz could ban these Nazi organisations like the ... Labour party.
  • YBarddCwscYBarddCwsc Posts: 7,172
    ydoethur said:

    HYUFD said:

    Support for Welsh independence is growing – people are fed up with being forgotten
    - As in Scotland, many people have looked at the United Kingdom and decided that it’s simply not working for them

    The idea of an independent Wales is no longer just a hobby-horse of bearded men in Carmarthenshire pubs on Six Nations rugby match days. Polls put support for independence at about 30%, (and skew more pro- the younger you go): not enough to signal anything imminent, but high enough for us to be certain something real is happening. After all, Scotland was polling similar numbers in 2007, and just seven years later David Cameron, Ed Miliband and Nick Clegg were making “the vow” to the people of Scotland as they scrambled to keep the union together.

    https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2022/aug/30/support-welsh-independence-growing-scotland-uk

    Considering 47% of voters living in Wales voted to Remain in the EU, for only 30% of Welsh voters to want independence even after Brexit is
    actually pretty low
    Also, it's not really a meaningful question. I can think of plenty of Welsh people who want independence in the sense of 'we would like it to happen once we've sorted all the issues that make it pretty well impossible right now.' Things like the transport network, brain drain to England, lack of affordable housing in some areas and over reliance on a couple of key industries including volatile seasonal work like tourism.

    Snag is, they would be impossible while Wales is part of the UK, because they would always be a less satisfactory alternative to the other options which require close links to England.

    There are also a few who see it the other way around - independence is needed so these issues can be sorted out (Leanne Wood being the obvious example). But they aren't so stupid as to say it openly for the simple reason that the independence process under such circumstances would be absolutely brutal. It would be Irish independence on acid and probably would involve the total breakdown of both the economy and law and order.
    In practice, two things are necessary for Welsh independence.

    (i) Scotland becoming independent,

    (ii) An independent Scotland being demonstrably successful.

    They may not be sufficient, but they are necessary.
  • ydoethurydoethur Posts: 66,733

    ydoethur said:

    ydoethur said:

    Leon said:

    ydoethur said:

    Leon said:

    DougSeal said:

    Leon said:

    DougSeal said:

    Is there any chance we could run a membership d

    Leon said:

    Jesus Z Christ

    You should see the image I am looking at now. Ravishing

    If I saw this on a magazine cover in Tesco I'd stop and pick it up and admire the brilliance of the designer, the beauty of the model, the costume, the concept

    And yet a computer made it in 10 seconds

    I’m delighted for you. Now change the record. Please.

    I'll comment on whatever I like - within the rules of moderation

    We have been discussing this amazing new tech on and off all day. It makes a refreshing change, I find, from discussing the impending heat death of the universe and the simultaneous nuclear apocalypse

    You differ. Meh. Whatever
    It’s not a refreshing change though, is it? You’ve been telling us how amazing this new tech is for days, weeks. It’s not really a discussion either.

    Anyway, you can post what you want, as you say, and I can criticise those posts, as you imply.

    It is a discussion, see upthread

    And this is not the same tech, this is new: Stable Diffusion not GPT3 or Dalle-2, though they are all part of the same astonishing and accelerating rush to true AI, which will transform our relationship with art, and much else. Human society is about to be revolutionised

    Personally, I find that almost as interesting as the prospects for Welsh independence, but each to their own, as you say
    If people want to me, I'm happy to talk at enormous length about the treasures of Newent until he changes his mind.
    I'm gonna feed the prompt, "the treasures of Newent" into Stable Diffusion

    Perhaps you could then use it as your avatar and solve the problem?

    Be it the horse trough, market house, Black Dog, St Mary's Church, Stardens, the lake, 25 Church Street, The Old Bank House, America Gardens, Old Picklenash or indeed the Jubilee Spinney it couldn't possibly be worse than what you've got now...
    Who is the little horse that features prominently by the Market House and elsewhere? That horse would be a nice contention - free avatar for Leon. The Newent pony called...
    Can't think of a horse. It's the Red Lion next to the Market House.
    There is a statue of a little pony on the left hand side of the Market House, (if) the Red Lion is on the right of the Market House. He can't be as important as I had assumed.

    There were some lairy chaps coming out of the social club (opp. the Red Lion) last Friday.
    Ah, I know what you're talking about. That's Valegro, the triple Olympic gold medalist.

    https://www.horseandhound.co.uk/news/valegro-bronze-statue-takes-centre-stage-in-newent-738316

    Which apparently makes Newent one of the most successful Olympic towns in the country.
  • rottenboroughrottenborough Posts: 58,038
    Leon said:

    Leon said:

    Leon said:

    Jesus Z Christ

    You should see the image I am looking at now. Ravishing

    If I saw this on a magazine cover in Tesco I'd stop and pick it up and admire the brilliance of the designer, the beauty of the model, the costume, the concept

    And yet a computer made it in 10 seconds

    You really need to stop please
    What??

    I'm not posting any images. Now you are complaining that I am merely commenting on something?

    Get a grip

    I accept that a visual suddenly appearing can be upsetting, but there is an easy remedy for a comment you find tedious. irrelevant, repetitive, or whatever: you scroll past. I do it to you
    Your avatar repeats it every time
    Really??? Is that what's upsetting you?

    You have to click on it to see anything shocking. Are you clicking on it?

    STOP CLICKING ON MY AVATAR, BIG G
    That's your avatar?

    I thought it was simply a photo of your good self during the second lockdown.
  • Eabhal said:

    Eabhal said:

    I think Truss has one chance to sort out the energy crisis or we get an election. Maybe December, maybe May.

    My local, excellent pizzeria has just put a notice up in the window. Survived COVID, fucked by Putin.

    Bin workers in Edinburgh are striking because they can't get more than 5%. Inflation is north of 10%.

    How do we get an election, though? The PM controls the timing, and history shows that doomed PMs (Brown, Major) run down the clock on the off chance that Something Turns Up.

    The worse the political situation, the more likely that the next GE is in January 2025, even if that is seen as a massive V-sign to the electorate.
    You're right, of course. But I just can't see the country accept what is going to happen.

    January 2025 is two and half years away. Unacceptable. I think there might be something for Starmer putting forward a symbolic vote of no confidence mid-winter.
    Our modellers predict mass civil disturbance and even a national strike.
  • StuartDicksonStuartDickson Posts: 12,146
    edited August 2022

    What is it about Unionists that they fantasise about partitioning perceived inferior states?

    Says the Swede fantasising about partitioning a state that he certainly regards as inferior.
    It was Tony Blair and Puncher Prescott that tried (and failed) to partition England.

    Spoiler warning: Keir Starmer and Gordon Brown are going to make a second attempt.
  • CarnyxCarnyx Posts: 39,123
    ydoethur said:

    ydoethur said:

    ydoethur said:

    Leon said:

    ydoethur said:

    Leon said:

    DougSeal said:

    Leon said:

    DougSeal said:

    Is there any chance we could run a membership d

    Leon said:

    Jesus Z Christ

    You should see the image I am looking at now. Ravishing

    If I saw this on a magazine cover in Tesco I'd stop and pick it up and admire the brilliance of the designer, the beauty of the model, the costume, the concept

    And yet a computer made it in 10 seconds

    I’m delighted for you. Now change the record. Please.

    I'll comment on whatever I like - within the rules of moderation

    We have been discussing this amazing new tech on and off all day. It makes a refreshing change, I find, from discussing the impending heat death of the universe and the simultaneous nuclear apocalypse

    You differ. Meh. Whatever
    It’s not a refreshing change though, is it? You’ve been telling us how amazing this new tech is for days, weeks. It’s not really a discussion either.

    Anyway, you can post what you want, as you say, and I can criticise those posts, as you imply.

    It is a discussion, see upthread

    And this is not the same tech, this is new: Stable Diffusion not GPT3 or Dalle-2, though they are all part of the same astonishing and accelerating rush to true AI, which will transform our relationship with art, and much else. Human society is about to be revolutionised

    Personally, I find that almost as interesting as the prospects for Welsh independence, but each to their own, as you say
    If people want to me, I'm happy to talk at enormous length about the treasures of Newent until he changes his mind.
    I'm gonna feed the prompt, "the treasures of Newent" into Stable Diffusion

    Perhaps you could then use it as your avatar and solve the problem?

    Be it the horse trough, market house, Black Dog, St Mary's Church, Stardens, the lake, 25 Church Street, The Old Bank House, America Gardens, Old Picklenash or indeed the Jubilee Spinney it couldn't possibly be worse than what you've got now...
    Who is the little horse that features prominently by the Market House and elsewhere? That horse would be a nice contention - free avatar for Leon. The Newent pony called...
    Can't think of a horse. It's the Red Lion next to the Market House.
    There is a statue of a little pony on the left hand side of the Market House, (if) the Red Lion is on the right of the Market House. He can't be as important as I had assumed.

    There were some lairy chaps coming out of the social club (opp. the Red Lion) last Friday.
    Ah, I know what you're talking about. That's Valegro, the triple Olympic gold medalist.

    https://www.horseandhound.co.uk/news/valegro-bronze-statue-takes-centre-stage-in-newent-738316

    Which apparently makes Newent one of the most successful Olympic towns in the country.
    Horses get medals? Very good for him.
  • MISTY said:

    Support for Welsh independence is growing – people are fed up with being forgotten
    - As in Scotland, many people have looked at the United Kingdom and decided that it’s simply not working for them

    The idea of an independent Wales is no longer just a hobby-horse of bearded men in Carmarthenshire pubs on Six Nations rugby match days. Polls put support for independence at about 30%, (and skew more pro- the younger you go): not enough to signal anything imminent, but high enough for us to be certain something real is happening. After all, Scotland was polling similar numbers in 2007, and just seven years later David Cameron, Ed Miliband and Nick Clegg were making “the vow” to the people of Scotland as they scrambled to keep the union together.

    https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2022/aug/30/support-welsh-independence-growing-scotland-uk

    Wales is not Scotland. You could not even hold a debate about whether it could survive as an independent country. It has no oil and gas, no large financial sector, no massive drinks industry and does not play a huge part in the UK's defence arrangements.

    It could not even begin to create the wealth it would need to support itself. Drakeford, an uninspiring Marxist apparatchik, does not even try. Its public services, already crumbling on the giant bung it gets from England every year, would simply collapse.

    And the North would declare UDI and join Lancashire and Cheshire

    It is not going to happen for many reasons including those you mention
    What is it about Unionists that they fantasise about partitioning perceived inferior states? Putin is inspired by British Nationalism’s Divide & Rule.

    I do not fantasise - you are with your desire for the UK to break up which will not happen
  • williamglennwilliamglenn Posts: 47,786

    What is it about Unionists that they fantasise about partitioning perceived inferior states?

    Says the Swede fantasising about partitioning a state that he certainly regards as inferior.
    It was Tony Blair and Puncher Prescott that tried (and failed) to partition England.

    Spoiler warning: Keir Starmer and Gordon Brown are going to make a second attempt.
    England isn't a state. The UK is.
  • MoonRabbitMoonRabbit Posts: 12,415

    Well now.

    A spy working for Canadian intelligence smuggled Shamima Begum and her two friends from Bethnal Green into Syria and Britain later conspired with Canada to cover up its role, an explosive new book has claimed.

    Scotland Yard was told that the teenagers were trafficked into Syria by a people-smuggler who was a double agent working for both Islamic State and Canadian intelligence.

    An inquiry was demanded last night as it emerged that Canada knew about the teenagers’ fate but kept silent while the Metropolitan Police ran a frantic, international search for the trio.

    Canada privately admitted its involvement only when it feared being exposed, and then successfully asked the British to cover up its role, the book claimed.

    The revelation reopens the debate over stripping Begum of her nationality, if an asset of western intelligence gave practical help in her journey to become a jihadist bride, even organising her bus tickets.


    https://www.thetimes.co.uk/article/shamima-begum-was-smuggled-into-syria-by-western-spy-dqkkr8qlf

    Why did they do that? What was the thinking? Our own security services must have known what our Canadian colleagues were doing, so complicit, but why? What’s in it for them to help our kids out to that terrible place?

    And if it happened once, how many other instances?

    Colour me sceptical about these crazy claims, without a motive. 😤
  • LeonLeon Posts: 46,210

    Leon said:

    Leon said:

    Leon said:

    Jesus Z Christ

    You should see the image I am looking at now. Ravishing

    If I saw this on a magazine cover in Tesco I'd stop and pick it up and admire the brilliance of the designer, the beauty of the model, the costume, the concept

    And yet a computer made it in 10 seconds

    You really need to stop please
    What??

    I'm not posting any images. Now you are complaining that I am merely commenting on something?

    Get a grip

    I accept that a visual suddenly appearing can be upsetting, but there is an easy remedy for a comment you find tedious. irrelevant, repetitive, or whatever: you scroll past. I do it to you
    Your avatar repeats it every time
    Really??? Is that what's upsetting you?

    You have to click on it to see anything shocking. Are you clicking on it?

    STOP CLICKING ON MY AVATAR, BIG G
    That's your avatar?

    I thought it was simply a photo of your good self during the second lockdown.
    You mean lockdown 3. The winter one

    And OMG you're right, yes I looked quite like that
  • Luckyguy1983Luckyguy1983 Posts: 25,042
    ping said:

    Julian Knight MP, worked with Truss in the treasury, bigged her up before she aborted her bid in 2019. Early backer this time around. Will be hoping for a decent promotion at the heart of Truss’s government. One to watch.

    https://twitter.com/julianknight15/status/1564666655539707905

    “Ed Davey, Lib Dem Leader, proudly said that he "basically stopped the fracking industry in this country". With the energy price cap now rising to £3,549, people are genuinely struggling. This is another reminder why the Liberal Democrats can never be trusted in Gov't ever again. https://twitter.com/julianknight15/status/1564666655539707905/photo/1

    Note to Julian. The graphic is ridiculous. But I’m sure it pleases Liz. Which is the point.

    It's a horrible graphic but not a horrendous point.

    We hear a great deal about alleged Russian interference in Brexit and Trump, but it's waaay likelier that they've assisted the anti-fracking lobby here. When I used to read RT it was always full of anti-fracking stories about how US shale was a bubble etc.
  • CarnyxCarnyx Posts: 39,123

    MISTY said:

    Support for Welsh independence is growing – people are fed up with being forgotten
    - As in Scotland, many people have looked at the United Kingdom and decided that it’s simply not working for them

    The idea of an independent Wales is no longer just a hobby-horse of bearded men in Carmarthenshire pubs on Six Nations rugby match days. Polls put support for independence at about 30%, (and skew more pro- the younger you go): not enough to signal anything imminent, but high enough for us to be certain something real is happening. After all, Scotland was polling similar numbers in 2007, and just seven years later David Cameron, Ed Miliband and Nick Clegg were making “the vow” to the people of Scotland as they scrambled to keep the union together.

    https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2022/aug/30/support-welsh-independence-growing-scotland-uk

    Wales is not Scotland. You could not even hold a debate about whether it could survive as an independent country. It has no oil and gas, no large financial sector, no massive drinks industry and does not play a huge part in the UK's defence arrangements.

    It could not even begin to create the wealth it would need to support itself. Drakeford, an uninspiring Marxist apparatchik, does not even try. Its public services, already crumbling on the giant bung it gets from England every year, would simply collapse.

    And the North would declare UDI and join Lancashire and Cheshire

    It is not going to happen for many reasons including those you mention
    What is it about Unionists that they fantasise about partitioning perceived inferior states? Putin is inspired by British Nationalism’s Divide & Rule.

    I do not fantasise - you are with your desire for the UK to break up which will not happen
    You're the one who did, just like HYUFD and his Free Antrim or whatever it was.
  • rottenboroughrottenborough Posts: 58,038

    On topic, she's frit, she's continuity Boris Johnson.

    She's more continuous than a Mobius strip.
  • ydoethurydoethur Posts: 66,733

    What is it about Unionists that they fantasise about partitioning perceived inferior states?

    Says the Swede fantasising about partitioning a state that he certainly regards as inferior.
    It was Tony Blair and Puncher Prescott that tried (and failed) to partition England.

    Spoiler warning: Keir Starmer and Gordon Brown are going to make a second attempt.
    England isn't a state. The UK is.
    England's in a state, just not that sort of state.
  • MexicanpeteMexicanpete Posts: 24,583
    ...
    Carnyx said:

    ydoethur said:

    ydoethur said:

    Leon said:

    ydoethur said:

    Leon said:

    DougSeal said:

    Leon said:

    DougSeal said:

    Is there any chance we could run a membership d

    Leon said:

    Jesus Z Christ

    You should see the image I am looking at now. Ravishing

    If I saw this on a magazine cover in Tesco I'd stop and pick it up and admire the brilliance of the designer, the beauty of the model, the costume, the concept

    And yet a computer made it in 10 seconds

    I’m delighted for you. Now change the record. Please.

    I'll comment on whatever I like - within the rules of moderation

    We have been discussing this amazing new tech on and off all day. It makes a refreshing change, I find, from discussing the impending heat death of the universe and the simultaneous nuclear apocalypse

    You differ. Meh. Whatever
    It’s not a refreshing change though, is it? You’ve been telling us how amazing this new tech is for days, weeks. It’s not really a discussion either.

    Anyway, you can post what you want, as you say, and I can criticise those posts, as you imply.

    It is a discussion, see upthread

    And this is not the same tech, this is new: Stable Diffusion not GPT3 or Dalle-2, though they are all part of the same astonishing and accelerating rush to true AI, which will transform our relationship with art, and much else. Human society is about to be revolutionised

    Personally, I find that almost as interesting as the prospects for Welsh independence, but each to their own, as you say
    If people want to me, I'm happy to talk at enormous length about the treasures of Newent until he changes his mind.
    I'm gonna feed the prompt, "the treasures of Newent" into Stable Diffusion

    Perhaps you could then use it as your avatar and solve the problem?

    Be it the horse trough, market house, Black Dog, St Mary's Church, Stardens, the lake, 25 Church Street, The Old Bank House, America Gardens, Old Picklenash or indeed the Jubilee Spinney it couldn't possibly be worse than what you've got now...
    Who is the little horse that features prominently by the Market House and elsewhere? That horse would be a nice contention - free avatar for Leon. The Newent pony called...
    Can't think of a horse. It's the Red Lion next to the Market House.
    There is a statue of a little pony on the left hand side of the Market House, (if) the Red Lion is on the right of the Market House. He can't be as important as I had assumed.

    There were some lairy chaps coming out of the social club (opp. the Red Lion) last Friday.
    This thing?

    https://www.horseandhound.co.uk/news/valegro-bronze-statue-newent-728722
    Yes Valegro!
  • ydoethurydoethur Posts: 66,733
    Carnyx said:

    ydoethur said:

    ydoethur said:

    ydoethur said:

    Leon said:

    ydoethur said:

    Leon said:

    DougSeal said:

    Leon said:

    DougSeal said:

    Is there any chance we could run a membership d

    Leon said:

    Jesus Z Christ

    You should see the image I am looking at now. Ravishing

    If I saw this on a magazine cover in Tesco I'd stop and pick it up and admire the brilliance of the designer, the beauty of the model, the costume, the concept

    And yet a computer made it in 10 seconds

    I’m delighted for you. Now change the record. Please.

    I'll comment on whatever I like - within the rules of moderation

    We have been discussing this amazing new tech on and off all day. It makes a refreshing change, I find, from discussing the impending heat death of the universe and the simultaneous nuclear apocalypse

    You differ. Meh. Whatever
    It’s not a refreshing change though, is it? You’ve been telling us how amazing this new tech is for days, weeks. It’s not really a discussion either.

    Anyway, you can post what you want, as you say, and I can criticise those posts, as you imply.

    It is a discussion, see upthread

    And this is not the same tech, this is new: Stable Diffusion not GPT3 or Dalle-2, though they are all part of the same astonishing and accelerating rush to true AI, which will transform our relationship with art, and much else. Human society is about to be revolutionised

    Personally, I find that almost as interesting as the prospects for Welsh independence, but each to their own, as you say
    If people want to me, I'm happy to talk at enormous length about the treasures of Newent until he changes his mind.
    I'm gonna feed the prompt, "the treasures of Newent" into Stable Diffusion

    Perhaps you could then use it as your avatar and solve the problem?

    Be it the horse trough, market house, Black Dog, St Mary's Church, Stardens, the lake, 25 Church Street, The Old Bank House, America Gardens, Old Picklenash or indeed the Jubilee Spinney it couldn't possibly be worse than what you've got now...
    Who is the little horse that features prominently by the Market House and elsewhere? That horse would be a nice contention - free avatar for Leon. The Newent pony called...
    Can't think of a horse. It's the Red Lion next to the Market House.
    There is a statue of a little pony on the left hand side of the Market House, (if) the Red Lion is on the right of the Market House. He can't be as important as I had assumed.

    There were some lairy chaps coming out of the social club (opp. the Red Lion) last Friday.
    Ah, I know what you're talking about. That's Valegro, the triple Olympic gold medalist.

    https://www.horseandhound.co.uk/news/valegro-bronze-statue-takes-centre-stage-in-newent-738316

    Which apparently makes Newent one of the most successful Olympic towns in the country.
    Horses get medals? Very good for him.
    He always dreamed of whinnying.
  • rottenboroughrottenborough Posts: 58,038

    Well now.

    A spy working for Canadian intelligence smuggled Shamima Begum and her two friends from Bethnal Green into Syria and Britain later conspired with Canada to cover up its role, an explosive new book has claimed.

    Scotland Yard was told that the teenagers were trafficked into Syria by a people-smuggler who was a double agent working for both Islamic State and Canadian intelligence.

    An inquiry was demanded last night as it emerged that Canada knew about the teenagers’ fate but kept silent while the Metropolitan Police ran a frantic, international search for the trio.

    Canada privately admitted its involvement only when it feared being exposed, and then successfully asked the British to cover up its role, the book claimed.

    The revelation reopens the debate over stripping Begum of her nationality, if an asset of western intelligence gave practical help in her journey to become a jihadist bride, even organising her bus tickets.


    https://www.thetimes.co.uk/article/shamima-begum-was-smuggled-into-syria-by-western-spy-dqkkr8qlf

    WTF?

    What was in it for Canadian intelligence?
  • It's a pity that @RochdalePioneers got rid of his safe - otherwise he could have lent it to Liz to hide in!

    I have BETTER than that. A strong cupboard from floor to ceiling. With both an inch thick steel door and an inner steel mesh door. Perfect for installing manacles, right up her street.
  • rottenboroughrottenborough Posts: 58,038

    Eabhal said:

    I think Truss has one chance to sort out the energy crisis or we get an election. Maybe December, maybe May.

    My local, excellent pizzeria has just put a notice up in the window. Survived COVID, fucked by Putin.

    Bin workers in Edinburgh are striking because they can't get more than 5%. Inflation is north of 10%.

    How do we get an election, though? The PM controls the timing, and history shows that doomed PMs (Brown, Major) run down the clock on the off chance that Something Turns Up.

    The worse the political situation, the more likely that the next GE is in January 2025, even if that is seen as a massive V-sign to the electorate.
    We only get an election if Truss decides to hold one, unless a chunk of her MPs are so utterly fecked off they somehow vote a No Confidence in the government.
  • MexicanpeteMexicanpete Posts: 24,583
    ydoethur said:

    ydoethur said:

    ydoethur said:

    Leon said:

    ydoethur said:

    Leon said:

    DougSeal said:

    Leon said:

    DougSeal said:

    Is there any chance we could run a membership d

    Leon said:

    Jesus Z Christ

    You should see the image I am looking at now. Ravishing

    If I saw this on a magazine cover in Tesco I'd stop and pick it up and admire the brilliance of the designer, the beauty of the model, the costume, the concept

    And yet a computer made it in 10 seconds

    I’m delighted for you. Now change the record. Please.

    I'll comment on whatever I like - within the rules of moderation

    We have been discussing this amazing new tech on and off all day. It makes a refreshing change, I find, from discussing the impending heat death of the universe and the simultaneous nuclear apocalypse

    You differ. Meh. Whatever
    It’s not a refreshing change though, is it? You’ve been telling us how amazing this new tech is for days, weeks. It’s not really a discussion either.

    Anyway, you can post what you want, as you say, and I can criticise those posts, as you imply.

    It is a discussion, see upthread

    And this is not the same tech, this is new: Stable Diffusion not GPT3 or Dalle-2, though they are all part of the same astonishing and accelerating rush to true AI, which will transform our relationship with art, and much else. Human society is about to be revolutionised

    Personally, I find that almost as interesting as the prospects for Welsh independence, but each to their own, as you say
    If people want to me, I'm happy to talk at enormous length about the treasures of Newent until he changes his mind.
    I'm gonna feed the prompt, "the treasures of Newent" into Stable Diffusion

    Perhaps you could then use it as your avatar and solve the problem?

    Be it the horse trough, market house, Black Dog, St Mary's Church, Stardens, the lake, 25 Church Street, The Old Bank House, America Gardens, Old Picklenash or indeed the Jubilee Spinney it couldn't possibly be worse than what you've got now...
    Who is the little horse that features prominently by the Market House and elsewhere? That horse would be a nice contention - free avatar for Leon. The Newent pony called...
    Can't think of a horse. It's the Red Lion next to the Market House.
    There is a statue of a little pony on the left hand side of the Market House, (if) the Red Lion is on the right of the Market House. He can't be as important as I had assumed.

    There were some lairy chaps coming out of the social club (opp. the Red Lion) last Friday.
    Ah, I know what you're talking about. That's Valegro, the triple Olympic gold medalist.

    https://www.horseandhound.co.uk/news/valegro-bronze-statue-takes-centre-stage-in-newent-738316

    Which apparently makes Newent one of the most successful Olympic towns in the country.
    That's the one!
  • ydoethurydoethur Posts: 66,733

    Well now.

    A spy working for Canadian intelligence smuggled Shamima Begum and her two friends from Bethnal Green into Syria and Britain later conspired with Canada to cover up its role, an explosive new book has claimed.

    Scotland Yard was told that the teenagers were trafficked into Syria by a people-smuggler who was a double agent working for both Islamic State and Canadian intelligence.

    An inquiry was demanded last night as it emerged that Canada knew about the teenagers’ fate but kept silent while the Metropolitan Police ran a frantic, international search for the trio.

    Canada privately admitted its involvement only when it feared being exposed, and then successfully asked the British to cover up its role, the book claimed.

    The revelation reopens the debate over stripping Begum of her nationality, if an asset of western intelligence gave practical help in her journey to become a jihadist bride, even organising her bus tickets.


    https://www.thetimes.co.uk/article/shamima-begum-was-smuggled-into-syria-by-western-spy-dqkkr8qlf

    WTF?

    What was in it for Canadian intelligence?
    Do we know who wrote this book?

    If it was written by Zarah Sultana and published by Verso, we treat its claims with reserve.

    If it was written by a professor of politics at Aberystwyth and published by Routledge...
  • kinabalukinabalu Posts: 38,847
    Leon said:

    DougSeal said:

    Leon said:

    DougSeal said:

    Is there any chance we could run a membership d

    Leon said:

    Jesus Z Christ

    You should see the image I am looking at now. Ravishing

    If I saw this on a magazine cover in Tesco I'd stop and pick it up and admire the brilliance of the designer, the beauty of the model, the costume, the concept

    And yet a computer made it in 10 seconds

    I’m delighted for you. Now change the record. Please.

    I'll comment on whatever I like - within the rules of moderation

    We have been discussing this amazing new tech on and off all day. It makes a refreshing change, I find, from discussing the impending heat death of the universe and the simultaneous nuclear apocalypse

    You differ. Meh. Whatever
    It’s not a refreshing change though, is it? You’ve been telling us how amazing this new tech is for days, weeks. It’s not really a discussion either.

    Anyway, you can post what you want, as you say, and I can criticise those posts, as you imply.

    It is a discussion, see upthread

    And this is not the same tech, this is new: Stable Diffusion not GPT3 or Dalle-2, though they are all part of the same astonishing and accelerating rush to true AI, which will transform our relationship with art, and much else. Human society is about to be revolutionised

    Personally, I find that almost as interesting as the prospects for Welsh independence, but each to their own, as you say
    lol - You think you're Bowie 99 and we're Paxman, don't you?
  • ydoethurydoethur Posts: 66,733

    ydoethur said:

    ydoethur said:

    ydoethur said:

    Leon said:

    ydoethur said:

    Leon said:

    DougSeal said:

    Leon said:

    DougSeal said:

    Is there any chance we could run a membership d

    Leon said:

    Jesus Z Christ

    You should see the image I am looking at now. Ravishing

    If I saw this on a magazine cover in Tesco I'd stop and pick it up and admire the brilliance of the designer, the beauty of the model, the costume, the concept

    And yet a computer made it in 10 seconds

    I’m delighted for you. Now change the record. Please.

    I'll comment on whatever I like - within the rules of moderation

    We have been discussing this amazing new tech on and off all day. It makes a refreshing change, I find, from discussing the impending heat death of the universe and the simultaneous nuclear apocalypse

    You differ. Meh. Whatever
    It’s not a refreshing change though, is it? You’ve been telling us how amazing this new tech is for days, weeks. It’s not really a discussion either.

    Anyway, you can post what you want, as you say, and I can criticise those posts, as you imply.

    It is a discussion, see upthread

    And this is not the same tech, this is new: Stable Diffusion not GPT3 or Dalle-2, though they are all part of the same astonishing and accelerating rush to true AI, which will transform our relationship with art, and much else. Human society is about to be revolutionised

    Personally, I find that almost as interesting as the prospects for Welsh independence, but each to their own, as you say
    If people want to me, I'm happy to talk at enormous length about the treasures of Newent until he changes his mind.
    I'm gonna feed the prompt, "the treasures of Newent" into Stable Diffusion

    Perhaps you could then use it as your avatar and solve the problem?

    Be it the horse trough, market house, Black Dog, St Mary's Church, Stardens, the lake, 25 Church Street, The Old Bank House, America Gardens, Old Picklenash or indeed the Jubilee Spinney it couldn't possibly be worse than what you've got now...
    Who is the little horse that features prominently by the Market House and elsewhere? That horse would be a nice contention - free avatar for Leon. The Newent pony called...
    Can't think of a horse. It's the Red Lion next to the Market House.
    There is a statue of a little pony on the left hand side of the Market House, (if) the Red Lion is on the right of the Market House. He can't be as important as I had assumed.

    There were some lairy chaps coming out of the social club (opp. the Red Lion) last Friday.
    Ah, I know what you're talking about. That's Valegro, the triple Olympic gold medalist.

    https://www.horseandhound.co.uk/news/valegro-bronze-statue-takes-centre-stage-in-newent-738316

    Which apparently makes Newent one of the most successful Olympic towns in the country.
    That's the one!
    I haven't actually had a chance to look at it properly yet. It's a while since I walked through the Market Square. It does look quite impressive.
  • Carnyx said:

    MISTY said:

    Support for Welsh independence is growing – people are fed up with being forgotten
    - As in Scotland, many people have looked at the United Kingdom and decided that it’s simply not working for them

    The idea of an independent Wales is no longer just a hobby-horse of bearded men in Carmarthenshire pubs on Six Nations rugby match days. Polls put support for independence at about 30%, (and skew more pro- the younger you go): not enough to signal anything imminent, but high enough for us to be certain something real is happening. After all, Scotland was polling similar numbers in 2007, and just seven years later David Cameron, Ed Miliband and Nick Clegg were making “the vow” to the people of Scotland as they scrambled to keep the union together.

    https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2022/aug/30/support-welsh-independence-growing-scotland-uk

    Wales is not Scotland. You could not even hold a debate about whether it could survive as an independent country. It has no oil and gas, no large financial sector, no massive drinks industry and does not play a huge part in the UK's defence arrangements.

    It could not even begin to create the wealth it would need to support itself. Drakeford, an uninspiring Marxist apparatchik, does not even try. Its public services, already crumbling on the giant bung it gets from England every year, would simply collapse.

    And the North would declare UDI and join Lancashire and Cheshire

    It is not going to happen for many reasons including those you mention
    What is it about Unionists that they fantasise about partitioning perceived inferior states? Putin is inspired by British Nationalism’s Divide & Rule.

    I do not fantasise - you are with your desire for the UK to break up which will not happen
    You're the one who did, just like HYUFD and his Free Antrim or whatever it was.
    Actually it has been spoken about in some circles as the north suffer under Cardiff and of course travelling between north and the south takes hours with terrible rail links whereas Chester is only 30 - 45 minutes away

    Truth is neither will happen
  • ydoethurydoethur Posts: 66,733
    kinabalu said:

    Leon said:

    DougSeal said:

    Leon said:

    DougSeal said:

    Is there any chance we could run a membership d

    Leon said:

    Jesus Z Christ

    You should see the image I am looking at now. Ravishing

    If I saw this on a magazine cover in Tesco I'd stop and pick it up and admire the brilliance of the designer, the beauty of the model, the costume, the concept

    And yet a computer made it in 10 seconds

    I’m delighted for you. Now change the record. Please.

    I'll comment on whatever I like - within the rules of moderation

    We have been discussing this amazing new tech on and off all day. It makes a refreshing change, I find, from discussing the impending heat death of the universe and the simultaneous nuclear apocalypse

    You differ. Meh. Whatever
    It’s not a refreshing change though, is it? You’ve been telling us how amazing this new tech is for days, weeks. It’s not really a discussion either.

    Anyway, you can post what you want, as you say, and I can criticise those posts, as you imply.

    It is a discussion, see upthread

    And this is not the same tech, this is new: Stable Diffusion not GPT3 or Dalle-2, though they are all part of the same astonishing and accelerating rush to true AI, which will transform our relationship with art, and much else. Human society is about to be revolutionised

    Personally, I find that almost as interesting as the prospects for Welsh independence, but each to their own, as you say
    lol - You think you're Bowie 99 and we're Paxman, don't you?
    Are you threatening to overrule him?
This discussion has been closed.