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The Tory irrelevance continues – politicalbetting.com

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  • tlg86tlg86 Posts: 26,462
    Liverpool gave up UNESCO World Heritage status for this:

    https://x.com/Luke_M20/status/1903860409255199223
  • RochdalePioneersRochdalePioneers Posts: 29,572
    nova said:

    geoffw said:

    Here's a plan for our political leaders bereft of ideas:
    Douglas Carswell, My plan to get Britain back on track
    https://www.telegraph.co.uk/gift/411db5f531869295
    (it's free to view)

    Not read all yet, but Milestone 2 caught my attention.

    He want to deport the "estimated 500,000 to 1 million illegal immigrants believed to be residing in the UK".

    First thing that jumps to mind, is that if you don't even know whether there are 500k or 1m, then arranging to deport them might be quite tricky.
    The kind of voter being pitched to Knows For A Fact that there are a million illegals here. They're all muslims and other identifiable others, so who cares which ones are rounded up. Send Them Home etc.

    Its dog whistle racism for morons.
  • rottenboroughrottenborough Posts: 64,978
    Pagan2 said:

    nova said:

    geoffw said:

    Here's a plan for our political leaders bereft of ideas:
    Douglas Carswell, My plan to get Britain back on track
    https://www.telegraph.co.uk/gift/411db5f531869295
    (it's free to view)

    Not read all yet, but Milestone 2 caught my attention.

    He want to deport the "estimated 500,000 to 1 million illegal immigrants believed to be residing in the UK".

    First thing that jumps to mind, is that if you don't even know whether there are 500k or 1m, then arranging to deport them might be quite tricky.
    Better idea deport all members of political parties
    Carswell has already deported himself. He now lives in Mississippi.

    Good luck to the Magnolia state.
  • Andy_JSAndy_JS Posts: 34,076

    A busy weekend! 3 videos edited and uploaded - including the channel rebrand, new title sequence etc. And two more mostly done.

    Main thing is that I have a reposition for the channel where I get to keep doing what I am doing whilst now openly attacking Muskolini. Its bound to trigger some people. Whatever.

    What's the name of the channel? Sounds interesting.
  • another_richardanother_richard Posts: 27,356

    Pagan2 said:

    nova said:

    geoffw said:

    Here's a plan for our political leaders bereft of ideas:
    Douglas Carswell, My plan to get Britain back on track
    https://www.telegraph.co.uk/gift/411db5f531869295
    (it's free to view)

    Not read all yet, but Milestone 2 caught my attention.

    He want to deport the "estimated 500,000 to 1 million illegal immigrants believed to be residing in the UK".

    First thing that jumps to mind, is that if you don't even know whether there are 500k or 1m, then arranging to deport them might be quite tricky.
    Better idea deport all members of political parties
    Carswell has already deported himself. He now lives in Mississippi.

    Good luck to the Magnolia state.
    I find it odd that magnolias are associated with the deep south yet they blossom very early in spring in England.
  • FoxyFoxy Posts: 50,691

    Pagan2 said:

    nova said:

    geoffw said:

    Here's a plan for our political leaders bereft of ideas:
    Douglas Carswell, My plan to get Britain back on track
    https://www.telegraph.co.uk/gift/411db5f531869295
    (it's free to view)

    Not read all yet, but Milestone 2 caught my attention.

    He want to deport the "estimated 500,000 to 1 million illegal immigrants believed to be residing in the UK".

    First thing that jumps to mind, is that if you don't even know whether there are 500k or 1m, then arranging to deport them might be quite tricky.
    Better idea deport all members of political parties
    Carswell has already deported himself. He now lives in Mississippi.

    Good luck to the Magnolia state.
    I wonder what attracted him to the Deep South.
  • LeonLeon Posts: 59,240
    geoffw said:

    Here's a plan for our political leaders bereft of ideas:
    Douglas Carswell, My plan to get Britain back on track
    https://www.telegraph.co.uk/gift/411db5f531869295
    (it's free to view)

    He's right. Do all of that
  • LeonLeon Posts: 59,240
    nova said:

    geoffw said:

    Here's a plan for our political leaders bereft of ideas:
    Douglas Carswell, My plan to get Britain back on track
    https://www.telegraph.co.uk/gift/411db5f531869295
    (it's free to view)

    Not read all yet, but Milestone 2 caught my attention.

    He want to deport the "estimated 500,000 to 1 million illegal immigrants believed to be residing in the UK".

    First thing that jumps to mind, is that if you don't even know whether there are 500k or 1m, then arranging to deport them might be quite tricky.
    The fact we simply don't know how many illegals are in the UK rather SUPPORTS his thesis that we have lost control of borders and migration, not the opposite
  • carnforthcarnforth Posts: 5,494
    edited March 23
    Foxy said:

    nova said:

    geoffw said:

    Here's a plan for our political leaders bereft of ideas:
    Douglas Carswell, My plan to get Britain back on track
    https://www.telegraph.co.uk/gift/411db5f531869295
    (it's free to view)

    Not read all yet, but Milestone 2 caught my attention.

    He want to deport the "estimated 500,000 to 1 million illegal immigrants believed to be residing in the UK".

    First thing that jumps to mind, is that if you don't even know whether there are 500k or 1m, then arranging to deport them might be quite tricky.
    All our bloody politicians seem obsessed with copying America with its Trumpism and DOGE cuts. It is such a cultural cringe, as if we have no history and culture of our own. Can't they at least wait to see if it's as obvious car crash as it seems?

    At least Ed Davey is willing to call out this crap.

    Amongst the hackneyed clichés in Carswell's rant was this string of bollocks:

    "Our history, once a source of pride, is being rewritten. The country that produced Shakespeare, Newton, Brunell and Austen is not allowed any claim to exceptionalism, other than exceptional wickedness. Young people in Britain, a nation that led the fight to abolish to slave trade, are taught we were its chief practitioners."

    The fuckwit can't even spell Brunel correctly. 2/10, go to the back of the class.
    You really think Reeves is copying DOGE? Looks like a bog-standard doomed-to-failure British public sector efficiency drive to me.
  • Andy_JSAndy_JS Posts: 34,076
    Thelma & Louise is a film I haven't got round to watching yet. Everyone says it's worth watching.
  • carnforthcarnforth Posts: 5,494
    Leon said:

    nova said:

    geoffw said:

    Here's a plan for our political leaders bereft of ideas:
    Douglas Carswell, My plan to get Britain back on track
    https://www.telegraph.co.uk/gift/411db5f531869295
    (it's free to view)

    Not read all yet, but Milestone 2 caught my attention.

    He want to deport the "estimated 500,000 to 1 million illegal immigrants believed to be residing in the UK".

    First thing that jumps to mind, is that if you don't even know whether there are 500k or 1m, then arranging to deport them might be quite tricky.
    The fact we simply don't know how many illegals are in the UK rather SUPPORTS his thesis that we have lost control of borders and migration, not the opposite
    The civil service has a long-term plan to re-introduce the exit controls we binned in the 80s, but in a low-impact way by scanning faces as they walk through a corridor at an airport or port. Combined with info from airlines. It is because of our lack of exit controls that we have little data. We do surveys only.
  • FoxyFoxy Posts: 50,691
    Andy_JS said:

    Thelma & Louise is a film I haven't got round to watching yet. Everyone says it's worth watching.

    Yes, it's still a really good film. It's aged very well.
  • rcs1000rcs1000 Posts: 58,960
    Leon said:

    Taz said:

    Roger said:

    Taz said:

    Roger said:

    Taz said:

    https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/articles/c3w10816en3o

    UKTV industry apparently in crisis, although from the article it is the Beeb and itv.

    The solution to this non problem is, of course, more money from taxpayers rather than finding new streams of income, nice timing too given the current debate on future funding of the BBC.

    The BBC seems to favour a sliding scale with wealthier homes paying more than less well off homes.

    It’s time to get rid of the license fee, fund the network from general taxation, and let the BBC seek its funding in the open market.

    That would be really short sighted. The BBC is one of the best institutions in this country and has been responsible for nurturing some extraorinary talent. The media is one area where the UK punches well above it's weight and much of this is down to the BBC. Holywood is full of talent originally nurtured by the BBC The Scott brothers to name but two but if you add those lower down the scale the British expertise and influence thanks to the BBC is everywhere
    But the license fee is becoming less and less tenable. Why should I pay £15 a month to fund it when the majority goes to the BBC just for the privilege of receiving live TV signals.
    An institution I rarely watch and don’t really value. If the change to license fee comes and wealthier homes have to pay more, as some beeboid has suggested, how is that fair ?

    Pay for the distribution system from general taxation but let the BBC compete for its funds.

    By all means use taxpayers money to subsidise apprenticeships and trainee schemes that helps people. As they do in other industries. I’ve never heard of the Scott Brothers but good luck to them.
    Ridley and Tony
    Thanks, I have heard of Ridley Scott and enjoyed his work. Over many years.

    His filmography is insane

    Two all time top 100 movies: Alien and Blade Runner. Possibly Top 20

    Gladiator might also make that list

    Plus

    The Duellists
    Thelma and Louise
    Black Hawk Down
    The Martian

    I really enjoyed Napoleon, as well

    In the list of all time movie directors, he must himself be in the top 10, up there with the likes of Scorsese and Spielberg
    You enjoyed Napoleon?

    Man, you must have been wasted.
  • MattWMattW Posts: 26,080

    dr_spyn said:

    ydoethur said:

    ydoethur said:

    LilaZ said:

    Pagan2 said:

    Pagan2 said:

    Pagan2 said:

    Omnium said:

    Pagan2 said:

    Omnium said:

    ydoethur said:

    Barnesian said:

    nico67 said:

    oniscoid said:

    PJH said:

    nico67 said:

    PJH said:
    Thank you, interesting. I can't imagine most Labour voters are very happy with what they're seeing. I think Labour would haemorrhage votes to a left wing party, if one existed with a charismatic leader. A Reform of the left.
    interesting that the current Labour leader, a former public prosecutor, says he "likes and respects" a convicted felon who has no respect for the truth, the law or international conventions - role models today, eh?
    No sane person who has empathy and a shred of humanity can like or respect Trump . I wish Starmer would just STFU with his fawning .
    In Starmer's defence he can't really say out loud that the President of the United States is a c***. Back benchers and Conservative politicians in opposition should not be constrained by such etiquette.
    Ed Davey isn't constrained in his criticism.
    Elon Musk recognised this and called him a "snivelling cretin"!
    Indeed? I'm surprised Musk was so forthright, although I have to say I would have gone a lot fur...oh, sorry, is the 'he' in question Ed Davey?
    How can it be that there's such an empty chair in British Politics? The LDs haven't turned up for a very long time now.
    Thankfully the lib dems have rarely been in government and long may it continue
    I would have voted 'coalition' ahead of Tory if I'd had the chance in 2015.
    I voted tory in 2010...would have voted labour to keep the lib dems out
    FFS Pagan, give it a rest for god sake. Why are you blaming the lib Dems for your own inadequacies? Did a LibDem candidate hurt you in the past? Steal your bike or sandals?
    Take your heart off your sleeve and put it inside where it belongs.
    Ah I see so you can say I would vote labour to keep a tory out? Its not ok to be a anything but a lib dem voter? I don't like lib dems they stand for absolutely nothing
    That may be your opinion, but don't keep using it as an excuse all the time. Pull yourself together.
    So its fine to say anyone but tory but not anyone than lib dem is your argument?
    Ed Davey is basically Donald Trump with a Waitrose Loyalty Card but less charisma. The self regard is the same.
    If I'm honest, if I was looking for a Liberal leader who resembled Trump, I think it would be Thorpe rather than Davey.
    What about Lloyd George?
    Lloyd George was many things Trump is. Selfish, greedy, deceitful, corrupt, sexually depraved and using party as a vehicle for his own ego.

    But - he was not stupid. And nor did he get where he did by his father's efforts.

    Also, having changed his mind following earlier praise for Hitler, he was an opponent of appeasement from 1937 onwards (whether that was because of a revelation about Hitler or merely a desire to annoy Neville Chamberlain is another question).
    Lloyd George bedded one of his daughters-in-law, something which Trump has not yet matched as far as I know.
    I think Trump would prefer to bed his own daughters.
    I thought he'd done that, and more.

    https://www.seattletimes.com/nation-world/trumps-lewd-talk-about-daughter-ivanka-in-front-of-white-house-staff-recalled-in-new-book/

  • viewcodeviewcode Posts: 23,901
    Hello guys, gals, and enby pals. I've uploaded an essay wot I wrote called "The Matter Of Britain" on the evolution of the nation-state since the Dark Ages. @rcs1000 and @TheScreamingEagles are aware. It is about 1600 words and is within the @ydoethur limit. If anybody wants to be a pre-reader just shout out: if the mods agree I'm hoping for a publication for next Sunday.
  • LeonLeon Posts: 59,240
    edited March 23
    carnforth said:

    Leon said:

    nova said:

    geoffw said:

    Here's a plan for our political leaders bereft of ideas:
    Douglas Carswell, My plan to get Britain back on track
    https://www.telegraph.co.uk/gift/411db5f531869295
    (it's free to view)

    Not read all yet, but Milestone 2 caught my attention.

    He want to deport the "estimated 500,000 to 1 million illegal immigrants believed to be residing in the UK".

    First thing that jumps to mind, is that if you don't even know whether there are 500k or 1m, then arranging to deport them might be quite tricky.
    The fact we simply don't know how many illegals are in the UK rather SUPPORTS his thesis that we have lost control of borders and migration, not the opposite
    The civil service has a long-term plan to re-introduce the exit controls we binned in the 80s, but in a low-impact way by scanning faces as they walk through a corridor at an airport or port. Combined with info from airlines. It is because of our lack of exit controls that we have little data. We do surveys only.
    It's not enough. Britain's decline is frightening and accelerating. Like, how come this isn't headline news? A mob of fifty kids with knives and machetes invades a function at a primary school in Essex? Last night?

    BREAKING Two teens stabbed at primary school event 'gatecrashed by youths with knives'

    https://mirror.co.uk/news/uk-news/breaking-elm-park-incident-two-34914501?utm_source=linkCopy&utm_medium=social&utm_campaign=sharebar

    https://x.com/MISSXBUTTERFLYX/status/1903915162349736277
  • TimSTimS Posts: 14,631
    rcs1000 said:

    Leon said:

    Taz said:

    Roger said:

    Taz said:

    Roger said:

    Taz said:

    https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/articles/c3w10816en3o

    UKTV industry apparently in crisis, although from the article it is the Beeb and itv.

    The solution to this non problem is, of course, more money from taxpayers rather than finding new streams of income, nice timing too given the current debate on future funding of the BBC.

    The BBC seems to favour a sliding scale with wealthier homes paying more than less well off homes.

    It’s time to get rid of the license fee, fund the network from general taxation, and let the BBC seek its funding in the open market.

    That would be really short sighted. The BBC is one of the best institutions in this country and has been responsible for nurturing some extraorinary talent. The media is one area where the UK punches well above it's weight and much of this is down to the BBC. Holywood is full of talent originally nurtured by the BBC The Scott brothers to name but two but if you add those lower down the scale the British expertise and influence thanks to the BBC is everywhere
    But the license fee is becoming less and less tenable. Why should I pay £15 a month to fund it when the majority goes to the BBC just for the privilege of receiving live TV signals.
    An institution I rarely watch and don’t really value. If the change to license fee comes and wealthier homes have to pay more, as some beeboid has suggested, how is that fair ?

    Pay for the distribution system from general taxation but let the BBC compete for its funds.

    By all means use taxpayers money to subsidise apprenticeships and trainee schemes that helps people. As they do in other industries. I’ve never heard of the Scott Brothers but good luck to them.
    Ridley and Tony
    Thanks, I have heard of Ridley Scott and enjoyed his work. Over many years.

    His filmography is insane

    Two all time top 100 movies: Alien and Blade Runner. Possibly Top 20

    Gladiator might also make that list

    Plus

    The Duellists
    Thelma and Louise
    Black Hawk Down
    The Martian

    I really enjoyed Napoleon, as well

    In the list of all time movie directors, he must himself be in the top 10, up there with the likes of Scorsese and Spielberg
    You enjoyed Napoleon?

    Man, you must have been wasted.
    Best plot synopsis on Wikipedia: this one about a man’s encounter with a plains ungulate.

    In the first verse, the singer is at the zoo when he meets a man who claims to know all the animals (like the habits of baboons and the number of quills on a porcupine), but misidentifies a gnu as a "helk"; the animal corrects him, further affirming that he is not a camel or a kangaroo, neither man or moose. In the second verse, he has taken furnished lodgings, and wakes up in the night to see a stuffed hunting trophy above his bed; he is trying to decide whether the animal's head could be a bison, an okapi or a hartebeest, when he seems to hear a voice, asserting indignantly that it is a "g-nu, a-g-nother g-nu" and threatening to sue for its misidentification.
  • LeonLeon Posts: 59,240
    rcs1000 said:

    Leon said:

    Taz said:

    Roger said:

    Taz said:

    Roger said:

    Taz said:

    https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/articles/c3w10816en3o

    UKTV industry apparently in crisis, although from the article it is the Beeb and itv.

    The solution to this non problem is, of course, more money from taxpayers rather than finding new streams of income, nice timing too given the current debate on future funding of the BBC.

    The BBC seems to favour a sliding scale with wealthier homes paying more than less well off homes.

    It’s time to get rid of the license fee, fund the network from general taxation, and let the BBC seek its funding in the open market.

    That would be really short sighted. The BBC is one of the best institutions in this country and has been responsible for nurturing some extraorinary talent. The media is one area where the UK punches well above it's weight and much of this is down to the BBC. Holywood is full of talent originally nurtured by the BBC The Scott brothers to name but two but if you add those lower down the scale the British expertise and influence thanks to the BBC is everywhere
    But the license fee is becoming less and less tenable. Why should I pay £15 a month to fund it when the majority goes to the BBC just for the privilege of receiving live TV signals.
    An institution I rarely watch and don’t really value. If the change to license fee comes and wealthier homes have to pay more, as some beeboid has suggested, how is that fair ?

    Pay for the distribution system from general taxation but let the BBC compete for its funds.

    By all means use taxpayers money to subsidise apprenticeships and trainee schemes that helps people. As they do in other industries. I’ve never heard of the Scott Brothers but good luck to them.
    Ridley and Tony
    Thanks, I have heard of Ridley Scott and enjoyed his work. Over many years.

    His filmography is insane

    Two all time top 100 movies: Alien and Blade Runner. Possibly Top 20

    Gladiator might also make that list

    Plus

    The Duellists
    Thelma and Louise
    Black Hawk Down
    The Martian

    I really enjoyed Napoleon, as well

    In the list of all time movie directors, he must himself be in the top 10, up there with the likes of Scorsese and Spielberg
    You enjoyed Napoleon?

    Man, you must have been wasted.
    Three tramadol and two xanax on a long haul flight to Colombia. So, maybe

    I also think the anti-hype helped. Everyone told me it was terrible, so I found it surprisingly enjoyable, skilful, well-crafted

    It's not a GREAT movie, but it is good and very watchable
  • williamglennwilliamglenn Posts: 54,379
    Apparently this interview is from before the election so happened on the Tories’ watch but it’s still unbelievable. The Home Office tried to rent out Camelot Castle in Tintagel to house migrants in a deal that would have involved sacking all the staff:

    https://x.com/nickdixoncomic/status/1903869523704283494
  • MattWMattW Posts: 26,080
    This is a corker of a ruling throwing out Trump & Hegseth's attempt to ban transgender people in the military.

    Their case consisted of things like a claim that transgender people inherently cannot live lives of honour and integrity ie ontological bigotry, and the Department of Justice ended up admitting that they had no evidence to support their case, and that transgender service people had not even been interviewed, or existing service records analysed.

    20 minutes - Glenn Kirchner, on his channel Justice Matters.

    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cwUzdIRG0vo
  • rottenboroughrottenborough Posts: 64,978
    Leon said:

    carnforth said:

    Leon said:

    nova said:

    geoffw said:

    Here's a plan for our political leaders bereft of ideas:
    Douglas Carswell, My plan to get Britain back on track
    https://www.telegraph.co.uk/gift/411db5f531869295
    (it's free to view)

    Not read all yet, but Milestone 2 caught my attention.

    He want to deport the "estimated 500,000 to 1 million illegal immigrants believed to be residing in the UK".

    First thing that jumps to mind, is that if you don't even know whether there are 500k or 1m, then arranging to deport them might be quite tricky.
    The fact we simply don't know how many illegals are in the UK rather SUPPORTS his thesis that we have lost control of borders and migration, not the opposite
    The civil service has a long-term plan to re-introduce the exit controls we binned in the 80s, but in a low-impact way by scanning faces as they walk through a corridor at an airport or port. Combined with info from airlines. It is because of our lack of exit controls that we have little data. We do surveys only.
    It's not enough. Britain's decline is frightening and accelerating. Like, how come this isn't headline news? A mob of fifty kids with knives and machetes invades a function at a primary school in Essex? Last night?

    BREAKING Two teens stabbed at primary school event 'gatecrashed by youths with knives'

    https://mirror.co.uk/news/uk-news/breaking-elm-park-incident-two-34914501?utm_source=linkCopy&utm_medium=social&utm_campaign=sharebar

    https://x.com/MISSXBUTTERFLYX/status/1903915162349736277
    I went to a teen birthday disco at a youth centre in late 70s birmingham and a local gang of mad skinheads attacked the place smashing all the windows and breaking in the, by then locked, front door and proceeded to threaten and beat people and smash up furniture.

    They were a well-known local gang who spent their time marauding the neighbourhood randomly beating up other teenagers for no reason.

    Late 70s UK was pretty fucking violent, as I recall, at least in urban areas. The NF were everywhere in my area.

    It is total cods that we are suddenly and frighteningly declining.


  • FoxyFoxy Posts: 50,691
    carnforth said:

    Foxy said:

    nova said:

    geoffw said:

    Here's a plan for our political leaders bereft of ideas:
    Douglas Carswell, My plan to get Britain back on track
    https://www.telegraph.co.uk/gift/411db5f531869295
    (it's free to view)

    Not read all yet, but Milestone 2 caught my attention.

    He want to deport the "estimated 500,000 to 1 million illegal immigrants believed to be residing in the UK".

    First thing that jumps to mind, is that if you don't even know whether there are 500k or 1m, then arranging to deport them might be quite tricky.
    All our bloody politicians seem obsessed with copying America with its Trumpism and DOGE cuts. It is such a cultural cringe, as if we have no history and culture of our own. Can't they at least wait to see if it's as obvious car crash as it seems?

    At least Ed Davey is willing to call out this crap.

    Amongst the hackneyed clichés in Carswell's rant was this string of bollocks:

    "Our history, once a source of pride, is being rewritten. The country that produced Shakespeare, Newton, Brunell and Austen is not allowed any claim to exceptionalism, other than exceptional wickedness. Young people in Britain, a nation that led the fight to abolish to slave trade, are taught we were its chief practitioners."

    The fuckwit can't even spell Brunel correctly. 2/10, go to the back of the class.
    You really think Reeves is copying DOGE? Looks like a bog-standard doomed-to-failure British public sector efficiency drive to me.
    Yes, but more Streeting than Reeves. Closing NHS England and demanding 50% cuts at the ICBs. No understanding of what they do, or whether they are over or understaffed.

    It's not just Reform and the Tories that have this cultural cringe for apeing America. They want their chainsaw moment, even though copying a failed state isn't really much of an idea.
  • Sunil_PrasannanSunil_Prasannan Posts: 53,343
    Leon said:

    carnforth said:

    Leon said:

    nova said:

    geoffw said:

    Here's a plan for our political leaders bereft of ideas:
    Douglas Carswell, My plan to get Britain back on track
    https://www.telegraph.co.uk/gift/411db5f531869295
    (it's free to view)

    Not read all yet, but Milestone 2 caught my attention.

    He want to deport the "estimated 500,000 to 1 million illegal immigrants believed to be residing in the UK".

    First thing that jumps to mind, is that if you don't even know whether there are 500k or 1m, then arranging to deport them might be quite tricky.
    The fact we simply don't know how many illegals are in the UK rather SUPPORTS his thesis that we have lost control of borders and migration, not the opposite
    The civil service has a long-term plan to re-introduce the exit controls we binned in the 80s, but in a low-impact way by scanning faces as they walk through a corridor at an airport or port. Combined with info from airlines. It is because of our lack of exit controls that we have little data. We do surveys only.
    It's not enough. Britain's decline is frightening and accelerating. Like, how come this isn't headline news? A mob of fifty kids with knives and machetes invades a function at a primary school in Essex? Last night?

    BREAKING Two teens stabbed at primary school event 'gatecrashed by youths with knives'
    Havering hasn't been in Essex since 1965, it's a London Borough.
  • carnforthcarnforth Posts: 5,494
    Leon said:

    carnforth said:

    Leon said:

    nova said:

    geoffw said:

    Here's a plan for our political leaders bereft of ideas:
    Douglas Carswell, My plan to get Britain back on track
    https://www.telegraph.co.uk/gift/411db5f531869295
    (it's free to view)

    Not read all yet, but Milestone 2 caught my attention.

    He want to deport the "estimated 500,000 to 1 million illegal immigrants believed to be residing in the UK".

    First thing that jumps to mind, is that if you don't even know whether there are 500k or 1m, then arranging to deport them might be quite tricky.
    The fact we simply don't know how many illegals are in the UK rather SUPPORTS his thesis that we have lost control of borders and migration, not the opposite
    The civil service has a long-term plan to re-introduce the exit controls we binned in the 80s, but in a low-impact way by scanning faces as they walk through a corridor at an airport or port. Combined with info from airlines. It is because of our lack of exit controls that we have little data. We do surveys only.
    It's not enough. Britain's decline is frightening and accelerating. Like, how come this isn't headline news? A mob of fifty kids with knives and machetes invades a function at a primary school in Essex? Last night?

    BREAKING Two teens stabbed at primary school event 'gatecrashed by youths with knives'

    https://mirror.co.uk/news/uk-news/breaking-elm-park-incident-two-34914501?utm_source=linkCopy&utm_medium=social&utm_campaign=sharebar

    https://x.com/MISSXBUTTERFLYX/status/1903915162349736277
    Are they illegal immigrants though?
  • MattWMattW Posts: 26,080
    edited March 23
    Leon said:

    carnforth said:

    Leon said:

    nova said:

    geoffw said:

    Here's a plan for our political leaders bereft of ideas:
    Douglas Carswell, My plan to get Britain back on track
    https://www.telegraph.co.uk/gift/411db5f531869295
    (it's free to view)

    Not read all yet, but Milestone 2 caught my attention.

    He want to deport the "estimated 500,000 to 1 million illegal immigrants believed to be residing in the UK".

    First thing that jumps to mind, is that if you don't even know whether there are 500k or 1m, then arranging to deport them might be quite tricky.
    The fact we simply don't know how many illegals are in the UK rather SUPPORTS his thesis that we have lost control of borders and migration, not the opposite
    The civil service has a long-term plan to re-introduce the exit controls we binned in the 80s, but in a low-impact way by scanning faces as they walk through a corridor at an airport or port. Combined with info from airlines. It is because of our lack of exit controls that we have little data. We do surveys only.
    It's not enough. Britain's decline is frightening and accelerating. Like, how come this isn't headline news? A mob of fifty kids with knives and machetes invades a function at a primary school in Essex? Last night?

    BREAKING Two teens stabbed at primary school event 'gatecrashed by youths with knives'

    https://mirror.co.uk/news/uk-news/breaking-elm-park-incident-two-34914501?utm_source=linkCopy&utm_medium=social&utm_campaign=sharebar

    https://x.com/MISSXBUTTERFLYX/status/1903915162349736277
    "Primary School Event" is an incomplete account, I think. The two stabbed were 16 and 19, and it was 9pm at night on a Saturday.

    "Two youths stabbed at party in function room attacked by mob" would be better.

    It sounds like a room hired for a private party, which was invaded.

    All over the Mail and the Mirror does sound like headline news, tbh.
  • another_richardanother_richard Posts: 27,356
    Leon said:

    carnforth said:

    Leon said:

    nova said:

    geoffw said:

    Here's a plan for our political leaders bereft of ideas:
    Douglas Carswell, My plan to get Britain back on track
    https://www.telegraph.co.uk/gift/411db5f531869295
    (it's free to view)

    Not read all yet, but Milestone 2 caught my attention.

    He want to deport the "estimated 500,000 to 1 million illegal immigrants believed to be residing in the UK".

    First thing that jumps to mind, is that if you don't even know whether there are 500k or 1m, then arranging to deport them might be quite tricky.
    The fact we simply don't know how many illegals are in the UK rather SUPPORTS his thesis that we have lost control of borders and migration, not the opposite
    The civil service has a long-term plan to re-introduce the exit controls we binned in the 80s, but in a low-impact way by scanning faces as they walk through a corridor at an airport or port. Combined with info from airlines. It is because of our lack of exit controls that we have little data. We do surveys only.
    It's not enough. Britain's decline is frightening and accelerating. Like, how come this isn't headline news? A mob of fifty kids with knives and machetes invades a function at a primary school in Essex? Last night?

    BREAKING Two teens stabbed at primary school event 'gatecrashed by youths with knives'

    https://mirror.co.uk/news/uk-news/breaking-elm-park-incident-two-34914501?utm_source=linkCopy&utm_medium=social&utm_campaign=sharebar

    https://x.com/MISSXBUTTERFLYX/status/1903915162349736277
    Police rushed to Elm Park Primary School's, in Havering, East London, just after 9pm on Saturday after a group of knife-wielding gangs stormed the hall, which was reportedly holding a birthday party. Shocking footage showed the moment dozens of screaming children fled the hall, as the teens held their weapons above their heads.

    It is reported more than 50 youths armed with knives and machetes ran into the school and the fighting allegedly lasted until 11pm before three teens were arrested on suspicion of assaulting emergency workers. A 16-year old male and a 19-year old male sustained suspected knife injuries in the harrowing scenes.


    So 50 youths were fighting with knives and machetes for two hours and it resulted in two injuries and three arrests.

    Seems a bit exaggerated somewhere.
  • LeonLeon Posts: 59,240

    Leon said:

    carnforth said:

    Leon said:

    nova said:

    geoffw said:

    Here's a plan for our political leaders bereft of ideas:
    Douglas Carswell, My plan to get Britain back on track
    https://www.telegraph.co.uk/gift/411db5f531869295
    (it's free to view)

    Not read all yet, but Milestone 2 caught my attention.

    He want to deport the "estimated 500,000 to 1 million illegal immigrants believed to be residing in the UK".

    First thing that jumps to mind, is that if you don't even know whether there are 500k or 1m, then arranging to deport them might be quite tricky.
    The fact we simply don't know how many illegals are in the UK rather SUPPORTS his thesis that we have lost control of borders and migration, not the opposite
    The civil service has a long-term plan to re-introduce the exit controls we binned in the 80s, but in a low-impact way by scanning faces as they walk through a corridor at an airport or port. Combined with info from airlines. It is because of our lack of exit controls that we have little data. We do surveys only.
    It's not enough. Britain's decline is frightening and accelerating. Like, how come this isn't headline news? A mob of fifty kids with knives and machetes invades a function at a primary school in Essex? Last night?

    BREAKING Two teens stabbed at primary school event 'gatecrashed by youths with knives'

    https://mirror.co.uk/news/uk-news/breaking-elm-park-incident-two-34914501?utm_source=linkCopy&utm_medium=social&utm_campaign=sharebar

    https://x.com/MISSXBUTTERFLYX/status/1903915162349736277
    I went to a teen birthday disco at a youth centre in late 70s birmingham and a local gang of mad skinheads attacked the place smashing all the windows and breaking in the, by then locked, front door and proceeded to threaten and beat people and smash up furniture.

    They were a well-known local gang who spent their time marauding the neighbourhood randomly beating up other teenagers for no reason.

    Late 70s UK was pretty fucking violent, as I recall, at least in urban areas. The NF were everywhere in my area.

    It is total cods that we are suddenly and frighteningly declining.


    Is it now? Total bollocks? Let’s have a look at the rape statistics shall we

    Oh


  • rcs1000rcs1000 Posts: 58,960
    Leon said:

    Leon said:

    carnforth said:

    Leon said:

    nova said:

    geoffw said:

    Here's a plan for our political leaders bereft of ideas:
    Douglas Carswell, My plan to get Britain back on track
    https://www.telegraph.co.uk/gift/411db5f531869295
    (it's free to view)

    Not read all yet, but Milestone 2 caught my attention.

    He want to deport the "estimated 500,000 to 1 million illegal immigrants believed to be residing in the UK".

    First thing that jumps to mind, is that if you don't even know whether there are 500k or 1m, then arranging to deport them might be quite tricky.
    The fact we simply don't know how many illegals are in the UK rather SUPPORTS his thesis that we have lost control of borders and migration, not the opposite
    The civil service has a long-term plan to re-introduce the exit controls we binned in the 80s, but in a low-impact way by scanning faces as they walk through a corridor at an airport or port. Combined with info from airlines. It is because of our lack of exit controls that we have little data. We do surveys only.
    It's not enough. Britain's decline is frightening and accelerating. Like, how come this isn't headline news? A mob of fifty kids with knives and machetes invades a function at a primary school in Essex? Last night?

    BREAKING Two teens stabbed at primary school event 'gatecrashed by youths with knives'

    https://mirror.co.uk/news/uk-news/breaking-elm-park-incident-two-34914501?utm_source=linkCopy&utm_medium=social&utm_campaign=sharebar

    https://x.com/MISSXBUTTERFLYX/status/1903915162349736277
    I went to a teen birthday disco at a youth centre in late 70s birmingham and a local gang of mad skinheads attacked the place smashing all the windows and breaking in the, by then locked, front door and proceeded to threaten and beat people and smash up furniture.

    They were a well-known local gang who spent their time marauding the neighbourhood randomly beating up other teenagers for no reason.

    Late 70s UK was pretty fucking violent, as I recall, at least in urban areas. The NF were everywhere in my area.

    It is total cods that we are suddenly and frighteningly declining.


    Is it now? Total bollocks? Let’s have a look at the rape statistics shall we

    Oh


    What does the BCS say?
  • Jim_MillerJim_Miller Posts: 3,214
    Off topic: A small bit of good news: Duke’s starting center is from South Sudan.

    Khaman Malauch, a freshman, is 7’2″. Good luck to him, and to his troubled nation, which needs all the successes it can get.

    (If you haven’t read Francis Bok’s “Escape From Slavery”, you ought to.)
  • another_richardanother_richard Posts: 27,356
    Leon said:

    Leon said:

    carnforth said:

    Leon said:

    nova said:

    geoffw said:

    Here's a plan for our political leaders bereft of ideas:
    Douglas Carswell, My plan to get Britain back on track
    https://www.telegraph.co.uk/gift/411db5f531869295
    (it's free to view)

    Not read all yet, but Milestone 2 caught my attention.

    He want to deport the "estimated 500,000 to 1 million illegal immigrants believed to be residing in the UK".

    First thing that jumps to mind, is that if you don't even know whether there are 500k or 1m, then arranging to deport them might be quite tricky.
    The fact we simply don't know how many illegals are in the UK rather SUPPORTS his thesis that we have lost control of borders and migration, not the opposite
    The civil service has a long-term plan to re-introduce the exit controls we binned in the 80s, but in a low-impact way by scanning faces as they walk through a corridor at an airport or port. Combined with info from airlines. It is because of our lack of exit controls that we have little data. We do surveys only.
    It's not enough. Britain's decline is frightening and accelerating. Like, how come this isn't headline news? A mob of fifty kids with knives and machetes invades a function at a primary school in Essex? Last night?

    BREAKING Two teens stabbed at primary school event 'gatecrashed by youths with knives'

    https://mirror.co.uk/news/uk-news/breaking-elm-park-incident-two-34914501?utm_source=linkCopy&utm_medium=social&utm_campaign=sharebar

    https://x.com/MISSXBUTTERFLYX/status/1903915162349736277
    I went to a teen birthday disco at a youth centre in late 70s birmingham and a local gang of mad skinheads attacked the place smashing all the windows and breaking in the, by then locked, front door and proceeded to threaten and beat people and smash up furniture.

    They were a well-known local gang who spent their time marauding the neighbourhood randomly beating up other teenagers for no reason.

    Late 70s UK was pretty fucking violent, as I recall, at least in urban areas. The NF were everywhere in my area.

    It is total cods that we are suddenly and frighteningly declining.


    Is it now? Total bollocks? Let’s have a look at the rape statistics shall we

    Oh


    Recorded.

    Rottenborough is right, the 70s were a near continuous reporting of organised crime, riots, violent strikes, violent demonstrations, football hooliganism and terrorism.
  • LeonLeon Posts: 59,240

    Leon said:

    Leon said:

    carnforth said:

    Leon said:

    nova said:

    geoffw said:

    Here's a plan for our political leaders bereft of ideas:
    Douglas Carswell, My plan to get Britain back on track
    https://www.telegraph.co.uk/gift/411db5f531869295
    (it's free to view)

    Not read all yet, but Milestone 2 caught my attention.

    He want to deport the "estimated 500,000 to 1 million illegal immigrants believed to be residing in the UK".

    First thing that jumps to mind, is that if you don't even know whether there are 500k or 1m, then arranging to deport them might be quite tricky.
    The fact we simply don't know how many illegals are in the UK rather SUPPORTS his thesis that we have lost control of borders and migration, not the opposite
    The civil service has a long-term plan to re-introduce the exit controls we binned in the 80s, but in a low-impact way by scanning faces as they walk through a corridor at an airport or port. Combined with info from airlines. It is because of our lack of exit controls that we have little data. We do surveys only.
    It's not enough. Britain's decline is frightening and accelerating. Like, how come this isn't headline news? A mob of fifty kids with knives and machetes invades a function at a primary school in Essex? Last night?

    BREAKING Two teens stabbed at primary school event 'gatecrashed by youths with knives'

    https://mirror.co.uk/news/uk-news/breaking-elm-park-incident-two-34914501?utm_source=linkCopy&utm_medium=social&utm_campaign=sharebar

    https://x.com/MISSXBUTTERFLYX/status/1903915162349736277
    I went to a teen birthday disco at a youth centre in late 70s birmingham and a local gang of mad skinheads attacked the place smashing all the windows and breaking in the, by then locked, front door and proceeded to threaten and beat people and smash up furniture.

    They were a well-known local gang who spent their time marauding the neighbourhood randomly beating up other teenagers for no reason.

    Late 70s UK was pretty fucking violent, as I recall, at least in urban areas. The NF were everywhere in my area.

    It is total cods that we are suddenly and frighteningly declining.


    Is it now? Total bollocks? Let’s have a look at the rape statistics shall we

    Oh


    Recorded.

    Rottenborough is right, the 70s were a near continuous reporting of organised crime, riots, violent strikes, violent demonstrations, football hooliganism and terrorism.
    I don’t deny it. I remember the 70s, just about

    My point is that we are spiralling BACK to those dark times and with new added anxieties and dangers

  • rcs1000rcs1000 Posts: 58,960
    Leon said:

    rcs1000 said:

    Leon said:

    Taz said:

    Roger said:

    Taz said:

    Roger said:

    Taz said:

    https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/articles/c3w10816en3o

    UKTV industry apparently in crisis, although from the article it is the Beeb and itv.

    The solution to this non problem is, of course, more money from taxpayers rather than finding new streams of income, nice timing too given the current debate on future funding of the BBC.

    The BBC seems to favour a sliding scale with wealthier homes paying more than less well off homes.

    It’s time to get rid of the license fee, fund the network from general taxation, and let the BBC seek its funding in the open market.

    That would be really short sighted. The BBC is one of the best institutions in this country and has been responsible for nurturing some extraorinary talent. The media is one area where the UK punches well above it's weight and much of this is down to the BBC. Holywood is full of talent originally nurtured by the BBC The Scott brothers to name but two but if you add those lower down the scale the British expertise and influence thanks to the BBC is everywhere
    But the license fee is becoming less and less tenable. Why should I pay £15 a month to fund it when the majority goes to the BBC just for the privilege of receiving live TV signals.
    An institution I rarely watch and don’t really value. If the change to license fee comes and wealthier homes have to pay more, as some beeboid has suggested, how is that fair ?

    Pay for the distribution system from general taxation but let the BBC compete for its funds.

    By all means use taxpayers money to subsidise apprenticeships and trainee schemes that helps people. As they do in other industries. I’ve never heard of the Scott Brothers but good luck to them.
    Ridley and Tony
    Thanks, I have heard of Ridley Scott and enjoyed his work. Over many years.

    His filmography is insane

    Two all time top 100 movies: Alien and Blade Runner. Possibly Top 20

    Gladiator might also make that list

    Plus

    The Duellists
    Thelma and Louise
    Black Hawk Down
    The Martian

    I really enjoyed Napoleon, as well

    In the list of all time movie directors, he must himself be in the top 10, up there with the likes of Scorsese and Spielberg
    You enjoyed Napoleon?

    Man, you must have been wasted.
    Three tramadol and two xanax on a long haul flight to Colombia. So, maybe

    I also think the anti-hype helped. Everyone told me it was terrible, so I found it surprisingly enjoyable, skilful, well-crafted

    It's not a GREAT movie, but it is good and very watchable
    It's not a great movie. It's not even a very good movie. It's ok. It's fine. It's well shot.

    The acting is decent.

    But ultimately, it took a fascinating story and made it quite boring.

  • LeonLeon Posts: 59,240
    edited March 23
    What has happened to @Anabobazina?

    This trip to Uruguay is looking like my first proper solid trip to a very foreign country where I will not withdraw a single unit of hard foreign currency nor use or see cash in any way. Ten days in Uruguay

    @Anabobazina is being vindicated and he’s not here to exult!
  • Leon said:

    What has happened to @Anabobazina?

    This trip to Uruguay is looking like my first proper solid trip to a very foreign country where I will not withdraw a single unit of hard foreign currency nor use or see cash in any way. Ten days in Uruguay

    @Anabobazina is being vindicated and he’s not here to exult!

    First?

    I've been doing that at home and abroad for years.

    And I thought you were well travelled?
  • rottenboroughrottenborough Posts: 64,978
    Leon said:

    Leon said:

    carnforth said:

    Leon said:

    nova said:

    geoffw said:

    Here's a plan for our political leaders bereft of ideas:
    Douglas Carswell, My plan to get Britain back on track
    https://www.telegraph.co.uk/gift/411db5f531869295
    (it's free to view)

    Not read all yet, but Milestone 2 caught my attention.

    He want to deport the "estimated 500,000 to 1 million illegal immigrants believed to be residing in the UK".

    First thing that jumps to mind, is that if you don't even know whether there are 500k or 1m, then arranging to deport them might be quite tricky.
    The fact we simply don't know how many illegals are in the UK rather SUPPORTS his thesis that we have lost control of borders and migration, not the opposite
    The civil service has a long-term plan to re-introduce the exit controls we binned in the 80s, but in a low-impact way by scanning faces as they walk through a corridor at an airport or port. Combined with info from airlines. It is because of our lack of exit controls that we have little data. We do surveys only.
    It's not enough. Britain's decline is frightening and accelerating. Like, how come this isn't headline news? A mob of fifty kids with knives and machetes invades a function at a primary school in Essex? Last night?

    BREAKING Two teens stabbed at primary school event 'gatecrashed by youths with knives'

    https://mirror.co.uk/news/uk-news/breaking-elm-park-incident-two-34914501?utm_source=linkCopy&utm_medium=social&utm_campaign=sharebar

    https://x.com/MISSXBUTTERFLYX/status/1903915162349736277
    I went to a teen birthday disco at a youth centre in late 70s birmingham and a local gang of mad skinheads attacked the place smashing all the windows and breaking in the, by then locked, front door and proceeded to threaten and beat people and smash up furniture.

    They were a well-known local gang who spent their time marauding the neighbourhood randomly beating up other teenagers for no reason.

    Late 70s UK was pretty fucking violent, as I recall, at least in urban areas. The NF were everywhere in my area.

    It is total cods that we are suddenly and frighteningly declining.


    Is it now? Total bollocks? Let’s have a look at the rape statistics shall we

    Oh


    Whose talking about rape? The example you gave was that a school was invaded by a gang of youths.

    I countered by saying basically the same thing happened in 1970s Brummage.

    I have no idea how much rape was going on around me in the late teen community.

    I suspect it was massively lower because social media and hard core online porn and incels had not been invented but that is pure speculation.
  • rcs1000rcs1000 Posts: 58,960

    Leon said:

    What has happened to @Anabobazina?

    This trip to Uruguay is looking like my first proper solid trip to a very foreign country where I will not withdraw a single unit of hard foreign currency nor use or see cash in any way. Ten days in Uruguay

    @Anabobazina is being vindicated and he’s not here to exult!

    First?

    I've been doing that at home and abroad for years.

    And I thought you were well travelled?
    China has the essentially cash free for at least five years.
  • TimSTimS Posts: 14,631

    Leon said:

    Leon said:

    carnforth said:

    Leon said:

    nova said:

    geoffw said:

    Here's a plan for our political leaders bereft of ideas:
    Douglas Carswell, My plan to get Britain back on track
    https://www.telegraph.co.uk/gift/411db5f531869295
    (it's free to view)

    Not read all yet, but Milestone 2 caught my attention.

    He want to deport the "estimated 500,000 to 1 million illegal immigrants believed to be residing in the UK".

    First thing that jumps to mind, is that if you don't even know whether there are 500k or 1m, then arranging to deport them might be quite tricky.
    The fact we simply don't know how many illegals are in the UK rather SUPPORTS his thesis that we have lost control of borders and migration, not the opposite
    The civil service has a long-term plan to re-introduce the exit controls we binned in the 80s, but in a low-impact way by scanning faces as they walk through a corridor at an airport or port. Combined with info from airlines. It is because of our lack of exit controls that we have little data. We do surveys only.
    It's not enough. Britain's decline is frightening and accelerating. Like, how come this isn't headline news? A mob of fifty kids with knives and machetes invades a function at a primary school in Essex? Last night?

    BREAKING Two teens stabbed at primary school event 'gatecrashed by youths with knives'

    https://mirror.co.uk/news/uk-news/breaking-elm-park-incident-two-34914501?utm_source=linkCopy&utm_medium=social&utm_campaign=sharebar

    https://x.com/MISSXBUTTERFLYX/status/1903915162349736277
    I went to a teen birthday disco at a youth centre in late 70s birmingham and a local gang of mad skinheads attacked the place smashing all the windows and breaking in the, by then locked, front door and proceeded to threaten and beat people and smash up furniture.

    They were a well-known local gang who spent their time marauding the neighbourhood randomly beating up other teenagers for no reason.

    Late 70s UK was pretty fucking violent, as I recall, at least in urban areas. The NF were everywhere in my area.

    It is total cods that we are suddenly and frighteningly declining.


    Is it now? Total bollocks? Let’s have a look at the rape statistics shall we

    Oh


    Whose talking about rape? The example you gave was that a school was invaded by a gang of youths.

    I countered by saying basically the same thing happened in 1970s Brummage.

    I have no idea how much rape was going on around me in the late teen community.

    I suspect it was massively lower because social media and hard core online porn and incels had not been invented but that is pure speculation.
    Consent was less of a thing back then so in the main the only recorded rapes were violent attacks by strangers.
  • rottenboroughrottenborough Posts: 64,978
    Carl Bildt
    @carlbildt
    ·
    2h
    Truly remarkable with Vice President JD Vance 🇺🇸 saying that 🇩🇰 “is not a good ally” and indicates 🇺🇸 will do whatever with 🇬🇱 in spite of “the screaming of the Europeans”.

    https://x.com/carlbildt/status/1903901891525824616
  • rottenboroughrottenborough Posts: 64,978

    Leon said:

    Leon said:

    Leon said:

    carnforth said:

    Leon said:

    nova said:

    geoffw said:

    Here's a plan for our political leaders bereft of ideas:
    Douglas Carswell, My plan to get Britain back on track
    https://www.telegraph.co.uk/gift/411db5f531869295
    (it's free to view)

    Not read all yet, but Milestone 2 caught my attention.

    He want to deport the "estimated 500,000 to 1 million illegal immigrants believed to be residing in the UK".

    First thing that jumps to mind, is that if you don't even know whether there are 500k or 1m, then arranging to deport them might be quite tricky.
    The fact we simply don't know how many illegals are in the UK rather SUPPORTS his thesis that we have lost control of borders and migration, not the opposite
    The civil service has a long-term plan to re-introduce the exit controls we binned in the 80s, but in a low-impact way by scanning faces as they walk through a corridor at an airport or port. Combined with info from airlines. It is because of our lack of exit controls that we have little data. We do surveys only.
    It's not enough. Britain's decline is frightening and accelerating. Like, how come this isn't headline news? A mob of fifty kids with knives and machetes invades a function at a primary school in Essex? Last night?

    BREAKING Two teens stabbed at primary school event 'gatecrashed by youths with knives'

    https://mirror.co.uk/news/uk-news/breaking-elm-park-incident-two-34914501?utm_source=linkCopy&utm_medium=social&utm_campaign=sharebar

    https://x.com/MISSXBUTTERFLYX/status/1903915162349736277
    I went to a teen birthday disco at a youth centre in late 70s birmingham and a local gang of mad skinheads attacked the place smashing all the windows and breaking in the, by then locked, front door and proceeded to threaten and beat people and smash up furniture.

    They were a well-known local gang who spent their time marauding the neighbourhood randomly beating up other teenagers for no reason.

    Late 70s UK was pretty fucking violent, as I recall, at least in urban areas. The NF were everywhere in my area.

    It is total cods that we are suddenly and frighteningly declining.


    Is it now? Total bollocks? Let’s have a look at the rape statistics shall we

    Oh


    Recorded.

    Rottenborough is right, the 70s were a near continuous reporting of organised crime, riots, violent strikes, violent demonstrations, football hooliganism and terrorism.
    I don’t deny it. I remember the 70s, just about

    My point is that we are spiralling BACK to those dark times and with new added anxieties and dangers

    We really aren't - football hooligans, Sweeney style gangsters, the NUM, the NF, even the IRA aren't worried about any more.

    Its true that the country has problems, as there always will be.

    And some things are worse but more things are better.

    As it always has been.

    And I wouldn't swap living now for living back then or any other time.

    Whether teenagers feel the same you'll have to ask them but you'd have to drag them away from their phones to do so.
    Yes to the last point.

    And yes every generation has a different set of problems to handle.

    I remember people in mid 1970s saying quite seriously that there would have to be some kind of quasi-military takeover or martial law to try and deal with the anarchic violence and mass strikes and fighting on picket lines etc etc.

  • FishingFishing Posts: 5,436
    edited March 23

    Leon said:

    carnforth said:

    Leon said:

    nova said:

    geoffw said:

    Here's a plan for our political leaders bereft of ideas:
    Douglas Carswell, My plan to get Britain back on track
    https://www.telegraph.co.uk/gift/411db5f531869295
    (it's free to view)

    Not read all yet, but Milestone 2 caught my attention.

    He want to deport the "estimated 500,000 to 1 million illegal immigrants believed to be residing in the UK".

    First thing that jumps to mind, is that if you don't even know whether there are 500k or 1m, then arranging to deport them might be quite tricky.
    The fact we simply don't know how many illegals are in the UK rather SUPPORTS his thesis that we have lost control of borders and migration, not the opposite
    The civil service has a long-term plan to re-introduce the exit controls we binned in the 80s, but in a low-impact way by scanning faces as they walk through a corridor at an airport or port. Combined with info from airlines. It is because of our lack of exit controls that we have little data. We do surveys only.
    It's not enough. Britain's decline is frightening and accelerating. Like, how come this isn't headline news? A mob of fifty kids with knives and machetes invades a function at a primary school in Essex? Last night?

    BREAKING Two teens stabbed at primary school event 'gatecrashed by youths with knives'

    https://mirror.co.uk/news/uk-news/breaking-elm-park-incident-two-34914501?utm_source=linkCopy&utm_medium=social&utm_campaign=sharebar

    https://x.com/MISSXBUTTERFLYX/status/1903915162349736277
    I went to a teen birthday disco at a youth centre in late 70s birmingham and a local gang of mad skinheads attacked the place smashing all the windows and breaking in the, by then locked, front door and proceeded to threaten and beat people and smash up furniture.

    They were a well-known local gang who spent their time marauding the neighbourhood randomly beating up other teenagers for no reason.

    Late 70s UK was pretty fucking violent, as I recall, at least in urban areas. The NF were everywhere in my area.

    It is total cods that we are suddenly and frighteningly declining.


    I agree. We are not declining. We are stagnating in apathy and complacency, which is far more difficult to combat. Like a frog in slowly boiling water, we are not shocked as things deteriorate slowly.

    Fortunately, the solution to our problems, more free enterprise and smaller government, is well known and easy to implement if our cynical and complacent politicians ever get off their collective arse or apathetic voters ever insist on it.
  • LeonLeon Posts: 59,240

    Leon said:

    What has happened to @Anabobazina?

    This trip to Uruguay is looking like my first proper solid trip to a very foreign country where I will not withdraw a single unit of hard foreign currency nor use or see cash in any way. Ten days in Uruguay

    @Anabobazina is being vindicated and he’s not here to exult!

    First?

    I've been doing that at home and abroad for years.

    And I thought you were well travelled?
    That’s why I said “very foreign”. I don’t mean going to the EU or the USA and not withdrawing or spending a euro or a dollar. I’ve done that plenty of times

    I mean a really obscure country in the global south - Uruguay. Have you been here? No, of course not. I checked my briefing notes from the tour op and they said “you will need cash, cards are often not accepted”

    And yet it’s not true. Cards - indeed contactless - are now ubiquitous even in tiny shops, and in every taxi or train. Even out in the sticks. And if that’s the case in a country like Uruguay then cash is going to disappear worldwide really fast
  • novanova Posts: 745
    edited March 23
    Leon said:

    nova said:

    geoffw said:

    Here's a plan for our political leaders bereft of ideas:
    Douglas Carswell, My plan to get Britain back on track
    https://www.telegraph.co.uk/gift/411db5f531869295
    (it's free to view)

    Not read all yet, but Milestone 2 caught my attention.

    He want to deport the "estimated 500,000 to 1 million illegal immigrants believed to be residing in the UK".

    First thing that jumps to mind, is that if you don't even know whether there are 500k or 1m, then arranging to deport them might be quite tricky.
    The fact we simply don't know how many illegals are in the UK rather SUPPORTS his thesis that we have lost control of borders and migration, not the opposite
    But that's not what I said.

    I suggested it would be tricky to deport people when you haven't even got a clue whether they exist or not.
  • ohnotnowohnotnow Posts: 4,546
    MattW said:

    Leon said:

    carnforth said:

    Leon said:

    nova said:

    geoffw said:

    Here's a plan for our political leaders bereft of ideas:
    Douglas Carswell, My plan to get Britain back on track
    https://www.telegraph.co.uk/gift/411db5f531869295
    (it's free to view)

    Not read all yet, but Milestone 2 caught my attention.

    He want to deport the "estimated 500,000 to 1 million illegal immigrants believed to be residing in the UK".

    First thing that jumps to mind, is that if you don't even know whether there are 500k or 1m, then arranging to deport them might be quite tricky.
    The fact we simply don't know how many illegals are in the UK rather SUPPORTS his thesis that we have lost control of borders and migration, not the opposite
    The civil service has a long-term plan to re-introduce the exit controls we binned in the 80s, but in a low-impact way by scanning faces as they walk through a corridor at an airport or port. Combined with info from airlines. It is because of our lack of exit controls that we have little data. We do surveys only.
    It's not enough. Britain's decline is frightening and accelerating. Like, how come this isn't headline news? A mob of fifty kids with knives and machetes invades a function at a primary school in Essex? Last night?

    BREAKING Two teens stabbed at primary school event 'gatecrashed by youths with knives'

    https://mirror.co.uk/news/uk-news/breaking-elm-park-incident-two-34914501?utm_source=linkCopy&utm_medium=social&utm_campaign=sharebar

    https://x.com/MISSXBUTTERFLYX/status/1903915162349736277
    "Primary School Event" is an incomplete account, I think. The two stabbed were 16 and 19, and it was 9pm at night on a Saturday.

    "Two youths stabbed at party in function room attacked by mob" would be better.

    It sounds like a room hired for a private party, which was invaded.

    All over the Mail and the Mirror does sound like headline news, tbh.
    I remember (1980s) my 5th year end-of-term 'disco' involving a guy taking a razor blade out of his sock and slashing another pupils face from their eye down to the corner of their mouth 'because I wanted to slash someone'. Few weeks before there were knife fights between two local schools. A few weeks later a suicide and an overdose.

    If anything - this seems like an improvement.
  • rottenboroughrottenborough Posts: 64,978
    TimS said:

    Leon said:

    Leon said:

    carnforth said:

    Leon said:

    nova said:

    geoffw said:

    Here's a plan for our political leaders bereft of ideas:
    Douglas Carswell, My plan to get Britain back on track
    https://www.telegraph.co.uk/gift/411db5f531869295
    (it's free to view)

    Not read all yet, but Milestone 2 caught my attention.

    He want to deport the "estimated 500,000 to 1 million illegal immigrants believed to be residing in the UK".

    First thing that jumps to mind, is that if you don't even know whether there are 500k or 1m, then arranging to deport them might be quite tricky.
    The fact we simply don't know how many illegals are in the UK rather SUPPORTS his thesis that we have lost control of borders and migration, not the opposite
    The civil service has a long-term plan to re-introduce the exit controls we binned in the 80s, but in a low-impact way by scanning faces as they walk through a corridor at an airport or port. Combined with info from airlines. It is because of our lack of exit controls that we have little data. We do surveys only.
    It's not enough. Britain's decline is frightening and accelerating. Like, how come this isn't headline news? A mob of fifty kids with knives and machetes invades a function at a primary school in Essex? Last night?

    BREAKING Two teens stabbed at primary school event 'gatecrashed by youths with knives'

    https://mirror.co.uk/news/uk-news/breaking-elm-park-incident-two-34914501?utm_source=linkCopy&utm_medium=social&utm_campaign=sharebar

    https://x.com/MISSXBUTTERFLYX/status/1903915162349736277
    I went to a teen birthday disco at a youth centre in late 70s birmingham and a local gang of mad skinheads attacked the place smashing all the windows and breaking in the, by then locked, front door and proceeded to threaten and beat people and smash up furniture.

    They were a well-known local gang who spent their time marauding the neighbourhood randomly beating up other teenagers for no reason.

    Late 70s UK was pretty fucking violent, as I recall, at least in urban areas. The NF were everywhere in my area.

    It is total cods that we are suddenly and frighteningly declining.


    Is it now? Total bollocks? Let’s have a look at the rape statistics shall we

    Oh


    Whose talking about rape? The example you gave was that a school was invaded by a gang of youths.

    I countered by saying basically the same thing happened in 1970s Brummage.

    I have no idea how much rape was going on around me in the late teen community.

    I suspect it was massively lower because social media and hard core online porn and incels had not been invented but that is pure speculation.
    Consent was less of a thing back then so in the main the only recorded rapes were violent attacks by strangers.
    Sounds feasible but honestly I don't know enough to seriously comment.

    What a do remember is there seemed to be a small set of my fellow male 15/16/17 teens who were obsessed with "conquests". Date a lass and then go the full way and then next day dump her and tell the whole school. Pretty bad and certainly total cads but rape... I dunno.

  • Andy_JSAndy_JS Posts: 34,076
    nova said:

    Leon said:

    nova said:

    geoffw said:

    Here's a plan for our political leaders bereft of ideas:
    Douglas Carswell, My plan to get Britain back on track
    https://www.telegraph.co.uk/gift/411db5f531869295
    (it's free to view)

    Not read all yet, but Milestone 2 caught my attention.

    He want to deport the "estimated 500,000 to 1 million illegal immigrants believed to be residing in the UK".

    First thing that jumps to mind, is that if you don't even know whether there are 500k or 1m, then arranging to deport them might be quite tricky.
    The fact we simply don't know how many illegals are in the UK rather SUPPORTS his thesis that we have lost control of borders and migration, not the opposite
    But that's not what I said.

    I suggested it would be tricky to deport people when you haven't even got a clue whether they exist or not.
    All the more reason to properly police the borders, given that most people in this country - rightly so in my opinion — don't believe in identity cards and the "papers please" society that would inevitably go with it.
  • TimSTimS Posts: 14,631

    TimS said:

    Leon said:

    Leon said:

    carnforth said:

    Leon said:

    nova said:

    geoffw said:

    Here's a plan for our political leaders bereft of ideas:
    Douglas Carswell, My plan to get Britain back on track
    https://www.telegraph.co.uk/gift/411db5f531869295
    (it's free to view)

    Not read all yet, but Milestone 2 caught my attention.

    He want to deport the "estimated 500,000 to 1 million illegal immigrants believed to be residing in the UK".

    First thing that jumps to mind, is that if you don't even know whether there are 500k or 1m, then arranging to deport them might be quite tricky.
    The fact we simply don't know how many illegals are in the UK rather SUPPORTS his thesis that we have lost control of borders and migration, not the opposite
    The civil service has a long-term plan to re-introduce the exit controls we binned in the 80s, but in a low-impact way by scanning faces as they walk through a corridor at an airport or port. Combined with info from airlines. It is because of our lack of exit controls that we have little data. We do surveys only.
    It's not enough. Britain's decline is frightening and accelerating. Like, how come this isn't headline news? A mob of fifty kids with knives and machetes invades a function at a primary school in Essex? Last night?

    BREAKING Two teens stabbed at primary school event 'gatecrashed by youths with knives'

    https://mirror.co.uk/news/uk-news/breaking-elm-park-incident-two-34914501?utm_source=linkCopy&utm_medium=social&utm_campaign=sharebar

    https://x.com/MISSXBUTTERFLYX/status/1903915162349736277
    I went to a teen birthday disco at a youth centre in late 70s birmingham and a local gang of mad skinheads attacked the place smashing all the windows and breaking in the, by then locked, front door and proceeded to threaten and beat people and smash up furniture.

    They were a well-known local gang who spent their time marauding the neighbourhood randomly beating up other teenagers for no reason.

    Late 70s UK was pretty fucking violent, as I recall, at least in urban areas. The NF were everywhere in my area.

    It is total cods that we are suddenly and frighteningly declining.


    Is it now? Total bollocks? Let’s have a look at the rape statistics shall we

    Oh


    Whose talking about rape? The example you gave was that a school was invaded by a gang of youths.

    I countered by saying basically the same thing happened in 1970s Brummage.

    I have no idea how much rape was going on around me in the late teen community.

    I suspect it was massively lower because social media and hard core online porn and incels had not been invented but that is pure speculation.
    Consent was less of a thing back then so in the main the only recorded rapes were violent attacks by strangers.
    Sounds feasible but honestly I don't know enough to seriously comment.

    What a do remember is there seemed to be a small set of my fellow male 15/16/17 teens who were obsessed with "conquests". Date a lass and then go the full way and then next day dump her and tell the whole school. Pretty bad and certainly total cads but rape... I dunno.

    Remarkably, forced sexual activity within marriage wasn’t a crime until 1992. The past really is a foreign country.
  • ohnotnowohnotnow Posts: 4,546
    Fishing said:

    Leon said:

    carnforth said:

    Leon said:

    nova said:

    geoffw said:

    Here's a plan for our political leaders bereft of ideas:
    Douglas Carswell, My plan to get Britain back on track
    https://www.telegraph.co.uk/gift/411db5f531869295
    (it's free to view)

    Not read all yet, but Milestone 2 caught my attention.

    He want to deport the "estimated 500,000 to 1 million illegal immigrants believed to be residing in the UK".

    First thing that jumps to mind, is that if you don't even know whether there are 500k or 1m, then arranging to deport them might be quite tricky.
    The fact we simply don't know how many illegals are in the UK rather SUPPORTS his thesis that we have lost control of borders and migration, not the opposite
    The civil service has a long-term plan to re-introduce the exit controls we binned in the 80s, but in a low-impact way by scanning faces as they walk through a corridor at an airport or port. Combined with info from airlines. It is because of our lack of exit controls that we have little data. We do surveys only.
    It's not enough. Britain's decline is frightening and accelerating. Like, how come this isn't headline news? A mob of fifty kids with knives and machetes invades a function at a primary school in Essex? Last night?

    BREAKING Two teens stabbed at primary school event 'gatecrashed by youths with knives'

    https://mirror.co.uk/news/uk-news/breaking-elm-park-incident-two-34914501?utm_source=linkCopy&utm_medium=social&utm_campaign=sharebar

    https://x.com/MISSXBUTTERFLYX/status/1903915162349736277
    I went to a teen birthday disco at a youth centre in late 70s birmingham and a local gang of mad skinheads attacked the place smashing all the windows and breaking in the, by then locked, front door and proceeded to threaten and beat people and smash up furniture.

    They were a well-known local gang who spent their time marauding the neighbourhood randomly beating up other teenagers for no reason.

    Late 70s UK was pretty fucking violent, as I recall, at least in urban areas. The NF were everywhere in my area.

    It is total cods that we are suddenly and frighteningly declining.


    I agree. We are not declining. We are stagnating in apathy and complacency, which is far more difficult to combat. Like a frog in slowly boiling water, we are not shocked as things deteriorate slowly.

    Fortunately, the solution to our problems, more free enterprise and smaller government, is well known and easy to implement if our cynical and complacent politicians ever get off their collective arse or apathetic voters ever insist on it.
    If it is well known, easy to implement and (I assume) for the popular good - why do you think every politician under the sun hasn't done it? I'm not sure why our cynical and complacent politicians would avoid taking such an easy and popular win?
  • PJHPJH Posts: 775
    Leon said:

    Leon said:

    What has happened to @Anabobazina?

    This trip to Uruguay is looking like my first proper solid trip to a very foreign country where I will not withdraw a single unit of hard foreign currency nor use or see cash in any way. Ten days in Uruguay

    @Anabobazina is being vindicated and he’s not here to exult!

    First?

    I've been doing that at home and abroad for years.

    And I thought you were well travelled?
    That’s why I said “very foreign”. I don’t mean going to the EU or the USA and not withdrawing or spending a euro or a dollar. I’ve done that plenty of times

    I mean a really obscure country in the global south - Uruguay. Have you been here? No, of course not. I checked my briefing notes from the tour op and they said “you will need cash, cards are often not accepted”

    And yet it’s not true. Cards - indeed contactless - are now ubiquitous even in tiny shops, and in every taxi or train. Even out in the sticks. And if that’s the case in a country like Uruguay then cash is going to disappear worldwide really fast
    I'm in Brazil and twice my card has failed to work for one reason or another. The kiosks seem to prefer cash still but I agree card is common/usual.

    Annoyingly I'm also having to use cash for Uber because their card revalidation process isn't working. Possibly because I'm abroad and the message doesn't arrive in time? I didn't even realise cash was an option!
  • RogerRoger Posts: 20,213

    Carl Bildt
    @carlbildt
    ·
    2h
    Truly remarkable with Vice President JD Vance 🇺🇸 saying that 🇩🇰 “is not a good ally” and indicates 🇺🇸 will do whatever with 🇬🇱 in spite of “the screaming of the Europeans”.

    https://x.com/carlbildt/status/1903901891525824616

    He's a head banger. Thank heavens for the EU.
  • rottenboroughrottenborough Posts: 64,978
    Roger said:

    Carl Bildt
    @carlbildt
    ·
    2h
    Truly remarkable with Vice President JD Vance 🇺🇸 saying that 🇩🇰 “is not a good ally” and indicates 🇺🇸 will do whatever with 🇬🇱 in spite of “the screaming of the Europeans”.

    https://x.com/carlbildt/status/1903901891525824616

    He's a head banger. Thank heavens for the EU.
    Some days I literally can't decide whether we will be formally at war with Russia or America first.

  • rottenboroughrottenborough Posts: 64,978
    Eabhal said:

    Leon said:

    Leon said:

    carnforth said:

    Leon said:

    nova said:

    geoffw said:

    Here's a plan for our political leaders bereft of ideas:
    Douglas Carswell, My plan to get Britain back on track
    https://www.telegraph.co.uk/gift/411db5f531869295
    (it's free to view)

    Not read all yet, but Milestone 2 caught my attention.

    He want to deport the "estimated 500,000 to 1 million illegal immigrants believed to be residing in the UK".

    First thing that jumps to mind, is that if you don't even know whether there are 500k or 1m, then arranging to deport them might be quite tricky.
    The fact we simply don't know how many illegals are in the UK rather SUPPORTS his thesis that we have lost control of borders and migration, not the opposite
    The civil service has a long-term plan to re-introduce the exit controls we binned in the 80s, but in a low-impact way by scanning faces as they walk through a corridor at an airport or port. Combined with info from airlines. It is because of our lack of exit controls that we have little data. We do surveys only.
    It's not enough. Britain's decline is frightening and accelerating. Like, how come this isn't headline news? A mob of fifty kids with knives and machetes invades a function at a primary school in Essex? Last night?

    BREAKING Two teens stabbed at primary school event 'gatecrashed by youths with knives'

    https://mirror.co.uk/news/uk-news/breaking-elm-park-incident-two-34914501?utm_source=linkCopy&utm_medium=social&utm_campaign=sharebar

    https://x.com/MISSXBUTTERFLYX/status/1903915162349736277
    I went to a teen birthday disco at a youth centre in late 70s birmingham and a local gang of mad skinheads attacked the place smashing all the windows and breaking in the, by then locked, front door and proceeded to threaten and beat people and smash up furniture.

    They were a well-known local gang who spent their time marauding the neighbourhood randomly beating up other teenagers for no reason.

    Late 70s UK was pretty fucking violent, as I recall, at least in urban areas. The NF were everywhere in my area.

    It is total cods that we are suddenly and frighteningly declining.


    Is it now? Total bollocks? Let’s have a look at the rape statistics shall we

    Oh


    Recorded.

    Rottenborough is right, the 70s were a near continuous reporting of organised crime, riots, violent strikes, violent demonstrations, football hooliganism and terrorism.
    The big difference is social media. There's currently a gang war going on in Edinburgh with shootings, arson etc, with some of it quite close to where I live.

    Looking at Facebook, you'd think the city was descending into mayhem. There are calls for a curfew. For armed cops outside schools. Hundreds of likes for people saying they are scared to walk to Scotmid.

    The murder rate in Scotland has fallen by 60% since 2004. We're living in a perpetual mass hysteria induced by the algorithm.
    Doesn't surprise me.

    I am increasingly of the view that social media will destroy democracy.

  • rottenboroughrottenborough Posts: 64,978
    Leon said:

    Leon said:

    What has happened to @Anabobazina?

    This trip to Uruguay is looking like my first proper solid trip to a very foreign country where I will not withdraw a single unit of hard foreign currency nor use or see cash in any way. Ten days in Uruguay

    @Anabobazina is being vindicated and he’s not here to exult!

    First?

    I've been doing that at home and abroad for years.

    And I thought you were well travelled?
    That’s why I said “very foreign”. I don’t mean going to the EU or the USA and not withdrawing or spending a euro or a dollar. I’ve done that plenty of times

    I mean a really obscure country in the global south - Uruguay. Have you been here? No, of course not. I checked my briefing notes from the tour op and they said “you will need cash, cards are often not accepted”

    And yet it’s not true. Cards - indeed contactless - are now ubiquitous even in tiny shops, and in every taxi or train. Even out in the sticks. And if that’s the case in a country like Uruguay then cash is going to disappear worldwide really fast
    Which would be a very bad idea although no doubt one that Trumpski and Muskovite support.
  • rottenboroughrottenborough Posts: 64,978
    Just catching up on the sunday shows.

    Reeves hasn't a clue how PIP works.
  • LeonLeon Posts: 59,240
    Quality of life in Punta del Este is insane for a remote corner of South America. It’s like a chilled out Latin Singapore, with a large dash of Vancouver (minus the drugs)

    So I checked out property prices. Nice flat with decent sea view: $700,000
  • rottenboroughrottenborough Posts: 64,978
    Leon said:

    Quality of life in Punta del Este is insane for a remote corner of South America. It’s like a chilled out Latin Singapore, with a large dash of Vancouver (minus the drugs)

    So I checked out property prices. Nice flat with decent sea view: $700,000

    How does that compare with the local wage though?
  • Sunil_PrasannanSunil_Prasannan Posts: 53,343
    Leon said:

    What has happened to @Anabobazina?

    This trip to Uruguay is looking like my first proper solid trip to a very foreign country where I will not withdraw a single unit of hard foreign currency nor use or see cash in any way. Ten days in Uruguay

    @Anabobazina is being vindicated and he’s not here to exult!

    CASH
  • carnforthcarnforth Posts: 5,494

    Leon said:

    What has happened to @Anabobazina?

    This trip to Uruguay is looking like my first proper solid trip to a very foreign country where I will not withdraw a single unit of hard foreign currency nor use or see cash in any way. Ten days in Uruguay

    @Anabobazina is being vindicated and he’s not here to exult!

    CASH


    Dandruff in one's official photo edition.
  • rottenboroughrottenborough Posts: 64,978
    Yeh gods. Just seen clip of Reeves on the latest "freebie" scandal.

    "These weren't tickets you could pay for"


    These are special tickets. Smeagols special tickets. We likes our tickets. Precious tickets.
  • LeonLeon Posts: 59,240

    Leon said:

    Quality of life in Punta del Este is insane for a remote corner of South America. It’s like a chilled out Latin Singapore, with a large dash of Vancouver (minus the drugs)

    So I checked out property prices. Nice flat with decent sea view: $700,000

    How does that compare with the local wage though?
    Way out of whack. It’s vastly inflated by super affluent Argentinians and Brazilians who flock here

    Why? I’ve worked it out. The coastline isn’t that amazing. It’s got really nice beaches but not much shade. The architecture is at best sleek and modern, often quite humdrum and modern. Nothing old. Yes there’s now enough people here for a load of agreeable bars cafes restaurants - an agglomeration effect but that could happen anywhere

    The climate is sunny and lovely about 4 months of the year. Otherwise it can be sketchy and in winter grey and ugh

    So what is it? There must be equally nice seaside towns in Argentina and definitely much superior in Brazl…?

    Safety. All these people are paying a massive premium so they can feel safe. No crime. Stable government. Young women walk alone around here at midnight - blithe and unconcerned

    That’s the key. Make your country/city safe and stable and drive crime down to zero and it will prosper like Punta del Este. Or the UAE. Or Singapore

  • rottenboroughrottenborough Posts: 64,978
    Leon said:

    Leon said:

    Quality of life in Punta del Este is insane for a remote corner of South America. It’s like a chilled out Latin Singapore, with a large dash of Vancouver (minus the drugs)

    So I checked out property prices. Nice flat with decent sea view: $700,000

    How does that compare with the local wage though?
    Way out of whack. It’s vastly inflated by super affluent Argentinians and Brazilians who flock here

    Why? I’ve worked it out. The coastline isn’t that amazing. It’s got really nice beaches but not much shade. The architecture is at best sleek and modern, often quite humdrum and modern. Nothing old. Yes there’s now enough people here for a load of agreeable bars cafes restaurants - an agglomeration effect but that could happen anywhere

    The climate is sunny and lovely about 4 months of the year. Otherwise it can be sketchy and in winter grey and ugh

    So what is it? There must be equally nice seaside towns in Argentina and definitely much superior in Brazl…?

    Safety. All these people are paying a massive premium so they can feel safe. No crime. Stable government. Young women walk alone around here at midnight - blithe and unconcerned

    That’s the key. Make your country/city safe and stable and drive crime down to zero and it will prosper like Punta del Este. Or the UAE. Or Singapore

    Interesting. How come it has avoided the fate of the rest of S America with drug warlords and so on?
  • MJWMJW Posts: 2,005

    Leon said:

    Leon said:

    Leon said:

    carnforth said:

    Leon said:

    nova said:

    geoffw said:

    Here's a plan for our political leaders bereft of ideas:
    Douglas Carswell, My plan to get Britain back on track
    https://www.telegraph.co.uk/gift/411db5f531869295
    (it's free to view)

    Not read all yet, but Milestone 2 caught my attention.

    He want to deport the "estimated 500,000 to 1 million illegal immigrants believed to be residing in the UK".

    First thing that jumps to mind, is that if you don't even know whether there are 500k or 1m, then arranging to deport them might be quite tricky.
    The fact we simply don't know how many illegals are in the UK rather SUPPORTS his thesis that we have lost control of borders and migration, not the opposite
    The civil service has a long-term plan to re-introduce the exit controls we binned in the 80s, but in a low-impact way by scanning faces as they walk through a corridor at an airport or port. Combined with info from airlines. It is because of our lack of exit controls that we have little data. We do surveys only.
    It's not enough. Britain's decline is frightening and accelerating. Like, how come this isn't headline news? A mob of fifty kids with knives and machetes invades a function at a primary school in Essex? Last night?

    BREAKING Two teens stabbed at primary school event 'gatecrashed by youths with knives'

    https://mirror.co.uk/news/uk-news/breaking-elm-park-incident-two-34914501?utm_source=linkCopy&utm_medium=social&utm_campaign=sharebar

    https://x.com/MISSXBUTTERFLYX/status/1903915162349736277
    I went to a teen birthday disco at a youth centre in late 70s birmingham and a local gang of mad skinheads attacked the place smashing all the windows and breaking in the, by then locked, front door and proceeded to threaten and beat people and smash up furniture.

    They were a well-known local gang who spent their time marauding the neighbourhood randomly beating up other teenagers for no reason.

    Late 70s UK was pretty fucking violent, as I recall, at least in urban areas. The NF were everywhere in my area.

    It is total cods that we are suddenly and frighteningly declining.


    Is it now? Total bollocks? Let’s have a look at the rape statistics shall we

    Oh


    Recorded.

    Rottenborough is right, the 70s were a near continuous reporting of organised crime, riots, violent strikes, violent demonstrations, football hooliganism and terrorism.
    I don’t deny it. I remember the 70s, just about

    My point is that we are spiralling BACK to those dark times and with new added anxieties and dangers

    We really aren't - football hooligans, Sweeney style gangsters, the NUM, the NF, even the IRA aren't worried about any more.

    Its true that the country has problems, as there always will be.

    And some things are worse but more things are better.

    As it always has been.

    And I wouldn't swap living now for living back then or any other time.

    Whether teenagers feel the same you'll have to ask them but you'd have to drag them away from their phones to do so.
    Yes to the last point.

    And yes every generation has a different set of problems to handle.

    I remember people in mid 1970s saying quite seriously that there would have to be some kind of quasi-military takeover or martial law to try and deal with the anarchic violence and mass strikes and fighting on picket lines etc etc.

    On this I think it's a weird one. There's little doubt we're a less violent, richer society than 40-50 years ago (not old enough to remember - but know those who do). However, lots of people feel "locked in" to a fairly stagnant economic and social position and locked out of comforts and feelings of prosperity in a way did not in the past.

    To take some obvious examples - housing costs and quality. We generally live in better homes, but if you're on a low to median, and in some limited cases a decent, salary then you're trapped with huge housing costs that were possible to avoid by slumming it a bit in the past - or having the security of a council house.

    Take leisure - sport and gig tickets for things that used to foster community are now often hugely expensive and difficult to obtain. Pubs and clubs have disappeared a lot, in part due to similar cost/value pressures and those that remain often charge a premium.

    Work is a lot more based around rigid systems and feel tied into it. Obviously positive in many ways - but can feel like more of a thankless treadmill if not getting the financial rewards, in a way maybe wouldn't have done in the past when work was often more informal and social.

    And as for violence, well we're a much less violent society but we're both exposed to fear of horrific violence more - every dreadful incident being online. Plus know that people can be radicalised in a way that was maybe not possible before and commit acts that were very different to the more prevalent meathead violence of before which we could comprehend better.
  • williamglennwilliamglenn Posts: 54,379

    Leon said:

    Leon said:

    Quality of life in Punta del Este is insane for a remote corner of South America. It’s like a chilled out Latin Singapore, with a large dash of Vancouver (minus the drugs)

    So I checked out property prices. Nice flat with decent sea view: $700,000

    How does that compare with the local wage though?
    Way out of whack. It’s vastly inflated by super affluent Argentinians and Brazilians who flock here

    Why? I’ve worked it out. The coastline isn’t that amazing. It’s got really nice beaches but not much shade. The architecture is at best sleek and modern, often quite humdrum and modern. Nothing old. Yes there’s now enough people here for a load of agreeable bars cafes restaurants - an agglomeration effect but that could happen anywhere

    The climate is sunny and lovely about 4 months of the year. Otherwise it can be sketchy and in winter grey and ugh

    So what is it? There must be equally nice seaside towns in Argentina and definitely much superior in Brazl…?

    Safety. All these people are paying a massive premium so they can feel safe. No crime. Stable government. Young women walk alone around here at midnight - blithe and unconcerned

    That’s the key. Make your country/city safe and stable and drive crime down to zero and it will prosper like Punta del Este. Or the UAE. Or Singapore

    Interesting. How come it has avoided the fate of the rest of S America with drug warlords and so on?
    Apparently the southernmost part of Brazil is similarly safe and affluent and belies the reputation of the rest of the country.
  • LeonLeon Posts: 59,240

    Leon said:

    Leon said:

    Quality of life in Punta del Este is insane for a remote corner of South America. It’s like a chilled out Latin Singapore, with a large dash of Vancouver (minus the drugs)

    So I checked out property prices. Nice flat with decent sea view: $700,000

    How does that compare with the local wage though?
    Way out of whack. It’s vastly inflated by super affluent Argentinians and Brazilians who flock here

    Why? I’ve worked it out. The coastline isn’t that amazing. It’s got really nice beaches but not much shade. The architecture is at best sleek and modern, often quite humdrum and modern. Nothing old. Yes there’s now enough people here for a load of agreeable bars cafes restaurants - an agglomeration effect but that could happen anywhere

    The climate is sunny and lovely about 4 months of the year. Otherwise it can be sketchy and in winter grey and ugh

    So what is it? There must be equally nice seaside towns in Argentina and definitely much superior in Brazl…?

    Safety. All these people are paying a massive premium so they can feel safe. No crime. Stable government. Young women walk alone around here at midnight - blithe and unconcerned

    That’s the key. Make your country/city safe and stable and drive crime down to zero and it will prosper like Punta del Este. Or the UAE. Or Singapore

    Interesting. How come it has avoided the fate of the rest of S America with drug warlords and so on?
    I’ve heard several explanations. They often harp on the same theme and they are quite racist
  • kle4kle4 Posts: 98,241
    carnforth said:

    Leon said:

    What has happened to @Anabobazina?

    This trip to Uruguay is looking like my first proper solid trip to a very foreign country where I will not withdraw a single unit of hard foreign currency nor use or see cash in any way. Ten days in Uruguay

    @Anabobazina is being vindicated and he’s not here to exult!

    CASH


    Dandruff in one's official photo edition.
    As someone fighting a lifelong battle against the damn stuff, I feel for him.
  • kle4kle4 Posts: 98,241
    MattW said:

    This is a corker of a ruling throwing out Trump & Hegseth's attempt to ban transgender people in the military.

    Their case consisted of things like a claim that transgender people inherently cannot live lives of honour and integrity ie ontological bigotry, and the Department of Justice ended up admitting that they had no evidence to support their case, and that transgender service people had not even been interviewed, or existing service records analysed.

    20 minutes - Glenn Kirchner, on his channel Justice Matters.

    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cwUzdIRG0vo

    Trump's lawyers, and that apparently now includes DoJ staff, often end up using entirely non-legal arguments throughout their filings, seemingly purely to please him, even when they have other viable legal arguments as well.

    Sadly I think in the end there are enough people behind it all to make a lot of what he wants to do work, but it would be even more effective if his lawyers didn't have to include stuff solely to get him excited when quotations are read out on NewsMax.
  • carnforthcarnforth Posts: 5,494
    kle4 said:

    carnforth said:

    Leon said:

    What has happened to @Anabobazina?

    This trip to Uruguay is looking like my first proper solid trip to a very foreign country where I will not withdraw a single unit of hard foreign currency nor use or see cash in any way. Ten days in Uruguay

    @Anabobazina is being vindicated and he’s not here to exult!

    CASH


    Dandruff in one's official photo edition.
    As someone fighting a lifelong battle against the damn stuff, I feel for him.
    Diprosalic.
  • williamglennwilliamglenn Posts: 54,379
    Carney continues to steal the Conservatives’ clothes.

    https://x.com/markjcarney/status/1903940314039296264

    Our new middle-class tax cut will help Canadians keep more of what they earn and build a stronger Canada in the face of President Trump’s tariffs.

    We’ll help families save up to $825 a year — with middle and lower income earners benefitting the most.
  • kle4kle4 Posts: 98,241
    carnforth said:

    Foxy said:

    nova said:

    geoffw said:

    Here's a plan for our political leaders bereft of ideas:
    Douglas Carswell, My plan to get Britain back on track
    https://www.telegraph.co.uk/gift/411db5f531869295
    (it's free to view)

    Not read all yet, but Milestone 2 caught my attention.

    He want to deport the "estimated 500,000 to 1 million illegal immigrants believed to be residing in the UK".

    First thing that jumps to mind, is that if you don't even know whether there are 500k or 1m, then arranging to deport them might be quite tricky.
    All our bloody politicians seem obsessed with copying America with its Trumpism and DOGE cuts. It is such a cultural cringe, as if we have no history and culture of our own. Can't they at least wait to see if it's as obvious car crash as it seems?

    At least Ed Davey is willing to call out this crap.

    Amongst the hackneyed clichés in Carswell's rant was this string of bollocks:

    "Our history, once a source of pride, is being rewritten. The country that produced Shakespeare, Newton, Brunell and Austen is not allowed any claim to exceptionalism, other than exceptional wickedness. Young people in Britain, a nation that led the fight to abolish to slave trade, are taught we were its chief practitioners."

    The fuckwit can't even spell Brunel correctly. 2/10, go to the back of the class.
    You really think Reeves is copying DOGE? Looks like a bog-standard doomed-to-failure British public sector efficiency drive to me.
    Indeed - unreaslitic assertions of 'savings' and 'reform' are the bread and butter of our political parties, since they will do what they can to avoid further taxes if they can (not entirely successfully, obviously).

    What will probably happen is the wrong people will be let go, and we'll be back here in a few years.
  • kle4kle4 Posts: 98,241

    Carney continues to steal the Conservatives’ clothes.

    https://x.com/markjcarney/status/1903940314039296264

    Our new middle-class tax cut will help Canadians keep more of what they earn and build a stronger Canada in the face of President Trump’s tariffs.

    We’ll help families save up to $825 a year — with middle and lower income earners benefitting the most.

    It's been pretty funny watching the Canadian conservatives. They are freaking out so mich.

    At first they were hoping the Liberals would not be boosted as much as they were, then they were hoping it was temporary, there was a little annoyance at the small number on their own side who undermined them by liking Trump's 51st state bollocks, and the most recent stage is anger and annoyance that Carney (for reasons that are not obvious to me) seems to be pulling off a complete rebrand including 'stealing' Conservative ideas. They are one step away from complaining about how unfair it is.

    Perhaps the Liberal boost will not hold up for an entire campaign, they were a long way behind for a long time, and for all I know it would be a good moment for Canada to try the Conservatives again, so I've no skin in the game, but their desperation at the turnaround is pretty hilarious.
  • MJWMJW Posts: 2,005

    Carney continues to steal the Conservatives’ clothes.

    https://x.com/markjcarney/status/1903940314039296264

    Our new middle-class tax cut will help Canadians keep more of what they earn and build a stronger Canada in the face of President Trump’s tariffs.

    We’ll help families save up to $825 a year — with middle and lower income earners benefitting the most.

    Well Carney is pretty much a normie old school small c conservative, it's just the global right has gone in a very different direction.

    An interesting lesson?
  • rottenboroughrottenborough Posts: 64,978

    Elon Musk

    @elonmusk
    ·
    2h
    The Dems just move around the same group of paid “protesters”

    https://x.com/elonmusk/status/1903936765284729340



    Yep. Muskovite. That's right. Only a handful of lunatic left are against your destruction of functioning government. These photos are fake. No one cares.

    You just carry on.
  • PJHPJH Posts: 775
    Because it's the middle of the night in the UK, I thought I would share this for the insomniacs and Russian trolls.

    Just checked my spam, which I do infrequently and found this. Normally I get the occasional request from some Eastern European 20-something who claims to have fallen in love with me by sight (as if!) and wanting to get in touch, but this is different.

    From (it seems) a Russian address, have others been getting these? If so maybe pointing to an increase in Russian activity?

    І hɑve a ѕhоrt mеsѕаge that іs ѵery іmрortɑոt fоr yоu.
    You look ɑt рhоtоѕ thіnƙinԍ thеу are pеrfеctly ѕɑfe, уоu frеquent νarіоuѕ ᴡеbѕitеs anԁ so oո.
    Ẃithоut goiոɡ іոto teсhnіϲal dеtaіlѕ, ẏоu ran мẏ ѕрecial ϲode and іt wоrƙеd.
    Ţhaոks tо the fact that уоu ԁоn't care аbout ẏour ѕеcuritẏ І gоt acсeѕs to yоur ԍаԁgetѕ.

    I'm ɑ huԍe fan оf мoԁеrn dеѵісeѕ, almost eνеrẏ laрtop ɑոԁ phоnе hɑs а cɑmerа ɑոd mіcroрhoոe.
    Ẃhat thіѕ meаnѕ for you is that I сɑո see evеrythіոԍ that іѕ haрреnіոԍ оn aոԁ in frоոt of yоur screеn.
    Іf ẏou ԁоubt thаt, theո ԁoո't rеɑԁ аոy furthеr iոtо thіѕ lettеr.
    І'll juѕt роѕt ɑll this shit ᴡith ẏou on еѵerу роѕѕiblе website anԁ sоcial меԁia aոd ѕeոd it out tо evеryоnе ẏоu kոоw.

    (Deleted some paras... you get the gist)

    Ḻеt'ѕ gеt on ẇіth іt, beсausе І'vе bееn ԁіstrɑсted. Мoneу. І ԝаոt мoneẏ, аnԁ ẏоu wаnt ме tо dеletе ɑll thе мaterіal about yоu ѕo no оոe еνеr finԁs оut about thiѕ cɑѕe. Ꭰo wе have the ѕɑмe iոterests? Ḻong stоrу ѕhоrt, І'll maƙe you a dеal.
    You traոsfеr ме the моnеy (iո сrурtосurrеոcẏ еquіѵalеnt), ɑոԁ I dеlete all that сrар about ẏоu, аnd ԝe forgеt ɑbout eасh оthеr.

    $1556 is fine with me. My XMR address: (redacted)

    I'm ɡiving yоu two ԁayѕ. The countdown stɑrts riԍht now, frом the mоmеnt you read thiѕ lеttеr. І tolԁ ẏou what hарpens if yоu ԁоn't рay.
    I dоո't ԍіνе ɑ fucƙ, іt'ѕ uр to yоu. Aոd ԁоո't hоlԁ а ɡrudge. Еѵerybоԁy'ѕ got а јob to do.


    I wonder how many people are genuinely worried about this? As I missed the deadline before I read it I guess I'll just have to resign myself to the world knowing how much time I spend reading PB!

  • MJWMJW Posts: 2,005


    Elon Musk

    @elonmusk
    ·
    2h
    The Dems just move around the same group of paid “protesters”

    https://x.com/elonmusk/status/1903936765284729340



    Yep. Muskovite. That's right. Only a handful of lunatic left are against your destruction of functioning government. These photos are fake. No one cares.

    You just carry on.


    Elon Musk

    @elonmusk
    ·
    2h
    The Dems just move around the same group of paid “protesters”

    https://x.com/elonmusk/status/1903936765284729340



    Yep. Muskovite. That's right. Only a handful of lunatic left are against your destruction of functioning government. These photos are fake. No one cares.

    You just carry on.

    The belief in the left having 'paid protesters' from the right is always a projection, that neglects the fact people on the left quite like protesting. Dare I say it's a bit rich too coming from someone literally paying people to sign a petition in Wisconsin.

    As ever, Musk's great weakness - the one that makes him ripe for the trajectory of the protagonist of a Greek tragedy, is that his skin is thinner than an amoeba's and won't allow for the fact people just disagree with him or don't like him.

    Arguably why he may well end up downing Tesla and SpaceX. Not because of the Nazi and Doge stuff, or protests. But because finds it impossible to understand and appraise criticism from those raising technical or strategy issues with the companies as genuine, rather than having a personal animus against him.
  • Ally_B1Ally_B1 Posts: 55
    PJH said:

    Leon said:

    Leon said:

    What has happened to @Anabobazina?

    This trip to Uruguay is looking like my first proper solid trip to a very foreign country where I will not withdraw a single unit of hard foreign currency nor use or see cash in any way. Ten days in Uruguay

    @Anabobazina is being vindicated and he’s not here to exult!

    First?

    I've been doing that at home and abroad for years.

    And I thought you were well travelled?
    That’s why I said “very foreign”. I don’t mean going to the EU or the USA and not withdrawing or spending a euro or a dollar. I’ve done that plenty of times

    I mean a really obscure country in the global south - Uruguay. Have you been here? No, of course not. I checked my briefing notes from the tour op and they said “you will need cash, cards are often not accepted”

    And yet it’s not true. Cards - indeed contactless - are now ubiquitous even in tiny shops, and in every taxi or train. Even out in the sticks. And if that’s the case in a country like Uruguay then cash is going to disappear worldwide really fast
    I'm in Brazil and twice my card has failed to work for one reason or another. The kiosks seem to prefer cash still but I agree card is common/usual.

    Annoyingly I'm also having to use cash for Uber because their card revalidation process isn't working. Possibly because I'm abroad and the message doesn't arrive in time? I didn't even realise cash was an option!
    Here in Australia and most shops will add 1.5% to your bill if you use a debit or credit card. (Some have different rates depending on the card used so it gets complicated). They set up the payment assuming you are going to use a card and then remove the fee for doing so when cash is offered. In Malaysia several supermarkets claim to be card only (but I have boycotted them for that reason so can't be sure).
  • MarqueeMarkMarqueeMark Posts: 54,187
    MJW said:

    Carney continues to steal the Conservatives’ clothes.

    https://x.com/markjcarney/status/1903940314039296264

    Our new middle-class tax cut will help Canadians keep more of what they earn and build a stronger Canada in the face of President Trump’s tariffs.

    We’ll help families save up to $825 a year — with middle and lower income earners benefitting the most.

    Well Carney is pretty much a normie old school small c conservative, it's just the global right has gone in a very different direction.

    An interesting lesson?
    Will be - but only if he wins.
  • StillWatersStillWaters Posts: 9,498

    Carl Bildt
    @carlbildt
    ·
    2h
    Truly remarkable with Vice President JD Vance 🇺🇸 saying that 🇩🇰 “is not a good ally” and indicates 🇺🇸 will do whatever with 🇬🇱 in spite of “the screaming of the Europeans”.

    https://x.com/carlbildt/status/1903901891525824616

    I know that English is at least his second (and possibly third) language but “the screaming of Europeans” =/ “what Europeans scream at us”
  • Sean_FSean_F Posts: 38,309
    edited March 24

    Leon said:

    carnforth said:

    Leon said:

    nova said:

    geoffw said:

    Here's a plan for our political leaders bereft of ideas:
    Douglas Carswell, My plan to get Britain back on track
    https://www.telegraph.co.uk/gift/411db5f531869295
    (it's free to view)

    Not read all yet, but Milestone 2 caught my attention.

    He want to deport the "estimated 500,000 to 1 million illegal immigrants believed to be residing in the UK".

    First thing that jumps to mind, is that if you don't even know whether there are 500k or 1m, then arranging to deport them might be quite tricky.
    The fact we simply don't know how many illegals are in the UK rather SUPPORTS his thesis that we have lost control of borders and migration, not the opposite
    The civil service has a long-term plan to re-introduce the exit controls we binned in the 80s, but in a low-impact way by scanning faces as they walk through a corridor at an airport or port. Combined with info from airlines. It is because of our lack of exit controls that we have little data. We do surveys only.
    It's not enough. Britain's decline is frightening and accelerating. Like, how come this isn't headline news? A mob of fifty kids with knives and machetes invades a function at a primary school in Essex? Last night?

    BREAKING Two teens stabbed at primary school event 'gatecrashed by youths with knives'

    https://mirror.co.uk/news/uk-news/breaking-elm-park-incident-two-34914501?utm_source=linkCopy&utm_medium=social&utm_campaign=sharebar

    https://x.com/MISSXBUTTERFLYX/status/1903915162349736277
    I went to a teen birthday disco at a youth centre in late 70s birmingham and a local gang of mad skinheads attacked the place smashing all the windows and breaking in the, by then locked, front door and proceeded to threaten and beat people and smash up furniture.

    They were a well-known local gang who spent their time marauding the neighbourhood randomly beating up other teenagers for no reason.

    Late 70s UK was pretty fucking violent, as I recall, at least in urban areas. The NF were everywhere in my area.

    It is total cods that we are suddenly and frighteningly declining.


    It reminds me of my time as a Chelsea Headhunter. Happy days.
  • ydoethurydoethur Posts: 72,997

    Carl Bildt
    @carlbildt
    ·
    2h
    Truly remarkable with Vice President JD Vance 🇺🇸 saying that 🇩🇰 “is not a good ally” and indicates 🇺🇸 will do whatever with 🇬🇱 in spite of “the screaming of the Europeans”.

    https://x.com/carlbildt/status/1903901891525824616

    I know that English is at least his second (and possibly third) language but “the screaming of Europeans” =/ “what Europeans scream at us”
    First being gibberish, and second bullshit.
  • boulayboulay Posts: 6,027
    PJH said:

    Because it's the middle of the night in the UK, I thought I would share this for the insomniacs and Russian trolls.

    Just checked my spam, which I do infrequently and found this. Normally I get the occasional request from some Eastern European 20-something who claims to have fallen in love with me by sight (as if!) and wanting to get in touch, but this is different.

    From (it seems) a Russian address, have others been getting these? If so maybe pointing to an increase in Russian activity?

    І hɑve a ѕhоrt mеsѕаge that іs ѵery іmрortɑոt fоr yоu.
    You look ɑt рhоtоѕ thіnƙinԍ thеу are pеrfеctly ѕɑfe, уоu frеquent νarіоuѕ ᴡеbѕitеs anԁ so oո.
    Ẃithоut goiոɡ іոto teсhnіϲal dеtaіlѕ, ẏоu ran мẏ ѕрecial ϲode and іt wоrƙеd.
    Ţhaոks tо the fact that уоu ԁоn't care аbout ẏour ѕеcuritẏ І gоt acсeѕs to yоur ԍаԁgetѕ.

    I'm ɑ huԍe fan оf мoԁеrn dеѵісeѕ, almost eνеrẏ laрtop ɑոԁ phоnе hɑs а cɑmerа ɑոd mіcroрhoոe.
    Ẃhat thіѕ meаnѕ for you is that I сɑո see evеrythіոԍ that іѕ haрреnіոԍ оn aոԁ in frоոt of yоur screеn.
    Іf ẏou ԁоubt thаt, theո ԁoո't rеɑԁ аոy furthеr iոtо thіѕ lettеr.
    І'll juѕt роѕt ɑll this shit ᴡith ẏou on еѵerу роѕѕiblе website anԁ sоcial меԁia aոd ѕeոd it out tо evеryоnе ẏоu kոоw.

    (Deleted some paras... you get the gist)

    Ḻеt'ѕ gеt on ẇіth іt, beсausе І'vе bееn ԁіstrɑсted. Мoneу. І ԝаոt мoneẏ, аnԁ ẏоu wаnt ме tо dеletе ɑll thе мaterіal about yоu ѕo no оոe еνеr finԁs оut about thiѕ cɑѕe. Ꭰo wе have the ѕɑмe iոterests? Ḻong stоrу ѕhоrt, І'll maƙe you a dеal.
    You traոsfеr ме the моnеy (iո сrурtосurrеոcẏ еquіѵalеnt), ɑոԁ I dеlete all that сrар about ẏоu, аnd ԝe forgеt ɑbout eасh оthеr.

    $1556 is fine with me. My XMR address: (redacted)

    I'm ɡiving yоu two ԁayѕ. The countdown stɑrts riԍht now, frом the mоmеnt you read thiѕ lеttеr. І tolԁ ẏou what hарpens if yоu ԁоn't рay.
    I dоո't ԍіνе ɑ fucƙ, іt'ѕ uр to yоu. Aոd ԁоո't hоlԁ а ɡrudge. Еѵerybоԁy'ѕ got а јob to do.


    I wonder how many people are genuinely worried about this? As I missed the deadline before I read it I guess I'll just have to resign myself to the world knowing how much time I spend reading PB!

    I had that too once and ignored it based on the fact that if he could really see everything I do online he would know that he should ask for a lot more than $1556 and he could have saved himself time in sending the email by just accessing my accounts and taking it as he would have seen their details.
  • IanB2IanB2 Posts: 50,919
    Sean_F said:

    rcs1000 said:

    Leon said:

    rcs1000 said:

    Leon said:

    Taz said:

    Roger said:

    Taz said:

    Roger said:

    Taz said:

    https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/articles/c3w10816en3o

    UKTV industry apparently in crisis, although from the article it is the Beeb and itv.

    The solution to this non problem is, of course, more money from taxpayers rather than finding new streams of income, nice timing too given the current debate on future funding of the BBC.

    The BBC seems to favour a sliding scale with wealthier homes paying more than less well off homes.

    It’s time to get rid of the license fee, fund the network from general taxation, and let the BBC seek its funding in the open market.

    That would be really short sighted. The BBC is one of the best institutions in this country and has been responsible for nurturing some extraorinary talent. The media is one area where the UK punches well above it's weight and much of this is down to the BBC. Holywood is full of talent originally nurtured by the BBC The Scott brothers to name but two but if you add those lower down the scale the British expertise and influence thanks to the BBC is everywhere
    But the license fee is becoming less and less tenable. Why should I pay £15 a month to fund it when the majority goes to the BBC just for the privilege of receiving live TV signals.
    An institution I rarely watch and don’t really value. If the change to license fee comes and wealthier homes have to pay more, as some beeboid has suggested, how is that fair ?

    Pay for the distribution system from general taxation but let the BBC compete for its funds.

    By all means use taxpayers money to subsidise apprenticeships and trainee schemes that helps people. As they do in other industries. I’ve never heard of the Scott Brothers but good luck to them.
    Ridley and Tony
    Thanks, I have heard of Ridley Scott and enjoyed his work. Over many years.

    His filmography is insane

    Two all time top 100 movies: Alien and Blade Runner. Possibly Top 20

    Gladiator might also make that list

    Plus

    The Duellists
    Thelma and Louise
    Black Hawk Down
    The Martian

    I really enjoyed Napoleon, as well

    In the list of all time movie directors, he must himself be in the top 10, up there with the likes of Scorsese and Spielberg
    You enjoyed Napoleon?

    Man, you must have been wasted.
    Three tramadol and two xanax on a long haul flight to Colombia. So, maybe

    I also think the anti-hype helped. Everyone told me it was terrible, so I found it surprisingly enjoyable, skilful, well-crafted

    It's not a GREAT movie, but it is good and very watchable
    It's not a great movie. It's not even a very good movie. It's ok. It's fine. It's well shot.

    The acting is decent.

    But ultimately, it took a fascinating story and made it quite boring.

    Waterloo, from 1970, is better.
    Starring what seems like the whole Ukrainian army, in fancy dress.

    Nowadays it would mostly be CGI.
  • boulay said:

    PJH said:

    Because it's the middle of the night in the UK, I thought I would share this for the insomniacs and Russian trolls.

    Just checked my spam, which I do infrequently and found this. Normally I get the occasional request from some Eastern European 20-something who claims to have fallen in love with me by sight (as if!) and wanting to get in touch, but this is different.

    From (it seems) a Russian address, have others been getting these? If so maybe pointing to an increase in Russian activity?

    І hɑve a ѕhоrt mеsѕаge that іs ѵery іmрortɑոt fоr yоu.
    You look ɑt рhоtоѕ thіnƙinԍ thеу are pеrfеctly ѕɑfe, уоu frеquent νarіоuѕ ᴡеbѕitеs anԁ so oո.
    Ẃithоut goiոɡ іոto teсhnіϲal dеtaіlѕ, ẏоu ran мẏ ѕрecial ϲode and іt wоrƙеd.
    Ţhaոks tо the fact that уоu ԁоn't care аbout ẏour ѕеcuritẏ І gоt acсeѕs to yоur ԍаԁgetѕ.

    I'm ɑ huԍe fan оf мoԁеrn dеѵісeѕ, almost eνеrẏ laрtop ɑոԁ phоnе hɑs а cɑmerа ɑոd mіcroрhoոe.
    Ẃhat thіѕ meаnѕ for you is that I сɑո see evеrythіոԍ that іѕ haрреnіոԍ оn aոԁ in frоոt of yоur screеn.
    Іf ẏou ԁоubt thаt, theո ԁoո't rеɑԁ аոy furthеr iոtо thіѕ lettеr.
    І'll juѕt роѕt ɑll this shit ᴡith ẏou on еѵerу роѕѕiblе website anԁ sоcial меԁia aոd ѕeոd it out tо evеryоnе ẏоu kոоw.

    (Deleted some paras... you get the gist)

    Ḻеt'ѕ gеt on ẇіth іt, beсausе І'vе bееn ԁіstrɑсted. Мoneу. І ԝаոt мoneẏ, аnԁ ẏоu wаnt ме tо dеletе ɑll thе мaterіal about yоu ѕo no оոe еνеr finԁs оut about thiѕ cɑѕe. Ꭰo wе have the ѕɑмe iոterests? Ḻong stоrу ѕhоrt, І'll maƙe you a dеal.
    You traոsfеr ме the моnеy (iո сrурtосurrеոcẏ еquіѵalеnt), ɑոԁ I dеlete all that сrар about ẏоu, аnd ԝe forgеt ɑbout eасh оthеr.

    $1556 is fine with me. My XMR address: (redacted)

    I'm ɡiving yоu two ԁayѕ. The countdown stɑrts riԍht now, frом the mоmеnt you read thiѕ lеttеr. І tolԁ ẏou what hарpens if yоu ԁоn't рay.
    I dоո't ԍіνе ɑ fucƙ, іt'ѕ uр to yоu. Aոd ԁоո't hоlԁ а ɡrudge. Еѵerybоԁy'ѕ got а јob to do.


    I wonder how many people are genuinely worried about this? As I missed the deadline before I read it I guess I'll just have to resign myself to the world knowing how much time I spend reading PB!

    I had that too once and ignored it based on the fact that if he could really see everything I do online he would know that he should ask for a lot more than $1556 and he could have saved himself time in sending the email by just accessing my accounts and taking it as he would have seen their details.
    Taking the details shouldn't get around 2 factor authentication, in theory at least, should it?
  • pm215pm215 Posts: 1,220
    edited March 24
    PJH said:

    Because it's the middle of the night in the UK, I thought I would share this for the insomniacs and Russian trolls.

    Just checked my spam, which I do infrequently and found this. Normally I get the occasional request from some Eastern European 20-something who claims to have fallen in love with me by sight (as if!) and wanting to get in touch, but this is different.

    From (it seems) a Russian address, have others been getting these? If so maybe pointing to an increase in Russian activity?

    (Edited to snip spam contents)

    I wonder how many people are genuinely worried about this? As I missed the deadline before I read it I guess I'll just have to resign myself to the world knowing how much time I spend reading PB!

    The "extort money by claiming to have evidence the victim watches online porn" email genre has been around for a while: e.g. South Wales Police were warning about it in 2020. As with all email scams, most people will recognize it as spam and bin it (or never even see it because their email provider caught it); but since cost to send the email is practically zero the scammer makes money from the tiny fraction of people who fall for it for one reason or another.

    Russia has always been quite high in the spam sending league table, but I would assume something like this one is an independent fraudster taking advantage of the fact they're never going to be prosecuted for crimes that happen outside Russia, rather than anything state sponsored. The state sponsored attackers are more into business/industrial targets for goals beyond mere extortion of cash (the National Crime Agency reckons even the high profile ransomware attacks against UK businesses from Russia are by criminal groups whose ties to the state don't extend much beyond "the state knows about and tolerates their activities").
  • RochdalePioneersRochdalePioneers Posts: 29,572
    Scammer accesses my computer looking for some blackmail material.

    Steps back in shock.

    "with a MELON?"
  • rkrkrkrkrkrk Posts: 8,605
    It's a minor thing - but this little bit of pettiness made me chuckle
    "Katie Lam, the MP for Weald of Kent, a former Downing Street colleague who got on the wrong side of Johnson’s wife, Carrie Symonds, after nudging the family dog, Dilyn, away from her handbag over which he had cocked his leg."

    Guardian on the return of Cummings
  • IanB2IanB2 Posts: 50,919
    edited March 24
    kle4 said:

    carnforth said:

    Foxy said:

    nova said:

    geoffw said:

    Here's a plan for our political leaders bereft of ideas:
    Douglas Carswell, My plan to get Britain back on track
    https://www.telegraph.co.uk/gift/411db5f531869295
    (it's free to view)

    Not read all yet, but Milestone 2 caught my attention.

    He want to deport the "estimated 500,000 to 1 million illegal immigrants believed to be residing in the UK".

    First thing that jumps to mind, is that if you don't even know whether there are 500k or 1m, then arranging to deport them might be quite tricky.
    All our bloody politicians seem obsessed with copying America with its Trumpism and DOGE cuts. It is such a cultural cringe, as if we have no history and culture of our own. Can't they at least wait to see if it's as obvious car crash as it seems?

    At least Ed Davey is willing to call out this crap.

    Amongst the hackneyed clichés in Carswell's rant was this string of bollocks:

    "Our history, once a source of pride, is being rewritten. The country that produced Shakespeare, Newton, Brunell and Austen is not allowed any claim to exceptionalism, other than exceptional wickedness. Young people in Britain, a nation that led the fight to abolish to slave trade, are taught we were its chief practitioners."

    The fuckwit can't even spell Brunel correctly. 2/10, go to the back of the class.
    You really think Reeves is copying DOGE? Looks like a bog-standard doomed-to-failure British public sector efficiency drive to me.
    Indeed - unreaslitic assertions of 'savings' and 'reform' are the bread and butter of our political parties, since they will do what they can to avoid further taxes if they can (not entirely successfully, obviously).

    What will probably happen is the wrong people will be let go, and we'll be back here in a few years.
    It would be a sorry comment on all those years of Tory austerity if the civil service still has over 10,000 jobs that can simply be axed with no consequences.

    It has taken precisely eight months for Labour to go from “no more austerity” to “austerity: the sequel”; no-one can now believe that Brown, Balls and Miliband would have done anything different, had they got the starring roles in the original.

    Promising no more austerity and then delivering widespread cuts is surely going to rupture Labour’s support base?
  • IanB2 said:

    kle4 said:

    carnforth said:

    Foxy said:

    nova said:

    geoffw said:

    Here's a plan for our political leaders bereft of ideas:
    Douglas Carswell, My plan to get Britain back on track
    https://www.telegraph.co.uk/gift/411db5f531869295
    (it's free to view)

    Not read all yet, but Milestone 2 caught my attention.

    He want to deport the "estimated 500,000 to 1 million illegal immigrants believed to be residing in the UK".

    First thing that jumps to mind, is that if you don't even know whether there are 500k or 1m, then arranging to deport them might be quite tricky.
    All our bloody politicians seem obsessed with copying America with its Trumpism and DOGE cuts. It is such a cultural cringe, as if we have no history and culture of our own. Can't they at least wait to see if it's as obvious car crash as it seems?

    At least Ed Davey is willing to call out this crap.

    Amongst the hackneyed clichés in Carswell's rant was this string of bollocks:

    "Our history, once a source of pride, is being rewritten. The country that produced Shakespeare, Newton, Brunell and Austen is not allowed any claim to exceptionalism, other than exceptional wickedness. Young people in Britain, a nation that led the fight to abolish to slave trade, are taught we were its chief practitioners."

    The fuckwit can't even spell Brunel correctly. 2/10, go to the back of the class.
    You really think Reeves is copying DOGE? Looks like a bog-standard doomed-to-failure British public sector efficiency drive to me.
    Indeed - unreaslitic assertions of 'savings' and 'reform' are the bread and butter of our political parties, since they will do what they can to avoid further taxes if they can (not entirely successfully, obviously).

    What will probably happen is the wrong people will be let go, and we'll be back here in a few years.
    It would be a sorry comment on all those years of Tory austerity if the civil service still has over 10,000 jobs that can simply be axed with no consequences.

    It has taken precisely eight months for Labour to go from “no more austerity” to “austerity: the sequel”; no-one can now believe that Brown, Balls and Miliband would have done anything different, had they got the starring roles in the original.

    Promising no more austerity and then delivering widespread cuts is surely going to rupture Labour’s support base?
    It's quite plausible based on how much the civil service has increased its payroll post-Osborne.
  • StillWatersStillWaters Posts: 9,498
    ydoethur said:

    Carl Bildt
    @carlbildt
    ·
    2h
    Truly remarkable with Vice President JD Vance 🇺🇸 saying that 🇩🇰 “is not a good ally” and indicates 🇺🇸 will do whatever with 🇬🇱 in spite of “the screaming of the Europeans”.

    https://x.com/carlbildt/status/1903901891525824616

    I know that English is at least his second (and possibly third) language but “the screaming of Europeans” =/ “what Europeans scream at us”
    First being gibberish, and second bullshit.
    The first isn’t gibberish - the implication is that they will invade and conquer.

    The second is that they will just ignore Europeans (and he was invalidating the diplomatic commentary by referring to it in using emotional terms - if you used that about a woman you’d rightly be condemned as being misogynistic)

  • Sean_FSean_F Posts: 38,309
    IanB2 said:

    Sean_F said:

    rcs1000 said:

    Leon said:

    rcs1000 said:

    Leon said:

    Taz said:

    Roger said:

    Taz said:

    Roger said:

    Taz said:

    https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/articles/c3w10816en3o

    UKTV industry apparently in crisis, although from the article it is the Beeb and itv.

    The solution to this non problem is, of course, more money from taxpayers rather than finding new streams of income, nice timing too given the current debate on future funding of the BBC.

    The BBC seems to favour a sliding scale with wealthier homes paying more than less well off homes.

    It’s time to get rid of the license fee, fund the network from general taxation, and let the BBC seek its funding in the open market.

    That would be really short sighted. The BBC is one of the best institutions in this country and has been responsible for nurturing some extraorinary talent. The media is one area where the UK punches well above it's weight and much of this is down to the BBC. Holywood is full of talent originally nurtured by the BBC The Scott brothers to name but two but if you add those lower down the scale the British expertise and influence thanks to the BBC is everywhere
    But the license fee is becoming less and less tenable. Why should I pay £15 a month to fund it when the majority goes to the BBC just for the privilege of receiving live TV signals.
    An institution I rarely watch and don’t really value. If the change to license fee comes and wealthier homes have to pay more, as some beeboid has suggested, how is that fair ?

    Pay for the distribution system from general taxation but let the BBC compete for its funds.

    By all means use taxpayers money to subsidise apprenticeships and trainee schemes that helps people. As they do in other industries. I’ve never heard of the Scott Brothers but good luck to them.
    Ridley and Tony
    Thanks, I have heard of Ridley Scott and enjoyed his work. Over many years.

    His filmography is insane

    Two all time top 100 movies: Alien and Blade Runner. Possibly Top 20

    Gladiator might also make that list

    Plus

    The Duellists
    Thelma and Louise
    Black Hawk Down
    The Martian

    I really enjoyed Napoleon, as well

    In the list of all time movie directors, he must himself be in the top 10, up there with the likes of Scorsese and Spielberg
    You enjoyed Napoleon?

    Man, you must have been wasted.
    Three tramadol and two xanax on a long haul flight to Colombia. So, maybe

    I also think the anti-hype helped. Everyone told me it was terrible, so I found it surprisingly enjoyable, skilful, well-crafted

    It's not a GREAT movie, but it is good and very watchable
    It's not a great movie. It's not even a very good movie. It's ok. It's fine. It's well shot.

    The acting is decent.

    But ultimately, it took a fascinating story and made it quite boring.

    Waterloo, from 1970, is better.
    Starring what seems like the whole Ukrainian army, in fancy dress.

    Nowadays it would mostly be CGI.
    It’s one of the few films that depicts warfare accurately.
  • bondegezoubondegezou Posts: 13,270
    The i has a poll showing Labour losing the Cambridgeshire and Peterborough mayor.
  • StillWatersStillWaters Posts: 9,498
    edited March 24

    The i has a poll showing Labour losing the Cambridgeshire and Peterborough mayor.

    Did they look behind the sofa?

  • Luckyguy1983Luckyguy1983 Posts: 30,354
    edited March 24

    Pagan2 said:

    nova said:

    geoffw said:

    Here's a plan for our political leaders bereft of ideas:
    Douglas Carswell, My plan to get Britain back on track
    https://www.telegraph.co.uk/gift/411db5f531869295
    (it's free to view)

    Not read all yet, but Milestone 2 caught my attention.

    He want to deport the "estimated 500,000 to 1 million illegal immigrants believed to be residing in the UK".

    First thing that jumps to mind, is that if you don't even know whether there are 500k or 1m, then arranging to deport them might be quite tricky.
    Better idea deport all members of political parties
    Carswell has already deported himself. He now lives in Mississippi.

    Good luck to the Magnolia state.
    I do an internal eye roll when Douglas Carswell rears his head, but I do agree with a lot of his solutions. Quicker to say what I don't agree with, which is his no-tariff policy, his military 3% of GDP policy (it may be the right figure, but we should lead with capability, not spending), his military 'expeditionary divisions' to support Europe and the anglosphere - No. Any such large force in the hands of a British Prime Minister would be like giving a gambling addict a thousand pounds. We should have a large Navy, and the ability to assist with the odd supportive bombardment. That is it. Also the aid cut.

    There may well be other bits I object to but I've only skimmed it.
  • BattlebusBattlebus Posts: 621
    edited March 24
    IanB2 said:

    kle4 said:

    carnforth said:

    Foxy said:

    nova said:

    geoffw said:

    Here's a plan for our political leaders bereft of ideas:
    Douglas Carswell, My plan to get Britain back on track
    https://www.telegraph.co.uk/gift/411db5f531869295
    (it's free to view)

    Not read all yet, but Milestone 2 caught my attention.

    He want to deport the "estimated 500,000 to 1 million illegal immigrants believed to be residing in the UK".

    First thing that jumps to mind, is that if you don't even know whether there are 500k or 1m, then arranging to deport them might be quite tricky.
    All our bloody politicians seem obsessed with copying America with its Trumpism and DOGE cuts. It is such a cultural cringe, as if we have no history and culture of our own. Can't they at least wait to see if it's as obvious car crash as it seems?

    At least Ed Davey is willing to call out this crap.

    Amongst the hackneyed clichés in Carswell's rant was this string of bollocks:

    "Our history, once a source of pride, is being rewritten. The country that produced Shakespeare, Newton, Brunell and Austen is not allowed any claim to exceptionalism, other than exceptional wickedness. Young people in Britain, a nation that led the fight to abolish to slave trade, are taught we were its chief practitioners."

    The fuckwit can't even spell Brunel correctly. 2/10, go to the back of the class.
    You really think Reeves is copying DOGE? Looks like a bog-standard doomed-to-failure British public sector efficiency drive to me.
    Indeed - unreaslitic assertions of 'savings' and 'reform' are the bread and butter of our political parties, since they will do what they can to avoid further taxes if they can (not entirely successfully, obviously).

    What will probably happen is the wrong people will be let go, and we'll be back here in a few years.
    It would be a sorry comment on all those years of Tory austerity if the civil service still has over 10,000 jobs that can simply be axed with no consequences.

    It has taken precisely eight months for Labour to go from “no more austerity” to “austerity: the sequel”; no-one can now believe that Brown, Balls and Miliband would have done anything different, had they got the starring roles in the original.

    Promising no more austerity and then delivering widespread cuts is surely going to rupture Labour’s support base?
    Can't quite relate to the "austerity = cutting civil servant jobs". While volunteering in the 3rd sector for a few years (8 years of benefits, debt, housing) I found we were doing lots of tasks (under contract) that the civil service used to do. At the same time we were handing out free money, furniture, carpets, white goods alongside the advice. Somewhere along the line in the 14 years of the last government, those in power lost control of the finances / senses.

    Any decent country should help those less fortunate, and there were lots of examples every day. However the main failure was to apply the legislation a.k.a. the rules. When it's benefits for all, all will want benefits.
  • Casino_RoyaleCasino_Royale Posts: 62,073
    Sean_F said:

    rcs1000 said:

    Leon said:

    rcs1000 said:

    Leon said:

    Taz said:

    Roger said:

    Taz said:

    Roger said:

    Taz said:

    https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/articles/c3w10816en3o

    UKTV industry apparently in crisis, although from the article it is the Beeb and itv.

    The solution to this non problem is, of course, more money from taxpayers rather than finding new streams of income, nice timing too given the current debate on future funding of the BBC.

    The BBC seems to favour a sliding scale with wealthier homes paying more than less well off homes.

    It’s time to get rid of the license fee, fund the network from general taxation, and let the BBC seek its funding in the open market.

    That would be really short sighted. The BBC is one of the best institutions in this country and has been responsible for nurturing some extraorinary talent. The media is one area where the UK punches well above it's weight and much of this is down to the BBC. Holywood is full of talent originally nurtured by the BBC The Scott brothers to name but two but if you add those lower down the scale the British expertise and influence thanks to the BBC is everywhere
    But the license fee is becoming less and less tenable. Why should I pay £15 a month to fund it when the majority goes to the BBC just for the privilege of receiving live TV signals.
    An institution I rarely watch and don’t really value. If the change to license fee comes and wealthier homes have to pay more, as some beeboid has suggested, how is that fair ?

    Pay for the distribution system from general taxation but let the BBC compete for its funds.

    By all means use taxpayers money to subsidise apprenticeships and trainee schemes that helps people. As they do in other industries. I’ve never heard of the Scott Brothers but good luck to them.
    Ridley and Tony
    Thanks, I have heard of Ridley Scott and enjoyed his work. Over many years.

    His filmography is insane

    Two all time top 100 movies: Alien and Blade Runner. Possibly Top 20

    Gladiator might also make that list

    Plus

    The Duellists
    Thelma and Louise
    Black Hawk Down
    The Martian

    I really enjoyed Napoleon, as well

    In the list of all time movie directors, he must himself be in the top 10, up there with the likes of Scorsese and Spielberg
    You enjoyed Napoleon?

    Man, you must have been wasted.
    Three tramadol and two xanax on a long haul flight to Colombia. So, maybe

    I also think the anti-hype helped. Everyone told me it was terrible, so I found it surprisingly enjoyable, skilful, well-crafted

    It's not a GREAT movie, but it is good and very watchable
    It's not a great movie. It's not even a very good movie. It's ok. It's fine. It's well shot.

    The acting is decent.

    But ultimately, it took a fascinating story and made it quite boring.

    Waterloo, from 1970, is better.
    Much.
  • pm215pm215 Posts: 1,220
    edited March 24

    The i has a poll showing Labour losing the Cambridgeshire and Peterborough mayor.

    That's not super surprising given that when Labour won it in 2021 it was under the old voting system and they needed the transfer votes to win (the first round votes were Labour 32.8%, Tories 40.5%, Libdems 26.7%; in the second round Labour won 51.3% to 48.7%). If you're a "definitely not the Tory" voter in this election then deciding whether and how to vote tactically is going to be tricky.

    Even if Labour had brought the old system back in for mayoral elections they might well have lost this one.

    Edit: also, having found the story, the poll is by Labour Together and they're using it to try to persuade LDs to vote tactically for them.
  • Casino_RoyaleCasino_Royale Posts: 62,073
    Leon said:

    Roger said:

    Taz said:

    Roger said:

    Taz said:

    https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/articles/c3w10816en3o

    UKTV industry apparently in crisis, although from the article it is the Beeb and itv.

    The solution to this non problem is, of course, more money from taxpayers rather than finding new streams of income, nice timing too given the current debate on future funding of the BBC.

    The BBC seems to favour a sliding scale with wealthier homes paying more than less well off homes.

    It’s time to get rid of the license fee, fund the network from general taxation, and let the BBC seek its funding in the open market.

    That would be really short sighted. The BBC is one of the best institutions in this country and has been responsible for nurturing some extraorinary talent. The media is one area where the UK punches well above it's weight and much of this is down to the BBC. Holywood is full of talent originally nurtured by the BBC The Scott brothers to name but two but if you add those lower down the scale the British expertise and influence thanks to the BBC is everywhere
    But the license fee is becoming less and less tenable. Why should I pay £15 a month to fund it when the majority goes to the BBC just for the privilege of receiving live TV signals.
    An institution I rarely watch and don’t really value. If the change to license fee comes and wealthier homes have to pay more, as some beeboid has suggested, how is that fair ?

    Pay for the distribution system from general taxation but let the BBC compete for its funds.

    By all means use taxpayers money to subsidise apprenticeships and trainee schemes that helps people. As they do in other industries. I’ve never heard of the Scott Brothers but good luck to them.
    Ridley and Tony
    Ridley has still got it, as well. Gladiator 2 is a jolly entertaining watch - caught it on the plane to Uruguay

    Not one of his all time masterpieces, but Ridley S is about eight trillion years old, and in that context, chapeau
    Gladiator 2 was shit.

    I picked up a book halfway through and started reading that instead.
  • MarqueeMarkMarqueeMark Posts: 54,187
    edited March 24
    IanB2 said:

    Sean_F said:

    rcs1000 said:

    Leon said:

    rcs1000 said:

    Leon said:

    Taz said:

    Roger said:

    Taz said:

    Roger said:

    Taz said:

    https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/articles/c3w10816en3o

    UKTV industry apparently in crisis, although from the article it is the Beeb and itv.

    The solution to this non problem is, of course, more money from taxpayers rather than finding new streams of income, nice timing too given the current debate on future funding of the BBC.

    The BBC seems to favour a sliding scale with wealthier homes paying more than less well off homes.

    It’s time to get rid of the license fee, fund the network from general taxation, and let the BBC seek its funding in the open market.

    That would be really short sighted. The BBC is one of the best institutions in this country and has been responsible for nurturing some extraorinary talent. The media is one area where the UK punches well above it's weight and much of this is down to the BBC. Holywood is full of talent originally nurtured by the BBC The Scott brothers to name but two but if you add those lower down the scale the British expertise and influence thanks to the BBC is everywhere
    But the license fee is becoming less and less tenable. Why should I pay £15 a month to fund it when the majority goes to the BBC just for the privilege of receiving live TV signals.
    An institution I rarely watch and don’t really value. If the change to license fee comes and wealthier homes have to pay more, as some beeboid has suggested, how is that fair ?

    Pay for the distribution system from general taxation but let the BBC compete for its funds.

    By all means use taxpayers money to subsidise apprenticeships and trainee schemes that helps people. As they do in other industries. I’ve never heard of the Scott Brothers but good luck to them.
    Ridley and Tony
    Thanks, I have heard of Ridley Scott and enjoyed his work. Over many years.

    His filmography is insane

    Two all time top 100 movies: Alien and Blade Runner. Possibly Top 20

    Gladiator might also make that list

    Plus

    The Duellists
    Thelma and Louise
    Black Hawk Down
    The Martian

    I really enjoyed Napoleon, as well

    In the list of all time movie directors, he must himself be in the top 10, up there with the likes of Scorsese and Spielberg
    You enjoyed Napoleon?

    Man, you must have been wasted.
    Three tramadol and two xanax on a long haul flight to Colombia. So, maybe

    I also think the anti-hype helped. Everyone told me it was terrible, so I found it surprisingly enjoyable, skilful, well-crafted

    It's not a GREAT movie, but it is good and very watchable
    It's not a great movie. It's not even a very good movie. It's ok. It's fine. It's well shot.

    The acting is decent.

    But ultimately, it took a fascinating story and made it quite boring.

    Waterloo, from 1970, is better.
    Starring what seems like the whole Ukrainian army, in fancy dress.

    Nowadays it would mostly be CGI.
    Shows how warfare has changed in a couple of centuris. Today, the whole Ukrainian army in fancy dress, formed up in squares, would last about four minutes as the drones got to work...

    Putin's dream.
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