So you are saying there is a large upside potential?
It’s becoming ever clearer that Britain’s primary economic problem is penny-pinching households and businesses. Labour have managed to suppress confidence even further since their election. Reeves’ number one priority at the budget should be to boost confidence.
I don't say you're wrong, but so many households known to me can't stretch their income to cover the full week. Spending every penny isn't penny pinching, it's feeling the pinch badly.
That’s always been true of many (even most) households. But it is emphatically not true of many many households. And it is absolutely emphatically true of many businesses that have got into the habit of sweating assets rather than investing in growth.
Our national savings rate is at historically high levels, and private (both household and corporate) debt is the lowest it’s been since the noughties. No wonder government debt is so high.
private (both household and corporate) debt is the lowest it’s been since the noughties
You say that as if you think its a bad thing.
It was excessive private debt that nearly destroyed the economy in 2007-2010.
Many of those individuals and businesses you lament for not having enough debt only survived 2007-2010 by not having too much debt.
Just to address this point from earlier in the thread.
The 2008 financial crisis has a lot to answer for. It did indeed burst what had become a debt bubble - though that debt bubble was very specifically related to excessive lending to American house buyers with no means to repay, and then repackaged into derivatives that banks poured into without any meaningful due diligence. That all led to systemic failure in the banking system, and money supply dried up.
The lesson most countries took from this, and the subsequent Eurozone sovereign debt crisis, was that everyone had borrowed too much and we needed to retrench. Governments, corporations, and households. I say most countries, because the USA took the opposite lesson - informed probably by its own experience in the 30s - and took a Keynesian approach to recovery. The USA recovered better than almost all major economies.
We then had QE for years. This suppressed interest rates, and in theory should have made saving less appealing and encouraged spending. What it encouraged instead was a series of asset bubbles fuelled by cheap finance, and the explosion of PE. But the assets seeing the bubbles were too often unproductive ones like real estate, or made unproductive in the case of equity by cost take-out from the buyers looking to flip at a profit...
That is surely the fault of successive administrations failing to invest sufficiently in economically productive infrastructure ?
The private sector was always going to do what it does. Governments didn't have to limit their spending on investment in the way they did - at a time when they could have still borrowed for the ling term, very cheaply.
That hasn’t helped, but nor has UK corporate culture or UK political rhetoric.
Trump having had a stroke isn't really a conspiracy theory is it?
I would be sympathetic to him. It's not nice.
Incidentally, might it be something like Bells' Palsy? My dad had that a while back, and the hospital treated it as if it was a stroke until they knew otherwise.
I had to get a taxi this morning, so you know what that means? It's another PB taxi driver story!
My minicab driver was very chatty and explained how... Rayner knew what she was doing and will go on I'm a Celebrity (but notStrictly). He reckoned there would be a general election next year, because there would be so many defections and/or Starmer would rather lose at a general election than stand down and be replaced by another Labour leader. Oh, and the government would have to go to the IMF soon because of government finances, and Labour will probably introduce a 10% tax on the value of your house. There'd be a Tory/Reform coalition after the election
You heard it here first. Well, second... OK, maybe seventy-sixth...
What happens when we get to the end of 2026 and Labour are still firmly in power? Presumably nothing, everyone will forget their predictions.
"Presumably nothing, everyone will forget their predictions".
Don't we always?
I realise I have made a prediction myself, and I will undoubtedly forget that I made it...
So you are saying there is a large upside potential?
It’s becoming ever clearer that Britain’s primary economic problem is penny-pinching households and businesses. Labour have managed to suppress confidence even further since their election. Reeves’ number one priority at the budget should be to boost confidence.
I don't say you're wrong, but so many households known to me can't stretch their income to cover the full week. Spending every penny isn't penny pinching, it's feeling the pinch badly.
That’s always been true of many (even most) households. But it is emphatically not true of many many households. And it is absolutely emphatically true of many businesses that have got into the habit of sweating assets rather than investing in growth.
Our national savings rate is at historically high levels, and private (both household and corporate) debt is the lowest it’s been since the noughties. No wonder government debt is so high.
private (both household and corporate) debt is the lowest it’s been since the noughties
You say that as if you think its a bad thing.
It was excessive private debt that nearly destroyed the economy in 2007-2010.
Many of those individuals and businesses you lament for not having enough debt only survived 2007-2010 by not having too much debt.
Just to address this point from earlier in the thread.
The 2008 financial crisis has a lot to answer for. It did indeed burst what had become a debt bubble - though that debt bubble was very specifically related to excessive lending to American house buyers with no means to repay, and then repackaged into derivatives that banks poured into without any meaningful due diligence. That all led to systemic failure in the banking system, and money supply dried up.
The lesson most countries took from this, and the subsequent Eurozone sovereign debt crisis, was that everyone had borrowed too much and we needed to retrench. Governments, corporations, and households. I say most countries, because the USA took the opposite lesson - informed probably by its own experience in the 30s - and took a Keynesian approach to recovery. The USA recovered better than almost all major economies.
We then had QE for years. This suppressed interest rates, and in theory should have made saving less appealing and encouraged spending. What it encouraged instead was a series of asset bubbles fuelled by cheap finance, and the explosion of PE. But the assets seeing the bubbles were too often unproductive ones like real estate, or made unproductive in the case of equity by cost take-out from the buyers looking to flip at a profit.
Meanwhile households continued to feel the fear and put more and more money away for a rainy day, typically in low yielding unproductive assets. Just like Japan from 1990 onwards. And governments regulated banking capital to such an extent that it risk taking almost disappeared from mortgage or business lending.
And the low interest rates combined with risk averse lending meant that inefficient companies could survive as zombies, while more enterprising growth companies struggled to expand. Except, again, in the ISA where VC money continued to flow and the corporate world continued to invest.
Then we saw 2 crises in a row, all of which sapped confidence and reinforced the rainy day message: Covid, and the invasion of Ukraine.
The pendulum swings, and always overcorrects. We have been in a state of overcorrection since 2008. I know it’s totally counterintuitive to a generation brought up on the received wisdom that British consumers are spendthrift and over-indebted, and businesses need to protect margins rather than taking risks, but it’s what the comparative data say. If businesses don’t invest and consumers don’t spend (or at least save into productive growth assets) then the economy won’t grow.
The UK was sodden with sub-prime lending before 2007.
I know there have been desperate attempts ever since to blame it on the USA but the reality was that the UK was dangerously over borrowing and over spending in the 2000s.
And its not received wisdom that British consumers are spendthrift, its actual fact - if they weren't the UK wouldn't have a continual trade deficit.
Finally if the government wants to increase individual investment then getting rid of cash ISAs and not increasing taxes on pensions wold be the way to do it.
I'd have a bit more time for Mandelson if he said something like this:
"I knew Jeffrey for x years. We were friends, and I enjoyed his company. I never saw any sign or indication of abuse, and during the trial I felt like a good friend was being subjected to a witch-hunt. After conviction, I stood by him. This was a mistake, and over time I have heard the compelling stories of the many victims, and realise that I, like many others, were taken for a fool."
Yes, that would work. There are plenty of politicians going around saying Lucy Letby is innocent, so believing a convicted crim is the victim of a miscarriage of justice is hardly outlandish. Sir Keir and Mandy should have gone with something like that. Did Sir Keir simply panic?
This is such tosh
Look at the birthday book. It is 50 pages (or more) of cringey innuendo - complete with drawings and photos - all about Jeff’s amusing desires - yum yum - for large amounts of young women, often clearly underage. It has actual drawings of him enticing schoolgirls
There are also jokes about him sharing these pleasures - yum yum - with all his many best friends. I find it hard to believe that Lord Yum Yum was entirely unaware of all this. He went to pedo island several times. Presumably all Epstein’s “best friends” read the birthday book and chortled
Mandelson got fired over the post-conviction emails because those are undeniable facts; that doesn’t mean he was innocently ignorant of everything else
Looking like my expectation that Starmer would shuffle off the scene and retire in year 4 of his stint as PM is optimistic.
If there's not another scandal to devour him first, it could come down to how long Labour MPs put up with being behind (or well behind) Reform in the polls. Plenty of AM/MSP candidates will be looking at all this and getting very angry
Surely UK Labour vote in a female leader next time
Yep. Hence my Phillipson bet at 33/1 for next PM.
Starmer is stubborn and has the hide of a rhinoceros, and even less insight. So I wouldn't expect him to step down any time soon. 2028, I think.
Incidentally, I dont think Mandelson will publically turn on Starmer. He is certainly enraged, but too much a Labour loyalist.
Not only is Starmer stubborn but if he believes all rules were followed he seems genuinely confused when things blow up.
....Procedure was followed as required in section 8, subsection 27, paragraph 5.....and therefore I do not understand why there is any issue what so ever over my conduct in this matter....it was an independent process and no further information crossed my desk....
Perhaps this explains Starmer.
The law is a rules engine. Or tries to be. If you present the correct input data, you get the result you want.
Leadership, moral depth & charisma are not required. Indeed, they are not supposed to effect the outcome.
In addition, the lawyer is supposed to be *outside* the process.
The FBI have released further video of someone jumping off the roof and running towards woodland, 'where a gun was found'
OK, but the guy leaving the roof doesn't appear to be carrying a long gun...
This is not something I have ever considered deeply (…) but I can see the argument for abandoning the gun at the site assuming it was unconnected to you and you were able to limit DNA etc. Carrying a gun would delay you and would be rather suspicious…
How common are lost guns in the USA? Could it be a lost one, and it's just another FBI cockup?
I imagine (may be wrong) that they are pretty much everywhere, since there are nearly half a billion in civilian ownership before we even get to the military - 390 million in 2018 with 10-25 million a year sold since. That is about 1.5 per person.
Perhaps the best comparator in the UK is lost phones, since we have 88-90 million devices, which is roughly 1.3 per person.
I'd have a bit more time for Mandelson if he said something like this:
"I knew Jeffrey for x years. We were friends, and I enjoyed his company. I never saw any sign or indication of abuse, and during the trial I felt like a good friend was being subjected to a witch-hunt. After conviction, I stood by him. This was a mistake, and over time I have heard the compelling stories of the many victims, and realise that I, like many others, were taken for a fool."
Yes, that would work. There are plenty of politicians going around saying Lucy Letby is innocent, so believing a convicted crim is the victim of a miscarriage of justice is hardly outlandish. Sir Keir and Mandy should have gone with something like that. Did Sir Keir simply panic?
I'd have a bit more time for Mandelson if he said something like this:
"I knew Jeffrey for x years. We were friends, and I enjoyed his company. I never saw any sign or indication of abuse, and during the trial I felt like a good friend was being subjected to a witch-hunt. After conviction, I stood by him. This was a mistake, and over time I have heard the compelling stories of the many victims, and realise that I, like many others, were taken for a fool."
Yes, that would work. There are plenty of politicians going around saying Lucy Letby is innocent, so believing a convicted crim is the victim of a miscarriage of justice is hardly outlandish. Sir Keir and Mandy should have gone with something like that. Did Sir Keir simply panic?
It also plays the "I was sticking up for a friend" line, which i think many people can sympathise with. How would I react if a good friend was accused of crimes that I didn't believe he or she did? Would I abandon them, or support them?
Epstein pleaded guilty. He did a plea bargain with the US authorities and the criticism at the time and later was that he had got off lightly and been given a lighter sentence than others would have.
Isn't it more likely that all these friends of Epstein simply didn't think that what he did was wrong, that the girls were willing participants or tarts and therefore simply not worth worrying about?
This after all was exactly the views that many had about the girls abused by the grooming gangs in Britain. Just because Epstein and Co were rich and the abuse took place on a nice island or in lovely houses doesn't take away from the fact that the abusive men probably had the same dismissive attitude to the girls they used.
There is certainly that possibility; indeed, it is perhaps more likely than my text.
But look at the way Lucy Connolly pled guilty, but is still seen by many as being a heroine. As I said in my post above, how far would you go to stick up for a good friend? People lie to themselves all the time, and "He can't possibly be guilty, as there's no way I could have been friends with someone like that without realising."
I do think the little paragraph I gave would have placed Mandelson in a better position than he now finds himself in.
I don't think it's credible to say that you had no idea what was happening if you've contributed to that birthday book and seen some of the other contributions. Anyone else listen to Emma Barnett interviewing the Labour minister about Mandelson (Today on Wednesday?) and wonder at the irony? You'd think she'd have more empathy with Mandelson's story that he didn't realize Epstein was involved in sex trafficking.
Trump having had a stroke isn't really a conspiracy theory is it?
I would be sympathetic to him. It's not nice.
Incidentally, might it be something like Bells' Palsy? My dad had that a while back, and the hospital treated it as if it was a stroke until they knew otherwise.
Bell's palsy can be confused for a stroke. What you do in a diagnosis is consider prior probabilities. Is this someone who is likely to have a stroke or not? Trump is old and overweight, with symptoms indicative of heart failure. He's clearly at high risk of a stroke.
The FBI have released further video of someone jumping off the roof and running towards woodland, 'where a gun was found'
OK, but the guy leaving the roof doesn't appear to be carrying a long gun...
It looks like he only has a small backpack in the video.
It's all getting a bit "grassy knoll".
Some innocent engaging in a little lunchtime parkour? Needs some practice if so, to be fair.
Not saying this chap didn't do it (incidentally he doesn't look very Trans) but hard to see how he dropped the rifle in the woods on his way. Abandoning it on the roof maybe, but he doesn't appear to have taken it with him.
OT - Absolutely bang on tha ball. Lab have perhaps two years to turn things around and then hope it feeds through to the populus. It doesn't appear likely to happen if the current folk are at the top. On the tribal identities there is some chicken and egg there. You are far more likely to be anti-Lab if you reason they are trashing the economy. If you don't then you are far less likely to be anti-Lab
The FBI have released further video of someone jumping off the roof and running towards woodland, 'where a gun was found'
OK, but the guy leaving the roof doesn't appear to be carrying a long gun...
It looks like he only has a small backpack in the video.
It's all getting a bit "grassy knoll".
Some innocent engaging in a little lunchtime parkour? Needs some practice if so, to be fair.
Not saying this chap didn't do it (incidentally he doesn't look very Trans) but hard to see how he dropped the rifle in the woods on his way. Abandoning it on the roof maybe, but he doesn't appear to have taken it with him.
Surely he'd have more conspicuous there without a rifle than with one!
I am not saying he didn't have a rifle. I just dont see how the rifle got from the rooftop to the woods.
Agreed. I was just being a little facetious about gun-carrying Americans. But it didn't look as though the chap who jumped down from the roof was carrying anything.
An associate the other side of the building took the gun?
I don't think the suspect in the video can possibly be trans.
I mean, how can you jump off a roof like that whilst in high heels?
Trump having had a stroke isn't really a conspiracy theory is it?
I would be sympathetic to him. It's not nice.
Incidentally, might it be something like Bells' Palsy? My dad had that a while back, and the hospital treated it as if it was a stroke until they knew otherwise.
My comment was about it being a conspiracy theory. Not about my feelings about strokes. It seems patently obvious to me that there is a medical issue. One that occurred during the six days he disappeared and returned with huge bruising on the back of his hand. It would stretch credulity to dispute that. But like so much with Trump it goes largely unremarked on.
Trump having had a stroke isn't really a conspiracy theory is it?
I would be sympathetic to him. It's not nice.
Incidentally, might it be something like Bells' Palsy? My dad had that a while back, and the hospital treated it as if it was a stroke until they knew otherwise.
Bell's palsy can be confused for a stroke. What you do in a diagnosis is consider prior probabilities. Is this someone who is likely to have a stroke or not? Trump is old and overweight, with symptoms indicative of heart failure. He's clearly at high risk of a stroke.
Whether he has had one, I've no idea.
A Bells Palsy would affect the forehead as well, not just the cheek and lower face as it is Lower Motor Neurone. If this is at it appears then it is a central lesion.
Was the Trans bullet casings thing a far-right hoax in the end? Struggling to work out what the truth is but note quite a few papers still have that claim up, with others suggesting it was a false report from some dodgy law enforcement official.
Difficult to know what to trust in Trump's America.
Those far-right hoaxers at the Wall St Journal are sticking to their story.
Was the Trans bullet casings thing a far-right hoax in the end? Struggling to work out what the truth is but note quite a few papers still have that claim up, with others suggesting it was a false report from some dodgy law enforcement official.
Difficult to know what to trust in Trump's America.
An ATF document mentioning transgender and anti-fascist markings on the ammunition was leaked to Steven Crowder. That was reported by the WSJ, which was in turn reported by other papers, then by other papers, and so on
Another ATF agent communicated with the New York Times, warning them to hold off as that was unconfirmed. This was reported by the NYT, which was in turn reported by other papers, and so on
People online pointed out that bullets usually have manufacturer stamped marks on them and that some of them (eg "TRN") can be misinterpreted as trans marks
4Chan has identified a person and a trans person as the shooter due to facial similarity and a song, but others argue they are not the same person
As of this moment nothing has been confirmed and all reports are reports of rumours
Trump having had a stroke isn't really a conspiracy theory is it?
I would be sympathetic to him. It's not nice.
Incidentally, might it be something like Bells' Palsy? My dad had that a while back, and the hospital treated it as if it was a stroke until they knew otherwise.
Bell's palsy can be confused for a stroke. What you do in a diagnosis is consider prior probabilities. Is this someone who is likely to have a stroke or not? Trump is old and overweight, with symptoms indicative of heart failure. He's clearly at high risk of a stroke.
Whether he has had one, I've no idea.
A Bells Palsy would affect the forehead as well, not just the cheek and lower face as it is Lower Motor Neurone. If this is at it appears then it is a central lesion.
Wrestling commentator and legend Jim Ross had it. In his shoot videos he did say it was confused for a stroke initially.
It was even used against him as an angle by some really vile people
So you are saying there is a large upside potential?
It’s becoming ever clearer that Britain’s primary economic problem is penny-pinching households and businesses. Labour have managed to suppress confidence even further since their election. Reeves’ number one priority at the budget should be to boost confidence.
I don't say you're wrong, but so many households known to me can't stretch their income to cover the full week. Spending every penny isn't penny pinching, it's feeling the pinch badly.
That’s always been true of many (even most) households. But it is emphatically not true of many many households. And it is absolutely emphatically true of many businesses that have got into the habit of sweating assets rather than investing in growth.
Our national savings rate is at historically high levels, and private (both household and corporate) debt is the lowest it’s been since the noughties. No wonder government debt is so high.
private (both household and corporate) debt is the lowest it’s been since the noughties
You say that as if you think its a bad thing.
It was excessive private debt that nearly destroyed the economy in 2007-2010.
Many of those individuals and businesses you lament for not having enough debt only survived 2007-2010 by not having too much debt.
Just to address this point from earlier in the thread.
The 2008 financial crisis has a lot to answer for. It did indeed burst what had become a debt bubble - though that debt bubble was very specifically related to excessive lending to American house buyers with no means to repay, and then repackaged into derivatives that banks poured into without any meaningful due diligence. That all led to systemic failure in the banking system, and money supply dried up.
The lesson most countries took from this, and the subsequent Eurozone sovereign debt crisis, was that everyone had borrowed too much and we needed to retrench. Governments, corporations, and households. I say most countries, because the USA took the opposite lesson - informed probably by its own experience in the 30s - and took a Keynesian approach to recovery. The USA recovered better than almost all major economies.
We then had QE for years. This suppressed interest rates, and in theory should have made saving less appealing and encouraged spending. What it encouraged instead was a series of asset bubbles fuelled by cheap finance, and the explosion of PE. But the assets seeing the bubbles were too often unproductive ones like real estate, or made unproductive in the case of equity by cost take-out from the buyers looking to flip at a profit...
That is surely the fault of successive administrations failing to invest sufficiently in economically productive infrastructure ?
The private sector was always going to do what it does. Governments didn't have to limit their spending on investment in the way they did - at a time when they could have still borrowed for the ling term, very cheaply.
Cameron and Osborne again. They were too busy at that time wiith politically performative gestures like creating the OBR, instead.
So you are saying there is a large upside potential?
It’s becoming ever clearer that Britain’s primary economic problem is penny-pinching households and businesses. Labour have managed to suppress confidence even further since their election. Reeves’ number one priority at the budget should be to boost confidence.
The lack of confidence is a symptom of the problem, not the problem in itself. The problem is a state that seems determined to strangle economic growth, even as it gaslights about wanting to boost it. That causes low confidence. And to boost confidence in the private sector, which is the ultimate source of all long term economic growth, the government needs to stop raising taxes on the productive and enterprising, cut spending on unproductive malingerers and losers and deregulate.
But they're going to jack up taxes further, especially no doubt those taxes (business and payroll) that hurt growth in the long term and regulate more. And they've failed spectacularly to cut spending despite a gigantic majority.
So, barring some miracle or change in the laws of economics, we have at least three more years of stagnation.
I would love to be wrong about this but I'm almost certain.
ODD THINGS GOING ON WITH FISHING’s FORMATTING. THIS IS MY REPLY
It’s been a structural problem for this country since 2008. Labour may make it worse or better, but look around at our peers and most are in a similar position. The big area where we’re worse is in business investment and productivity growth, and there we lag several countries with much higher taxes and a much larger public sector.
xxxxxx
ODD THINGS GOING ON WITH FISHING’s FORMATTING. THIS IS MY REPLY:
Yes. And just to follow up with an off the wall question. IIRC the UK economy is heavily dependent on consumer spending for its vitality and health; I think we are being told that people are cautious about discretionary spending because of doubts about the future and so on.
Suppose a few million people are undergoing a bit of a zeitgeist shift, one which is entirely possible. The shift is this: that discretionary consumerism is massively overdone and most of the best things in life, once the non-discretionary bills are paid, are either free or inexpensive.
Instances: Tickling the baby's toes. Walks, countryside. Youtube. Drinking with friends at home instead of the pub.
Any interest in the Irish Presidential election? Nominations close on September 24th. Polling day is Friday 24th October.
The latest opinion poll (5th September) had the three candidates nominated so far almost tied for first preferences.
Heather Humphreys (Fine Gael) 21% Jim Gavin (Fianna Fail) 20% Catherine Connolly (Independent, ex-Labour, nominated by the small Left parties) 20% Don't Know 39%
The AV system used would mean that it is almost more important who is third, rather than first, when deciding the outcome of such a vote.
Sinn Fein haven't decided whether, or who, to run as a candidate yet.
Maria Steen, an independent who is a prominent Conservative activist who is well known for being on the losing side in the gay marriage and abortion referendums, but on the winning side for the latest referendum (on care and the woman's place in the home), still has a chance of being nominated. She currently has 10 of the required 20 TDs/Senators.
There are other people who have declared a candidacy, who are trying to gain the support of 4 local authorities to be nominated. With FF and FG both running candidates, it currently looks unlikely that anyone will be nominated by this route - but I don't know enough about the individuals concerned to know if they might have particular local links in an area that could help them.
Isn't the suggestion that Farage bought the house through his partner to avoid the extra Stamp Duty? That is perfectly legal, in the sense that he gives his partner money as a gift to buy the house and has no legal interest in it, but politically suboptimal. I didn't think there was a suggestion that his partner hadn't paid the tax due if it was her purchase (which seems to be what the quoted article is about).
Farage/partner don't owe any tax and have certainly done nothing illegal, but having partner buy the home you live in for tax efficiency purposes (if it was Farage's money rather than hers, which is not yet determined) looks a bit hypocritical given the attacks on Rayner.
Totally O/t but how many Local Energy Advisors are there in any given locality? I think I've have just had my fourth call in three days by someone announcing that they are my ' Local Energy Advisor' and offering me a free consultation.
So you are saying there is a large upside potential?
It’s becoming ever clearer that Britain’s primary economic problem is penny-pinching households and businesses. Labour have managed to suppress confidence even further since their election. Reeves’ number one priority at the budget should be to boost confidence.
I don't say you're wrong, but so many households known to me can't stretch their income to cover the full week. Spending every penny isn't penny pinching, it's feeling the pinch badly.
That’s always been true of many (even most) households. But it is emphatically not true of many many households. And it is absolutely emphatically true of many businesses that have got into the habit of sweating assets rather than investing in growth.
Our national savings rate is at historically high levels, and private (both household and corporate) debt is the lowest it’s been since the noughties. No wonder government debt is so high.
private (both household and corporate) debt is the lowest it’s been since the noughties
You say that as if you think its a bad thing.
It was excessive private debt that nearly destroyed the economy in 2007-2010.
Many of those individuals and businesses you lament for not having enough debt only survived 2007-2010 by not having too much debt.
Just to address this point from earlier in the thread.
The 2008 financial crisis has a lot to answer for. It did indeed burst what had become a debt bubble - though that debt bubble was very specifically related to excessive lending to American house buyers with no means to repay, and then repackaged into derivatives that banks poured into without any meaningful due diligence. That all led to systemic failure in the banking system, and money supply dried up.
The lesson most countries took from this, and the subsequent Eurozone sovereign debt crisis, was that everyone had borrowed too much and we needed to retrench. Governments, corporations, and households. I say most countries, because the USA took the opposite lesson - informed probably by its own experience in the 30s - and took a Keynesian approach to recovery. The USA recovered better than almost all major economies.
We then had QE for years. This suppressed interest rates, and in theory should have made saving less appealing and encouraged spending. What it encouraged instead was a series of asset bubbles fuelled by cheap finance, and the explosion of PE. But the assets seeing the bubbles were too often unproductive ones like real estate, or made unproductive in the case of equity by cost take-out from the buyers looking to flip at a profit.
Meanwhile households continued to feel the fear and put more and more money away for a rainy day, typically in low yielding unproductive assets. Just like Japan from 1990 onwards. And governments regulated banking capital to such an extent that it risk taking almost disappeared from mortgage or business lending.
And the low interest rates combined with risk averse lending meant that inefficient companies could survive as zombies, while more enterprising growth companies struggled to expand. Except, again, in the ISA where VC money continued to flow and the corporate world continued to invest.
Then we saw 2 crises in a row, all of which sapped confidence and reinforced the rainy day message: Covid, and the invasion of Ukraine.
The pendulum swings, and always overcorrects. We have been in a state of overcorrection since 2008. I know it’s totally counterintuitive to a generation brought up on the received wisdom that British consumers are spendthrift and over-indebted, and businesses need to protect margins rather than taking risks, but it’s what the comparative data say. If businesses don’t invest and consumers don’t spend (or at least save into productive growth assets) then the economy won’t grow.
The UK was sodden with sub-prime lending before 2007.
I know there have been desperate attempts ever since to blame it on the USA but the reality was that the UK was dangerously over borrowing and over spending in the 2000s.
And its not received wisdom that British consumers are spendthrift, its actual fact - if they weren't the UK wouldn't have a continual trade deficit.
Finally if the government wants to increase individual investment then getting rid of cash ISAs and not increasing taxes on pensions wold be the way to do it.
The vast majority of UK private debt is not consumption, it is housing. Without major structural changes to the housing market then commercial investment will be crowded out by housing. Its a can of worms, but the reality of British failures in investment, productivity and output have their roots in the UK housing market. That is the unmentionable.
I much prefer this weather to the heat of a month or so ago, but surprised it's so cool.
Has NATO decided whether to actually do something about the Russian drone incursion, beyond tutting?
They're sending a lot air defence assets to Poland and begging the Ukrainians for drone interceptors.
It looks a lot like normalising Russia sending repeated waves of drones into Poland, rather than doing something to prevent or deter it, while weakening Ukraine's defences.
The current Zapad exercise is already creating a fair deal of tension, and the Russians are demanding that the Poles open the Belarusian frontier, which is currently closed. The timing for countermeasures is not ideal. After Zapad ends, then I suspect a few Russian assets may end up going "bang". The petrol shortages in Russia are not easing and the Russian economy is sagging again. The Ukrainians are also mauling the Russian attacks very intensely, and some Russian units disintegrated. You can see why the Russians timed their attacks on Poland in the way they did, so if Trump really thinks they were a "mistake", then perhaps his alleged stroke has damaged his cognition to article 25 levels.
"We were supposed to have sanctions, and instead we got Alaska,” said Radosław Sikorski, Poland’s Minister of Foreign Affairs and Deputy Prime Minister, on Fox News with Bret Baier. https://x.com/Tatarigami_UA/status/1966396148555624803
As with others, I completely respect Mandelson's political achievements especially in the 80s and 90s when he was instrumental in turning Labour from a party flirting with obscurity to an unparalleled election winning machine. The Labour campaigns of the mid-90s and the GE campaign of 1997 were masterpieces of their time - the Conservatives, by contrast, were like a cyclist with a flat tyre trying to keep up,with a Ferrari.
That was then, however, and we know how Mandelson's time in office worked out (or didn't). His "I'm a fighter, not a quitter" line from 2001 was famously re-purposed by Liz Truss in 2022 (was it the day before she quit?).
I'm sure his advice was and has been useful for Labour and in that capacity he was probably a help to the re-habilitation of Labour under Starmer (the parallels between 2019 and 1983 for Labour were obvious) but to offer him the "reward" of such a significant Ambassadorial role knowing what was publicly (and privately) known about his relationship with Epstein seems to be the height of folly.
Mandelson is entitled to protest his innocence and "guilt by association" is only a crime in politics. The trouble is, Mandelson is politics and iyou have to play by the rules if you want to play the game. Had he remained quietly in the background, nothing of significance beyond the usual speculation would have occurred but re-emerging into the political frontline wasn't a good idea either for him or for Starmer, however much the latter may have felt he "owed" Madelson for his contributions.
Also extremely unwise to put known Epstein pal Mandelson in the primary role of dealing with known Epstein pal Trump when the issue was bound to blow up sooner or later (sooner in fact). The strategising eejits (aka Morgan McSweeney etc) probably thought this was a masterstroke in establishing a rapport between Mandy and Don.
The available evidence suggests that it worked quite well since the inauguration. I think Britain generally has the best diplomatic relationship with the US for any country that doesn't have a dictator or right-wing mini-Trump as leader. I think it's fair to give Mandelson a lot of credit for that.
But they weren't able to defuse this story, or to deal with it effectively once it blew up.
So we achieve by grovelling what the dictators & right-wing mini-Trumps do by running rings round the fuddled old buffoon? Not sure if it's quite a definition of success, particularly when capricious old Don can flip at any minute.
You can make the case for not taking any special measures to appeal to Trump, and concentrating on improving relationships with countries that don't have a shithead as leader.
But judging the appointment in the context of the strategy chosen, I think it was one of the most successful actions of the Starmer ministry. Whether this says more about Starmer or Mandelson I leave to your judgement.
I'm tech support for various family and friends, including for Windows computer issues, which is kind of odd as my expertise is low - I use Linux at home and while I had a Windows laptop for work that's organisation-managed so I can't tweak any settings there, really. So, when I'm troubleshooting Windows I'm flailing around looking for equivalent settings to those available on Linux, which are often more hidden on Windows
Anyway, current problem. Elderly family member had Windows computer (Win 11) in study that wasn't connecting to any websites. I was able to diagnose the main problem - the ethernet cable I'd run from router at other end of the house to study was not plugged in at the router end and wifi was off (wifi is poor in study anyway). But once reconnected via ethernet cable, some sites were still not working - bbc.co.uk, lloydsbank.com, nts.org.uk - message, in Firefox and Edge (he doesn't have Chrome installed) was for website not found. Others such as google.com and amazon.co.uk working fine. My Linux laptop, on the same cable, connects fine to the problem websites. I thought maybe DNS (I've got Google DNS servers set up on the laptop, his laptop was getting DNS info via DHCP, presumably Sky DNS as that's the ISP) so I changed - I think - the DNS settings to Google on the Windows laptop too. No change in website access. Have since brought the laptop to my house and it connects fine to those sites (DHCP automatic DNS selection; my ISP is Plusnet).
So, this does have to be DNS, right? Is there something I'm missing in Windows to actually make it use set DNS servers? Does it need a reboot or something? Some kind of cache I need to clear if, say, the ISP DNS was returning junk which has been stored? Other diagnostics to run?
I guess ISP/router site restrictions/firewall are also possibilities, but I'd expect an error page more specific than can't find site in those cases? Should note that other devices on the network on Wifi have no issues connecting to any sites. The laptop, taken to the router and put on Wifi still had issues with those sites.
My first thoughts were malware but if it works 100% for you in your home it's not that.
When you are back with him
From the command line run ipconfig /all that should show you what the dns settings are - remember DHCP may reset them back to the ISP own DNS servers
I'm tech support for various family and friends, including for Windows computer issues, which is kind of odd as my expertise is low - I use Linux at home and while I had a Windows laptop for work that's organisation-managed so I can't tweak any settings there, really. So, when I'm troubleshooting Windows I'm flailing around looking for equivalent settings to those available on Linux, which are often more hidden on Windows
Anyway, current problem. Elderly family member had Windows computer (Win 11) in study that wasn't connecting to any websites. I was able to diagnose the main problem - the ethernet cable I'd run from router at other end of the house to study was not plugged in at the router end and wifi was off (wifi is poor in study anyway). But once reconnected via ethernet cable, some sites were still not working - bbc.co.uk, lloydsbank.com, nts.org.uk - message, in Firefox and Edge (he doesn't have Chrome installed) was for website not found. Others such as google.com and amazon.co.uk working fine. My Linux laptop, on the same cable, connects fine to the problem websites. I thought maybe DNS (I've got Google DNS servers set up on the laptop, his laptop was getting DNS info via DHCP, presumably Sky DNS as that's the ISP) so I changed - I think - the DNS settings to Google on the Windows laptop too. No change in website access. Have since brought the laptop to my house and it connects fine to those sites (DHCP automatic DNS selection; my ISP is Plusnet).
So, this does have to be DNS, right? Is there something I'm missing in Windows to actually make it use set DNS servers? Does it need a reboot or something? Some kind of cache I need to clear if, say, the ISP DNS was returning junk which has been stored? Other diagnostics to run?
I guess ISP/router site restrictions/firewall are also possibilities, but I'd expect an error page more specific than can't find site in those cases? Should note that other devices on the network on Wifi have no issues connecting to any sites. The laptop, taken to the router and put on Wifi still had issues with those sites.
I'd have a bit more time for Mandelson if he said something like this:
"I knew Jeffrey for x years. We were friends, and I enjoyed his company. I never saw any sign or indication of abuse, and during the trial I felt like a good friend was being subjected to a witch-hunt. After conviction, I stood by him. This was a mistake, and over time I have heard the compelling stories of the many victims, and realise that I, like many others, were taken for a fool."
Yes, that would work. There are plenty of politicians going around saying Lucy Letby is innocent, so believing a convicted crim is the victim of a miscarriage of justice is hardly outlandish. Sir Keir and Mandy should have gone with something like that. Did Sir Keir simply panic?
I'd have a bit more time for Mandelson if he said something like this:
"I knew Jeffrey for x years. We were friends, and I enjoyed his company. I never saw any sign or indication of abuse, and during the trial I felt like a good friend was being subjected to a witch-hunt. After conviction, I stood by him. This was a mistake, and over time I have heard the compelling stories of the many victims, and realise that I, like many others, were taken for a fool."
Yes, that would work. There are plenty of politicians going around saying Lucy Letby is innocent, so believing a convicted crim is the victim of a miscarriage of justice is hardly outlandish. Sir Keir and Mandy should have gone with something like that. Did Sir Keir simply panic?
It also plays the "I was sticking up for a friend" line, which i think many people can sympathise with. How would I react if a good friend was accused of crimes that I didn't believe he or she did? Would I abandon them, or support them?
Epstein pleaded guilty. He did a plea bargain with the US authorities and the criticism at the time and later was that he had got off lightly and been given a lighter sentence than others would have.
Isn't it more likely that all these friends of Epstein simply didn't think that what he did was wrong, that the girls were willing participants or tarts and therefore simply not worth worrying about?
This after all was exactly the views that many had about the girls abused by the grooming gangs in Britain. Just because Epstein and Co were rich and the abuse took place on a nice island or in lovely houses doesn't take away from the fact that the abusive men probably had the same dismissive attitude to the girls they used.
There is certainly that possibility; indeed, it is perhaps more likely than my text.
But look at the way Lucy Connolly pled guilty, but is still seen by many as being a heroine. As I said in my post above, how far would you go to stick up for a good friend? People lie to themselves all the time, and "He can't possibly be guilty, as there's no way I could have been friends with someone like that without realising."
I do think the little paragraph I gave would have placed Mandelson in a better position than he now finds himself in.
I don't think it's credible to say that you had no idea what was happening if you've contributed to that birthday book and seen some of the other contributions. Anyone else listen to Emma Barnett interviewing the Labour minister about Mandelson (Today on Wednesday?) and wonder at the irony? You'd think she'd have more empathy with Mandelson's story that he didn't realize Epstein was involved in sex trafficking.
I don't think there would be any knowledge of other contributions.
It was compiled by Ghislaine Maxwell, and I don't see 100-150 contributors all coming into her office to write something up and sign it.
It is more imo like a scrap book made from supplied leaves or scans, with some contributions affixed, then professionally bound. That can I think be seen from the scanned version supplied by the Congressional Committee:
I had to get a taxi this morning, so you know what that means? It's another PB taxi driver story!
My minicab driver was very chatty and explained how... Rayner knew what she was doing and will go on I'm a Celebrity (but notStrictly). He reckoned there would be a general election next year, because there would be so many defections and/or Starmer would rather lose at a general election than stand down and be replaced by another Labour leader. Oh, and the government would have to go to the IMF soon because of government finances, and Labour will probably introduce a 10% tax on the value of your house. There'd be a Tory/Reform coalition after the election
You heard it here first. Well, second... OK, maybe seventy-sixth...
What happens when we get to the end of 2026 and Labour are still firmly in power? Presumably nothing, everyone will forget their predictions.
Am election next year requires 90 or so MPs to leave the Labour Party and then as Turkeys vote for Christmas - I don’t see it happening
It would require the Labour Party to split, and for the party e not in government to believe that an election would improve their position.
It's not entirely impossible, but it's exceedingly unlikely. That said, Starmer taking his popularity down to towards record Truss lows, with weekly government scandals and a deteriorating fiscal situation, does provide some of the necessary preconditions.
Trump having had a stroke isn't really a conspiracy theory is it?
I would be sympathetic to him. It's not nice.
Incidentally, might it be something like Bells' Palsy? My dad had that a while back, and the hospital treated it as if it was a stroke until they knew otherwise.
Bell's palsy can be confused for a stroke. What you do in a diagnosis is consider prior probabilities. Is this someone who is likely to have a stroke or not? Trump is old and overweight, with symptoms indicative of heart failure. He's clearly at high risk of a stroke.
Whether he has had one, I've no idea.
A Bells Palsy would affect the forehead as well, not just the cheek and lower face as it is Lower Motor Neurone. If this is at it appears then it is a central lesion.
Wrestling commentator and legend Jim Ross had it. In his shoot videos he did say it was confused for a stroke initially.
It was even used against him as an angle by some really vile people
Yes, but the physical signs are quite different (and both LMN and UMN Facial palsies have quite a lot of potential causes) but I would fail a medical student if they couldn't tell the neurological features apart!
I wouldn't expect the same level of understanding from lay people of course.
Totally O/t but how many Local Energy Advisors are there in any given locality? I think I've have just had my fourth call in three days by someone announcing that they are my ' Local Energy Advisor' and offering me a free consultation.
It's nearly as bad as Microsoft repair persons!
It's a boiler room operation, is it not?
If I don't close them down, I tell them I have rooms in my roof - which I do.
Isn't the suggestion that Farage bought the house through his partner to avoid the extra Stamp Duty? That is perfectly legal, in the sense that he gives his partner money as a gift to buy the house and has no legal interest in it, but politically suboptimal. I didn't think there was a suggestion that his partner hadn't paid the tax due if it was her purchase (which seems to be what the quoted article is about).
Farage/partner don't owe any tax and have certainly done nothing illegal, but having partner buy the home you live in for tax efficiency purposes (if it was Farage's money rather than hers, which is not yet determined) looks a bit hypocritical given the attacks on Rayner.
The implication, or inference, is she bought the house with his money to duck tax. Yes.
I'm tech support for various family and friends, including for Windows computer issues, which is kind of odd as my expertise is low - I use Linux at home and while I had a Windows laptop for work that's organisation-managed so I can't tweak any settings there, really. So, when I'm troubleshooting Windows I'm flailing around looking for equivalent settings to those available on Linux, which are often more hidden on Windows
Anyway, current problem. Elderly family member had Windows computer (Win 11) in study that wasn't connecting to any websites. I was able to diagnose the main problem - the ethernet cable I'd run from router at other end of the house to study was not plugged in at the router end and wifi was off (wifi is poor in study anyway). But once reconnected via ethernet cable, some sites were still not working - bbc.co.uk, lloydsbank.com, nts.org.uk - message, in Firefox and Edge (he doesn't have Chrome installed) was for website not found. Others such as google.com and amazon.co.uk working fine. My Linux laptop, on the same cable, connects fine to the problem websites. I thought maybe DNS (I've got Google DNS servers set up on the laptop, his laptop was getting DNS info via DHCP, presumably Sky DNS as that's the ISP) so I changed - I think - the DNS settings to Google on the Windows laptop too. No change in website access. Have since brought the laptop to my house and it connects fine to those sites (DHCP automatic DNS selection; my ISP is Plusnet).
So, this does have to be DNS, right? Is there something I'm missing in Windows to actually make it use set DNS servers? Does it need a reboot or something? Some kind of cache I need to clear if, say, the ISP DNS was returning junk which has been stored? Other diagnostics to run?
I guess ISP/router site restrictions/firewall are also possibilities, but I'd expect an error page more specific than can't find site in those cases? Should note that other devices on the network on Wifi have no issues connecting to any sites. The laptop, taken to the router and put on Wifi still had issues with those sites.
My first thoughts were malware but if it works 100% for you in your home it's not that.
When you are back with him
From the command line run ipconfig /all that should show you what the dns settings are - remember DHCP may reset them back to the ISP own DNS servers
Any interest in the Irish Presidential election? Nominations close on September 24th. Polling day is Friday 24th October.
The latest opinion poll (5th September) had the three candidates nominated so far almost tied for first preferences.
Heather Humphreys (Fine Gael) 21% Jim Gavin (Fianna Fail) 20% Catherine Connolly (Independent, ex-Labour, nominated by the small Left parties) 20% Don't Know 39%
The AV system used would mean that it is almost more important who is third, rather than first, when deciding the outcome of such a vote.
Sinn Fein haven't decided whether, or who, to run as a candidate yet.
Maria Steen, an independent who is a prominent Conservative activist who is well known for being on the losing side in the gay marriage and abortion referendums, but on the winning side for the latest referendum (on care and the woman's place in the home), still has a chance of being nominated. She currently has 10 of the required 20 TDs/Senators.
There are other people who have declared a candidacy, who are trying to gain the support of 4 local authorities to be nominated. With FF and FG both running candidates, it currently looks unlikely that anyone will be nominated by this route - but I don't know enough about the individuals concerned to know if they might have particular local links in an area that could help them.
What about UFC (you decide for what this acronym stands for) legend Connor McGregor? Has he recused himself for reasons of being an arsehole?
I'm tech support for various family and friends, including for Windows computer issues, which is kind of odd as my expertise is low - I use Linux at home and while I had a Windows laptop for work that's organisation-managed so I can't tweak any settings there, really. So, when I'm troubleshooting Windows I'm flailing around looking for equivalent settings to those available on Linux, which are often more hidden on Windows
Anyway, current problem. Elderly family member had Windows computer (Win 11) in study that wasn't connecting to any websites. I was able to diagnose the main problem - the ethernet cable I'd run from router at other end of the house to study was not plugged in at the router end and wifi was off (wifi is poor in study anyway). But once reconnected via ethernet cable, some sites were still not working - bbc.co.uk, lloydsbank.com, nts.org.uk - message, in Firefox and Edge (he doesn't have Chrome installed) was for website not found. Others such as google.com and amazon.co.uk working fine. My Linux laptop, on the same cable, connects fine to the problem websites. I thought maybe DNS (I've got Google DNS servers set up on the laptop, his laptop was getting DNS info via DHCP, presumably Sky DNS as that's the ISP) so I changed - I think - the DNS settings to Google on the Windows laptop too. No change in website access. Have since brought the laptop to my house and it connects fine to those sites (DHCP automatic DNS selection; my ISP is Plusnet).
So, this does have to be DNS, right? Is there something I'm missing in Windows to actually make it use set DNS servers? Does it need a reboot or something? Some kind of cache I need to clear if, say, the ISP DNS was returning junk which has been stored? Other diagnostics to run?
I guess ISP/router site restrictions/firewall are also possibilities, but I'd expect an error page more specific than can't find site in those cases? Should note that other devices on the network on Wifi have no issues connecting to any sites. The laptop, taken to the router and put on Wifi still had issues with those sites.
I've sent you a DM on this question
Either that’s very funny or you have hidden tech talents.
I'm tech support for various family and friends, including for Windows computer issues, which is kind of odd as my expertise is low - I use Linux at home and while I had a Windows laptop for work that's organisation-managed so I can't tweak any settings there, really. So, when I'm troubleshooting Windows I'm flailing around looking for equivalent settings to those available on Linux, which are often more hidden on Windows
Anyway, current problem. Elderly family member had Windows computer (Win 11) in study that wasn't connecting to any websites. I was able to diagnose the main problem - the ethernet cable I'd run from router at other end of the house to study was not plugged in at the router end and wifi was off (wifi is poor in study anyway). But once reconnected via ethernet cable, some sites were still not working - bbc.co.uk, lloydsbank.com, nts.org.uk - message, in Firefox and Edge (he doesn't have Chrome installed) was for website not found. Others such as google.com and amazon.co.uk working fine. My Linux laptop, on the same cable, connects fine to the problem websites. I thought maybe DNS (I've got Google DNS servers set up on the laptop, his laptop was getting DNS info via DHCP, presumably Sky DNS as that's the ISP) so I changed - I think - the DNS settings to Google on the Windows laptop too. No change in website access. Have since brought the laptop to my house and it connects fine to those sites (DHCP automatic DNS selection; my ISP is Plusnet).
So, this does have to be DNS, right? Is there something I'm missing in Windows to actually make it use set DNS servers? Does it need a reboot or something? Some kind of cache I need to clear if, say, the ISP DNS was returning junk which has been stored? Other diagnostics to run?
I guess ISP/router site restrictions/firewall are also possibilities, but I'd expect an error page more specific than can't find site in those cases? Should note that other devices on the network on Wifi have no issues connecting to any sites. The laptop, taken to the router and put on Wifi still had issues with those sites.
I've sent you a DM on this question
Thanks. Useful suggestions from the tech that must not be mentioned Should have thought of that myself. Google searches on the specific problem weren't really helping (probably would have done if I'd kept it more general, such as diagnosing DNS issues)
Isn't the suggestion that Farage bought the house through his partner to avoid the extra Stamp Duty? That is perfectly legal, in the sense that he gives his partner money as a gift to buy the house and has no legal interest in it, but politically suboptimal. I didn't think there was a suggestion that his partner hadn't paid the tax due if it was her purchase (which seems to be what the quoted article is about).
Farage/partner don't owe any tax and have certainly done nothing illegal, but having partner buy the home you live in for tax efficiency purposes (if it was Farage's money rather than hers, which is not yet determined) looks a bit hypocritical given the attacks on Rayner.
Yes.
But Farage does not give a hoot about putting out straight fabrications if it is to his political advantage, or lying todeceiving the US Congress, so why would he worry about that?
Trump having had a stroke isn't really a conspiracy theory is it?
I would be sympathetic to him. It's not nice.
Incidentally, might it be something like Bells' Palsy? My dad had that a while back, and the hospital treated it as if it was a stroke until they knew otherwise.
Bell's palsy can be confused for a stroke. What you do in a diagnosis is consider prior probabilities. Is this someone who is likely to have a stroke or not? Trump is old and overweight, with symptoms indicative of heart failure. He's clearly at high risk of a stroke.
Whether he has had one, I've no idea.
A Bells Palsy would affect the forehead as well, not just the cheek and lower face as it is Lower Motor Neurone. If this is at it appears then it is a central lesion.
Wrestling commentator and legend Jim Ross had it. In his shoot videos he did say it was confused for a stroke initially.
It was even used against him as an angle by some really vile people
Yes, but the physical signs are quite different (and both LMN and UMN Facial palsies have quite a lot of potential causes) but I would fail a medical student if they couldn't tell the neurological features apart!
I wouldn't expect the same level of understanding from lay people of course.
Anyway, the good news is JR made a good recovery. The bad news is the great man now has cancer.
The FBI have released further video of someone jumping off the roof and running towards woodland, 'where a gun was found'
OK, but the guy leaving the roof doesn't appear to be carrying a long gun...
This is not something I have ever considered deeply (…) but I can see the argument for abandoning the gun at the site assuming it was unconnected to you and you were able to limit DNA etc. Carrying a gun would delay you and would be rather suspicious…
Yes, but that's not the point. He didn't leave the gun on the roof. The gun was in the trees. How did the gun get into the trees if the guy leaving the roof was not carrying it?
Isn't the suggestion that Farage bought the house through his partner to avoid the extra Stamp Duty? That is perfectly legal, in the sense that he gives his partner money as a gift to buy the house and has no legal interest in it, but politically suboptimal. I didn't think there was a suggestion that his partner hadn't paid the tax due if it was her purchase (which seems to be what the quoted article is about).
Farage/partner don't owe any tax and have certainly done nothing illegal, but having partner buy the home you live in for tax efficiency purposes (if it was Farage's money rather than hers, which is not yet determined) looks a bit hypocritical given the attacks on Rayner.
The implication, or inference, is she bought the house with his money to duck tax. Yes.
Yes, or AML scrutiny.
He denies giving her the money, so maybe someone else did.
Any interest in the Irish Presidential election? Nominations close on September 24th. Polling day is Friday 24th October.
The latest opinion poll (5th September) had the three candidates nominated so far almost tied for first preferences.
Heather Humphreys (Fine Gael) 21% Jim Gavin (Fianna Fail) 20% Catherine Connolly (Independent, ex-Labour, nominated by the small Left parties) 20% Don't Know 39%
The AV system used would mean that it is almost more important who is third, rather than first, when deciding the outcome of such a vote.
Sinn Fein haven't decided whether, or who, to run as a candidate yet.
Maria Steen, an independent who is a prominent Conservative activist who is well known for being on the losing side in the gay marriage and abortion referendums, but on the winning side for the latest referendum (on care and the woman's place in the home), still has a chance of being nominated. She currently has 10 of the required 20 TDs/Senators.
There are other people who have declared a candidacy, who are trying to gain the support of 4 local authorities to be nominated. With FF and FG both running candidates, it currently looks unlikely that anyone will be nominated by this route - but I don't know enough about the individuals concerned to know if they might have particular local links in an area that could help them.
What about UFC (you decide for what this acronym stands for) legend Connor McGregor? Has he recused himself for reasons of being an arsehole?
It stands for Ultimate Fighting Championship. No one needs to decide what it stands for. That is what it stands for.
Pressure mounts on Sir Keir Starmer over political judgement in appointing Lord Mandelson.
* Lord Mandelson told his vetting officer that he had continued his friendship with Jeffrey Epstein for many years and that he deeply regretted doing so. He feels ill treated by Starmer
* Cabinet ministers are questioning Starmer’s judgment. ‘It was obvious from the start that he [Mandelson] was the wrong choice. It was just a matter of time. It’s so damaging’zAnother said it should have been “obvious” that Mandelson’s resignation was inevitable
* Mandelson refused to resign so Starmer sacked him. Concern in foreign office Mandelson would not go quietly
Earlier in the year… I bet Sir Keir wishes he could erase this video now
Mandelson is a wily old beast and could run rings round both (all five?) parties' front benches in his sleep. He is an operator and any amateur, and especially a bad amateur such as SKS, should be super careful if they think they can try to out spin the spinmeister.
Being a skilled player and having decent cards in your hand are different matters, though, and while once he had both, he won't have so many levers to pull nowadays
Isn't the suggestion that Farage bought the house through his partner to avoid the extra Stamp Duty? That is perfectly legal, in the sense that he gives his partner money as a gift to buy the house and has no legal interest in it, but politically suboptimal. I didn't think there was a suggestion that his partner hadn't paid the tax due if it was her purchase (which seems to be what the quoted article is about).
Farage/partner don't owe any tax and have certainly done nothing illegal, but having partner buy the home you live in for tax efficiency purposes (if it was Farage's money rather than hers, which is not yet determined) looks a bit hypocritical given the attacks on Rayner.
The implication, or inference, is she bought the house with his money to duck tax. Yes.
Yes, or AML scrutiny.
He denies giving her the money, so maybe someone else did.
Dan Neidles tweet I linked to implies it’s all above board
Any interest in the Irish Presidential election? Nominations close on September 24th. Polling day is Friday 24th October.
The latest opinion poll (5th September) had the three candidates nominated so far almost tied for first preferences.
Heather Humphreys (Fine Gael) 21% Jim Gavin (Fianna Fail) 20% Catherine Connolly (Independent, ex-Labour, nominated by the small Left parties) 20% Don't Know 39%
The AV system used would mean that it is almost more important who is third, rather than first, when deciding the outcome of such a vote.
Sinn Fein haven't decided whether, or who, to run as a candidate yet.
Maria Steen, an independent who is a prominent Conservative activist who is well known for being on the losing side in the gay marriage and abortion referendums, but on the winning side for the latest referendum (on care and the woman's place in the home), still has a chance of being nominated. She currently has 10 of the required 20 TDs/Senators.
There are other people who have declared a candidacy, who are trying to gain the support of 4 local authorities to be nominated. With FF and FG both running candidates, it currently looks unlikely that anyone will be nominated by this route - but I don't know enough about the individuals concerned to know if they might have particular local links in an area that could help them.
What about UFC (you decide for what this acronym stands for) legend Connor McGregor? Has he recused himself for reasons of being an arsehole?
He's still officially seeking nomination, presumably from local authorities, but I would imagine his objective has been to make money from a failed attempt, and subsequent claims of an establishment stitch-up to prevent the Irish electing him as President.
An ex-colleague recently told me that a project I worked on is on display in the Science Museum. In fact, there's a photo of me and the team as an Easter Egg on the device - I've still got the original photos.
I know tech moves quickly, but I didn't expect to have something in the Science Museum...
So you are saying there is a large upside potential?
It’s becoming ever clearer that Britain’s primary economic problem is penny-pinching households and businesses. Labour have managed to suppress confidence even further since their election. Reeves’ number one priority at the budget should be to boost confidence.
The number one way she can do that is by resigning. Would have a lot more confidence after that.
But no, she'll put taxes up more and more, and people will feel the pinch more and more, and keep what they have more and more, and not invest or spend.
Who's the economic genius you'd have SKS appoint in her stead? I'm afraid I don't see one.
Regrettably, the most obvious UK economic genius, John Maynard Keynes, has simply proven one of his more pertinent observations about the long run.
Any interest in the Irish Presidential election? Nominations close on September 24th. Polling day is Friday 24th October.
The latest opinion poll (5th September) had the three candidates nominated so far almost tied for first preferences.
Heather Humphreys (Fine Gael) 21% Jim Gavin (Fianna Fail) 20% Catherine Connolly (Independent, ex-Labour, nominated by the small Left parties) 20% Don't Know 39%
The AV system used would mean that it is almost more important who is third, rather than first, when deciding the outcome of such a vote.
Sinn Fein haven't decided whether, or who, to run as a candidate yet.
Maria Steen, an independent who is a prominent Conservative activist who is well known for being on the losing side in the gay marriage and abortion referendums, but on the winning side for the latest referendum (on care and the woman's place in the home), still has a chance of being nominated. She currently has 10 of the required 20 TDs/Senators.
There are other people who have declared a candidacy, who are trying to gain the support of 4 local authorities to be nominated. With FF and FG both running candidates, it currently looks unlikely that anyone will be nominated by this route - but I don't know enough about the individuals concerned to know if they might have particular local links in an area that could help them.
What about UFC (you decide for what this acronym stands for) legend Connor McGregor? Has he recused himself for reasons of being an arsehole?
It stands for Ultimate Fighting Championship. No one needs to decide what it stands for. That is what it stands for.
I can think of more amusing alternatives that more accurately describe the man, whatever the facts might say.
An ex-colleague recently told me that a project I worked on is on display in the Science Museum. In fact, there's a photo of me and the team as an Easter Egg on the device - I've still got the original photos.
I know tech moves quickly, but I didn't expect to have something in the Science Museum...
I felt old this week when I saw an ad for a Ford Sierra and I realised I worked on the lamps that went on it.
I'm tech support for various family and friends, including for Windows computer issues, which is kind of odd as my expertise is low - I use Linux at home and while I had a Windows laptop for work that's organisation-managed so I can't tweak any settings there, really. So, when I'm troubleshooting Windows I'm flailing around looking for equivalent settings to those available on Linux, which are often more hidden on Windows
Anyway, current problem. Elderly family member had Windows computer (Win 11) in study that wasn't connecting to any websites. I was able to diagnose the main problem - the ethernet cable I'd run from router at other end of the house to study was not plugged in at the router end and wifi was off (wifi is poor in study anyway). But once reconnected via ethernet cable, some sites were still not working - bbc.co.uk, lloydsbank.com, nts.org.uk - message, in Firefox and Edge (he doesn't have Chrome installed) was for website not found. Others such as google.com and amazon.co.uk working fine. My Linux laptop, on the same cable, connects fine to the problem websites. I thought maybe DNS (I've got Google DNS servers set up on the laptop, his laptop was getting DNS info via DHCP, presumably Sky DNS as that's the ISP) so I changed - I think - the DNS settings to Google on the Windows laptop too. No change in website access. Have since brought the laptop to my house and it connects fine to those sites (DHCP automatic DNS selection; my ISP is Plusnet).
So, this does have to be DNS, right? Is there something I'm missing in Windows to actually make it use set DNS servers? Does it need a reboot or something? Some kind of cache I need to clear if, say, the ISP DNS was returning junk which has been stored? Other diagnostics to run?
I guess ISP/router site restrictions/firewall are also possibilities, but I'd expect an error page more specific than can't find site in those cases? Should note that other devices on the network on Wifi have no issues connecting to any sites. The laptop, taken to the router and put on Wifi still had issues with those sites.
My first thoughts were malware but if it works 100% for you in your home it's not that.
When you are back with him
From the command line run ipconfig /all that should show you what the dns settings are - remember DHCP may reset them back to the ISP own DNS servers
Beyond that clear the browser cache but that really shouldn't do anything..
Thanks. Yes, I wondered, but couldn't see anything odd (I have had to remove various toolbars and addons in the past when he was on IE.
ipconfig was what I needed, had forgotten that from when I used Windows more.
I did clear browser cache, should have mentioned that.
Can be back there over the weekend, they live locally.
Also from the command prompt
ping name.of.website
That will try and resolve the name which will tell you if it a DNS problem or browser/something else problem
the result will look something like this
ping vf.politicalbetting.com
Pinging site-5020679.onvanilla.net [2606:4700:7::a29f:804f] with 32 bytes of data: Reply from 2606:4700:7::a29f:804f: time=7ms Reply from 2606:4700:7::a29f:804f: time=8ms Reply from 2606:4700:7::a29f:804f: time=8ms Reply from 2606:4700:7::a29f:804f: time=8ms
Ping statistics for 2606:4700:7::a29f:804f: Packets: Sent = 4, Received = 4, Lost = 0 (0% loss), Approximate round trip times in milli-seconds: Minimum = 7ms, Maximum = 8ms, Average = 7ms
Trump having had a stroke isn't really a conspiracy theory is it?
I would be sympathetic to him. It's not nice.
Incidentally, might it be something like Bells' Palsy? My dad had that a while back, and the hospital treated it as if it was a stroke until they knew otherwise.
Bell's palsy can be confused for a stroke. What you do in a diagnosis is consider prior probabilities. Is this someone who is likely to have a stroke or not? Trump is old and overweight, with symptoms indicative of heart failure. He's clearly at high risk of a stroke.
Whether he has had one, I've no idea.
A Bells Palsy would affect the forehead as well, not just the cheek and lower face as it is Lower Motor Neurone. If this is at it appears then it is a central lesion.
Wrestling commentator and legend Jim Ross had it. In his shoot videos he did say it was confused for a stroke initially.
It was even used against him as an angle by some really vile people
Yes, but the physical signs are quite different (and both LMN and UMN Facial palsies have quite a lot of potential causes) but I would fail a medical student if they couldn't tell the neurological features apart!
I wouldn't expect the same level of understanding from lay people of course.
As a matter of interest, then why was my dad treated as a potential stroke victim at hospital? (There is a family history of strokes, so might that be it?)
Any interest in the Irish Presidential election? Nominations close on September 24th. Polling day is Friday 24th October.
The latest opinion poll (5th September) had the three candidates nominated so far almost tied for first preferences.
Heather Humphreys (Fine Gael) 21% Jim Gavin (Fianna Fail) 20% Catherine Connolly (Independent, ex-Labour, nominated by the small Left parties) 20% Don't Know 39%
The AV system used would mean that it is almost more important who is third, rather than first, when deciding the outcome of such a vote.
Sinn Fein haven't decided whether, or who, to run as a candidate yet.
Maria Steen, an independent who is a prominent Conservative activist who is well known for being on the losing side in the gay marriage and abortion referendums, but on the winning side for the latest referendum (on care and the woman's place in the home), still has a chance of being nominated. She currently has 10 of the required 20 TDs/Senators.
There are other people who have declared a candidacy, who are trying to gain the support of 4 local authorities to be nominated. With FF and FG both running candidates, it currently looks unlikely that anyone will be nominated by this route - but I don't know enough about the individuals concerned to know if they might have particular local links in an area that could help them.
What about UFC (you decide for what this acronym stands for) legend Connor McGregor? Has he recused himself for reasons of being an arsehole?
It stands for Ultimate Fighting Championship. No one needs to decide what it stands for. That is what it stands for.
I can think of more amusing alternatives that more accurately describe the man, whatever the facts might say.
UFC is owned by TKO who also own the WWE.
McGregor might be a piece of shit. But the UFC is a good endeavour.
I'm tech support for various family and friends, including for Windows computer issues, which is kind of odd as my expertise is low - I use Linux at home and while I had a Windows laptop for work that's organisation-managed so I can't tweak any settings there, really. So, when I'm troubleshooting Windows I'm flailing around looking for equivalent settings to those available on Linux, which are often more hidden on Windows
Anyway, current problem. Elderly family member had Windows computer (Win 11) in study that wasn't connecting to any websites. I was able to diagnose the main problem - the ethernet cable I'd run from router at other end of the house to study was not plugged in at the router end and wifi was off (wifi is poor in study anyway). But once reconnected via ethernet cable, some sites were still not working - bbc.co.uk, lloydsbank.com, nts.org.uk - message, in Firefox and Edge (he doesn't have Chrome installed) was for website not found. Others such as google.com and amazon.co.uk working fine. My Linux laptop, on the same cable, connects fine to the problem websites. I thought maybe DNS (I've got Google DNS servers set up on the laptop, his laptop was getting DNS info via DHCP, presumably Sky DNS as that's the ISP) so I changed - I think - the DNS settings to Google on the Windows laptop too. No change in website access. Have since brought the laptop to my house and it connects fine to those sites (DHCP automatic DNS selection; my ISP is Plusnet).
So, this does have to be DNS, right? Is there something I'm missing in Windows to actually make it use set DNS servers? Does it need a reboot or something? Some kind of cache I need to clear if, say, the ISP DNS was returning junk which has been stored? Other diagnostics to run?
I guess ISP/router site restrictions/firewall are also possibilities, but I'd expect an error page more specific than can't find site in those cases? Should note that other devices on the network on Wifi have no issues connecting to any sites. The laptop, taken to the router and put on Wifi still had issues with those sites.
My first thoughts were malware but if it works 100% for you in your home it's not that.
When you are back with him
From the command line run ipconfig /all that should show you what the dns settings are - remember DHCP may reset them back to the ISP own DNS servers
Beyond that clear the browser cache but that really shouldn't do anything..
Thanks. Yes, I wondered, but couldn't see anything odd (I have had to remove various toolbars and addons in the past when he was on IE.
ipconfig was what I needed, had forgotten that from when I used Windows more.
I did clear browser cache, should have mentioned that.
Can be back there over the weekend, they live locally.
Also from the command prompt
ping name.of.website
That will try and resolve the name which will tell you if it a DNS problem or browser/something else problem
the result will look something like this
ping vf.politicalbetting.com
Pinging site-5020679.onvanilla.net [2606:4700:7::a29f:804f] with 32 bytes of data: Reply from 2606:4700:7::a29f:804f: time=7ms Reply from 2606:4700:7::a29f:804f: time=8ms Reply from 2606:4700:7::a29f:804f: time=8ms Reply from 2606:4700:7::a29f:804f: time=8ms
Ping statistics for 2606:4700:7::a29f:804f: Packets: Sent = 4, Received = 4, Lost = 0 (0% loss), Approximate round trip times in milli-seconds: Minimum = 7ms, Maximum = 8ms, Average = 7ms
Any interest in the Irish Presidential election? Nominations close on September 24th. Polling day is Friday 24th October.
The latest opinion poll (5th September) had the three candidates nominated so far almost tied for first preferences.
Heather Humphreys (Fine Gael) 21% Jim Gavin (Fianna Fail) 20% Catherine Connolly (Independent, ex-Labour, nominated by the small Left parties) 20% Don't Know 39%
The AV system used would mean that it is almost more important who is third, rather than first, when deciding the outcome of such a vote.
Sinn Fein haven't decided whether, or who, to run as a candidate yet.
Maria Steen, an independent who is a prominent Conservative activist who is well known for being on the losing side in the gay marriage and abortion referendums, but on the winning side for the latest referendum (on care and the woman's place in the home), still has a chance of being nominated. She currently has 10 of the required 20 TDs/Senators.
There are other people who have declared a candidacy, who are trying to gain the support of 4 local authorities to be nominated. With FF and FG both running candidates, it currently looks unlikely that anyone will be nominated by this route - but I don't know enough about the individuals concerned to know if they might have particular local links in an area that could help them.
What about UFC (you decide for what this acronym stands for) legend Connor McGregor? Has he recused himself for reasons of being an arsehole?
It stands for Ultimate Fighting Championship. No one needs to decide what it stands for. That is what it stands for.
Yeah, there have never been acronyms that have stood for different things in the whole history of the world, FACT!
I had to get a taxi this morning, so you know what that means? It's another PB taxi driver story!
My minicab driver was very chatty and explained how... Rayner knew what she was doing and will go on I'm a Celebrity (but notStrictly). He reckoned there would be a general election next year, because there would be so many defections and/or Starmer would rather lose at a general election than stand down and be replaced by another Labour leader. Oh, and the government would have to go to the IMF soon because of government finances, and Labour will probably introduce a 10% tax on the value of your house. There'd be a Tory/Reform coalition after the election
You heard it here first. Well, second... OK, maybe seventy-sixth...
What happens when we get to the end of 2026 and Labour are still firmly in power? Presumably nothing, everyone will forget their predictions.
Am election next year requires 90 or so MPs to leave the Labour Party and then as Turkeys vote for Christmas - I don’t see it happening
It would require the Labour Party to split, and for the party e not in government to believe that an election would improve their position.
It's not entirely impossible, but it's exceedingly unlikely. That said, Starmer taking his popularity down to towards record Truss lows, with weekly government scandals and a deteriorating fiscal situation, does provide some of the necessary preconditions.
I think the Deputy Leader nominations are quite instructive here. Clear that Labour MPs aren’t a very happy bunch, but they’re not giving up on the government yet/ready to desert en masse, given the nominees are a member of the government and someone who has only just recently left it. There’s no leftist candidate or anyone particularly rebellious.
Chances of early election to me hinge on:
1) a Starmer exit, and a new PM seeking a mandate (unlikely to happen given current state of the polls and the example of the TMay gambit) 2) a crisis forcing one. Eg an economic crisis that requires exceptionally stringent spending cuts/painful tax measures that makes government MPs so queasy they’d rather just force an election than vote it all through.
So you are saying there is a large upside potential?
It’s becoming ever clearer that Britain’s primary economic problem is penny-pinching households and businesses. Labour have managed to suppress confidence even further since their election. Reeves’ number one priority at the budget should be to boost confidence.
The lack of confidence is a symptom of the problem, not the problem in itself. The problem is a state that seems determined to strangle economic growth, even as it gaslights about wanting to boost it. That causes low confidence. And to boost confidence in the private sector, which is the ultimate source of all long term economic growth, the government needs to stop raising taxes on the productive and enterprising, cut spending on unproductive malingerers and losers and deregulate.
But they're going to jack up taxes further, especially no doubt those taxes (business and payroll) that hurt growth in the long term and regulate more. And they've failed spectacularly to cut spending despite a gigantic majority.
So, barring some miracle or change in the laws of economics, we have at least three more years of stagnation.
I would love to be wrong about this but I'm almost certain.
ODD THINGS GOING ON WITH FISHING’s FORMATTING. THIS IS MY REPLY
It’s been a structural problem for this country since 2008. Labour may make it worse or better, but look around at our peers and most are in a similar position. The big area where we’re worse is in business investment and productivity growth, and there we lag several countries with much higher taxes and a much larger public sector.
xxxxxx
ODD THINGS GOING ON WITH FISHING’s FORMATTING. THIS IS MY REPLY:
Yes. And just to follow up with an off the wall question. IIRC the UK economy is heavily dependent on consumer spending for its vitality and health; I think we are being told that people are cautious about discretionary spending because of doubts about the future and so on.
Suppose a few million people are undergoing a bit of a zeitgeist shift, one which is entirely possible. The shift is this: that discretionary consumerism is massively overdone and most of the best things in life, once the non-discretionary bills are paid, are either free or inexpensive.
Instances: Tickling the baby's toes. Walks, countryside. Youtube. Drinking with friends at home instead of the pub.
----- You are right. Quotes are borked. Sorted-ish, but I may be misattributing.
I'd call that a philosophy not a zeitgeist, and I'd put it in the ABO category ("Absolutely Bloody Obvious").
One of my favourite quotes that is still in my head is from decades back (maybe 1990), when I was thinking about such things:
"I like going window shopping to look at all the expensive things I don't need to buy."
An ex-colleague recently told me that a project I worked on is on display in the Science Museum. In fact, there's a photo of me and the team as an Easter Egg on the device - I've still got the original photos.
I know tech moves quickly, but I didn't expect to have something in the Science Museum...
As long as you're not in the Natural History Museum you don't need to worry
Any interest in the Irish Presidential election? Nominations close on September 24th. Polling day is Friday 24th October.
The latest opinion poll (5th September) had the three candidates nominated so far almost tied for first preferences.
Heather Humphreys (Fine Gael) 21% Jim Gavin (Fianna Fail) 20% Catherine Connolly (Independent, ex-Labour, nominated by the small Left parties) 20% Don't Know 39%
The AV system used would mean that it is almost more important who is third, rather than first, when deciding the outcome of such a vote.
Sinn Fein haven't decided whether, or who, to run as a candidate yet.
Maria Steen, an independent who is a prominent Conservative activist who is well known for being on the losing side in the gay marriage and abortion referendums, but on the winning side for the latest referendum (on care and the woman's place in the home), still has a chance of being nominated. She currently has 10 of the required 20 TDs/Senators.
There are other people who have declared a candidacy, who are trying to gain the support of 4 local authorities to be nominated. With FF and FG both running candidates, it currently looks unlikely that anyone will be nominated by this route - but I don't know enough about the individuals concerned to know if they might have particular local links in an area that could help them.
What about UFC (you decide for what this acronym stands for) legend Connor McGregor? Has he recused himself for reasons of being an arsehole?
It stands for Ultimate Fighting Championship. No one needs to decide what it stands for. That is what it stands for.
Yeah, there have never been acronyms that have stood for different things in the whole history of the world, FACT!
When I had the pleasure (sic) of working at JLR (bunch of shits, glad they’re in trouble) I was given a list of acronyms in my first week as reference. It was 12 pages long and one acronym had 3 different meanings. Twats.
Yeah, there have never been acronyms that have stood for different things in the whole history of the world, FACT!
TLA
[Three-Letter Acronym]
1. Self-describing abbreviation for a species with which computing terminology is infested.
2. Any confusing acronym. Examples include MCA, FTP, SNA, CPU, MMU, SCCS, DMU, FPU, NNTP, TLA. People who like this looser usage argue that not all TLAs have three letters, just as not all four-letter words have four letters. One also hears of ‘ETLA’ (Extended Three-Letter Acronym, pronounced /ee tee el ay/) being used to describe four-letter acronyms; the terms ‘SFLA’ (Stupid Four-Letter Acronym), ‘LFLA’ (Longer Four Letter Acronym), and VLFLA (Very Long Five Letter Acronym) have also been reported. See also YABA.
The self-effacing phrase "TDM TLA" (Too Damn Many...) is often used to bemoan the plethora of TLAs in use. In 1989, a random of the journalistic persuasion asked hacker Paul Boutin "What do you think will be the biggest problem in computing in the 90s?" Paul's straight-faced response: "There are only 17,000 three-letter acronyms." (To be exact, there are 26^3 = 17,576.) There is probably some karmic justice in the fact that Paul Boutin subsequently became a journalist.
Trump having had a stroke isn't really a conspiracy theory is it?
I would be sympathetic to him. It's not nice.
Incidentally, might it be something like Bells' Palsy? My dad had that a while back, and the hospital treated it as if it was a stroke until they knew otherwise.
Bell's palsy can be confused for a stroke. What you do in a diagnosis is consider prior probabilities. Is this someone who is likely to have a stroke or not? Trump is old and overweight, with symptoms indicative of heart failure. He's clearly at high risk of a stroke.
Whether he has had one, I've no idea.
A Bells Palsy would affect the forehead as well, not just the cheek and lower face as it is Lower Motor Neurone. If this is at it appears then it is a central lesion.
Wrestling commentator and legend Jim Ross had it. In his shoot videos he did say it was confused for a stroke initially.
It was even used against him as an angle by some really vile people
Yes, but the physical signs are quite different (and both LMN and UMN Facial palsies have quite a lot of potential causes) but I would fail a medical student if they couldn't tell the neurological features apart!
I wouldn't expect the same level of understanding from lay people of course.
As a matter of interest, then why was my dad treated as a potential stroke victim at hospital? (There is a family history of strokes, so might that be it?)
It might be that the junior staff can't examine cranial nerves properly, but to be charitable it may have been that residual signs from previous strokes confused the picture.
Isn't the suggestion that Farage bought the house through his partner to avoid the extra Stamp Duty? That is perfectly legal, in the sense that he gives his partner money as a gift to buy the house and has no legal interest in it, but politically suboptimal. I didn't think there was a suggestion that his partner hadn't paid the tax due if it was her purchase (which seems to be what the quoted article is about).
Farage/partner don't owe any tax and have certainly done nothing illegal, but having partner buy the home you live in for tax efficiency purposes (if it was Farage's money rather than hers, which is not yet determined) looks a bit hypocritical given the attacks on Rayner.
The implication, or inference, is she bought the house with his money to duck tax. Yes.
The Neidle tweet only seems to refer to property in France (due to way owned) not counting for her for additional property owned purposes under UK law. So she definitely doesn't owe any extra stamp duty.
But the question of whether it's really Farage's money and he's tax-efficiently put the house in her name remains.
(Note, I've no problem with that - family member has just bought a house with, partly, partner's money but it's in his name only as partner already owns another house - but it is a bit hypocritical to go after Rayner on her arrangements if that is the case.)
I'm tech support for various family and friends, including for Windows computer issues, which is kind of odd as my expertise is low - I use Linux at home and while I had a Windows laptop for work that's organisation-managed so I can't tweak any settings there, really. So, when I'm troubleshooting Windows I'm flailing around looking for equivalent settings to those available on Linux, which are often more hidden on Windows
Anyway, current problem. Elderly family member had Windows computer (Win 11) in study that wasn't connecting to any websites. I was able to diagnose the main problem - the ethernet cable I'd run from router at other end of the house to study was not plugged in at the router end and wifi was off (wifi is poor in study anyway). But once reconnected via ethernet cable, some sites were still not working - bbc.co.uk, lloydsbank.com, nts.org.uk - message, in Firefox and Edge (he doesn't have Chrome installed) was for website not found. Others such as google.com and amazon.co.uk working fine. My Linux laptop, on the same cable, connects fine to the problem websites. I thought maybe DNS (I've got Google DNS servers set up on the laptop, his laptop was getting DNS info via DHCP, presumably Sky DNS as that's the ISP) so I changed - I think - the DNS settings to Google on the Windows laptop too. No change in website access. Have since brought the laptop to my house and it connects fine to those sites (DHCP automatic DNS selection; my ISP is Plusnet).
So, this does have to be DNS, right? Is there something I'm missing in Windows to actually make it use set DNS servers? Does it need a reboot or something? Some kind of cache I need to clear if, say, the ISP DNS was returning junk which has been stored? Other diagnostics to run?
I guess ISP/router site restrictions/firewall are also possibilities, but I'd expect an error page more specific than can't find site in those cases? Should note that other devices on the network on Wifi have no issues connecting to any sites. The laptop, taken to the router and put on Wifi still had issues with those sites.
My first thoughts were malware but if it works 100% for you in your home it's not that.
When you are back with him
From the command line run ipconfig /all that should show you what the dns settings are - remember DHCP may reset them back to the ISP own DNS servers
Beyond that clear the browser cache but that really shouldn't do anything..
Thanks. Yes, I wondered, but couldn't see anything odd (I have had to remove various toolbars and addons in the past when he was on IE.
ipconfig was what I needed, had forgotten that from when I used Windows more.
I did clear browser cache, should have mentioned that.
Can be back there over the weekend, they live locally.
Also from the command prompt
ping name.of.website
That will try and resolve the name which will tell you if it a DNS problem or browser/something else problem
the result will look something like this
ping vf.politicalbetting.com
Pinging site-5020679.onvanilla.net [2606:4700:7::a29f:804f] with 32 bytes of data: Reply from 2606:4700:7::a29f:804f: time=7ms Reply from 2606:4700:7::a29f:804f: time=8ms Reply from 2606:4700:7::a29f:804f: time=8ms Reply from 2606:4700:7::a29f:804f: time=8ms
Ping statistics for 2606:4700:7::a29f:804f: Packets: Sent = 4, Received = 4, Lost = 0 (0% loss), Approximate round trip times in milli-seconds: Minimum = 7ms, Maximum = 8ms, Average = 7ms
That and a lot more was covered in the link I posted for extra steps. Because it covers a lot of variants on dns / ping that I wasn’t aware of and might be useful if it’s no an obvious DHCP screw up (which it probably is)
Isn't the suggestion that Farage bought the house through his partner to avoid the extra Stamp Duty? That is perfectly legal, in the sense that he gives his partner money as a gift to buy the house and has no legal interest in it, but politically suboptimal. I didn't think there was a suggestion that his partner hadn't paid the tax due if it was her purchase (which seems to be what the quoted article is about).
Farage/partner don't owe any tax and have certainly done nothing illegal, but having partner buy the home you live in for tax efficiency purposes (if it was Farage's money rather than hers, which is not yet determined) looks a bit hypocritical given the attacks on Rayner.
The implication, or inference, is she bought the house with his money to duck tax. Yes.
The Neidle tweet only seems to refer to property in France (due to way owned) not counting for her for additional property owned purposes under UK law. So she definitely doesn't owe any extra stamp duty.
But the question of whether it's really Farage's money and he's tax-efficiently put the house in her name remains.
(Note, I've no problem with that - family member has just bought a house with, partly, partner's money but it's in his name only as partner already owns another house - but it is a bit hypocritical to go after Rayner on her arrangements if that is the case.)
I had to get a taxi this morning, so you know what that means? It's another PB taxi driver story!
My minicab driver was very chatty and explained how... Rayner knew what she was doing and will go on I'm a Celebrity (but notStrictly). He reckoned there would be a general election next year, because there would be so many defections and/or Starmer would rather lose at a general election than stand down and be replaced by another Labour leader. Oh, and the government would have to go to the IMF soon because of government finances, and Labour will probably introduce a 10% tax on the value of your house. There'd be a Tory/Reform coalition after the election
You heard it here first. Well, second... OK, maybe seventy-sixth...
What happens when we get to the end of 2026 and Labour are still firmly in power? Presumably nothing, everyone will forget their predictions.
Any interest in the Irish Presidential election? Nominations close on September 24th. Polling day is Friday 24th October.
The latest opinion poll (5th September) had the three candidates nominated so far almost tied for first preferences.
Heather Humphreys (Fine Gael) 21% Jim Gavin (Fianna Fail) 20% Catherine Connolly (Independent, ex-Labour, nominated by the small Left parties) 20% Don't Know 39%
The AV system used would mean that it is almost more important who is third, rather than first, when deciding the outcome of such a vote.
Sinn Fein haven't decided whether, or who, to run as a candidate yet.
Maria Steen, an independent who is a prominent Conservative activist who is well known for being on the losing side in the gay marriage and abortion referendums, but on the winning side for the latest referendum (on care and the woman's place in the home), still has a chance of being nominated. She currently has 10 of the required 20 TDs/Senators.
There are other people who have declared a candidacy, who are trying to gain the support of 4 local authorities to be nominated. With FF and FG both running candidates, it currently looks unlikely that anyone will be nominated by this route - but I don't know enough about the individuals concerned to know if they might have particular local links in an area that could help them.
What about UFC (you decide for what this acronym stands for) legend Connor McGregor? Has he recused himself for reasons of being an arsehole?
It stands for Ultimate Fighting Championship. No one needs to decide what it stands for. That is what it stands for.
Yeah, there have never been acronyms that have stood for different things in the whole history of the world, FACT!
When I had the pleasure (sic) of working at JLR (bunch of shits, glad they’re in trouble) I was given a list of acronyms in my first week as reference. It was 12 pages long and one acronym had 3 different meanings. Twats.
When I joined Microsoft I got a handbook of them, most of them irrelevant and an awful lot of them had 3 or 4 usages based on context.
Sometimes that was fun when the context of an email covered a 2 an 3 of the usages
Trump having had a stroke isn't really a conspiracy theory is it?
I would be sympathetic to him. It's not nice.
Incidentally, might it be something like Bells' Palsy? My dad had that a while back, and the hospital treated it as if it was a stroke until they knew otherwise.
Bell's palsy can be confused for a stroke. What you do in a diagnosis is consider prior probabilities. Is this someone who is likely to have a stroke or not? Trump is old and overweight, with symptoms indicative of heart failure. He's clearly at high risk of a stroke.
Whether he has had one, I've no idea.
A Bells Palsy would affect the forehead as well, not just the cheek and lower face as it is Lower Motor Neurone. If this is at it appears then it is a central lesion.
Wrestling commentator and legend Jim Ross had it. In his shoot videos he did say it was confused for a stroke initially.
It was even used against him as an angle by some really vile people
Yes, but the physical signs are quite different (and both LMN and UMN Facial palsies have quite a lot of potential causes) but I would fail a medical student if they couldn't tell the neurological features apart!
I wouldn't expect the same level of understanding from lay people of course.
As a matter of interest, then why was my dad treated as a potential stroke victim at hospital? (There is a family history of strokes, so might that be it?)
It might be that the junior staff can't examine cranial nerves properly, but to be charitable it may have been that residual signs from previous strokes confused the picture.
He's never had a stroke, but his mum and sister have. Maybe there were other symptoms as well, but I get the impression it was not a straightforward diagnosis.
Might it be like when I had meningitis: you treat it for the worst possibility (in my case, bacterial) until they knew it was something slightly less serious? If they weren't sure, treat for a stroke?
Isn't the suggestion that Farage bought the house through his partner to avoid the extra Stamp Duty? That is perfectly legal, in the sense that he gives his partner money as a gift to buy the house and has no legal interest in it, but politically suboptimal. I didn't think there was a suggestion that his partner hadn't paid the tax due if it was her purchase (which seems to be what the quoted article is about).
Farage/partner don't owe any tax and have certainly done nothing illegal, but having partner buy the home you live in for tax efficiency purposes (if it was Farage's money rather than hers, which is not yet determined) looks a bit hypocritical given the attacks on Rayner.
The implication, or inference, is she bought the house with his money to duck tax. Yes.
The Neidle tweet only seems to refer to property in France (due to way owned) not counting for her for additional property owned purposes under UK law. So she definitely doesn't owe any extra stamp duty.
But the question of whether it's really Farage's money and he's tax-efficiently put the house in her name remains.
(Note, I've no problem with that - family member has just bought a house with, partly, partner's money but it's in his name only as partner already owns another house - but it is a bit hypocritical to go after Rayner on her arrangements if that is the case.)
Did he go after Rayner ?
You know, I'm not sure he really did - all I can find is him saying he didn't see how she could survive, which is not really the same. I've seen headlines along the lines that he did, but nothing substantive in the stories that I can see.
On topic, we have an economy whose demand is being boosted by a government spending £150bn more than it is taking in taxes but which is still struggling to grow by 1% a year. Given the growth in our population the GDP per head figure is negative and the public perception shown by these polls is unusually accurate.
We have a governing party which has proven itself incapable of the most basic and obvious fiscal discipline. We have a MPC who think they should cut interest rates even although inflation is well above target and rising. We have (inevitably) the highest long term gilt rates for the best part of 30 years. We have a neighbour in France who, if anything, are in an even worse state and threaten to raise real question marks about the safety of sovereign debt. We have a lunatic in the White House whose economic policies are beyond illiterate, simply incoherent and irrational, and who seems determined to damage world trade.
There are lots of reasons for pessimism.
Are there reasons for optimism? Maybe. The growth in AI and the ability of companies to monetise this surely give real cause for optimism about future productivity. Our University sector, whilst having difficulties, remains astonishingly strong internationally. One upside of our excessive immigration is less of a demographic time bomb than many others. We remain a country where the rule of law is strong, the State is contained within proper bounds and the courts are not politicised in the way we see in the US.
Things have the potential to go seriously wrong if we do not start to address our debt and our borrowing. But if we do things may get better.
Trump having had a stroke isn't really a conspiracy theory is it?
I would be sympathetic to him. It's not nice.
Incidentally, might it be something like Bells' Palsy? My dad had that a while back, and the hospital treated it as if it was a stroke until they knew otherwise.
Bell's palsy can be confused for a stroke. What you do in a diagnosis is consider prior probabilities. Is this someone who is likely to have a stroke or not? Trump is old and overweight, with symptoms indicative of heart failure. He's clearly at high risk of a stroke.
Whether he has had one, I've no idea.
A Bells Palsy would affect the forehead as well, not just the cheek and lower face as it is Lower Motor Neurone. If this is at it appears then it is a central lesion.
Wrestling commentator and legend Jim Ross had it. In his shoot videos he did say it was confused for a stroke initially.
It was even used against him as an angle by some really vile people
Yes, but the physical signs are quite different (and both LMN and UMN Facial palsies have quite a lot of potential causes) but I would fail a medical student if they couldn't tell the neurological features apart!
I wouldn't expect the same level of understanding from lay people of course.
As a matter of interest, then why was my dad treated as a potential stroke victim at hospital? (There is a family history of strokes, so might that be it?)
It might be that the junior staff can't examine cranial nerves properly, but to be charitable it may have been that residual signs from previous strokes confused the picture.
He's never had a stroke, but his mum and sister have. Maybe there were other symptoms as well, but I get the impression it was not a straightforward diagnosis.
Might it be like when I had meningitis: you treat it for the worst possibility (in my case, bacterial) until they knew it was something slightly less serious? If they weren't sure, treat for a stroke?
Reminds me of the gag about two old ladies approached by a flasher on Blackpool beach.
I'm tech support for various family and friends, including for Windows computer issues, which is kind of odd as my expertise is low - I use Linux at home and while I had a Windows laptop for work that's organisation-managed so I can't tweak any settings there, really. So, when I'm troubleshooting Windows I'm flailing around looking for equivalent settings to those available on Linux, which are often more hidden on Windows
Anyway, current problem. Elderly family member had Windows computer (Win 11) in study that wasn't connecting to any websites. I was able to diagnose the main problem - the ethernet cable I'd run from router at other end of the house to study was not plugged in at the router end and wifi was off (wifi is poor in study anyway). But once reconnected via ethernet cable, some sites were still not working - bbc.co.uk, lloydsbank.com, nts.org.uk - message, in Firefox and Edge (he doesn't have Chrome installed) was for website not found. Others such as google.com and amazon.co.uk working fine. My Linux laptop, on the same cable, connects fine to the problem websites. I thought maybe DNS (I've got Google DNS servers set up on the laptop, his laptop was getting DNS info via DHCP, presumably Sky DNS as that's the ISP) so I changed - I think - the DNS settings to Google on the Windows laptop too. No change in website access. Have since brought the laptop to my house and it connects fine to those sites (DHCP automatic DNS selection; my ISP is Plusnet).
So, this does have to be DNS, right? Is there something I'm missing in Windows to actually make it use set DNS servers? Does it need a reboot or something? Some kind of cache I need to clear if, say, the ISP DNS was returning junk which has been stored? Other diagnostics to run?
I guess ISP/router site restrictions/firewall are also possibilities, but I'd expect an error page more specific than can't find site in those cases? Should note that other devices on the network on Wifi have no issues connecting to any sites. The laptop, taken to the router and put on Wifi still had issues with those sites.
My first thoughts were malware but if it works 100% for you in your home it's not that.
When you are back with him
From the command line run ipconfig /all that should show you what the dns settings are - remember DHCP may reset them back to the ISP own DNS servers
Any interest in the Irish Presidential election? Nominations close on September 24th. Polling day is Friday 24th October.
The latest opinion poll (5th September) had the three candidates nominated so far almost tied for first preferences.
Heather Humphreys (Fine Gael) 21% Jim Gavin (Fianna Fail) 20% Catherine Connolly (Independent, ex-Labour, nominated by the small Left parties) 20% Don't Know 39%
The AV system used would mean that it is almost more important who is third, rather than first, when deciding the outcome of such a vote.
Sinn Fein haven't decided whether, or who, to run as a candidate yet.
Maria Steen, an independent who is a prominent Conservative activist who is well known for being on the losing side in the gay marriage and abortion referendums, but on the winning side for the latest referendum (on care and the woman's place in the home), still has a chance of being nominated. She currently has 10 of the required 20 TDs/Senators.
There are other people who have declared a candidacy, who are trying to gain the support of 4 local authorities to be nominated. With FF and FG both running candidates, it currently looks unlikely that anyone will be nominated by this route - but I don't know enough about the individuals concerned to know if they might have particular local links in an area that could help them.
What about UFC (you decide for what this acronym stands for) legend Connor McGregor? Has he recused himself for reasons of being an arsehole?
It stands for Ultimate Fighting Championship. No one needs to decide what it stands for. That is what it stands for.
Yeah, there have never been acronyms that have stood for different things in the whole history of the world, FACT!
When I had the pleasure (sic) of working at JLR (bunch of shits, glad they’re in trouble) I was given a list of acronyms in my first week as reference. It was 12 pages long and one acronym had 3 different meanings. Twats.
When I joined Microsoft I got a handbook of them, most of them irrelevant and an awful lot of them had 3 or 4 usages based on context.
Sometimes that was fun when the context of an email covered a 2 an 3 of the usages
Happy memories of Hewlett-Packard microcomputers and printers where the manuals took up more volume space than the machine itself.
And they had their own unique ring binders with 3 rings.
So Vance skipped the 9/11 memorial to help carry Kirk’s coffin onto Airforce 2.
Trump carking it isn’t going to solve anything.
Vance was very good friends with Kirk. Their families are close, both young with kids, they often spent time together - Christmas and Thanksgiving and so forth
I would do the same, I hope, if one of my best friends was shot dead and his young family were in shreds
Isn't the suggestion that Farage bought the house through his partner to avoid the extra Stamp Duty? That is perfectly legal, in the sense that he gives his partner money as a gift to buy the house and has no legal interest in it, but politically suboptimal. I didn't think there was a suggestion that his partner hadn't paid the tax due if it was her purchase (which seems to be what the quoted article is about).
Farage/partner don't owe any tax and have certainly done nothing illegal, but having partner buy the home you live in for tax efficiency purposes (if it was Farage's money rather than hers, which is not yet determined) looks a bit hypocritical given the attacks on Rayner.
The implication, or inference, is she bought the house with his money to duck tax. Yes.
The Neidle tweet only seems to refer to property in France (due to way owned) not counting for her for additional property owned purposes under UK law. So she definitely doesn't owe any extra stamp duty.
But the question of whether it's really Farage's money and he's tax-efficiently put the house in her name remains.
(Note, I've no problem with that - family member has just bought a house with, partly, partner's money but it's in his name only as partner already owns another house - but it is a bit hypocritical to go after Rayner on her arrangements if that is the case.)
Did he go after Rayner ?
You know, I'm not sure he really did - all I can find is him saying he didn't see how she could survive, which is not really the same. I've seen headlines along the lines that he did, but nothing substantive in the stories that I can see.
If he didn't then there's no hypocrisy.
I don’t think he did and I don’t think he went after other peoples tax affairs. If he did I never saw it. Let he who is free of all sin and all that. I suspect that is why so many politicians didn’t attack him for using a PSC for his TV appearances.
Isn't the suggestion that Farage bought the house through his partner to avoid the extra Stamp Duty? That is perfectly legal, in the sense that he gives his partner money as a gift to buy the house and has no legal interest in it, but politically suboptimal. I didn't think there was a suggestion that his partner hadn't paid the tax due if it was her purchase (which seems to be what the quoted article is about).
Farage/partner don't owe any tax and have certainly done nothing illegal, but having partner buy the home you live in for tax efficiency purposes (if it was Farage's money rather than hers, which is not yet determined) looks a bit hypocritical given the attacks on Rayner.
The implication, or inference, is she bought the house with his money to duck tax. Yes.
The Neidle tweet only seems to refer to property in France (due to way owned) not counting for her for additional property owned purposes under UK law. So she definitely doesn't owe any extra stamp duty.
But the question of whether it's really Farage's money and he's tax-efficiently put the house in her name remains.
(Note, I've no problem with that - family member has just bought a house with, partly, partner's money but it's in his name only as partner already owns another house - but it is a bit hypocritical to go after Rayner on her arrangements if that is the case.)
Baroness May said: “I do not believe the safeguards in the Bill will prevent people from being pressurised to end their lives, sometimes for the benefit of others.”
Any interest in the Irish Presidential election? Nominations close on September 24th. Polling day is Friday 24th October.
The latest opinion poll (5th September) had the three candidates nominated so far almost tied for first preferences.
Heather Humphreys (Fine Gael) 21% Jim Gavin (Fianna Fail) 20% Catherine Connolly (Independent, ex-Labour, nominated by the small Left parties) 20% Don't Know 39%
The AV system used would mean that it is almost more important who is third, rather than first, when deciding the outcome of such a vote.
Sinn Fein haven't decided whether, or who, to run as a candidate yet.
Maria Steen, an independent who is a prominent Conservative activist who is well known for being on the losing side in the gay marriage and abortion referendums, but on the winning side for the latest referendum (on care and the woman's place in the home), still has a chance of being nominated. She currently has 10 of the required 20 TDs/Senators.
There are other people who have declared a candidacy, who are trying to gain the support of 4 local authorities to be nominated. With FF and FG both running candidates, it currently looks unlikely that anyone will be nominated by this route - but I don't know enough about the individuals concerned to know if they might have particular local links in an area that could help them.
What about UFC (you decide for what this acronym stands for) legend Connor McGregor? Has he recused himself for reasons of being an arsehole?
It stands for Ultimate Fighting Championship. No one needs to decide what it stands for. That is what it stands for.
Yeah, there have never been acronyms that have stood for different things in the whole history of the world, FACT!
When I had the pleasure (sic) of working at JLR (bunch of shits, glad they’re in trouble) I was given a list of acronyms in my first week as reference. It was 12 pages long and one acronym had 3 different meanings. Twats.
When I joined Microsoft I got a handbook of them, most of them irrelevant and an awful lot of them had 3 or 4 usages based on context.
Sometimes that was fun when the context of an email covered a 2 an 3 of the usages
Happy memories of Hewlett-Packard microcomputers and printers where the manuals took up more volume space than the machine itself.
And they had their own unique ring binders with 3 rings.
Isn't the suggestion that Farage bought the house through his partner to avoid the extra Stamp Duty? That is perfectly legal, in the sense that he gives his partner money as a gift to buy the house and has no legal interest in it, but politically suboptimal. I didn't think there was a suggestion that his partner hadn't paid the tax due if it was her purchase (which seems to be what the quoted article is about).
Farage/partner don't owe any tax and have certainly done nothing illegal, but having partner buy the home you live in for tax efficiency purposes (if it was Farage's money rather than hers, which is not yet determined) looks a bit hypocritical given the attacks on Rayner.
The implication, or inference, is she bought the house with his money to duck tax. Yes.
The Neidle tweet only seems to refer to property in France (due to way owned) not counting for her for additional property owned purposes under UK law. So she definitely doesn't owe any extra stamp duty.
But the question of whether it's really Farage's money and he's tax-efficiently put the house in her name remains.
(Note, I've no problem with that - family member has just bought a house with, partly, partner's money but it's in his name only as partner already owns another house - but it is a bit hypocritical to go after Rayner on her arrangements if that is the case.)
Isn't the suggestion that Farage bought the house through his partner to avoid the extra Stamp Duty? That is perfectly legal, in the sense that he gives his partner money as a gift to buy the house and has no legal interest in it, but politically suboptimal. I didn't think there was a suggestion that his partner hadn't paid the tax due if it was her purchase (which seems to be what the quoted article is about).
Farage/partner don't owe any tax and have certainly done nothing illegal, but having partner buy the home you live in for tax efficiency purposes (if it was Farage's money rather than hers, which is not yet determined) looks a bit hypocritical given the attacks on Rayner.
Tbf to Farage (I had to spit that out) he was very quiet when it came to taking down Rayner, that was entirely the work of the Tories. I suppose that might beg the question, why?
Isn't the suggestion that Farage bought the house through his partner to avoid the extra Stamp Duty? That is perfectly legal, in the sense that he gives his partner money as a gift to buy the house and has no legal interest in it, but politically suboptimal. I didn't think there was a suggestion that his partner hadn't paid the tax due if it was her purchase (which seems to be what the quoted article is about).
Farage/partner don't owe any tax and have certainly done nothing illegal, but having partner buy the home you live in for tax efficiency purposes (if it was Farage's money rather than hers, which is not yet determined) looks a bit hypocritical given the attacks on Rayner.
It all looks perfectly legal. The issues are:
a) Politicians doing something to avoid tax that would be perfectly reasonable for all of us to do, but they are held to a higher standard, which is bizarre as most have demonstrated they are not capable of even meeting the standards joe public meets.
b) Telling fibs about it (which I think is the more damaging). Those fibs being that when challenged on not visiting Clacton saying he had exchanged on a house that day and then the issues of it being her money and not his (or is it?). Again pretty unfair, because he has done more than many MPs to establish a constituency home* and hasn't done anything wrong, but is being caught out by embellishing his arrangement somewhat.
* Michael Gove claimed to be local to Surrey Hearth by renting a house, then buggered off when he got elected. The previous Conservative MP for Guildford claimed to live in Guildford, and bought a flat there, but in reality lived in a family home about 20 miles outside the constituency. Lots of MPs do this. Establish a home of sorts during the election for electioneering purposes, then drop it.
Farage has put in as much effort as many, but is being caught out by the link to the Rayner issue and a few stretches of the truth.
Isn't the suggestion that Farage bought the house through his partner to avoid the extra Stamp Duty? That is perfectly legal, in the sense that he gives his partner money as a gift to buy the house and has no legal interest in it, but politically suboptimal. I didn't think there was a suggestion that his partner hadn't paid the tax due if it was her purchase (which seems to be what the quoted article is about).
Farage/partner don't owe any tax and have certainly done nothing illegal, but having partner buy the home you live in for tax efficiency purposes (if it was Farage's money rather than hers, which is not yet determined) looks a bit hypocritical given the attacks on Rayner.
The implication, or inference, is she bought the house with his money to duck tax. Yes.
The Neidle tweet only seems to refer to property in France (due to way owned) not counting for her for additional property owned purposes under UK law. So she definitely doesn't owe any extra stamp duty.
But the question of whether it's really Farage's money and he's tax-efficiently put the house in her name remains.
(Note, I've no problem with that - family member has just bought a house with, partly, partner's money but it's in his name only as partner already owns another house - but it is a bit hypocritical to go after Rayner on her arrangements if that is the case.)
Did he go after Rayner ?
He did.
Link ? Specifics ?
Here’s this tweet from last Thursday which effectively called her a liar, I put in a PB header, it sealed the deal for me that she was a gonner
Trump having had a stroke isn't really a conspiracy theory is it?
I would be sympathetic to him. It's not nice.
Incidentally, might it be something like Bells' Palsy? My dad had that a while back, and the hospital treated it as if it was a stroke until they knew otherwise.
Bell's palsy can be confused for a stroke. What you do in a diagnosis is consider prior probabilities. Is this someone who is likely to have a stroke or not? Trump is old and overweight, with symptoms indicative of heart failure. He's clearly at high risk of a stroke.
Whether he has had one, I've no idea.
A Bells Palsy would affect the forehead as well, not just the cheek and lower face as it is Lower Motor Neurone. If this is at it appears then it is a central lesion.
Wrestling commentator and legend Jim Ross had it. In his shoot videos he did say it was confused for a stroke initially.
It was even used against him as an angle by some really vile people
Yes, but the physical signs are quite different (and both LMN and UMN Facial palsies have quite a lot of potential causes) but I would fail a medical student if they couldn't tell the neurological features apart!
I wouldn't expect the same level of understanding from lay people of course.
As a matter of interest, then why was my dad treated as a potential stroke victim at hospital? (There is a family history of strokes, so might that be it?)
It might be that the junior staff can't examine cranial nerves properly, but to be charitable it may have been that residual signs from previous strokes confused the picture.
He's never had a stroke, but his mum and sister have. Maybe there were other symptoms as well, but I get the impression it was not a straightforward diagnosis.
Might it be like when I had meningitis: you treat it for the worst possibility (in my case, bacterial) until they knew it was something slightly less serious? If they weren't sure, treat for a stroke?
Yes, if in doubt then treat.
Obviously I haven't examined Trump, just seen some pictures on the Internet but the features of Bells Palsy and stroke are quite different. In an evolving lesion the signs may be less clear.
Isn't the suggestion that Farage bought the house through his partner to avoid the extra Stamp Duty? That is perfectly legal, in the sense that he gives his partner money as a gift to buy the house and has no legal interest in it, but politically suboptimal. I didn't think there was a suggestion that his partner hadn't paid the tax due if it was her purchase (which seems to be what the quoted article is about).
Farage/partner don't owe any tax and have certainly done nothing illegal, but having partner buy the home you live in for tax efficiency purposes (if it was Farage's money rather than hers, which is not yet determined) looks a bit hypocritical given the attacks on Rayner.
The implication, or inference, is she bought the house with his money to duck tax. Yes.
The Neidle tweet only seems to refer to property in France (due to way owned) not counting for her for additional property owned purposes under UK law. So she definitely doesn't owe any extra stamp duty.
But the question of whether it's really Farage's money and he's tax-efficiently put the house in her name remains.
(Note, I've no problem with that - family member has just bought a house with, partly, partner's money but it's in his name only as partner already owns another house - but it is a bit hypocritical to go after Rayner on her arrangements if that is the case.)
Did he go after Rayner ?
He did.
Link ? Specifics ?
Here’s this tweet from last Thursday which effectively called her a liar, I put in a PB header, it sealed the deal for me that she was a gonner
Baroness May said: “I do not believe the safeguards in the Bill will prevent people from being pressurised to end their lives, sometimes for the benefit of others.”
Theresa May, at least in that extract, does not say what safeguards would satisfy her. This is a debate conducted by ideologues throwing up chaff in support of their own prejudices.
Isn't the suggestion that Farage bought the house through his partner to avoid the extra Stamp Duty? That is perfectly legal, in the sense that he gives his partner money as a gift to buy the house and has no legal interest in it, but politically suboptimal. I didn't think there was a suggestion that his partner hadn't paid the tax due if it was her purchase (which seems to be what the quoted article is about).
Farage/partner don't owe any tax and have certainly done nothing illegal, but having partner buy the home you live in for tax efficiency purposes (if it was Farage's money rather than hers, which is not yet determined) looks a bit hypocritical given the attacks on Rayner.
It all looks perfectly legal. The issues are:
a) Politicians doing something to avoid tax that would be perfectly reasonable for all of us to do, but they are held to a higher standard, which is bizarre as most have demonstrated they are not capable of even meeting the standards joe public meets.
b) Telling fibs about it (which I think is the more damaging). Those fibs being that when challenged on not visiting Clacton saying he had exchanged on a house that day and then the issues of it being her money and not his (or is it?). Again pretty unfair, because he has done more than many MPs to establish a constituency home* and hasn't done anything wrong, but is being caught out by embellishing his arrangement somewhat.
* Michael Gove claimed to be local to Surrey Hearth by renting a house, then buggered off when he got elected. The previous Conservative MP for Guildford claimed to live in Guildford, and bought a flat there, but in reality lived in a family home about 20 miles outside the constituency. Lots of MPs do this. Establish a home of sorts during the election for electioneering purposes, then drop it.
Farage has put in as much effort as many, but is being caught out by the link to the Rayner issue and a few stretches of the truth.
20 miles away isn't a biggy in normal circs, though for Clacton that could mean a 2 hour drive (or a small boat crossing ).
I thought Farage has said that he didn't gift her the money and that it's her family money. Which has raised more questions because journos' research is that her family doesn't have money.
Any interest in the Irish Presidential election? Nominations close on September 24th. Polling day is Friday 24th October.
The latest opinion poll (5th September) had the three candidates nominated so far almost tied for first preferences.
Heather Humphreys (Fine Gael) 21% Jim Gavin (Fianna Fail) 20% Catherine Connolly (Independent, ex-Labour, nominated by the small Left parties) 20% Don't Know 39%
The AV system used would mean that it is almost more important who is third, rather than first, when deciding the outcome of such a vote.
Sinn Fein haven't decided whether, or who, to run as a candidate yet.
Maria Steen, an independent who is a prominent Conservative activist who is well known for being on the losing side in the gay marriage and abortion referendums, but on the winning side for the latest referendum (on care and the woman's place in the home), still has a chance of being nominated. She currently has 10 of the required 20 TDs/Senators.
There are other people who have declared a candidacy, who are trying to gain the support of 4 local authorities to be nominated. With FF and FG both running candidates, it currently looks unlikely that anyone will be nominated by this route - but I don't know enough about the individuals concerned to know if they might have particular local links in an area that could help them.
What about UFC (you decide for what this acronym stands for) legend Connor McGregor? Has he recused himself for reasons of being an arsehole?
It stands for Ultimate Fighting Championship. No one needs to decide what it stands for. That is what it stands for.
Yeah, there have never been acronyms that have stood for different things in the whole history of the world, FACT!
When I had the pleasure (sic) of working at JLR (bunch of shits, glad they’re in trouble) I was given a list of acronyms in my first week as reference. It was 12 pages long and one acronym had 3 different meanings. Twats.
When I joined Microsoft I got a handbook of them, most of them irrelevant and an awful lot of them had 3 or 4 usages based on context.
Sometimes that was fun when the context of an email covered a 2 an 3 of the usages
Happy memories of Hewlett-Packard microcomputers and printers where the manuals took up more volume space than the machine itself.
And they had their own unique ring binders with 3 rings.
It’s a bygone age.
The one I'm thinking of was pre-mice for HP - April 1985 , my first placement department. Very nice graphics package, and a pen plotter with mini felt tips, plus textured slides that cost a fortune, but cursor movement was a flat wheel and press CTRL to change the direction of movement from X to Y.
Isn't the suggestion that Farage bought the house through his partner to avoid the extra Stamp Duty? That is perfectly legal, in the sense that he gives his partner money as a gift to buy the house and has no legal interest in it, but politically suboptimal. I didn't think there was a suggestion that his partner hadn't paid the tax due if it was her purchase (which seems to be what the quoted article is about).
Farage/partner don't owe any tax and have certainly done nothing illegal, but having partner buy the home you live in for tax efficiency purposes (if it was Farage's money rather than hers, which is not yet determined) looks a bit hypocritical given the attacks on Rayner.
The implication, or inference, is she bought the house with his money to duck tax. Yes.
The Neidle tweet only seems to refer to property in France (due to way owned) not counting for her for additional property owned purposes under UK law. So she definitely doesn't owe any extra stamp duty.
But the question of whether it's really Farage's money and he's tax-efficiently put the house in her name remains.
(Note, I've no problem with that - family member has just bought a house with, partly, partner's money but it's in his name only as partner already owns another house - but it is a bit hypocritical to go after Rayner on her arrangements if that is the case.)
Did he go after Rayner ?
He did.
Link ? Specifics ?
Here’s this tweet from last Thursday which effectively called her a liar, I put in a PB header, it sealed the deal for me that she was a gonner
In short if I were in the public eye I would not want him focussing on my tax affairs.
Rayner's gone so it is academic but the whole thing could easily have been a misunderstanding about what constitutes taking legal advice about tax. She got advice from lawyers, she got advice about tax. The lay understanding is different from the professional.
Any interest in the Irish Presidential election? Nominations close on September 24th. Polling day is Friday 24th October.
The latest opinion poll (5th September) had the three candidates nominated so far almost tied for first preferences.
Heather Humphreys (Fine Gael) 21% Jim Gavin (Fianna Fail) 20% Catherine Connolly (Independent, ex-Labour, nominated by the small Left parties) 20% Don't Know 39%
The AV system used would mean that it is almost more important who is third, rather than first, when deciding the outcome of such a vote.
Sinn Fein haven't decided whether, or who, to run as a candidate yet.
Maria Steen, an independent who is a prominent Conservative activist who is well known for being on the losing side in the gay marriage and abortion referendums, but on the winning side for the latest referendum (on care and the woman's place in the home), still has a chance of being nominated. She currently has 10 of the required 20 TDs/Senators.
There are other people who have declared a candidacy, who are trying to gain the support of 4 local authorities to be nominated. With FF and FG both running candidates, it currently looks unlikely that anyone will be nominated by this route - but I don't know enough about the individuals concerned to know if they might have particular local links in an area that could help them.
What about UFC (you decide for what this acronym stands for) legend Connor McGregor? Has he recused himself for reasons of being an arsehole?
It stands for Ultimate Fighting Championship. No one needs to decide what it stands for. That is what it stands for.
Yeah, there have never been acronyms that have stood for different things in the whole history of the world, FACT!
When I had the pleasure (sic) of working at JLR (bunch of shits, glad they’re in trouble) I was given a list of acronyms in my first week as reference. It was 12 pages long and one acronym had 3 different meanings. Twats.
When I joined Microsoft I got a handbook of them, most of them irrelevant and an awful lot of them had 3 or 4 usages based on context.
Sometimes that was fun when the context of an email covered a 2 an 3 of the usages
Happy memories of Hewlett-Packard microcomputers and printers where the manuals took up more volume space than the machine itself.
And they had their own unique ring binders with 3 rings.
It’s a bygone age.
The one I'm thinking of was pre-mice for HP - April 1985 , my first placement department. Very nice graphics package, and a pen plotter with mini felt tips, plus textured slides that cost a fortune, but cursor movement was a flat wheel and press CTRL to change the direction of movement from X to Y.
I first started working in 1982.
I remember the old Lucas Logic PCs but that’s about all
Baroness May said: “I do not believe the safeguards in the Bill will prevent people from being pressurised to end their lives, sometimes for the benefit of others.”
Theresa May, at least in that extract, does not say what safeguards would satisfy her. This is a debate conducted by ideologues throwing up chaff in support of their own prejudices.
Any interest in the Irish Presidential election? Nominations close on September 24th. Polling day is Friday 24th October.
The latest opinion poll (5th September) had the three candidates nominated so far almost tied for first preferences.
Heather Humphreys (Fine Gael) 21% Jim Gavin (Fianna Fail) 20% Catherine Connolly (Independent, ex-Labour, nominated by the small Left parties) 20% Don't Know 39%
The AV system used would mean that it is almost more important who is third, rather than first, when deciding the outcome of such a vote.
Sinn Fein haven't decided whether, or who, to run as a candidate yet.
Maria Steen, an independent who is a prominent Conservative activist who is well known for being on the losing side in the gay marriage and abortion referendums, but on the winning side for the latest referendum (on care and the woman's place in the home), still has a chance of being nominated. She currently has 10 of the required 20 TDs/Senators.
There are other people who have declared a candidacy, who are trying to gain the support of 4 local authorities to be nominated. With FF and FG both running candidates, it currently looks unlikely that anyone will be nominated by this route - but I don't know enough about the individuals concerned to know if they might have particular local links in an area that could help them.
What about UFC (you decide for what this acronym stands for) legend Connor McGregor? Has he recused himself for reasons of being an arsehole?
It stands for Ultimate Fighting Championship. No one needs to decide what it stands for. That is what it stands for.
Yeah, there have never been acronyms that have stood for different things in the whole history of the world, FACT!
When I had the pleasure (sic) of working at JLR (bunch of shits, glad they’re in trouble) I was given a list of acronyms in my first week as reference. It was 12 pages long and one acronym had 3 different meanings. Twats.
When I joined Microsoft I got a handbook of them, most of them irrelevant and an awful lot of them had 3 or 4 usages based on context.
Sometimes that was fun when the context of an email covered a 2 an 3 of the usages
Happy memories of Hewlett-Packard microcomputers and printers where the manuals took up more volume space than the machine itself.
And they had their own unique ring binders with 3 rings.
IBM manuals might also have had three rings, although I can't offhand see one on the shelves. It might have been an American convention rather than one specific to HP.
For a bit of fun this morning i did a quick cross reference of last nights local by election results (4 Reform gains from Labx2, Tory and ind, 1 Tory gain from Residents Assoc.) to the relevant ward at the GE and applied the swing to the seats. So we would get these five results at a GE (reminder JUST FOR FUN)
Reform gain Vale of Glamorgan and Hitchin from Labour Reform gain Aldridge-Brownhillls from Conservative Conservative (Esther McVey) hold Tatton Conservative (Nick Timothy) just holds on in West Suffolk
I really do not think labour can count on winning anywhere in Wales at present
I have £100 for the RNLI if Labour win zero seats at the Senedd in 2026 vs your £100 for Wheels for Wellbeing if they win one or more seats !
I'd have a bit more time for Mandelson if he said something like this:
"I knew Jeffrey for x years. We were friends, and I enjoyed his company. I never saw any sign or indication of abuse, and during the trial I felt like a good friend was being subjected to a witch-hunt. After conviction, I stood by him. This was a mistake, and over time I have heard the compelling stories of the many victims, and realise that I, like many others, were taken for a fool."
"So then, Lord Mandelson - what exactly did "(yum yum)" refer to?" would be the next question.
Any interest in the Irish Presidential election? Nominations close on September 24th. Polling day is Friday 24th October.
The latest opinion poll (5th September) had the three candidates nominated so far almost tied for first preferences.
Heather Humphreys (Fine Gael) 21% Jim Gavin (Fianna Fail) 20% Catherine Connolly (Independent, ex-Labour, nominated by the small Left parties) 20% Don't Know 39%
The AV system used would mean that it is almost more important who is third, rather than first, when deciding the outcome of such a vote.
Sinn Fein haven't decided whether, or who, to run as a candidate yet.
Maria Steen, an independent who is a prominent Conservative activist who is well known for being on the losing side in the gay marriage and abortion referendums, but on the winning side for the latest referendum (on care and the woman's place in the home), still has a chance of being nominated. She currently has 10 of the required 20 TDs/Senators.
There are other people who have declared a candidacy, who are trying to gain the support of 4 local authorities to be nominated. With FF and FG both running candidates, it currently looks unlikely that anyone will be nominated by this route - but I don't know enough about the individuals concerned to know if they might have particular local links in an area that could help them.
What about UFC (you decide for what this acronym stands for) legend Connor McGregor? Has he recused himself for reasons of being an arsehole?
It stands for Ultimate Fighting Championship. No one needs to decide what it stands for. That is what it stands for.
Yeah, there have never been acronyms that have stood for different things in the whole history of the world, FACT!
When I had the pleasure (sic) of working at JLR (bunch of shits, glad they’re in trouble) I was given a list of acronyms in my first week as reference. It was 12 pages long and one acronym had 3 different meanings. Twats.
When I joined Microsoft I got a handbook of them, most of them irrelevant and an awful lot of them had 3 or 4 usages based on context.
Sometimes that was fun when the context of an email covered a 2 an 3 of the usages
Happy memories of Hewlett-Packard microcomputers and printers where the manuals took up more volume space than the machine itself.
And they had their own unique ring binders with 3 rings.
IBM manuals might also have had three rings, although I can't offhand see one on the shelves. It might have been an American convention rather than one specific to HP.
They also were not normal paper size - even the Yank 8.5" x 11" (?) size.
Isn't the suggestion that Farage bought the house through his partner to avoid the extra Stamp Duty? That is perfectly legal, in the sense that he gives his partner money as a gift to buy the house and has no legal interest in it, but politically suboptimal. I didn't think there was a suggestion that his partner hadn't paid the tax due if it was her purchase (which seems to be what the quoted article is about).
Farage/partner don't owe any tax and have certainly done nothing illegal, but having partner buy the home you live in for tax efficiency purposes (if it was Farage's money rather than hers, which is not yet determined) looks a bit hypocritical given the attacks on Rayner.
The implication, or inference, is she bought the house with his money to duck tax. Yes.
The Neidle tweet only seems to refer to property in France (due to way owned) not counting for her for additional property owned purposes under UK law. So she definitely doesn't owe any extra stamp duty.
But the question of whether it's really Farage's money and he's tax-efficiently put the house in her name remains.
(Note, I've no problem with that - family member has just bought a house with, partly, partner's money but it's in his name only as partner already owns another house - but it is a bit hypocritical to go after Rayner on her arrangements if that is the case.)
Did he go after Rayner ?
He did.
Link ? Specifics ?
Here’s this tweet from last Thursday which effectively called her a liar, I put in a PB header, it sealed the deal for me that she was a gonner
In short if I were in the public eye I would not want him focussing on my tax affairs.
Rayner's gone so it is academic but the whole thing could easily have been a misunderstanding about what constitutes taking legal advice about tax. She got advice from lawyers, she got advice about tax. The lay understanding is different from the professional.
I kinda thought that myself. The advisor on the Ministerial Code seemed to me to take a very legalistic approach. She was told twice what the tax should be but both times she was told to take expert advice. I think she had no doubt in her mind this was her only property and that the other property belongs to her son's trust. I think anyone would think that because its basically true. The technicalities by which she could still have access to her son's property are there for his care, not so she has a financial claim on it.
I was more concerned that her interest in the trust property seems to have been bought for more than its worth at the cost of the fund to allow her the deposit. That didn't feel right to me but that was not the basis of the decision. I think she was hard done by.
Comments
Incidentally, might it be something like Bells' Palsy? My dad had that a while back, and the hospital treated it as if it was a stroke until they knew otherwise.
I know there have been desperate attempts ever since to blame it on the USA but the reality was that the UK was dangerously over borrowing and over spending in the 2000s.
And its not received wisdom that British consumers are spendthrift, its actual fact - if they weren't the UK wouldn't have a continual trade deficit.
Finally if the government wants to increase individual investment then getting rid of cash ISAs and not increasing taxes on pensions wold be the way to do it.
Look at the birthday book. It is 50 pages (or more) of cringey innuendo - complete with drawings and photos - all about Jeff’s amusing desires - yum yum - for large amounts of young women, often clearly underage. It has actual drawings of him enticing schoolgirls
There are also jokes about him sharing these pleasures - yum yum - with all his many best friends. I find it hard to believe that Lord Yum Yum was entirely unaware of all this. He went to pedo island several times. Presumably all Epstein’s “best friends” read the birthday book and chortled
Mandelson got fired over the post-conviction emails because those are undeniable facts; that doesn’t mean he was innocently ignorant of everything else
The law is a rules engine. Or tries to be. If you present the correct input data, you get the result you want.
Leadership, moral depth & charisma are not required. Indeed, they are not supposed to effect the outcome.
In addition, the lawyer is supposed to be *outside* the process.
I imagine (may be wrong) that they are pretty much everywhere, since there are nearly half a billion in civilian ownership before we even get to the military - 390 million in 2018 with 10-25 million a year sold since. That is about 1.5 per person.
Perhaps the best comparator in the UK is lost phones, since we have 88-90 million devices, which is roughly 1.3 per person.
Anyone else listen to Emma Barnett interviewing the Labour minister about Mandelson (Today on Wednesday?) and wonder at the irony? You'd think she'd have more empathy with Mandelson's story that he didn't realize Epstein was involved in sex trafficking.
Whether he has had one, I've no idea.
It seems patently obvious to me that there is a medical issue.
One that occurred during the six days he disappeared and returned with huge bruising on the back of his hand.
It would stretch credulity to dispute that. But like so much with Trump it goes largely unremarked on.
https://x.com/danneidle/status/1966417005990273495?s=61
It was even used against him as an angle by some really vile people
The US ambassador decided not to turn up to the meeting of the North Atlantic Council
Probably worse.
It’s been a structural problem for this country since 2008. Labour may make it worse or better, but look around at our peers and most are in a similar position. The big area where we’re worse is in business investment and productivity growth, and there we lag several countries with much higher taxes and a much larger public sector.
xxxxxx
ODD THINGS GOING ON WITH FISHING’s FORMATTING. THIS IS MY REPLY:
Yes. And just to follow up with an off the wall question. IIRC the UK economy is heavily dependent on consumer spending for its vitality and health; I think we are being told that people are cautious about discretionary spending because of doubts about the future and so on.
Suppose a few million people are undergoing a bit of a zeitgeist shift, one which is entirely possible. The shift is this: that discretionary consumerism is massively overdone and most of the best things in life, once the non-discretionary bills are paid, are either free or inexpensive.
Instances: Tickling the baby's toes. Walks, countryside. Youtube. Drinking with friends at home instead of the pub.
Nominations close on September 24th. Polling day is Friday 24th October.
The latest opinion poll (5th September) had the three candidates nominated so far almost tied for first preferences.
Heather Humphreys (Fine Gael) 21%
Jim Gavin (Fianna Fail) 20%
Catherine Connolly (Independent, ex-Labour, nominated by the small Left parties) 20%
Don't Know 39%
The AV system used would mean that it is almost more important who is third, rather than first, when deciding the outcome of such a vote.
Sinn Fein haven't decided whether, or who, to run as a candidate yet.
Maria Steen, an independent who is a prominent Conservative activist who is well known for being on the losing side in the gay marriage and abortion referendums, but on the winning side for the latest referendum (on care and the woman's place in the home), still has a chance of being nominated. She currently has 10 of the required 20 TDs/Senators.
There are other people who have declared a candidacy, who are trying to gain the support of 4 local authorities to be nominated. With FF and FG both running candidates, it currently looks unlikely that anyone will be nominated by this route - but I don't know enough about the individuals concerned to know if they might have particular local links in an area that could help them.
Farage/partner don't owe any tax and have certainly done nothing illegal, but having partner buy the home you live in for tax efficiency purposes (if it was Farage's money rather than hers, which is not yet determined) looks a bit hypocritical given the attacks on Rayner.
It's nearly as bad as Microsoft repair persons!
But judging the appointment in the context of the strategy chosen, I think it was one of the most successful actions of the Starmer ministry. Whether this says more about Starmer or Mandelson I leave to your judgement.
When you are back with him
From the command line run ipconfig /all that should show you what the dns settings are - remember DHCP may reset them back to the ISP own DNS servers
https://www.digicert.com/blog/dns-commands-for-windows covers a set of dns checks.
Beyond that clear the browser cache but that really shouldn't do anything..
It was compiled by Ghislaine Maxwell, and I don't see 100-150 contributors all coming into her office to write something up and sign it.
It is more imo like a scrap book made from supplied leaves or scans, with some contributions affixed, then professionally bound. That can I think be seen from the scanned version supplied by the Congressional Committee:
https://d3i6fh83elv35t.cloudfront.net/static/2025/09/Request-No.-1.pdf
(linked by PBS:
https://www.pbs.org/newshour/nation/see-epsteins-full-birthday-book-with-alleged-personal-messages-from-trump-clinton-and-others )
It's not entirely impossible, but it's exceedingly unlikely. That said, Starmer taking his popularity down to towards record Truss lows, with weekly government scandals and a deteriorating fiscal situation, does provide some of the necessary preconditions.
I wouldn't expect the same level of understanding from lay people of course.
If I don't close them down, I tell them I have rooms in my roof - which I do.
ipconfig was what I needed, had forgotten that from when I used Windows more.
I did clear browser cache, should have mentioned that.
Can be back there over the weekend, they live locally.
Should have thought of that myself. Google searches on the specific problem weren't really helping (probably would have done if I'd kept it more general, such as diagnosing DNS issues)
But Farage does not give a hoot about putting out straight fabrications if it is to his political advantage, or lying to deceiving the US Congress, so why would he worry about that?
Live your life. Enjoy it, while you can.
He denies giving her the money, so maybe someone else did.
An ex-colleague recently told me that a project I worked on is on display in the Science Museum. In fact, there's a photo of me and the team as an Easter Egg on the device - I've still got the original photos.
I know tech moves quickly, but I didn't expect to have something in the Science Museum...
ping name.of.website
That will try and resolve the name which will tell you if it a DNS problem or browser/something else problem
the result will look something like this
ping vf.politicalbetting.com
Pinging site-5020679.onvanilla.net [2606:4700:7::a29f:804f] with 32 bytes of data:
Reply from 2606:4700:7::a29f:804f: time=7ms
Reply from 2606:4700:7::a29f:804f: time=8ms
Reply from 2606:4700:7::a29f:804f: time=8ms
Reply from 2606:4700:7::a29f:804f: time=8ms
Ping statistics for 2606:4700:7::a29f:804f:
Packets: Sent = 4, Received = 4, Lost = 0 (0% loss),
Approximate round trip times in milli-seconds:
Minimum = 7ms, Maximum = 8ms, Average = 7ms
McGregor might be a piece of shit. But the UFC is a good endeavour.
Chances of early election to me hinge on:
1) a Starmer exit, and a new PM seeking a mandate (unlikely to happen given current state of the polls and the example of the TMay gambit)
2) a crisis forcing one. Eg an economic crisis that requires exceptionally stringent spending cuts/painful tax measures that makes government MPs so queasy they’d rather just force an election than vote it all through.
It’s been a structural problem for this country since 2008. Labour may make it worse or better, but look around at our peers and most are in a similar position. The big area where we’re worse is in business investment and productivity growth, and there we lag several countries with much higher taxes and a much larger public sector.
xxxxxx
ODD THINGS GOING ON WITH FISHING’s FORMATTING. THIS IS MY REPLY:
Yes. And just to follow up with an off the wall question. IIRC the UK economy is heavily dependent on consumer spending for its vitality and health; I think we are being told that people are cautious about discretionary spending because of doubts about the future and so on.
Suppose a few million people are undergoing a bit of a zeitgeist shift, one which is entirely possible. The shift is this: that discretionary consumerism is massively overdone and most of the best things in life, once the non-discretionary bills are paid, are either free or inexpensive.
Instances: Tickling the baby's toes. Walks, countryside. Youtube. Drinking with friends at home instead of the pub.
----- You are right. Quotes are borked. Sorted-ish, but I may be misattributing.
I'd call that a philosophy not a zeitgeist, and I'd put it in the ABO category ("Absolutely Bloody Obvious").
One of my favourite quotes that is still in my head is from decades back (maybe 1990), when I was thinking about such things:
"I like going window shopping to look at all the expensive things I don't need to buy."
[Three-Letter Acronym]
1. Self-describing abbreviation for a species with which computing terminology is infested.
2. Any confusing acronym. Examples include MCA, FTP, SNA, CPU, MMU, SCCS, DMU, FPU, NNTP, TLA. People who like this looser usage argue that not all TLAs have three letters, just as not all four-letter words have four letters. One also hears of ‘ETLA’ (Extended Three-Letter Acronym, pronounced /ee tee el ay/) being used to describe four-letter acronyms; the terms ‘SFLA’ (Stupid Four-Letter Acronym), ‘LFLA’ (Longer Four Letter Acronym), and VLFLA (Very Long Five Letter Acronym) have also been reported. See also YABA.
The self-effacing phrase "TDM TLA" (Too Damn Many...) is often used to bemoan the plethora of TLAs in use. In 1989, a random of the journalistic persuasion asked hacker Paul Boutin "What do you think will be the biggest problem in computing in the 90s?" Paul's straight-faced response: "There are only 17,000 three-letter acronyms." (To be exact, there are 26^3 = 17,576.) There is probably some karmic justice in the fact that Paul Boutin subsequently became a journalist.
https://zvon.org/comp/r/ref-Jargon_file.html#Terms~TLA
But the question of whether it's really Farage's money and he's tax-efficiently put the house in her name remains.
(Note, I've no problem with that - family member has just bought a house with, partly, partner's money but it's in his name only as partner already owns another house - but it is a bit hypocritical to go after Rayner on her arrangements if that is the case.)
Sometimes that was fun when the context of an email covered a 2 an 3 of the usages
Trump carking it isn’t going to solve anything.
Might it be like when I had meningitis: you treat it for the worst possibility (in my case, bacterial) until they knew it was something slightly less serious? If they weren't sure, treat for a stroke?
If he didn't then there's no hypocrisy.
We have a governing party which has proven itself incapable of the most basic and obvious fiscal discipline. We have a MPC who think they should cut interest rates even although inflation is well above target and rising. We have (inevitably) the highest long term gilt rates for the best part of 30 years. We have a neighbour in France who, if anything, are in an even worse state and threaten to raise real question marks about the safety of sovereign debt. We have a lunatic in the White House whose economic policies are beyond illiterate, simply incoherent and irrational, and who seems determined to damage world trade.
There are lots of reasons for pessimism.
Are there reasons for optimism? Maybe. The growth in AI and the ability of companies to monetise this surely give real cause for optimism about future productivity. Our University sector, whilst having difficulties, remains astonishingly strong internationally. One upside of our excessive immigration is less of a demographic time bomb than many others. We remain a country where the rule of law is strong, the State is contained within proper bounds and the courts are not politicised in the way we see in the US.
Things have the potential to go seriously wrong if we do not start to address our debt and our borrowing. But if we do things may get better.
ipconfig /release
ipconfig /flushdns
ipconfig /renew
And they had their own unique ring binders with 3 rings.
I would do the same, I hope, if one of my best friends was shot dead and his young family were in shreds
Tut
https://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/2025/09/12/lords-debate-assisted-dying-bill/
Baroness May said: “I do not believe the safeguards in the Bill will prevent people from being pressurised to end their lives, sometimes for the benefit of others.”
a) Politicians doing something to avoid tax that would be perfectly reasonable for all of us to do, but they are held to a higher standard, which is bizarre as most have demonstrated they are not capable of even meeting the standards joe public meets.
b) Telling fibs about it (which I think is the more damaging). Those fibs being that when challenged on not visiting Clacton saying he had exchanged on a house that day and then the issues of it being her money and not his (or is it?). Again pretty unfair, because he has done more than many MPs to establish a constituency home* and hasn't done anything wrong, but is being caught out by embellishing his arrangement somewhat.
* Michael Gove claimed to be local to Surrey Hearth by renting a house, then buggered off when he got elected. The previous Conservative MP for Guildford claimed to live in Guildford, and bought a flat there, but in reality lived in a family home about 20 miles outside the constituency. Lots of MPs do this. Establish a home of sorts during the election for electioneering purposes, then drop it.
Farage has put in as much effort as many, but is being caught out by the link to the Rayner issue and a few stretches of the truth.
https://x.com/danneidle/status/1963661815319027905?s=61&t=c6bcp0cjChLfQN5Tc8A_6g
He wrote a piece in The Times too
https://www.thetimes.com/uk/politics/article/angela-rayner-tax-dan-neidle-vxpsw3n29
But there’s enough on his Twitter feed.
In short if I were in the public eye I would not want him focussing on my tax affairs.
Obviously I haven't examined Trump, just seen some pictures on the Internet but the features of Bells Palsy and stroke are quite different. In an evolving lesion the signs may be less clear.
https://gplocumcover.co.uk/docstore/BellsVsStroke.pdf
Are there lines missing from that graph?
Tories outweighing Labour by number to get the Total line that skewed that too close to the Tory line if it is Lab vs Tory is very unlikely.
Are RefUK supporters way below the Tory line to put the "Total" line where it is?
I’d seen this as I follow Dan.
Dan, Dan, Dan, Dan, Dan,Dan……………………….Dan.
I thought Farage has said that he didn't gift her the money and that it's her family money. Which has raised more questions because journos' research is that her family doesn't have money.
I remember the old Lucas Logic PCs but that’s about all
(Or propose an alternative threshold?)
The pages were square.
I was more concerned that her interest in the trust property seems to have been bought for more than its worth at the cost of the fund to allow her the deposit. That didn't feel right to me but that was not the basis of the decision. I think she was hard done by.