How votes have moved in Esher since GE1997 – politicalbetting.com

Raab will probably retain his seat. To switch to another would be insane.

PS. Alas Sir Les!

3rd rate politicians.

But we have Mo Salah. Because of course we have Mo Salah.

Spode should stand for Old Bexley and Sidcup

Sad to hear of the passing of Dame Edna Everage. (Even more baffled that US politics has gotten to the point where an act like Dame Edna is the greatest threat facing society today, according to many Republican politicians.)

bondegezou said:

Sad to hear of the passing of Dame Edna Everage. (Even more baffled that US politics has gotten to the point where an act like Dame Edna is the greatest threat facing society today, according to many Republican politicians.)

Did Dame Edna ever do a 'Transgender Revenge Day' with a picture of an AR-15 on it? Must have missed that one.

Sunil_Prasannan said:

So why did you resign if you did nothing wrong, Dominic?

He said he would if the report found against him, which it did even if he disagrees with it.

TheKitchenCabinet said:

bondegezou said:

Sad to hear of the passing of Dame Edna Everage. (Even more baffled that US politics has gotten to the point where an act like Dame Edna is the greatest threat facing society today, according to many Republican politicians.)

Did Dame Edna ever do a 'Transgender Revenge Day' with a picture of an AR-15 on it? Must have missed that one.

I’m sure Barry Humphries could have come up with a great skit for that!

Obviously, the Republicans belief that drag acts are the root of all evil, or possibly all wokery, predates any mention of “Transgender Revenge Day” or the recent shooting by a trans individual (which, given the stupendously high frequency of shootings in the US, still means trans individuals are on average much less likely to be the perpetrators of such events).

US states are banning all drag acts, not just the armed ones. Dame Edna Everage would be *illegal* in parts of the US now. A light entertainment act that somehow we all grew up watching without becoming mass murderers/perverts/communists/the sort of people who have threesomes in a Swiss brothel.

RobD said:

Sunil_Prasannan said:

So why did you resign if you did nothing wrong, Dominic?

He said he would if the report found against him, which it did even if he disagrees with it.

Oh please, I don't buy for a second that was what persuaded him to resign. He obviously thinks the report is a pile of crap, it would be perfectly honourable to argue his previous commitment was on the basis it was not a ridiculous stitch up.

It's far more plausuble Rishi simply told him he would not back him up, as it would look too bad, so he knew he had to bite the bullet, even if doing so looks silly when he doesn't accept the conclusions. I'm not even one of those who expected the report to find against him.

kle4 said:

viewcode said:

Speaking of huge franchises that have recently failed to develop offshoots and are forced to return to the original characters and settings, Picard series 3 episode 10 dropped this week. With spoilers widely available early Thursday morning but a self-denying ordnance in place until people at Brit pace caught up, we can now talk about it.

And it was...ok. Not bad, and with some very nice bits of character interaction, but it was memberberries all the way. And although they've set up a legacy series going forward, it does feel like it's run its course. Discovery is sputtering to its end, SNW is a tribute band, and I'm wondering "now what".

I now return you to your fantasy series for children

Star Trek has introduced new offshoots, we've never had so many different serieses as in the last few years, and whilst things like Strange New Worlds, Discovery and Lower Decks are nostalgia bait (if to a lesser degree than Picard), they still do their own thing.
Problems of canon and overloading can occur by trying to squeeze a lot into the same broad time period of the setting though.

TheKitchenCabinet said:

Sandpit said:

I think my much-derided 50/50 on DeSantis being a non-runner, might be about to come off.

https://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/2023/04/22/inside-the-collapse-of-ron-desantis-presidential-campaign/

I have been saying the same thing that the chances of RDS running were quite low when you looked at the logic of things. I still stand by my view a DJT-RDS run is very much on the cards. One question will be whether DJT thinks having RDS loses him votes on the abortion issue or reassures the evangelical voters.

I don't see the appeal for DeSantis in joining the ticket under Trump (also wasn't there some speculation about not being able to as both registered in the same state?). He's young, should be easily re-elected as Governor and plenty of time.

He's unwilling to go after Trump for obvious reasons, and even in his own area people don't seem to fully buy he can be Trump but more electorally successful, since he is working hard to be polarising, so why would he go now?

With respect to Ron DeSantis, Tallahassee's answer to Victor Orban, note that

> writing him off due to current polling downs is just as wrong-headed, as assuming he's in like Flynn when his polling numbers go up. At this stage of play that is - remember 1972 Democratic nominee-presumptive, Ed "Cry Me a River" Muskie?

> with respect to possibility of a Trump-DeSantis GOP ticket in 2024, note that there are PLENTY of examples in US history, of nominees for POTUS selecting, or otherwise being matched, with a VP running mate DESPITE fact that they were bitter rivals for nomination. For example, Franklin Roosevelt and John Nance Garner (Dem 1932); John Kennedy and Lyndon Johnson (Dem 1960), Ronald Reagan and George Bush the Elder (Rep 1980). In case of #45 and RDS, fact they are from same state (currently) IS a problematic factor, to put it mildly!

> presume that bit re: "people in his own area" not getting on DeSantis bandwagon refers to members of Florida Republican congressional delegation? Who ain't exactly "people" in normal sense, but rather politicos on the make . . . just like RDS! Really insider baseball. For historical context, note that in 1932, the same argument was raised against FDR with respect to his lack of support from fellow NY Democratic politicos, who mostly lined up behind former NY State Gov. and 1928 nominee Al Smith.

SeaShantyIrish2 said:

kle4 said:

viewcode said:

Speaking of huge franchises that have recently failed to develop offshoots and are forced to return to the original characters and settings, Picard series 3 episode 10 dropped this week. With spoilers widely available early Thursday morning but a self-denying ordnance in place until people at Brit pace caught up, we can now talk about it.

And it was...ok. Not bad, and with some very nice bits of character interaction, but it was memberberries all the way. And although they've set up a legacy series going forward, it does feel like it's run its course. Discovery is sputtering to its end, SNW is a tribute band, and I'm wondering "now what".

I now return you to your fantasy series for children

Star Trek has introduced new offshoots, we've never had so many different serieses as in the last few years, and whilst things like Strange New Worlds, Discovery and Lower Decks are nostalgia bait (if to a lesser degree than Picard), they still do their own thing.
Problems of canon and overloading can occur by trying to squeeze a lot into the same broad time period of the setting though.

TheKitchenCabinet said:

Sandpit said:

I think my much-derided 50/50 on DeSantis being a non-runner, might be about to come off.

https://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/2023/04/22/inside-the-collapse-of-ron-desantis-presidential-campaign/

I have been saying the same thing that the chances of RDS running were quite low when you looked at the logic of things. I still stand by my view a DJT-RDS run is very much on the cards. One question will be whether DJT thinks having RDS loses him votes on the abortion issue or reassures the evangelical voters.

I don't see the appeal for DeSantis in joining the ticket under Trump (also wasn't there some speculation about not being able to as both registered in the same state?). He's young, should be easily re-elected as Governor and plenty of time.

He's unwilling to go after Trump for obvious reasons, and even in his own area people don't seem to fully buy he can be Trump but more electorally successful, since he is working hard to be polarising, so why would he go now?

With respect to Ron DeSantis, Tallahassee's answer to Victor Orban, note that

> writing him off due to current polling downs is just as wrong-headed, as assuming he's in like Flynn when his polling numbers go up. At this stage of play that is - remember 1972 Democratic nominee-presumptive, Ed "Cry Me a River" Muskie?

> with respect to possibility of a Trump-DeSantis GOP ticket in 2024, note that there are PLENTY of examples in US history, of nominees for POTUS selecting, or otherwise being matched, with a VP running mate DESPITE fact that they were bitter rivals for nomination. For example, Franklin Roosevelt and John Nance Garner (Dem 1932); John Kennedy and Lyndon Johnson (Dem 1960), Ronald Reagan and George Bush the Elder (Rep 1980). In case of #45 and RDS, fact they are from same state (currently) IS a problematic factor, to put it mildly!

> presume that bit re: "people in his own area" not getting on DeSantis bandwagon refers to members of Florida Republican congressional delegation? Who ain't exactly "people" in normal sense, but rather politicos on the make . . . just like RDS! Really insider baseball. For historical context, note that in 1932, the same argument was raised against FDR with respect to his lack of support from fellow NY Democratic politicos, who mostly lined up behind former NY State Gov. and 1928 nominee Al Smith.

So do you think he has a chance? I just cannot see what he offers people who already like Trump, since 'more electable' seems to have died down as a narrative, and if he makes that point will presumably immediately face even more wrath from Trump fans.

bondegezou said:

Sad to hear of the passing of Dame Edna Everage. (Even more baffled that US politics has gotten to the point where an act like Dame Edna is the greatest threat facing society today, according to many Republican politicians.)

It's a category error to compare comedy drag acts like Dame Edna or Lily Savage with the current porn-adjacent movement.

RobD said:

Sunil_Prasannan said:

So why did you resign if you did nothing wrong, Dominic?

He said he would if the report found against him, which it did even if he disagrees with it.

He "accepts" it but he doesn't agree with it. Must have been a joy to work with, even setting the bullying aside.

Sam Freedman on Raab:

The moment the investigation into Raab’s bullying was announced I tweeted that I expected many more civil servants to come forward with complaints. I’ve rarely been more confident about a prediction because, like everyone who hangs around Whitehall, I knew Raab’s reputation. His behaviour had been an open secret for years. The high turnover in his private office was a matter of record as were the higher than normal salaries offered to officials to work with him (“danger money” as more than one described it to me).

Gardenwalker said:

Sam Freedman on Raab:

The moment the investigation into Raab’s bullying was announced I tweeted that I expected many more civil servants to come forward with complaints. I’ve rarely been more confident about a prediction because, like everyone who hangs around Whitehall, I knew Raab’s reputation. His behaviour had been an open secret for years. The high turnover in his private office was a matter of record as were the higher than normal salaries offered to officials to work with him (“danger money” as more than one described it to me).

Funny, many teachers said the same of the DfE when Freedman was there cocking it all up...

MattW said:

SandraMc said:

Sandpit said:

Telegraph needs a spreadsheet worker at the weekend.

https://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/2023/04/21/london-ambulances-31m-electric-cars-paramedic-pay-dispute/

“Ambulance service spends £31m on Mustangs”

Apparently, 42 ambulance service response vehicles, that cost £72k each, comes out as £31m rather than £3.1m. The story’s been up for 20 hours, and still not been corrected.

The Telegraph needs decent sub editors. In yesterday's Tele there was a story about the sister of the Reading headteacher who committed suicide after an Ofsted report, criticising the organisation. The headline referred to"sister of late Epsom head". It had confused the story about the head who was murdered by her husband with the one about the head who killed herself.

Promotional initiative by Ford, perhaps? It's probably more like 1.5m than 3.1m.

The Telegraph morons have just taken the highest RRP in the range and multiplied it up.

Why does the one in the pic look as if it has been T-boned?


(And why is it on a double-yellow rather than the parking space next to it? It's not obviously on a call that gives an exception.)

Maybe there was a car in the aforesaid space when it parked, and there was an emergency at the time?

(My experience is ambulances switch off lights when stationary. This may not be typical as I usually see them stationary when parked on a drive.)

kle4 said:

SeaShantyIrish2 said:

kle4 said:

viewcode said:

Speaking of huge franchises that have recently failed to develop offshoots and are forced to return to the original characters and settings, Picard series 3 episode 10 dropped this week. With spoilers widely available early Thursday morning but a self-denying ordnance in place until people at Brit pace caught up, we can now talk about it.

And it was...ok. Not bad, and with some very nice bits of character interaction, but it was memberberries all the way. And although they've set up a legacy series going forward, it does feel like it's run its course. Discovery is sputtering to its end, SNW is a tribute band, and I'm wondering "now what".

I now return you to your fantasy series for children

Star Trek has introduced new offshoots, we've never had so many different serieses as in the last few years, and whilst things like Strange New Worlds, Discovery and Lower Decks are nostalgia bait (if to a lesser degree than Picard), they still do their own thing.
Problems of canon and overloading can occur by trying to squeeze a lot into the same broad time period of the setting though.

TheKitchenCabinet said:

Sandpit said:

I think my much-derided 50/50 on DeSantis being a non-runner, might be about to come off.

https://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/2023/04/22/inside-the-collapse-of-ron-desantis-presidential-campaign/

I have been saying the same thing that the chances of RDS running were quite low when you looked at the logic of things. I still stand by my view a DJT-RDS run is very much on the cards. One question will be whether DJT thinks having RDS loses him votes on the abortion issue or reassures the evangelical voters.

I don't see the appeal for DeSantis in joining the ticket under Trump (also wasn't there some speculation about not being able to as both registered in the same state?). He's young, should be easily re-elected as Governor and plenty of time.

He's unwilling to go after Trump for obvious reasons, and even in his own area people don't seem to fully buy he can be Trump but more electorally successful, since he is working hard to be polarising, so why would he go now?

With respect to Ron DeSantis, Tallahassee's answer to Victor Orban, note that

> writing him off due to current polling downs is just as wrong-headed, as assuming he's in like Flynn when his polling numbers go up. At this stage of play that is - remember 1972 Democratic nominee-presumptive, Ed "Cry Me a River" Muskie?

> with respect to possibility of a Trump-DeSantis GOP ticket in 2024, note that there are PLENTY of examples in US history, of nominees for POTUS selecting, or otherwise being matched, with a VP running mate DESPITE fact that they were bitter rivals for nomination. For example, Franklin Roosevelt and John Nance Garner (Dem 1932); John Kennedy and Lyndon Johnson (Dem 1960), Ronald Reagan and George Bush the Elder (Rep 1980). In case of #45 and RDS, fact they are from same state (currently) IS a problematic factor, to put it mildly!

> presume that bit re: "people in his own area" not getting on DeSantis bandwagon refers to members of Florida Republican congressional delegation? Who ain't exactly "people" in normal sense, but rather politicos on the make . . . just like RDS! Really insider baseball. For historical context, note that in 1932, the same argument was raised against FDR with respect to his lack of support from fellow NY Democratic politicos, who mostly lined up behind former NY State Gov. and 1928 nominee Al Smith.

So do you think he has a chance? I just cannot see what he offers people who already like Trump, since 'more electable' seems to have died down as a narrative, and if he makes that point will presumably immediately face even more wrath from Trump fans.

Yes, I do think that Ron DeSantic does have a chance of winning the 2024 Republican nomination for President.

Better than you, me OR Mike Pence!

Again, is is still EARLY DAYS meaning for one thing that early polls mean less than some pundits think they do.

We shall have to see how things develop during rest of 2023 and start of 2024.

DecrepiterJohnL said:

Inside the collapse of Ron DeSantis’ presidential campaign
https://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/2023/04/22/inside-the-collapse-of-ron-desantis-presidential-campaign/ (£££)

A quick and perhaps unrepresentative summary:-

A flurry of Trump endorsements from Florida and across the US. Florida's senators Marco Rubio and Rick Scott have yet to declare.

RDS lacks charisma. He relies on his own instincts rather than campaign managers who have done it before, or got him where he is today.

No good at retail politics; does not schmooze donors.

Majoring on culture wars with strict abortion limits and war on Disney; mimicking Trump rather than rallying non-Trump and former-Trump Republicans.

DeSantis has lost his poll lead and now trails The Donald.

Otoh, RDS still has a big pile of campaign cash, and is well-placed if the prosecutors do for Trump.

Wonder IF the boys & girls at the Tel-a-Tory ever heard of President Ed Muskie? OR President Robert Taft?

kle4 said:

RobD said:

Sunil_Prasannan said:

So why did you resign if you did nothing wrong, Dominic?

He said he would if the report found against him, which it did even if he disagrees with it.

Oh please, I don't buy for a second that was what persuaded him to resign. He obviously thinks the report is a pile of crap, it would be perfectly honourable to argue his previous commitment was on the basis it was not a ridiculous stitch up.

It's far more plausuble Rishi simply told him he would not back him up, as it would look too bad, so he knew he had to bite the bullet, even if doing so looks silly when he doesn't accept the conclusions. I'm not even one of those who expected the report to find against him.

Reading his letter I think Sunak knows that there is a major problem with the Ministerial Code; he just wants to keep the civil service on side, in order to get some work done over the next 18 or so months and put an end to these 'allegations' against ministers. Under this theory, Raab was sacrificed to achieve that; rather than 'bringing down the government' he decided this 'unforced resignation' was the best presentational route.

kinabalu said:

Sunil_Prasannan said:

So why did you resign if you did nothing wrong, Dominic?

There's a view that his real 'crime' was attempting (robustly) to prevent a quisling in the civil service from surrendering Gibraltar to the Spanish. This infuriated the Blob and for this he was forced out. Awful if true.

And with Raab out of the way we're defenceless against these quisling civil servants giving the entire UK to foreigners. Oh no!

bondegezou said:

williamglenn said:

bondegezou said:

Sad to hear of the passing of Dame Edna Everage. (Even more baffled that US politics has gotten to the point where an act like Dame Edna is the greatest threat facing society today, according to many Republican politicians.)

It's a category error to compare comedy drag acts like Dame Edna or Lily Savage with the current porn-adjacent movement.

The laws Republicans are introducing don’t make any distinction. They’d band Dame Edna, Lily Savage and every Xmas panto.

Not that I accept this guff about “porn-adjacent”. I’ve never seen any drag act that is porn-adjacent. I’ve seen Miley Cyrus music videos that are porn-adjacent, but Republicans don’t want to ban those. I’ve seen US Presidents who were pornstar-adjacent, but Republicans are fine with that.

Paul O'Grady himself made a similar distinction between drag and transvestism.

https://www.thepinknews.com/2017/08/02/paul-ogrady-cant-stand-rupauls-drag-race-its-not-drag-its-transvestism/

Why do I like Masterchef so much? I dunno. But I do. I get positively EXCITED by a new episode, and root for individual chefs, and heckle the ones that do “goose thighs five ways”

Mad, really

@BlancheLivermore

We read Golding's "Lord of the Flies" at school.

bondegezou said:

TheKitchenCabinet said:

kinabalu said:

TheKitchenCabinet said:

bondegezou said:

Sad to hear of the passing of Dame Edna Everage. (Even more baffled that US politics has gotten to the point where an act like Dame Edna is the greatest threat facing society today, according to many Republican politicians.)

Did Dame Edna ever do a 'Transgender Revenge Day' with a picture of an AR-15 on it? Must have missed that one.

What proportion of the individuals in the US who fetishize gun violence would be drag queens iyo?

Haven't run the percentages - this one does have over 7K followers though: https://www.facebook.com/triggerwarninggunclub/

BTW, have we had the manifesto published yet of the transgender shooter who shot dead children and teachers in Tennessee on Transgender Revenge Day?

And this shooting, by someone who was not a drag act, justifies banning all drag acts how…?

Wasn't replying to that. More @kinablu's question re shooters.

bondegezou said:

TheKitchenCabinet said:

kinabalu said:

TheKitchenCabinet said:

bondegezou said:

Sad to hear of the passing of Dame Edna Everage. (Even more baffled that US politics has gotten to the point where an act like Dame Edna is the greatest threat facing society today, according to many Republican politicians.)

Did Dame Edna ever do a 'Transgender Revenge Day' with a picture of an AR-15 on it? Must have missed that one.

What proportion of the individuals in the US who fetishize gun violence would be drag queens iyo?

Haven't run the percentages - this one does have over 7K followers though: https://www.facebook.com/triggerwarninggunclub/

BTW, have we had the manifesto published yet of the transgender shooter who shot dead children and teachers in Tennessee on Transgender Revenge Day?

And this shooting, by someone who was not a drag act, justifies banning all drag acts how…?

Wasn't the shooter a F to M Trans person?

Great home win for Leicester, out of the relegation zone on goal difference.

Sunil_Prasannan said:

BlancheLivermore said:

I’m in Salisbury. Haven’t stocked up with beer yet, but have found time to get another Golding Blue Plaque

Watch out for Russian "tourists"!

And don't pick up any discarded perfume bottles

bondegezou said:

williamglenn said:

bondegezou said:

williamglenn said:

bondegezou said:

Sad to hear of the passing of Dame Edna Everage. (Even more baffled that US politics has gotten to the point where an act like Dame Edna is the greatest threat facing society today, according to many Republican politicians.)

It's a category error to compare comedy drag acts like Dame Edna or Lily Savage with the current porn-adjacent movement.

The laws Republicans are introducing don’t make any distinction. They’d band Dame Edna, Lily Savage and every Xmas panto.

Not that I accept this guff about “porn-adjacent”. I’ve never seen any drag act that is porn-adjacent. I’ve seen Miley Cyrus music videos that are porn-adjacent, but Republicans don’t want to ban those. I’ve seen US Presidents who were pornstar-adjacent, but Republicans are fine with that.

Paul O'Grady himself made a similar distinction between drag and transvestism.

https://www.thepinknews.com/2017/08/02/paul-ogrady-cant-stand-rupauls-drag-race-its-not-drag-its-transvestism/

What O’Grady says in that article is: “That’s not drag! It’s all about shading and contouring your face now and being like supermodels.”

That seems a very different comment to what you were saying about “porn-adjacent”. Nor do I believe Paul O’Grady supports laws banning drag acts, as Ron DeSantis does, to tie us in to the other discussion…

Many of the people on shows like Ru Paul's Drag Race are 'creators' on OnlyFans.

Yes in some ways it’s just a reflection of the pornification of culture more generally but it’s naive to think this is about anyone wanting to ban Dame Edna.

State of Ron's state.

AGAIN: A couple in Broward County said they were shot at after they went to the wrong address to deliver Instacart groceries. The couple said police told them there would be no repercussions for the shooter because no Florida laws were broken.
https://twitter.com/shannonrwatts/status/1649787753159360513

SeaShantyIrish2 said:

Leon said:

Why do I like Masterchef so much? I dunno. But I do. I get positively EXCITED by a new episode, and root for individual chefs, and heckle the ones that do “goose thighs five ways”

Mad, really

All the chefs I know HATE Gordon Ramsey and his crap TV shows.

Masterchef here in Britain is not a Gordon Ramsay programme, and is more about cooking than "tension" than the American and Australian versions which I find unwatchable. We also have Masterchef: the Professionals which has (iirc) chalked up a couple of Michelin stars among former contestants.

SeaShantyIrish2 said:

Leon said:

Why do I like Masterchef so much? I dunno. But I do. I get positively EXCITED by a new episode, and root for individual chefs, and heckle the ones that do “goose thighs five ways”

Mad, really

All the chefs I know HATE Gordon Ramsey and his crap TV shows.

What has that to do with Masterchef ?

bondegezou said:

williamglenn said:

bondegezou said:

williamglenn said:

bondegezou said:

williamglenn said:

bondegezou said:

Sad to hear of the passing of Dame Edna Everage. (Even more baffled that US politics has gotten to the point where an act like Dame Edna is the greatest threat facing society today, according to many Republican politicians.)

It's a category error to compare comedy drag acts like Dame Edna or Lily Savage with the current porn-adjacent movement.

The laws Republicans are introducing don’t make any distinction. They’d band Dame Edna, Lily Savage and every Xmas panto.

Not that I accept this guff about “porn-adjacent”. I’ve never seen any drag act that is porn-adjacent. I’ve seen Miley Cyrus music videos that are porn-adjacent, but Republicans don’t want to ban those. I’ve seen US Presidents who were pornstar-adjacent, but Republicans are fine with that.

Paul O'Grady himself made a similar distinction between drag and transvestism.

https://www.thepinknews.com/2017/08/02/paul-ogrady-cant-stand-rupauls-drag-race-its-not-drag-its-transvestism/

What O’Grady says in that article is: “That’s not drag! It’s all about shading and contouring your face now and being like supermodels.”

That seems a very different comment to what you were saying about “porn-adjacent”. Nor do I believe Paul O’Grady supports laws banning drag acts, as Ron DeSantis does, to tie us in to the other discussion…

Many of the people on shows like Ru Paul's Drag Race are 'creators' on OnlyFans.

Yes in some ways it’s just a reflection of the pornification of culture more generally but it’s naive to think this is about anyone wanting to ban Dame Edna.

Then why are Republicans banning people like Dame Edna if that’s not what they want to do?

http://kslegislature.org/li/b2023_24/measures/documents/sb149_00_0000.pdf <- that’s proposed legislation in Kansas. Bottom of p. 3. All drag banned. Would cover Dame Edna.

🇨🇳 ambassador to 🇫🇷, when asked if Crimea is 🇺🇦:

The former Soviet republics like Ukraine have “no effective status in international law”, they are “not sovereign states”.

What did Macron achieve in Beijing, exactly?…
https://twitter.com/d_foubert/status/1649604444558970883

Nigelb said:

🇨🇳 ambassador to 🇫🇷, when asked if Crimea is 🇺🇦:

The former Soviet republics like Ukraine have “no effective status in international law”, they are “not sovereign states”.

What did Macron achieve in Beijing, exactly?…
https://twitter.com/d_foubert/status/1649604444558970883

I’d be a tad worried if I was a central Asian country near China.

biggles said:

Nigelb said:

🇨🇳 ambassador to 🇫🇷, when asked if Crimea is 🇺🇦:

The former Soviet republics like Ukraine have “no effective status in international law”, they are “not sovereign states”.

What did Macron achieve in Beijing, exactly?…
https://twitter.com/d_foubert/status/1649604444558970883

I’d be a tad worried if I was a central Asian country near China.

I would have thought it would actually be quite a tough ask for China to invade any country to its west. The supply lines are poor and stretched thin. To the south, Tibet isn't an easy place to manoeuvre armies - to the north, Xinjiang is currently absorbing most of the soldiers in it to keep Xi's genocidal mania fed.

China will probably not try and invade Vietnam again, and North Korea is its ally. Taiwan it's already trying to browbeat into joining the mainland.

Mongolia might perhaps be a bit perturbed.

Nigelb said:

🇨🇳 ambassador to 🇫🇷, when asked if Crimea is 🇺🇦:

The former Soviet republics like Ukraine have “no effective status in international law”, they are “not sovereign states”.

What did Macron achieve in Beijing, exactly?…
https://twitter.com/d_foubert/status/1649604444558970883

Lots of supportive headlines in domestic French media, that drew attention away from riots in Paris?

CarlottaVance said:

williamglenn said:

bondegezou said:

williamglenn said:

bondegezou said:

williamglenn said:

bondegezou said:

Sad to hear of the passing of Dame Edna Everage. (Even more baffled that US politics has gotten to the point where an act like Dame Edna is the greatest threat facing society today, according to many Republican politicians.)

It's a category error to compare comedy drag acts like Dame Edna or Lily Savage with the current porn-adjacent movement.

The laws Republicans are introducing don’t make any distinction. They’d band Dame Edna, Lily Savage and every Xmas panto.

Not that I accept this guff about “porn-adjacent”. I’ve never seen any drag act that is porn-adjacent. I’ve seen Miley Cyrus music videos that are porn-adjacent, but Republicans don’t want to ban those. I’ve seen US Presidents who were pornstar-adjacent, but Republicans are fine with that.

Paul O'Grady himself made a similar distinction between drag and transvestism.

https://www.thepinknews.com/2017/08/02/paul-ogrady-cant-stand-rupauls-drag-race-its-not-drag-its-transvestism/

What O’Grady says in that article is: “That’s not drag! It’s all about shading and contouring your face now and being like supermodels.”

That seems a very different comment to what you were saying about “porn-adjacent”. Nor do I believe Paul O’Grady supports laws banning drag acts, as Ron DeSantis does, to tie us in to the other discussion…

Many of the people on shows like Ru Paul's Drag Race are 'creators' on OnlyFans.

Yes in some ways it’s just a reflection of the pornification of culture more generally but it’s naive to think this is about anyone wanting to ban Dame Edna.

Dame Edna and Lily Savage were men who dressed as women to say the unsayable. But they never pretended to be anything other than men.

Drag is not remotely the same as trans - men who think they are women - and many aim to be hyperfeminised versions of women - indeed some of them claim to be “better than women”. But they’re still men. Who wish to compel belief in the rest of us.

And as for autogyniphiles (men who get sexually aroused thinking of themselves as women and dressing as women) it doesn’t take much imagination to work out why they wish to gain access to female only spaces. Unfortunately they get lumped in with the genuinely trans when you do something like GRR a l’Ecosse.

I haven't seen this word before, but it seems to be spelt autogynephiles

williamglenn said:

bondegezou said:

williamglenn said:

bondegezou said:

williamglenn said:

bondegezou said:

williamglenn said:

bondegezou said:

Sad to hear of the passing of Dame Edna Everage. (Even more baffled that US politics has gotten to the point where an act like Dame Edna is the greatest threat facing society today, according to many Republican politicians.)

It's a category error to compare comedy drag acts like Dame Edna or Lily Savage with the current porn-adjacent movement.

The laws Republicans are introducing don’t make any distinction. They’d band Dame Edna, Lily Savage and every Xmas panto.

Not that I accept this guff about “porn-adjacent”. I’ve never seen any drag act that is porn-adjacent. I’ve seen Miley Cyrus music videos that are porn-adjacent, but Republicans don’t want to ban those. I’ve seen US Presidents who were pornstar-adjacent, but Republicans are fine with that.

Paul O'Grady himself made a similar distinction between drag and transvestism.

https://www.thepinknews.com/2017/08/02/paul-ogrady-cant-stand-rupauls-drag-race-its-not-drag-its-transvestism/

What O’Grady says in that article is: “That’s not drag! It’s all about shading and contouring your face now and being like supermodels.”

That seems a very different comment to what you were saying about “porn-adjacent”. Nor do I believe Paul O’Grady supports laws banning drag acts, as Ron DeSantis does, to tie us in to the other discussion…

Many of the people on shows like Ru Paul's Drag Race are 'creators' on OnlyFans.

Yes in some ways it’s just a reflection of the pornification of culture more generally but it’s naive to think this is about anyone wanting to ban Dame Edna.

Then why are Republicans banning people like Dame Edna if that’s not what they want to do?

Collateral damage in a culture war that seems to have been instigated by things like Drag Queen Story Hour and a determination from some people to bring this into schools.

The debate in the US is horribly polarised - with Dem States continuing the “Affirmative Care” model which for some of their patients will prove to have been a catastrophic and life changing disaster. Meanwhile Republican States are taking a sledgehammer to crack a nut - stopping treatment for even the small number for whom it might be beneficial. On balance I’d say the latter is the lesser of the two evils, but both are bad. Very bad.

Nigelb said:

SeaShantyIrish2 said:

Leon said:

Why do I like Masterchef so much? I dunno. But I do. I get positively EXCITED by a new episode, and root for individual chefs, and heckle the ones that do “goose thighs five ways”

Mad, really

All the chefs I know HATE Gordon Ramsey and his crap TV shows.

What has that to do with Masterchef ?

Halo, Nigelb, how are you?

ydoethur said:

biggles said:

Nigelb said:

🇨🇳 ambassador to 🇫🇷, when asked if Crimea is 🇺🇦:

The former Soviet republics like Ukraine have “no effective status in international law”, they are “not sovereign states”.

What did Macron achieve in Beijing, exactly?…
https://twitter.com/d_foubert/status/1649604444558970883

I’d be a tad worried if I was a central Asian country near China.

I would have thought it would actually be quite a tough ask for China to invade any country to its west. The supply lines are poor and stretched thin. To the south, Tibet isn't an easy place to manoeuvre armies - to the north, Xinjiang is currently absorbing most of the soldiers in it to keep Xi's genocidal mania fed.

China will probably not try and invade Vietnam again, and North Korea is its ally. Taiwan it's already trying to browbeat into joining the mainland.

Mongolia might perhaps be a bit perturbed.

Ironically, Mongolia is probably protected by having Russia as a neighbour who historically has influenced its affairs. A Chinese takeover of Mongolia might strain relations too much, especially given Russian fears over Siberia going Chinese.

geoffw said:

CarlottaVance said:

williamglenn said:

bondegezou said:

williamglenn said:

bondegezou said:

williamglenn said:

bondegezou said:

Sad to hear of the passing of Dame Edna Everage. (Even more baffled that US politics has gotten to the point where an act like Dame Edna is the greatest threat facing society today, according to many Republican politicians.)

It's a category error to compare comedy drag acts like Dame Edna or Lily Savage with the current porn-adjacent movement.

The laws Republicans are introducing don’t make any distinction. They’d band Dame Edna, Lily Savage and every Xmas panto.

Not that I accept this guff about “porn-adjacent”. I’ve never seen any drag act that is porn-adjacent. I’ve seen Miley Cyrus music videos that are porn-adjacent, but Republicans don’t want to ban those. I’ve seen US Presidents who were pornstar-adjacent, but Republicans are fine with that.

Paul O'Grady himself made a similar distinction between drag and transvestism.

https://www.thepinknews.com/2017/08/02/paul-ogrady-cant-stand-rupauls-drag-race-its-not-drag-its-transvestism/

What O’Grady says in that article is: “That’s not drag! It’s all about shading and contouring your face now and being like supermodels.”

That seems a very different comment to what you were saying about “porn-adjacent”. Nor do I believe Paul O’Grady supports laws banning drag acts, as Ron DeSantis does, to tie us in to the other discussion…

Many of the people on shows like Ru Paul's Drag Race are 'creators' on OnlyFans.

Yes in some ways it’s just a reflection of the pornification of culture more generally but it’s naive to think this is about anyone wanting to ban Dame Edna.

Dame Edna and Lily Savage were men who dressed as women to say the unsayable. But they never pretended to be anything other than men.

Drag is not remotely the same as trans - men who think they are women - and many aim to be hyperfeminised versions of women - indeed some of them claim to be “better than women”. But they’re still men. Who wish to compel belief in the rest of us.

And as for autogyniphiles (men who get sexually aroused thinking of themselves as women and dressing as women) it doesn’t take much imagination to work out why they wish to gain access to female only spaces. Unfortunately they get lumped in with the genuinely trans when you do something like GRR a l’Ecosse.

I haven't seen this word before, but it seems to be spelt autogynephiles

It confuses spell check and me!

Sandpit said:

TheKitchenCabinet said:

Nigelb said:

🇨🇳 ambassador to 🇫🇷, when asked if Crimea is 🇺🇦:

The former Soviet republics like Ukraine have “no effective status in international law”, they are “not sovereign states”.

What did Macron achieve in Beijing, exactly?…
https://twitter.com/d_foubert/status/1649604444558970883

Music to Putin's ears. Kazakhstan probably next on the list.

With Putin and who’s army?

I'd agree but the conditions are there - large ethnic Russian population, instability plus harder to get weapons to Kazakhstan from the West.

williamglenn said:

bondegezou said:

williamglenn said:

bondegezou said:

williamglenn said:

bondegezou said:

williamglenn said:

bondegezou said:

Sad to hear of the passing of Dame Edna Everage. (Even more baffled that US politics has gotten to the point where an act like Dame Edna is the greatest threat facing society today, according to many Republican politicians.)

It's a category error to compare comedy drag acts like Dame Edna or Lily Savage with the current porn-adjacent movement.

The laws Republicans are introducing don’t make any distinction. They’d band Dame Edna, Lily Savage and every Xmas panto.

Not that I accept this guff about “porn-adjacent”. I’ve never seen any drag act that is porn-adjacent. I’ve seen Miley Cyrus music videos that are porn-adjacent, but Republicans don’t want to ban those. I’ve seen US Presidents who were pornstar-adjacent, but Republicans are fine with that.

Paul O'Grady himself made a similar distinction between drag and transvestism.

https://www.thepinknews.com/2017/08/02/paul-ogrady-cant-stand-rupauls-drag-race-its-not-drag-its-transvestism/

What O’Grady says in that article is: “That’s not drag! It’s all about shading and contouring your face now and being like supermodels.”

That seems a very different comment to what you were saying about “porn-adjacent”. Nor do I believe Paul O’Grady supports laws banning drag acts, as Ron DeSantis does, to tie us in to the other discussion…

Many of the people on shows like Ru Paul's Drag Race are 'creators' on OnlyFans.

Yes in some ways it’s just a reflection of the pornification of culture more generally but it’s naive to think this is about anyone wanting to ban Dame Edna.

Then why are Republicans banning people like Dame Edna if that’s not what they want to do?

Collateral damage in a culture war that seems to have been instigated by things like Drag Queen Story Hour and a determination from some people to bring this into schools.

The simple answer to this is that, if the language wasn't all encompassing, a loophole would be found. Hence the blunt hammer approach.

TheKitchenCabinet said:

Sandpit said:

TheKitchenCabinet said:

Nigelb said:

🇨🇳 ambassador to 🇫🇷, when asked if Crimea is 🇺🇦:

The former Soviet republics like Ukraine have “no effective status in international law”, they are “not sovereign states”.

What did Macron achieve in Beijing, exactly?…
https://twitter.com/d_foubert/status/1649604444558970883

Music to Putin's ears. Kazakhstan probably next on the list.

With Putin and who’s army?

I'd agree but the conditions are there - large ethnic Russian population, instability plus harder to get weapons to Kazakhstan from the West.

Are the Kazakhs stocking up right now, given what they can see is happening to Ukraine?

Nigelb said:

ydoethur said:

Nigelb said:

🇨🇳 ambassador to 🇫🇷, when asked if Crimea is 🇺🇦:

The former Soviet republics like Ukraine have “no effective status in international law”, they are “not sovereign states”.

What did Macron achieve in Beijing, exactly?…
https://twitter.com/d_foubert/status/1649604444558970883

Bloody hell.

Does that mean China has no status in international law? After all, the legal government is in Taipei...*

*yes, yes, I know Chiang's government had no more actual legitimacy than Mao's.

It means China doesn't recognise international law except did the bits it makes up as it goes along.

It doesn't mean we can't do business with it. We just have to have no illusions about it being a dangerous and very powerful potential adversary.

Isn't more likely that the Chinese ambassador to France was speaking out of turn and might be sacked in the morning, or that his remarks have been a bit misreported?

Have you got a link to the original remarks?

That Kansas legislation quoted above is bonkers.

Is this what legal text looks like in the USA? Our Parliamentary Counsel would have a fit.

Setting aside the fact that I think trying to ban drag is silly, their attempt at a definition is so broad as to be unenforceable.

“2) "drag performance" means a performance in which one or more performers:

(A) Exhibits a gender identity that is different from the performer's gender assigned at birth using clothing, makeup or other accessories that are traditionally worn by members of and are meant to exaggerate the gender identity of the performer's opposite sex; and

(B) sings, lip-synchs, dances or otherwise performs before an audience of at least two
persons for entertainment, whether performed for payment or not”.

That covers the Pythons. That covers most farces on stage. That covers the film ET (where he tries lipstick and a dress).

If enacted, you’d make so much unlawful you’d be a laughing stock in days.

geoffw said:

TheKitchenCabinet said:

Sandpit said:

TheKitchenCabinet said:

Nigelb said:

🇨🇳 ambassador to 🇫🇷, when asked if Crimea is 🇺🇦:

The former Soviet republics like Ukraine have “no effective status in international law”, they are “not sovereign states”.

What did Macron achieve in Beijing, exactly?…
https://twitter.com/d_foubert/status/1649604444558970883

Music to Putin's ears. Kazakhstan probably next on the list.

With Putin and who’s army?

I'd agree but the conditions are there - large ethnic Russian population, instability plus harder to get weapons to Kazakhstan from the West.

Are the Kazakhs stocking up right now, given what they can see is happening to Ukraine?

They’re hoping that Russia will have no tanks left, before Putin thinks about Kazakhstan. Not a bad assumption at this point. Those museum-piece T-55s won’t blow up themselves. Or maybe they will.

This Sunday, for the first time in the London Marathon’s history, three categories will cross the finish line: men, women and a special group for self-absorbed whingers who identify as “non-binary”. The new division was added after a consultation last year. Tellingly, sexed categories have been retained for the Elite, Championship and Good For Age races.…

The creation of a non-binary category goes against the most basic rules of fair competition, effectively offering males two categories in which they can enjoy fair competition, whilst females have only one.

https://thecritic.co.uk/thousands-of-steps-backwards/

On the train to Portsmouth Harbour and stocked up with a few cans of Punk

TheKitchenCabinet said:

ydoethur said:

biggles said:

Nigelb said:

🇨🇳 ambassador to 🇫🇷, when asked if Crimea is 🇺🇦:

The former Soviet republics like Ukraine have “no effective status in international law”, they are “not sovereign states”.

What did Macron achieve in Beijing, exactly?…
https://twitter.com/d_foubert/status/1649604444558970883

I’d be a tad worried if I was a central Asian country near China.

I would have thought it would actually be quite a tough ask for China to invade any country to its west. The supply lines are poor and stretched thin. To the south, Tibet isn't an easy place to manoeuvre armies - to the north, Xinjiang is currently absorbing most of the soldiers in it to keep Xi's genocidal mania fed.

China will probably not try and invade Vietnam again, and North Korea is its ally. Taiwan it's already trying to browbeat into joining the mainland.

Mongolia might perhaps be a bit perturbed.

Ironically, Mongolia is probably protected by having Russia as a neighbour who historically has influenced its affairs. A Chinese takeover of Mongolia might strain relations too much, especially given Russian fears over Siberia going Chinese.

China basically owns Mongolia anyway. Mongolia has got rather wealthy very quickly by exporting vast mineral wealth to China. It is essentially an economic protectorate of Beijing. Russian influence is minimal in comparison (apart from Russian energy). China takes 90% of Mongolian exports