Starmer is a mediocrity. But he’s up against Badenoch and Farage.
So long as that remains the case, he wins.
On some polls Tories and Reform combined are already heading for a majority
Tories and Reform aren't a party though.
If they were, all the polling of their supporters' second choices, suggests they'd be nowhere near their combined total.
EC gives the Tories 142 MPs and Reform 192 on its poll average seat forecast still as separate parties, so 334 combined and a majority if Badenoch backed Farage over Starmer
Ah - that makes more sense - and if those were the results, I agree, that a Tory/Reform working arrangement is more likely.
I'd be wary of taking any projection seriously though, given how there was already a significant amount of new complexity added because of the results at the last election. Then with the growth of Reform since, I can't see how they'd be able to accurately work everything out with any confidence at all.
Absolutely OOZING contempt for Starmer (and he was unaware of the aid decision and the Trump fawning)
“What does he believe in? Does anyone know? He is like a very boring Blair, he is a void, he believes in nothing but his own career”
Hard to argue (OK I didn’t exactly try hard); nonetheless this illustrates a grave danger for Starmer. He is alienating lefty voters
Phone call with my chiropodist (who usually votes Green):
Really warming to Starmer after long thinking he was a waste of space.
"I'm starting to see where he's coming from and what he's trying to achieve. You know it's strange, he hasn't been in that long but it's already hard to visualise anybody else as PM. He has my vote next time, I think. Yes it's Labour for me. I'm a convert. I might even join the party. Does Monday 3.30 work for you?"
I said Tuesday would be better.
Difference is you are lying, and I am not
What's more, you KNOW I am not lying. You sense it yourself, it's in all your comments, this throb of disquiet about Starmer's Labour
But you are very very loyal, my friend is not
I'd imagine you are. If not, your friend sounds like a self-indulgent phony. Please note this doesn't mean he's not a great guy and a worthy friend.
As for "loyalty", yes I have some, it's an attribute not a fault, but you'll notice I am not happy with the Trump fluffing. I disagree with my fellow PB Labourites on this one.
Yes it is noticeable that you have condemned out of hand Starmer's behaviour and have said, as PB's pre-eminent and faux lefty, and in contradistinction to PB proper lefties, that he is a tosser and you are sickened by him and the whole Trump love in.
Well done you.
Hated it. Can't pretend otherwise.
You'd have been impressed, though, I'd imagine? Bit of the old Realpolitik, we have interests not friends etc etc.
Absolutely. Unless he and his party had spent the previous 10 years positioning himself as above, and condemning such behaviour, and as being true to his values. Which he transparently was not yesterday, and was sufficient to be very unimpressive to me.
Read the threads this morning.
What, you'd have preferred us not to have oiled the orange buttocks?
We agree then. That's nice. Hasn't happened for a while.
Absolutely OOZING contempt for Starmer (and he was unaware of the aid decision and the Trump fawning)
“What does he believe in? Does anyone know? He is like a very boring Blair, he is a void, he believes in nothing but his own career”
Hard to argue (OK I didn’t exactly try hard); nonetheless this illustrates a grave danger for Starmer. He is alienating lefty voters
Phone call with my chiropodist (who usually votes Green):
Really warming to Starmer after long thinking he was a waste of space.
"I'm starting to see where he's coming from and what he's trying to achieve. You know it's strange, he hasn't been in that long but it's already hard to visualise anybody else as PM. He has my vote next time, I think. Yes it's Labour for me. I'm a convert. I might even join the party. Does Monday 3.30 work for you?"
I said Tuesday would be better.
Difference is you are lying, and I am not
What's more, you KNOW I am not lying. You sense it yourself, it's in all your comments, this throb of disquiet about Starmer's Labour
But you are very very loyal, my friend is not
I'd imagine you are. If not, your friend sounds like a self-indulgent phony. Please note this doesn't mean he's not a great guy and a worthy friend.
As for "loyalty", yes I have some, it's an attribute not a fault, but you'll notice I am not happy with the Trump fluffing. I disagree with my fellow PB Labourites on this one.
Yes it is noticeable that you have condemned out of hand Starmer's behaviour and have said, as PB's pre-eminent and faux lefty, and in contradistinction to PB proper lefties, that he is a tosser and you are sickened by him and the whole Trump love in.
Well done you.
Hated it. Can't pretend otherwise.
You'd have been impressed, though, I'd imagine? Bit of the old Realpolitik, we have interests not friends etc etc.
Absolutely. Unless he and his party had spent the previous 10 years positioning himself as above, and condemning such behaviour, and as being true to his values. Which he transparently was not yesterday, and was sufficient to be very unimpressive to me.
Read the threads this morning.
What, you'd have preferred us not to have oiled the orange buttocks?
We agree then. That's nice. Hasn't happened for a while.
You are missing the point. It's not that we should or shouldn't have. It's that for years Starmer was Mr Sanctimonious about not being the kind of guy who would have oiled the orange buttocks and then he oiled the orange buttocks.
Anneliese Dodds resigns as international development minister over aid cuts. Remarkably principled to do so, particularly so early into a government. She might have hoped for higher office in time.
Lest we forget she was Sir Keir’s first choice to be Chancellor until she proved herself utterly useless as Shadow Chancellor.
Hmm. Was she worse than Reeves?
She was facing Rishi Sunak at his apotheosis as Chancellor.
Rishi was rather popular for paying people to stay at home.
Dodd's letter is devastating. It's factual, logical and clearly correct in its conclusions. Everyone who thinks seriously about these matters will understand that, including probably Keir Starmer.
And it lacks a counter solution to the problem of needing to find money, fast, to ensure the defence of the realm. As always politicians and ministers need to remember that the money they spend is tax payers, not theirs. Yes its nice to spend tax payers money all round the world, and I am sure it does some good, but there are places where it can be cut. India has a space program yet we still use our overseas aid budget to give money to India. Tough times need tough calls. Why not fight within to do the best you can with 0.3% of GNI. Its not exactly peanuts, is it.
Because there is no sensible trade off between aid and defence where a pound less spent on aid and a pound more on defence will deliver the same result. You might think aid is a complete waste of money but even then it has nothing to do with the defence budget.
Starmer wants to increase defence spending, which requires tax rises that the public have a limited appetite for, so sacrifices the aid budget to provide political cover even though it's a fiscal nonsense and is actually counterproductive to his governments policies. He may not mind too much if Dodd's resignation feeds his narrative of difficult choices being made.
But Dodds' evisceration of the bankruptcy of his decision is on the money and I suspect he knows it
At no point do I suggest that its a trade of for money outcomes - the foreign aid budget is made up of tax payers money and right now there is a need for defence spending. Its not about getting the same result from the money, its doing different things with the money. I also don't believe that aid is a complete waste of money but I do question aid to some countries, notably India. At some point a country and its citizens needs to stand on its own and look after its own. You want a space programme? Fine, but Britain shouldn't then have to pick up the burden of heathcare that the Indian tax payer isn't supporting.
As per my previous post, Britain is not "pick[ing] up the burden of heathcare that the Indian tax payer isn't supporting". How do we put a stop to these zombie ideas!
So swap out heathcare in India - its still spending that the Indian government could be doing. And arguably it is supporting healthcare by providing resource that the Indian government doesn't have to.
If we are investing in activities that support UK jobs, then maybe the Indian government isn't interested in doing that.
I know. Instead of you making these vague, outdated claims, why don't you you give some actual examples that you think are a waste.
I'll happily be corrected on Indian healthcare and I do not have the fine detail of every programme of what we do overseas. And of course no country is an island etc - the pandemic showed that very well. But I think it is fair to question what government spends money on.
The problem is that those who have the ability to spend the money lese track of where it comes from. How many homes in the UK are blighted by mould and damp? How many people struggle to choose between eating and heating? Why are we spending millions/billions overseas when we are running a huge deficit every years? You can make the case for it. Fine. But someone has to choose. And government is about hard choices, not easy ones. Starmer, to his credit, has done this. You can argue he should have just raised taxes. Fine. But you also need the politics of the possible. If you are not in power you don't get to choose at all.
I was never on board for the g recent olden era of TV, I'm as analogue as you get in terms of TV.
Perhaps it is kids and running about and In will bloom in my older years, but I barely watch Netflix or Disney plus, I have never had a satellite / subscription service it being many years since I possessed 3 hours to watch sport of a weekend, and most of what I consume comes from the traditional free channels to this day.
I can't invest in many 22 episodes a season hour longs. I know the beeb get berated by Bart for only doing 6 episodes every 2 years of something, but that type of volume suits me down to the ground.
What I saw from a distance more than anything was not the quality being churned out by your HBOs, but the advertising, the marqueeisatoon of TV drama.
God, I hate those kinds of overjuped marquee dramas.
I saw TV drama become pumped like that David Mitchell football clip, and it re-infected linear TV services.
Give me a cup of tea and a few episodes of something and don't force me to consume, consume the bigger, better, more, next, cos it is often junk.
Finished my Speed Awareness Course. Is everyone aware that penalty points are now banded. So in a 20 zone, 21 to 31 leads to 3 points (minimum). 31 to 41 is 6 points (minimum) and 41 plus is a 6 to 9 point penalty.
F***!
I'll my driver know, thanks
Problem is your driver is a chauffeur employed by you, and my driver is a taxi driver who likes Farage and Jordan Petersen AND REALLY WANTS TO TELL ME.
Can someone please make a tv drama that isn’t “quite disappointing”
I am now on my third in a row
Mussolini - Sky Fallout - HBO? Day of the Jackal - Sky/USA
They’re all…. Ok. Just about bearable. Nice acting. Meh scripts. Serious flaws in plotting
Is this it? Is the golden age truly over? Sad
Agree. V disappointing now vs the golden age but the following (including comedies) are well worth watching:
Paradise Fargo (latest season) The Kominsky Method Platonic Squid Game II Shrinking Slow Horses (ofc) Presumed Innocent (-ish) Bad Monkey
But many absolutely are meh vs days of old.
The Slow Horses season 4 super soldiers story was terrible. They never work.
True I hate to say it but it wasn't as good as the earlier seasons. Probably bigger budget which they felt they had to spend. What a shame. Bring it back to basics would be my advice if they're going to make further seasons.
Anneliese Dodds resigns as international development minister over aid cuts. Remarkably principled to do so, particularly so early into a government. She might have hoped for higher office in time.
Lest we forget she was Sir Keir’s first choice to be Chancellor until she proved herself utterly useless as Shadow Chancellor.
Hmm. Was she worse than Reeves?
She was facing Rishi Sunak at his apotheosis as Chancellor.
Rishi was rather popular for paying people to stay at home.
Dodd's letter is devastating. It's factual, logical and clearly correct in its conclusions. Everyone who thinks seriously about these matters will understand that, including probably Keir Starmer.
And it lacks a counter solution to the problem of needing to find money, fast, to ensure the defence of the realm. As always politicians and ministers need to remember that the money they spend is tax payers, not theirs. Yes its nice to spend tax payers money all round the world, and I am sure it does some good, but there are places where it can be cut. India has a space program yet we still use our overseas aid budget to give money to India. Tough times need tough calls. Why not fight within to do the best you can with 0.3% of GNI. Its not exactly peanuts, is it.
Because there is no sensible trade off between aid and defence where a pound less spent on aid and a pound more on defence will deliver the same result. You might think aid is a complete waste of money but even then it has nothing to do with the defence budget.
Starmer wants to increase defence spending, which requires tax rises that the public have a limited appetite for, so sacrifices the aid budget to provide political cover even though it's a fiscal nonsense and is actually counterproductive to his governments policies. He may not mind too much if Dodd's resignation feeds his narrative of difficult choices being made.
But Dodds' evisceration of the bankruptcy of his decision is on the money and I suspect he knows it
At no point do I suggest that its a trade of for money outcomes - the foreign aid budget is made up of tax payers money and right now there is a need for defence spending. Its not about getting the same result from the money, its doing different things with the money. I also don't believe that aid is a complete waste of money but I do question aid to some countries, notably India. At some point a country and its citizens needs to stand on its own and look after its own. You want a space programme? Fine, but Britain shouldn't then have to pick up the burden of heathcare that the Indian tax payer isn't supporting.
Going back to your point about lack of counter solution. Spending significantly more money on defence in practice requires additional tax. It's the serious choice vand the one the government will actually be following. A theoretical counter solution would be to reduce other spending generally and divert the savings to defence. Although this doesn't work in practice Dodds does allow this option as one she would support if Aid was contributing its share of the cuts.
But what is actually happening is Aid is being given up as a sacrificial lamb to provide political cover for tax increases allowing bigger defence budgets. Dodds doesn't support that on the principle. She's clearly right.
What is the average Government spend on overseas aid across comparator nations? I think 0.3% is pretty much bang average. Its not the end of the world.
President @realDonaldTrump called me for a 15-minute phone call earlier today.. he was on very upbeat form, excited for his historic second UK State Visit (first US President to ever have 2, and at invitation of 2 Monarchs) and sounding very positive re Britain. Great to hear. 👍
I was never on board for the g recent olden era of TV, I'm as analogue as you get in terms of TV.
Perhaps it is kids and running about and In will bloom in my older years, but I barely watch Netflix or Disney plus, I have never had a satellite / subscription service it being many years since I possessed 3 hours to watch sport of a weekend, and most of what I consume comes from the traditional free channels to this day.
I can't invest in many 22 episodes a season hour longs. I know the beeb get berated by Bart for only doing 6 episodes every 2 years of something, but that type of volume suits me down to the ground.
What I saw from a distance more than anything was not the quality being churned out by your HBOs, but the advertising, the marqueeisatoon of TV drama.
God, I hate those kinds of overjuped marquee dramas.
I saw TV drama become pumped like that David Mitchell football clip, and it re-infected linear TV services.
Give me a cup of tea and a few episodes of something and don't force me to consume, consume the bigger, better, more, next, cos it is often junk.
I was never on board for the g recent olden era of TV, I'm as analogue as you get in terms of TV.
Perhaps it is kids and running about and In will bloom in my older years, but I barely watch Netflix or Disney plus, I have never had a satellite / subscription service it being many years since I possessed 3 hours to watch sport of a weekend, and most of what I consume comes from the traditional free channels to this day.
I can't invest in many 22 episodes a season hour longs. I know the beeb get berated by Bart for only doing 6 episodes every 2 years of something, but that type of volume suits me down to the ground.
What I saw from a distance more than anything was not the quality being churned out by your HBOs, but the advertising, the marqueeisatoon of TV drama.
God, I hate those kinds of overjuped marquee dramas.
I saw TV drama become pumped like that David Mitchell football clip, and it re-infected linear TV services.
Give me a cup of tea and a few episodes of something and don't force me to consume, consume the bigger, better, more, next, cos it is often junk.
Can someone please make a tv drama that isn’t “quite disappointing”
I am now on my third in a row
Mussolini - Sky Fallout - HBO? Day of the Jackal - Sky/USA
They’re all…. Ok. Just about bearable. Nice acting. Meh scripts. Serious flaws in plotting
Is this it? Is the golden age truly over? Sad
Agree. V disappointing now vs the golden age but the following (including comedies) are well worth watching:
Paradise Fargo (latest season) The Kominsky Method Platonic Squid Game II Shrinking Slow Horses (ofc) Presumed Innocent (-ish) Bad Monkey
But many absolutely are meh vs days of old.
The Slow Horses season 4 super soldiers story was terrible. They never work.
True I hate to say it but it wasn't as good as the earlier seasons. Probably bigger budget which they felt they had to spend. What a shame. Bring it back to basics would be my advice if they're going to make further seasons.
I just don't like super-soldier stories. I don't think they work well and, in a moderately grounded show, tend to break the universe . I had the same reaction when they showed up in the X Files.
Can someone please make a tv drama that isn’t “quite disappointing”
I am now on my third in a row
Mussolini - Sky Fallout - HBO? Day of the Jackal - Sky/USA
They’re all…. Ok. Just about bearable. Nice acting. Meh scripts. Serious flaws in plotting
Is this it? Is the golden age truly over? Sad
The medical ER thing is a bit shagged out, but the first 2 episodes of Berlin ER on Apple TV (the German title Krank Berlin is better) were pretty good. Needless to say I'm already on board cos of my beloved Berlin being the setting, but it puts the grit into gritty. The English creator said Trainspotting the film was a big influence which may also appeal.
I find weird how people Baxter polls at this early stage as if they mean anything whatsoever. For example, if you Baxtered polls at this stage of the last few parliaments. Boris won in 2024, Corbyn forced a hung parliament in 2019. Cameron won by a landslide in 2017 and Milliband won in 2015. It’s all a complete load of bollocks. You might as well ask the cat.
Absolutely OOZING contempt for Starmer (and he was unaware of the aid decision and the Trump fawning)
“What does he believe in? Does anyone know? He is like a very boring Blair, he is a void, he believes in nothing but his own career”
Hard to argue (OK I didn’t exactly try hard); nonetheless this illustrates a grave danger for Starmer. He is alienating lefty voters
Phone call with my chiropodist (who usually votes Green):
Really warming to Starmer after long thinking he was a waste of space.
"I'm starting to see where he's coming from and what he's trying to achieve. You know it's strange, he hasn't been in that long but it's already hard to visualise anybody else as PM. He has my vote next time, I think. Yes it's Labour for me. I'm a convert. I might even join the party. Does Monday 3.30 work for you?"
I said Tuesday would be better.
Difference is you are lying, and I am not
What's more, you KNOW I am not lying. You sense it yourself, it's in all your comments, this throb of disquiet about Starmer's Labour
But you are very very loyal, my friend is not
I'd imagine you are. If not, your friend sounds like a self-indulgent phony. Please note this doesn't mean he's not a great guy and a worthy friend.
As for "loyalty", yes I have some, it's an attribute not a fault, but you'll notice I am not happy with the Trump fluffing. I disagree with my fellow PB Labourites on this one.
Yes it is noticeable that you have condemned out of hand Starmer's behaviour and have said, as PB's pre-eminent and faux lefty, and in contradistinction to PB proper lefties, that he is a tosser and you are sickened by him and the whole Trump love in.
Well done you.
Hated it. Can't pretend otherwise.
You'd have been impressed, though, I'd imagine? Bit of the old Realpolitik, we have interests not friends etc etc.
Absolutely. Unless he and his party had spent the previous 10 years positioning himself as above, and condemning such behaviour, and as being true to his values. Which he transparently was not yesterday, and was sufficient to be very unimpressive to me.
Read the threads this morning.
What, you'd have preferred us not to have oiled the orange buttocks?
We agree then. That's nice. Hasn't happened for a while.
You are missing the point. It's not that we should or shouldn't have. It's that for years Starmer was Mr Sanctimonious about not being the kind of guy who would have oiled the orange buttocks and then he oiled the orange buttocks.
No wonder you're furious.
Ah so you're making a point about SKS being different in government to how he was in opposition. Ok yes. Good spot.
Can someone please make a tv drama that isn’t “quite disappointing”
I am now on my third in a row
Mussolini - Sky Fallout - HBO? Day of the Jackal - Sky/USA
They’re all…. Ok. Just about bearable. Nice acting. Meh scripts. Serious flaws in plotting
Is this it? Is the golden age truly over? Sad
Agree. V disappointing now vs the golden age but the following (including comedies) are well worth watching:
Paradise Fargo (latest season) The Kominsky Method Platonic Squid Game II Shrinking Slow Horses (ofc) Presumed Innocent (-ish) Bad Monkey
But many absolutely are meh vs days of old.
The Slow Horses season 4 super soldiers story was terrible. They never work.
True I hate to say it but it wasn't as good as the earlier seasons. Probably bigger budget which they felt they had to spend. What a shame. Bring it back to basics would be my advice if they're going to make further seasons.
I just don't like super-soldier stories. I don't think they work well and, in a moderately grounded show, tend to break the universe . I had the same reaction when they showed up in the X Files.
Slow Horses was masterful when Gary Oldman was having a cup of tea in his office berating one of his team and they masterminded catching the baddies by stringing together tescos carrier bags, some sticky-back plastic, and their collective intuition about what made a baddy tick.
Finished my Speed Awareness Course. Is everyone aware that penalty points are now banded. So in a 20 zone, 21 to 31 leads to 3 points (minimum). 31 to 41 is 6 points (minimum) and 41 plus is a 6 to 9 point penalty.
F***!
I'll my driver know, thanks
Problem is your driver is a chauffeur employed by you, and my driver is a taxi driver who likes Farage and Jordan Petersen AND REALLY WANTS TO TELL ME.
Today the algorithm gave me a Jordan Peterson video, except it was clearly AI-voiced – it sounded like him but a few words were mispronounced. A couple of days ago, Jeremy Clarkson, which at the time I took to be satire. And of course there is Trump Gaza.
Conspiracy theory – someone is deliberately creating fake videos in order to discredit the web as a trustworthy source, so that when we do see the video of Trump or Putin or Keir Starmer sending small boys up chimneys, we will dismiss it as just another fake.
Can someone please make a tv drama that isn’t “quite disappointing”
I am now on my third in a row
Mussolini - Sky Fallout - HBO? Day of the Jackal - Sky/USA
They’re all…. Ok. Just about bearable. Nice acting. Meh scripts. Serious flaws in plotting
Is this it? Is the golden age truly over? Sad
The medical ER thing is a bit shagged out, but the first 2 episodes of Berlin ER on Apple TV (the German title Krank Berlin is better) were pretty good. Needless to say I'm already on board cos of my beloved Berlin being the setting, but it puts the grit into gritty. The English creator said Trainspotting the film was a big influence which may also appeal.
Did you make it to the end of Mussolini?
It was you that turned me on to it, and the first 2-3 episodes were good with moments of excellence, but my god it slowed down and then utterly cratered
No plot. Nothing happened. Endless scenes in a meaningless parliament
It was an interesting example of a story that would have been better told as a movie than as a TV drama series
Finished my Speed Awareness Course. Is everyone aware that penalty points are now banded. So in a 20 zone, 21 to 31 leads to 3 points (minimum). 31 to 41 is 6 points (minimum) and 41 plus is a 6 to 9 point penalty.
F***!
I'll my driver know, thanks
Problem is your driver is a chauffeur employed by you, and my driver is a taxi driver who likes Farage and Jordan Petersen AND REALLY WANTS TO TELL ME.
Today the algorithm gave me a Jordan Peterson video, except it was clearly AI-voiced – it sounded like him but a few words were mispronounced. A couple of days ago, Jeremy Clarkson, which at the time I took to be satire. And of course there is Trump Gaza.
Conspiracy theory – someone is deliberately creating fake videos in order to discredit the web as a trustworthy source, so that when we do see the video of Trump or Putin or Keir Starmer sending small boys up chimneys, we will dismiss it as just another fake.
Absolutely OOZING contempt for Starmer (and he was unaware of the aid decision and the Trump fawning)
“What does he believe in? Does anyone know? He is like a very boring Blair, he is a void, he believes in nothing but his own career”
Hard to argue (OK I didn’t exactly try hard); nonetheless this illustrates a grave danger for Starmer. He is alienating lefty voters
Phone call with my chiropodist (who usually votes Green):
Really warming to Starmer after long thinking he was a waste of space.
"I'm starting to see where he's coming from and what he's trying to achieve. You know it's strange, he hasn't been in that long but it's already hard to visualise anybody else as PM. He has my vote next time, I think. Yes it's Labour for me. I'm a convert. I might even join the party. Does Monday 3.30 work for you?"
I said Tuesday would be better.
Difference is you are lying, and I am not
What's more, you KNOW I am not lying. You sense it yourself, it's in all your comments, this throb of disquiet about Starmer's Labour
But you are very very loyal, my friend is not
I'd imagine you are. If not, your friend sounds like a self-indulgent phony. Please note this doesn't mean he's not a great guy and a worthy friend.
As for "loyalty", yes I have some, it's an attribute not a fault, but you'll notice I am not happy with the Trump fluffing. I disagree with my fellow PB Labourites on this one.
Yes it is noticeable that you have condemned out of hand Starmer's behaviour and have said, as PB's pre-eminent and faux lefty, and in contradistinction to PB proper lefties, that he is a tosser and you are sickened by him and the whole Trump love in.
Well done you.
Hated it. Can't pretend otherwise.
You'd have been impressed, though, I'd imagine? Bit of the old Realpolitik, we have interests not friends etc etc.
Absolutely. Unless he and his party had spent the previous 10 years positioning himself as above, and condemning such behaviour, and as being true to his values. Which he transparently was not yesterday, and was sufficient to be very unimpressive to me.
Read the threads this morning.
What, you'd have preferred us not to have oiled the orange buttocks?
We agree then. That's nice. Hasn't happened for a while.
You are missing the point. It's not that we should or shouldn't have. It's that for years Starmer was Mr Sanctimonious about not being the kind of guy who would have oiled the orange buttocks and then he oiled the orange buttocks.
No wonder you're furious.
Ah so you're making a point about SKS being different in government to how he was in opposition. Ok yes. Good spot.
Everyone is different in government to how they are in opposition. When you position yourself as a) a pretty straight sort of guy and then participate in the invasion of a sovereign state and lie to your country about the threat it poses; or b) an upholder of moral and decent values, condemning those who don't match up to your level of virtue, and then sit down for a cup of tea and oil the buttocks of someone you have repeatedly condemned, called a tyrant, even, and think is the embodiment of evil, then that's a completely different matter.
Can someone please make a tv drama that isn’t “quite disappointing”
I am now on my third in a row
Mussolini - Sky Fallout - HBO? Day of the Jackal - Sky/USA
They’re all…. Ok. Just about bearable. Nice acting. Meh scripts. Serious flaws in plotting
Is this it? Is the golden age truly over? Sad
The medical ER thing is a bit shagged out, but the first 2 episodes of Berlin ER on Apple TV (the German title Krank Berlin is better) were pretty good. Needless to say I'm already on board cos of my beloved Berlin being the setting, but it puts the grit into gritty. The English creator said Trainspotting the film was a big influence which may also appeal.
The Good Doctor was very good imo and consistent throughout (if a bit "eventful" vs real life).
Finished my Speed Awareness Course. Is everyone aware that penalty points are now banded. So in a 20 zone, 21 to 31 leads to 3 points (minimum). 31 to 41 is 6 points (minimum) and 41 plus is a 6 to 9 point penalty.
F***!
I'll my driver know, thanks
Problem is your driver is a chauffeur employed by you, and my driver is a taxi driver who likes Farage and Jordan Petersen AND REALLY WANTS TO TELL ME.
Today the algorithm gave me a Jordan Peterson video, except it was clearly AI-voiced. A couple of days ago, Jeremy Clarkson, which at the time I took to be satire. And of course there is Trump Gaza.
Conspiracy theory – someone is deliberately creating fake videos in order to discredit the web as a trustworthy source, so that when we do see the video of Trump or Putin or Keir Starmer sending small boys up chimneys, we will dismiss it as just another fake.
Watch Hypernormalisation (Adam Curtis documentary) on iPlayer. All of this is explained. Basic Soviet propaganda techniques. The Trump Gaza video is a classic of the genre. None of this stuff is random.
Anneliese Dodds resigns as international development minister over aid cuts. Remarkably principled to do so, particularly so early into a government. She might have hoped for higher office in time.
Lest we forget she was Sir Keir’s first choice to be Chancellor until she proved herself utterly useless as Shadow Chancellor.
Hmm. Was she worse than Reeves?
She was facing Rishi Sunak at his apotheosis as Chancellor.
Rishi was rather popular for paying people to stay at home.
Dodd's letter is devastating. It's factual, logical and clearly correct in its conclusions. Everyone who thinks seriously about these matters will understand that, including probably Keir Starmer.
And it lacks a counter solution to the problem of needing to find money, fast, to ensure the defence of the realm. As always politicians and ministers need to remember that the money they spend is tax payers, not theirs. Yes its nice to spend tax payers money all round the world, and I am sure it does some good, but there are places where it can be cut. India has a space program yet we still use our overseas aid budget to give money to India. Tough times need tough calls. Why not fight within to do the best you can with 0.3% of GNI. Its not exactly peanuts, is it.
Because there is no sensible trade off between aid and defence where a pound less spent on aid and a pound more on defence will deliver the same result. You might think aid is a complete waste of money but even then it has nothing to do with the defence budget.
Starmer wants to increase defence spending, which requires tax rises that the public have a limited appetite for, so sacrifices the aid budget to provide political cover even though it's a fiscal nonsense and is actually counterproductive to his governments policies. He may not mind too much if Dodd's resignation feeds his narrative of difficult choices being made.
But Dodds' evisceration of the bankruptcy of his decision is on the money and I suspect he knows it
At no point do I suggest that its a trade of for money outcomes - the foreign aid budget is made up of tax payers money and right now there is a need for defence spending. Its not about getting the same result from the money, its doing different things with the money. I also don't believe that aid is a complete waste of money but I do question aid to some countries, notably India. At some point a country and its citizens needs to stand on its own and look after its own. You want a space programme? Fine, but Britain shouldn't then have to pick up the burden of heathcare that the Indian tax payer isn't supporting.
As per my previous post, Britain is not "pick[ing] up the burden of heathcare that the Indian tax payer isn't supporting". How do we put a stop to these zombie ideas!
So swap out heathcare in India - its still spending that the Indian government could be doing. And arguably it is supporting healthcare by providing resource that the Indian government doesn't have to.
If we are investing in activities that support UK jobs, then maybe the Indian government isn't interested in doing that.
I know. Instead of you making these vague, outdated claims, why don't you you give some actual examples that you think are a waste.
I'll happily be corrected on Indian healthcare and I do not have the fine detail of every programme of what we do overseas. And of course no country is an island etc - the pandemic showed that very well. But I think it is fair to question what government spends money on.
The problem is that those who have the ability to spend the money lese track of where it comes from. How many homes in the UK are blighted by mould and damp? How many people struggle to choose between eating and heating? Why are we spending millions/billions overseas when we are running a huge deficit every years? You can make the case for it. Fine. But someone has to choose. And government is about hard choices, not easy ones. Starmer, to his credit, has done this. You can argue he should have just raised taxes. Fine. But you also need the politics of the possible. If you are not in power you don't get to choose at all.
What choice has Starmer made? He has simply plucked a number from thin air. The hard choices will be made by the new minister who will have to close some programmes prematurely and not start others.
Finished my Speed Awareness Course. Is everyone aware that penalty points are now banded. So in a 20 zone, 21 to 31 leads to 3 points (minimum). 31 to 41 is 6 points (minimum) and 41 plus is a 6 to 9 point penalty.
F***!
I'll my driver know, thanks
Problem is your driver is a chauffeur employed by you, and my driver is a taxi driver who likes Farage and Jordan Petersen AND REALLY WANTS TO TELL ME.
The best thing about driverless cars is not having to engage in conversations. I can't tell you the number of times I've had Albanian migrant taxi drivers, with kids who are professional soccer players. Man, that gets tired really quickly.
Can someone please make a tv drama that isn’t “quite disappointing”
I am now on my third in a row
Mussolini - Sky Fallout - HBO? Day of the Jackal - Sky/USA
They’re all…. Ok. Just about bearable. Nice acting. Meh scripts. Serious flaws in plotting
Is this it? Is the golden age truly over? Sad
The medical ER thing is a bit shagged out, but the first 2 episodes of Berlin ER on Apple TV (the German title Krank Berlin is better) were pretty good. Needless to say I'm already on board cos of my beloved Berlin being the setting, but it puts the grit into gritty. The English creator said Trainspotting the film was a big influence which may also appeal.
Did you make it to the end of Mussolini?
It was you that turned me on to it, and the first 2-3 episodes were good with moments of excellence, but my god it slowed down and then utterly cratered
No plot. Nothing happened. Endless scenes in a meaningless parliament
It was an interesting example of a story that would have been better told as a movie than as a TV drama series
Can someone please make a tv drama that isn’t “quite disappointing”
I am now on my third in a row
Mussolini - Sky Fallout - HBO? Day of the Jackal - Sky/USA
They’re all…. Ok. Just about bearable. Nice acting. Meh scripts. Serious flaws in plotting
Is this it? Is the golden age truly over? Sad
The medical ER thing is a bit shagged out, but the first 2 episodes of Berlin ER on Apple TV (the German title Krank Berlin is better) were pretty good. Needless to say I'm already on board cos of my beloved Berlin being the setting, but it puts the grit into gritty. The English creator said Trainspotting the film was a big influence which may also appeal.
Did you make it to the end of Mussolini?
It was you that turned me on to it, and the first 2-3 episodes were good with moments of excellence, but my god it slowed down and then utterly cratered
No plot. Nothing happened. Endless scenes in a meaningless parliament
It was an interesting example of a story that would have been better told as a movie than as a TV drama series
I didn't, I agree that it petered out as far as I went (I would have persevered but my partner has less staying power for that sort of thing). Would have been better if they'd got to the grotesque Fascist in full flow bit.
Finished my Speed Awareness Course. Is everyone aware that penalty points are now banded. So in a 20 zone, 21 to 31 leads to 3 points (minimum). 31 to 41 is 6 points (minimum) and 41 plus is a 6 to 9 point penalty.
F***!
I'll my driver know, thanks
Problem is your driver is a chauffeur employed by you, and my driver is a taxi driver who likes Farage and Jordan Petersen AND REALLY WANTS TO TELL ME.
The best thing about driverless cars is not having to engage in conversations. I can't tell you the number of times I've had Albanian migrant taxi drivers, with kids who are professional soccer players. Man, that gets tired really quickly.
Do you remember when Uber launched and everyone was desperate to get good ratings. You ended up telling the driver your life story and listening to his, with supposed huge interest, just so they wouldn't mark you down and would give you five stars.
Absolutely OOZING contempt for Starmer (and he was unaware of the aid decision and the Trump fawning)
“What does he believe in? Does anyone know? He is like a very boring Blair, he is a void, he believes in nothing but his own career”
Hard to argue (OK I didn’t exactly try hard); nonetheless this illustrates a grave danger for Starmer. He is alienating lefty voters
Phone call with my chiropodist (who usually votes Green):
Really warming to Starmer after long thinking he was a waste of space.
"I'm starting to see where he's coming from and what he's trying to achieve. You know it's strange, he hasn't been in that long but it's already hard to visualise anybody else as PM. He has my vote next time, I think. Yes it's Labour for me. I'm a convert. I might even join the party. Does Monday 3.30 work for you?"
I said Tuesday would be better.
Difference is you are lying, and I am not
What's more, you KNOW I am not lying. You sense it yourself, it's in all your comments, this throb of disquiet about Starmer's Labour
But you are very very loyal, my friend is not
I'd imagine you are. If not, your friend sounds like a self-indulgent phony. Please note this doesn't mean he's not a great guy and a worthy friend.
As for "loyalty", yes I have some, it's an attribute not a fault, but you'll notice I am not happy with the Trump fluffing. I disagree with my fellow PB Labourites on this one.
Yes it is noticeable that you have condemned out of hand Starmer's behaviour and have said, as PB's pre-eminent and faux lefty, and in contradistinction to PB proper lefties, that he is a tosser and you are sickened by him and the whole Trump love in.
Well done you.
Hated it. Can't pretend otherwise.
You'd have been impressed, though, I'd imagine? Bit of the old Realpolitik, we have interests not friends etc etc.
Absolutely. Unless he and his party had spent the previous 10 years positioning himself as above, and condemning such behaviour, and as being true to his values. Which he transparently was not yesterday, and was sufficient to be very unimpressive to me.
Read the threads this morning.
What, you'd have preferred us not to have oiled the orange buttocks?
We agree then. That's nice. Hasn't happened for a while.
You are missing the point. It's not that we should or shouldn't have. It's that for years Starmer was Mr Sanctimonious about not being the kind of guy who would have oiled the orange buttocks and then he oiled the orange buttocks.
No wonder you're furious.
Ah so you're making a point about SKS being different in government to how he was in opposition. Ok yes. Good spot.
Everyone is different in government to how they are in opposition. When you position yourself as a) a pretty straight sort of guy and then participate in the invasion of a sovereign state and lie to your country about the threat it poses; or b) an upholder of moral and decent values, condemning those who don't match up to your level of virtue, and then sit down for a cup of tea and oil the buttocks of someone you have repeatedly condemned, called a tyrant, even, and think is the embodiment of evil, then that's a completely different matter.
Ok. But why are you telling me all this? I already know you're a true blue Tory.
Finished my Speed Awareness Course. Is everyone aware that penalty points are now banded. So in a 20 zone, 21 to 31 leads to 3 points (minimum). 31 to 41 is 6 points (minimum) and 41 plus is a 6 to 9 point penalty.
F***!
I'll my driver know, thanks
Problem is your driver is a chauffeur employed by you, and my driver is a taxi driver who likes Farage and Jordan Petersen AND REALLY WANTS TO TELL ME.
The best thing about driverless cars is not having to engage in conversations. I can't tell you the number of times I've had Albanian migrant taxi drivers, with kids who are professional soccer players. Man, that gets tired really quickly.
Weren't Albanian taxi drivers the best source of info about Covid though?
Finished my Speed Awareness Course. Is everyone aware that penalty points are now banded. So in a 20 zone, 21 to 31 leads to 3 points (minimum). 31 to 41 is 6 points (minimum) and 41 plus is a 6 to 9 point penalty.
F***!
I'll my driver know, thanks
Problem is your driver is a chauffeur employed by you, and my driver is a taxi driver who likes Farage and Jordan Petersen AND REALLY WANTS TO TELL ME.
The best thing about driverless cars is not having to engage in conversations. I can't tell you the number of times I've had Albanian migrant taxi drivers, with kids who are professional soccer players. Man, that gets tired really quickly.
Do you remember when Uber launched and everyone was desperate to get good ratings. You ended up telling the driver your life story and listening to his, with supposed huge interest, just so they wouldn't mark you down and would give you five stars.
Absolutely OOZING contempt for Starmer (and he was unaware of the aid decision and the Trump fawning)
“What does he believe in? Does anyone know? He is like a very boring Blair, he is a void, he believes in nothing but his own career”
Hard to argue (OK I didn’t exactly try hard); nonetheless this illustrates a grave danger for Starmer. He is alienating lefty voters
Phone call with my chiropodist (who usually votes Green):
Really warming to Starmer after long thinking he was a waste of space.
"I'm starting to see where he's coming from and what he's trying to achieve. You know it's strange, he hasn't been in that long but it's already hard to visualise anybody else as PM. He has my vote next time, I think. Yes it's Labour for me. I'm a convert. I might even join the party. Does Monday 3.30 work for you?"
I said Tuesday would be better.
Difference is you are lying, and I am not
What's more, you KNOW I am not lying. You sense it yourself, it's in all your comments, this throb of disquiet about Starmer's Labour
But you are very very loyal, my friend is not
I'd imagine you are. If not, your friend sounds like a self-indulgent phony. Please note this doesn't mean he's not a great guy and a worthy friend.
As for "loyalty", yes I have some, it's an attribute not a fault, but you'll notice I am not happy with the Trump fluffing. I disagree with my fellow PB Labourites on this one.
Yes it is noticeable that you have condemned out of hand Starmer's behaviour and have said, as PB's pre-eminent and faux lefty, and in contradistinction to PB proper lefties, that he is a tosser and you are sickened by him and the whole Trump love in.
Well done you.
Hated it. Can't pretend otherwise.
You'd have been impressed, though, I'd imagine? Bit of the old Realpolitik, we have interests not friends etc etc.
Absolutely. Unless he and his party had spent the previous 10 years positioning himself as above, and condemning such behaviour, and as being true to his values. Which he transparently was not yesterday, and was sufficient to be very unimpressive to me.
Read the threads this morning.
What, you'd have preferred us not to have oiled the orange buttocks?
We agree then. That's nice. Hasn't happened for a while.
You are missing the point. It's not that we should or shouldn't have. It's that for years Starmer was Mr Sanctimonious about not being the kind of guy who would have oiled the orange buttocks and then he oiled the orange buttocks.
No wonder you're furious.
Ah so you're making a point about SKS being different in government to how he was in opposition. Ok yes. Good spot.
Everyone is different in government to how they are in opposition. When you position yourself as a) a pretty straight sort of guy and then participate in the invasion of a sovereign state and lie to your country about the threat it poses; or b) an upholder of moral and decent values, condemning those who don't match up to your level of virtue, and then sit down for a cup of tea and oil the buttocks of someone you have repeatedly condemned, called a tyrant, even, and think is the embodiment of evil, then that's a completely different matter.
Ok. But why are you telling me all this? I already know you're a true blue Tory.
I am telling you this because I want to help you through your journey of being sick as a parrot at the antics of the leader of your party and then finding yourself voting for said leader of said party at the next available opportunity.
Finished my Speed Awareness Course. Is everyone aware that penalty points are now banded. So in a 20 zone, 21 to 31 leads to 3 points (minimum). 31 to 41 is 6 points (minimum) and 41 plus is a 6 to 9 point penalty.
F***!
I'll my driver know, thanks
Problem is your driver is a chauffeur employed by you, and my driver is a taxi driver who likes Farage and Jordan Petersen AND REALLY WANTS TO TELL ME.
The best thing about driverless cars is not having to engage in conversations. I can't tell you the number of times I've had Albanian migrant taxi drivers, with kids who are professional soccer players. Man, that gets tired really quickly.
Do you remember when Uber launched and everyone was desperate to get good ratings. You ended up telling the driver your life story and listening to his, with supposed huge interest, just so they wouldn't mark you down and would give you five stars.
Finished my Speed Awareness Course. Is everyone aware that penalty points are now banded. So in a 20 zone, 21 to 31 leads to 3 points (minimum). 31 to 41 is 6 points (minimum) and 41 plus is a 6 to 9 point penalty.
F***!
I'll my driver know, thanks
Problem is your driver is a chauffeur employed by you, and my driver is a taxi driver who likes Farage and Jordan Petersen AND REALLY WANTS TO TELL ME.
I failed a taxi drivers course. My driving was impeccable. I failed the oral because I dissed Farage and wasn’t racist.
Absolutely OOZING contempt for Starmer (and he was unaware of the aid decision and the Trump fawning)
“What does he believe in? Does anyone know? He is like a very boring Blair, he is a void, he believes in nothing but his own career”
Hard to argue (OK I didn’t exactly try hard); nonetheless this illustrates a grave danger for Starmer. He is alienating lefty voters
Phone call with my chiropodist (who usually votes Green):
Really warming to Starmer after long thinking he was a waste of space.
"I'm starting to see where he's coming from and what he's trying to achieve. You know it's strange, he hasn't been in that long but it's already hard to visualise anybody else as PM. He has my vote next time, I think. Yes it's Labour for me. I'm a convert. I might even join the party. Does Monday 3.30 work for you?"
I said Tuesday would be better.
Difference is you are lying, and I am not
What's more, you KNOW I am not lying. You sense it yourself, it's in all your comments, this throb of disquiet about Starmer's Labour
But you are very very loyal, my friend is not
I'd imagine you are. If not, your friend sounds like a self-indulgent phony. Please note this doesn't mean he's not a great guy and a worthy friend.
As for "loyalty", yes I have some, it's an attribute not a fault, but you'll notice I am not happy with the Trump fluffing. I disagree with my fellow PB Labourites on this one.
Yes it is noticeable that you have condemned out of hand Starmer's behaviour and have said, as PB's pre-eminent and faux lefty, and in contradistinction to PB proper lefties, that he is a tosser and you are sickened by him and the whole Trump love in.
Well done you.
Hated it. Can't pretend otherwise.
You'd have been impressed, though, I'd imagine? Bit of the old Realpolitik, we have interests not friends etc etc.
Absolutely. Unless he and his party had spent the previous 10 years positioning himself as above, and condemning such behaviour, and as being true to his values. Which he transparently was not yesterday, and was sufficient to be very unimpressive to me.
Read the threads this morning.
What, you'd have preferred us not to have oiled the orange buttocks?
We agree then. That's nice. Hasn't happened for a while.
You are missing the point. It's not that we should or shouldn't have. It's that for years Starmer was Mr Sanctimonious about not being the kind of guy who would have oiled the orange buttocks and then he oiled the orange buttocks.
No wonder you're furious.
Ah so you're making a point about SKS being different in government to how he was in opposition. Ok yes. Good spot.
Everyone is different in government to how they are in opposition. When you position yourself as a) a pretty straight sort of guy and then participate in the invasion of a sovereign state and lie to your country about the threat it poses; or b) an upholder of moral and decent values, condemning those who don't match up to your level of virtue, and then sit down for a cup of tea and oil the buttocks of someone you have repeatedly condemned, called a tyrant, even, and think is the embodiment of evil, then that's a completely different matter.
Ok. But why are you telling me all this? I already know you're a true blue Tory.
I am telling you this because I want to help you through your journey of being sick as a parrot at the antics of the leader of your party and then finding yourself voting for said leader of said party at the next available opportunity.
Welcome to the club.
No rush on that. The next vote is 4 years away. And tbh I'm mainly worried about the 'antics' of a different leader, one who isn't even in this country. I think everyone should be.
Finished my Speed Awareness Course. Is everyone aware that penalty points are now banded. So in a 20 zone, 21 to 31 leads to 3 points (minimum). 31 to 41 is 6 points (minimum) and 41 plus is a 6 to 9 point penalty.
F***!
I think the missing information is whether PCNs are banded, or is this just in Court?
Those have been the starting point Guidelines in Court since at least 2017, with the addition that the two higher bands include the option of a disqualification, and a fine of A B C band - wich is 0.5, 1 or 1.5 weeks' relevant income.
To me it's a bit light on the bans being optional, as those are the real deterrence. 1 day's ban for every 1mph over 30 in a 20 sounds about right up to 40, then 2 days etc.
That sounds like complete guesswork. Why the second month in a row? Surely the systems were almost as old three months ago? Why several banks simultaneously? No, this chap is telling us nothing useful.
Alongside individual banks' troubleshooting, HMG (in some guise) should set up a shared incident command with all these banks to identify common factors.
Finished my Speed Awareness Course. Is everyone aware that penalty points are now banded. So in a 20 zone, 21 to 31 leads to 3 points (minimum). 31 to 41 is 6 points (minimum) and 41 plus is a 6 to 9 point penalty.
F***!
I'll my driver know, thanks
Problem is your driver is a chauffeur employed by you, and my driver is a taxi driver who likes Farage and Jordan Petersen AND REALLY WANTS TO TELL ME.
I failed a taxi drivers course. My driving was impeccable. I failed the oral because I dissed Farage and wasn’t racist.
Locally we have a taxi driver who is a Green county councillor. And no, his taxi isn't electric.
Absolutely OOZING contempt for Starmer (and he was unaware of the aid decision and the Trump fawning)
“What does he believe in? Does anyone know? He is like a very boring Blair, he is a void, he believes in nothing but his own career”
Hard to argue (OK I didn’t exactly try hard); nonetheless this illustrates a grave danger for Starmer. He is alienating lefty voters
Phone call with my chiropodist (who usually votes Green):
Really warming to Starmer after long thinking he was a waste of space.
"I'm starting to see where he's coming from and what he's trying to achieve. You know it's strange, he hasn't been in that long but it's already hard to visualise anybody else as PM. He has my vote next time, I think. Yes it's Labour for me. I'm a convert. I might even join the party. Does Monday 3.30 work for you?"
I said Tuesday would be better.
Difference is you are lying, and I am not
What's more, you KNOW I am not lying. You sense it yourself, it's in all your comments, this throb of disquiet about Starmer's Labour
But you are very very loyal, my friend is not
I'd imagine you are. If not, your friend sounds like a self-indulgent phony. Please note this doesn't mean he's not a great guy and a worthy friend.
As for "loyalty", yes I have some, it's an attribute not a fault, but you'll notice I am not happy with the Trump fluffing. I disagree with my fellow PB Labourites on this one.
Yes it is noticeable that you have condemned out of hand Starmer's behaviour and have said, as PB's pre-eminent and faux lefty, and in contradistinction to PB proper lefties, that he is a tosser and you are sickened by him and the whole Trump love in.
Well done you.
I am with Kinabalu. Starmer has soiled himself. The saving grace is all of the alternative PMs would have been just as bad, and Farage would have gilded the lily with an additional offer of felatio.
Yes but Kinabalu is going to vote Lab at the next election so Starmer is able to take him for a fool, to use and abuse him. Kini has all kinds of problems but isn't a fool and hence his hurt. Because it's not as though he is going to jump to Reform.
Sorry Toppers but I am not entirely on your page. I won't be voting for any of the other scumbags either and I'd rather this bunch of scumbags than Team Farage or Jenrick's lot in Government. Anyway HY keeps telling us RefCon are already home and hosed.
Can someone please make a tv drama that isn’t “quite disappointing”
I am now on my third in a row
Mussolini - Sky Fallout - HBO? Day of the Jackal - Sky/USA
They’re all…. Ok. Just about bearable. Nice acting. Meh scripts. Serious flaws in plotting
Is this it? Is the golden age truly over? Sad
The medical ER thing is a bit shagged out, but the first 2 episodes of Berlin ER on Apple TV (the German title Krank Berlin is better) were pretty good. Needless to say I'm already on board cos of my beloved Berlin being the setting, but it puts the grit into gritty. The English creator said Trainspotting the film was a big influence which may also appeal.
Did you make it to the end of Mussolini?
It was you that turned me on to it, and the first 2-3 episodes were good with moments of excellence, but my god it slowed down and then utterly cratered
No plot. Nothing happened. Endless scenes in a meaningless parliament
It was an interesting example of a story that would have been better told as a movie than as a TV drama series
I didn't, I agree that it petered out as far as I went (I would have persevered but my partner has less staying power for that sort of thing). Would have been better if they'd got to the grotesque Fascist in full flow bit.
You didn’t miss anything at all
And yes it might have worked if they’d raced into the interesting years when benito was full fash - but they didn’t
It should have been a standalone 2 hour movie about Mussolini’s rise to power
Seems to me we have uncovered a general decline in tv drama
Absolutely OOZING contempt for Starmer (and he was unaware of the aid decision and the Trump fawning)
“What does he believe in? Does anyone know? He is like a very boring Blair, he is a void, he believes in nothing but his own career”
Hard to argue (OK I didn’t exactly try hard); nonetheless this illustrates a grave danger for Starmer. He is alienating lefty voters
Phone call with my chiropodist (who usually votes Green):
Really warming to Starmer after long thinking he was a waste of space.
"I'm starting to see where he's coming from and what he's trying to achieve. You know it's strange, he hasn't been in that long but it's already hard to visualise anybody else as PM. He has my vote next time, I think. Yes it's Labour for me. I'm a convert. I might even join the party. Does Monday 3.30 work for you?"
I said Tuesday would be better.
Difference is you are lying, and I am not
What's more, you KNOW I am not lying. You sense it yourself, it's in all your comments, this throb of disquiet about Starmer's Labour
But you are very very loyal, my friend is not
I'd imagine you are. If not, your friend sounds like a self-indulgent phony. Please note this doesn't mean he's not a great guy and a worthy friend.
As for "loyalty", yes I have some, it's an attribute not a fault, but you'll notice I am not happy with the Trump fluffing. I disagree with my fellow PB Labourites on this one.
Yes it is noticeable that you have condemned out of hand Starmer's behaviour and have said, as PB's pre-eminent and faux lefty, and in contradistinction to PB proper lefties, that he is a tosser and you are sickened by him and the whole Trump love in.
Well done you.
Hated it. Can't pretend otherwise.
You'd have been impressed, though, I'd imagine? Bit of the old Realpolitik, we have interests not friends etc etc.
Absolutely. Unless he and his party had spent the previous 10 years positioning himself as above, and condemning such behaviour, and as being true to his values. Which he transparently was not yesterday, and was sufficient to be very unimpressive to me.
Read the threads this morning.
What, you'd have preferred us not to have oiled the orange buttocks?
We agree then. That's nice. Hasn't happened for a while.
You are missing the point. It's not that we should or shouldn't have. It's that for years Starmer was Mr Sanctimonious about not being the kind of guy who would have oiled the orange buttocks and then he oiled the orange buttocks.
No wonder you're furious.
Ah so you're making a point about SKS being different in government to how he was in opposition. Ok yes. Good spot.
Everyone is different in government to how they are in opposition. When you position yourself as a) a pretty straight sort of guy and then participate in the invasion of a sovereign state and lie to your country about the threat it poses; or b) an upholder of moral and decent values, condemning those who don't match up to your level of virtue, and then sit down for a cup of tea and oil the buttocks of someone you have repeatedly condemned, called a tyrant, even, and think is the embodiment of evil, then that's a completely different matter.
Ok. But why are you telling me all this? I already know you're a true blue Tory.
I am telling you this because I want to help you through your journey of being sick as a parrot at the antics of the leader of your party and then finding yourself voting for said leader of said party at the next available opportunity.
Welcome to the club.
No rush on that. The next vote is 4 years away. And tbh I'm mainly worried about the 'antics' of a different leader, one who isn't even in this country. I think everyone should be.
You perfectly well know that Starmer could divert money earmarked for the NHS to the IDF so that they could send an armoured squadron into Gaza and you'd still vote for him.
There is actually a general theory about the recent decline of tv drama
Apparently a lot of people now watch it as “wallpaper” drama. It’s in the background on the tv screen as people are scrolling their phones (or cooking or eating or drinking or wanking or talking on PB)
As a result networks are asking for LESS demanding scripts with even weaker plots and not too much action so you don’t miss anything if you disappear for ten minutes to shout at @JosiasJessop
Starmer is a mediocrity. But he’s up against Badenoch and Farage.
So long as that remains the case, he wins.
These days there’s a lot more wishcasting involved than actual betting.
Starmer gets re-elected if he does one of these three things IMHO:
Immigration comes down
NHS waiting lists are significantly lower/the NHS feels “fixed”
Economy has grown
His best chance ironically is the first.
Perhaps. I think he needs at least one-and-a-half.
And the problem with immigration is that it is like inflation: there is quite a lag from 'coming down' to 'not being perceived as a problem any more'. Immigration could stop tomorrow and people would go on thinking 'there's a lot of illegal immigrants hanging around the city centre and also there's no housing available' for quite some time yet.
Even in the Eighties when there was minimal immigration, and even net emigration at times there was a lot of anti-immigration sentiment amongst voters.
Indeed a lot of the resentments expressed are aimed at immigrants that came here a generation, or two or even three ago.
It needs doing, but there ain't going to be an electoral thank you from the voters who rate this as an issue.
Enjoyed the last True Detective set in Alaska. Otherwise tempted to revisit classics like A Perfect Spy.
Gave up on that after two episodes, Total tosh.
Sort of agree though total tosh maybe a bit harsh.
It inspired me to look at True Detective 2 which was somewhat sneered at when it came out, but I thought it was brilliant. Touches of Cormac McCarthy, Heat and The Getaway (the book). Vince Vaughan was a revelation.
It's clear to me that our diplomatic service calculated, correctly, that due to Trump's ego, and desire to lauded by royalty, that a State Visit would be hugely in the national interest - and unlock much else.
It seems like it has.
I think that letter from the King did even more than Starmer, although he was wise to follow the advice, and comes on the back of why Prince William was asked to see him last month as well.
Finished my Speed Awareness Course. Is everyone aware that penalty points are now banded. So in a 20 zone, 21 to 31 leads to 3 points (minimum). 31 to 41 is 6 points (minimum) and 41 plus is a 6 to 9 point penalty.
F***!
I think the missing information is whether PCNs are banded, or is this just in Court?
Those have been the starting point Guidelines in Court since at least 2017, with the addition that the two higher bands include the option of a disqualification, and a fine of A B C band - wich is 0.5, 1 or 1.5 weeks' relevant income.
To me it's a bit light on the bans being optional, as those are the real deterrence. 1 day's ban for every 1mph over 30 in a 20 sounds about right up to 40, then 2 days etc.
I knew about the fine bands from my day job but not the points. The course was full of mindless idiots. The DVSA should attend and collect licences from some of these f******* at the end of each course.
There is actually a general theory about the recent decline of tv drama
Apparently a lot of people now watch it as “wallpaper” drama. It’s in the background on the tv screen as people are scrolling their phones (or cooking or eating or drinking or wanking or talking on PB)
As a result networks are asking for LESS demanding scripts with even weaker plots and not too much action so you don’t miss anything if you disappear for ten minutes to shout at @JosiasJessop
How depressing
I think there are lots of things going on. Firstly so much TV has been made over the years. How do you create a new Detective story that isn't just a derivative of everything that's gone before? There is literally every type of detective drama out there in the TV archive. We keep going back to the old staples too. I see Bergerac is being remade, for instance. Secondly we have a false recollection of the golden age. We recall the greats - Only Fools and Horses, Frazier, Morse whatever and forget that (a) there were only 3/4/5 channels, and there was an awful lot of dross. We don't remember the nights of there being nothing to watch on TV. And lastly the way we watch has changed. You find a show you like and its gone in a night or three (notably UK drama with its shorter runs).
There is still good stuff out there, but there is also a mine of old programmes to watch too. I find myself rewatching Top Gear/Grand Tour at the moment, mainly the specials, because I can rely on them for an hour or two of solid entertainment.
There is actually a general theory about the recent decline of tv drama
Apparently a lot of people now watch it as “wallpaper” drama. It’s in the background on the tv screen as people are scrolling their phones (or cooking or eating or drinking or wanking or talking on PB)
As a result networks are asking for LESS demanding scripts with even weaker plots and not too much action so you don’t miss anything if you disappear for ten minutes to shout at @JosiasJessop
How depressing
The BBCs Miss Austen was a case in point. Utter drivel.
I'm just getting into Slow Horses and enjoying it so far. The incredibly 'Jaggery' Jagger vocal on the theme song doesn't hurt.
The books are good too, particularly the later ones. Some types of comedy aren't easy to show on screen. The TV series has more realistic plotting though imo.
It's clear to me that our diplomatic service calculated, correctly, that due to Trump's ego, and desire to lauded by royalty, that a State Visit would be hugely in the national interest - and unlock much else.
It seems like it has.
I think that letter from the King did even more than Starmer, although he was wise to follow the advice, and comes on the back of why Prince William was asked to see him last month as well.
Don't you have any reservations on the point of Starmer and Chas stroking the orange ****'s ego?
There is actually a general theory about the recent decline of tv drama
Apparently a lot of people now watch it as “wallpaper” drama. It’s in the background on the tv screen as people are scrolling their phones (or cooking or eating or drinking or wanking or talking on PB)
As a result networks are asking for LESS demanding scripts with even weaker plots and not too much action so you don’t miss anything if you disappear for ten minutes to shout at @JosiasJessop
Finished my Speed Awareness Course. Is everyone aware that penalty points are now banded. So in a 20 zone, 21 to 31 leads to 3 points (minimum). 31 to 41 is 6 points (minimum) and 41 plus is a 6 to 9 point penalty.
F***!
I'll my driver know, thanks
Problem is your driver is a chauffeur employed by you, and my driver is a taxi driver who likes Farage and Jordan Petersen AND REALLY WANTS TO TELL ME.
The best thing about driverless cars is not having to engage in conversations. I can't tell you the number of times I've had Albanian migrant taxi drivers, with kids who are professional soccer players. Man, that gets tired really quickly.
There is actually a general theory about the recent decline of tv drama
Apparently a lot of people now watch it as “wallpaper” drama. It’s in the background on the tv screen as people are scrolling their phones (or cooking or eating or drinking or wanking or talking on PB)
As a result networks are asking for LESS demanding scripts with even weaker plots and not too much action so you don’t miss anything if you disappear for ten minutes to shout at @JosiasJessop
How depressing
That's not a 'theory'. It's literally Netflix's business model.
“The Prime Minister has been very clear that we are in a new era in which we must spend more money at home on the defence and security of the British people, investing in our forces and industry, rather than spending it abroad. Anneliese clearly disagrees - it is typically honourable that she has chosen to resign on that point of principle.”
Rather nasty! She might just think the money should come from elsewhere.
It's clear to me that our diplomatic service calculated, correctly, that due to Trump's ego, and desire to lauded by royalty, that a State Visit would be hugely in the national interest - and unlock much else.
It seems like it has.
I think that letter from the King did even more than Starmer, although he was wise to follow the advice, and comes on the back of why Prince William was asked to see him last month as well.
Don't you have any reservations on the point of Starmer and Chas stroking the orange ****'s ego?
When he says "Gaza should grab hold of the opportunity...", who does he means as "Gaza". The plan Trump mooted and Bibi is embracing is to ethnically cleanse Gaza of its current population. So, who is "Gaza" in Mackenzie's tweet? It's not the current population of Gaza. Is it the land and rocks and sand of Gaza?
Meanwhile, Israel is attacking Syria unprovoked in what looks like the beginnings of a further land grab. @BartholomewRoberts will probably have some justification for how this is OK.
Israel and Syria are at war and have been at war for 70 years since Syria tried to annihilate Israel.
Attacking your enemy when you're at war is perfectly legitimate. I support Ukraine going into Kursk to put pressure on her attacker and I completely support Israel doing the same.
If Syria wishes to end the war with Israel then great, but you pretending they aren't at war and then crying crocodile tears is so fake.
Comments
I'd be wary of taking any projection seriously though, given how there was already a significant amount of new complexity added because of the results at the last election. Then with the growth of Reform since, I can't see how they'd be able to accurately work everything out with any confidence at all.
We agree then. That's nice. Hasn't happened for a while.
First three were excellent.
No wonder you're furious.
The problem is that those who have the ability to spend the money lese track of where it comes from. How many homes in the UK are blighted by mould and damp? How many people struggle to choose between eating and heating? Why are we spending millions/billions overseas when we are running a huge deficit every years? You can make the case for it. Fine. But someone has to choose. And government is about hard choices, not easy ones. Starmer, to his credit, has done this. You can argue he should have just raised taxes. Fine. But you also need the politics of the possible. If you are not in power you don't get to choose at all.
Perhaps it is kids and running about and In will bloom in my older years, but I barely watch Netflix or Disney plus, I have never had a satellite / subscription service it being many years since I possessed 3 hours to watch sport of a weekend, and most of what I consume comes from the traditional free channels to this day.
I can't invest in many 22 episodes a season hour longs. I know the beeb get berated by Bart for only doing 6 episodes every 2 years of something, but that type of volume suits me down to the ground.
What I saw from a distance more than anything was not the quality being churned out by your HBOs, but the advertising, the marqueeisatoon of TV drama.
God, I hate those kinds of overjuped marquee dramas.
I saw TV drama become pumped like that David Mitchell football clip, and it re-infected linear TV services.
Give me a cup of tea and a few episodes of something and don't force me to consume, consume the bigger, better, more, next, cos it is often junk.
I don't watch TV now but it's all rubbish.
That it?
Needless to say I'm already on board cos of my beloved Berlin being the setting, but it puts the grit into gritty. The English creator said Trainspotting the film was a big influence which may also appeal.
It never needed to "go big".
Conspiracy theory – someone is deliberately creating fake videos in order to discredit the web as a trustworthy source, so that when we do see the video of Trump or Putin or Keir Starmer sending small boys up chimneys, we will dismiss it as just another fake.
It was you that turned me on to it, and the first 2-3 episodes were good with moments of excellence, but my god it slowed down and then utterly cratered
No plot. Nothing happened. Endless scenes in a meaningless parliament
It was an interesting example of a story that would have been better told as a movie than as a TV drama series
Is there a French Connection?
Je vais chercher mon manteau.
Ageing technology could be one of the reasons behind today's online banking problems, according to the senior editor of Business Insider."
https://news.sky.com/story/money-news-latest-mortgage-savings-consumer-gdp-travel-cheap-eats-energy-bills-isa-13040934
Welcome to the club.
Total tosh.
No doubt a wise business decision, if you want to promote Reformy type politics and maintain several Reform and Tory MPs on your payroll.
Those have been the starting point Guidelines in Court since at least 2017, with the addition that the two higher bands include the option of a disqualification, and a fine of A B C band - wich is 0.5, 1 or 1.5 weeks' relevant income.
To me it's a bit light on the bans being optional, as those are the real deterrence. 1 day's ban for every 1mph over 30 in a 20 sounds about right up to 40, then 2 days etc.
https://www.sentencingcouncil.org.uk/offences/magistrates-court/item/speeding-revised-2017/
Alongside individual banks' troubleshooting, HMG (in some guise) should set up a shared incident command with all these banks to identify common factors.
And yes it might have worked if they’d raced into the interesting years when benito was full fash - but they didn’t
It should have been a standalone 2 hour movie about Mussolini’s rise to power
Seems to me we have uncovered a general decline in tv drama
Apparently a lot of people now watch it as “wallpaper” drama. It’s in the background on the tv screen as people are scrolling their phones (or cooking or eating or drinking or wanking or talking on PB)
As a result networks are asking for LESS demanding scripts with even weaker plots and not too much action so you don’t miss anything if you disappear for ten minutes to shout at @JosiasJessop
How depressing
Indeed a lot of the resentments expressed are aimed at immigrants that came here a generation, or two or even three ago.
It needs doing, but there ain't going to be an electoral thank you from the voters who rate this as an issue.
It inspired me to look at True Detective 2 which was somewhat sneered at when it came out, but I thought it was brilliant. Touches of Cormac McCarthy, Heat and The Getaway (the book). Vince Vaughan was a revelation.
It seems like it has.
I think that letter from the King did even more than Starmer, although he was wise to follow the advice, and comes on the back of why Prince William was asked to see him last month as well.
https://www.theatlantic.com/health/archive/2025/02/nih-grant-freeze-biomedical-research/681853/
Secondly we have a false recollection of the golden age. We recall the greats - Only Fools and Horses, Frazier, Morse whatever and forget that (a) there were only 3/4/5 channels, and there was an awful lot of dross. We don't remember the nights of there being nothing to watch on TV.
And lastly the way we watch has changed. You find a show you like and its gone in a night or three (notably UK drama with its shorter runs).
There is still good stuff out there, but there is also a mine of old programmes to watch too. I find myself rewatching Top Gear/Grand Tour at the moment, mainly the specials, because I can rely on them for an hour or two of solid entertainment.
The TV series has more realistic plotting though imo.
NEW THREAD
Attacking your enemy when you're at war is perfectly legitimate. I support Ukraine going into Kursk to put pressure on her attacker and I completely support Israel doing the same.
If Syria wishes to end the war with Israel then great, but you pretending they aren't at war and then crying crocodile tears is so fake.