J.D. Vance met Pope Francis yesterday and the Pope died today, is Vance the new Liz Truss given the way Queen Elizabeth II died two days after meeting Truss?
The moment JD Vance assassinated the Woke Pope.
Perhaps he was a bit confused because the Pope was wearing a dress, and we all know how much he hates men who wear dresses.
This is not in any way a form of denial. No siree.
There are bound to be MAGA people pledging Trump as Pope. Or at least demanding that the new Pope denounce heathen Europeans sinning against Him by having food standards or charging VAT
Trump is Protestant and not celibate so ineligible
There has NEVER been a requirement for the Pope to be celibate. How could we have had the Reformation if there'd ever been one?
Wasn’t the origin of “Nepotism” how Popes’ sons were given roles in the church hierarchy but referred to as the Pope’s “nephew” rather than son to avoid awkward discussions.
FPT @Casino_Royale Trump’s success is based upon peddling an immensely popular political message;
“Someone else is to blame”, for one’s own failure to get what one thinks one is entitled to.
Fascism, and extreme nationalism, are creeds for losers with power fantasies.
How is it the fault of people in the rust belt their jobs have gone and nothing has replaced them or people cannot afford homes as there are not enough, or prices have gone through the roof.
Harris did slightly better than Biden among both White males and White females. She did slightly worse among Black Men and slightly better among Black Women.
It was actually Latinos who were the key demographic that resulted in Trump winning. Among Latino men, a 23 point Biden win was converted to a 10 point Trump win. Among Latina women, a 39 point Biden win shrank to a 19 point Harris win.
If Latinos had voted the same way in 2024, as they voted in 2020, then Trump would have lost.
It wasn't white workers in the Rust Belt, pining for their lost factory jobs, who carried Trump to victory.
It was Latinos working in constructing & farming, who were facing problems making ends meet because of inflation during the Biden years. These Latinos had fond memories of the good economic conditions during the first Trump term, and were hoping for a repeat of that Trump 1.0 economy.
There are bound to be MAGA people pledging Trump as Pope. Or at least demanding that the new Pope denounce heathen Europeans sinning against Him by having food standards or charging VAT
Trump is Protestant and not celibate so ineligible
There has NEVER been a requirement for the Pope to be celibate. How could we have had the Reformation if there'd ever been one?
Wasn’t the origin of “Neoptism” how Popes’ sons were given roles in the church hierarchy but referred to as the Pope’s “nephew” rather than son to avoid awkward discussions.
J.D. Vance met Pope Francis yesterday and the Pope died today, is Vance the new Liz Truss given the way Queen Elizabeth II died two days after meeting Truss?
The moment JD Vance assassinated the Woke Pope.
Can you imagine this being your last audience on earth?
The Pope is not just the Lords representative of all people on earth, but all the animal Kingdom too. So I knew it had happened when a seagull was crying mournfully outside my window in the middle of the night. It was a knowing sad sad lament, and I knew it meant the Pope was dead, and I burst into tears.
I was going to make a joke but I think you're being serious. If so that is something you will always remember which is pleasantly spiritual
I had a chat with my parents yesterday who are life long Tories but who abandoned them in 2024 to Lib Dems and no vote.
What was interesting is that nether of them thought Farage would ever win an election. “Too marmite”. “Doesn’t stand for anything”. “None of the above candidate”.
I wonder if Farage’s support splinters as soon as it’s clear that he’s not just a protest vote.
Hurry up, I can’t wait to read 2/5, 3/5, 4/5 and 5/5. You tease us by telegraphing incoming posts, so mean.
Horse is just limiting himself to 5 posts a day IIRC. An admirable approach to dealing with the ever present temptation to enter into unproductive back and forth arguments. Lastwordism is a human failing we all suffer from after all.
Pope Francis spent his final Easter yesterday bearing witness to the faith he devoted his life to — a quiet presence at a time when the world needed humility, courage, and conviction.
His death on Easter Monday feels especially poignant. He reminded us that leadership isn’t about power, but about service. When I met him in 2022, he spoke warmly of the UK and the values we share. In a world that too often turns away from faith, he stood firm. May he rest in peace.
It's NOT surprising. Her ability to write and speak well is just another thing that Starmer, Davey, Farage and everyone at the BBC conspire to hide from the public.
FPT @Casino_Royale Trump’s success is based upon peddling an immensely popular political message;
“Someone else is to blame”, for one’s own failure to get what one thinks one is entitled to.
Fascism, and extreme nationalism, are creeds for losers with power fantasies.
How is it the fault of people in the rust belt their jobs have gone and nothing has replaced them or people cannot afford homes as there are not enough, or prices have gone through the roof.
Harris did slightly better than Biden among both White males and White females. She did slightly worse among Black Men and slightly better among Black Women.
It was actually Latinos who were the key demographic that resulted in Trump winning. Among Latino men, a 23 point Biden win was converted to a 10 point Trump win. Among Latina women, a 39 point Biden win shrank to a 19 point Harris win.
If Latinos had voted the same way in 2024, as they voted in 2020, then Trump would have lost.
It wasn't white workers in the Rust Belt, pining for their lost factory jobs, who carried Trump to victory.
It was Latinos working in constructing & farming, who were facing problems making ends meet because of inflation during the Biden years. These Latinos had fond memories of the good economic conditions during the first Trump term, and were hoping for a repeat of that Trump 1.0 economy.
Trump still won white working class voters overwhelmingly and narrowly won Latino men and Harris won black men and women and Latino women and tied Trump with white graduates and won white female graduates.
“There's a lot to admire about Pope Francis but I loved that, when he said he hoped that hell was empty, he had to rush and interject "this isn't dogma or anything" because I'm pretty sure he was speaking off the cuff from the heart and suddenly remembered oh crap, I'm the Pope”
There are bound to be MAGA people pledging Trump as Pope. Or at least demanding that the new Pope denounce heathen Europeans sinning against Him by having food standards or charging VAT
Trump is Protestant and not celibate so ineligible
There has NEVER been a requirement for the Pope to be celibate. How could we have had the Reformation if there'd ever been one?
Marie Le Conte @youngvulgarian.marieleconte.com · 1h good morning, found out about the news by waking up, opening WhatsApp and seeing that a friend had messaged "Oh my god JD Vance has Liz Trussed the pope"
There are bound to be MAGA people pledging Trump as Pope. Or at least demanding that the new Pope denounce heathen Europeans sinning against Him by having food standards or charging VAT
Trump is Protestant and not celibate so ineligible
He’s also a simpleton and a convict but that didn’t stop him becoming President.
There are bound to be MAGA people pledging Trump as Pope. Or at least demanding that the new Pope denounce heathen Europeans sinning against Him by having food standards or charging VAT
Trump is Protestant and not celibate so ineligible
There has NEVER been a requirement for the Pope to be celibate. How could we have had the Reformation if there'd ever been one?
If priests are meant to be celibate, what's the point of nuns?
Big Tech companies including X, Meta, Apple and TikTok should be aware the bloc is ready to enforce its full digital rulebook no matter who is in charge of these firms or where they're located, the European Commission president told POLITICO.
"The rules voted by our co-legislators must be enforced," Ursula von der Leyen said in written replies to questions about the EU's commitment to its digital rules.
"That's why we've opened cases against TikTok, X, Apple, Meta just to name a few. We apply the rules fairly, proportionally, and without bias. We don't care where a company's from and who's running it. We care about protecting people," she added.
There are bound to be MAGA people pledging Trump as Pope. Or at least demanding that the new Pope denounce heathen Europeans sinning against Him by having food standards or charging VAT
Trump is Protestant and not celibate so ineligible
There has NEVER been a requirement for the Pope to be celibate. How could we have had the Reformation if there'd ever been one?
If priests are meant to be celibate, what's the point of nuns?
There are bound to be MAGA people pledging Trump as Pope. Or at least demanding that the new Pope denounce heathen Europeans sinning against Him by having food standards or charging VAT
Trump is Protestant and not celibate so ineligible
There has NEVER been a requirement for the Pope to be celibate. How could we have had the Reformation if there'd ever been one?
The Pope was celibate even then, Henry wasn't
The Reformation wasn't an England-only phenomenon. Practically every 13th to 16th century Pope was notorious for sexual "indiscretions" - and that was a crucial part of the disrepute that Luther was reacting to
There are bound to be MAGA people pledging Trump as Pope. Or at least demanding that the new Pope denounce heathen Europeans sinning against Him by having food standards or charging VAT
Trump is Protestant and not celibate so ineligible
There has NEVER been a requirement for the Pope to be celibate. How could we have had the Reformation if there'd ever been one?
The Pope was celibate even then, Henry wasn't
The Reformation wasn't an England-only phenomenon. Practically every 13th to 16th century Pope was notorious for sexual "indiscretions" - and that was a crucial part of the disrepute that Luther was reacting to
Although ironically Hyufd is probably right specifically about Clement VII partly because the Church rather urgently needed somebody whose morals were beyond reproach.
Pope Francis spent his final Easter yesterday bearing witness to the faith he devoted his life to — a quiet presence at a time when the world needed humility, courage, and conviction.
His death on Easter Monday feels especially poignant. He reminded us that leadership isn’t about power, but about service. When I met him in 2022, he spoke warmly of the UK and the values we share. In a world that too often turns away from faith, he stood firm. May he rest in peace.
It's NOT surprising. Her ability to write and speak well is just another thing that Starmer, Davey, Farage and everyone at the BBC conspire to hide from the public.
Well if she tried forgoing her war on 'woke' which usually means people trying to be nice to each other then those you mention might start concentrating on her qualities.
There are bound to be MAGA people pledging Trump as Pope. Or at least demanding that the new Pope denounce heathen Europeans sinning against Him by having food standards or charging VAT
Trump is Protestant and not celibate so ineligible
There has NEVER been a requirement for the Pope to be celibate. How could we have had the Reformation if there'd ever been one?
J.D. Vance met Pope Francis yesterday and the Pope died today, is Vance the new Liz Truss given the way Queen Elizabeth II died two days after meeting Truss?
The moment JD Vance assassinated the Woke Pope.
Can you imagine this being your last audience on earth?
I'm afraid Vance will be with us a little longer than you suggest.
FPT @Casino_Royale Trump’s success is based upon peddling an immensely popular political message;
“Someone else is to blame”, for one’s own failure to get what one thinks one is entitled to.
Fascism, and extreme nationalism, are creeds for losers with power fantasies.
How is it the fault of people in the rust belt their jobs have gone and nothing has replaced them or people cannot afford homes as there are not enough, or prices have gone through the roof.
Harris did slightly better than Biden among both White males and White females. She did slightly worse among Black Men and slightly better among Black Women.
It was actually Latinos who were the key demographic that resulted in Trump winning. Among Latino men, a 23 point Biden win was converted to a 10 point Trump win. Among Latina women, a 39 point Biden win shrank to a 19 point Harris win.
If Latinos had voted the same way in 2024, as they voted in 2020, then Trump would have lost.
It wasn't white workers in the Rust Belt, pining for their lost factory jobs, who carried Trump to victory.
It was Latinos working in constructing & farming, who were facing problems making ends meet because of inflation during the Biden years. These Latinos had fond memories of the good economic conditions during the first Trump term, and were hoping for a repeat of that Trump 1.0 economy.
Let us hope they have some fond memories of El Salvador.
There are bound to be MAGA people pledging Trump as Pope. Or at least demanding that the new Pope denounce heathen Europeans sinning against Him by having food standards or charging VAT
Trump is Protestant and not celibate so ineligible
There has NEVER been a requirement for the Pope to be celibate. How could we have had the Reformation if there'd ever been one?
The Pope was celibate even then, Henry wasn't
The Reformation wasn't an England-only phenomenon. Practically every 13th to 16th century Pope was notorious for sexual "indiscretions" - and that was a crucial part of the disrepute that Luther was reacting to
Protestants were mostly relaxed about sexual indiscretion. It was simony and the sale of indulgences that enraged them.
There are bound to be MAGA people pledging Trump as Pope. Or at least demanding that the new Pope denounce heathen Europeans sinning against Him by having food standards or charging VAT
Trump is Protestant and not celibate so ineligible
There has NEVER been a requirement for the Pope to be celibate. How could we have had the Reformation if there'd ever been one?
If priests are meant to be celibate, what's the point of nuns?
There are bound to be MAGA people pledging Trump as Pope. Or at least demanding that the new Pope denounce heathen Europeans sinning against Him by having food standards or charging VAT
Trump is Protestant and not celibate so ineligible
There has NEVER been a requirement for the Pope to be celibate. How could we have had the Reformation if there'd ever been one?
The Pope was celibate even then, Henry wasn't
The Reformation wasn't an England-only phenomenon. Practically every 13th to 16th century Pope was notorious for sexual "indiscretions" - and that was a crucial part of the disrepute that Luther was reacting to
Protestants were mostly relaxed about sexual indiscretion. It was simony and the sale of indulgences that enraged them.
It may please your goodness to understand that we have visited Bath where as we found the prior a right virtuous man, and I suppose no better of his cure a man simple and not of the greatest wit, his monks worse than I have ever found yet both in buggery & adultery some and of them having ten women some eight and the rest so fewer, the house well repaired but four hundred pounds in debt. At Farley cell to Lewes, the prior had but eight whores and the rest of the monks, some four, three, two as they might get them, their wylles [wills] was good, the truth is a very stew [slang for brothel] and much buggery both [there] and at Lewes and specially there the sub-prior as appeared by the confession of a fair young monk, a priest late sent from Lewes.
It's remarkable how "well" HMQ looked, given she was only a couple of days from death there.
Brandreth reported that she was determined not to have a "last photo" like her sister, in a wheelchair. A pro to the last, and reportedly in some pain.
There are bound to be MAGA people pledging Trump as Pope. Or at least demanding that the new Pope denounce heathen Europeans sinning against Him by having food standards or charging VAT
Trump is Protestant and not celibate so ineligible
There has NEVER been a requirement for the Pope to be celibate. How could we have had the Reformation if there'd ever been one?
If priests are meant to be celibate, what's the point of nuns?
There are bound to be MAGA people pledging Trump as Pope. Or at least demanding that the new Pope denounce heathen Europeans sinning against Him by having food standards or charging VAT
Trump is Protestant and not celibate so ineligible
There has NEVER been a requirement for the Pope to be celibate. How could we have had the Reformation if there'd ever been one?
If priests are meant to be celibate, what's the point of nuns?
Kinky alternative to stepmoms.
Are you suggesting that monks turn to them out of habit?
There are bound to be MAGA people pledging Trump as Pope. Or at least demanding that the new Pope denounce heathen Europeans sinning against Him by having food standards or charging VAT
Trump is Protestant and not celibate so ineligible
There has NEVER been a requirement for the Pope to be celibate. How could we have had the Reformation if there'd ever been one?
If priests are meant to be celibate, what's the point of nuns?
There is none.
It used to be something of a refuge from the world for those who weren't keen on being a man's chattel, or a way to lock up awkward women.
There are bound to be MAGA people pledging Trump as Pope. Or at least demanding that the new Pope denounce heathen Europeans sinning against Him by having food standards or charging VAT
Trump is Protestant and not celibate so ineligible
There has NEVER been a requirement for the Pope to be celibate. How could we have had the Reformation if there'd ever been one?
It's Borgia-ing on ludicrous to suggest all popes have been celibate.
I don't believe any of them have been married, which is what celibacy means. (At least not in recent times, I'm not sure what the rules were 2000 years ago. Maybe you could be a bishop and married)
Saw some people saying that the Philippine bishop would be the first Asian pope, er no there have been a few, the first Bishop of Rome was from what is now the Golan Heights.
Apparently the only requirement is to be a Catholic Male, I am not sure what would happen if the successful candidate is already married.
There are bound to be MAGA people pledging Trump as Pope. Or at least demanding that the new Pope denounce heathen Europeans sinning against Him by having food standards or charging VAT
Trump is Protestant and not celibate so ineligible
There has NEVER been a requirement for the Pope to be celibate. How could we have had the Reformation if there'd ever been one?
It's Borgia-ing on ludicrous to suggest all popes have been celibate.
I don't believe any of them have been married, which is what celibacy means. (At least not in recent times, I'm not sure what the rules were 2000 years ago. Maybe you could be a bishop and married)
Saw some people saying that the Philippine bishop would be the first Asian pope, er no there have been a few, the first Bishop of Rome was from what is now the Golan Heights.
Apparently the only requirement is to be a Catholic Male, I am not sure what would happen if the successful candidate is already married.
Straight off the top of my head, Peter was married.*
They are officially required to be chaste, not celibate per se.
In reply to your further point, the rule until the 12th century was that priests could marry, but any priests appointed abbot, bishop or higher were forbidden to sleep with their wives on penalty of being unfrocked (er, yes, I do see the irony) and this remains the position in the Orthodox Church.
I think Nigel Farage is aiming for support from ex Alba voters. Alba are imploding into factions, particularly since Alex Salmond’s death. I would not be surprised if Ash Regan, who was defeated in the vote for Salmond’s successor, and Chris McEleny, who has been expelled from the party, defect to Reform.
There are bound to be MAGA people pledging Trump as Pope. Or at least demanding that the new Pope denounce heathen Europeans sinning against Him by having food standards or charging VAT
Trump is Protestant and not celibate so ineligible
There has NEVER been a requirement for the Pope to be celibate. How could we have had the Reformation if there'd ever been one?
It's Borgia-ing on ludicrous to suggest all popes have been celibate.
I don't believe any of them have been married, which is what celibacy means. (At least not in recent times, I'm not sure what the rules were 2000 years ago. Maybe you could be a bishop and married)
Saw some people saying that the Philippine bishop would be the first Asian pope, er no there have been a few, the first Bishop of Rome was from what is now the Golan Heights.
Apparently the only requirement is to be a Catholic Male, I am not sure what would happen if the successful candidate is already married.
Straight off the top of my head, Peter was married.*
They are officially required to be chaste, not celibate per se.
In reply to your further point, the rule until the 12th century was that priests could marry, but any appointed abbot, bishop or higher was forbidden to sleep with their wife on penalty of being unfrocked (er, yes, I do see the irony) and this remains the position in the Orthodox Church.
*Mark 1:29 and 1 Corinthians 9:5
A quick look at Wikipedia suggests that for the first 1000 years, celibacy wasn't required of priests. Not sure about bishops and popes though - in the Eastern church, priests can be married but only unmarried men can become bishops, in effect there is a different career path for bishops which is more monastic
It's remarkable how "well" HMQ looked, given she was only a couple of days from death there.
Brandreth reported that she was determined not to have a "last photo" like her sister, in a wheelchair. A pro to the last, and reportedly in some pain.
It would sap your will to live though, determindely outlasting Prime Minister Boris, only for him to be replaced by Prime Minister Truss...
There are bound to be MAGA people pledging Trump as Pope. Or at least demanding that the new Pope denounce heathen Europeans sinning against Him by having food standards or charging VAT
Trump is Protestant and not celibate so ineligible
There has NEVER been a requirement for the Pope to be celibate. How could we have had the Reformation if there'd ever been one?
If priests are meant to be celibate, what's the point of nuns?
Private Baldrick: You know my dad was a nun.
Captain Blackadder: No he wasn't.
Private Baldrick: He was too, sir. Cause whenever he was up in court and the judge asked "occupation", he'd say "none".
FPT @Casino_Royale Trump’s success is based upon peddling an immensely popular political message;
“Someone else is to blame”, for one’s own failure to get what one thinks one is entitled to.
Fascism, and extreme nationalism, are creeds for losers with power fantasies.
I think there's more to it than that.
Fundamentally, no-one else is felt to be dealing with many American voters social and economic insecurities (indeed, many of the other side sneer at or dismiss them) so this sort of appeal carries resonance.
I wonder if language and rhetoric has a big part to play with it. Politicians seem to have lost the art of soothing and uniting and instead prefer to enrage to activate their base.
There won't be just one 'cause' as to why Trump won; there will be many causal factors. But IMV "The other is to blame!" is a biggie, as is selling simple answers to complex problems, and also messaging in the media and on the Internet. But people will pick their favourite ones according to the own personal political biases (including myself...)
But at the end of the day, politicians have to deal with reality, and rhetoric can only get them so far - as Truss found, and Trump is finding out with the markets. Yet it seems the voters, on all sides, do not particularly want to hear about reality.
The reality, or 'reality' if you prefer, for millions of Americans is that Trump hates the people who hate them.
And they form much of the MAGA base.
Other Trump voting demographics have different motivations.
I think it's more complex than that: in all these issues, few people truly 'hate' the other side and, as on PB, would get on very well if they had drinks together. But media - and particularly social media - tends to accentuate differences. There can be little grey, only black and white. I'm right, you're wrong - and this issue where we disagree matters much more than all of those where we agree.
Why the media does this, and why it is so prevalent on social media, are interesting questions.
It's remarkable how "well" HMQ looked, given she was only a couple of days from death there.
Brandreth reported that she was determined not to have a "last photo" like her sister, in a wheelchair. A pro to the last, and reportedly in some pain.
It would sap your will to live though, determindely outlasting Prime Minister Boris, only for him to be replaced by Prime Minister Truss...
At the time, the full horror of the Truss premiership was still to be unveiled.
Any suggestions for an electric car? Small but comfortable but not a Tesla. Someone said a BMW 3I but they dont make them anymore.
A bit of fun runabout?
Alpine A290/Renault 5.
All other answers are varying degrees of wrong.
The Renault 5 looks great - seems to have the perfect blend of nostalgia by keeping very close to the original but with enough modern touches.
I have decided I no longer have time or space to build my daily drivers from Copart wrecks or non-runners found in the large intestine of Facebook Marketplace. So I have bought my first ever brand new car - 150hp Renault 5 in Peroni/Jassaud yellow. The stock wheels are heavy cast junk so I'm putting OZ Racing Ultraleggeras on mine.
Mint. Mine? Absolute anchor-grade cast alus, probably weigh more than a pair of 4-pot Brembos and a seized H22 block. Swapping those for OZ Racing Ultraleggeras—15x7 ET35 wrapped in 195/50R15 Pilot Sport 5s, torqued to spec with a Snap-On digital. Already shed 6kg per corner and I haven’t even touched the unsprung weight up front—thinking coilover swap to Bilstein B14s and maybe a hybrid ARB from the Clio RS Cup parts bin.
Next step: EBC Yellowstuffs, braided HEL lines, DOT 5.1 flush, and possibly a cheeky remap via OBDLink MX+ and my guy who tunes with a laptop duct-taped to the passenger seat and a sixth sense for AFRs.
This thing’s gonna be a sleeper spec canyon scalpel before the warranty even knows what hit it.
Take it from somebody who actually is funny, you are not. So don't try.
It's remarkable how "well" HMQ looked, given she was only a couple of days from death there.
Brandreth reported that she was determined not to have a "last photo" like her sister, in a wheelchair. A pro to the last, and reportedly in some pain.
It would sap your will to live though, determindely outlasting Prime Minister Boris, only for him to be replaced by Prime Minister Truss...
At the time, the full horror of the Truss premiership was still to be unveiled.
It's remarkable how "well" HMQ looked, given she was only a couple of days from death there.
Brandreth reported that she was determined not to have a "last photo" like her sister, in a wheelchair. A pro to the last, and reportedly in some pain.
It would sap your will to live though, determindely outlasting Prime Minister Boris, only for him to be replaced by Prime Minister Truss...
I am sure HMQ was determined to ensure her legacy was not soiled by Alexander Johnson. In all fairness (not a statement I am prone towards under normal circumstances) to Mrs Truss she behaved impeccably throughout the nation's moment of mourning.
Can you imagine the level of national humiliation we would have witnessed as the Clown King performed his comic turn had the Queen not held out for those extra days? The Queen (and the other Liz) executed their duties admirably.
FPT @Casino_Royale Trump’s success is based upon peddling an immensely popular political message;
“Someone else is to blame”, for one’s own failure to get what one thinks one is entitled to.
Fascism, and extreme nationalism, are creeds for losers with power fantasies.
How is it the fault of people in the rust belt their jobs have gone and nothing has replaced them or people cannot afford homes as there are not enough, or prices have gone through the roof.
Harris did slightly better than Biden among both White males and White females. She did slightly worse among Black Men and slightly better among Black Women.
It was actually Latinos who were the key demographic that resulted in Trump winning. Among Latino men, a 23 point Biden win was converted to a 10 point Trump win. Among Latina women, a 39 point Biden win shrank to a 19 point Harris win.
If Latinos had voted the same way in 2024, as they voted in 2020, then Trump would have lost.
It wasn't white workers in the Rust Belt, pining for their lost factory jobs, who carried Trump to victory.
It was Latinos working in constructing & farming, who were facing problems making ends meet because of inflation during the Biden years. These Latinos had fond memories of the good economic conditions during the first Trump term, and were hoping for a repeat of that Trump 1.0 economy.
I don't know how Trump expect to win a thrid term when his new Latino base are all in El Salvador....
(Apropos of nothing, I remeber EL Salvador from being a kid, when they had the HUGEST stamp in my album.)
Cain slew Abel, Seth knew not why For if the children of Israel were supposed to multiply Why must any of the children die? So he asked the Lord, and the Lord said:
"Man means nothing, he means less to Me Than the lowliest cactus flower or humblest yucca tree Chases round this desert 'cause he thinks that's where I'll be That's why I love mankind...
What are the current odds on the Runcorn by-election?
Reform 2/5 (Sky Bet) Labour 5/2 (various) 100/1 bar
Whilst was probably never on the Lib Dem hit list - though Helsby and Frodsham (my father died in Frodsham!) would be good Lib Dem areas - holding the by-election at the time of the locals meant that keen leafleteers like myself were occupied on our own campaigns!
There are bound to be MAGA people pledging Trump as Pope. Or at least demanding that the new Pope denounce heathen Europeans sinning against Him by having food standards or charging VAT
Trump is Protestant and not celibate so ineligible
There has NEVER been a requirement for the Pope to be celibate. How could we have had the Reformation if there'd ever been one?
If priests are meant to be celibate, what's the point of nuns?
Could go either way. It's a sprint weekend which means 1 hour of practice. Not long to decide whether to run them. But if they work, more points on the table.
What are the current odds on the Runcorn by-election?
Reform 2/5 (Sky Bet) Labour 5/2 (various) 100/1 bar
Whilst was probably never on the Lib Dem hit list - though Helsby and Frodsham (my father died in Frodsham!) would be good Lib Dem areas - holding the by-election at the time of the locals meant that keen leafleteers like myself were occupied on our own campaigns!
Has there been an election where both the Conservative and the Lib Dem candidates lost their deposit? This might be the one.
Big Tech companies including X, Meta, Apple and TikTok should be aware the bloc is ready to enforce its full digital rulebook no matter who is in charge of these firms or where they're located, the European Commission president told POLITICO.
"The rules voted by our co-legislators must be enforced," Ursula von der Leyen said in written replies to questions about the EU's commitment to its digital rules.
"That's why we've opened cases against TikTok, X, Apple, Meta just to name a few. We apply the rules fairly, proportionally, and without bias. We don't care where a company's from and who's running it. We care about protecting people," she added.
Big Tech companies including X, Meta, Apple and TikTok should be aware the bloc is ready to enforce its full digital rulebook no matter who is in charge of these firms or where they're located, the European Commission president told POLITICO.
"The rules voted by our co-legislators must be enforced," Ursula von der Leyen said in written replies to questions about the EU's commitment to its digital rules.
"That's why we've opened cases against TikTok, X, Apple, Meta just to name a few. We apply the rules fairly, proportionally, and without bias. We don't care where a company's from and who's running it. We care about protecting people," she added.
There are bound to be MAGA people pledging Trump as Pope. Or at least demanding that the new Pope denounce heathen Europeans sinning against Him by having food standards or charging VAT
Trump is Protestant and not celibate so ineligible
There has NEVER been a requirement for the Pope to be celibate. How could we have had the Reformation if there'd ever been one?
It's Borgia-ing on ludicrous to suggest all popes have been celibate.
I don't believe any of them have been married, which is what celibacy means. (At least not in recent times, I'm not sure what the rules were 2000 years ago. Maybe you could be a bishop and married)
Saw some people saying that the Philippine bishop would be the first Asian pope, er no there have been a few, the first Bishop of Rome was from what is now the Golan Heights.
Apparently the only requirement is to be a Catholic Male, I am not sure what would happen if the successful candidate is already married.
Straight off the top of my head, Peter was married.*
They are officially required to be chaste, not celibate per se.
In reply to your further point, the rule until the 12th century was that priests could marry, but any appointed abbot, bishop or higher was forbidden to sleep with their wife on penalty of being unfrocked (er, yes, I do see the irony) and this remains the position in the Orthodox Church.
*Mark 1:29 and 1 Corinthians 9:5
A quick look at Wikipedia suggests that for the first 1000 years, celibacy wasn't required of priests. Not sure about bishops and popes though - in the Eastern church, priests can be married but only unmarried men can become bishops, in effect there is a different career path for bishops which is more monastic
Orthodox (non-monastic), clergy are usually required to be married.
I think Nigel Farage is aiming for support from ex Alba voters. Alba are imploding into factions, particularly since Alex Salmond’s death. I would not be surprised if Ash Regan, who was defeated in the vote for Salmond’s successor, and Chris McEleny, who has been expelled from the party, defect to Reform.
Alba got 1.7% of the vote at the 2021 election. Is there much point chasing after 1.7% of the vote?
I think Nigel Farage is aiming for support from ex Alba voters. Alba are imploding into factions, particularly since Alex Salmond’s death. I would not be surprised if Ash Regan, who was defeated in the vote for Salmond’s successor, and Chris McEleny, who has been expelled from the party, defect to Reform.
Soz to dissent. I very much doubt Nige is "aiming" for support from ex-Alba voters. For one thing, there aren't very many of them, and for another those that there are are only interested in Independence and feel betrayed by supposed lack of action from SNP. And, for yet another, Nige has probably not even heard of Alba.
As for Ash Regan defecting to Reform? Stranger things have happened, but not very often.
The Japanese trade delegation came to meet in good faith with Trump’s economic team and after a while, they realized that Trump’s team didn’t know what they wanted and lacked any authority to reach a deal. So they just left.
I think Nigel Farage is aiming for support from ex Alba voters. Alba are imploding into factions, particularly since Alex Salmond’s death. I would not be surprised if Ash Regan, who was defeated in the vote for Salmond’s successor, and Chris McEleny, who has been expelled from the party, defect to Reform.
Reform are doing well in Scotland despite Farage not because of him. Richard Tice is even more hated. There will be no deal with Reform and either Labour or the SNP following the election. Scotland is tribal and it would be more likely to see the UDP support Sinn Fein. The sooner Farage shuts up the better for Reform.
The polls suggest the SNP have stabilised at 30% but recent by elections suggest their vote base is not motivated. Reform activists seem very energised but are small in number. I rejoined the Scottish conservative party a few weeks ago. I am one of just 7,000 members. That is one MSP per 230 members. In comparison the SNP has 1 MSP per 1200 members. Reform has about 6,000 members in Scotland.
Reform has a potential to strip away some of the young male vote from the SNP. This trend has been seen elsewhere in Europe. Otherwise they will take Labour votes mostly. The Tory vote depends entirely on the Tory party becoming real conservatives again and appealing to small business owners, farmers etc. It is almost inevitable we will be left with a highly divided Scotland at the end with no clear winner. In reality no one deserves to win.
My prediction is that Reform will end up closer to the Tories than any other party. Together they will make a block of about 30% of the chamber. SNP will have around 40% with the Greens and the Lab with Lib Dems will have around 30%.
Zoë Grünewald @zoegrunewald.bsky.social · 44m Proper "I'm on live TV" moment this morning when I was talking about how well the pope looked and sounded yesterday only for the presenter to interrupt us to announce that the pope, had in fact, just died
There are bound to be MAGA people pledging Trump as Pope. Or at least demanding that the new Pope denounce heathen Europeans sinning against Him by having food standards or charging VAT
Trump is Protestant and not celibate so ineligible
There has NEVER been a requirement for the Pope to be celibate. How could we have had the Reformation if there'd ever been one?
It's Borgia-ing on ludicrous to suggest all popes have been celibate.
I don't believe any of them have been married, which is what celibacy means. (At least not in recent times, I'm not sure what the rules were 2000 years ago. Maybe you could be a bishop and married)
Saw some people saying that the Philippine bishop would be the first Asian pope, er no there have been a few, the first Bishop of Rome was from what is now the Golan Heights.
Apparently the only requirement is to be a Catholic Male, I am not sure what would happen if the successful candidate is already married.
Straight off the top of my head, Peter was married.*
They are officially required to be chaste, not celibate per se.
In reply to your further point, the rule until the 12th century was that priests could marry, but any appointed abbot, bishop or higher was forbidden to sleep with their wife on penalty of being unfrocked (er, yes, I do see the irony) and this remains the position in the Orthodox Church.
*Mark 1:29 and 1 Corinthians 9:5
A quick look at Wikipedia suggests that for the first 1000 years, celibacy wasn't required of priests. Not sure about bishops and popes though - in the Eastern church, priests can be married but only unmarried men can become bishops, in effect there is a different career path for bishops which is more monastic
I think celibacy - more precisely a ban against priests getting married - was so that the leadership's first loyalty was to the Church instead of creating dynasties. Mostly successful, but NB the Borgias
The Japanese trade delegation came to meet in good faith with Trump’s economic team and after a while, they realized that Trump’s team didn’t know what they wanted and lacked any authority to reach a deal. So they just left.
Big Tech companies including X, Meta, Apple and TikTok should be aware the bloc is ready to enforce its full digital rulebook no matter who is in charge of these firms or where they're located, the European Commission president told POLITICO.
"The rules voted by our co-legislators must be enforced," Ursula von der Leyen said in written replies to questions about the EU's commitment to its digital rules.
"That's why we've opened cases against TikTok, X, Apple, Meta just to name a few. We apply the rules fairly, proportionally, and without bias. We don't care where a company's from and who's running it. We care about protecting people," she added.
There are bound to be MAGA people pledging Trump as Pope. Or at least demanding that the new Pope denounce heathen Europeans sinning against Him by having food standards or charging VAT
Trump is Protestant and not celibate so ineligible
There has NEVER been a requirement for the Pope to be celibate. How could we have had the Reformation if there'd ever been one?
It's Borgia-ing on ludicrous to suggest all popes have been celibate.
I don't believe any of them have been married, which is what celibacy means. (At least not in recent times, I'm not sure what the rules were 2000 years ago. Maybe you could be a bishop and married)
Saw some people saying that the Philippine bishop would be the first Asian pope, er no there have been a few, the first Bishop of Rome was from what is now the Golan Heights.
Apparently the only requirement is to be a Catholic Male, I am not sure what would happen if the successful candidate is already married.
Straight off the top of my head, Peter was married.*
They are officially required to be chaste, not celibate per se.
In reply to your further point, the rule until the 12th century was that priests could marry, but any appointed abbot, bishop or higher was forbidden to sleep with their wife on penalty of being unfrocked (er, yes, I do see the irony) and this remains the position in the Orthodox Church.
*Mark 1:29 and 1 Corinthians 9:5
A quick look at Wikipedia suggests that for the first 1000 years, celibacy wasn't required of priests. Not sure about bishops and popes though - in the Eastern church, priests can be married but only unmarried men can become bishops, in effect there is a different career path for bishops which is more monastic
I think celibacy - more precisely a ban against priests getting married - was so that the leadership's first loyalty was to the Church instead of creating dynasties. Mostly successful, but NB the Borgias
It also led to hideous abuses.
Think of the modern scandals. Then imagine the same people at a time when the church had its own courts and members of the church had complete immunity to lay courts.
Then consider the violent attitudes of many of the reformers towards the Church.
The Japanese trade delegation came to meet in good faith with Trump’s economic team and after a while, they realized that Trump’s team didn’t know what they wanted and lacked any authority to reach a deal. So they just left.
They know Mr Trump wants a 'good deal' but doesn't know one when he sees one.
They should come up with some bullshit proposal that has no implications for the Japanese economy and sell it to the US team.
“It will be really tough for us, but we respect Trump’s strength, so we will only charge the lower sales tax rate on US soybeans from now on.” (Food is already charged at the lower rate.)
I think Nigel Farage is aiming for support from ex Alba voters. Alba are imploding into factions, particularly since Alex Salmond’s death. I would not be surprised if Ash Regan, who was defeated in the vote for Salmond’s successor, and Chris McEleny, who has been expelled from the party, defect to Reform.
Reform are doing well in Scotland despite Farage not because of him. Richard Tice is even more hated. There will be no deal with Reform and either Labour or the SNP following the election. Scotland is tribal and it would be more likely to see the UDP support Sinn Fein. The sooner Farage shuts up the better for Reform.
The polls suggest the SNP have stabilised at 30% but recent by elections suggest their vote base is not motivated. Reform activists seem very energised but are small in number. I rejoined the Scottish conservative party a few weeks ago. I am one of just 7,000 members. That is one MSP per 230 members. In comparison the SNP has 1 MSP per 1200 members. Reform has about 6,000 members in Scotland.
Reform has a potential to strip away some of the young male vote from the SNP. This trend has been seen elsewhere in Europe. Otherwise they will take Labour votes mostly. The Tory vote depends entirely on the Tory party becoming real conservatives again and appealing to small business owners, farmers etc. It is almost inevitable we will be left with a highly divided Scotland at the end with no clear winner. In reality no one deserves to win.
My prediction is that Reform will end up closer to the Tories than any other party. Together they will make a block of about 30% of the chamber. SNP will have around 40% with the Greens and the Lab with Lib Dems will have around 30%.
Seems a reasonable forecast. If it's right that means no Indy-majority and opens the way for a "Grand Coalition" including both SNP and Labour who, indy-apart, are virtually indistinguishable on other issues. Possibly also the LibDems likewise indistinguishable. The can lick their gender-ID wounds together.
Suspect the Greens will sit it out after the numerous "betrayals" enacted by the SNP, plus the presence of wee free Kate Forbes in the administration.
It's remarkable how "well" HMQ looked, given she was only a couple of days from death there.
Didn't someone post a video of some comedian (or friend of comedian) recently and 20 minutes after the video was taken (the guy was thanking his fans or something) he died.
Can happen anywhere and at any time, you know, although with the Pope and God and predestination an' all, you would have thought he (and He) would have been well prepared.
The Japanese trade delegation came to meet in good faith with Trump’s economic team and after a while, they realized that Trump’s team didn’t know what they wanted and lacked any authority to reach a deal. So they just left.
They know Mr Trump wants a 'good deal' but doesn't know one when he sees one.
No, he wants capitulation, I think. Just as with Ukraine.
He's so used to getting his own way during a lifetime of being an asshole, that I think he's genuinely unable to grasp the concept of negotiation.
That's what's driving members of a western alliance that's lasted three quarters of a century to confront the unpalatable choices ahead of them.
China is a deeply unappealing partner - but trading nations can ignore nether them nor the US. And it's getting to the point where it might be easier for not a few nations to work out deals with China that are in their own interest.
There are bound to be MAGA people pledging Trump as Pope. Or at least demanding that the new Pope denounce heathen Europeans sinning against Him by having food standards or charging VAT
Trump is Protestant and not celibate so ineligible
There has NEVER been a requirement for the Pope to be celibate. How could we have had the Reformation if there'd ever been one?
It's Borgia-ing on ludicrous to suggest all popes have been celibate.
I don't believe any of them have been married, which is what celibacy means. (At least not in recent times, I'm not sure what the rules were 2000 years ago. Maybe you could be a bishop and married)
Saw some people saying that the Philippine bishop would be the first Asian pope, er no there have been a few, the first Bishop of Rome was from what is now the Golan Heights.
Apparently the only requirement is to be a Catholic Male, I am not sure what would happen if the successful candidate is already married.
Straight off the top of my head, Peter was married.*
They are officially required to be chaste, not celibate per se.
In reply to your further point, the rule until the 12th century was that priests could marry, but any appointed abbot, bishop or higher was forbidden to sleep with their wife on penalty of being unfrocked (er, yes, I do see the irony) and this remains the position in the Orthodox Church.
*Mark 1:29 and 1 Corinthians 9:5
A quick look at Wikipedia suggests that for the first 1000 years, celibacy wasn't required of priests. Not sure about bishops and popes though - in the Eastern church, priests can be married but only unmarried men can become bishops, in effect there is a different career path for bishops which is more monastic
I think celibacy - more precisely a ban against priests getting married - was so that the leadership's first loyalty was to the Church instead of creating dynasties. Mostly successful, but NB the Borgias
Nope. It was to prevent the dilution of the Church's lands to the offspring of priests and was introduced, IIRC, by or around the time of Gregory VII which was at a time of the fight between kings and popes which eventually saw the Catholic church prevail and assert itself over competing powers.
The Japanese trade delegation came to meet in good faith with Trump’s economic team and after a while, they realized that Trump’s team didn’t know what they wanted and lacked any authority to reach a deal. So they just left.
They know Mr Trump wants a 'good deal' but doesn't know one when he sees one.
It’s a bit reminiscent of the early days of Brexit negotiations.
Trouble for Trump is he either fills his trade negotiation team with seasoned trade hacks, who will understand the nuances and process but won’t have a clue what Trump himself wants, or staffs it with his own acolytes who will have a strong ideological understanding of what he wants but no idea how the process works.
Yes and it looks like the Conservative vote will be a little better and Liberals less well distributed than in 2021. My predictions are:
a) Liberals largest party b) Liberals + NDP does not make a majority c) Conservatives and BQ will be a majority
That'll be a bit of a constitutional problem as the Governor-General has never called on the leader of the 2nd largest party to become Prime Minister (1925 was an attempt of the incumbent to carry on after losing the election).
It's remarkable how "well" HMQ looked, given she was only a couple of days from death there.
Didn't someone post a video of some comedian (or friend of comedian) recently and 20 minutes after the video was taken (the guy was thanking his fans or something) he died.
Can happen anywhere and at any time, you know, although with the Pope and God and predestination an' all, you would have thought he (and He) would have been well prepared.
Pretty sure the Pope knew he had weeks not years left after the hospitalisation. A frail 88 year old with 1.5 lungs doesn’t just snap back after a near death experience with pneumonia.
When the end comes it can be very quick though, in terms of the final decline. I recall the case a relative who had been in and out of hospital in the months before his death, but who was happily walking round the house, cooking his meals and going for short walks 24 hours before he passed. Taken ill in the night, gone by the morning. It feels very odd, because we expect natural death to be this exceptionally slow and laboured process, but the body just lets go sometimes.
There are bound to be MAGA people pledging Trump as Pope. Or at least demanding that the new Pope denounce heathen Europeans sinning against Him by having food standards or charging VAT
Trump is Protestant and not celibate so ineligible
There has NEVER been a requirement for the Pope to be celibate. How could we have had the Reformation if there'd ever been one?
It's Borgia-ing on ludicrous to suggest all popes have been celibate.
I don't believe any of them have been married, which is what celibacy means. (At least not in recent times, I'm not sure what the rules were 2000 years ago. Maybe you could be a bishop and married)
Saw some people saying that the Philippine bishop would be the first Asian pope, er no there have been a few, the first Bishop of Rome was from what is now the Golan Heights.
Apparently the only requirement is to be a Catholic Male, I am not sure what would happen if the successful candidate is already married.
Straight off the top of my head, Peter was married.*
They are officially required to be chaste, not celibate per se.
In reply to your further point, the rule until the 12th century was that priests could marry, but any appointed abbot, bishop or higher was forbidden to sleep with their wife on penalty of being unfrocked (er, yes, I do see the irony) and this remains the position in the Orthodox Church.
*Mark 1:29 and 1 Corinthians 9:5
A quick look at Wikipedia suggests that for the first 1000 years, celibacy wasn't required of priests. Not sure about bishops and popes though - in the Eastern church, priests can be married but only unmarried men can become bishops, in effect there is a different career path for bishops which is more monastic
I think celibacy - more precisely a ban against priests getting married - was so that the leadership's first loyalty was to the Church instead of creating dynasties. Mostly successful, but NB the Borgias
Nope. It was to prevent the dilution of the Church's lands to the offspring of priests and was introduced, IIRC, by or around the time of Gregory VII which was at a time of the fight between kings and popes which eventually saw the Catholic church prevail and assert itself over competing powers.
Yes. The same point as I was making. Also celibacy of the priesthood is primarily an administrative measure where doctrinal considerations serve to justify that decision.
The projection yesterday even with the CPC 4 point lead was the LPC still with more seats 162 to 145 . So it looks like they’re running up huge totals in Alberta and SK and their voter efficiency problems remain .
Comments
I wonder what Trump will say, given that Francis publicly denounced the planned crackdown on immigrants as a disgrace.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BSQgayLQWLU
This is not in any way a form of denial. No siree.
https://edition.cnn.com/interactive/2024/politics/2020-2016-exit-polls-2024-dg/
Harris did slightly better than Biden among both White males and White females. She did slightly worse among Black Men and slightly better among Black Women.
It was actually Latinos who were the key demographic that resulted in Trump winning. Among Latino men, a 23 point Biden win was converted to a 10 point Trump win. Among Latina women, a 39 point Biden win shrank to a 19 point Harris win.
If Latinos had voted the same way in 2024, as they voted in 2020, then Trump would have lost.
It wasn't white workers in the Rust Belt, pining for their lost factory jobs, who carried Trump to victory.
It was Latinos working in constructing & farming, who were facing problems making ends meet because of inflation during the Biden years. These Latinos had fond memories of the good economic conditions during the first Trump term, and were hoping for a repeat of that Trump 1.0 economy.
So the white working class remained Trump's base
“There's a lot to admire about Pope Francis but I loved that, when he said he hoped that hell was empty, he had to rush and interject "this isn't dogma or anything" because I'm pretty sure he was speaking off the cuff from the heart and suddenly remembered oh crap, I'm the Pope”
RIP Pope Francis.
Marie Le Conte @youngvulgarian.marieleconte.com
·
1h
good morning, found out about the news by waking up, opening WhatsApp and seeing that a friend had messaged "Oh my god JD Vance has Liz Trussed the pope"
"The rules voted by our co-legislators must be enforced," Ursula von der Leyen said in written replies to questions about the EU's commitment to its digital rules.
"That's why we've opened cases against TikTok, X, Apple, Meta just to name a few. We apply the rules fairly, proportionally, and without bias. We don't care where a company's from and who's running it. We care about protecting people," she added.
https://www.politico.eu/article/european-commission-ursula-von-der-leyen-warns-x-meta-tiktok-rules-ceo/
https://youtu.be/4iBCp9Oqu4A?si=ugjz0n6vVvOFfdUD
https://x.com/JAHeale/status/1914256712585863513
Alexander VI didn’t even make that pretence.
A good Tweet from Badenoch I thought.
I hope that Starmer keeps him a long, long way away from Vance.
The new bish: TRUSS
It may please your goodness to understand that we have visited Bath where as we found the prior a right virtuous man, and I suppose no better of his cure a man simple and not of the greatest wit, his monks worse than I have ever found yet both in buggery & adultery some and of them having ten women some eight and the rest so fewer, the house well repaired but four hundred pounds in debt. At Farley cell to Lewes, the prior had but eight whores and the rest of the monks, some four, three, two as they might get them, their wylles [wills] was good, the truth is a very stew [slang for brothel] and much buggery both [there] and at Lewes and specially there the sub-prior as appeared by the confession of a fair young monk, a priest late sent from Lewes.
There's rather less point to it now.
Saw some people saying that the Philippine bishop would be the first Asian pope, er no there have been a few, the first Bishop of Rome was from what is now the Golan Heights.
Apparently the only requirement is to be a Catholic Male, I am not sure what would happen if the successful candidate is already married.
They are officially required to be chaste, not celibate per se.
In reply to your further point, the rule until the 12th century was that priests could marry, but any priests appointed abbot, bishop or higher were forbidden to sleep with their wives on penalty of being unfrocked (er, yes, I do see the irony) and this remains the position in the Orthodox Church.
*Mark 1:29 and 1 Corinthians 9:5
What are the current odds on the Runcorn by-election?
Labour 5/2 (various)
100/1 bar
Captain Blackadder: No he wasn't.
Private Baldrick: He was too, sir. Cause whenever he was up in court and the judge asked "occupation", he'd say "none".
Why the media does this, and why it is so prevalent on social media, are interesting questions.
Can you imagine the level of national humiliation we would have witnessed as the Clown King performed his comic turn had the Queen not held out for those extra days? The Queen (and the other Liz) executed their duties admirably.
(Apropos of nothing, I remeber EL Salvador from being a kid, when they had the HUGEST stamp in my album.)
Slashed her wrists, bored with life
Didn't succeed, thank the Lord
For small mercies
Fighting back the tears, mother reads the note again
Sixteen candles burn in her mind
She takes the blame, it's always the same
She goes down on her knees and prays
I don't want to start any blasphemous rumours
But I think that God's got a sick sense of humour
And when I die, I expect to find him laughing
I don't want to start any blasphemous rumours
But I think that God's got a sick sense of humour
And when I die, I expect to find him laughing
Girl of eighteen, fell in love with everything
Found new life in Jesus Christ
Hit by a car, ended up
On a life support machine
Summer's day as she passed away
Birds were singing in the summer sky
Then came the rain and once again
A tear fell from her mother's eye
I don't want to start any blasphemous rumours
But I think that God's got a sick sense of humour
And when I die, I expect to find him laughing
I don't want to start any blasphemous rumours
But I think that God's got a sick sense of humour
And when I die, I expect to find him laughing
Cain slew Abel, Seth knew not why
For if the children of Israel were supposed to multiply
Why must any of the children die?
So he asked the Lord, and the Lord said:
"Man means nothing, he means less to Me
Than the lowliest cactus flower or humblest yucca tree
Chases round this desert 'cause he thinks that's where I'll be
That's why I love mankind...
LPC 41 (-2)
CPC 41 (+2)
NDP 6 (-)
BQ 6 (-)
Poilievres big deal over bringing back plastic straws looks tone deaf given the really big issues facing Canada .
Could go either way. It's a sprint weekend which means 1 hour of practice. Not long to decide whether to run them. But if they work, more points on the table.
He hasn’t released his costed plan but instead is droning on about plastic straws .
Just bonkers.
This has to be one of the craziest admissions from A JUDGE that I've ever seen in a court transcript. What the hell are we doing here?!
https://x.com/SashaGusevPosts/status/1914125716943159324
As for Ash Regan defecting to Reform? Stranger things have happened, but not very often.
Brilliant.
https://theintercept.com/2025/04/17/international-student-visas-deport-dhs-ice/
That’s where we are in our tariff negotiations.
https://x.com/cturnbull1968/status/1913970680904745379
Reform are doing well in Scotland despite Farage not because of him. Richard Tice is even more hated. There will be no deal with Reform and either Labour or the SNP following the election. Scotland is tribal and it would be more likely to see the UDP support Sinn Fein. The sooner Farage shuts up the better for Reform.
The polls suggest the SNP have stabilised at 30% but recent by elections suggest their vote base is not motivated. Reform activists seem very energised but are small in number. I rejoined the Scottish conservative party a few weeks ago. I am one of just 7,000 members. That is one MSP per 230 members. In comparison the SNP has 1 MSP per 1200 members. Reform has about 6,000 members in Scotland.
Reform has a potential to strip away some of the young male vote from the SNP. This trend has been seen elsewhere in Europe. Otherwise they will take Labour votes mostly. The Tory vote depends entirely on the Tory party becoming real conservatives again and appealing to small business owners, farmers etc. It is almost inevitable we will be left with a highly divided Scotland at the end with no clear winner. In reality no one deserves to win.
My prediction is that Reform will end up closer to the Tories than any other party. Together they will make a block of about 30% of the chamber. SNP will have around 40% with the Greens and the Lab with Lib Dems will have around 30%.
Zoë Grünewald @zoegrunewald.bsky.social
·
44m
Proper "I'm on live TV" moment this morning when I was talking about how well the pope looked and sounded yesterday only for the presenter to interrupt us to announce that the pope, had in fact, just died
Think of the modern scandals. Then imagine the same people at a time when the church had its own courts and members of the church had complete immunity to lay courts.
Then consider the violent attitudes of many of the reformers towards the Church.
All adds up, doesn’t it?
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Opinion_polling_for_the_2025_Canadian_federal_election
“It will be really tough for us, but we respect Trump’s strength, so we will only charge the lower sales tax rate on US soybeans from now on.” (Food is already charged at the lower rate.)
Suspect the Greens will sit it out after the numerous "betrayals" enacted by the SNP, plus the presence of wee free Kate Forbes in the administration.
Can happen anywhere and at any time, you know, although with the Pope and God and predestination an' all, you would have thought he (and He) would have been well prepared.
Just as with Ukraine.
He's so used to getting his own way during a lifetime of being an asshole, that I think he's genuinely unable to grasp the concept of negotiation.
That's what's driving members of a western alliance that's lasted three quarters of a
century to confront the unpalatable choices ahead of them.
China is a deeply unappealing partner - but trading nations can ignore nether them nor the US. And it's getting to the point where it might be easier for not a few nations to work out deals with China that are in their own interest.
That's how disastrous Trump is.
Trouble for Trump is he either fills his trade negotiation team with seasoned trade hacks, who will understand the nuances and process but won’t have a clue what Trump himself wants, or staffs it with his own acolytes who will have a strong ideological understanding of what he wants but no idea how the process works.
a) Liberals largest party
b) Liberals + NDP does not make a majority
c) Conservatives and BQ will be a majority
That'll be a bit of a constitutional problem as the Governor-General has never called on the leader of the 2nd largest party to become Prime Minister (1925 was an attempt of the incumbent to carry on after losing the election).
When the end comes it can be very quick though, in terms of the final decline. I recall the case a relative who had been in and out of hospital in the months before his death, but who was happily walking round the house, cooking his meals and going for short walks 24 hours before he passed. Taken ill in the night, gone by the morning. It feels very odd, because we expect natural death to be this exceptionally slow and laboured process, but the body just lets go sometimes.
https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/articles/c793rzx3l7vo
That, and the coke.