Categories
Punters agree with Farage – politicalbetting.com
Punters agree with Farage – politicalbetting.com
But I still think punters are wrong, if Labour look like being eclipsed by Reform then I’d expect Sir Keir Starmer to stand down before the election and let somebody from the Labour side to take over.
0
Comments
Anthony Hamilton is a class act.
Not happy with the pit wall....
"if Labour look like being eclipsed by Labour" ?
"Arlington Cemetery website drops links for Black, Hispanic, and women veterans"
https://taskandpurpose.com/news/arlington-cemetery-scrubs-website-dei/
It's 6.24am, and I've been up for three hours. Not a fan of that.
Entertaining race, though.
Anyhow it sounds like Kemi is in for a fun year:
“We’ll get her out sharpish,” one plotter said. “More and more MPs realise she’s doomed. A grid is coming together to bury her in disaster from the locals, keep the pressure on, then f*** [up] conference,” the party’s annual get-together in October. If that does not force Badenoch out, many think the final straw could be the Welsh elections in the spring of 2026, which polls currently suggest Reform will win.
The entire benefit system needs change, it simultaneously leaves some people destitute while making others comfortably off and with no need to think about work.
https://publications.parliament.uk/pa/cm199900/cmselect/cmsocsec/56/9112407.htm
Probably needs something ongoing like the Law Commission to weed out redundant parts
The underlying problem- a RefCon deal would lead to quite a bit of flaking on the left and the right of that alliance- still needs an awful lot of finessing. More than even the Dogshit Puppet Master can manage.
https://x.com/AlexandruC4/status/1900863717459276214
So if he follows Wilson exactly, the next PM might not be Labour after all.
The move is designed as a life raft for Labour MPs to say the government listened to their concerns.
I hope they figure that out before the party dies completely
I think that is generous by the way. The current chances reflect the fact that no-one has a clue - so backing the horses will have the same fate as I did in Cheltenham week, complete oblivion - and that Farage is in a unique position so his bit of the iceberg peers above the waterline.
IMO Streeting might be value. But I am not going there.
“Trump was asked about the vow he repeatedly made on the campaign trail during an interview for the “Full Measure” television program as his administration is still trying to broker a solution 54 days into his second term.
““Well, I was being a little bit sarcastic when I said that," Trump said in a clip released ahead of the episode airing Sunday. “What I really mean is I’d like to get it settled and, I’ll, I think, I think I’ll be successful.””
https://www.yahoo.com/news/trump-says-being-bit-sarcastic-014900811.html
More spins than a New Labour press release.
As Mr Dancer says, quite entertaining.
Or him just being a lying [fill in as appropriate].
Badly, of course.
Elon Musk’s Tesla reportedly halts Cybertruck deliveries as owners complain of metal sides falling off
https://fortune.com/2025/03/14/elon-musk-tesla-cybertruck-delivery-halt-owners-complain-of-metal-sides-falling-off/
One anecdote: A Cumberland hairdresser, very busy, popular and long established, has recently put a sign up saying 'Cash is King'.
https://www.theguardian.com/money/2025/mar/16/uk-high-street-chains-restaurants-cash-payments
The big mistake was indulging in woke virtue signalling instead of selecting a leader who actually acts as if they want to win a GE. They still have time, 12-18 months out from a GE is probably the optimal time to switch because KB can then be the sin eater for as many fuck ups as possible while giving the new Scum in Chief time to get their fizzog on QT, etc.
Metaphor for DOGE?
On CASH, this was in one of my local chip shops this week. Does anyone have any information on how much fees have been going up?
Meanwhile, if he has a bank with a nightsafe nearby, it's free to use cash.
Realistically small businesses are in the hands of massive plutocratic outfits for card services which can do as they like once established.
https://x.com/visegrad24/status/1901041200599364008
New statement made by Macron:
“Those who buy Patriot systems should be offered the new generation Franco-Italian SAMP/T. Those who buy F-35s should be offered Rafale."
The statement was made after news about both Canada and Portugal potentially moving away from buying F-35s.
Went into my local HSBC a few weeks ago with all the shrapnel (bagged of course) collected over a couple of years. In the couple of years since my last visit to that branch, all the tellers have gone to be replaced by machines and soft chairs. Take it to the Post Office they stated - a Post Office that closed a few years ago and moved a few miles away to a Supermarket.
Cash is very difficult to handle unless the (current) facilities are close by.
When I converted my E36 M3 to a slicktop (no sunroof), I drilled out all of the spot welds, removed the roof panel and glued a brand new panel on. The new owner is either dead in a crash caused by compromised chassis integrity or completely satisfied because I never heard anything from him.
If Labour want a second term they have to motivate their voters to turn out, not offer a pastel shade of Reform policies. That's the lesson of the 2017 GE campaign.
Also no one cares about the fuckups; that's the problem. They don't even register with most voters.
They need a competent leader asap.
The competence is the problem, not the timing.
As a result, paying in cash isn't a problem as long as you don't mind queuing but then if you're British, why would you?
They have a very shallow Parliamentary party to fish in for a replacement though.
Just don't feed in so much that you fill up then jam the machine.
The less reputable end of the car and car part business is rapidly moving to crypto.
Blow up the relevant oil pipeline in Russia:
https://www.politico.eu/article/hungary-begs-ukraine-to-spare-russian-oil-pipelines-after-drone-strike-cuts-off-flow/
https://www.loudersound.com/news/are-radiohead-getting-ready-to-do-something-big-in-2025-a-new-business-linked-to-the-band-members-names-suggests-so
But in the context of ongoing Ukraine negotiations, it's still notable.
The French have played the Rafale game quite cannily. They have been absolutely scrupuleux about keeping the FASF Rafale fleet all consistent and current in terms of config and software. This means if a customer wants Rafales quickly they can be delivered very quickly from the French Air Force fleet which are then backfilled by new builds. This is how Greece got their deliveries to start within six months of order.
A quick contribution from me before our very own Vivian from the Young Ones stirs and smashes up the squat.
My team is so hopeless in defence, and lacking teeth in attack that I would see anything over 1.25 as value. We are pants, and cannot score at home or keep a clean sheet.
It looks free money to me, and I have topped up on the handicap markets too. Even this pisspoor Man United side will be too much for us.
Leon missing his flight
No one enjoys watching the Conservative Party flounder more than I but the central question with which they need to contend is are they still a national party aspiring to lead a majority Government?
Historically, the Conservatives have either used and abused other parties (Lib Dems, DUP) or absorbed into irrelevance any aspiring allies (Liberal Nationals, National Liberals) but the world has changed and they are facing the basic challenge of evolution - there's a newer, better, potentially more successful model in town and like Canada's Progressive Conservatives, it's time to decide whether to adapt or die.
What would "merging" with Reform look like? The first assumption can't be the support of the new party would be equal to or greater than the combined support of the old parties. It might be more like the Liberal/SDP merger of 1989 whereby you have a main joined party but two much smaller anti-merger groups continuing - what's in a name, you might say - well, when you have a "brand" as well known as Conservative, quite a lot.
After the Lib/SDP merger, you still had a Liberal Party and an SDP as well as the new Social and Liberal Democrats (and indeed all three parties still exist).
Could you have a continuing Conservative Party, a continuing Reform Party as well as the joined party - United, National or whatever? It might end up in the courts with all the attendant publicity.
At the moment, the Conservatives have no realistic prospect of being able to form a majority Government on their own so if they want to be a part of let alone lead a future Government, they might need a more pragmatic approach toward prospective allies rather than that adopted by the fans of Millwall FC.
Technical superiority doesn't count quite as much when the vendor either can't, or won't deliver stuff to you. The nagging doubt that might later brick it doesn't help, either.
(Also the Korean armoured stuff is SOTA.)
https://www.standard.co.uk/news/london/labour-councillor-defects-to-conservatives-hampstead-highgate-b1216751.html
In West Hampstead, Councillor Tiwari's new party finished a distant third to Labour and the LDs and I suspect he won't stand in that Ward in 2026 but we'll see.
I suspect that there is a ceiling on Reform support, in that many people will hold their noses and vote for whoever has the best chance of defeating them. If given the choice of Conservative or Reform I would vote Conservative. If given the choice of Labour and Reform I would vote Labour. Not sure what I would do if I was in a constituency where I found that the choice was between the Palestinians and Reform, but that is an unlikely prospect.
And what made the Whites call their son 'Matt'?
They also directed me to a post office. Our banking sector is pathetic now.
Take your cash, short-report the amount of cash transactions that have been completed, thus short-reporting the amount of VAT outstanding, pocket the difference.
If they give you a discount, that just eats into the difference they can pocket and make it more obvious to get caught out.
Broadband isn't required. Your butcher could just use his phone.
edit: snap!
POS machines are a huge market. Various government policies have beaten down the carefully constructed barriers to entry.
Some entrants are even offering 0% on transactions under £10 for x months.
https://www.formula1.com/en/latest/article/breaking-antonelli-promoted-back-to-p4-as-australian-grand-prix-penalty-is.2TktXRAy9MX7Px0GlzdHnT
I thought Hunt's intervention this week admiring the "boldness" of the abolition of NHS England was interesting. It suggests that he is both on the right track, not being shy about it and knows how to build a consensus.
Streeting is today indicating that NHS England is the first of a long list of Quangos to go. Boosting NHS efficiency would be a real and substantial achievement for the Labour government and is all the more important since Reeves seems determined to kill growth rather than promote it. There is simply not going to be much new money, especially with the Defence needs. Doing more with the same is the way forward and would make him the obvious contender if a change is needed.
https://x.com/StonkKing4/status/1899966736373588395