Only 37% of 2024 Tories think Badenoch would make the best PM – politicalbetting.com

System · January 29

Only 37% of 2024 Tories think Badenoch would make the best PM – politicalbetting.com

Farage (narrowly) takes lead over Starmer on our preferred PM question too for first time. Though none of the above beats them both and Badenoch. Starmer is still the preferred choice (of them + none) by 55% of Labour 2024 voters however.

Read the full story here

GIN1138 · January 29

Go Kemi!

viewcode · January 29

GIN1138 said:
Go Kemi!

Go, Kemi.

GIN1138 · January 29

viewcode said:

GIN1138 said:
Go Kemi!
Go, Kemi.

Well, that's not quite what I meant

TheScreamingEagles · January 29

viewcode said:

GIN1138 said:
Go Kemi!
Go, Kemi.

Commas are important.

Carnyx · January 29

TheScreamingEagles said:

viewcode said:

GIN1138 said:
Go Kemi!
Go, Kemi.

Commas are important.

So are Meadow Browns, and Red Admirals.

Sean_F · January 29

OTOH, Kemi (and Farage) have much less bad approval ratings than Starmer. That suggests to me that Labour have a lot further to sink, relative to the Conservatives and Reform.

A_View_From_Cumbria5 · January 29

No, she wouldn't make the best Prime Minister. But she is probably the best Prime Minister in the present House of Commons.

williamglenn · January 29

It appears that we can replace Robert Peston with Deepseek forthwith.

https://x.com/peston/status/1884609503829909879

eek · January 29

FPT

HYUFD said:

TheScreamingEagles said:
Cash is dead, part 2,444

Lloyds Banking Group to close a further 136 branches.

https://www.ft.com/content/d41e7dc9-90e4-4247-a70e-fc1ae1fd4c72
More bad news for high streets and for pensioners

I suspect most of the branches closing have a Lloyd’s or Halifax nearby and you will be able to do your banking in the other branch.

Up to December Halifax customers were not able to bank in Lloyd’s and viceversa but that’s recently been resolved

IanB2 · January 29

Ninth, like Kemi....?

Leon · January 29

Sean_F said:
OTOH, Kemi (and Farage) have much less bad approval ratings than Starmer. That suggests to me that Labour have a lot further to sink, relative to the Conservatives and Reform.

Ditto

And, as you noted, disapproval of government is a leading indicator. Expect Labour to sink further

numbertwelve · January 29

I have my doubts that Kemi has what it takes to win a GE.

But politics is very fragmented at the moment; and I think it’s just as likely that people really won’t want to endorse Starmer for a second term, and/or that Farage comes unstuck in the next four years. So it’s just so very difficult to say right now.

There is a time for the Tories to panic. I don’t think it’s quite yet. I’m not sure I see anyone else doing better.

Andy_JS · January 29

The LD vote is holding up much better than it used to do between elections.

JosiasJessop · January 29

So the government has 'announced' an Oxford-Cambridge growth corridor.

I wonder how this differs from all the other times this has been talked about over the last twenty years?

I also note, from (1): "an upgrade on the A428 between Milton Keynes and Cambridge". Which, unless I am very much mistaken, I passed the roadworks for as I drove to the pool at lunch. The upgrade is well under way, started by the last government.

This is different from the Oxford-Cambridge expressway (2), cancelled four years ago. If you want to link the two cities, something needs to be done by the mudtracks between Zebedeeland and the muddy spires of Oxford. We're going to have nice dual carriageway all the way from Cambridge to MK, and crummy roads the rest of the way.

On the other hand, it's good to see the new Fens Reservoir is going to be built (3) to provide water for all the new homes and businesses. This is actually a big issue locally.

JFDI.

(1): https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/articles/cjw49q9zgepo
(2): https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Oxford–Cambridge_Expressway
(3): https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/articles/cm2e8gkj2yro

TheScreamingEagles · January 29

numbertwelve said:
I have my doubts that Kemi has what it takes to win a GE.

But politics is very fragmented at the moment; and I think it’s just as likely that people really won’t want to endorse Starmer for a second term, and/or that Farage comes unstuck in the next four years. So it’s just so very difficult to say right now.

There is a time for the Tories to panic. I don’t think it’s quite yet. I’m not sure I see anyone else doing better.

Jeremy Hunt would be doing better.

TheScreamingEagles · January 29

eek said:
FPT

HYUFD said:

TheScreamingEagles said:
Cash is dead, part 2,444

Lloyds Banking Group to close a further 136 branches.

https://www.ft.com/content/d41e7dc9-90e4-4247-a70e-fc1ae1fd4c72
More bad news for high streets and for pensioners
I suspect most of the branches closing have a Lloyd’s or Halifax nearby and you will be able to do your banking in the other branch.

Up to December Halifax customers were not able to bank in Lloyd’s and viceversa but that’s recently been resolved

I think we’ll end up with roving banking hubs outside the big cities in the near future.

numbertwelve · January 29

TheScreamingEagles said:

numbertwelve said:
I have my doubts that Kemi has what it takes to win a GE.

But politics is very fragmented at the moment; and I think it’s just as likely that people really won’t want to endorse Starmer for a second term, and/or that Farage comes unstuck in the next four years. So it’s just so very difficult to say right now.

There is a time for the Tories to panic. I don’t think it’s quite yet. I’m not sure I see anyone else doing better.
Jeremy Hunt would be doing better.

I’m not convinced. It’s even easier for Labour to tie the previous government’s record to Hunt.

williamglenn · January 29

TheScreamingEagles said:

numbertwelve said:
I have my doubts that Kemi has what it takes to win a GE.

But politics is very fragmented at the moment; and I think it’s just as likely that people really won’t want to endorse Starmer for a second term, and/or that Farage comes unstuck in the next four years. So it’s just so very difficult to say right now.

There is a time for the Tories to panic. I don’t think it’s quite yet. I’m not sure I see anyone else doing better.
Jeremy Hunt would be doing better.

I'm not sure he'd be doing better right now, but someone like him would be well-placed to capitalise on the future Reform vs Tory duopoly when it's clear that Labour are out of the running for the next election.

Foss · January 29

williamglenn said:
It appears that we can replace Robert Peston with Deepseek forthwith.

https://x.com/peston/status/1884609503829909879

We could feed all of Reeves' speeches and comments into an LLM and then the Peston LLM can interview the Reeves LLM and everyone can have a half day holiday!

DecrepiterJohnL · January 29

9pm Channel 4 – Brian and Maggie

Dramatisation of the infamous 1989 interview between journalist Brian Walden and Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher, which triggered the downfall of the Iron Lady. With Steve Coogan and Harriet Walter.

Technically, you can downstream the programme now but best wait till 9.

SouthamObserver · January 29

Starmer's big problem is clearly with Labour voters. As long as they remain Labour voters he won't mind too much. He's been here before.

HYUFD · January 29

Far from being 'Shellacked' the poll today shows Kemi would win 171 MPs and gain 50 seats relative to last year.

As per his narrow lead on the best PM poll though Farage would be the big winner with Reform winning 107 MPs and overtaking the LDs on 72 for third.

Labour on 246 MPs would lose its majority but likely stay in power, just

https://www.electoralcalculus.co.uk/fcgi-bin/usercode.py?scotcontrol=N&CON=24&LAB=25&LIB=13&Reform=25&Green=7&UKIP=&TVCON=&TVLAB=&TVLIB=&TVReform=&TVGreen=&TVUKIP=&SCOTCON=&SCOTLAB=&SCOTLIB=&SCOTReform=&SCOTGreen=&SCOTUKIP=&SCOTNAT=&display=AllChanged&regorseat=(none)&boundary=2024

DecrepiterJohnL · January 29

TheScreamingEagles said:

numbertwelve said:
I have my doubts that Kemi has what it takes to win a GE.

But politics is very fragmented at the moment; and I think it’s just as likely that people really won’t want to endorse Starmer for a second term, and/or that Farage comes unstuck in the next four years. So it’s just so very difficult to say right now.

There is a time for the Tories to panic. I don’t think it’s quite yet. I’m not sure I see anyone else doing better.
Jeremy Hunt would be doing better.

Would he? Jeremy Hunt twice stood for the leadership. He has no base of support. In 2022, Hunt was eliminated in the first round. Kemi survived to the fourth.

Cookie · January 29

FPT:

Leon said:

Cookie said:

Leon said:

MattW said:

TOPPING said:

Leon said:

Theuniondivvie said:

kamski said:

Leon said:
What’s happened to me. I used to do drugs and be bad

Now I have become the sort of person that buys artisanal handwoven throws

It’s from Kachin. $105

I was going to say how rubbish it is, but it's actually not a bad effort for the 8-year-old who probably made it.
Being soaked in the tears of the 8 year old slave who made it counters any Woke entirely.
It wasn’t a slave. Kachin Burma has a long noble tradition of hand woven cotton

“Kachin textiles are not merely aesthetic but play an essential role in social and ceremonial life. Traditionally, they are worn during weddings, festivals (Manau celebrations), and rites of passage. Men wear intricately woven longyis (sarongs), while women wear htameins (skirts) paired with elaborately embroidered jackets and headdresses. Warriors and leaders historically wore finely woven garments as symbols of status

Kachin textiles are renowned and highly prized by collectors for their bold geometric patterns, intricate embroidery, and bright contrasting colors. Common motifs include:

Zigzags & diamonds: Representing mountains and rivers, key features of Kachin landscapes.

Animal symbols: Elephants, deer, birds, and mythical creatures, often linked to animist beliefs.

Tribal patterns: Each Kachin sub-group (such as the Jinghpaw, Rawang, or Lisu) has distinct designs that indicate regional or clan identity.”

$105! Bargain. I utterly adore it
Is that your hotel room. I would be seriously concerned if you made your bed up every day like that in NW1.
HW1 is a bit suburban, n'est-ce pas?

I spent several years living in EC2.
EC2 is sweet

It’s my proud boast that I have lived in nearly all the “1s”

W1. SW1, EC1, N1, WC1, E1 and now NW1

Only one missing is SE1. But I’ll cope
A pedant notes: there are postcodes outside London too.

But that is quite remarkable. The average first number in my postcode is 13 1/8. If it's weighted by the length of time I've spent there it's 16.7. And that's someone who's lived somewhere fairly urban all his life (though my 1 "1" was DL1, so my least metropolitan address).

You must have a remarkably low average postcode score.
Actually this is true

The only other places I have lived in the UK are Hereford - HR4 - and Truro - TR1 - TR1!!

So, that’s 1, 1, 1, 1, 1, 1, 1, 4, 1

Mean postcode score of 1 1/3. Remarkable. My guess is that there will be no-one in the country with 9 (or more) different UK adresses with a lower score.

For contrast, can any pb-ers give us an unsually high score?

I love this kind of shit.

HYUFD · January 29

TheScreamingEagles said:

numbertwelve said:
I have my doubts that Kemi has what it takes to win a GE.

But politics is very fragmented at the moment; and I think it’s just as likely that people really won’t want to endorse Starmer for a second term, and/or that Farage comes unstuck in the next four years. So it’s just so very difficult to say right now.

There is a time for the Tories to panic. I don’t think it’s quite yet. I’m not sure I see anyone else doing better.
Jeremy Hunt would be doing better.

He might gain a few more LDs than Kemi but would probably leak more to Reform than Kemi is too

Battlebus · January 29

TheScreamingEagles said:

eek said:
FPT

HYUFD said:

TheScreamingEagles said:
Cash is dead, part 2,444

Lloyds Banking Group to close a further 136 branches.

https://www.ft.com/content/d41e7dc9-90e4-4247-a70e-fc1ae1fd4c72
More bad news for high streets and for pensioners
I suspect most of the branches closing have a Lloyd’s or Halifax nearby and you will be able to do your banking in the other branch.

Up to December Halifax customers were not able to bank in Lloyd’s and viceversa but that’s recently been resolved
I think we’ll end up with roving banking hubs outside the big cities in the near future.

Drones? Just call it up on an app?

Taz · January 29

Cookie said:
FPT:
Leon said:

Cookie said:

Leon said:

MattW said:

TOPPING said:

Leon said:

Theuniondivvie said:

kamski said:

Leon said:
What’s happened to me. I used to do drugs and be bad

Now I have become the sort of person that buys artisanal handwoven throws

It’s from Kachin. $105

I was going to say how rubbish it is, but it's actually not a bad effort for the 8-year-old who probably made it.
Being soaked in the tears of the 8 year old slave who made it counters any Woke entirely.
It wasn’t a slave. Kachin Burma has a long noble tradition of hand woven cotton

“Kachin textiles are not merely aesthetic but play an essential role in social and ceremonial life. Traditionally, they are worn during weddings, festivals (Manau celebrations), and rites of passage. Men wear intricately woven longyis (sarongs), while women wear htameins (skirts) paired with elaborately embroidered jackets and headdresses. Warriors and leaders historically wore finely woven garments as symbols of status

Kachin textiles are renowned and highly prized by collectors for their bold geometric patterns, intricate embroidery, and bright contrasting colors. Common motifs include:

Zigzags & diamonds: Representing mountains and rivers, key features of Kachin landscapes.

Animal symbols: Elephants, deer, birds, and mythical creatures, often linked to animist beliefs.

Tribal patterns: Each Kachin sub-group (such as the Jinghpaw, Rawang, or Lisu) has distinct designs that indicate regional or clan identity.”

$105! Bargain. I utterly adore it
Is that your hotel room. I would be seriously concerned if you made your bed up every day like that in NW1.
HW1 is a bit suburban, n'est-ce pas?

I spent several years living in EC2.
EC2 is sweet

It’s my proud boast that I have lived in nearly all the “1s”

W1. SW1, EC1, N1, WC1, E1 and now NW1

Only one missing is SE1. But I’ll cope
A pedant notes: there are postcodes outside London too.

But that is quite remarkable. The average first number in my postcode is 13 1/8. If it's weighted by the length of time I've spent there it's 16.7. And that's someone who's lived somewhere fairly urban all his life (though my 1 "1" was DL1, so my least metropolitan address).

You must have a remarkably low average postcode score.
Actually this is true

The only other places I have lived in the UK are Hereford - HR4 - and Truro - TR1 - TR1!!

So, that’s 1, 1, 1, 1, 1, 1, 1, 4, 1
Mean postcode score of 1 1/3. Remarkable. My guess is that there will be no-one in the country with 9 (or more) different UK adresses with a lower score.

For contrast, can any pb-ers give us an unsually high score?

I love this kind of shit.

For me 90/5/2/2

So a mean score of 24.5

williamglenn · January 29

HYUFD said:

TheScreamingEagles said:

numbertwelve said:
I have my doubts that Kemi has what it takes to win a GE.

But politics is very fragmented at the moment; and I think it’s just as likely that people really won’t want to endorse Starmer for a second term, and/or that Farage comes unstuck in the next four years. So it’s just so very difficult to say right now.

There is a time for the Tories to panic. I don’t think it’s quite yet. I’m not sure I see anyone else doing better.
Jeremy Hunt would be doing better.
He might gain a few more LDs than Kemi but would probably leak more to Reform than Kemi is too

Leaking more to Reform will be good for the Tories in the long run because they will ultimately be able to monopolise the Blairite vote.

Taz · January 29

DecrepiterJohnL said:

TheScreamingEagles said:

numbertwelve said:
I have my doubts that Kemi has what it takes to win a GE.

But politics is very fragmented at the moment; and I think it’s just as likely that people really won’t want to endorse Starmer for a second term, and/or that Farage comes unstuck in the next four years. So it’s just so very difficult to say right now.

There is a time for the Tories to panic. I don’t think it’s quite yet. I’m not sure I see anyone else doing better.
Jeremy Hunt would be doing better.
Would he? Jeremy Hunt twice stood for the leadership. He has no base of support. In 2022, Hunt was eliminated in the first round. Kemi survived to the fourth.

He'd possibly lose his seat next time out.

DecrepiterJohnL · January 29

Foss said:

williamglenn said:
It appears that we can replace Robert Peston with Deepseek forthwith.

https://x.com/peston/status/1884609503829909879
We could feed all of Reeves' speeches and comments into an LLM and then the Peston LLM can interview the Reeves LLM and everyone can have a half day holiday!

Here is Rachel Riley on Countdown earlier in the week describing how they have done something similar for Holocaust remembrance.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ByoXJidOs3Q

HYUFD · January 29

williamglenn said:

HYUFD said:

TheScreamingEagles said:

numbertwelve said:
I have my doubts that Kemi has what it takes to win a GE.

But politics is very fragmented at the moment; and I think it’s just as likely that people really won’t want to endorse Starmer for a second term, and/or that Farage comes unstuck in the next four years. So it’s just so very difficult to say right now.

There is a time for the Tories to panic. I don’t think it’s quite yet. I’m not sure I see anyone else doing better.
Jeremy Hunt would be doing better.
He might gain a few more LDs than Kemi but would probably leak more to Reform than Kemi is too
Leaking more to Reform will be good for the Tories in the long run because they will ultimately be able to monopolise the Blairite vote.

Only if they win more LDs and centrist Labour voters than they leak to Reform

SouthamObserver · January 29

JosiasJessop said:
So the government has 'announced' an Oxford-Cambridge growth corridor.

I wonder how this differs from all the other times this has been talked about over the last twenty years?

I also note, from (1): "an upgrade on the A428 between Milton Keynes and Cambridge". Which, unless I am very much mistaken, I passed the roadworks for as I drove to the pool at lunch. The upgrade is well under way, started by the last government.

This is different from the Oxford-Cambridge expressway (2), cancelled four years ago. If you want to link the two cities, something needs to be done by the mudtracks between Zebedeeland and the muddy spires of Oxford. We're going to have nice dual carriageway all the way from Cambridge to MK, and crummy roads the rest of the way.

On the other hand, it's good to see the new Fens Reservoir is going to be built (3) to provide water for all the new homes and businesses. This is actually a big issue locally.

JFDI.

(1): https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/articles/cjw49q9zgepo
(2): https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Oxford–Cambridge_Expressway
(3): https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/articles/cm2e8gkj2yro

You can make planning regulations the most growth friendly possible and put in every kind of incentive to build but if you don't have enough builders on the ground laying the bricks and putting down the concrete, nothing much is going to happen. And we have nowhere near enough builders and an absolute aversion to immigration.

JosiasJessop · January 29

SouthamObserver said:

JosiasJessop said:
So the government has 'announced' an Oxford-Cambridge growth corridor.

I wonder how this differs from all the other times this has been talked about over the last twenty years?

I also note, from (1): "an upgrade on the A428 between Milton Keynes and Cambridge". Which, unless I am very much mistaken, I passed the roadworks for as I drove to the pool at lunch. The upgrade is well under way, started by the last government.

This is different from the Oxford-Cambridge expressway (2), cancelled four years ago. If you want to link the two cities, something needs to be done by the mudtracks between Zebedeeland and the muddy spires of Oxford. We're going to have nice dual carriageway all the way from Cambridge to MK, and crummy roads the rest of the way.

On the other hand, it's good to see the new Fens Reservoir is going to be built (3) to provide water for all the new homes and businesses. This is actually a big issue locally.

JFDI.

(1): https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/articles/cjw49q9zgepo
(2): https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Oxford–Cambridge_Expressway
(3): https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/articles/cm2e8gkj2yro

You can make planning regulations the most growth friendly possible and put in every kind of incentive to build but if you don't have enough builders on the ground laying the bricks and putting down the concrete, nothing much is going to happen. And we have nowhere near enough builders and an absolute aversion to immigration.

It's a chicken and egg situation, isn't it? Lack of construction (not just 'building'...) starts leads to fewer people in the relevant occupations, and fewer people training up into them. Which is then an excuse not to start many projects.

JFDI and train people up.

viewcode · January 29

Steve Shives on Elon Musk's Nazi salute. Some humour to lighten a gray-skied day.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lUMu0s-Y3UE (4mins)

TheScreamingEagles · January 29

HYUFD said:
Far from being 'Shellacked' the poll today shows Kemi would win 171 MPs and gain 50 seats relative to last year.

As per his narrow lead on the best PM poll though Farage would be the big winner with Reform winning 107 MPs and overtaking the LDs on 72 for third.

Labour on 246 MPs would lose its majority but likely stay in power, just

https://www.electoralcalculus.co.uk/fcgi-bin/usercode.py?scotcontrol=N&CON=24&LAB=25&LIB=13&Reform=25&Green=7&UKIP=&TVCON=&TVLAB=&TVLIB=&TVReform=&TVGreen=&TVUKIP=&SCOTCON=&SCOTLAB=&SCOTLIB=&SCOTReform=&SCOTGreen=&SCOTUKIP=&SCOTNAT=&display=AllChanged&regorseat=(none)&boundary=2024

That would be what the third worst election performance for the Tories since universal suffrage?

I consider that a shellacking.

TheScreamingEagles · January 29

Taz said:

DecrepiterJohnL said:

TheScreamingEagles said:

numbertwelve said:
I have my doubts that Kemi has what it takes to win a GE.

But politics is very fragmented at the moment; and I think it’s just as likely that people really won’t want to endorse Starmer for a second term, and/or that Farage comes unstuck in the next four years. So it’s just so very difficult to say right now.

There is a time for the Tories to panic. I don’t think it’s quite yet. I’m not sure I see anyone else doing better.
Jeremy Hunt would be doing better.
Would he? Jeremy Hunt twice stood for the leadership. He has no base of support. In 2022, Hunt was eliminated in the first round. Kemi survived to the fourth.
He'd possibly lose his seat next time out.

They said that last time but thanks to his excellent campaigning he held onto the seat.

Taz · January 29

Lord Mandelson says he was wrong about his previous comments about the Donald.

He blames the fraught time in Politics and Brexit deadlock.

https://www.msn.com/en-gb/news/uknews/lord-mandelson-i-was-wrong-to-call-trump-a-danger-to-the-world/ar-AA1y39re?ocid=entnewsntp&pc=U531&cvid=9bbd76b8c58c459a8c93bf099ebaf401&ei=15

Carnyx · January 29

TheScreamingEagles said:

eek said:
FPT

HYUFD said:

TheScreamingEagles said:
Cash is dead, part 2,444

Lloyds Banking Group to close a further 136 branches.

https://www.ft.com/content/d41e7dc9-90e4-4247-a70e-fc1ae1fd4c72
More bad news for high streets and for pensioners
I suspect most of the branches closing have a Lloyd’s or Halifax nearby and you will be able to do your banking in the other branch.

Up to December Halifax customers were not able to bank in Lloyd’s and viceversa but that’s recently been resolved
I think we’ll end up with roving banking hubs outside the big cities in the near future.

We had one*. ****ing useless. Limited facilities, queueing in the rain, no privacy, one hour a week ...

*RBS, not HBOS, to be fair.

TheValiant · January 29

williamglenn said:
It appears that we can replace Robert Peston with Deepseek forthwith.

https://x.com/peston/status/1884609503829909879

He asked Deepseek to ask 'one' question. The rubbish it produced asked two (how will... and then... what specific mechanisms).

I appreciate I'm a bit thick, but that question appeared hugely longwinded and not particularly focused. More like an essay question.

RobD · January 29

Taz said:
Lord Mandelson says he was wrong about his previous comments about the Donald.

He blames the fraught time in Politics and Brexit deadlock.

https://www.msn.com/en-gb/news/uknews/lord-mandelson-i-was-wrong-to-call-trump-a-danger-to-the-world/ar-AA1y39re?ocid=entnewsntp&pc=U531&cvid=9bbd76b8c58c459a8c93bf099ebaf401&ei=15

See the recent Private Eye cover page.

TheValiant · January 29

eek said:
FPT

HYUFD said:

TheScreamingEagles said:
Cash is dead, part 2,444

Lloyds Banking Group to close a further 136 branches.

https://www.ft.com/content/d41e7dc9-90e4-4247-a70e-fc1ae1fd4c72
More bad news for high streets and for pensioners
I suspect most of the branches closing have a Lloyd’s or Halifax nearby and you will be able to do your banking in the other branch.

Up to December Halifax customers were not able to bank in Lloyd’s and viceversa but that’s recently been resolved

Perhaps, but the age of physical banking is slowly dying.
I have a client who doesn't do 'digital'. They take cheques and cash. They have no card machine.
Until five years ago, the local bank was still in our town (Crosby), but then closed. So all banking was via the post office. That's now closed and the only options are Waterloo (about a five-ten minute drive) or Liverpool City Centre.

I expect the problem will only get worse and worse for my client. [1]

[1] Yes, yes; they need to move into the 20th Century, let alone the 21st and get a bank card reader setup; but they won't.

eek · January 29

Carnyx said:

TheScreamingEagles said:

eek said:
FPT

HYUFD said:

TheScreamingEagles said:
Cash is dead, part 2,444

Lloyds Banking Group to close a further 136 branches.

https://www.ft.com/content/d41e7dc9-90e4-4247-a70e-fc1ae1fd4c72
More bad news for high streets and for pensioners
I suspect most of the branches closing have a Lloyd’s or Halifax nearby and you will be able to do your banking in the other branch.

Up to December Halifax customers were not able to bank in Lloyd’s and viceversa but that’s recently been resolved
I think we’ll end up with roving banking hubs outside the big cities in the near future.
We had one*. ****ing useless. Limited facilities, queueing in the rain, no privacy, one hour a week ...

*RBS, not HBOS, to be fair.

Had the post office not screwed things up the best approach would be to have the post office running hubs and doing day to day banking with the expert from xyz bank there 1 day a week with a different bank every day.

Hence you Lloyd’s staff member provides advice in Bishop on Monday, Stanhope Tuesday, Peterlee Wednesday….

williamglenn · January 29

TheValiant said:

williamglenn said:
It appears that we can replace Robert Peston with Deepseek forthwith.

https://x.com/peston/status/1884609503829909879
He asked Deepseek to ask 'one' question. The rubbish it produced asked two (how will... and then... what specific mechanisms).

I appreciate I'm a bit thick, but that question appeared hugely longwinded and not particularly focused. More like an essay question.

Precisely. Hugely longwinded and not particularly focused questions were Peston's USP.

Fishing · January 29

SouthamObserver said:

JosiasJessop said:
So the government has 'announced' an Oxford-Cambridge growth corridor.

I wonder how this differs from all the other times this has been talked about over the last twenty years?

I also note, from (1): "an upgrade on the A428 between Milton Keynes and Cambridge". Which, unless I am very much mistaken, I passed the roadworks for as I drove to the pool at lunch. The upgrade is well under way, started by the last government.

This is different from the Oxford-Cambridge expressway (2), cancelled four years ago. If you want to link the two cities, something needs to be done by the mudtracks between Zebedeeland and the muddy spires of Oxford. We're going to have nice dual carriageway all the way from Cambridge to MK, and crummy roads the rest of the way.

On the other hand, it's good to see the new Fens Reservoir is going to be built (3) to provide water for all the new homes and businesses. This is actually a big issue locally.

JFDI.

(1): https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/articles/cjw49q9zgepo
(2): https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Oxford–Cambridge_Expressway
(3): https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/articles/cm2e8gkj2yro

You can make planning regulations the most growth friendly possible and put in every kind of incentive to build but if you don't have enough builders on the ground laying the bricks and putting down the concrete, nothing much is going to happen. And we have nowhere near enough builders and an absolute aversion to immigration.

But when there is sufficient demand (for builders, widgets or whatever), supply adjusts as the price increases. More people will find it attractive to train or retrain as builders or bricklayers or whatever. The only question is how long it takes, and as most building jobs are at best semi-skilled, unlike training new doctors, say, it shouldn't take a huge length of time. Probably less time than the average planning process.

Thank God for the free market.

Malmesbury · January 29

JosiasJessop said:

Malmesbury said:

Carnyx said:

viewcode said:

Dura_Ace said:

viewcode said:

TheScreamingEagles said:

No_Offence_Alan said:

TheScreamingEagles said:
Cash is dead, part 2,444

Lloyds Banking Group to close a further 136 branches.

https://www.ft.com/content/d41e7dc9-90e4-4247-a70e-fc1ae1fd4c72
But apparently cash is implicated in child abuse.

https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/articles/cre8n7wr31jo
Given my day job, I can confidently say that 99% of all cash transactions are something to do with dodging taxes, drugs, and/or wider criminality.

If you use cash you are on the side of the criminals and tax dodgers as well as making the lives harder for legitimate businesses.
Every week I go to the cash point and take out a fixed amount of cash. It helps me budget during the week. I also get the slip that tells me how much money I have and enter that in a spreadsheet. I have been doing that for more decades than I like to think.

Just go the whole hog and fucking move into Beamish.
I think the cashpoints in the 1820s still used CRTs, and only worked if the rubber band was wound up.
Nah, they were getting really excited about the new steam engines with mechanical processing. Mr Babbage and all that.
That was all TechBroHype. Government invested a fortune and got nothing. The mechanical computing market collapsed for decades.

Clement and then Whitworth made fortunes of delivering bit for machines that were never built. They used the money to build their own businesses at government expense.

The financial enquiry still hasn’t reported - the specific enquiry into the usefulness of the project showed it was a waste of time.
Isn't that being more than a little unfair on Joey Whitworth?

Clement, in particular, optimised his return from the Difference Machine contracts. Rather well.

Whitworth wasn’t far behind.

carnforth · January 29

Taz said:
Lord Mandelson says he was wrong about his previous comments about the Donald.

He blames the fraught time in Politics and Brexit deadlock.

https://www.msn.com/en-gb/news/uknews/lord-mandelson-i-was-wrong-to-call-trump-a-danger-to-the-world/ar-AA1y39re?ocid=entnewsntp&pc=U531&cvid=9bbd76b8c58c459a8c93bf099ebaf401&ei=15

The little toad.

Selebian · January 29

Cookie said:
FPT:
Leon said:

Cookie said:

Leon said:

MattW said:

TOPPING said:

Leon said:

Theuniondivvie said:

kamski said:

Leon said:
What’s happened to me. I used to do drugs and be bad

Now I have become the sort of person that buys artisanal handwoven throws

It’s from Kachin. $105

I was going to say how rubbish it is, but it's actually not a bad effort for the 8-year-old who probably made it.
Being soaked in the tears of the 8 year old slave who made it counters any Woke entirely.
It wasn’t a slave. Kachin Burma has a long noble tradition of hand woven cotton

“Kachin textiles are not merely aesthetic but play an essential role in social and ceremonial life. Traditionally, they are worn during weddings, festivals (Manau celebrations), and rites of passage. Men wear intricately woven longyis (sarongs), while women wear htameins (skirts) paired with elaborately embroidered jackets and headdresses. Warriors and leaders historically wore finely woven garments as symbols of status

Kachin textiles are renowned and highly prized by collectors for their bold geometric patterns, intricate embroidery, and bright contrasting colors. Common motifs include:

Zigzags & diamonds: Representing mountains and rivers, key features of Kachin landscapes.

Animal symbols: Elephants, deer, birds, and mythical creatures, often linked to animist beliefs.

Tribal patterns: Each Kachin sub-group (such as the Jinghpaw, Rawang, or Lisu) has distinct designs that indicate regional or clan identity.”

$105! Bargain. I utterly adore it
Is that your hotel room. I would be seriously concerned if you made your bed up every day like that in NW1.
HW1 is a bit suburban, n'est-ce pas?

I spent several years living in EC2.
EC2 is sweet

It’s my proud boast that I have lived in nearly all the “1s”

W1. SW1, EC1, N1, WC1, E1 and now NW1

Only one missing is SE1. But I’ll cope
A pedant notes: there are postcodes outside London too.

But that is quite remarkable. The average first number in my postcode is 13 1/8. If it's weighted by the length of time I've spent there it's 16.7. And that's someone who's lived somewhere fairly urban all his life (though my 1 "1" was DL1, so my least metropolitan address).

You must have a remarkably low average postcode score.
Actually this is true

The only other places I have lived in the UK are Hereford - HR4 - and Truro - TR1 - TR1!!

So, that’s 1, 1, 1, 1, 1, 1, 1, 4, 1
Mean postcode score of 1 1/3. Remarkable. My guess is that there will be no-one in the country with 9 (or more) different UK adresses with a lower score.

For contrast, can any pb-ers give us an unsually high score?

I love this kind of shit.

Not always great as a measure of centrality, though. Up until 18, my mean score was 1 (two different postcodes). Both were (and still are) within 250m of the edge of the town and farmland, but over a mile from the centre. In fact, I could have lived in an outlying village 8 miles from the centre and still been in the same postcode.

Conversely, the nearest I've ever lived to the centre of a city (ten minutes' walk) was a 26.

TheScreamingEagles · January 29

FPT

Taz said:

TheScreamingEagles said:

Nigel_Foremain said:

TheScreamingEagles said:
Another poll with Lab ahead and the Tories third.

Margin of error changes in latest
@moreincommonuk.bsky.social
poll mean again it's a virtual 3-way tie between Labour, Reform & Conservatives

🌹LAB 25% (+1)
➡️ REF UK 25% (nc)
🌳CON 24% (-1)
🔶 LIB DEM 13% ( +1)
🌍 GREEN 7% (nc)
🟡 SNP 2% (-1)

N = 2,009 Dates: 24 - 27 Jan, Change w 20 Jan

https://bsky.app/profile/luketryl.bsky.social/post/3lgui72kquc2f
It could be described as a 3-way between Starmer Farage and Badenoch !
Mind bleach!
Ooh, topical

https://www.dailymail.co.uk/tvshowbiz/article-14335591/Why-fear-troubling-code-silence-Strictly-stars-Wynnes-vile-spit-roast-slur.html

That article in the Mail proves they are a bunch of woke snowflakes, they say

He used the sordid term, which refers to three-way sex, about his BBC colleague Janette Manrara. It’s about as crude and offensive a suggestion as you can make.

I can think of at least 100 more crude and offensive suggestions than that.

rcs1000 · January 29

A_View_From_Cumbria5 said:
No, she wouldn't make the best Prime Minister. But she is probably the best Prime Minister in the present House of Commons.

That's a bit like saying that syphilis is the best STD to catch.

viewcode · January 29

(Narrator: the "1" code in the postcode suffix/inward code indicates the post sorting office for the area and is not necessarily the centre of town)

Fairliered · January 29

JosiasJessop said:

SouthamObserver said:

JosiasJessop said:
So the government has 'announced' an Oxford-Cambridge growth corridor.

I wonder how this differs from all the other times this has been talked about over the last twenty years?

I also note, from (1): "an upgrade on the A428 between Milton Keynes and Cambridge". Which, unless I am very much mistaken, I passed the roadworks for as I drove to the pool at lunch. The upgrade is well under way, started by the last government.

This is different from the Oxford-Cambridge expressway (2), cancelled four years ago. If you want to link the two cities, something needs to be done by the mudtracks between Zebedeeland and the muddy spires of Oxford. We're going to have nice dual carriageway all the way from Cambridge to MK, and crummy roads the rest of the way.

On the other hand, it's good to see the new Fens Reservoir is going to be built (3) to provide water for all the new homes and businesses. This is actually a big issue locally.

JFDI.

(1): https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/articles/cjw49q9zgepo
(2): https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Oxford–Cambridge_Expressway
(3): https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/articles/cm2e8gkj2yro

You can make planning regulations the most growth friendly possible and put in every kind of incentive to build but if you don't have enough builders on the ground laying the bricks and putting down the concrete, nothing much is going to happen. And we have nowhere near enough builders and an absolute aversion to immigration.
It's a chicken and egg situation, isn't it? Lack of construction (not just 'building'...) starts leads to fewer people in the relevant occupations, and fewer people training up into them. Which is then an excuse not to start many projects.

JFDI and train people up.

There will be plenty of potential bricklaying, joinery and electrical engineering apprentices when the universities have closed down.

TheScreamingEagles · January 29

viewcode said:
(Narrator: the "1" code in the postcode suffix/inward code indicates the post sorting office for the area and is not necessarily the centre of town)

Manchester postcodes are great.

Cookie · January 29

Taz said:

Cookie said:
FPT:
Leon said:

Cookie said:

Leon said:

MattW said:

TOPPING said:

Leon said:

Theuniondivvie said:

kamski said:

Leon said:
What’s happened to me. I used to do drugs and be bad

Now I have become the sort of person that buys artisanal handwoven throws

It’s from Kachin. $105

I was going to say how rubbish it is, but it's actually not a bad effort for the 8-year-old who probably made it.
Being soaked in the tears of the 8 year old slave who made it counters any Woke entirely.
It wasn’t a slave. Kachin Burma has a long noble tradition of hand woven cotton

“Kachin textiles are not merely aesthetic but play an essential role in social and ceremonial life. Traditionally, they are worn during weddings, festivals (Manau celebrations), and rites of passage. Men wear intricately woven longyis (sarongs), while women wear htameins (skirts) paired with elaborately embroidered jackets and headdresses. Warriors and leaders historically wore finely woven garments as symbols of status

Kachin textiles are renowned and highly prized by collectors for their bold geometric patterns, intricate embroidery, and bright contrasting colors. Common motifs include:

Zigzags & diamonds: Representing mountains and rivers, key features of Kachin landscapes.

Animal symbols: Elephants, deer, birds, and mythical creatures, often linked to animist beliefs.

Tribal patterns: Each Kachin sub-group (such as the Jinghpaw, Rawang, or Lisu) has distinct designs that indicate regional or clan identity.”

$105! Bargain. I utterly adore it
Is that your hotel room. I would be seriously concerned if you made your bed up every day like that in NW1.
HW1 is a bit suburban, n'est-ce pas?

I spent several years living in EC2.
EC2 is sweet

It’s my proud boast that I have lived in nearly all the “1s”

W1. SW1, EC1, N1, WC1, E1 and now NW1

Only one missing is SE1. But I’ll cope
A pedant notes: there are postcodes outside London too.

But that is quite remarkable. The average first number in my postcode is 13 1/8. If it's weighted by the length of time I've spent there it's 16.7. And that's someone who's lived somewhere fairly urban all his life (though my 1 "1" was DL1, so my least metropolitan address).

You must have a remarkably low average postcode score.
Actually this is true

The only other places I have lived in the UK are Hereford - HR4 - and Truro - TR1 - TR1!!

So, that’s 1, 1, 1, 1, 1, 1, 1, 4, 1
Mean postcode score of 1 1/3. Remarkable. My guess is that there will be no-one in the country with 9 (or more) different UK adresses with a lower score.

For contrast, can any pb-ers give us an unsually high score?

I love this kind of shit.
For me 90/5/2/2

So a mean score of 24.5

90?!
The only 90 I know is Manchester Airport. Which presumably wasn't your address.

Hm. A bit of research also allows Worksop, Solihull and somewhere in Glasgow as possibilities

Jim_Miller · January 29

Possibly related: Years ago, I was intrigued by parallel poll findings. In the US, almost all Republicans thought that the United States was a good nation with some faults, while about half of Democrats thought it was a bad nation with some redeeming qualities.

There was a similar poll in the UK that showed that Conservatives mostly thought the United Kingdom was a good country, while about half of Labour supporters did not.

Those findings explained much, I thought, about the politics in both nations.

Have you seen any similar poll findings for the UK recently?

Could a change in those attitudes help explain why so many leaders have trouble getting positive ratings in the UK?

(For the record: I think the US is still mostly a good nation, but less so in recent decades with the decline in family strength.)

williamglenn · January 29

Rachel Reeves is getting some abuse from Michael O’Leary.

https://x.com/politlcsuk/status/1884600760899367105

Andy_JS · January 29

"A majority of the public think that the UK should bring back the death penalty, with the strongest support among millennials, a poll has found." (£)

https://www.thetimes.com/uk/law/article/majority-britons-support-death-penalty-poll-scw7glncg

CatMan · January 29

Cookie said:
FPT:
Leon said:

Cookie said:

Leon said:

MattW said:

TOPPING said:

Leon said:

Theuniondivvie said:

kamski said:

Leon said:
What’s happened to me. I used to do drugs and be bad

Now I have become the sort of person that buys artisanal handwoven throws

It’s from Kachin. $105

I was going to say how rubbish it is, but it's actually not a bad effort for the 8-year-old who probably made it.
Being soaked in the tears of the 8 year old slave who made it counters any Woke entirely.
It wasn’t a slave. Kachin Burma has a long noble tradition of hand woven cotton

“Kachin textiles are not merely aesthetic but play an essential role in social and ceremonial life. Traditionally, they are worn during weddings, festivals (Manau celebrations), and rites of passage. Men wear intricately woven longyis (sarongs), while women wear htameins (skirts) paired with elaborately embroidered jackets and headdresses. Warriors and leaders historically wore finely woven garments as symbols of status

Kachin textiles are renowned and highly prized by collectors for their bold geometric patterns, intricate embroidery, and bright contrasting colors. Common motifs include:

Zigzags & diamonds: Representing mountains and rivers, key features of Kachin landscapes.

Animal symbols: Elephants, deer, birds, and mythical creatures, often linked to animist beliefs.

Tribal patterns: Each Kachin sub-group (such as the Jinghpaw, Rawang, or Lisu) has distinct designs that indicate regional or clan identity.”

$105! Bargain. I utterly adore it
Is that your hotel room. I would be seriously concerned if you made your bed up every day like that in NW1.
HW1 is a bit suburban, n'est-ce pas?

I spent several years living in EC2.
EC2 is sweet

It’s my proud boast that I have lived in nearly all the “1s”

W1. SW1, EC1, N1, WC1, E1 and now NW1

Only one missing is SE1. But I’ll cope
A pedant notes: there are postcodes outside London too.

But that is quite remarkable. The average first number in my postcode is 13 1/8. If it's weighted by the length of time I've spent there it's 16.7. And that's someone who's lived somewhere fairly urban all his life (though my 1 "1" was DL1, so my least metropolitan address).

You must have a remarkably low average postcode score.
Actually this is true

The only other places I have lived in the UK are Hereford - HR4 - and Truro - TR1 - TR1!!

So, that’s 1, 1, 1, 1, 1, 1, 1, 4, 1
Mean postcode score of 1 1/3. Remarkable. My guess is that there will be no-one in the country with 9 (or more) different UK adresses with a lower score.

For contrast, can any pb-ers give us an unsually high score?

I love this kind of shit.

The postcode I grew up in was a 0, so I win by default.

Nigelb · January 29

carnforth said:

Taz said:
Lord Mandelson says he was wrong about his previous comments about the Donald.

He blames the fraught time in Politics and Brexit deadlock.

https://www.msn.com/en-gb/news/uknews/lord-mandelson-i-was-wrong-to-call-trump-a-danger-to-the-world/ar-AA1y39re?ocid=entnewsntp&pc=U531&cvid=9bbd76b8c58c459a8c93bf099ebaf401&ei=15
The little toad.

Well, yes.
But he's our toad.

Casino_Royale · January 29

Sean_F said:
OTOH, Kemi (and Farage) have much less bad approval ratings than Starmer. That suggests to me that Labour have a lot further to sink, relative to the Conservatives and Reform.

Labour have a huge public sector client vote to draw upon.

Casino_Royale · January 29

williamglenn said:
Rachel Reeves is getting some abuse from Michael O’Leary.

https://x.com/politlcsuk/status/1884600760899367105

To be fair, who doesn't?

williamglenn · January 29

Casino_Royale said:

Sean_F said:
OTOH, Kemi (and Farage) have much less bad approval ratings than Starmer. That suggests to me that Labour have a lot further to sink, relative to the Conservatives and Reform.
Labour have a huge public sector client vote to draw upon.

Only if they're able to deliver for them. I would expect fewer of them to be motivated to turn out to vote next time.

Casino_Royale · January 29

I'd be ok with Jeremy Hunt.

He'd be great on the economy.

rcs1000 · January 29

Andy_JS said:
"A majority of the public think that the UK should bring back the death penalty, with the strongest support among millennials, a poll has found." (£)

https://www.thetimes.com/uk/law/article/majority-britons-support-death-penalty-poll-scw7glncg

If you go back to the second world war, public support for the death penalty has been pretty consistently above 50%, with dips below whenever there are obvious miscarriages of justice. Imagine if we'd hanged the Guilford Four, for example.

Stark_Dawning · January 29

viewcode said:
(Narrator: the "1" code in the postcode suffix/inward code indicates the post sorting office for the area and is not necessarily the centre of town)

Over Christmas I was speaking to a relative in his seventies, who hadn't realized until that point that the RH in his postcode stood for Red Hill.

Cookie · January 29

viewcode said:
(Narrator: the "1" code in the postcode suffix/inward code indicates the post sorting office for the area and is not necessarily the centre of town)

Not necessarily - but I can't think of many counterexamples. Certainly in all of the postal districts I know of '1' is pretty much the centre of town. It's where the main post office is.

As Eagles notes, Manchester is a bit different because Manchester and Salford always shared postcodes - before postcodes were made nationwide, you had Manchester 1 (where the post office was), and then they alternated: Manchester 2, Salford 3, Manchester 4, Salford 5... Uniformity petered out after a bit and in any case there have been reorders since, and everything's been given an 'M'.

rcs1000 · January 29

williamglenn said:

TheValiant said:

williamglenn said:
It appears that we can replace Robert Peston with Deepseek forthwith.

https://x.com/peston/status/1884609503829909879
He asked Deepseek to ask 'one' question. The rubbish it produced asked two (how will... and then... what specific mechanisms).

I appreciate I'm a bit thick, but that question appeared hugely longwinded and not particularly focused. More like an essay question.
Precisely. Hugely longwinded and not particularly focused questions were Peston's USP.

You give him far too much credit.

His core competence was starting bank runs based on a limited understanding of how finance works.

Cookie · January 29

CatMan said:

Cookie said:
FPT:
Leon said:

Cookie said:

Leon said:

MattW said:

TOPPING said:

Leon said:

Theuniondivvie said:

kamski said:

Leon said:
What’s happened to me. I used to do drugs and be bad

Now I have become the sort of person that buys artisanal handwoven throws

It’s from Kachin. $105

I was going to say how rubbish it is, but it's actually not a bad effort for the 8-year-old who probably made it.
Being soaked in the tears of the 8 year old slave who made it counters any Woke entirely.
It wasn’t a slave. Kachin Burma has a long noble tradition of hand woven cotton

“Kachin textiles are not merely aesthetic but play an essential role in social and ceremonial life. Traditionally, they are worn during weddings, festivals (Manau celebrations), and rites of passage. Men wear intricately woven longyis (sarongs), while women wear htameins (skirts) paired with elaborately embroidered jackets and headdresses. Warriors and leaders historically wore finely woven garments as symbols of status

Kachin textiles are renowned and highly prized by collectors for their bold geometric patterns, intricate embroidery, and bright contrasting colors. Common motifs include:

Zigzags & diamonds: Representing mountains and rivers, key features of Kachin landscapes.

Animal symbols: Elephants, deer, birds, and mythical creatures, often linked to animist beliefs.

Tribal patterns: Each Kachin sub-group (such as the Jinghpaw, Rawang, or Lisu) has distinct designs that indicate regional or clan identity.”

$105! Bargain. I utterly adore it
Is that your hotel room. I would be seriously concerned if you made your bed up every day like that in NW1.
HW1 is a bit suburban, n'est-ce pas?

I spent several years living in EC2.
EC2 is sweet

It’s my proud boast that I have lived in nearly all the “1s”

W1. SW1, EC1, N1, WC1, E1 and now NW1

Only one missing is SE1. But I’ll cope
A pedant notes: there are postcodes outside London too.

But that is quite remarkable. The average first number in my postcode is 13 1/8. If it's weighted by the length of time I've spent there it's 16.7. And that's someone who's lived somewhere fairly urban all his life (though my 1 "1" was DL1, so my least metropolitan address).

You must have a remarkably low average postcode score.
Actually this is true

The only other places I have lived in the UK are Hereford - HR4 - and Truro - TR1 - TR1!!

So, that’s 1, 1, 1, 1, 1, 1, 1, 4, 1
Mean postcode score of 1 1/3. Remarkable. My guess is that there will be no-one in the country with 9 (or more) different UK adresses with a lower score.

For contrast, can any pb-ers give us an unsually high score?

I love this kind of shit.
The postcode I grew up in was a 0, so I win by default.

But what is your average now? Unless you have been very careful I'm betting it will be some way above 1.

Leon · January 29

Bring back the noose

Taz · January 29

williamglenn said:
Rachel Reeves is getting some abuse from Michael O’Leary.

https://x.com/politlcsuk/status/1884600760899367105

So she's doing something right then.

Taz · January 29

Cookie said:

Taz said:

Cookie said:
FPT:
Leon said:

Cookie said:

Leon said:

MattW said:

TOPPING said:

Leon said:

Theuniondivvie said:

kamski said:

Leon said:
What’s happened to me. I used to do drugs and be bad

Now I have become the sort of person that buys artisanal handwoven throws

It’s from Kachin. $105

I was going to say how rubbish it is, but it's actually not a bad effort for the 8-year-old who probably made it.
Being soaked in the tears of the 8 year old slave who made it counters any Woke entirely.
It wasn’t a slave. Kachin Burma has a long noble tradition of hand woven cotton

“Kachin textiles are not merely aesthetic but play an essential role in social and ceremonial life. Traditionally, they are worn during weddings, festivals (Manau celebrations), and rites of passage. Men wear intricately woven longyis (sarongs), while women wear htameins (skirts) paired with elaborately embroidered jackets and headdresses. Warriors and leaders historically wore finely woven garments as symbols of status

Kachin textiles are renowned and highly prized by collectors for their bold geometric patterns, intricate embroidery, and bright contrasting colors. Common motifs include:

Zigzags & diamonds: Representing mountains and rivers, key features of Kachin landscapes.

Animal symbols: Elephants, deer, birds, and mythical creatures, often linked to animist beliefs.

Tribal patterns: Each Kachin sub-group (such as the Jinghpaw, Rawang, or Lisu) has distinct designs that indicate regional or clan identity.”

$105! Bargain. I utterly adore it
Is that your hotel room. I would be seriously concerned if you made your bed up every day like that in NW1.
HW1 is a bit suburban, n'est-ce pas?

I spent several years living in EC2.
EC2 is sweet

It’s my proud boast that I have lived in nearly all the “1s”

W1. SW1, EC1, N1, WC1, E1 and now NW1

Only one missing is SE1. But I’ll cope
A pedant notes: there are postcodes outside London too.

But that is quite remarkable. The average first number in my postcode is 13 1/8. If it's weighted by the length of time I've spent there it's 16.7. And that's someone who's lived somewhere fairly urban all his life (though my 1 "1" was DL1, so my least metropolitan address).

You must have a remarkably low average postcode score.
Actually this is true

The only other places I have lived in the UK are Hereford - HR4 - and Truro - TR1 - TR1!!

So, that’s 1, 1, 1, 1, 1, 1, 1, 4, 1
Mean postcode score of 1 1/3. Remarkable. My guess is that there will be no-one in the country with 9 (or more) different UK adresses with a lower score.

For contrast, can any pb-ers give us an unsually high score?

I love this kind of shit.
For me 90/5/2/2

So a mean score of 24.5
90?!
The only 90 I know is Manchester Airport. Which presumably wasn't your address.

Hm. A bit of research also allows Worksop, Solihull and somewhere in Glasgow as possibilities

Aye up me duck

rcs1000 · January 29

@Leon

On London postcodes, I've lived in: SW1, W2, E1, W1, NW1, NW3 and now WC2.

The funny bit is that my WC2 is about 200 meters from Cambridge Circus, so by any measure is the closest to the centre of London.

Daveyboy1961 · January 29

Leon said:
Bring back the noose

I'd prefer them to bring back the news

Malmesbury · January 29

rcs1000 said:

williamglenn said:

TheValiant said:

williamglenn said:
It appears that we can replace Robert Peston with Deepseek forthwith.

https://x.com/peston/status/1884609503829909879
He asked Deepseek to ask 'one' question. The rubbish it produced asked two (how will... and then... what specific mechanisms).

I appreciate I'm a bit thick, but that question appeared hugely longwinded and not particularly focused. More like an essay question.
Precisely. Hugely longwinded and not particularly focused questions were Peston's USP.
You give him far too much credit.

His core competence was starting bank runs based on a limited understanding of how finance works.

“limited understanding”?!

An infamous allegation.

Pesto has a vast, *negative* understanding of how finance works.

viewcode · January 29

williamglenn said:
Rachel Reeves is getting some abuse from Michael O’Leary.

https://x.com/politlcsuk/status/1884600760899367105

Air passenger duty was introduced in 1994. Has he similarly abused Clarke, Brown, Osborne, Hammond, Javid(?), Sunak, Kwarteng, and Hunt?

(apols if list is wrong but I did it from memory)

[Edit: I missed out Darling and Zahawi]

Daveyboy1961 · January 29

Stark_Dawning said:

viewcode said:
(Narrator: the "1" code in the postcode suffix/inward code indicates the post sorting office for the area and is not necessarily the centre of town)
Over Christmas I was speaking to a relative in his seventies, who hadn't realized until that point that the RH in his postcode stood for Red Hill.

When I lived in Aberystwyth it took me a while to figure out what SY represents.

Selebian · January 29

Andy_JS said:
"A majority of the public think that the UK should bring back the death penalty, with the strongest support among millennials, a poll has found." (£)

https://www.thetimes.com/uk/law/article/majority-britons-support-death-penalty-poll-scw7glncg

As a millennial (but at the cool, almost gen X end

) I disown my generation.

Gallowgate · January 29

Cookie said:

Taz said:

Cookie said:
FPT:
Leon said:

Cookie said:

Leon said:

MattW said:

TOPPING said:

Leon said:

Theuniondivvie said:

kamski said:

Leon said:
What’s happened to me. I used to do drugs and be bad

Now I have become the sort of person that buys artisanal handwoven throws

It’s from Kachin. $105

I was going to say how rubbish it is, but it's actually not a bad effort for the 8-year-old who probably made it.
Being soaked in the tears of the 8 year old slave who made it counters any Woke entirely.
It wasn’t a slave. Kachin Burma has a long noble tradition of hand woven cotton

“Kachin textiles are not merely aesthetic but play an essential role in social and ceremonial life. Traditionally, they are worn during weddings, festivals (Manau celebrations), and rites of passage. Men wear intricately woven longyis (sarongs), while women wear htameins (skirts) paired with elaborately embroidered jackets and headdresses. Warriors and leaders historically wore finely woven garments as symbols of status

Kachin textiles are renowned and highly prized by collectors for their bold geometric patterns, intricate embroidery, and bright contrasting colors. Common motifs include:

Zigzags & diamonds: Representing mountains and rivers, key features of Kachin landscapes.

Animal symbols: Elephants, deer, birds, and mythical creatures, often linked to animist beliefs.

Tribal patterns: Each Kachin sub-group (such as the Jinghpaw, Rawang, or Lisu) has distinct designs that indicate regional or clan identity.”

$105! Bargain. I utterly adore it
Is that your hotel room. I would be seriously concerned if you made your bed up every day like that in NW1.
HW1 is a bit suburban, n'est-ce pas?

I spent several years living in EC2.
EC2 is sweet

It’s my proud boast that I have lived in nearly all the “1s”

W1. SW1, EC1, N1, WC1, E1 and now NW1

Only one missing is SE1. But I’ll cope
A pedant notes: there are postcodes outside London too.

But that is quite remarkable. The average first number in my postcode is 13 1/8. If it's weighted by the length of time I've spent there it's 16.7. And that's someone who's lived somewhere fairly urban all his life (though my 1 "1" was DL1, so my least metropolitan address).

You must have a remarkably low average postcode score.
Actually this is true

The only other places I have lived in the UK are Hereford - HR4 - and Truro - TR1 - TR1!!

So, that’s 1, 1, 1, 1, 1, 1, 1, 4, 1
Mean postcode score of 1 1/3. Remarkable. My guess is that there will be no-one in the country with 9 (or more) different UK adresses with a lower score.

For contrast, can any pb-ers give us an unsually high score?

I love this kind of shit.
For me 90/5/2/2

So a mean score of 24.5
90?!
The only 90 I know is Manchester Airport. Which presumably wasn't your address.

Hm. A bit of research also allows Worksop, Solihull and somewhere in Glasgow as possibilities

I am 90 (Solihull), 6, 2, 6, 3, 29, 8, 13

Daveyboy1961 · January 29

carnforth said:

Taz said:
Lord Mandelson says he was wrong about his previous comments about the Donald.

He blames the fraught time in Politics and Brexit deadlock.

https://www.msn.com/en-gb/news/uknews/lord-mandelson-i-was-wrong-to-call-trump-a-danger-to-the-world/ar-AA1y39re?ocid=entnewsntp&pc=U531&cvid=9bbd76b8c58c459a8c93bf099ebaf401&ei=15
The little toad.

Isn't that Farridge?

CatMan · January 29

Cookie said:

CatMan said:

Cookie said:
FPT:
Leon said:

Cookie said:

Leon said:

MattW said:

TOPPING said:

Leon said:

Theuniondivvie said:

kamski said:

Leon said:
What’s happened to me. I used to do drugs and be bad

Now I have become the sort of person that buys artisanal handwoven throws

It’s from Kachin. $105

I was going to say how rubbish it is, but it's actually not a bad effort for the 8-year-old who probably made it.
Being soaked in the tears of the 8 year old slave who made it counters any Woke entirely.
It wasn’t a slave. Kachin Burma has a long noble tradition of hand woven cotton

“Kachin textiles are not merely aesthetic but play an essential role in social and ceremonial life. Traditionally, they are worn during weddings, festivals (Manau celebrations), and rites of passage. Men wear intricately woven longyis (sarongs), while women wear htameins (skirts) paired with elaborately embroidered jackets and headdresses. Warriors and leaders historically wore finely woven garments as symbols of status

Kachin textiles are renowned and highly prized by collectors for their bold geometric patterns, intricate embroidery, and bright contrasting colors. Common motifs include:

Zigzags & diamonds: Representing mountains and rivers, key features of Kachin landscapes.

Animal symbols: Elephants, deer, birds, and mythical creatures, often linked to animist beliefs.

Tribal patterns: Each Kachin sub-group (such as the Jinghpaw, Rawang, or Lisu) has distinct designs that indicate regional or clan identity.”

$105! Bargain. I utterly adore it
Is that your hotel room. I would be seriously concerned if you made your bed up every day like that in NW1.
HW1 is a bit suburban, n'est-ce pas?

I spent several years living in EC2.
EC2 is sweet

It’s my proud boast that I have lived in nearly all the “1s”

W1. SW1, EC1, N1, WC1, E1 and now NW1

Only one missing is SE1. But I’ll cope
A pedant notes: there are postcodes outside London too.

But that is quite remarkable. The average first number in my postcode is 13 1/8. If it's weighted by the length of time I've spent there it's 16.7. And that's someone who's lived somewhere fairly urban all his life (though my 1 "1" was DL1, so my least metropolitan address).

You must have a remarkably low average postcode score.
Actually this is true

The only other places I have lived in the UK are Hereford - HR4 - and Truro - TR1 - TR1!!

So, that’s 1, 1, 1, 1, 1, 1, 1, 4, 1
Mean postcode score of 1 1/3. Remarkable. My guess is that there will be no-one in the country with 9 (or more) different UK adresses with a lower score.

For contrast, can any pb-ers give us an unsually high score?

I love this kind of shit.
The postcode I grew up in was a 0, so I win by default.
But what is your average now? Unless you have been very careful I'm betting it will be some way above 1.

In full it would be 0,11,38,19,20,7,6,6,6.

I'm not doing well am I?!

Daveyboy1961 · January 29

Selebian said:

Andy_JS said:
"A majority of the public think that the UK should bring back the death penalty, with the strongest support among millennials, a poll has found." (£)

https://www.thetimes.com/uk/law/article/majority-britons-support-death-penalty-poll-scw7glncg
As a millennial (but at the cool, almost gen X end ) I disown my generation.

What is a millennial again?

Sandpit · January 29

Daveyboy1961 said:

Stark_Dawning said:

viewcode said:
(Narrator: the "1" code in the postcode suffix/inward code indicates the post sorting office for the area and is not necessarily the centre of town)
Over Christmas I was speaking to a relative in his seventies, who hadn't realized until that point that the RH in his postcode stood for Red Hill.
When I lived in Aberystwyth it took me a while to figure out what SY represents.

Abertawe.

Edit: ha, no it isn’t, I too lived there and had it wrong all that time!

viewcode · January 29

Casino_Royale said:
I'd be ok with Jeremy Hunt.

He'd be great on the economy.

With epic rhyming slang opportunities 😀

Selebian · January 29

Daveyboy1961 said:

Selebian said:

Andy_JS said:
"A majority of the public think that the UK should bring back the death penalty, with the strongest support among millennials, a poll has found." (£)

https://www.thetimes.com/uk/law/article/majority-britons-support-death-penalty-poll-scw7glncg
As a millennial (but at the cool, almost gen X end ) I disown my generation.
What is a millennial again?

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Millennials
1981-1996 apparently, although definitions vary.

AKA the non-house-owning avocado-on-toast brigade.

MattW · January 29

Selebian said:

Cookie said:
FPT:
Leon said:

Cookie said:

Leon said:

MattW said:

TOPPING said:

Leon said:

Theuniondivvie said:

kamski said:

Leon said:
What’s happened to me. I used to do drugs and be bad

Now I have become the sort of person that buys artisanal handwoven throws

It’s from Kachin. $105

I was going to say how rubbish it is, but it's actually not a bad effort for the 8-year-old who probably made it.
Being soaked in the tears of the 8 year old slave who made it counters any Woke entirely.
It wasn’t a slave. Kachin Burma has a long noble tradition of hand woven cotton

“Kachin textiles are not merely aesthetic but play an essential role in social and ceremonial life. Traditionally, they are worn during weddings, festivals (Manau celebrations), and rites of passage. Men wear intricately woven longyis (sarongs), while women wear htameins (skirts) paired with elaborately embroidered jackets and headdresses. Warriors and leaders historically wore finely woven garments as symbols of status

Kachin textiles are renowned and highly prized by collectors for their bold geometric patterns, intricate embroidery, and bright contrasting colors. Common motifs include:

Zigzags & diamonds: Representing mountains and rivers, key features of Kachin landscapes.

Animal symbols: Elephants, deer, birds, and mythical creatures, often linked to animist beliefs.

Tribal patterns: Each Kachin sub-group (such as the Jinghpaw, Rawang, or Lisu) has distinct designs that indicate regional or clan identity.”

$105! Bargain. I utterly adore it
Is that your hotel room. I would be seriously concerned if you made your bed up every day like that in NW1.
HW1 is a bit suburban, n'est-ce pas?

I spent several years living in EC2.
EC2 is sweet

It’s my proud boast that I have lived in nearly all the “1s”

W1. SW1, EC1, N1, WC1, E1 and now NW1

Only one missing is SE1. But I’ll cope
A pedant notes: there are postcodes outside London too.

But that is quite remarkable. The average first number in my postcode is 13 1/8. If it's weighted by the length of time I've spent there it's 16.7. And that's someone who's lived somewhere fairly urban all his life (though my 1 "1" was DL1, so my least metropolitan address).

You must have a remarkably low average postcode score.
Actually this is true

The only other places I have lived in the UK are Hereford - HR4 - and Truro - TR1 - TR1!!

So, that’s 1, 1, 1, 1, 1, 1, 1, 4, 1
Mean postcode score of 1 1/3. Remarkable. My guess is that there will be no-one in the country with 9 (or more) different UK adresses with a lower score.

For contrast, can any pb-ers give us an unsually high score?

I love this kind of shit.
Not always great as a measure of centrality, though. Up until 18, my mean score was 1 (two different postcodes). Both were (and still are) within 250m of the edge of the town and farmland, but over a mile from the centre. In fact, I could have lived in an outlying village 8 miles from the centre and still been in the same postcode.

Conversely, the nearest I've ever lived to the centre of a city (ten minutes' walk) was a 26.

Along with 2, 4, 4, 3, 7, 7, I have 12, 7, 17 and 55. There may be others.

N7 is next door to Nottingham Castle, in the middle of the city.

kinabalu · January 29

Andy_JS said:
"A majority of the public think that the UK should bring back the death penalty, with the strongest support among millennials, a poll has found." (£)

https://www.thetimes.com/uk/law/article/majority-britons-support-death-penalty-poll-scw7glncg

God, youth of today.

viewcode · January 29

Nigelb said:

carnforth said:

Taz said:
Lord Mandelson says he was wrong about his previous comments about the Donald.

He blames the fraught time in Politics and Brexit deadlock.

https://www.msn.com/en-gb/news/uknews/lord-mandelson-i-was-wrong-to-call-trump-a-danger-to-the-world/ar-AA1y39re?ocid=entnewsntp&pc=U531&cvid=9bbd76b8c58c459a8c93bf099ebaf401&ei=15
The little toad.
Well, yes.
But he's our toad.

The following statement is technically true

"Of all the toads I have ever possessed, he is not one of them"

SouthamObserver · January 29

rcs1000 said:
@Leon

On London postcodes, I've lived in: SW1, W2, E1, W1, NW1, NW3 and now WC2.

The funny bit is that my WC2 is about 200 meters from Cambridge Circus, so by any measure is the closest to the centre of London.

Born in NW1, lived in NW5 for my first 19 years, then N19 for 12 years after coming back from living in Spain.

williamglenn · January 29

rcs1000 said:

Andy_JS said:
"A majority of the public think that the UK should bring back the death penalty, with the strongest support among millennials, a poll has found." (£)

https://www.thetimes.com/uk/law/article/majority-britons-support-death-penalty-poll-scw7glncg
If you go back to the second world war, public support for the death penalty has been pretty consistently above 50%, with dips below whenever there are obvious miscarriages of justice. Imagine if we'd hanged the Guilford Four, for example.

Just imagine if we'd hanged the people who commited these murders:

https://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/2024/06/25/one-murder-a-week-committed-by-offenders-probation-service/

More than 750 killings since 2010 carried out by criminals on probation

Daveyboy1961 · January 29

Sandpit said:

Daveyboy1961 said:

Stark_Dawning said:

viewcode said:
(Narrator: the "1" code in the postcode suffix/inward code indicates the post sorting office for the area and is not necessarily the centre of town)
Over Christmas I was speaking to a relative in his seventies, who hadn't realized until that point that the RH in his postcode stood for Red Hill.
When I lived in Aberystwyth it took me a while to figure out what SY represents.
Abertawe.

Edit: ha, no it isn’t, I too lived there and had it wrong all that time!

That's Swansea.

TheScreamingEagles · January 29

kinabalu said:

Andy_JS said:
"A majority of the public think that the UK should bring back the death penalty, with the strongest support among millennials, a poll has found." (£)

https://www.thetimes.com/uk/law/article/majority-britons-support-death-penalty-poll-scw7glncg
God, youth of today.

One in 20 members of the public even backed using capital punishment against shoplifters.

SouthamObserver · January 29

Casino_Royale said:

Sean_F said:
OTOH, Kemi (and Farage) have much less bad approval ratings than Starmer. That suggests to me that Labour have a lot further to sink, relative to the Conservatives and Reform.
Labour have a huge public sector client vote to draw upon.

It's not as reliable as the Tory/Reform retiree client vote.

Selebian · January 29

williamglenn said:

rcs1000 said:

Andy_JS said:
"A majority of the public think that the UK should bring back the death penalty, with the strongest support among millennials, a poll has found." (£)

https://www.thetimes.com/uk/law/article/majority-britons-support-death-penalty-poll-scw7glncg
If you go back to the second world war, public support for the death penalty has been pretty consistently above 50%, with dips below whenever there are obvious miscarriages of justice. Imagine if we'd hanged the Guilford Four, for example.
Just imagine if we'd hanged the people who commited these murders:

https://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/2024/06/25/one-murder-a-week-committed-by-offenders-probation-service/

More than 750 killings since 2010 carried out by criminals on probation

Minority Report style, you mean? I doubt many of those were originally banged up for what would be capital offences. Unless you're going to hang everyone convicted of any crime?

noneoftheabove · January 29

TheScreamingEagles said:

kinabalu said:

Andy_JS said:
"A majority of the public think that the UK should bring back the death penalty, with the strongest support among millennials, a poll has found." (£)

https://www.thetimes.com/uk/law/article/majority-britons-support-death-penalty-poll-scw7glncg
God, youth of today.
One in 20 members of the public even backed using capital punishment against shoplifters.

Perhaps they think it means being sent to live in London.

Daveyboy1961 · January 29

RFK having a hot time at the moment.

Andy_JS · January 29

Daveyboy1961 said:

Selebian said:

Andy_JS said:
"A majority of the public think that the UK should bring back the death penalty, with the strongest support among millennials, a poll has found." (£)

https://www.thetimes.com/uk/law/article/majority-britons-support-death-penalty-poll-scw7glncg
As a millennial (but at the cool, almost gen X end ) I disown my generation.
What is a millennial again?

I absolutely hate these generational names. It used to be just "baby boomers" which was just about acceptable.

DougSeal · January 29

Gallowgate said:

Cookie said:

Taz said:

Cookie said:
FPT:
Leon said:

Cookie said:

Leon said:

MattW said:

TOPPING said:

Leon said:

Theuniondivvie said:

kamski said:

Leon said:
What’s happened to me. I used to do drugs and be bad

Now I have become the sort of person that buys artisanal handwoven throws

It’s from Kachin. $105

I was going to say how rubbish it is, but it's actually not a bad effort for the 8-year-old who probably made it.
Being soaked in the tears of the 8 year old slave who made it counters any Woke entirely.
It wasn’t a slave. Kachin Burma has a long noble tradition of hand woven cotton

“Kachin textiles are not merely aesthetic but play an essential role in social and ceremonial life. Traditionally, they are worn during weddings, festivals (Manau celebrations), and rites of passage. Men wear intricately woven longyis (sarongs), while women wear htameins (skirts) paired with elaborately embroidered jackets and headdresses. Warriors and leaders historically wore finely woven garments as symbols of status

Kachin textiles are renowned and highly prized by collectors for their bold geometric patterns, intricate embroidery, and bright contrasting colors. Common motifs include:

Zigzags & diamonds: Representing mountains and rivers, key features of Kachin landscapes.

Animal symbols: Elephants, deer, birds, and mythical creatures, often linked to animist beliefs.

Tribal patterns: Each Kachin sub-group (such as the Jinghpaw, Rawang, or Lisu) has distinct designs that indicate regional or clan identity.”

$105! Bargain. I utterly adore it
Is that your hotel room. I would be seriously concerned if you made your bed up every day like that in NW1.
HW1 is a bit suburban, n'est-ce pas?

I spent several years living in EC2.
EC2 is sweet

It’s my proud boast that I have lived in nearly all the “1s”

W1. SW1, EC1, N1, WC1, E1 and now NW1

Only one missing is SE1. But I’ll cope
A pedant notes: there are postcodes outside London too.

But that is quite remarkable. The average first number in my postcode is 13 1/8. If it's weighted by the length of time I've spent there it's 16.7. And that's someone who's lived somewhere fairly urban all his life (though my 1 "1" was DL1, so my least metropolitan address).

You must have a remarkably low average postcode score.
Actually this is true

The only other places I have lived in the UK are Hereford - HR4 - and Truro - TR1 - TR1!!

So, that’s 1, 1, 1, 1, 1, 1, 1, 4, 1
Mean postcode score of 1 1/3. Remarkable. My guess is that there will be no-one in the country with 9 (or more) different UK adresses with a lower score.

For contrast, can any pb-ers give us an unsually high score?

I love this kind of shit.
For me 90/5/2/2

So a mean score of 24.5
90?!
The only 90 I know is Manchester Airport. Which presumably wasn't your address.

Hm. A bit of research also allows Worksop, Solihull and somewhere in Glasgow as possibilities
I am 90 (Solihull), 6, 2, 6, 3, 29, 8, 13

I was in OX1 for a bit. I hate my current postcode as I'm just outside by native and far superior CT and at the top numerical end of the very naff TN.

In London I was SE11, N19, N1 and SE10 so nothing to write home about there either. I am postcode declasse.

rcs1000 · January 29

Selebian said:

williamglenn said:

rcs1000 said:

Andy_JS said:
"A majority of the public think that the UK should bring back the death penalty, with the strongest support among millennials, a poll has found." (£)

https://www.thetimes.com/uk/law/article/majority-britons-support-death-penalty-poll-scw7glncg
If you go back to the second world war, public support for the death penalty has been pretty consistently above 50%, with dips below whenever there are obvious miscarriages of justice. Imagine if we'd hanged the Guilford Four, for example.
Just imagine if we'd hanged the people who commited these murders:

https://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/2024/06/25/one-murder-a-week-committed-by-offenders-probation-service/

More than 750 killings since 2010 carried out by criminals on probation
Minority Report style, you mean? I doubt many of those were originally banged up for what would be capital offences. Unless you're going to hang everyone convicted of any crime?

Why bother with a conviction: if the police said he did it, that's good enough for me.

HYUFD · January 29

kinabalu said:

Andy_JS said:
"A majority of the public think that the UK should bring back the death penalty, with the strongest support among millennials, a poll has found." (£)

https://www.thetimes.com/uk/law/article/majority-britons-support-death-penalty-poll-scw7glncg
God, youth of today.

Gen Z are today's youth and more opposed, millennials are now approaching middle age

'Generation Z, who are aged between 18 and 26, are the most conflicted over the return of the death penalty, with 45 per cent in favour, 42 per cent against and 14 per cent unsure.

Most of the baby boomer generation — aged 60-74 — are in favour by a margin of 58 to 34 per cent, while 50 per cent of the over-75s are supportive and 37 per cent against.'

Selebian · January 29

Sandpit said:

Daveyboy1961 said:

Stark_Dawning said:

viewcode said:
(Narrator: the "1" code in the postcode suffix/inward code indicates the post sorting office for the area and is not necessarily the centre of town)
Over Christmas I was speaking to a relative in his seventies, who hadn't realized until that point that the RH in his postcode stood for Red Hill.
When I lived in Aberystwyth it took me a while to figure out what SY represents.
Abertawe.

Edit: ha, no it isn’t, I too lived there and had it wrong all that time!

Wrong nation!

MattW · January 29

A very good The Rest is Politics podcast, amongst others comparing Trump's behaviour with academic definitions of fascism, which I have argued.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=U0fdoOxkN4o

Also a review from Rory the Tory on the impact of Trump freezing everything worldwide via Executive Order. This is one of his subject areas.

An example is that USA Aid (all of whose programmes have now been frozen in mid-contract) funds the Jordanian education system via the ministry, which has will now stop in its tracks.

One thesis is that this behaviour will liquidate the USA's soft power worldwide for a generation, which has been a key influencer for them - since after 80 years of being a trustworthy ally, they are demonstrating that they have potential to be unpredictable backstabbers out of the blue at zero notice.

"Fool me once ..". Deep link to this:
https://youtu.be/U0fdoOxkN4o?t=1071

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