Sunak is proving to be a very unlucky general – politicalbetting.com

TheScreamingEagles said:

Oversight eh. I’ve sacked people for less.


Michael Gove failed to register hospitality he enjoyed with a Conservative donor whose company he had recommended for multimillion pound PPE contracts during the Covid pandemic, the Guardian can reveal.

While still minister for the Cabinet Office, in August 2021 Gove was entertained to VIP hospitality at a Queens Park Rangers (QPR) football match with David Meller, whose fashion products company had been awarded £164m PPE contracts following Gove’s referral in May 2020.

MPs’ code of conduct requires them to register all gifts, donations and hospitality above a £300 value, but Gove did not register the hospitality he received at the QPR match, which was organised by Meller’s son, Jonny. When asked by the Guardian about it, a spokesperson for Gove acknowledged that he had failed to do so and apologised, saying it had been an “oversight”.

https://www.theguardian.com/politics/2024/feb/20/michael-gove-failed-to-register-hospitality-from-donor-whose-firm-he-referred-for-ppe-contracts?CMP=Share_iOSApp_Other

To be fair, who would have thought being forced to watch QPR was worth £300?

TheScreamingEagles said:

bigjohnowls said:

TheScreamingEagles said:

bigjohnowls said:

I see SKS's ammendment to the SNP ceasfire motion is effectively a rehash of humanitarian pause with Israel allowed to carry on the genocide after a bit of aid.

Whilst pretending it's calling for a ceasfire

What a wanksain of an individual SKS is proving to be

Still he’s a better man the Jeremy ‘Present but not involved’ Corbyn.

Well he appeals to Tories more I will give you that.

SKS will not be able to campaign in any public areas at GE2024 though for fear of being shouted at.

He appeals to more than just Tories which is why he’ll win more seats than Corbyn ever did.

You are giving him the same number of votes you gave Corbyn though.

No_Offence_Alan said:

TheScreamingEagles said:

Oversight eh. I’ve sacked people for less.


Michael Gove failed to register hospitality he enjoyed with a Conservative donor whose company he had recommended for multimillion pound PPE contracts during the Covid pandemic, the Guardian can reveal.

While still minister for the Cabinet Office, in August 2021 Gove was entertained to VIP hospitality at a Queens Park Rangers (QPR) football match with David Meller, whose fashion products company had been awarded £164m PPE contracts following Gove’s referral in May 2020.

MPs’ code of conduct requires them to register all gifts, donations and hospitality above a £300 value, but Gove did not register the hospitality he received at the QPR match, which was organised by Meller’s son, Jonny. When asked by the Guardian about it, a spokesperson for Gove acknowledged that he had failed to do so and apologised, saying it had been an “oversight”.

https://www.theguardian.com/politics/2024/feb/20/michael-gove-failed-to-register-hospitality-from-donor-whose-firm-he-referred-for-ppe-contracts?CMP=Share_iOSApp_Other

To be fair, who would have thought being forced to watch QPR was worth £300?

There could have been some hospitality laid on in the directors' box......

isam said:

TimS said:

I was reflecting on yesterday’s dietary debate (and am still somewhat in awe at that mythical meat-only diet).

I definitely have digestive problems with carbs - which is probably why I’m so thin, and my daughter’s the same - but only some. I get reflux so powerful it’s as if my entire body turns into a fermentation vat making food beer, when I eat significant amounts of: bread (white or brown), rice, pastry, cake, porridge, cereal. But oddly not: pasta or noodles, Yorkshire puddings, pancakes or indeed scrambled or poached egg on toast. All of those contain egg.

Is there something in eggs that mitigates the effects of refined carbohydrates? Some sort of binding effect that slows down fermentation? Google suggests egg whites are good and yolks are bad but I don’t get the sense anyone’s actually looked at food combinations.

Jordan Peterson & his daughter were on some mad meat only diet, and reckon it works wonders.

https://youtu.be/yXDRr9wz57g?feature=shared

We're designed to be omnivorous. We can survive on a diet of almost solely meat or almost solely vegetables, but we do best on a mixed diet. With a very few exceptions, for example honey, there are very few foods that are rich in sugar or carbohydrate that don't come without a big pile of fibre, water and minerals. As hunter gatherers, if we do come across food that is highly calorific such as the aforementioned honey or some fatty meat or fish, we are programmed to gorge on it because we can never be sure where and where the next meal will arrive.
Calorie dense foods in the form of high carbohydrate (and fat) content are a feature of modern western diets, and our hunter gatherer bodies are still programmed to eat lots of them.
Diets low in carbohydrate, particularly sugars and other refined carbs such as bread, rice pasta & potatoes will help with weight loss as well as stop peaks and troughs in blood sugar, which is why they can help those with type 2 diabetes.
If you think about it, theses types of carbs often serve as vehicle for fat and sugar too, eg bread and jam, rice and curries (ghee and cream), pizza with cheese, pasta with creamy sauces, rice pudding made with cream and sugar, baked potato with butter etc thus compounding their unhealthiness.
I'm not saying carbs are bad, just that, like meat, we eat too much of them and often they are over refined removing other nutrients and fibre.

Leon said:

I’ve had another email from Visit Leicester


“Leicestershire visitor attraction to compete in public vote for major VisitEngland award

Field Sport UK, an award-winning, family-run, outdoor activity centre in North West Leicestershire, has been selected as a finalist in VisitEngland’s Tourism Superstar Awards 2024.”

It’s literally in the top ten short list for “best small outdoor activity centres” in England

Not even top 50. Top TEN

My worry is that if this continues northwest Leicestershire may actually encounter drought or even famine due to the overpressure of global tourism

The Leicester gas museum is in the top One of gas museums nationwide:

https://www.nationalgasmuseum.org.uk

FOR ALL MANKIND season 1 is superb

Who was dissing it? Pffff!

O/T

Someone was talking about visiting the "-stans" the other week.

"My Bizarre Flight on Turkmenistan Airlines: World's Strangest Airline
Noel Philips

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=H-zajFv3CuE

Leon said:

isam said:

TimS said:

I was reflecting on yesterday’s dietary debate (and am still somewhat in awe at that mythical meat-only diet).

I definitely have digestive problems with carbs - which is probably why I’m so thin, and my daughter’s the same - but only some. I get reflux so powerful it’s as if my entire body turns into a fermentation vat making food beer, when I eat significant amounts of: bread (white or brown), rice, pastry, cake, porridge, cereal. But oddly not: pasta or noodles, Yorkshire puddings, pancakes or indeed scrambled or poached egg on toast. All of those contain egg.

Is there something in eggs that mitigates the effects of refined carbohydrates? Some sort of binding effect that slows down fermentation? Google suggests egg whites are good and yolks are bad but I don’t get the sense anyone’s actually looked at food combinations.

Jordan Peterson & his daughter were on some mad meat only diet, and reckon it works wonders.

https://youtu.be/yXDRr9wz57g?feature=shared

My ex wife - used to be Corbynite and near-vegan - is now basically a total carnivore and eats almost nothing but meat

I saw her down in Cornwall in late November and man, she was looking good on that diet. It’s not the yearning ex talking (my desires have finally moved on) she simply looked very very healthy. Glowing And slim and energetic

So I suspect there is something to this ketogenic stuff (also espoused by @BartholomewRoberts)

Meat tastes good for a reason?

Bear Grylls went on exactly the same journey.

DougSeal said:

Leon said:

williamglenn said:

https://x.com/skynews/status/1759974034119503875

"It made me feel so unsafe."

A father has spoken out after his baby's birth certificate was returned "with the word Israel scribbled out".

The Home Office is launching an investigation into the incident.

The home office is infested with traitors. These are the same civil servants casually approving the asylum claims of obvious Muslim terrorists “who found Jesus three days ago”

This is a known problem. The home office went on a diversity drive. Et voila

Yeah. Only a malevolently 'woke' organisation like the Home Office could have produced the...erm...Windrush scandal.

I'm not sure I'm keeping up.

“Home Office invites staff to celebrate 'World Hijab Day' even though its own asylum guidance claims being forced to adhere to religious dress codes is 'persecution'”

Any UK government organization celebrating ‘world hijab day’ is completely compromised and fucked. And you wonder why they allow in Muslim asylum seekers who converted to Methodism 4 hours ago?

Give over

https://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-13069237/Home-Office-World-Hijab-Day-asylum-guidance-claims-persecution.html

I have not forgotten...

The buffet lunch provided today offered a selection of both meat-containing and meat-free options.

For anyone 100% carnivorous, they could tuck in to chicken wings, extract the middles from sausage rolls and the ham and tuna from between slices of bread.

Various sandwiches were meat-free; cheese, but not cheese and pickle plus various others. There were also some meat-free mini samosas and spring rolls.

The big downer, however, was a total lack of cake. But there were biscuits.

That is all.

kamski said:

Is the Isle of Wight worth visiting for 5-7 days before Easter, with a 9 year old child? I've never been.

I need somewhere with a nice beach, southern England, child friendly. Was thinking of Dorset or Devon again, but want to go somewhere new.

Does the child like fossils? IoW is not bad - Dinosaur Isle museum (check still open) *and* beaches, incl one (Hanover Point) where you can find fossil tree trunks easily and dino footprints with some searching (slightly counterintuitive as they are casts of the mould made by the footprint). The museum does guided fossil walkies.

Kimmeridge has a good new museum but beach not so great.

Lyme much as before.

Can't answer for childfriendliness otherwise.

Honestly. You idiots won’t realise that I am RIGHT ABOUT EVERYTHING until you are being literally attacked by jihadists disguised as aliens, using AI, and wearing Liz truss necklaces, and navigating via what 3 words, and using a weaponised novel bat coronavirus leaked from a lab, which they found using what3words, IN IRELAND

This thread has convinced me.

Steak. Tonight. Rare.

Homemade peppercorn sauce.

All the key food groups there.

SandyRentool said:

I have not forgotten...

The buffet lunch provided today offered a selection of both meat-containing and meat-free options.

For anyone 100% carnivorous, they could tuck in to chicken wings, extract the middles from sausage rolls and the ham and tuna from between slices of bread.

Various sandwiches were meat-free; cheese, but not cheese and pickle plus various others. There were also some meat-free mini samosas and spring rolls.

The big downer, however, was a total lack of cake. But there were biscuits.

That is all.

That reminds me that I still have a Christmas Cake to start.

Fortunately red wine is in the bottle, and mature cheddar and gorgonzola are in the fridge.

Yum.

MattW said:

SandyRentool said:

I have not forgotten...

The buffet lunch provided today offered a selection of both meat-containing and meat-free options.

For anyone 100% carnivorous, they could tuck in to chicken wings, extract the middles from sausage rolls and the ham and tuna from between slices of bread.

Various sandwiches were meat-free; cheese, but not cheese and pickle plus various others. There were also some meat-free mini samosas and spring rolls.

The big downer, however, was a total lack of cake. But there were biscuits.

That is all.

That reminds me that I still have a Christmas Cake to start.

Fortunately red wine is in the bottle, and mature cheddar and gorgonzola are in the fridge.

Yum.

Yum. I was once in Elgin for a society reception (no, not the posh kind of society, just a nice special interest one) and they served up local cheese and gingerbread with single malt whisky. Nice, too.

The 2019 intake of tory MPs was full of deplorables ... Reap what you sow. The conservatives sowed crap.

On topic. No. Labour are not winning Blackpool South in a by election anytime soon. I agree with David Herdson’s post earlier today, that even if there were to be a General Election deep into Autumn, the smart political betting money is on no further by elections in this Parliament.

Cookie said:

bigjohnowls said:

TheScreamingEagles said:

bigjohnowls said:

I see SKS's ammendment to the SNP ceasfire motion is effectively a rehash of humanitarian pause with Israel allowed to carry on the genocide after a bit of aid.

Whilst pretending it's calling for a ceasfire

What a wanksain of an individual SKS is proving to be

Still he’s a better man the Jeremy ‘Present but not involved’ Corbyn.

Well he appeals to Tories more I will give you that.

SKS will not be able to campaign in any public areas at GE2024 though for fear of being shouted at.

I'm not sure that this is the slam dunk argument that you think it is.

SKS will get shouted at because the far left are nutters. Not because he is somehow morally worse.

Also liable to make him more popular with the majority of the country who aren't complete nutters.

The fact ridiculous cranks like BJO, as well as the statue defenders on the right, get deranged and spittle-flecked about him, has been a major asset for him over the past few years and looks like it will continue to be.

Casino_Royale said:

Anabobazina said:

Casino_Royale said:

kamski said:

Is the Isle of Wight worth visiting for 5-7 days before Easter, with a 9 year old child? I've never been.

I need somewhere with a nice beach, southern England, child friendly. Was thinking of Dorset or Devon again, but want to go somewhere new.

Yes, it's a kids paradise.

Terrible food, pretty much throughout, though, I found.

I found one place that had good fish (and lobster!) but you couldn't book a table yet had to order the lobster a day in advance. Very Isle of Wight.

The crab and lobster is pretty good.

@IanB2 when he spots this will have a great list of food outlets.

My kids absolutely love it though: Amazon World, Dinosaur Isle, Robin Hood adventure park, Blackgang Chine and all the beaches, parks and railways etc.

It's really brilliant for under 12s. We go every year.

Thanks - appreciated

TheScreamingEagles said:

Carnyx said:

Funny that. Torquay must be on some other England's Riviera then.

We can have a English Riviera North and a Riviera South.

I’ve just had to tear myself away from the American Riviera to fly to Austin and sort some shit out.

I hate it when people interrupt my holidays. Why can’t they just stay in their box once they are put there?

Anabobazina said:

This thread has convinced me.

Steak. Tonight. Rare.

Homemade peppercorn sauce.

All the key food groups there.

That's a frickin superb idea.

SandyRentool said:

I have not forgotten...

The buffet lunch provided today offered a selection of both meat-containing and meat-free options.

For anyone 100% carnivorous, they could tuck in to chicken wings, extract the middles from sausage rolls and the ham and tuna from between slices of bread.

Various sandwiches were meat-free; cheese, but not cheese and pickle plus various others. There were also some meat-free mini samosas and spring rolls.

The big downer, however, was a total lack of cake. But there were biscuits.

That is all.

In vegan junk ultra-processed fast food news, Burger King have discontinued their Plant-based Whopper, replacing it with a new version of the bean burger of yore. Except that the new-fangled bean burger is significantly smaller than the vegan whopper, even though it's the same price! I preferred the whopper to be honest.

Casino_Royale said:

Anabobazina said:

This thread has convinced me.

Steak. Tonight. Rare.

Homemade peppercorn sauce.

All the key food groups there.

That's a frickin superb idea.

It's Tuesday night which means no food for me (I have choir practice until 9 in central London so treat Tuesday as my fast day). I am envious of the steak.

StillWaters said:

kamski said:

Is the Isle of Wight worth visiting for 5-7 days before Easter, with a 9 year old child? I've never been.

I need somewhere with a nice beach, southern England, child friendly. Was thinking of Dorset or Devon again, but want to go somewhere new.

If you can face the travel I’d recommend the Scilly Isles instead

I know it's not strictly "Southern England" but I'm on team Pembrokeshire / Gower.

Anabobazina said:

This thread has convinced me.

Steak. Tonight. Rare.

Homemade peppercorn sauce.

All the key food groups there.

Didn't we ascertain that SAUCE IS WOKE yesterday?

Leon said:

Leon said:

I think the best dietary advice in the world is: eat whatever Americans don’t eat

They are the richest country in the world yet they are also nearly the fattest and - despite incredible health spending - some of the most unhealthy with a life expectancy dipping below that of Vietnam

So, whatever you eat, if Americans love it, don’t eat it

I might actually write a bestselling book on this theme. The unamerican diet

I have to say, that is actually a genius idea

Doesn't every state have a state food? Wisconsin is butter or cheese, I think, but perhaps they do something unspeakable to their butter? (I already know their cheese is lamentable)

A tour of America via the foods you definitely shouldn't eat.

GIN1138 said:

Cleitophon said:

The 2019 intake of tory MPs was full of deplorables ... Reap what you sow. The conservatives sowed crap.

Wonder how many wrong un's the Labour 24 intake will have?

None. Labour clearly are perfect to the PB labour brigade.

All these middle class former SPADs, charity workers, quangocrats, think tank employees and parachuted in London councillors are just what we need from our politics.

Taz said:

GIN1138 said:

Cleitophon said:

The 2019 intake of tory MPs was full of deplorables ... Reap what you sow. The conservatives sowed crap.

Wonder how many wrong un's the Labour 24 intake will have?

None. Labour clearly are perfect to the PB labour brigade.

All these middle class former SPADs, charity workers, quangocrats, think tank employees and parachuted in London councillors are just what we need from our politics.

We need more lawyers in parliament.

GIN1138 said:

Cleitophon said:

The 2019 intake of tory MPs was full of deplorables ... Reap what you sow. The conservatives sowed crap.

Wonder how many wrong un's the Labour 24 intake will have?

I'd guess about 5%, which would make it around 25.

LostPassword said:

Leon said:

Leon said:

I think the best dietary advice in the world is: eat whatever Americans don’t eat

They are the richest country in the world yet they are also nearly the fattest and - despite incredible health spending - some of the most unhealthy with a life expectancy dipping below that of Vietnam

So, whatever you eat, if Americans love it, don’t eat it

I might actually write a bestselling book on this theme. The unamerican diet

I have to say, that is actually a genius idea

Doesn't every state have a state food? Wisconsin is butter or cheese, I think, but perhaps they do something unspeakable to their butter? (I already know their cheese is lamentable)

A tour of America via the foods you definitely shouldn't eat.

Have you seen this guy's short videos comparing British and American foods and rigorously proving the British is better in every case?
https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLF2-VvygchyTra1BzBSuhQARlLuLJOlYk

DecrepiterJohnL said:

LostPassword said:

Leon said:

Leon said:

I think the best dietary advice in the world is: eat whatever Americans don’t eat

They are the richest country in the world yet they are also nearly the fattest and - despite incredible health spending - some of the most unhealthy with a life expectancy dipping below that of Vietnam

So, whatever you eat, if Americans love it, don’t eat it

I might actually write a bestselling book on this theme. The unamerican diet

I have to say, that is actually a genius idea

Doesn't every state have a state food? Wisconsin is butter or cheese, I think, but perhaps they do something unspeakable to their butter? (I already know their cheese is lamentable)

A tour of America via the foods you definitely shouldn't eat.

Have you seen this guy's short videos comparing British and American foods and rigorously proving the British is better in every case?
https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLF2-VvygchyTra1BzBSuhQARlLuLJOlYk

Thanks, looks promising. Could be a tasty aperitif while we wait for Leon's book.

LostPassword said:

DecrepiterJohnL said:

LostPassword said:

Leon said:

Leon said:

I think the best dietary advice in the world is: eat whatever Americans don’t eat

They are the richest country in the world yet they are also nearly the fattest and - despite incredible health spending - some of the most unhealthy with a life expectancy dipping below that of Vietnam

So, whatever you eat, if Americans love it, don’t eat it

I might actually write a bestselling book on this theme. The unamerican diet

I have to say, that is actually a genius idea

Doesn't every state have a state food? Wisconsin is butter or cheese, I think, but perhaps they do something unspeakable to their butter? (I already know their cheese is lamentable)

A tour of America via the foods you definitely shouldn't eat.

Have you seen this guy's short videos comparing British and American foods and rigorously proving the British is better in every case?
https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLF2-VvygchyTra1BzBSuhQARlLuLJOlYk

Thanks, looks promising. Could be a tasty aperitif while we wait for Leon's book.

Mind, I trtied one and his criterion was whether it upset Italians more.

AlsoLei said:

Anabobazina said:

This thread has convinced me.

Steak. Tonight. Rare.

Homemade peppercorn sauce.

All the key food groups there.

Didn't we ascertain that SAUCE IS WOKE yesterday?

Except HP Sauce.

Taz said:

TheScreamingEagles said:

Taz said:

GIN1138 said:

Cleitophon said:

The 2019 intake of tory MPs was full of deplorables ... Reap what you sow. The conservatives sowed crap.

Wonder how many wrong un's the Labour 24 intake will have?

None. Labour clearly are perfect to the PB labour brigade.

All these middle class former SPADs, charity workers, quangocrats, think tank employees and parachuted in London councillors are just what we need from our politics.

The 2017 intake were shit.

I ended up with Jared O'Mara and the people of Peterborough ended up with Fiona Onasanya.

Was Claudia Webbe 2017 ?

No, 2019, she replaced that pillar of integrity Keith Vaz.

Ok so FOR ALL MANKIND just made me cry

That’s a good drama by any standards

Chapeau

Anabobazina said:

Leon said:

I’ve had another email from Visit Leicester


“Leicestershire visitor attraction to compete in public vote for major VisitEngland award

Field Sport UK, an award-winning, family-run, outdoor activity centre in North West Leicestershire, has been selected as a finalist in VisitEngland’s Tourism Superstar Awards 2024.”

It’s literally in the top ten short list for “best small outdoor activity centres” in England

Not even top 50. Top TEN

My worry is that if this continues northwest Leicestershire may actually encounter drought or even famine due to the overpressure of global tourism

And as a point of order – NW Leicestershire is NOT Leicester*. So they are using a facility that is not in Leicester to encourage you to #VisitLeicester.

Why do you subscribe to this delicious temptation?

---

*Rather like @Foxy claiming to be down with the hardcore grunters in Leicester when he actually lives in a pretty pork-pie producing village near Melton Mowbray.

Leicestershire has the National Forest.

And you can take the sproglets to an attraction called Moira. And another one called Conkers.

It's like a trip back to the Beano in the 1970s.

LostPassword said:

DecrepiterJohnL said:

LostPassword said:

Leon said:

Leon said:

I think the best dietary advice in the world is: eat whatever Americans don’t eat

They are the richest country in the world yet they are also nearly the fattest and - despite incredible health spending - some of the most unhealthy with a life expectancy dipping below that of Vietnam

So, whatever you eat, if Americans love it, don’t eat it

I might actually write a bestselling book on this theme. The unamerican diet

I have to say, that is actually a genius idea

Doesn't every state have a state food? Wisconsin is butter or cheese, I think, but perhaps they do something unspeakable to their butter? (I already know their cheese is lamentable)

A tour of America via the foods you definitely shouldn't eat.

Have you seen this guy's short videos comparing British and American foods and rigorously proving the British is better in every case?
https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLF2-VvygchyTra1BzBSuhQARlLuLJOlYk

Thanks, looks promising. Could be a tasty aperitif while we wait for Leon's book.

Nutritional value of Leon's book? Or would it make good toilet paper instead?

LostPassword said:

News from Ireland about £800m from the Republic for investment in infrastructure in Northern Ireland.

Raises the question, are there any other countries that Britain can persuade to adopt areas of Britain and provide development assistance for them?

Would Denmark be interested in renewing its historic links to the Danelaw? The Dutch played a role in draining the Fens and the Somerset Levels - would they be interested in helping to spruce up Taunton?

Somerset Levels? Wouldn't that be more the Vatican? Glasto and Muchelney Abbeys and all that. (If the Dutch, then that's interesting tbf.)

Carnyx said:

LostPassword said:

News from Ireland about £800m from the Republic for investment in infrastructure in Northern Ireland.

Raises the question, are there any other countries that Britain can persuade to adopt areas of Britain and provide development assistance for them?

Would Denmark be interested in renewing its historic links to the Danelaw? The Dutch played a role in draining the Fens and the Somerset Levels - would they be interested in helping to spruce up Taunton?

Somerset Levels? Wouldn't that be more the Vatican? Glasto and Muchelney Abbeys and all that. (If the Dutch, then that's interesting tbf.)

If we can get the Vatican to pay instead then they would be great. Every bit helps.

Omnium said:

Carnyx said:

LostPassword said:

News from Ireland about £800m from the Republic for investment in infrastructure in Northern Ireland.

Raises the question, are there any other countries that Britain can persuade to adopt areas of Britain and provide development assistance for them?

Would Denmark be interested in renewing its historic links to the Danelaw? The Dutch played a role in draining the Fens and the Somerset Levels - would they be interested in helping to spruce up Taunton?

Somerset Levels? Wouldn't that be more the Vatican? Glasto and Muchelney Abbeys and all that. (If the Dutch, then that's interesting tbf.)

Dutch mountaineers I presume?

Nah, not the Mendips but the bit to the south of that (and also south of the Polden Hills, as well as a little bit to the northeast of Cheddar Gorge, on the north side.

LostPassword said:

News from Ireland about £800m from the Republic for investment in infrastructure in Northern Ireland.

Raises the question, are there any other countries that Britain can persuade to adopt areas of Britain and provide development assistance for them?

Would Denmark be interested in renewing its historic links to the Danelaw? The Dutch played a role in draining the Fens and the Somerset Levels - would they be interested in helping to spruce up Taunton?

France might start asking for help with Pas de Calais. That’s the downside.

And with current Tory voters, Boris beats Cameron 41-17 with the rest nowhere


Which has been the best Conservative PM since 2010?

Boris Johnson: 21%
David Cameron: 19%
Theresa May: 12%
Rishi Sunak: 6%
Liz Truss: 1%
Don't know: 41%


https://x.com/yougov/status/1759997144864522418?s=46&t=CW4pL-mMpTqsJXCdjW0Z6Q

Labour seems to row back and Sue Greys aim to introduce so called citizens councils to pontificate on stuff and bypass Parliament.

Yet another flip flop from labour here.

SKS is so lucky his opponent is inept.

https://archive.ph/EVx1J

I notice electoral calculus is showing the Tories on 99. That must be the fewest seats on the website, surely?

AverageNinja said:

isam said:

And with current Tory voters, Boris beats Cameron 41-17 with the rest nowhere


Which has been the best Conservative PM since 2010?

Boris Johnson: 21%
David Cameron: 19%
Theresa May: 12%
Rishi Sunak: 6%
Liz Truss: 1%
Don't know: 41%


https://x.com/yougov/status/1759997144864522418?s=46&t=CW4pL-mMpTqsJXCdjW0Z6Q

Braindead the lot of them.

Cameron is clearly the best by a country mile.

Style over substance.

williamglenn said:

AverageNinja said:

isam said:

And with current Tory voters, Boris beats Cameron 41-17 with the rest nowhere


Which has been the best Conservative PM since 2010?

Boris Johnson: 21%
David Cameron: 19%
Theresa May: 12%
Rishi Sunak: 6%
Liz Truss: 1%
Don't know: 41%


https://x.com/yougov/status/1759997144864522418?s=46&t=CW4pL-mMpTqsJXCdjW0Z6Q

Braindead the lot of them.

Cameron is clearly the best by a country mile.

Style over substance.

Presumably TRUSS is substance over style?

Leon said:

FOR ALL MANKIND season 1 is superb

Who was dissing it? Pffff!

My theory was, as it starts with the twist, many of us who never lived the space race, or the Cold War, or are American, didn’t feel what the protagonists were feeling. So why not do the first series meticulously to the history, till the twist in the last or one from last episode? Do you see what I mean.

Nigelb said:

Nigelb said:

TheScreamingEagles said:

Benpointer said:

Did this get the full airing it deserved? TSE's hero deep in the PO shit.

Cameron government knew Post Office ditched Horizon IT investigation

https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/business-68146054

Dave not personally implicated, looks like the Post Office lied to the government like they did to Sir Ed Davey.

Whether or not the PM knew about it, it seems quite unlikely that government was ignorant of what was going on even if it was the case that the Post Office was lying to them.

..The documents show how the secret 2016 investigation - looking into Fujitsu's use of remote access from 1999 onwards - had come out of a review by former top Treasury lawyer Jonathan Swift QC. The Swift review had been ordered by the government, with approval from then-business secretary Sajid Javid.
It would conclude that it had found "real issues" for the Post Office.

Mr Swift had found a briefing for the Post Office board from an earlier review in 2014, carried out by auditors from Deloitte and codenamed Project Zebra, detailing how Fujitsu could change branch accounts.
Having seen that evidence, the Swift review said the Post Office must carry out a further investigation into how often and why this capability was used...

What justification would there be to accept legal advice that the investigation be halted, other than not wanting to see its conclusions ?

...Deloitte returned in February 2016 to begin the trawl of all Horizon transactions since its launch 17 years earlier.
Ministers, including Mr Javid, were told this new work was under way to "address suggestions that branch accounts might have been remotely altered without complainants' knowledge".
But in June 2016, when sub-postmasters launched their legal action, the government was told through Post Office minister Baroness Neville-Rolfe that the investigation had been scrapped on "very strong advice" from the senior barrister representing them...

What possible innocent explanation is there for this sequence of events ?

..In April, the Post Office notified the government that the sub-postmasters had begun their group legal action against it. Baroness Neville-Rolfe and Mr Javid were sent a briefing, updating them on the investigation's progress and discussing how the legal action would affect it.
The briefing, sent before a meeting with Mr Parker, was heavily redacted when it was released under a Freedom of Information Act request. But it said Mr Parker was on track to complete the follow-up work by the end of May and would update Baroness Neville-Rolfe on its progress.
However, the documents seen by the BBC reveal that in June, Deloitte's three-month investigation was suddenly stopped just before it could be completed.
On 21 June 2016, Tim Parker told Baroness Neville-Rolfe he had taken the decision on the advice of an unnamed senior barrister for the Post Office.
He told her the detailed work being carried out by Deloitte was "complex, costly and time consuming" but that good progress had been made. "I had hoped that by now I would be in a position to draw my investigation to a close," Mr Parker wrote.
"However, given the High Court proceedings to which I refer above, Post Office Limited has received very strong advice from Leading Counsel that the work being undertaken under the aegis of my review should come to an immediate end… I have therefore instructed that the work being undertaken pursuant to my review should now be stopped."..

This also sounds entirely innocent.

..The revelations uncovered by the BBC also raise serious questions for the public inquiry by Sir Wyn Williams, as to whether it is adequately scrutinising what the government knew about the Post Office's internal investigations.
In UKGI's 2022 statement to the inquiry, there was no reference to Tim Parker's letter to Baroness Neville-Rolfe of 21 June 2016, notifying her he was calling off Deloitte's investigation.
In 2018, two years after completing his review, Sir Jonathan Swift, formerly First Treasury Counsel - the top civil lawyer at Her Majesty's Treasury - was appointed to be a High Court judge. He received a knighthood in the same year.
However, in the list of upcoming witnesses at the Williams inquiry, his name is absent...

Can't the BBC be bothered to read the Inquiry's Terms of Reference, which can be found here - https://www.postofficehorizoninquiry.org.uk/publications/terms-reference?

They explain why what the government did or did not know in 2016 or later is outside the scope of the Inquiry.

algarkirk said:

CatMan said:

What the hell has GardenWalker been up to?

"Mystery surrounds origin of human leg found on New York subway"

https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2024/feb/20/human-leg-found-new-york-subway

Odd. The origin of human legs is well known and there are no known exceptions to the rule of where they are biologically located. This is not a mystery.

A cunning plan however is needed to work out by reason whose leg it might be. I wonder which large group of people can be eliminated early on?

As Sherlock says, 'Once you have eliminated the impossible.....'

Sounds like a Rumm business.