Extreme Temperatures Around The World @extremetemps · 1h Record heat also in the United Kingdom (and more records will be coming tomorrow): Temperatures >30C in England,Wales, >29 in Ireland,Northern Ireland ,Scotland.
June highest record at Leeming with 30.1C, beating the 1976 record.
Worth noting that Keir Starmer defended an activist who broke into an RAF base to set fire to aircraft. Starmer claimed his client was legally justified because it might stop a war crime.
If he'd won that argument in 2004, what happened at Brize Norton would be perfectly legal.
Oh FFS Kemi. That's not how barristers work and everyone in your party knows that.
So stay above the fray and have an attack dog backbencher or scribbler smear Starmer for this.
It's stupid, dishonest, cynical and probably won't work. #klassickemi
What's her thesis here? People who enter RAF stations unauthorised shouldn't get legal counsel?
I realise this place is a lawyers only fans, but most normal people probably think it a bit rum to be paid to defend people for doing something you apparently consider appallingly unpatriotic
Even the Nazi defendants at the Nuremberg Trials had defence lawyers. Someone has to do it.
The things our country needs more than anything are more children, and more care for our aging population. The Commons voted this week for the opposite - death to both groups. It's the revenge of the middle-aged against their dependents.
We are ushering in a dangerous new politics, a sort of hedonic utilitarianism in which the convenience of adults is paramount even over the lives of the young and old. This is the pagan philosophy, with its cult of strength, which Christianity banished but is now returning.
Just because someone can have an abortion doesn’t mean they will. If the country wants more children it needs to make it attractive for couples to have children. Forcing women to have children they don’t want will not solve any issue.
Palestine Action is to be proscribed as a terrorist organisation after its activists breached security at an air base to damage two RAF planes.The organisation will be banned, alongside groups like Hamas, al-Qaeda and the Islamic State, in a move that will leave supporters facing up to 14 years in jail.
Starting next week "Just Stop Action On Palestine"...
Owen Jones was retweeting them early this afternoon...
Palestine Action is to be proscribed as a terrorist organisation after its activists breached security at an air base to damage two RAF planes.The organisation will be banned, alongside groups like Hamas, al-Qaeda and the Islamic State, in a move that will leave supporters facing up to 14 years in jail.
Starting next week "Just Stop Action On Palestine"...
Owen Jones was retweeting them early this afternoon...
Given the ease with which they banned
The Real IRA The Continuity IRA The Real Continuity IRA The Really Real IRA “I can’t believe it isn’t the IRA” The Keepin’ It Real IRA
Plus approximately 17,234 Loyalist organisations
I’m sure the authorities will cope with a few name changes.
The things our country needs more than anything are more children, and more care for our aging population. The Commons voted this week for the opposite - death to both groups. It's the revenge of the middle-aged against their dependents.
We are ushering in a dangerous new politics, a sort of hedonic utilitarianism in which the convenience of adults is paramount even over the lives of the young and old. This is the pagan philosophy, with its cult of strength, which Christianity banished but is now returning.
Just because someone can have an abortion doesn’t mean they will. If the country wants more children it needs to make it attractive for couples to have children. Forcing women to have children they don’t want will not solve any issue.
A Japanese lady of my acquaintance has decided to move back to Japan, with her husband. To have children. Because there, the child care is free, the cost of housing is much less (apparently there is subsidy for families with children in some areas) and in general the Japanese state is offering lots of incentives & thumbs up for families.
She says she will come back to the U.K. for later schooling - thinks the Japanese system is too rigid.
The things our country needs more than anything are more children, and more care for our aging population. The Commons voted this week for the opposite - death to both groups. It's the revenge of the middle-aged against their dependents.
We are ushering in a dangerous new politics, a sort of hedonic utilitarianism in which the convenience of adults is paramount even over the lives of the young and old. This is the pagan philosophy, with its cult of strength, which Christianity banished but is now returning.
Worth noting that Keir Starmer defended an activist who broke into an RAF base to set fire to aircraft. Starmer claimed his client was legally justified because it might stop a war crime.
If he'd won that argument in 2004, what happened at Brize Norton would be perfectly legal.
Oh FFS Kemi. That's not how barristers work and everyone in your party knows that.
So stay above the fray and have an attack dog backbencher or scribbler smear Starmer for this.
It's stupid, dishonest, cynical and probably won't work. #klassickemi
What's her thesis here? People who enter RAF stations unauthorised shouldn't get legal counsel?
I realise this place is a lawyers only fans, but most normal people probably think it a bit rum to be paid to defend people for doing something you apparently consider appallingly unpatriotic
Even the Nazi defendants at the Nuremberg Trials had defence lawyers. Someone has to do it.
And if those defence lawyers became PM, they could expect Jewish people to be suspicious of them
Worth noting that Keir Starmer defended an activist who broke into an RAF base to set fire to aircraft. Starmer claimed his client was legally justified because it might stop a war crime.
If he'd won that argument in 2004, what happened at Brize Norton would be perfectly legal.
Oh FFS Kemi. That's not how barristers work and everyone in your party knows that.
So stay above the fray and have an attack dog backbencher or scribbler smear Starmer for this.
It's stupid, dishonest, cynical and probably won't work. #klassickemi
What's her thesis here? People who enter RAF stations unauthorised shouldn't get legal counsel?
I realise this place is a lawyers only fans, but most normal people probably think it a bit rum to be paid to defend people for doing something you apparently consider appallingly unpatriotic
Even the Nazi defendants at the Nuremberg Trials had defence lawyers. Someone has to do it.
There are also lawyers who seem to end up on one side of an argument, all the time.
For example, I can think of one barrister, who acts in environmental cases. Never, ever for a company. Always against them. Indeed, is quite frank that she would never take the corporate side.
Worth noting that Keir Starmer defended an activist who broke into an RAF base to set fire to aircraft. Starmer claimed his client was legally justified because it might stop a war crime.
If he'd won that argument in 2004, what happened at Brize Norton would be perfectly legal.
Palestine Action is to be proscribed as a terrorist organisation after its activists breached security at an air base to damage two RAF planes.The organisation will be banned, alongside groups like Hamas, al-Qaeda and the Islamic State, in a move that will leave supporters facing up to 14 years in jail.
Starting next week "Just Stop Action On Palestine"...
Owen Jones was retweeting them early this afternoon...
Palestine Action is to be proscribed as a terrorist organisation after its activists breached security at an air base to damage two RAF planes.The organisation will be banned, alongside groups like Hamas, al-Qaeda and the Islamic State, in a move that will leave supporters facing up to 14 years in jail.
Starting next week "Just Stop Action On Palestine"...
Owen Jones was retweeting them early this afternoon...
Given the ease with which they banned
The Real IRA The Continuity IRA The Real Continuity IRA The Really Real IRA “I can’t believe it isn’t the IRA” The Keepin’ It Real IRA
Plus approximately 17,234 Loyalist organisations
I’m sure the authorities will cope with a few name changes.
Ira Gershwin died early enough to get away with it. The rascal.
"You can see it on the faces of provincial families you know who come to London for a birthday weekend and they look confused - there's nobody in the tube carriage who speaks english."
Worth noting that Keir Starmer defended an activist who broke into an RAF base to set fire to aircraft. Starmer claimed his client was legally justified because it might stop a war crime.
If he'd won that argument in 2004, what happened at Brize Norton would be perfectly legal.
Oh FFS Kemi. That's not how barristers work and everyone in your party knows that.
So stay above the fray and have an attack dog backbencher or scribbler smear Starmer for this.
It's stupid, dishonest, cynical and probably won'twill work. #klassickemi
What's her thesis here? People who enter RAF stations unauthorised shouldn't get legal counsel?
I hate people who do this, but 'fixed it for you'.
Besides, I don't even think it's particularly cynical or stupid - we all know the detestable little weasel has always been always attracted to anyone and anything anti-British, and there are plenty of ways for (unaccountably) popular lawyers to choose their clients.
The more I hear of the cab rank for lawyers, the more I think of those black cab drivers who claim that they take everyone.
Then are show, in videos, to turn down black people, brown people, people going to the wrong location, people with credit cards…
"You can see it on the faces of provincial families you know who come to London for a birthday weekend and they look confused - there's nobody in the tube carriage who speaks english."
"You can see it on the faces of provincial families you know who come to London for a birthday weekend and they look confused - there's nobody in the tube carriage who speaks english."
I haven't been to London for ten years so I can't really comment. But really?
It is a bit of a cultural shock coming from Scotland. But I'm reminded of a Gaelic-speaking friend who had to stand up and tell a young couple from Uist she could understand every word of filth they were saying to each other on the train.
Almost everyone in London speaks English. Their other languages are a convenient privacy measure.
"You can see it on the faces of provincial families you know who come to London for a birthday weekend and they look confused - there's nobody in the tube carriage who speaks english."
I haven't been to London for ten years so I can't really comment. But really?
What he means is some people on the tube might speak a foreign language. Shock horror major world city has foreigners in it. And if they’re in the sort of central London tube locales that provincial visitors can be found in they’re probably tourists. Like the provincial visitors.
And even then it’s an odd comment, because one thing most foreigners do extremely well is speak English.
"You can see it on the faces of provincial families you know who come to London for a birthday weekend and they look confused - there's nobody in the tube carriage who speaks english."
"You can see it on the faces of provincial families you know who come to London for a birthday weekend and they look confused - there's nobody in the tube carriage who speaks english."
"You can see it on the faces of provincial families you know who come to London for a birthday weekend and they look confused - there's nobody in the tube carriage who speaks english."
I haven't been to London for ten years so I can't really comment. But really?
If you get on the tube at Hanwell, at the right time of day, then it's possible.
Otherwise, it's obvious exaggeration. (I would also note that in summer, when there are lots of tourists, the there are lots more foreigners on the tube. And said tourists are much more likely to travel as families, and therefore much more likely to chatter in foreign languages. Commuters are on their own, and they're not talking to anyone.)
"You can see it on the faces of provincial families you know who come to London for a birthday weekend and they look confused - there's nobody in the tube carriage who speaks english."
"You can see it on the faces of provincial families you know who come to London for a birthday weekend and they look confused - there's nobody in the tube carriage who speaks english."
"You can see it on the faces of provincial families you know who come to London for a birthday weekend and they look confused - there's nobody in the tube carriage who speaks english."
I haven't been to London for ten years so I can't really comment. But really?
No one on the tube should be speaking any language. Ok, maybe on the platform...
The furriners even talk to complete strangers!!
Pshaw! {adjusts monocle}
Northerners do that too!
The other thing is frankly, I don't really regard London as part of the UK. It's part of something bigger, perhaps better. A world city. I think most people from the "provincials" feel this way, and aren't necessarily upset by it.
There are more similarities with Leith and Shoreditch than there are with Leith and Keith, for example. National and even regional identities are being overtaken by street-level cultural identities.
"You can see it on the faces of provincial families you know who come to London for a birthday weekend and they look confused - there's nobody in the tube carriage who speaks english."
I haven't been to London for ten years so I can't really comment. But really?
What he means is some people on the tube might speak a foreign language. Shock horror major world city has foreigners in it. And if they’re in the sort of central London tube locales that provincial visitors can be found in they’re probably tourists. Like the provincial visitors.
And even then it’s an odd comment, because one thing most foreigners do extremely well is speak English.
This is farcical lying
The fact is London has gone from about 97% White British to about 37% White British in a few decades. That’s just a statement of fact
There is no clear parallel in human history for this to happen outside wartime - to a major world city with an established ethnic identity
This is not a value statement. This change may be a good or bad thing, or a mix of both
"You can see it on the faces of provincial families you know who come to London for a birthday weekend and they look confused - there's nobody in the tube carriage who speaks english."
I haven't been to London for ten years so I can't really comment. But really?
No one on the tube should be speaking any language. Ok, maybe on the platform...
The furriners even talk to complete strangers!!
Pshaw! {adjusts monocle}
Northerners do that too!
The other thing is frankly, I don't really regard London as part of the UK. It's part of something bigger, perhaps better. A world city. I think most people from the "provincials" feel this way, and aren't necessarily upset by it.
There are more similarities with Leith and Shoreditch than there are with Leith and Keith, for example. National and even regional identities are being overtaken by street-level cultural identities.
I will admit to having more in common with a German or Canadian of my own class background than my plumber. Maybe I'm a secret remainer....
"You can see it on the faces of provincial families you know who come to London for a birthday weekend and they look confused - there's nobody in the tube carriage who speaks english."
I haven't been to London for ten years so I can't really comment. But really?
No one on the tube should be speaking any language. Ok, maybe on the platform...
The furriners even talk to complete strangers!!
Pshaw! {adjusts monocle}
Northerners do that too!
The other thing is frankly, I don't really regard London as part of the UK. It's part of something bigger, perhaps better. A world city. I think most people from the "provincials" feel this way, and aren't necessarily upset by it.
There are more similarities with Leith and Shoreditch than there are with Leith and Keith, for example. National and even regional identities are being overtaken by street-level cultural identities.
Why do people who love the fact London is full of foreigners get upset when other people say no one’s speaking English? It’s like they are happy about something they refuse to admit is happening
"You can see it on the faces of provincial families you know who come to London for a birthday weekend and they look confused - there's nobody in the tube carriage who speaks english."
I haven't been to London for ten years so I can't really comment. But really?
What he means is some people on the tube might speak a foreign language. Shock horror major world city has foreigners in it. And if they’re in the sort of central London tube locales that provincial visitors can be found in they’re probably tourists. Like the provincial visitors.
And even then it’s an odd comment, because one thing most foreigners do extremely well is speak English.
This is farcical lying
The fact is London has gone from about 97% White British to about 37% White British in a few decades. That’s just a statement of fact
There is no clear parallel in human history for this to happen outside wartime - to a major world city with an established ethnic identity
This is not a value statement. This change may be a good or bad thing, or a mix of both
But has it happened? Yes, it has
I always get the feeling that those who are terse with anyone who complains about that fact are the first to bemoan the culture of a foreign town or city changing, or at least like to say how a foreign place they adore has a character unchanged by tourism/modernity
"You can see it on the faces of provincial families you know who come to London for a birthday weekend and they look confused - there's nobody in the tube carriage who speaks english."
I haven't been to London for ten years so I can't really comment. But really?
What he means is some people on the tube might speak a foreign language. Shock horror major world city has foreigners in it. And if they’re in the sort of central London tube locales that provincial visitors can be found in they’re probably tourists. Like the provincial visitors.
And even then it’s an odd comment, because one thing most foreigners do extremely well is speak English.
This is farcical lying
The fact is London has gone from about 97% White British to about 37% White British in a few decades. That’s just a statement of fact
There is no clear parallel in human history for this to happen outside wartime - to a major world city with an established ethnic identity
This is not a value statement. This change may be a good or bad thing, or a mix of both
But has it happened? Yes, it has
Errr, in terms of speaking English, Londoners are exceptionally proficient after taking into account the number of immigrants. It's an astonishing city in that regard, unrivalled around the world. In England and Wales the next biggest main language is... Polish.
It's Birmingham/Bradford/Leicester where you can find lots of people with poor English - but even then, it's only a very small proportion with none at all.
(I have the vague memory that the most diverse parts of London have better English at school than poor parts of the North of England. Immigrants are damned good at picking it up).
"You can see it on the faces of provincial families you know who come to London for a birthday weekend and they look confused - there's nobody in the tube carriage who speaks english."
I haven't been to London for ten years so I can't really comment. But really?
No one on the tube should be speaking any language. Ok, maybe on the platform...
The furriners even talk to complete strangers!!
Pshaw! {adjusts monocle}
Northerners do that too!
The other thing is frankly, I don't really regard London as part of the UK. It's part of something bigger, perhaps better. A world city. I think most people from the "provincials" feel this way, and aren't necessarily upset by it.
There are more similarities with Leith and Shoreditch than there are with Leith and Keith, for example. National and even regional identities are being overtaken by street-level cultural identities.
Why do people who love the fact London is full of foreigners get upset when other people say no one’s speaking English? It’s like they are happy about something they refuse to admit is happening
"You can see it on the faces of provincial families you know who come to London for a birthday weekend and they look confused - there's nobody in the tube carriage who speaks english."
I haven't been to London for ten years so I can't really comment. But really?
What he means is some people on the tube might speak a foreign language. Shock horror major world city has foreigners in it. And if they’re in the sort of central London tube locales that provincial visitors can be found in they’re probably tourists. Like the provincial visitors.
And even then it’s an odd comment, because one thing most foreigners do extremely well is speak English.
This is farcical lying
The fact is London has gone from about 97% White British to about 37% White British in a few decades. That’s just a statement of fact
There is no clear parallel in human history for this to happen outside wartime - to a major world city with an established ethnic identity
This is not a value statement. This change may be a good or bad thing, or a mix of both
But has it happened? Yes, it has
I always get the feeling that those who are terse with anyone who complains about that fact are the first to bemoan the culture of a foreign town or city changing, or at least like to say how a foreign place they adore has a character unchanged by tourism/modernity
To pick an extreme example, many waiters in Malta speak only English and Italian or English and Polish. Imagine you're part of the minorty of Maltese who don't speak English and you have to audit restaurants on language before entering...
Though perhaps the minority of welsh-only speakers in Wales can sympathise.
"You can see it on the faces of provincial families you know who come to London for a birthday weekend and they look confused - there's nobody in the tube carriage who speaks english."
I haven't been to London for ten years so I can't really comment. But really?
What he means is some people on the tube might speak a foreign language. Shock horror major world city has foreigners in it. And if they’re in the sort of central London tube locales that provincial visitors can be found in they’re probably tourists. Like the provincial visitors.
And even then it’s an odd comment, because one thing most foreigners do extremely well is speak English.
This is farcical lying
The fact is London has gone from about 97% White British to about 37% White British in a few decades. That’s just a statement of fact
There is no clear parallel in human history for this to happen outside wartime - to a major world city with an established ethnic identity
This is not a value statement. This change may be a good or bad thing, or a mix of both
But has it happened? Yes, it has
Errr, in terms of speaking English, Londoners are exceptionally proficient after taking into account the number of immigrants. It's an astonishing city in that regard, unrivalled around the world. In England and Wales the next biggest main language is... Polish.
It's Birmingham/Bradford/Leicester where you can find lots of people with poor English - but even then, it's only a very small proportion with none at all.
(I have the vague memory that the most diverse parts of London have better English at school than poor parts of the North of England. Immigrants are damned good at picking it up).
The Spelling Bee champions in the USA tend to be Indian!
"You can see it on the faces of provincial families you know who come to London for a birthday weekend and they look confused - there's nobody in the tube carriage who speaks english."
I haven't been to London for ten years so I can't really comment. But really?
No one on the tube should be speaking any language. Ok, maybe on the platform...
The furriners even talk to complete strangers!!
Pshaw! {adjusts monocle}
Northerners do that too!
The other thing is frankly, I don't really regard London as part of the UK. It's part of something bigger, perhaps better. A world city. I think most people from the "provincials" feel this way, and aren't necessarily upset by it.
There are more similarities with Leith and Shoreditch than there are with Leith and Keith, for example. National and even regional identities are being overtaken by street-level cultural identities.
Why do people who love the fact London is full of foreigners get upset when other people say no one’s speaking English? It’s like they are happy about something they refuse to admit is happening
I'm not upset. It's great. It's an incredible city and I'd live there in a heartbeat. Commuting down the Thames on the boat, or whizzing along the Embankment, or jogging round Regent's Park. The food. The fun.
It's like having the world in your pocket. But without any decent mountains.
"You can see it on the faces of provincial families you know who come to London for a birthday weekend and they look confused - there's nobody in the tube carriage who speaks english."
I haven't been to London for ten years so I can't really comment. But really?
No one on the tube should be speaking any language. Ok, maybe on the platform...
The furriners even talk to complete strangers!!
Pshaw! {adjusts monocle}
Northerners do that too!
The other thing is frankly, I don't really regard London as part of the UK. It's part of something bigger, perhaps better. A world city. I think most people from the "provincials" feel this way, and aren't necessarily upset by it.
There are more similarities with Leith and Shoreditch than there are with Leith and Keith, for example. National and even regional identities are being overtaken by street-level cultural identities.
Why do people who love the fact London is full of foreigners get upset when other people say no one’s speaking English? It’s like they are happy about something they refuse to admit is happening
I'm not upset. It's great. It's an incredible city and I'd live there in a heartbeat. Commuting down the Thames on the boat, or whizzing along the Embankment, or jogging round Regent's Park. The food. The fun.
It's like having the world in your pocket. But without any decent mountains.
"You can see it on the faces of provincial families you know who come to London for a birthday weekend and they look confused - there's nobody in the tube carriage who speaks english."
I haven't been to London for ten years so I can't really comment. But really?
If you get on the tube at Hanwell, at the right time of day, then it's possible.
Otherwise, it's obvious exaggeration. (I would also note that in summer, when there are lots of tourists, the there are lots more foreigners on the tube. And said tourists are much more likely to travel as families, and therefore much more likely to chatter in foreign languages. Commuters are on their own, and they're not talking to anyone.)
"You can see it on the faces of provincial families you know who come to London for a birthday weekend and they look confused - there's nobody in the tube carriage who speaks english."
I haven't been to London for ten years so I can't really comment. But really?
No one on the tube should be speaking any language. Ok, maybe on the platform...
The furriners even talk to complete strangers!!
Pshaw! {adjusts monocle}
Northerners do that too!
The other thing is frankly, I don't really regard London as part of the UK. It's part of something bigger, perhaps better. A world city. I think most people from the "provincials" feel this way, and aren't necessarily upset by it.
There are more similarities with Leith and Shoreditch than there are with Leith and Keith, for example. National and even regional identities are being overtaken by street-level cultural identities.
Why do people who love the fact London is full of foreigners get upset when other people say no one’s speaking English? It’s like they are happy about something they refuse to admit is happening
I'm not upset. It's great. It's an incredible city and I'd live there in a heartbeat. Commuting down the Thames on the boat, or whizzing along the Embankment, or jogging round Regent's Park. The food. The fun.
It's like having the world in your pocket. But without any decent mountains.
Or as I say about rowing on the Tideway - 3 miles, 100 cultures, 100 different weather conditions.
"You can see it on the faces of provincial families you know who come to London for a birthday weekend and they look confused - there's nobody in the tube carriage who speaks english."
I haven't been to London for ten years so I can't really comment. But really?
No one on the tube should be speaking any language. Ok, maybe on the platform...
The furriners even talk to complete strangers!!
Pshaw! {adjusts monocle}
Northerners do that too!
The other thing is frankly, I don't really regard London as part of the UK. It's part of something bigger, perhaps better. A world city. I think most people from the "provincials" feel this way, and aren't necessarily upset by it.
There are more similarities with Leith and Shoreditch than there are with Leith and Keith, for example. National and even regional identities are being overtaken by street-level cultural identities.
Why do people who love the fact London is full of foreigners get upset when other people say no one’s speaking English? It’s like they are happy about something they refuse to admit is happening
I'm not upset. It's great. It's an incredible city and I'd live there in a heartbeat. Commuting down the Thames on the boat, or whizzing along the Embankment, or jogging round Regent's Park. The food. The fun.
It's like having the world in your pocket. But without any decent mountains.
I agree with you, but do you think that if a referendum had been held at any particular time the people already living in London would have voted in favour of the pace of change that has in fact taken place?
"You can see it on the faces of provincial families you know who come to London for a birthday weekend and they look confused - there's nobody in the tube carriage who speaks english."
I haven't been to London for ten years so I can't really comment. But really?
No one on the tube should be speaking any language. Ok, maybe on the platform...
The furriners even talk to complete strangers!!
Pshaw! {adjusts monocle}
Northerners do that too!
The other thing is frankly, I don't really regard London as part of the UK. It's part of something bigger, perhaps better. A world city. I think most people from the "provincials" feel this way, and aren't necessarily upset by it.
There are more similarities with Leith and Shoreditch than there are with Leith and Keith, for example. National and even regional identities are being overtaken by street-level cultural identities.
Why do people who love the fact London is full of foreigners get upset when other people say no one’s speaking English? It’s like they are happy about something they refuse to admit is happening
I'm not upset. It's great. It's an incredible city and I'd live there in a heartbeat. Commuting down the Thames on the boat, or whizzing along the Embankment, or jogging round Regent's Park. The food. The fun.
It's like having the world in your pocket. But without any decent mountains.
Or as I say about rowing on the Tideway - 3 miles, 100 cultures, 100 different weather conditions.
I've done some rowing on the Thames up around Chiswick/Kew. Very fond memories. There was a good pub, I'll try and work out which it was.
"You can see it on the faces of provincial families you know who come to London for a birthday weekend and they look confused - there's nobody in the tube carriage who speaks english."
I haven't been to London for ten years so I can't really comment. But really?
No one on the tube should be speaking any language. Ok, maybe on the platform...
The furriners even talk to complete strangers!!
Pshaw! {adjusts monocle}
Northerners do that too!
The other thing is frankly, I don't really regard London as part of the UK. It's part of something bigger, perhaps better. A world city. I think most people from the "provincials" feel this way, and aren't necessarily upset by it.
There are more similarities with Leith and Shoreditch than there are with Leith and Keith, for example. National and even regional identities are being overtaken by street-level cultural identities.
Why do people who love the fact London is full of foreigners get upset when other people say no one’s speaking English? It’s like they are happy about something they refuse to admit is happening
I'm not upset. It's great. It's an incredible city and I'd live there in a heartbeat. Commuting down the Thames on the boat, or whizzing along the Embankment, or jogging round Regent's Park. The food. The fun.
It's like having the world in your pocket. But without any decent mountains.
I agree with you, but do you think that if a referendum had been held at any particular time the people already living in London would have voted in favour of the pace of change that has in fact taken place?
I dunno. I think the overall package - including the astonishing public and private investment - would be a resounding yes.
The problem isn't really the immigration, imo. It's the economic stagnation in much of the rest of the country. When I stay in London, I live with a corporate lawyer from Blackpool. We zip around on bikes, get pissed at those gorgeous pubs and wander through the parks on the way back to his place.
"You can see it on the faces of provincial families you know who come to London for a birthday weekend and they look confused - there's nobody in the tube carriage who speaks english."
I haven't been to London for ten years so I can't really comment. But really?
What he means is some people on the tube might speak a foreign language. Shock horror major world city has foreigners in it. And if they’re in the sort of central London tube locales that provincial visitors can be found in they’re probably tourists. Like the provincial visitors.
And even then it’s an odd comment, because one thing most foreigners do extremely well is speak English.
This is farcical lying
The fact is London has gone from about 97% White British to about 37% White British in a few decades. That’s just a statement of fact
There is no clear parallel in human history for this to happen outside wartime - to a major world city with an established ethnic identity
This is not a value statement. This change may be a good or bad thing, or a mix of both
But has it happened? Yes, it has
Yes but in the summer, when a decent chunk of them are extremely decorative and wearing very little, who cares?
"You can see it on the faces of provincial families you know who come to London for a birthday weekend and they look confused - there's nobody in the tube carriage who speaks english."
I haven't been to London for ten years so I can't really comment. But really?
What he means is some people on the tube might speak a foreign language. Shock horror major world city has foreigners in it. And if they’re in the sort of central London tube locales that provincial visitors can be found in they’re probably tourists. Like the provincial visitors.
And even then it’s an odd comment, because one thing most foreigners do extremely well is speak English.
This is farcical lying
The fact is London has gone from about 97% White British to about 37% White British in a few decades. That’s just a statement of fact
There is no clear parallel in human history for this to happen outside wartime - to a major world city with an established ethnic identity
This is not a value statement. This change may be a good or bad thing, or a mix of both
But has it happened? Yes, it has
"A few" is commonly accepted to be no more than - say - three?
ChatGPT tells me the last time that was true was before your birth, back in 1961.
By the 1991 census (which is stretching your definition of "a few") it was already in the 70s.
Yes, there have been significant changes. But don't make up shit.
And don't just hammer "like" because you agree with the sentiment.
"You can see it on the faces of provincial families you know who come to London for a birthday weekend and they look confused - there's nobody in the tube carriage who speaks english."
I haven't been to London for ten years so I can't really comment. But really?
What he means is some people on the tube might speak a foreign language. Shock horror major world city has foreigners in it. And if they’re in the sort of central London tube locales that provincial visitors can be found in they’re probably tourists. Like the provincial visitors.
And even then it’s an odd comment, because one thing most foreigners do extremely well is speak English.
This is farcical lying
The fact is London has gone from about 97% White British to about 37% White British in a few decades. That’s just a statement of fact
There is no clear parallel in human history for this to happen outside wartime - to a major world city with an established ethnic identity
This is not a value statement. This change may be a good or bad thing, or a mix of both
But has it happened? Yes, it has
"A few" is commonly accepted to be no more than - say - three?
ChatGPT tells me the last time that was true was before your birth, back in 1961.
By the 1991 census (which is stretching your definition of "a few") it was already in the 70s.
Yes, there have been significant changes. But don't make up shit.
And don't just hammer "like" because you agree with the sentiment.
“But don't make up shit.”
Ah. You must be new here. Well, welcome in and pull up a pew.
Gabbard fighting for her political life this evening.
The "two week" delay in a decision on Iran suggests to me that the non-interventionists (Gabbard, Tucker, Bannon etc) are winning the internal argument in the administration.
Worth noting that Keir Starmer defended an activist who broke into an RAF base to set fire to aircraft. Starmer claimed his client was legally justified because it might stop a war crime.
If he'd won that argument in 2004, what happened at Brize Norton would be perfectly legal.
Oh FFS Kemi. That's not how barristers work and everyone in your party knows that.
So stay above the fray and have an attack dog backbencher or scribbler smear Starmer for this.
I don't understand what Kemi's doing here. Everyone knows that people are entitled to a defence.
I can see what Kemi is doing but it ought to be beneath her dignity. It is unserious. It undermines her status as PM-in-waiting and as Leader of the Conservative Party most likely to get them back into office.
If she or CCHQ wanted this message (or smear) spread they should have got someone else to do it.
Worth noting that Keir Starmer defended an activist who broke into an RAF base to set fire to aircraft. Starmer claimed his client was legally justified because it might stop a war crime.
If he'd won that argument in 2004, what happened at Brize Norton would be perfectly legal.
Oh FFS Kemi. That's not how barristers work and everyone in your party knows that.
So stay above the fray and have an attack dog backbencher or scribbler smear Starmer for this.
I don't understand what Kemi's doing here. Everyone knows that people are entitled to a defence.
Absolutely every one is entitled to a defence. But Starmer today called what happened at Brize Norton vandalism as if it was someone throwing tomato soup at a painting protected by glass in an art gallery, it was not, it was incredible reckless and expensive sabotage of vital military planes used to protect the UK. The clue was in the fact they were sitting out on the runway at Brize Norton because they were in regular use.
To get back on topic, I have just bought the most FABULOUS Laura Ashley midnight blue velvet cushions
*stares*
Look, this place lacks femininity. I'm providing
For sitting on or mainly just to stroke?
To really make the living room *pop*
Honestly, it's transformational. I'm turning the whole flat into a kind of decadent cocoon. A velvet fortress wherefrom I can witness the apocalypse. The bedroom is going to be absurd. All the glossy woodwork will be deep red wine colour, with Hague blue walls
Themes of pink and sapphire throughout. Old brass light fixtures. Armenian obsidian daggars glittering in the Tom Dixon blown metal lamplight
OOOOOH
That's a strong look. I'm ok with that.
It is. It should be done by autumn, and I am faintly trembling with anticipation
It's all coz a friend stayed here over winter (while I was away) and then after gave me a stiff talking to, "Leon, you have a lovely flat in a great location but you've let it go to seed. Looks like it hasn't been touched in a decade. It's sad"
Tough love, but it worked. Next time I came home from a trip I looked around and thought "shit, he's right"
Sometimes you need friends to tell you the difficult things
It does sound more of an autumn/winter vision if you don't mind my saying. Velvet, brass, and those other things.
Yes. There comes a time when you have to lean in to it
Ageing, well travelled artiste with a louche past, an affluent present, and many hair-raising stories
All good. But beware of becoming a cliche. To avoid that you need to have some 'against expectations' components. Eg an outdoor team sport. Or golf even.
lol. Never golf. NEVER golf
The against expectations stuff is that I am still relentlessly travelling to some pretty radical places
Russia is a possibility at the mo. Also San Francisco, ugh
But overall I've taken a look at the wardrobe of my life and realised, Leon, you're never going to fit into those jackets from 20 years ago. That time has passed. Time to age disgracefully. Buy linen
Re: Radical places. What about a CIA Black Ops site? You could wax lyrically about the décor and compare it to some other dungeons you've been in.
"You can see it on the faces of provincial families you know who come to London for a birthday weekend and they look confused - there's nobody in the tube carriage who speaks english."
I haven't been to London for ten years so I can't really comment. But really?
That has all the veracity of that farcical scene in Their Darkest Hour where Churchill got in touch with the unwashed Olde English yeomanry on a tube journey. As I recall there was a black person in it but I think even they spoke in purest gor blimey. Isn’t this a retread of an old Farage line, to wit how uncomfortable he felt hearing foreign chat on the underground? This is the future, old fuds screeching about foreigners in your ear, forever.
"You can see it on the faces of provincial families you know who come to London for a birthday weekend and they look confused - there's nobody in the tube carriage who speaks english."
I haven't been to London for ten years so I can't really comment. But really?
No one on the tube should be speaking any language. Ok, maybe on the platform...
The furriners even talk to complete strangers!!
Pshaw! {adjusts monocle}
Northerners do that too!
The other thing is frankly, I don't really regard London as part of the UK. It's part of something bigger, perhaps better. A world city. I think most people from the "provincials" feel this way, and aren't necessarily upset by it.
There are more similarities with Leith and Shoreditch than there are with Leith and Keith, for example. National and even regional identities are being overtaken by street-level cultural identities.
Why do people who love the fact London is full of foreigners get upset when other people say no one’s speaking English? It’s like they are happy about something they refuse to admit is happening
I had a v distressing tube journey the other week that was disrupted by dozens of french school children on an exchange trip who were speaking French! to each other. I thought we had voted Brexit to put a stop to such ordeals.
Worth noting that Keir Starmer defended an activist who broke into an RAF base to set fire to aircraft. Starmer claimed his client was legally justified because it might stop a war crime.
If he'd won that argument in 2004, what happened at Brize Norton would be perfectly legal.
Oh FFS Kemi. That's not how barristers work and everyone in your party knows that.
So stay above the fray and have an attack dog backbencher or scribbler smear Starmer for this.
I don't understand what Kemi's doing here. Everyone knows that people are entitled to a defence.
Absolutely every one is entitled to a defence. But Starmer today called what happened at Brize Norton vandalism as if it was someone throwing tomato soup at a painting protected by glass in an art gallery, it was not, it was incredible reckless and expensive sabotage of vital military planes used to protect the UK. The clue was in the fact they were sitting out on the runway at Brize Norton because they were in regular use.
Here's one hack to disable your enemies aircraft they don't want you to know about!
"You can see it on the faces of provincial families you know who come to London for a birthday weekend and they look confused - there's nobody in the tube carriage who speaks english."
I haven't been to London for ten years so I can't really comment. But really?
No one on the tube should be speaking any language. Ok, maybe on the platform...
The furriners even talk to complete strangers!!
Pshaw! {adjusts monocle}
Northerners do that too!
The other thing is frankly, I don't really regard London as part of the UK. It's part of something bigger, perhaps better. A world city. I think most people from the "provincials" feel this way, and aren't necessarily upset by it.
There are more similarities with Leith and Shoreditch than there are with Leith and Keith, for example. National and even regional identities are being overtaken by street-level cultural identities.
Why do people who love the fact London is full of foreigners get upset when other people say no one’s speaking English? It’s like they are happy about something they refuse to admit is happening
Last night you tacitly requested that I don't comment on your posts because you say I am "trolling" you. I would very much like to have commented on this post's content.
A suggestion that the Israel missile defence system is starting to run out of inventory. The interception rate is quoted as falling from ~90% to ~65%. Cost is running at $200 million per day.
"You can see it on the faces of provincial families you know who come to London for a birthday weekend and they look confused - there's nobody in the tube carriage who speaks english."
Pakistan have put forward Trump for the Nobel Peace prize, India saying it’s a load of shite and the US had nothing to do with the cessation of hostilities. Not quite the intention of old Nobel I imagine.
Pakistan have put forward Trump for the Nobel Peace prize, India saying it’s a load of shite and the US had nothing to do with the cessation of hostilities. Not quite the intention of old Nobel I imagine.
Donald Trump already has no bell, just not a prize for it.
This I think will be my favourite video today. A wounded Canadian veteran explaining why her cycle is her mobility aid. 4 minutes.
Delightful quote (paraphrase): "They assume that for disabled people your top half works, and the bottom half doesn't. With me it is the other way round."
"You can see it on the faces of provincial families you know who come to London for a birthday weekend and they look confused - there's nobody in the tube carriage who speaks english."
I haven't been to London for ten years so I can't really comment. But really?
I was in town yesterday, and it's true, but it's also true of all great international European and American cities these days - Paris, Berlin, New York and LA are just the same, if not more so, at least LA would if it had a metro worth the name. In many ways it would be more worrying if it WEREN'T true.
As long as they are tourists bringing money in, or businessmen boosting the economy, who cares what language they speak?
Personally I find Chinese or Arabic less annoying than pure Glaswegian, or native MME teenagers calling each other Bruv and ending every sentence with "innit?". I can never hear those accents without remembering our shoplifting epidemic and spiralling welfare bill.
Pakistan have put forward Trump for the Nobel Peace prize, India saying it’s a load of shite and the US had nothing to do with the cessation of hostilities. Not quite the intention of old Nobel I imagine.
Donald Trump already has no bell, just not a prize for it.
Did Nobel offer a prize for blowing things up? Random Houthis, the USA's future, world peace, his own family ...
Pakistan have put forward Trump for the Nobel Peace prize, India saying it’s a load of shite and the US had nothing to do with the cessation of hostilities. Not quite the intention of old Nobel I imagine.
But he'll never get it "whatever he does". Life is so unfair.
"You can see it on the faces of provincial families you know who come to London for a birthday weekend and they look confused - there's nobody in the tube carriage who speaks english."
I haven't been to London for ten years so I can't really comment. But really?
What he means is some people on the tube might speak a foreign language. Shock horror major world city has foreigners in it. And if they’re in the sort of central London tube locales that provincial visitors can be found in they’re probably tourists. Like the provincial visitors.
And even then it’s an odd comment, because one thing most foreigners do extremely well is speak English.
This is farcical lying
The fact is London has gone from about 97% White British to about 37% White British in a few decades. That’s just a statement of fact
There is no clear parallel in human history for this to happen outside wartime - to a major world city with an established ethnic identity
This is not a value statement. This change may be a good or bad thing, or a mix of both
But has it happened? Yes, it has
"A few" is commonly accepted to be no more than - say - three?
ChatGPT tells me the last time that was true was before your birth, back in 1961.
By the 1991 census (which is stretching your definition of "a few") it was already in the 70s.
Yes, there have been significant changes. But don't make up shit.
And don't just hammer "like" because you agree with the sentiment.
Indeed, when I moved back to London for work in 1995 it was pretty much already the case that on the tube, no-one was speaking English. A lot are tourists of course. And it's helped by the fact, as has been pointed out, the natives don't talk very much on the tube.
"You can see it on the faces of provincial families you know who come to London for a birthday weekend and they look confused - there's nobody in the tube carriage who speaks english."
I haven't been to London for ten years so I can't really comment. But really?
I was in town yesterday, and it's true, but it's also true of all great international European and American cities these days - Paris, Berlin, New York and LA are just the same, if not more so, at least LA would if it had a metro worth the name. In many ways it would be more worrying if it WEREN'T true.
As long as they are tourists bringing money in, or businessmen boosting the economy, who cares what language they speak?
Personally I find Chinese or Arabic less annoying than pure Glaswegian, or native MME teenagers calling each other Bruv and ending every sentence with "innit?". I can never hear those accents without remembering our shoplifting epidemic and spiralling welfare bill.
Goodwin's audience are essentially provincial people he is trying to convince of his political thesis using London as "look at ... that ... over there ... and be frightened".
There reality of what London is actually like is not entirely relevant.
I lived in London for 6-7 years two decades ago. The only time I found other languages / cultures wearing was when I had a week on a small hospital ward with essentially all day visiting, and quite large groups came in for extended periods, and effectively had a talking party.
"You can see it on the faces of provincial families you know who come to London for a birthday weekend and they look confused - there's nobody in the tube carriage who speaks english."
I haven't been to London for ten years so I can't really comment. But really?
I was in town yesterday, and it's true, but it's also true of all great international European and American cities these days - Paris, Berlin, New York and LA are just the same, if not more so, at least LA would if it had a metro worth the name. In many ways it would be more worrying if it WEREN'T true.
As long as they are tourists bringing money in, or businessmen boosting the economy, who cares what language they speak?
Personally I find Chinese or Arabic less annoying than pure Glaswegian, or native MME teenagers calling each other Bruv and ending every sentence with "innit?". I can never hear those accents without remembering our shoplifting epidemic and spiralling welfare bill.
Thing is, the original article was claiming “nobody on the tube carriage speaks English.”
That was, to quote another poster (who then tellingly turned the topic from one of language to one of skin colour), farcical lying.
The “nobody speaks English” trope is as old as the hills and is rarely actually about linguistic skills.
Worth noting that Keir Starmer defended an activist who broke into an RAF base to set fire to aircraft. Starmer claimed his client was legally justified because it might stop a war crime.
If he'd won that argument in 2004, what happened at Brize Norton would be perfectly legal.
Oh FFS Kemi. That's not how barristers work and everyone in your party knows that.
So stay above the fray and have an attack dog backbencher or scribbler smear Starmer for this.
I don't understand what Kemi's doing here. Everyone knows that people are entitled to a defence.
As an attack line it's clever. The natural initial response is "Hmm... Starmer's an ally of baduns". The thought "Someone has to defend baduns in court" comes in a bit later. There's also a chunk of opinion on the more pondlife end of the spectrum who are fine with obvious baduns not being defended in court because they're obviously baduns.
Opposition is about making a noise, because being heard is so difficult. It's not very "PM in waiting" but that's hardly an issue for the Conservatives right now. And whilst it would have been better for Kemi if someone else had soiled themselves by pushing this, who else do they have? Jenrick maybe, but a Justice spokesman doing this would have been even worse.
Worth noting that Keir Starmer defended an activist who broke into an RAF base to set fire to aircraft. Starmer claimed his client was legally justified because it might stop a war crime.
If he'd won that argument in 2004, what happened at Brize Norton would be perfectly legal.
Oh FFS Kemi. That's not how barristers work and everyone in your party knows that.
So stay above the fray and have an attack dog backbencher or scribbler smear Starmer for this.
I don't understand what Kemi's doing here. Everyone knows that people are entitled to a defence.
As an attack line it's clever. The natural initial response is "Hmm... Starmer's an ally of baduns". The thought "Someone has to defend baduns in court" comes in a bit later. There's also a chunk of opinion on the more pondlife end of the spectrum who are fine with obvious baduns not being defended in court because they're obviously baduns.
Opposition is about making a noise, because being heard is so difficult. It's not very "PM in waiting" but that's hardly an issue for the Conservatives right now. And whilst it would have been better for Kemi if someone else had soiled themselves by pushing this, who else do they have? Jenrick maybe, but a Justice spokesman doing this would have been even worse.
I don’t see how Kemi making a noise about things like this gains the Tories voters. Reform own the war on woke, so they benefit.
The Tories are still the undisputed champions of the tax cut in the minds of the voters, despite their recent tax raising efforts in government. Banging on about Rachel Reeves, IHT, NI, promising to slash taxes, promising to block local development, turning the triple lock into a quadruple one while cutting benefits for welfare scroungers, those are things that will get back their voters.
"You can see it on the faces of provincial families you know who come to London for a birthday weekend and they look confused - there's nobody in the tube carriage who speaks english."
I haven't been to London for ten years so I can't really comment. But really?
I was in town yesterday, and it's true, but it's also true of all great international European and American cities these days - Paris, Berlin, New York and LA are just the same, if not more so, at least LA would if it had a metro worth the name. In many ways it would be more worrying if it WEREN'T true.
As long as they are tourists bringing money in, or businessmen boosting the economy, who cares what language they speak?
Personally I find Chinese or Arabic less annoying than pure Glaswegian, or native MME teenagers calling each other Bruv and ending every sentence with "innit?". I can never hear those accents without remembering our shoplifting epidemic and spiralling welfare bill.
Thing is, the original article was claiming “nobody on the tube carriage speaks English.”
That was, to quote another poster (who then tellingly turned the topic from one of language to one of skin colour), farcical lying.
The “nobody speaks English” trope is as old as the hills and is rarely actually about linguistic skills.
You can't possibly be suggesting we have a resident racist who reads things on X and assumes it is true.
"You can see it on the faces of provincial families you know who come to London for a birthday weekend and they look confused - there's nobody in the tube carriage who speaks english."
I haven't been to London for ten years so I can't really comment. But really?
I was in town yesterday, and it's true, but it's also true of all great international European and American cities these days - Paris, Berlin, New York and LA are just the same, if not more so, at least LA would if it had a metro worth the name. In many ways it would be more worrying if it WEREN'T true.
As long as they are tourists bringing money in, or businessmen boosting the economy, who cares what language they speak?
Personally I find Chinese or Arabic less annoying than pure Glaswegian, or native MME teenagers calling each other Bruv and ending every sentence with "innit?". I can never hear those accents without remembering our shoplifting epidemic and spiralling welfare bill.
Thing is, the original article was claiming “nobody on the tube carriage speaks English.”
That was, to quote another poster (who then tellingly turned the topic from one of language to one of skin colour), farcical lying.
The “nobody speaks English” trope is as old as the hills and is rarely actually about linguistic skills.
You can't possibly be suggesting we have a resident racist who reads things on X and assumes it is true.
Good morning, everyone.
The assumption of truth, especially from an 'objective' source such as a computer/search engine/AI, is one of the most alarming habits of modern times.
The only tube carriages I've been on where no-one speaks any English are if a large party of tourists comes on. The author probably thinks if there's a lot of brown people, no one is speaking English.
The only tube carriages I've been on where no-one speaks any English are if a large party of tourists comes on. The author probably thinks if there's a lot of brown people, no one is speaking English.
My usual experience as an occasional tube user is that nobody speaks at all, in any language... it's all sitting in silence, maybe fiddling with a phone.
"You can see it on the faces of provincial families you know who come to London for a birthday weekend and they look confused - there's nobody in the tube carriage who speaks english."
I haven't been to London for ten years so I can't really comment. But really?
I was in town yesterday, and it's true, but it's also true of all great international European and American cities these days - Paris, Berlin, New York and LA are just the same, if not more so, at least LA would if it had a metro worth the name. In many ways it would be more worrying if it WEREN'T true.
As long as they are tourists bringing money in, or businessmen boosting the economy, who cares what language they speak?
Personally I find Chinese or Arabic less annoying than pure Glaswegian, or native MME teenagers calling each other Bruv and ending every sentence with "innit?". I can never hear those accents without remembering our shoplifting epidemic and spiralling welfare bill.
Thing is, the original article was claiming “nobody on the tube carriage speaks English.”
That was, to quote another poster (who then tellingly turned the topic from one of language to one of skin colour), farcical lying.
The “nobody speaks English” trope is as old as the hills and is rarely actually about linguistic skills.
You can't possibly be suggesting we have a resident racist who reads things on X and assumes it is true.
"You can see it on the faces of provincial families you know who come to London for a birthday weekend and they look confused - there's nobody in the tube carriage who speaks english."
I haven't been to London for ten years so I can't really comment. But really?
I was in town yesterday, and it's true, but it's also true of all great international European and American cities these days - Paris, Berlin, New York and LA are just the same, if not more so, at least LA would if it had a metro worth the name. In many ways it would be more worrying if it WEREN'T true.
As long as they are tourists bringing money in, or businessmen boosting the economy, who cares what language they speak?
Personally I find Chinese or Arabic less annoying than pure Glaswegian, or native MME teenagers calling each other Bruv and ending every sentence with "innit?". I can never hear those accents without remembering our shoplifting epidemic and spiralling welfare bill.
Thing is, the original article was claiming “nobody on the tube carriage speaks English.”
That was, to quote another poster (who then tellingly turned the topic from one of language to one of skin colour), farcical lying.
The “nobody speaks English” trope is as old as the hills and is rarely actually about linguistic skills.
You can't possibly be suggesting we have a resident racist who reads things on X and assumes it is true.
The only racist in the village?
Would that it were, Mr Daveyboy, would that it were.
President Trump tells reporters that Tulsi Gabbard is wrong about the Islamic Republic of Iran building a nuclear weapon.
She has two choices now as far as I’m concerned: she can either amend her testimony before congress where she stated that the Islamic Republic was not building a nuclear weapon or resign.
Leon says: "There is no clear parallel in human history for this to happen outside wartime - to a major world city with an established ethnic identity"
Not a city perhaps but has happened to whole continents - both Americas and Australia.
A suggestion that the Israel missile defence system is starting to run out of inventory. The interception rate is quoted as falling from ~90% to ~65%. Cost is running at $200 million per day.
I suggested earlier that holes appearing in Iron Dome made American air defence materiel more useful to Israel than blowing up an Iranian mountain, as well as more palatable to GOP isolationists than direct American involvement in a foreign war.
Leon says: "There is no clear parallel in human history for this to happen outside wartime - to a major world city with an established ethnic identity"
Not a city perhaps but has happened to whole continents - both Americas and Australia.
According to legend, the faeries are closer at this time on this day of silken midsummer than any other, so if Leon is away with the fairies on this particular issue, perhaps we should let it pass.
The only tube carriages I've been on where no-one speaks any English are if a large party of tourists comes on. The author probably thinks if there's a lot of brown people, no one is speaking English.
My usual experience as an occasional tube user is that nobody speaks at all, in any language... it's all sitting in silence, maybe fiddling with a phone.
I have just been invited to stay on a billionaire's yacht, cruising round the Greek islands in August
This is one of the few things left for me to do, that I haven't already done
The "billionaire yacht experience". Could be interesting
Didn’t Onassis have the stools at the breakfast bar on one of his yachts covered in leather made from whale foreskins? Good oneupmanship at breakfast: Finest baby Kudu leather? Well, it’s okay I guess…
He did indeed. And if you rubbed them gently they expanded into sofas.
A suggestion that the Israel missile defence system is starting to run out of inventory. The interception rate is quoted as falling from ~90% to ~65%. Cost is running at $200 million per day.
Israel does short sharp shocks to defeat its enemies. It's always worked in the past. Six day war and all that.
But Iran is too big, too populous for a long campaign by Israel.
Israel can only beat Iran if: 1. The short sharp shock would be good enough (I don't believe that, I'm sticking with my 'forever war' theory) - looks like that might be going out the window. 2. The US would intervene and defeat Iran for them (by now - they didn't count on TACO). Looks like this might be out the window too now. 3. They nuke Iran. But all the massive negatives we've discussed a thousand times over in Russia-Ukraine apply even more in spades here. Israel would 'win' and become a pariah state.
So where does Israel go from here? They NEED US intervention. It has to happen..... so false flag attack it is against a US base.
"You can see it on the faces of provincial families you know who come to London for a birthday weekend and they look confused - there's nobody in the tube carriage who speaks english."
I haven't been to London for ten years so I can't really comment. But really?
I was in town yesterday, and it's true, but it's also true of all great international European and American cities these days - Paris, Berlin, New York and LA are just the same, if not more so, at least LA would if it had a metro worth the name. In many ways it would be more worrying if it WEREN'T true.
As long as they are tourists bringing money in, or businessmen boosting the economy, who cares what language they speak?
Personally I find Chinese or Arabic less annoying than pure Glaswegian, or native MME teenagers calling each other Bruv and ending every sentence with "innit?". I can never hear those accents without remembering our shoplifting epidemic and spiralling welfare bill.
Thing is, the original article was claiming “nobody on the tube carriage speaks English.”
That was, to quote another poster (who then tellingly turned the topic from one of language to one of skin colour), farcical lying.
The “nobody speaks English” trope is as old as the hills and is rarely actually about linguistic skills.
If it's the post I think you are referring to, that particular poster is a PB favourite. I really wanted to comment that I felt the whole idea was disingenuous bollocks, but if I do call out notions I consider unacceptable from this poster I am accused of being an obsessed troll.
Comments
Extreme Temperatures Around The World
@extremetemps
·
1h
Record heat also in the United Kingdom (and more records will be coming tomorrow):
Temperatures >30C in England,Wales, >29 in Ireland,Northern Ireland ,Scotland.
June highest record at Leeming with 30.1C, beating the 1976 record.
https://x.com/extremetemps
The Real IRA
The Continuity IRA
The Real Continuity IRA
The Really Real IRA
“I can’t believe it isn’t the IRA”
The Keepin’ It Real IRA
Plus approximately 17,234 Loyalist organisations
I’m sure the authorities will cope with a few name changes.
She says she will come back to the U.K. for later schooling - thinks the Japanese system is too rigid.
For example, I can think of one barrister, who acts in environmental cases. Never, ever for a company. Always against them. Indeed, is quite frank that she would never take the corporate side.
The rascal.
I've seen home furnishings you people wouldn't believe...
"You can see it on the faces of provincial families you know who come to London for a birthday weekend and they look confused - there's nobody in the tube carriage who speaks english."
Goodhart talking to Goodwin
https://x.com/GoodwinMJ/status/1936156631844196434
I haven't been to London for ten years so I can't really comment. But really?
Almost everyone in London speaks English. Their other languages are a convenient privacy measure.
And even then it’s an odd comment, because one thing most foreigners do extremely well is speak English.
No one on the tube should be speaking any language. Ok, maybe on the platform...
@SpencerHakimian
Trump out with a Constitution length critique of Powell just now.
Happy Friday!
https://x.com/SpencerHakimian/status/1936184432047825054
"Diane Abbott’s masterful Assisted Dying speech will come back to haunt us
Melanie McDonagh" (£)
https://www.spectator.co.uk/article/diane-abbotts-masterful-assisted-dying-speech-will-come-back-to-haunt-us/
Otherwise, it's obvious exaggeration. (I would also note that in summer, when there are lots of tourists, the there are lots more foreigners on the tube. And said tourists are much more likely to travel as families, and therefore much more likely to chatter in foreign languages. Commuters are on their own, and they're not talking to anyone.)
Pshaw! {adjusts monocle}
There are more similarities with Leith and Shoreditch than there are with Leith and Keith, for example. National and even regional identities are being overtaken by street-level cultural identities.
The fact is London has gone from about 97% White British to about 37% White British in a few decades. That’s just a statement of fact
There is no clear parallel in human history for this to happen outside wartime - to a major world city with an established ethnic identity
This is not a value statement. This change may be a good or bad thing, or a mix of both
But has it happened? Yes, it has
It's Birmingham/Bradford/Leicester where you can find lots of people with poor English - but even then, it's only a very small proportion with none at all.
(I have the vague memory that the most diverse parts of London have better English at school than poor parts of the North of England. Immigrants are damned good at picking it up).
Though perhaps the minority of welsh-only speakers in Wales can sympathise.
It's like having the world in your pocket. But without any decent mountains.
The problem isn't really the immigration, imo. It's the economic stagnation in much of the rest of the country. When I stay in London, I live with a corporate lawyer from Blackpool. We zip around on bikes, get pissed at those gorgeous pubs and wander through the parks on the way back to his place.
He ain't going back to Blackpool.
Come back to me in October.
ChatGPT tells me the last time that was true was before your birth, back in 1961.
By the 1991 census (which is stretching your definition of "a few") it was already in the 70s.
Yes, there have been significant changes. But don't make up shit.
And don't just hammer "like" because you agree with the sentiment.
Ah. You must be new here. Well, welcome in and pull up a pew.
If she or CCHQ wanted this message (or smear) spread they should have got someone else to do it.
"Why self-confessed 'superfans' were engrossed by Post Office inquiry"
https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/articles/cn4x3y873z9o
Very tedious last night. Thunderstorm breaking the heat for Sunday (mostly) is nice but it's still going to be 20C at midnight...
Isn’t this a retread of an old Farage line, to wit how uncomfortable he felt hearing foreign chat on the underground? This is the future, old fuds screeching about foreigners in your ear, forever.
It's going to be another hot dya - 29C forecast here. Time for a real early morning walk, I think.
Newstead Abbey indicated for woodland and lakes, I think.
DW video report.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=px72QB_Sr1E
*They would be using a language that predates the imported hybrid English language which is made up of manifold foreign tongues.
Delightful quote (paraphrase): "They assume that for disabled people your top half works, and the bottom half doesn't. With me it is the other way round."
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=g7Pt5WfwmGM
As long as they are tourists bringing money in, or businessmen boosting the economy, who cares what language they speak?
Personally I find Chinese or Arabic less annoying than pure Glaswegian, or native MME teenagers calling each other Bruv and ending every sentence with "innit?". I can never hear those accents without remembering our shoplifting epidemic and spiralling welfare bill.
Trump can have that one.
https://thehill.com/homenews/administration/5361632-trump-gripes-he-wont-get-nobel-peace-prize-no-matter-what-as-global-conflicts-persist/
http://www.screenonline.org.uk/tv/id/583427/index.html
There reality of what London is actually like is not entirely relevant.
I lived in London for 6-7 years two decades ago. The only time I found other languages / cultures wearing was when I had a week on a small hospital ward with essentially all day visiting, and quite large groups came in for extended periods, and effectively had a talking party.
That was, to quote another poster (who then tellingly turned the topic from one of language
to one of skin colour), farcical lying.
The “nobody speaks English” trope is as old as the hills and is rarely actually about linguistic skills.
Opposition is about making a noise, because being heard is so difficult. It's not very "PM in waiting" but that's hardly an issue for the Conservatives right now. And whilst it would have been better for Kemi if someone else had soiled themselves by pushing this, who else do they have? Jenrick maybe, but a Justice spokesman doing this would have been even worse.
The Tories are still the undisputed champions of the tax cut in the minds of the voters, despite their recent tax raising efforts in government. Banging on about Rachel Reeves, IHT, NI, promising to slash taxes, promising to block local development, turning the triple lock into a quadruple one while cutting benefits for welfare scroungers, those are things that will get back their voters.
The assumption of truth, especially from an 'objective' source such as a computer/search engine/AI, is one of the most alarming habits of modern times.
Not a city perhaps but has happened to whole continents - both Americas and Australia.
Tulsi has her knockers, but also her defenders who are (not coincidentally) the worst people.
https://x.com/KonstantinKisin/status/1936199558192918905
https://x.com/AJogee/status/1936117730370879763
Adam Jogee MP
@AJogee
I voted in person today.
As I travelled back to my wife and our family, my father in law died.
I’m very, very sad that I wasn’t with Al but I am thankful for the wonderful man that he was and the wisdom he shared (and approval he gave.. 🤣).
May his memory be a blessing.
let it pass.
NEW THREAD
But Iran is too big, too populous for a long campaign by Israel.
Israel can only beat Iran if:
1. The short sharp shock would be good enough (I don't believe that, I'm sticking with my 'forever war' theory) - looks like that might be going out the window.
2. The US would intervene and defeat Iran for them (by now - they didn't count on TACO). Looks like this might be out the window too now.
3. They nuke Iran. But all the massive negatives we've discussed a thousand times over in Russia-Ukraine apply even more in spades here. Israel would 'win' and become a pariah state.
So where does Israel go from here?
They NEED US intervention. It has to happen..... so false flag attack it is against a US base.
C'est la vie!