Today's court ruling will be a win-win situation for Farage.
A government loss could actually be Nigel's nightmare. It would mean every hotel in the country closing its doors to asylum seekers forcing them to roam the streets unchecked. Sir Keir can then turn round to Nigel and say, 'I never wanted this Nigel but you forced it upon us. Look at the damage and chaos you've wrought.'
To which he’d say, you’re in charge, you sort it. Deport deport deport.
I really don’t see it harming Farage.
To which Sir Keir would reply, 'We were on the verge of deporting them but now you've set them loose and it be a massively expensive nightmare to track them down. Thanks a bunch for that.'
It passed me by that some set of imbeciles had awarded a Winter Olympics to Saudi Arabia.
The least surprising news!!!
“Olympic organisers have reportedly approached South Korea about hosting the 2029 Asian Winter Games over doubts about whether Saudi Arabia's unbuilt Trojena ski resort will be ready in time.” https://x.com/SustainableTall/status/1961328779751756069
Today's court ruling will be a win-win situation for Farage.
A government loss could actually be Nigel's nightmare. It would mean every hotel in the country closing its doors to asylum seekers forcing them to roam the streets unchecked. Sir Keir can then turn round to Nigel and say, 'I never wanted this Nigel but you forced it upon us. Look at the damage and chaos you've wrought.'
Doubtful. The government typically gets the blame for things that happen on their watch. Reform would just shrug and say if it was up to them they’d deport rather than forcing them onto the streets.
I have some sympathy for the government here. It’s clear that, practically and logistically, the initial ruling puts them in a pickle. They probably had little choice but to try and appeal it, but the optics are sub-optimal.
What a slacker, she should be billing 28 hours a day.
Irwin Mitchell associate caught falsely recording 23 hours in a day
An Irwin Mitchell associate has been struck off after she was caught recording an incredible amount of time on client matters.
Natasha Fairs was a senior associate in the firm’s Serious Injury Team in its London office and had worked at Irwin Mitchell since 2007.
Two colleagues raised concerns with Fairs’ supervising partner, Richard Geraghty, after becoming puzzled by her marathon stints.
Geraghty looked into the matter and uncovered several unusual features to Fairs' time-recording.
Whereas Irwin Mitchell fee-earners would generally be expected to record 6.3 chargeable hours a day, Fairs was blasting past even the most soul-destroying targets of US firms. On 19 April 2022, she recorded 22.9 chargeable hours. A week later, she recorded 20.3 hours in a day.
Fairs also put down her time after the bills had been agreed and raised, so it was all written off. And mysteriously the all-nighters seemed to coincide with the run-up to her performance reviews, and the end of the financial year.
Although she recorded her time in six minute units on the client file note, she recorded the same numbers in hours on the time recording system. It meant that while 20 six minute units would be noted on the file, 20 hours would appear on the time recording system. The firm concluded this was a deliberate ploy so she could claim it was all an error if she was questioned.
Fairs accepted the firm’s finding she had manufactured time on her files, which included recording five hours for ‘Review/Analyse Part 36 offer on costs’ while she on sick leave - which she also put down.
Accepting the charges brought by the SRA, Fairs said in mitigation her mother had been unwell and died in 2022, while she had two young children.
Today's court ruling will be a win-win situation for Farage.
A government loss could actually be Nigel's nightmare. It would mean every hotel in the country closing its doors to asylum seekers forcing them to roam the streets unchecked. Sir Keir can then turn round to Nigel and say, 'I never wanted this Nigel but you forced it upon us. Look at the damage and chaos you've wrought.'
To which he’d say, you’re in charge, you sort it. Deport deport deport.
I really don’t see it harming Farage.
To which Sir Keir would reply, 'We were on the verge of deporting them but now you've set them loose and it be a massively expensive nightmare to track them down. Thanks a bunch for that.'
The reality is Nigel Farage has to say he wants the injunction upheld but keep his fingers crossed it will be overturned. Keir Starmer has to say he wants the injunction over-turned but keep his fingers crossed it will be upheld.
As Lincoln said but a few days before he was assassinated "I have to leave no stone unturned in my search for Jefferson Davis and by God I pray I don't find him."
Today's court ruling will be a win-win situation for Farage.
A government loss could actually be Nigel's nightmare. It would mean every hotel in the country closing its doors to asylum seekers forcing them to roam the streets unchecked. Sir Keir can then turn round to Nigel and say, 'I never wanted this Nigel but you forced it upon us. Look at the damage and chaos you've wrought.'
To which he’d say, you’re in charge, you sort it. Deport deport deport.
I really don’t see it harming Farage.
To which Sir Keir would reply, 'We were on the verge of deporting them but now you've set them loose and it be a massively expensive nightmare to track them down. Thanks a bunch for that.'
Which would have no traction. On the verge of deporting people who have been here for years in many cases. The govt are already trying to find HMOs for them and the council that brought this was a Tory council.
SKS can simply get friendly labour councils and saintly,Lib Dem councils to house them in hotels.
Kennedys exposes abuse victims' details in nightmare data breach
Kennedys has apologised and reported itself to the SRA after it accidentally revealed the names of dozens of people who had registered for updates on the Church of England’s redress scheme for victims of Church-related abuse.
The firm was appointed to administer the Church of England’s redress scheme for victims and survivors in March 2024.
But on Tuesday evening, someone at Kennedys sent an email to 194 individuals and law firms who had registered to receive updates for the scheme without blind copying them.
As a result, all the email addresses were visible to all the recipients. The firm said attempts to recall the message “were only partially successful”.
In a statement on its website attributing the galactic mistake to human error, Kennedys said it was “deeply sorry for the hurt and concern caused to everyone affected by this significant error and accepts full responsibility”.
“We have contacted everyone who received the message and have reported the incident to the Charity Commission, the Information Commissioner’s Office and the Solicitor’s Regulatory Authority”, it said.
Kennedys said it would fully comply with any investigations and had also launched an internal investigation “to understand how this could have occurred and will incorporate any lessons learnt into our procedures immediately”.
“We understand the significant impact this will have on those affected for which we apologise unreservedly”, added the firm.
Have we done the West Hampstead by-election result, down the road from me?
WEST HAMPSTEAD BY-ELECTION RESULT JANET GRAUBERG (Lib Dems) 1,174 ELECTED FRANCESCA REYNOLDS (Labour) 458 IAN COHEN (Local Conservatives) 222 THOMAS STERLING (Reform) 155 MATTHEW HULL (Green Party) 152
The seat elected 3 Labour at the last election (although the standing down councillor had defected to the Tories). But it's been LibDem in the past.
Everyone in the VoteUK discussion forum prediction competition predicted a LD win here.
It was an easy prediction to make. If there is a by-election in Hampstead constituency, the Lib Dems should take it easily.
On the whole, though the Tories still have a councillor in Hampstead Town
What a slacker, she should be billing 28 hours a day.
Irwin Mitchell associate caught falsely recording 23 hours in a day
An Irwin Mitchell associate has been struck off after she was caught recording an incredible amount of time on client matters.
Natasha Fairs was a senior associate in the firm’s Serious Injury Team in its London office and had worked at Irwin Mitchell since 2007.
Two colleagues raised concerns with Fairs’ supervising partner, Richard Geraghty, after becoming puzzled by her marathon stints.
Geraghty looked into the matter and uncovered several unusual features to Fairs' time-recording.
Whereas Irwin Mitchell fee-earners would generally be expected to record 6.3 chargeable hours a day, Fairs was blasting past even the most soul-destroying targets of US firms. On 19 April 2022, she recorded 22.9 chargeable hours. A week later, she recorded 20.3 hours in a day.
Fairs also put down her time after the bills had been agreed and raised, so it was all written off. And mysteriously the all-nighters seemed to coincide with the run-up to her performance reviews, and the end of the financial year.
Although she recorded her time in six minute units on the client file note, she recorded the same numbers in hours on the time recording system. It meant that while 20 six minute units would be noted on the file, 20 hours would appear on the time recording system. The firm concluded this was a deliberate ploy so she could claim it was all an error if she was questioned.
Fairs accepted the firm’s finding she had manufactured time on her files, which included recording five hours for ‘Review/Analyse Part 36 offer on costs’ while she on sick leave - which she also put down.
Accepting the charges brought by the SRA, Fairs said in mitigation her mother had been unwell and died in 2022, while she had two young children.
Today's court ruling will be a win-win situation for Farage.
A government loss could actually be Nigel's nightmare. It would mean every hotel in the country closing its doors to asylum seekers forcing them to roam the streets unchecked. Sir Keir can then turn round to Nigel and say, 'I never wanted this Nigel but you forced it upon us. Look at the damage and chaos you've wrought.'
If they'd continued with Rwanda and not a single new arrival was coming, that might get a smidge of traction.
The GOP election chairman of Surry County, North Carolina, was arrested after allegedly drugging the ice cream of his two granddaughters with cocaine and MDMA.
In a statement by the Wilmington police department, James E. Yokeley, 66, the chair of the Surry County Board of Elections, “flagged down” an officer on August 8 at a convenience store to report that his two granddaughters found “two hard objects” in their ice creams, purchased at a nearby Dairy Queen. The objects were found to be pills.
Neither juvenile ingested the pills, and field testing showed them to contain illegal narcotics. The pills were subsequently sent to a state lab for further testing.
During the investigation, officers examined video footage which showed Yokeley placing the pills in the ice cream of his granddaughters.
What a slacker, she should be billing 28 hours a day.
Irwin Mitchell associate caught falsely recording 23 hours in a day
An Irwin Mitchell associate has been struck off after she was caught recording an incredible amount of time on client matters.
Natasha Fairs was a senior associate in the firm’s Serious Injury Team in its London office and had worked at Irwin Mitchell since 2007.
Two colleagues raised concerns with Fairs’ supervising partner, Richard Geraghty, after becoming puzzled by her marathon stints.
Geraghty looked into the matter and uncovered several unusual features to Fairs' time-recording.
Whereas Irwin Mitchell fee-earners would generally be expected to record 6.3 chargeable hours a day, Fairs was blasting past even the most soul-destroying targets of US firms. On 19 April 2022, she recorded 22.9 chargeable hours. A week later, she recorded 20.3 hours in a day.
Fairs also put down her time after the bills had been agreed and raised, so it was all written off. And mysteriously the all-nighters seemed to coincide with the run-up to her performance reviews, and the end of the financial year.
Although she recorded her time in six minute units on the client file note, she recorded the same numbers in hours on the time recording system. It meant that while 20 six minute units would be noted on the file, 20 hours would appear on the time recording system. The firm concluded this was a deliberate ploy so she could claim it was all an error if she was questioned.
Fairs accepted the firm’s finding she had manufactured time on her files, which included recording five hours for ‘Review/Analyse Part 36 offer on costs’ while she on sick leave - which she also put down.
Accepting the charges brought by the SRA, Fairs said in mitigation her mother had been unwell and died in 2022, while she had two young children.
Have we done the West Hampstead by-election result, down the road from me?
WEST HAMPSTEAD BY-ELECTION RESULT JANET GRAUBERG (Lib Dems) 1,174 ELECTED FRANCESCA REYNOLDS (Labour) 458 IAN COHEN (Local Conservatives) 222 THOMAS STERLING (Reform) 155 MATTHEW HULL (Green Party) 152
The seat elected 3 Labour at the last election (although the standing down councillor had defected to the Tories). But it's been LibDem in the past.
Reform a poor 4th, Farage still considered an oik by the posh and upstanding citizens of Hampstead then even if he is forecast to be UK PM on national polls now
The Atlantic reports Trump is ‘disappointed’ with Zelensky & Europe, calling their demands unrealistic. He just wants the war over ‘no matter how’, even if it means Ukraine losing land. Now he pushes for a Putin-Zelensky summit only if he’s at the table. To me, Trump is openly aligning with Putin, eroding any trust in the US government. https://x.com/olddog100ua/status/1961295032167629191
Putin won't accept any peace deal without gaining some Ukrainian territory anyway and Zelensky won't accept any loss of land beyond Crimea and maybe not even that.
The best that could be hoped for is a ceasefire on current lines of occupation
If we could help take territory off Russia, that would even up the negotiations. We’re too feart, though, because of the threat of nuclear war.
Well given that might lead to the death of most of our population in a nuclear war that is hardly surprising.
This is not the Crimean War when it might have been an option as nukes had not yet been invented
How do you think usage of nukes would help Russia, in the tactical or strategic sense?
Go on.
The answer is why Putin has not used them already.
If Putin thought he would lose the war outright he could well use at least a tactical nuke, as he knows he would lose the Presidency if he lost the war outright so would have nothing to lose
Indeed. The suggestion that Putin won't use nukes because he hasn't already used them is a logical fail. Of course, it's very unlikely he'd use them under the current circumstances, but if the time comes when Russia is losing badly, then the calculus may well change.
Wow.
Firstly, the time Putin may have used them is around April or autumn 2022. The former when it was clear that the war was going to bog down; the latter when the Ukrainians launched an offensive which retook vast tracts of conquered territory. I can only imagine how Putin must have felt as hammerblow after hammerblow fell on his fascist, imperialist regime. Now, he is more used to Russia's belittled position and repeated failures. There is no shock.
Secondly, as I've asked others, to zero reply: what would he gain from their use? Both tactical and strategic are unsuited to this war as it stands, particularly as all his WMD-trained troops and equipment are pushing up the sunflowers.
Thirdly, how much territory are *you* willing to give up because of your fear of his nukes? Because if you give him an inch because of that fear, he'll take the Baltics.
But you'll be fine, won't you?
Jesus, what a ludicrously emotive reponse to a couple of basic and pretty uncontentious facts.
Logically, there must a point at which Putin would use nuclear weapons. I'm not saying he's anywhere near or has yet been anywhere near that point, but it must exist, otherwise what is the point of a nuclear arsenal? And I'm certainly not saying that the west should back down in its support for Ukraine. Indeed, I didn't make any points about how this threat should be handled. If I had, I'd have said that the west should continue to help Ukraine to resist the Russian invasion and continue to sanction Russia, in the hope that Russia basically runs out of steam. But the fact of Russia's nuclear arsenal remains, and that needs to be borne in mind by any rational actor.
Again, Trump voters don't care about US foreign policy in Asia, they just want tariffs on all foreign imports
I don't think they even want tariffs on all foreign imports. They want a set of nebulous things that Trump has promised will be delivered by tariffs (but obviously won't).
David Spencer, Head of Crime and Justice for Policy Exchange said:
“We have seen that Shut the System are prepared to use violence to undermine parliamentary democracy with outrageous attacks such as this. We are committed to a vibrant market of ideas and Policy Exchange will not be intimidated by acts of sabotage and terrorism. This is a criminal act that should be condemned across the political spectrum – by both left and right. We await a response from the Government to this act of terrorism.”
This is the third time Policy Exchange’s offices have been violently attacked. The group claimed that one of the reasons for their attack is “labelling Palestine Action as terrorists”
Have we done the West Hampstead by-election result, down the road from me?
WEST HAMPSTEAD BY-ELECTION RESULT JANET GRAUBERG (Lib Dems) 1,174 ELECTED FRANCESCA REYNOLDS (Labour) 458 IAN COHEN (Local Conservatives) 222 THOMAS STERLING (Reform) 155 MATTHEW HULL (Green Party) 152
The seat elected 3 Labour at the last election (although the standing down councillor had defected to the Tories). But it's been LibDem in the past.
Reform a poor 4th, Farage still considered an oik by the posh and upstanding citizens of Hampstead then even if he is forecast to be UK PM on national polls now
Curious. I recall someone on this this site, from his dinner party anecdotes, claiming that Reform are now surging in exactly these sort of seats.
Have we done the West Hampstead by-election result, down the road from me?
WEST HAMPSTEAD BY-ELECTION RESULT JANET GRAUBERG (Lib Dems) 1,174 ELECTED FRANCESCA REYNOLDS (Labour) 458 IAN COHEN (Local Conservatives) 222 THOMAS STERLING (Reform) 155 MATTHEW HULL (Green Party) 152
The seat elected 3 Labour at the last election (although the standing down councillor had defected to the Tories). But it's been LibDem in the past.
Reform a poor 4th, Farage still considered an oik by the posh and upstanding citizens of Hampstead then even if he is forecast to be UK PM on national polls now
West Hampstead isn't Hampstead. It's the bit between Hampstead and Kilburn. It's nowhere near as posh as Hampstead, but it does aspire to be.
All three judges are Starmer Stooges. Their master says he wants the injunction overturned so will they overturn it, or will they do what their master really wants but can't say, and uphold it.
It depends how stupid they are. They seem fairly stupid to me so I guess they will overturn it.
Have we done the West Hampstead by-election result, down the road from me?
WEST HAMPSTEAD BY-ELECTION RESULT JANET GRAUBERG (Lib Dems) 1,174 ELECTED FRANCESCA REYNOLDS (Labour) 458 IAN COHEN (Local Conservatives) 222 THOMAS STERLING (Reform) 155 MATTHEW HULL (Green Party) 152
The seat elected 3 Labour at the last election (although the standing down councillor had defected to the Tories). But it's been LibDem in the past.
Reform a poor 4th, Farage still considered an oik by the posh and upstanding citizens of Hampstead then even if he is forecast to be UK PM on national polls now
Curious. I recall someone on this this site, from his dinner party anecdotes, claiming that Reform are now surging in exactly these sort of seats.
Well Reform are still slightly up on their GE voteshare there but still well below their national average, West and North Londoners in particularly wouldn't be seen dead admitting to voting Reform in the dinner parties they attend
It passed me by that some set of imbeciles had awarded a Winter Olympics to Saudi Arabia.
The least surprising news!!!
“Olympic organisers have reportedly approached South Korea about hosting the 2029 Asian Winter Games over doubts about whether Saudi Arabia's unbuilt Trojena ski resort will be ready in time.” https://x.com/SustainableTall/status/1961328779751756069
Have we done the West Hampstead by-election result, down the road from me?
WEST HAMPSTEAD BY-ELECTION RESULT JANET GRAUBERG (Lib Dems) 1,174 ELECTED FRANCESCA REYNOLDS (Labour) 458 IAN COHEN (Local Conservatives) 222 THOMAS STERLING (Reform) 155 MATTHEW HULL (Green Party) 152
The seat elected 3 Labour at the last election (although the standing down councillor had defected to the Tories). But it's been LibDem in the past.
Reform a poor 4th, Farage still considered an oik by the posh and upstanding citizens of Hampstead then even if he is forecast to be UK PM on national polls now
West Hampstead isn't Hampstead. It's the bit between Hampstead and Kilburn. It's nowhere near as posh as Hampstead, but it does aspire to be.
It is in the same constituency as Hampstead and if Reform aren't even doing OK in W Hampstead they will be doing even worse in even posher Hampstead Town
All three judges are Starmer Stooges. Their master says he wants the injunction overturned so will they overturn it, or will they do what their master really wants but can't say, and uphold it.
It depends how stupid they are. They seem fairly stupid to me so I guess they will overturn it.
I thought you lot wanted judges to follow the elected will of the people
It passed me by that some set of imbeciles had awarded a Winter Olympics to Saudi Arabia.
The least surprising news!!!
“Olympic organisers have reportedly approached South Korea about hosting the 2029 Asian Winter Games over doubts about whether Saudi Arabia's unbuilt Trojena ski resort will be ready in time.” https://x.com/SustainableTall/status/1961328779751756069
Have we done the West Hampstead by-election result, down the road from me?
WEST HAMPSTEAD BY-ELECTION RESULT JANET GRAUBERG (Lib Dems) 1,174 ELECTED FRANCESCA REYNOLDS (Labour) 458 IAN COHEN (Local Conservatives) 222 THOMAS STERLING (Reform) 155 MATTHEW HULL (Green Party) 152
The seat elected 3 Labour at the last election (although the standing down councillor had defected to the Tories). But it's been LibDem in the past.
Reform a poor 4th, Farage still considered an oik by the posh and upstanding citizens of Hampstead then even if he is forecast to be UK PM on national polls now
Lord Justice Bean says the temporary injunction, granted by the High Court, was to last for only a relatively brief period until the trial of the council’s claim before a judge.
Indicates the gov't might have been successful judging by the wording there.
The Atlantic reports Trump is ‘disappointed’ with Zelensky & Europe, calling their demands unrealistic. He just wants the war over ‘no matter how’, even if it means Ukraine losing land. Now he pushes for a Putin-Zelensky summit only if he’s at the table. To me, Trump is openly aligning with Putin, eroding any trust in the US government. https://x.com/olddog100ua/status/1961295032167629191
Putin won't accept any peace deal without gaining some Ukrainian territory anyway and Zelensky won't accept any loss of land beyond Crimea and maybe not even that.
The best that could be hoped for is a ceasefire on current lines of occupation
If we could help take territory off Russia, that would even up the negotiations. We’re too feart, though, because of the threat of nuclear war.
Well given that might lead to the death of most of our population in a nuclear war that is hardly surprising.
This is not the Crimean War when it might have been an option as nukes had not yet been invented
How do you think usage of nukes would help Russia, in the tactical or strategic sense?
Go on.
The answer is why Putin has not used them already.
If Putin thought he would lose the war outright he could well use at least a tactical nuke, as he knows he would lose the Presidency if he lost the war outright so would have nothing to lose
Indeed. The suggestion that Putin won't use nukes because he hasn't already used them is a logical fail. Of course, it's very unlikely he'd use them under the current circumstances, but if the time comes when Russia is losing badly, then the calculus may well change.
Wow.
Firstly, the time Putin may have used them is around April or autumn 2022. The former when it was clear that the war was going to bog down; the latter when the Ukrainians launched an offensive which retook vast tracts of conquered territory. I can only imagine how Putin must have felt as hammerblow after hammerblow fell on his fascist, imperialist regime. Now, he is more used to Russia's belittled position and repeated failures. There is no shock.
Secondly, as I've asked others, to zero reply: what would he gain from their use? Both tactical and strategic are unsuited to this war as it stands, particularly as all his WMD-trained troops and equipment are pushing up the sunflowers.
Thirdly, how much territory are *you* willing to give up because of your fear of his nukes? Because if you give him an inch because of that fear, he'll take the Baltics.
But you'll be fine, won't you?
Jesus, what a ludicrously emotive reponse to a couple of basic and pretty uncontentious facts.
Logically, there must a point at which Putin would use nuclear weapons. I'm not saying he's anywhere near or has yet been anywhere near that point, but it must exist, otherwise what is the point of a nuclear arsenal? And I'm certainly not saying that the west should back down in its support for Ukraine. Indeed, I didn't make any points about how this threat should be handled. If I had, I'd have said that the west should continue to help Ukraine to resist the Russian invasion and continue to sanction Russia, in the hope that Russia basically runs out of steam. But the fact of Russia's nuclear arsenal remains, and that needs to be borne in mind by any rational actor.
Russia lost in Afghanistan and there was no nuclear issue. The Russian strategic forces are in a lot worse shape than they were 30 years ago too.
Thai PM removed by the courts for putting personal interests before the national interest. I can think of another (much larger) country who could usefully take a leaf.
Have we done the West Hampstead by-election result, down the road from me?
WEST HAMPSTEAD BY-ELECTION RESULT JANET GRAUBERG (Lib Dems) 1,174 ELECTED FRANCESCA REYNOLDS (Labour) 458 IAN COHEN (Local Conservatives) 222 THOMAS STERLING (Reform) 155 MATTHEW HULL (Green Party) 152
The seat elected 3 Labour at the last election (although the standing down councillor had defected to the Tories). But it's been LibDem in the past.
Everyone in the VoteUK discussion forum prediction competition predicted a LD win here.
I predicted a win for Sultanarama.
The fact that they didn't put up a candidate made such a result less likely.
The judges are going to side with the govt over the council and local community, I suspect
‘ Third time the hotel has been used to house asylum seekers, says judge published at 14:14 14:14 Jemma Crew & Dominic Casciani Reporting from court The judge is now setting out background facts. He says the Bell Hotel is situated on the outskirts of the centre of Epping and as we reported earlier, run by Somani Hotels. It currently accommodates approximately 138 asylum seekers - the provision of this accommodation is under contract between Somani Hotels and CTM, a company contracted by the Home Office. It is the third time the hotel has been used to accommodate asylum seekers. It was first used between May 2020 and March 2021, and then October 2022 to April 2024. At no time during these earlier periods did the council take steps to restrain Somani from providing accommodation.’
The Atlantic reports Trump is ‘disappointed’ with Zelensky & Europe, calling their demands unrealistic. He just wants the war over ‘no matter how’, even if it means Ukraine losing land. Now he pushes for a Putin-Zelensky summit only if he’s at the table. To me, Trump is openly aligning with Putin, eroding any trust in the US government. https://x.com/olddog100ua/status/1961295032167629191
Putin won't accept any peace deal without gaining some Ukrainian territory anyway and Zelensky won't accept any loss of land beyond Crimea and maybe not even that.
The best that could be hoped for is a ceasefire on current lines of occupation
If we could help take territory off Russia, that would even up the negotiations. We’re too feart, though, because of the threat of nuclear war.
Well given that might lead to the death of most of our population in a nuclear war that is hardly surprising.
This is not the Crimean War when it might have been an option as nukes had not yet been invented
How do you think usage of nukes would help Russia, in the tactical or strategic sense?
Go on.
The answer is why Putin has not used them already.
If Putin thought he would lose the war outright he could well use at least a tactical nuke, as he knows he would lose the Presidency if he lost the war outright so would have nothing to lose
Indeed. The suggestion that Putin won't use nukes because he hasn't already used them is a logical fail. Of course, it's very unlikely he'd use them under the current circumstances, but if the time comes when Russia is losing badly, then the calculus may well change.
Nuclear weapons are very much a last resort sort of weapon, but losing the war in Ukraine is not last resort territory for Putin or Russia. Just as Saddam/Iraq did after losing the first Gulf War, they can retreat to their internationally recognised borders and no-one is marching to Moscow.
If they start using nuclear weapons because their war of conquest is failing then they become a massive threat to every country in the world - including China - and put the survival of the regime in much more danger. This is the message that China sent to them when Russia most loudly threatened use of nuclear weapons in late 2022, and they then shut up about them.
We should not do Putin's work for him and scare ourselves silly over nuclear weapons.
Judge rules in favour of the Home Secretary and that the Bell Hotel Epping can still be used for asylum seekers.
Protests will now likely ramp up again
He hasn't yet but looks likely
The govts legal team made the govts position perfectly clear. The asylum seekers get priority over the local residents.
Delicious.
Government well and truly checkmated by this. As I said earlier, I do have some sympathy with their position, but sometimes events just don’t give you the best optics as a government.
Judge rules in favour of the Home Secretary and that the Bell Hotel Epping can still be used for asylum seekers.
Protests will now likely ramp up again
He hasn't yet but looks likely
He also ruled while injunctions may have individual merits they could encourage planning authorities to remove asylum seekers from their area and breach the ECHR
@Thehatecentral has a collection of Sesko highlights (All to what sounds like a bhangra soundtrack) from the Grimsby match on X if any Utd fans want to bask in their new signings first outing.
Have we done the West Hampstead by-election result, down the road from me?
WEST HAMPSTEAD BY-ELECTION RESULT JANET GRAUBERG (Lib Dems) 1,174 ELECTED FRANCESCA REYNOLDS (Labour) 458 IAN COHEN (Local Conservatives) 222 THOMAS STERLING (Reform) 155 MATTHEW HULL (Green Party) 152
The seat elected 3 Labour at the last election (although the standing down councillor had defected to the Tories). But it's been LibDem in the past.
The changes from 2022 are interesting. Using top vote LD went from 1164 to 1174, Lab from 1332 to 458, Con from 494 to 222, Green from 0 to 152, Ref from 0 to 155. I wonder what the 'churn' was?
Today's court ruling will be a win-win situation for Farage.
A government loss could actually be Nigel's nightmare. It would mean every hotel in the country closing its doors to asylum seekers forcing them to roam the streets unchecked. Sir Keir can then turn round to Nigel and say, 'I never wanted this Nigel but you forced it upon us. Look at the damage and chaos you've wrought.'
If they'd continued with Rwanda and not a single new arrival was coming, that might get a smidge of traction.
As it is, it won't.
Obviously old ground, but the Rwandans said they'd be able to accommodate a few thousand, which would suggest it wouldn't continue for more than a month or two.
Today's court ruling will be a win-win situation for Farage.
A government loss could actually be Nigel's nightmare. It would mean every hotel in the country closing its doors to asylum seekers forcing them to roam the streets unchecked. Sir Keir can then turn round to Nigel and say, 'I never wanted this Nigel but you forced it upon us. Look at the damage and chaos you've wrought.'
If they'd continued with Rwanda and not a single new arrival was coming, that might get a smidge of traction.
As it is, it won't.
Obviously old ground, but the Rwandans said they'd be able to accommodate a few thousand, which would suggest it wouldn't continue for more than a month or two.
The concept of deterrence clearly not sufficiently understood by the NU10K
Judge says injunctions granted because of protests may lead to further disorderly protests, when police should have used Public Order Act powers and council to restrain disorderly protests
Do people on here understand that the injunction is not the end of the case? The injunction was interlocutory, it was only ever meant to last until the substantive trial. We will be back in a couple of months for round 2.
But pointing out what is actually happening on here is pointless in this echo chamber.
Do people on here understand that the injunction is not the end of the case? The injunction was interlocutory, it was only ever meant to last until the substantive trial. We will be back in a couple of months for round 2.
But pointing out what is actually happening on here is pointless in this echo chamber.
Yes - but that isn’t going to make much difference in the narrative I’m afraid. The headline is going to be that government wins its appeal to allow asylum hotel to continue to operate. The nuances won’t matter
Do people on here understand that the injunction is not the end of the case? The injunction was interlocutory, it was only ever meant to last until the substantive trial. We will be back in a couple of months for round 2.
But pointing out what is actually happening on here is pointless in this echo chamber.
That was my understanding but not sure the outcome will be seen as such
It is outweighed by the undesirability of incentivising protests
This is a deeply weird line tbh.
@Dougseal Yes. Of course everyone knows the substantive issues are due to be heard in October; well I do/did at any rate. The ability (or not) to use the hotel till then to accomodate asylum seekers is substantial and material in itself though.
I expect Reform will be on 35-40% in the polls pretty soon.
And Labour on about 12%...
Indeed.
Which ironically could save Kemi.
The Tories may also get some boost as the Tory council took this action to close the hotel, this could be a Pyrrhic victory for Starmer and Cooper
I expect Cooper to own the backlash. The only person on Labour happy about this outcome might be Rachel Reeves, who may be bumped up to only second most hated member of the Cabinet.
It is outweighed by the undesirability of incentivising protests
This is a deeply weird line tbh.
@Dougseal Yes. Of course everyone knows the substantive issues are due to be heard in October; well I do/did at any rate.
The point of that is that protests should not have a chilling effect on the interpretation of the law. So, a court refusing your appeal against refusal of an extension should not be swayed by your neighbour threatening to picket your street if they don't get their way.
Do people on here understand that the injunction is not the end of the case? The injunction was interlocutory, it was only ever meant to last until the substantive trial. We will be back in a couple of months for round 2.
But pointing out what is actually happening on here is pointless in this echo chamber.
That was my understanding but not sure the outcome will be seen as such
No, it won’t, and when you’re explaining you’re losing. It’s how it is reported that matters. Certainly in terms of public perception.
Reform's lead over Labour has increased slightly to 9pc over last month. Reform continues to poll around 30pc in the polls, with Labour declining in the low 20s. An immediate general election would likely bring in a Reform government with a comfortable majority."
Until the trial of the matter in October. When the hotel might lose and have to throw them out again.
And yes, I know, I'm obnoxious, not worthy to breath your air. Spare me. I've heard it before.
I’m sure you’ll hear it repeteadly in future too.
Funnily enough only from you. Unfortunately your repeated failure to bully and harass me off the board failed so I appear to live rent free in your head. So sorry.
Dominic Casciani: On a strictly legal level this is a really important win for the Home Office - and to all intents and purposes it resets the situation.
Kelvin McKenzie responds 'No surprise Lord Justice Bean, a Labour Party member for 28 years, has in his Appeal Court judgment stopped the 128 migrants being kicked out of the Bell Hotel in Epping. The law and Labour are in lockstep. A migrant has more rights than a British citizen. A serious moment.' https://x.com/kelvmackenzie/status/1961423969774407718
Ben Kentish phone in on drive home from work is going to be spicy, though he'll be more on the gov'ts side here than Swarbrick (Who I presume if on holiday with his kids at the moment) would have been.
It is outweighed by the undesirability of incentivising protests
This is a deeply weird line tbh.
@Dougseal Yes. Of course everyone knows the substantive issues are due to be heard in October; well I do/did at any rate.
The point of that is that protests should not have a chilling effect on the interpretation of the law. So, a court refusing your appeal against refusal of an extension should not be swayed by your neighbour threatening to picket your street if they don't get their way.
Clearly allowing the injunction would have given the green light to more protests . Epping council hardly acted properly throughout so they shouldn’t be allowed to play the victims .
Judge rules in favour of the Home Secretary and that the Bell Hotel Epping can still be used for asylum seekers.
Protests will now likely ramp up again
He hasn't yet but looks likely
The govts legal team made the govts position perfectly clear. The asylum seekers get priority over the local residents.
Delicious.
Government well and truly checkmated by this. As I said earlier, I do have some sympathy with their position, but sometimes events just don’t give you the best optics as a government.
It's the least worst option. You can't have decisions made by mob rule; we don't have anywhere else to put all the asylum seekers.
Do people on here understand that the injunction is not the end of the case? The injunction was interlocutory, it was only ever meant to last until the substantive trial. We will be back in a couple of months for round 2.
But pointing out what is actually happening on here is pointless in this echo chamber.
Yes, what the court has decided here is that the Home Secretary has a right to be heard in the case, as does the company that runs the hotel. Their interest is so obvious that it is remarkable that it was disregarded at first instance. Having admitted and heard from those parties they have reviewed the decision on the interim order which was granted in their absence and decided that the balance of interests does not favour the local authority.
The actual merits of the case will be decided at a forthcoming hearing on the evidence which this was not. The LA may still be right that the hotel does not have planning permission for its current use.
The GOP election chairman of Surry County, North Carolina, was arrested after allegedly drugging the ice cream of his two granddaughters with cocaine and MDMA.
In a statement by the Wilmington police department, James E. Yokeley, 66, the chair of the Surry County Board of Elections, “flagged down” an officer on August 8 at a convenience store to report that his two granddaughters found “two hard objects” in their ice creams, purchased at a nearby Dairy Queen. The objects were found to be pills.
Neither juvenile ingested the pills, and field testing showed them to contain illegal narcotics. The pills were subsequently sent to a state lab for further testing.
During the investigation, officers examined video footage which showed Yokeley placing the pills in the ice cream of his granddaughters.
I thought that buying drugs to give to young girls was normal behaviour for a Republican politician ?
Do people on here understand that the injunction is not the end of the case? The injunction was interlocutory, it was only ever meant to last until the substantive trial. We will be back in a couple of months for round 2.
But pointing out what is actually happening on here is pointless in this echo chamber.
Yes, what the court has decided here is that the Home Secretary has a right to be heard in the case, as does the company that runs the hotel. Their interest is so obvious that it is remarkable that it was disregarded at first instance. Having admitted and heard from those parties they have reviewed the decision on the interim order which was granted in their absence and decided that the balance of interests does not favour the local authority.
The actual merits of the case will be decided at a forthcoming hearing on the evidence which this was not. The LA may still be right that the hotel does not have planning permission for its current use.
But ultimately the politics and optics are not good for the government, even though the decision seems legally correct
Until the trial of the matter in October. When the hotel might lose and have to throw them out again.
And yes, I know, I'm obnoxious, not worthy to breath your air. Spare me. I've heard it before.
I’m sure you’ll hear it repeteadly in future too.
Funnily enough only from you. Unfortunately your repeated failure to bully and harass me off the board failed so I appear to live rent free in your head. So sorry.
I didn’t comment to you in this thread, you replied to me and with a provocative second sentence too.
The GOP election chairman of Surry County, North Carolina, was arrested after allegedly drugging the ice cream of his two granddaughters with cocaine and MDMA.
In a statement by the Wilmington police department, James E. Yokeley, 66, the chair of the Surry County Board of Elections, “flagged down” an officer on August 8 at a convenience store to report that his two granddaughters found “two hard objects” in their ice creams, purchased at a nearby Dairy Queen. The objects were found to be pills.
Neither juvenile ingested the pills, and field testing showed them to contain illegal narcotics. The pills were subsequently sent to a state lab for further testing.
During the investigation, officers examined video footage which showed Yokeley placing the pills in the ice cream of his granddaughters.
I thought that buying drugs to give to young girls was normal behaviour for a Republican politician ?
Kelvin McKenzie responds 'No surprise Lord Justice Bean, a Labour Party member for 28 years, has in his Appeal Court judgment stopped the 128 migrants being kicked out of the Bell Hotel in Epping. The law and Labour are in lockstep. A migrant has more rights than a British citizen. A serious moment.' https://x.com/kelvmackenzie/status/1961423969774407718
Comments
The least surprising news!!!
“Olympic organisers have reportedly approached South Korea about hosting the 2029 Asian Winter Games over doubts about whether Saudi Arabia's unbuilt Trojena ski resort will be ready in time.”
https://x.com/SustainableTall/status/1961328779751756069
I have some sympathy for the government here. It’s clear that, practically and logistically, the initial ruling puts them in a pickle. They probably had little choice but to try and appeal it, but the optics are sub-optimal.
Irwin Mitchell associate caught falsely recording 23 hours in a day
An Irwin Mitchell associate has been struck off after she was caught recording an incredible amount of time on client matters.
Natasha Fairs was a senior associate in the firm’s Serious Injury Team in its London office and had worked at Irwin Mitchell since 2007.
Two colleagues raised concerns with Fairs’ supervising partner, Richard Geraghty, after becoming puzzled by her marathon stints.
Geraghty looked into the matter and uncovered several unusual features to Fairs' time-recording.
Whereas Irwin Mitchell fee-earners would generally be expected to record 6.3 chargeable hours a day, Fairs was blasting past even the most soul-destroying targets of US firms. On 19 April 2022, she recorded 22.9 chargeable hours. A week later, she recorded 20.3 hours in a day.
Fairs also put down her time after the bills had been agreed and raised, so it was all written off. And mysteriously the all-nighters seemed to coincide with the run-up to her performance reviews, and the end of the financial year.
Although she recorded her time in six minute units on the client file note, she recorded the same numbers in hours on the time recording system. It meant that while 20 six minute units would be noted on the file, 20 hours would appear on the time recording system. The firm concluded this was a deliberate ploy so she could claim it was all an error if she was questioned.
Fairs accepted the firm’s finding she had manufactured time on her files, which included recording five hours for ‘Review/Analyse Part 36 offer on costs’ while she on sick leave - which she also put down.
Accepting the charges brought by the SRA, Fairs said in mitigation her mother had been unwell and died in 2022, while she had two young children.
https://www.rollonfriday.com/news-content/irwin-mitchell-associate-caught-falsely-recording-23-hours-day
Keir Starmer has to say he wants the injunction over-turned but keep his fingers crossed it will be upheld.
As Lincoln said but a few days before he was assassinated "I have to leave no stone unturned in my search for Jefferson Davis and by God I pray I don't find him."
https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/live/c1ej52299lqt#player
SKS can simply get friendly labour councils and saintly,Lib Dem councils to house them in hotels.
Northern Powerhouse my arse.
I assume that would be something they’d be seriously considering: the reason they haven’t done it so far is presumably, again, a matter of optics.
Kennedys exposes abuse victims' details in nightmare data breach
Kennedys has apologised and reported itself to the SRA after it accidentally revealed the names of dozens of people who had registered for updates on the Church of England’s redress scheme for victims of Church-related abuse.
The firm was appointed to administer the Church of England’s redress scheme for victims and survivors in March 2024.
But on Tuesday evening, someone at Kennedys sent an email to 194 individuals and law firms who had registered to receive updates for the scheme without blind copying them.
As a result, all the email addresses were visible to all the recipients. The firm said attempts to recall the message “were only partially successful”.
In a statement on its website attributing the galactic mistake to human error, Kennedys said it was “deeply sorry for the hurt and concern caused to everyone affected by this significant error and accepts full responsibility”.
“We have contacted everyone who received the message and have reported the incident to the Charity Commission, the Information Commissioner’s Office and the Solicitor’s Regulatory Authority”, it said.
Kennedys said it would fully comply with any investigations and had also launched an internal investigation “to understand how this could have occurred and will incorporate any lessons learnt into our procedures immediately”.
“We understand the significant impact this will have on those affected for which we apologise unreservedly”, added the firm.
https://www.rollonfriday.com/news-content/kennedys-exposes-abuse-victims-details-nightmare-data-breach
As it is, it won't.
https://www.yahoo.com/news/articles/republican-drugged-granddaughters-ice-cream-170033377.html
The GOP election chairman of Surry County, North Carolina, was arrested after allegedly drugging the ice cream of his two granddaughters with cocaine and MDMA.
In a statement by the Wilmington police department, James E. Yokeley, 66, the chair of the Surry County Board of Elections, “flagged down” an officer on August 8 at a convenience store to report that his two granddaughters found “two hard objects” in their ice creams, purchased at a nearby Dairy Queen. The objects were found to be pills.
Neither juvenile ingested the pills, and field testing showed them to contain illegal narcotics. The pills were subsequently sent to a state lab for further testing.
During the investigation, officers examined video footage which showed Yokeley placing the pills in the ice cream of his granddaughters.
Logically, there must a point at which Putin would use nuclear weapons. I'm not saying he's anywhere near or has yet been anywhere near that point, but it must exist, otherwise what is the point of a nuclear arsenal? And I'm certainly not saying that the west should back down in its support for Ukraine. Indeed, I didn't make any points about how this threat should be handled. If I had, I'd have said that the west should continue to help Ukraine to resist the Russian invasion and continue to sanction Russia, in the hope that Russia basically runs out of steam. But the fact of Russia's nuclear arsenal remains, and that needs to be borne in mind by any rational actor.
“We have seen that Shut the System are prepared to use violence to undermine parliamentary democracy with outrageous attacks such as this. We are committed to a vibrant market of ideas and Policy Exchange will not be intimidated by acts of sabotage and terrorism. This is a criminal act that should be condemned across the political spectrum – by both left and right. We await a response from the Government to this act of terrorism.”
This is the third time Policy Exchange’s offices have been violently attacked. The group claimed that one of the reasons for their attack is “labelling Palestine Action as terrorists”
https://order-order.com/2025/08/29/policy-exchanges-offices-smashed-up-by-pro-palestine-group/
I am sure the venn diagram of Shut the System and PA members are two disconnected circles....
It depends how stupid they are. They seem fairly stupid to me so I guess they will overturn it.
Live here
https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/live/c1ej52299lqt#player
FTFY
Indicates the gov't might have been successful judging by the wording there.
https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/articles/ckgeqlw05rzo
The fact that they didn't put up a candidate made such a result less likely.
‘ Third time the hotel has been used to house asylum seekers, says judge
published at 14:14
14:14
Jemma Crew & Dominic Casciani
Reporting from court
The judge is now setting out background facts. He says the Bell Hotel is situated on the outskirts of the centre of Epping and as we reported earlier, run by Somani Hotels.
It currently accommodates approximately 138 asylum seekers - the provision of this accommodation is under contract between Somani Hotels and CTM, a company contracted by the Home Office.
It is the third time the hotel has been used to accommodate asylum seekers. It was first used between May 2020 and March 2021, and then October 2022 to April 2024.
At no time during these earlier periods did the council take steps to restrain Somani from providing accommodation.’
If they start using nuclear weapons because their war of conquest is failing then they become a massive threat to every country in the world - including China - and put the survival of the regime in much more danger. This is the message that China sent to them when Russia most loudly threatened use of nuclear weapons in late 2022, and they then shut up about them.
We should not do Putin's work for him and scare ourselves silly over nuclear weapons.
Delicious.
All but one EU states demand Russia ‘stop the killing’ in Ukraine as Zelenskyy urges Monday deadline for Putin meeting
https://www.theguardian.com/world/live/2025/aug/29/ukraine-russia-war-zelenskyy-putin-latest-europe-news-updates-live
https://x.com/skynews/status/1961419310921826736?s=61
Hmmmm...
I'm predicting Reform at 42% by Xmas.
The judges seem to be suggesting that mob rule shouldn’t be allowed to affect the law .
The original high court judge seems to have really screwed up making a number of errors .
But pointing out what is actually happening on here is pointless in this echo chamber.
And yes, I know, I'm obnoxious, not worthy to breath your air. Spare me. I've heard it before.
Despite all the attention this Summer, their average across all the polling companies has hardly moved since May and is just below 30%.
This is a deeply weird line tbh.
@Dougseal Yes. Of course everyone knows the substantive issues are due to be heard in October; well I do/did at any rate.
The ability (or not) to use the hotel till then to accomodate asylum seekers is substantial and material in itself though.
https://www.electoralcalculus.co.uk/prediction_main.html
"Commentary for end-August 2025
Reform's lead over Labour has increased slightly to 9pc over last month. Reform continues to poll around 30pc in the polls, with Labour declining in the low 20s. An immediate general election would likely bring in a Reform government with a comfortable majority."
Heh
The law and Labour are in lockstep. A migrant has more rights than a British citizen. A serious moment.'
https://x.com/kelvmackenzie/status/1961423969774407718
Not sure that is not pouring fuel on the fire
Which is after all the judges' job.
Anyone who blames the judges, rather than the government, is plain wrong.
@KemiBadenoch
My statement on the Epping migrant hotel injunction decision."
https://x.com/KemiBadenoch/status/1961424040280600763
The actual merits of the case will be decided at a forthcoming hearing on the evidence which this was not. The LA may still be right that the hotel does not have planning permission for its current use.
I'm sure the council wouldn't shy away from housing the homeless in the hotel?
Mug 😂