Howdy, Stranger!

It looks like you're new here. Sign in or register to get started.

London 2028 and beyond – politicalbetting.com

12346

Comments

  • wooliedyedwooliedyed Posts: 11,035
    Yusuf might already be in a Tory safe house singing like a bird!
    He was a Tory party member till last summer.......
  • tlg86tlg86 Posts: 26,666
    A friend has alerted me to this...

    https://x.com/nattyfried/status/1930671744865477103

    Nathaniel Fried
    @nattyfried
    I have a huge amount of respect for the work that the councils are doing to save tax payer money, and reduce wastage.

    @ZiaYusufUK
    got me in and I believe it is appropriate for me to leave with him.

    I have absolute confidence that the reform DOGE will succeed without me.


    He thought it was very odd that he was involved with this stuff to begin with.
  • eekeek Posts: 30,224
    FF43 said:

    Scott_xP said:

    So, just how badly is the Mad King going to shaft his ex best bud now?

    300% tariffs on all EVs from any manufacturer whose name starts with a T?

    All SpaceX contracts transferred to Boeing?

    Starlink illegal in all 50 states?

    Maybe just deport him to South Africa...

    What Musk did at Doge was highly illegal and he doesn't have the protection of office. On the other hand he's rich enough to pay for any number of lawyers.
    What if he was renditioned to a El Salvador prison?
  • rottenboroughrottenborough Posts: 66,135

    Leon said:

    I fear this is a credible scenario.

    "We could end up with the axis powers — Russia and China, supported potentially by Iran and North Korea — collaborating to create a war on two fronts.

    “It would start with a large-scale confrontation in the Indo-Pacific, like a Chinese invasion of Taiwan, which draws off what remains of US forces in Europe. An opportunistic Russia would then move against some part of a Nato territory where they know they can actually win by achieving local dominance, like the Baltics or somewhere in the high north like Svalbard."



    https://www.thetimes.com/uk/defence/article/military-chiefs-double-war-china-russia-l3bc5crgt

    Horribly plausible
    If Starmer had any leadership skills and vision he'd stand up in the Commons tomorrow, make an impassioned speech about how our way of life and the ongoing meaningful existence of our country is now under threat like never before and say he's going to immediately add 2p to income tax at all levels and our defence spending to 3.5% of GDP. A sacrifice, and a very hard one at this time, but essential to secure our freedom.

    There is not a moment to waste.
    Totally agree on the latter. Whether income tax is the right vehicle is another question.
  • Sunil_PrasannanSunil_Prasannan Posts: 54,412
    Leon said:


    Leon said:

    I fear this is a credible scenario.

    "We could end up with the axis powers — Russia and China, supported potentially by Iran and North Korea — collaborating to create a war on two fronts.

    “It would start with a large-scale confrontation in the Indo-Pacific, like a Chinese invasion of Taiwan, which draws off what remains of US forces in Europe. An opportunistic Russia would then move against some part of a Nato territory where they know they can actually win by achieving local dominance, like the Baltics or somewhere in the high north like Svalbard."



    https://www.thetimes.com/uk/defence/article/military-chiefs-double-war-china-russia-l3bc5crgt

    Horribly plausible
    Lucky we are so well prepared for it.
    Something like this is, sadly, more likely than not

    Why? Because various advances in tech mean that very shortly one power is going to achieve total full spectrum, all domain dominance over the other. It is likely to be the USA, but there is a pretty good chance it will be China

    Whichever power fears being crushed will move first. If China is that fearful power - again, likely - a move against Taiwan is not only desirable but obvious to the point of necessity, as it will stall or halt western tech progress (all those chipmakers)

    If China does this then it will surely do it in concert with Russia, as described, so as to distract the West and dilute its response

    On the whole, I think that calls for a

    BRACE
    I would like to have seen Montana...
  • Jim_MillerJim_Miller Posts: 3,323
    Some years ago, I observed that those who followed the Loser risked losing their money, their health, or even their freedom. Musk is smart enough so that he should have been able to come to the same conclusion.
  • JosiasJessopJosiasJessop Posts: 45,694

    Leon said:

    I fear this is a credible scenario.

    "We could end up with the axis powers — Russia and China, supported potentially by Iran and North Korea — collaborating to create a war on two fronts.

    “It would start with a large-scale confrontation in the Indo-Pacific, like a Chinese invasion of Taiwan, which draws off what remains of US forces in Europe. An opportunistic Russia would then move against some part of a Nato territory where they know they can actually win by achieving local dominance, like the Baltics or somewhere in the high north like Svalbard."



    https://www.thetimes.com/uk/defence/article/military-chiefs-double-war-china-russia-l3bc5crgt

    Horribly plausible
    If Starmer had any leadership skills and vision he'd stand up in the Commons tomorrow, make an impassioned speech about how our way of life and the ongoing meaningful existence of our country is now under threat like never before and say he's going to immediately add 2p to income tax at all levels and our defence spending to 3.5% of GDP. A sacrifice, and a very hard one at this time, but essential to secure our freedom.

    There is not a moment to waste.
    It would be interesting to see who would vote against it, and their reasons.

    But I'd also like to see it ringfenced for ' defence' (ha!)
  • LeonLeon Posts: 61,561

    Leon said:

    I fear this is a credible scenario.

    "We could end up with the axis powers — Russia and China, supported potentially by Iran and North Korea — collaborating to create a war on two fronts.

    “It would start with a large-scale confrontation in the Indo-Pacific, like a Chinese invasion of Taiwan, which draws off what remains of US forces in Europe. An opportunistic Russia would then move against some part of a Nato territory where they know they can actually win by achieving local dominance, like the Baltics or somewhere in the high north like Svalbard."



    https://www.thetimes.com/uk/defence/article/military-chiefs-double-war-china-russia-l3bc5crgt

    Horribly plausible
    If Starmer had any leadership skills and vision he'd stand up in the Commons tomorrow, make an impassioned speech about how our way of life and the ongoing meaningful existence of our country is now under threat like never before and say he's going to immediately add 2p to income tax at all levels and our defence spending to 3.5% of GDP. A sacrifice, and a very hard one at this time, but essential to secure our freedom.

    There is not a moment to waste.
    Yes, I agree, indeed put it up by more and pump the extra into “tech”

    And of course it would also be the perfect excuse to suspend asylum, pause most immigration, all those things that would be massively popular AND sensible - “this is a moment of maximum emergency”

    So he’d fix his tax and migration problem, in one go, while pleasing America and the voters, and suddenly Labour are back in the 30s as he looks decisive and patriotic - genuinely leading Europe instead of cowering and giving away all our fishing for 300 years

    However, this is Sir Keir Traitor, so he won’t do any of this, he will continue his attempts to give the Chagos Islands to China along with eleventy trillion quid
  • FF43FF43 Posts: 18,091
    Taz said:

    Farage with a glowing tribute to Zia Yususf.

    I didn’t expect that.

    https://x.com/nigel_farage/status/1930666040062525622?s=61

    Farage thinks he was a good Yusuf in his time?
  • BattlebusBattlebus Posts: 897

    So what happens to DOGE-UK now?

    Just keep ordering the popcorn and wait. The odd chuckle now and then is allowed.
  • IanB2IanB2 Posts: 51,640
    edited June 5

    Dopermean said:

    Scott_xP said:

    @ZiaYusufUK
    11 months ago I became Chairman of Reform. I’ve worked full time as a volunteer to take the party from 14 to 30%, quadrupled its membership and delivered historic electoral results.

    I no longer believe working to get a Reform government elected is a good use of my time, and hereby resign the office.

    Over the burqa row?
    Could be. Maybe Nigel communicated that Reform were going to go with it, but no one else was even consulted.
    (((Dan Hodges)))
    @DPJHodges
    ·
    5m
    Suspect there’s a lot more to be revealed about this. But in the short term it will be seen as a victory for those demanding Reform adopts more extreme positions.
    One of the tensions within Reform currently is the extent to which they should welcome joiners from the Tory party, where those people have been active members or elected officials. Inevitably, those who joined earlier and took the gamble of the new party not getting anywhere look with some scepticism on those Tories now considering jumping ship merely because their own ship is sinking and they want to save their career.

    It’s an issue that affected the SDP during its heyday, with a fair few Labour defectors appearing to be more interested in their career than the principles of the new party and its alliance with the Liberals. Once Blair came along and restored Labour’s fortunes, a lot of those people slunk straight back, and now and again you find one of them in the Lords or with some other Labour sinecure. Higher profile defectors seem like good news and everyone enjoys the day of the announcement; thereafter they can often prove to bring with them a whole lot of trouble.
  • RogerRoger Posts: 20,631

    Taz said:

    Farage with a glowing tribute to Zia Yususf.

    I didn’t expect that.

    https://x.com/nigel_farage/status/1930666040062525622?s=61

    Whatever else he is, Nigel is a pro at this sort of thing.

    And "dispose of X, then praise X" is standard divide-and-rule office politics. If this is a victory for the racist wing of Reform, it must be made clear to than that they haven't really won.
    The sinking ship is leaving the rats
  • Luckyguy1983Luckyguy1983 Posts: 31,573

    Yusuf might already be in a Tory safe house singing like a bird!
    He was a Tory party member till last summer.......

    Oh dear! Clearly it's all been kicking off at Reform Towers whilst I've been too busy to look at PB!

    I have always been very impressed with Zia Yusuf - with a couple of exceptions, the Rupert Lowe episode (not saying Lowe was entirely in the right either) being the main one.

    He interviews really well, and seemed to bave real ambitions for Reform and the country. Wonder what happened - it's not like he wasn't backed to the hilt over Lowe...
  • RogerRoger Posts: 20,631

    Get the popcorn out lads and lasses, I don't see Yusuf as a goes quietly type

    Pity he didn't wait till Jenrick had joined then he could have got rid of all the nasties in one go
  • Casino_RoyaleCasino_Royale Posts: 63,506

    Leon said:

    I fear this is a credible scenario.

    "We could end up with the axis powers — Russia and China, supported potentially by Iran and North Korea — collaborating to create a war on two fronts.

    “It would start with a large-scale confrontation in the Indo-Pacific, like a Chinese invasion of Taiwan, which draws off what remains of US forces in Europe. An opportunistic Russia would then move against some part of a Nato territory where they know they can actually win by achieving local dominance, like the Baltics or somewhere in the high north like Svalbard."



    https://www.thetimes.com/uk/defence/article/military-chiefs-double-war-china-russia-l3bc5crgt

    Horribly plausible
    If Starmer had any leadership skills and vision he'd stand up in the Commons tomorrow, make an impassioned speech about how our way of life and the ongoing meaningful existence of our country is now under threat like never before and say he's going to immediately add 2p to income tax at all levels and our defence spending to 3.5% of GDP. A sacrifice, and a very hard one at this time, but essential to secure our freedom.

    There is not a moment to waste.
    Totally agree on the latter. Whether income tax is the right vehicle is another question.
    It's the quickest and most effective way of raising revenue.

    It will hurt us all, mind. Still think we've got to do it.

    We can't risk everything.
  • HYUFDHYUFD Posts: 127,936

    Yusuf might already be in a Tory safe house singing like a bird!
    He was a Tory party member till last summer.......

    Oh dear! Clearly it's all been kicking off at Reform Towers whilst I've been too busy to look at PB!

    I have always been very impressed with Zia Yusuf - with a couple of exceptions, the Rupert Lowe episode (not saying Lowe was entirely in the right either) being the main one.

    He interviews really well, and seemed to bave real ambitions for Reform and the country. Wonder what happened - it's not like he wasn't backed to the hilt over Lowe...
    Yusuf resigned after a Reform MP called for the burka to be banned.

    Clearly he could see Reform was moving in a more white nationalist direction and didn't like it
  • Andy_JSAndy_JS Posts: 35,387
    "Suella Braverman
    Women should not be veiling their faces in Western society
    Even the ECHR agrees that burqas are not compatible with Western culture and can be banned"

    https://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/2025/06/05/burqa-inconsistent-with-integration-islam-culture-uk-west/
  • HYUFDHYUFD Posts: 127,936
    Andy_JS said:

    "Suella Braverman
    Women should not be veiling their faces in Western society
    Even the ECHR agrees that burqas are not compatible with Western culture and can be banned"

    https://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/2025/06/05/burqa-inconsistent-with-integration-islam-culture-uk-west/

    Suella to Reform, Yusuf to the Tories?
  • TheuniondivvieTheuniondivvie Posts: 43,805
    edited June 5

    Scott_xP said:

    @ZiaYusufUK
    11 months ago I became Chairman of Reform. I’ve worked full time as a volunteer to take the party from 14 to 30%, quadrupled its membership and delivered historic electoral results.

    I no longer believe working to get a Reform government elected is a good use of my time, and hereby resign the office.

    Lmao, feedback from Hamilton must be stunning
    To be generous he might have had a spasm of principle over Farage’s racist dog whistling in Hamilton.
  • NigelbNigelb Posts: 77,986
    Scott_xP said:

    @atrupar.com‬

    DEAN: What's the tariff on bananas?

    LUTNICK: Generally 10%

    DEAN: Walmart has already increased the cost of bananas by 8%

    LUTNICK: If you build in America, there is no tariff

    DEAN: We cannot build bananas in America

    https://bsky.app/profile/atrupar.com/post/3lqurvhnffc2v

    Trump is doing his best to demonstrate you totally can do bananas in America.

  • 9-0 rulings in US Supreme Court, especially when overturning lower courts, are quite rare. It shows how extreme the DEI agenda in the US had got. No wonder Trump won.

    https://apnews.com/article/supreme-court-discrimination-lawsuit-ohio-205f07a2d47d7a46cfc96a5fefdf9269
  • EabhalEabhal Posts: 10,883
    Hamilton must be looking bad for Reform ;)

    (Imagine if they actually managed to win it after all this)
  • FairlieredFairliered Posts: 5,806
    HYUFD said:

    Andy_JS said:

    "Suella Braverman
    Women should not be veiling their faces in Western society
    Even the ECHR agrees that burqas are not compatible with Western culture and can be banned"

    https://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/2025/06/05/burqa-inconsistent-with-integration-islam-culture-uk-west/

    Suella to Reform, Yusuf to the Tories?
    Seems a good deal.



    For the Tories.
  • HYUFDHYUFD Posts: 127,936
    edited June 5
    Eabhal said:

    Hamilton must be looking bad for Reform ;)

    (Imagine if they actually managed to win it after all this)

    On C4 news the other day they had a Hamilton man who had switched from Labour and voted Reform as the Labour leader was 'for the Pakistani community' apparently. So I am not sure if today's news will damage Reform much, with certain segments of the white working class in Hamilton it might even boost their vote sadly
  • turbotubbsturbotubbs Posts: 19,066
    Leon said:

    I fear this is a credible scenario.

    "We could end up with the axis powers — Russia and China, supported potentially by Iran and North Korea — collaborating to create a war on two fronts.

    “It would start with a large-scale confrontation in the Indo-Pacific, like a Chinese invasion of Taiwan, which draws off what remains of US forces in Europe. An opportunistic Russia would then move against some part of a Nato territory where they know they can actually win by achieving local dominance, like the Baltics or somewhere in the high north like Svalbard."



    https://www.thetimes.com/uk/defence/article/military-chiefs-double-war-china-russia-l3bc5crgt

    Horribly plausible
    Is it? The same Russia that is three years into a three day war against just one country? This is not the Warsaw Pact of hundreds of armoured divisions to dread.
  • Casino_RoyaleCasino_Royale Posts: 63,506
    I doubt Reform will take Hamilton but it could be close.

    10/1 was still a great value bet.
  • Casino_RoyaleCasino_Royale Posts: 63,506
    The public transport from Heathrow to the South and South West is monumentally shite.

    A bus to Woking and Guildford every 30 minutes, if you're lucky, that can take up to one hour and a half just to get to Woking. I'm one of the mugs on it with 9 other desperate people because I don't have a car today.

    How on earth is this acceptable?
  • Sunil_PrasannanSunil_Prasannan Posts: 54,412

    The public transport from Heathrow to the South and South West is monumentally shite.

    A bus to Woking and Guildford every 30 minutes, if you're lucky, that can take up to one hour and a half just to get to Woking. I'm one of the mugs on it with 9 other desperate people because I don't have a car today.

    How on earth is this acceptable?

    Isn't there a bus to Feltham?
  • JosiasJessopJosiasJessop Posts: 45,694

    Leon said:

    I fear this is a credible scenario.

    "We could end up with the axis powers — Russia and China, supported potentially by Iran and North Korea — collaborating to create a war on two fronts.

    “It would start with a large-scale confrontation in the Indo-Pacific, like a Chinese invasion of Taiwan, which draws off what remains of US forces in Europe. An opportunistic Russia would then move against some part of a Nato territory where they know they can actually win by achieving local dominance, like the Baltics or somewhere in the high north like Svalbard."



    https://www.thetimes.com/uk/defence/article/military-chiefs-double-war-china-russia-l3bc5crgt

    Horribly plausible
    Is it? The same Russia that is three years into a three day war against just one country? This is not the Warsaw Pact of hundreds of armoured divisions to dread.
    The same Russia that has no problem with throwing hundreds of thousands of its men into a meatgrinder on such exotic weapons as motorbikes, bicycles and even mules? Yes, the same. Estonia has only 1.4 million people; Latvia 1.9 million. Ukraine had 37 million. Russia, even in its weakened state, could roll over some of those small Baltic countries with relative ease - if Putin does not mind losing many, many of his own men. And Putin evidently does not mind.

    I doubt he would whilst Ukraine is still ongoing. But don't underestimate his willingness to kill his own people for his own vision of Russia's future stronkiness.
  • tlg86tlg86 Posts: 26,666

    The public transport from Heathrow to the South and South West is monumentally shite.

    A bus to Woking and Guildford every 30 minutes, if you're lucky, that can take up to one hour and a half just to get to Woking. I'm one of the mugs on it with 9 other desperate people because I don't have a car today.

    How on earth is this acceptable?

    A new project for you to manage...

    https://heathrowrail.com/
  • LeonLeon Posts: 61,561

    Leon said:


    Leon said:

    I fear this is a credible scenario.

    "We could end up with the axis powers — Russia and China, supported potentially by Iran and North Korea — collaborating to create a war on two fronts.

    “It would start with a large-scale confrontation in the Indo-Pacific, like a Chinese invasion of Taiwan, which draws off what remains of US forces in Europe. An opportunistic Russia would then move against some part of a Nato territory where they know they can actually win by achieving local dominance, like the Baltics or somewhere in the high north like Svalbard."



    https://www.thetimes.com/uk/defence/article/military-chiefs-double-war-china-russia-l3bc5crgt

    Horribly plausible
    Lucky we are so well prepared for it.
    Something like this is, sadly, more likely than not

    Why? Because various advances in tech mean that very shortly one power is going to achieve total full spectrum, all domain dominance over the other. It is likely to be the USA, but there is a pretty good chance it will be China

    Whichever power fears being crushed will move first. If China is that fearful power - again, likely - a move against Taiwan is not only desirable but obvious to the point of necessity, as it will stall or halt western tech progress (all those chipmakers)

    If China does this then it will surely do it in concert with Russia, as described, so as to distract the West and dilute its response

    On the whole, I think that calls for a

    BRACE
    I would like to have seen Montana...
    Yeah, me too

    If we are all gonna cop it, I have a few regrets, then again too few to mention, OK I’ll mention them


    1. Never experienced zero gravity. Let alone zero gravity sex

    2. Er

    3. More time with kids etc

    4. Should have had more sex. I had a lot, but even more would have been great. At least I had more than Sir John Betjeman

    5. I would like to have seen Wyoming
  • maxhmaxh Posts: 1,647
    edited June 5

    Leon said:

    I fear this is a credible scenario.

    "We could end up with the axis powers — Russia and China, supported potentially by Iran and North Korea — collaborating to create a war on two fronts.

    “It would start with a large-scale confrontation in the Indo-Pacific, like a Chinese invasion of Taiwan, which draws off what remains of US forces in Europe. An opportunistic Russia would then move against some part of a Nato territory where they know they can actually win by achieving local dominance, like the Baltics or somewhere in the high north like Svalbard."



    https://www.thetimes.com/uk/defence/article/military-chiefs-double-war-china-russia-l3bc5crgt

    Horribly plausible
    If Starmer had any leadership skills and vision he'd stand up in the Commons tomorrow, make an impassioned speech about how our way of life and the ongoing meaningful existence of our country is now under threat like never before and say he's going to immediately add 2p to income tax at all levels and our defence spending to 3.5% of GDP. A sacrifice, and a very hard one at this time, but essential to secure our freedom.

    There is not a moment to waste.
    Better would be a joint statement to that effect from Starmer, Badenoch and Farage. Put the politics to one side for a minute.

    At a stroke it would take the political risk out of it, make it a much more credible deterrent for Russia et al, and show us plebs that politicians can be grown ups at times.
  • Casino_RoyaleCasino_Royale Posts: 63,506
    tlg86 said:

    The public transport from Heathrow to the South and South West is monumentally shite.

    A bus to Woking and Guildford every 30 minutes, if you're lucky, that can take up to one hour and a half just to get to Woking. I'm one of the mugs on it with 9 other desperate people because I don't have a car today.

    How on earth is this acceptable?

    A new project for you to manage...

    https://heathrowrail.com/
    That is very sorely needed.
  • LeonLeon Posts: 61,561

    The public transport from Heathrow to the South and South West is monumentally shite.

    A bus to Woking and Guildford every 30 minutes, if you're lucky, that can take up to one hour and a half just to get to Woking. I'm one of the mugs on it with 9 other desperate people because I don't have a car today.

    How on earth is this acceptable?

    Just get the Liz Line or HRXPRSS to Paddo and then go by rail?! Surely?
  • MattWMattW Posts: 27,631

    I see that Reform are doubling down on 'ban the burqa'/'don't be allowed to conceal face in public' nonsense.

    Curious if they'd propose the banning of motorcycle helmets then?

    The burqa is a horrid, misogynistic garment but we shouldn't ban that which we dislike, and its not illegal to wear a balaclava or motorcycle helmet or otherwise conceal the face in most public situations.

    I was surprised Agent Anderson my MP jumped on this.

    To frame a ban about the burqa purely about 'knowing who people are' and security does not really hold unless you address all face coverings - balaclavas -big thing for ASB youths, motorcycle helmets as you say, costumes worn by football mascots, and the rest.
  • maxhmaxh Posts: 1,647
    Leon said:

    Leon said:


    Leon said:

    I fear this is a credible scenario.

    "We could end up with the axis powers — Russia and China, supported potentially by Iran and North Korea — collaborating to create a war on two fronts.

    “It would start with a large-scale confrontation in the Indo-Pacific, like a Chinese invasion of Taiwan, which draws off what remains of US forces in Europe. An opportunistic Russia would then move against some part of a Nato territory where they know they can actually win by achieving local dominance, like the Baltics or somewhere in the high north like Svalbard."



    https://www.thetimes.com/uk/defence/article/military-chiefs-double-war-china-russia-l3bc5crgt

    Horribly plausible
    Lucky we are so well prepared for it.
    Something like this is, sadly, more likely than not

    Why? Because various advances in tech mean that very shortly one power is going to achieve total full spectrum, all domain dominance over the other. It is likely to be the USA, but there is a pretty good chance it will be China

    Whichever power fears being crushed will move first. If China is that fearful power - again, likely - a move against Taiwan is not only desirable but obvious to the point of necessity, as it will stall or halt western tech progress (all those chipmakers)

    If China does this then it will surely do it in concert with Russia, as described, so as to distract the West and dilute its response

    On the whole, I think that calls for a

    BRACE
    I would like to have seen Montana...
    Yeah, me too

    If we are all gonna cop it, I have a few regrets, then again too few to mention, OK I’ll mention them


    1. Never experienced zero gravity. Let alone zero gravity sex

    2. Er

    3. More time with kids etc

    4. Should have had more sex. I had a lot, but even more would have been great. At least I had more than Sir John Betjeman

    5. I would like to have seen Wyoming
    Meh, you'd have said the same (BRACE) as the Soviet Union was collapsing. That turned out okay for a bit.

    I suspect we'll be fine. The odds aren't quite as nailed on as I'd like them to be, though.
  • Andy_JSAndy_JS Posts: 35,387
    The Taiwan / Baltics thing has been obvious for about 10 or 15 years. The West has had plenty of time to prepare for it.
  • NigelbNigelb Posts: 77,986

    Leon said:

    I fear this is a credible scenario.

    "We could end up with the axis powers — Russia and China, supported potentially by Iran and North Korea — collaborating to create a war on two fronts.

    “It would start with a large-scale confrontation in the Indo-Pacific, like a Chinese invasion of Taiwan, which draws off what remains of US forces in Europe. An opportunistic Russia would then move against some part of a Nato territory where they know they can actually win by achieving local dominance, like the Baltics or somewhere in the high north like Svalbard."



    https://www.thetimes.com/uk/defence/article/military-chiefs-double-war-china-russia-l3bc5crgt

    Horribly plausible
    Is it? The same Russia that is three years into a three day war against just one country? This is not the Warsaw Pact of hundreds of armoured divisions to dread.
    It's a scenario.
    Not completely impossible, of course, but the military love their worst case events. Drives funding.
  • eekeek Posts: 30,224

    The public transport from Heathrow to the South and South West is monumentally shite.

    A bus to Woking and Guildford every 30 minutes, if you're lucky, that can take up to one hour and a half just to get to Woking. I'm one of the mugs on it with 9 other desperate people because I don't have a car today.

    How on earth is this acceptable?

    Does Heathrow have any public transport that doesn’t force you back into London first?
  • Casino_RoyaleCasino_Royale Posts: 63,506
    Leon said:

    The public transport from Heathrow to the South and South West is monumentally shite.

    A bus to Woking and Guildford every 30 minutes, if you're lucky, that can take up to one hour and a half just to get to Woking. I'm one of the mugs on it with 9 other desperate people because I don't have a car today.

    How on earth is this acceptable?

    Just get the Liz Line or HRXPRSS to Paddo and then go by rail?! Surely?
    My line comes out of Waterloo, so I'd have to go all the way back into central London and out again.

    However, as is becoming clear, that would have been quicker than these bus wankers.
  • wooliedyedwooliedyed Posts: 11,035
    edited June 5
    I think the way things are shaping up with Reform there stand to be some epic LD vs Con fights in the Home Counties and Golden Arch, I can't see Ban the Burqa/No Yusuf Reform being anything more than a minor player there. Tories probably need to go very very hard on a Blue Wall and London strategy for 2029 whilst holding on to as many 'rurals' as they can. LDs look to hold on to as much as possible and make any progress available in response.
    Let Lab and Ref slug it out in the Red Wall and Wales etc
  • numbertwelvenumbertwelve Posts: 7,498
    A timely reminder today, I think, that Farage is not very good at keeping friends.

    He may still succeed in spite of all these things. I doubt the developments today will do more than cause a tiny wobble in support (if that). But he has 4 years to go, and a lot of enemies he can make.
  • rottenboroughrottenborough Posts: 66,135
    Arthur Delaney 🇺🇸
    @ArthurDelaneyHP
    ·
    6m
    Trump has played this well. He used Elon as a rocket booster, won office, and is now discarding him like a rocket booster, and the only question is if Elon will gently descend or explode
  • LeonLeon Posts: 61,561

    Leon said:

    The public transport from Heathrow to the South and South West is monumentally shite.

    A bus to Woking and Guildford every 30 minutes, if you're lucky, that can take up to one hour and a half just to get to Woking. I'm one of the mugs on it with 9 other desperate people because I don't have a car today.

    How on earth is this acceptable?

    Just get the Liz Line or HRXPRSS to Paddo and then go by rail?! Surely?
    My line comes out of Waterloo, so I'd have to go all the way back into central London and out again.

    However, as is becoming clear, that would have been quicker than these bus wankers.
    Going anywhere but London out of LHR on public transport has always been a nightmare. However the Liz Line does make that option cheap and quick, then you go to your preferred station
  • JohnLilburneJohnLilburne Posts: 6,745
    Leon said:

    Leon said:

    The public transport from Heathrow to the South and South West is monumentally shite.

    A bus to Woking and Guildford every 30 minutes, if you're lucky, that can take up to one hour and a half just to get to Woking. I'm one of the mugs on it with 9 other desperate people because I don't have a car today.

    How on earth is this acceptable?

    Just get the Liz Line or HRXPRSS to Paddo and then go by rail?! Surely?
    My line comes out of Waterloo, so I'd have to go all the way back into central London and out again.

    However, as is becoming clear, that would have been quicker than these bus wankers.
    Going anywhere but London out of LHR on public transport has always been a nightmare. However the Liz Line does make that option cheap and quick, then you go to your preferred station
    You can now get a bus to Basingstoke via Bagshot, Camberley and Frimley
  • LeonLeon Posts: 61,561
    maxh said:

    Leon said:

    Leon said:


    Leon said:

    I fear this is a credible scenario.

    "We could end up with the axis powers — Russia and China, supported potentially by Iran and North Korea — collaborating to create a war on two fronts.

    “It would start with a large-scale confrontation in the Indo-Pacific, like a Chinese invasion of Taiwan, which draws off what remains of US forces in Europe. An opportunistic Russia would then move against some part of a Nato territory where they know they can actually win by achieving local dominance, like the Baltics or somewhere in the high north like Svalbard."



    https://www.thetimes.com/uk/defence/article/military-chiefs-double-war-china-russia-l3bc5crgt

    Horribly plausible
    Lucky we are so well prepared for it.
    Something like this is, sadly, more likely than not

    Why? Because various advances in tech mean that very shortly one power is going to achieve total full spectrum, all domain dominance over the other. It is likely to be the USA, but there is a pretty good chance it will be China

    Whichever power fears being crushed will move first. If China is that fearful power - again, likely - a move against Taiwan is not only desirable but obvious to the point of necessity, as it will stall or halt western tech progress (all those chipmakers)

    If China does this then it will surely do it in concert with Russia, as described, so as to distract the West and dilute its response

    On the whole, I think that calls for a

    BRACE
    I would like to have seen Montana...
    Yeah, me too

    If we are all gonna cop it, I have a few regrets, then again too few to mention, OK I’ll mention them


    1. Never experienced zero gravity. Let alone zero gravity sex

    2. Er

    3. More time with kids etc

    4. Should have had more sex. I had a lot, but even more would have been great. At least I had more than Sir John Betjeman

    5. I would like to have seen Wyoming
    Meh, you'd have said the same (BRACE) as the Soviet Union was collapsing. That turned out okay for a bit.

    I suspect we'll be fine. The odds aren't quite as nailed on as I'd like them to be, though.
    The coming years are way more dangerous than the breakup of the USSR

    Indeed they are almost certainly the most dangerous we have ever faced, as a species
  • GallowgateGallowgate Posts: 20,482
    edited June 5
    Nigelb said:

    Leon said:

    I fear this is a credible scenario.

    "We could end up with the axis powers — Russia and China, supported potentially by Iran and North Korea — collaborating to create a war on two fronts.

    “It would start with a large-scale confrontation in the Indo-Pacific, like a Chinese invasion of Taiwan, which draws off what remains of US forces in Europe. An opportunistic Russia would then move against some part of a Nato territory where they know they can actually win by achieving local dominance, like the Baltics or somewhere in the high north like Svalbard."



    https://www.thetimes.com/uk/defence/article/military-chiefs-double-war-china-russia-l3bc5crgt

    Horribly plausible
    Is it? The same Russia that is three years into a three day war against just one country? This is not the Warsaw Pact of hundreds of armoured divisions to dread.
    It's a scenario.
    Not completely impossible, of course, but the military love their worst case events. Drives funding.
    If Europe can’t defend Europe from Russia without the US then we deserve it. Good grief. It wouldn’t be a two-front war for us
  • wooliedyedwooliedyed Posts: 11,035
    Farage, Tice, Jenkyns have posted their thanks to Yusuf. Nothing from the others I can see
  • Casino_RoyaleCasino_Royale Posts: 63,506
    Leon said:

    Leon said:

    The public transport from Heathrow to the South and South West is monumentally shite.

    A bus to Woking and Guildford every 30 minutes, if you're lucky, that can take up to one hour and a half just to get to Woking. I'm one of the mugs on it with 9 other desperate people because I don't have a car today.

    How on earth is this acceptable?

    Just get the Liz Line or HRXPRSS to Paddo and then go by rail?! Surely?
    My line comes out of Waterloo, so I'd have to go all the way back into central London and out again.

    However, as is becoming clear, that would have been quicker than these bus wankers.
    Going anywhere but London out of LHR on public transport has always been a nightmare. However the Liz Line does make that option cheap and quick, then you go to your preferred station
    Well, I worked hard on it.
  • Big_G_NorthWalesBig_G_NorthWales Posts: 65,601
    Good evening

    I have been involved with our family tonight as one of our grandson's attended his last day at school before starting on a course at our local technical college

    I don't suppose anything has happened tonight, has it ?
  • NigelbNigelb Posts: 77,986
    Trump Appoints 22-Year-Old Ex-Gardener and Grocery Store Assistant to Lead U.S. Terror Prevention
    https://x.com/JuliaDavisNews/status/1930620651183673677
  • Sunil_PrasannanSunil_Prasannan Posts: 54,412

    tlg86 said:

    The public transport from Heathrow to the South and South West is monumentally shite.

    A bus to Woking and Guildford every 30 minutes, if you're lucky, that can take up to one hour and a half just to get to Woking. I'm one of the mugs on it with 9 other desperate people because I don't have a car today.

    How on earth is this acceptable?

    A new project for you to manage...

    https://heathrowrail.com/
    That is very sorely needed.
    T5 station has spare room for two more platforms, intended for a rail route heading west.
  • wooliedyedwooliedyed Posts: 11,035

    Farage, Tice, Jenkyns have posted their thanks to Yusuf. Nothing from the others I can see

    I say that and Pochin has just said he's been a good friend.

    Anderson has merely posted 'onwards and upwards'
  • LeonLeon Posts: 61,561

    Leon said:

    Leon said:

    The public transport from Heathrow to the South and South West is monumentally shite.

    A bus to Woking and Guildford every 30 minutes, if you're lucky, that can take up to one hour and a half just to get to Woking. I'm one of the mugs on it with 9 other desperate people because I don't have a car today.

    How on earth is this acceptable?

    Just get the Liz Line or HRXPRSS to Paddo and then go by rail?! Surely?
    My line comes out of Waterloo, so I'd have to go all the way back into central London and out again.

    However, as is becoming clear, that would have been quicker than these bus wankers.
    Going anywhere but London out of LHR on public transport has always been a nightmare. However the Liz Line does make that option cheap and quick, then you go to your preferred station
    Well, I worked hard on it.
    You did! And it's a noble thing

    You can sincerely be proud, you made the lives of a lot of people just that little bit better
  • Northern_AlNorthern_Al Posts: 8,866
    edited June 5

    HYUFD said:

    Yusuf might already be in a Tory safe house singing like a bird!
    He was a Tory party member till last summer.......

    Oh dear! Clearly it's all been kicking off at Reform Towers whilst I've been too busy to look at PB!

    I have always been very impressed with Zia Yusuf - with a couple of exceptions, the Rupert Lowe episode (not saying Lowe was entirely in the right either) being the main one.

    He interviews really well, and seemed to bave real ambitions for Reform and the country. Wonder what happened - it's not like he wasn't backed to the hilt over Lowe...
    Yusuf resigned after a Reform MP called for the burka to be banned.

    Clearly he could see Reform was moving in a more white nationalist direction and didn't like it
    If he didn't see Reform moving in a more white nationalist direction, then he's absolutely stupid.
    And, in particular, Yusuf seems to have been rather slow in recognising that a lot of Reform supporters really don't like Muslims, of which he is one.

    His parting statement, in particular "no longer a good use of my time", is subtly savage. No best wishes or hope for electoral success there. Looks like a serious rift to me, especially as I think he was primarily responsible for professionalising Reform and softening its edges.
  • Northern_AlNorthern_Al Posts: 8,866
    Leon said:

    Leon said:

    The public transport from Heathrow to the South and South West is monumentally shite.

    A bus to Woking and Guildford every 30 minutes, if you're lucky, that can take up to one hour and a half just to get to Woking. I'm one of the mugs on it with 9 other desperate people because I don't have a car today.

    How on earth is this acceptable?

    Just get the Liz Line or HRXPRSS to Paddo and then go by rail?! Surely?
    My line comes out of Waterloo, so I'd have to go all the way back into central London and out again.

    However, as is becoming clear, that would have been quicker than these bus wankers.
    Going anywhere but London out of LHR on public transport has always been a nightmare. However the Liz Line does make that option cheap and quick, then you go to your preferred station
    It's not every ex-PM that gets a rail line named after them.
  • Sunil_PrasannanSunil_Prasannan Posts: 54,412

    Leon said:

    Leon said:

    The public transport from Heathrow to the South and South West is monumentally shite.

    A bus to Woking and Guildford every 30 minutes, if you're lucky, that can take up to one hour and a half just to get to Woking. I'm one of the mugs on it with 9 other desperate people because I don't have a car today.

    How on earth is this acceptable?

    Just get the Liz Line or HRXPRSS to Paddo and then go by rail?! Surely?
    My line comes out of Waterloo, so I'd have to go all the way back into central London and out again.

    However, as is becoming clear, that would have been quicker than these bus wankers.
    Going anywhere but London out of LHR on public transport has always been a nightmare. However the Liz Line does make that option cheap and quick, then you go to your preferred station
    You can now get a bus to Basingstoke via Bagshot, Camberley and Frimley
    Basingstoke is doable by rail-only, though probably a bit slow on the slow side:

    Heathrow to Hayes & Harlington
    Hayes & Harlington to Reading (could change at Slough first for a faster train)
    Reading to Basingtoke
  • Andy_JSAndy_JS Posts: 35,387
    Basingstoke must be one of the biggest towns in the country I've never visited. Is there any reason to?
  • wooliedyedwooliedyed Posts: 11,035

    HYUFD said:

    Yusuf might already be in a Tory safe house singing like a bird!
    He was a Tory party member till last summer.......

    Oh dear! Clearly it's all been kicking off at Reform Towers whilst I've been too busy to look at PB!

    I have always been very impressed with Zia Yusuf - with a couple of exceptions, the Rupert Lowe episode (not saying Lowe was entirely in the right either) being the main one.

    He interviews really well, and seemed to bave real ambitions for Reform and the country. Wonder what happened - it's not like he wasn't backed to the hilt over Lowe...
    Yusuf resigned after a Reform MP called for the burka to be banned.

    Clearly he could see Reform was moving in a more white nationalist direction and didn't like it
    If he didn't see Reform moving in a more white nationalist direction, then he's absolutely stupid.
    And, in particular, Yusuf seems to have been rather slow in recognising that a lot of Reform supporters really don't like Muslims, of which he is one.

    His parting statement, in particular "no longer a good use of my time", is subtly savage. No best wishes or hope for electoral success there. Looks like a serious rift to me, especially as I think he was primarily responsible for professionalising Reform and softening its edges.
    Farage and Oakeshott are insinuating his departure is due to the role being too much for him if you read their tweetings.
    Seems odd in that case that he randomly exploded on a Thursday afternoon of a by election day rather than agreeing a step back with everyone
  • EabhalEabhal Posts: 10,883
    edited June 5

    Nigelb said:

    Leon said:

    I fear this is a credible scenario.

    "We could end up with the axis powers — Russia and China, supported potentially by Iran and North Korea — collaborating to create a war on two fronts.

    “It would start with a large-scale confrontation in the Indo-Pacific, like a Chinese invasion of Taiwan, which draws off what remains of US forces in Europe. An opportunistic Russia would then move against some part of a Nato territory where they know they can actually win by achieving local dominance, like the Baltics or somewhere in the high north like Svalbard."



    https://www.thetimes.com/uk/defence/article/military-chiefs-double-war-china-russia-l3bc5crgt

    Horribly plausible
    Is it? The same Russia that is three years into a three day war against just one country? This is not the Warsaw Pact of hundreds of armoured divisions to dread.
    It's a scenario.
    Not completely impossible, of course, but the military love their worst case events. Drives funding.
    If Europe can’t defend Europe from Russia without the US then we deserve it. Good grief. It wouldn’t be a two-front war for us
    There's a compelling case against 3% - Ukraine, one of the poorest countries in Europe, has managed to hold Russia to a defensive line and knock out 1/3rd of it's strategic bombers.

    I understand that we've provided lots of support, but our really snazzy stuff like attack submarines and a half decent air force have not been used. I think we'd wipe the floor with them in an actual war - which wouldn't happen anyway because of all the nukes.

    The actual issue is the Russians hacking the Co-op/M&S and cutting off our wind power and gas from Norway. The answer to the latter is simple - a new doctrine where we sink anything that looks a bit dodgy within our EEZ, which is already well within our capability. We just don't have the balls to do it.

    If they invade Estonia, declare the Russian troops there "insurgents" and wipe them out without declaring war.
  • maxhmaxh Posts: 1,647
    Leon said:

    maxh said:

    Leon said:

    Leon said:


    Leon said:

    I fear this is a credible scenario.

    "We could end up with the axis powers — Russia and China, supported potentially by Iran and North Korea — collaborating to create a war on two fronts.

    “It would start with a large-scale confrontation in the Indo-Pacific, like a Chinese invasion of Taiwan, which draws off what remains of US forces in Europe. An opportunistic Russia would then move against some part of a Nato territory where they know they can actually win by achieving local dominance, like the Baltics or somewhere in the high north like Svalbard."



    https://www.thetimes.com/uk/defence/article/military-chiefs-double-war-china-russia-l3bc5crgt

    Horribly plausible
    Lucky we are so well prepared for it.
    Something like this is, sadly, more likely than not

    Why? Because various advances in tech mean that very shortly one power is going to achieve total full spectrum, all domain dominance over the other. It is likely to be the USA, but there is a pretty good chance it will be China

    Whichever power fears being crushed will move first. If China is that fearful power - again, likely - a move against Taiwan is not only desirable but obvious to the point of necessity, as it will stall or halt western tech progress (all those chipmakers)

    If China does this then it will surely do it in concert with Russia, as described, so as to distract the West and dilute its response

    On the whole, I think that calls for a

    BRACE
    I would like to have seen Montana...
    Yeah, me too

    If we are all gonna cop it, I have a few regrets, then again too few to mention, OK I’ll mention them


    1. Never experienced zero gravity. Let alone zero gravity sex

    2. Er

    3. More time with kids etc

    4. Should have had more sex. I had a lot, but even more would have been great. At least I had more than Sir John Betjeman

    5. I would like to have seen Wyoming
    Meh, you'd have said the same (BRACE) as the Soviet Union was collapsing. That turned out okay for a bit.

    I suspect we'll be fine. The odds aren't quite as nailed on as I'd like them to be, though.
    The coming years are way more dangerous than the breakup of the USSR

    Indeed they are almost certainly the most dangerous we have ever faced, as a species
    I'm not sure. I've not read up on the history enough so may be wrong, but my impression is that the breakup of USSR was incredibly messy and there must have been many small actors set to lose their fiefdoms (and possibly their lives) with the ability to access and use nuclear warheads. It's impressive that none have gone off since.

    By contrast the next few years feel like an inevitable slide into the grasp of a highly authoritarian and disciplined Chinese state (yes I know about the aging population but I suspect that will be overcome). I doubt there will be a point of crisis that would prompt a global war - it is just not in China's interest to stoke this. Instead I suspect that we will all wake up one day to realise we have become a satellite state of China, learning Mandarin in schools and using Chinese tech with accompanying surveillance.

    It will be unutterably shit if you're an out-of-favour minority but for most people it will be hard to generate the necessary outrage to spark a major conflict.
  • TazTaz Posts: 18,747

    HYUFD said:

    Yusuf might already be in a Tory safe house singing like a bird!
    He was a Tory party member till last summer.......

    Oh dear! Clearly it's all been kicking off at Reform Towers whilst I've been too busy to look at PB!

    I have always been very impressed with Zia Yusuf - with a couple of exceptions, the Rupert Lowe episode (not saying Lowe was entirely in the right either) being the main one.

    He interviews really well, and seemed to bave real ambitions for Reform and the country. Wonder what happened - it's not like he wasn't backed to the hilt over Lowe...
    Yusuf resigned after a Reform MP called for the burka to be banned.

    Clearly he could see Reform was moving in a more white nationalist direction and didn't like it
    If he didn't see Reform moving in a more white nationalist direction, then he's absolutely stupid.
    And, in particular, Yusuf seems to have been rather slow in recognising that a lot of Reform supporters really don't like Muslims, of which he is one.

    His parting statement, in particular "no longer a good use of my time", is subtly savage. No best wishes or hope for electoral success there. Looks like a serious rift to me, especially as I think he was primarily responsible for professionalising Reform and softening its edges.
    All of this, plus that ridiculous question at PMQs, makes me rather glad I resisted voting Reform in the locals to kick Labour.
  • LeonLeon Posts: 61,561
    edited June 5
    Can I just put in a word for Seth Rogan’s “The Studio” being a work of TV genius?

    Episode 2, with its layers of meta and irony which nonetheless manages to be narratively pleasing, highly observant, loving and wry and very funny, is some of the best TV comedy-drama I have ever seen, up there with the best episodes of Community

    Also @rcs1000 is the spit of S Rogan
  • Luckyguy1983Luckyguy1983 Posts: 31,573
    Eabhal said:

    Nigelb said:

    Leon said:

    I fear this is a credible scenario.

    "We could end up with the axis powers — Russia and China, supported potentially by Iran and North Korea — collaborating to create a war on two fronts.

    “It would start with a large-scale confrontation in the Indo-Pacific, like a Chinese invasion of Taiwan, which draws off what remains of US forces in Europe. An opportunistic Russia would then move against some part of a Nato territory where they know they can actually win by achieving local dominance, like the Baltics or somewhere in the high north like Svalbard."



    https://www.thetimes.com/uk/defence/article/military-chiefs-double-war-china-russia-l3bc5crgt

    Horribly plausible
    Is it? The same Russia that is three years into a three day war against just one country? This is not the Warsaw Pact of hundreds of armoured divisions to dread.
    It's a scenario.
    Not completely impossible, of course, but the military love their worst case events. Drives funding.
    If Europe can’t defend Europe from Russia without the US then we deserve it. Good grief. It wouldn’t be a two-front war for us
    There's a compelling case against 3% - Ukraine, one of the poorest countries in Europe, has managed to hold Russia to a defensive line and knock out 1/3rd of it's strategic bombers.

    I understand that we've provided lots of support, but our really snazzy stuff like attack submarines and a half decent air force have not been used. I think we'd wipe the floor with them in an actual war - which wouldn't happen anyway because of all the nukes.

    The actual issue is the Russians hacking the Co-op/M&S and cutting off our wind power and gas from Norway. The answer to the latter is simple - a new doctrine where we sink anything that looks a bit dodgy within our EEZ, which is already well within our capability. We just don't have the balls to do it.

    If they invade Estonia, declare the Russian troops there "insurgents" and wipe them out without declaring war.
    Can we include French fishing vessels?
  • Sunil_PrasannanSunil_Prasannan Posts: 54,412
    Andy_JS said:

    Basingstoke must be one of the biggest towns in the country I've never visited. Is there any reason to?

    Ueful interchange between the Southwest Main Line and the Cross-Country route.
  • LeonLeon Posts: 61,561
    maxh said:

    Leon said:

    maxh said:

    Leon said:

    Leon said:


    Leon said:

    I fear this is a credible scenario.

    "We could end up with the axis powers — Russia and China, supported potentially by Iran and North Korea — collaborating to create a war on two fronts.

    “It would start with a large-scale confrontation in the Indo-Pacific, like a Chinese invasion of Taiwan, which draws off what remains of US forces in Europe. An opportunistic Russia would then move against some part of a Nato territory where they know they can actually win by achieving local dominance, like the Baltics or somewhere in the high north like Svalbard."



    https://www.thetimes.com/uk/defence/article/military-chiefs-double-war-china-russia-l3bc5crgt

    Horribly plausible
    Lucky we are so well prepared for it.
    Something like this is, sadly, more likely than not

    Why? Because various advances in tech mean that very shortly one power is going to achieve total full spectrum, all domain dominance over the other. It is likely to be the USA, but there is a pretty good chance it will be China

    Whichever power fears being crushed will move first. If China is that fearful power - again, likely - a move against Taiwan is not only desirable but obvious to the point of necessity, as it will stall or halt western tech progress (all those chipmakers)

    If China does this then it will surely do it in concert with Russia, as described, so as to distract the West and dilute its response

    On the whole, I think that calls for a

    BRACE
    I would like to have seen Montana...
    Yeah, me too

    If we are all gonna cop it, I have a few regrets, then again too few to mention, OK I’ll mention them


    1. Never experienced zero gravity. Let alone zero gravity sex

    2. Er

    3. More time with kids etc

    4. Should have had more sex. I had a lot, but even more would have been great. At least I had more than Sir John Betjeman

    5. I would like to have seen Wyoming
    Meh, you'd have said the same (BRACE) as the Soviet Union was collapsing. That turned out okay for a bit.

    I suspect we'll be fine. The odds aren't quite as nailed on as I'd like them to be, though.
    The coming years are way more dangerous than the breakup of the USSR

    Indeed they are almost certainly the most dangerous we have ever faced, as a species
    I'm not sure. I've not read up on the history enough so may be wrong, but my impression is that the breakup of USSR was incredibly messy and there must have been many small actors set to lose their fiefdoms (and possibly their lives) with the ability to access and use nuclear warheads. It's impressive that none have gone off since.

    By contrast the next few years feel like an inevitable slide into the grasp of a highly authoritarian and disciplined Chinese state (yes I know about the aging population but I suspect that will be overcome). I doubt there will be a point of crisis that would prompt a global war - it is just not in China's interest to stoke this. Instead I suspect that we will all wake up one day to realise we have become a satellite state of China, learning Mandarin in schools and using Chinese tech with accompanying surveillance.

    It will be unutterably shit if you're an out-of-favour minority but for most people it will be hard to generate the necessary outrage to spark a major conflict.
    You really don’t understand what I am talking about. Ask @viewcode
  • Northern_AlNorthern_Al Posts: 8,866
    edited June 5

    HYUFD said:

    Yusuf might already be in a Tory safe house singing like a bird!
    He was a Tory party member till last summer.......

    Oh dear! Clearly it's all been kicking off at Reform Towers whilst I've been too busy to look at PB!

    I have always been very impressed with Zia Yusuf - with a couple of exceptions, the Rupert Lowe episode (not saying Lowe was entirely in the right either) being the main one.

    He interviews really well, and seemed to bave real ambitions for Reform and the country. Wonder what happened - it's not like he wasn't backed to the hilt over Lowe...
    Yusuf resigned after a Reform MP called for the burka to be banned.

    Clearly he could see Reform was moving in a more white nationalist direction and didn't like it
    If he didn't see Reform moving in a more white nationalist direction, then he's absolutely stupid.
    And, in particular, Yusuf seems to have been rather slow in recognising that a lot of Reform supporters really don't like Muslims, of which he is one.

    His parting statement, in particular "no longer a good use of my time", is subtly savage. No best wishes or hope for electoral success there. Looks like a serious rift to me, especially as I think he was primarily responsible for professionalising Reform and softening its edges.
    Farage and Oakeshott are insinuating his departure is due to the role being too much for him if you read their tweetings.
    Seems odd in that case that he randomly exploded on a Thursday afternoon of a by election day rather than agreeing a step back with everyone
    Quite. If Farage and Oakeshott are right, then Yusuf's parting line makes no sense:
    I no longer believe working to get a Reform government elected is a good use of my time, and hereby resign the office.
    If that's not a bloke who's seriously pissed off, I don't know what is.
  • TresTres Posts: 2,860
    Didn't take long for reform to go full fat racist. Poor Kemi
  • MexicanpeteMexicanpete Posts: 32,161

    I fear this is a credible scenario.

    "We could end up with the axis powers — Russia and China, supported potentially by Iran and North Korea — collaborating to create a war on two fronts.

    “It would start with a large-scale confrontation in the Indo-Pacific, like a Chinese invasion of Taiwan, which draws off what remains of US forces in Europe. An opportunistic Russia would then move against some part of a Nato territory where they know they can actually win by achieving local dominance, like the Baltics or somewhere in the high north like Svalbard."



    https://www.thetimes.com/uk/defence/article/military-chiefs-double-war-china-russia-l3bc5crgt

    On which side is the United States of Trumpland?

    You are right though, Blair, Brown and Starmer dropped the ball after the Berlin Wall fell.
  • Sunil_PrasannanSunil_Prasannan Posts: 54,412
    Tres said:

    Didn't take long for reform to go full fat racist. Poor Kemi

    https://vf.politicalbetting.com/discussion/comment/5228113#Comment_5228113
  • RochdalePioneersRochdalePioneers Posts: 30,350
    Musk Trump war deepens:

    "Elon was wearing thin, I asked him to leave, I took away his EV Mandate that forced everyone to buy Electric Cars that nobody else wanted (that he knew for months I was going to do!), and he just went CRAZY!"

    https://x.com/SawyerMerritt/status/1930696602341212542
  • maxhmaxh Posts: 1,647
    Leon said:

    maxh said:

    Leon said:

    maxh said:

    Leon said:

    Leon said:


    Leon said:

    I fear this is a credible scenario.

    "We could end up with the axis powers — Russia and China, supported potentially by Iran and North Korea — collaborating to create a war on two fronts.

    “It would start with a large-scale confrontation in the Indo-Pacific, like a Chinese invasion of Taiwan, which draws off what remains of US forces in Europe. An opportunistic Russia would then move against some part of a Nato territory where they know they can actually win by achieving local dominance, like the Baltics or somewhere in the high north like Svalbard."



    https://www.thetimes.com/uk/defence/article/military-chiefs-double-war-china-russia-l3bc5crgt

    Horribly plausible
    Lucky we are so well prepared for it.
    Something like this is, sadly, more likely than not

    Why? Because various advances in tech mean that very shortly one power is going to achieve total full spectrum, all domain dominance over the other. It is likely to be the USA, but there is a pretty good chance it will be China

    Whichever power fears being crushed will move first. If China is that fearful power - again, likely - a move against Taiwan is not only desirable but obvious to the point of necessity, as it will stall or halt western tech progress (all those chipmakers)

    If China does this then it will surely do it in concert with Russia, as described, so as to distract the West and dilute its response

    On the whole, I think that calls for a

    BRACE
    I would like to have seen Montana...
    Yeah, me too

    If we are all gonna cop it, I have a few regrets, then again too few to mention, OK I’ll mention them


    1. Never experienced zero gravity. Let alone zero gravity sex

    2. Er

    3. More time with kids etc

    4. Should have had more sex. I had a lot, but even more would have been great. At least I had more than Sir John Betjeman

    5. I would like to have seen Wyoming
    Meh, you'd have said the same (BRACE) as the Soviet Union was collapsing. That turned out okay for a bit.

    I suspect we'll be fine. The odds aren't quite as nailed on as I'd like them to be, though.
    The coming years are way more dangerous than the breakup of the USSR

    Indeed they are almost certainly the most dangerous we have ever faced, as a species
    I'm not sure. I've not read up on the history enough so may be wrong, but my impression is that the breakup of USSR was incredibly messy and there must have been many small actors set to lose their fiefdoms (and possibly their lives) with the ability to access and use nuclear warheads. It's impressive that none have gone off since.

    By contrast the next few years feel like an inevitable slide into the grasp of a highly authoritarian and disciplined Chinese state (yes I know about the aging population but I suspect that will be overcome). I doubt there will be a point of crisis that would prompt a global war - it is just not in China's interest to stoke this. Instead I suspect that we will all wake up one day to realise we have become a satellite state of China, learning Mandarin in schools and using Chinese tech with accompanying surveillance.

    It will be unutterably shit if you're an out-of-favour minority but for most people it will be hard to generate the necessary outrage to spark a major conflict.
    You really don’t understand what I am talking about. Ask @viewcode
    Yeah now I look back I missed the tech reference in your first post. Sorry.
  • wooliedyedwooliedyed Posts: 11,035
    edited June 5

    HYUFD said:

    Yusuf might already be in a Tory safe house singing like a bird!
    He was a Tory party member till last summer.......

    Oh dear! Clearly it's all been kicking off at Reform Towers whilst I've been too busy to look at PB!

    I have always been very impressed with Zia Yusuf - with a couple of exceptions, the Rupert Lowe episode (not saying Lowe was entirely in the right either) being the main one.

    He interviews really well, and seemed to bave real ambitions for Reform and the country. Wonder what happened - it's not like he wasn't backed to the hilt over Lowe...
    Yusuf resigned after a Reform MP called for the burka to be banned.

    Clearly he could see Reform was moving in a more white nationalist direction and didn't like it
    If he didn't see Reform moving in a more white nationalist direction, then he's absolutely stupid.
    And, in particular, Yusuf seems to have been rather slow in recognising that a lot of Reform supporters really don't like Muslims, of which he is one.

    His parting statement, in particular "no longer a good use of my time", is subtly savage. No best wishes or hope for electoral success there. Looks like a serious rift to me, especially as I think he was primarily responsible for professionalising Reform and softening its edges.
    Farage and Oakeshott are insinuating his departure is due to the role being too much for him if you read their tweetings.
    Seems odd in that case that he randomly exploded on a Thursday afternoon of a by election day rather than agreeing a step back with everyone
    Quite. If Farage and Oakeshott are right, then Yusuf's parting line makes no sense:
    I no longer believe working to get a Reform government elected is a good use of my time, and hereby resign the office.
    If that's not a bloke who's seriously pissed off, I don't know what is.
    My very amateur sleuthing says Andersons 'onwards and upwards' and his earlier full fat support for Pochin tells me the Whip and the Chairman had a humdinger of a row today and that provoked the quit
  • algarkirkalgarkirk Posts: 14,522

    Arthur Delaney 🇺🇸
    @ArthurDelaneyHP
    ·
    6m
    Trump has played this well. He used Elon as a rocket booster, won office, and is now discarding him like a rocket booster, and the only question is if Elon will gently descend or explode

    I think 'rapid unscheduled disassembly' is the proper Elonite term for explode.
  • Andy_JSAndy_JS Posts: 35,387
    Tres said:

    Didn't take long for reform to go full fat racist. Poor Kemi

    How so?
  • eekeek Posts: 30,224

    I fear this is a credible scenario.

    "We could end up with the axis powers — Russia and China, supported potentially by Iran and North Korea — collaborating to create a war on two fronts.

    “It would start with a large-scale confrontation in the Indo-Pacific, like a Chinese invasion of Taiwan, which draws off what remains of US forces in Europe. An opportunistic Russia would then move against some part of a Nato territory where they know they can actually win by achieving local dominance, like the Baltics or somewhere in the high north like Svalbard."



    https://www.thetimes.com/uk/defence/article/military-chiefs-double-war-china-russia-l3bc5crgt

    On which side is the United States of Trumpland?

    You are right though, Blair, Brown and Starmer dropped the ball after the Berlin Wall fell.
    If Trump is there - sat on the sideline cheering on the winners
  • Big_G_NorthWalesBig_G_NorthWales Posts: 65,601

    I fear this is a credible scenario.

    "We could end up with the axis powers — Russia and China, supported potentially by Iran and North Korea — collaborating to create a war on two fronts.

    “It would start with a large-scale confrontation in the Indo-Pacific, like a Chinese invasion of Taiwan, which draws off what remains of US forces in Europe. An opportunistic Russia would then move against some part of a Nato territory where they know they can actually win by achieving local dominance, like the Baltics or somewhere in the high north like Svalbard."



    https://www.thetimes.com/uk/defence/article/military-chiefs-double-war-china-russia-l3bc5crgt

    On which side is the United States of Trumpland?

    You are right though, Blair, Brown and Starmer dropped the ball after the Berlin Wall fell.
    The whole of the west dropped the ball, but then it is todays leader's job to step up and put Europe's defence top of the agenda

    Lots of cherished spending projects will have to be sacrificed to keep Europe safe
  • MexicanpeteMexicanpete Posts: 32,161
    HYUFD said:

    Andy_JS said:

    "Suella Braverman
    Women should not be veiling their faces in Western society
    Even the ECHR agrees that burqas are not compatible with Western culture and can be banned"

    https://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/2025/06/05/burqa-inconsistent-with-integration-islam-culture-uk-west/

    Suella to Reform, Yusuf to the Tories?
    Mr Suella has already jumped.
  • Luckyguy1983Luckyguy1983 Posts: 31,573

    HYUFD said:

    Yusuf might already be in a Tory safe house singing like a bird!
    He was a Tory party member till last summer.......

    Oh dear! Clearly it's all been kicking off at Reform Towers whilst I've been too busy to look at PB!

    I have always been very impressed with Zia Yusuf - with a couple of exceptions, the Rupert Lowe episode (not saying Lowe was entirely in the right either) being the main one.

    He interviews really well, and seemed to bave real ambitions for Reform and the country. Wonder what happened - it's not like he wasn't backed to the hilt over Lowe...
    Yusuf resigned after a Reform MP called for the burka to be banned.

    Clearly he could see Reform was moving in a more white nationalist direction and didn't like it
    If he didn't see Reform moving in a more white nationalist direction, then he's absolutely stupid.
    I don't think banning the Burqa is a particularly 'white' or 'nationalist' position.

    I say that as someone with no fixed views on the subject.
  • EabhalEabhal Posts: 10,883

    Eabhal said:

    Nigelb said:

    Leon said:

    I fear this is a credible scenario.

    "We could end up with the axis powers — Russia and China, supported potentially by Iran and North Korea — collaborating to create a war on two fronts.

    “It would start with a large-scale confrontation in the Indo-Pacific, like a Chinese invasion of Taiwan, which draws off what remains of US forces in Europe. An opportunistic Russia would then move against some part of a Nato territory where they know they can actually win by achieving local dominance, like the Baltics or somewhere in the high north like Svalbard."



    https://www.thetimes.com/uk/defence/article/military-chiefs-double-war-china-russia-l3bc5crgt

    Horribly plausible
    Is it? The same Russia that is three years into a three day war against just one country? This is not the Warsaw Pact of hundreds of armoured divisions to dread.
    It's a scenario.
    Not completely impossible, of course, but the military love their worst case events. Drives funding.
    If Europe can’t defend Europe from Russia without the US then we deserve it. Good grief. It wouldn’t be a two-front war for us
    There's a compelling case against 3% - Ukraine, one of the poorest countries in Europe, has managed to hold Russia to a defensive line and knock out 1/3rd of it's strategic bombers.

    I understand that we've provided lots of support, but our really snazzy stuff like attack submarines and a half decent air force have not been used. I think we'd wipe the floor with them in an actual war - which wouldn't happen anyway because of all the nukes.

    The actual issue is the Russians hacking the Co-op/M&S and cutting off our wind power and gas from Norway. The answer to the latter is simple - a new doctrine where we sink anything that looks a bit dodgy within our EEZ, which is already well within our capability. We just don't have the balls to do it.

    If they invade Estonia, declare the Russian troops there "insurgents" and wipe them out without declaring war.
    Can we include French fishing vessels?
    *woops*
  • eekeek Posts: 30,224

    HYUFD said:

    Yusuf might already be in a Tory safe house singing like a bird!
    He was a Tory party member till last summer.......

    Oh dear! Clearly it's all been kicking off at Reform Towers whilst I've been too busy to look at PB!

    I have always been very impressed with Zia Yusuf - with a couple of exceptions, the Rupert Lowe episode (not saying Lowe was entirely in the right either) being the main one.

    He interviews really well, and seemed to bave real ambitions for Reform and the country. Wonder what happened - it's not like he wasn't backed to the hilt over Lowe...
    Yusuf resigned after a Reform MP called for the burka to be banned.

    Clearly he could see Reform was moving in a more white nationalist direction and didn't like it
    If he didn't see Reform moving in a more white nationalist direction, then he's absolutely stupid.
    And, in particular, Yusuf seems to have been rather slow in recognising that a lot of Reform supporters really don't like Muslims, of which he is one.

    His parting statement, in particular "no longer a good use of my time", is subtly savage. No best wishes or hope for electoral success there. Looks like a serious rift to me, especially as I think he was primarily responsible for professionalising Reform and softening its edges.
    Farage and Oakeshott are insinuating his departure is due to the role being too much for him if you read their tweetings.
    Seems odd in that case that he randomly exploded on a Thursday afternoon of a by election day rather than agreeing a step back with everyone
    It's odd that he randomly exploded on a Thursday after finding £500m of "savings" at Kent County Council yesterday.
  • JohnLilburneJohnLilburne Posts: 6,745
    Andy_JS said:

    Basingstoke must be one of the biggest towns in the country I've never visited. Is there any reason to?

    No
  • Andy_JSAndy_JS Posts: 35,387

    Andy_JS said:

    Basingstoke must be one of the biggest towns in the country I've never visited. Is there any reason to?

    Ueful interchange between the Southwest Main Line and the Cross-Country route.
    Not much to see then I take it, lol.
  • Casino_RoyaleCasino_Royale Posts: 63,506
    Leon said:

    Leon said:

    Leon said:

    The public transport from Heathrow to the South and South West is monumentally shite.

    A bus to Woking and Guildford every 30 minutes, if you're lucky, that can take up to one hour and a half just to get to Woking. I'm one of the mugs on it with 9 other desperate people because I don't have a car today.

    How on earth is this acceptable?

    Just get the Liz Line or HRXPRSS to Paddo and then go by rail?! Surely?
    My line comes out of Waterloo, so I'd have to go all the way back into central London and out again.

    However, as is becoming clear, that would have been quicker than these bus wankers.
    Going anywhere but London out of LHR on public transport has always been a nightmare. However the Liz Line does make that option cheap and quick, then you go to your preferred station
    Well, I worked hard on it.
    You did! And it's a noble thing

    You can sincerely be proud, you made the lives of a lot of people just that little bit better
    Thanks. Me and tens of thousands of others.
  • Casino_RoyaleCasino_Royale Posts: 63,506
    Andy_JS said:

    Basingstoke must be one of the biggest towns in the country I've never visited. Is there any reason to?

    No.
  • RochdalePioneersRochdalePioneers Posts: 30,350
    Don't you all mean Amazingstoke?
  • eekeek Posts: 30,224
    Nigelb said:

    Leon said:

    I fear this is a credible scenario.

    "We could end up with the axis powers — Russia and China, supported potentially by Iran and North Korea — collaborating to create a war on two fronts.

    “It would start with a large-scale confrontation in the Indo-Pacific, like a Chinese invasion of Taiwan, which draws off what remains of US forces in Europe. An opportunistic Russia would then move against some part of a Nato territory where they know they can actually win by achieving local dominance, like the Baltics or somewhere in the high north like Svalbard."



    https://www.thetimes.com/uk/defence/article/military-chiefs-double-war-china-russia-l3bc5crgt

    Horribly plausible
    Is it? The same Russia that is three years into a three day war against just one country? This is not the Warsaw Pact of hundreds of armoured divisions to dread.
    It's a scenario.
    Not completely impossible, of course, but the military love their worst case events. Drives funding.
    If we had a sensible plan on what may still be viable in a few years time it would make sense to fund things.

    You can sort of see why we've gone all in on submarines - currently they seem to be the only thing that can't be destroyed by a cheap drone smuggled somewhere local and left waiting for the ideal hour.
  • wooliedyedwooliedyed Posts: 11,035
    Montie on Team Yusuf, 'regrettable' he has stood down 'he was trying to make the party professional'
  • eekeek Posts: 30,224

    Andy_JS said:

    Basingstoke must be one of the biggest towns in the country I've never visited. Is there any reason to?

    No.
    To compare it to Stoke, Blackpool and Slough in a competition for worse large town in the country?
  • Sunil_PrasannanSunil_Prasannan Posts: 54,412

    Don't you all mean Amazingstoke?

    Great place to train spot :)
  • GallowgateGallowgate Posts: 20,482
    edited June 5

    Don't you all mean Amazingstoke?

    Is AmazingStoke the equivalent of an average place?
  • vikvik Posts: 465

    Musk Trump war deepens:

    "Elon was wearing thin, I asked him to leave, I took away his EV Mandate that forced everyone to buy Electric Cars that nobody else wanted (that he knew for months I was going to do!), and he just went CRAZY!"

    https://x.com/SawyerMerritt/status/1930696602341212542

    To be fair to Trump, this has been something that he has been saying for a long time & was part of his election campaign.

    If the people "voted for tariffs" then they certainly also voted for taking away the EV Mandate.

    I'm just amazed that Elon was stupid enough to think he could get Trump (and Republicans) to like Electric Vehicles.

    Republicans hate EV's. They're not going to start liking EV's just because one EV company owner starts backing Trump.
  • LeonLeon Posts: 61,561

    Leon said:

    Leon said:

    Leon said:

    The public transport from Heathrow to the South and South West is monumentally shite.

    A bus to Woking and Guildford every 30 minutes, if you're lucky, that can take up to one hour and a half just to get to Woking. I'm one of the mugs on it with 9 other desperate people because I don't have a car today.

    How on earth is this acceptable?

    Just get the Liz Line or HRXPRSS to Paddo and then go by rail?! Surely?
    My line comes out of Waterloo, so I'd have to go all the way back into central London and out again.

    However, as is becoming clear, that would have been quicker than these bus wankers.
    Going anywhere but London out of LHR on public transport has always been a nightmare. However the Liz Line does make that option cheap and quick, then you go to your preferred station
    Well, I worked hard on it.
    You did! And it's a noble thing

    You can sincerely be proud, you made the lives of a lot of people just that little bit better
    Thanks. Me and tens of thousands of others.
    The same is true of many heroic battles, indeed many great feats of mankind. It takes a LOT of people, and they should all be proud

    As a society, for example, we are far too quick to praise (and overpay) wanker lawyers like Starmer and Hermer, and far too reluctant to praise the quiet engineers and workers that actually get shit done

    i mean, why is Hermer a “Lord”? WTF has he done but screw the country? Why is Starmer a Sir, he is a scrote with a squeaky voice. UGH



  • wooliedyedwooliedyed Posts: 11,035
    Farage pours piss on any chance of a Lowe return 'I'd rather eat razor blades than welcome him back'
  • algarkirkalgarkirk Posts: 14,522

    HYUFD said:

    Yusuf might already be in a Tory safe house singing like a bird!
    He was a Tory party member till last summer.......

    Oh dear! Clearly it's all been kicking off at Reform Towers whilst I've been too busy to look at PB!

    I have always been very impressed with Zia Yusuf - with a couple of exceptions, the Rupert Lowe episode (not saying Lowe was entirely in the right either) being the main one.

    He interviews really well, and seemed to bave real ambitions for Reform and the country. Wonder what happened - it's not like he wasn't backed to the hilt over Lowe...
    Yusuf resigned after a Reform MP called for the burka to be banned.

    Clearly he could see Reform was moving in a more white nationalist direction and didn't like it
    If he didn't see Reform moving in a more white nationalist direction, then he's absolutely stupid.
    And, in particular, Yusuf seems to have been rather slow in recognising that a lot of Reform supporters really don't like Muslims, of which he is one.

    His parting statement, in particular "no longer a good use of my time", is subtly savage. No best wishes or hope for electoral success there. Looks like a serious rift to me, especially as I think he was primarily responsible for professionalising Reform and softening its edges.
    Farage and Oakeshott are insinuating his departure is due to the role being too much for him if you read their tweetings.
    Seems odd in that case that he randomly exploded on a Thursday afternoon of a by election day rather than agreeing a step back with everyone
    Quite. If Farage and Oakeshott are right, then Yusuf's parting line makes no sense:
    I no longer believe working to get a Reform government elected is a good use of my time, and hereby resign the office.
    If that's not a bloke who's seriously pissed off, I don't know what is.
    The whole burqa dispute is a presenting issue of a much deeper dilemma.

    FWIW I think Farage has decided he wants to be PM, and can only do so on an agenda which relies on the following credentials:

    Trust us because we have not failed unlike all others.

    We are in fact Christian democrats supporting post WWII big spend social welfare democracy, not UK as Singapore. That was a front. We want what the dimmer people of Clacton and 90% of voters want - free stuff. For now we need you to believe we can do it a lot cheaper, but you will find out later that we can't.

    We are GB nationalists and want almost closed borders BUT we are not opposed to any group among the present lawfully resident population because the ultra right alternative is too violent to contemplate.


    Opposition to the burqa trashes Farage's current intentions.
  • EabhalEabhal Posts: 10,883
    Andy_JS said:

    Basingstoke must be one of the biggest towns in the country I've never visited. Is there any reason to?

    I had a miserable six weeks working there. It's horribly claustrophobic because of the road layout.
  • Luckyguy1983Luckyguy1983 Posts: 31,573
    eek said:

    HYUFD said:

    Yusuf might already be in a Tory safe house singing like a bird!
    He was a Tory party member till last summer.......

    Oh dear! Clearly it's all been kicking off at Reform Towers whilst I've been too busy to look at PB!

    I have always been very impressed with Zia Yusuf - with a couple of exceptions, the Rupert Lowe episode (not saying Lowe was entirely in the right either) being the main one.

    He interviews really well, and seemed to bave real ambitions for Reform and the country. Wonder what happened - it's not like he wasn't backed to the hilt over Lowe...
    Yusuf resigned after a Reform MP called for the burka to be banned.

    Clearly he could see Reform was moving in a more white nationalist direction and didn't like it
    If he didn't see Reform moving in a more white nationalist direction, then he's absolutely stupid.
    And, in particular, Yusuf seems to have been rather slow in recognising that a lot of Reform supporters really don't like Muslims, of which he is one.

    His parting statement, in particular "no longer a good use of my time", is subtly savage. No best wishes or hope for electoral success there. Looks like a serious rift to me, especially as I think he was primarily responsible for professionalising Reform and softening its edges.
    Farage and Oakeshott are insinuating his departure is due to the role being too much for him if you read their tweetings.
    Seems odd in that case that he randomly exploded on a Thursday afternoon of a by election day rather than agreeing a step back with everyone
    It's odd that he randomly exploded on a Thursday after finding £500m of "savings" at Kent County Council yesterday.
    I think it's possible that the pressure was affecting his health. The £500mn savings could have been a factor - actually the new Head of KCC seems extremely good and sensible, and doesn't appear to want to overpromise, so perhaps she politely told him to back off?
    https://youtu.be/La9ZlDkxXT4?si=hCaqbpZvVij7Jvz6

    I think a bigger 'misspeak' might have been his £7bn (was that it?) DEI savings in a Youtube interview, then saying he'd back it up later and apparently not being able to. He looked fairly shattered too.

    He has been very vocal on the thing we don't discuss on PB that rhymes with booming bangs, so I don't think he necesarily fits into a pro-Burqa stereotype. I would imagine he is at least comfortable with different views on it.

  • glwglw Posts: 10,416
    edited June 5
    Leon said:

    Can I just put in a word for Seth Rogan’s “The Studio” being a work of TV genius?

    Episode 2, with its layers of meta and irony which nonetheless manages to be narratively pleasing, highly observant, loving and wry and very funny, is some of the best TV comedy-drama I have ever seen, up there with the best episodes of Community

    Also @rcs1000 is the spit of S Rogan

    Best thing I've seen on Apple TV+. Apple TV+ doesn't have a lot but they sure as hell do spend a lot of money on the shows they make, and when they are good as well they are some of the best shows on TV/streaming today.

    I wasn't even interested in the show until I heard the review on Kermode & Mayo, and when I realised Catherine O'Hara and Kathryn Hahn were in it I thought I'd better check it out. Not only did it live up to the hype I think it exceeded it for me at least.
  • MattWMattW Posts: 27,631

    OK, so who will be the next Reform big-wig to resign?

    :lol:

    Anderson must have itchy feet by now
    I'm not sure if I see that.

    I don't think he would won't want to be out of GB News - if that could happen - as imo he is building his retirement fund, and would want to be secure within one more term.
Sign In or Register to comment.