"Durham University boasts the highest rate of inter-student marriages: a remarkable 72 per cent of students will marry a fellow Durham alumnus, a third of couples starting a relationship after graduation. For comparison, the national average is 20 per cent." https://x.com/rorysutherland/status/1969784374871625756
"Durham University boasts the highest rate of inter-student marriages: a remarkable 72 per cent of students will marry a fellow Durham alumnus, a third of couples starting a relationship after graduation. For comparison, the national average is 20 per cent." https://x.com/rorysutherland/status/1969784374871625756
Is this true ? It seems somewhat unlikely.
I am surprised the average is only 20% (if he means married somebody from same university).
Foreign Secretary Yvette Cooper says she has warned Israel not to annex parts of the West Bank in retaliation for the UK's recognition of Palestinian statehood.
If this site is representative of public opinion then we’re heading for dark times. That’s all.
It isn't, in so many ways.
Reading back over the tread I would strongly recommend that anyone with immigrant friends or family encourages them to get full British citizenship before the next election.
How are people supposed to put down roots and integrate if under constant threat of deportation?
The problem is that full British citizenship might not help. You don't have to go far from what's been said on here over the last couple of days to: "anyone who has come in over the last 20 years is deported."
The reaction from Reform and fellow PB travellers to the week of no small boats was telling. While there was a perfectly good reason for it (weather conditions), they immediately dived in on a vast civil service conspiracy that they were being covered up.
The anti-immigrant stuff will always escalate because they are junkies for outrage/scandal.
If this site is representative of public opinion then we’re heading for dark times. That’s all.
It isn't, in so many ways.
Reading back over the tread I would strongly recommend that anyone with immigrant friends or family encourages them to get full British citizenship before the next election.
How are people supposed to put down roots and integrate if under constant threat of deportation?
The problem is that full British citizenship might not help. You don't have to go far from what's been said on here over the last couple of days to: "anyone who has come in over the last 20 years is deported."
Yes, I know.
I shall point it out to some of my Indian colleagues who are pro-Reform.
I suppose they expect the Face Eating Leopards to eat them last.
A couple of thoughts/questions about Reform's latest idea.
Whose initiative is it? The Times has Farage announcing it, whereas the Telegraph piece is by Zia Yusuf. NF, horrible as he is, knows how to play with matches, whereas Yusuf is, politically, an idiot.
Why the change in policy? Could be overconfidence, but it could be that Reform is now being dragged to the right by a threat from the even harder right. Though given what they have done to the Conservatives, couldn't happen to a nicer party.
(It will be interesting to see how the Conservatives respond to this.)
Just back from 🇺🇦- from the most intensive startup conference I ever visited - Defence Tech Valley.
- Number of battle-proven Ukrainian Defence startups is still growing. More importantly - they keep developing new features & products so fast that sometimes it's difficult to recognise a company 6 months later. - Old EU Defence companies have still a huge challenge adapting to the speed of changes on the frontline. Their products are outdated & 10x more pricey - and not in high demand in Ukraine. - A growing number of the sharpest European founders are entering defence tech. And they understand that they have to spend most of their time in Ukraine. - Defence Valley was heavily dominated by drones. Countless FPVs, 60+ UGVs and everything around the drone ecosystem . But there are still big challenges in some areas. - There is still no clear winner who could replace DJI for ISR. Yes there are some promising products, but nothing at scale on the frontline yet. The interceptor drones segment seems to have the biggest growth in 2025 - at least 50 companies are building something but 5–7 are ahead of others with real combat success. There was a very impressive lineup of bombers, but on the frontline Baba Yaga is still dominated by Vampires with 50% market share. And finally - the most needed thing is still CHEAP mid-strike: 60–200 km drones. - I had nonstop meetings with Ukrainian military who are extremely eager to use any new tech - without any red tape or delay. Defence Valley is the only Defence event in the world, where you can talk with soldiers who came directly from the frontline. Some elite drone units like Khartia, Azov, K2, 3rd Brigade, Achilles. Rarog even had their own stand. And those folks are the fastest at implementing new stuff into combat. - My favourite product was definitely a 12-meter underwater drone from Toloka. With a range of up to 2,000 km & payload of up to 5 tons. And it was great to meet with Pink Flamingos indeed! And her family is much bigger than known. - Most of the companies showed products that are still very rough - not finished - but already having REAL combat tests. Most Ukrainian founders don't know the EU market, are bad at marketing/sales, but they are fast builders.. https://x.com/ragnars/status/1969671365461442788
If this site is representative of public opinion then we’re heading for dark times. That’s all.
It isn't, in so many ways.
Reading back over the thread I would strongly recommend that anyone with immigrant friends or family encourages them to get full British citizenship before the next election.
How are people supposed to put down roots and integrate if under constant threat of deportation?
Pretty simple if you come in legally you have to support yourself for x years, you can only ever bring in immediate family, and you must get citizenship in a fixed period. Anything else and you are deported if no visa. Works everywhere else.
If this site is representative of public opinion then we’re heading for dark times. That’s all.
Most are not rich toffs flitting between their london pads and their vineyards as the notion takes them, perhaps those who don't understand real life can so opine.
If this site is representative of public opinion then we’re heading for dark times. That’s all.
Most are not rich toffs flitting between their london pads and their vineyards as the notion takes them, perhaps those who don't understand real life can so opine.
So you’ve drunk the Murdoch and the biscuits sauce too then.
I expect I know and work with several orders of magnitude more “real life” migrants, with real lives, than you do.
And given your previous posts about welfare I expect you’re richer than me too.
If this site is representative of public opinion then we’re heading for dark times. That’s all.
Most are not rich toffs flitting between their london pads and their vineyards as the notion takes them, perhaps those who don't understand real life can so opine.
We all have real lives (*). SeanT's life is as real, God help us all, as mine or yours - when he is not lying. They may not be *typical* lives, but then again what is typical?
I'm a man. I do some quite manly things. But I'm also mainly a househusband, I hate football, and I have never been fishing. If that make me atypical, does it matter? Does it make my life less 'real'?
"Durham University boasts the highest rate of inter-student marriages: a remarkable 72 per cent of students will marry a fellow Durham alumnus, a third of couples starting a relationship after graduation. For comparison, the national average is 20 per cent." https://x.com/rorysutherland/status/1969784374871625756
Is this true ? It seems somewhat unlikely.
Obviously not much academic studying goes on , they are too busy studying human bodies by the sound of it. More successful than Tinder.
Just back from 🇺🇦- from the most intensive startup conference I ever visited - Defence Tech Valley.
- Number of battle-proven Ukrainian Defence startups is still growing. More importantly - they keep developing new features & products so fast that sometimes it's difficult to recognise a company 6 months later. - Old EU Defence companies have still a huge challenge adapting to the speed of changes on the frontline. Their products are outdated & 10x more pricey - and not in high demand in Ukraine. - A growing number of the sharpest European founders are entering defence tech. And they understand that they have to spend most of their time in Ukraine. - Defence Valley was heavily dominated by drones. Countless FPVs, 60+ UGVs and everything around the drone ecosystem . But there are still big challenges in some areas. - There is still no clear winner who could replace DJI for ISR. Yes there are some promising products, but nothing at scale on the frontline yet. The interceptor drones segment seems to have the biggest growth in 2025 - at least 50 companies are building something but 5–7 are ahead of others with real combat success. There was a very impressive lineup of bombers, but on the frontline Baba Yaga is still dominated by Vampires with 50% market share. And finally - the most needed thing is still CHEAP mid-strike: 60–200 km drones. - I had nonstop meetings with Ukrainian military who are extremely eager to use any new tech - without any red tape or delay. Defence Valley is the only Defence event in the world, where you can talk with soldiers who came directly from the frontline. Some elite drone units like Khartia, Azov, K2, 3rd Brigade, Achilles. Rarog even had their own stand. And those folks are the fastest at implementing new stuff into combat. - My favourite product was definitely a 12-meter underwater drone from Toloka. With a range of up to 2,000 km & payload of up to 5 tons. And it was great to meet with Pink Flamingos indeed! And her family is much bigger than known. - Most of the companies showed products that are still very rough - not finished - but already having REAL combat tests. Most Ukrainian founders don't know the EU market, are bad at marketing/sales, but they are fast builders.. https://x.com/ragnars/status/1969671365461442788
Defence industry learning that wartime military procurement looks very different to peacetime military procurement.
They need weapons in quantity, and they need them delivering yesterday even if the development isn’t quite finished.
Amazing to see loads of new startups in the space though, especialy around small drones. Some of us are old enough to remember when this war started, and we commented that it was innovative to use cheap drives to spot for artillery, well there’s been quite the run of new ways to use drones since then!
Foreign Secretary Yvette Cooper says she has warned Israel not to annex parts of the West Bank in retaliation for the UK's recognition of Palestinian statehood.
Absurd hyperbole. It is perfectly accepted policy in much of the world that non citizens do not have a right to state welfare and must leave if not meeting the employment criteria. It is not evil, it is fiscally sensible.
What democracies do not give permanent residents any rights to welfare?
We don't have a "permanent resident" category and never have.
We have indefinite leave to remain. How is that not a permanent resident category?
ILR is not permanent. You can lose it if you stay outside the UK for too long. The people who are quite hot on this are not Reform, but the DWP who will deny benefits if they find out the overseas stays have been too long.
You lose your indefinite leave to remain if you’ve been outside the UK, the Channel Islands and the Isle of Man for more than:
5 continuous years, if you have settled status under the EU Settlement Scheme (unless you’re a Swiss citizen or their family member) 4 continuous years, if you have settled status under the EU Settlement Scheme and you’re a Swiss citizen or their family member 2 continuous years for anyone else
You may be able to re-enter the UK and get indefinite leave to remain by applying for a Returning Resident visa.
Foreign Secretary Yvette Cooper says she has warned Israel not to annex parts of the West Bank in retaliation for the UK's recognition of Palestinian statehood.
Bet they are trembling in their boots and destroying the settlements as we speak.
Well given her impressive record wagging her finger at the people smugglers for putting more than 84 people in a boat, I am sure you are absolutely correct.
Just back from 🇺🇦- from the most intensive startup conference I ever visited - Defence Tech Valley.
- Number of battle-proven Ukrainian Defence startups is still growing. More importantly - they keep developing new features & products so fast that sometimes it's difficult to recognise a company 6 months later. - Old EU Defence companies have still a huge challenge adapting to the speed of changes on the frontline. Their products are outdated & 10x more pricey - and not in high demand in Ukraine. - A growing number of the sharpest European founders are entering defence tech. And they understand that they have to spend most of their time in Ukraine. - Defence Valley was heavily dominated by drones. Countless FPVs, 60+ UGVs and everything around the drone ecosystem . But there are still big challenges in some areas. - There is still no clear winner who could replace DJI for ISR. Yes there are some promising products, but nothing at scale on the frontline yet. The interceptor drones segment seems to have the biggest growth in 2025 - at least 50 companies are building something but 5–7 are ahead of others with real combat success. There was a very impressive lineup of bombers, but on the frontline Baba Yaga is still dominated by Vampires with 50% market share. And finally - the most needed thing is still CHEAP mid-strike: 60–200 km drones. - I had nonstop meetings with Ukrainian military who are extremely eager to use any new tech - without any red tape or delay. Defence Valley is the only Defence event in the world, where you can talk with soldiers who came directly from the frontline. Some elite drone units like Khartia, Azov, K2, 3rd Brigade, Achilles. Rarog even had their own stand. And those folks are the fastest at implementing new stuff into combat. - My favourite product was definitely a 12-meter underwater drone from Toloka. With a range of up to 2,000 km & payload of up to 5 tons. And it was great to meet with Pink Flamingos indeed! And her family is much bigger than known. - Most of the companies showed products that are still very rough - not finished - but already having REAL combat tests. Most Ukrainian founders don't know the EU market, are bad at marketing/sales, but they are fast builders.. https://x.com/ragnars/status/1969671365461442788
Defence industry learning that wartime military procurement looks very different to peacetime military procurement.
They need weapons in quantity, and they need them delivering yesterday even if the development isn’t quite finished.
(Snip)
A friend's first job out of uni was working (later leading) a group within a rather large multinational defence manufacturer. The small group's aim was to plan cost reductions for weapon systems, and work out how they could be made quicker in the event of a war (e.g. by expediting or replacing long-lead items).
AIUI there were several problems. One was that the group was small, and did not have much focus on it. Another was that the existing weapons systems were expensive, so any alterations needed really expensive and infrequent tests (often grouped together, so a dozen or two alterations were tested in one test). Another was that they could only touch existing systems, not plan much cheaper replacements. Another was that they had to still achieve the same reliability figures.
"Durham University boasts the highest rate of inter-student marriages: a remarkable 72 per cent of students will marry a fellow Durham alumnus, a third of couples starting a relationship after graduation. For comparison, the national average is 20 per cent." https://x.com/rorysutherland/status/1969784374871625756
Is this true ? It seems somewhat unlikely.
I was at a Durham open day on Saturday with my daughter. Highest inter-student marriage was claimed repeatedly as a scary fact, the 72% figure was treated with a bit of scepticism though.
St. Andrews used to claim high student inter-marriage back in the day as well (and yes, I did), and the similarity in feel was very evident to me. And both doing very well out of university size being somewhat limited by the towns themselves.
No one thinks the Boriswave was good but this happened because of Brexit because as the Tories chased immigration to bolster the economy they realized EU nationals after being told to get lost weren’t in the mood to jump through a load of hoops .
So in their desperation the Tories started handing out more sweeteners as in bringing large numbers of dependents over with those workers from outside of the EU .
EU nationals were younger, fitter and less likely to come with family . The Treasury figures showed they were a net benefit to the country . It was of course much easier and cheaper to pop back and visit family in Europe.
And the boats jumped hugely in the year that the Brexit transition period ended . The Dublin agreement admittedly didn’t work well but was a form of deterrent . After Brexit those coming by boats knew they couldn’t be sent back .
We of course also lost access to the finger print database and a host of other measures that would have helped combat the boats .
The Dublin Agreement has virtually nothing to do with the boat crossings. That was asylum seekers and smugglers testing an alternative route hitherto considered dangerous but - because all other routes were closed during Covid - it was tried and found to be viable, and a massive legal loophole.
Foreign Secretary Yvette Cooper says she has warned Israel not to annex parts of the West Bank in retaliation for the UK's recognition of Palestinian statehood.
It's a bit late for that given that most of it is either military control, or is a settlement or are roads between settlements. West Bank is not one contiguous territory like Gaza.
It seems that there are people who think that a migrant worker (plus their dependents) should be for life.
This country is fully entitled to say "thanks but no more and goodbye" at any time either after their 'contract' is up or if they prove unsatisfactory.
Nobody is arguing that a country is not “entitled”. Just that such a policy would be cruel, offensive, and very likely self-defeating.
It's not self defeating. What would be self defeating is allowing the 3m from the boriswave to get citizenship. That's the path to nation bankruptcy. I don't agree with getting rid of ILR or a pathway to citizenship from immigration but the bar should be substantially higher than it currently is.
Right now an unskilled worker who arrived in 2022 on £22k per year with 4 dependents is in line to citizenship in 3 to 4 years for all 5 of them with all of the resulting welfare claims. It's simply not sustainable and we can currently ask them to go home by revoking their visa or making it non-renewable. There are probably 2-3m in that bracket that Boris allowed into the country that should not have been invited.
I have no problem with revoking visas, maybe even ILR for people who were came from that bracket. I would have an issue with closing off citizenship from migration though, I don't think that serves the nation at all. I do think that citizenship should require a person to be self-sufficient and have a 10 year history of substantial tax contributions (£150k over a 10 year period, more with dependents?) and a spotless criminal record, not even fare evasion.
And what happens to married women bringing up a family and not working in a paid job? Will they be kicked out?
Zarah Sultana has said she will call off legal action after a public row with Jeremy Corbyn over the fledgling party they were to co-lead.
The Coventry South MP acknowledged people felt “demoralised” after the quarrel over her push for members to sign up to Your Party, the political outfit she established with the former Labour leader.
Sultana, who had claimed she faced a “sexist boys’ club”, said she was “determined to reconcile” and was in talks with Corbyn.
I do wonder if her lawyers have looked at her complaint and told her that she doesn't stand a chance. That's the problem with immediately shouting about consulting the lawyers, and then caving...
Also there must have been a huge supporter backlash - see the letter from Lynch and Varoufakis in today’s Guardian
Zarah Sultana has said she will call off legal action after a public row with Jeremy Corbyn over the fledgling party they were to co-lead.
The Coventry South MP acknowledged people felt “demoralised” after the quarrel over her push for members to sign up to Your Party, the political outfit she established with the former Labour leader.
Sultana, who had claimed she faced a “sexist boys’ club”, said she was “determined to reconcile” and was in talks with Corbyn.
I do wonder if her lawyers have looked at her complaint and told her that she doesn't stand a chance. That's the problem with immediately shouting about consulting the lawyers, and then caving...
She is very much a tweet first, think later kinda politician.
Foreign Secretary Yvette Cooper says she has warned Israel not to annex parts of the West Bank in retaliation for the UK's recognition of Palestinian statehood.
Just back from 🇺🇦- from the most intensive startup conference I ever visited - Defence Tech Valley.
- Number of battle-proven Ukrainian Defence startups is still growing. More importantly - they keep developing new features & products so fast that sometimes it's difficult to recognise a company 6 months later. - Old EU Defence companies have still a huge challenge adapting to the speed of changes on the frontline. Their products are outdated & 10x more pricey - and not in high demand in Ukraine. - A growing number of the sharpest European founders are entering defence tech. And they understand that they have to spend most of their time in Ukraine. - Defence Valley was heavily dominated by drones. Countless FPVs, 60+ UGVs and everything around the drone ecosystem . But there are still big challenges in some areas. - There is still no clear winner who could replace DJI for ISR. Yes there are some promising products, but nothing at scale on the frontline yet. The interceptor drones segment seems to have the biggest growth in 2025 - at least 50 companies are building something but 5–7 are ahead of others with real combat success. There was a very impressive lineup of bombers, but on the frontline Baba Yaga is still dominated by Vampires with 50% market share. And finally - the most needed thing is still CHEAP mid-strike: 60–200 km drones. - I had nonstop meetings with Ukrainian military who are extremely eager to use any new tech - without any red tape or delay. Defence Valley is the only Defence event in the world, where you can talk with soldiers who came directly from the frontline. Some elite drone units like Khartia, Azov, K2, 3rd Brigade, Achilles. Rarog even had their own stand. And those folks are the fastest at implementing new stuff into combat. - My favourite product was definitely a 12-meter underwater drone from Toloka. With a range of up to 2,000 km & payload of up to 5 tons. And it was great to meet with Pink Flamingos indeed! And her family is much bigger than known. - Most of the companies showed products that are still very rough - not finished - but already having REAL combat tests. Most Ukrainian founders don't know the EU market, are bad at marketing/sales, but they are fast builders.. https://x.com/ragnars/status/1969671365461442788
If I were younger and had more courage this is definitely something I would get into. The Western public don't understand how big this is nor how rapidly its developing. Just like underdeveloped countries leapfrogged landlines and went straight to mobile phones, drone tech can enable smaller countries to perform the functions of a navy and air force at far cheaper cost and similar numbers. I'll post the link to The Chieftain's latest video later today
Comments
https://x.com/rorysutherland/status/1969784374871625756
Is this true ?
It seems somewhat unlikely.
https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/articles/c1wggrdn9dno
The anti-immigrant stuff will always escalate because they are junkies for outrage/scandal.
Whose initiative is it? The Times has Farage announcing it, whereas the Telegraph piece is by Zia Yusuf. NF, horrible as he is, knows how to play with matches, whereas Yusuf is, politically, an idiot.
Why the change in policy? Could be overconfidence, but it could be that Reform is now being dragged to the right by a threat from the even harder right. Though given what they have done to the Conservatives, couldn't happen to a nicer party.
(It will be interesting to see how the Conservatives respond to this.)
- Number of battle-proven Ukrainian Defence startups is still growing. More importantly - they keep developing new features & products so fast that sometimes it's difficult to recognise a company 6 months later.
- Old EU Defence companies have still a huge challenge adapting to the speed of changes on the frontline. Their products are outdated & 10x more pricey - and not in high demand in Ukraine.
- A growing number of the sharpest European founders are entering defence tech. And they understand that they have to spend most of their time in Ukraine.
- Defence Valley was heavily dominated by drones. Countless FPVs, 60+ UGVs and everything around the drone ecosystem . But there are still big challenges in some areas.
- There is still no clear winner who could replace DJI for ISR. Yes there are some promising products, but nothing at scale on the frontline yet. The interceptor drones segment seems to have the biggest growth in 2025 - at least 50 companies are building something but 5–7 are ahead of others with real combat success. There was a very impressive lineup of bombers, but on the frontline Baba Yaga is still dominated by Vampires with 50% market share. And finally - the most needed thing is still CHEAP mid-strike: 60–200 km drones.
- I had nonstop meetings with Ukrainian military who are extremely eager to use any new tech - without any red tape or delay. Defence Valley is the only Defence event in the world, where you can talk with soldiers who came directly from the frontline. Some elite drone units like Khartia, Azov, K2, 3rd Brigade, Achilles. Rarog even had their own stand. And those folks are the fastest at implementing new stuff into combat.
- My favourite product was definitely a 12-meter underwater drone from Toloka. With a range of up to 2,000 km & payload of up to 5 tons. And it was great to meet with Pink Flamingos indeed! And her family is much bigger than known.
- Most of the companies showed products that are still very rough - not finished - but already having REAL combat tests. Most Ukrainian founders don't know the EU market, are bad at marketing/sales, but they are fast builders..
https://x.com/ragnars/status/1969671365461442788
I expect I know and work with several orders of magnitude more “real life” migrants, with real lives, than you do.
And given your previous posts about welfare I expect you’re richer than me too.
I'm a man. I do some quite manly things. But I'm also mainly a househusband, I hate football, and I have never been fishing. If that make me atypical, does it matter? Does it make my life less 'real'?
Nobel prize for sure
They need weapons in quantity, and they need them delivering yesterday even if the development isn’t quite finished.
Amazing to see loads of new startups in the space though, especialy around small drones. Some of us are old enough to remember when this war started, and we commented that it was innovative to use cheap drives to spot for artillery, well there’s been quite the run of new ways to use drones since then!
You lose your indefinite leave to remain if you’ve been outside the UK, the Channel Islands and the Isle of Man for more than:
5 continuous years, if you have settled status under the EU Settlement Scheme (unless you’re a Swiss citizen or their family member)
4 continuous years, if you have settled status under the EU Settlement Scheme and you’re a Swiss citizen or their family member
2 continuous years for anyone else
You may be able to re-enter the UK and get indefinite leave to remain by applying for a Returning Resident visa.
https://www.gov.uk/returning-resident-visa
NEW THREAD
AIUI there were several problems. One was that the group was small, and did not have much focus on it. Another was that the existing weapons systems were expensive, so any alterations needed really expensive and infrequent tests (often grouped together, so a dozen or two alterations were tested in one test). Another was that they could only touch existing systems, not plan much cheaper replacements. Another was that they had to still achieve the same reliability figures.
St. Andrews used to claim high student inter-marriage back in the day as well (and yes, I did), and the similarity in feel was very evident to me. And both doing very well out of university size being somewhat limited by the towns themselves.
Corelation does not equal causation.