I guess this lot will also be labelled antisemites too.
Israel committing genocide in Gaza, say Israel-based human rights groups
Reports detailing killing of children and elderly, forced displacement and starvation likely to add to pressure for action
Two leading human rights organisations based in Israel, B’Tselem and Physicians for Human Rights, say Israel is committing genocide against Palestinians in Gaza and the country’s western allies have a legal and moral duty to stop it.
In reports published on Monday, the two groups said Israel had targeted civilians in Gaza only because of their identity as Palestinians over nearly two years of war, causing severe and in some cases irreparable damage to Palestinian society.
Multiple international and Palestinian groups have already described the war as genocidal, but reports from two of Israel-Palestine’s most respected human rights organisations, who have for decades documented systemic abuses, is likely to add to pressure for action.
Like the man said, the Palestine Action neo-terrorists should stop waving placards and instead advertise starving babies in the American and Israeli press.
Although its interesting that the photo we have all seen is NOT a simple starving Gazan baby. As ever the spin is heroic.
Can't see the status quo going on much longer to be honest. Something is going to give.
It's fascinating. I mean tragic, ofc, but fascinating. If you listen to GHF et al, and look at some of the footage, then there seems to be plenty (if insufficient I have no doubt) of aid either being distributed (GHF) or waiting to be distributed (the stockpiles we see on X).
But then again there is apparently mass starvation with, today it was announced on the Beeb, Gazans not having eaten for days.
No journalists apparently mean that we can't verify. But there are plenty of cellphones in Gaza so I wonder why we are not seeing widespread footage of the starving masses. Certainly as the social media campaign of GHF et al is ramping up with footage and invited journalists events, usw.
Then again, pictures of that one poor baby with CF managed to convince the world's news outlets that there is mass starvation, so Hamas must be sitting back thinking our work here is done.
An American former contractor for the Gaza Humanitarian Foundation (GHF) said in an interview that aired Friday that during his time working in Gaza, he saw Israeli soldiers and US contractors use “indiscriminate” force against civilians at aid sites, in what he described as “war crimes.”
Yeah, apparently a disgruntled ex-GHF employee but who knows. There is no doubt that GHF is (apparently) distributing up to 2m meals per day. And also telling that dismantling their effort was, again apparently, the second item on Hamas' ceasefire demand list.
Which, if it is indeed the case, makes perfect sense.
There is a coherent, indeed understandable narrative, whereby Hamas, in conjunction/collusion with the UN, wants to be in charge of food distribution in Gaza because this confers power on them (Hamas). Ceding that power to an external agency is very damaging. Hence the campaign to vilify GHF. Is this the case? Who knows. It is certainly credible to me.
But again, if I were Hamas I would be sitting back and high-fiving (if the two can be performed simultaneously) because they have without doubt won the PR battle such that people expect Michael Buerk to be parading around Beit Hanoun pointing out the starving masses. But he isn't. And no one else is. So it's interesting to wonder why this is.
Hamas seem able to pull the wool over the eyes of not just the UN, but Western journalists, European governments, Ehud Olmert and other Israeli opposition politicians, Israeli human rights organisations, and long-standing supporters of Israel like Edward Leigh, and Jonathan Sumption.
GHF might well be distributing a lot of food aid, but people have to run the risk of IDF members taking pot-shots at them, in order to obtain it.
Everyone has a mobile these days and Hamas are masters of PR on the socials. Where is the footage of the IDF shooting up aid sites.
Gaza has been under an electricity blackout by Israel since 11 October 2023. It's not straightforward to charge one's mobile. And smartphone ownership in Gaza is far from being 100%.
In fact where is the footage of bombs and missiles falling from IDF aircraft? Seems a bit iffy to me.
Once again the civil service show they haven’t a clue how the real world and technology works
When I work away from home, I use a VPM to log onto the employee network. It was the same in my previous job. Labour are (deep breath) really, really, really...really, really, really stupid.
In his wonderfully funny novel, The Gang That Couldn’t Shoot Straight, Jimmy Breslin describes how a Brooklyn Mafia boss, “Bacala”, and his front man, Joseph DeLauria, operate in politics:
Bacala’s political theories were simple. He had Joseph DeLauria try to bribe every public official in Brooklyn, but he did not expect an inordinate number of breaks to come his way as a result of the bribery. He learned over the years that when it is important, a politician performs for the Mafia about as well as he performs for the public.
Many of the bribes were in the form of campaign contributions.
Can we think of any other New York politicians who have similar theories?
(The novel is based on the life of Joe Gallo, so much so that the book does not even include the usual “coincidental” disclaimer. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Joe_Gallo
I should add that — if you object to gangsters bumping each other off — you may not find it as funny as I have, over the years.)
Once again the civil service show they haven’t a clue how the real world and technology works
Pretty sure this is intentional. Anyone with even a passing familiarity with computers will know what a VPN is, given the saturation advertising for them on YouTube, Facebook, etc. They've been used to bypass content restrictions for years.
The next step will be licences for VPNs. You'll have to prove to a government department that you need a VPN for professional use, and providers will need proof of official permission to sign you up or face penalties. Payment processors and app stores will be ordered to block non-conforming VPN providers.
Confronted with the act's huge problems Labour will absolutely double down and make it worse. Because worse from our perspective is better from theirs when you accept the OSA was never about child safety, it's about the government controlling what people can access.
(incidentally, the collateral damage has already started. A small forum I frequent where people chat about vintage computers has shut down because the guy who runs it in his spare time is unwilling to risk the draconian sanctions of the OSA should someone upload something even slightly 'child unsafe').
On-topic question: When somebody says they "have to" do something because of the OSA how do we know this is not due to them taking an erroneous or absurdly risk-averse approach to it? Esp if they are an avowed opponent of the legislation.
Have a look at this.
The onus is no longer to remove ‘harmful’ content, it is to stop it being posted in the first place.
The illegal content duties are not just about removing existing illegal content; they are also about stopping it from appearing at all. Platforms need to think about how they design their sites to reduce the likelihood of them being used for criminal activity in the first place.
The kinds of illegal content and activity that platforms need to protect users from are set out in the Act, and this includes content relating to:
child sexual abuse controlling or coercive behaviour extreme sexual violence extreme pornography fraud racially or religiously aggravated public order offences inciting violence illegal immigration and people smuggling promoting or facilitating suicide intimate image abuse selling illegal drugs or weapons sexual exploitation terrorism
That is going to make the job of the PB mods even more onerous.
I'm pretty sure you don't aspire to becoming a test case for the limits of free speech, as a part time hobby. However much a few PBers might wish you to do so.
Yes, sympathies for ANYONE trying to run a discussion forum with these rules. It is fricking insane (am I allowed to say that? maybe I am being controlling?)
The Act is an abomination, it has to be repealed in toto
For once I am entirely in agreement with you. It's a very ill thought out piece of legislation, entirely on the "something must be done, and this is something" principle.
But until it is repealed - or at the very least is substantially modified, let us try not to cause trouble for TSE.
Well, yes
But it's not just me and my exuberant posting style being menaced here, I can think of dozens of comments from recent weeks - from multiple commenters - which could potentially "cross the line"
Indeed I do not see how discussion forums can work at all, unless they have pre-moderation in place, which is extremely expensive and time-consuming, and barely workable, anyway. And that means a small site like PB simply cannot function
And all this has come about because some female MPs were tired of being threatened by nutters on FB and X. Which is a worthy cause, but which has led to Free Speech basically being ended in the UK, because MPs are fecking stupid, or actively malign and authoritarian
Does this mean we can't talk about washing machines?
I'm afraid that's pretty much all we will be able to talk about
Speaking of which, yesterday I spray painted a table! I have become a DIY doyen. I used to do hard drugs and tweet from brothels, now I spray paint tables. Oh well
Yesterday, I painted two rooms in my house. Just another five plus the hall, stairwell and landing to go.
Let's turn this into doingupyourgaff.com
They can't arrest us for talking about Farrow and Ball vs Little Greene
I'm about 40% of the way through my refurb. Bedroom now almost done, a near-perfect cocoon - only curtains to come. I was particularly proud of the way I handled a bedhead crisis. When it arrived - crushed burgundy velvet (yes, the boudoir aesthetic), I realised to my horror it was twice as high as I needed. Domming the bedroom
So I marched down to Leyland, bought a £4 saw, marched back, and sawed that mofo in half. Sorted!
Next, the hall and kitchen. I'm going for "Setting Plaster"
Tune in later for more exciting OSA-compliant commentary
Once again the civil service show they haven’t a clue how the real world and technology works
When I work away from home, I use a VPM to log onto the employee network. It was the same in my previous job. Labour are (deep breath) really, really, really...really, really, really stupid.
@SteveBakerFRSA If Labour ban VPNs, the ban must not include exemptions for those in the UK's national security community – people who use them because they understand why they are necessary.
If they are exempted, that would of course enable ISPs to identify members of that community.
Chairman Zia Yusuf says Reform will repeal the Online Safety Act if elected
Yet another reason to vote Reform
You do realise Reform were in favour of the bill and also they want to end anonymity on the internet.
Reform are a joke, but I will still vote for them.
That's how bad the rest are.
Wikipedia's navigation box for the main British political parties list 32 parties. Do you really feel the other 31 are worse than Reform UK?
The only hope to have a semblance of change in the UK is to vote reform. They are the only ones even talking about the things that matters to the median voter
YouGov issues polling says that the things that matter most to people are... (1) immigration, (2) the economy, (3) health. All three are talked about by Labour, the Conservatives, the Liberal Democrats, the Greens, the SNP, etc., with a range of differing views and potential solutions. So, no, I don't believe Reform UK are "the only ones even talking about the things that matters to the median voter".
I guess this lot will also be labelled antisemites too.
Israel committing genocide in Gaza, say Israel-based human rights groups
Reports detailing killing of children and elderly, forced displacement and starvation likely to add to pressure for action
Two leading human rights organisations based in Israel, B’Tselem and Physicians for Human Rights, say Israel is committing genocide against Palestinians in Gaza and the country’s western allies have a legal and moral duty to stop it.
In reports published on Monday, the two groups said Israel had targeted civilians in Gaza only because of their identity as Palestinians over nearly two years of war, causing severe and in some cases irreparable damage to Palestinian society.
Multiple international and Palestinian groups have already described the war as genocidal, but reports from two of Israel-Palestine’s most respected human rights organisations, who have for decades documented systemic abuses, is likely to add to pressure for action.
Like the man said, the Palestine Action neo-terrorists should stop waving placards and instead advertise starving babies in the American and Israeli press.
Although its interesting that the photo we have all seen is NOT a simple starving Gazan baby. As ever the spin is heroic.
Can't see the status quo going on much longer to be honest. Something is going to give.
It's fascinating. I mean tragic, ofc, but fascinating. If you listen to GHF et al, and look at some of the footage, then there seems to be plenty (if insufficient I have no doubt) of aid either being distributed (GHF) or waiting to be distributed (the stockpiles we see on X).
But then again there is apparently mass starvation with, today it was announced on the Beeb, Gazans not having eaten for days.
No journalists apparently mean that we can't verify. But there are plenty of cellphones in Gaza so I wonder why we are not seeing widespread footage of the starving masses. Certainly as the social media campaign of GHF et al is ramping up with footage and invited journalists events, usw.
Then again, pictures of that one poor baby with CF managed to convince the world's news outlets that there is mass starvation, so Hamas must be sitting back thinking our work here is done.
An American former contractor for the Gaza Humanitarian Foundation (GHF) said in an interview that aired Friday that during his time working in Gaza, he saw Israeli soldiers and US contractors use “indiscriminate” force against civilians at aid sites, in what he described as “war crimes.”
Yeah, apparently a disgruntled ex-GHF employee but who knows. There is no doubt that GHF is (apparently) distributing up to 2m meals per day. And also telling that dismantling their effort was, again apparently, the second item on Hamas' ceasefire demand list.
Which, if it is indeed the case, makes perfect sense.
There is a coherent, indeed understandable narrative, whereby Hamas, in conjunction/collusion with the UN, wants to be in charge of food distribution in Gaza because this confers power on them (Hamas). Ceding that power to an external agency is very damaging. Hence the campaign to vilify GHF. Is this the case? Who knows. It is certainly credible to me.
But again, if I were Hamas I would be sitting back and high-fiving (if the two can be performed simultaneously) because they have without doubt won the PR battle such that people expect Michael Buerk to be parading around Beit Hanoun pointing out the starving masses. But he isn't. And no one else is. So it's interesting to wonder why this is.
Hamas seem able to pull the wool over the eyes of not just the UN, but Western journalists, European governments, Ehud Olmert and other Israeli opposition politicians, Israeli human rights organisations, and long-standing supporters of Israel like Edward Leigh, and Jonathan Sumption.
GHF might well be distributing a lot of food aid, but people have to run the risk of IDF members taking pot-shots at them, in order to obtain it.
Everyone has a mobile these days and Hamas are masters of PR on the socials. Where is the footage of the IDF shooting up aid sites.
Gaza has been under an electricity blackout by Israel since 11 October 2023. It's not straightforward to charge one's mobile. And smartphone ownership in Gaza is far from being 100%.
Your kidding, right?
Are you on the socials. Every other pro-Hamas post is showing a (often the same) apparently starving child. There are mobiles everywhere.
How does social media accounts (from outside Gaza) showing the same photo prove that everyone in Gaza has a smartphone? That makes no sense.
More broadly, the socials, particularly Twitter, are a deeply unreliable source of information. Stop looking at them! Read some newspapers. I look at those, including the English-language Israeli media (or I rely on a good friend, an Israeli citizen, who speaks Hebrew).
Newspapers are as prone to bias as anything else. As is your mate.
Good to see, though, that the Times of Israel is reporting on events which include criticism of the IDF (note, that quote from the UN didn't mention Hamas once - curious, right?).
There is plenty of good information on twitter, etc.
Once again the civil service show they haven’t a clue how the real world and technology works
Pretty sure this is intentional. Anyone with even a passing familiarity with computers will know what a VPN is, given the saturation advertising for them on YouTube, Facebook, etc. They've been used to bypass content restrictions for years.
The next step will be licences for VPNs. You'll have to prove to a government department that you need a VPN for professional use, and providers will need proof of official permission to sign you up or face penalties. Payment processors and app stores will be ordered to block non-conforming VPN providers.
Confronted with the act's huge problems Labour will absolutely double down and make it worse. Because worse from our perspective is better from theirs when you accept the OSA was never about child safety, it's about the government controlling what people can access.
(incidentally, the collateral damage has already started. A small forum I frequent where people chat about vintage computers has shut down because the guy who runs it in his spare time is unwilling to risk the draconian sanctions of the OSA should someone upload something even slightly 'child unsafe').
Yes, it is a catastrophe for free speech and democratic politics in the UK
The only question is, is it a deliberate catastrophe or an accidental catastrophe. Or perhaps a mix of both - nasty Woke bigots seizing the opportunity to silence us
I guess this lot will also be labelled antisemites too.
Israel committing genocide in Gaza, say Israel-based human rights groups
Reports detailing killing of children and elderly, forced displacement and starvation likely to add to pressure for action
Two leading human rights organisations based in Israel, B’Tselem and Physicians for Human Rights, say Israel is committing genocide against Palestinians in Gaza and the country’s western allies have a legal and moral duty to stop it.
In reports published on Monday, the two groups said Israel had targeted civilians in Gaza only because of their identity as Palestinians over nearly two years of war, causing severe and in some cases irreparable damage to Palestinian society.
Multiple international and Palestinian groups have already described the war as genocidal, but reports from two of Israel-Palestine’s most respected human rights organisations, who have for decades documented systemic abuses, is likely to add to pressure for action.
Like the man said, the Palestine Action neo-terrorists should stop waving placards and instead advertise starving babies in the American and Israeli press.
Although its interesting that the photo we have all seen is NOT a simple starving Gazan baby. As ever the spin is heroic.
Can't see the status quo going on much longer to be honest. Something is going to give.
It's fascinating. I mean tragic, ofc, but fascinating. If you listen to GHF et al, and look at some of the footage, then there seems to be plenty (if insufficient I have no doubt) of aid either being distributed (GHF) or waiting to be distributed (the stockpiles we see on X).
But then again there is apparently mass starvation with, today it was announced on the Beeb, Gazans not having eaten for days.
No journalists apparently mean that we can't verify. But there are plenty of cellphones in Gaza so I wonder why we are not seeing widespread footage of the starving masses. Certainly as the social media campaign of GHF et al is ramping up with footage and invited journalists events, usw.
Then again, pictures of that one poor baby with CF managed to convince the world's news outlets that there is mass starvation, so Hamas must be sitting back thinking our work here is done.
An American former contractor for the Gaza Humanitarian Foundation (GHF) said in an interview that aired Friday that during his time working in Gaza, he saw Israeli soldiers and US contractors use “indiscriminate” force against civilians at aid sites, in what he described as “war crimes.”
Yeah, apparently a disgruntled ex-GHF employee but who knows. There is no doubt that GHF is (apparently) distributing up to 2m meals per day. And also telling that dismantling their effort was, again apparently, the second item on Hamas' ceasefire demand list.
Which, if it is indeed the case, makes perfect sense.
There is a coherent, indeed understandable narrative, whereby Hamas, in conjunction/collusion with the UN, wants to be in charge of food distribution in Gaza because this confers power on them (Hamas). Ceding that power to an external agency is very damaging. Hence the campaign to vilify GHF. Is this the case? Who knows. It is certainly credible to me.
But again, if I were Hamas I would be sitting back and high-fiving (if the two can be performed simultaneously) because they have without doubt won the PR battle such that people expect Michael Buerk to be parading around Beit Hanoun pointing out the starving masses. But he isn't. And no one else is. So it's interesting to wonder why this is.
Hamas seem able to pull the wool over the eyes of not just the UN, but Western journalists, European governments, Ehud Olmert and other Israeli opposition politicians, Israeli human rights organisations, and long-standing supporters of Israel like Edward Leigh, and Jonathan Sumption.
GHF might well be distributing a lot of food aid, but people have to run the risk of IDF members taking pot-shots at them, in order to obtain it.
If you read even the Israeli press rather than just following Twitter, you'd get a better picture of events.
You didn't seem to read the article.
Here is a (non-exhaustive, I bet) list of reasons the poor old UN can't deliver the aid. Wah wah wah. One of the below, admittedly might not be true.
When aid transport roads become too badly damaged by Israeli military operations, when there are insufficient deconfliction mechanisms in place to ensure that aid workers don’t accidentally get hit by IDF fire, when authorizations aren’t given by the army for aid to be picked up and delivered, when our chakras are out of sync, and when looting becomes increasingly widespread due to food insecurity, an environment is created where the UN is physically prevented from doing its job, the former US envoy elaborated.
Are you denying that the UN's ability to act in Gaza is at the mercy of the IDF, who control the territory and have a tendency to shoot first and ask questions later... or indeed just to shoot first and not bother with questions later?
Restrictions on the use of VPNs will open up all sorts of security issues for businesses and government.....surely they can't be that stupid...
In this day and age if your business or organisation isn't insisting on the use of a VPN to log in when you are out of office they need to sack their IT admins.
Once again the civil service show they haven’t a clue how the real world and technology works
Pretty sure this is intentional. Anyone with even a passing familiarity with computers will know what a VPN is, given the saturation advertising for them on YouTube, Facebook, etc. They've been used to bypass content restrictions for years.
The next step will be licences for VPNs. You'll have to prove to a government department that you need a VPN for professional use, and providers will need proof of official permission to sign you up or face penalties. Payment processors and app stores will be ordered to block non-conforming VPN providers.
Confronted with the act's huge problems Labour will absolutely double down and make it worse. Because worse from our perspective is better from theirs when you accept the OSA was never about child safety, it's about the government controlling what people can access.
(incidentally, the collateral damage has already started. A small forum I frequent where people chat about vintage computers has shut down because the guy who runs it in his spare time is unwilling to risk the draconian sanctions of the OSA should someone upload something even slightly 'child unsafe').
Yes, it is a catastrophe for free speech and democratic politics in the UK
The only question is, is it a deliberate catastrophe or an accidental catastrophe. Or perhaps a mix of both - nasty Woke bigots seizing the opportunity to silence us
Speak to the editor of The Spectator about this, his government passed this legislation.
I guess this lot will also be labelled antisemites too.
Israel committing genocide in Gaza, say Israel-based human rights groups
Reports detailing killing of children and elderly, forced displacement and starvation likely to add to pressure for action
Two leading human rights organisations based in Israel, B’Tselem and Physicians for Human Rights, say Israel is committing genocide against Palestinians in Gaza and the country’s western allies have a legal and moral duty to stop it.
In reports published on Monday, the two groups said Israel had targeted civilians in Gaza only because of their identity as Palestinians over nearly two years of war, causing severe and in some cases irreparable damage to Palestinian society.
Multiple international and Palestinian groups have already described the war as genocidal, but reports from two of Israel-Palestine’s most respected human rights organisations, who have for decades documented systemic abuses, is likely to add to pressure for action.
Like the man said, the Palestine Action neo-terrorists should stop waving placards and instead advertise starving babies in the American and Israeli press.
Although its interesting that the photo we have all seen is NOT a simple starving Gazan baby. As ever the spin is heroic.
Can't see the status quo going on much longer to be honest. Something is going to give.
It's fascinating. I mean tragic, ofc, but fascinating. If you listen to GHF et al, and look at some of the footage, then there seems to be plenty (if insufficient I have no doubt) of aid either being distributed (GHF) or waiting to be distributed (the stockpiles we see on X).
But then again there is apparently mass starvation with, today it was announced on the Beeb, Gazans not having eaten for days.
No journalists apparently mean that we can't verify. But there are plenty of cellphones in Gaza so I wonder why we are not seeing widespread footage of the starving masses. Certainly as the social media campaign of GHF et al is ramping up with footage and invited journalists events, usw.
Then again, pictures of that one poor baby with CF managed to convince the world's news outlets that there is mass starvation, so Hamas must be sitting back thinking our work here is done.
An American former contractor for the Gaza Humanitarian Foundation (GHF) said in an interview that aired Friday that during his time working in Gaza, he saw Israeli soldiers and US contractors use “indiscriminate” force against civilians at aid sites, in what he described as “war crimes.”
Yeah, apparently a disgruntled ex-GHF employee but who knows. There is no doubt that GHF is (apparently) distributing up to 2m meals per day. And also telling that dismantling their effort was, again apparently, the second item on Hamas' ceasefire demand list.
Which, if it is indeed the case, makes perfect sense.
There is a coherent, indeed understandable narrative, whereby Hamas, in conjunction/collusion with the UN, wants to be in charge of food distribution in Gaza because this confers power on them (Hamas). Ceding that power to an external agency is very damaging. Hence the campaign to vilify GHF. Is this the case? Who knows. It is certainly credible to me.
But again, if I were Hamas I would be sitting back and high-fiving (if the two can be performed simultaneously) because they have without doubt won the PR battle such that people expect Michael Buerk to be parading around Beit Hanoun pointing out the starving masses. But he isn't. And no one else is. So it's interesting to wonder why this is.
Hamas seem able to pull the wool over the eyes of not just the UN, but Western journalists, European governments, Ehud Olmert and other Israeli opposition politicians, Israeli human rights organisations, and long-standing supporters of Israel like Edward Leigh, and Jonathan Sumption.
GHF might well be distributing a lot of food aid, but people have to run the risk of IDF members taking pot-shots at them, in order to obtain it.
If you read even the Israeli press rather than just following Twitter, you'd get a better picture of events.
You didn't seem to read the article.
Here is a (non-exhaustive, I bet) list of reasons the poor old UN can't deliver the aid. Wah wah wah. One of the below, admittedly might not be true.
When aid transport roads become too badly damaged by Israeli military operations, when there are insufficient deconfliction mechanisms in place to ensure that aid workers don’t accidentally get hit by IDF fire, when authorizations aren’t given by the army for aid to be picked up and delivered, when our chakras are out of sync, and when looting becomes increasingly widespread due to food insecurity, an environment is created where the UN is physically prevented from doing its job, the former US envoy elaborated.
Are you denying that the UN's ability to act in Gaza is at the mercy of the IDF, who control the territory and have a tendency to shoot first and ask questions later... or indeed just to shoot first and not bother with questions later?
You are parroting the Hamas talking points. You have no idea what is happening. All I see is the UN making all kinds of excuses for why they can't possibly deliver aid. All blaming the IDF and not one mention of Hamas. Do you find that strange.
Restrictions on the use of VPNs will open up all sorts of security issues for businesses and government.....surely they can't be that stupid...
In this day and age if your business or organisation isn't insisting on the use of a VPN to log in when you are out of office they need to sack their IT admins.
Businesses will still be able to use VPNs with a licence. China effectively makes use of VPNs illegal in most cases and I am sure Sir Keir can send a fact finding team to Beijing to see how the Communist Government enforces it
Restrictions on the use of VPNs will open up all sorts of security issues for businesses and government.....surely they can't be that stupid...
They can
If the OSA turns out to be so bad they ban or "license" VPNs in some half-arsed attempt to make this piece of shit work, then that might be the final thing that tilts me to emigration. Because the UK will have many of the downsides of an authoritarian state like China, but without the good stuff - like zero crime, strict migration laws, gleaming infrastructure. Plus swingeing taxes
Restrictions on the use of VPNs will open up all sorts of security issues for businesses and government.....surely they can't be that stupid...
In this day and age if your business or organisation isn't insisting on the use of a VPN to log in when you are out of office they need to sack their IT admins.
Businesses will still be able to use VPNs with a licence. China effectively makes use of VPNs illegal in most cases and I am sure Sir Keir can send a fact finding team to Beijing to see how the Communist Government enforces it
I guess this lot will also be labelled antisemites too.
Israel committing genocide in Gaza, say Israel-based human rights groups
Reports detailing killing of children and elderly, forced displacement and starvation likely to add to pressure for action
Two leading human rights organisations based in Israel, B’Tselem and Physicians for Human Rights, say Israel is committing genocide against Palestinians in Gaza and the country’s western allies have a legal and moral duty to stop it.
In reports published on Monday, the two groups said Israel had targeted civilians in Gaza only because of their identity as Palestinians over nearly two years of war, causing severe and in some cases irreparable damage to Palestinian society.
Multiple international and Palestinian groups have already described the war as genocidal, but reports from two of Israel-Palestine’s most respected human rights organisations, who have for decades documented systemic abuses, is likely to add to pressure for action.
Like the man said, the Palestine Action neo-terrorists should stop waving placards and instead advertise starving babies in the American and Israeli press.
Although its interesting that the photo we have all seen is NOT a simple starving Gazan baby. As ever the spin is heroic.
Can't see the status quo going on much longer to be honest. Something is going to give.
It's fascinating. I mean tragic, ofc, but fascinating. If you listen to GHF et al, and look at some of the footage, then there seems to be plenty (if insufficient I have no doubt) of aid either being distributed (GHF) or waiting to be distributed (the stockpiles we see on X).
But then again there is apparently mass starvation with, today it was announced on the Beeb, Gazans not having eaten for days.
No journalists apparently mean that we can't verify. But there are plenty of cellphones in Gaza so I wonder why we are not seeing widespread footage of the starving masses. Certainly as the social media campaign of GHF et al is ramping up with footage and invited journalists events, usw.
Then again, pictures of that one poor baby with CF managed to convince the world's news outlets that there is mass starvation, so Hamas must be sitting back thinking our work here is done.
An American former contractor for the Gaza Humanitarian Foundation (GHF) said in an interview that aired Friday that during his time working in Gaza, he saw Israeli soldiers and US contractors use “indiscriminate” force against civilians at aid sites, in what he described as “war crimes.”
Yeah, apparently a disgruntled ex-GHF employee but who knows. There is no doubt that GHF is (apparently) distributing up to 2m meals per day. And also telling that dismantling their effort was, again apparently, the second item on Hamas' ceasefire demand list.
Which, if it is indeed the case, makes perfect sense.
There is a coherent, indeed understandable narrative, whereby Hamas, in conjunction/collusion with the UN, wants to be in charge of food distribution in Gaza because this confers power on them (Hamas). Ceding that power to an external agency is very damaging. Hence the campaign to vilify GHF. Is this the case? Who knows. It is certainly credible to me.
But again, if I were Hamas I would be sitting back and high-fiving (if the two can be performed simultaneously) because they have without doubt won the PR battle such that people expect Michael Buerk to be parading around Beit Hanoun pointing out the starving masses. But he isn't. And no one else is. So it's interesting to wonder why this is.
Hamas seem able to pull the wool over the eyes of not just the UN, but Western journalists, European governments, Ehud Olmert and other Israeli opposition politicians, Israeli human rights organisations, and long-standing supporters of Israel like Edward Leigh, and Jonathan Sumption.
GHF might well be distributing a lot of food aid, but people have to run the risk of IDF members taking pot-shots at them, in order to obtain it.
If you read even the Israeli press rather than just following Twitter, you'd get a better picture of events.
You didn't seem to read the article.
Here is a (non-exhaustive, I bet) list of reasons the poor old UN can't deliver the aid. Wah wah wah. One of the below, admittedly might not be true.
When aid transport roads become too badly damaged by Israeli military operations, when there are insufficient deconfliction mechanisms in place to ensure that aid workers don’t accidentally get hit by IDF fire, when authorizations aren’t given by the army for aid to be picked up and delivered, when our chakras are out of sync, and when looting becomes increasingly widespread due to food insecurity, an environment is created where the UN is physically prevented from doing its job, the former US envoy elaborated.
Are you denying that the UN's ability to act in Gaza is at the mercy of the IDF, who control the territory and have a tendency to shoot first and ask questions later... or indeed just to shoot first and not bother with questions later?
You are parroting the Hamas talking points. You have no idea what is happening. All I see is the UN making all kinds of excuses for why they can't possibly deliver aid. All blaming the IDF and not one mention of Hamas. Do you find that strange.
The IDF control Gaza. They militarily defeated Hamas months ago. Those are the facts on the ground. Why is it strange, therefore, that the UN finds their main challenge being what Israel lets them do? You are the one who is dismissing reporting by Israeli newspapers as "Hamas talking points".
Restrictions on the use of VPNs will open up all sorts of security issues for businesses and government.....surely they can't be that stupid...
In this day and age if your business or organisation isn't insisting on the use of a VPN to log in when you are out of office they need to sack their IT admins.
Businesses will still be able to use VPNs with a licence. China effectively makes use of VPNs illegal in most cases and I am sure Sir Keir can send a fact finding team to Beijing to see how the Communist Government enforces it
What sunny uplands to look forward to....China without the positive bits.
Restrictions on the use of VPNs will open up all sorts of security issues for businesses and government.....surely they can't be that stupid...
They can
If the OSA turns out to be so bad they ban or "license" VPNs in some half-arsed attempt to make this piece of shit work, then that might be the final thing that tilts me to emigration. Because the UK will have many of the downsides of an authoritarian state like China, but without the good stuff - like zero crime, strict migration laws, gleaming infrastructure. Plus swingeing taxes
On-topic question: When somebody says they "have to" do something because of the OSA how do we know this is not due to them taking an erroneous or absurdly risk-averse approach to it? Esp if they are an avowed opponent of the legislation.
It'll be the same as GDPR legislation. Just used as a way of telling people they're not going to do something but dressing it up as them being forced to (rather than can't be arsed).
On-topic question: When somebody says they "have to" do something because of the OSA how do we know this is not due to them taking an erroneous or absurdly risk-averse approach to it? Esp if they are an avowed opponent of the legislation.
Have a look at this.
The onus is no longer to remove ‘harmful’ content, it is to stop it being posted in the first place.
The illegal content duties are not just about removing existing illegal content; they are also about stopping it from appearing at all. Platforms need to think about how they design their sites to reduce the likelihood of them being used for criminal activity in the first place.
The kinds of illegal content and activity that platforms need to protect users from are set out in the Act, and this includes content relating to:
child sexual abuse controlling or coercive behaviour extreme sexual violence extreme pornography fraud racially or religiously aggravated public order offences inciting violence illegal immigration and people smuggling promoting or facilitating suicide intimate image abuse selling illegal drugs or weapons sexual exploitation terrorism
That is going to make the job of the PB mods even more onerous.
I'm pretty sure you don't aspire to becoming a test case for the limits of free speech, as a part time hobby. However much a few PBers might wish you to do so.
Yes, sympathies for ANYONE trying to run a discussion forum with these rules. It is fricking insane (am I allowed to say that? maybe I am being controlling?)
The Act is an abomination, it has to be repealed in toto
For once I am entirely in agreement with you. It's a very ill thought out piece of legislation, entirely on the "something must be done, and this is something" principle.
But until it is repealed - or at the very least is substantially modified - let us try not to cause trouble for TSE.
Legislation from the Father Ted and Dougal school of "Down with this kind of thing!"
It's funny how no-one ever talks about how strange a lot of YouTube channels are — in the sense that quite often you find a channel where someone posted a video of themselves at an airport in 2007, the next video is something totally different from 2015, and then a clip at a ferry terminal in 2025, and you're wondering: did they delete a lot of videos, or are those really the only 3 videos they've ever posted? Did they forget about the channel for many years and then remember it existed, etc.
Mine's quite like that. A personal channel reflecting what was of interest at the time.
My most popular video STILL Nick Griffin reading the Christmas Story, dressed a la Blofeld with a white cat. I'm surprised I never had a copyright strike on that one - Youtube are as twitchy as Sarah Pochin in a non-existent crime wave.
The OSA is so bad I wonder if it might lead to a significant political crisis. It simply cannot work and all the things needed to make it "work" will make it worse, and won't work anyway
I guess this lot will also be labelled antisemites too.
Israel committing genocide in Gaza, say Israel-based human rights groups
Reports detailing killing of children and elderly, forced displacement and starvation likely to add to pressure for action
Two leading human rights organisations based in Israel, B’Tselem and Physicians for Human Rights, say Israel is committing genocide against Palestinians in Gaza and the country’s western allies have a legal and moral duty to stop it.
In reports published on Monday, the two groups said Israel had targeted civilians in Gaza only because of their identity as Palestinians over nearly two years of war, causing severe and in some cases irreparable damage to Palestinian society.
Multiple international and Palestinian groups have already described the war as genocidal, but reports from two of Israel-Palestine’s most respected human rights organisations, who have for decades documented systemic abuses, is likely to add to pressure for action.
Like the man said, the Palestine Action neo-terrorists should stop waving placards and instead advertise starving babies in the American and Israeli press.
Although its interesting that the photo we have all seen is NOT a simple starving Gazan baby. As ever the spin is heroic.
Can't see the status quo going on much longer to be honest. Something is going to give.
It's fascinating. I mean tragic, ofc, but fascinating. If you listen to GHF et al, and look at some of the footage, then there seems to be plenty (if insufficient I have no doubt) of aid either being distributed (GHF) or waiting to be distributed (the stockpiles we see on X).
But then again there is apparently mass starvation with, today it was announced on the Beeb, Gazans not having eaten for days.
No journalists apparently mean that we can't verify. But there are plenty of cellphones in Gaza so I wonder why we are not seeing widespread footage of the starving masses. Certainly as the social media campaign of GHF et al is ramping up with footage and invited journalists events, usw.
Then again, pictures of that one poor baby with CF managed to convince the world's news outlets that there is mass starvation, so Hamas must be sitting back thinking our work here is done.
An American former contractor for the Gaza Humanitarian Foundation (GHF) said in an interview that aired Friday that during his time working in Gaza, he saw Israeli soldiers and US contractors use “indiscriminate” force against civilians at aid sites, in what he described as “war crimes.”
Yeah, apparently a disgruntled ex-GHF employee but who knows. There is no doubt that GHF is (apparently) distributing up to 2m meals per day. And also telling that dismantling their effort was, again apparently, the second item on Hamas' ceasefire demand list.
Which, if it is indeed the case, makes perfect sense.
There is a coherent, indeed understandable narrative, whereby Hamas, in conjunction/collusion with the UN, wants to be in charge of food distribution in Gaza because this confers power on them (Hamas). Ceding that power to an external agency is very damaging. Hence the campaign to vilify GHF. Is this the case? Who knows. It is certainly credible to me.
But again, if I were Hamas I would be sitting back and high-fiving (if the two can be performed simultaneously) because they have without doubt won the PR battle such that people expect Michael Buerk to be parading around Beit Hanoun pointing out the starving masses. But he isn't. And no one else is. So it's interesting to wonder why this is.
Hamas seem able to pull the wool over the eyes of not just the UN, but Western journalists, European governments, Ehud Olmert and other Israeli opposition politicians, Israeli human rights organisations, and long-standing supporters of Israel like Edward Leigh, and Jonathan Sumption.
GHF might well be distributing a lot of food aid, but people have to run the risk of IDF members taking pot-shots at them, in order to obtain it.
If you read even the Israeli press rather than just following Twitter, you'd get a better picture of events.
You didn't seem to read the article.
Here is a (non-exhaustive, I bet) list of reasons the poor old UN can't deliver the aid. Wah wah wah. One of the below, admittedly might not be true.
When aid transport roads become too badly damaged by Israeli military operations, when there are insufficient deconfliction mechanisms in place to ensure that aid workers don’t accidentally get hit by IDF fire, when authorizations aren’t given by the army for aid to be picked up and delivered, when our chakras are out of sync, and when looting becomes increasingly widespread due to food insecurity, an environment is created where the UN is physically prevented from doing its job, the former US envoy elaborated.
Are you denying that the UN's ability to act in Gaza is at the mercy of the IDF, who control the territory and have a tendency to shoot first and ask questions later... or indeed just to shoot first and not bother with questions later?
You are parroting the Hamas talking points. You have no idea what is happening. All I see is the UN making all kinds of excuses for why they can't possibly deliver aid. All blaming the IDF and not one mention of Hamas. Do you find that strange.
The IDF control Gaza. They militarily defeated Hamas months ago. Those are the facts on the ground. Why is it strange, therefore, that the UN finds their main challenge being what Israel lets them do? You are the one who is dismissing reporting by Israeli newspapers as "Hamas talking points".
For reasons that no doubt Seth Frantzman will make the topic of his next book, the IDF manifestly haven't militarily defeated Hamas.
So your first fact is incorrect.
Difficult to take what you say thereafter very seriously tbh.
Chairman Zia Yusuf says Reform will repeal the Online Safety Act if elected
Yet another reason to vote Reform
You do realise Reform were in favour of the bill and also they want to end anonymity on the internet.
Reform are a joke, but I will still vote for them.
That's how bad the rest are.
Remember when Rupert Lowe criticised Nigel Farage then Farage’s minions got the police involved.
Now just imagine what Farage will be like in power with the powers of the state.
Only low IQ people would vote for Reform.
But that's provable nonsense, because I am going to vote for Reform, and it is widely known, and accepted, that I am the most intelligent poster on the site. We had a long thread all about this, and that was the consensus we reached. This isn't me "blowing my own trumpet", it's a basic fact - begrudgingly acknowledged even by morons like @IanB2 and @kjh
So your logic does not prevail
You must have a real inferiority complex about mixing with the intelligentsia of PB, to keep harping on with this nonsense of yours. It’s not something any actually intelligent person would do.
Lots of Nigerians have moved to Ireland. Some of them are passionately anti-Muslim and as a result very pro Christendom and pro-western, in particular pro UK and USA
So now they have festivals in Southern Ireland where they parade the Union Jack
This has got rightwing Irish nationalists in a frenzy
“What the hell is going on in Ireland?
The country is becoming more and more unrecognisable.
The planters are literally rubbing in our faces that they are the new planters.”
I guess this lot will also be labelled antisemites too.
Israel committing genocide in Gaza, say Israel-based human rights groups
Reports detailing killing of children and elderly, forced displacement and starvation likely to add to pressure for action
Two leading human rights organisations based in Israel, B’Tselem and Physicians for Human Rights, say Israel is committing genocide against Palestinians in Gaza and the country’s western allies have a legal and moral duty to stop it.
In reports published on Monday, the two groups said Israel had targeted civilians in Gaza only because of their identity as Palestinians over nearly two years of war, causing severe and in some cases irreparable damage to Palestinian society.
Multiple international and Palestinian groups have already described the war as genocidal, but reports from two of Israel-Palestine’s most respected human rights organisations, who have for decades documented systemic abuses, is likely to add to pressure for action.
Like the man said, the Palestine Action neo-terrorists should stop waving placards and instead advertise starving babies in the American and Israeli press.
Although its interesting that the photo we have all seen is NOT a simple starving Gazan baby. As ever the spin is heroic.
Can't see the status quo going on much longer to be honest. Something is going to give.
It's fascinating. I mean tragic, ofc, but fascinating. If you listen to GHF et al, and look at some of the footage, then there seems to be plenty (if insufficient I have no doubt) of aid either being distributed (GHF) or waiting to be distributed (the stockpiles we see on X).
But then again there is apparently mass starvation with, today it was announced on the Beeb, Gazans not having eaten for days.
No journalists apparently mean that we can't verify. But there are plenty of cellphones in Gaza so I wonder why we are not seeing widespread footage of the starving masses. Certainly as the social media campaign of GHF et al is ramping up with footage and invited journalists events, usw.
Then again, pictures of that one poor baby with CF managed to convince the world's news outlets that there is mass starvation, so Hamas must be sitting back thinking our work here is done.
An American former contractor for the Gaza Humanitarian Foundation (GHF) said in an interview that aired Friday that during his time working in Gaza, he saw Israeli soldiers and US contractors use “indiscriminate” force against civilians at aid sites, in what he described as “war crimes.”
Yeah, apparently a disgruntled ex-GHF employee but who knows. There is no doubt that GHF is (apparently) distributing up to 2m meals per day. And also telling that dismantling their effort was, again apparently, the second item on Hamas' ceasefire demand list.
Which, if it is indeed the case, makes perfect sense.
There is a coherent, indeed understandable narrative, whereby Hamas, in conjunction/collusion with the UN, wants to be in charge of food distribution in Gaza because this confers power on them (Hamas). Ceding that power to an external agency is very damaging. Hence the campaign to vilify GHF. Is this the case? Who knows. It is certainly credible to me.
But again, if I were Hamas I would be sitting back and high-fiving (if the two can be performed simultaneously) because they have without doubt won the PR battle such that people expect Michael Buerk to be parading around Beit Hanoun pointing out the starving masses. But he isn't. And no one else is. So it's interesting to wonder why this is.
Hamas seem able to pull the wool over the eyes of not just the UN, but Western journalists, European governments, Ehud Olmert and other Israeli opposition politicians, Israeli human rights organisations, and long-standing supporters of Israel like Edward Leigh, and Jonathan Sumption.
GHF might well be distributing a lot of food aid, but people have to run the risk of IDF members taking pot-shots at them, in order to obtain it.
If you read even the Israeli press rather than just following Twitter, you'd get a better picture of events.
You didn't seem to read the article.
Here is a (non-exhaustive, I bet) list of reasons the poor old UN can't deliver the aid. Wah wah wah. One of the below, admittedly might not be true.
When aid transport roads become too badly damaged by Israeli military operations, when there are insufficient deconfliction mechanisms in place to ensure that aid workers don’t accidentally get hit by IDF fire, when authorizations aren’t given by the army for aid to be picked up and delivered, when our chakras are out of sync, and when looting becomes increasingly widespread due to food insecurity, an environment is created where the UN is physically prevented from doing its job, the former US envoy elaborated.
Are you denying that the UN's ability to act in Gaza is at the mercy of the IDF, who control the territory and have a tendency to shoot first and ask questions later... or indeed just to shoot first and not bother with questions later?
You are parroting the Hamas talking points. You have no idea what is happening. All I see is the UN making all kinds of excuses for why they can't possibly deliver aid. All blaming the IDF and not one mention of Hamas. Do you find that strange.
The IDF control Gaza. They militarily defeated Hamas months ago. Those are the facts on the ground. Why is it strange, therefore, that the UN finds their main challenge being what Israel lets them do? You are the one who is dismissing reporting by Israeli newspapers as "Hamas talking points".
Whenever Topping can't find his keys he blames Hamas.
I guess this lot will also be labelled antisemites too.
Israel committing genocide in Gaza, say Israel-based human rights groups
Reports detailing killing of children and elderly, forced displacement and starvation likely to add to pressure for action
Two leading human rights organisations based in Israel, B’Tselem and Physicians for Human Rights, say Israel is committing genocide against Palestinians in Gaza and the country’s western allies have a legal and moral duty to stop it.
In reports published on Monday, the two groups said Israel had targeted civilians in Gaza only because of their identity as Palestinians over nearly two years of war, causing severe and in some cases irreparable damage to Palestinian society.
Multiple international and Palestinian groups have already described the war as genocidal, but reports from two of Israel-Palestine’s most respected human rights organisations, who have for decades documented systemic abuses, is likely to add to pressure for action.
Like the man said, the Palestine Action neo-terrorists should stop waving placards and instead advertise starving babies in the American and Israeli press.
Although its interesting that the photo we have all seen is NOT a simple starving Gazan baby. As ever the spin is heroic.
Can't see the status quo going on much longer to be honest. Something is going to give.
It's fascinating. I mean tragic, ofc, but fascinating. If you listen to GHF et al, and look at some of the footage, then there seems to be plenty (if insufficient I have no doubt) of aid either being distributed (GHF) or waiting to be distributed (the stockpiles we see on X).
But then again there is apparently mass starvation with, today it was announced on the Beeb, Gazans not having eaten for days.
No journalists apparently mean that we can't verify. But there are plenty of cellphones in Gaza so I wonder why we are not seeing widespread footage of the starving masses. Certainly as the social media campaign of GHF et al is ramping up with footage and invited journalists events, usw.
Then again, pictures of that one poor baby with CF managed to convince the world's news outlets that there is mass starvation, so Hamas must be sitting back thinking our work here is done.
An American former contractor for the Gaza Humanitarian Foundation (GHF) said in an interview that aired Friday that during his time working in Gaza, he saw Israeli soldiers and US contractors use “indiscriminate” force against civilians at aid sites, in what he described as “war crimes.”
Yeah, apparently a disgruntled ex-GHF employee but who knows. There is no doubt that GHF is (apparently) distributing up to 2m meals per day. And also telling that dismantling their effort was, again apparently, the second item on Hamas' ceasefire demand list.
Which, if it is indeed the case, makes perfect sense.
There is a coherent, indeed understandable narrative, whereby Hamas, in conjunction/collusion with the UN, wants to be in charge of food distribution in Gaza because this confers power on them (Hamas). Ceding that power to an external agency is very damaging. Hence the campaign to vilify GHF. Is this the case? Who knows. It is certainly credible to me.
But again, if I were Hamas I would be sitting back and high-fiving (if the two can be performed simultaneously) because they have without doubt won the PR battle such that people expect Michael Buerk to be parading around Beit Hanoun pointing out the starving masses. But he isn't. And no one else is. So it's interesting to wonder why this is.
Hamas seem able to pull the wool over the eyes of not just the UN, but Western journalists, European governments, Ehud Olmert and other Israeli opposition politicians, Israeli human rights organisations, and long-standing supporters of Israel like Edward Leigh, and Jonathan Sumption.
GHF might well be distributing a lot of food aid, but people have to run the risk of IDF members taking pot-shots at them, in order to obtain it.
If you read even the Israeli press rather than just following Twitter, you'd get a better picture of events.
You didn't seem to read the article.
Here is a (non-exhaustive, I bet) list of reasons the poor old UN can't deliver the aid. Wah wah wah. One of the below, admittedly might not be true.
When aid transport roads become too badly damaged by Israeli military operations, when there are insufficient deconfliction mechanisms in place to ensure that aid workers don’t accidentally get hit by IDF fire, when authorizations aren’t given by the army for aid to be picked up and delivered, when our chakras are out of sync, and when looting becomes increasingly widespread due to food insecurity, an environment is created where the UN is physically prevented from doing its job, the former US envoy elaborated.
Are you denying that the UN's ability to act in Gaza is at the mercy of the IDF, who control the territory and have a tendency to shoot first and ask questions later... or indeed just to shoot first and not bother with questions later?
You are parroting the Hamas talking points. You have no idea what is happening. All I see is the UN making all kinds of excuses for why they can't possibly deliver aid. All blaming the IDF and not one mention of Hamas. Do you find that strange.
The IDF control Gaza. They militarily defeated Hamas months ago. Those are the facts on the ground. Why is it strange, therefore, that the UN finds their main challenge being what Israel lets them do? You are the one who is dismissing reporting by Israeli newspapers as "Hamas talking points".
Ehud Olmert made very similar points yesterday.
Israel is the occupying power, and therefore responsible for humanitarian aid. Blaming the UN really doesn't wash.
The fact that the Israeli government opened the border to admit aid yesterday, and has now declared periods of temporary ceasefire to help facilitate its delivery is encouraging. But it's also demonstration that what they were previously doing was inadequate.
We can argue about that facts on the ground, but that's pretty pointless, as there is no independent source of information. Which again is at the behest of the occupying power.
As of Monday morning, half of the top ten free apps in Apple's app download charts in the UK appeared to be for VPN services.
Proton VPN, an app offered by Swiss privacy tech firm Proton, told the BBC it had seen a 1800% spike in UK daily sign-ups over the weekend after age check rules took effect on Friday.
“The European Commission has achieved the unthinkable yesterday. It finally united the entirety of the European Union. Today every single European is blasting the EU-US trade deal as the worst one (for Europe) in history.”
You do realise that a good deal is one that benefits both parties. Negotiators (good ones anyway) aim to give away stuff that has a lower value to them than to whom they are negotiating with and negotiate for stuff that has higher value to them than it does for the other party. That is what any good deal is all about. If one party screws the other party the deal just collapses. That is ok for a one off deal (and you don't care for your reputation when trying for subsequent deals) but for an ongoing deal it just means it flops. The last thing anyone needs is a deal where one party is constantly complaining (unless you are a conman and do a runner).
So if (and I doubt it) Trump has got one over on the EU it will just fail. he should be looking for a deal that id beneficial to both the USA and EU.
I'm guessing this stuff isn't in the art of the deal.
Trump sees deals as having a winner and a loser, rather than being to the advantage of both parties.
If a long term deal doesn't work to the advantage of both, it will collapse.
That's true even with a power imbalance. The relationship of overlord and vassal, patron and client, has to work to the advantage of both, to endure.
So, it's probably something psychological- deeply rooted in his childhood and upbringing.
I guess this lot will also be labelled antisemites too.
Israel committing genocide in Gaza, say Israel-based human rights groups
Reports detailing killing of children and elderly, forced displacement and starvation likely to add to pressure for action
Two leading human rights organisations based in Israel, B’Tselem and Physicians for Human Rights, say Israel is committing genocide against Palestinians in Gaza and the country’s western allies have a legal and moral duty to stop it.
In reports published on Monday, the two groups said Israel had targeted civilians in Gaza only because of their identity as Palestinians over nearly two years of war, causing severe and in some cases irreparable damage to Palestinian society.
Multiple international and Palestinian groups have already described the war as genocidal, but reports from two of Israel-Palestine’s most respected human rights organisations, who have for decades documented systemic abuses, is likely to add to pressure for action.
Like the man said, the Palestine Action neo-terrorists should stop waving placards and instead advertise starving babies in the American and Israeli press.
Although its interesting that the photo we have all seen is NOT a simple starving Gazan baby. As ever the spin is heroic.
Can't see the status quo going on much longer to be honest. Something is going to give.
It's fascinating. I mean tragic, ofc, but fascinating. If you listen to GHF et al, and look at some of the footage, then there seems to be plenty (if insufficient I have no doubt) of aid either being distributed (GHF) or waiting to be distributed (the stockpiles we see on X).
But then again there is apparently mass starvation with, today it was announced on the Beeb, Gazans not having eaten for days.
No journalists apparently mean that we can't verify. But there are plenty of cellphones in Gaza so I wonder why we are not seeing widespread footage of the starving masses. Certainly as the social media campaign of GHF et al is ramping up with footage and invited journalists events, usw.
Then again, pictures of that one poor baby with CF managed to convince the world's news outlets that there is mass starvation, so Hamas must be sitting back thinking our work here is done.
An American former contractor for the Gaza Humanitarian Foundation (GHF) said in an interview that aired Friday that during his time working in Gaza, he saw Israeli soldiers and US contractors use “indiscriminate” force against civilians at aid sites, in what he described as “war crimes.”
Yeah, apparently a disgruntled ex-GHF employee but who knows. There is no doubt that GHF is (apparently) distributing up to 2m meals per day. And also telling that dismantling their effort was, again apparently, the second item on Hamas' ceasefire demand list.
Which, if it is indeed the case, makes perfect sense.
There is a coherent, indeed understandable narrative, whereby Hamas, in conjunction/collusion with the UN, wants to be in charge of food distribution in Gaza because this confers power on them (Hamas). Ceding that power to an external agency is very damaging. Hence the campaign to vilify GHF. Is this the case? Who knows. It is certainly credible to me.
But again, if I were Hamas I would be sitting back and high-fiving (if the two can be performed simultaneously) because they have without doubt won the PR battle such that people expect Michael Buerk to be parading around Beit Hanoun pointing out the starving masses. But he isn't. And no one else is. So it's interesting to wonder why this is.
Hamas seem able to pull the wool over the eyes of not just the UN, but Western journalists, European governments, Ehud Olmert and other Israeli opposition politicians, Israeli human rights organisations, and long-standing supporters of Israel like Edward Leigh, and Jonathan Sumption.
GHF might well be distributing a lot of food aid, but people have to run the risk of IDF members taking pot-shots at them, in order to obtain it.
If you read even the Israeli press rather than just following Twitter, you'd get a better picture of events.
You didn't seem to read the article.
Here is a (non-exhaustive, I bet) list of reasons the poor old UN can't deliver the aid. Wah wah wah. One of the below, admittedly might not be true.
When aid transport roads become too badly damaged by Israeli military operations, when there are insufficient deconfliction mechanisms in place to ensure that aid workers don’t accidentally get hit by IDF fire, when authorizations aren’t given by the army for aid to be picked up and delivered, when our chakras are out of sync, and when looting becomes increasingly widespread due to food insecurity, an environment is created where the UN is physically prevented from doing its job, the former US envoy elaborated.
Are you denying that the UN's ability to act in Gaza is at the mercy of the IDF, who control the territory and have a tendency to shoot first and ask questions later... or indeed just to shoot first and not bother with questions later?
You are parroting the Hamas talking points. You have no idea what is happening. All I see is the UN making all kinds of excuses for why they can't possibly deliver aid. All blaming the IDF and not one mention of Hamas. Do you find that strange.
The IDF control Gaza. They militarily defeated Hamas months ago. Those are the facts on the ground. Why is it strange, therefore, that the UN finds their main challenge being what Israel lets them do? You are the one who is dismissing reporting by Israeli newspapers as "Hamas talking points".
GHF is run by one of Trump's mushrooms. I posted an interview a couple of week's ago.
They could have a "women only refugees" day to keep them safe.
Chairman Zia Yusuf says Reform will repeal the Online Safety Act if elected
Yet another reason to vote Reform
You do realise Reform were in favour of the bill and also they want to end anonymity on the internet.
Reform are a joke, but I will still vote for them.
That's how bad the rest are.
Remember when Rupert Lowe criticised Nigel Farage then Farage’s minions got the police involved.
Now just imagine what Farage will be like in power with the powers of the state.
Only low IQ people would vote for Reform.
But that's provable nonsense, because I am going to vote for Reform, and it is widely known, and accepted, that I am the most intelligent poster on the site. We had a long thread all about this, and that was the consensus we reached. This isn't me "blowing my own trumpet", it's a basic fact - begrudgingly acknowledged even by morons like @IanB2 and @kjh
So your logic does not prevail
My memory must be failing me as I recall the consensus was that you were an idiot.
I guess this lot will also be labelled antisemites too.
Israel committing genocide in Gaza, say Israel-based human rights groups
Reports detailing killing of children and elderly, forced displacement and starvation likely to add to pressure for action
Two leading human rights organisations based in Israel, B’Tselem and Physicians for Human Rights, say Israel is committing genocide against Palestinians in Gaza and the country’s western allies have a legal and moral duty to stop it.
In reports published on Monday, the two groups said Israel had targeted civilians in Gaza only because of their identity as Palestinians over nearly two years of war, causing severe and in some cases irreparable damage to Palestinian society.
Multiple international and Palestinian groups have already described the war as genocidal, but reports from two of Israel-Palestine’s most respected human rights organisations, who have for decades documented systemic abuses, is likely to add to pressure for action.
Like the man said, the Palestine Action neo-terrorists should stop waving placards and instead advertise starving babies in the American and Israeli press.
Although its interesting that the photo we have all seen is NOT a simple starving Gazan baby. As ever the spin is heroic.
Can't see the status quo going on much longer to be honest. Something is going to give.
It's fascinating. I mean tragic, ofc, but fascinating. If you listen to GHF et al, and look at some of the footage, then there seems to be plenty (if insufficient I have no doubt) of aid either being distributed (GHF) or waiting to be distributed (the stockpiles we see on X).
But then again there is apparently mass starvation with, today it was announced on the Beeb, Gazans not having eaten for days.
No journalists apparently mean that we can't verify. But there are plenty of cellphones in Gaza so I wonder why we are not seeing widespread footage of the starving masses. Certainly as the social media campaign of GHF et al is ramping up with footage and invited journalists events, usw.
Then again, pictures of that one poor baby with CF managed to convince the world's news outlets that there is mass starvation, so Hamas must be sitting back thinking our work here is done.
An American former contractor for the Gaza Humanitarian Foundation (GHF) said in an interview that aired Friday that during his time working in Gaza, he saw Israeli soldiers and US contractors use “indiscriminate” force against civilians at aid sites, in what he described as “war crimes.”
Yeah, apparently a disgruntled ex-GHF employee but who knows. There is no doubt that GHF is (apparently) distributing up to 2m meals per day. And also telling that dismantling their effort was, again apparently, the second item on Hamas' ceasefire demand list.
Which, if it is indeed the case, makes perfect sense.
There is a coherent, indeed understandable narrative, whereby Hamas, in conjunction/collusion with the UN, wants to be in charge of food distribution in Gaza because this confers power on them (Hamas). Ceding that power to an external agency is very damaging. Hence the campaign to vilify GHF. Is this the case? Who knows. It is certainly credible to me.
But again, if I were Hamas I would be sitting back and high-fiving (if the two can be performed simultaneously) because they have without doubt won the PR battle such that people expect Michael Buerk to be parading around Beit Hanoun pointing out the starving masses. But he isn't. And no one else is. So it's interesting to wonder why this is.
Hamas seem able to pull the wool over the eyes of not just the UN, but Western journalists, European governments, Ehud Olmert and other Israeli opposition politicians, Israeli human rights organisations, and long-standing supporters of Israel like Edward Leigh, and Jonathan Sumption.
GHF might well be distributing a lot of food aid, but people have to run the risk of IDF members taking pot-shots at them, in order to obtain it.
If you read even the Israeli press rather than just following Twitter, you'd get a better picture of events.
You didn't seem to read the article.
Here is a (non-exhaustive, I bet) list of reasons the poor old UN can't deliver the aid. Wah wah wah. One of the below, admittedly might not be true.
When aid transport roads become too badly damaged by Israeli military operations, when there are insufficient deconfliction mechanisms in place to ensure that aid workers don’t accidentally get hit by IDF fire, when authorizations aren’t given by the army for aid to be picked up and delivered, when our chakras are out of sync, and when looting becomes increasingly widespread due to food insecurity, an environment is created where the UN is physically prevented from doing its job, the former US envoy elaborated.
Are you denying that the UN's ability to act in Gaza is at the mercy of the IDF, who control the territory and have a tendency to shoot first and ask questions later... or indeed just to shoot first and not bother with questions later?
You are parroting the Hamas talking points. You have no idea what is happening. All I see is the UN making all kinds of excuses for why they can't possibly deliver aid. All blaming the IDF and not one mention of Hamas. Do you find that strange.
The IDF control Gaza. They militarily defeated Hamas months ago. Those are the facts on the ground. Why is it strange, therefore, that the UN finds their main challenge being what Israel lets them do? You are the one who is dismissing reporting by Israeli newspapers as "Hamas talking points".
Whenever Topping can't find his keys he blames Hamas.
As I said, if I were Hamas, I would be high-fiving at the number of useful idiots who have bought their version of events without question.
Plus as the map shows use of VPNs is severely restricted in China, Iran, Oman, Russia, Turkey and the UAE.
Banning or restricting VPN use is an excellent way for Sir Keir to confirm to libertarians he is the uber authoritarian leader they say he is.
Sir Keir though will hope to restrict access to the dark net and make visible those using Tor as well and hinder criminals and those using it to access illegal material as well as make it more difficult for the underage to access adult material on the standard internet
Lots of Nigerians have moved to Ireland. Some of them are passionately anti-Muslim and as a result very pro Christendom and pro-western, in particular pro UK and USA
So now they have festivals in Southern Ireland where they parade the Union Jack
This has got rightwing Irish nationalists in a frenzy
“What the hell is going on in Ireland?
The country is becoming more and more unrecognisable.
The planters are literally rubbing in our faces that they are the new planters.”
Lots of Nigerians have moved to Ireland. Some of them are passionately anti-Muslim and as a result very pro Christendom and pro-western, in particular pro UK and USA
So now they have festivals in Southern Ireland where they parade the Union Jack
This has got rightwing Irish nationalists in a frenzy
“What the hell is going on in Ireland?
The country is becoming more and more unrecognisable.
The planters are literally rubbing in our faces that they are the new planters.”
Ultimately, identity politics collapses under the weight of its own contradictions.
Nigerians happily flying the Union Flag results in "Do not compute" for quite a number of people.
It’s like the time some white Brits were telling me about the evils of the British empire and I pointed out that the largest volunteer in human history was the British Indian Army.
Lots of Nigerians have moved to Ireland. Some of them are passionately anti-Muslim and as a result very pro Christendom and pro-western, in particular pro UK and USA
So now they have festivals in Southern Ireland where they parade the Union Jack
This has got rightwing Irish nationalists in a frenzy
“What the hell is going on in Ireland?
The country is becoming more and more unrecognisable.
The planters are literally rubbing in our faces that they are the new planters.”
Ultimately, identity politics collapses under the weight of its own contradictions.
Nigerians happily flying the Union Flag results in "Do not compute" for quite a number of people.
It’s like the time some white Brits were telling me about the evils of the British empire and I pointed out that the largest volunteer in human history was the British Indian Army.
I still have my great-grandfather’s medals.
Me too. Both my grandfathers served in it, and treated their Indian officers as equals.
From yesterday, I think that Sean Trende (like Nat Silver), is one of very, very, few US political commentators who tell it as it is, rather than engaging in wishful thinking, ad hominem attacks, and creating straw men.
As far as I can tell, his politics are very moderate Republican, but that in no way impairs his judgement of events.
His article, last August, about Washington early voting numbers (and their predictive value for the election), was striking accurate.
Which he knows they have near zero chance of doing
Realistically, it’s not a bad target. For the SNP to get a majority of seats on their own, they would need over 50% of the votes. That would almost certainly mean that significantly over 50% of Scots wanted independence, and probably at least 60%. The UK government would be in a difficult position internationally if they were to flatly refuse to discuss independence in that scenario.
{The Spanish Government has entered the chat}
As the immediate target would be EFTA membership, the Spanish government, whether moderately hostile like the last one or neutral like the current one, is largely irrelevant.
I guess this lot will also be labelled antisemites too.
Israel committing genocide in Gaza, say Israel-based human rights groups
Reports detailing killing of children and elderly, forced displacement and starvation likely to add to pressure for action
Two leading human rights organisations based in Israel, B’Tselem and Physicians for Human Rights, say Israel is committing genocide against Palestinians in Gaza and the country’s western allies have a legal and moral duty to stop it.
In reports published on Monday, the two groups said Israel had targeted civilians in Gaza only because of their identity as Palestinians over nearly two years of war, causing severe and in some cases irreparable damage to Palestinian society.
Multiple international and Palestinian groups have already described the war as genocidal, but reports from two of Israel-Palestine’s most respected human rights organisations, who have for decades documented systemic abuses, is likely to add to pressure for action.
Like the man said, the Palestine Action neo-terrorists should stop waving placards and instead advertise starving babies in the American and Israeli press.
Although its interesting that the photo we have all seen is NOT a simple starving Gazan baby. As ever the spin is heroic.
Can't see the status quo going on much longer to be honest. Something is going to give.
It's fascinating. I mean tragic, ofc, but fascinating. If you listen to GHF et al, and look at some of the footage, then there seems to be plenty (if insufficient I have no doubt) of aid either being distributed (GHF) or waiting to be distributed (the stockpiles we see on X).
But then again there is apparently mass starvation with, today it was announced on the Beeb, Gazans not having eaten for days.
No journalists apparently mean that we can't verify. But there are plenty of cellphones in Gaza so I wonder why we are not seeing widespread footage of the starving masses. Certainly as the social media campaign of GHF et al is ramping up with footage and invited journalists events, usw.
Then again, pictures of that one poor baby with CF managed to convince the world's news outlets that there is mass starvation, so Hamas must be sitting back thinking our work here is done.
An American former contractor for the Gaza Humanitarian Foundation (GHF) said in an interview that aired Friday that during his time working in Gaza, he saw Israeli soldiers and US contractors use “indiscriminate” force against civilians at aid sites, in what he described as “war crimes.”
Yeah, apparently a disgruntled ex-GHF employee but who knows. There is no doubt that GHF is (apparently) distributing up to 2m meals per day. And also telling that dismantling their effort was, again apparently, the second item on Hamas' ceasefire demand list.
Which, if it is indeed the case, makes perfect sense.
There is a coherent, indeed understandable narrative, whereby Hamas, in conjunction/collusion with the UN, wants to be in charge of food distribution in Gaza because this confers power on them (Hamas). Ceding that power to an external agency is very damaging. Hence the campaign to vilify GHF. Is this the case? Who knows. It is certainly credible to me.
But again, if I were Hamas I would be sitting back and high-fiving (if the two can be performed simultaneously) because they have without doubt won the PR battle such that people expect Michael Buerk to be parading around Beit Hanoun pointing out the starving masses. But he isn't. And no one else is. So it's interesting to wonder why this is.
Hamas seem able to pull the wool over the eyes of not just the UN, but Western journalists, European governments, Ehud Olmert and other Israeli opposition politicians, Israeli human rights organisations, and long-standing supporters of Israel like Edward Leigh, and Jonathan Sumption.
GHF might well be distributing a lot of food aid, but people have to run the risk of IDF members taking pot-shots at them, in order to obtain it.
Everyone has a mobile these days and Hamas are masters of PR on the socials. Where is the footage of the IDF shooting up aid sites.
Gaza has been under an electricity blackout by Israel since 11 October 2023. It's not straightforward to charge one's mobile. And smartphone ownership in Gaza is far from being 100%.
Your kidding, right?
Are you on the socials. Every other pro-Hamas post is showing a (often the same) apparently starving child. There are mobiles everywhere.
How does social media accounts (from outside Gaza) showing the same photo prove that everyone in Gaza has a smartphone? That makes no sense.
More broadly, the socials, particularly Twitter, are a deeply unreliable source of information. Stop looking at them! Read some newspapers. I look at those, including the English-language Israeli media (or I rely on a good friend, an Israeli citizen, who speaks Hebrew).
Topping is concerned that those risking their lives to collect food aren't stopping to get video for him while actually under fire.
Lots of Nigerians have moved to Ireland. Some of them are passionately anti-Muslim and as a result very pro Christendom and pro-western, in particular pro UK and USA
So now they have festivals in Southern Ireland where they parade the Union Jack
This has got rightwing Irish nationalists in a frenzy
“What the hell is going on in Ireland?
The country is becoming more and more unrecognisable.
The planters are literally rubbing in our faces that they are the new planters.”
Ultimately, identity politics collapses under the weight of its own contradictions.
Nigerians happily flying the Union Flag results in "Do not compute" for quite a number of people.
It’s like the time some white Brits were telling me about the evils of the British empire and I pointed out that the largest volunteer in human history was the British Indian Army.
I still have my great-grandfather’s medals.
Me too. Both my grandfathers served in it, and treated their Indian officers as equals.
My great-grandfather died before I was born but when my grandfather was thinking of coming to the UK my great-grandfather told him to go based on his experiences in the British Indian Army saying how well/equal they were treated.
I guess this lot will also be labelled antisemites too.
Israel committing genocide in Gaza, say Israel-based human rights groups
Reports detailing killing of children and elderly, forced displacement and starvation likely to add to pressure for action
Two leading human rights organisations based in Israel, B’Tselem and Physicians for Human Rights, say Israel is committing genocide against Palestinians in Gaza and the country’s western allies have a legal and moral duty to stop it.
In reports published on Monday, the two groups said Israel had targeted civilians in Gaza only because of their identity as Palestinians over nearly two years of war, causing severe and in some cases irreparable damage to Palestinian society.
Multiple international and Palestinian groups have already described the war as genocidal, but reports from two of Israel-Palestine’s most respected human rights organisations, who have for decades documented systemic abuses, is likely to add to pressure for action.
Like the man said, the Palestine Action neo-terrorists should stop waving placards and instead advertise starving babies in the American and Israeli press.
Although its interesting that the photo we have all seen is NOT a simple starving Gazan baby. As ever the spin is heroic.
Can't see the status quo going on much longer to be honest. Something is going to give.
It's fascinating. I mean tragic, ofc, but fascinating. If you listen to GHF et al, and look at some of the footage, then there seems to be plenty (if insufficient I have no doubt) of aid either being distributed (GHF) or waiting to be distributed (the stockpiles we see on X).
But then again there is apparently mass starvation with, today it was announced on the Beeb, Gazans not having eaten for days.
No journalists apparently mean that we can't verify. But there are plenty of cellphones in Gaza so I wonder why we are not seeing widespread footage of the starving masses. Certainly as the social media campaign of GHF et al is ramping up with footage and invited journalists events, usw.
Then again, pictures of that one poor baby with CF managed to convince the world's news outlets that there is mass starvation, so Hamas must be sitting back thinking our work here is done.
An American former contractor for the Gaza Humanitarian Foundation (GHF) said in an interview that aired Friday that during his time working in Gaza, he saw Israeli soldiers and US contractors use “indiscriminate” force against civilians at aid sites, in what he described as “war crimes.”
Yeah, apparently a disgruntled ex-GHF employee but who knows. There is no doubt that GHF is (apparently) distributing up to 2m meals per day. And also telling that dismantling their effort was, again apparently, the second item on Hamas' ceasefire demand list.
Which, if it is indeed the case, makes perfect sense.
There is a coherent, indeed understandable narrative, whereby Hamas, in conjunction/collusion with the UN, wants to be in charge of food distribution in Gaza because this confers power on them (Hamas). Ceding that power to an external agency is very damaging. Hence the campaign to vilify GHF. Is this the case? Who knows. It is certainly credible to me.
But again, if I were Hamas I would be sitting back and high-fiving (if the two can be performed simultaneously) because they have without doubt won the PR battle such that people expect Michael Buerk to be parading around Beit Hanoun pointing out the starving masses. But he isn't. And no one else is. So it's interesting to wonder why this is.
Hamas seem able to pull the wool over the eyes of not just the UN, but Western journalists, European governments, Ehud Olmert and other Israeli opposition politicians, Israeli human rights organisations, and long-standing supporters of Israel like Edward Leigh, and Jonathan Sumption.
GHF might well be distributing a lot of food aid, but people have to run the risk of IDF members taking pot-shots at them, in order to obtain it.
Everyone has a mobile these days and Hamas are masters of PR on the socials. Where is the footage of the IDF shooting up aid sites.
Gaza has been under an electricity blackout by Israel since 11 October 2023. It's not straightforward to charge one's mobile. And smartphone ownership in Gaza is far from being 100%.
In fact where is the footage of bombs and missiles falling from IDF aircraft? Seems a bit iffy to me.
Where indeed.
Yes, where's the proof that around two thirds of the building in Gaza have been levelled ?
Lots of Nigerians have moved to Ireland. Some of them are passionately anti-Muslim and as a result very pro Christendom and pro-western, in particular pro UK and USA
So now they have festivals in Southern Ireland where they parade the Union Jack
This has got rightwing Irish nationalists in a frenzy
“What the hell is going on in Ireland?
The country is becoming more and more unrecognisable.
The planters are literally rubbing in our faces that they are the new planters.”
Ultimately, identity politics collapses under the weight of its own contradictions.
Nigerians happily flying the Union Flag results in "Do not compute" for quite a number of people.
It’s like the time some white Brits were telling me about the evils of the British empire and I pointed out that the largest volunteer in human history was the British Indian Army.
I still have my great-grandfather’s medals.
My brother in law is a colonel, and for a time, was involved in training an Indian Army regiment, who would drink a toast to the Queen at regimental dinners.
Chairman Zia Yusuf says Reform will repeal the Online Safety Act if elected
Yet another reason to vote Reform
You do realise Reform were in favour of the bill and also they want to end anonymity on the internet.
Reform are a joke, but I will still vote for them.
That's how bad the rest are.
Remember when Rupert Lowe criticised Nigel Farage then Farage’s minions got the police involved.
Now just imagine what Farage will be like in power with the powers of the state.
Only low IQ people would vote for Reform.
But that's provable nonsense, because I am going to vote for Reform, and it is widely known, and accepted, that I am the most intelligent poster on the site. We had a long thread all about this, and that was the consensus we reached. This isn't me "blowing my own trumpet", it's a basic fact - begrudgingly acknowledged even by morons like @IanB2 and @kjh
So your logic does not prevail
My memory must be failing me as I recall the consensus was that you were an idiot.
I'm always wary of someone who proclaims to be 'the most intelligent person in X'. They rarely will be.
I guess this lot will also be labelled antisemites too.
Israel committing genocide in Gaza, say Israel-based human rights groups
Reports detailing killing of children and elderly, forced displacement and starvation likely to add to pressure for action
Two leading human rights organisations based in Israel, B’Tselem and Physicians for Human Rights, say Israel is committing genocide against Palestinians in Gaza and the country’s western allies have a legal and moral duty to stop it.
In reports published on Monday, the two groups said Israel had targeted civilians in Gaza only because of their identity as Palestinians over nearly two years of war, causing severe and in some cases irreparable damage to Palestinian society.
Multiple international and Palestinian groups have already described the war as genocidal, but reports from two of Israel-Palestine’s most respected human rights organisations, who have for decades documented systemic abuses, is likely to add to pressure for action.
Like the man said, the Palestine Action neo-terrorists should stop waving placards and instead advertise starving babies in the American and Israeli press.
Although its interesting that the photo we have all seen is NOT a simple starving Gazan baby. As ever the spin is heroic.
Can't see the status quo going on much longer to be honest. Something is going to give.
It's fascinating. I mean tragic, ofc, but fascinating. If you listen to GHF et al, and look at some of the footage, then there seems to be plenty (if insufficient I have no doubt) of aid either being distributed (GHF) or waiting to be distributed (the stockpiles we see on X).
But then again there is apparently mass starvation with, today it was announced on the Beeb, Gazans not having eaten for days.
No journalists apparently mean that we can't verify. But there are plenty of cellphones in Gaza so I wonder why we are not seeing widespread footage of the starving masses. Certainly as the social media campaign of GHF et al is ramping up with footage and invited journalists events, usw.
Then again, pictures of that one poor baby with CF managed to convince the world's news outlets that there is mass starvation, so Hamas must be sitting back thinking our work here is done.
An American former contractor for the Gaza Humanitarian Foundation (GHF) said in an interview that aired Friday that during his time working in Gaza, he saw Israeli soldiers and US contractors use “indiscriminate” force against civilians at aid sites, in what he described as “war crimes.”
Yeah, apparently a disgruntled ex-GHF employee but who knows. There is no doubt that GHF is (apparently) distributing up to 2m meals per day. And also telling that dismantling their effort was, again apparently, the second item on Hamas' ceasefire demand list.
Which, if it is indeed the case, makes perfect sense.
There is a coherent, indeed understandable narrative, whereby Hamas, in conjunction/collusion with the UN, wants to be in charge of food distribution in Gaza because this confers power on them (Hamas). Ceding that power to an external agency is very damaging. Hence the campaign to vilify GHF. Is this the case? Who knows. It is certainly credible to me.
But again, if I were Hamas I would be sitting back and high-fiving (if the two can be performed simultaneously) because they have without doubt won the PR battle such that people expect Michael Buerk to be parading around Beit Hanoun pointing out the starving masses. But he isn't. And no one else is. So it's interesting to wonder why this is.
Hamas seem able to pull the wool over the eyes of not just the UN, but Western journalists, European governments, Ehud Olmert and other Israeli opposition politicians, Israeli human rights organisations, and long-standing supporters of Israel like Edward Leigh, and Jonathan Sumption.
GHF might well be distributing a lot of food aid, but people have to run the risk of IDF members taking pot-shots at them, in order to obtain it.
Everyone has a mobile these days and Hamas are masters of PR on the socials. Where is the footage of the IDF shooting up aid sites.
Gaza has been under an electricity blackout by Israel since 11 October 2023. It's not straightforward to charge one's mobile. And smartphone ownership in Gaza is far from being 100%.
Your kidding, right?
Are you on the socials. Every other pro-Hamas post is showing a (often the same) apparently starving child. There are mobiles everywhere.
How does social media accounts (from outside Gaza) showing the same photo prove that everyone in Gaza has a smartphone? That makes no sense.
More broadly, the socials, particularly Twitter, are a deeply unreliable source of information. Stop looking at them! Read some newspapers. I look at those, including the English-language Israeli media (or I rely on a good friend, an Israeli citizen, who speaks Hebrew).
Topping is concerned that those risking their lives to collect food aren't stopping to get video for him while actually under fire.
What exactly is the UN for. There was a list of excuses as long as your arm why they couldn't possibly distribute aid.
Meanwhile, the dissolution of GHF is a key Hamas demand.
But by all means, carry on cheering Band Aid and the money it's delivering to Mengistu.
From yesterday, I think that Sean Trende (like Nat Silver), is one of very, very, few US political commentators who tell it as it is, rather than engaging in wishful thinking, ad hominem attacks, and creating straw men.
As far as I can tell, his politics are very moderate Republican, but that in no way impairs his judgement of events.
His article, last August, about Washington early voting numbers (and their predictive value for the election), was striking accurate.
Yes, as I said, I should read his stuff more often.
I guess this lot will also be labelled antisemites too.
Israel committing genocide in Gaza, say Israel-based human rights groups
Reports detailing killing of children and elderly, forced displacement and starvation likely to add to pressure for action
Two leading human rights organisations based in Israel, B’Tselem and Physicians for Human Rights, say Israel is committing genocide against Palestinians in Gaza and the country’s western allies have a legal and moral duty to stop it.
In reports published on Monday, the two groups said Israel had targeted civilians in Gaza only because of their identity as Palestinians over nearly two years of war, causing severe and in some cases irreparable damage to Palestinian society.
Multiple international and Palestinian groups have already described the war as genocidal, but reports from two of Israel-Palestine’s most respected human rights organisations, who have for decades documented systemic abuses, is likely to add to pressure for action.
Like the man said, the Palestine Action neo-terrorists should stop waving placards and instead advertise starving babies in the American and Israeli press.
Although its interesting that the photo we have all seen is NOT a simple starving Gazan baby. As ever the spin is heroic.
Can't see the status quo going on much longer to be honest. Something is going to give.
It's fascinating. I mean tragic, ofc, but fascinating. If you listen to GHF et al, and look at some of the footage, then there seems to be plenty (if insufficient I have no doubt) of aid either being distributed (GHF) or waiting to be distributed (the stockpiles we see on X).
But then again there is apparently mass starvation with, today it was announced on the Beeb, Gazans not having eaten for days.
No journalists apparently mean that we can't verify. But there are plenty of cellphones in Gaza so I wonder why we are not seeing widespread footage of the starving masses. Certainly as the social media campaign of GHF et al is ramping up with footage and invited journalists events, usw.
Then again, pictures of that one poor baby with CF managed to convince the world's news outlets that there is mass starvation, so Hamas must be sitting back thinking our work here is done.
An American former contractor for the Gaza Humanitarian Foundation (GHF) said in an interview that aired Friday that during his time working in Gaza, he saw Israeli soldiers and US contractors use “indiscriminate” force against civilians at aid sites, in what he described as “war crimes.”
Yeah, apparently a disgruntled ex-GHF employee but who knows. There is no doubt that GHF is (apparently) distributing up to 2m meals per day. And also telling that dismantling their effort was, again apparently, the second item on Hamas' ceasefire demand list.
Which, if it is indeed the case, makes perfect sense.
There is a coherent, indeed understandable narrative, whereby Hamas, in conjunction/collusion with the UN, wants to be in charge of food distribution in Gaza because this confers power on them (Hamas). Ceding that power to an external agency is very damaging. Hence the campaign to vilify GHF. Is this the case? Who knows. It is certainly credible to me.
But again, if I were Hamas I would be sitting back and high-fiving (if the two can be performed simultaneously) because they have without doubt won the PR battle such that people expect Michael Buerk to be parading around Beit Hanoun pointing out the starving masses. But he isn't. And no one else is. So it's interesting to wonder why this is.
Hamas seem able to pull the wool over the eyes of not just the UN, but Western journalists, European governments, Ehud Olmert and other Israeli opposition politicians, Israeli human rights organisations, and long-standing supporters of Israel like Edward Leigh, and Jonathan Sumption.
GHF might well be distributing a lot of food aid, but people have to run the risk of IDF members taking pot-shots at them, in order to obtain it.
Everyone has a mobile these days and Hamas are masters of PR on the socials. Where is the footage of the IDF shooting up aid sites.
Gaza has been under an electricity blackout by Israel since 11 October 2023. It's not straightforward to charge one's mobile. And smartphone ownership in Gaza is far from being 100%.
Your kidding, right?
Are you on the socials. Every other pro-Hamas post is showing a (often the same) apparently starving child. There are mobiles everywhere.
How does social media accounts (from outside Gaza) showing the same photo prove that everyone in Gaza has a smartphone? That makes no sense.
More broadly, the socials, particularly Twitter, are a deeply unreliable source of information. Stop looking at them! Read some newspapers. I look at those, including the English-language Israeli media (or I rely on a good friend, an Israeli citizen, who speaks Hebrew).
Topping is concerned that those risking their lives to collect food aren't stopping to get video for him while actually under fire.
Israel, by blocking reporting, is creating an information black hole. Its entirely possible that everything Hamas and others say is happening in Gaza is happening as they say. Its also possible that Hamas is a bunch of lying psychopaths. I distrust the deaths reported by the Hamas Information Ministry of Truth and I distrust the IDF.
Lots of Nigerians have moved to Ireland. Some of them are passionately anti-Muslim and as a result very pro Christendom and pro-western, in particular pro UK and USA
So now they have festivals in Southern Ireland where they parade the Union Jack
This has got rightwing Irish nationalists in a frenzy
“What the hell is going on in Ireland?
The country is becoming more and more unrecognisable.
The planters are literally rubbing in our faces that they are the new planters.”
Ultimately, identity politics collapses under the weight of its own contradictions.
Nigerians happily flying the Union Flag results in "Do not compute" for quite a number of people.
It’s like the time some white Brits were telling me about the evils of the British empire and I pointed out that the largest volunteer in human history was the British Indian Army.
I still have my great-grandfather’s medals.
My brother in law is a colonel, and for a time, was involved in training an Indian Army regiment, who would drink a toast to the Queen at regimental dinners.
I was reading a book a while back which shows how the Indians and Pakistanis were desperate to keep/hire British soldiers etc to set up their new armies post independence.
Quite surprising that Pakistan’s notorious Inter-Services Intelligence was founded/run by an Aussie in the British Indian army.
If people vote SNP in both ballots, rather than Green for the regional lists, this will result in more Unionist MSPs being elected.
The system can be gamed*, and they are failing to game it with this approach.
*They should create "The Nationalist Party of Scotland" as a "sister party" to mop up the list vote and swell their ranks.
The SNP's problem is that current polling share would make them massively over-represented by capturing close on 60 constituencies. There are maybe a couple more they can pick up with 2-3% swing in their favour, but equally they could lose 7-8 without gaining equivalent seats on the list.
I guess this lot will also be labelled antisemites too.
Israel committing genocide in Gaza, say Israel-based human rights groups
Reports detailing killing of children and elderly, forced displacement and starvation likely to add to pressure for action
Two leading human rights organisations based in Israel, B’Tselem and Physicians for Human Rights, say Israel is committing genocide against Palestinians in Gaza and the country’s western allies have a legal and moral duty to stop it.
In reports published on Monday, the two groups said Israel had targeted civilians in Gaza only because of their identity as Palestinians over nearly two years of war, causing severe and in some cases irreparable damage to Palestinian society.
Multiple international and Palestinian groups have already described the war as genocidal, but reports from two of Israel-Palestine’s most respected human rights organisations, who have for decades documented systemic abuses, is likely to add to pressure for action.
Like the man said, the Palestine Action neo-terrorists should stop waving placards and instead advertise starving babies in the American and Israeli press.
Although its interesting that the photo we have all seen is NOT a simple starving Gazan baby. As ever the spin is heroic.
Can't see the status quo going on much longer to be honest. Something is going to give.
It's fascinating. I mean tragic, ofc, but fascinating. If you listen to GHF et al, and look at some of the footage, then there seems to be plenty (if insufficient I have no doubt) of aid either being distributed (GHF) or waiting to be distributed (the stockpiles we see on X).
But then again there is apparently mass starvation with, today it was announced on the Beeb, Gazans not having eaten for days.
No journalists apparently mean that we can't verify. But there are plenty of cellphones in Gaza so I wonder why we are not seeing widespread footage of the starving masses. Certainly as the social media campaign of GHF et al is ramping up with footage and invited journalists events, usw.
Then again, pictures of that one poor baby with CF managed to convince the world's news outlets that there is mass starvation, so Hamas must be sitting back thinking our work here is done.
An American former contractor for the Gaza Humanitarian Foundation (GHF) said in an interview that aired Friday that during his time working in Gaza, he saw Israeli soldiers and US contractors use “indiscriminate” force against civilians at aid sites, in what he described as “war crimes.”
Yeah, apparently a disgruntled ex-GHF employee but who knows. There is no doubt that GHF is (apparently) distributing up to 2m meals per day. And also telling that dismantling their effort was, again apparently, the second item on Hamas' ceasefire demand list.
Which, if it is indeed the case, makes perfect sense.
There is a coherent, indeed understandable narrative, whereby Hamas, in conjunction/collusion with the UN, wants to be in charge of food distribution in Gaza because this confers power on them (Hamas). Ceding that power to an external agency is very damaging. Hence the campaign to vilify GHF. Is this the case? Who knows. It is certainly credible to me.
But again, if I were Hamas I would be sitting back and high-fiving (if the two can be performed simultaneously) because they have without doubt won the PR battle such that people expect Michael Buerk to be parading around Beit Hanoun pointing out the starving masses. But he isn't. And no one else is. So it's interesting to wonder why this is.
Hamas seem able to pull the wool over the eyes of not just the UN, but Western journalists, European governments, Ehud Olmert and other Israeli opposition politicians, Israeli human rights organisations, and long-standing supporters of Israel like Edward Leigh, and Jonathan Sumption.
GHF might well be distributing a lot of food aid, but people have to run the risk of IDF members taking pot-shots at them, in order to obtain it.
If you read even the Israeli press rather than just following Twitter, you'd get a better picture of events.
You didn't seem to read the article.
Here is a (non-exhaustive, I bet) list of reasons the poor old UN can't deliver the aid. Wah wah wah. One of the below, admittedly might not be true.
When aid transport roads become too badly damaged by Israeli military operations, when there are insufficient deconfliction mechanisms in place to ensure that aid workers don’t accidentally get hit by IDF fire, when authorizations aren’t given by the army for aid to be picked up and delivered, when our chakras are out of sync, and when looting becomes increasingly widespread due to food insecurity, an environment is created where the UN is physically prevented from doing its job, the former US envoy elaborated.
Are you denying that the UN's ability to act in Gaza is at the mercy of the IDF, who control the territory and have a tendency to shoot first and ask questions later... or indeed just to shoot first and not bother with questions later?
You are parroting the Hamas talking points. You have no idea what is happening. All I see is the UN making all kinds of excuses for why they can't possibly deliver aid. All blaming the IDF and not one mention of Hamas. Do you find that strange.
The IDF control Gaza. They militarily defeated Hamas months ago. Those are the facts on the ground. Why is it strange, therefore, that the UN finds their main challenge being what Israel lets them do? You are the one who is dismissing reporting by Israeli newspapers as "Hamas talking points".
GHF is run by one of Trump's mushrooms. I posted an interview a couple of week's ago.
They could have a "women only refugees" day to keep them safe.
It is a huge mystery to try to work out who on earth, in Gaza, run by Hamas, would possibly object to and try to inhibit an event aimed exclusively at women.
Chairman Zia Yusuf says Reform will repeal the Online Safety Act if elected
Yet another reason to vote Reform
You do realise Reform were in favour of the bill and also they want to end anonymity on the internet.
Reform are a joke, but I will still vote for them.
That's how bad the rest are.
Remember when Rupert Lowe criticised Nigel Farage then Farage’s minions got the police involved.
Now just imagine what Farage will be like in power with the powers of the state.
Only low IQ people would vote for Reform.
But that's provable nonsense, because I am going to vote for Reform, and it is widely known, and accepted, that I am the most intelligent poster on the site. We had a long thread all about this, and that was the consensus we reached. This isn't me "blowing my own trumpet", it's a basic fact - begrudgingly acknowledged even by morons like @IanB2 and @kjh
So your logic does not prevail
You must have a real inferiority complex about mixing with the intelligentsia of PB, to keep harping on with this nonsense of yours. It’s not something any actually intelligent person would do.
On-topic question: When somebody says they "have to" do something because of the OSA how do we know this is not due to them taking an erroneous or absurdly risk-averse approach to it? Esp if they are an avowed opponent of the legislation.
Have a look at this.
The onus is no longer to remove ‘harmful’ content, it is to stop it being posted in the first place.
The illegal content duties are not just about removing existing illegal content; they are also about stopping it from appearing at all. Platforms need to think about how they design their sites to reduce the likelihood of them being used for criminal activity in the first place.
The kinds of illegal content and activity that platforms need to protect users from are set out in the Act, and this includes content relating to:
child sexual abuse controlling or coercive behaviour extreme sexual violence extreme pornography fraud racially or religiously aggravated public order offences inciting violence illegal immigration and people smuggling promoting or facilitating suicide intimate image abuse selling illegal drugs or weapons sexual exploitation terrorism
That is going to make the job of the PB mods even more onerous.
I'm pretty sure you don't aspire to becoming a test case for the limits of free speech, as a part time hobby. However much a few PBers might wish you to do so.
If the mods have to immediately ban any posters in order to stay on the right side of the law, then so be it. I hope we are all sensible and moderate enough not to place the mods in a difficult position. AIUI a poster was banned at the weekend who was inciting violence.
A total of 639,000 people with an honours degree or similar level qualification are claiming Universal Credit, according to the first data of its kind released to Parliament. Those without any qualifications who are receiving Universal Credit numbered 849,000, representing 15.9 per cent of claimants, according to the data from the Labour Force Survey for March to May this year, released to Parliament by the UK Statistics Authority.
Lots of Nigerians have moved to Ireland. Some of them are passionately anti-Muslim and as a result very pro Christendom and pro-western, in particular pro UK and USA
So now they have festivals in Southern Ireland where they parade the Union Jack
This has got rightwing Irish nationalists in a frenzy
“What the hell is going on in Ireland?
The country is becoming more and more unrecognisable.
The planters are literally rubbing in our faces that they are the new planters.”
Ultimately, identity politics collapses under the weight of its own contradictions.
Nigerians happily flying the Union Flag results in "Do not compute" for quite a number of people.
It’s like the time some white Brits were telling me about the evils of the British empire and I pointed out that the largest volunteer in human history was the British Indian Army.
I still have my great-grandfather’s medals.
My brother in law is a colonel, and for a time, was involved in training an Indian Army regiment, who would drink a toast to the Queen at regimental dinners.
I worked with a chap who'd been in the reserve Indian Army - got to Captain. He regretted not taking it further, so that he could, write letters to the Times " - Colonel, Indian Army (retired)"
CEO Andy Byron's moving forward with suing Coldplay for ruing his life.
"A song cost me my family, my job, & everything I built." – he said.
It's good to see Andy taking responsibility for his decision to have an affair.
Arguably there is a partial responsibility for Coldplay in that they called out his bad actions for the world’s attention. Perhaps a judge will determine that they are 20% responsible?
But it’s just a shakedown
It was a considered action by the plaintiff to attend the gig. The same cannot be said of a performer on stage in front of a large audience.
0.2% might be closer to the mark.
Under what tort is he claiming damages, anyway ? At a public event, reinforced by the terms and conditions on the ticketing, 1st Amendment surely applies. And what duty of care is owed in those circumstances ?
If Chris Martin hadn’t acted in the way he did no one would have paid attention.
Recklessly acting in such a way as to cause damage?
If the couple themselves hadn't acted the way they did, it's likely that no-one would have noticed. If they'd simply smiled and waved, the camera would have moved on, Chris Martin wouldn't have said anything, and they could well have got away with it. By acting furtively and trying to hide their faces, they were guaranteed to draw attention to themselves.
And equally, they could have appeared on a website or newspaper in a crowd photo, or on a clip on TV, or been recognised by someone who knew them. All the singer did was reference a possible affair, which is hardly a crime
And more than that, if Byron wants to allege defamation they must prove they weren't having an affair.
Defamation wouldn’t work.
But Martin acted recklessly in drawing attention to them and highlight a possible affair. They were simply enjoying a concert together.
The consequential damages of his actions have been severe
I guess this lot will also be labelled antisemites too.
Israel committing genocide in Gaza, say Israel-based human rights groups
Reports detailing killing of children and elderly, forced displacement and starvation likely to add to pressure for action
Two leading human rights organisations based in Israel, B’Tselem and Physicians for Human Rights, say Israel is committing genocide against Palestinians in Gaza and the country’s western allies have a legal and moral duty to stop it.
In reports published on Monday, the two groups said Israel had targeted civilians in Gaza only because of their identity as Palestinians over nearly two years of war, causing severe and in some cases irreparable damage to Palestinian society.
Multiple international and Palestinian groups have already described the war as genocidal, but reports from two of Israel-Palestine’s most respected human rights organisations, who have for decades documented systemic abuses, is likely to add to pressure for action.
Like the man said, the Palestine Action neo-terrorists should stop waving placards and instead advertise starving babies in the American and Israeli press.
Although its interesting that the photo we have all seen is NOT a simple starving Gazan baby. As ever the spin is heroic.
Can't see the status quo going on much longer to be honest. Something is going to give.
It's fascinating. I mean tragic, ofc, but fascinating. If you listen to GHF et al, and look at some of the footage, then there seems to be plenty (if insufficient I have no doubt) of aid either being distributed (GHF) or waiting to be distributed (the stockpiles we see on X).
But then again there is apparently mass starvation with, today it was announced on the Beeb, Gazans not having eaten for days.
No journalists apparently mean that we can't verify. But there are plenty of cellphones in Gaza so I wonder why we are not seeing widespread footage of the starving masses. Certainly as the social media campaign of GHF et al is ramping up with footage and invited journalists events, usw.
Then again, pictures of that one poor baby with CF managed to convince the world's news outlets that there is mass starvation, so Hamas must be sitting back thinking our work here is done.
An American former contractor for the Gaza Humanitarian Foundation (GHF) said in an interview that aired Friday that during his time working in Gaza, he saw Israeli soldiers and US contractors use “indiscriminate” force against civilians at aid sites, in what he described as “war crimes.”
Yeah, apparently a disgruntled ex-GHF employee but who knows. There is no doubt that GHF is (apparently) distributing up to 2m meals per day. And also telling that dismantling their effort was, again apparently, the second item on Hamas' ceasefire demand list.
Which, if it is indeed the case, makes perfect sense.
There is a coherent, indeed understandable narrative, whereby Hamas, in conjunction/collusion with the UN, wants to be in charge of food distribution in Gaza because this confers power on them (Hamas). Ceding that power to an external agency is very damaging. Hence the campaign to vilify GHF. Is this the case? Who knows. It is certainly credible to me.
But again, if I were Hamas I would be sitting back and high-fiving (if the two can be performed simultaneously) because they have without doubt won the PR battle such that people expect Michael Buerk to be parading around Beit Hanoun pointing out the starving masses. But he isn't. And no one else is. So it's interesting to wonder why this is.
Hamas seem able to pull the wool over the eyes of not just the UN, but Western journalists, European governments, Ehud Olmert and other Israeli opposition politicians, Israeli human rights organisations, and long-standing supporters of Israel like Edward Leigh, and Jonathan Sumption.
GHF might well be distributing a lot of food aid, but people have to run the risk of IDF members taking pot-shots at them, in order to obtain it.
Everyone has a mobile these days and Hamas are masters of PR on the socials. Where is the footage of the IDF shooting up aid sites.
Gaza has been under an electricity blackout by Israel since 11 October 2023. It's not straightforward to charge one's mobile. And smartphone ownership in Gaza is far from being 100%.
Your kidding, right?
Are you on the socials. Every other pro-Hamas post is showing a (often the same) apparently starving child. There are mobiles everywhere.
How does social media accounts (from outside Gaza) showing the same photo prove that everyone in Gaza has a smartphone? That makes no sense.
More broadly, the socials, particularly Twitter, are a deeply unreliable source of information. Stop looking at them! Read some newspapers. I look at those, including the English-language Israeli media (or I rely on a good friend, an Israeli citizen, who speaks Hebrew).
Topping is concerned that those risking their lives to collect food aren't stopping to get video for him while actually under fire.
What exactly is the UN for. There was a list of excuses as long as your arm why they couldn't possibly distribute aid.
Meanwhile, the dissolution of GHF is a key Hamas demand.
But by all means, carry on cheering Band Aid and the money it's delivering to Mengistu.
Never let it be said that the British Army (even retired) are forever fighting the last war.
Chairman Zia Yusuf says Reform will repeal the Online Safety Act if elected
Yet another reason to vote Reform
You do realise Reform were in favour of the bill and also they want to end anonymity on the internet.
Reform are a joke, but I will still vote for them.
That's how bad the rest are.
Remember when Rupert Lowe criticised Nigel Farage then Farage’s minions got the police involved.
Now just imagine what Farage will be like in power with the powers of the state.
Only low IQ people would vote for Reform.
But that's provable nonsense, because I am going to vote for Reform, and it is widely known, and accepted, that I am the most intelligent poster on the site. We had a long thread all about this, and that was the consensus we reached. This isn't me "blowing my own trumpet", it's a basic fact - begrudgingly acknowledged even by morons like @IanB2 and @kjh
So your logic does not prevail
My memory must be failing me as I recall the consensus was that you were an idiot.
I'm always wary of someone who proclaims to be 'the most intelligent person in X'. They rarely will be.
Enron were "the smartest guys in the room".
They probably were - when they were only sharing a cell with Bubba.
Chairman Zia Yusuf says Reform will repeal the Online Safety Act if elected
Yet another reason to vote Reform
You do realise Reform were in favour of the bill and also they want to end anonymity on the internet.
Reform are a joke, but I will still vote for them.
That's how bad the rest are.
Remember when Rupert Lowe criticised Nigel Farage then Farage’s minions got the police involved.
Now just imagine what Farage will be like in power with the powers of the state.
Only low IQ people would vote for Reform.
But that's provable nonsense, because I am going to vote for Reform, and it is widely known, and accepted, that I am the most intelligent poster on the site. We had a long thread all about this, and that was the consensus we reached. This isn't me "blowing my own trumpet", it's a basic fact - begrudgingly acknowledged even by morons like @IanB2 and @kjh
So your logic does not prevail
My memory must be failing me as I recall the consensus was that you were an idiot.
I'm always wary of someone who proclaims to be 'the most intelligent person in X'. They rarely will be.
Enron were "the smartest guys in the room".
They probably were - when they were only sharing a cell with Bubba.
{Long Term Capital Management has entered the chat}
CEO Andy Byron's moving forward with suing Coldplay for ruing his life.
"A song cost me my family, my job, & everything I built." – he said.
It's good to see Andy taking responsibility for his decision to have an affair.
Arguably there is a partial responsibility for Coldplay in that they called out his bad actions for the world’s attention. Perhaps a judge will determine that they are 20% responsible?
But it’s just a shakedown
It was a considered action by the plaintiff to attend the gig. The same cannot be said of a performer on stage in front of a large audience.
0.2% might be closer to the mark.
Under what tort is he claiming damages, anyway ? At a public event, reinforced by the terms and conditions on the ticketing, 1st Amendment surely applies. And what duty of care is owed in those circumstances ?
If Chris Martin hadn’t acted in the way he did no one would have paid attention.
Recklessly acting in such a way as to cause damage?
If the couple themselves hadn't acted the way they did, it's likely that no-one would have noticed. If they'd simply smiled and waved, the camera would have moved on, Chris Martin wouldn't have said anything, and they could well have got away with it. By acting furtively and trying to hide their faces, they were guaranteed to draw attention to themselves.
And equally, they could have appeared on a website or newspaper in a crowd photo, or on a clip on TV, or been recognised by someone who knew them. All the singer did was reference a possible affair, which is hardly a crime
And more than that, if Byron wants to allege defamation they must prove they weren't having an affair.
I imagine he'd allege breach of privacy rights.
Is what is being suggested.
They will be queuing up at court for a ringside seat.
As pointed out, previously, all tickets to concerts come with a "you are accepting that you may be recorded/broadcast" thing in the small print.
But not a “and the singer may broadcast his views of your assumed relationship status to the world and thereby bring your world crashing down about your ears” thing in the small print
CEO Andy Byron's moving forward with suing Coldplay for ruing his life.
"A song cost me my family, my job, & everything I built." – he said.
It's good to see Andy taking responsibility for his decision to have an affair.
Arguably there is a partial responsibility for Coldplay in that they called out his bad actions for the world’s attention. Perhaps a judge will determine that they are 20% responsible?
But it’s just a shakedown
It was a considered action by the plaintiff to attend the gig. The same cannot be said of a performer on stage in front of a large audience.
0.2% might be closer to the mark.
Under what tort is he claiming damages, anyway ? At a public event, reinforced by the terms and conditions on the ticketing, 1st Amendment surely applies. And what duty of care is owed in those circumstances ?
If Chris Martin hadn’t acted in the way he did no one would have paid attention.
Recklessly acting in such a way as to cause damage?
If the couple themselves hadn't acted the way they did, it's likely that no-one would have noticed. If they'd simply smiled and waved, the camera would have moved on, Chris Martin wouldn't have said anything, and they could well have got away with it. By acting furtively and trying to hide their faces, they were guaranteed to draw attention to themselves.
And equally, they could have appeared on a website or newspaper in a crowd photo, or on a clip on TV, or been recognised by someone who knew them. All the singer did was reference a possible affair, which is hardly a crime
And more than that, if Byron wants to allege defamation they must prove they weren't having an affair.
Defamation wouldn’t work.
But Martin acted recklessly in drawing attention to them and highlight a possible affair. They were simply enjoying a concert together.
The consequential damages of his actions have been severe
Isn't it like at the hockey and other US sports occasions. Kiss cams come with the territory.
But yes there have been quite some consequential damages. But the action was nothing that hasn't been repeated many times at many other events.
On-topic question: When somebody says they "have to" do something because of the OSA how do we know this is not due to them taking an erroneous or absurdly risk-averse approach to it? Esp if they are an avowed opponent of the legislation.
Have a look at this.
The onus is no longer to remove ‘harmful’ content, it is to stop it being posted in the first place.
The illegal content duties are not just about removing existing illegal content; they are also about stopping it from appearing at all. Platforms need to think about how they design their sites to reduce the likelihood of them being used for criminal activity in the first place.
The kinds of illegal content and activity that platforms need to protect users from are set out in the Act, and this includes content relating to:
child sexual abuse controlling or coercive behaviour extreme sexual violence extreme pornography fraud racially or religiously aggravated public order offences inciting violence illegal immigration and people smuggling promoting or facilitating suicide intimate image abuse selling illegal drugs or weapons sexual exploitation terrorism
That is going to make the job of the PB mods even more onerous.
I'm pretty sure you don't aspire to becoming a test case for the limits of free speech, as a part time hobby. However much a few PBers might wish you to do so.
Yes, sympathies for ANYONE trying to run a discussion forum with these rules. It is fricking insane (am I allowed to say that? maybe I am being controlling?)
The Act is an abomination, it has to be repealed in toto
For once I am entirely in agreement with you. It's a very ill thought out piece of legislation, entirely on the "something must be done, and this is something" principle.
But until it is repealed - or at the very least is substantially modified, let us try not to cause trouble for TSE.
Well, yes
But it's not just me and my exuberant posting style being menaced here, I can think of dozens of comments from recent weeks - from multiple commenters - which could potentially "cross the line"
Indeed I do not see how discussion forums can work at all, unless they have pre-moderation in place, which is extremely expensive and time-consuming, and barely workable, anyway. And that means a small site like PB simply cannot function
And all this has come about because some female MPs were tired of being threatened by nutters on FB and X. Which is a worthy cause, but which has led to Free Speech basically being ended in the UK, because MPs are fecking stupid, or actively malign and authoritarian
Does this mean we can't talk about washing machines?
I'm afraid that's pretty much all we will be able to talk about
Speaking of which, yesterday I spray painted a table! I have become a DIY doyen. I used to do hard drugs and tweet from brothels, now I spray paint tables. Oh well
Yesterday, I painted two rooms in my house. Just another five plus the hall, stairwell and landing to go.
Let's turn this into doingupyourgaff.com
They can't arrest us for talking about Farrow and Ball vs Little Greene
I'm about 40% of the way through my refurb. Bedroom now almost done, a near-perfect cocoon - only curtains to come. I was particularly proud of the way I handled a bedhead crisis. When it arrived - crushed burgundy velvet (yes, the boudoir aesthetic), I realised to my horror it was twice as high as I needed. Domming the bedroom
So I marched down to Leyland, bought a £4 saw, marched back, and sawed that mofo in half. Sorted!
Next, the hall and kitchen. I'm going for "Setting Plaster"
Tune in later for more exciting OSA-compliant commentary
I guess this lot will also be labelled antisemites too.
Israel committing genocide in Gaza, say Israel-based human rights groups
Reports detailing killing of children and elderly, forced displacement and starvation likely to add to pressure for action
Two leading human rights organisations based in Israel, B’Tselem and Physicians for Human Rights, say Israel is committing genocide against Palestinians in Gaza and the country’s western allies have a legal and moral duty to stop it.
In reports published on Monday, the two groups said Israel had targeted civilians in Gaza only because of their identity as Palestinians over nearly two years of war, causing severe and in some cases irreparable damage to Palestinian society.
Multiple international and Palestinian groups have already described the war as genocidal, but reports from two of Israel-Palestine’s most respected human rights organisations, who have for decades documented systemic abuses, is likely to add to pressure for action.
Like the man said, the Palestine Action neo-terrorists should stop waving placards and instead advertise starving babies in the American and Israeli press.
Although its interesting that the photo we have all seen is NOT a simple starving Gazan baby. As ever the spin is heroic.
Can't see the status quo going on much longer to be honest. Something is going to give.
It's fascinating. I mean tragic, ofc, but fascinating. If you listen to GHF et al, and look at some of the footage, then there seems to be plenty (if insufficient I have no doubt) of aid either being distributed (GHF) or waiting to be distributed (the stockpiles we see on X).
But then again there is apparently mass starvation with, today it was announced on the Beeb, Gazans not having eaten for days.
No journalists apparently mean that we can't verify. But there are plenty of cellphones in Gaza so I wonder why we are not seeing widespread footage of the starving masses. Certainly as the social media campaign of GHF et al is ramping up with footage and invited journalists events, usw.
Then again, pictures of that one poor baby with CF managed to convince the world's news outlets that there is mass starvation, so Hamas must be sitting back thinking our work here is done.
An American former contractor for the Gaza Humanitarian Foundation (GHF) said in an interview that aired Friday that during his time working in Gaza, he saw Israeli soldiers and US contractors use “indiscriminate” force against civilians at aid sites, in what he described as “war crimes.”
Yeah, apparently a disgruntled ex-GHF employee but who knows. There is no doubt that GHF is (apparently) distributing up to 2m meals per day. And also telling that dismantling their effort was, again apparently, the second item on Hamas' ceasefire demand list.
Which, if it is indeed the case, makes perfect sense.
There is a coherent, indeed understandable narrative, whereby Hamas, in conjunction/collusion with the UN, wants to be in charge of food distribution in Gaza because this confers power on them (Hamas). Ceding that power to an external agency is very damaging. Hence the campaign to vilify GHF. Is this the case? Who knows. It is certainly credible to me.
But again, if I were Hamas I would be sitting back and high-fiving (if the two can be performed simultaneously) because they have without doubt won the PR battle such that people expect Michael Buerk to be parading around Beit Hanoun pointing out the starving masses. But he isn't. And no one else is. So it's interesting to wonder why this is.
Hamas seem able to pull the wool over the eyes of not just the UN, but Western journalists, European governments, Ehud Olmert and other Israeli opposition politicians, Israeli human rights organisations, and long-standing supporters of Israel like Edward Leigh, and Jonathan Sumption.
GHF might well be distributing a lot of food aid, but people have to run the risk of IDF members taking pot-shots at them, in order to obtain it.
Everyone has a mobile these days and Hamas are masters of PR on the socials. Where is the footage of the IDF shooting up aid sites.
Gaza has been under an electricity blackout by Israel since 11 October 2023. It's not straightforward to charge one's mobile. And smartphone ownership in Gaza is far from being 100%.
Your kidding, right?
Are you on the socials. Every other pro-Hamas post is showing a (often the same) apparently starving child. There are mobiles everywhere.
How does social media accounts (from outside Gaza) showing the same photo prove that everyone in Gaza has a smartphone? That makes no sense.
More broadly, the socials, particularly Twitter, are a deeply unreliable source of information. Stop looking at them! Read some newspapers. I look at those, including the English-language Israeli media (or I rely on a good friend, an Israeli citizen, who speaks Hebrew).
Topping is concerned that those risking their lives to collect food aren't stopping to get video for him while actually under fire.
What exactly is the UN for. There was a list of excuses as long as your arm why they couldn't possibly distribute aid.
Meanwhile, the dissolution of GHF is a key Hamas demand.
But by all means, carry on cheering Band Aid and the money it's delivering to Mengistu.
Never let it be said that the British Army (even retired) are forever fighting the last war.
The point is the disconnect. Last month, the UK media was proclaiming the success of Band Aid with various 40-yr anniversary events. St. Bob was up and about telling us how brilliant he was.
But it is unambiguously the case that the money and aid raised by Live Aid/Band Aid went directly to Mengistu to fund his forced relocation programme and he was using famine as a tool in his repressive regime.
This is not a controversial view. But eg the BBC didn't mention or allude to it at all. According to them and indeed to almost the whole media, Band Aid was an unparalleled success and did nothing but good.
The parallel is now in Gaza. Only one view is portrayed with the idea that there could be another version not even considered.
On-topic question: When somebody says they "have to" do something because of the OSA how do we know this is not due to them taking an erroneous or absurdly risk-averse approach to it? Esp if they are an avowed opponent of the legislation.
Have a look at this.
The onus is no longer to remove ‘harmful’ content, it is to stop it being posted in the first place.
The illegal content duties are not just about removing existing illegal content; they are also about stopping it from appearing at all. Platforms need to think about how they design their sites to reduce the likelihood of them being used for criminal activity in the first place.
The kinds of illegal content and activity that platforms need to protect users from are set out in the Act, and this includes content relating to:
child sexual abuse controlling or coercive behaviour extreme sexual violence extreme pornography fraud racially or religiously aggravated public order offences inciting violence illegal immigration and people smuggling promoting or facilitating suicide intimate image abuse selling illegal drugs or weapons sexual exploitation terrorism
That is going to make the job of the PB mods even more onerous.
I'm pretty sure you don't aspire to becoming a test case for the limits of free speech, as a part time hobby. However much a few PBers might wish you to do so.
The only way this site would be the test case is if one of the readers of this site was someone important, take offense and wanted to make an example of say TSE.
Which I would have though was rather unlikely as this is hardly a site the Home Secretary would visit.
More seriously that requirement is asking for the utter impossible so I can’t see it lasting 10 minutes in court
Restrictions on the use of VPNs will open up all sorts of security issues for businesses and government.....surely they can't be that stupid...
In this day and age if your business or organisation isn't insisting on the use of a VPN to log in when you are out of office they need to sack their IT admins.
Businesses will still be able to use VPNs with a licence. China effectively makes use of VPNs illegal in most cases and I am sure Sir Keir can send a fact finding team to Beijing to see how the Communist Government enforces it
Ineptly, for the most part.
Even over five years, that's 90% of the current total the US exports. Are you expecting them to ramp up production by a massive amount? Mexico, China, Canada and Japan are already four of their five biggest customers - Th EU is the other, mainly through Netherlands, so how do they satisfy these and take such a bigger bite out of the EU?
A total of 639,000 people with an honours degree or similar level qualification are claiming Universal Credit, according to the first data of its kind released to Parliament. Those without any qualifications who are receiving Universal Credit numbered 849,000, representing 15.9 per cent of claimants, according to the data from the Labour Force Survey for March to May this year, released to Parliament by the UK Statistics Authority.
I guess this lot will also be labelled antisemites too.
Israel committing genocide in Gaza, say Israel-based human rights groups
Reports detailing killing of children and elderly, forced displacement and starvation likely to add to pressure for action
Two leading human rights organisations based in Israel, B’Tselem and Physicians for Human Rights, say Israel is committing genocide against Palestinians in Gaza and the country’s western allies have a legal and moral duty to stop it.
In reports published on Monday, the two groups said Israel had targeted civilians in Gaza only because of their identity as Palestinians over nearly two years of war, causing severe and in some cases irreparable damage to Palestinian society.
Multiple international and Palestinian groups have already described the war as genocidal, but reports from two of Israel-Palestine’s most respected human rights organisations, who have for decades documented systemic abuses, is likely to add to pressure for action.
Like the man said, the Palestine Action neo-terrorists should stop waving placards and instead advertise starving babies in the American and Israeli press.
Although its interesting that the photo we have all seen is NOT a simple starving Gazan baby. As ever the spin is heroic.
Can't see the status quo going on much longer to be honest. Something is going to give.
It's fascinating. I mean tragic, ofc, but fascinating. If you listen to GHF et al, and look at some of the footage, then there seems to be plenty (if insufficient I have no doubt) of aid either being distributed (GHF) or waiting to be distributed (the stockpiles we see on X).
But then again there is apparently mass starvation with, today it was announced on the Beeb, Gazans not having eaten for days.
No journalists apparently mean that we can't verify. But there are plenty of cellphones in Gaza so I wonder why we are not seeing widespread footage of the starving masses. Certainly as the social media campaign of GHF et al is ramping up with footage and invited journalists events, usw.
Then again, pictures of that one poor baby with CF managed to convince the world's news outlets that there is mass starvation, so Hamas must be sitting back thinking our work here is done.
An American former contractor for the Gaza Humanitarian Foundation (GHF) said in an interview that aired Friday that during his time working in Gaza, he saw Israeli soldiers and US contractors use “indiscriminate” force against civilians at aid sites, in what he described as “war crimes.”
Yeah, apparently a disgruntled ex-GHF employee but who knows. There is no doubt that GHF is (apparently) distributing up to 2m meals per day. And also telling that dismantling their effort was, again apparently, the second item on Hamas' ceasefire demand list.
Which, if it is indeed the case, makes perfect sense.
There is a coherent, indeed understandable narrative, whereby Hamas, in conjunction/collusion with the UN, wants to be in charge of food distribution in Gaza because this confers power on them (Hamas). Ceding that power to an external agency is very damaging. Hence the campaign to vilify GHF. Is this the case? Who knows. It is certainly credible to me.
But again, if I were Hamas I would be sitting back and high-fiving (if the two can be performed simultaneously) because they have without doubt won the PR battle such that people expect Michael Buerk to be parading around Beit Hanoun pointing out the starving masses. But he isn't. And no one else is. So it's interesting to wonder why this is.
Hamas seem able to pull the wool over the eyes of not just the UN, but Western journalists, European governments, Ehud Olmert and other Israeli opposition politicians, Israeli human rights organisations, and long-standing supporters of Israel like Edward Leigh, and Jonathan Sumption.
GHF might well be distributing a lot of food aid, but people have to run the risk of IDF members taking pot-shots at them, in order to obtain it.
If you read even the Israeli press rather than just following Twitter, you'd get a better picture of events.
You didn't seem to read the article.
Here is a (non-exhaustive, I bet) list of reasons the poor old UN can't deliver the aid. Wah wah wah. One of the below, admittedly might not be true.
When aid transport roads become too badly damaged by Israeli military operations, when there are insufficient deconfliction mechanisms in place to ensure that aid workers don’t accidentally get hit by IDF fire, when authorizations aren’t given by the army for aid to be picked up and delivered, when our chakras are out of sync, and when looting becomes increasingly widespread due to food insecurity, an environment is created where the UN is physically prevented from doing its job, the former US envoy elaborated.
I guess this lot will also be labelled antisemites too.
Israel committing genocide in Gaza, say Israel-based human rights groups
Reports detailing killing of children and elderly, forced displacement and starvation likely to add to pressure for action
Two leading human rights organisations based in Israel, B’Tselem and Physicians for Human Rights, say Israel is committing genocide against Palestinians in Gaza and the country’s western allies have a legal and moral duty to stop it.
In reports published on Monday, the two groups said Israel had targeted civilians in Gaza only because of their identity as Palestinians over nearly two years of war, causing severe and in some cases irreparable damage to Palestinian society.
Multiple international and Palestinian groups have already described the war as genocidal, but reports from two of Israel-Palestine’s most respected human rights organisations, who have for decades documented systemic abuses, is likely to add to pressure for action.
Like the man said, the Palestine Action neo-terrorists should stop waving placards and instead advertise starving babies in the American and Israeli press.
Although its interesting that the photo we have all seen is NOT a simple starving Gazan baby. As ever the spin is heroic.
Can't see the status quo going on much longer to be honest. Something is going to give.
It's fascinating. I mean tragic, ofc, but fascinating. If you listen to GHF et al, and look at some of the footage, then there seems to be plenty (if insufficient I have no doubt) of aid either being distributed (GHF) or waiting to be distributed (the stockpiles we see on X).
But then again there is apparently mass starvation with, today it was announced on the Beeb, Gazans not having eaten for days.
No journalists apparently mean that we can't verify. But there are plenty of cellphones in Gaza so I wonder why we are not seeing widespread footage of the starving masses. Certainly as the social media campaign of GHF et al is ramping up with footage and invited journalists events, usw.
Then again, pictures of that one poor baby with CF managed to convince the world's news outlets that there is mass starvation, so Hamas must be sitting back thinking our work here is done.
An American former contractor for the Gaza Humanitarian Foundation (GHF) said in an interview that aired Friday that during his time working in Gaza, he saw Israeli soldiers and US contractors use “indiscriminate” force against civilians at aid sites, in what he described as “war crimes.”
Yeah, apparently a disgruntled ex-GHF employee but who knows. There is no doubt that GHF is (apparently) distributing up to 2m meals per day. And also telling that dismantling their effort was, again apparently, the second item on Hamas' ceasefire demand list.
Which, if it is indeed the case, makes perfect sense.
There is a coherent, indeed understandable narrative, whereby Hamas, in conjunction/collusion with the UN, wants to be in charge of food distribution in Gaza because this confers power on them (Hamas). Ceding that power to an external agency is very damaging. Hence the campaign to vilify GHF. Is this the case? Who knows. It is certainly credible to me.
But again, if I were Hamas I would be sitting back and high-fiving (if the two can be performed simultaneously) because they have without doubt won the PR battle such that people expect Michael Buerk to be parading around Beit Hanoun pointing out the starving masses. But he isn't. And no one else is. So it's interesting to wonder why this is.
Hamas seem able to pull the wool over the eyes of not just the UN, but Western journalists, European governments, Ehud Olmert and other Israeli opposition politicians, Israeli human rights organisations, and long-standing supporters of Israel like Edward Leigh, and Jonathan Sumption.
GHF might well be distributing a lot of food aid, but people have to run the risk of IDF members taking pot-shots at them, in order to obtain it.
If you read even the Israeli press rather than just following Twitter, you'd get a better picture of events.
You didn't seem to read the article.
Here is a (non-exhaustive, I bet) list of reasons the poor old UN can't deliver the aid. Wah wah wah. One of the below, admittedly might not be true.
When aid transport roads become too badly damaged by Israeli military operations, when there are insufficient deconfliction mechanisms in place to ensure that aid workers don’t accidentally get hit by IDF fire, when authorizations aren’t given by the army for aid to be picked up and delivered, when our chakras are out of sync, and when looting becomes increasingly widespread due to food insecurity, an environment is created where the UN is physically prevented from doing its job, the former US envoy elaborated.
On-topic question: When somebody says they "have to" do something because of the OSA how do we know this is not due to them taking an erroneous or absurdly risk-averse approach to it? Esp if they are an avowed opponent of the legislation.
Have a look at this.
The onus is no longer to remove ‘harmful’ content, it is to stop it being posted in the first place.
The illegal content duties are not just about removing existing illegal content; they are also about stopping it from appearing at all. Platforms need to think about how they design their sites to reduce the likelihood of them being used for criminal activity in the first place.
The kinds of illegal content and activity that platforms need to protect users from are set out in the Act, and this includes content relating to:
child sexual abuse controlling or coercive behaviour extreme sexual violence extreme pornography fraud racially or religiously aggravated public order offences inciting violence illegal immigration and people smuggling promoting or facilitating suicide intimate image abuse selling illegal drugs or weapons sexual exploitation terrorism
That is going to make the job of the PB mods even more onerous.
I'm pretty sure you don't aspire to becoming a test case for the limits of free speech, as a part time hobby. However much a few PBers might wish you to do so.
Yes, sympathies for ANYONE trying to run a discussion forum with these rules. It is fricking insane (am I allowed to say that? maybe I am being controlling?)
The Act is an abomination, it has to be repealed in toto
For once I am entirely in agreement with you. It's a very ill thought out piece of legislation, entirely on the "something must be done, and this is something" principle.
But until it is repealed - or at the very least is substantially modified, let us try not to cause trouble for TSE.
Well, yes
But it's not just me and my exuberant posting style being menaced here, I can think of dozens of comments from recent weeks - from multiple commenters - which could potentially "cross the line"
Indeed I do not see how discussion forums can work at all, unless they have pre-moderation in place, which is extremely expensive and time-consuming, and barely workable, anyway. And that means a small site like PB simply cannot function
And all this has come about because some female MPs were tired of being threatened by nutters on FB and X. Which is a worthy cause, but which has led to Free Speech basically being ended in the UK, because MPs are fecking stupid, or actively malign and authoritarian
Does this mean we can't talk about washing machines?
I'm afraid that's pretty much all we will be able to talk about
Speaking of which, yesterday I spray painted a table! I have become a DIY doyen. I used to do hard drugs and tweet from brothels, now I spray paint tables. Oh well
Yesterday, I painted two rooms in my house. Just another five plus the hall, stairwell and landing to go.
I was particularly proud of the way I handled a bedhead crisis.
Chairman Zia Yusuf says Reform will repeal the Online Safety Act if elected
Yet another reason to vote Reform
You do realise Reform were in favour of the bill and also they want to end anonymity on the internet.
What's the problem with ending anonymity on the internet?
Because it would remove protection for whistleblowers for starters.
Some people have contracts of employment which specifically enjoin them from posting under their own name on certain topics.
Wasn't there a poster on here who used to post very questionable material under his own name so you had to clear his back catalogue of dubious unpleasantness, so as not to embarrass him in the real world?
I wonder what became of him? Presumably he no longer posts.
China’s military: How it went from obsolete to world-class
Battle Lines | The Telegraph's Defence & Foreign Affairs Podcast
Dive into the strengths and weaknesses of China’s military and its remarkable transformation over the last few decades from obsolete to world-class in a new special series on Battle Lines.
How significant is China’s military buildup? What does Xi Jinping’s ongoing purge mean for the People’s Liberation Army? And how likely is an invasion of Taiwan in the next few years?
As the US pivots to the Indo-Pacific and the threat of a truly global war looms, understanding the evolving role of China’s military on the world stage has never been more important.
In episode one of this three-part series, Venetia Rainey uncovers the strengths that define the PLA today, from its vastly modernised Navy, now the largest globally, to its Air Force equipped with stealth fighters and advanced drones.
Plus, a look at China’s potent non-conventional forces, such as its highly sophisticated cyber warfare units, its independent aerospace and counter-space capabilities, and the secretive Rocket Force, responsible for a fast-expanding nuclear arsenal.
With thanks to Dr Phillip Saunders and Joel Wuthnow from the Center for the Study of Chinese Military Affairs at the Institute for National Strategic Studies, and Oriana Skylar Mastro from the Freeman Spogli Institute for International Studies at Stanford University. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ltnW2kGltHI
Let's hope John Healey has considered this before he signs us up for world war three.
CEO Andy Byron's moving forward with suing Coldplay for ruing his life.
"A song cost me my family, my job, & everything I built." – he said.
It's good to see Andy taking responsibility for his decision to have an affair.
Arguably there is a partial responsibility for Coldplay in that they called out his bad actions for the world’s attention. Perhaps a judge will determine that they are 20% responsible?
But it’s just a shakedown
It was a considered action by the plaintiff to attend the gig. The same cannot be said of a performer on stage in front of a large audience.
0.2% might be closer to the mark.
Under what tort is he claiming damages, anyway ? At a public event, reinforced by the terms and conditions on the ticketing, 1st Amendment surely applies. And what duty of care is owed in those circumstances ?
If Chris Martin hadn’t acted in the way he did no one would have paid attention.
Recklessly acting in such a way as to cause damage?
If the couple themselves hadn't acted the way they did, it's likely that no-one would have noticed. If they'd simply smiled and waved, the camera would have moved on, Chris Martin wouldn't have said anything, and they could well have got away with it. By acting furtively and trying to hide their faces, they were guaranteed to draw attention to themselves.
And equally, they could have appeared on a website or newspaper in a crowd photo, or on a clip on TV, or been recognised by someone who knew them. All the singer did was reference a possible affair, which is hardly a crime
And more than that, if Byron wants to allege defamation they must prove they weren't having an affair.
I imagine he'd allege breach of privacy rights.
Is what is being suggested.
They will be queuing up at court for a ringside seat.
As pointed out, previously, all tickets to concerts come with a "you are accepting that you may be recorded/broadcast" thing in the small print.
But not a “and the singer may broadcast his views of your assumed relationship status to the world and thereby bring your world crashing down about your ears” thing in the small print
Oh FFS, he needs to own the consequences of his actions. If you have an affair there is not an obligation on the rest of the world to cover for you. A large part of having an affair is ensuring that it is kept secret from your partner, that should determine who, where and how, if you can't manage that then either don't stray, manage the fallout or accept the consequences.
I guess this lot will also be labelled antisemites too.
Israel committing genocide in Gaza, say Israel-based human rights groups
Reports detailing killing of children and elderly, forced displacement and starvation likely to add to pressure for action
Two leading human rights organisations based in Israel, B’Tselem and Physicians for Human Rights, say Israel is committing genocide against Palestinians in Gaza and the country’s western allies have a legal and moral duty to stop it.
In reports published on Monday, the two groups said Israel had targeted civilians in Gaza only because of their identity as Palestinians over nearly two years of war, causing severe and in some cases irreparable damage to Palestinian society.
Multiple international and Palestinian groups have already described the war as genocidal, but reports from two of Israel-Palestine’s most respected human rights organisations, who have for decades documented systemic abuses, is likely to add to pressure for action.
Like the man said, the Palestine Action neo-terrorists should stop waving placards and instead advertise starving babies in the American and Israeli press.
Although its interesting that the photo we have all seen is NOT a simple starving Gazan baby. As ever the spin is heroic.
Can't see the status quo going on much longer to be honest. Something is going to give.
It's fascinating. I mean tragic, ofc, but fascinating. If you listen to GHF et al, and look at some of the footage, then there seems to be plenty (if insufficient I have no doubt) of aid either being distributed (GHF) or waiting to be distributed (the stockpiles we see on X).
But then again there is apparently mass starvation with, today it was announced on the Beeb, Gazans not having eaten for days.
No journalists apparently mean that we can't verify. But there are plenty of cellphones in Gaza so I wonder why we are not seeing widespread footage of the starving masses. Certainly as the social media campaign of GHF et al is ramping up with footage and invited journalists events, usw.
Then again, pictures of that one poor baby with CF managed to convince the world's news outlets that there is mass starvation, so Hamas must be sitting back thinking our work here is done.
An American former contractor for the Gaza Humanitarian Foundation (GHF) said in an interview that aired Friday that during his time working in Gaza, he saw Israeli soldiers and US contractors use “indiscriminate” force against civilians at aid sites, in what he described as “war crimes.”
Yeah, apparently a disgruntled ex-GHF employee but who knows. There is no doubt that GHF is (apparently) distributing up to 2m meals per day. And also telling that dismantling their effort was, again apparently, the second item on Hamas' ceasefire demand list.
Which, if it is indeed the case, makes perfect sense.
There is a coherent, indeed understandable narrative, whereby Hamas, in conjunction/collusion with the UN, wants to be in charge of food distribution in Gaza because this confers power on them (Hamas). Ceding that power to an external agency is very damaging. Hence the campaign to vilify GHF. Is this the case? Who knows. It is certainly credible to me.
But again, if I were Hamas I would be sitting back and high-fiving (if the two can be performed simultaneously) because they have without doubt won the PR battle such that people expect Michael Buerk to be parading around Beit Hanoun pointing out the starving masses. But he isn't. And no one else is. So it's interesting to wonder why this is.
Hamas seem able to pull the wool over the eyes of not just the UN, but Western journalists, European governments, Ehud Olmert and other Israeli opposition politicians, Israeli human rights organisations, and long-standing supporters of Israel like Edward Leigh, and Jonathan Sumption.
GHF might well be distributing a lot of food aid, but people have to run the risk of IDF members taking pot-shots at them, in order to obtain it.
If you read even the Israeli press rather than just following Twitter, you'd get a better picture of events.
You didn't seem to read the article.
Here is a (non-exhaustive, I bet) list of reasons the poor old UN can't deliver the aid. Wah wah wah. One of the below, admittedly might not be true.
When aid transport roads become too badly damaged by Israeli military operations, when there are insufficient deconfliction mechanisms in place to ensure that aid workers don’t accidentally get hit by IDF fire, when authorizations aren’t given by the army for aid to be picked up and delivered, when our chakras are out of sync, and when looting becomes increasingly widespread due to food insecurity, an environment is created where the UN is physically prevented from doing its job, the former US envoy elaborated.
Are you denying that the UN's ability to act in Gaza is at the mercy of the IDF, who control the territory and have a tendency to shoot first and ask questions later... or indeed just to shoot first and not bother with questions later?
You are parroting the Hamas talking points. You have no idea what is happening. All I see is the UN making all kinds of excuses for why they can't possibly deliver aid. All blaming the IDF and not one mention of Hamas. Do you find that strange.
The IDF control Gaza. They militarily defeated Hamas months ago. Those are the facts on the ground. Why is it strange, therefore, that the UN finds their main challenge being what Israel lets them do? You are the one who is dismissing reporting by Israeli newspapers as "Hamas talking points".
For reasons that no doubt Seth Frantzman will make the topic of his next book, the IDF manifestly haven't militarily defeated Hamas.
So your first fact is incorrect.
Difficult to take what you say thereafter very seriously tbh.
On-topic question: When somebody says they "have to" do something because of the OSA how do we know this is not due to them taking an erroneous or absurdly risk-averse approach to it? Esp if they are an avowed opponent of the legislation.
Have a look at this.
The onus is no longer to remove ‘harmful’ content, it is to stop it being posted in the first place.
The illegal content duties are not just about removing existing illegal content; they are also about stopping it from appearing at all. Platforms need to think about how they design their sites to reduce the likelihood of them being used for criminal activity in the first place.
The kinds of illegal content and activity that platforms need to protect users from are set out in the Act, and this includes content relating to:
child sexual abuse controlling or coercive behaviour extreme sexual violence extreme pornography fraud racially or religiously aggravated public order offences inciting violence illegal immigration and people smuggling promoting or facilitating suicide intimate image abuse selling illegal drugs or weapons sexual exploitation terrorism
That is going to make the job of the PB mods even more onerous.
I'm pretty sure you don't aspire to becoming a test case for the limits of free speech, as a part time hobby. However much a few PBers might wish you to do so.
Yes, sympathies for ANYONE trying to run a discussion forum with these rules. It is fricking insane (am I allowed to say that? maybe I am being controlling?)
The Act is an abomination, it has to be repealed in toto
For once I am entirely in agreement with you. It's a very ill thought out piece of legislation, entirely on the "something must be done, and this is something" principle.
But until it is repealed - or at the very least is substantially modified, let us try not to cause trouble for TSE.
Well, yes
But it's not just me and my exuberant posting style being menaced here, I can think of dozens of comments from recent weeks - from multiple commenters - which could potentially "cross the line"
Indeed I do not see how discussion forums can work at all, unless they have pre-moderation in place, which is extremely expensive and time-consuming, and barely workable, anyway. And that means a small site like PB simply cannot function
And all this has come about because some female MPs were tired of being threatened by nutters on FB and X. Which is a worthy cause, but which has led to Free Speech basically being ended in the UK, because MPs are fecking stupid, or actively malign and authoritarian
Does this mean we can't talk about washing machines?
I'm afraid that's pretty much all we will be able to talk about
Speaking of which, yesterday I spray painted a table! I have become a DIY doyen. I used to do hard drugs and tweet from brothels, now I spray paint tables. Oh well
Yesterday, I painted two rooms in my house. Just another five plus the hall, stairwell and landing to go.
Let's turn this into doingupyourgaff.com
They can't arrest us for talking about Farrow and Ball vs Little Greene
I'm about 40% of the way through my refurb. Bedroom now almost done, a near-perfect cocoon - only curtains to come. I was particularly proud of the way I handled a bedhead crisis. When it arrived - crushed burgundy velvet (yes, the boudoir aesthetic), I realised to my horror it was twice as high as I needed. Domming the bedroom
So I marched down to Leyland, bought a £4 saw, marched back, and sawed that mofo in half. Sorted!
Next, the hall and kitchen. I'm going for "Setting Plaster"
Tune in later for more exciting OSA-compliant commentary
Sorry but I feel psychologically damaged by the thought of crushed velvet. I mean the suffering of those poor animals.
I guess this lot will also be labelled antisemites too.
Israel committing genocide in Gaza, say Israel-based human rights groups
Reports detailing killing of children and elderly, forced displacement and starvation likely to add to pressure for action
Two leading human rights organisations based in Israel, B’Tselem and Physicians for Human Rights, say Israel is committing genocide against Palestinians in Gaza and the country’s western allies have a legal and moral duty to stop it.
In reports published on Monday, the two groups said Israel had targeted civilians in Gaza only because of their identity as Palestinians over nearly two years of war, causing severe and in some cases irreparable damage to Palestinian society.
Multiple international and Palestinian groups have already described the war as genocidal, but reports from two of Israel-Palestine’s most respected human rights organisations, who have for decades documented systemic abuses, is likely to add to pressure for action.
Like the man said, the Palestine Action neo-terrorists should stop waving placards and instead advertise starving babies in the American and Israeli press.
Although its interesting that the photo we have all seen is NOT a simple starving Gazan baby. As ever the spin is heroic.
Can't see the status quo going on much longer to be honest. Something is going to give.
It's fascinating. I mean tragic, ofc, but fascinating. If you listen to GHF et al, and look at some of the footage, then there seems to be plenty (if insufficient I have no doubt) of aid either being distributed (GHF) or waiting to be distributed (the stockpiles we see on X).
But then again there is apparently mass starvation with, today it was announced on the Beeb, Gazans not having eaten for days.
No journalists apparently mean that we can't verify. But there are plenty of cellphones in Gaza so I wonder why we are not seeing widespread footage of the starving masses. Certainly as the social media campaign of GHF et al is ramping up with footage and invited journalists events, usw.
Then again, pictures of that one poor baby with CF managed to convince the world's news outlets that there is mass starvation, so Hamas must be sitting back thinking our work here is done.
An American former contractor for the Gaza Humanitarian Foundation (GHF) said in an interview that aired Friday that during his time working in Gaza, he saw Israeli soldiers and US contractors use “indiscriminate” force against civilians at aid sites, in what he described as “war crimes.”
Yeah, apparently a disgruntled ex-GHF employee but who knows. There is no doubt that GHF is (apparently) distributing up to 2m meals per day. And also telling that dismantling their effort was, again apparently, the second item on Hamas' ceasefire demand list.
Which, if it is indeed the case, makes perfect sense.
There is a coherent, indeed understandable narrative, whereby Hamas, in conjunction/collusion with the UN, wants to be in charge of food distribution in Gaza because this confers power on them (Hamas). Ceding that power to an external agency is very damaging. Hence the campaign to vilify GHF. Is this the case? Who knows. It is certainly credible to me.
But again, if I were Hamas I would be sitting back and high-fiving (if the two can be performed simultaneously) because they have without doubt won the PR battle such that people expect Michael Buerk to be parading around Beit Hanoun pointing out the starving masses. But he isn't. And no one else is. So it's interesting to wonder why this is.
Hamas seem able to pull the wool over the eyes of not just the UN, but Western journalists, European governments, Ehud Olmert and other Israeli opposition politicians, Israeli human rights organisations, and long-standing supporters of Israel like Edward Leigh, and Jonathan Sumption.
GHF might well be distributing a lot of food aid, but people have to run the risk of IDF members taking pot-shots at them, in order to obtain it.
If you read even the Israeli press rather than just following Twitter, you'd get a better picture of events.
You didn't seem to read the article.
Here is a (non-exhaustive, I bet) list of reasons the poor old UN can't deliver the aid. Wah wah wah. One of the below, admittedly might not be true.
When aid transport roads become too badly damaged by Israeli military operations, when there are insufficient deconfliction mechanisms in place to ensure that aid workers don’t accidentally get hit by IDF fire, when authorizations aren’t given by the army for aid to be picked up and delivered, when our chakras are out of sync, and when looting becomes increasingly widespread due to food insecurity, an environment is created where the UN is physically prevented from doing its job, the former US envoy elaborated.
Are you denying that the UN's ability to act in Gaza is at the mercy of the IDF, who control the territory and have a tendency to shoot first and ask questions later... or indeed just to shoot first and not bother with questions later?
You are parroting the Hamas talking points. You have no idea what is happening. All I see is the UN making all kinds of excuses for why they can't possibly deliver aid. All blaming the IDF and not one mention of Hamas. Do you find that strange.
The IDF control Gaza. They militarily defeated Hamas months ago. Those are the facts on the ground. Why is it strange, therefore, that the UN finds their main challenge being what Israel lets them do? You are the one who is dismissing reporting by Israeli newspapers as "Hamas talking points".
For reasons that no doubt Seth Frantzman will make the topic of his next book, the IDF manifestly haven't militarily defeated Hamas.
So your first fact is incorrect.
Difficult to take what you say thereafter very seriously tbh.
What territory do Hamas control?
Enough to mount continued resistance to the IDF and for IDF operations to engage in a seeming loop of clearing areas, withdrawing, and then having to re-enter them months later because Hamas has re-established itself.
As I said, to write "The [IDF] militarily defeated Hamas months ago" disqualifies you, sadly because this is a discussion board, from discussing Gaza.
I guess this lot will also be labelled antisemites too.
Israel committing genocide in Gaza, say Israel-based human rights groups
Reports detailing killing of children and elderly, forced displacement and starvation likely to add to pressure for action
Two leading human rights organisations based in Israel, B’Tselem and Physicians for Human Rights, say Israel is committing genocide against Palestinians in Gaza and the country’s western allies have a legal and moral duty to stop it.
In reports published on Monday, the two groups said Israel had targeted civilians in Gaza only because of their identity as Palestinians over nearly two years of war, causing severe and in some cases irreparable damage to Palestinian society.
Multiple international and Palestinian groups have already described the war as genocidal, but reports from two of Israel-Palestine’s most respected human rights organisations, who have for decades documented systemic abuses, is likely to add to pressure for action.
Like the man said, the Palestine Action neo-terrorists should stop waving placards and instead advertise starving babies in the American and Israeli press.
Although its interesting that the photo we have all seen is NOT a simple starving Gazan baby. As ever the spin is heroic.
Can't see the status quo going on much longer to be honest. Something is going to give.
It's fascinating. I mean tragic, ofc, but fascinating. If you listen to GHF et al, and look at some of the footage, then there seems to be plenty (if insufficient I have no doubt) of aid either being distributed (GHF) or waiting to be distributed (the stockpiles we see on X).
But then again there is apparently mass starvation with, today it was announced on the Beeb, Gazans not having eaten for days.
No journalists apparently mean that we can't verify. But there are plenty of cellphones in Gaza so I wonder why we are not seeing widespread footage of the starving masses. Certainly as the social media campaign of GHF et al is ramping up with footage and invited journalists events, usw.
Then again, pictures of that one poor baby with CF managed to convince the world's news outlets that there is mass starvation, so Hamas must be sitting back thinking our work here is done.
An American former contractor for the Gaza Humanitarian Foundation (GHF) said in an interview that aired Friday that during his time working in Gaza, he saw Israeli soldiers and US contractors use “indiscriminate” force against civilians at aid sites, in what he described as “war crimes.”
Yeah, apparently a disgruntled ex-GHF employee but who knows. There is no doubt that GHF is (apparently) distributing up to 2m meals per day. And also telling that dismantling their effort was, again apparently, the second item on Hamas' ceasefire demand list.
Which, if it is indeed the case, makes perfect sense.
There is a coherent, indeed understandable narrative, whereby Hamas, in conjunction/collusion with the UN, wants to be in charge of food distribution in Gaza because this confers power on them (Hamas). Ceding that power to an external agency is very damaging. Hence the campaign to vilify GHF. Is this the case? Who knows. It is certainly credible to me.
But again, if I were Hamas I would be sitting back and high-fiving (if the two can be performed simultaneously) because they have without doubt won the PR battle such that people expect Michael Buerk to be parading around Beit Hanoun pointing out the starving masses. But he isn't. And no one else is. So it's interesting to wonder why this is.
Hamas seem able to pull the wool over the eyes of not just the UN, but Western journalists, European governments, Ehud Olmert and other Israeli opposition politicians, Israeli human rights organisations, and long-standing supporters of Israel like Edward Leigh, and Jonathan Sumption.
GHF might well be distributing a lot of food aid, but people have to run the risk of IDF members taking pot-shots at them, in order to obtain it.
If you read even the Israeli press rather than just following Twitter, you'd get a better picture of events.
You didn't seem to read the article.
Here is a (non-exhaustive, I bet) list of reasons the poor old UN can't deliver the aid. Wah wah wah. One of the below, admittedly might not be true.
When aid transport roads become too badly damaged by Israeli military operations, when there are insufficient deconfliction mechanisms in place to ensure that aid workers don’t accidentally get hit by IDF fire, when authorizations aren’t given by the army for aid to be picked up and delivered, when our chakras are out of sync, and when looting becomes increasingly widespread due to food insecurity, an environment is created where the UN is physically prevented from doing its job, the former US envoy elaborated.
You added the chakra point, I assume?
Busted.
Hah! I assume you didn’t expect anyone to actually read it…
Chairman Zia Yusuf says Reform will repeal the Online Safety Act if elected
Yet another reason to vote Reform
You do realise Reform were in favour of the bill and also they want to end anonymity on the internet.
What's the problem with ending anonymity on the internet?
Because it would remove protection for whistleblowers for starters.
Some people have contracts of employment which specifically enjoin them from posting under their own name on certain topics.
Wasn't there a poster on here who used to post very questionable material under his own name so you had to clear his back catalogue of dubious unpleasantness, so as not to embarrass him in the real world?
I wonder what became of him? Presumably he no longer posts.
At least one I recall. Some poor fellows have stalkers who steal their PB posts and pop them on X. Weird thing to do.
CEO Andy Byron's moving forward with suing Coldplay for ruing his life.
"A song cost me my family, my job, & everything I built." – he said.
It's good to see Andy taking responsibility for his decision to have an affair.
Arguably there is a partial responsibility for Coldplay in that they called out his bad actions for the world’s attention. Perhaps a judge will determine that they are 20% responsible?
But it’s just a shakedown
It was a considered action by the plaintiff to attend the gig. The same cannot be said of a performer on stage in front of a large audience.
0.2% might be closer to the mark.
Under what tort is he claiming damages, anyway ? At a public event, reinforced by the terms and conditions on the ticketing, 1st Amendment surely applies. And what duty of care is owed in those circumstances ?
If Chris Martin hadn’t acted in the way he did no one would have paid attention.
Recklessly acting in such a way as to cause damage?
If the couple themselves hadn't acted the way they did, it's likely that no-one would have noticed. If they'd simply smiled and waved, the camera would have moved on, Chris Martin wouldn't have said anything, and they could well have got away with it. By acting furtively and trying to hide their faces, they were guaranteed to draw attention to themselves.
And equally, they could have appeared on a website or newspaper in a crowd photo, or on a clip on TV, or been recognised by someone who knew them. All the singer did was reference a possible affair, which is hardly a crime
And more than that, if Byron wants to allege defamation they must prove they weren't having an affair.
I imagine he'd allege breach of privacy rights.
Is what is being suggested.
They will be queuing up at court for a ringside seat.
As pointed out, previously, all tickets to concerts come with a "you are accepting that you may be recorded/broadcast" thing in the small print.
But not a “and the singer may broadcast his views of your assumed relationship status to the world and thereby bring your world crashing down about your ears” thing in the small print
Oh FFS, he needs to own the consequences of his actions. If you have an affair there is not an obligation on the rest of the world to cover for you. A large part of having an affair is ensuring that it is kept secret from your partner, that should determine who, where and how, if you can't manage that then either don't stray, manage the fallout or accept the consequences.
Sure but it wasn’t *solely* he (and her) actions. Chris Martin played a role too, and it was Martin’s actions that caused the damage (Byron simply created a vulnerability)
I guess this lot will also be labelled antisemites too.
Israel committing genocide in Gaza, say Israel-based human rights groups
Reports detailing killing of children and elderly, forced displacement and starvation likely to add to pressure for action
Two leading human rights organisations based in Israel, B’Tselem and Physicians for Human Rights, say Israel is committing genocide against Palestinians in Gaza and the country’s western allies have a legal and moral duty to stop it.
In reports published on Monday, the two groups said Israel had targeted civilians in Gaza only because of their identity as Palestinians over nearly two years of war, causing severe and in some cases irreparable damage to Palestinian society.
Multiple international and Palestinian groups have already described the war as genocidal, but reports from two of Israel-Palestine’s most respected human rights organisations, who have for decades documented systemic abuses, is likely to add to pressure for action.
Like the man said, the Palestine Action neo-terrorists should stop waving placards and instead advertise starving babies in the American and Israeli press.
Although its interesting that the photo we have all seen is NOT a simple starving Gazan baby. As ever the spin is heroic.
Can't see the status quo going on much longer to be honest. Something is going to give.
It's fascinating. I mean tragic, ofc, but fascinating. If you listen to GHF et al, and look at some of the footage, then there seems to be plenty (if insufficient I have no doubt) of aid either being distributed (GHF) or waiting to be distributed (the stockpiles we see on X).
But then again there is apparently mass starvation with, today it was announced on the Beeb, Gazans not having eaten for days.
No journalists apparently mean that we can't verify. But there are plenty of cellphones in Gaza so I wonder why we are not seeing widespread footage of the starving masses. Certainly as the social media campaign of GHF et al is ramping up with footage and invited journalists events, usw.
Then again, pictures of that one poor baby with CF managed to convince the world's news outlets that there is mass starvation, so Hamas must be sitting back thinking our work here is done.
An American former contractor for the Gaza Humanitarian Foundation (GHF) said in an interview that aired Friday that during his time working in Gaza, he saw Israeli soldiers and US contractors use “indiscriminate” force against civilians at aid sites, in what he described as “war crimes.”
Yeah, apparently a disgruntled ex-GHF employee but who knows. There is no doubt that GHF is (apparently) distributing up to 2m meals per day. And also telling that dismantling their effort was, again apparently, the second item on Hamas' ceasefire demand list.
Which, if it is indeed the case, makes perfect sense.
There is a coherent, indeed understandable narrative, whereby Hamas, in conjunction/collusion with the UN, wants to be in charge of food distribution in Gaza because this confers power on them (Hamas). Ceding that power to an external agency is very damaging. Hence the campaign to vilify GHF. Is this the case? Who knows. It is certainly credible to me.
But again, if I were Hamas I would be sitting back and high-fiving (if the two can be performed simultaneously) because they have without doubt won the PR battle such that people expect Michael Buerk to be parading around Beit Hanoun pointing out the starving masses. But he isn't. And no one else is. So it's interesting to wonder why this is.
Hamas seem able to pull the wool over the eyes of not just the UN, but Western journalists, European governments, Ehud Olmert and other Israeli opposition politicians, Israeli human rights organisations, and long-standing supporters of Israel like Edward Leigh, and Jonathan Sumption.
GHF might well be distributing a lot of food aid, but people have to run the risk of IDF members taking pot-shots at them, in order to obtain it.
If you read even the Israeli press rather than just following Twitter, you'd get a better picture of events.
You didn't seem to read the article.
Here is a (non-exhaustive, I bet) list of reasons the poor old UN can't deliver the aid. Wah wah wah. One of the below, admittedly might not be true.
When aid transport roads become too badly damaged by Israeli military operations, when there are insufficient deconfliction mechanisms in place to ensure that aid workers don’t accidentally get hit by IDF fire, when authorizations aren’t given by the army for aid to be picked up and delivered, when our chakras are out of sync, and when looting becomes increasingly widespread due to food insecurity, an environment is created where the UN is physically prevented from doing its job, the former US envoy elaborated.
You added the chakra point, I assume?
Busted.
Hah! I assume you didn’t expect anyone to actually read it…
I wanted people to read it and added the chakras thing to the already long list of absurd excuses that the UN trotted out about how and why they are unable to fulfil their mandate to deliver aid.
Comments
In his wonderfully funny novel, The Gang That Couldn’t Shoot Straight, Jimmy Breslin describes
how a Brooklyn Mafia boss, “Bacala”, and his front man, Joseph DeLauria, operate in politics: Many of the bribes were in the form of campaign contributions.
Can we think of any other New York politicians who have similar theories?
(The novel is based on the life of Joe Gallo, so much so that the book does not even include the usual “coincidental” disclaimer. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Joe_Gallo
I should add that — if you object to gangsters bumping each other off — you may not find it as funny as I have, over the years.)
The next step will be licences for VPNs. You'll have to prove to a government department that you need a VPN for professional use, and providers will need proof of official permission to sign you up or face penalties. Payment processors and app stores will be ordered to block non-conforming VPN providers.
Confronted with the act's huge problems Labour will absolutely double down and make it worse. Because worse from our perspective is better from theirs when you accept the OSA was never about child safety, it's about the government controlling what people can access.
(incidentally, the collateral damage has already started. A small forum I frequent where people chat about vintage computers has shut down because the guy who runs it in his spare time is unwilling to risk the draconian sanctions of the OSA should someone upload something even slightly 'child unsafe').
They can't arrest us for talking about Farrow and Ball vs Little Greene
I'm about 40% of the way through my refurb. Bedroom now almost done, a near-perfect cocoon - only curtains to come. I was particularly proud of the way I handled a bedhead crisis. When it arrived - crushed burgundy velvet (yes, the boudoir aesthetic), I realised to my horror it was twice as high as I needed. Domming the bedroom
So I marched down to Leyland, bought a £4 saw, marched back, and sawed that mofo in half. Sorted!
Next, the hall and kitchen. I'm going for "Setting Plaster"
Tune in later for more exciting OSA-compliant commentary
https://x.com/SteveBakerFRSA/status/1949774212014452823
@SteveBakerFRSA
If Labour ban VPNs, the ban must not include exemptions for those in the UK's national security community – people who use them because they understand why they are necessary.
If they are exempted, that would of course enable ISPs to identify members of that community.
Good to see, though, that the Times of Israel is reporting on events which include criticism of the IDF (note, that quote from the UN didn't mention Hamas once - curious, right?).
There is plenty of good information on twitter, etc.
The only question is, is it a deliberate catastrophe or an accidental catastrophe. Or perhaps a mix of both - nasty Woke bigots seizing the opportunity to silence us
That.
In this day and age if your business or organisation isn't insisting on the use of a VPN to log in when you are out of office they need to sack their IT admins.
If the OSA turns out to be so bad they ban or "license" VPNs in some half-arsed attempt to make this piece of shit work, then that might be the final thing that tilts me to emigration. Because the UK will have many of the downsides of an authoritarian state like China, but without the good stuff - like zero crime, strict migration laws, gleaming infrastructure. Plus swingeing taxes
What, then, is the point in living here?
North Korea
Belarus
Iraq
Turkmenistan"
https://x.com/cjsnowdon/status/1949770124552183924
Labour urges government to consider crackdown on VPNs
https://www.independent.co.uk/news/uk/politics/vpns-online-safety-bill-labour-champion-b2239810.html
My most popular video STILL Nick Griffin reading the Christmas Story, dressed a la Blofeld with a white cat. I'm surprised I never had a copyright strike on that one - Youtube are as twitchy as Sarah Pochin in a non-existent crime wave.
So your first fact is incorrect.
Difficult to take what you say thereafter very seriously tbh.
But the G said 3 years.
Essentially it's until Chump is out of the way, by hook or by crook.
Israel is the occupying power, and therefore responsible for humanitarian aid. Blaming the UN really doesn't wash.
The fact that the Israeli government opened the border to admit aid yesterday, and has now declared periods of temporary ceasefire to help facilitate its delivery is encouraging. But it's also demonstration that what they were previously doing was inadequate.
We can argue about that facts on the ground, but that's pretty pointless, as there is no independent source of information. Which again is at the behest of the occupying power.
https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/articles/cd0dz70zmx3o
As of Monday morning, half of the top ten free apps in Apple's app download charts in the UK appeared to be for VPN services.
Proton VPN, an app offered by Swiss privacy tech firm Proton, told the BBC it had seen a 1800% spike in UK daily sign-ups over the weekend after age check rules took effect on Friday.
https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/articles/cn72ydj70g5o
I know the government agenda was enact policies to aid growth, but perhaps in UK companies not foreign ones.
They could have a "women only refugees" day to keep them safe.
Oh - they had one and they got shot down anyway:
https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/articles/c74z4gy5g31o
Banning or restricting VPN use is an excellent way for Sir Keir to confirm to libertarians he is the uber authoritarian leader they say he is.
Sir Keir though will hope to restrict access to the dark net and make visible those using Tor as well and hinder criminals and those using it to access illegal material as well as make it more difficult for the underage to access adult material on the standard internet
I still have my great-grandfather’s medals.
https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/articles/cd0dz70zmx3o
Of all the trade unions he dealt with during the Tory government the medical unions were the most militant.
From yesterday, I think that Sean Trende (like Nat Silver), is one of very, very, few US political commentators who tell it as it is, rather than engaging in wishful thinking, ad hominem attacks, and creating straw men.
As far as I can tell, his politics are very moderate Republican, but that in no way impairs his judgement of events.
His article, last August, about Washington early voting numbers (and their predictive value for the election), was striking accurate.
Perhaps check google maps.
Meanwhile, the dissolution of GHF is a key Hamas demand.
But by all means, carry on cheering Band Aid and the money it's delivering to Mengistu.
Quite surprising that Pakistan’s notorious Inter-Services Intelligence was founded/run by an Aussie in the British Indian army.
https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Walter_Cawthorn
https://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/2025/07/28/more-than-630000-graduates-on-benefits/
But Martin acted recklessly in drawing attention to them and highlight a possible affair. They were simply enjoying a concert together.
The consequential damages of his actions have been severe
They probably were - when they were only sharing a cell with Bubba.
But yes there have been quite some consequential damages. But the action was nothing that hasn't been repeated many times at many other events.
Maybe Byron could start a class action.
"Tourists taking selfies and behaving badly"
https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/articles/cx2k29233jeo
But it is unambiguously the case that the money and aid raised by Live Aid/Band Aid went directly to Mengistu to fund his forced relocation programme and he was using famine as a tool in his repressive regime.
This is not a controversial view. But eg the BBC didn't mention or allude to it at all. According to them and indeed to almost the whole media, Band Aid was an unparalleled success and did nothing but good.
The parallel is now in Gaza. Only one view is portrayed with the idea that there could be another version not even considered.
I expected more from PB but apparently not.
Some people have contracts of employment which specifically enjoin them from posting under their own name on certain topics.
Is she a particular @Snowball?
Having since paid off the doctors once.
Not much gratitude is there?
The flip side to your statistic is 84.1% of claimants do not have an honours degree.
Sorry to have disturbed.
I wonder what became of him? Presumably he no longer posts.
Battle Lines | The Telegraph's Defence & Foreign Affairs Podcast
Dive into the strengths and weaknesses of China’s military and its remarkable transformation over the last few decades from obsolete to world-class in a new special series on Battle Lines.
How significant is China’s military buildup? What does Xi Jinping’s ongoing purge mean for the People’s Liberation Army? And how likely is an invasion of Taiwan in the next few years?
As the US pivots to the Indo-Pacific and the threat of a truly global war looms, understanding the evolving role of China’s military on the world stage has never been more important.
In episode one of this three-part series, Venetia Rainey uncovers the strengths that define the PLA today, from its vastly modernised Navy, now the largest globally, to its Air Force equipped with stealth fighters and advanced drones.
Plus, a look at China’s potent non-conventional forces, such as its highly sophisticated cyber warfare units, its independent aerospace and counter-space capabilities, and the secretive Rocket Force, responsible for a fast-expanding nuclear arsenal.
With thanks to Dr Phillip Saunders and Joel Wuthnow from the Center for the Study of Chinese Military Affairs at the Institute for National Strategic Studies, and Oriana Skylar Mastro from the Freeman Spogli Institute for International Studies at Stanford University.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ltnW2kGltHI
Let's hope John Healey has considered this before he signs us up for world war three.
A large part of having an affair is ensuring that it is kept secret from your partner, that should determine who, where and how, if you can't manage that then either don't stray, manage the fallout or accept the consequences.
I am suing forthwith under the OSA for my pain.
Gijon Airshow, Spain F-18 low pass yesterday.
Anyone want to share what they believe happened here?
https://x.com/Turbinetraveler/status/1949735137136029805
Along with the other video below, it appears this was real.
Possible bird strike ?
I used to post under my real world name twenty years ago. Fortunately my name is rather ubiquitous.
Actual words spoken by Trump
"We actually passed a bill in Congress headed up by my wife, actually, which was to pull bad stuff out having to do with children."
As I said, to write "The [IDF] militarily defeated Hamas months ago" disqualifies you, sadly because this is a discussion board, from discussing Gaza.
(I'm partial to Jasper FFordes Thursday Next series, with the lead character named after the phrase)