Sibling movies contd. Pride and Prejudice. Sense and Sensibility. Pride, Prejudice and Zombies.
(Everyone else still thinking about Michelle Pfeiffer...)
Thanks for this and the other sibling suggestions. I’d say some of these are in the Godfather category: siblings feature, but they’re not the main story. Sense and sensibility is perhaps closer to a true sibling story than P&P.
Of the sitcoms Frazier probably counts.
I’d forgotten Twins.
I'd argue that Godfather 2 is a sibling story, at least in the 1950s line (and even then other strong elements).
Rain Man worth a mention.
Rain Man was in my initial list. Only fools and horses was a good addition, if having a third old man there doesn’t dilute it.
Actually I just realised - maybe this was obvious and I’m the only one who didn’t know - that Father Ted is the same premise as Only Fools, just on a different setting.
Both of the Guardian's top 2 TV shows of 2023 - The Bear and Succession - have sibling relationships at their core. Perhaps siblings stories are having a moment? I agree it is an unexplored theme in our culture and produces some very affecting and successful drama, eg Frozen and Rain Man, two of my favourite films.
Also, I didn't much care for Fleabag but the relationship between the main character and her sister was one of the few parts that I liked. A Streetcar Named Desire has the sibling relationship at its heart. Phil and Grant in Eastenders. What I can't think of is a film or series with a brother/sister relationship at its core (ie different sexes). There's Ross and Monica in friends I suppose but that's not central to the plot of the sitcom. Ritchie and Joanie in Happy Days? Again, not central to the plot.
Sibling movies contd. Pride and Prejudice. Sense and Sensibility. Pride, Prejudice and Zombies.
(Everyone else still thinking about Michelle Pfeiffer...)
Thanks for this and the other sibling suggestions. I’d say some of these are in the Godfather category: siblings feature, but they’re not the main story. Sense and sensibility is perhaps closer to a true sibling story than P&P.
Of the sitcoms Frazier probably counts.
I’d forgotten Twins.
I'd argue that Godfather 2 is a sibling story, at least in the 1950s line (and even then other strong elements).
Rain Man worth a mention.
Rain Man was in my initial list. Only fools and horses was a good addition, if having a third old man there doesn’t dilute it.
Actually I just realised - maybe this was obvious and I’m the only one who didn’t know - that Father Ted is the same premise as Only Fools, just on a different setting.
Both of the Guardian's top 2 TV shows of 2023 - The Bear and Succession - have sibling relationships at their core. Perhaps siblings stories are having a moment? I agree it is an unexplored theme in our culture and produces some very affecting and successful drama, eg Frozen and Rain Man, two of my favourite films.
Also, I didn't much care for Fleabag but the relationship between the main character and her sister was one of the few parts that I liked. A Streetcar Named Desire has the sibling relationship at its heart. Phil and Grant in Eastenders. What I can't think of is a film or series with a brother/sister relationship at its core (ie different sexes)...
Sibling movies contd. Pride and Prejudice. Sense and Sensibility. Pride, Prejudice and Zombies.
(Everyone else still thinking about Michelle Pfeiffer...)
Thanks for this and the other sibling suggestions. I’d say some of these are in the Godfather category: siblings feature, but they’re not the main story. Sense and sensibility is perhaps closer to a true sibling story than P&P.
Of the sitcoms Frazier probably counts.
I’d forgotten Twins.
Lion in Winter (everybody on PB is an uncultured peasant 😃) The Brothers McMullen (possibly also it's near-successor She's The One) Jack and Jill (Adam Sandler plays his own sister. It's as good as you think)
Definitely not Interstellar, where the father is consumed by his distance from his daughter and entirely forgets about his son.
Obviously, on average those who own their home outright tend to be older than those with mortgages. So we are seeing a combination of age related voting intention and the impact of higher interest rates.
One of the reasons S Korea did so well economically is that both government and industry were absolutely brutal in avoiding responsibility for seniors.
During the period of highest growth, companies just let go anyone in their fifties and upward who wasn't a high flyer. And there's a very strong cultural bias towards children, not the state, being responsible for the elderly.
Sibling movies contd. Pride and Prejudice. Sense and Sensibility. Pride, Prejudice and Zombies.
(Everyone else still thinking about Michelle Pfeiffer...)
Thanks for this and the other sibling suggestions. I’d say some of these are in the Godfather category: siblings feature, but they’re not the main story. Sense and sensibility is perhaps closer to a true sibling story than P&P.
Of the sitcoms Frazier probably counts.
I’d forgotten Twins.
Lion in Winter (everybody on PB is an uncultured peasant 😃)
Great (if somewhat hammy) film. Rewatched it with my kids last year, and it still works,
Some years ago, I recall reading of an analysis that claimed that birth rates began to decline in Europe, as nations introduced state pensions. Seemed possible, perhaps even plausible, but I didn't study the question, and can't recall having seen anything since on the question.
And, of courrse, it may be, even if true, just another example of correlation, rather than causation.
Yes we do need to build more homes so more can move from renting to buying but the Conservatives won in 2019 even with most renters voting against them as home owners with a mortgage voted for them.
It was the Truss and Kwarteng budget disaster and the interest rates surge after that cost them most as it sent the majority of mortgage holders to Labour
'The claim followed the detonation of a 1,000kg bomb which had been dropped in 1942 during the so-called 'Baedeker raids' on British cities. It was discovered during building work in 2021 and tackled on-site by a team from the Royal Logistics Corps: an intended 'low order' explosion became high order when 630kg of high explosive went up.'
Given both the lower court and the court of appeals agreed, the judgement is presumably legally sound. But it seems an unfortunate outcome, because "oops, WW2 leftover bomb exploded" seems like exactly the kind of low probability, high damage, affects-small-number-of-policyholders outcome that you would like your insurance to cover rather than wriggling out of, even if you might be more or less OK with the insurer having a war exclusion clause to avoid insuring against an outcome that might require them to pay out to almost all their policy holders at once...
On topic, the number of homeowners who say that they are going to vote Tory is quite horrendous for them. If they are even behind in that segment come the election they are doomed.
Mortgage rates have peaked and edged back under 6% but for anyone who was a first time buyer in the last decade that comes under the category of extortion (and government incompetence since it could hardly be their own fault that they over borrowed, could it?)
6% on a mortgage 3x your annual income is a bargain. 6% on a mortgage 8-9x your annual income is murderous.
For the most part house prices have functioned as a result of disposable income, tracking closely to 30% of disposable income throughout most of the years 1983-2023.
We are now seeing a disconnect - affordability plummeting without a corresponding drop in prices, due to extreme scarcity created by decades of artificially restricted supply and unrestricted immigration.
For a lot of people, home ownership is a millstone around their neck, rather than the liberation and freedom it used to represent.
The only thing in its favour is that renting is even worse.
But that will not win the Tories votes...
It's also worth noting that prices are often relatively slow to drop.
Sibling movies contd. Pride and Prejudice. Sense and Sensibility. Pride, Prejudice and Zombies.
(Everyone else still thinking about Michelle Pfeiffer...)
Thanks for this and the other sibling suggestions. I’d say some of these are in the Godfather category: siblings feature, but they’re not the main story. Sense and sensibility is perhaps closer to a true sibling story than P&P.
Of the sitcoms Frazier probably counts.
I’d forgotten Twins.
Lion in Winter (everybody on PB is an uncultured peasant 😃) The Brothers McMullen (possibly also it's near-successor She's The One) Jack and Jill (Adam Sandler plays his own sister. It's as good as you think)
Definitely not Interstellar, where the father is consumed by his distance from his daughter and entirely forgets about his son.
Off topic, but important to anyone who likes elections: "For more than a decade and a half, autocracy has been steadily advancing around the globe. Dictators routinely arrest their foes, including those demanding basic rights such as freedom of expression. But they have modernized their methods, taking control of the internet and using it to broadcast disinformation while censoring the truth. They have forced independent media to close and aimed surveillance at social media and the people who use it. They have created firewalls and imposed internet shutdowns. Freedom House found in its latest annual survey of political rights and civil liberties that democracy has been in decline for 17 years — and one of the biggest drivers has been attacks on freedom of expression." source$: https://www.washingtonpost.com/opinions/2023/12/21/autocracy-democracy-internet-circumvention/
And, some dictators have been undermining democracies, wherever they can.
Isn't this Short-Term Rishi burning everything down, including his own house?
They had a decent record on increasing housebuild by multiple finessings, but then they took away house building requirements to get the Nimbies back from populist (but utterly incoherent) Lib Dem campaigns.
Sibling movies contd. Pride and Prejudice. Sense and Sensibility. Pride, Prejudice and Zombies.
(Everyone else still thinking about Michelle Pfeiffer...)
Thanks for this and the other sibling suggestions. I’d say some of these are in the Godfather category: siblings feature, but they’re not the main story. Sense and sensibility is perhaps closer to a true sibling story than P&P.
Of the sitcoms Frazier probably counts.
I’d forgotten Twins.
Lion in Winter (everybody on PB is an uncultured peasant 😃) The Brothers McMullen (possibly also it's near-successor She's The One) Jack and Jill (Adam Sandler plays his own sister. It's as good as you think)
Definitely not Interstellar, where the father is consumed by his distance from his daughter and entirely forgets about his son.
Off topic, but important to anyone who likes elections: "For more than a decade and a half, autocracy has been steadily advancing around the globe. Dictators routinely arrest their foes, including those demanding basic rights such as freedom of expression. But they have modernized their methods, taking control of the internet and using it to broadcast disinformation while censoring the truth. They have forced independent media to close and aimed surveillance at social media and the people who use it. They have created firewalls and imposed internet shutdowns. Freedom House found in its latest annual survey of political rights and civil liberties that democracy has been in decline for 17 years — and one of the biggest drivers has been attacks on freedom of expression." source$: https://www.washingtonpost.com/opinions/2023/12/21/autocracy-democracy-internet-circumvention/
And, some dictators have been undermining democracies, wherever they can.
Sibling movies contd. Pride and Prejudice. Sense and Sensibility. Pride, Prejudice and Zombies.
(Everyone else still thinking about Michelle Pfeiffer...)
Thanks for this and the other sibling suggestions. I’d say some of these are in the Godfather category: siblings feature, but they’re not the main story. Sense and sensibility is perhaps closer to a true sibling story than P&P.
Of the sitcoms Frazier probably counts.
I’d forgotten Twins.
Lion in Winter (everybody on PB is an uncultured peasant 😃) The Brothers McMullen (possibly also it's near-successor She's The One) Jack and Jill (Adam Sandler plays his own sister. It's as good as you think)
Definitely not Interstellar, where the father is consumed by his distance from his daughter and entirely forgets about his son.
Sibling movies contd. Pride and Prejudice. Sense and Sensibility. Pride, Prejudice and Zombies.
(Everyone else still thinking about Michelle Pfeiffer...)
Thanks for this and the other sibling suggestions. I’d say some of these are in the Godfather category: siblings feature, but they’re not the main story. Sense and sensibility is perhaps closer to a true sibling story than P&P.
Of the sitcoms Frazier probably counts.
I’d forgotten Twins.
Lion in Winter (everybody on PB is an uncultured peasant 😃) The Brothers McMullen (possibly also it's near-successor She's The One) Jack and Jill (Adam Sandler plays his own sister. It's as good as you think)
Definitely not Interstellar, where the father is consumed by his distance from his daughter and entirely forgets about his son.
Star Wars
GODSDAMMIT!!!!!! (facepalm)
Ooh.
A filmist rabbithole I have not discovered.
(Currently I am down an electric narrowboat rabbithole. A complete sailaway one will cost you £200-250k, which I think will dent even the finances of the wealthier PBers.)
Off topic, but important to anyone who likes elections: "For more than a decade and a half, autocracy has been steadily advancing around the globe. Dictators routinely arrest their foes, including those demanding basic rights such as freedom of expression. But they have modernized their methods, taking control of the internet and using it to broadcast disinformation while censoring the truth. They have forced independent media to close and aimed surveillance at social media and the people who use it. They have created firewalls and imposed internet shutdowns. Freedom House found in its latest annual survey of political rights and civil liberties that democracy has been in decline for 17 years — and one of the biggest drivers has been attacks on freedom of expression." source$: https://www.washingtonpost.com/opinions/2023/12/21/autocracy-democracy-internet-circumvention/
And, some dictators have been undermining democracies, wherever they can.
I've not seen much discussion about events in Poland since the election and the emergence of a new majority coalition led by Donald Tusk.
The previous Law & Justice Government had sought to control the publicly-owned media by appointing pro-Government representatives to run TVP (TV Poland) and the news channel TVP INFO quickly became a pro-Law & Justice outlet which was a huge advantage given its reach across Poland. Throughout the election campaign, its coverage was strongly pro-Law & Justice and anti-Civic Platform (Tusk's party).
Fortunately, or unfortunately depending on your perspective, Tusk prevailed and since the election TVP INFO has continued to run strongly anti-Tusk commentary claiming disunity in the new coalition and that Law & Justice were the rightful Government as they won the most votes and seats.
With Tusk's new Government confirmed by the Sejm on Monday, retribution has been swift. The pro-Law & Justic placemen have been fired and on Tuesday TVP INFO had its signal cut and its websites closed down.
There's an old saying about two wrongs not making a right and for all I understand Tusk's frustration, shutting the channel down seems an over-reaction. As a liberal, I support and welcome tolerance but I learnt a long time ago you can't force people to be tolerant. You have to be strong enough to tolerate intolerance - condemn it, use education against it if you can but don't suppress or ban it.
I'd like to think Tusk, rather then making the channel dance to his tune, would encourage and even mandate balance. Some on here may disagree but one thing the BBC does is provide a degree of balance and certainly far more than you'll get from GB News for example. Could balance be enforced - should it?
On siblings in drama, has anybody mentioned Happy Valley? The complex relationship between Catherine and her sister Clare is absolutely beautifully portrayed.
Only five months to go until Liz Truss makes her triumphant return as PM after rejoining the Lib Dems and winning the General Election.
Welcome aboard the Truss Train! Next stop No. 10!!!
It was while considering the possibility that the combination of an unpopular government and a lacklustre opposition could lead to another "I agree with Nick" election that her strategy became clear. She must have been planning this for years.
Sibling movies contd. Pride and Prejudice. Sense and Sensibility. Pride, Prejudice and Zombies.
(Everyone else still thinking about Michelle Pfeiffer...)
Thanks for this and the other sibling suggestions. I’d say some of these are in the Godfather category: siblings feature, but they’re not the main story. Sense and sensibility is perhaps closer to a true sibling story than P&P.
Of the sitcoms Frazier probably counts.
I’d forgotten Twins.
Lion in Winter (everybody on PB is an uncultured peasant 😃) The Brothers McMullen (possibly also it's near-successor She's The One) Jack and Jill (Adam Sandler plays his own sister. It's as good as you think)
Definitely not Interstellar, where the father is consumed by his distance from his daughter and entirely forgets about his son.
Star Wars
GODSDAMMIT!!!!!! (facepalm)
Ooh.
A filmist rabbithole I have not discovered.
(Currently I am down an electric narrowboat rabbithole. A complete sailaway one will cost you £200-250k, which I think will dent even the finances of the wealthier PBers.)
Sibling movies contd. Pride and Prejudice. Sense and Sensibility. Pride, Prejudice and Zombies.
(Everyone else still thinking about Michelle Pfeiffer...)
Thanks for this and the other sibling suggestions. I’d say some of these are in the Godfather category: siblings feature, but they’re not the main story. Sense and sensibility is perhaps closer to a true sibling story than P&P.
Of the sitcoms Frazier probably counts.
I’d forgotten Twins.
Lion in Winter (everybody on PB is an uncultured peasant 😃) The Brothers McMullen (possibly also it's near-successor She's The One) Jack and Jill (Adam Sandler plays his own sister. It's as good as you think)
Definitely not Interstellar, where the father is consumed by his distance from his daughter and entirely forgets about his son.
Star Wars
GODSDAMMIT!!!!!! (facepalm)
Ooh.
A filmist rabbithole I have not discovered.
(Currently I am down an electric narrowboat rabbithole. A complete sailaway one will cost you £200-250k, which I think will dent even the finances of the wealthier PBers.)
As long as it doesn’t run out of charge half way through Harecasrle.
Off topic, but important to anyone who likes elections: "For more than a decade and a half, autocracy has been steadily advancing around the globe. Dictators routinely arrest their foes, including those demanding basic rights such as freedom of expression. But they have modernized their methods, taking control of the internet and using it to broadcast disinformation while censoring the truth. They have forced independent media to close and aimed surveillance at social media and the people who use it. They have created firewalls and imposed internet shutdowns. Freedom House found in its latest annual survey of political rights and civil liberties that democracy has been in decline for 17 years — and one of the biggest drivers has been attacks on freedom of expression." source$: https://www.washingtonpost.com/opinions/2023/12/21/autocracy-democracy-internet-circumvention/
And, some dictators have been undermining democracies, wherever they can.
I've not seen much discussion about events in Poland since the election and the emergence of a new majority coalition led by Donald Tusk.
The previous Law & Justice Government had sought to control the publicly-owned media by appointing pro-Government representatives to run TVP (TV Poland) and the news channel TVP INFO quickly became a pro-Law & Justice outlet which was a huge advantage given its reach across Poland. Throughout the election campaign, its coverage was strongly pro-Law & Justice and anti-Civic Platform (Tusk's party).
Fortunately, or unfortunately depending on your perspective, Tusk prevailed and since the election TVP INFO has continued to run strongly anti-Tusk commentary claiming disunity in the new coalition and that Law & Justice were the rightful Government as they won the most votes and seats.
With Tusk's new Government confirmed by the Sejm on Monday, retribution has been swift. The pro-Law & Justic placemen have been fired and on Tuesday TVP INFO had its signal cut and its websites closed down.
There's an old saying about two wrongs not making a right and for all I understand Tusk's frustration, shutting the channel down seems an over-reaction. As a liberal, I support and welcome tolerance but I learnt a long time ago you can't force people to be tolerant. You have to be strong enough to tolerate intolerance - condemn it, use education against it if you can but don't suppress or ban it.
I'd like to think Tusk, rather then making the channel dance to his tune, would encourage and even mandate balance. Some on here may disagree but one thing the BBC does is provide a degree of balance and certainly far more than you'll get from GB News for example. Could balance be enforced - should it?
It’s problematic. The previous regime had entrenched its cronies in every part of the state. Remedying that without drastic action would have been a multi decade project.
Back on topic (sorry), all Rishi Sunak needs to do is arrange for the Government to pay off everybody’s mortgage and there is a chance of a Conservative majority.
Off topic, but important to anyone who likes elections: "For more than a decade and a half, autocracy has been steadily advancing around the globe. Dictators routinely arrest their foes, including those demanding basic rights such as freedom of expression. But they have modernized their methods, taking control of the internet and using it to broadcast disinformation while censoring the truth. They have forced independent media to close and aimed surveillance at social media and the people who use it. They have created firewalls and imposed internet shutdowns. Freedom House found in its latest annual survey of political rights and civil liberties that democracy has been in decline for 17 years — and one of the biggest drivers has been attacks on freedom of expression." source$: https://www.washingtonpost.com/opinions/2023/12/21/autocracy-democracy-internet-circumvention/
And, some dictators have been undermining democracies, wherever they can.
I've not seen much discussion about events in Poland since the election and the emergence of a new majority coalition led by Donald Tusk.
The previous Law & Justice Government had sought to control the publicly-owned media by appointing pro-Government representatives to run TVP (TV Poland) and the news channel TVP INFO quickly became a pro-Law & Justice outlet which was a huge advantage given its reach across Poland. Throughout the election campaign, its coverage was strongly pro-Law & Justice and anti-Civic Platform (Tusk's party).
Fortunately, or unfortunately depending on your perspective, Tusk prevailed and since the election TVP INFO has continued to run strongly anti-Tusk commentary claiming disunity in the new coalition and that Law & Justice were the rightful Government as they won the most votes and seats.
With Tusk's new Government confirmed by the Sejm on Monday, retribution has been swift. The pro-Law & Justic placemen have been fired and on Tuesday TVP INFO had its signal cut and its websites closed down.
There's an old saying about two wrongs not making a right and for all I understand Tusk's frustration, shutting the channel down seems an over-reaction. As a liberal, I support and welcome tolerance but I learnt a long time ago you can't force people to be tolerant. You have to be strong enough to tolerate intolerance - condemn it, use education against it if you can but don't suppress or ban it.
I'd like to think Tusk, rather then making the channel dance to his tune, would encourage and even mandate balance. Some on here may disagree but one thing the BBC does is provide a degree of balance and certainly far more than you'll get from GB News for example. Could balance be enforced - should it?
It’s problematic. The previous regime had entrenched its cronies in every part of the state. Remedying that without drastic action would have been a multi decade project.
I’m withholding judgment until I see what happens next.
Yes I'm probably in the same place. Tusk is talking about re-starting TVP INFO once the house has been cleaned (so to speak) but the fact remains Law & Justice are a legitimate political party and entitled to have their view represented in the media.
Isn’t it great on here without Leon! Mods please note.
It’s fine, but I enjoy his contributions. Not so much the AI pictures, or the occasional late night fash moments, but the other stuff.
Yes, his other stuff is great.
Not, however, the barely disguised racism, or his juvenile-facism, of course. Not his credulous conspiracy stuff, trawled from the internet and reposted here without troubling meanwhile a single one of his neurons (which are mostly in sleep mode, anyhow). Not the blatant lies and pitiful fantasies about his real self. Not the gratuitous and usually foul abuse dished out to anyone who expresses a contrary view while he’s already tanked up, which could be any time from late morning onwards. Not the exaggerated tales of youthful misdeeds, always off topic. Not the AI pictures as you say. Not his absurd betting predictions, which will surely lose you your money. Not anything that requires some numeracy, or understanding of the real world in which most of us work, about which he is almost entirely ignorant.
Isn’t it great on here without Leon! Mods please note.
It’s fine, but I enjoy his contributions. Not so much the AI pictures, or the occasional late night fash moments, but the other stuff.
Yes, his other stuff is great.
Not, however, the barely disguised racism, or his juvenile-facism, of course. Not his credulous conspiracy stuff, trawled from the internet and reposted here without troubling meanwhile a single one of his neurons (which are mostly in sleep mode, anyhow). Not the blatant lies and pitiful fantasies about his real self. Not the gratuitous and usually foul abuse dished out to anyone who expresses a contrary view while he’s already tanked up, which could be any time from late morning onwards. Not the exaggerated tales of youthful misdeeds, always off topic. Not the AI pictures as you say. Not his absurd betting predictions, which will surely lose you your money. Not anything that requires some numeracy, or understanding of the real world in which most of us work, about which he is almost entirely ignorant.
But his other stuff yes, that’s great.
You make him sound like a Telegraph or Spectator columnist!
I see silly Susan Hall continues to make a complete nonsense of trying to be the next Mayor of London.
When, having complained ad nauseam about the 8.6% Council Tax rise from Khan, she was asked where she would make savings, we got the usual bluster.
She did make a point about fare evasion which is endemic in my part of London especially among young men but cracking down on fare evasion isn't cost free - indeed, one might argue TfL tolerates it at the level it is because of the cost of doing anything about it set against any revenue increase.
I'd love to see fare evasion reduced but I know there's a law of diminishing returns at work and the occasional well-targeted blitz probably does wonders so what else does she have in mind to bring down Council Tax in London?
To be fair, TfL is the bulk of the Mayor's expenditure and basically his only source of income (about £6 billion) so it's the right area but there's far more than fare evasion at work.
Isn’t it great on here without Leon! Mods please note.
However I feel uninformed and wild speculation on the religion of the Prague shooter is a missing part of PB’s rich tapestry. Another tradition fallen by the wayside.
I see silly Susan Hall continues to make a complete nonsense of trying to be the next Mayor of London.
When, having complained ad nauseam about the 8.6% Council Tax rise from Khan, she was asked where she would make savings, we got the usual bluster.
She did make a point about fare evasion which is endemic in my part of London especially among young men but cracking down on fare evasion isn't cost free - indeed, one might argue TfL tolerates it at the level it is because of the cost of doing anything about it set against any revenue increase.
I'd love to see fare evasion reduced but I know there's a law of diminishing returns at work and the occasional well-targeted blitz probably does wonders so what else does she have in mind to bring down Council Tax in London?
To be fair, TfL is the bulk of the Mayor's expenditure and basically his only source of income (about £6 billion) so it's the right area but there's far more than fare evasion at work.
Could the Tories have found a less credible candidate?
Because they have no morals or sense of fair play.
They can't be bargained with. They can't be reasoned with. They don't feel pity, or remorse, or fear. And they absolutely will not stop, ever, until you say nice things about Vegemite...
The asylum seekers flying home for Christmas story is surely a heartwarming festive tale.
Heartwarming for people who don’t like economic migrants claiming asylum as it seems the police are catching them and applying the existing law effectively. Heartwarming for those who are concerned about Britain’s reputation abroad as it shows people wanting to come to Britain for a better life, so we’re not that crap after all.
I see silly Susan Hall continues to make a complete nonsense of trying to be the next Mayor of London.
When, having complained ad nauseam about the 8.6% Council Tax rise from Khan, she was asked where she would make savings, we got the usual bluster.
She did make a point about fare evasion which is endemic in my part of London especially among young men but cracking down on fare evasion isn't cost free - indeed, one might argue TfL tolerates it at the level it is because of the cost of doing anything about it set against any revenue increase.
I'd love to see fare evasion reduced but I know there's a law of diminishing returns at work and the occasional well-targeted blitz probably does wonders so what else does she have in mind to bring down Council Tax in London?
To be fair, TfL is the bulk of the Mayor's expenditure and basically his only source of income (about £6 billion) so it's the right area but there's far more than fare evasion at work.
Could the Tories have found a less credible candidate?
Yes, but it would have been an effort.
Besides- Hall was the leader of the Conservative group on the London Assembly. Whilst that's not exactly up there with Deputy Prime Minister in the Important Political Jobs stakes, it's also not nothing. One of her predecessors was James Cleverly, after all.
She probably is as good as it gets for London Conservatives these days.
On siblings in drama, has anybody mentioned Happy Valley? The complex relationship between Catherine and her sister Clare is absolutely beautifully portrayed.
Apols if it's been mentioned - but 'The Cement Garden' is really very good.
He's not going to be jailed or even convicted ahead of the election, once again people hoping events would take care of him for them will be disappointed.
The US Supreme Court has declined, for now, to decide whether former president Donald Trump has immunity from prosecution for allegedly trying to overturn the 2020 election.
Mr Trump's efforts to delay his trial appears successful, as the case must now work through the appeals process.
On siblings in drama, has anybody mentioned Happy Valley? The complex relationship between Catherine and her sister Clare is absolutely beautifully portrayed.
Apols if it's been mentioned - but 'The Cement Garden' is really very good.
He's not going to be jailed or even convicted ahead of the election, once again people hoping events would take care of him for them will be disappointed.
The US Supreme Court has declined, for now, to decide whether former president Donald Trump has immunity from prosecution for allegedly trying to overturn the 2020 election.
Mr Trump's efforts to delay his trial appears successful, as the case must now work through the appeals process.
The US economic data out today is actually positive and there are signs the US consumer is becoming more optimistic. That is the best chance for Biden.
Those hoping to use the courts to rule against Trump are only going down a dead end and are fuelling his arguments
I see silly Susan Hall continues to make a complete nonsense of trying to be the next Mayor of London.
When, having complained ad nauseam about the 8.6% Council Tax rise from Khan, she was asked where she would make savings, we got the usual bluster.
She did make a point about fare evasion which is endemic in my part of London especially among young men but cracking down on fare evasion isn't cost free - indeed, one might argue TfL tolerates it at the level it is because of the cost of doing anything about it set against any revenue increase.
I'd love to see fare evasion reduced but I know there's a law of diminishing returns at work and the occasional well-targeted blitz probably does wonders so what else does she have in mind to bring down Council Tax in London?
To be fair, TfL is the bulk of the Mayor's expenditure and basically his only source of income (about £6 billion) so it's the right area but there's far more than fare evasion at work.
Sibling movies contd. Pride and Prejudice. Sense and Sensibility. Pride, Prejudice and Zombies.
(Everyone else still thinking about Michelle Pfeiffer...)
Thanks for this and the other sibling suggestions. I’d say some of these are in the Godfather category: siblings feature, but they’re not the main story. Sense and sensibility is perhaps closer to a true sibling story than P&P.
Of the sitcoms Frazier probably counts.
I’d forgotten Twins.
I'd argue that Godfather 2 is a sibling story, at least in the 1950s line (and even then other strong elements).
Rain Man worth a mention.
Rain Man was in my initial list. Only fools and horses was a good addition, if having a third old man there doesn’t dilute it.
Actually I just realised - maybe this was obvious and I’m the only one who didn’t know - that Father Ted is the same premise as Only Fools, just on a different setting.
Both of the Guardian's top 2 TV shows of 2023 - The Bear and Succession - have sibling relationships at their core. Perhaps siblings stories are having a moment? I agree it is an unexplored theme in our culture and produces some very affecting and successful drama, eg Frozen and Rain Man, two of my favourite films.
Also, I didn't much care for Fleabag but the relationship between the main character and her sister was one of the few parts that I liked. A Streetcar Named Desire has the sibling relationship at its heart. Phil and Grant in Eastenders. What I can't think of is a film or series with a brother/sister relationship at its core (ie different sexes). There's Ross and Monica in friends I suppose but that's not central to the plot of the sitcom. Ritchie and Joanie in Happy Days? Again, not central to the plot.
Beverley Hills 90210. Cruel Intentions.
Ah yes Cruel Intentions... "you can put it anywhere"... Technically not siblings but still, great film. I'm definitely up for Cruel Intentions the Musical on the West End next year.
On siblings in drama, has anybody mentioned Happy Valley? The complex relationship between Catherine and her sister Clare is absolutely beautifully portrayed.
Apols if it's been mentioned - but 'The Cement Garden' is really very good.
They’ve previously granted certiorari on far flimsier grounds.
Hold on, doesn't certoriari mean judicial review of a lower court's decision. If cert is denied doesn't the Co decision stand; or is this some other case..
They’ve previously granted certiorari on far flimsier grounds.
Frankly, the way that American politics is going seems pretty poor from this side of the Atlantic. Why not just try and beat Trump, rather than fuel his own narrative....
Sibling movies contd. Pride and Prejudice. Sense and Sensibility. Pride, Prejudice and Zombies.
(Everyone else still thinking about Michelle Pfeiffer...)
Thanks for this and the other sibling suggestions. I’d say some of these are in the Godfather category: siblings feature, but they’re not the main story. Sense and sensibility is perhaps closer to a true sibling story than P&P.
Of the sitcoms Frazier probably counts.
I’d forgotten Twins.
I'd argue that Godfather 2 is a sibling story, at least in the 1950s line (and even then other strong elements).
Rain Man worth a mention.
Rain Man was in my initial list. Only fools and horses was a good addition, if having a third old man there doesn’t dilute it.
Actually I just realised - maybe this was obvious and I’m the only one who didn’t know - that Father Ted is the same premise as Only Fools, just on a different setting.
Both of the Guardian's top 2 TV shows of 2023 - The Bear and Succession - have sibling relationships at their core. Perhaps siblings stories are having a moment? I agree it is an unexplored theme in our culture and produces some very affecting and successful drama, eg Frozen and Rain Man, two of my favourite films.
Also, I didn't much care for Fleabag but the relationship between the main character and her sister was one of the few parts that I liked. A Streetcar Named Desire has the sibling relationship at its heart. Phil and Grant in Eastenders. What I can't think of is a film or series with a brother/sister relationship at its core (ie different sexes). There's Ross and Monica in friends I suppose but that's not central to the plot of the sitcom. Ritchie and Joanie in Happy Days? Again, not central to the plot.
Beverley Hills 90210. Cruel Intentions.
Ah yes Cruel Intentions... "you can put it anywhere"... Technically not siblings but still, great film. I'm definitely up for Cruel Intentions the Musical on the West End next year.
Isn't Cruel Intentions just Les Liaisons Dangereuses with extra steps?
He's not going to be jailed or even convicted ahead of the election, once again people hoping events would take care of him for them will be disappointed.
The US Supreme Court has declined, for now, to decide whether former president Donald Trump has immunity from prosecution for allegedly trying to overturn the 2020 election.
Mr Trump's efforts to delay his trial appears successful, as the case must now work through the appeals process.
If that is the case, perhaps. But since this is an issue where such a decision with such an effect would be highly controversial , it’s curious that there is no written dissent to the refusal to grant certiorari.
There is an alternate theory going around (which is at least possible) that they are allowing the appeals court (which will also hear on an accelerated schedule) to rule first, and are still prepared for a fairly rapid ruling against Trump. https://twitter.com/lawofruby/status/1738294542665736586
We will see.
My initial reaction was indeed that this is disgraceful delay by the court, but it is curious that there’s no dissent. In any case we’ll see fairly soon one way or the other.
They’ve previously granted certiorari on far flimsier grounds.
Hold on, doesn't certoriari mean judicial review of a lower court's decision. If cert is denied doesn't the Co decision stand; or is this some other case..
In this case it would have been the SC court reviewing the lower court’s decision, pre-emptying the appeal which will otherwise first be heard by the appeals court.
There’s clearly very good legal reason for speedy resolution of the legal question, since to delay it until after the election (which is what Trump seeks) risks irreparable (by the courts) damage.
Comments
A superb and disturbing film.
The Brothers McMullen (possibly also it's near-successor She's The One)
Jack and Jill (Adam Sandler plays his own sister. It's as good as you think)
Definitely not Interstellar, where the father is consumed by his distance from his daughter and entirely forgets about his son.
And, of courrse, it may be, even if true, just another example of correlation, rather than causation.
It was the Truss and Kwarteng budget disaster and the interest rates surge after that cost them most as it sent the majority of mortgage holders to Labour
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CxvZa6OUJSI
On screen and real life siblings too.
source$: https://www.washingtonpost.com/opinions/2023/12/21/autocracy-democracy-internet-circumvention/
And, some dictators have been undermining democracies, wherever they can.
New Hampshire Primary - American Research Group:
Trump 33
Haley 29
Christie 13
DeSantis 6
Ramaswamy 5
Gap closing rapidly.
https://projects.fivethirtyeight.com/polls/
Though yes NH is Haley's best chance for a breakthrough, Iowa has a stronger Trump lead over De Santis and Haley
https://www.anselm.edu/about/anselmian-hub/news/new-poll-saint-anselm-college-survey-center-finds-nikki-haley-clear-choice-voters-have-unfavorable-opinion-former-president-donald-trump
https://insideradvantage.com/topline-tabs-insideradvantage-iowa-gop-caucus-survey-december/
The point is there is clear evidence that it is tightening and the momentum is with Haley.
Isn't this Short-Term Rishi burning everything down, including his own house?
They had a decent record on increasing housebuild by multiple finessings, but then they took away house building requirements to get the Nimbies back from populist (but utterly incoherent) Lib Dem campaigns.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1HCsSOuDS7Y
He tried to politicise and personalise a new strain of a virus
Not long before, he rushed out to John Lewis to be pictured poignantly pointing at wallpaper
This is a serious man for serious times
I recommend My Mister (Netflix).
Really irritating, but deeply relatable deadbeat brothers. Who are slightly, but not really, incidental to the story.
Great series, with the unfeasibly talented IU.
A filmist rabbithole I have not discovered.
(Currently I am down an electric narrowboat rabbithole. A complete sailaway one will cost you £200-250k, which I think will dent even the finances of the wealthier PBers.)
The previous Law & Justice Government had sought to control the publicly-owned media by appointing pro-Government representatives to run TVP (TV Poland) and the news channel TVP INFO quickly became a pro-Law & Justice outlet which was a huge advantage given its reach across Poland. Throughout the election campaign, its coverage was strongly pro-Law & Justice and anti-Civic Platform (Tusk's party).
Fortunately, or unfortunately depending on your perspective, Tusk prevailed and since the election TVP INFO has continued to run strongly anti-Tusk commentary claiming disunity in the new coalition and that Law & Justice were the rightful Government as they won the most votes and seats.
With Tusk's new Government confirmed by the Sejm on Monday, retribution has been swift. The pro-Law & Justic placemen have been fired and on Tuesday TVP INFO had its signal cut and its websites closed down.
There's an old saying about two wrongs not making a right and for all I understand Tusk's frustration, shutting the channel down seems an over-reaction. As a liberal, I support and welcome tolerance but I learnt a long time ago you can't force people to be tolerant. You have to be strong enough to tolerate intolerance - condemn it, use education against it if you can but don't suppress or ban it.
I'd like to think Tusk, rather then making the channel dance to his tune, would encourage and even mandate balance. Some on here may disagree but one thing the BBC does is provide a degree of balance and certainly far more than you'll get from GB News for example. Could balance be enforced - should it?
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=opXFR6ab214
https://www.lbc.co.uk/news/migrants-applying-for-asylum-are-going-home-for-christmas/
Inaction Man or GI Genocide he doesn't say
The previous regime had entrenched its cronies in every part of the state. Remedying that without drastic action would have been a multi decade project.
There’s been plenty of criticism of Tusk’s actions:
https://www.theguardian.com/world/2023/dec/20/poland-new-government-sacks-state-tv-radio-and-news-bosses
I’m withholding judgment until I see what happens next.
https://www.dailymail.co.uk/health/article-12893139/Itll-white-Christmas-regardless-weather-UK-second-highest-rate-cocaine-use-world-figures-show.html
Beaten by Australia.
Nice dog, btw
https://x.com/robpalkwriter/status/1737923173134291429?s=46
This is just delaying the substantive decision.
Here’s the order from #SCOTUS denying cert. before judgment in the Trump immunity case.
All this does is kick things back to the D.C. Circuit, which is already set to hear argument on January 9—and will likely rule soon thereafter.
Then, we go back to the Supreme Court…
https://twitter.com/steve_vladeck/status/1738282088468746365
They’ve previously granted certiorari on far flimsier grounds.
He was Keir's close friend. Until Keir won the leadership
However tempting.
Seems v silly to ban him for posting AI photos
Not, however, the barely disguised racism, or his juvenile-facism, of course. Not his credulous conspiracy stuff, trawled from the internet and reposted here without troubling meanwhile a single one of his neurons (which are mostly in sleep mode, anyhow). Not the blatant lies and pitiful fantasies about his real self. Not the gratuitous and usually foul abuse dished out to anyone who expresses a contrary view while he’s already tanked up, which could be any time from late morning onwards. Not the exaggerated tales of youthful misdeeds, always off topic. Not the AI pictures as you say. Not his absurd betting predictions, which will surely lose you your money. Not anything that requires some numeracy, or understanding of the real world in which most of us work, about which he is almost entirely ignorant.
But his other stuff yes, that’s always great.
When, having complained ad nauseam about the 8.6% Council Tax rise from Khan, she was asked where she would make savings, we got the usual bluster.
She did make a point about fare evasion which is endemic in my part of London especially among young men but cracking down on fare evasion isn't cost free - indeed, one might argue TfL tolerates it at the level it is because of the cost of doing anything about it set against any revenue increase.
I'd love to see fare evasion reduced but I know there's a law of diminishing returns at work and the occasional well-targeted blitz probably does wonders so what else does she have in mind to bring down Council Tax in London?
To be fair, TfL is the bulk of the Mayor's expenditure and basically his only source of income (about £6 billion) so it's the right area but there's far more than fare evasion at work.
Who was asking for what?
Wont it be ruled on soon?
https://twitter.com/Agitate4Change/status/1738226464016028038/photo/1
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Eijc2tGe-zM
Heartwarming for people who don’t like economic migrants claiming asylum as it seems the police are catching them and applying the existing law effectively. Heartwarming for those who are concerned about Britain’s reputation abroad as it shows people wanting to come to Britain for a better life, so we’re not that crap after all.
Besides- Hall was the leader of the Conservative group on the London Assembly. Whilst that's not exactly up there with Deputy Prime Minister in the Important Political Jobs stakes, it's also not nothing. One of her predecessors was James Cleverly, after all.
She probably is as good as it gets for London Conservatives these days.
LAB: 41% (-5)
CON: 27% (+2)
LDM: 12% (+2)
RFM: 9% (=)
GRN: 6% (+1)
SNP: 3% (=)
Via
@wethinkpolling
, 21-22 Dec.
As I said to a colleague of that persuasion earlier:
You get to celebrate the birth of your saviour. All I get is a mince pie.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Cement_Garden_(film)
"The hardest hit among them was New York, which saw a decline in nearly 102,000 residents."
Followed by:
California: 75,423
Illinois: 32,826
Louisiana: 14,274
Pennsylvania: 10,408
Oregon: 6,021
Hawaii: 4,261
West Virginia: 3,964
From the same article, you can learn that the ten states with the largest population growths are mostly Republican. And that the state with the fastest percentage growth was Nikki Haley's South Carolina, barely.
source: https://www.msn.com/en-us/news/us/nearly-every-state-saw-population-growth-in-2023-these-8-didn-t-census-says/ar-AA1lScXT?ocid=msedgdhp&pc=U531&cvid=8edec1e194cb4e6e872dafb4dc0a64b4&ei=68
Here's the census report: https://www.census.gov/newsroom/press-releases/2023/population-trends-return-to-pre-pandemic-norms.html
And if we’re doing novels The Mill on the Floss, surely.
The US Supreme Court has declined, for now, to decide whether former president Donald Trump has immunity from prosecution for allegedly trying to overturn the 2020 election.
Mr Trump's efforts to delay his trial appears successful, as the case must now work through the appeals process.
https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-us-canada-67808655
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Close_My_Eyes_(film)
Those hoping to use the courts to rule against Trump are only going down a dead end and are fuelling his arguments
Frankly, the way that American politics is going seems pretty poor from this side of the Atlantic. Why not just try and beat Trump, rather than fuel his own narrative....
But since this is an issue where such a decision with such an effect would be highly controversial , it’s curious that there is no written dissent to the refusal to grant certiorari.
There is an alternate theory going around (which is at least possible) that they are allowing the appeals court (which will also hear on an accelerated schedule) to rule first, and are still prepared for a fairly rapid ruling against Trump.
https://twitter.com/lawofruby/status/1738294542665736586
We will see.
My initial reaction was indeed that this is disgraceful delay by the court, but it is curious that there’s no dissent. In any case we’ll see fairly soon one way or the other.
There’s clearly very good legal reason for speedy resolution of the legal question, since to delay it until after the election (which is what Trump seeks) risks irreparable (by the courts) damage.