Must be one of the worst statements I have ever seen.
I don't know, there are plenty to choose from. I remember the Gordon Brown one after the whole smear-gate, I take full responsibility so I fired the person responsible and I knew nothing about it even though I sit right by two of the people involved.
(((Dan Hodges))) @DPJHodges · 12m Rishi Sunak says the issue shouldn’t be politicised and we should focus on the veterans. There was supposed to be a campaign pause for D-Day. He broke it, left the veterans, and came home for a political interview.
Um, he filmed an interview that wasn’t to be aired during D-day events and so clearly didn’t do any campaigning.
The only reason people are aware he did an interview for the campaign is because of people wetting their pants about him missing part of the D-day commemorations. So he respected the campaigning pause - it was others who turned it into part of the campaign.
That’s not how people will see it. He didn’t have time in his diary for veterans of D Day but could find the time to do a campaign interview. And his excuse that he did the British events but not the non-British one is just staggering. The liberation of Nazi occupied Europe was a joint endeavour, the commemoration of it should be too. Any PM who doesn’t get that instinctively deserves everything he gets.
He didn’t have time for veterans except the one he pushed along in his wheelchair, the ones he met, addressed and quoted and praised at the ceremony he attended.
Now I know I’m one of probably three people on this site who didn’t stop everything yesterday and devote the day to watching D-day, and I apologise for that, but I’m guessing the veterans cared more about the king being there, about actually being there themselves and getting the thanks from the ordinary people.
I can’t imagine any of them knew who was actually attending the main ceremony. So let’s get someone to ask them - after all, it’s about them and their comrades. If they really are offended then Sunak needs to step down, if they say they don’t care, it’s not about politicians then we move on. Fair enough?
I am particularly busy at the moment but I regret to say that I did not see a single minute of the anniversary commemorations either. No doubt the fault is mine.
I get more than a little tired of those expressing outrage on someone else's behalf, someone they haven't even had the courtesy to ask. It is wearing.
OTOH I find it very difficult to see what Sunak could possibly do that could make him look more Prime Ministerial or like a leader of substance than being there and playing a prominent part. It is politically stupid and inept, as so many of his decisions are. Morally? Bah!
Just the point that it would be rather difficult to ask most of those being commemorated their opinion since they are long gone. Of course their families and their nation live on and so we are being asked instead.
Boulay - What you did his not important. Why? Because you are not the PM, you do not represent the country. Mr Sunak is and he failed - yet again.
(((Dan Hodges))) @DPJHodges · 12m Rishi Sunak says the issue shouldn’t be politicised and we should focus on the veterans. There was supposed to be a campaign pause for D-Day. He broke it, left the veterans, and came home for a political interview.
Um, he filmed an interview that wasn’t to be aired during D-day events and so clearly didn’t do any campaigning.
The only reason people are aware he did an interview for the campaign is because of people wetting their pants about him missing part of the D-day commemorations. So he respected the campaigning pause - it was others who turned it into part of the campaign.
That’s not how people will see it. He didn’t have time in his diary for veterans of D Day but could find the time to do a campaign interview. And his excuse that he did the British events but not the non-British one is just staggering. The liberation of Nazi occupied Europe was a joint endeavour, the commemoration of it should be too. Any PM who doesn’t get that instinctively deserves everything he gets.
He didn’t have time for veterans except the one he pushed along in his wheelchair, the ones he met, addressed and quoted and praised at the ceremony he attended.
Now I know I’m one of probably three people on this site who didn’t stop everything yesterday and devote the day to watching D-day, and I apologise for that, but I’m guessing the veterans cared more about the king being there, about actually being there themselves and getting the thanks from the ordinary people.
I can’t imagine any of them knew who was actually attending the main ceremony. So let’s get someone to ask them - after all, it’s about them and their comrades. If they really are offended then Sunak needs to step down, if they say they don’t care, it’s not about politicians then we move on. Fair enough?
I'm looking forward to the 100th anniversary of D-Day, when politicians will have to kneel down upon the Holy Sands, bare their back and flagellate themselves with the Sacred Barbed Wire Of Omaha. Anyone seen as not showing enough reverence will immediatey be tied to a Czech hedgehog, ready to be claimed by the next tide.
Quite right too. I mean, I know most people who are hammering Sunak woke up early yesterday, faced towards Normandy and saluted at the time of the first landings then spent the day in sorrowful contemplation whilst watching Whoever has replaced Huw Edward’s looking mournful whilst weeping into their tissues.
I know they refrained from anything frivolous but I think of the words of my grandfather who survived the war, who was bombing Normandy from D-day onwards, to go and enjoy every day and don’t take it all too seriously because you don’t know when it’s over.
He lost two brothers in the war and would have found the performative outrage seriously embarrassing and possibly offensive in itself because the vast majority of the outrage isn’t because they hold these incredibly deep values and feelings for those who died but because it makes one side look bad and them better.
It’s high time PB woke gestapo tried to get me banned again. It’s been at least three days
Nah, just accept you erred (we all do) and move on.
No. Come get me
No, you're not worth it.
I'm not surprised at your racism, its not the first and won't be your last.
I see your point but you’re a stupid fat dickless loser in a Barratt home new build in Warrington. So we also have to take that into consideration, surely, as it means you are SO low in the pecking order of life you are desperate for the tiniest scintilla of perceived superiority, moral or intellectual, even when it is clearly bogus, as here
YOU’LL FIND ME AT THE MOZART CAFE
I guess you had a pretty disturbed night, or maybe you hit the horilka a bit hard this morning?
If you want booze that makes you a bit less fighty, I´d suggest nyalivka, but avoid Piana Vyshnya, which is Benylin without the subtle aftertaste.
They’ve done this because a small group of Woke trustafarian idiots have campaigned for it bEcAuSe IsRaeL
Few things have made me angrier recently. It encapsulates everything wrong with 'radical' left-wing activism. Internally incoherent and incredibly stupid, hectoring, destroying the very things claim to value because others aren't allowed to enjoy them without paying the Danegeld, bullying, full undeserved self-righteousness, and then throw in a non-sequitur about Israel because why not? That's what's cool to shout about these days.
I didn’t believe reports Sunak and his team contemplated not attending the events at all. Having watched his interview again, and spoken to a couple of people, I’m not sure now. His explanation doesn’t add up.
(((Dan Hodges))) @DPJHodges · 12m Rishi Sunak says the issue shouldn’t be politicised and we should focus on the veterans. There was supposed to be a campaign pause for D-Day. He broke it, left the veterans, and came home for a political interview.
Um, he filmed an interview that wasn’t to be aired during D-day events and so clearly didn’t do any campaigning.
The only reason people are aware he did an interview for the campaign is because of people wetting their pants about him missing part of the D-day commemorations. So he respected the campaigning pause - it was others who turned it into part of the campaign.
That’s not how people will see it. He didn’t have time in his diary for veterans of D Day but could find the time to do a campaign interview. And his excuse that he did the British events but not the non-British one is just staggering. The liberation of Nazi occupied Europe was a joint endeavour, the commemoration of it should be too. Any PM who doesn’t get that instinctively deserves everything he gets.
He didn’t have time for veterans except the one he pushed along in his wheelchair, the ones he met, addressed and quoted and praised at the ceremony he attended.
Now I know I’m one of probably three people on this site who didn’t stop everything yesterday and devote the day to watching D-day, and I apologise for that, but I’m guessing the veterans cared more about the king being there, about actually being there themselves and getting the thanks from the ordinary people.
I can’t imagine any of them knew who was actually attending the main ceremony. So let’s get someone to ask them - after all, it’s about them and their comrades. If they really are offended then Sunak needs to step down, if they say they don’t care, it’s not about politicians then we move on. Fair enough?
I am particularly busy at the moment but I regret to say that I did not see a single minute of the anniversary commemorations either. No doubt the fault is mine.
I get more than a little tired of those expressing outrage on someone else's behalf, someone they haven't even had the courtesy to ask. It is wearing.
OTOH I find it very difficult to see what Sunak could possibly do that could make him look more Prime Ministerial or like a leader of substance than being there and playing a prominent part. It is politically stupid and inept, as so many of his decisions are. Morally? Bah!
That’s the bit I just don’t understand. Flip this around. If you were running an election campaign and were offered free prime time tv time that didn’t “score” for electoral balance reasons, photo ops with world leaders, including Zelensky, and universally loved D-Day veterans; you’d jump at the chance.
Him tuning it down shows incompetence and idiocy. It’s the exact opposite of taking the politically motivated choice some are accusing him of. It’s just stupid.
Its so unfathomable on so many levels. Morally, personally, politically. It isn't like he was tasked with opening a local spoons and nicked off early as what is there to gain from having to listen to the local Nigel Farage tell you all about the world's problems.
(((Dan Hodges))) @DPJHodges · 12m Rishi Sunak says the issue shouldn’t be politicised and we should focus on the veterans. There was supposed to be a campaign pause for D-Day. He broke it, left the veterans, and came home for a political interview.
Um, he filmed an interview that wasn’t to be aired during D-day events and so clearly didn’t do any campaigning.
The only reason people are aware he did an interview for the campaign is because of people wetting their pants about him missing part of the D-day commemorations. So he respected the campaigning pause - it was others who turned it into part of the campaign.
That’s not how people will see it. He didn’t have time in his diary for veterans of D Day but could find the time to do a campaign interview. And his excuse that he did the British events but not the non-British one is just staggering. The liberation of Nazi occupied Europe was a joint endeavour, the commemoration of it should be too. Any PM who doesn’t get that instinctively deserves everything he gets.
He didn’t have time for veterans except the one he pushed along in his wheelchair, the ones he met, addressed and quoted and praised at the ceremony he attended.
Now I know I’m one of probably three people on this site who didn’t stop everything yesterday and devote the day to watching D-day, and I apologise for that, but I’m guessing the veterans cared more about the king being there, about actually being there themselves and getting the thanks from the ordinary people.
I can’t imagine any of them knew who was actually attending the main ceremony. So let’s get someone to ask them - after all, it’s about them and their comrades. If they really are offended then Sunak needs to step down, if they say they don’t care, it’s not about politicians then we move on. Fair enough?
I'm looking forward to the 100th anniversary of D-Day, when politicians will have to kneel down upon the Holy Sands, bare their back and flagellate themselves with the Sacred Barbed Wire Of Omaha. Anyone seen as not showing enough reverence will immediatey be tied to a Czech hedgehog, ready to be claimed by the next tide.
Quite right too. I mean, I know most people who are hammering Sunak woke up early yesterday, faced towards Normandy and saluted at the time of the first landings then spent the day in sorrowful contemplation whilst watching Whoever has replaced Huw Edward’s looking mournful whilst weeping into their tissues.
I know they refrained from anything frivolous but I think of the words of my grandfather who survived the war, who was bombing Normandy from D-day onwards, to go and enjoy every day and don’t take it all too seriously because you don’t know when it’s over.
He lost two brothers in the war and would have found the performative outrage seriously embarrassing and possibly offensive in itself because the vast majority of the outrage isn’t because they hold these incredibly deep values and feelings for those who died but because it makes one side look bad and them better.
Um nope - it's because it's the polite thing to do - everyone attended the UK ceremony so in return you turn up to the US ceremony.
They’ve done this because a small group of Woke trustafarian idiots have campaigned for it bEcAuSe IsRaeL
Never give in to these people. You give an inch and before you know it everything is cancelled / problematic.
It’s why SOME of us - the, how shall I say, more “perceptive” - opposed Woke from the start. Because this is obviously where it ends. Everything must be pure! Untainted! Woke! But that destroys everything because mankind is made of crooked timber; purity is an illusion even if it if desirable (which I gravely doubt)
They’ve done this because a small group of Woke trustafarian idiots have campaigned for it bEcAuSe IsRaeL
Few things have made me angrier recently. It encapsulates everything wrong with 'radical' left-wing activism. Internally incoherent and incredibly stupid, hectoring, destroying the very things claim to value because others aren't allowed to enjoy them without paying the Danegeld, bullying, full undeserved self-righteousness, and then throw in a non-sequitur about Israel because why not? That's what's cool to shout about these days.
And what does it achieve. Probably that some of these festivals don't go ahead. Well done Sebastian and Arabella. Top work.
I didn’t believe reports Sunak and his team contemplated not attending the events at all. Having watched his interview again, and spoken to a couple of people, I’m not sure now. His explanation doesn’t add up.
If they have lied about this, he will absolutely 100% be finished.
(((Dan Hodges))) @DPJHodges · 12m Rishi Sunak says the issue shouldn’t be politicised and we should focus on the veterans. There was supposed to be a campaign pause for D-Day. He broke it, left the veterans, and came home for a political interview.
Um, he filmed an interview that wasn’t to be aired during D-day events and so clearly didn’t do any campaigning.
The only reason people are aware he did an interview for the campaign is because of people wetting their pants about him missing part of the D-day commemorations. So he respected the campaigning pause - it was others who turned it into part of the campaign.
That’s not how people will see it. He didn’t have time in his diary for veterans of D Day but could find the time to do a campaign interview. And his excuse that he did the British events but not the non-British one is just staggering. The liberation of Nazi occupied Europe was a joint endeavour, the commemoration of it should be too. Any PM who doesn’t get that instinctively deserves everything he gets.
He didn’t have time for veterans except the one he pushed along in his wheelchair, the ones he met, addressed and quoted and praised at the ceremony he attended.
Now I know I’m one of probably three people on this site who didn’t stop everything yesterday and devote the day to watching D-day, and I apologise for that, but I’m guessing the veterans cared more about the king being there, about actually being there themselves and getting the thanks from the ordinary people.
I can’t imagine any of them knew who was actually attending the main ceremony. So let’s get someone to ask them - after all, it’s about them and their comrades. If they really are offended then Sunak needs to step down, if they say they don’t care, it’s not about politicians then we move on. Fair enough?
I'm looking forward to the 100th anniversary of D-Day, when politicians will have to kneel down upon the Holy Sands, bare their back and flagellate themselves with the Sacred Barbed Wire Of Omaha. Anyone seen as not showing enough reverence will immediatey be tied to a Czech hedgehog, ready to be claimed by the next tide.
Quite right too. I mean, I know most people who are hammering Sunak woke up early yesterday, faced towards Normandy and saluted at the time of the first landings then spent the day in sorrowful contemplation whilst watching Whoever has replaced Huw Edward’s looking mournful whilst weeping into their tissues.
I know they refrained from anything frivolous but I think of the words of my grandfather who survived the war, who was bombing Normandy from D-day onwards, to go and enjoy every day and don’t take it all too seriously because you don’t know when it’s over.
He lost two brothers in the war and would have found the performative outrage seriously embarrassing and possibly offensive in itself because the vast majority of the outrage isn’t because they hold these incredibly deep values and feelings for those who died but because it makes one side look bad and them better.
Um nope - it's because it's the polite thing to do - everyone attended the UK ceremony so in return you turn up to the US ceremony.
I mean that last paragraph is just inaccurate. They didn’t.
I don't fancy Penny Mourdant job this evening. It bad enough having 6 others gang up on you in a debate over your record in government, now what does she do about Sunak decision?
They’ve done this because a small group of Woke trustafarian idiots have campaigned for it bEcAuSe IsRaeL
Never give in to these people. You give an inch and before you know it everything is cancelled / problematic.
It’s why SOME of us - the, how shall I say, more “perceptive” - opposed Woke from the start. Because this is obviously where it ends. Everything must be pure! Untainted! Woke! But that destroys everything because mankind is made of crooked timber; purity is an illusion even if it if desirable (which I gravely doubt)
I think people who want to oppose "Woke", need to stop calling it Woke. Inside keep referring to intersectionality, because this is where the really mental purity stuff come from.
The belief Inequality is due to oppression, unless the capitalist system is broken, there will always be inequality, therefore oppression hierarchy and therefore the system must be torn down.
Like the eco-fascists. You aren't negotiating with good faith actors.
I didn’t believe reports Sunak and his team contemplated not attending the events at all. Having watched his interview again, and spoken to a couple of people, I’m not sure now. His explanation doesn’t add up.
If they have lied about this, he will absolutely 100% be finished.
“I know we’ve had a lot of leaders since Boris folks, but this time we’ve picked a winner. Honest. Vote for them and we promise they will do the job until at least Christmas”.
Anyoneknow what the record number of posts in a thread is?
Are we making an attempt on the record?
But the big long threads seem to be working well for discussion though? In relation to days with lots of threads to jump across to, that can be discussion(s) killer, this feels okay?
But editors also need to be mindful lots of lurkers come for the quality and independent thoughts in the headers, i suspect.
A focus on quality not quantity of headers, and longer threads for discussion seems good balance to me.
In fairness to the editors, OGH has stepped down, TSE is off sick and Robert lives in another timezone. It's not surprising if we have to talk amongst ourselves for a little longer than usual.
The depleted editorial team should use OGH's old tricks of starting a thread every time he saw a tweet about a new opinion poll, and when he didn't, regularly starting generic Nighthawks threads. We do not need the editors to spend the whole day crafting thousand-word headers.
I wonder if there isn't a long standing respected member who could step up to being on the editorial team? How did TSE get his place?
(((Dan Hodges))) @DPJHodges · 12m Rishi Sunak says the issue shouldn’t be politicised and we should focus on the veterans. There was supposed to be a campaign pause for D-Day. He broke it, left the veterans, and came home for a political interview.
Um, he filmed an interview that wasn’t to be aired during D-day events and so clearly didn’t do any campaigning.
The only reason people are aware he did an interview for the campaign is because of people wetting their pants about him missing part of the D-day commemorations. So he respected the campaigning pause - it was others who turned it into part of the campaign.
That’s not how people will see it. He didn’t have time in his diary for veterans of D Day but could find the time to do a campaign interview. And his excuse that he did the British events but not the non-British one is just staggering. The liberation of Nazi occupied Europe was a joint endeavour, the commemoration of it should be too. Any PM who doesn’t get that instinctively deserves everything he gets.
He didn’t have time for veterans except the one he pushed along in his wheelchair, the ones he met, addressed and quoted and praised at the ceremony he attended.
Now I know I’m one of probably three people on this site who didn’t stop everything yesterday and devote the day to watching D-day, and I apologise for that, but I’m guessing the veterans cared more about the king being there, about actually being there themselves and getting the thanks from the ordinary people.
I can’t imagine any of them knew who was actually attending the main ceremony. So let’s get someone to ask them - after all, it’s about them and their comrades. If they really are offended then Sunak needs to step down, if they say they don’t care, it’s not about politicians then we move on. Fair enough?
I am particularly busy at the moment but I regret to say that I did not see a single minute of the anniversary commemorations either. No doubt the fault is mine.
I get more than a little tired of those expressing outrage on someone else's behalf, someone they haven't even had the courtesy to ask. It is wearing.
OTOH I find it very difficult to see what Sunak could possibly do that could make him look more Prime Ministerial or like a leader of substance than being there and playing a prominent part. It is politically stupid and inept, as so many of his decisions are. Morally? Bah!
That’s the bit I just don’t understand. Flip this around. If you were running an election campaign and were offered free prime time tv time that didn’t “score” for electoral balance reasons, photo ops with world leaders, including Zelensky, and universally loved D-Day veterans; you’d jump at the chance.
Him turning it down shows incompetence and idiocy. It’s the exact opposite of taking the politically motivated choice some are accusing him of. It’s just stupid.
It goes beyond stupid. It's stark raving bonkers. And to leave the LOTO to hold the field and representing the UK, I mean why doesn't he accept that he is for all practical purposes, no longer our PM and the chalice has already passed?
Sunak had almost nothing going for him in the campaign. The one "almost" was incumbency and he has thrown the advantages that brings away. It's right up there with Jeremy Thorpe thinking, see that Norman Scott, he's a bit of a nuisance, maybe I should murder him.
I didn’t believe reports Sunak and his team contemplated not attending the events at all. Having watched his interview again, and spoken to a couple of people, I’m not sure now. His explanation doesn’t add up.
If they have lied about this, he will absolutely 100% be finished.
“I know we’ve had a lot of leaders since Boris folks, but this time we’ve picked a winner. Honest. Vote for them and we promise they will do the job until at least Christmas”.
Actually, joking aside, the only person who could parachute in now, take over, and minimise the defeat is Boris. He could brazen it out.
Must be one of the worst statements I have ever seen.
I don't know, there are plenty to choose from. I remember the Gordon Brown one after the whole smear-gate, I take full responsibility so I fired the person responsible and I knew nothing about it even though I sit right by two of the people involved.
The Labour Party was very, very lucky that it got found out before RedRag went live.
Well somehow SKS's "Sunak is a liar" point has been proven right in a matter of days. What seemed a poor comeback now looks once again like strategic genius.
Rishi Sunak, the greatest Labour candidate in history.
(((Dan Hodges))) @DPJHodges · 12m Rishi Sunak says the issue shouldn’t be politicised and we should focus on the veterans. There was supposed to be a campaign pause for D-Day. He broke it, left the veterans, and came home for a political interview.
Um, he filmed an interview that wasn’t to be aired during D-day events and so clearly didn’t do any campaigning.
The only reason people are aware he did an interview for the campaign is because of people wetting their pants about him missing part of the D-day commemorations. So he respected the campaigning pause - it was others who turned it into part of the campaign.
That’s not how people will see it. He didn’t have time in his diary for veterans of D Day but could find the time to do a campaign interview. And his excuse that he did the British events but not the non-British one is just staggering. The liberation of Nazi occupied Europe was a joint endeavour, the commemoration of it should be too. Any PM who doesn’t get that instinctively deserves everything he gets.
He didn’t have time for veterans except the one he pushed along in his wheelchair, the ones he met, addressed and quoted and praised at the ceremony he attended.
Now I know I’m one of probably three people on this site who didn’t stop everything yesterday and devote the day to watching D-day, and I apologise for that, but I’m guessing the veterans cared more about the king being there, about actually being there themselves and getting the thanks from the ordinary people.
I can’t imagine any of them knew who was actually attending the main ceremony. So let’s get someone to ask them - after all, it’s about them and their comrades. If they really are offended then Sunak needs to step down, if they say they don’t care, it’s not about politicians then we move on. Fair enough?
I am particularly busy at the moment but I regret to say that I did not see a single minute of the anniversary commemorations either. No doubt the fault is mine.
I get more than a little tired of those expressing outrage on someone else's behalf, someone they haven't even had the courtesy to ask. It is wearing.
OTOH I find it very difficult to see what Sunak could possibly do that could make him look more Prime Ministerial or like a leader of substance than being there and playing a prominent part. It is politically stupid and inept, as so many of his decisions are. Morally? Bah!
Yes. he has to go so we don't have to. If a new PM wants to know what that is like, every day for years, he could ask the king. Most of us don't want the job, and that is one of the reasons.
And I did't watch a single second of the D-Day stuff, and that bears no relation to whether I care. I shall be in the back row somewhere on the second Sunday in November wearing my poppy, remember the 6 years of my dad's life from 1939-1945 and go home.
I don't fancy Penny Mourdant job this evening. It bad enough having 6 others gang up on you in a debate over your record in government, now what does she do about Sunak decision?
Go in studs up on Farage.
And let the PM speak for himself.
What does that even look like? Calling him a racist isn't going to fly with the voters they're fighting over.
It’s high time PB woke gestapo tried to get me banned again. It’s been at least three days
Nah, just accept you erred (we all do) and move on.
No. Come get me
No, you're not worth it.
I'm not surprised at your racism, its not the first and won't be your last.
I see your point but you’re a stupid fat dickless loser in a Barratt home new build in Warrington. So we also have to take that into consideration, surely, as it means you are SO low in the pecking order of life you are desperate for the tiniest scintilla of perceived superiority, moral or intellectual, even when it is clearly bogus, as here
YOU’LL FIND ME AT THE MOZART CAFE
At 10 o'clock?
It’s 3pm in Odessa darling. EVERYONE goes to “the Mozart” at 3
I didn’t believe reports Sunak and his team contemplated not attending the events at all. Having watched his interview again, and spoken to a couple of people, I’m not sure now. His explanation doesn’t add up.
If they have lied about this, he will absolutely 100% be finished.
“I know we’ve had a lot of leaders since Boris folks, but this time we’ve picked a winner. Honest. Vote for them and we promise they will do the job until at least Christmas”.
Actually, joking aside, the only person who could parachute in now, take over, and minimise the defeat is Boris. He could brazen it out.
He is on holiday....keeping himself 1000s of miles away from this.
Must be one of the worst statements I have ever seen.
I don't know, there are plenty to choose from. I remember the Gordon Brown one after the whole smear-gate, I take full responsibility so I fired the person responsible and I knew nothing about it even though I sit right by two of the people involved.
The Labour Party was very, very lucky that it got found out before RedRag went live.
How Kevin Maguire managed to carry on in the media like nothing happened is beyond me.
(((Dan Hodges))) @DPJHodges · 12m Rishi Sunak says the issue shouldn’t be politicised and we should focus on the veterans. There was supposed to be a campaign pause for D-Day. He broke it, left the veterans, and came home for a political interview.
Um, he filmed an interview that wasn’t to be aired during D-day events and so clearly didn’t do any campaigning.
The only reason people are aware he did an interview for the campaign is because of people wetting their pants about him missing part of the D-day commemorations. So he respected the campaigning pause - it was others who turned it into part of the campaign.
That’s not how people will see it. He didn’t have time in his diary for veterans of D Day but could find the time to do a campaign interview. And his excuse that he did the British events but not the non-British one is just staggering. The liberation of Nazi occupied Europe was a joint endeavour, the commemoration of it should be too. Any PM who doesn’t get that instinctively deserves everything he gets.
He didn’t have time for veterans except the one he pushed along in his wheelchair, the ones he met, addressed and quoted and praised at the ceremony he attended.
Now I know I’m one of probably three people on this site who didn’t stop everything yesterday and devote the day to watching D-day, and I apologise for that, but I’m guessing the veterans cared more about the king being there, about actually being there themselves and getting the thanks from the ordinary people.
I can’t imagine any of them knew who was actually attending the main ceremony. So let’s get someone to ask them - after all, it’s about them and their comrades. If they really are offended then Sunak needs to step down, if they say they don’t care, it’s not about politicians then we move on. Fair enough?
I am particularly busy at the moment but I regret to say that I did not see a single minute of the anniversary commemorations either. No doubt the fault is mine.
I get more than a little tired of those expressing outrage on someone else's behalf, someone they haven't even had the courtesy to ask. It is wearing.
OTOH I find it very difficult to see what Sunak could possibly do that could make him look more Prime Ministerial or like a leader of substance than being there and playing a prominent part. It is politically stupid and inept, as so many of his decisions are. Morally? Bah!
That’s the bit I just don’t understand. Flip this around. If you were running an election campaign and were offered free prime time tv time that didn’t “score” for electoral balance reasons, photo ops with world leaders, including Zelensky, and universally loved D-Day veterans; you’d jump at the chance.
Him turning it down shows incompetence and idiocy. It’s the exact opposite of taking the politically motivated choice some are accusing him of. It’s just stupid.
It goes beyond stupid. It's stark raving bonkers. And to leave the LOTO to hold the field and representing the UK, I mean why doesn't he accept that he is for all practical purposes, no longer our PM and the chalice has already passed?
Sunak had almost nothing going for him in the campaign. The one "almost" was incumbency and he has thrown the advantages that brings away. It's right up there with Jeremy Thorpe thinking, see that Norman Scott, he's a bit of a nuisance, maybe I should murder him.
If he had done this outside of an election, you have to guess he’d have been no-confidenced.
They’ve done this because a small group of Woke trustafarian idiots have campaigned for it bEcAuSe IsRaeL
Never give in to these people. You give an inch and before you know it everything is cancelled / problematic.
The activists are basically objecting to BG being an investment company.
...“The assertion that we have significant amounts of money in the occupied Palestinian territories is offensively misleading. Baillie Gifford is a large investor in several multinational technology companies, including Amazon, Nvidia and Meta. Demanding divestment from these global companies, used by millions of people around the world, is unreasonable and serves no purpose. Much as it would be unreasonable to demand authors boycott Instagram or stop selling books on Amazon.”
Baillie Gifford was also not a “significant fossil fuel investor”, Thomas said. “Only 2% of our clients’ money is invested in companies with some business related to fossil fuels. We invest far more in companies helping drive the transition to clean energy.”..
Anyoneknow what the record number of posts in a thread is?
Are we making an attempt on the record?
But the big long threads seem to be working well for discussion though? In relation to days with lots of threads to jump across to, that can be discussion(s) killer, this feels okay?
But editors also need to be mindful lots of lurkers come for the quality and independent thoughts in the headers, i suspect.
A focus on quality not quantity of headers, and longer threads for discussion seems good balance to me.
In fairness to the editors, OGH has stepped down, TSE is off sick and Robert lives in another timezone. It's not surprising if we have to talk amongst ourselves for a little longer than usual.
The depleted editorial team should use OGH's old tricks of starting a thread every time he saw a tweet about a new opinion poll, and when he didn't, regularly starting generic Nighthawks threads. We do not need the editors to spend the whole day crafting thousand-word headers.
I wonder if there isn't a long standing respected member who could step up to being on the editorial team? How did TSE get his place?
All you need is membership of the Grand Council of the Illuminati, the Trilateral Commission *and* The Elders of Zion.
They’ve done this because a small group of Woke trustafarian idiots have campaigned for it bEcAuSe IsRaeL
Never give in to these people. You give an inch and before you know it everything is cancelled / problematic.
The activists are basically objecting to BF being an investment company.
...“The assertion that we have significant amounts of money in the occupied Palestinian territories is offensively misleading. Baillie Gifford is a large investor in several multinational technology companies, including Amazon, Nvidia and Meta. Demanding divestment from these global companies, used by millions of people around the world, is unreasonable and serves no purpose. Much as it would be unreasonable to demand authors boycott Instagram or stop selling books on Amazon.”
Baillie Gifford was also not a “significant fossil fuel investor”, Thomas said. “Only 2% of our clients’ money is invested in companies with some business related to fossil fuels. We invest far more in companies helping drive the transition to clean energy.”..
This is my point. They are rarely if ever good faith actors, they despise the capitalist system, it must be torn down. I bet we all indirectly have 2% of our pension etc invested in these areas.
One of the XR founder was honest about it at the beginning, that climate change cause was just a vehicle to help them achieve this by tapping into wider public concerns about the environment.
This is what they are doing here, leveraging fossil fuels and Israel.
My postie just arrived. Shaved head, tats everywhere you look, including one of those ones with a bulldog holding a union jack or maybe wearing one I didn't look to closely.
I didn’t believe reports Sunak and his team contemplated not attending the events at all. Having watched his interview again, and spoken to a couple of people, I’m not sure now. His explanation doesn’t add up.
If they have lied about this, he will absolutely 100% be finished.
Is there a mechanism to force Sunak out? I assume the 1922 does not work because they aren't technically MPs at the moment.
And he is safe as PM because there isn't a House to draw confidence from.
They’ve done this because a small group of Woke trustafarian idiots have campaigned for it bEcAuSe IsRaeL
Never give in to these people. You give an inch and before you know it everything is cancelled / problematic.
The activists are basically objecting to BF being an investment company.
...“The assertion that we have significant amounts of money in the occupied Palestinian territories is offensively misleading. Baillie Gifford is a large investor in several multinational technology companies, including Amazon, Nvidia and Meta. Demanding divestment from these global companies, used by millions of people around the world, is unreasonable and serves no purpose. Much as it would be unreasonable to demand authors boycott Instagram or stop selling books on Amazon.”
Baillie Gifford was also not a “significant fossil fuel investor”, Thomas said. “Only 2% of our clients’ money is invested in companies with some business related to fossil fuels. We invest far more in companies helping drive the transition to clean energy.”..
This is my point. They are rarely if ever good faith actors, they despise the capitalist system, it must be torn down. One of the XR founder was honest about it at the beginning, that climate change cause was just a vehicle to help them achieve this by tapping into wider public concerns about the environment.
I am just home from work and errands in town. What has Sunak done now?
In other news, I hear that Labour has, if I understand the details correctly, promised to revive the Help to Buy scheme (slightly different name this time, but same DNA) and make it permanent. If anyone ever doubted that one of the principle functions of the British state is to ensure ever-rising house prices, there's your proof.
They’ve done this because a small group of Woke trustafarian idiots have campaigned for it bEcAuSe IsRaeL
Never give in to these people. You give an inch and before you know it everything is cancelled / problematic.
The activists are basically objecting to BF being an investment company.
...“The assertion that we have significant amounts of money in the occupied Palestinian territories is offensively misleading. Baillie Gifford is a large investor in several multinational technology companies, including Amazon, Nvidia and Meta. Demanding divestment from these global companies, used by millions of people around the world, is unreasonable and serves no purpose. Much as it would be unreasonable to demand authors boycott Instagram or stop selling books on Amazon.”
Baillie Gifford was also not a “significant fossil fuel investor”, Thomas said. “Only 2% of our clients’ money is invested in companies with some business related to fossil fuels. We invest far more in companies helping drive the transition to clean energy.”..
This is my point. They are rarely if ever good faith actors, they despise the capitalist system, it must be torn down. One of the XR founder was honest about it at the beginning, that climate change cause was just a vehicle to help them achieve this by tapping into wider public concerns about the environment.
My postie just arrived. Shaved head, tats everywhere you look, including one of those ones with a bulldog holding a union jack or maybe wearing one I didn't look to closely.
I am just home from work and errands in town. What has Sunak done now?
In other news, I hear that Labour has, if I understand the details correctly, promised to revive the Help to Buy scheme (slightly different name this time, but same DNA) and make it permanent. If anyone ever doubted that one of the principle functions of the British state is to ensure ever-rising house prices, there's your proof.
This guy explains it well, from a few months ago when Tories floated similar idea. There is no free lunch on this.
A lot of Labour flagship policies appear to be just reheated with a new name. Freedom to Buy, the national wealth scheme is PFI, ASBOS are coming back with a different name.
Permanent very low deposits guaranteed by government has other negatives above the risk of bad loans.
What percentage of council houses sold are still in the hands of owner occupiers, as opposed to private rental companies?
40% of right to buy homes are now rented out privately.
PB likes to ignore the vast shifts in housing tenure in the last 14 years, but ultimately it's the reason why the country has become more unequal and why the number of natural Conservative voters has fallen. There is no evidence that a mass private housebuilding programme would reverse the trend and increase ownership - all the new homes will simply be hoovered up by those who have accumulated large savings.
That shows a gross ignorance of economics and follows your typical lame excuse-making for NIMBYism.
The reason for the vast shifts in housing tenure is the lack of building supply. If supply increases that will be reversed.
And of course in a healthy free housing economy typically 10% of homes are unoccupied [for very good reasons] which means homes in poor condition or are too expensive don't get let out and the owner is left paying their bills/mortgage and taxes without a tenant paying them any rent.
So why would those with savings snap up all homes if supply is increased and they can't let them out? It means price falls and people who want to buy to own have a choice, as well as tenants having a choice, on where to live.
There he blows!
New homes: 2.0 million Increase in households renting: 1.1 million Increase in households owning outright: 0.9 million Decrease in households with a mortgage: -0.4 million
It would have certainly been worse without any new homes. But the idea that an increase in supply is the only intervention required is nonsense - wealth inequality is now far too great in the UK for that to suffice.
That's been caused by the terrible shortage of new homes, meaning prices are far too high. Which is fundamental supply and demand in action.
An increase in supply may not be the only intervention required, I never said it is, but it is absolutely 100% needed and would help to reverse the damage that has been done.
Of course if supply increases and prices fall in real terms, then that would lower that inequality you mentioned too.
The number of new homes has increased faster than the population, by a wide margin. It's actually a glut.
The problem is that there are significant mismatches with where those houses are being built and where there is housing pressure. At risk of pissing off lots of PBers, here is my official assessment of LAs (bespoke assessments can be provided on request):
YIMBY Gold award:
Selby Huntingdonshire Mid Suffolk Telford and Wrekin West Lindsey
NIMBY Black Spot of Barty Doom
Pendle Thurrock Swale Epping Forest Peterborough
Urban Excellence award: Southwark Rural Excellence award: West Devon, Cotswolds, Uttlesford Leon award: Camden, Westminster, Kensington and Chelsea (fewer houses, population falling) Trooper award: Tower Hamlets, Bedford, Tewkesbury (massive effort, but simply can’t keep up) Breeze block award: Barking and Dagenham, Slough, Leicester (massive population growth, no attempt to deal with it) Barty award: Copeland, Richmondshire, Caerphilly, Allerdale (population falling but f*** it more houses anyway)
This glut is all in your head.
The number of new homes has nowhere near kept up with demand.
Again you show a shocking ignorance of the effects of demographics on housing requirements, talking again only of "population". 🤦♂️
8.2% increase in homes 6.1% increase in households 6.3% increase in population
Why are you lying?
Your households figure is a lie. You know this, so why repeat it?
People who are compelled to share a home as there's not enough houses are classed as one household. You know that, but you're repeating your lies anyway. 🤦♂️
The idea that t here's been a lesser increase in household demand than population increase, when our demographic changes mean there's even further household pressures, is so obviously false its remarkable your following through on this outright blatant lie.
The number of people per household has fallen, and overcrowding has fallen too.
Edit: sorry, the population per household has risen* This is explained by immigrants being much more efficient users of households than say older people
The number of people per household should have fallen as we have 4 million extra over 50s than we did. Who don't live with children.🤦♂️
Immigration doesn't counter that.
Your own data reveals the chronic housing shortage. Again!
In most LAs, housing pressure is actually falling. It's only in about 100 where you see this acute problem, and they are mostly in our cities.
Don't believe you - please provide evidence because even this week I saw issues in 3 local authorities round here..
Absolutely.
I'd love to know these mythical local authorities without housing shortages.
I provided you with some examples above
I have posted the infographic on this before too, once directly in reply to Bart.
Glad you got there in the end. You have always banged on that we build plenty of homes. You always missed the point that these are not necessarily where they are needed. Glad to see that is rectified.
That has always been the point I wanted to make.
But even then, I suspect more housebuilding in and around London, Edinburgh etc will just serve to keep pushing those economies on, never really solve the housing crisis there. Vicious cycle.
Sure. But what is the point of more housebuilding in areas like South Shields where the population actually contracted in between the censuses.
In South Tyneside, the population fell while the number of households increased very slightly.
This is where the analysis is tricky - under Bart's thinking, that means there was some housing pressure, which has some merit.
However, I suggest that the inverse is happening - there is so little pressure on housing in S.Tyneside people can afford to live alone. I think Barty includes this effect in his definition of "pressure", which I think is a little misleading. Indeed, comparing that kind of "pressure" to that experienced by people in London is just plain wrong.
Under his definition, housing pressure is effectively inescapable. We'd all love to live alone in a 10 bed mansion.
Most people, most of the time, buy the best house that the bank will let them afford. So, in that sense, I think there is an element of demand for housing being almost infinite.
If you taxed buy-to-let out of existence, and tightened up the mortgage rules to reduce how much people could borrow, then you could engineer a very large drop in house prices, even with no surge in house-building.
I don't think that would be the approach that would maximise human happiness, or economic utility, however.
I didn’t believe reports Sunak and his team contemplated not attending the events at all. Having watched his interview again, and spoken to a couple of people, I’m not sure now. His explanation doesn’t add up.
If they have lied about this, he will absolutely 100% be finished.
Im not sure how he can be much more finished than he is currently.
I am just home from work and errands in town. What has Sunak done now?
In other news, I hear that Labour has, if I understand the details correctly, promised to revive the Help to Buy scheme (slightly different name this time, but same DNA) and make it permanent. If anyone ever doubted that one of the principle functions of the British state is to ensure ever-rising house prices, there's your proof.
Someone should ask them for a precise calculation of the number of people who bought a house because of the old mortgage guarantee, who wouldn’t have been offered a mortgage anyway.
Clue: It’s a “round” number.
It’s a really good policy for allowing people who could by anyway to spend a bit more, and then (as you say) nudge up prices and pull the ladder up behind them.
They’ve done this because a small group of Woke trustafarian idiots have campaigned for it bEcAuSe IsRaeL
Never give in to these people. You give an inch and before you know it everything is cancelled / problematic.
The activists are basically objecting to BF being an investment company.
...“The assertion that we have significant amounts of money in the occupied Palestinian territories is offensively misleading. Baillie Gifford is a large investor in several multinational technology companies, including Amazon, Nvidia and Meta. Demanding divestment from these global companies, used by millions of people around the world, is unreasonable and serves no purpose. Much as it would be unreasonable to demand authors boycott Instagram or stop selling books on Amazon.”
Baillie Gifford was also not a “significant fossil fuel investor”, Thomas said. “Only 2% of our clients’ money is invested in companies with some business related to fossil fuels. We invest far more in companies helping drive the transition to clean energy.”..
This is my point. They are rarely if ever good faith actors, they despise the capitalist system, it must be torn down. I bet we all indirectly have 2% of our pension etc invested in these areas.
One of the XR founder was honest about it at the beginning, that climate change cause was just a vehicle to help them achieve this by tapping into wider public concerns about the environment.
This is what they are doing here, leveraging fossil fuels and Israel.
XR are a bunch of risibles. Anyone serious about action on climate change should share that opinion.
Anyoneknow what the record number of posts in a thread is?
Are we making an attempt on the record?
But the big long threads seem to be working well for discussion though? In relation to days with lots of threads to jump across to, that can be discussion(s) killer, this feels okay?
But editors also need to be mindful lots of lurkers come for the quality and independent thoughts in the headers, i suspect.
A focus on quality not quantity of headers, and longer threads for discussion seems good balance to me.
In fairness to the editors, OGH has stepped down, TSE is off sick and Robert lives in another timezone. It's not surprising if we have to talk amongst ourselves for a little longer than usual.
The depleted editorial team should use OGH's old tricks of starting a thread every time he saw a tweet about a new opinion poll, and when he didn't, regularly starting generic Nighthawks threads. We do not need the editors to spend the whole day crafting thousand-word headers.
I wonder if there isn't a long standing respected member who could step up to being on the editorial team? How did TSE get his place?
All you need is membership of the Grand Council of the Illuminati, the Trilateral Commission *and* The Elders of Zion.
My postie just arrived. Shaved head, tats everywhere you look, including one of those ones with a bulldog holding a union jack or maybe wearing one I didn't look to closely.
I didn’t believe reports Sunak and his team contemplated not attending the events at all. Having watched his interview again, and spoken to a couple of people, I’m not sure now. His explanation doesn’t add up.
If they have lied about this, he will absolutely 100% be finished.
Is there a mechanism to force Sunak out? I assume the 1922 does not work because they aren't technically MPs at the moment.
And he is safe as PM because there isn't a House to draw confidence from.
I mean he could resign as leader of the Tories, but that would only be making de jure what is de facto already because I don’t think there’s a lot of leading going on.
I didn’t believe reports Sunak and his team contemplated not attending the events at all. Having watched his interview again, and spoken to a couple of people, I’m not sure now. His explanation doesn’t add up.
If they have lied about this, he will absolutely 100% be finished.
Im not sure how he can be much more finished than he is currently.
I didn’t believe reports Sunak and his team contemplated not attending the events at all. Having watched his interview again, and spoken to a couple of people, I’m not sure now. His explanation doesn’t add up.
If they have lied about this, he will absolutely 100% be finished.
Im not sure how he can be much more finished than he is currently.
My postie just arrived. Shaved head, tats everywhere you look, including one of those ones with a bulldog holding a union jack or maybe wearing one I didn't look to closely.
Ok, the pipe major in the town I grew up in has just completely lost it a series of deeply abusive Facebook posts, all related to D-gate.
CUT THROUGH
"Garage door openers"
"The pipe major in my town"
I'm in an unfamiliar world here today.
That's why we come here. Provincial British exotica. I don't know why Leon's always travelling, we've got everything here.
War memorial Bus station Greggs Deserted Debenhams shop More Greggs Van selling burgers or kebabs Cashpoints Tramp outside cashpoint Drunks at prominent doorway begging/menacing Old fat people on mobility scooters, so fat the seat disappears in the bottom Nightclub that looks old and tacky in the daytime, with blanked-out windows Vape shops Charity shops British Heart Foundation Furniture and Electrical Waitrose/Sainsburys/Tescos/Co-op/Morrisons Buskers Tattoo shops Chain Coffee shop (Costa, Starbucks, whatevs) Local Coffee shop/cake shop where you can sit down with bacon roll and read book for a bit People sitting at tables drinking coffee like it was Paris or something Car parks Boarded-up shopping centre/road Pub advertising football Big Issue seller from Eastern Europe Opticians Nail bars Ice-cream shop
They’ve done this because a small group of Woke trustafarian idiots have campaigned for it bEcAuSe IsRaeL
Few things have made me angrier recently. It encapsulates everything wrong with 'radical' left-wing activism. Internally incoherent and incredibly stupid, hectoring, destroying the very things claim to value because others aren't allowed to enjoy them without paying the Danegeld, bullying, full undeserved self-righteousness, and then throw in a non-sequitur about Israel because why not? That's what's cool to shout about these days.
And what does it achieve. Probably that some of these festivals don't go ahead. Well done Sebastian and Arabella. Top work.
Two of the big campaigners who got all the literary festivals cancelled are Nish Kumar and Charlotte Church. Which is kinda perfect, two more objectionable twats it is hard to imagine
They’ve done this because a small group of Woke trustafarian idiots have campaigned for it bEcAuSe IsRaeL
Never give in to these people. You give an inch and before you know it everything is cancelled / problematic.
The activists are basically objecting to BF being an investment company.
...“The assertion that we have significant amounts of money in the occupied Palestinian territories is offensively misleading. Baillie Gifford is a large investor in several multinational technology companies, including Amazon, Nvidia and Meta. Demanding divestment from these global companies, used by millions of people around the world, is unreasonable and serves no purpose. Much as it would be unreasonable to demand authors boycott Instagram or stop selling books on Amazon.”
Baillie Gifford was also not a “significant fossil fuel investor”, Thomas said. “Only 2% of our clients’ money is invested in companies with some business related to fossil fuels. We invest far more in companies helping drive the transition to clean energy.”..
This is my point. They are rarely if ever good faith actors, they despise the capitalist system, it must be torn down. One of the XR founder was honest about it at the beginning, that climate change cause was just a vehicle to help them achieve this by tapping into wider public concerns about the environment.
I have a coal fire. Am I….. cancelled?
Sorry, who are you?
He is on The List for conviction, followed by involuntary cremation.
They’ve done this because a small group of Woke trustafarian idiots have campaigned for it bEcAuSe IsRaeL
Few things have made me angrier recently. It encapsulates everything wrong with 'radical' left-wing activism. Internally incoherent and incredibly stupid, hectoring, destroying the very things claim to value because others aren't allowed to enjoy them without paying the Danegeld, bullying, full undeserved self-righteousness, and then throw in a non-sequitur about Israel because why not? That's what's cool to shout about these days.
And what does it achieve. Probably that some of these festivals don't go ahead. Well done Sebastian and Arabella. Top work.
Two of the big campaigners who got all the literary festivals cancelled are Nish Kumar and Charlotte Church. Which is kinda perfect, two more objectionable twats it is hard to imagine
Nish Kumar is about the most unfunny comedian there is. Seems unfair to comedians to even label him as that. A bit like Sunak and PM.
I mean i disagree with Mark Thomas on most thing political but he was bloody funny.
Permanent very low deposits guaranteed by government has other negatives above the risk of bad loans.
What percentage of council houses sold are still in the hands of owner occupiers, as opposed to private rental companies?
40% of right to buy homes are now rented out privately.
PB likes to ignore the vast shifts in housing tenure in the last 14 years, but ultimately it's the reason why the country has become more unequal and why the number of natural Conservative voters has fallen. There is no evidence that a mass private housebuilding programme would reverse the trend and increase ownership - all the new homes will simply be hoovered up by those who have accumulated large savings.
That shows a gross ignorance of economics and follows your typical lame excuse-making for NIMBYism.
The reason for the vast shifts in housing tenure is the lack of building supply. If supply increases that will be reversed.
And of course in a healthy free housing economy typically 10% of homes are unoccupied [for very good reasons] which means homes in poor condition or are too expensive don't get let out and the owner is left paying their bills/mortgage and taxes without a tenant paying them any rent.
So why would those with savings snap up all homes if supply is increased and they can't let them out? It means price falls and people who want to buy to own have a choice, as well as tenants having a choice, on where to live.
There he blows!
New homes: 2.0 million Increase in households renting: 1.1 million Increase in households owning outright: 0.9 million Decrease in households with a mortgage: -0.4 million
It would have certainly been worse without any new homes. But the idea that an increase in supply is the only intervention required is nonsense - wealth inequality is now far too great in the UK for that to suffice.
That's been caused by the terrible shortage of new homes, meaning prices are far too high. Which is fundamental supply and demand in action.
An increase in supply may not be the only intervention required, I never said it is, but it is absolutely 100% needed and would help to reverse the damage that has been done.
Of course if supply increases and prices fall in real terms, then that would lower that inequality you mentioned too.
The number of new homes has increased faster than the population, by a wide margin. It's actually a glut.
The problem is that there are significant mismatches with where those houses are being built and where there is housing pressure. At risk of pissing off lots of PBers, here is my official assessment of LAs (bespoke assessments can be provided on request):
YIMBY Gold award:
Selby Huntingdonshire Mid Suffolk Telford and Wrekin West Lindsey
NIMBY Black Spot of Barty Doom
Pendle Thurrock Swale Epping Forest Peterborough
Urban Excellence award: Southwark Rural Excellence award: West Devon, Cotswolds, Uttlesford Leon award: Camden, Westminster, Kensington and Chelsea (fewer houses, population falling) Trooper award: Tower Hamlets, Bedford, Tewkesbury (massive effort, but simply can’t keep up) Breeze block award: Barking and Dagenham, Slough, Leicester (massive population growth, no attempt to deal with it) Barty award: Copeland, Richmondshire, Caerphilly, Allerdale (population falling but f*** it more houses anyway)
This glut is all in your head.
The number of new homes has nowhere near kept up with demand.
Again you show a shocking ignorance of the effects of demographics on housing requirements, talking again only of "population". 🤦♂️
8.2% increase in homes 6.1% increase in households 6.3% increase in population
Why are you lying?
Your households figure is a lie. You know this, so why repeat it?
People who are compelled to share a home as there's not enough houses are classed as one household. You know that, but you're repeating your lies anyway. 🤦♂️
The idea that t here's been a lesser increase in household demand than population increase, when our demographic changes mean there's even further household pressures, is so obviously false its remarkable your following through on this outright blatant lie.
The number of people per household has fallen, and overcrowding has fallen too.
Edit: sorry, the population per household has risen* This is explained by immigrants being much more efficient users of households than say older people
The number of people per household should have fallen as we have 4 million extra over 50s than we did. Who don't live with children.🤦♂️
Immigration doesn't counter that.
Your own data reveals the chronic housing shortage. Again!
In most LAs, housing pressure is actually falling. It's only in about 100 where you see this acute problem, and they are mostly in our cities.
Don't believe you - please provide evidence because even this week I saw issues in 3 local authorities round here..
Absolutely.
I'd love to know these mythical local authorities without housing shortages.
I provided you with some examples above
I have posted the infographic on this before too, once directly in reply to Bart.
Glad you got there in the end. You have always banged on that we build plenty of homes. You always missed the point that these are not necessarily where they are needed. Glad to see that is rectified.
That has always been the point I wanted to make.
But even then, I suspect more housebuilding in and around London, Edinburgh etc will just serve to keep pushing those economies on, never really solve the housing crisis there. Vicious cycle.
Sure. But what is the point of more housebuilding in areas like South Shields where the population actually contracted in between the censuses.
In South Tyneside, the population fell while the number of households increased very slightly.
This is where the analysis is tricky - under Bart's thinking, that means there was some housing pressure, which has some merit.
However, I suggest that the inverse is happening - there is so little pressure on housing in S.Tyneside people can afford to live alone. I think Barty includes this effect in his definition of "pressure", which I think is a little misleading. Indeed, comparing that kind of "pressure" to that experienced by people in London is just plain wrong.
Under his definition, housing pressure is effectively inescapable. We'd all love to live alone in a 10 bed mansion.
Most people, most of the time, buy the best house that the bank will let them afford. So, in that sense, I think there is an element of demand for housing being almost infinite.
If you taxed buy-to-let out of existence, and tightened up the mortgage rules to reduce how much people could borrow, then you could engineer a very large drop in house prices, even with no surge in house-building.
I don't think that would be the approach that would maximise human happiness, or economic utility, however.
Yes, I think that's fair.
I also think we should applaud those LAs that have experienced large population increases while keeping average household size steady, or even lower. They've dealt with it while not sacrificing living conditions:
Tewkesbury Central Bedfordshire Uttlesford Vale of White Horse South Norfolk
They’ve done this because a small group of Woke trustafarian idiots have campaigned for it bEcAuSe IsRaeL
Few things have made me angrier recently. It encapsulates everything wrong with 'radical' left-wing activism. Internally incoherent and incredibly stupid, hectoring, destroying the very things claim to value because others aren't allowed to enjoy them without paying the Danegeld, bullying, full undeserved self-righteousness, and then throw in a non-sequitur about Israel because why not? That's what's cool to shout about these days.
And what does it achieve. Probably that some of these festivals don't go ahead. Well done Sebastian and Arabella. Top work.
Two of the big campaigners who got all the literary festivals cancelled are Nish Kumar and Charlotte Church. Which is kinda perfect, two more objectionable twats it is hard to imagine
Are we sure if either of them can actually read? They don’t strike me as people suffused in literature
In other WWII related news, I hadn't realised that one of the earliest triggers for the change in US policy which led to the Marshall plan, was the decision by the Attlee government in Feb 1947 to end support for the Greek government's war against communist insurgents.
And while the US determined to rebuild the economies of Western Europe, we were still blowing up German shipyards in 1949.
They’ve done this because a small group of Woke trustafarian idiots have campaigned for it bEcAuSe IsRaeL
Never give in to these people. You give an inch and before you know it everything is cancelled / problematic.
The activists are basically objecting to BF being an investment company.
...“The assertion that we have significant amounts of money in the occupied Palestinian territories is offensively misleading. Baillie Gifford is a large investor in several multinational technology companies, including Amazon, Nvidia and Meta. Demanding divestment from these global companies, used by millions of people around the world, is unreasonable and serves no purpose. Much as it would be unreasonable to demand authors boycott Instagram or stop selling books on Amazon.”
Baillie Gifford was also not a “significant fossil fuel investor”, Thomas said. “Only 2% of our clients’ money is invested in companies with some business related to fossil fuels. We invest far more in companies helping drive the transition to clean energy.”..
This is my point. They are rarely if ever good faith actors, they despise the capitalist system, it must be torn down. One of the XR founder was honest about it at the beginning, that climate change cause was just a vehicle to help them achieve this by tapping into wider public concerns about the environment.
I have a coal fire. Am I….. cancelled?
Sorry, who are you?
He is on The List for conviction, followed by involuntary cremation.
On a coal fire.
It is now illegal to sell coal in closed sacks (although now I think about it are garages still doing that?) so what all the coal merchants do is cut open the tops of the sacks and proceed as usual.
Also, in case anyone thought the cost of living/energy crisis wasn't hitting home, a sack of coal which cost £8 pre-Covid today costs around £20 (actually more but that's the only coal that can be bought).
I don't fancy Penny Mourdant job this evening. It bad enough having 6 others gang up on you in a debate over your record in government, now what does she do about Sunak decision?
"The Prime Minister has many demands on his time and has to make difficult decisions about how to use it, while it's not the decision I would have made I don't think it remotely compares to Farage's support for Putin. You would have chosen to abandon Europe to the Nazis wouldn't you Nigel, just as you would abandon Ukraine to Putin today."
I am just home from work and errands in town. What has Sunak done now?
In other news, I hear that Labour has, if I understand the details correctly, promised to revive the Help to Buy scheme (slightly different name this time, but same DNA) and make it permanent. If anyone ever doubted that one of the principle functions of the British state is to ensure ever-rising house prices, there's your proof.
This guy explains it well, from a few months ago when Tories floated similar idea.
I think we all know it's a bloody terrible idea from the socio-economic POV, the Government underwriting a load of sub-prime mortgage debt in order to increase competition for an insufficient supply of property, to the benefit of existing owners. But if you appreciate that the politicians like to pretend they care about the young whilst lavishing all the real benefits on the old, as part of the endless bidding war over the grey vote, then it makes total sense.
I hope that what we're going to get out of Labour is substantial change, rather than more of the same with a few cosmetic flourishes, but this kind of nonsense doesn't inspire confidence.
(((Dan Hodges))) @DPJHodges · 12m Rishi Sunak says the issue shouldn’t be politicised and we should focus on the veterans. There was supposed to be a campaign pause for D-Day. He broke it, left the veterans, and came home for a political interview.
Um, he filmed an interview that wasn’t to be aired during D-day events and so clearly didn’t do any campaigning.
The only reason people are aware he did an interview for the campaign is because of people wetting their pants about him missing part of the D-day commemorations. So he respected the campaigning pause - it was others who turned it into part of the campaign.
That’s not how people will see it. He didn’t have time in his diary for veterans of D Day but could find the time to do a campaign interview. And his excuse that he did the British events but not the non-British one is just staggering. The liberation of Nazi occupied Europe was a joint endeavour, the commemoration of it should be too. Any PM who doesn’t get that instinctively deserves everything he gets.
He didn’t have time for veterans except the one he pushed along in his wheelchair, the ones he met, addressed and quoted and praised at the ceremony he attended.
Now I know I’m one of probably three people on this site who didn’t stop everything yesterday and devote the day to watching D-day, and I apologise for that, but I’m guessing the veterans cared more about the king being there, about actually being there themselves and getting the thanks from the ordinary people.
I can’t imagine any of them knew who was actually attending the main ceremony. So let’s get someone to ask them - after all, it’s about them and their comrades. If they really are offended then Sunak needs to step down, if they say they don’t care, it’s not about politicians then we move on. Fair enough?
I'm looking forward to the 100th anniversary of D-Day, when politicians will have to kneel down upon the Holy Sands, bare their back and flagellate themselves with the Sacred Barbed Wire Of Omaha. Anyone seen as not showing enough reverence will immediatey be tied to a Czech hedgehog, ready to be claimed by the next tide.
Quite right too. I mean, I know most people who are hammering Sunak woke up early yesterday, faced towards Normandy and saluted at the time of the first landings then spent the day in sorrowful contemplation whilst watching Whoever has replaced Huw Edward’s looking mournful whilst weeping into their tissues.
I know they refrained from anything frivolous but I think of the words of my grandfather who survived the war, who was bombing Normandy from D-day onwards, to go and enjoy every day and don’t take it all too seriously because you don’t know when it’s over.
He lost two brothers in the war and would have found the performative outrage seriously embarrassing and possibly offensive in itself because the vast majority of the outrage isn’t because they hold these incredibly deep values and feelings for those who died but because it makes one side look bad and them better.
I think most people here are hammering Sunak purely for his suicidal stupidity.
They’ve done this because a small group of Woke trustafarian idiots have campaigned for it bEcAuSe IsRaeL
Never give in to these people. You give an inch and before you know it everything is cancelled / problematic.
The activists are basically objecting to BF being an investment company.
...“The assertion that we have significant amounts of money in the occupied Palestinian territories is offensively misleading. Baillie Gifford is a large investor in several multinational technology companies, including Amazon, Nvidia and Meta. Demanding divestment from these global companies, used by millions of people around the world, is unreasonable and serves no purpose. Much as it would be unreasonable to demand authors boycott Instagram or stop selling books on Amazon.”
Baillie Gifford was also not a “significant fossil fuel investor”, Thomas said. “Only 2% of our clients’ money is invested in companies with some business related to fossil fuels. We invest far more in companies helping drive the transition to clean energy.”..
This is my point. They are rarely if ever good faith actors, they despise the capitalist system, it must be torn down. I bet we all indirectly have 2% of our pension etc invested in these areas.
One of the XR founder was honest about it at the beginning, that climate change cause was just a vehicle to help them achieve this by tapping into wider public concerns about the environment.
This is what they are doing here, leveraging fossil fuels and Israel.
XR are a bunch of risibles. Anyone serious about action on climate change should share that opinion.
At some point, assuming that the science is broadly sound, then combining this with the actual current facts and only possible trajectory of CO2 emissions a particular thing has to change, and it will embarrass a lot of people. It is this:
There is no route whatsoever out of very substantial global warming as a result of actions past, present and immediate future. None of this is stoppable.
If the science is correct, the immediate issue is how to plan for and deal with the realities of this fact.
This has been true for some years, but people cling to the myth that 'we have five (insert similar number) years to save the world by abolishing oil and gas'.
Anyoneknow what the record number of posts in a thread is?
Are we making an attempt on the record?
But the big long threads seem to be working well for discussion though? In relation to days with lots of threads to jump across to, that can be discussion(s) killer, this feels okay?
But editors also need to be mindful lots of lurkers come for the quality and independent thoughts in the headers, i suspect.
A focus on quality not quantity of headers, and longer threads for discussion seems good balance to me.
In fairness to the editors, OGH has stepped down, TSE is off sick and Robert lives in another timezone. It's not surprising if we have to talk amongst ourselves for a little longer than usual.
The depleted editorial team should use OGH's old tricks of starting a thread every time he saw a tweet about a new opinion poll, and when he didn't, regularly starting generic Nighthawks threads. We do not need the editors to spend the whole day crafting thousand-word headers.
I wonder if there isn't a long standing respected member who could step up to being on the editorial team? How did TSE get his place?
Bribery? Blackmail? Befriending OGH at the occasional in-person meetings we used to hold?
Popstar Holly Valance holds crunch last minute talks with Reform UK to stand against Tory chairman Richard Holden in election. She must decide by 4pm today.
In other WWII related news, I hadn't realised that one of the earliest triggers for the change in US policy which led to the Marshall plan, was the decision by the Attlee government in Feb 1947 to end support for the Greek government's war against communist insurgents.
And while the US determined to rebuild the economies of Western Europe, we were still blowing up German shipyards in 1949.
In retrospect a policy of German deindustrialisation would have been a visionary approach to tackling climate change.
My postie just arrived. Shaved head, tats everywhere you look, including one of those ones with a bulldog holding a union jack or maybe wearing one I didn't look to closely.
Came over, handed me my post, left.
Not. A. Word. about Normandy.
DYOR and bet accordingly.
Ah so it's attained the "goes without saying" level of horror. Oh dear, awful for Sunak.
I don't fancy Penny Mourdant job this evening. It bad enough having 6 others gang up on you in a debate over your record in government, now what does she do about Sunak decision?
Go in studs up on Farage.
And let the PM speak for himself.
What does that even look like? Calling him a racist isn't going to fly with the voters they're fighting over.
But Trump is Farage´s big mate, and about as popular as norovirus with most people in this country, then there is the questionable history with Russia Today, the who paid the Bad Boys of Brexit, and admit it, Nigel you prefer Red wine to Bitter etc etc
Popstar Holly Valance holds crunch last minute talks with Reform UK to stand against Tory chairman Richard Holden in election. She must decide by 4pm today.
At least she won’t be able to criticise Sunak for being married to a billionaire. I knew there would be some good news for Rishi today.
There has been a distinct lack of celeb endorsements so far. Maybe this tedious stuff will come shortly. I was fully expecting the likes of Gary Neville to be drowning on at every opportunity to vote Labour.
They’ve done this because a small group of Woke trustafarian idiots have campaigned for it bEcAuSe IsRaeL
Few things have made me angrier recently. It encapsulates everything wrong with 'radical' left-wing activism. Internally incoherent and incredibly stupid, hectoring, destroying the very things claim to value because others aren't allowed to enjoy them without paying the Danegeld, bullying, full undeserved self-righteousness, and then throw in a non-sequitur about Israel because why not? That's what's cool to shout about these days.
And what does it achieve. Probably that some of these festivals don't go ahead. Well done Sebastian and Arabella. Top work.
Two of the big campaigners who got all the literary festivals cancelled are Nish Kumar and Charlotte Church. Which is kinda perfect, two more objectionable twats it is hard to imagine
Are we sure if either of them can actually read? They don’t strike me as people suffused in literature
Popstar Holly Valance holds crunch last minute talks with Reform UK to stand against Tory chairman Richard Holden in election. She must decide by 4pm today.
At least she won’t be able to criticise Sunak for being married to a billionaire. I knew there would be some good news for Rishi today.
Popstar Holly Valance holds crunch last minute talks with Reform UK to stand against Tory chairman Richard Holden in election. She must decide by 4pm today.
They’ve done this because a small group of Woke trustafarian idiots have campaigned for it bEcAuSe IsRaeL
Never give in to these people. You give an inch and before you know it everything is cancelled / problematic.
The activists are basically objecting to BF being an investment company.
...“The assertion that we have significant amounts of money in the occupied Palestinian territories is offensively misleading. Baillie Gifford is a large investor in several multinational technology companies, including Amazon, Nvidia and Meta. Demanding divestment from these global companies, used by millions of people around the world, is unreasonable and serves no purpose. Much as it would be unreasonable to demand authors boycott Instagram or stop selling books on Amazon.”
Baillie Gifford was also not a “significant fossil fuel investor”, Thomas said. “Only 2% of our clients’ money is invested in companies with some business related to fossil fuels. We invest far more in companies helping drive the transition to clean energy.”..
This is my point. They are rarely if ever good faith actors, they despise the capitalist system, it must be torn down. I bet we all indirectly have 2% of our pension etc invested in these areas.
One of the XR founder was honest about it at the beginning, that climate change cause was just a vehicle to help them achieve this by tapping into wider public concerns about the environment.
This is what they are doing here, leveraging fossil fuels and Israel.
XR are a bunch of risibles. Anyone serious about action on climate change should share that opinion.
At some point, assuming that the science is broadly sound, then combining this with the actual current facts and only possible trajectory of CO2 emissions a particular thing has to change, and it will embarrass a lot of people. It is this:
There is no route whatsoever out of very substantial global warming as a result of actions past, present and immediate future. None of this is stoppable.
If the science is correct, the immediate issue is how to plan for and deal with the realities of this fact.
This has been true for some years, but people cling to the myth that 'we have five (insert similar number) years to save the world by abolishing oil and gas'.
I sympathise with the idea that we need to start planning for the inevitable. The 2030s will be all about getting the UK ready.
But the nature and scale of the damage escalates very quickly the hotter the world gets. Sure, it's some dodgy modelling and no one knows for sure, but it's as likely it could be even worse than expected than better.
There are some interesting and rather terrifying tipping points. It's like FPTP, but for the human race.
Popstar Holly Valance holds crunch last minute talks with Reform UK to stand against Tory chairman Richard Holden in election. She must decide by 4pm today.
This could start a political arms race to recruit Australian soap stars.
Popstar Holly Valance holds crunch last minute talks with Reform UK to stand against Tory chairman Richard Holden in election. She must decide by 4pm today.
It's Holly v The Wally
I think more Wally vs Wally.
She did a long form interview a couple of months ago and it was quite painful.
Popstar Holly Valance holds crunch last minute talks with Reform UK to stand against Tory chairman Richard Holden in election. She must decide by 4pm today.
This could start a political arms race to recruit Australian soap stars.
Popstar Holly Valance holds crunch last minute talks with Reform UK to stand against Tory chairman Richard Holden in election. She must decide by 4pm today.
Popstar Holly Valance holds crunch last minute talks with Reform UK to stand against Tory chairman Richard Holden in election. She must decide by 4pm today.
This could start a political arms race to recruit Australian soap stars.
In other WWII related news, I hadn't realised that one of the earliest triggers for the change in US policy which led to the Marshall plan, was the decision by the Attlee government in Feb 1947 to end support for the Greek government's war against communist insurgents.
And while the US determined to rebuild the economies of Western Europe, we were still blowing up German shipyards in 1949.
In retrospect a policy of German deindustrialisation would have been a visionary approach to tackling climate change.
Well that was the previous policy.
Since the German populace were at that time subsisting on about 1000 kcal a day, its continuance would have required about 25m of them to disappear, one way or another, within a fairly short space of time.
My postie just arrived. Shaved head, tats everywhere you look, including one of those ones with a bulldog holding a union jack or maybe wearing one I didn't look to closely.
Came over, handed me my post, left.
Not. A. Word. about Normandy.
DYOR and bet accordingly.
He (or she) has clearly got your number.
I have never met a chatty postman, they seem in too much of a hurry.
My postie just arrived. Shaved head, tats everywhere you look, including one of those ones with a bulldog holding a union jack or maybe wearing one I didn't look to closely.
Came over, handed me my post, left.
Not. A. Word. about Normandy.
DYOR and bet accordingly.
He (or she) has clearly got your number.
I have never met a chatty postman, they seem in too much of a hurry.
Might help to explain why ours are so good at delivering to the right house number in the wrong road.
They’ve done this because a small group of Woke trustafarian idiots have campaigned for it bEcAuSe IsRaeL
Never give in to these people. You give an inch and before you know it everything is cancelled / problematic.
The activists are basically objecting to BF being an investment company.
...“The assertion that we have significant amounts of money in the occupied Palestinian territories is offensively misleading. Baillie Gifford is a large investor in several multinational technology companies, including Amazon, Nvidia and Meta. Demanding divestment from these global companies, used by millions of people around the world, is unreasonable and serves no purpose. Much as it would be unreasonable to demand authors boycott Instagram or stop selling books on Amazon.”
Baillie Gifford was also not a “significant fossil fuel investor”, Thomas said. “Only 2% of our clients’ money is invested in companies with some business related to fossil fuels. We invest far more in companies helping drive the transition to clean energy.”..
This is my point. They are rarely if ever good faith actors, they despise the capitalist system, it must be torn down. I bet we all indirectly have 2% of our pension etc invested in these areas.
One of the XR founder was honest about it at the beginning, that climate change cause was just a vehicle to help them achieve this by tapping into wider public concerns about the environment.
This is what they are doing here, leveraging fossil fuels and Israel.
XR are a bunch of risibles. Anyone serious about action on climate change should share that opinion.
At some point, assuming that the science is broadly sound, then combining this with the actual current facts and only possible trajectory of CO2 emissions a particular thing has to change, and it will embarrass a lot of people. It is this:
There is no route whatsoever out of very substantial global warming as a result of actions past, present and immediate future. None of this is stoppable.
If the science is correct, the immediate issue is how to plan for and deal with the realities of this fact.
This has been true for some years, but people cling to the myth that 'we have five (insert similar number) years to save the world by abolishing oil and gas'.
I sympathise with the idea that we need to start planning for the inevitable. The 2030s will be all about getting the UK ready.
But the nature and scale of the damage escalates very quickly the hotter the world gets. Sure, it's some dodgy modelling and no one knows for sure, but it's as likely it could be even worse than expected than better.
There are some interesting and rather terrifying tipping points. It's like FPTP, but for the human race.
Yes, the implication that we can therefore abandon the transition to renewables is plain wrong. We actually need to be accelerating that transition and planning how to adapt to significant climate change.
Globally, the energy transition should be a net economic plus over time, which is fortunate.
Popstar Holly Valance holds crunch last minute talks with Reform UK to stand against Tory chairman Richard Holden in election. She must decide by 4pm today.
This could start a political arms race to recruit Australian soap stars.
The Tories seem to have already succumbed to Nathalie Imbroglio.
I think this all comes back to the 'Sunak is not good at politics' conclusion.
He might do okay working in a political think-tank. But being PM is simply way above his pay grade. For that you need a political instinct that he does not possess.
My postie just arrived. Shaved head, tats everywhere you look, including one of those ones with a bulldog holding a union jack or maybe wearing one I didn't look to closely.
Came over, handed me my post, left.
Not. A. Word. about Normandy.
DYOR and bet accordingly.
He (or she) has clearly got your number.
I have never met a chatty postman, they seem in too much of a hurry.
You haven't been round long. We have one who posts on PB.
On topic (but it will take me a while to get to it):
Could Political Betting help people become "super-agers"? An article in the May 7th NYT describes the findings from studies in Spain and Chicago of "super-agers", old people who are especially active mentally -- for their age.
Here, for me, is the most interesting finding: "The behaviors of some of the Chicago super-agers were similarly a surprise. Some exercised regularly, but some never had; some stuck to a Mediterranean diet, others subsisted off TV dinners; and a few of them still smoked cigarettes. However, one consistency among the group was that they tended to have strong social relationships, Dr. Rogalski said." (from an article by Dana G. Smith, titled "Peering Inside the Brains of 'Super-Agers')
To the extent that PB helps people have "strong social relationships", it will help them age well.
(And for the application to US politics? Social relationships have broken down in the US over recent decades, weakening families and communities. And that contributes to the widespread unhappiness in this wealthy nation, an unhappiness that is exploited by so many.)
Comments
https://x.com/BenChilton/status/1799048591530762663
Boulay - What you did his not important. Why? Because you are not the PM, you do not represent the country. Mr Sunak is and he failed - yet again.
I know they refrained from anything frivolous but I think of the words of my grandfather who survived the war, who was bombing Normandy from D-day onwards, to go and enjoy every day and don’t take it all too seriously because you don’t know when it’s over.
He lost two brothers in the war and would have found the performative outrage seriously embarrassing and possibly offensive in itself because the vast majority of the outrage isn’t because they hold these incredibly deep values and feelings for those who died but because it makes one side look bad and them better.
If you want booze that makes you a bit less fighty, I´d suggest nyalivka, but avoid Piana Vyshnya, which is Benylin without the subtle aftertaste.
I didn’t believe reports Sunak and his team contemplated not attending the events at all. Having watched his interview again, and spoken to a couple of people, I’m not sure now. His explanation doesn’t add up.
NEW: The Lib Dems are calling on Rishi Sunak to donate their £5 million Frank Hester donation to a veterans' charity
https://iandunt.substack.com/p/d-day-for-sunak
I mean deadly accurate as an assessment of the Cons' state of mind but dreadful as a betting tip.
And let the PM speak for himself.
The belief Inequality is due to oppression, unless the capitalist system is broken, there will always be inequality, therefore oppression hierarchy and therefore the system must be torn down.
Like the eco-fascists. You aren't negotiating with good faith actors.
Sunak had almost nothing going for him in the campaign. The one "almost" was incumbency and he has thrown the advantages that brings away. It's right up there with Jeremy Thorpe thinking, see that Norman Scott, he's a bit of a nuisance, maybe I should murder him.
Rishi Sunak, the greatest Labour candidate in history.
And I did't watch a single second of the D-Day stuff, and that bears no relation to whether I care. I shall be in the back row somewhere on the second Sunday in November wearing my poppy, remember the 6 years of my dad's life from 1939-1945 and go home.
...“The assertion that we have significant amounts of money in the occupied Palestinian territories is offensively misleading. Baillie Gifford is a large investor in several multinational technology companies, including Amazon, Nvidia and Meta. Demanding divestment from these global companies, used by millions of people around the world, is unreasonable and serves no purpose. Much as it would be unreasonable to demand authors boycott Instagram or stop selling books on Amazon.”
Baillie Gifford was also not a “significant fossil fuel investor”, Thomas said. “Only 2% of our clients’ money is invested in companies with some business related to fossil fuels. We invest far more in companies helping drive the transition to clean energy.”..
One of the XR founder was honest about it at the beginning, that climate change cause was just a vehicle to help them achieve this by tapping into wider public concerns about the environment.
This is what they are doing here, leveraging fossil fuels and Israel.
My postie just arrived. Shaved head, tats everywhere you look, including one of those ones with a bulldog holding a union jack or maybe wearing one I didn't look to closely.
Came over, handed me my post, left.
Not. A. Word. about Normandy.
DYOR and bet accordingly.
And he is safe as PM because there isn't a House to draw confidence from.
In other news, I hear that Labour has, if I understand the details correctly, promised to revive the Help to Buy scheme (slightly different name this time, but same DNA) and make it permanent. If anyone ever doubted that one of the principle functions of the British state is to ensure ever-rising house prices, there's your proof.
99% Mortgages Are A Terrible Idea.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bGgA_C7znwY
And the ticking timebomb is already there...
https://www.telegraph.co.uk/business/2023/08/12/help-buy-scheme-first-time-buyers-downsize/
https://www.telegraph.co.uk/money/property/first-time-buyers-forced-sell-up-unaffordable-help-to-buy/
A lot of Labour flagship policies appear to be just reheated with a new name. Freedom to Buy, the national wealth scheme is PFI, ASBOS are coming back with a different name.
If you taxed buy-to-let out of existence, and tightened up the mortgage rules to reduce how much people could borrow, then you could engineer a very large drop in house prices, even with no surge in house-building.
I don't think that would be the approach that would maximise human happiness, or economic utility, however.
Clue: It’s a “round” number.
It’s a really good policy for allowing people who could by anyway to spend a bit more, and then (as you say) nudge up prices and pull the ladder up behind them.
Anyone serious about action on climate change should share that opinion.
I'm going to make a bold prediction: The Tories are going to struggle to win today's news cycle.
Bus station
Greggs
Deserted Debenhams shop
More Greggs
Van selling burgers or kebabs
Cashpoints
Tramp outside cashpoint
Drunks at prominent doorway begging/menacing
Old fat people on mobility scooters, so fat the seat disappears in the bottom
Nightclub that looks old and tacky in the daytime, with blanked-out windows
Vape shops
Charity shops
British Heart Foundation Furniture and Electrical
Waitrose/Sainsburys/Tescos/Co-op/Morrisons
Buskers
Tattoo shops
Chain Coffee shop (Costa, Starbucks, whatevs)
Local Coffee shop/cake shop where you can sit down with bacon roll and read book for a bit
People sitting at tables drinking coffee like it was Paris or something
Car parks
Boarded-up shopping centre/road
Pub advertising football
Big Issue seller from Eastern Europe
Opticians
Nail bars
Ice-cream shop
On a coal fire.
I mean i disagree with Mark Thomas on most thing political but he was bloody funny.
I also think we should applaud those LAs that have experienced large population increases while keeping average household size steady, or even lower. They've dealt with it while not sacrificing living conditions:
Tewkesbury
Central Bedfordshire
Uttlesford
Vale of White Horse
South Norfolk
And while the US determined to rebuild the economies of Western Europe, we were still blowing up German shipyards in 1949.
Also, in case anyone thought the cost of living/energy crisis wasn't hitting home, a sack of coal which cost £8 pre-Covid today costs around £20 (actually more but that's the only coal that can be bought).
I hope that what we're going to get out of Labour is substantial change, rather than more of the same with a few cosmetic flourishes, but this kind of nonsense doesn't inspire confidence.
There is no route whatsoever out of very substantial global warming as a result of actions past, present and immediate future. None of this is stoppable.
If the science is correct, the immediate issue is how to plan for and deal with the realities of this fact.
This has been true for some years, but people cling to the myth that 'we have five (insert similar number) years to save the world by abolishing oil and gas'.
LATEST
Popstar Holly Valance holds crunch last minute talks with Reform UK to stand against Tory chairman Richard Holden in election.
She must decide by 4pm today.
Not sure that anyone would put their name forward, though ? Not the greatest risk/reward proposition.
There must be an easier way ?
Sorry; not sorry
But the nature and scale of the damage escalates very quickly the hotter the world gets. Sure, it's some dodgy modelling and no one knows for sure, but it's as likely it could be even worse than expected than better.
There are some interesting and rather terrifying tipping points. It's like FPTP, but for the human race.
She did a long form interview a couple of months ago and it was quite painful.
Since the German populace were at that time subsisting on about 1000 kcal a day, its continuance would have required about 25m of them to disappear, one way or another, within a fairly short space of time.
We actually need to be accelerating that transition and planning how to adapt to significant climate change.
Globally, the energy transition should be a net economic plus over time, which is fortunate.
He might do okay working in a political think-tank. But being PM is simply way above his pay grade. For that you need a political instinct that he does not possess.
We have one who posts on PB.
Could Political Betting help people become "super-agers"? An article in the May 7th NYT describes the findings from studies in Spain and Chicago of "super-agers", old people who are especially active mentally -- for their age.
Here, for me, is the most interesting finding: "The behaviors of some of the Chicago super-agers were similarly a surprise. Some exercised regularly, but some never had; some stuck to a Mediterranean diet, others subsisted off TV dinners; and a few of them still smoked cigarettes. However, one consistency among the group was that they tended to have strong social relationships, Dr. Rogalski said." (from an article by Dana G. Smith, titled "Peering Inside the Brains of 'Super-Agers')
To the extent that PB helps people have "strong social relationships", it will help them age well.
(And for the application to US politics? Social relationships have broken down in the US over recent decades, weakening families and communities. And that contributes to the widespread unhappiness in this wealthy nation, an unhappiness that is exploited by so many.)