Categories
Options
The Entente Cordiale – politicalbetting.com
The Entente Cordiale – politicalbetting.com
Britons tend to prefer a closer relationship with France than the US, amid French president Macron pledging the 'best ever co-operation' and warning that both countries had been too reliant on the USFrance: 40%United States: 28%yougov.co.uk/topics/inter…
0
Comments
Jake Berry? Heartbeat was never the same after he left!
https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/articles/c36x8k2612ko
My problem with Gregg Wallace 's "autism" isn't what he labels himself ( I have an idea and it begins with "c") but the fact that he believes the label excuses outrageous and vile behaviour, saddens me. A particular autism related stereotypical outburst from me to counter Wallace, might be, autistic people in general find it incredibly difficult to find life partners whilst Wallace claims to have happily shagged his way through several wives and numerous girlfriends.
Genuinely autistic (my flawed definition) people have enough difficult bridges to cross without slightly odd or those who excuse their misbehaviour being conveniently labelled as autistic.
I am currently despairing that the out of control welfare bill is predominantly as a result of "sad" ( in an I feel sad sense) people being diagnosed with autism. Such labelling dismisses the limitations in lifestyle opportunities afforded to (what I as a non-clinician consider) genuinely diagnosed cases.
Will be spending a week in France touring the WW1 battlefields. Every time I go there seems to be more depressing - a sort of advanced case of Western European decline. High costs, run down infrastructure topped off with a gallic shrug. The US for all it's (political) faults is at least interesting.
We can go several days without any post, then kaboom, get 20 letters, first and second, all with different dates.
Duke of Wellington
"Britain is a crime-ridden hell hole" - yes mate, because you defunded the police and the criminal justice system.
"taxes are sky high" - because you broke the economy with cuts and put the taxes up
"a benefits system bringing the world's poor to our shores with no control" - asylum seekers don't get benefits mate, but even if that was true whose policies in government created the vast increase in arrivals?
"He [Farage] doesn't change his views when the political weather changes" - unlike Berry apparently
This is the problem that Reform have. If the very best/worst Tories join Reform and say "this country is broken, vote for us" when do the voters say "but you are the fuckers who broke it"?
Reality is nothing sent by post is so important that a days delay is that serious and if it really is needed tomorrow there is still special delivery
Victories or not, I'm not sure a reactiomary brute like Wellington is
the best guide.
Anyone like to predict how many Reform will win?
Brian Sedgemoor. Quentin Davies, Jake Berry.... where were you when the titans defected amd changed everything forever?!
On topic, 22 miles is quite close enough, thanks
Good morning, everybody.
Does Trumpism then replace democracy as the global norm?
Waterloo was only three years after the British burned down the White House.
And neither does Macron.
He may have been a brute but he was no fool.
This came back to me yesterday when that fool was explaining that HS2 was going to cost 100% more than the original estimates.
These could be blatant entryism to smooth that.
In other news, the massively popular political party is inviting previously barred candidates to reapply under relaxed vetting criteria. Doesn't seem they're overrun with suitable applicants.
Luckily (or sadly really) issues like the MAGA approach to vaccines and science will be exposed by numbers of dead and sick so that won’t be adopted but there are potentially areas where the accepted western “norms” could be shown up as completely wrong.
* For PB pedants, I do know it doesn't work in quite that way.
The number of Russian artillery pieces claimed destroyed/captured by Ukraine has recently gone through 30,000.
The next milestone is the number of infantry fighting vehicles claimed destroyed/captured by Ukraine will have gone through 23,000.
An extraordinary amount of capacity taken away from a Russian dictator who wishes us harm.
Not to mention another 30,000 Russians are claimed killed, maimed or captured in the weeks since that total went through one million.
By way of comparison, in the ten years of the Soviet-Afghan War, a mere 15,000 Russians were killed. They also only lost 147 tanks, 1,314 IFV/APCs and 433 artillery pieces.
https://x.com/BulwarkOnline/status/1942999522105307144
It also suggests that the hundreds of millions we have now given the French police to do their job has not been particularly well spent. Macron is right to say if you want to stop this you must do something about the pull factors. That would be a serious policy, not pretending that the French have any interest in fixing this for us.
However, it so happens that sometimes France's interests and wishes collide with ours. When that happens, we need to be respectful but determined to uphold our own interests. Instead we have a sort of crawling obsequious inferiority complex on the part of Sir Useless and Charles, contrasting with a few others at the other end of the scale with a Jeremy Clarkson-esque vituperative needy rivalry.
Russia is committed in a way it never was in Afghanistan.
The next milestone in the other direction will be the first 1000 drone raid on Kyiv.
The BBC reports on two killed - not exactly Bomber Harris is it.
France has many issues and problems, notably an economy that’s stagnating despite much lower energy costs than ours, but infrastructure is one of their really strong points. That and delightful villages and towns.
High costs doesn’t really compute either. Compared with Britain eating out is more expensive, groceries are similar, utility bills currently lower, tradesmen similar, public transport cheaper. Visit the US, then you’ll see what really expensive looks like.
To prevent an affront on the self-importance of the Russian leader, the country has had to go all in. There was no plan for this, there was no training for this, there was no ability to deliver this. They have thrown everything at it - and come up short. Very, very short.
Russia's 1,000 Bomber Raid will likely see 950+ taken down before they reach their target of a housing complex, a school, a hospital. Meanwhile, the Ukrainians have a far higher proportion of their own bombers reaaching hydrocarbon storage facilities, drone factories, weapon component factories...
If that's true it's hard to complain. Before the average speed cameras were put in and the limit reduced to 50mph - it needs to be 40mph - there used to be about 1 death per annum on it.
It's a single carriageway ~45k AADT road, which was national limit when it opened. The shared walking and cycling paths on each side are about 1m wide with no protection except the kerb. There are and a number of crossings including uncontrolled.
https://www.legalexpert.co.uk/car-accident-claims/statistics-on-speeding-fines-in-the-uk/
It hasn't stopped them being reelected.
F1: interesting some view the Horner departure as meaning Verstappen's going. I'd be inclined to take the other view.
But leaving it this long means a load of very talented top chaps have gone elsewhere.
Hopefully the recent projects to set up joint drone production with a number of European countries - including dear old Blighty - will produce the scale of capability that Ukraine needs to change that.
https://www.camdennewjournal.co.uk/article/hs2vote?sp=19&sq=HS2
Luckily we have a PM who is pro HS2 and after excoriating the last government for cancelling it will press on and deliver.
Tories propose a one in one out asylum deal with France. Fail to get anything
Labour agree a one in one out asylum deal with France.
Tories - a one in one out deal will not deter anybody
Quite right too. Easy for them to have one out to Reform. Less likely that in return they will get one in
“No one in the crowd is booing you, sir. They're saying "Boo-urns! Boo-urns!" treatment by his circle.
Im sure he would be more affronted by nobody turning up to wave and cheer. Best ignore him.
Macron has not imposed new tariffs on the UK unlike Trump (even after his deal with Starmer), France and the UK are working closer together to support Ukraine and contain Putin while Trump largely stands back too and have also agreed to send nuclear deterrents.
https://www.telegraph.co.uk/business/2025/07/09/britain-france-join-forces-nuclear-deterrents-first-time-uk/
Both France and the UK also need to co operate to reduce the boats coming across the Channel and Mediterranean.
Still a clear Brexit divide though, a majority of Labour and LD voters prefer a closer relationship with the USA than France while a plurality of Tory voters and a majority of Reform voters prefer a closer relationship with the USA
I guess it supports my underlying theory that all our ills are because politicians focus on the supply of things (e.g. hospital beds) rather than the demand for them.
*and the Tories previously.
Ukraine will need more support from U.S. and Europe, as Trump looks increasingly likely to turn off US assistance.
Macron, Merz and Starmer are correctly saying that this is likely to go on into 2026. We must be prepared for that.
My main observation is the Chief Anchor, a characterless droid, is David Frost's son. I also note that David Dimbleby's son is a reporter on ITN. It's not what you know but who you know.
Would I keep faith, text, write, pick up the phone, still talk, on account of what we had, hoping they'd see sense and we could have it again? I like to think I would. But there'd come a time when if nothing changed I'd have to write them off.
With America that crux point is the midterms. I'm giving it up to then. That is the last chance saloon for our relationship. If they value it at all, they know what they need to do when they go to the polls. Hand President Donald J Trump his ass on a plate.
It needs to be at least ten times that.
The advantages are clear. It ought to reduce the incentive to cross the Channel - if a large enough percentage are returned.
Those that we take in return, will be on the basis of having solid asylum claims, which means they ought to be processed quickly and won't spend years being detained at our science.
In all honesty, if I were France, I would be cheerfully waving them on too. As Eabhal says, we need to look at demand.
If you want your mail to arrive quicker and a first class service pay for first class stamps and postage
A few obvious gimmes to avoid next time:
1) A deliverable objective. 225mph made no sense yet is responsible for large amounts of the cost
2) Decouple from daily politics. We're building this infrastructure, here is the market price for the land, no we won't be swayed by legal idiocy or political bunfights. How much of the cost overruns have been caused by internal political rows inside the various Tory governments?
3) Don't be zealots. HS2 has an absurd contract for infrastructure which leaves the contractor liable for all kinds of lunacy decades into the future. Which means design choices costing vast amounts now to mitigate down the line private sector risk. This is a government project - we bear the risk regardless of how evil certain politicians thought state subsidy was
If Starmer wants to actually get things done, get Road Construction Units formed and actually get on with these stalled for decades projects. Cut the costs by having RCUs permanently busy. Never mind "we're stopping wiring the Midland Mainline because it costs money now". Wires means cheaper trains, lower running costs and higher economic activity. Just get on with the frakking thing already.
This is why a change of government is needed. No, not back to the Jake Berry's of this world who utterly arsed things up. We are broken and we are lost. Unable to do the things that France and Spain and Belgium and Germany do, falling further and further behind whilst still claiming to be better than them.
Ask Macron for ideas how to get things built.
https://labourheartlands.com/british-politics-nepotism-cronyism-and-the-failing-democracy/
https://www.thesun.co.uk/news/32234495/labour-nepotism-rachel-reeves-wes-streeting-mcfadden/
https://www.newstatesman.com/comment/2023/05/celebrating-labour-party-nepo-babies
https://www.france24.com/en/live-news/20250216-late-trains-old-bridges-no-signal-germany-s-infrastructure-woes
https://www.iwkoeln.de/en/studies/thomas-puls-the-next-german-challenge-eng.html
We also have the disadvantage compared to France, Germany and Spain for example of having a smaller country with a large population and high land costs which doesn’t help at all.