"So why has it taken so long just to get planning permission for this project? The reason is that colossal amounts of time and money have been spent building a mountain of paperwork. All told, National Highways has been forced to produce 359,866 pages to get approval from the crossing. Laid end to end, this paper trail would stretch 66 miles, almost five times longer than the road itself. There’s 1,800 pages on newts, 774 pages on bats, 5,800 pages on archaeology, and a long running debate National Highways had with a Cambridge college about nitrogen deposition." (£)
And we wonder why this country is going bankrupt and has no proper infrastructure to talk of.
Quite.
This is why we must not print £500bn for an 'infrastructure fund'. We'd just be feeding money we don't have to the insatiable beast. This sort of thing and the laws (mainly European) underpinning it need to be obliterated.
I don't disagree but why is Europe not paralysed by the same laws? What do we do wrong that causes such absurd, indeed farcical results here?
"So why has it taken so long just to get planning permission for this project? The reason is that colossal amounts of time and money have been spent building a mountain of paperwork. All told, National Highways has been forced to produce 359,866 pages to get approval from the crossing. Laid end to end, this paper trail would stretch 66 miles, almost five times longer than the road itself. There’s 1,800 pages on newts, 774 pages on bats, 5,800 pages on archaeology, and a long running debate National Highways had with a Cambridge college about nitrogen deposition." (£)
And we wonder why this country is going bankrupt and has no proper infrastructure to talk of.
I also notice, bloody London *yet again* while there are no railway or road developments in the North and Midlands.
What is this 'North' you speak of? Or the "Mid-lands?" I vaguely understand that Keir represents 'The North' in some way. The 'Mid-lands' I guess are Clapham in your weird foreign-speak?
"So why has it taken so long just to get planning permission for this project? The reason is that colossal amounts of time and money have been spent building a mountain of paperwork. All told, National Highways has been forced to produce 359,866 pages to get approval from the crossing. Laid end to end, this paper trail would stretch 66 miles, almost five times longer than the road itself. There’s 1,800 pages on newts, 774 pages on bats, 5,800 pages on archaeology, and a long running debate National Highways had with a Cambridge college about nitrogen deposition." (£)
And we wonder why this country is going bankrupt and has no proper infrastructure to talk of.
I also notice, bloody London *yet again* while there are no railway or road developments in the North and Midlands.
What is this 'North' you speak of? Or the "Mid-lands?" I vaguely understand that Keir represents 'The North' in some way. The 'Mid-lands' I guess are Clapham in your weird foreign-speak?
It's confusing. The midlands is a synonym for Middlesex.
"So why has it taken so long just to get planning permission for this project? The reason is that colossal amounts of time and money have been spent building a mountain of paperwork. All told, National Highways has been forced to produce 359,866 pages to get approval from the crossing. Laid end to end, this paper trail would stretch 66 miles, almost five times longer than the road itself. There’s 1,800 pages on newts, 774 pages on bats, 5,800 pages on archaeology, and a long running debate National Highways had with a Cambridge college about nitrogen deposition." (£)
And we wonder why this country is going bankrupt and has no proper infrastructure to talk of.
Quite.
This is why we must not print £500bn for an 'infrastructure fund'. We'd just be feeding money we don't have to the insatiable beast. This sort of thing and the laws (mainly European) underpinning it need to be obliterated.
No part of Europe has this type of judicial review for 20 years issue. They go this is a core infrastructure project, F*** off.
We need to do the same with bells on...
I'd even be willing to trade people more opportunity to mess about with small scale stuff (though ideally they shouldn't be able to) as the price to acceptance of not getting endless pissing about with significant stuff.
"So why has it taken so long just to get planning permission for this project? The reason is that colossal amounts of time and money have been spent building a mountain of paperwork. All told, National Highways has been forced to produce 359,866 pages to get approval from the crossing. Laid end to end, this paper trail would stretch 66 miles, almost five times longer than the road itself. There’s 1,800 pages on newts, 774 pages on bats, 5,800 pages on archaeology, and a long running debate National Highways had with a Cambridge college about nitrogen deposition." (£)
And we wonder why this country is going bankrupt and has no proper infrastructure to talk of.
Quite.
This is why we must not print £500bn for an 'infrastructure fund'. We'd just be feeding money we don't have to the insatiable beast. This sort of thing and the laws (mainly European) underpinning it need to be obliterated.
I don't disagree but why is Europe not paralysed by the same laws? What do we do wrong that causes such absurd, indeed farcical results here?
It does still affect them (see the slow growth of the European economy), but for the most part they also have a grand tradition of ignoring European law with gusto. And when its not ignored, it is at least ameliorated with a healthy dose of economic realism and belief in the national interest.
There is a peculiarly widespread British disease of making a positive virtue of heroically attacking our own national interest.
I’ve just spoken to Parliamentary authorities about the disgraceful harassment and intimidation of my innocent staff through this Reform report - their names, and the report, were released without the KC’s permission today.
My staff have also spoken to the police tonight, having been invited to express their understandable worries. Reports have been made.
Parliamentary security are concerned and are now involved with my staff.
None of this is acceptable - dragging my staff into this mess to smear my name is desperate and disgusting.
In 67 years I have never seen such unprofessional and vile behaviour.
Any chance that both Farage and Lowe can lose from here?
Every chance I'd say.
Why do Reform continue to do this? Farage is undoubtedly stubborn and not without spite, but he is also a smart cookie and he must realise he's on to a loser with this macabre dance of stabby death he's got into with Lowe.
Time to change tack - and fast.
I think it would be difficult to have the political success against the odds that he has had without developing an over-inflated ego. I suspect he thinks he will win this one.
And I suspect he has calculated correctly.
Farage is the only figure on the populist right with the profile and appeal to really challenge at the next election, I’d argue. There may be figures that emerge in time, but right now I suspect the regular RefUK-leaning voter doesn’t have much of an idea who Rupert Lowe is. It is therefore fairly unlikely, I think, that this is going to cause Farage much trouble beyond a few embarrassing headlines and rumblings in the background.
There is however a non-insignificant chance, given that the greatest enemy of the populist right is typically each other, that they mount some kind of kamikaze coup against Farage and force him out of Reform.
In which case I’d be wholly unsurprised if he just sets up shop in a different guise.
A Japanese man who spent nearly 50 years on death row before he was acquitted of murder will be compensated 217 million yen ($1.45m), in what his lawyers say is the country's largest-ever payout in a criminal case.
Mr Hakamata's lawyers had sought the highest compensation possible, arguing that the 47 years in detention - which made him the world's longest-serving death row inmate - took a toll on his mental health. https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/cx2gwelynkyo
Perhaps we could get some of those scientists who do studies of The Bleedin’ Obvious (Water and its wetness etc) to do a study?
I once had a chat with someone who's research project was 'Does working in an office that smells really, really bad, make people unhappy?'.
I somewhat questioned if that wasn't really quite obvious and was faced with a steely "But! Can you prove it?".
"So why has it taken so long just to get planning permission for this project? The reason is that colossal amounts of time and money have been spent building a mountain of paperwork. All told, National Highways has been forced to produce 359,866 pages to get approval from the crossing. Laid end to end, this paper trail would stretch 66 miles, almost five times longer than the road itself. There’s 1,800 pages on newts, 774 pages on bats, 5,800 pages on archaeology, and a long running debate National Highways had with a Cambridge college about nitrogen deposition." (£)
And we wonder why this country is going bankrupt and has no proper infrastructure to talk of.
Quite.
This is why we must not print £500bn for an 'infrastructure fund'. We'd just be feeding money we don't have to the insatiable beast. This sort of thing and the laws (mainly European) underpinning it need to be obliterated.
I don't disagree but why is Europe not paralysed by the same laws? What do we do wrong that causes such absurd, indeed farcical results here?
It does still affect them (see the slow growth of the European economy), but for the most part they also have a grand tradition of ignoring European law with gusto. And when its not ignored, it is at least ameliorated with a healthy dose of economic realism and belief in the national interest.
There is a peculiarly widespread British disease of making a positive virtue of heroically attacking our own national interest.
Britain has traditionally prided itself on being a nation of laws and rules. I think it has tended to dine out rather well on the trust and certainty that’s been placed on that principle, hence its strong legal services industry and the strength of London as a venue for arbitration, litigation etc.
I’ve just spoken to Parliamentary authorities about the disgraceful harassment and intimidation of my innocent staff through this Reform report - their names, and the report, were released without the KC’s permission today.
My staff have also spoken to the police tonight, having been invited to express their understandable worries. Reports have been made.
Parliamentary security are concerned and are now involved with my staff.
None of this is acceptable - dragging my staff into this mess to smear my name is desperate and disgusting.
In 67 years I have never seen such unprofessional and vile behaviour.
Any chance that both Farage and Lowe can lose from here?
Every chance I'd say.
Why do Reform continue to do this? Farage is undoubtedly stubborn and not without spite, but he is also a smart cookie and he must realise he's on to a loser with this macabre dance of stabby death he's got into with Lowe.
Time to change tack - and fast.
I think it would be difficult to have the political success against the odds that he has had without developing an over-inflated ego. I suspect he thinks he will win this one.
And I suspect he has calculated correctly.
Farage is the only figure on the populist right with the profile and appeal to really challenge at the next election, I’d argue. There may be figures that emerge in time, but right now I suspect the regular RefUK-leaning voter doesn’t have much of an idea who Rupert Lowe is. It is therefore fairly unlikely, I think, that this is going to cause Farage much trouble beyond a few embarrassing headlines and rumblings in the background.
There is however a non-insignificant chance, given that the greatest enemy of the populist right is typically each other, that they mount some kind of kamikaze coup against Farage and force him out of Reform.
In which case I’d be wholly unsurprised if he just sets up shop in a different guise.
Yes, the political pygmies attacking Farage are fooling themselves if they think he couldn't obliterate them in a stroke and arise, phoenix-like, as the towering leader of a new political entity of his own creation. Farage is everywhere, Farage is everything, Farage is absolute, Farage is irreplaceable.
An independent KC has found “credible evidence” of unlawful harassment of two women by MP Rupert Lowe and “male members of his team”, Reform UK has said.
Jacqueline Perry KC, who was commissioned by Reform, said there was “veracity in the complaints from both women which amounts (to) ‘credible evidence’ — to use Mr Lowe’s own words”.
Perry said that the complaints of “victimisation, constant criticisms (and) discriminatory behaviour do seem to amount to harassment on the part of both Mr Lowe and his constituency team”.
Lowe's response is less ranty than I would have expected, but even if his view of events were correct, an independent KC authored report is a strong card to play in the game of public, and even party, opinion.
What does independent mean here? Reform hires a KC and she crosses her heart and hopes not to be biased?
Independent simply means that the declared intention is that a lawyer is acting in a quasi judicial role and not for one party or another. Like Martin Moore-Bick in the Grenfell inquiry.
Whether such a thing is possible is a different question, best not looked into too closely, like how juries reach their decisions. All societies need foundational myths and these two are an improvemnet on trial by ordeal.
This is a bit different from jury deliberations as she's subject to Bar Council regulation, and indeed her ability to earn a living is rather dependent on them concluding she maintained her independence. Lowe could go to them and say, "This is a travesty - she didn't tell me what the allegations were or let me respond; witnesses I suggested weren't approached" etc. But he probably won't as she probably did those things, and the Bar Council probably wouldn't uphold the complaint.
Long term it is probably not worth being a hack KC.
You've just reminded me that I downloaded all the old Rumpole episodes (including the original Play for Today) over Christmas. That's the next month or two's early evening viewing sorted.
And, your honour, when I say 'downloaded' - I mean in an entirely legitimate way that is entirely legal by all definitions. And if it isn't, I blame the autocorrect.
"So why has it taken so long just to get planning permission for this project? The reason is that colossal amounts of time and money have been spent building a mountain of paperwork. All told, National Highways has been forced to produce 359,866 pages to get approval from the crossing. Laid end to end, this paper trail would stretch 66 miles, almost five times longer than the road itself. There’s 1,800 pages on newts, 774 pages on bats, 5,800 pages on archaeology, and a long running debate National Highways had with a Cambridge college about nitrogen deposition." (£)
And we wonder why this country is going bankrupt and has no proper infrastructure to talk of.
Quite.
This is why we must not print £500bn for an 'infrastructure fund'. We'd just be feeding money we don't have to the insatiable beast. This sort of thing and the laws (mainly European) underpinning it need to be obliterated.
No part of Europe has this type of judicial review for 20 years issue. They go this is a core infrastructure project, F*** off.
We need to do the same with bells on...
I don't entirely disagree, but I don't think it's in our state or indeed national character to compromise 'the law' in the national interest.
That's why the law itself has to change. Even then, it might take a huge change in the culture.
Laurence Fox has reportedly been charged with an offence "contrary to section 66A of the Sexual Offences Act 2003", in connection with posting an image of a TV presenter on social media.
That section states: A person (A) who intentionally sends or gives a photograph or film of any person’s genitals to another person (B) commits an offence if— (a)A intends that B will see the genitals and be caused alarm, distress or humiliation, or (b)A sends or gives such a photograph or film for the purpose of obtaining sexual gratification and is reckless as to whether B will be caused alarm, distress or humiliation.
It will be interesting to see exactly what is being argued.
Could @TSE be in trouble over posting that Farage pic?
It has to be showing genitals or underwear.
Not sure if he wears underwear, but at least there's no issue with the other aspect...
It has to be genitals in the Act specified. If I understand correctly, it can't be a question of causing distress to the person whose genitals are shown. Apparently that section is known as the "cyber-flashing" provision.
The difference between Lowe and Farage is that Farage is a (the) consummate politician, while Lowe is a pin sharp businessman of the Alan Sugar/Daniel Levy stamp (his religion notwithstanding).
Not easy to call, but it's being played out in the political arena so Farage must be the favourite.
I am assured that Lowe is more sinned against than sinning.
That said I can't summon up the energy to ask what's really going on.
The IOW Reform’s apparent implosion over the Lowe affair remains mysterious. Their local party chair and IOW east parliamentary candidate was a reasonably young and capable woman, saner than many of their candidates (all things being relative), who had a very good chance of a county council seat next year and, if politics stay as it is, some chance against the Tory MP, who she gave a run for his money last year, coming second.
Yet she’s resigned in support of Lowe, incidentally accusing Farage of being soft on migrants, and taken a bunch of members including some of the committee with her. One thinks there must be some sort of bigger picture?
I've yet to stumble across an explanation as to why the Farage skeptics in Reform alighted on Lowe in first place. Even if he was picked out by others, say Musk or whoever, why him?
Surely they only have 5 options? And Farage's distinctive is that is marketing is designed to distance him from the further right (choose your words ... I mean the faction currently sympathetic to Tommy Robinson who feel that Farage trims in his language, and who say the things Farage won't say).
He also has pedigree in politics going back to leaving the Tories over Maastricht and standing for Parliament in 1997.
Laurence Fox has reportedly been charged with an offence "contrary to section 66A of the Sexual Offences Act 2003", in connection with posting an image of a TV presenter on social media.
That section states: A person (A) who intentionally sends or gives a photograph or film of any person’s genitals to another person (B) commits an offence if— (a)A intends that B will see the genitals and be caused alarm, distress or humiliation, or (b)A sends or gives such a photograph or film for the purpose of obtaining sexual gratification and is reckless as to whether B will be caused alarm, distress or humiliation.
It will be interesting to see exactly what is being argued.
Could @TSE be in trouble over posting that Farage pic?
It has to be showing genitals or underwear.
Not sure if he wears underwear, but at least there's no issue with the other aspect...
I am assured that Lowe is more sinned against than sinning.
That said I can't summon up the energy to ask what's really going on.
The IOW Reform’s apparent implosion over the Lowe affair remains mysterious. Their local party chair and IOW east parliamentary candidate was a reasonably young and capable woman, saner than many of their candidates (all things being relative), who had a very good chance of a county council seat next year and, if politics stay as it is, some chance against the Tory MP, who she gave a run for his money last year, coming second.
Yet she’s resigned in support of Lowe, incidentally accusing Farage of being soft on migrants, and taken a bunch of members including some of the committee with her. One thinks there must be some sort of bigger picture?
I've yet to stumble across an explanation as to why the Farage skeptics in Reform alighted on Lowe in first place. Even if he was picked out by others, say Musk or whoever, why him?
Surely they only have 5 options? And Farage's distinctive is that is marketing is designed to distance him from the further right (choose your words ... I mean the faction currently sympathetic to Tommy Robinson who feel that Farage trims in his language, and who say the things Farage won't say).
He also has pedigree in politics going back to leaving the Tories over Maastricht and standing for Parliament in 1997.
Who else would they choose?
I suppose. But they already have a posh older bloke in charge. Farage may have a ceiling of support but he's also got a compelling appeal demonstrated over the long term, bit of a gamble to stump for a guy who hasn't had the chance to enter the public consciousness other than through this episode.
And I suppose if they had a big name someone not an MP could technically run the party, depending on their rules - certainly for the Tories the leader has to be a member of parliament, but as we've seen in Canada that's not true everywhere.
Laurence Fox has reportedly been charged with an offence "contrary to section 66A of the Sexual Offences Act 2003", in connection with posting an image of a TV presenter on social media.
That section states: A person (A) who intentionally sends or gives a photograph or film of any person’s genitals to another person (B) commits an offence if— (a)A intends that B will see the genitals and be caused alarm, distress or humiliation, or (b)A sends or gives such a photograph or film for the purpose of obtaining sexual gratification and is reckless as to whether B will be caused alarm, distress or humiliation.
It will be interesting to see exactly what is being argued.
Could @TSE be in trouble over posting that Farage pic?
I’ve just spoken to Parliamentary authorities about the disgraceful harassment and intimidation of my innocent staff through this Reform report - their names, and the report, were released without the KC’s permission today.
My staff have also spoken to the police tonight, having been invited to express their understandable worries. Reports have been made.
Parliamentary security are concerned and are now involved with my staff.
None of this is acceptable - dragging my staff into this mess to smear my name is desperate and disgusting.
In 67 years I have never seen such unprofessional and vile behaviour.
Any chance that both Farage and Lowe can lose from here?
Every chance I'd say.
Why do Reform continue to do this? Farage is undoubtedly stubborn and not without spite, but he is also a smart cookie and he must realise he's on to a loser with this macabre dance of stabby death he's got into with Lowe.
Time to change tack - and fast.
I think it would be difficult to have the political success against the odds that he has had without developing an over-inflated ego. I suspect he thinks he will win this one.
And I suspect he has calculated correctly.
Farage is the only figure on the populist right with the profile and appeal to really challenge at the next election, I’d argue. There may be figures that emerge in time, but right now I suspect the regular RefUK-leaning voter doesn’t have much of an idea who Rupert Lowe is. It is therefore fairly unlikely, I think, that this is going to cause Farage much trouble beyond a few embarrassing headlines and rumblings in the background.
There is however a non-insignificant chance, given that the greatest enemy of the populist right is typically each other, that they mount some kind of kamikaze coup against Farage and force him out of Reform.
In which case I’d be wholly unsurprised if he just sets up shop in a different guise.
Yes, the political pygmies attacking Farage are fooling themselves if they think he couldn't obliterate them in a stroke and arise, phoenix-like, as the towering leader of a new political entity of his own creation. Farage is everywhere, Farage is everything, Farage is absolute, Farage is irreplaceable.
Despite being somewhat left of centre I have rather a soft spot for Farage. I mean, he is despicable in the way that most politicians are, but if one can see beyond that he has some significant redeeming features: 1. He seems able to be fairly hard-right and charismatic without being a Nazi. Which seems somewhat unusual in politics today. 2. In large part because of (1) he crowds out the space that might otherwise be taken by someone further along the 'oops I made a Nazi salute, silly me' spectrum. I mean, think of poor old Nick Griffin. Doesn't get a word in edgeways these days, does he? 3. Despite (1), he appears on quite a deep level to be too lazy to actually win power. (I realise that with this comment I may well be hoisting my own petard that will explode merrily in my face come the next election).
@Leon FPT, your Uruguayan cashless experience is mildly unsurprising. The argument was won long ago - it’s become deeply tedious. Of course there are a handful of holdouts (similar to those who prefer the horse and cart to the car). But few will choose to faff around wasting time and effort with bits of pointless plastic and daft scraps of metal when they don’t need to.
One reason I took a break from PB is that I had become a lightning rod for this topic - a bete noire for a series of very odd nostalgics on here who (claim) to like farting around with Monopoly money for reasons best known to themselves. I hope I had more to offer than that - but judging by the series of cash-obsessed comments, it would seem most PBers thought otherwise!
It's nice to have you back !
(It appears that Nottingham City is staying at it's current size, because Rushcliffe, Gedling and Broxtowe are all shy about the debt.)
I’ve just spoken to Parliamentary authorities about the disgraceful harassment and intimidation of my innocent staff through this Reform report - their names, and the report, were released without the KC’s permission today.
My staff have also spoken to the police tonight, having been invited to express their understandable worries. Reports have been made.
Parliamentary security are concerned and are now involved with my staff.
None of this is acceptable - dragging my staff into this mess to smear my name is desperate and disgusting.
In 67 years I have never seen such unprofessional and vile behaviour.
Any chance that both Farage and Lowe can lose from here?
Every chance I'd say.
Why do Reform continue to do this? Farage is undoubtedly stubborn and not without spite, but he is also a smart cookie and he must realise he's on to a loser with this macabre dance of stabby death he's got into with Lowe.
Time to change tack - and fast.
I think it would be difficult to have the political success against the odds that he has had without developing an over-inflated ego. I suspect he thinks he will win this one.
And I suspect he has calculated correctly.
Farage is the only figure on the populist right with the profile and appeal to really challenge at the next election, I’d argue. There may be figures that emerge in time, but right now I suspect the regular RefUK-leaning voter doesn’t have much of an idea who Rupert Lowe is. It is therefore fairly unlikely, I think, that this is going to cause Farage much trouble beyond a few embarrassing headlines and rumblings in the background.
There is however a non-insignificant chance, given that the greatest enemy of the populist right is typically each other, that they mount some kind of kamikaze coup against Farage and force him out of Reform.
In which case I’d be wholly unsurprised if he just sets up shop in a different guise.
Yes, the political pygmies attacking Farage are fooling themselves if they think he couldn't obliterate them in a stroke and arise, phoenix-like, as the towering leader of a new political entity of his own creation. Farage is everywhere, Farage is everything, Farage is absolute, Farage is irreplaceable.
Despite being somewhat left of centre I have rather a soft spot for Farage. I mean, he is despicable in the way that most politicians are, but if one can see beyond that he has some significant redeeming features: 1. He seems able to be fairly hard-right and charismatic without being a Nazi. Which seems somewhat unusual in politics today. 2. In large part because of (1) he crowds out the space that might otherwise be taken by someone further along the 'oops I made a Nazi salute, silly me' spectrum. I mean, think of poor old Nick Griffin. Doesn't get a word in edgeways these days, does he? 3. Despite (1), he appears on quite a deep level to be too lazy to actually win power. (I realise that with this comment I may well be hoisting my own petard that will explode merrily in my face come the next election).
Not untrue about Farage. He is an operator but you feel he wants to be made PM without the messy and, frankly, rather boring bit of getting elected.
"So why has it taken so long just to get planning permission for this project? The reason is that colossal amounts of time and money have been spent building a mountain of paperwork. All told, National Highways has been forced to produce 359,866 pages to get approval from the crossing. Laid end to end, this paper trail would stretch 66 miles, almost five times longer than the road itself. There’s 1,800 pages on newts, 774 pages on bats, 5,800 pages on archaeology, and a long running debate National Highways had with a Cambridge college about nitrogen deposition." (£)
And we wonder why this country is going bankrupt and has no proper infrastructure to talk of.
I also notice, bloody London *yet again* while there are no railway or road developments in the North and Midlands.
It’s taking the piss, IMO. And the economic benefit likely a fraction of that which might result from spending that amount on (eg) transport for northern cities.
@Leon FPT, your Uruguayan cashless experience is mildly unsurprising. The argument was won long ago - it’s become deeply tedious. Of course there are a handful of holdouts (similar to those who prefer the horse and cart to the car). But few will choose to faff around wasting time and effort with bits of pointless plastic and daft scraps of metal when they don’t need to.
One reason I took a break from PB is that I had become a lightning rod for this topic - a bete noire for a series of very odd nostalgics on here who (claim) to like farting around with Monopoly money for reasons best known to themselves. I hope I had more to offer than that - but judging by the series of cash-obsessed comments, it would seem most PBers thought otherwise!
Welcome back!
I am now at Montevideo airport (chic modern clean like most of Uruguay) and yes, I have gone the whole 8 days without handling or even really seeing cash
And I’ve been all over the country doing splendid things. You are basically right. However I accept you don’t want to talk about this subject so I’ll leave it there
Uruguay has been an absolute blast. And I started out with such low expectations. Perhaps that is part of it
An important interview with "the author of a new United Nations report shedding light on alarming 'widespread and systematic' war crimes committed against civilians."
Uruguay is like a really chilled out Oregon with only carefree Italians and Spanish people, and no drugs, guns or tipping, and someone making sure all the buildings look cool
I mean, I guess Martin Amis did. But he said a lot of stuff
So if you had spent times in weird bars about 25 years ago where they decided that showing “Fashion TV” on the bar’s screens was a classy move, you will have been familiar with the joys of Punta del Este as it seemed to be a constant venue for huge outdoor fashion shows, very often lingerie, with ridiculously attractive models parading for the monied and connected folk of South America.
The other best thing about Uruguay is still that bit in the Simpsons where Homer spins a globe and sees Uruguay and points and laughs “haha, UR Gay”.
Laurence Fox has reportedly been charged with an offence "contrary to section 66A of the Sexual Offences Act 2003", in connection with posting an image of a TV presenter on social media.
That section states: A person (A) who intentionally sends or gives a photograph or film of any person’s genitals to another person (B) commits an offence if— (a)A intends that B will see the genitals and be caused alarm, distress or humiliation, or (b)A sends or gives such a photograph or film for the purpose of obtaining sexual gratification and is reckless as to whether B will be caused alarm, distress or humiliation.
It will be interesting to see exactly what is being argued.
Checking up on that it's known as "cyber flashing", and is a very new offence - it came in in 2023.
The G says it relates to a photo posted on Twitter. The offence is quite widely drawn - from the wording that could relate to both the person in the photo, and the person it is sent to, and could be a full body photo not just the genitals. Sentence is up to 2 years in prison.
I can only spot one case:
UPDATE: On 19 March, Nicholas Hawkes, was sentenced at Southend Crown Court to a total of 66 weeks in prison. He received 52 weeks for the cyberflashing offences and an additional 14 weeks for breaching a previous court order and a suspended sentence was activated. He was also made subject of a restraining order for 10 years, and a Sexual Harm Prevention Order for 15 years.
Responding to his sentence Hannah von Dadelzsen, Deputy Chief Crown Prosecutor for CPS East of England, said: “Cyberflashing is a serious crime which leaves a lasting impact on victims, but all too often it can be dismissed as thoughtless ‘banter’ or a harmless joke.
“Just as those who commit indecent exposure in the physical world can expect to face the consequences, so too should offenders who commit their crimes online; hiding behind a screen does not hide you from the law.
I’ve just spoken to Parliamentary authorities about the disgraceful harassment and intimidation of my innocent staff through this Reform report - their names, and the report, were released without the KC’s permission today.
My staff have also spoken to the police tonight, having been invited to express their understandable worries. Reports have been made.
Parliamentary security are concerned and are now involved with my staff.
None of this is acceptable - dragging my staff into this mess to smear my name is desperate and disgusting.
In 67 years I have never seen such unprofessional and vile behaviour.
Any chance that both Farage and Lowe can lose from here?
Every chance I'd say.
Why do Reform continue to do this? Farage is undoubtedly stubborn and not without spite, but he is also a smart cookie and he must realise he's on to a loser with this macabre dance of stabby death he's got into with Lowe.
Time to change tack - and fast.
I think it would be difficult to have the political success against the odds that he has had without developing an over-inflated ego. I suspect he thinks he will win this one.
And I suspect he has calculated correctly.
Farage is the only figure on the populist right with the profile and appeal to really challenge at the next election, I’d argue. There may be figures that emerge in time, but right now I suspect the regular RefUK-leaning voter doesn’t have much of an idea who Rupert Lowe is. It is therefore fairly unlikely, I think, that this is going to cause Farage much trouble beyond a few embarrassing headlines and rumblings in the background.
There is however a non-insignificant chance, given that the greatest enemy of the populist right is typically each other, that they mount some kind of kamikaze coup against Farage and force him out of Reform.
In which case I’d be wholly unsurprised if he just sets up shop in a different guise.
Yes, the political pygmies attacking Farage are fooling themselves if they think he couldn't obliterate them in a stroke and arise, phoenix-like, as the towering leader of a new political entity of his own creation. Farage is everywhere, Farage is everything, Farage is absolute, Farage is irreplaceable.
Despite being somewhat left of centre I have rather a soft spot for Farage. I mean, he is despicable in the way that most politicians are, but if one can see beyond that he has some significant redeeming features: 1. He seems able to be fairly hard-right and charismatic without being a Nazi. Which seems somewhat unusual in politics today. 2. In large part because of (1) he crowds out the space that might otherwise be taken by someone further along the 'oops I made a Nazi salute, silly me' spectrum. I mean, think of poor old Nick Griffin. Doesn't get a word in edgeways these days, does he? 3. Despite (1), he appears on quite a deep level to be too lazy to actually win power. (I realise that with this comment I may well be hoisting my own petard that will explode merrily in my face come the next election).
Not untrue about Farage. He is an operator but you feel he wants to be made PM without the messy and, frankly, rather boring bit of getting elected.
I think he’d find being PM incredibly unenjoyable. Which is perhaps why, consciously or unconsciously, he is quite lazy about trying to get there.
Laurence Fox has reportedly been charged with an offence "contrary to section 66A of the Sexual Offences Act 2003", in connection with posting an image of a TV presenter on social media.
That section states: A person (A) who intentionally sends or gives a photograph or film of any person’s genitals to another person (B) commits an offence if— (a)A intends that B will see the genitals and be caused alarm, distress or humiliation, or (b)A sends or gives such a photograph or film for the purpose of obtaining sexual gratification and is reckless as to whether B will be caused alarm, distress or humiliation.
It will be interesting to see exactly what is being argued.
Could @TSE be in trouble over posting that Farage pic?
He could do it for Trump, if the Stormy Daniels mini-mushroom reports are true.
"The Defence request that the case be dismissed on the basis that the genitals cannot be seen in the photograph, Your Honour."
I mean, I guess Martin Amis did. But he said a lot of stuff
So if you had spent times in weird bars about 25 years ago where they decided that showing “Fashion TV” on the bar’s screens was a classy move, you will have been familiar with the joys of Punta del Este as it seemed to be a constant venue for huge outdoor fashion shows, very often lingerie, with ridiculously attractive models parading for the monied and connected folk of South America.
The other best thing about Uruguay is still that bit in the Simpsons where Homer spins a globe and sees Uruguay and points and laughs “haha, UR Gay”.
I rather liked Punta del Este. It’s much more chic - like other aspects of Uruguay - than I expected. My only impression beforehand was as a trashy glitzy place for vulgar rich Argentinians
It’s not. Or, if it is, the vulgar rich Argentinians have much better taste than hitherto
The sense of space is absolutely exhilarating. 3m people in a sunny temperate country bigger than England
"So why has it taken so long just to get planning permission for this project? The reason is that colossal amounts of time and money have been spent building a mountain of paperwork. All told, National Highways has been forced to produce 359,866 pages to get approval from the crossing. Laid end to end, this paper trail would stretch 66 miles, almost five times longer than the road itself. There’s 1,800 pages on newts, 774 pages on bats, 5,800 pages on archaeology, and a long running debate National Highways had with a Cambridge college about nitrogen deposition." (£)
And we wonder why this country is going bankrupt and has no proper infrastructure to talk of.
Quite.
This is why we must not print £500bn for an 'infrastructure fund'. We'd just be feeding money we don't have to the insatiable beast. This sort of thing and the laws (mainly European) underpinning it need to be obliterated.
No part of Europe has this type of judicial review for 20 years issue. They go this is a core infrastructure project, F*** off.
We need to do the same with bells on...
Is this an artefact of a Common Law system?
Where else has an analogous review system in Europe. Gibraltar or Malta, maybe?
I am assured that Lowe is more sinned against than sinning.
That said I can't summon up the energy to ask what's really going on.
The IOW Reform’s apparent implosion over the Lowe affair remains mysterious. Their local party chair and IOW east parliamentary candidate was a reasonably young and capable woman, saner than many of their candidates (all things being relative), who had a very good chance of a county council seat next year and, if politics stay as it is, some chance against the Tory MP, who she gave a run for his money last year, coming second.
Yet she’s resigned in support of Lowe, incidentally accusing Farage of being soft on migrants, and taken a bunch of members including some of the committee with her. One thinks there must be some sort of bigger picture?
I've yet to stumble across an explanation as to why the Farage skeptics in Reform alighted on Lowe in first place. Even if he was picked out by others, say Musk or whoever, why him?
Surely they only have 5 options? And Farage's distinctive is that is marketing is designed to distance him from the further right (choose your words ... I mean the faction currently sympathetic to Tommy Robinson who feel that Farage trims in his language, and who say the things Farage won't say).
He also has pedigree in politics going back to leaving the Tories over Maastricht and standing for Parliament in 1997.
The sense of space is absolutely exhilarating. 3m people in a sunny temperate country bigger than England
That's an interesting observation. I had the same impression from visiting the Baltic states. You think of them as tiny, but they feel so expansive and sparsely populated.
The sense of space is absolutely exhilarating. 3m people in a sunny temperate country bigger than England
That's an interesting observation. I had the same impression from visiting the Baltic states. You think of them as tiny, but they feel so expansive and sparsely populated.
Uruguay slightly less likely to be invaded by Putin
I’ve just spoken to Parliamentary authorities about the disgraceful harassment and intimidation of my innocent staff through this Reform report - their names, and the report, were released without the KC’s permission today.
My staff have also spoken to the police tonight, having been invited to express their understandable worries. Reports have been made.
Parliamentary security are concerned and are now involved with my staff.
None of this is acceptable - dragging my staff into this mess to smear my name is desperate and disgusting.
In 67 years I have never seen such unprofessional and vile behaviour.
Any chance that both Farage and Lowe can lose from here?
Every chance I'd say.
Why do Reform continue to do this? Farage is undoubtedly stubborn and not without spite, but he is also a smart cookie and he must realise he's on to a loser with this macabre dance of stabby death he's got into with Lowe.
Time to change tack - and fast.
I think it would be difficult to have the political success against the odds that he has had without developing an over-inflated ego. I suspect he thinks he will win this one.
And I suspect he has calculated correctly.
Farage is the only figure on the populist right with the profile and appeal to really challenge at the next election, I’d argue. There may be figures that emerge in time, but right now I suspect the regular RefUK-leaning voter doesn’t have much of an idea who Rupert Lowe is. It is therefore fairly unlikely, I think, that this is going to cause Farage much trouble beyond a few embarrassing headlines and rumblings in the background.
There is however a non-insignificant chance, given that the greatest enemy of the populist right is typically each other, that they mount some kind of kamikaze coup against Farage and force him out of Reform.
In which case I’d be wholly unsurprised if he just sets up shop in a different guise.
Yes, the political pygmies attacking Farage are fooling themselves if they think he couldn't obliterate them in a stroke and arise, phoenix-like, as the towering leader of a new political entity of his own creation. Farage is everywhere, Farage is everything, Farage is absolute, Farage is irreplaceable.
Despite being somewhat left of centre I have rather a soft spot for Farage. I mean, he is despicable in the way that most politicians are, but if one can see beyond that he has some significant redeeming features: 1. He seems able to be fairly hard-right and charismatic without being a Nazi. Which seems somewhat unusual in politics today. 2. In large part because of (1) he crowds out the space that might otherwise be taken by someone further along the 'oops I made a Nazi salute, silly me' spectrum. I mean, think of poor old Nick Griffin. Doesn't get a word in edgeways these days, does he? 3. Despite (1), he appears on quite a deep level to be too lazy to actually win power. (I realise that with this comment I may well be hoisting my own petard that will explode merrily in my face come the next election).
Not untrue about Farage. He is an operator but you feel he wants to be made PM without the messy and, frankly, rather boring bit of getting elected.
I think he’d find being PM incredibly unenjoyable. Which is perhaps why, consciously or unconsciously, he is quite lazy about trying to get there.
Well we saw what happened the last time a lazy git became PM.
Laurence Fox has reportedly been charged with an offence "contrary to section 66A of the Sexual Offences Act 2003", in connection with posting an image of a TV presenter on social media.
That section states: A person (A) who intentionally sends or gives a photograph or film of any person’s genitals to another person (B) commits an offence if— (a)A intends that B will see the genitals and be caused alarm, distress or humiliation, or (b)A sends or gives such a photograph or film for the purpose of obtaining sexual gratification and is reckless as to whether B will be caused alarm, distress or humiliation.
It will be interesting to see exactly what is being argued.
Checking up on that it's known as "cyber flashing", and is a very new offence - it came in in 2023.
The G says it relates to a photo posted on Twitter. The offence is quite widely drawn - from the wording that could relate to both the person in the photo, and the person it is sent to, and could be a full body photo not just the genitals. Sentence is up to 2 years in prison.
I can only spot one case:
UPDATE: On 19 March, Nicholas Hawkes, was sentenced at Southend Crown Court to a total of 66 weeks in prison. He received 52 weeks for the cyberflashing offences and an additional 14 weeks for breaching a previous court order and a suspended sentence was activated. He was also made subject of a restraining order for 10 years, and a Sexual Harm Prevention Order for 15 years.
Responding to his sentence Hannah von Dadelzsen, Deputy Chief Crown Prosecutor for CPS East of England, said: “Cyberflashing is a serious crime which leaves a lasting impact on victims, but all too often it can be dismissed as thoughtless ‘banter’ or a harmless joke.
“Just as those who commit indecent exposure in the physical world can expect to face the consequences, so too should offenders who commit their crimes online; hiding behind a screen does not hide you from the law.
Looking at that, it's carefully targeted to cover "shaming" by sending pics of eg a young person around their peer group, isn't it?
So Jack the Lads bedding a classmate then sending a bra and pants or nude photo to the whole class for lols or bragging rights had better watch out.
That was an issue when I started blogging back in the late noughties, but the police tried to do some 'education' around girl and boyfriends sending each other sexy pics. I recall Nottinghamshire did some Captain Mainwaring type publicity trying to hint about applying child-porn type laws in those circumstances, which was a bit ridiculous.
Working day 7 on the road - I'm such an international jet-setter I may as well be @Leon
This morning - a lovely stroll down the prom in Bournemouth Today - 6 hours on my feet at a customer trade show Teatime - stuck on the Oxford ring road as the M40 was shut Now - in Sheffield again
Excitingly* I am now completing the customer set-up forms so that my small company can import food goodness from Spain. The French part of ClientGroupCo has been doing the imports for the stuff they sell me to sell on their behalf. The Spanish part needed more, so one EORI number later and I'm tapping up old logistics contacts to sort out my customs paperwork
Vance seems to have realised that saying 'we will take over Greenland' one day and then sending his wife and kids on their own there later the same week is not exactly the 'warrior man' and 'i'm from the holler' shite that his administration are supposed to believe in.
The sense of space is absolutely exhilarating. 3m people in a sunny temperate country bigger than England
That's an interesting observation. I had the same impression from visiting the Baltic states. You think of them as tiny, but they feel so expansive and sparsely populated.
Uruguay slightly less likely to be invaded by Putin
WRT Adolescence: that show has rightly got a lot of people talking*.
But the extremes of radicalisation through social media are only part of the story. I've just got out of a meeting between a Y11 boy and Mum - he is on course to fail GCSE maths and this is a last ditch attempt to get him to commit to actually revising when he says he will, rather than posting on Snapchat and watching Netflix.
We can all insert the usual caveats about feckless teenagers and overly permissive parents, and those caveats all hold in this case.
But how in holy hell have we got to the point where we think it is appropriate or sensible to put a highly addictive technology in the pockets of pre-frontal-cortex-deficient teenagers, where their attention is quite literally the product on offer to the most rapacious bidder, just at the point when their whole future success depends on them putting their attention into a fundamentally less immediately gratifying pursuit such as revising?
Why am I as a teacher being asked to compete with that? Why is this boy's mum being asked to get into constant conflict with him to ask him to overcome an addictive draw on his limited attention? In what possible world do we think this is in any way sensible?
Alright this boy isn't going to go and stab someone. But he is going to mess his life up. And we're greasing that slippery slope for him.
*Although I have some beef with episode 2 - the shambles of a school makes for good TV but is not representative.
You as a teacher are meant to inspire him and grab his attention so he doesn't watch meaningless tiktoks etc.
When I went to school we had zx81's, spectrums etc we had distractions however there were some teachers you always did what was expected and others you basically ignored. Perhaps the problem is the teacher not the distraction
Up to a point, Lord Copper.
Obviously, part of the job of a teacher is to be inspiring, engaging, yada yada.
The difference is that the competition is much more unbalanced than it was in the 1980s. Social media has put billions of research dollars into optimising the grabbabilty and addictiveness of their apps, because their business model depends on it.
Teachers, even collectively, struggle to fight and beat that.
Ok whats the difference between me taking out a magazine to read which I absolutely did with some teachers and someone on tiktok?
Two biggies.
One is the degree of investment that goes into maximising the addictive properties of SM.
The other is the bitesize nature of SM texts compared with magazine articles. That makes policing harder to do, but also it's lethal for attention.
Really a teacher cant notice a kid is scrolling his phone? Magazines were also maximised for grabbing attention. I suspect most teachers that complain about it are exactly like the teachers that complained about us ignoring them and continuing to read a magazine while telling them where to go if they raised the issue. As I said my son grew up with smartphones and social media and his experience was there were teachers you didn't get your phone out with and others you could ignore
@Leon FPT, your Uruguayan cashless experience is mildly unsurprising. The argument was won long ago - it’s become deeply tedious. Of course there are a handful of holdouts (similar to those who prefer the horse and cart to the car). But few will choose to faff around wasting time and effort with bits of pointless plastic and daft scraps of metal when they don’t need to.
One reason I took a break from PB is that I had become a lightning rod for this topic - a bete noire for a series of very odd nostalgics on here who (claim) to like farting around with Monopoly money for reasons best known to themselves. I hope I had more to offer than that - but judging by the series of cash-obsessed comments, it would seem most PBers thought otherwise!
Some people prefer cash in certain situations for perfectly sensible reasons, I think this has been explained to you, so why do you persist with things like
"a series of very odd nostalgics on here who (claim) to like farting around with Monopoly money for reasons best known to themselves"
?
It's a weird fundamentalist position that is bound to attract criticism. So spare us the bullshit about not wanting to get into an argument about cash.
I mean, I guess Martin Amis did. But he said a lot of stuff
So if you had spent times in weird bars about 25 years ago where they decided that showing “Fashion TV” on the bar’s screens was a classy move, you will have been familiar with the joys of Punta del Este as it seemed to be a constant venue for huge outdoor fashion shows, very often lingerie, with ridiculously attractive models parading for the monied and connected folk of South America.
The other best thing about Uruguay is still that bit in the Simpsons where Homer spins a globe and sees Uruguay and points and laughs “haha, UR Gay”.
I rather liked Punta del Este. It’s much more chic - like other aspects of Uruguay - than I expected. My only impression beforehand was as a trashy glitzy place for vulgar rich Argentinians
It’s not. Or, if it is, the vulgar rich Argentinians have much better taste than hitherto
The sense of space is absolutely exhilarating. 3m people in a sunny temperate country bigger than England
That's like the West Midlands - and nobody else anywhere in England.
Trumpski, or at least Musk, seems to be in the process of stopping the social security system from functioning.
So, he's not cutting Medicare, it's just no one can physical access it.
Howard Lutnick, Trump's Commerce Secretary, said: "Let's say Social Security didn't send out their checks this month. My mother-in-law—who is 94—she wouldn't call and complain."
Well, Howard, your mother is atypical. There are tens of millions of voters for whom Social Security is their primary source of income. And if they don't get their check they don't eat.
These older, lower education, lower income pensioners voted for Donald Trump.
Reality distortion only goes so far. It's hard to think of a policy better designed to fuck over your own voters than not sending them their Social Security cheques because Elon Musk is convinced the program is rife with fraud. (It's not.)
Lutnick is a snake with a horrible reputation on Wall Street
I mean, I guess Martin Amis did. But he said a lot of stuff
So if you had spent times in weird bars about 25 years ago where they decided that showing “Fashion TV” on the bar’s screens was a classy move, you will have been familiar with the joys of Punta del Este as it seemed to be a constant venue for huge outdoor fashion shows, very often lingerie, with ridiculously attractive models parading for the monied and connected folk of South America.
The other best thing about Uruguay is still that bit in the Simpsons where Homer spins a globe and sees Uruguay and points and laughs “haha, UR Gay”.
I rather liked Punta del Este. It’s much more chic - like other aspects of Uruguay - than I expected. My only impression beforehand was as a trashy glitzy place for vulgar rich Argentinians
It’s not. Or, if it is, the vulgar rich Argentinians have much better taste than hitherto
The sense of space is absolutely exhilarating. 3m people in a sunny temperate country bigger than England
That's like the West Midlands - and nobody else anywhere in England.
We'd have a shit national football team.
Of all the empty and surprisingly vast countries, CAR must be the most surprisingly empty and surprisingly vast: only 5 million people (Chad and Niger each have over 20 million, South Sudan 12 million), and 620k km2, which is bigger than Ukraine. No international airport. And few people could place it on a map.
I mean, I guess Martin Amis did. But he said a lot of stuff
So if you had spent times in weird bars about 25 years ago where they decided that showing “Fashion TV” on the bar’s screens was a classy move, you will have been familiar with the joys of Punta del Este as it seemed to be a constant venue for huge outdoor fashion shows, very often lingerie, with ridiculously attractive models parading for the monied and connected folk of South America.
The other best thing about Uruguay is still that bit in the Simpsons where Homer spins a globe and sees Uruguay and points and laughs “haha, UR Gay”.
I rather liked Punta del Este. It’s much more chic - like other aspects of Uruguay - than I expected. My only impression beforehand was as a trashy glitzy place for vulgar rich Argentinians
It’s not. Or, if it is, the vulgar rich Argentinians have much better taste than hitherto
The sense of space is absolutely exhilarating. 3m people in a sunny temperate country bigger than England
That's like the West Midlands - and nobody else anywhere in England.
We'd have a shit national football team.
Of all the empty and surprisingly vast countries, CAR must be the most surprisingly empty and surprisingly vast: only 5 million people (Chad and Niger each have over 20 million, South Sudan 12 million), and 620k km2, which is bigger than Ukraine. No international airport. And few people could place it on a map.
I mean, I guess Martin Amis did. But he said a lot of stuff
So if you had spent times in weird bars about 25 years ago where they decided that showing “Fashion TV” on the bar’s screens was a classy move, you will have been familiar with the joys of Punta del Este as it seemed to be a constant venue for huge outdoor fashion shows, very often lingerie, with ridiculously attractive models parading for the monied and connected folk of South America.
The other best thing about Uruguay is still that bit in the Simpsons where Homer spins a globe and sees Uruguay and points and laughs “haha, UR Gay”.
I rather liked Punta del Este. It’s much more chic - like other aspects of Uruguay - than I expected. My only impression beforehand was as a trashy glitzy place for vulgar rich Argentinians
It’s not. Or, if it is, the vulgar rich Argentinians have much better taste than hitherto
The sense of space is absolutely exhilarating. 3m people in a sunny temperate country bigger than England
That's like the West Midlands - and nobody else anywhere in England.
We'd have a shit national football team.
Of all the empty and surprisingly vast countries, CAR must be the most surprisingly empty and surprisingly vast: only 5 million people (Chad and Niger each have over 20 million, South Sudan 12 million), and 620k km2, which is bigger than Ukraine. No international airport. And few people could place it on a map.
I'm guessing centrally African?
Many of the African 'Democratic Republics' are not democratic, so we can't rule out that the 'Central Republic' is on one of the edges!
You know it’s not going well when your Director of National Intelligence claims she does not know if she was part of the signal chat and literally a few moments later the Director of the CIA, sitting right beside her, confirms that she was.
Why doesn't Jeffrey Goldberg disclose to readers in his stories that he is a registered Democrat? His wife also worked for Hillary Clinton and has donated nearly $25k to Democrats.
===
My name is Jeffrey and I am well-known registered democrat and radical left lunatic editor of a failing magazine.
Yet it seems the security types in your US Cabinet decided to include me on group chat app about a forthcoming act of war in which US servicing personal were risking their lives.
"So why has it taken so long just to get planning permission for this project? The reason is that colossal amounts of time and money have been spent building a mountain of paperwork. All told, National Highways has been forced to produce 359,866 pages to get approval from the crossing. Laid end to end, this paper trail would stretch 66 miles, almost five times longer than the road itself. There’s 1,800 pages on newts, 774 pages on bats, 5,800 pages on archaeology, and a long running debate National Highways had with a Cambridge college about nitrogen deposition." (£)
And we wonder why this country is going bankrupt and has no proper infrastructure to talk of.
Quite.
This is why we must not print £500bn for an 'infrastructure fund'. We'd just be feeding money we don't have to the insatiable beast. This sort of thing and the laws (mainly European) underpinning it need to be obliterated.
I don't disagree but why is Europe not paralysed by the same laws? What do we do wrong that causes such absurd, indeed farcical results here?
In Spain you can easily build a high-speed rail line because most of the countryside is utterly empty without even fields or farms as we would recognise them. (Technically they may exist).
@Leon FPT, your Uruguayan cashless experience is mildly unsurprising. The argument was won long ago - it’s become deeply tedious. Of course there are a handful of holdouts (similar to those who prefer the horse and cart to the car). But few will choose to faff around wasting time and effort with bits of pointless plastic and daft scraps of metal when they don’t need to.
One reason I took a break from PB is that I had become a lightning rod for this topic - a bete noire for a series of very odd nostalgics on here who (claim) to like farting around with Monopoly money for reasons best known to themselves. I hope I had more to offer than that - but judging by the series of cash-obsessed comments, it would seem most PBers thought otherwise!
I predict many people will be back to using cash around 50% of the time within a few years.
Fox refused to put their longtime Chief National Security Correspondent on air since the Signal story broke because she has been honest on social media about it.
@Leon FPT, your Uruguayan cashless experience is mildly unsurprising. The argument was won long ago - it’s become deeply tedious. Of course there are a handful of holdouts (similar to those who prefer the horse and cart to the car). But few will choose to faff around wasting time and effort with bits of pointless plastic and daft scraps of metal when they don’t need to.
One reason I took a break from PB is that I had become a lightning rod for this topic - a bete noire for a series of very odd nostalgics on here who (claim) to like farting around with Monopoly money for reasons best known to themselves. I hope I had more to offer than that - but judging by the series of cash-obsessed comments, it would seem most PBers thought otherwise!
I predict many people will be back to using cash around 50% of the time within a few years.
I encounter a lot of young'uns in my day-to-day. And a lot of them barely know what 'cash' is. It's like a thing old people who didn't have the internet talk about on "The Facebook".
Fox refused to put their longtime Chief National Security Correspondent on air since the Signal story broke because she has been honest on social media about it.
I suspect that suspending social security cheques will have more effect on Trumpski's base than SignalGate.
But it is all falling apart so soon. Who could predict that? Musk is wiping out functioning day-to-day administration of basic government and Tulsi and Hegseth and co are allegedly throwing national security to the four winds.
Below the radar RFK is in charge of the bird flu crisis.
Where is this Deep State that we keep being told about? It doesn't seem very good at reacting to threats to me.
I tend to avoid news about American politics atm because it's very boring and predictable. Trumpists doing what they were elected to do which is to be as obnoxious as possible to the previous establishment and everyone else being outraged by it.
Anyone still thinking that the midterms are going to save America must have a screw loose. The courts and elections are a lost cause already, if America can still be saved it will be on the streets.
Anyone still thinking that the midterms are going to save America must have a screw loose. The courts and elections are a lost cause already, if America can still be saved it will be on the streets.
As if that's going to work given how over militarised many US Police forces are - because hey they can and they have.
November 2024 was the last fair US election for many years but it will be years before people realise it.
Fox refused to put their longtime Chief National Security Correspondent on air since the Signal story broke because she has been honest on social media about it.
I suspect that suspending social security cheques will have more effect on Trumpski's base than SignalGate.
But it is all falling apart so soon. Who could predict that? Musk is wiping out functioning day-to-day administration of basic government and Tulsi and Hegseth and co are allegedly throwing national security to the four winds.
Below the radar RFK is in charge of the bird flu crisis.
Where is this Deep State that we keep being told about? It doesn't seem very good at reacting to threats to me.
Trump and co had 4 years to work out how to undermine things by moving quickly and unexpectedly.
Anyone still thinking that the midterms are going to save America must have a screw loose. The courts and elections are a lost cause already, if America can still be saved it will be on the streets.
Not sure the courts are lost yet. I remain hopeful.
Alex Marquardt @MarquardtA Waltz struggles to explain to Fox how Goldberg got into the chat. Admits he built the group, speculates Goldberg's number was on someone else's contact. Admits it was supposed to be someone else, won't say who. Says he spoke to Musk and "have the best technical minds" working it.
Sam Stein @samstein · 1m lol. they asked Elon for help in... figuring out how to not accidentally add reporters to their group chat?
Fox refused to put their longtime Chief National Security Correspondent on air since the Signal story broke because she has been honest on social media about it.
I suspect that suspending social security cheques will have more effect on Trumpski's base than SignalGate.
But it is all falling apart so soon. Who could predict that? Musk is wiping out functioning day-to-day administration of basic government and Tulsi and Hegseth and co are allegedly throwing national security to the four winds.
Below the radar RFK is in charge of the bird flu crisis.
Where is this Deep State that we keep being told about? It doesn't seem very good at reacting to threats to me.
You only 'suspect' ?
Suspending the oldies money would be political destruction for the GOP.
Any involved in doing it would be impeached immediately.
Fox refused to put their longtime Chief National Security Correspondent on air since the Signal story broke because she has been honest on social media about it.
I suspect that suspending social security cheques will have more effect on Trumpski's base than SignalGate.
But it is all falling apart so soon. Who could predict that? Musk is wiping out functioning day-to-day administration of basic government and Tulsi and Hegseth and co are allegedly throwing national security to the four winds.
Below the radar RFK is in charge of the bird flu crisis.
Where is this Deep State that we keep being told about? It doesn't seem very good at reacting to threats to me.
You only 'suspect' ?
Suspending the oldies money would be political destruction for the GOP.
Any involved in doing it would be impeached immediately.
Anyone still thinking that the midterms are going to save America must have a screw loose. The courts and elections are a lost cause already, if America can still be saved it will be on the streets.
As if that's going to work given how over militarised many US Police forces are - because hey they can and they have.
November 2024 was the last fair US election for many years but it will be years before people realise it.
Fair? When Musk can spend $270m to buy his way to gutting government? Well, it's a view...
Anyone still thinking that the midterms are going to save America must have a screw loose. The courts and elections are a lost cause already, if America can still be saved it will be on the streets.
As if that's going to work given how over militarised many US Police forces are - because hey they can and they have.
November 2024 was the last fair US election for many years but it will be years before people realise it.
Fair? When Musk can spend $270m to buy his way to gutting government? Well, it's a view...
Tesla stock is up 25% since the White House commercial.
Fox refused to put their longtime Chief National Security Correspondent on air since the Signal story broke because she has been honest on social media about it.
I suspect that suspending social security cheques will have more effect on Trumpski's base than SignalGate.
But it is all falling apart so soon. Who could predict that? Musk is wiping out functioning day-to-day administration of basic government and Tulsi and Hegseth and co are allegedly throwing national security to the four winds.
Below the radar RFK is in charge of the bird flu crisis.
Where is this Deep State that we keep being told about? It doesn't seem very good at reacting to threats to me.
You only 'suspect' ?
Suspending the oldies money would be political destruction for the GOP.
Any involved in doing it would be impeached immediately.
Who is going to do the impeaching?
Do you think GOP politicians are going to do nothing when 100k oldies in their district have their income stopped ?
Aside from the electoral annihilation that would result, the USA is a country filled with guns - would you want hundreds of thousands of angry people coming after you ?
Anyone still thinking that the midterms are going to save America must have a screw loose. The courts and elections are a lost cause already, if America can still be saved it will be on the streets.
As if that's going to work given how over militarised many US Police forces are - because hey they can and they have.
November 2024 was the last fair US election for many years but it will be years before people realise it.
Fair? When Musk can spend $270m to buy his way to gutting government? Well, it's a view...
We were continually told on this site that the Dems had a huge advantage in campaign funds.
Musk likely had more effect from voters thinking he was a successful businessman and innovator than from any money he spent.
Comments
There is a peculiarly widespread British disease of making a positive virtue of heroically attacking our own national interest.
Farage is the only figure on the populist right with the profile and appeal to really challenge at the next election, I’d argue. There may be figures that emerge in time, but right now I suspect the regular RefUK-leaning voter doesn’t have much of an idea who Rupert Lowe is. It is therefore fairly unlikely, I think, that this is going to cause Farage much trouble beyond a few embarrassing headlines and rumblings in the background.
There is however a non-insignificant chance, given that the greatest enemy of the populist right is typically each other, that they mount some kind of kamikaze coup against Farage and force him out of Reform.
In which case I’d be wholly unsurprised if he just sets up shop in a different guise.
I somewhat questioned if that wasn't really quite obvious and was faced with a steely "But! Can you prove it?".
And, your honour, when I say 'downloaded' - I mean in an entirely legitimate way that is entirely legal by all definitions. And if it isn't, I blame the autocorrect.
That's why the law itself has to change. Even then, it might take a huge change in the culture.
Not easy to call, but it's being played out in the political arena so Farage must be the favourite.
He also has pedigree in politics going back to leaving the Tories over Maastricht and standing for Parliament in 1997.
Who else would they choose?
And I suppose if they had a big name someone not an MP could technically run the party, depending on their rules - certainly for the Tories the leader has to be a member of parliament, but as we've seen in Canada that's not true everywhere.
1. He seems able to be fairly hard-right and charismatic without being a Nazi. Which seems somewhat unusual in politics today.
2. In large part because of (1) he crowds out the space that might otherwise be taken by someone further along the 'oops I made a Nazi salute, silly me' spectrum. I mean, think of poor old Nick Griffin. Doesn't get a word in edgeways these days, does he?
3. Despite (1), he appears on quite a deep level to be too lazy to actually win power. (I realise that with this comment I may well be hoisting my own petard that will explode merrily in my face come the next election).
(It appears that Nottingham City is staying at it's current size, because Rushcliffe, Gedling and Broxtowe are all shy about the debt.)
And the economic benefit likely a fraction of that which might result from spending that amount on (eg) transport for northern cities.
I am now at Montevideo airport (chic modern clean like most of Uruguay) and yes, I have gone the whole 8 days without handling or even really seeing cash
And I’ve been all over the country doing splendid things. You are basically right. However I accept you don’t want to talk about this subject so I’ll leave it there
Uruguay has been an absolute blast. And I started out with such low expectations. Perhaps that is part of it
Ukraine already have the grain exports at 90% of the previous level.
Meanwhile Trump's stance on 20k stolen children is noncommittal.
I mean, I guess Martin Amis did. But he said a lot of stuff
The other best thing about Uruguay is still that bit in the Simpsons where Homer spins a globe and sees Uruguay and points and laughs “haha, UR Gay”.
The G says it relates to a photo posted on Twitter. The offence is quite widely drawn - from the wording that could relate to both the person in the photo, and the person it is sent to, and could be a full body photo not just the genitals. Sentence is up to 2 years in prison.
I can only spot one case:
UPDATE: On 19 March, Nicholas Hawkes, was sentenced at Southend Crown Court to a total of 66 weeks in prison. He received 52 weeks for the cyberflashing offences and an additional 14 weeks for breaching a previous court order and a suspended sentence was activated. He was also made subject of a restraining order for 10 years, and a Sexual Harm Prevention Order for 15 years.
Responding to his sentence Hannah von Dadelzsen, Deputy Chief Crown Prosecutor for CPS East of England, said: “Cyberflashing is a serious crime which leaves a lasting impact on victims, but all too often it can be dismissed as thoughtless ‘banter’ or a harmless joke.
“Just as those who commit indecent exposure in the physical world can expect to face the consequences, so too should offenders who commit their crimes online; hiding behind a screen does not hide you from the law.
https://www.cps.gov.uk/east-england/news/prison-sentence-first-cyberflashing-case
"The Defence request that the case be dismissed on the basis that the genitals cannot be seen in the photograph, Your Honour."
It’s not. Or, if it is, the vulgar rich Argentinians have much better taste than hitherto
The sense of space is absolutely exhilarating. 3m people in a sunny temperate country bigger than England
Where else has an analogous review system in Europe. Gibraltar or Malta, maybe?
Not a reusable vehicle, but a start.
They told Europe "you can't compete with SpaceX."
But a new Munich startup just raised €350M to prove everyone wrong.
Now their Spectrum rocket is set to make history as Europe's FIRST commercial orbital launch.
How Isar Aerospace is rewriting Europe's space future
https://x.com/itsolelehmann/status/1904475930812469334
So Jack the Lads bedding a classmate then sending a bra and pants or nude photo to the whole class for lols or bragging rights had better watch out.
That was an issue when I started blogging back in the late noughties, but the police tried to do some 'education' around girl and boyfriends sending each other sexy pics. I recall Nottinghamshire did some Captain Mainwaring type publicity trying to hint about applying child-porn type laws in those circumstances, which was a bit ridiculous.
This morning - a lovely stroll down the prom in Bournemouth
Today - 6 hours on my feet at a customer trade show
Teatime - stuck on the Oxford ring road as the M40 was shut
Now - in Sheffield again
Excitingly* I am now completing the customer set-up forms so that my small company can import food goodness from Spain. The French part of ClientGroupCo has been doing the imports for the stuff they sell me to sell on their behalf. The Spanish part needed more, so one EORI number later and I'm tapping up old logistics contacts to sort out my customs paperwork
I do too many bloody things, that's my problem
Presumably all Europe's future astronauts will be 'on the Spectrum'...
Would love to have heard that dinner table conversation.
Pathetic.
€350m is about the average of what it takes to go from zero to a 2 stage medium/light launcher.
Odd that they aren’t talking about first stage reuse.
"a series of very odd nostalgics on here who (claim) to like farting around with Monopoly money for reasons best known to themselves"
?
It's a weird fundamentalist position that is bound to attract criticism. So spare us the bullshit about not wanting to get into an argument about cash.
@samstein
·
8h
What do we think Mike Waltz will put in his five things I accomplished this week email?
https://x.com/samstein/status/1904522124049383926
We'd have a shit national football team.
Didn't look too happy on that bbc news clip from the so-called US Cabinet.
https://bsky.app/profile/theonion.com/post/3lla62kktaf2a
@kyledcheney.bsky.social
JUST IN: American Oversight is suing Hegseth, Gabbard, Ratcliffe et al, saying their messaging via Signal is a violation of the Federal Records Act.
https://bsky.app/profile/kyledcheney.bsky.social/post/3llaacnbhha2h
Hesketh said that he definitely didn't post the war plans on Signal and that he definitely hasn't watched In The Loop and has no idea what PWIPPIP is
If they find anything then it's El Savidor and the hell-scape prison for the whole family.
You know it’s not going well when your Director of National Intelligence claims she does not know if she was part of the signal chat and literally a few moments later the Director of the CIA, sitting right beside her, confirms that she was.
It’s a bad day to be Tulsi Gabbard.
https://x.com/CoffeyTimeNews/status/1904562742293410095
Just pathetic ignorance.
Sen. Kelly: DOD policy prohibits discussion of even 'controlled unclassified information' on unsecured devices. Are you both aware of that?
DNI Gabbard: I haven't read that policy
CIA Director Ratcliffe: I'm not familiar with the DOD policy
https://x.com/factpostnews/status/1904569014967288148
The CIA Director goes on to show that he doesn’t even know what controlled unclassified information is.
It’s like he’s an intern.
Tulsi Gabbard testified to Senate today that there was no classified material in the chat
Jeffrey Goldberg says the name of a covert CIA agent WAS shared in the chat
Either Gabbard is unqualified to be Director of National Intelligence -- or she just PERJURED herself
https://x.com/TristanSnell/status/1904631310519275782
Apparently the CIA Director put the name of the agent in the chat, but "It's OK, they are not currently on a mission..."
To use one of Elon's favourite words, these people are retarded
Note that he wasn't on the group chat, which has also raised some eyebrows
https://x.com/TankieSlappa/status/1904361614897258957
Donald Trump Jr.
@DonaldJTrumpJr
Why doesn't Jeffrey Goldberg disclose to readers in his stories that he is a registered Democrat? His wife also worked for Hillary Clinton and has donated nearly $25k to Democrats.
===
My name is Jeffrey and I am well-known registered democrat and radical left lunatic editor of a failing magazine.
Yet it seems the security types in your US Cabinet decided to include me on group chat app about a forthcoming act of war in which US servicing personal were risking their lives.
Go figure Michigan.
Hilary's emails - which remained secure but could have been hacked? LOCK HER UP
Team MAGA? Openly sharing war plans? FAKE NEWS
It doesn't matter who was on the war chat or what they said. They won't resign, Trump won't fire them, Congress is frit.
@ronfilipkowski.bsky.social
Fox refused to put their longtime Chief National Security Correspondent on air since the Signal story broke because she has been honest on social media about it.
https://bsky.app/profile/ronfilipkowski.bsky.social/post/3lladd27q722d
But it is all falling apart so soon. Who could predict that? Musk is wiping out functioning day-to-day administration of basic government and Tulsi and Hegseth and co are allegedly throwing national security to the four winds.
Below the radar RFK is in charge of the bird flu crisis.
Where is this Deep State that we keep being told about? It doesn't seem very good at reacting to threats to me.
I am shocked, I tell you, shocked...
Bet accordingly kids for 2026.
November 2024 was the last fair US election for many years but it will be years before people realise it.
@MarquardtA
Waltz struggles to explain to Fox how Goldberg got into the chat. Admits he built the group, speculates Goldberg's number was on someone else's contact. Admits it was supposed to be someone else, won't say who. Says he spoke to Musk and "have the best technical minds" working it.
Sam Stein
@samstein
·
1m
lol. they asked Elon for help in... figuring out how to not accidentally add reporters to their group chat?
Suspending the oldies money would be political destruction for the GOP.
Any involved in doing it would be impeached immediately.
Ed Davey
@EdwardJDavey
A new YouGov poll out today has us leading in the South of England.
Millions of people want a strong anti-Trump, anti-Farage party that works everyday for their communities.
https://x.com/EdwardJDavey/status/1904612253086748738
Aside from the electoral annihilation that would result, the USA is a country filled with guns - would you want hundreds of thousands of angry people coming after you ?
Here we come.
Musk likely had more effect from voters thinking he was a successful businessman and innovator than from any money he spent.
Tim Miller
@Timodc
·
5m
Waltz doubles down on conspiracy suggesting Goldberg entered chat “deliberately”
Deep state reporters can infiltrate any chat they want. Only the other day, I discovered Michael Wolff had joined my wife and I's chat.