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Now a move to exclude party members from leadership elections – politicalbetting.com

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  • Options
    TazTaz Posts: 11,381
    Students suffer consequences of support for Hamas as job offers withdrawn.

    I’m guessing these students, the sort so usually so keen on cancel culture, will be less keen now.

    https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-us-canada-67152271
  • Options
    NigelbNigelb Posts: 63,028

    https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2023/oct/19/trivia-british-political-discourse-times-of-war

    This piece by Raphael Behr is excellent. Let's all do our best to make sure that PB doesn't fall into the category of "polarised and monotonous, hysterical and portentous, all at the same time."

    Hysterical and portentous ?
    I can't think who you might mean..

    Polarised and monotonous covers pretty well all of us.
  • Options
    StillWatersStillWaters Posts: 7,162
    DavidL said:

    DavidL said:

    Nigelb said:

    kle4 said:

    Nigelb said:

    Interesting details from the Trump fraud case.
    Suggests why he might be desperate to be re-elected.

    Last year, Donald Trump owed $2,315,000 of ground rent at 40 Wall Street. An increase to $16,400,000 would be $14,085,000 higher than last year. That's a big problem for Trump. You can see here that his net operating income in 2022 was just $12,537,460...
    https://twitter.com/DanAlexander21/status/1714734689938821281

    Even assuming he wasn't a big fraud his personal and business finances appear to be a completely chaotic basketcase, which serves no useful purposes other than to make things more complex, and despite his insistent boasts it seems like cash on hand is a perennial issue for him.
    Another go at bagging some Saudi cash would probably come in handy.
    Didn't his son in law get a billion plus from the Saudis? Trump must be raging that he missed out on grifting the big numbers.
    There was a Michael Lewis interview about his new book yesterday. The book concerns Sam Bankman Fried who is currently being prosecuted for alleged fraud in relation to FTX.

    Apparently, he and Trump's people had serious discussions about Fried paying him $5bn not to run for President again. Fried was convinced that Trump was an existential danger to US democracy (he was right about this) and was willing to buy the risk off if the deal was enforceable. That seems to have been the hurdle at which it fell.

    Fried came across from Lewis's description as an interesting, if more than slightly weird guy.
    It was serialised on R4 last week, interesting but somewhat floridly written. Fried certainly didn't present as a crooked mastermind.
    There was a throw away comment in the interview yesterday that $15bn of deposits which were supposed to be being held by the company were in fact all invested in its
    exchange by the company to boost liquidity and turnover. That, if true, is a pretty straightforward fraud, something quite a lot of solicitors get done for when they dip into the client account.
    Most financial fraud comes down to doing stuff you should be doing with someone else’s money. The justification is typically that it’s temporary and you’ll put the money back just as soon as you’ve fixed the problem.

    (Don’t yell at me @Cyclefree i know this is a gross oversimplification)
  • Options
    MattW said:

    For the PB Consumer Advice Department.

    I see that NetFlix are putting up prices again.

    Is there a killer reason I have not noticed for keeping the subscription open?

    ( I note that I haven't used it for quite some time.)

    Compared to Amazon there don't seem to be many bundled benefits.

    I think the streaming services are a very good demonstration of boiling frog syndrome. I've had Netflix for a long time and it is now subsidised as part of my Sky subscription. We've got Amazon Prime as we have the delivery service. Currently on the 2nd month of Paramount Plus as watching Star Trek. Have Britbox and probably should cancel it again. Have dipped in and out of Apple TV and about to dip in to watch the next season of For All Mankind. Have had Starzplay(?) and a couple of others.

    You can spend an awful lot of money on these services and barely use them. Problem is that you prune them out and cancel one just as something mega goes onto it.

    And I'm about to do the same with music. Have had Spotify for a long time - a premium family plan. Had a free trial of Apple Music and find the audio quality is a lot better even if the UI is worse. So now am paying for both as the kids refuse to abandon Spotify...
  • Options
    StillWatersStillWaters Posts: 7,162
    IanB2 said:

    rcs1000 said:

    kyf_100 said:

    (((Dan Hodges)))
    @DPJHodges
    ·
    1h
    Has a single person who condemned Israel over the hospital bombing yesterday condemned Hamas or its proxies today? Anyone? Anywhere?

    What's the latest with the hospital bombing? I take it from Hodges' tone that it's now a slam-dunk certainty that Hamas were responsible.
    Paywalled, but the evidence is analysed here in The Times and it comes out pretty unequivocally in Israel's favour - https://www.thetimes.co.uk/article/who-bombed-hospital-gaza-israel-hamas-rgjqlmj68

    It's a fairly long analysis, but the line that sums it up for me is "The laws of physics are on the Israelis’ side" - i.e. all the evidence from the blast site point to it being a rocket, and fired from the south.

    The US has separately said that their own intelligence (i.e. their own sources, not the ones they've been shown by the IDF) indicates Israel were not responsible. https://twitter.com/MarioNawfal/status/1714645034878812453

    Here's Sky News eating a slice of humble pie (it has much the same analysis as the Times article, but with a different tone) https://twitter.com/SussexFriends/status/1714619247828062687

    This is also a rather good thread of evidence leading up to the conclusion that "A missile launched by a Palestinian group exploded mid-air (Reason unknown) and one piece fell on the hospital causing an explosion." https://twitter.com/GeoConfirmed/status/1714390254935851272

    It feels quite conclusive to me.
    I think it's 90% likely to be Hamas; so not certain yet, but by far the most likely scenario.
    PIJ is a rival to Hamas, even thought right now I am sure they are working in cohort…
    Do you mean in cahoots?

  • Options
    CyclefreeCyclefree Posts: 25,249

    DavidL said:

    DavidL said:

    Nigelb said:

    kle4 said:

    Nigelb said:

    Interesting details from the Trump fraud case.
    Suggests why he might be desperate to be re-elected.

    Last year, Donald Trump owed $2,315,000 of ground rent at 40 Wall Street. An increase to $16,400,000 would be $14,085,000 higher than last year. That's a big problem for Trump. You can see here that his net operating income in 2022 was just $12,537,460...
    https://twitter.com/DanAlexander21/status/1714734689938821281

    Even assuming he wasn't a big fraud his personal and business finances appear to be a completely chaotic basketcase, which serves no useful purposes other than to make things more complex, and despite his insistent boasts it seems like cash on hand is a perennial issue for him.
    Another go at bagging some Saudi cash would probably come in handy.
    Didn't his son in law get a billion plus from the Saudis? Trump must be raging that he missed out on grifting the big numbers.
    There was a Michael Lewis interview about his new book yesterday. The book concerns Sam Bankman Fried who is currently being prosecuted for alleged fraud in relation to FTX.

    Apparently, he and Trump's people had serious discussions about Fried paying him $5bn not to run for President again. Fried was convinced that Trump was an existential danger to US democracy (he was right about this) and was willing to buy the risk off if the deal was enforceable. That seems to have been the hurdle at which it fell.

    Fried came across from Lewis's description as an interesting, if more than slightly weird guy.
    It was serialised on R4 last week, interesting but somewhat floridly written. Fried certainly didn't present as a crooked mastermind.
    There was a throw away comment in the interview yesterday that $15bn of deposits which were supposed to be being held by the company were in fact all invested in its
    exchange by the company to boost liquidity and turnover. That, if true, is a pretty straightforward fraud, something quite a lot of solicitors get done for when they dip into the client account.
    Most financial fraud comes down to doing stuff you should be doing with someone else’s money. The justification is typically that it’s temporary and you’ll put the money back just as soon as you’ve fixed the problem.

    (Don’t yell at me @Cyclefree i know this is a gross oversimplification)
    I wouldn't dream of it.

    From March this year - https://barry-walsh.co.uk/here-we-go-again-2/ -

    "Forbes is not having much luck recently. Their edition titled the “40th Annual Forbes 400″ featured on its cover Sam Bankman-Fried of FTX, which collapsed in November 2022. His youth – 29 – was highlighted. As well as this delightfully revealing quote: “I got involved in crypto without any idea what crypto was.”

    (I am, unashamedly, going to toot my own trumpet and remind you – if anyone needs reminding – that when these scandals and collapses happen, there is always a bloody great clue (often more than one) staring you in the face. Though they don’t always get the full colour treatment on the cover of prestigious magazines.)"
  • Options
    kamskikamski Posts: 4,338
    MattW said:

    Good morning all.

    And thanks for the header, Mike.

    The first question that occurs is whether the Lib Dems will also be having their leader elected by MPs?

    (I think there is a defence in that nearly all Lib Dem leaders in my lifetime have been recognisably sane.)

    @HYUFD has got this one right. It's not such a problem if party members vote for a party leader, but it's an absurd and grotesque spectacle waiting for a few thousand unrepresentative people who've paid a fee to choose the Prime Minister if the position falls vacant between general elections. Of course elected MPs should be responsible.
  • Options
    bigjohnowlsbigjohnowls Posts: 21,911

    Up at 445 to head for mid-Beds. Long day ahead!

    3rd place is nothing to be ashamed of.

    The Israel has every tight to do that Party could of course also do better.

    Never had Nick down as a genocide supporter.

    You live and learn
    You really are a wazzock. You cannot brand Labour voters and members as being a "genocide supporter". I would say that its outrageous, but its worse - its pathetic.
    A touch of Plato syndrome about this. A once reasonable poster, who’s now just deranged.
    The problem as usual is absolutism. Support for Israel must mean condemnation of Palestine and vice versa. Not true - we need to secure peace and security for both. My problem is that the hard left endlessly repeat "from the river to the sea" - a polite way to describe the same Jew genocide planned by Hamas, Islamic Jihad, Hezbollah and Iran.

    Park the bullshit around this hospital non-bombing for a moment. The hard left are in support of Hamas and IJ firing rockets aimed at murdering civilians. This rocket murdered some of their own civilians but thats OK as Hamas wants to kill as many Palestinians as possible as well

    And note how the world has treated the two alleged outrages. One is Hamas slaughtering in the most medieval ways thousands of Israel civilians - including so many small children - the other Israel bombing this hospital and killing 500.

    Despite all the evidence that Hamas psychopaths did slaughter their way through the peace festival and various towns and settlements. And the proof of what it did to those women and children. We still get endless arguments and denials and nitpicking - you can't say that Hamas beheaded 20 children it was only 10 etc.

    On the other hand we have this bullshit about Israel bombing a hospital. The literal word of the terrorists taken as gospel. And despite the obvious flaw in the lie - the hospital being patently not bombed - it is anyone questioning the lie who are condemned. Despite the media having to eat humble pie later.

    Treating the Jews - not Israelis - differently to any other group - is anti-semitism. And we are seeing it on a global scale now. As the firebombings - successful and failed - of synagogues in Tunisia and Germany and elsewhere demonstrates.
    Total nonsense.

    40 babies beheaded is nil babies beheaded

    The official Israeli death toll in Israel includes a likely majority of IDF deaths and stands at 1600 last time I looked you say thousands of civilians slaughtered in a medieval way

    You make no mention at all of numbers of innocents killed in Gaza and the West Bank the latter of which is nothing to do with Hamas. The total is far greater than in Israel with more to come


    Then you conclude it is Israel who is the injured party. I condemn Hamas' killings of innocents and Israeli killing of innocents. I have not seen you condemn the latter.

    Typical of you of course. You really should rejoin the pro genocide SKS Party they are made for you
  • Options
    StillWatersStillWaters Posts: 7,162
    Nigelb said:

    biggles said:

    DavidL said:

    Nigelb said:

    kle4 said:

    Nigelb said:

    Interesting details from the Trump fraud case.
    Suggests why he might be desperate to be re-elected.

    Last year, Donald Trump owed $2,315,000 of ground rent at 40 Wall Street. An increase to $16,400,000 would be $14,085,000 higher than last year. That's a big problem for Trump. You can see here that his net operating income in 2022 was just $12,537,460...
    https://twitter.com/DanAlexander21/status/1714734689938821281

    Even assuming he wasn't a big fraud his personal and business finances appear to be a completely chaotic basketcase, which serves no useful purposes other than to make things more complex, and despite his insistent boasts it seems like cash on hand is a perennial issue for him.
    Another go at bagging some Saudi cash would probably come in handy.
    Didn't his son in law get a billion plus from the Saudis? Trump must be raging that he missed out on grifting the big numbers.
    There was a Michael Lewis interview about his new book yesterday. The book concerns Sam Bankman Fried who is currently being prosecuted for alleged fraud in relation to FTX.

    Apparently, he and Trump's people had serious discussions about Fried paying him $5bn not to run for President again. Fried was convinced that Trump was an existential danger to US democracy (he was right about this) and was willing to buy the risk off if the deal was enforceable. That seems to have been the hurdle at which it fell.

    Fried came across from Lewis's description as an interesting, if more than slightly weird guy.
    If Trump is willing to take cash money in order to not run, sign me up for a donation of £50….
    You think he'd stick to the deal ?
    You’d have to give him, say $500m upfront and make the rest contingent on the deadline for nominations passing
  • Options
    bigjohnowlsbigjohnowls Posts: 21,911
    Nigelb said:

    Up at 445 to head for mid-Beds. Long day ahead!

    3rd place is nothing to be ashamed of.

    The Israel has every tight to do that Party could of course also do better.

    Never had Nick down as a genocide supporter.

    You live and learn
    You really are a wazzock. You cannot brand Labour voters and members as being a "genocide supporter". I would say that its outrageous, but its worse - its pathetic.
    The rest of us can only aspire to the moral purity of the Jezziah.

    Apparently.
    You literally just made my name-calling point for me

    Thanks
  • Options
    bigglesbiggles Posts: 4,370

    DavidL said:

    DavidL said:

    Nigelb said:

    kle4 said:

    Nigelb said:

    Interesting details from the Trump fraud case.
    Suggests why he might be desperate to be re-elected.

    Last year, Donald Trump owed $2,315,000 of ground rent at 40 Wall Street. An increase to $16,400,000 would be $14,085,000 higher than last year. That's a big problem for Trump. You can see here that his net operating income in 2022 was just $12,537,460...
    https://twitter.com/DanAlexander21/status/1714734689938821281

    Even assuming he wasn't a big fraud his personal and business finances appear to be a completely chaotic basketcase, which serves no useful purposes other than to make things more complex, and despite his insistent boasts it seems like cash on hand is a perennial issue for him.
    Another go at bagging some Saudi cash would probably come in handy.
    Didn't his son in law get a billion plus from the Saudis? Trump must be raging that he missed out on grifting the big numbers.
    There was a Michael Lewis interview about his new book yesterday. The book concerns Sam Bankman Fried who is currently being prosecuted for alleged fraud in relation to FTX.

    Apparently, he and Trump's people had serious discussions about Fried paying him $5bn not to run for President again. Fried was convinced that Trump was an existential danger to US democracy (he was right about this) and was willing to buy the risk off if the deal was enforceable. That seems to have been the hurdle at which it fell.

    Fried came across from Lewis's description as an interesting, if more than slightly weird guy.
    It was serialised on R4 last week, interesting but somewhat floridly written. Fried certainly didn't present as a crooked mastermind.
    There was a throw away comment in the interview yesterday that $15bn of deposits which were supposed to be being held by the company were in fact all invested in its
    exchange by the company to boost liquidity and turnover. That, if true, is a pretty straightforward fraud, something quite a lot of solicitors get done for when they dip into the client account.
    Most financial fraud comes down to doing stuff you should be doing with someone else’s money. The justification is typically that it’s temporary and you’ll put the money back just as soon as you’ve fixed the problem.

    (Don’t yell at me @Cyclefree i know this is a gross oversimplification)
    I was always taught to oversimplify even more. Juries get lost in complex fraud cases, but someone who has committed fraud will usually have committed theft. Makes it a lot easier, often, to focus on that.
  • Options
    NigelbNigelb Posts: 63,028
    The latest in the Britishvolt saga.
    https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/business-67149907

    It's frankly pathetic that the government has allowed what is a significant national energy infrastructure site to fall into the hands of successive chancers with no serious plans.
  • Options
    kamski said:

    MattW said:

    Good morning all.

    And thanks for the header, Mike.

    The first question that occurs is whether the Lib Dems will also be having their leader elected by MPs?

    (I think there is a defence in that nearly all Lib Dem leaders in my lifetime have been recognisably sane.)

    @HYUFD has got this one right. It's not such a problem if party members vote for a party leader, but it's an absurd and grotesque spectacle waiting for a few thousand unrepresentative people who've paid a fee to choose the Prime Minister if the position falls vacant between general elections. Of course elected MPs should be responsible.
    When the new PM intends a drastic change of direction, that is doubly so.
  • Options
    DougSealDougSeal Posts: 11,350
    Consider me flounced off. If we’ve reached the stage where we’re calling people “genocide supporters” on the justification that someone else used a bad name in the past then the place has jumped the shark. Like most flouncers I’ll likely be back but it will be against my better judgment.
  • Options
    MattW said:

    For the PB Consumer Advice Department.

    I see that NetFlix are putting up prices again.

    Is there a killer reason I have not noticed for keeping the subscription open?

    ( I note that I haven't used it for quite some time.)

    Compared to Amazon there don't seem to be many bundled benefits.

    Sex Education & Lucifer.

    Stranger Things.

    FYI - I'm getting the top Netflix package for £7 a month via Sky.
  • Options
    GhedebravGhedebrav Posts: 3,035
    MattW said:

    For the PB Consumer Advice Department.

    I see that NetFlix are putting up prices again.

    Is there a killer reason I have not noticed for keeping the subscription open?

    ( I note that I haven't used it for quite some time.)

    Compared to Amazon there don't seem to be many bundled benefits.

    The ad-funded (or partially ad-funded) option is fine tbh and much cheaper.
  • Options
    NigelbNigelb Posts: 63,028

    Nigelb said:

    Up at 445 to head for mid-Beds. Long day ahead!

    3rd place is nothing to be ashamed of.

    The Israel has every tight to do that Party could of course also do better.

    Never had Nick down as a genocide supporter.

    You live and learn
    You really are a wazzock. You cannot brand Labour voters and members as being a "genocide supporter". I would say that its outrageous, but its worse - its pathetic.
    The rest of us can only aspire to the moral purity of the Jezziah.

    Apparently.
    You literally just made my name-calling point for me

    Thanks
    And you demonstrate one more time that you don't understand the difference between irony and abuse.
  • Options
    Nigelb said:

    The latest in the Britishvolt saga.
    https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/business-67149907

    It's frankly pathetic that the government has allowed what is a significant national energy infrastructure site to fall into the hands of successive chancers with no serious plans.

    Unfortunately, the government fell into the hands of successive chancers with no serious plans.
  • Options
    NigelbNigelb Posts: 63,028

    Nigelb said:

    The latest in the Britishvolt saga.
    https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/business-67149907

    It's frankly pathetic that the government has allowed what is a significant national energy infrastructure site to fall into the hands of successive chancers with no serious plans.

    Unfortunately, the government fell into the hands of successive chancers with no serious plans.
    Fair point.
  • Options
    AlanbrookeAlanbrooke Posts: 23,771

    MattW said:

    For the PB Consumer Advice Department.

    I see that NetFlix are putting up prices again.

    Is there a killer reason I have not noticed for keeping the subscription open?

    ( I note that I haven't used it for quite some time.)

    Compared to Amazon there don't seem to be many bundled benefits.

    Sex Education & Lucifer.

    Stranger Things.

    FYI - I'm getting the top Netflix package for £7 a month via Sky.
    SE has been a bit rubbish since series two. Ive given up in S4 as its sending me to sleep.

    The problem for series these days is writers stop doing crisp memorable series and stretch stories to fill air time. Id say thats a false economy as people are more likely to rewatch a well written drama than a slow "get on with it " one.

  • Options
    StillWatersStillWaters Posts: 7,162

    DavidL said:

    DavidL said:

    Nigelb said:

    kle4 said:

    Nigelb said:

    Interesting details from the Trump fraud case.
    Suggests why he might be desperate to be re-elected.

    Last year, Donald Trump owed $2,315,000 of ground rent at 40 Wall Street. An increase to $16,400,000 would be $14,085,000 higher than last year. That's a big problem for Trump. You can see here that his net operating income in 2022 was just $12,537,460...
    https://twitter.com/DanAlexander21/status/1714734689938821281

    Even assuming he wasn't a big fraud his personal and business finances appear to be a completely chaotic basketcase, which serves no useful purposes other than to make things more complex, and despite his insistent boasts it seems like cash on hand is a perennial issue for him.
    Another go at bagging some Saudi cash would probably come in handy.
    Didn't his son in law get a billion plus from the Saudis? Trump must be raging that he missed out on grifting the big numbers.
    There was a Michael Lewis interview about his new book yesterday. The book concerns Sam Bankman Fried who is currently being prosecuted for alleged fraud in relation to FTX.

    Apparently, he and Trump's people had serious discussions about Fried paying him $5bn not to run for President again. Fried was convinced that Trump was an existential danger to US democracy (he was right about this) and was willing to buy the risk off if the deal was enforceable. That seems to have been the hurdle at which it fell.

    Fried came across from Lewis's description as an interesting, if more than slightly weird guy.
    It was serialised on R4 last week, interesting but somewhat floridly written. Fried certainly didn't present as a crooked mastermind.
    There was a throw away comment in the interview yesterday that $15bn of deposits which were supposed to be being held by the company were in fact all invested in its
    exchange by the company to boost liquidity and turnover. That, if true, is a pretty straightforward fraud, something quite a lot of solicitors get done for when they dip into the client account.
    Most financial fraud comes down to doing stuff you should be doing with someone else’s money. The justification is typically that it’s temporary and you’ll put the money
    back just as soon as you’ve fixed the problem.

    (Don’t yell at me @Cyclefree i know this is a gross oversimplification)
    ‘That money was just resting in my account’.
    That’s just theft

    I was more thinking of the Leeson example - gambles money and loses. “Borrows” money from a client account because he just *knows* that Boy George is going to win the 3:50 at Kempton.

    Obviously he’s going to pay it back. No harm done…
  • Options
    RogerRoger Posts: 18,921

    Up at 445 to head for mid-Beds. Long day ahead!

    3rd place is nothing to be ashamed of.

    The Israel has every tight to do that Party could of course also do better.

    Never had Nick down as a genocide supporter.

    You live and learn
    You really are a wazzock. You cannot brand Labour voters and members as being a "genocide supporter". I would say that its outrageous, but its worse - its pathetic.
    SKS is a Genocide enabler just surprised Nick is OK
    with that.

    As for your language labelling anyone who supported
    the centre left polices of Jezza as cranks, Trotskyites Jezbollah.and worse.


    You should look in the pathetic namecalling mirror.
    BJO You might enjoy this cut down Piers Morgan interview with Bassem Yousseff whose parents are living in Gaza. He makes some poweful points and he's bright.

    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=221-eNg_sZI
  • Options
    StillWatersStillWaters Posts: 7,162

    MattW said:

    For the PB Consumer Advice Department.

    I see that NetFlix are putting up prices again.

    Is there a killer reason I have not noticed for keeping the subscription open?

    ( I note that I haven't used it for quite some time.)

    Compared to Amazon there don't seem to be many bundled benefits.

    Sex Education & Lucifer.

    Stranger Things.

    FYI - I'm getting the top Netflix package for £7 a month via Sky.
    Is there a new series of Lucifer?
  • Options
    OnlyLivingBoyOnlyLivingBoy Posts: 15,203
    Nigelb said:

    The latest in the Britishvolt saga.
    https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/business-67149907

    It's frankly pathetic that the government has allowed what is a significant national energy infrastructure site to fall into the hands of successive chancers with no serious plans.

    It's a testament to their desperation for a post-Brexit 'win' for the UK automotive sector and manufacturing more broadly. I really hope that a scale battery manufacturing business can succeed there and create much-needed well paid jobs, but when you look at the various spivvy outfits lined up to develop the site, each one less credible than the last, it doesn't really fill one's heart with hope.
  • Options
    MattWMattW Posts: 18,843
    edited October 2023
    biggles said:

    biggles said:

    DavidL said:

    Nigelb said:

    kle4 said:

    Nigelb said:

    Interesting details from the Trump fraud case.
    Suggests why he might be desperate to be re-elected.

    Last year, Donald Trump owed $2,315,000 of ground rent at 40 Wall Street. An increase to $16,400,000 would be $14,085,000 higher than last year. That's a big problem for Trump. You can see here that his net operating income in 2022 was just $12,537,460...
    https://twitter.com/DanAlexander21/status/1714734689938821281

    Even assuming he wasn't a big fraud his personal and business finances appear to be a completely chaotic basketcase, which serves no useful purposes other than to make things more complex, and despite his insistent boasts it seems like cash on hand is a perennial issue for him.
    Another go at bagging some Saudi cash would probably come in handy.
    Didn't his son in law get a billion plus from the Saudis? Trump must be raging that he missed out on grifting the big numbers.
    There was a Michael Lewis interview about his new book yesterday. The book concerns Sam Bankman Fried who is currently being prosecuted for alleged fraud in relation to FTX.

    Apparently, he and Trump's people had serious discussions about Fried paying him $5bn not to run for President again. Fried was convinced that Trump was an existential danger to US democracy (he was right about this) and was willing to buy the risk off if the deal was enforceable. That seems to have been the hurdle at which it fell.

    Fried came across from Lewis's description as an interesting, if more than slightly weird guy.
    If Trump is willing to take cash money in order to not run, sign me up for a donation of £50….
    Very sweet, but I don't see him being swayed by such a sum.
    Dunno. Have you seen the accounts that are emerging?
    It's interesting that Sam Bankman Fried has been taken off bail, and put back in detention for Witness Tampering. Presumably this means he has lost his $250 million bond, which may be quite the cash-raiser for New York City. The charges are in the same ballpark as Trump's Civil Fraud.

    Trump's latest is to help doxx the NY Attorney General who is prosecuting him, who has previously received death threats in the course of this case.

    Given his activities so far attacking Court Officers and so on, and his violations of Court Instructions including repeated lies about what those Court Instructions say, I don't see Trump staying seriously unsanctioned for much longer in one or other of the cases he is facing.

    Trump and Fried could be cellmates at the Brooklyn Detention Centre.
  • Options

    MattW said:

    For the PB Consumer Advice Department.

    I see that NetFlix are putting up prices again.

    Is there a killer reason I have not noticed for keeping the subscription open?

    ( I note that I haven't used it for quite some time.)

    Compared to Amazon there don't seem to be many bundled benefits.

    Sex Education & Lucifer.

    Stranger Things.

    FYI - I'm getting the top Netflix package for £7 a month via Sky.
    Is there a new series of Lucifer?
    Sadly not, but every few days I'll go and watch an old episode.
  • Options
    bigjohnowlsbigjohnowls Posts: 21,911
    If my earlier post appeared to say Nick himself was in favour of genocide I will apologise for the wording.
    With regard Labour and for that matter the Tories their support for turning off water and energy and in SKSs case saying Israel has the right to do that.Their failure to speak out against displacing 1m people and refusing to condemn any Israeli atrocity explicitly does in my opinion make them genocide enablers.

    So if that view is not acceptable I am happy to be banned.
  • Options
    bigjohnowlsbigjohnowls Posts: 21,911
    Roger said:

    Up at 445 to head for mid-Beds. Long day ahead!

    3rd place is nothing to be ashamed of.

    The Israel has every tight to do that Party could of course also do better.

    Never had Nick down as a genocide supporter.

    You live and learn
    You really are a wazzock. You cannot brand Labour voters and members as being a "genocide supporter". I would say that its outrageous, but its worse - its pathetic.
    SKS is a Genocide enabler just surprised Nick is OK
    with that.

    As for your language labelling anyone who supported
    the centre left polices of Jezza as cranks, Trotskyites Jezbollah.and worse.


    You should look in the pathetic namecalling mirror.
    BJO You might enjoy this cut down Piers Morgan interview with Bassem Yousseff whose parents are living in Gaza. He makes some poweful points and he's bright.

    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=221-eNg_sZI
    Yes I saw it He is spot on.
  • Options
    StillWatersStillWaters Posts: 7,162

    MattW said:

    For the PB Consumer Advice Department.

    I see that NetFlix are putting up prices again.

    Is there a killer reason I have not noticed for keeping the subscription open?

    ( I note that I haven't used it for quite some time.)

    Compared to Amazon there don't seem to be many bundled benefits.

    Sex Education & Lucifer.

    Stranger Things.

    FYI - I'm getting the top Netflix package for £7 a month via Sky.
    Is there a new series of Lucifer?
    Sadly not, but every few days I'll go and watch an old episode.
    Have you tried Designated Survivor? It’s getting a little silly in series 3 but series 1 is good


  • Options
    JosiasJessopJosiasJessop Posts: 39,175

    Up at 445 to head for mid-Beds. Long day ahead!

    3rd place is nothing to be ashamed of.

    The Israel has every tight to do that Party could of course also do better.

    Never had Nick down as a genocide supporter.

    You live and learn
    You really are a wazzock. You cannot brand Labour voters and members as being a "genocide supporter". I would say that its outrageous, but its worse - its pathetic.
    A touch of Plato syndrome about this. A once reasonable poster, who’s now just deranged.
    The problem as usual is absolutism. Support for Israel must mean condemnation of Palestine and vice versa. Not true - we need to secure peace and security for both. My problem is that the hard left endlessly repeat "from the river to the sea" - a polite way to describe the same Jew genocide planned by Hamas, Islamic Jihad, Hezbollah and Iran.

    Park the bullshit around this hospital non-bombing for a moment. The hard left are in support of Hamas and IJ firing rockets aimed at murdering civilians. This rocket murdered some of their own civilians but thats OK as Hamas wants to kill as many Palestinians as possible as well

    And note how the world has treated the two alleged outrages. One is Hamas slaughtering in the most medieval ways thousands of Israel civilians - including so many small children - the other Israel bombing this hospital and killing 500.

    Despite all the evidence that Hamas psychopaths did slaughter their way through the peace festival and various towns and settlements. And the proof of what it did to those women and children. We still get endless arguments and denials and nitpicking - you can't say that Hamas beheaded 20 children it was only 10 etc.

    On the other hand we have this bullshit about Israel bombing a hospital. The literal word of the terrorists taken as gospel. And despite the obvious flaw in the lie - the hospital being patently not bombed - it is anyone questioning the lie who are condemned. Despite the media having to eat humble pie later.

    Treating the Jews - not Israelis - differently to any other group - is anti-semitism. And we are seeing it on a global scale now. As the firebombings - successful and failed - of synagogues in Tunisia and Germany and elsewhere demonstrates.
    Total nonsense.

    40 babies beheaded is nil babies beheaded

    The official Israeli death toll in Israel includes a likely majority of IDF deaths and stands at 1600 last time I looked you say thousands of civilians slaughtered in a medieval way

    You make no mention at all of numbers of innocents killed in Gaza and the West Bank the latter of which is nothing to do with Hamas. The total is far greater than in Israel with more to come

    Then you conclude it is Israel who is the injured party. I condemn Hamas' killings of innocents and Israeli killing of innocents. I have not seen you condemn the latter.

    Typical of you of course. You really should rejoin the pro genocide SKS Party they are made for you
    You're falling into the trap I mentioned yesterday. You discount deaths in Israel as 'likely majority of IDF deaths', whilst stating "numbers of innocents killed in Gaza and the West Bank"

    You say you condemn Hamas' killings of innocents, whilst saying that the Israelis they killed are 'likely majority of IDF deaths' - therefore not 'innocents'.

    It's a very dangerous mindset to get into.
  • Options
    bigglesbiggles Posts: 4,370
    MattW said:

    biggles said:

    biggles said:

    DavidL said:

    Nigelb said:

    kle4 said:

    Nigelb said:

    Interesting details from the Trump fraud case.
    Suggests why he might be desperate to be re-elected.

    Last year, Donald Trump owed $2,315,000 of ground rent at 40 Wall Street. An increase to $16,400,000 would be $14,085,000 higher than last year. That's a big problem for Trump. You can see here that his net operating income in 2022 was just $12,537,460...
    https://twitter.com/DanAlexander21/status/1714734689938821281

    Even assuming he wasn't a big fraud his personal and business finances appear to be a completely chaotic basketcase, which serves no useful purposes other than to make things more complex, and despite his insistent boasts it seems like cash on hand is a perennial issue for him.
    Another go at bagging some Saudi cash would probably come in handy.
    Didn't his son in law get a billion plus from the Saudis? Trump must be raging that he missed out on grifting the big numbers.
    There was a Michael Lewis interview about his new book yesterday. The book concerns Sam Bankman Fried who is currently being prosecuted for alleged fraud in relation to FTX.

    Apparently, he and Trump's people had serious discussions about Fried paying him $5bn not to run for President again. Fried was convinced that Trump was an existential danger to US democracy (he was right about this) and was willing to buy the risk off if the deal was enforceable. That seems to have been the hurdle at which it fell.

    Fried came across from Lewis's description as an interesting, if more than slightly weird guy.
    If Trump is willing to take cash money in order to not run, sign me up for a donation of £50….
    Very sweet, but I don't see him being swayed by such a sum.
    Dunno. Have you seen the accounts that are emerging?
    It's interesting that Sam Bankman Fried has been taken off bail, and put back in detention for Witness Tampering. Presumably this means he has lost his $250 million bond, which may be quite the cash-raiser for New York City. The charges are in the same ballpark as Trump's Civil Fraud.

    Trump's latest is to help doxx the NY Attorney General who is prosecuting him, who has previously received death threats in the course of this case.

    Given his activities so far attacking Court Officers and so on, and his violations of Court Instructions including repeated lies about what those Court Instructions say, I don't see Trump staying seriously unsanctioned for much longer in one or other of the cases he is facing.

    Trump and Fried could be cellmates at the Brooklyn Detention Centre.
    Lets both steer clear of directly addressing who may be guilty of what, but once again it is interesting to reflect on your treatment if you are rich and suspected of fraud, vs. your treatment if you are poor and suspected of theft.
  • Options
    SandpitSandpit Posts: 50,014
    Sergei Lavrov is in Pyongyang, trying to get weapons from the only country left who will speak to him.

    https://www.telegraph.co.uk/world-news/2023/10/19/ukraine-russia-war-live-putin-kyiv-zelensky-latest/
  • Options

    MattW said:

    For the PB Consumer Advice Department.

    I see that NetFlix are putting up prices again.

    Is there a killer reason I have not noticed for keeping the subscription open?

    ( I note that I haven't used it for quite some time.)

    Compared to Amazon there don't seem to be many bundled benefits.

    Sex Education & Lucifer.

    Stranger Things.

    FYI - I'm getting the top Netflix package for £7 a month via Sky.
    Is there a new series of Lucifer?
    Sadly not, but every few days I'll go and watch an old episode.
    Have you tried Designated Survivor? It’s getting a little silly in series 3 but series 1 is good


    I watched the first two series then gave up.
  • Options
    JosiasJessopJosiasJessop Posts: 39,175
    MattW said:

    biggles said:

    biggles said:

    DavidL said:

    Nigelb said:

    kle4 said:

    Nigelb said:

    Interesting details from the Trump fraud case.
    Suggests why he might be desperate to be re-elected.

    Last year, Donald Trump owed $2,315,000 of ground rent at 40 Wall Street. An increase to $16,400,000 would be $14,085,000 higher than last year. That's a big problem for Trump. You can see here that his net operating income in 2022 was just $12,537,460...
    https://twitter.com/DanAlexander21/status/1714734689938821281

    Even assuming he wasn't a big fraud his personal and business finances appear to be a completely chaotic basketcase, which serves no useful purposes other than to make things more complex, and despite his insistent boasts it seems like cash on hand is a perennial issue for him.
    Another go at bagging some Saudi cash would probably come in handy.
    Didn't his son in law get a billion plus from the Saudis? Trump must be raging that he missed out on grifting the big numbers.
    There was a Michael Lewis interview about his new book yesterday. The book concerns Sam Bankman Fried who is currently being prosecuted for alleged fraud in relation to FTX.

    Apparently, he and Trump's people had serious discussions about Fried paying him $5bn not to run for President again. Fried was convinced that Trump was an existential danger to US democracy (he was right about this) and was willing to buy the risk off if the deal was enforceable. That seems to have been the hurdle at which it fell.

    Fried came across from Lewis's description as an interesting, if more than slightly weird guy.
    If Trump is willing to take cash money in order to not run, sign me up for a donation of £50….
    Very sweet, but I don't see him being swayed by such a sum.
    Dunno. Have you seen the accounts that are emerging?
    It's interesting that Sam Bankman Fried has been taken off bail, and put back in detention for Witness Tampering. Presumably this means he has lost his $250 million bond, which may be quite the cash-raiser for New York City. The charges are in the same ballpark as Trump's Civil Fraud.

    Trump's latest is to help doxx the NY Attorney General who is prosecuting him, who has previously received death threats in the course of this case.

    Given his activities so far attacking Court Officers and so on, and his violations of Court Instructions including repeated lies about what those Court Instructions say, I don't see Trump staying seriously unsanctioned for much longer in one or other of the cases he is facing.

    Trump and Fried could be cellmates at the Brooklyn Detention Centre.
    AIUI SBF was taken off bail because he was trying to interfere with witnesses; in particular the rather sh*tty behaviour of giving the NYT private correspondence he had with his ex-gf and colleague Caroline Ellison.
  • Options

    If my earlier post appeared to say Nick himself was in favour of genocide I will apologise for the wording.
    With regard Labour and for that matter the Tories their support for turning off water and energy and in SKSs case saying Israel has the right to do that.Their failure to speak out against displacing 1m people and refusing to condemn any Israeli atrocity explicitly does in my opinion make them genocide enablers.

    So if that view is not acceptable I am happy to be banned.

    I appreciate the contraction.

    Question - you assert that both the Labour party and the Conservative parties are "genocide enablers". Is not therefore the act of voting Labour or Conservative - or going campaigning for them - supporting a party which is a "genocide enabler"?

    I'm trying to understand the boundaries of your argument. You've retracted that Nick is a "genocide supporter". But he is out campaigning for a "genocide enabler". So he - the rest of the activists, and indeed tens of thousands of voters" support a "genocide enabler".

    Is there a difference M'Lud?
  • Options

    MattW said:

    For the PB Consumer Advice Department.

    I see that NetFlix are putting up prices again.

    Is there a killer reason I have not noticed for keeping the subscription open?

    ( I note that I haven't used it for quite some time.)

    Compared to Amazon there don't seem to be many bundled benefits.

    Sex Education & Lucifer.

    Stranger Things.

    FYI - I'm getting the top Netflix package for £7 a month via Sky.
    Is there a new series of Lucifer?
    Sadly not, but every few days I'll go and watch an old episode.
    Have you tried Designated Survivor? It’s getting a little silly in series 3 but series 1 is good


    I watched the first two series then gave up.
    You were in good company. The writers gave up at the same point.
  • Options
    StillWatersStillWaters Posts: 7,162

    MattW said:

    For the PB Consumer Advice Department.

    I see that NetFlix are putting up prices again.

    Is there a killer reason I have not noticed for keeping the subscription open?

    ( I note that I haven't used it for quite some time.)

    Compared to Amazon there don't seem to be many bundled benefits.

    Sex Education & Lucifer.

    Stranger Things.

    FYI - I'm getting the top Netflix package for £7 a month via Sky.
    Is there a new series of Lucifer?
    Sadly not, but every few days I'll go and watch an old episode.
    Have you tried Designated Survivor? It’s getting a little silly in series 3 but series 1 is good


    I watched the first two series then gave up.
    Probably a wise call.

    It helps me get through my ironing
  • Options
    OnlyLivingBoyOnlyLivingBoy Posts: 15,203

    If my earlier post appeared to say Nick himself was in favour of genocide I will apologise for the wording.
    With regard Labour and for that matter the Tories their support for turning off water and energy and in SKSs case saying Israel has the right to do that.Their failure to speak out against displacing 1m people and refusing to condemn any Israeli atrocity explicitly does in my opinion make them genocide enablers.

    So if that view is not acceptable I am happy to be banned.

    I appreciate the contraction.

    Question - you assert that both the Labour party and the Conservative parties are "genocide enablers". Is not therefore the act of voting Labour or Conservative - or going campaigning for them - supporting a party which is a "genocide enabler"?

    I'm trying to understand the boundaries of your argument. You've retracted that Nick is a "genocide supporter". But he is out campaigning for a "genocide enabler". So he - the rest of the activists, and indeed tens of thousands of voters" support a "genocide enabler".

    Is there a difference M'Lud?
    This whole discussion is academic as Israel won't give two shits what anyone in this country says.
  • Options
    MattW said:

    biggles said:

    biggles said:

    DavidL said:

    Nigelb said:

    kle4 said:

    Nigelb said:

    Interesting details from the Trump fraud case.
    Suggests why he might be desperate to be re-elected.

    Last year, Donald Trump owed $2,315,000 of ground rent at 40 Wall Street. An increase to $16,400,000 would be $14,085,000 higher than last year. That's a big problem for Trump. You can see here that his net operating income in 2022 was just $12,537,460...
    https://twitter.com/DanAlexander21/status/1714734689938821281

    Even assuming he wasn't a big fraud his personal and business finances appear to be a completely chaotic basketcase, which serves no useful purposes other than to make things more complex, and despite his insistent boasts it seems like cash on hand is a perennial issue for him.
    Another go at bagging some Saudi cash would probably come in handy.
    Didn't his son in law get a billion plus from the Saudis? Trump must be raging that he missed out on grifting the big numbers.
    There was a Michael Lewis interview about his new book yesterday. The book concerns Sam Bankman Fried who is currently being prosecuted for alleged fraud in relation to FTX.

    Apparently, he and Trump's people had serious discussions about Fried paying him $5bn not to run for President again. Fried was convinced that Trump was an existential danger to US democracy (he was right about this) and was willing to buy the risk off if the deal was enforceable. That seems to have been the hurdle at which it fell.

    Fried came across from Lewis's description as an interesting, if more than slightly weird guy.
    If Trump is willing to take cash money in order to not run, sign me up for a donation of £50….
    Very sweet, but I don't see him being swayed by such a sum.
    Dunno. Have you seen the accounts that are emerging?
    It's interesting that Sam Bankman Fried has been taken off bail, and put back in detention for Witness Tampering. Presumably this means he has lost his $250 million bond, which may be quite the cash-raiser for New York City. The charges are in the same ballpark as Trump's Civil Fraud...
    I think bail bonds are only forfeited for non-appearance at trial (i.e. skipping bail). Bankman-Fried's bail has been cancelled for other reasons so I don't think the bail bond is affected.
  • Options
    OldKingColeOldKingCole Posts: 32,115

    If my earlier post appeared to say Nick himself was in favour of genocide I will apologise for the wording.
    With regard Labour and for that matter the Tories their support for turning off water and energy and in SKSs case saying Israel has the right to do that.Their failure to speak out against displacing 1m people and refusing to condemn any Israeli atrocity explicitly does in my opinion make them genocide enablers.

    So if that view is not acceptable I am happy to be banned.

    I appreciate the contraction.

    Question - you assert that both the Labour party and the Conservative parties are "genocide enablers". Is not therefore the act of voting Labour or Conservative - or going campaigning for them - supporting a party which is a "genocide enabler"?

    I'm trying to understand the boundaries of your argument. You've retracted that Nick is a "genocide supporter". But he is out campaigning for a "genocide enabler". So he - the rest of the activists, and indeed tens of thousands of voters" support a "genocide enabler".

    Is there a difference M'Lud?
    This whole discussion is academic as Israel won't give two shits what anyone in this country says.
    Which is why it’s totally pointless for our PM to spend money and use carbon going to Tel Aviv.
  • Options
    Well if PBers are talking about genocide has anyone mentioned Sudan ?

    It seems the Arab Sudanese are once again dabbling in it against the African Sudanese.

    https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-67020154

    The African Sudanese seem to be the wrong sort of Muslim and the wrong sort of African for the outside world to care.
  • Options

    MattW said:

    For the PB Consumer Advice Department.

    I see that NetFlix are putting up prices again.

    Is there a killer reason I have not noticed for keeping the subscription open?

    ( I note that I haven't used it for quite some time.)

    Compared to Amazon there don't seem to be many bundled benefits.

    Sex Education & Lucifer.

    Stranger Things.

    FYI - I'm getting the top Netflix package for £7 a month via Sky.
    Is there a new series of Lucifer?
    Sadly not, but every few days I'll go and watch an old episode.
    Have you tried Designated Survivor? It’s getting a little silly in series 3 but series 1 is good


    I watched the first two series then gave up.
    Probably a wise call.

    It helps me get through my ironing
    The worst thing about the pandemic was I had to do my own washing and ironing for eighteen months.

    Hurrah for cleaners.
  • Options
    bigjohnowlsbigjohnowls Posts: 21,911

    Up at 445 to head for mid-Beds. Long day ahead!

    3rd place is nothing to be ashamed of.

    The Israel has every tight to do that Party could of course also do better.

    Never had Nick down as a genocide supporter.

    You live and learn
    You really are a wazzock. You cannot brand Labour voters and members as being a "genocide supporter". I would say that its outrageous, but its worse - its pathetic.
    A touch of Plato syndrome about this. A once reasonable poster, who’s now just deranged.
    The problem as usual is absolutism. Support for Israel must mean condemnation of Palestine and vice versa. Not true - we need to secure peace and security for both. My problem is that the hard left endlessly repeat "from the river to the sea" - a polite way to describe the same Jew genocide planned by Hamas, Islamic Jihad, Hezbollah and Iran.

    Park the bullshit around this hospital non-bombing for a moment. The hard left are in support of Hamas and IJ firing rockets aimed at murdering civilians. This rocket murdered some of their own civilians but thats OK as Hamas wants to kill as many Palestinians as possible as well

    And note how the world has treated the two alleged outrages. One is Hamas slaughtering in the most medieval ways thousands of Israel civilians - including so many small children - the other Israel bombing this hospital and killing 500.

    Despite all the evidence that Hamas psychopaths did slaughter their way through the peace festival and various towns and settlements. And the proof of what it did to those women and children. We still get endless arguments and denials and nitpicking - you can't say that Hamas beheaded 20 children it was only 10 etc.

    On the other hand we have this bullshit about Israel bombing a hospital. The literal word of the terrorists taken as gospel. And despite the obvious flaw in the lie - the hospital being patently not bombed - it is anyone questioning the lie who are condemned. Despite the media having to eat humble pie later.

    Treating the Jews - not Israelis - differently to any other group - is anti-semitism. And we are seeing it on a global scale now. As the firebombings - successful and failed - of synagogues in Tunisia and Germany and elsewhere demonstrates.
    Total nonsense.

    40 babies beheaded is nil babies beheaded

    The official Israeli death toll in Israel includes a likely majority of IDF deaths and stands at 1600 last time I looked you say thousands of civilians slaughtered in a medieval way

    You make no mention at all of numbers of innocents killed in Gaza and the West Bank the latter of which is nothing to do with Hamas. The total is far greater than in Israel with more to come

    Then you conclude it is Israel who is the injured party. I condemn Hamas' killings of innocents and Israeli killing of innocents. I have not seen you condemn the latter.

    Typical of you of course. You really should rejoin the pro genocide SKS Party they are made for you
    You're falling into the trap I mentioned yesterday. You discount deaths in Israel as 'likely majority of IDF deaths', whilst stating "numbers of innocents killed in Gaza and the West Bank"

    You say you condemn Hamas' killings of innocents, whilst saying that the Israelis they killed are 'likely majority of IDF deaths' - therefore not 'innocents'.

    It's a very dangerous mindset to get into.
    Quite simple IDF killing Hamas is fine. Israel killing innocents not fine.

    Hamas killing innocents equally not fine.

    Do you have evidence Israel is only killing Hamas or are you saying killing as many innocents as possible as there may be a few Hamas killed as well is fine?

  • Options
    FoxyFoxy Posts: 44,944
    Great obituary for Phyllis Latour, who at the age of 102 was the last surviving SOE operative. The last paragraph is very revealing of why she was such a good spy.

    "She never told anybody about her exploits in wartime France, and did not collect her medals until her children read about her on the internet and insisted she do so. “I didn’t have good memories of the war, so I didn’t bother telling anyone what I did,” she said."

    https://www.theguardian.com/world/2023/oct/13/phyllis-latour-obituary
  • Options
    MalmesburyMalmesbury Posts: 44,728

    If my earlier post appeared to say Nick himself was in favour of genocide I will apologise for the wording.
    With regard Labour and for that matter the Tories their support for turning off water and energy and in SKSs case saying Israel has the right to do that.Their failure to speak out against displacing 1m people and refusing to condemn any Israeli atrocity explicitly does in my opinion make them genocide enablers.

    So if that view is not acceptable I am happy to be banned.

    I appreciate the contraction.

    Question - you assert that both the Labour party and the Conservative parties are "genocide enablers". Is not therefore the act of voting Labour or Conservative - or going campaigning for them - supporting a party which is a "genocide enabler"?

    I'm trying to understand the boundaries of your argument. You've retracted that Nick is a "genocide supporter". But he is out campaigning for a "genocide enabler". So he - the rest of the activists, and indeed tens of thousands of voters" support a "genocide enabler".

    Is there a difference M'Lud?
    This whole discussion is academic as Israel won't give two shits what anyone in this country says.
    Which is why it’s totally pointless for our PM to spend money and use carbon going to Tel Aviv.
    Actually I think we would have some influence - not as much as the US, obviously - but we will get listened to.
  • Options
    Casino_RoyaleCasino_Royale Posts: 55,800
    Strangely, I was much more interested in these by-elections a few weeks ago than I am today.
  • Options

    MattW said:

    For the PB Consumer Advice Department.

    I see that NetFlix are putting up prices again.

    Is there a killer reason I have not noticed for keeping the subscription open?

    ( I note that I haven't used it for quite some time.)

    Compared to Amazon there don't seem to be many bundled benefits.

    Sex Education & Lucifer.

    Stranger Things.

    FYI - I'm getting the top Netflix package for £7 a month via Sky.
    Is there a new series of Lucifer?
    Sadly not, but every few days I'll go and watch an old episode.
    Have you tried Designated Survivor? It’s getting a little silly in series 3 but series 1 is good


    I watched the first two series then gave up.
    Probably a wise call.

    It helps me get through my ironing
    The worst thing about the pandemic was I had to do my own washing and ironing for eighteen months.

    Hurrah for cleaners.
    I thought you lived with your parents ?

    If so isn't the big advantage that you get all that sort of thing done for you ?
  • Options
    TheScreamingEaglesTheScreamingEagles Posts: 114,675
    edited October 2023

    MattW said:

    For the PB Consumer Advice Department.

    I see that NetFlix are putting up prices again.

    Is there a killer reason I have not noticed for keeping the subscription open?

    ( I note that I haven't used it for quite some time.)

    Compared to Amazon there don't seem to be many bundled benefits.

    Sex Education & Lucifer.

    Stranger Things.

    FYI - I'm getting the top Netflix package for £7 a month via Sky.
    Is there a new series of Lucifer?
    Sadly not, but every few days I'll go and watch an old episode.
    Have you tried Designated Survivor? It’s getting a little silly in series 3 but series 1 is good


    I watched the first two series then gave up.
    Probably a wise call.

    It helps me get through my ironing
    The worst thing about the pandemic was I had to do my own washing and ironing for eighteen months.

    Hurrah for cleaners.
    I thought you lived with your parents ?

    If so isn't the big advantage that you get all that sort of thing done for you ?
    My parents are approaching their seventies, I know I am a terrible son but expecting them to iron my clothes and their grandkids clothes would be taking the piss after everything else they do for us.
  • Options
    MalmesburyMalmesbury Posts: 44,728

    MattW said:

    For the PB Consumer Advice Department.

    I see that NetFlix are putting up prices again.

    Is there a killer reason I have not noticed for keeping the subscription open?

    ( I note that I haven't used it for quite some time.)

    Compared to Amazon there don't seem to be many bundled benefits.

    Sex Education & Lucifer.

    Stranger Things.

    FYI - I'm getting the top Netflix package for £7 a month via Sky.
    Is there a new series of Lucifer?
    Sadly not, but every few days I'll go and watch an old episode.
    Have you tried Designated Survivor? It’s getting a little silly in series 3 but series 1 is good


    I watched the first two series then gave up.
    A lot of these series have no overall plan. Which is why they disappear up their fundaments - typically the Big New Reveal is that the Big Bad the Our Heroes have just taken down is actually not THE Big Bad.

    A counter example is Person of Interest, where they steadily built up to the endgame over 5 seasons.
  • Options
    bigjohnowlsbigjohnowls Posts: 21,911

    If my earlier post appeared to say Nick himself was in favour of genocide I will apologise for the wording.
    With regard Labour and for that matter the Tories their support for turning off water and energy and in SKSs case saying Israel has the right to do that.Their failure to speak out against displacing 1m people and refusing to condemn any Israeli atrocity explicitly does in my opinion make them genocide enablers.

    So if that view is not acceptable I am happy to be banned.

    I appreciate the contraction.

    Question - you assert that both the Labour party and the Conservative parties are "genocide enablers". Is not therefore the act of voting Labour or Conservative - or going campaigning for them - supporting a party which is a "genocide enabler"?

    I'm trying to understand the boundaries of your argument. You've retracted that Nick is a "genocide supporter". But he is out campaigning for a "genocide enabler". So he - the rest of the activists, and indeed tens of thousands of voters" support a "genocide enabler".

    Is there a difference M'Lud?
    Well people vote on many issues so may be fine electing a genocide enabler as long as they get a pension increase or like a stop the boats policy.

    Me I am a bit more particular
  • Options
    JosiasJessopJosiasJessop Posts: 39,175

    Up at 445 to head for mid-Beds. Long day ahead!

    3rd place is nothing to be ashamed of.

    The Israel has every tight to do that Party could of course also do better.

    Never had Nick down as a genocide supporter.

    You live and learn
    You really are a wazzock. You cannot brand Labour voters and members as being a "genocide supporter". I would say that its outrageous, but its worse - its pathetic.
    A touch of Plato syndrome about this. A once reasonable poster, who’s now just deranged.
    The problem as usual is absolutism. Support for Israel must mean condemnation of Palestine and vice versa. Not true - we need to secure peace and security for both. My problem is that the hard left endlessly repeat "from the river to the sea" - a polite way to describe the same Jew genocide planned by Hamas, Islamic Jihad, Hezbollah and Iran.

    Park the bullshit around this hospital non-bombing for a moment. The hard left are in support of Hamas and IJ firing rockets aimed at murdering civilians. This rocket murdered some of their own civilians but thats OK as Hamas wants to kill as many Palestinians as possible as well

    And note how the world has treated the two alleged outrages. One is Hamas slaughtering in the most medieval ways thousands of Israel civilians - including so many small children - the other Israel bombing this hospital and killing 500.

    Despite all the evidence that Hamas psychopaths did slaughter their way through the peace festival and various towns and settlements. And the proof of what it did to those women and children. We still get endless arguments and denials and nitpicking - you can't say that Hamas beheaded 20 children it was only 10 etc.

    On the other hand we have this bullshit about Israel bombing a hospital. The literal word of the terrorists taken as gospel. And despite the obvious flaw in the lie - the hospital being patently not bombed - it is anyone questioning the lie who are condemned. Despite the media having to eat humble pie later.

    Treating the Jews - not Israelis - differently to any other group - is anti-semitism. And we are seeing it on a global scale now. As the firebombings - successful and failed - of synagogues in Tunisia and Germany and elsewhere demonstrates.
    Total nonsense.

    40 babies beheaded is nil babies beheaded

    The official Israeli death toll in Israel includes a likely majority of IDF deaths and stands at 1600 last time I looked you say thousands of civilians slaughtered in a medieval way

    You make no mention at all of numbers of innocents killed in Gaza and the West Bank the latter of which is nothing to do with Hamas. The total is far greater than in Israel with more to come

    Then you conclude it is Israel who is the injured party. I condemn Hamas' killings of innocents and Israeli killing of innocents. I have not seen you condemn the latter.

    Typical of you of course. You really should rejoin the pro genocide SKS Party they are made for you
    You're falling into the trap I mentioned yesterday. You discount deaths in Israel as 'likely majority of IDF deaths', whilst stating "numbers of innocents killed in Gaza and the West Bank"

    You say you condemn Hamas' killings of innocents, whilst saying that the Israelis they killed are 'likely majority of IDF deaths' - therefore not 'innocents'.

    It's a very dangerous mindset to get into.
    Quite simple IDF killing Hamas is fine. Israel killing innocents not fine.

    Hamas killing innocents equally not fine.

    Do you have evidence Israel is only killing Hamas or are you saying killing as many innocents as possible as there may be a few Hamas killed as well is fine?
    You willfully miss my point. Saying, as you did, "'likely majority of IDF deaths', dismisses Israeli deaths. It's a very dangerous road to go down.

    "Do you have evidence Israel is only killing Hamas "

    I never said that they were.

    " or are you saying killing as many innocents as possible as there may be a few Hamas killed as well is fine?"

    I'm not saying that, either.
  • Options

    MattW said:

    For the PB Consumer Advice Department.

    I see that NetFlix are putting up prices again.

    Is there a killer reason I have not noticed for keeping the subscription open?

    ( I note that I haven't used it for quite some time.)

    Compared to Amazon there don't seem to be many bundled benefits.

    Sex Education & Lucifer.

    Stranger Things.

    FYI - I'm getting the top Netflix package for £7 a month via Sky.
    Is there a new series of Lucifer?
    Sadly not, but every few days I'll go and watch an old episode.
    Have you tried Designated Survivor? It’s getting a little silly in series 3 but series 1 is good


    I watched the first two series then gave up.
    A lot of these series have no overall plan. Which is why they disappear up their fundaments - typically the Big New Reveal is that the Big Bad the Our Heroes have just taken down is actually not THE Big Bad.

    A counter example is Person of Interest, where they steadily built up to the endgame over 5 seasons.
    Breaking Bad was the best at that.

    Although it was the Ozymandias episode which was the third to last episode of the show when you realised who the real bad guy was.
  • Options
    Over in WaDC I wonder if its possible for the Dems to vote for someone like:

    https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Don_Bacon

    Aside from getting Congress back in operation I could imagine that having a centrist GOPer as Speaker would cause even more infighting in the GOP while allowing the Dems to grab the 'bipartisanship, good of the country' mantle.

    Whether every Dem would vote for a GOP candidate picked by the Dem leadership must be highly doubtful though.
  • Options
    AlanbrookeAlanbrooke Posts: 23,771

    Well if PBers are talking about genocide has anyone mentioned Sudan ?

    It seems the Arab Sudanese are once again dabbling in it against the African Sudanese.

    https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-67020154

    The African Sudanese seem to be the wrong sort of Muslim and the wrong sort of African for the outside world to care.

    Al Jazeera used to provide some decent coverage on Sudan but it has been wiped by Gaza

    Some conflicts are more equal than others.
  • Options
    FoxyFoxy Posts: 44,944

    If my earlier post appeared to say Nick himself was in favour of genocide I will apologise for the wording.
    With regard Labour and for that matter the Tories their support for turning off water and energy and in SKSs case saying Israel has the right to do that.Their failure to speak out against displacing 1m people and refusing to condemn any Israeli atrocity explicitly does in my opinion make them genocide enablers.

    So if that view is not acceptable I am happy to be banned.

    I appreciate the contraction.

    Question - you assert that both the Labour party and the Conservative parties are "genocide enablers". Is not therefore the act of voting Labour or Conservative - or going campaigning for them - supporting a party which is a "genocide enabler"?

    I'm trying to understand the boundaries of your argument. You've retracted that Nick is a "genocide supporter". But he is out campaigning for a "genocide enabler". So he - the rest of the activists, and indeed tens of thousands of voters" support a "genocide enabler".

    Is there a difference M'Lud?
    This whole discussion is academic as Israel won't give two shits what anyone in this country says.
    All the evidence of the last 100 years is that Britain isn't very good at resolving middle East conflicts peacefully, or for that matter militarily.

    You would have thought we would have learnt to shut up and avoid by now.
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    nico679nico679 Posts: 5,091
    Thank heavens Sunak has gone to Israel. We can rest easy now knowing that peace will now prevail !

    I suppose it’s not a bad look to have Sunak on tv all day proclaiming he’s here to work , might shift a few votes in the by-elections and anything that deflects media attention from domestic issues will be welcomed by the Tories .

    Sunaks only disappointment is that Hamas couldn’t have held on till next year about election time .

    The only leader that should have turned up is Biden , the rest are just pretending that Israel will give two hoots about what they have to say .
  • Options
    HYUFDHYUFD Posts: 117,210

    Well if PBers are talking about genocide has anyone mentioned Sudan ?

    It seems the Arab Sudanese are once again dabbling in it against the African Sudanese.

    https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-67020154

    The African Sudanese seem to be the wrong sort of Muslim and the wrong sort of African for the outside world to care.

    There is no desire in the West for any more military interventions.

    The best that can be done is to support the Sudanese Armed Forces fighting the RSF who are committing these atrocities
  • Options
    AlanbrookeAlanbrooke Posts: 23,771
    Foxy said:

    If my earlier post appeared to say Nick himself was in favour of genocide I will apologise for the wording.
    With regard Labour and for that matter the Tories their support for turning off water and energy and in SKSs case saying Israel has the right to do that.Their failure to speak out against displacing 1m people and refusing to condemn any Israeli atrocity explicitly does in my opinion make them genocide enablers.

    So if that view is not acceptable I am happy to be banned.

    I appreciate the contraction.

    Question - you assert that both the Labour party and the Conservative parties are "genocide enablers". Is not therefore the act of voting Labour or Conservative - or going campaigning for them - supporting a party which is a "genocide enabler"?

    I'm trying to understand the boundaries of your argument. You've retracted that Nick is a "genocide supporter". But he is out campaigning for a "genocide enabler". So he - the rest of the activists, and indeed tens of thousands of voters" support a "genocide enabler".

    Is there a difference M'Lud?
    This whole discussion is academic as Israel won't give two shits what anyone in this country says.
    All the evidence of the last 100 years is that Britain isn't very good at resolving middle East conflicts peacefully, or for that matter militarily.

    You would have thought we would have learnt to shut up and avoid by now.
    Totally agree

    We have enough of our own crap to sort out without getting mixed up in other peoples.
  • Options

    If my earlier post appeared to say Nick himself was in favour of genocide I will apologise for the wording.
    With regard Labour and for that matter the Tories their support for turning off water and energy and in SKSs case saying Israel has the right to do that.Their failure to speak out against displacing 1m people and refusing to condemn any Israeli atrocity explicitly does in my opinion make them genocide enablers.

    So if that view is not acceptable I am happy to be banned.

    I appreciate the contraction.

    Question - you assert that both the Labour party and the Conservative parties are "genocide enablers". Is not therefore the act of voting Labour or Conservative - or going campaigning for them - supporting a party which is a "genocide enabler"?

    I'm trying to understand the boundaries of your argument. You've retracted that Nick is a "genocide supporter". But he is out campaigning for a "genocide enabler". So he - the rest of the activists, and indeed tens of thousands of voters" support a "genocide enabler".

    Is there a difference M'Lud?
    Well people vote on many issues so may be fine electing a genocide enabler as long as they get a pension increase or like a stop the boats policy.

    Me I am a bit more particular
    Wowsers. So people are not only supporting genocide, they're doing it because they think they will get a bung doing so! Logically even more so for party officials and activists...

    Probably best to stop talking now. Might get expensive.
  • Options
    Sunak going to Israel.

    Did he use his private jet? Or did he fly pleb class in the Boris Jet?
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    tlg86tlg86 Posts: 25,216
    @bigjohnowls - do you think Hamas are guilty of genocide?
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    GadflyGadfly Posts: 1,191

    Up at 445 to head for mid-Beds. Long day ahead!

    3rd place is nothing to be ashamed of.

    The Israel has every tight to do that Party could of course also do better.

    Never had Nick down as a genocide supporter.

    You live and learn
    You really are a wazzock. You cannot brand Labour voters and members as being a "genocide supporter". I would say that its outrageous, but its worse - its pathetic.
    A touch of Plato syndrome about this. A once reasonable poster, who’s now just deranged.
    Plato died in 2018.

  • Options
    edmundintokyoedmundintokyo Posts: 17,157
    edited October 2023

    DavidL said:

    Nigelb said:

    kle4 said:

    Nigelb said:

    Interesting details from the Trump fraud case.
    Suggests why he might be desperate to be re-elected.

    Last year, Donald Trump owed $2,315,000 of ground rent at 40 Wall Street. An increase to $16,400,000 would be $14,085,000 higher than last year. That's a big problem for Trump. You can see here that his net operating income in 2022 was just $12,537,460...
    https://twitter.com/DanAlexander21/status/1714734689938821281

    Even assuming he wasn't a big fraud his personal and business finances appear to be a completely chaotic basketcase, which serves no useful purposes other than to make things more complex, and despite his insistent boasts it seems like cash on hand is a perennial issue for him.
    Another go at bagging some Saudi cash would probably come in handy.
    Didn't his son in law get a billion plus from the Saudis? Trump must be raging that he missed out on grifting the big numbers.
    There was a Michael Lewis interview about his new book yesterday. The book concerns Sam Bankman Fried who is currently being prosecuted for alleged fraud in relation to FTX.

    Apparently, he and Trump's people had serious discussions about Fried paying him $5bn not to run for President again. Fried was convinced that Trump was an existential danger to US democracy (he was right about this) and was willing to buy the risk off if the deal was enforceable. That seems to have been the hurdle at which it fell.

    Fried came across from Lewis's description as an interesting, if more than slightly weird guy.
    It was serialised on R4 last week, interesting but somewhat floridly written. Fried certainly didn't present as a crooked mastermind.
    From what I've read about SBF, he is a fraudster through sheer unknowing and uncaring incompetence. But still a fraudster.

    Basically, he was a rich, entitled kid who thought he was a genius. He started making a money in a poorly- (actually, zero-) regulated space, and that attracted other investors and hangers-on. Because he was being successful, he felt that he did not need to have all the usual constraints that businesses suffer from, such as proper accounting procedures.

    Most of all, there was no adult in the room at his companies. One of the good things the early investors in FB and Google did was put experienced businessmen on the board with the founders. SBF had nothing like that, and probably did not want such 'old school' interference.

    As is often the case, it is a case of someone highly intelligent who is utterly thick when it comes to some important areas. And he will deservingly go to jail for a long time.

    If he had been a competent fraudster, he could probably have kept the whole scheme going for many more years, if not decades.
    What you've described is SBF's defence. As far as I can tell it's total bullshit, and he committed fraud, repeatedly and knowingly. Anyhow we'll see what the jury thinks.
    Yes, and I think there's some truth in it. But as I said above, he's obviously guilty of fraud (obvious to me, at least). But I'd also add another charge: incompetence. He couldn't even be a competent fraudster.
    One thing that probably did happen - and you saw it in the Mt Gox case as well - is that if you're already covering up a fraud, then the scale of it grows, it's hard to hire competent people to help run the business because if you give anyone access to it then they'll blow the whistle. SBF wouldn't hire a CFO, and I remember Mark Karpelès being weirdly reluctant to bring anyone who knew what they were doing.

    Madoff got away with it for a long time but he had a big segmentation between the ponzi scheme, which he ran with just a few people on its own floor, and the legitimate business.
  • Options
    MalmesburyMalmesbury Posts: 44,728

    MattW said:

    For the PB Consumer Advice Department.

    I see that NetFlix are putting up prices again.

    Is there a killer reason I have not noticed for keeping the subscription open?

    ( I note that I haven't used it for quite some time.)

    Compared to Amazon there don't seem to be many bundled benefits.

    Sex Education & Lucifer.

    Stranger Things.

    FYI - I'm getting the top Netflix package for £7 a month via Sky.
    Is there a new series of Lucifer?
    Sadly not, but every few days I'll go and watch an old episode.
    Have you tried Designated Survivor? It’s getting a little silly in series 3 but series 1 is good


    I watched the first two series then gave up.
    A lot of these series have no overall plan. Which is why they disappear up their fundaments - typically the Big New Reveal is that the Big Bad the Our Heroes have just taken down is actually not THE Big Bad.

    A counter example is Person of Interest, where they steadily built up to the endgame over 5 seasons.
    Breaking Bad was the best at that.

    Although it was the Ozymandias episode which was the third to last episode of the show when you realised who the real bad guy was.
    I thought the whole point of he series was to slowly boil the frog - see how far you could take the viewers before they realised they were backing the Big Bad.
  • Options
    OnlyLivingBoyOnlyLivingBoy Posts: 15,203

    If my earlier post appeared to say Nick himself was in favour of genocide I will apologise for the wording.
    With regard Labour and for that matter the Tories their support for turning off water and energy and in SKSs case saying Israel has the right to do that.Their failure to speak out against displacing 1m people and refusing to condemn any Israeli atrocity explicitly does in my opinion make them genocide enablers.

    So if that view is not acceptable I am happy to be banned.

    I appreciate the contraction.

    Question - you assert that both the Labour party and the Conservative parties are "genocide enablers". Is not therefore the act of voting Labour or Conservative - or going campaigning for them - supporting a party which is a "genocide enabler"?

    I'm trying to understand the boundaries of your argument. You've retracted that Nick is a "genocide supporter". But he is out campaigning for a "genocide enabler". So he - the rest of the activists, and indeed tens of thousands of voters" support a "genocide enabler".

    Is there a difference M'Lud?
    This whole discussion is academic as Israel won't give two shits what anyone in this country says.
    Which is why it’s totally pointless for our PM to spend money and use carbon going to Tel Aviv.
    Actually I think we would have some influence - not as much as the US, obviously - but we will get listened to.
    Why? Our only real relevance to this conflict is that our actions a hundred years ago helped to cause it. For Israel the views of the US are absolutely critical. Ours are utterly unimportant.
    I don't know why we insist on behaving like we are an important global power. We're not. Our government should protect our interests and be a good global citizen including in the humanitarian realm but I'd much prefer it if it would turn its focus more to domestic concerns, where it is sorely needed.
  • Options
    My thanks to DA for mentioning Hunter Biden's naval career.

    For those who don't know the details:

    Biden's application for a position in the U.S. Navy Reserve was approved in May 2013.[138] At age 43, Biden was accepted as part of a program that allows a limited number of applicants with desirable skills to receive commissions and serve in staff positions.[139] Biden received an age-related waiver and a waiver for a past drug-related incident; he was sworn in as a direct commission officer by his father in a White House ceremony.[138][18]

    The urinalysis of a urine sample taken on his first weekend of reserve duty a few weeks later detected cocaine in his system.[18][139] He was discharged administratively in February 2014.


    https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hunter_Biden#Navy_Reserve

    Its clear that Hunter Biden has received special treatment in the past - whether it extended into other areas involving money grubbing and criminality I don't know.

    But the imagery of a serial felon receiving special treatment because of a family connection isn't good.
  • Options
    MalmesburyMalmesbury Posts: 44,728
    edited October 2023

    MattW said:

    For the PB Consumer Advice Department.

    I see that NetFlix are putting up prices again.

    Is there a killer reason I have not noticed for keeping the subscription open?

    ( I note that I haven't used it for quite some time.)

    Compared to Amazon there don't seem to be many bundled benefits.

    Sex Education & Lucifer.

    Stranger Things.

    FYI - I'm getting the top Netflix package for £7 a month via Sky.
    Is there a new series of Lucifer?
    Sadly not, but every few days I'll go and watch an old episode.
    Have you tried Designated Survivor? It’s getting a little silly in series 3 but series 1 is good


    I watched the first two series then gave up.
    Probably a wise call.

    It helps me get through my ironing
    The worst thing about the pandemic was I had to do my own washing and ironing for eighteen months.

    Hurrah for cleaners.
    I thought you lived with your parents ?

    If so isn't the big advantage that you get all that sort of thing done for you ?
    My parents are approaching their seventies, I know I am a terrible son but expecting them to iron my clothes and their grandkids clothes would be taking the piss after everything else they do for us.
    I have to hide my shirts from my mother in law. Who will otherwise iron them in a slow painstaking way. Stopping her doing house work is a battle.

    My main achievement is to put together a design for the garden. She’s a keen gardener of the “there is a square inch left. I’ll put a plant there”. So slowing her down so that it isn’t a jungle out there is a challenge.
  • Options
    StockyStocky Posts: 9,736

    MattW said:

    For the PB Consumer Advice Department.

    I see that NetFlix are putting up prices again.

    Is there a killer reason I have not noticed for keeping the subscription open?

    ( I note that I haven't used it for quite some time.)

    Compared to Amazon there don't seem to be many bundled benefits.

    Sex Education & Lucifer.

    Stranger Things.

    FYI - I'm getting the top Netflix package for £7 a month via Sky.
    Is there a new series of Lucifer?
    Sadly not, but every few days I'll go and watch an old episode.
    Have you tried Designated Survivor? It’s getting a little silly in series 3 but series 1 is good


    I watched the first two series then gave up.
    A lot of these series have no overall plan. Which is why they disappear up their fundaments - typically the Big New Reveal is that the Big Bad the Our Heroes have just taken down is actually not THE Big Bad.

    A counter example is Person of Interest, where they steadily built up to the endgame over 5 seasons.
    Breaking Bad was the best at that.

    Although it was the Ozymandias episode which was the third to last episode of the show when you realised who the real bad guy was.
    I thought the whole point of he series was to slowly boil the frog - see how far you could take the viewers before they realised they were backing the Big Bad.
    Yes indeed. How far does your moral philosophy stretch?

    I was with Walt for much longer than most viewers. I've watched it four times now and if you watch it again see if you agree with me that Jesse was a baddie much earlier on than Walt, yet viewers generally give Jesse a pass entirely.
  • Options
    nico679nico679 Posts: 5,091

    MattW said:

    For the PB Consumer Advice Department.

    I see that NetFlix are putting up prices again.

    Is there a killer reason I have not noticed for keeping the subscription open?

    ( I note that I haven't used it for quite some time.)

    Compared to Amazon there don't seem to be many bundled benefits.

    Sex Education & Lucifer.

    Stranger Things.

    FYI - I'm getting the top Netflix package for £7 a month via Sky.
    Is there a new series of Lucifer?
    Sadly not, but every few days I'll go and watch an old episode.
    Have you tried Designated Survivor? It’s getting a little silly in series 3 but series 1 is good


    I watched the first two series then gave up.
    A lot of these series have no overall plan. Which is why they disappear up their fundaments - typically the Big New Reveal is that the Big Bad the Our Heroes have just taken down is actually not THE Big Bad.

    A counter example is Person of Interest, where they steadily built up to the endgame over 5 seasons.
    Breaking Bad was the best at that.

    Although it was the Ozymandias episode which was the third to last episode of the show when you realised who the real bad guy was.
    I thought the whole point of he series was to slowly boil the frog - see how far you could take the viewers before they realised they were backing the Big Bad.
    A quite brilliant series . The brilliance is to keep people watching even though it’s not good against evil . Walter became increasingly dislikeable . Better Call Saul was also very good , with a bit of humour at times .
  • Options
    Dura_AceDura_Ace Posts: 13,072

    MattW said:

    For the PB Consumer Advice Department.

    I see that NetFlix are putting up prices again.

    Is there a killer reason I have not noticed for keeping the subscription open?

    ( I note that I haven't used it for quite some time.)

    Compared to Amazon there don't seem to be many bundled benefits.

    I think the streaming services are a very good demonstration of boiling frog syndrome. I've had Netflix for a long time and it is now subsidised as part of my Sky subscription. We've got Amazon Prime as we have the delivery service. Currently on the 2nd month of Paramount Plus as watching Star Trek. Have Britbox and probably should cancel it again. Have dipped in and out of Apple TV and about to dip in to watch the next season of For All Mankind. Have had Starzplay(?) and a couple of others.

    You can spend an awful lot of money on these services and barely use them. Problem is that you prune them out and cancel one just as something mega goes onto it.

    And I'm about to do the same with music. Have had Spotify for a long time - a premium family plan. Had a free trial of Apple Music and find the audio quality is a lot better even if the UI is worse. So now am paying for both as the kids refuse to abandon Spotify...
    Torrent everything. Why are you giving these fuckers a penny?
  • Options
    CookieCookie Posts: 11,544

    Well if PBers are talking about genocide has anyone mentioned Sudan ?

    It seems the Arab Sudanese are once again dabbling in it against the African Sudanese.

    https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-67020154

    The African Sudanese seem to be the wrong sort of Muslim and the wrong sort of African for the outside world to care.

    Al Jazeera used to provide some decent coverage on Sudan but it has been wiped by Gaza

    Some conflicts are more equal than others.
    Excuse my ignorance, but I thought the African Sudanese were Christians?
  • Options
    BenpointerBenpointer Posts: 31,882
    Sunak’s even more of a publicity chaser than Johnson, which is saying something.

    Honestly what does he think he’s achieving?
  • Options
    NigelbNigelb Posts: 63,028

    MattW said:

    For the PB Consumer Advice Department.

    I see that NetFlix are putting up prices again.

    Is there a killer reason I have not noticed for keeping the subscription open?

    ( I note that I haven't used it for quite some time.)

    Compared to Amazon there don't seem to be many bundled benefits.

    Sex Education & Lucifer.

    Stranger Things.

    FYI - I'm getting the top Netflix package for £7 a month via Sky.
    Is there a new series of Lucifer?
    Sadly not, but every few days I'll go and watch an old episode.
    Have you tried Designated Survivor? It’s getting a little silly in series 3 but series 1 is good


    I watched the first two series then gave up.
    A lot of these series have no overall plan. Which is why they disappear up their fundaments - typically the Big New Reveal is that the Big Bad the Our Heroes have just taken down is actually not THE Big Bad.

    A counter example is Person of Interest, where they steadily built up to the endgame over 5 seasons.
    Breaking Bad was the best at that.

    Although it was the Ozymandias episode which was the third to last episode of the show when you realised who the real bad guy was.
    I thought that was Phoenix in season 2 ?
  • Options
    MalmesburyMalmesbury Posts: 44,728

    My thanks to DA for mentioning Hunter Biden's naval career.

    For those who don't know the details:

    Biden's application for a position in the U.S. Navy Reserve was approved in May 2013.[138] At age 43, Biden was accepted as part of a program that allows a limited number of applicants with desirable skills to receive commissions and serve in staff positions.[139] Biden received an age-related waiver and a waiver for a past drug-related incident; he was sworn in as a direct commission officer by his father in a White House ceremony.[138][18]

    The urinalysis of a urine sample taken on his first weekend of reserve duty a few weeks later detected cocaine in his system.[18][139] He was discharged administratively in February 2014.


    https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hunter_Biden#Navy_Reserve

    Its clear that Hunter Biden has received special treatment in the past - whether it extended into other areas involving money grubbing and criminality I don't know.

    But the imagery of a serial felon receiving special treatment because of a family connection isn't good.

    It is utterly standard in American politics. So standard that the episode of West Wing about it barely raised an eyebrow - in the episode, they call in a whole bunch of aides to Senators and tell them that if they start blowvaiting about the President changing drug laws, that they (the West Wing staff) will put all the drug charges that the Senators have got their kids off… into the papers.

  • Options
    HYUFDHYUFD Posts: 117,210
    Armed police confront 13 year old boy with water pistol

    "Boy with water pistol confronted by armed police - BBC News" https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-london-67148208
  • Options
    Sean_FSean_F Posts: 36,013
    Fishing said:

    An open letter signed by well-known actors condemning Israeli military actions has been criticised for failing to mention brutal terror attacks carried out by Hamas.

    More than 2,000 artists, actors and musicians in the UK, including Tilda Swinton, Steve Coogan, Charles Dance and Maxine Peake, signed the letter.

    They called for an immediate ceasefire in Gaza and for “our governments to end their military and political support for Israel’s actions”.

    https://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/2023/10/18/coogan-swinton-letter-condemns-israel-war-crimes-not-hamas/

    "We, the undersigned luvvies, are obviously better people and know a lot more about politics than anyone else. As such we're going to make tits of ourselves with some naive virtue-signalling to impress other luvvies and get ourselves some publicity ..."
    A pity to see Charles Dance on the list.
  • Options
    StockyStocky Posts: 9,736
    I see Conservatives have come in a touch in Tamworth from 4.2 yesterday evening to 3.85 (though market is very thin).

    Probably still value though my gut feeling is Labour.

  • Options
    Cookie said:

    Well if PBers are talking about genocide has anyone mentioned Sudan ?

    It seems the Arab Sudanese are once again dabbling in it against the African Sudanese.

    https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-67020154

    The African Sudanese seem to be the wrong sort of Muslim and the wrong sort of African for the outside world to care.

    Al Jazeera used to provide some decent coverage on Sudan but it has been wiped by Gaza

    Some conflicts are more equal than others.
    Excuse my ignorance, but I thought the African Sudanese were Christians?
    Those were the South Sudanese and now have their own country.

    In western Sudan the population is African and Muslim:

    https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/War_in_Darfur
  • Options
    BenpointerBenpointer Posts: 31,882
    Cookie said:

    Well if PBers are talking about genocide has anyone mentioned Sudan ?

    It seems the Arab Sudanese are once again dabbling in it against the African Sudanese.

    https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-67020154

    The African Sudanese seem to be the wrong sort of Muslim and the wrong sort of African for the outside world to care.

    Al Jazeera used to provide some decent coverage on Sudan but it has been wiped by Gaza

    Some conflicts are more equal than others.
    Excuse my ignorance, but I thought the African Sudanese were Christians?
    Are there any non-African Sudanese?
  • Options
    rottenboroughrottenborough Posts: 58,540
    Rishi will be out of the country when he loses two more by-elections then?
  • Options
    MalmesburyMalmesbury Posts: 44,728
    nico679 said:

    MattW said:

    For the PB Consumer Advice Department.

    I see that NetFlix are putting up prices again.

    Is there a killer reason I have not noticed for keeping the subscription open?

    ( I note that I haven't used it for quite some time.)

    Compared to Amazon there don't seem to be many bundled benefits.

    Sex Education & Lucifer.

    Stranger Things.

    FYI - I'm getting the top Netflix package for £7 a month via Sky.
    Is there a new series of Lucifer?
    Sadly not, but every few days I'll go and watch an old episode.
    Have you tried Designated Survivor? It’s getting a little silly in series 3 but series 1 is good


    I watched the first two series then gave up.
    A lot of these series have no overall plan. Which is why they disappear up their fundaments - typically the Big New Reveal is that the Big Bad the Our Heroes have just taken down is actually not THE Big Bad.

    A counter example is Person of Interest, where they steadily built up to the endgame over 5 seasons.
    Breaking Bad was the best at that.

    Although it was the Ozymandias episode which was the third to last episode of the show when you realised who the real bad guy was.
    I thought the whole point of he series was to slowly boil the frog - see how far you could take the viewers before they realised they were backing the Big Bad.
    A quite brilliant series . The brilliance is to keep people watching even though it’s not good against evil . Walter became increasingly dislikeable . Better Call Saul was also very good , with a bit of humour at times .
    The point was that Walt was evil from the start - dissolving bodies, chaining people up in basements? - but that he is gradually letting his inner nature take control.

    It’s the slow motion version of the guy who goes postal.
  • Options
    tlg86tlg86 Posts: 25,216

    Cookie said:

    Well if PBers are talking about genocide has anyone mentioned Sudan ?

    It seems the Arab Sudanese are once again dabbling in it against the African Sudanese.

    https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-67020154

    The African Sudanese seem to be the wrong sort of Muslim and the wrong sort of African for the outside world to care.

    Al Jazeera used to provide some decent coverage on Sudan but it has been wiped by Gaza

    Some conflicts are more equal than others.
    Excuse my ignorance, but I thought the African Sudanese were Christians?
    Are there any non-African Sudanese?
    The Arab Sudanese, I would guess.
  • Options
    Nigelb said:

    MattW said:

    For the PB Consumer Advice Department.

    I see that NetFlix are putting up prices again.

    Is there a killer reason I have not noticed for keeping the subscription open?

    ( I note that I haven't used it for quite some time.)

    Compared to Amazon there don't seem to be many bundled benefits.

    Sex Education & Lucifer.

    Stranger Things.

    FYI - I'm getting the top Netflix package for £7 a month via Sky.
    Is there a new series of Lucifer?
    Sadly not, but every few days I'll go and watch an old episode.
    Have you tried Designated Survivor? It’s getting a little silly in series 3 but series 1 is good


    I watched the first two series then gave up.
    A lot of these series have no overall plan. Which is why they disappear up their fundaments - typically the Big New Reveal is that the Big Bad the Our Heroes have just taken down is actually not THE Big Bad.

    A counter example is Person of Interest, where they steadily built up to the endgame over 5 seasons.
    Breaking Bad was the best at that.

    Although it was the Ozymandias episode which was the third to last episode of the show when you realised who the real bad guy was.
    I thought that was Phoenix in season 2 ?
    I was prepared to forgive him for Jane's death because she had blackmailed him.
  • Options
    Sean_FSean_F Posts: 36,013
    DavidL said:

    Taz said:

    DavidL said:

    DavidL said:

    Nigelb said:

    kle4 said:

    Nigelb said:

    Interesting details from the Trump fraud case.
    Suggests why he might be desperate to be re-elected.

    Last year, Donald Trump owed $2,315,000 of ground rent at 40 Wall Street. An increase to $16,400,000 would be $14,085,000 higher than last year. That's a big problem for Trump. You can see here that his net operating income in 2022 was just $12,537,460...
    https://twitter.com/DanAlexander21/status/1714734689938821281

    Even assuming he wasn't a big fraud his personal and business finances appear to be a completely chaotic basketcase, which serves no useful purposes other than to make things more complex, and despite his insistent boasts it seems like cash on hand is a perennial issue for him.
    Another go at bagging some Saudi cash would probably come in handy.
    Didn't his son in law get a billion plus from the Saudis? Trump must be raging that he missed out on grifting the big numbers.
    There was a Michael Lewis interview about his new book yesterday. The book concerns Sam Bankman Fried who is currently being prosecuted for alleged fraud in relation to FTX.

    Apparently, he and Trump's people had serious discussions about Fried paying him $5bn not to run for President again. Fried was convinced that Trump was an existential danger to US democracy (he was right about this) and was willing to buy the risk off if the deal was enforceable. That seems to have been the hurdle at which it fell.

    Fried came across from Lewis's description as an interesting, if more than slightly weird guy.
    It was serialised on R4 last week, interesting but somewhat floridly written. Fried certainly didn't present as a crooked mastermind.
    There was a throw away comment in the interview yesterday that $15bn of deposits which were supposed to be being held by the company were in fact all invested in its exchange by the company to boost liquidity and turnover. That, if true, is a pretty straightforward fraud, something quite a lot of solicitors get done for when they dip into the client account.
    Some of the testimony coming out in the court case is pretty damning,

    His former partners are happily throwing him under the bus at the moment.
    Well, they have all done plea deals which are conditional on giving such testimony.

    The American criminal justice system is weird. Lewis commented that in this country we have lots of acquittals. In the US, for financial crimes, the conviction rate is over 99.5%, largely based on plea bargaining. Its a system where Fried going to trial is very much the exception. Faced with potentially horrendous penalties nearly everyone pleads. Its not a justice system to be proud of in my view.
    It’s better - in respect of white collar crime - than our own. We hardly treat white collar crime as crime at all.

    I know of two solicitors who stole £400,000 and £600,000 respectively from clients, and were struck off, but who have never faced criminal charges.
  • Options
    MalmesburyMalmesbury Posts: 44,728
    Stocky said:

    MattW said:

    For the PB Consumer Advice Department.

    I see that NetFlix are putting up prices again.

    Is there a killer reason I have not noticed for keeping the subscription open?

    ( I note that I haven't used it for quite some time.)

    Compared to Amazon there don't seem to be many bundled benefits.

    Sex Education & Lucifer.

    Stranger Things.

    FYI - I'm getting the top Netflix package for £7 a month via Sky.
    Is there a new series of Lucifer?
    Sadly not, but every few days I'll go and watch an old episode.
    Have you tried Designated Survivor? It’s getting a little silly in series 3 but series 1 is good


    I watched the first two series then gave up.
    A lot of these series have no overall plan. Which is why they disappear up their fundaments - typically the Big New Reveal is that the Big Bad the Our Heroes have just taken down is actually not THE Big Bad.

    A counter example is Person of Interest, where they steadily built up to the endgame over 5 seasons.
    Breaking Bad was the best at that.

    Although it was the Ozymandias episode which was the third to last episode of the show when you realised who the real bad guy was.
    I thought the whole point of he series was to slowly boil the frog - see how far you could take the viewers before they realised they were backing the Big Bad.
    Yes indeed. How far does your moral philosophy stretch?

    I was with Walt for much longer than most viewers. I've watched it four times now and if you watch it again see if you agree with me that Jesse was a baddie much earlier on than Walt, yet viewers generally give Jesse a pass entirely.
    Which was because Jesse had a moral limit. He gets dragged along by Walt, less and less willingly.

    Walt was way worse - a real cartel boss waiting to happen.
  • Options
    nico679nico679 Posts: 5,091

    Sunak’s even more of a publicity chaser than Johnson, which is saying something.

    Honestly what does he think he’s achieving?

    The art is to be a publicity chaser without making it obvious . I’m just cynical about most politicians and would also slate Starmer if he went for a similar photo op in Israel .
  • Options
    StockyStocky Posts: 9,736
    Nigelb said:

    MattW said:

    For the PB Consumer Advice Department.

    I see that NetFlix are putting up prices again.

    Is there a killer reason I have not noticed for keeping the subscription open?

    ( I note that I haven't used it for quite some time.)

    Compared to Amazon there don't seem to be many bundled benefits.

    Sex Education & Lucifer.

    Stranger Things.

    FYI - I'm getting the top Netflix package for £7 a month via Sky.
    Is there a new series of Lucifer?
    Sadly not, but every few days I'll go and watch an old episode.
    Have you tried Designated Survivor? It’s getting a little silly in series 3 but series 1 is good


    I watched the first two series then gave up.
    A lot of these series have no overall plan. Which is why they disappear up their fundaments - typically the Big New Reveal is that the Big Bad the Our Heroes have just taken down is actually not THE Big Bad.

    A counter example is Person of Interest, where they steadily built up to the endgame over 5 seasons.
    Breaking Bad was the best at that.

    Although it was the Ozymandias episode which was the third to last episode of the show when you realised who the real bad guy was.
    I thought that was Phoenix in season 2 ?
    Spoiler: Most would agree with you.

    But Walt was being blackmailed by her, thus threatening himself (and more importantly in his mind) his family. Self-defence? Wiki describes it well: as she chokes " Walt rushes to help, but after hesitating for a moment he changes his mind and lets her die. He begins to cry before looking on resolutely." A sin of omission.
  • Options

    DavidL said:

    DavidL said:

    Nigelb said:

    kle4 said:

    Nigelb said:

    Interesting details from the Trump fraud case.
    Suggests why he might be desperate to be re-elected.

    Last year, Donald Trump owed $2,315,000 of ground rent at 40 Wall Street. An increase to $16,400,000 would be $14,085,000 higher than last year. That's a big problem for Trump. You can see here that his net operating income in 2022 was just $12,537,460...
    https://twitter.com/DanAlexander21/status/1714734689938821281

    Even assuming he wasn't a big fraud his personal and business finances appear to be a completely chaotic basketcase, which serves no useful purposes other than to make things more complex, and despite his insistent boasts it seems like cash on hand is a perennial issue for him.
    Another go at bagging some Saudi cash would probably come in handy.
    Didn't his son in law get a billion plus from the Saudis? Trump must be raging that he missed out on grifting the big numbers.
    There was a Michael Lewis interview about his new book yesterday. The book concerns Sam Bankman Fried who is currently being prosecuted for alleged fraud in relation to FTX.

    Apparently, he and Trump's people had serious discussions about Fried paying him $5bn not to run for President again. Fried was convinced that Trump was an existential danger to US democracy (he was right about this) and was willing to buy the risk off if the deal was enforceable. That seems to have been the hurdle at which it fell.

    Fried came across from Lewis's description as an interesting, if more than slightly weird guy.
    It was serialised on R4 last week, interesting but somewhat floridly written. Fried certainly didn't present as a crooked mastermind.
    There was a throw away comment in the interview yesterday that $15bn of deposits which were supposed to be being held by the company were in fact all invested in its
    exchange by the company to boost liquidity and turnover. That, if true, is a pretty straightforward fraud, something quite a lot of solicitors get done for when they dip into the client account.
    Most financial fraud comes down to doing stuff you should be doing with someone else’s money. The justification is typically that it’s temporary and you’ll put the money
    back just as soon as you’ve fixed the problem.

    (Don’t yell at me @Cyclefree i know this is a gross oversimplification)
    ‘That money was just resting in my account’.
    That’s just theft

    I was more thinking of the Leeson example - gambles money and loses. “Borrows” money from a client account because he just *knows* that Boy George is going to win the 3:50 at Kempton.

    Obviously he’s going to pay it back. No harm done…
    That would wrongly be classed as gambling addiction. While this condition does exist, most of the headline cases look more like some idiot trying and failing to dig themselves out of a hole after they lost the rent money on a "good thing".
  • Options
    Sean_FSean_F Posts: 36,013
    Taz said:

    Students suffer consequences of support for Hamas as job offers withdrawn.

    I’m guessing these students, the sort so usually so keen on cancel culture, will be less keen now.

    https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-us-canada-67152271

    They should be glad to make sacrifices for decolonisation.
  • Options

    My thanks to DA for mentioning Hunter Biden's naval career.

    For those who don't know the details:

    Biden's application for a position in the U.S. Navy Reserve was approved in May 2013.[138] At age 43, Biden was accepted as part of a program that allows a limited number of applicants with desirable skills to receive commissions and serve in staff positions.[139] Biden received an age-related waiver and a waiver for a past drug-related incident; he was sworn in as a direct commission officer by his father in a White House ceremony.[138][18]

    The urinalysis of a urine sample taken on his first weekend of reserve duty a few weeks later detected cocaine in his system.[18][139] He was discharged administratively in February 2014.


    https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hunter_Biden#Navy_Reserve

    Its clear that Hunter Biden has received special treatment in the past - whether it extended into other areas involving money grubbing and criminality I don't know.

    But the imagery of a serial felon receiving special treatment because of a family connection isn't good.

    The amazingly talented Hunter Biden seems to have developed a lucrative art career since his dad became President.

    His work appears to be reasonably pleasant decorative abstracts selling for approximately 100x what anyone else would charge.

    https://www.politico.com/newsletters/west-wing-playbook/2021/07/27/we-asked-art-critics-about-hunters-paintings-493751
  • Options
    StockyStocky Posts: 9,736

    Stocky said:

    MattW said:

    For the PB Consumer Advice Department.

    I see that NetFlix are putting up prices again.

    Is there a killer reason I have not noticed for keeping the subscription open?

    ( I note that I haven't used it for quite some time.)

    Compared to Amazon there don't seem to be many bundled benefits.

    Sex Education & Lucifer.

    Stranger Things.

    FYI - I'm getting the top Netflix package for £7 a month via Sky.
    Is there a new series of Lucifer?
    Sadly not, but every few days I'll go and watch an old episode.
    Have you tried Designated Survivor? It’s getting a little silly in series 3 but series 1 is good


    I watched the first two series then gave up.
    A lot of these series have no overall plan. Which is why they disappear up their fundaments - typically the Big New Reveal is that the Big Bad the Our Heroes have just taken down is actually not THE Big Bad.

    A counter example is Person of Interest, where they steadily built up to the endgame over 5 seasons.
    Breaking Bad was the best at that.

    Although it was the Ozymandias episode which was the third to last episode of the show when you realised who the real bad guy was.
    I thought the whole point of he series was to slowly boil the frog - see how far you could take the viewers before they realised they were backing the Big Bad.
    Yes indeed. How far does your moral philosophy stretch?

    I was with Walt for much longer than most viewers. I've watched it four times now and if you watch it again see if you agree with me that Jesse was a baddie much earlier on than Walt, yet viewers generally give Jesse a pass entirely.
    Which was because Jesse had a moral limit. He gets dragged along by Walt, less and less willingly.

    Walt was way worse - a real cartel boss waiting to happen.
    These debates show what a masterpiece the show is.
  • Options
    JosiasJessopJosiasJessop Posts: 39,175
    nico679 said:

    MattW said:

    For the PB Consumer Advice Department.

    I see that NetFlix are putting up prices again.

    Is there a killer reason I have not noticed for keeping the subscription open?

    ( I note that I haven't used it for quite some time.)

    Compared to Amazon there don't seem to be many bundled benefits.

    Sex Education & Lucifer.

    Stranger Things.

    FYI - I'm getting the top Netflix package for £7 a month via Sky.
    Is there a new series of Lucifer?
    Sadly not, but every few days I'll go and watch an old episode.
    Have you tried Designated Survivor? It’s getting a little silly in series 3 but series 1 is good


    I watched the first two series then gave up.
    A lot of these series have no overall plan. Which is why they disappear up their fundaments - typically the Big New Reveal is that the Big Bad the Our Heroes have just taken down is actually not THE Big Bad.

    A counter example is Person of Interest, where they steadily built up to the endgame over 5 seasons.
    Breaking Bad was the best at that.

    Although it was the Ozymandias episode which was the third to last episode of the show when you realised who the real bad guy was.
    I thought the whole point of he series was to slowly boil the frog - see how far you could take the viewers before they realised they were backing the Big Bad.
    A quite brilliant series . The brilliance is to keep people watching even though it’s not good against evil . Walter became increasingly dislikeable . Better Call Saul was also very good , with a bit of humour at times .
    I've been watching 'House' recently, and it's quite good IMO for having an utterly unethical and uncaring lead character that you sorta like and support. And he's a character that knows his flaws, and does not care to fix them.

    Hugh Laurie is truly excellent in it.
  • Options
    CookieCookie Posts: 11,544
    Sean_F said:

    Taz said:

    Students suffer consequences of support for Hamas as job offers withdrawn.

    I’m guessing these students, the sort so usually so keen on cancel culture, will be less keen now.

    https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-us-canada-67152271

    They should be glad to make sacrifices for decolonisation.
    Weird how many of those protestors are still wearing masks.
This discussion has been closed.