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Good news for family values conservatives, they were right – politicalbetting.com

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  • CarnyxCarnyx Posts: 44,617

    That sounds revolting.
    If you're out somewhere in the middle of Salisbury Plain and the next pub, which may or may not have more food than some salt and vinegars crisps, is 5 miles away in one direction, and it's 8pm and pissing down ...
  • carnforthcarnforth Posts: 5,652

    That sounds revolting.
    Portuguese tripe and beans is a classic. Lovage is gross, though. I would avoid.
  • CarnyxCarnyx Posts: 44,617
    edited September 2024
    carnforth said:

    Portuguese tripe and beans is a classic. Lovage is gross, though. I would avoid.
    The pea soup with sausage also sounds like a relative of the classic German military food cooked up in a mobile cooker - with carrots, potatoes, bacon and veg.

    Edit: like Cullen skink parallels clam chowders.
  • Carnyx said:

    If you're out somewhere in the middle of Salisbury Plain and the next pub, which may or may not have more food than some salt and vinegars crisps, is 5 miles away in one direction, and it's 8pm and pissing down ...
    It'd be salt and vinegar every time for me.
  • DavidLDavidL Posts: 55,113
    ydoethur said:

    To be fair, there are plenty of doughnuts in the private sector as well.
    I have to confess that there are quite a lot of doughnuts in me too.
  • FrancisUrquhartFrancisUrquhart Posts: 83,341
    edited September 2024

    Dido Harding eat your heart out.
    One of the interesting bits of Big Dom's outing on Chris Williamsons podcast he laid out some examples from COVID where those who succeeded got the boot / weren't retained and the f##k ups got moved from groups that failed to the new groups formed to try and avoid repeated fuck ups.

    The team who did the digital dashboard should have been paid whatever they wanted to continue their data revolution. Apparently at the start of COVID Simon Stevens had to personally ring around every NHS Trust every day and ask for the daily numbers, which he wrote on a whiteboard, that he then wheeled into to cabinet office...they didn't even have the ability to share docs to work on securely, they used a personal gmail account and google docs / sheets.
  • carnforth said:

    Portuguese tripe and beans is a classic. Lovage is gross, though. I would avoid.
    It's only the Portuguese who can be trusted with tripe. Similarly, salt cod.
  • Yes but that is a civil/corporate punishment. Not a criminal one. The idea of criminalising such behaviour is ludicrous.

    Declaration of interest: I met my wife 34 years ago today, as previously mentioned in this thread, when she arrived as my trainee on a rig. Perhaps we were lucky we were working for a French company who took a rather progressive view of such matters.
    Men and women meet each other and find each other attractive, sometimes they have sex.

    Sometimes it's simple and sometimes it's complicated.

    That's humans, that is.
  • Hassan Nasrallah, Hezbollah’s leader grand wizard, is expected to deliver a televised address in response to the attacks on Thursday.

    That might not be the smartest move fellas - what if Mossad got to the TVs too?
  • Is ‘Renegade Pollster’ a renegade in the Muscovite sense per chance?

    Exit Poll damager with the ill behavior
  • DavidLDavidL Posts: 55,113

    But just to get you spouting off a few more conspiracy theories, here is how Quinnipac did in 2020 in swing states namely significantly overstating the Democrat lead

    https://www.realclearpolling.com/polls/pollster/quinnipiac-2020-2016-swing-states.
    But did they learn from that and change their weightings? It is dangerous to assume that pollsters, at least the ones even trying to be accurate, will make the same mistakes again. They are more likely to make different ones.

    Comparing current polling with 2020 is not necessarily comparing like with like.
  • rkrkrkrkrkrk Posts: 8,627

    Capping all salaries at the PM's level is one of the biggest problems we have in attracting and retaining major leadership talent in the public sector.

    Firstly, the PM salary is paid *on top* of that of being an MP, so he's actually on 240k+, secondly there are perks and privileges to being PM, and third you can cream in a lot more with memoirs and speeches after leaving office. But in any event the 160k headline level is far too low for a PM/CEO/major leadership job and well below the market rate, which would be more like 400-600k, so you get real doughnuts in the public sector instead whilst the rest go into consultancy, private businesses or set up for themselves.

    Sometimes people choose to earn less in the civil service because they find the work interesting/meaningful or they want to serve the public.

    When I worked in the civil service I knew many such people, some of whom had previously been earning big money in the private sector. There's more to talent recruitment than just wages.
  • That might not be the smartest move fellas - what if Mossad got to the TVs too?
    I was just having a think about this. The pagers they clearly got to the supply chain (I presume some front company). But the secondary stuff of what appears to be random electronic devices....I wonder if those were done on a small scale as physiological warfare...any device with a battery, we might have got to.
  • MalmesburyMalmesbury Posts: 54,082

    It the likes of the Guardian that seem to be most exercised about things like Clobber-gate at the moment.
    The Guardian is an alt-right hate rag, didn’t you get the memo?

    The Times Educational Supplement is actually edited by Gabriele D'Annunzio, reincarnated.
  • rkrkrk said:

    Sometimes people choose to earn less in the civil service because they find the work interesting/meaningful or they want to serve the public.

    When I worked in the civil service I knew many such people, some of whom had previously been earning big money in the private sector. There's more to talent recruitment than just wages.
    There is.

    There's the great pension and gongs as well.
  • turbotubbsturbotubbs Posts: 18,582
    Carnyx said:

    If you're out somewhere in the middle of Salisbury Plain and the next pub, which may or may not have more food than some salt and vinegars crisps, is 5 miles away in one direction, and it's 8pm and pissing down ...
    You call me and hope I pick up…
  • MattWMattW Posts: 26,515
    edited September 2024
    Carnyx said:

    But only for official widows? Very keen on ensuring further income for the C of E and the weddings industry, you are.
    Let me argue for the C of E for a minute there. It's taken *very* seriously and everyone works really hard at it because it is so important.

    A church service in the Church of England will cost about £520-660 without optional extras. The lower end is for your home parish, with about £100 extra for not your home parish.

    For that you get your own occasion in the church (ie the venue including things like heating and the staff to run it ie churchwarden), the minister (typically the vicar, who is a professional with a lot of pastoral experience and at least 2 degrees), the calling of the Banns (announcement at the Sunday Service on iirc 3 occasions), the admin and certificates. I think you get advice, helping you to think about what getting married means, meetings for discussion to make sure you really want to get married, and a rehearsal as well.

    I think that is bloody good value and a strong support for couples getting married, if you consider that a car will be £250 to £350 or a dress will be £1000+ for a single occasion.

    For a typical wedding the Church of England church fees will only be about 10% of the overall cost.

    If you want things like a paid musician (organist - regulated fees), singing group (choir) and so on, it is extra.

    https://www.churchofengland.org/life-events/your-church-wedding/just-engaged/cost-church-weddings
  • DavidLDavidL Posts: 55,113
    Carnyx said:

    The pea soup with sausage also sounds like a relative of the classic German military food cooked up in a mobile cooker - with carrots, potatoes, bacon and veg.

    Edit: like Cullen skink parallels clam chowders.
    Cullen skink is simply the Queen of soups. Even the tinned version by Baxter’s is excellent.
  • LeonLeon Posts: 59,566
    DavidL said:

    Cullen skink is simply the Queen of soups. Even the tinned version by Baxter’s is excellent.
    Cioppino, certes
  • DavidLDavidL Posts: 55,113

    Men and women meet each other and find each other attractive, sometimes they have sex.

    Sometimes it's simple and sometimes it's complicated.

    That's humans, that is.
    Let’s not overstate this. In my case this meeting thing last happened 40 years ago. Can’t get much simpler than that
  • Roger said:

    The bitterness at the Labour victory has been quite something. All these Tories who went into hiding going into the election are now screaming at the moon. Hopefully they'll settle down and stop the dull repetitive posts but it might take a while. The nice thing is you can skip 4 out of 6 posts which makes the thread easier to flick through
    Roger - how would you rate the performance of the Labour government so far? I myself would rate them 5/10 so far
  • RobDRobD Posts: 60,336

    Capping all salaries at the PM's level is one of the biggest problems we have in attracting and retaining major leadership talent in the public sector.

    Firstly, the PM salary is paid *on top* of that of being an MP, so he's actually on 240k+, secondly there are perks and privileges to being PM, and third you can cream in a lot more with memoirs and speeches after leaving office. But in any event the 160k headline level is far too low for a PM/CEO/major leadership job and well below the market rate, which would be more like 400-600k, so you get real doughnuts in the public sector instead whilst the rest go into consultancy, private businesses or set up for themselves.

    The £160k includes the MP salary, so he’s not on a quarter of a million a year.
  • LeonLeon Posts: 59,566
    The Guardian has published the worst article in the history of writing

    https://x.com/guardiang2/status/1836254461146337424?s=46&t=bulOICNH15U6kB0MwE6Lfw
  • ydoethurydoethur Posts: 73,318
    MattW said:

    Let me argue for the C of E for a minute there. It's taken *very* seriously and everyone works really hard at it because it is so important.

    A church service in the Church of England will cost about £520-660 without optional extras. The lower end is for your home parish, with about £100 extra for not your home parish.

    For that you get your own occasion in the church (ie the venue including things like heating and the staff to run it ie churchwarden), the minister (typically the vicar, who is a professional with a lot of pastoral experience and at least 2 degrees), the calling of the Banns (announcement at the Sunday Service on iirc 3 occasions), the admin and certificates. I think you get advice, helping you to think about what getting married means, meetings for discussion to make sure you really want to get married, and a rehearsal as well.

    I think that is bloody good value and a strong support for couples getting married, if you consider that a car will be £250 to £350 or a dress will be £1000+ for a single occasion.

    For a typical wedding the Church of England church fees will only be about 10% of the overall cost.

    If you want things like a paid musician (organist - regulated fees), singing group (choir) and so on, it is extra.

    https://www.churchofengland.org/life-events/your-church-wedding/just-engaged/cost-church-weddings
    Oi! We can't have people thinking organists' pay is an 'extra.'

    I am sure @El_Capitano would agree...
  • FrancisUrquhartFrancisUrquhart Posts: 83,341
    edited September 2024
    United Nations Secretary-General Antonio Guterres said Wednesday that civilian objects should not be weaponized following a deadly wave of explosions across Lebanon targeting pagers used by Hezbollah.

    Its like conflating the laptops / tablets military use with a Macbook Air.
  • MattWMattW Posts: 26,515
    edited September 2024
    MattW said:

    Let me argue for the C of E for a minute there. It's taken *very* seriously and everyone works really hard at it because it is so important.

    A church service in the Church of England will cost about £520-660 without optional extras. The lower end is for your home parish, with about £100 extra for not your home parish.

    For that you get your own occasion in the church (ie the venue including things like heating and the staff to run it ie churchwarden), the minister (typically the vicar, who is a professional with a lot of pastoral experience and at least 2 degrees), the calling of the Banns (announcement at the Sunday Service on iirc 3 occasions), the admin and certificates. I think you get advice, helping you to think about what getting married means, meetings for discussion to make sure you really want to get married, and a rehearsal as well.

    I think that is bloody good value and a strong support for couples getting married, if you consider that a car will be £250 to £350 or a dress will be £1000+ for a single occasion.

    For a typical wedding the Church of England church fees will only be about 10% of the overall cost.

    If you want things like a paid musician (organist - regulated fees), singing group (choir) and so on, it is extra.

    https://www.churchofengland.org/life-events/your-church-wedding/just-engaged/cost-church-weddings
    To add and broaden, if you want a cheap rubber stamp you go somewhere else like Las Vegas - I don't think any church or other religious organisation (and I include the humanists are a religious organisation who pretend that they are not one, but still take things seriously) will be cheap. Inexpensive maybe, but not cheap.

    https://www.churchofengland.org/life-events/your-church-wedding/just-engaged/cost-church-weddings
  • Leon said:

    The Guardian has published the worst article in the history of writing

    https://x.com/guardiang2/status/1836254461146337424?s=46&t=bulOICNH15U6kB0MwE6Lfw

    Worse than Thomas the Tank Engine is racist, sexist, ableist....
  • LeonLeon Posts: 59,566
    Seriously. Read that guardian article (if you can face intergalactic noncelord levels of cringe)

    Quite something
  • bondegezoubondegezou Posts: 13,590
    edited September 2024
  • Andy_JSAndy_JS Posts: 34,276
    edited September 2024
    Leon said:

    Seriously. Read that guardian article (if you can face intergalactic noncelord levels of cringe)

    Quite something

    2 million views on the Twitter page linking to it.

    https://x.com/guardiang2/status/1836254461146337424
  • stodgestodge Posts: 14,437

    Capping all salaries at the PM's level is one of the biggest problems we have in attracting and retaining major leadership talent in the public sector.

    Firstly, the PM salary is paid *on top* of that of being an MP, so he's actually on 240k+, secondly there are perks and privileges to being PM, and third you can cream in a lot more with memoirs and speeches after leaving office. But in any event the 160k headline level is far too low for a PM/CEO/major leadership job and well below the market rate, which would be more like 400-600k, so you get real doughnuts in the public sector instead whilst the rest go into consultancy, private businesses or set up for themselves.

    It's a little more nuanced than that. County Council Chief Executives, such as Terence Herbert at Surrey, will be on a high salary including by pension contributions. The issue isn't the CEO pay as such (there aren't many of them) but the high numbers of senior and middle managers who are on £100k and their numbers relative to the number of staff actually being managed.

    Many Councils are over-managed in terms of having a disproportionately large number of senior and middle managers who fill the salary budget.
  • rcs1000rcs1000 Posts: 59,241

    Polls re all over the place though.

    The Insider Advantage Poll - which was done at the same time as Quinnipac - had Trump at +2.

    Quinnipac also has a much larger lead for Harris in Michigan for Harris than the other polls have generally shown.

    The Teamsters have also refused to endorse Harris (or Trump) which is a big blow, especially given their influence in the Rustbelt states. But apparently their polling shows Teamster members voting overwhelmingly for Trump.

    One final point - the polling in non-swing states (so Indiana, New Mexico, Missouri etc) is closely mirroring what happened in 2020 - which points to another nailbitter.
    I agree that it continues to be a nailbiter, and for the reason you identified earlier: wages in the US (as in pretty much all developed countries) have not kept up with inflation in the last four years.

    However, it is indisputably the case that Trump has had a poor polling week following the debate. It may be that this is a convention-like blip that dissipates. It may also be that the Trump campaign implodes.

    We shall see.
  • ydoethur said:

    Oi! We can't have people thinking organists' pay is an 'extra.'

    I am sure @El_Capitano would agree...
    And my daughters would be furious if you thought the choir was optional, even if they have missed out on the glory days of three weddings on a Saturday.

    But seriously, folks. Maddening as the Church of England is, ridiculous as you might find it, society will miss it, should it go. It does a lot (including the simple act of being everywhere, not just where it's easy) for not very much, really.
  • turbotubbsturbotubbs Posts: 18,582
    Leon said:

    The Guardian has published the worst article in the history of writing

    https://x.com/guardiang2/status/1836254461146337424?s=46&t=bulOICNH15U6kB0MwE6Lfw

    It’s satire, right? By someone who’s never been here.
  • Andy_JSAndy_JS Posts: 34,276
    O/T

    I think I've accidentally stumbled across what I now realise is the greatest pop song of all time: "Vamos A La Playa" by Italian band Righeira, singing in Spanish. From 1983.

    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fxTFDfe_WNc
  • Leon said:

    Seriously. Read that guardian article (if you can face intergalactic noncelord levels of cringe)

    Quite something

    I can't, so I won't.
  • LeonLeon Posts: 59,566
    Andy_JS said:

    2 million views on the Twitter page linking to it.

    https://x.com/guardiang2/status/1836254461146337424
    I guess it got lots of clicks. Nonetheless if I was the journalist responsible I’d go and live on St Kilda for the rest of time
  • algarkirkalgarkirk Posts: 13,938
    Leon said:

    The Guardian has published the worst article in the history of writing

    https://x.com/guardiang2/status/1836254461146337424?s=46&t=bulOICNH15U6kB0MwE6Lfw

    The horror! The horror! It's up there with the collected Mark Steyn 'Spectator' articles from the Conrad Black period.
  • algarkirkalgarkirk Posts: 13,938
    Leon said:

    Seriously. Read that guardian article (if you can face intergalactic noncelord levels of cringe)

    Quite something

    It reminds me that I shall have to make plans for the Crimble holibobs.
  • Leon said:

    Seriously. Read that guardian article (if you can face intergalactic noncelord levels of cringe)

    Quite something

    I've made it through the first ten

    I'm quite sure that any more will leave me with permanent brain damage
  • LeonLeon Posts: 59,566

    It’s satire, right? By someone who’s never been here.
    I did wonder that. But if it is satire it is the Guardian satirising itself in an extremely clever and cruel way. Mocking its own posh faux-prole lefty wankiness. Having looked at the author’s other writings I don’t think he’s that sophisticated

    My guess therefore is that this is “genuine” and an attempt at light humour which has failed calamitously
  • BenpointerBenpointer Posts: 35,266
    Leon said:

    Seriously. Read that guardian article (if you can face intergalactic noncelord levels of cringe)

    Quite something

    I tried. I failed. It is indeed monumentally awful.

    And yet, since it's clearly clickbait, it's also monumentally successful.
  • LeonLeon Posts: 59,566

    I tried. I failed. It is indeed monumentally awful.

    And yet, since it's clearly clickbait, it's also monumentally successful.
    The guardian must be desperate for clicks if it is willing to publish articles that make everyone hate everything it stands for. The contempt on social media is significant

    However, looking at the guardian’s dire financial situation maybe they ARE that desperate. I note they are selling the observer for pennies

    Add in their fierce attacks on Starmer and something weird is happening at groaniad towers
  • Carnyx said:

    The pea soup with sausage also sounds like a relative of the classic German military food cooked up in a mobile cooker - with carrots, potatoes, bacon and veg.

    Edit: like Cullen skink parallels clam chowders.
    The mobile cooker a Goulashkanone, still mainly horse-drawn in WWII. Always handy to have a potential ingredient travelling with you.
  • carnforthcarnforth Posts: 5,652

    I tried. I failed. It is indeed monumentally awful.

    And yet, since it's clearly clickbait, it's also monumentally successful.
    I did enjoy this Twitter reply beneath, though:

    "Can you print this and hand it out in Calais please?

    I think we’ve found something that will stop the boats.

    The Guardian is Britain’s cold sore."
  • BenpointerBenpointer Posts: 35,266
    Leon said:

    The guardian must be desperate for clicks if it is willing to publish articles that make everyone hate everything it stands for. The contempt on social media is significant

    However, looking at the guardian’s dire financial situation maybe they ARE that desperate. I note they are selling the observer for pennies

    Add in their fierce attacks on Starmer and something weird is happening at groaniad towers
    It's fascinating that that G2 tweet has 2M views, all the others have a few hundred or a couple of thousand at most. How did that one gather 1-2,000 times the views of the others?
  • CarnyxCarnyx Posts: 44,617

    I tried. I failed. It is indeed monumentally awful.

    And yet, since it's clearly clickbait, it's also monumentally successful.
    It's got ten posts from Leon on PB alone (or will soon do, if it hasn't) ...
  • LeonLeon Posts: 59,566

    It's fascinating that that G2 tweet has 2M views, all the others have a few hundred or a couple of thousand at most. How did that one gather 1-2,000 times the views of the others?
    It’s gone completely viral because the article is SO bad
  • Leon said:

    I did wonder that. But if it is satire it is the Guardian satirising itself in an extremely clever and cruel way. Mocking its own posh faux-prole lefty wankiness. Having looked at the author’s other writings I don’t think he’s that sophisticated

    My guess therefore is that this is “genuine” and an attempt at light humour which has failed calamitously
    A few of the entries are close to your "sashnation" or whatever it was when Trump was shot at the first time.

    e.g

    Referring to the pandemic as the “panny d”.
    Referring to Sainsbury’s as “Sainy B” or “Sainos”.

    But otherwise it's all beyond me.

    The only one I can be accused of is: 36. A Dr Oetker pizza, a couple of cold ones and a nice bit of University Challenge.
  • Carnyx said:

    It's got ten posts from Leon on PB alone (or will soon do, if it hasn't) ...
    Are we sure Dylan B Jones isn't AI?
  • algarkirk said:

    It reminds me that I shall have to make plans for the Crimble holibobs.
    Surely ban hammer?

    C word in mid September??

  • FairlieredFairliered Posts: 5,542
    DavidL said:

    Cullen skink is simply the Queen of soups. Even the tinned version by Baxter’s is excellent.
    I have tried Cullen Skink in many high end restaurants. The best Cullen Skink is consistently served in our local village inn. The worst has been in a seafood restaurant and an upmarket hotel.
  • LeonLeon Posts: 59,566

    A few of the entries are close to your "sashnation" or whatever it was when Trump was shot at the first time.

    e.g

    Referring to the pandemic as the “panny d”.
    Referring to Sainsbury’s as “Sainy B” or “Sainos”.

    But otherwise it's all beyond me.

    The only one I can be accused of is: 36. A Dr Oetker pizza, a couple of cold ones and a nice bit of University Challenge.
    But even that is telling. “A couple of cold ones” is an Americanism

    What the article says is the guardian has no idea what Britishness is and is far too nervous to identify it with anything, anyway, so it seeks a lowest common denominator of cheap food and triviality and weird made up slang all framed with an ironic voice so it can avoid accusations of seriousness. And also it quietly despises the working class
  • HYUFDHYUFD Posts: 126,861
    Leon said:

    The guardian must be desperate for clicks if it is willing to publish articles that make everyone hate everything it stands for. The contempt on social media is significant

    However, looking at the guardian’s dire financial situation maybe they ARE that desperate. I note they are selling the observer for pennies

    Add in their fierce attacks on Starmer and something weird is happening at groaniad towers
    Given the Guardian is owned by the Scott Trust, which has an £850 million trust fund specifically to keep it publishing left liberal articles it can survive even if massive losses and poor journalism from time to time
  • turbotubbsturbotubbs Posts: 18,582

    Surely ban hammer?

    C word in mid September??

    Holibobs, even used knowingly and in jest, is far worse.
  • stodge said:

    It's a little more nuanced than that. County Council Chief Executives, such as Terence Herbert at Surrey, will be on a high salary including by pension contributions. The issue isn't the CEO pay as such (there aren't many of them) but the high numbers of senior and middle managers who are on £100k and their numbers relative to the number of staff actually being managed.

    Many Councils are over-managed in terms of having a disproportionately large number of senior and middle managers who fill the salary budget.
    All the councils going bankrupt in next three years should sort this problem out nicely.
  • FairlieredFairliered Posts: 5,542
    HYUFD said:

    Given the Guardian is owned by the Scott Trust, which has an £850 million trust fund specifically to keep it publishing left liberal articles it can survive even if massive losses and poor journalism from time to time
    It already has, and still does.
  • LeonLeon Posts: 59,566
    HYUFD said:

    Given the Guardian is owned by the Scott Trust, which has an £850 million trust fund specifically to keep it publishing left liberal articles it can survive even if massive losses and poor journalism from time to time
    I’m not so sure anymore. The fact they are selling the observer is quite startling
  • Leon said:

    I did wonder that. But if it is satire it is the Guardian satirising itself in an extremely clever and cruel way. Mocking its own posh faux-prole lefty wankiness. Having looked at the author’s other writings I don’t think he’s that sophisticated

    My guess therefore is that this is “genuine” and an attempt at light humour which has failed calamitously
    One of the replies in that TwitterX thread nailed it I think:

    “ This what Guardian readers assume their cleaners’ lives are like despite only meeting them for 30 seconds on a Friday to pay them.”
  • DavidLDavidL Posts: 55,113
    Leon said:

    Cioppino, certes
    Not had that. Looks like a good bouillabaisse, which is always enjoyable.
  • Surely ban hammer?

    C word in mid September??

    Christmas stuff already on sale in B & M :lol:
  • MSNBC guest gives a very backhanded compliment to Kamala Harris: “Our country is so great that we’d allow a woman like that to become the commander in chief.”

    https://x.com/realdailywire/status/1836417430819684509
  • DavidLDavidL Posts: 55,113

    I have tried Cullen Skink in many high end restaurants. The best Cullen Skink is consistently served in our local village inn. The worst has been in a seafood restaurant and an upmarket hotel.
    It’s always a mistake if an establishment thinks they can “improve” it by making it more sophisticated or posher. The basic soup is the best.
  • EabhalEabhal Posts: 10,081
    edited September 2024

    I have tried Cullen Skink in many high end restaurants. The best Cullen Skink is consistently served in our local village inn. The worst has been in a seafood restaurant and an upmarket hotel.
    I declare myself a Cullen skink fan too. When a burger and chips is now £18, £8 is a steal.

    I like it when they're not quite sure what's in it, as long as there is a critical mass of haddock.
  • HYUFDHYUFD Posts: 126,861
    Carnyx said:

    But only for official widows? Very keen on ensuring further income for the C of E and the weddings industry, you are.
    As any proper Conservative should be
  • I see John Major has been bumping his gums about Brexit and how awful right wing things are again. He must be the loudest and most obnoxious dignified publicity-shy former PM that we have.
  • LeonLeon Posts: 59,566
    DavidL said:

    Not had that. Looks like a good bouillabaisse, which is always enjoyable.
    It’s better than bouillabaisse to my mind, tho the principle is the same. One of those coastal dishes where the fishermen chuck in all the weird fish and fish scraps that might get binned; cook them up with spice and tomatoes and garlic and wine - bingo

    Also it’s really easy to make. I use this rick stein recipe

    https://www.bbc.co.uk/food/recipes/monkfish_mussel_and_90131

    I add some fennel seeds, black mustard and a couple of finger chilies for heat

    Getting good sourdough is vital
  • CarnyxCarnyx Posts: 44,617
    DavidL said:

    It’s always a mistake if an establishment thinks they can “improve” it by making it more sophisticated or posher. The basic soup is the best.
    Agreed. A cafe bistro in Peebles, now sadly closed, had it on their menu foir many years - the plain kind, with proper smoked haddock I suspect from Eyemouth. But Mrs C makes her own easily enough. Essentially potato and onion soup with milk and haddock added near the end.
  • Christmas stuff already on sale in B & M :lol:
    And Harrods.
  • bondegezoubondegezou Posts: 13,590

    Christmas stuff already on sale in B & M :lol:
    And M & S
  • LeonLeon Posts: 59,566
    Carnyx said:

    Agreed. A cafe bistro in Peebles, now sadly closed, had it on their menu foir many years - the plain kind, with proper smoked haddock I suspect from Eyemouth. But Mrs C makes her own easily enough. Essentially potato and onion soup with milk and haddock added near the end.
    The joy of good fish dishes is that simpler is nearly always better. Arguably the ultimate seafood dishes are oysters or sashimi which are simply raw - all you need is a condiment

    And simple also means quick
  • HYUFDHYUFD Posts: 126,861
    Leon said:

    I’m not so sure anymore. The fact they are selling the observer is quite startling
    The terms of the Scott Trust are quite clear that its close to a billion pounds worth is only to be used to keep the Guardian publishing left liberal articles whether the public want to read them in significant numbers or not. It is therefore immune to market forces whatever happens to its sister paper the Observer.

    The Guardian editor is basically effectively a trust fund heir to a vast fortune who doesn't need to work or sell a product people actually want to buy as long as he complies with the term of his trust and gets his inheritance
  • CarnyxCarnyx Posts: 44,617
    HYUFD said:

    The terms of the Scott Trust are quite clear that its close to a billion pounds worth is only to be used to keep the Guardian publishing left liberal articles whether the public want to read them in significant numbers or not. It is therefore immune to market forces whatever happens to its sister paper the Observer.

    The Guardian editor is basically effectively a trust fund heir to a vast fortune who doesn't need to work or sell a product people actually want to buy as long as he complies with the term of his trust and gets his inheritance
    I thought you were in favour of inheritance so people don't have to work for a living so long as they vote Tory?
  • CarnyxCarnyx Posts: 44,617
    Leon said:

    The joy of good fish dishes is that simpler is nearly always better. Arguably the ultimate seafood dishes are oysters or sashimi which are simply raw - all you need is a condiment

    And simple also means quick
    Oddly enough we also had monkfish this evening - although in a very basic sauce of tomato, carrot, shallot and capers, and with rice..
  • Results like this suggest the Tories can bounce back quickly.

    https://x.com/electionmapsuk/status/1836195157194022936

    Bestwood St Albans (Gedling) Council By-Election Result:

    🌳 CON: 47.8% (+16.3)
    🌹 LAB: 40.1% (-12.3)
    🔶 LDM: 12.1% (+6.3)

    No GRN (-10.3) as previous.

    Conservative GAIN from Labour.
    Changes w/ 2023.
  • LeonLeon Posts: 59,566
    Carnyx said:

    Oddly enough we also had monkfish this evening - although in a very basic sauce of tomato, carrot, shallot and capers, and with rice..
    Fish with capers nearly always works. Love me some capers
  • SelebianSelebian Posts: 9,243
    MattW said:

    Let me argue for the C of E for a minute there. It's taken *very* seriously and everyone works really hard at it because it is so important.

    A church service in the Church of England will cost about £520-660 without optional extras. The lower end is for your home parish, with about £100 extra for not your home parish.

    For that you get your own occasion in the church (ie the venue including things like heating and the staff to run it ie churchwarden), the minister (typically the vicar, who is a professional with a lot of pastoral experience and at least 2 degrees), the calling of the Banns (announcement at the Sunday Service on iirc 3 occasions), the admin and certificates. I think you get advice, helping you to think about what getting married means, meetings for discussion to make sure you really want to get married, and a rehearsal as well.

    I think that is bloody good value and a strong support for couples getting married, if you consider that a car will be £250 to £350 or a dress will be £1000+ for a single occasion.

    For a typical wedding the Church of England church fees will only be about 10% of the overall cost.

    If you want things like a paid musician (organist - regulated fees), singing group (choir) and so on, it is extra.

    https://www.churchofengland.org/life-events/your-church-wedding/just-engaged/cost-church-weddings
    Yeah, it's pretty good value.

    Our vicar ran a very thought provoking marriage class that, among other things, caused us to reconfigure our finances. Before that we had our salaries into our own accounts, then both contributed a fixed amount each month to the joint account for bills etc. After, we paid our salaries into the joint account and paid from that a fairly small fixed amount into our personal accounts for whatever frivolous things we each wanted to spend it on.

    The class also caused a recently married couple, who we knew, who undortunately hadn't managed to attend before the ceremony to split-up - the wife was made by the class to confront her true feelings, which was that she loved women not men.

    It benefitted from a very engaging and charismatic vicar, who a few years later left his own wife (and the parish) to move in with his boyfriend.

    Anyway, for all those reasons the thing was memorable and seemed like value for money. I'm also now nine years married, which also makes it seem like value.
  • But I don't understand, Anabobazina said there was nothing to this story.
    He’s a posh banker - £575k is like a week’s income for him
  • malcolmgmalcolmg Posts: 44,025
    kjh said:

    A little while ago @BartholomewRoberts guessed I was in my early 40s. Since then I have been more open about my age. I am 70 in a couple of months. @BartholomewRoberts became my favourite poster for sometime after that. I'm guessing it was because of my socially liberal views rather than being the stereotype old codger.
    we are very close then, i have only a few months of my 60's left
  • HYUFD said:

    The terms of the Scott Trust are quite clear that its close to a billion pounds worth is only to be used to keep the Guardian publishing left liberal articles whether the public want to read them in significant numbers or not. It is therefore immune to market forces whatever happens to its sister paper the Observer.

    The Guardian editor is basically effectively a trust fund heir to a vast fortune who doesn't need to work or sell a product people actually want to buy as long as he complies with the term of his trust and gets his inheritance
    The Guardian reported losses of £36.5m in its last financial year yesterday, although hilariously they call this "Adjusted net operating cash outflow" instead of losses. That's up from £22m the year before.

    They could run out of money.
  • LeonLeon Posts: 59,566
    HYUFD said:

    The terms of the Scott Trust are quite clear that its close to a billion pounds worth is only to be used to keep the Guardian publishing left liberal articles whether the public want to read them in significant numbers or not. It is therefore immune to market forces whatever happens to its sister paper the Observer.

    The Guardian editor is basically effectively a trust fund heir to a vast fortune who doesn't need to work or sell a product people actually want to buy as long as he complies with the term of his trust and gets his inheritance
    I dunno. The Scott trust lost £50m last year taking it down to £1.2bn - largely because of losses at the guardian

    At that rate they can run the guardian for another 20 years and they will then go bust

    But I don’t think it works like that. No trust can tolerate losing 5% of its capital a year with no end in sight and inevitable death if nothing changes

    I imagine there are now intense pressures on the guardian to stem the losses and start making £££ - not least because plenty of other papers -like the telegraph and the spectator and the NYT and the mail - are now making profits. It can be done
  • Oh God help me.

    I've just done a software update on my MacBook and I now get this, the option to mirror my iPhone on this MacBook.

    Like I am not worried enough when somebody asks to use my MacBook.



    We’ve been instructed not to install the latest OS update. Certain incompatibilities with US law…
  • FrancisUrquhartFrancisUrquhart Posts: 83,341
    edited September 2024
    In this day and age, why would you buy the Observer alone? There really isn't the business case for a stand alone Sunday offering. Are you going to have different offices, different staff etc etc etc just to write a newspaper for one day of the week?
  • DavidLDavidL Posts: 55,113

    A few of the entries are close to your "sashnation" or whatever it was when Trump was shot at the first time.

    e.g

    Referring to the pandemic as the “panny d”.
    Referring to Sainsbury’s as “Sainy B” or “Sainos”.

    But otherwise it's all beyond me.

    The only one I can be accused of is: 36. A Dr Oetker pizza, a couple of cold ones and a nice bit of University Challenge.
    The only one I could sort of relate to is PTSD from watching Tales of Farthing Wood. When they did the adult version called GoT they upped the sex but seriously reduced both the violence and the attrition rate. It certainly traumatised my daughter and me, somewhat vicariously.

    Most of them I have no idea what he is talking about and I don’t have any inclination to find out.
  • mercatormercator Posts: 815
    edited September 2024

    Roger - how would you rate the performance of the Labour government so far? I myself would rate them 5/10 so far
    Minus several thousand and eleven on a scale of 1 to 10

    The reason this bitterness and grief stuff has no traction is that grief notably decays over time. Every Tory except a tiny handful of nutters has realised that the thing was dead since some time between 2016 and 2021. It's the left who have realised 10 weeks into a starry eyed marriage that their spouse is a humourless psychopathic miser who married them for the money. I share the grief because irrespective of my politics I do like to be governed competently, but that ship has well and truly sailed.

    Looking on the bright side he is a great comic creation. We are governed by Peter Sellers as inspector clouseau. Clothesgate is a faithful remake of Clouseau's arrival at the Palace Hotel where he hands over his coat and hat to a thief who drives off in them, just with the film running backwards. Mr Hulot's Premiership. Enjoy, because this is as good as it's going to get.
  • And M & S
    Please make it stop.

    I spoke to someone today who had already bought special xmas coffee mugs ready for the big day.

  • SelebianSelebian Posts: 9,243

    Are we sure Dylan B Jones isn't AI?
    Are we sure Dylan B Jones isn't Leon? Drumming up some clicks for his debut guardian piece :wink:

  • malcolmgmalcolmg Posts: 44,025

    United Nations Secretary-General Antonio Guterres said Wednesday that civilian objects should not be weaponized following a deadly wave of explosions across Lebanon targeting pagers used by Hezbollah.

    Its like conflating the laptops / tablets military use with a Macbook Air.

    Those absolute morons never utter a squeak about Russia murdering civilians by teh barrowload. A bigger bunch of troughing nasty shysters has never been assembled.
  • My wife being from a Lossiemouth fishing family makes a variation on Cullen Skink as follows

    Diced onions, softened in a little butter and milk, then added chopped up potatoes with seasoning, before adding fresh haddock and it was pronounced soz.

    She said that very few of her relatives made it with smoked haddock preferring the fresh haddock from the fleet

    Of course Cullen Skink origin is from the village of the same name
  • https://x.com/benrileysmith/status/1836513749999460571

    EXC: Keir Starmer repeatedly used an £18 million penthouse owned by the Labour donor Lord Alli before entering No10

    Starmer was at the 5,000 sq ft London home on election night for the exit poll. Also held meetings there.
  • Leon said:

    But even that is telling. “A couple of cold ones” is an Americanism

    What the article says is the guardian has no idea what Britishness is and is far too nervous to identify it with anything, anyway, so it seeks a lowest common denominator of cheap food and triviality and weird made up slang all framed with an ironic voice so it can avoid accusations of seriousness. And also it quietly despises the working class
    Naturlich. Everybody knows that UKers like their beer to be the temperature of lukewarm piss.
  • FrancisUrquhartFrancisUrquhart Posts: 83,341
    edited September 2024
    A really annoying feature in new Mac OS, every month it will bug you if you want to allow each and every app that can access your camera / microphone. You can't say, yes I trust Microsoft f##king Teams, I don't need to click yes every sodding month.
  • MuesliMuesli Posts: 202
    edited September 2024

    I see John Major has been bumping his gums about Brexit and how awful right wing things are again. He must be the loudest and most obnoxious dignified publicity-shy former PM that we have.

    He’s also the longest-serving former PM the Tories have who isn’t pushing up the daisies. He was obviously doing something right that the four five who followed him weren’t.

    (Edited to correct the number of post-Major Tory PMs. Forgot about Lady Jane Grey Lettuce Liz, if you can believe such a thing.)
  • LeonLeon Posts: 59,566

    https://x.com/benrileysmith/status/1836513749999460571

    EXC: Keir Starmer repeatedly used an £18 million penthouse owned by the Labour donor Lord Alli before entering No10

    Starmer was at the 5,000 sq ft London home on election night for the exit poll. Also held meetings there.

    Crikey. They are really going for him

    What’s he done to annoy all of Fleet Street?

    That said this doesn’t look as bad as clobbergate
  • malcolmg said:

    Those absolute morons never utter a squeak about Russia murdering civilians by teh barrowload. A bigger bunch of troughing nasty shysters has never been assembled.
    Weird isn't it.....
  • FrancisUrquhartFrancisUrquhart Posts: 83,341
    edited September 2024

    https://x.com/benrileysmith/status/1836513749999460571

    EXC: Keir Starmer repeatedly used an £18 million penthouse owned by the Labour donor Lord Alli before entering No10

    Starmer was at the 5,000 sq ft London home on election night for the exit poll. Also held meetings there.

    Mrs Merton ringing in my ears...So what first attracted you to the millionaire Paul Daniels Lord Alli....
  • bondegezoubondegezou Posts: 13,590
    malcolmg said:

    Those absolute morons never utter a squeak about Russia murdering civilians by teh barrowload. A bigger bunch of troughing nasty shysters has never been assembled.
    https://press.un.org/en/2024/sgsm22302.doc.htm That's Guterres condemning just that.
  • DavidLDavidL Posts: 55,113
    Leon said:

    It’s better than bouillabaisse to my mind, tho the principle is the same. One of those coastal dishes where the fishermen chuck in all the weird fish and fish scraps that might get binned; cook them up with spice and tomatoes and garlic and wine - bingo

    Also it’s really easy to make. I use this rick stein recipe

    https://www.bbc.co.uk/food/recipes/monkfish_mussel_and_90131

    I add some fennel seeds, black mustard and a couple of finger chilies for heat

    Getting good sourdough is vital
    I’m a fan of fish soup anywhere that fresh fish is coming in for exactly that reason.

    My late father in law used to help the fishermen unload their boats when he was a boy in Arbroath and get presented with a large sea bass for his troubles to take home. In those days there was no market for it and most of them went to cat food.
  • FrancisUrquhartFrancisUrquhart Posts: 83,341
    edited September 2024
    Leon said:

    Crikey. They are really going for him

    What’s he done to annoy all of Fleet Street?

    That said this doesn’t look as bad as clobbergate
    Maybe they have got wind of special taxation on those earning over £100k....in particular those that like to use personal service companies for freelancing work?

    I remember the media totally OTT reaction to Hammond putting up NI by £500 for those people (which might include me) and forcing him to U-turn.
This discussion has been closed.