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Labour’s little local difficulties: The Welsh edition – politicalbetting.com

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  • dixiedeandixiedean Posts: 30,672
    TimS said:

    https://x.com/RupertLowe10/status/1968195697943208102?s=19

    Rupert's deportation petition heatmap is a useful guide to voting patterns in the next election. Discuss

    Before I clicked on it, I thought it was going to be a heatmap on how popular deporting Rupert Lowe was....
    Lol.
    It is quite interesting though. Whilst Lowe is ex Reform i think it shows where they are going to pile up votes and where Lab or Tories might hang on - for the latter interesting that Harrogate (corrected) and Wetherby look less hard-core anti immigration as an example, or Derby Dales which might remain a LabCon marginal.

    Its not a prediction of course but its the sort of supplemental data that would help more with constituency betting (nearer the time) than Baxter.
    Harrogate is LD, I misread that bit of it but point remains
    The map looks reasonably reassuring for Lib Dem holds and potential targets.

    The other bizarre (but not new) thing is the hottest areas of the heat map are generally those with fewest foreign born residents.
    That isn't bizarre. That's been a consistent finding.
  • turbotubbsturbotubbs Posts: 20,264
    Cookie said:

    Mortimer said:

    MaxPB said:

    Random observation - my wife never really watched old Top Gear so we've been going through it on iPlayer for the last couple of weeks in the evenings. Firstly, it's genuinely great entertainment, even for non-car enthusiasts.

    Secondly, I think Top Gear coming off the air and moving to a less watched streaming programme has contributed to the political fracturing of the nation. Top Gear used to be watched by basically everyone in the country and it was a constant of three middle aged blokes telling the emperor he had no clothes on and it meant the rest of the country didn't feel completely insane for having common sense.

    I don't think there's been a show like it since then that has captured the cultural zeitgeist and is watched by basically the whole country that just tells it like it is and isn't afraid of being "cancelled".

    There's a sanity check that's been missing.

    I agree. I don't even drive and I loved Top Gear!

    The whole communal experience of culture has largely disappeared. Sport remains as the only unifier these days; I suspect that is partly why the flag is having a resurgence.
    Top Gear would have dwindled away even with Clarkson punching someone. We have so much more choice of what to watch and what to do now. 30 years ago, almost everyone household's telly was on in he evening and the only question was which of four channels it was tuned to. Now it's unusual to get a programme that 10% of the population watch. The UK isn't unusual in this respect.

    My favourite telly stat: in 1985, 18.5 million people - almost one third of the UK population at the time - stayed up until after midnight to watch Dennis Taylor beat Steve Davis in the final of the World Snooker Championship. The past was culturally quite a different place.
    Its quite hard to really remember what it was like when there were only three channels. And yet that was what we had when I was growing up. The excitement of getting the Radio/TV times for christmas so you could plan your viewing.
  • wooliedyedwooliedyed Posts: 14,273
    TimS said:

    https://x.com/RupertLowe10/status/1968195697943208102?s=19

    Rupert's deportation petition heatmap is a useful guide to voting patterns in the next election. Discuss

    Before I clicked on it, I thought it was going to be a heatmap on how popular deporting Rupert Lowe was....
    Lol.
    It is quite interesting though. Whilst Lowe is ex Reform i think it shows where they are going to pile up votes and where Lab or Tories might hang on - for the latter interesting that Harrogate (corrected) and Wetherby look less hard-core anti immigration as an example, or Derby Dales which might remain a LabCon marginal.

    Its not a prediction of course but its the sort of supplemental data that would help more with constituency betting (nearer the time) than Baxter.
    Harrogate is LD, I misread that bit of it but point remains
    The map looks reasonably reassuring for Lib Dem holds and potential targets.

    The other bizarre (but not new) thing is the hottest areas of the heat map are generally those with fewest foreign born residents.
    Saxon Shore for Reform.
  • SandpitSandpit Posts: 56,936

    MattW said:

    The Trump press conference will be interesting, if the journos have not had their balls cut off first, or been pre-screened to be sycophants only - which is unlikely in the UK.

    The questions will mainly be to Trump, trying to embarrass Starmer?

    That comes at Chequers tomorrow and the media have been quite clear that it will be dominated by Mandelson Epstein Trump scenario
    The US online right are really going hard on AG Pam Bondi, for her comments on “hate speech”, many commentators are calling for her resignation.

    She was already under fire over Epstein, pretty much every question from the US media is going to be on that subject tomorrow.

    Trump’s going to be under huge pressure to throw her under the bus, especially given his previous comments on freedom of speech in the UK.
  • DopermeanDopermean Posts: 1,574

    MattW said:

    MaxPB said:

    Random observation - my wife never really watched old Top Gear so we've been going through it on iPlayer for the last couple of weeks in the evenings. Firstly, it's genuinely great entertainment, even for non-car enthusiasts.

    Secondly, I think Top Gear coming off the air and moving to a less watched streaming programme has contributed to the political fracturing of the nation. Top Gear used to be watched by basically everyone in the country and it was a constant of three middle aged blokes telling the emperor he had no clothes on and it meant the rest of the country didn't feel completely insane for having common sense.

    I don't think there's been a show like it since then that has captured the cultural zeitgeist and is watched by basically the whole country that just tells it like it is and isn't afraid of being "cancelled".

    There's a sanity check that's been missing.

    I have never watched Top Gear. Maybe I don't have much common sense! Watching a programme about cars sounds like watching a programme about ironing boards as far as I'm concerned.
    It wasn't really about cars.

    It was Last of the Summer Wine, with a younger trio and a larger budget.
    The think I disliked about it apart from the future Reform voters 'live' audience, is the indifference Clarkson had towards anything not carbon fibre, mag alloy or costing less than 6 figures. He was also a mechanical yahoo which though it was part of his schtick was I think actually genuine.
    Not sure they reviewed anything less than 7 figures in the last few series. Pointless when they only review cars that will be bought to be preserved and the rare few that are ever actually driven are likely to end up crashed.
  • CarnyxCarnyx Posts: 45,550

    TimS said:

    https://x.com/RupertLowe10/status/1968195697943208102?s=19

    Rupert's deportation petition heatmap is a useful guide to voting patterns in the next election. Discuss

    Before I clicked on it, I thought it was going to be a heatmap on how popular deporting Rupert Lowe was....
    Lol.
    It is quite interesting though. Whilst Lowe is ex Reform i think it shows where they are going to pile up votes and where Lab or Tories might hang on - for the latter interesting that Harrogate (corrected) and Wetherby look less hard-core anti immigration as an example, or Derby Dales which might remain a LabCon marginal.

    Its not a prediction of course but its the sort of supplemental data that would help more with constituency betting (nearer the time) than Baxter.
    Harrogate is LD, I misread that bit of it but point remains
    The map looks reasonably reassuring for Lib Dem holds and potential targets.

    The other bizarre (but not new) thing is the hottest areas of the heat map are generally those with fewest foreign born residents.
    Saxon Shore for Reform.
    Including the bit running west to the Solent, more or less.
  • HYUFDHYUFD Posts: 130,285
    edited 11:45AM
    Leon said:

    “This is a shocker. James Reed , CEO of the recruiter Reed, said on Times Radio the UK is in the grip of a graduate jobs crisis noting three years ago he had 188,000 graduate jobs on his books and today it was 55,000.

    He encouraged middle class families to encourage their student kids to take up manual labour”

    *cough* universities

    *cough* doomed

    There are still going to be university courses needed for those 55,000 who will do graduate jobs and the amount of manual labour needed isn't increasing much, so that is just a recipe for more unemployed and a higher benefits bill unless AI creates new jobs
  • BattlebusBattlebus Posts: 1,492
    edited 11:42AM
    Sandpit said:

    MattW said:

    The Trump press conference will be interesting, if the journos have not had their balls cut off first, or been pre-screened to be sycophants only - which is unlikely in the UK.

    The questions will mainly be to Trump, trying to embarrass Starmer?

    That comes at Chequers tomorrow and the media have been quite clear that it will be dominated by Mandelson Epstein Trump scenario
    The US online right are really going hard on AG Pam Bondi, for her comments on “hate speech”, many commentators are calling for her resignation.

    She was already under fire over Epstein, pretty much every question from the US media is going to be on that subject tomorrow.

    Trump’s going to be under huge pressure to throw her under the bus, especially given his previous comments on freedom of speech in the UK.
    Some facts. She is likely to survive the bus.

    https://www.paulsoncoletti.com/bus-accident-statistics/
  • wooliedyedwooliedyed Posts: 14,273
    Carnyx said:

    TimS said:

    https://x.com/RupertLowe10/status/1968195697943208102?s=19

    Rupert's deportation petition heatmap is a useful guide to voting patterns in the next election. Discuss

    Before I clicked on it, I thought it was going to be a heatmap on how popular deporting Rupert Lowe was....
    Lol.
    It is quite interesting though. Whilst Lowe is ex Reform i think it shows where they are going to pile up votes and where Lab or Tories might hang on - for the latter interesting that Harrogate (corrected) and Wetherby look less hard-core anti immigration as an example, or Derby Dales which might remain a LabCon marginal.

    Its not a prediction of course but its the sort of supplemental data that would help more with constituency betting (nearer the time) than Baxter.
    Harrogate is LD, I misread that bit of it but point remains
    The map looks reasonably reassuring for Lib Dem holds and potential targets.

    The other bizarre (but not new) thing is the hottest areas of the heat map are generally those with fewest foreign born residents.
    Saxon Shore for Reform.
    Including the bit running west to the Solent, more or less.
    I have to say I didn't have Kings Lynn down on my Woke Turnips bingo card (im allowed to say that as a Turnip myself)
  • MarqueeMarkMarqueeMark Posts: 55,898
    HYUFD said:

    Leon said:

    “This is a shocker. James Reed , CEO of the recruiter Reed, said on Times Radio the UK is in the grip of a graduate jobs crisis noting three years ago he had 188,000 graduate jobs on his books and today it was 55,000.

    He encouraged middle class families to encourage their student kids to take up manual labour”

    *cough* universities

    *cough* doomed

    There are still going to be university courses needed for those 55,000 who will do graduate jobs and the amount of manual labour needed isn't increasing much, so that is just a recipe for more unemployed and a higher benefits bill unless AI creates new jobs
    Has anybody set out how AI actually creates new jobs? Unless it is in fact-checking the bullshit it spews out?
  • DecrepiterJohnLDecrepiterJohnL Posts: 32,827
    HYUFD said:

    The King and Queen join the Trumps as the carriage procession proceeds down the Long Drive through Windsor Great Park to Windsor Castle

    You know who is not joining them?

    Davey resolute that boycotting state banquet will send message to Trump
    https://www.independent.co.uk/news/uk/home-news/donald-trump-ed-davey-prime-minister-liberal-democrat-palestinian-b2827722.html

    Poor Donald. He's flown all this way to not meet someone he has never heard of.
  • CarnyxCarnyx Posts: 45,550

    Carnyx said:

    TimS said:

    https://x.com/RupertLowe10/status/1968195697943208102?s=19

    Rupert's deportation petition heatmap is a useful guide to voting patterns in the next election. Discuss

    Before I clicked on it, I thought it was going to be a heatmap on how popular deporting Rupert Lowe was....
    Lol.
    It is quite interesting though. Whilst Lowe is ex Reform i think it shows where they are going to pile up votes and where Lab or Tories might hang on - for the latter interesting that Harrogate (corrected) and Wetherby look less hard-core anti immigration as an example, or Derby Dales which might remain a LabCon marginal.

    Its not a prediction of course but its the sort of supplemental data that would help more with constituency betting (nearer the time) than Baxter.
    Harrogate is LD, I misread that bit of it but point remains
    The map looks reasonably reassuring for Lib Dem holds and potential targets.

    The other bizarre (but not new) thing is the hottest areas of the heat map are generally those with fewest foreign born residents.
    Saxon Shore for Reform.
    Including the bit running west to the Solent, more or less.
    I have to say I didn't have Kings Lynn down on my Woke Turnips bingo card (im allowed to say that as a Turnip myself)
    The Saxon Shore ran right up to the north rim of Norfolk ... and of course there was a chain of watchtowers further north, beyond Whitby at least.
  • TimSTimS Posts: 16,128
    dixiedean said:

    TimS said:

    https://x.com/RupertLowe10/status/1968195697943208102?s=19

    Rupert's deportation petition heatmap is a useful guide to voting patterns in the next election. Discuss

    Before I clicked on it, I thought it was going to be a heatmap on how popular deporting Rupert Lowe was....
    Lol.
    It is quite interesting though. Whilst Lowe is ex Reform i think it shows where they are going to pile up votes and where Lab or Tories might hang on - for the latter interesting that Harrogate (corrected) and Wetherby look less hard-core anti immigration as an example, or Derby Dales which might remain a LabCon marginal.

    Its not a prediction of course but its the sort of supplemental data that would help more with constituency betting (nearer the time) than Baxter.
    Harrogate is LD, I misread that bit of it but point remains
    The map looks reasonably reassuring for Lib Dem holds and potential targets.

    The other bizarre (but not new) thing is the hottest areas of the heat map are generally those with fewest foreign born residents.
    That isn't bizarre. That's been a consistent finding.
    “But not new”. It’s still bizarre. It’s one of those permanent bizarrenesses of politics. Contrast with the national map of NIMBYism (percentage of planning applications turned down due to objections) which peaks in the most already built up locations.
  • TimSTimS Posts: 16,128

    HYUFD said:

    The King and Queen join the Trumps as the carriage procession proceeds down the Long Drive through Windsor Great Park to Windsor Castle

    You know who is not joining them?

    Davey resolute that boycotting state banquet will send message to Trump
    https://www.independent.co.uk/news/uk/home-news/donald-trump-ed-davey-prime-minister-liberal-democrat-palestinian-b2827722.html

    Poor Donald. He's flown all this way to not meet someone he has never heard of.
    I’m sure he’s heard of him, given how much real estate Davey currently seems to occupy in Elon’s head.
  • CarnyxCarnyx Posts: 45,550
    TimS said:

    dixiedean said:

    TimS said:

    https://x.com/RupertLowe10/status/1968195697943208102?s=19

    Rupert's deportation petition heatmap is a useful guide to voting patterns in the next election. Discuss

    Before I clicked on it, I thought it was going to be a heatmap on how popular deporting Rupert Lowe was....
    Lol.
    It is quite interesting though. Whilst Lowe is ex Reform i think it shows where they are going to pile up votes and where Lab or Tories might hang on - for the latter interesting that Harrogate (corrected) and Wetherby look less hard-core anti immigration as an example, or Derby Dales which might remain a LabCon marginal.

    Its not a prediction of course but its the sort of supplemental data that would help more with constituency betting (nearer the time) than Baxter.
    Harrogate is LD, I misread that bit of it but point remains
    The map looks reasonably reassuring for Lib Dem holds and potential targets.

    The other bizarre (but not new) thing is the hottest areas of the heat map are generally those with fewest foreign born residents.
    That isn't bizarre. That's been a consistent finding.
    “But not new”. It’s still bizarre. It’s one of those permanent bizarrenesses of politics. Contrast with the national map of NIMBYism (percentage of planning applications turned down due to objections) which peaks in the most already built up locations.
    Er, that's a map of *successful* Nimbyism. Not total Nimbyism. The former would correlate quite well with already-built-up-ness.
  • EabhalEabhal Posts: 11,843
    edited 11:54AM

    HYUFD said:

    Leon said:

    “This is a shocker. James Reed , CEO of the recruiter Reed, said on Times Radio the UK is in the grip of a graduate jobs crisis noting three years ago he had 188,000 graduate jobs on his books and today it was 55,000.

    He encouraged middle class families to encourage their student kids to take up manual labour”

    *cough* universities

    *cough* doomed

    There are still going to be university courses needed for those 55,000 who will do graduate jobs and the amount of manual labour needed isn't increasing much, so that is just a recipe for more unemployed and a higher benefits bill unless AI creates new jobs
    Has anybody set out how AI actually creates new jobs? Unless it is in fact-checking the bullshit it spews out?
    Well it's certainly having an effect on current jobs. I've a friend on a decent (professional) salary who has just been given the nod his job might go (see BBC Scotland news for a hint).

    I've escaped into middle management but certainly won't be expanding/replacing my team in the next few years with a lot of pressure to use AI to take up the slack. I'm not sure how - part of the reason I can post on PB is we've automated most of our stuff already.
  • wooliedyedwooliedyed Posts: 14,273
    Carnyx said:

    Carnyx said:

    TimS said:

    https://x.com/RupertLowe10/status/1968195697943208102?s=19

    Rupert's deportation petition heatmap is a useful guide to voting patterns in the next election. Discuss

    Before I clicked on it, I thought it was going to be a heatmap on how popular deporting Rupert Lowe was....
    Lol.
    It is quite interesting though. Whilst Lowe is ex Reform i think it shows where they are going to pile up votes and where Lab or Tories might hang on - for the latter interesting that Harrogate (corrected) and Wetherby look less hard-core anti immigration as an example, or Derby Dales which might remain a LabCon marginal.

    Its not a prediction of course but its the sort of supplemental data that would help more with constituency betting (nearer the time) than Baxter.
    Harrogate is LD, I misread that bit of it but point remains
    The map looks reasonably reassuring for Lib Dem holds and potential targets.

    The other bizarre (but not new) thing is the hottest areas of the heat map are generally those with fewest foreign born residents.
    Saxon Shore for Reform.
    Including the bit running west to the Solent, more or less.
    I have to say I didn't have Kings Lynn down on my Woke Turnips bingo card (im allowed to say that as a Turnip myself)
    The Saxon Shore ran right up to the north rim of Norfolk ... and of course there was a chain of watchtowers further north, beyond Whitby at least.
    Fun fact
    Norfolk on its own saved Europe from the last Ice Age. The Cromer Holt Morainic ridge was where she said 'NONE SHALL PASS'
  • StillWatersStillWaters Posts: 10,890

    MattW said:

    Good morning everyone.

    JLR: (Long quote as paywall)

    I'm not sure how this plays in to their production pause to go electric, which if it is in place and continuing may mitigate.

    Jaguar Land Rover’s output could take several months to normalise, fear suppliers

    JLR on Tuesday said it would extend its production halt until at least next Wednesday as it continued its investigation. In a statement, the company also cautioned that “the controlled restart of our global operations . . . will take time”.
    If JLR cannot produce vehicles until November, David Bailey, professor at University of Birmingham, estimated that the group would suffer a revenue hit of more than £3.5bn while it would lose about £250mn in profits, or about £72mn in revenue and £5mn in profits on a daily basis.
    With annual revenues of £29bn in 2024, JLR will be able to absorb the financial costs but Bailey warned the consequences would be bigger for the smaller sized companies in its supply chain. JLR declined to comment.
    The cyber attack comes at a crucial period for the UK carmaker when it is going through a controversial rebranding of its Jaguar brand and an expensive shift to all-electric vehicles by the end of the decade. Even before the latest incident, people briefed on the matter have said the company was facing delays with launching its new electric models.
    “They are clearly in chaos,” said one industry executive who works closely with JLR, while another warned that “no one actually knows” when production would resume.

    https://www.ft.com/content/c67be2f2-4dcf-4656-888c-8711789cd9ae#selection-2255.0-2275.165

    JLR's supply chain might collapse completely. Already there have been reports of thousands of layoffs. The government needs to pull its finger out on mitigation and support (it makes one nostalgic for Covid) but also to do more to prevent these incidents in the first place. Is the NCSC (National Cyber Security Centre) fit for purpose?
    Who is it the government’s responsibility? JLE has plenty of money. They need their supply chain operational otherwise they are out of business.

    JLR needs a supply chain. HMG might prefer that supply chain be largely UK-based.
    Yes but car parts are not off the shelf. They are individually designed. That’s why when Chrysler nearly went to the wall a lot of Iaocca’s time was spent supporting the supply chain.
  • Big_G_NorthWalesBig_G_NorthWales Posts: 67,251

    HYUFD said:

    The King and Queen join the Trumps as the carriage procession proceeds down the Long Drive through Windsor Great Park to Windsor Castle

    You know who is not joining them?

    Davey resolute that boycotting state banquet will send message to Trump
    https://www.independent.co.uk/news/uk/home-news/donald-trump-ed-davey-prime-minister-liberal-democrat-palestinian-b2827722.html

    Poor Donald. He's flown all this way to not meet someone he has never heard of.
    Not ofter I refer to Starmer positively, but at a recent PMQs when Davey was sounding off about Trump he did say that if you were to come to the banquet you can speak to him yourself !!!!
  • CarnyxCarnyx Posts: 45,550

    Carnyx said:

    Carnyx said:

    TimS said:

    https://x.com/RupertLowe10/status/1968195697943208102?s=19

    Rupert's deportation petition heatmap is a useful guide to voting patterns in the next election. Discuss

    Before I clicked on it, I thought it was going to be a heatmap on how popular deporting Rupert Lowe was....
    Lol.
    It is quite interesting though. Whilst Lowe is ex Reform i think it shows where they are going to pile up votes and where Lab or Tories might hang on - for the latter interesting that Harrogate (corrected) and Wetherby look less hard-core anti immigration as an example, or Derby Dales which might remain a LabCon marginal.

    Its not a prediction of course but its the sort of supplemental data that would help more with constituency betting (nearer the time) than Baxter.
    Harrogate is LD, I misread that bit of it but point remains
    The map looks reasonably reassuring for Lib Dem holds and potential targets.

    The other bizarre (but not new) thing is the hottest areas of the heat map are generally those with fewest foreign born residents.
    Saxon Shore for Reform.
    Including the bit running west to the Solent, more or less.
    I have to say I didn't have Kings Lynn down on my Woke Turnips bingo card (im allowed to say that as a Turnip myself)
    The Saxon Shore ran right up to the north rim of Norfolk ... and of course there was a chain of watchtowers further north, beyond Whitby at least.
    Fun fact
    Norfolk on its own saved Europe from the last Ice Age. The Cromer Holt Morainic ridge was where she said 'NONE SHALL PASS'
    Indeed. Been on a field trip to see the Cromer Forest Bed myself, and Burgh Castle in the turnip fields.
  • CarnyxCarnyx Posts: 45,550
    GRaun feed:

    "Just in case bearskin helmets and marching music are not your thing, there is politics news happening today. Mason Humberstone, a councillor on Stevenage council, has defected from Labour to Reform UK. [snipped quote from Mr H so as not to copy too much of the report]

    Christopher Hope from GB News says this is the first direct defection from Labour to Reform UK by an elected politician in England.

    This will cheer Nigel Farage, the Reform UK leader, who has been moaning that, despite being a friend and ally of Trump’s, he has not been invited to the state banquet tonight."
  • Andy_JSAndy_JS Posts: 37,497
    TimS said:

    dixiedean said:

    TimS said:

    https://x.com/RupertLowe10/status/1968195697943208102?s=19

    Rupert's deportation petition heatmap is a useful guide to voting patterns in the next election. Discuss

    Before I clicked on it, I thought it was going to be a heatmap on how popular deporting Rupert Lowe was....
    Lol.
    It is quite interesting though. Whilst Lowe is ex Reform i think it shows where they are going to pile up votes and where Lab or Tories might hang on - for the latter interesting that Harrogate (corrected) and Wetherby look less hard-core anti immigration as an example, or Derby Dales which might remain a LabCon marginal.

    Its not a prediction of course but its the sort of supplemental data that would help more with constituency betting (nearer the time) than Baxter.
    Harrogate is LD, I misread that bit of it but point remains
    The map looks reasonably reassuring for Lib Dem holds and potential targets.

    The other bizarre (but not new) thing is the hottest areas of the heat map are generally those with fewest foreign born residents.
    That isn't bizarre. That's been a consistent finding.
    “But not new”. It’s still bizarre. It’s one of those permanent bizarrenesses of politics. Contrast with the national map of NIMBYism (percentage of planning applications turned down due to objections) which peaks in the most already built up locations.
    It isn't bizarre at all.
  • MalmesburyMalmesbury Posts: 56,957
    Eabhal said:

    HYUFD said:

    Leon said:

    “This is a shocker. James Reed , CEO of the recruiter Reed, said on Times Radio the UK is in the grip of a graduate jobs crisis noting three years ago he had 188,000 graduate jobs on his books and today it was 55,000.

    He encouraged middle class families to encourage their student kids to take up manual labour”

    *cough* universities

    *cough* doomed

    There are still going to be university courses needed for those 55,000 who will do graduate jobs and the amount of manual labour needed isn't increasing much, so that is just a recipe for more unemployed and a higher benefits bill unless AI creates new jobs
    Has anybody set out how AI actually creates new jobs? Unless it is in fact-checking the bullshit it spews out?
    Well it's certainly having an effect on current jobs. I've a friend on a decent (professional) salary who has just been given the nod his job might go (see BBC Scotland news for a hint).

    I've escaped into middle management but certainly won't be expanding/replacing my team in the next few years with a lot of pressure to use AI to take up the slack. I'm not sure how - part of the reason I can post on PB is we've automated most of our stuff already.
    If LLMs increase productivity, then we have the classic virtuous circle of cheaper goods and services enabling higher economic activity.

    Used judiciously, in some cases they can. At current pricing.

    I’m not aware of any LLM being charged for at the full cost - they are all running at a loss.

    The real “is AI a bubble?” question is “how much real benefit vs the real cost”
  • Daveyboy1961Daveyboy1961 Posts: 4,856

    HYUFD said:

    The King and Queen join the Trumps as the carriage procession proceeds down the Long Drive through Windsor Great Park to Windsor Castle

    You know who is not joining them?

    Davey resolute that boycotting state banquet will send message to Trump
    https://www.independent.co.uk/news/uk/home-news/donald-trump-ed-davey-prime-minister-liberal-democrat-palestinian-b2827722.html

    Poor Donald. He's flown all this way to not meet someone he has never heard of.
    Not ofter I refer to Starmer positively, but at a recent PMQs when Davey was sounding off about Trump he did say that if you were to come to the banquet you can speak to him yourself !!!!
    It's funny how when people stand on there principles, they get flagged off. As far as I am concerned trump is not for turning whoever meets him.
  • CarnyxCarnyx Posts: 45,550
    edited 12:02PM

    Carnyx said:

    TimS said:

    https://x.com/RupertLowe10/status/1968195697943208102?s=19

    Rupert's deportation petition heatmap is a useful guide to voting patterns in the next election. Discuss

    Before I clicked on it, I thought it was going to be a heatmap on how popular deporting Rupert Lowe was....
    Lol.
    It is quite interesting though. Whilst Lowe is ex Reform i think it shows where they are going to pile up votes and where Lab or Tories might hang on - for the latter interesting that Harrogate (corrected) and Wetherby look less hard-core anti immigration as an example, or Derby Dales which might remain a LabCon marginal.

    Its not a prediction of course but its the sort of supplemental data that would help more with constituency betting (nearer the time) than Baxter.
    Harrogate is LD, I misread that bit of it but point remains
    The map looks reasonably reassuring for Lib Dem holds and potential targets.

    The other bizarre (but not new) thing is the hottest areas of the heat map are generally those with fewest foreign born residents.
    Saxon Shore for Reform.
    Including the bit running west to the Solent, more or less.
    I have to say I didn't have Kings Lynn down on my Woke Turnips bingo card (im allowed to say that as a Turnip myself)
    Re Scotland, the map is slightly surprising - warmer in much of the West Central Belt, [edit] Fife industrial zone, and the Doric northeast, but no clear hotspots otherwise. Possibly a function of the slicing used for the colour mapping.
  • SandpitSandpit Posts: 56,936

    Eabhal said:

    HYUFD said:

    Leon said:

    “This is a shocker. James Reed , CEO of the recruiter Reed, said on Times Radio the UK is in the grip of a graduate jobs crisis noting three years ago he had 188,000 graduate jobs on his books and today it was 55,000.

    He encouraged middle class families to encourage their student kids to take up manual labour”

    *cough* universities

    *cough* doomed

    There are still going to be university courses needed for those 55,000 who will do graduate jobs and the amount of manual labour needed isn't increasing much, so that is just a recipe for more unemployed and a higher benefits bill unless AI creates new jobs
    Has anybody set out how AI actually creates new jobs? Unless it is in fact-checking the bullshit it spews out?
    Well it's certainly having an effect on current jobs. I've a friend on a decent (professional) salary who has just been given the nod his job might go (see BBC Scotland news for a hint).

    I've escaped into middle management but certainly won't be expanding/replacing my team in the next few years with a lot of pressure to use AI to take up the slack. I'm not sure how - part of the reason I can post on PB is we've automated most of our stuff already.
    If LLMs increase productivity, then we have the classic virtuous circle of cheaper goods and services enabling higher economic activity.

    Used judiciously, in some cases they can. At current pricing.

    I’m not aware of any LLM being charged for at the full cost - they are all running at a loss.

    The real “is AI a bubble?” question is “how much real benefit vs the real cost”
    Exactly. Are we looking at the future of much higher productivity, or are we looking at the next generation of food delivery companies, unsustainable business models backed by massive venture capital?
  • turbotubbsturbotubbs Posts: 20,264
    Eabhal said:

    HYUFD said:

    Leon said:

    “This is a shocker. James Reed , CEO of the recruiter Reed, said on Times Radio the UK is in the grip of a graduate jobs crisis noting three years ago he had 188,000 graduate jobs on his books and today it was 55,000.

    He encouraged middle class families to encourage their student kids to take up manual labour”

    *cough* universities

    *cough* doomed

    There are still going to be university courses needed for those 55,000 who will do graduate jobs and the amount of manual labour needed isn't increasing much, so that is just a recipe for more unemployed and a higher benefits bill unless AI creates new jobs
    Has anybody set out how AI actually creates new jobs? Unless it is in fact-checking the bullshit it spews out?
    Well it's certainly having an effect on current jobs. I've a friend on a decent (professional) salary who has just been given the nod his job might go (see BBC Scotland news for a hint).

    I've escaped into middle management but certainly won't be expanding/replacing my team in the next few years with a lot of pressure to use AI to take up the slack. I'm not sure how - part of the reason I can post on PB is we've automated most of our stuff already.
    Takes quick look and concludes your friend is an organiser of hogmany events...
  • HYUFDHYUFD Posts: 130,285

    HYUFD said:

    Leon said:

    “This is a shocker. James Reed , CEO of the recruiter Reed, said on Times Radio the UK is in the grip of a graduate jobs crisis noting three years ago he had 188,000 graduate jobs on his books and today it was 55,000.

    He encouraged middle class families to encourage their student kids to take up manual labour”

    *cough* universities

    *cough* doomed

    There are still going to be university courses needed for those 55,000 who will do graduate jobs and the amount of manual labour needed isn't increasing much, so that is just a recipe for more unemployed and a higher benefits bill unless AI creates new jobs
    Has anybody set out how AI actually creates new jobs? Unless it is in fact-checking the bullshit it spews out?
    Microsoft creating a new AI supercomputer in Loughton, Google opening a new data centre in Waltham Cross

    https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/articles/c7016ljre03o
    https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/articles/crmek723dz9o
  • EabhalEabhal Posts: 11,843

    Eabhal said:

    HYUFD said:

    Leon said:

    “This is a shocker. James Reed , CEO of the recruiter Reed, said on Times Radio the UK is in the grip of a graduate jobs crisis noting three years ago he had 188,000 graduate jobs on his books and today it was 55,000.

    He encouraged middle class families to encourage their student kids to take up manual labour”

    *cough* universities

    *cough* doomed

    There are still going to be university courses needed for those 55,000 who will do graduate jobs and the amount of manual labour needed isn't increasing much, so that is just a recipe for more unemployed and a higher benefits bill unless AI creates new jobs
    Has anybody set out how AI actually creates new jobs? Unless it is in fact-checking the bullshit it spews out?
    Well it's certainly having an effect on current jobs. I've a friend on a decent (professional) salary who has just been given the nod his job might go (see BBC Scotland news for a hint).

    I've escaped into middle management but certainly won't be expanding/replacing my team in the next few years with a lot of pressure to use AI to take up the slack. I'm not sure how - part of the reason I can post on PB is we've automated most of our stuff already.
    Takes quick look and concludes your friend is an organiser of hogmany events...
    AI fireworks would be fun!
  • Stark_DawningStark_Dawning Posts: 10,417
    Eabhal said:

    HYUFD said:

    Leon said:

    “This is a shocker. James Reed , CEO of the recruiter Reed, said on Times Radio the UK is in the grip of a graduate jobs crisis noting three years ago he had 188,000 graduate jobs on his books and today it was 55,000.

    He encouraged middle class families to encourage their student kids to take up manual labour”

    *cough* universities

    *cough* doomed

    There are still going to be university courses needed for those 55,000 who will do graduate jobs and the amount of manual labour needed isn't increasing much, so that is just a recipe for more unemployed and a higher benefits bill unless AI creates new jobs
    Has anybody set out how AI actually creates new jobs? Unless it is in fact-checking the bullshit it spews out?
    Well it's certainly having an effect on current jobs. I've a friend on a decent (professional) salary who has just been given the nod his job might go (see BBC Scotland news for a hint).

    I've escaped into middle management but certainly won't be expanding/replacing my team in the next few years with a lot of pressure to use AI to take up the slack. I'm not sure how - part of the reason I can post on PB is we've automated most of our stuff already.
    A friend of mine, who works for a leading law firm, has said his employer has been making redundancies because of AI. However, when he described the jobs in question (which sounded like just buggering around with PowerPoint) I was surprised you'd employ someone just to do that anyway. And wasn't there the 'Lazy Girl Jobs' phenomenon a few years ago?

    https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2023/jul/09/gen-z-lazy-girl-jobs-tiktok-work

    I suspect the Lazy Girls are now stuffed.
  • CarnyxCarnyx Posts: 45,550

    Eabhal said:

    HYUFD said:

    Leon said:

    “This is a shocker. James Reed , CEO of the recruiter Reed, said on Times Radio the UK is in the grip of a graduate jobs crisis noting three years ago he had 188,000 graduate jobs on his books and today it was 55,000.

    He encouraged middle class families to encourage their student kids to take up manual labour”

    *cough* universities

    *cough* doomed

    There are still going to be university courses needed for those 55,000 who will do graduate jobs and the amount of manual labour needed isn't increasing much, so that is just a recipe for more unemployed and a higher benefits bill unless AI creates new jobs
    Has anybody set out how AI actually creates new jobs? Unless it is in fact-checking the bullshit it spews out?
    Well it's certainly having an effect on current jobs. I've a friend on a decent (professional) salary who has just been given the nod his job might go (see BBC Scotland news for a hint).

    I've escaped into middle management but certainly won't be expanding/replacing my team in the next few years with a lot of pressure to use AI to take up the slack. I'm not sure how - part of the reason I can post on PB is we've automated most of our stuff already.
    Takes quick look and concludes your friend is an organiser of hogmany events...
    Nah, fish fryer surely.

    https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/articles/c62lqve087zo

    Chip shop cuts costs by using AI to take orders
  • RochdalePioneersRochdalePioneers Posts: 30,998
    Comedy gold on YouTube - I've just been called a "jew"

    Is that supposed to be an insult?
  • BarnesianBarnesian Posts: 9,359
    Sandpit said:

    Barnesian said:

    "AN advertising van displaying an image of Donald Trump and Jeffrey Epstein together has been confiscated by police, according to campaigners.

    The group People vs Elon had been displaying the van in Windsor on Wednesday morning as the US president is in the UK on a state visit."

    Just happened.
    Maybe JDVance was right about the UK and free speech?

    That’s an embarrassing breach of security in Windsor, but it’s difficult to see what they’ve done to be detained for the laws it’s claimed they’ve broken.

    Embarrassing the government and visiting dignitaries isn’t illegal, yet.

    Edit: is this a second incident, he first being the projector in front of the castle last night?
    Yes
  • OldKingColeOldKingCole Posts: 35,703
    Sandpit said:

    China spent another three hours today trying to persuade Poland to reopen that rail line from Belarus.

    It’s costing Chinese companies hundreds of millions of dollars a week that it’s closed, and there’s already thousands of containers backed up.

    https://x.com/kshevchenkoreal/status/1968251080015524223

    Well done the Poles, keep up the pressure on those who support russia.

    Well, the Chinese know what to do; tell Putin to back off and call it quits!
  • EabhalEabhal Posts: 11,843

    Eabhal said:

    HYUFD said:

    Leon said:

    “This is a shocker. James Reed , CEO of the recruiter Reed, said on Times Radio the UK is in the grip of a graduate jobs crisis noting three years ago he had 188,000 graduate jobs on his books and today it was 55,000.

    He encouraged middle class families to encourage their student kids to take up manual labour”

    *cough* universities

    *cough* doomed

    There are still going to be university courses needed for those 55,000 who will do graduate jobs and the amount of manual labour needed isn't increasing much, so that is just a recipe for more unemployed and a higher benefits bill unless AI creates new jobs
    Has anybody set out how AI actually creates new jobs? Unless it is in fact-checking the bullshit it spews out?
    Well it's certainly having an effect on current jobs. I've a friend on a decent (professional) salary who has just been given the nod his job might go (see BBC Scotland news for a hint).

    I've escaped into middle management but certainly won't be expanding/replacing my team in the next few years with a lot of pressure to use AI to take up the slack. I'm not sure how - part of the reason I can post on PB is we've automated most of our stuff already.
    If LLMs increase productivity, then we have the classic virtuous circle of cheaper goods and services enabling higher economic activity.

    Used judiciously, in some cases they can. At current pricing.

    I’m not aware of any LLM being charged for at the full cost - they are all running at a loss.

    The real “is AI a bubble?” question is “how much real benefit vs the real cost”
    Oh I agree that it could be an Agricultural/Industrial style revolution epochal transformation, and the economy will grow as a result. But those periods also had some terrible side effects on human welfare - at the very least, we're going to have increased levels of frictional unemployment.
  • SandpitSandpit Posts: 56,936

    Eabhal said:

    HYUFD said:

    Leon said:

    “This is a shocker. James Reed , CEO of the recruiter Reed, said on Times Radio the UK is in the grip of a graduate jobs crisis noting three years ago he had 188,000 graduate jobs on his books and today it was 55,000.

    He encouraged middle class families to encourage their student kids to take up manual labour”

    *cough* universities

    *cough* doomed

    There are still going to be university courses needed for those 55,000 who will do graduate jobs and the amount of manual labour needed isn't increasing much, so that is just a recipe for more unemployed and a higher benefits bill unless AI creates new jobs
    Has anybody set out how AI actually creates new jobs? Unless it is in fact-checking the bullshit it spews out?
    Well it's certainly having an effect on current jobs. I've a friend on a decent (professional) salary who has just been given the nod his job might go (see BBC Scotland news for a hint).

    I've escaped into middle management but certainly won't be expanding/replacing my team in the next few years with a lot of pressure to use AI to take up the slack. I'm not sure how - part of the reason I can post on PB is we've automated most of our stuff already.
    A friend of mine, who works for a leading law firm, has said his employer has been making redundancies because of AI. However, when he described the jobs in question (which sounded like just buggering around with PowerPoint) I was surprised you'd employ someone just to do that anyway. And wasn't there the 'Lazy Girl Jobs' phenomenon a few years ago?

    https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2023/jul/09/gen-z-lazy-girl-jobs-tiktok-work

    I suspect the Lazy Girls are now stuffed.
    Isn’t the problem with law firms specifically, that the clients aren’t willing to pick up bills of hundreds per hour for lawyers to write presentations.

    Or is it the other way around, law firms realising they could pay the graduate £30k/year while billing her out at £250/hour?
  • dixiedeandixiedean Posts: 30,672
    Eabhal said:

    Eabhal said:

    HYUFD said:

    Leon said:

    “This is a shocker. James Reed , CEO of the recruiter Reed, said on Times Radio the UK is in the grip of a graduate jobs crisis noting three years ago he had 188,000 graduate jobs on his books and today it was 55,000.

    He encouraged middle class families to encourage their student kids to take up manual labour”

    *cough* universities

    *cough* doomed

    There are still going to be university courses needed for those 55,000 who will do graduate jobs and the amount of manual labour needed isn't increasing much, so that is just a recipe for more unemployed and a higher benefits bill unless AI creates new jobs
    Has anybody set out how AI actually creates new jobs? Unless it is in fact-checking the bullshit it spews out?
    Well it's certainly having an effect on current jobs. I've a friend on a decent (professional) salary who has just been given the nod his job might go (see BBC Scotland news for a hint).

    I've escaped into middle management but certainly won't be expanding/replacing my team in the next few years with a lot of pressure to use AI to take up the slack. I'm not sure how - part of the reason I can post on PB is we've automated most of our stuff already.
    If LLMs increase productivity, then we have the classic virtuous circle of cheaper goods and services enabling higher economic activity.

    Used judiciously, in some cases they can. At current pricing.

    I’m not aware of any LLM being charged for at the full cost - they are all running at a loss.

    The real “is AI a bubble?” question is “how much real benefit vs the real cost”
    Oh I agree that it could be an Agricultural/Industrial style revolution epochal transformation, and the economy will grow as a result. But those periods also had some terrible side effects on human welfare - at the very least, we're going to have increased levels of frictional unemployment.
    Somewhat ironic that then that the major concern seems to be folk moving around.
  • BarnesianBarnesian Posts: 9,359

    HYUFD said:

    The King and Queen join the Trumps as the carriage procession proceeds down the Long Drive through Windsor Great Park to Windsor Castle

    You know who is not joining them?

    Davey resolute that boycotting state banquet will send message to Trump
    https://www.independent.co.uk/news/uk/home-news/donald-trump-ed-davey-prime-minister-liberal-democrat-palestinian-b2827722.html

    Poor Donald. He's flown all this way to not meet someone he has never heard of.
    Not ofter I refer to Starmer positively, but at a recent PMQs when Davey was sounding off about Trump he did say that if you were to come to the banquet you can speak to him yourself !!!!
    He wouldn't get anyway near him!
  • FrancisUrquhartFrancisUrquhart Posts: 87,598
    edited 12:18PM

    Eabhal said:

    HYUFD said:

    Leon said:

    “This is a shocker. James Reed , CEO of the recruiter Reed, said on Times Radio the UK is in the grip of a graduate jobs crisis noting three years ago he had 188,000 graduate jobs on his books and today it was 55,000.

    He encouraged middle class families to encourage their student kids to take up manual labour”

    *cough* universities

    *cough* doomed

    There are still going to be university courses needed for those 55,000 who will do graduate jobs and the amount of manual labour needed isn't increasing much, so that is just a recipe for more unemployed and a higher benefits bill unless AI creates new jobs
    Has anybody set out how AI actually creates new jobs? Unless it is in fact-checking the bullshit it spews out?
    Well it's certainly having an effect on current jobs. I've a friend on a decent (professional) salary who has just been given the nod his job might go (see BBC Scotland news for a hint).

    I've escaped into middle management but certainly won't be expanding/replacing my team in the next few years with a lot of pressure to use AI to take up the slack. I'm not sure how - part of the reason I can post on PB is we've automated most of our stuff already.
    If LLMs increase productivity, then we have the classic virtuous circle of cheaper goods and services enabling higher economic activity.

    Used judiciously, in some cases they can. At current pricing.

    I’m not aware of any LLM being charged for at the full cost - they are all running at a loss.

    The real “is AI a bubble?” question is “how much real benefit vs the real cost”
    Most people aren't even interacting with them using the API pricing model. Try using that for "thinking" tasks and it can get real expensive real fast, as you get charged different prices per input token and per output token, and with the "thinking" approach it spews huge amounts of output tokens that are very expensive e.g. asking how many states in the US have an i in their name produced 7 separate loops around with a lot of token being generated.
  • StockyStocky Posts: 10,369

    HYUFD said:

    Leon said:

    “This is a shocker. James Reed , CEO of the recruiter Reed, said on Times Radio the UK is in the grip of a graduate jobs crisis noting three years ago he had 188,000 graduate jobs on his books and today it was 55,000.

    He encouraged middle class families to encourage their student kids to take up manual labour”

    *cough* universities

    *cough* doomed

    There are still going to be university courses needed for those 55,000 who will do graduate jobs and the amount of manual labour needed isn't increasing much, so that is just a recipe for more unemployed and a higher benefits bill unless AI creates new jobs
    Has anybody set out how AI actually creates new jobs? Unless it is in fact-checking the bullshit it spews out?
    Yes, it's utter bollox isn't it.

    And the marketing around it is irritating bullshit - AI built this and AI built that.

    It is not AI in a philosophical sense; it is a new very clever class of software. Should be called AA (Advanced Algorithm) not AI.
  • SandpitSandpit Posts: 56,936

    Sandpit said:

    China spent another three hours today trying to persuade Poland to reopen that rail line from Belarus.

    It’s costing Chinese companies hundreds of millions of dollars a week that it’s closed, and there’s already thousands of containers backed up.

    https://x.com/kshevchenkoreal/status/1968251080015524223

    Well done the Poles, keep up the pressure on those who support russia.

    Well, the Chinese know what to do; tell Putin to back off and call it quits!
    Exactly!

    The Chinese always play the very long game, they’re going to be seriously looking at capturing half of russia after this war, in exchange for bailing them out.
  • isamisam Posts: 42,627
    Sir Keir the fraud strikes again

    Keir Starmer sticks to a single principle he used to hold challenge (Impossible)

    https://x.com/conservatives/status/1968271430627545271?s=46&t=CW4pL-mMpTqsJXCdjW0Z6Q
  • CarnyxCarnyx Posts: 45,550
    Sandpit said:

    Eabhal said:

    HYUFD said:

    Leon said:

    “This is a shocker. James Reed , CEO of the recruiter Reed, said on Times Radio the UK is in the grip of a graduate jobs crisis noting three years ago he had 188,000 graduate jobs on his books and today it was 55,000.

    He encouraged middle class families to encourage their student kids to take up manual labour”

    *cough* universities

    *cough* doomed

    There are still going to be university courses needed for those 55,000 who will do graduate jobs and the amount of manual labour needed isn't increasing much, so that is just a recipe for more unemployed and a higher benefits bill unless AI creates new jobs
    Has anybody set out how AI actually creates new jobs? Unless it is in fact-checking the bullshit it spews out?
    Well it's certainly having an effect on current jobs. I've a friend on a decent (professional) salary who has just been given the nod his job might go (see BBC Scotland news for a hint).

    I've escaped into middle management but certainly won't be expanding/replacing my team in the next few years with a lot of pressure to use AI to take up the slack. I'm not sure how - part of the reason I can post on PB is we've automated most of our stuff already.
    A friend of mine, who works for a leading law firm, has said his employer has been making redundancies because of AI. However, when he described the jobs in question (which sounded like just buggering around with PowerPoint) I was surprised you'd employ someone just to do that anyway. And wasn't there the 'Lazy Girl Jobs' phenomenon a few years ago?

    https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2023/jul/09/gen-z-lazy-girl-jobs-tiktok-work

    I suspect the Lazy Girls are now stuffed.
    Isn’t the problem with law firms specifically, that the clients aren’t willing to pick up bills of hundreds per hour for lawyers to write presentations.

    Or is it the other way around, law firms realising they could pay the graduate £30k/year while billing her out at £250/hour?
    As an executor I found that a solicitor's firm was wanting a non-trivial percentage of the total value of stocks and shares held by the deceased to work out the probate valuation on the day of death. That's a very simple job if one has access to the database.

    I got the whole lot done by Sharedata for a very small percentage of the firm's quotation - including an insanely complex work-back to primary capital value of one shareholding through about half a dozen mergers, splits and share issues.
  • viewcodeviewcode Posts: 25,821
    edited 12:22PM
    AnthonyT said:

    Meanwhile the New Statesman says the quiet part out loud.




    Labour's vision: killing off the old and the sick so that it can get its hands on their property and not spend money on them. We already have the war in Europe caused by a totalitarian fascist state and the growth in vile anti-semitism so now we're getting the eugenics as well. Quite the triple lock.

    Solyent Green is most often remembered for its "it's people" scene, but it also has an euthanasia scene with Edward G Robinson, where death is um, given to the elderly: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SW4-jcTnjLo or https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hKndJzCKKcE
  • CatManCatMan Posts: 3,435
    Hope none of you cricket fans have forgot that there's an England match starting in a few minutes in the Emerald Isle
  • FrancisUrquhartFrancisUrquhart Posts: 87,598
    edited 12:22PM
    isam said:

    Sir Keir the fraud strikes again

    Keir Starmer sticks to a single principle he used to hold challenge (Impossible)

    https://x.com/conservatives/status/1968271430627545271?s=46&t=CW4pL-mMpTqsJXCdjW0Z6Q

    As a keen follower of football you would think he would know the fastest way to lose the dressing room is to throw your own team under the bus to the media when things go wrong, and particularly when it seems very much like the managers fault for signing a disruptive player.
  • IanB2IanB2 Posts: 52,835
    Lunch is polenta with butter and cheese, pork ribs, a flagon of white wine and a decent sized bottle of water. You're lucky I have already used my photograph.
  • MalmesburyMalmesbury Posts: 56,957
    Eabhal said:

    Eabhal said:

    HYUFD said:

    Leon said:

    “This is a shocker. James Reed , CEO of the recruiter Reed, said on Times Radio the UK is in the grip of a graduate jobs crisis noting three years ago he had 188,000 graduate jobs on his books and today it was 55,000.

    He encouraged middle class families to encourage their student kids to take up manual labour”

    *cough* universities

    *cough* doomed

    There are still going to be university courses needed for those 55,000 who will do graduate jobs and the amount of manual labour needed isn't increasing much, so that is just a recipe for more unemployed and a higher benefits bill unless AI creates new jobs
    Has anybody set out how AI actually creates new jobs? Unless it is in fact-checking the bullshit it spews out?
    Well it's certainly having an effect on current jobs. I've a friend on a decent (professional) salary who has just been given the nod his job might go (see BBC Scotland news for a hint).

    I've escaped into middle management but certainly won't be expanding/replacing my team in the next few years with a lot of pressure to use AI to take up the slack. I'm not sure how - part of the reason I can post on PB is we've automated most of our stuff already.
    If LLMs increase productivity, then we have the classic virtuous circle of cheaper goods and services enabling higher economic activity.

    Used judiciously, in some cases they can. At current pricing.

    I’m not aware of any LLM being charged for at the full cost - they are all running at a loss.

    The real “is AI a bubble?” question is “how much real benefit vs the real cost”
    Oh I agree that it could be an Agricultural/Industrial style revolution epochal transformation, and the economy will grow as a result. But those periods also had some terrible side effects on human welfare - at the very least, we're going to have increased levels of frictional unemployment.
    I don’t see it being that. A number of analyses have been done - many jobs find a few percent improvement from LLM, not orders of magnitude stuff.

    The non-LLM stuff of joining up disparate systems and creating flows, has more potential. The amount of manual patching and fiddling that goes on in systems that should be completely automated..
  • BartholomewRobertsBartholomewRoberts Posts: 25,905
    IanB2 said:

    Lunch is polenta with butter and cheese, pork ribs, a flagon of white wine and a decent sized bottle of water. You're lucky I have already used my photograph.

    Lose the bottle of water and that sounds delicious.
  • Andy_JSAndy_JS Posts: 37,497
    IanB2 said:

    Lunch is polenta with butter and cheese, pork ribs, a flagon of white wine and a decent sized bottle of water. You're lucky I have already used my photograph.

    Something nice for the dog as well I hope.
  • FrancisUrquhartFrancisUrquhart Posts: 87,598
    edited 12:28PM

    Eabhal said:

    Eabhal said:

    HYUFD said:

    Leon said:

    “This is a shocker. James Reed , CEO of the recruiter Reed, said on Times Radio the UK is in the grip of a graduate jobs crisis noting three years ago he had 188,000 graduate jobs on his books and today it was 55,000.

    He encouraged middle class families to encourage their student kids to take up manual labour”

    *cough* universities

    *cough* doomed

    There are still going to be university courses needed for those 55,000 who will do graduate jobs and the amount of manual labour needed isn't increasing much, so that is just a recipe for more unemployed and a higher benefits bill unless AI creates new jobs
    Has anybody set out how AI actually creates new jobs? Unless it is in fact-checking the bullshit it spews out?
    Well it's certainly having an effect on current jobs. I've a friend on a decent (professional) salary who has just been given the nod his job might go (see BBC Scotland news for a hint).

    I've escaped into middle management but certainly won't be expanding/replacing my team in the next few years with a lot of pressure to use AI to take up the slack. I'm not sure how - part of the reason I can post on PB is we've automated most of our stuff already.
    If LLMs increase productivity, then we have the classic virtuous circle of cheaper goods and services enabling higher economic activity.

    Used judiciously, in some cases they can. At current pricing.

    I’m not aware of any LLM being charged for at the full cost - they are all running at a loss.

    The real “is AI a bubble?” question is “how much real benefit vs the real cost”
    Oh I agree that it could be an Agricultural/Industrial style revolution epochal transformation, and the economy will grow as a result. But those periods also had some terrible side effects on human welfare - at the very least, we're going to have increased levels of frictional unemployment.
    I don’t see it being that. A number of analyses have been done - many jobs find a few percent improvement from LLM, not orders of magnitude stuff.

    The non-LLM stuff of joining up disparate systems and creating flows, has more potential. The amount of manual patching and fiddling that goes on in systems that should be completely automated..
    They are still so incredibly brittle. I was using them in the past week to design a load of slides for me. It certainly made a good stab at it, but then kept really wanting to place bullet point text over the title and also not realising it was over-shooting the page with bullet points that were too long. I had to spent several hours fighting with it to improve placement and in the end I just did it manually.

    And ChatGPT5 is definitely a step back in easy tasks like summarise this paragraph and rewrite in x words. It does the classic under-grad trick rather than understand and paraphrase, it tries to just lop off words that breaks the meaning. And even when much more prompt engineers the result is very dry now. Funnily I checked the "personality" setting ChatGPT5 has and it wasn't even set to nerd, it was set to neutral that is supposed to more fun and engaging.
  • Andy_JSAndy_JS Posts: 37,497

    HYUFD said:

    Leon said:

    “This is a shocker. James Reed , CEO of the recruiter Reed, said on Times Radio the UK is in the grip of a graduate jobs crisis noting three years ago he had 188,000 graduate jobs on his books and today it was 55,000.

    He encouraged middle class families to encourage their student kids to take up manual labour”

    *cough* universities

    *cough* doomed

    There are still going to be university courses needed for those 55,000 who will do graduate jobs and the amount of manual labour needed isn't increasing much, so that is just a recipe for more unemployed and a higher benefits bill unless AI creates new jobs
    Has anybody set out how AI actually creates new jobs? Unless it is in fact-checking the bullshit it spews out?
    It's going to hugely reduce the number of available jobs, making a few people very rich and the rest of us poorer.
  • kinabalukinabalu Posts: 47,381
    You get used to Donald Trump contravening the rules of common decency and he's at it again today. He's a guest in this country but seems to think nothing of interfering in our politics. There he is, stood next to the King, and what colour tie has he chosen to wear? Purple. Reform purple. He's never worn purple before but now, especially for his visit to the UK, he suddenly does. Of course it's deniable, he can claim coincidence, but anyone with half a brain knows what's going on. Unbelievable.
  • Andy_JSAndy_JS Posts: 37,497
    CatMan said:

    Hope none of you cricket fans have forgot that there's an England match starting in a few minutes in the Emerald Isle

    Thanks for the reminder. I keep missing matches.
  • FairlieredFairliered Posts: 6,663
    Andy_JS said:

    IanB2 said:

    Lunch is polenta with butter and cheese, pork ribs, a flagon of white wine and a decent sized bottle of water. You're lucky I have already used my photograph.

    Something nice for the dog as well I hope.
    You didn’t think that the water was for IanB2, did you?
  • MalmesburyMalmesbury Posts: 56,957
    Andy_JS said:

    HYUFD said:

    Leon said:

    “This is a shocker. James Reed , CEO of the recruiter Reed, said on Times Radio the UK is in the grip of a graduate jobs crisis noting three years ago he had 188,000 graduate jobs on his books and today it was 55,000.

    He encouraged middle class families to encourage their student kids to take up manual labour”

    *cough* universities

    *cough* doomed

    There are still going to be university courses needed for those 55,000 who will do graduate jobs and the amount of manual labour needed isn't increasing much, so that is just a recipe for more unemployed and a higher benefits bill unless AI creates new jobs
    Has anybody set out how AI actually creates new jobs? Unless it is in fact-checking the bullshit it spews out?
    It's going to hugely reduce the number of available jobs, making a few people very rich and the rest of us poorer.
    I don’t see a huge change general change coming.
  • isamisam Posts: 42,627
    edited 12:31PM
    kinabalu said:

    You get used to Donald Trump contravening the rules of common decency and he's at it again today. He's a guest in this country but seems to think nothing of interfering in our politics. There he is, stood next to the King, and what colour tie has he chosen to wear? Purple. Reform purple. He's never worn purple before but now, especially for his visit to the UK, he suddenly does. Of course it's deniable, he can claim coincidence, but anyone with half a brain knows what's going on. Unbelievable.

    I think Reforms colour is Turquoise, maybe he’s gone full U-Kipper tie with the purple

    (Two sugars)
  • IanB2IanB2 Posts: 52,835
    Andy_JS said:

    IanB2 said:

    Lunch is polenta with butter and cheese, pork ribs, a flagon of white wine and a decent sized bottle of water. You're lucky I have already used my photograph.

    Something nice for the dog as well I hope.
    Some turkey treats left over from Sweden, rabbit treats from France, plus just a small amount of my pork ribs
  • TheuniondivvieTheuniondivvie Posts: 45,192
    Carnyx said:

    Carnyx said:

    TimS said:

    https://x.com/RupertLowe10/status/1968195697943208102?s=19

    Rupert's deportation petition heatmap is a useful guide to voting patterns in the next election. Discuss

    Before I clicked on it, I thought it was going to be a heatmap on how popular deporting Rupert Lowe was....
    Lol.
    It is quite interesting though. Whilst Lowe is ex Reform i think it shows where they are going to pile up votes and where Lab or Tories might hang on - for the latter interesting that Harrogate (corrected) and Wetherby look less hard-core anti immigration as an example, or Derby Dales which might remain a LabCon marginal.

    Its not a prediction of course but its the sort of supplemental data that would help more with constituency betting (nearer the time) than Baxter.
    Harrogate is LD, I misread that bit of it but point remains
    The map looks reasonably reassuring for Lib Dem holds and potential targets.

    The other bizarre (but not new) thing is the hottest areas of the heat map are generally those with fewest foreign born residents.
    Saxon Shore for Reform.
    Including the bit running west to the Solent, more or less.
    I have to say I didn't have Kings Lynn down on my Woke Turnips bingo card (im allowed to say that as a Turnip myself)
    The Saxon Shore ran right up to the north rim of Norfolk ... and of course there was a chain of watchtowers further north, beyond Whitby at least.
    Bloody Saxons, turning up in their boats then pulling the ladder up behind them.
  • boulayboulay Posts: 7,326
    edited 12:36PM
    kinabalu said:

    You get used to Donald Trump contravening the rules of common decency and he's at it again today. He's a guest in this country but seems to think nothing of interfering in our politics. There he is, stood next to the King, and what colour tie has he chosen to wear? Purple. Reform purple. He's never worn purple before but now, especially for his visit to the UK, he suddenly does. Of course it's deniable, he can claim coincidence, but anyone with half a brain knows what's going on. Unbelievable.

    He’s wearing Orange skin as a bit of a nod to Ed Davey and the Lib Dems.

    Tie is blue and red checked, not purple so also signaling to the Tories and Labour.

    Such a tease Don.
  • FossFoss Posts: 1,677
    isam said:

    kinabalu said:

    You get used to Donald Trump contravening the rules of common decency and he's at it again today. He's a guest in this country but seems to think nothing of interfering in our politics. There he is, stood next to the King, and what colour tie has he chosen to wear? Purple. Reform purple. He's never worn purple before but now, especially for his visit to the UK, he suddenly does. Of course it's deniable, he can claim coincidence, but anyone with half a brain knows what's going on. Unbelievable.

    I think Reforms colour is Turquoise, maybe he’s gone full U-Kipper tie with the purple

    (Two sugars)
    Royal purple perhaps? Maybe he's here to end ~250 years of divide and re-unite both sides of the Atlantic?
  • FrancisUrquhartFrancisUrquhart Posts: 87,598
    edited 12:35PM
    Its worth noting that the downturn in available grad jobs isn't really driven AI, its the economy stupid. The government have made it more unattractive to hire with an economy that is still stagnant and pretty much everybody knows the next budget will be bad again, meaning companies aren't rushing to hire a glut of new inexperienced people.
  • PoodleInASlipstreamPoodleInASlipstream Posts: 485
    edited 12:37PM

    I’m not aware of any LLM being charged for at the full cost - they are all running at a loss.

    For any of the major LLM providers, yes that's almost certainly true. The training, hardware and power costs are well beyond what subscription income can cover. NVidia's AI focused GPUs are not cheap, and many AI providers are coming up against severe limits on electric supply and are having to spend big on creative solutions to that.

    At present the AI market is a bit like self-driving cars. The technology is obviously imperfect and costs too much to deploy profitably, but companies are burning investor cash hoping there's a huge pile of gold to be had when/if the tech matures and costs come down to something viable.
  • MalmesburyMalmesbury Posts: 56,957

    Its worth noting that the downturn in available grad jobs isn't really driven AI, its the economy stupid. The government have made it more unattractive to hire with an economy that is still stagnant and pretty much everybody knows the next budget will be bad again, meaning companies aren't rushing to hire a glut of new inexperienced people.

    Yup. At my bank, they shut the grad intake for this year…
  • PhilPhil Posts: 2,932
    edited 12:39PM
    Carnyx said:

    Sandpit said:

    Eabhal said:

    HYUFD said:

    Leon said:

    “This is a shocker. James Reed , CEO of the recruiter Reed, said on Times Radio the UK is in the grip of a graduate jobs crisis noting three years ago he had 188,000 graduate jobs on his books and today it was 55,000.

    He encouraged middle class families to encourage their student kids to take up manual labour”

    *cough* universities

    *cough* doomed

    There are still going to be university courses needed for those 55,000 who will do graduate jobs and the amount of manual labour needed isn't increasing much, so that is just a recipe for more unemployed and a higher benefits bill unless AI creates new jobs
    Has anybody set out how AI actually creates new jobs? Unless it is in fact-checking the bullshit it spews out?
    Well it's certainly having an effect on current jobs. I've a friend on a decent (professional) salary who has just been given the nod his job might go (see BBC Scotland news for a hint).

    I've escaped into middle management but certainly won't be expanding/replacing my team in the next few years with a lot of pressure to use AI to take up the slack. I'm not sure how - part of the reason I can post on PB is we've automated most of our stuff already.
    A friend of mine, who works for a leading law firm, has said his employer has been making redundancies because of AI. However, when he described the jobs in question (which sounded like just buggering around with PowerPoint) I was surprised you'd employ someone just to do that anyway. And wasn't there the 'Lazy Girl Jobs' phenomenon a few years ago?

    https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2023/jul/09/gen-z-lazy-girl-jobs-tiktok-work

    I suspect the Lazy Girls are now stuffed.
    Isn’t the problem with law firms specifically, that the clients aren’t willing to pick up bills of hundreds per hour for lawyers to write presentations.

    Or is it the other way around, law firms realising they could pay the graduate £30k/year while billing her out at £250/hour?
    As an executor I found that a solicitor's firm was wanting a non-trivial percentage of the total value of stocks and shares held by the deceased to work out the probate valuation on the day of death. That's a very simple job if one has access to the database.

    I got the whole lot done by Sharedata for a very small percentage of the firm's quotation - including an insanely complex work-back to primary capital value of one shareholding through about half a dozen mergers, splits and share issues.
    Lawyers offer two (sometimes three) things: 1) the knowledge of how to do things like this and 2) taking on liability for when they get things wrong. (You might have to sue them to take advantage of said liability insurance, but it is there.) Sometimes also 3) the imprint of a neutral & trusted third party on a potentially contentious transaction.

    It’s that combination that you’re buying. Often at great expense admittedly, but you are getting more for your money than if you do it yourself.
  • FrankBoothFrankBooth Posts: 10,032
    Those who bemoan the Trumpian influence on the UK are to my mind missing the reality of the bigger picture. The world is full of authoritarian leaders who want to undermine and weaken the west. It doesn't begin and end with the Donald.

    And yes that includes the endless cooked up accusations of genocide against Israel.
  • FrankBoothFrankBooth Posts: 10,032
    I suspect Plaid would be a disaster in government. They would likely force a whole lot more Welsh language on the education system no matter what the outcome is likely to be.
  • TimSTimS Posts: 16,128
    Foss said:
    The grammar school result probably reflects the geographical concentration of grammar schools in certain council areas (like Kent).
  • FrankBoothFrankBooth Posts: 10,032
    edited 12:49PM
    Speaking up for protest, the Trump Epstein projection on Windsor Castle was rather good.

    That's the kind of thing we need. Not pouring soup on great paintings.
  • Andy_JSAndy_JS Posts: 37,497
    "@ElectionMapsUK

    Welsh Westminster Voting Intention:

    RFM: 29% (+5)
    PLC: 23% (-1)
    LAB: 18% (-2)
    CON: 11% (-2)
    LDM: 9% (=)
    GRN: 7% (=)

    Via @YouGov, 4-10 Sep.
    Changes w/ 23-30 Apr."

    https://x.com/ElectionMapsUK/status/1968226687759552565
  • SandpitSandpit Posts: 56,936

    Its worth noting that the downturn in available grad jobs isn't really driven AI, its the economy stupid. The government have made it more unattractive to hire with an economy that is still stagnant and pretty much everybody knows the next budget will be bad again, meaning companies aren't rushing to hire a glut of new inexperienced people.

    It’s also worth pointing out that the increased taxes on jobs are very much focussed on the lower-paid jobs.

    Not the first socialist government to belatedly realise that companies will cut jobs and hirings, rather than miss their earnings numbers to the stock market.

    Rachel from accounts is in real trouble with the coming budget, there’s almost no scope to increase taxes and she can’t increase borrowing without getting destroyed by gilt rates.
  • kinabalukinabalu Posts: 47,381
    isam said:

    kinabalu said:

    You get used to Donald Trump contravening the rules of common decency and he's at it again today. He's a guest in this country but seems to think nothing of interfering in our politics. There he is, stood next to the King, and what colour tie has he chosen to wear? Purple. Reform purple. He's never worn purple before but now, especially for his visit to the UK, he suddenly does. Of course it's deniable, he can claim coincidence, but anyone with half a brain knows what's going on. Unbelievable.

    I think Reforms colour is Turquoise, maybe he’s gone full U-Kipper tie with the purple

    (Two sugars)
    Just checked and you're right. Turquoise. A lovely colour now ruined forever.

    But on a brighter note it looks like I'm wrong about the whole thing as I was desperately hoping I was. His tie has no particular political significance.
  • squareroot2squareroot2 Posts: 7,181
    edited 12:54PM
    I took my prescription to the Surgery this morning. A couple were talking politics whilst waiting.

    They were of as one mind with me.

    The theme was they're all equally awful.

    Is the next election going to be almost exclusively about who you want to stop winning rather than who you actually want to win???
  • OldKingColeOldKingCole Posts: 35,703
    CatMan said:

    Hope none of you cricket fans have forgot that there's an England match starting in a few minutes in the Emerald Isle

    Isn't autumn a very silly (nearly wrote something else!) time to have a cricket match in Dublin?
  • turbotubbsturbotubbs Posts: 20,264

    CatMan said:

    Hope none of you cricket fans have forgot that there's an England match starting in a few minutes in the Emerald Isle

    Isn't autumn a very silly (nearly wrote something else!) time to have a cricket match in Dublin?
    You can thank the hundred. Yet again.
  • kinabalukinabalu Posts: 47,381
    boulay said:

    kinabalu said:

    You get used to Donald Trump contravening the rules of common decency and he's at it again today. He's a guest in this country but seems to think nothing of interfering in our politics. There he is, stood next to the King, and what colour tie has he chosen to wear? Purple. Reform purple. He's never worn purple before but now, especially for his visit to the UK, he suddenly does. Of course it's deniable, he can claim coincidence, but anyone with half a brain knows what's going on. Unbelievable.

    He’s wearing Orange skin as a bit of a nod to Ed Davey and the Lib Dems.

    Tie is blue and red checked, not purple so also signaling to the Tories and Labour.

    Such a tease Don.
    But blue and red mixed IS purple. That's the definition of purple. You get it by mixing red and blue. No other way.
  • DecrepiterJohnLDecrepiterJohnL Posts: 32,827
    isam said:

    kinabalu said:

    You get used to Donald Trump contravening the rules of common decency and he's at it again today. He's a guest in this country but seems to think nothing of interfering in our politics. There he is, stood next to the King, and what colour tie has he chosen to wear? Purple. Reform purple. He's never worn purple before but now, especially for his visit to the UK, he suddenly does. Of course it's deniable, he can claim coincidence, but anyone with half a brain knows what's going on. Unbelievable.

    I think Reforms colour is Turquoise, maybe he’s gone full U-Kipper tie with the purple

    (Two sugars)
    Yes. It is more likely that Trump mentally associates purple with royalty. Either that or he planned a betting coup against bookmakers expecting his customary choices of red or blue. If Trump had wanted to meet Reform's leader, the American embassy could have arranged it.
  • Andy_JSAndy_JS Posts: 37,497
    kinabalu said:

    You get used to Donald Trump contravening the rules of common decency and he's at it again today. He's a guest in this country but seems to think nothing of interfering in our politics. There he is, stood next to the King, and what colour tie has he chosen to wear? Purple. Reform purple. He's never worn purple before but now, especially for his visit to the UK, he suddenly does. Of course it's deniable, he can claim coincidence, but anyone with half a brain knows what's going on. Unbelievable.

    You don't really think he's wearing a purple tie as a way of supporting Reform?
  • CatManCatMan Posts: 3,435

    CatMan said:

    Hope none of you cricket fans have forgot that there's an England match starting in a few minutes in the Emerald Isle

    Isn't autumn a very silly (nearly wrote something else!) time to have a cricket match in Dublin?
    Two more after this! I guess it was the only time they could squeeze it in. Weather wise it's ok today.
  • kinabalukinabalu Posts: 47,381
    edited 1:01PM

    Those who bemoan the Trumpian influence on the UK are to my mind missing the reality of the bigger picture. The world is full of authoritarian leaders who want to undermine and weaken the west. It doesn't begin and end with the Donald.

    And yes that includes the endless cooked up accusations of genocide against Israel.

    But those authoritarian leaders who want to undermine and weaken the West don't usually include the US president.
  • OldKingColeOldKingCole Posts: 35,703

    CatMan said:

    Hope none of you cricket fans have forgot that there's an England match starting in a few minutes in the Emerald Isle

    Isn't autumn a very silly (nearly wrote something else!) time to have a cricket match in Dublin?
    You can thank the hundred. Yet again.
    To be fair there's play there ATM. Which is more than be said for Birmingham, where Warwickshire are 'entertaining' Essex.
  • boulayboulay Posts: 7,326
    kinabalu said:

    boulay said:

    kinabalu said:

    You get used to Donald Trump contravening the rules of common decency and he's at it again today. He's a guest in this country but seems to think nothing of interfering in our politics. There he is, stood next to the King, and what colour tie has he chosen to wear? Purple. Reform purple. He's never worn purple before but now, especially for his visit to the UK, he suddenly does. Of course it's deniable, he can claim coincidence, but anyone with half a brain knows what's going on. Unbelievable.

    He’s wearing Orange skin as a bit of a nod to Ed Davey and the Lib Dems.

    Tie is blue and red checked, not purple so also signaling to the Tories and Labour.

    Such a tease Don.
    But blue and red mixed IS purple. That's the definition of purple. You get it by mixing red and blue. No other way.
    Black and white mixed is grey. Zebras are not grey.
  • StillWatersStillWaters Posts: 10,890
    kinabalu said:

    boulay said:

    kinabalu said:

    You get used to Donald Trump contravening the rules of common decency and he's at it again today. He's a guest in this country but seems to think nothing of interfering in our politics. There he is, stood next to the King, and what colour tie has he chosen to wear? Purple. Reform purple. He's never worn purple before but now, especially for his visit to the UK, he suddenly does. Of course it's deniable, he can claim coincidence, but anyone with half a brain knows what's going on. Unbelievable.

    He’s wearing Orange skin as a bit of a nod to Ed Davey and the Lib Dems.

    Tie is blue and red checked, not purple so also signaling to the Tories and Labour.

    Such a tease Don.
    But blue and red mixed IS purple. That's the definition of purple. You get it by mixing red and blue. No other way.
    I thought you got it by collecting the mucosal secretions of predatory sea snails?
  • FrankBoothFrankBooth Posts: 10,032

    I took my prescription to the Surgery this morning. A couple were talking politics whilst waiting.

    There were of as one mind with me.

    The theme was they're all equally awful.

    Is the next election going to be almost exclusively about who you want to stop winning rather than who you actually want to win???

    It does look pretty bleak right now. In theory Kruger joining Reform ought to improve them but just as Farage acts like a courtier at the White House everyone in Reform is supposed to bow at the court of Nigel. Hard to see him changing.
  • kinabalukinabalu Posts: 47,381
    Andy_JS said:

    kinabalu said:

    You get used to Donald Trump contravening the rules of common decency and he's at it again today. He's a guest in this country but seems to think nothing of interfering in our politics. There he is, stood next to the King, and what colour tie has he chosen to wear? Purple. Reform purple. He's never worn purple before but now, especially for his visit to the UK, he suddenly does. Of course it's deniable, he can claim coincidence, but anyone with half a brain knows what's going on. Unbelievable.

    You don't really think he's wearing a purple tie as a way of supporting Reform?
    No, I'd forgotten they are turquoise not purple. There's no story here as it turns out.
  • FrancisUrquhartFrancisUrquhart Posts: 87,598
    edited 1:06PM
    Food price inflation rose for the fifth month in a row in August with costs rising at the fastest pace since the beginning of last year, official figures show.

    The cost of food and non-alcoholic drinks grew at an annual rate of 5.1% as beef, butter, milk and chocolate prices continued to surge.

    Economists said food bills have been rising because supermarkets were passing on government increases in the minimum wage and National Insurance Contributions (NIC) to shoppers through higher prices.

    https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/cderznjj4r7o

    Everyday inflation. Its the stuff that people really notice.
  • RobDRobD Posts: 60,715

    Food price inflation rose for the fifth month in a row in August with costs rising at the fastest pace since the beginning of last year, official figures show.

    The cost of food and non-alcoholic drinks grew at an annual rate of 5.1% as beef, butter, milk and chocolate prices continued to surge.

    Economists said food bills have been rising because supermarkets were passing on government increases in the minimum wage and National Insurance Contributions (NIC) to shoppers through higher prices.

    https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/cderznjj4r7o

    Everyday inflation.

    Funny how no one cares about a cost of living crisis anymore.
  • kinabalukinabalu Posts: 47,381
    boulay said:

    kinabalu said:

    boulay said:

    kinabalu said:

    You get used to Donald Trump contravening the rules of common decency and he's at it again today. He's a guest in this country but seems to think nothing of interfering in our politics. There he is, stood next to the King, and what colour tie has he chosen to wear? Purple. Reform purple. He's never worn purple before but now, especially for his visit to the UK, he suddenly does. Of course it's deniable, he can claim coincidence, but anyone with half a brain knows what's going on. Unbelievable.

    He’s wearing Orange skin as a bit of a nod to Ed Davey and the Lib Dems.

    Tie is blue and red checked, not purple so also signaling to the Tories and Labour.

    Such a tease Don.
    But blue and red mixed IS purple. That's the definition of purple. You get it by mixing red and blue. No other way.
    Black and white mixed is grey. Zebras are not grey.
    They would be (from any sort of distance) if the black and white were in the form of small mixed dots as in Trump's red + blue = purple tie.
  • DopermeanDopermean Posts: 1,574

    CatMan said:

    Hope none of you cricket fans have forgot that there's an England match starting in a few minutes in the Emerald Isle

    Isn't autumn a very silly (nearly wrote something else!) time to have a cricket match in Dublin?
    Or anywhere near the British Isles, all County games have lost significant time to the weather, most of them the whole first day, and likely to be worse next week for the final round with everything to play for.
    Probably come down to which of Surrey or Notts get the most batting points in the final game, with Surrey having the weather advantage of playing in Southampton rather than Birmingham.
    At the other end of the table Durham are playing Yorkshire away so their hopes rest on Surrey beating Hants.

    At least in Div 2 Leicestershire had it won while there was still sunshine.
  • FrankBoothFrankBooth Posts: 10,032

    Food price inflation rose for the fifth month in a row in August with costs rising at the fastest pace since the beginning of last year, official figures show.

    The cost of food and non-alcoholic drinks grew at an annual rate of 5.1% as beef, butter, milk and chocolate prices continued to surge.

    Economists said food bills have been rising because supermarkets were passing on government increases in the minimum wage and National Insurance Contributions (NIC) to shoppers through higher prices.

    https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/cderznjj4r7o

    Everyday inflation. Its the stuff that people really notice.

    I find the Bank of England's behaviour very odd. Are they actually trying to meet the inflation target or not?
  • kinabalukinabalu Posts: 47,381
    RobD said:

    Food price inflation rose for the fifth month in a row in August with costs rising at the fastest pace since the beginning of last year, official figures show.

    The cost of food and non-alcoholic drinks grew at an annual rate of 5.1% as beef, butter, milk and chocolate prices continued to surge.

    Economists said food bills have been rising because supermarkets were passing on government increases in the minimum wage and National Insurance Contributions (NIC) to shoppers through higher prices.

    https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/cderznjj4r7o

    Everyday inflation.

    Funny how no one cares about a cost of living crisis anymore.
    There's a faddishness to the news.
  • SandpitSandpit Posts: 56,936

    Food price inflation rose for the fifth month in a row in August with costs rising at the fastest pace since the beginning of last year, official figures show.

    The cost of food and non-alcoholic drinks grew at an annual rate of 5.1% as beef, butter, milk and chocolate prices continued to surge.

    Economists said food bills have been rising because supermarkets were passing on government increases in the minimum wage and National Insurance Contributions (NIC) to shoppers through higher prices.

    https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/cderznjj4r7o

    Everyday inflation. Its the stuff that people really notice.

    Crap harvest this year as well, food prices are not heading down any time soon.
  • FrancisUrquhartFrancisUrquhart Posts: 87,598
    edited 1:10PM
    Ben & Jerry's co-founder quits over social activism row
    https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/c4g58xx1eero

    Pure virtue signalling. You sold the company 25 years ago, you gave always all your control, had no skin in the game anymore and in your own words, that you have "no responsibility, no authority, and very little influence.". Basically you just sit on the roof all day.
  • kinabalukinabalu Posts: 47,381

    kinabalu said:

    boulay said:

    kinabalu said:

    You get used to Donald Trump contravening the rules of common decency and he's at it again today. He's a guest in this country but seems to think nothing of interfering in our politics. There he is, stood next to the King, and what colour tie has he chosen to wear? Purple. Reform purple. He's never worn purple before but now, especially for his visit to the UK, he suddenly does. Of course it's deniable, he can claim coincidence, but anyone with half a brain knows what's going on. Unbelievable.

    He’s wearing Orange skin as a bit of a nod to Ed Davey and the Lib Dems.

    Tie is blue and red checked, not purple so also signaling to the Tories and Labour.

    Such a tease Don.
    But blue and red mixed IS purple. That's the definition of purple. You get it by mixing red and blue. No other way.
    I thought you got it by collecting the mucosal secretions of predatory sea snails?
    Nothing Trump does surprises me anymore.
  • NigelbNigelb Posts: 81,171
    If the governmetn wants to do something useful, it should get on with this as it promised,

    ‘The Law of Rule’

    The growth this government promised hasn’t arrived. But there’s one thing they could do which wouldn’t cost them anything - regulatory reform.

    I’ve written a long read about what they could do, and why it matters. 🧵

    https://x.com/jo3hill/status/1968279292007370814
  • turbotubbsturbotubbs Posts: 20,264

    CatMan said:

    Hope none of you cricket fans have forgot that there's an England match starting in a few minutes in the Emerald Isle

    Isn't autumn a very silly (nearly wrote something else!) time to have a cricket match in Dublin?
    You can thank the hundred. Yet again.
    To be fair there's play there ATM. Which is more than be said for Birmingham, where Warwickshire are 'entertaining' Essex.
    County championship is a mess. Surry top the table with just 4 wins from 12 games. 8 draws. Now its not just weather (at the start of summer and the very end) and sometimes pitches can be too good in good weather, but its rubbish that our premier form of county cricket is marginalised as it is.
  • DopermeanDopermean Posts: 1,574

    CatMan said:

    Hope none of you cricket fans have forgot that there's an England match starting in a few minutes in the Emerald Isle

    Isn't autumn a very silly (nearly wrote something else!) time to have a cricket match in Dublin?
    You can thank the hundred. Yet again.
    To be fair there's play there ATM. Which is more than be said for Birmingham, where Warwickshire are 'entertaining' Essex.
    No play today in Brum or Leicester, they've called it. Delays in the other Div 2 games but currently rest of Div 1 are playing,
  • FrancisUrquhartFrancisUrquhart Posts: 87,598
    edited 1:17PM

    CatMan said:

    Hope none of you cricket fans have forgot that there's an England match starting in a few minutes in the Emerald Isle

    Isn't autumn a very silly (nearly wrote something else!) time to have a cricket match in Dublin?
    You can thank the hundred. Yet again.
    To be fair there's play there ATM. Which is more than be said for Birmingham, where Warwickshire are 'entertaining' Essex.
    County championship is a mess. Surry top the table with just 4 wins from 12 games. 8 draws. Now its not just weather (at the start of summer and the very end) and sometimes pitches can be too good in good weather, but its rubbish that our premier form of county cricket is marginalised as it is.
    Its because too many tournaments, ODI, T20, Hundred, all to fit into what is quite a short summer that we have. And of course England plays shit tonne of international games now, so the best players are often never playing county cricket anyway e.g. Jacob Bethell played no competitive cricket all summer until that last test match as he was drinks boy for the test team.
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