These are the figures of a tired ten year old government – politicalbetting.com
These are the figures of a tired ten year old government – politicalbetting.com
?/ Ahead of their party conference, how do Britons see the Labour Party?Out of touch: 66%Unclear what they stand for: 65%Weak: 62%Untrustworthy: 61%Incompetent: 59%Serving themselves: 54%Care only about the few: 50%Prejudiced: 37%Extreme: 24%yougov.co.uk/politics/art…
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Magnanimity in defeat
https://truthsocial.com/@realDonaldTrump/posts/115285037264191888
Turns out the Ming vase can also shatter after you get it home.
The current ratings are probably not yet at the floor.
I will not attempt a play on words at this time in the morning.
https://x.com/visegrad24/status/1972432062868246581
They’re the Western-facing party, so that’s good news for the EU and for Ukraine.
Their opposition was a lot more Eastern-facing, towards Russia, which would have been a less-than-optimal result for most of us. There had been allegations of underhanded Russian funding of their election campaign.
It makes me wonder how much they're spending over here to subvert our democracy, and get a party in that more suits their purposes...
Belgorod this time.
https://x.com/bayraktar_1love/status/1972339228299362780
Not something that can be conveyed in a soundbite on GB News. Not something that can be glossed over when changing legislation. The problem will be when offering simple solutions to complex problems in return for votes, a lot of people will be angry and disappointed the simple solutions are not there.
"As the court has recognised, there are basic minimum living conditions that the UK government cannot lawfully allow families, who it has chosen to put on a route to settlement in the UK, to fall below. Preserving a minimum level of dignity for people through our national support systems should be a given. Yet there are gaping holes in those systems, and where they do exist - such as local authority duties under section 17 of the Children Act 1989 – they are not adequately funded by government. As a bare minimum we should always provide the necessary basic protections to ensure children do not live in undignified conditions, without adequate food, clothing, or shelter, particularly when they have recently fled traumatic circumstances. "
https://cpag.org.uk/news/domestic-abuse-survivor-wins-universal-credit-appeal-case-will-help-destitute-eu-citizens-and
Russia has had a strategy of hitting Ukraine's energy infrastructure over the last few winters. AIUI this is getting sparser returns, because the Ukrainians have devoted some money and brainpower into making that infrastructure more robust. The strikes will still hurt, but not as much as they did two or three years ago. Ukraine now seems to want to return the favour, and large parts of the energy infrastructure around Moscow are in easy range.
https://x.com/igorsushko/status/1972386258795352523
Are we starting to see some good come from the NATO sideline meetings at the UN last week? There’s no way that the Russians aren’t going to see an American-made missile hitting Russia as a severe provocation.
Edit: It might get even better.
JD Vance: We’ll sell Tomahawks for Ukraine.
https://x.com/mylovanov/status/1972361465807110564
This is a much longer-range system than HIMARS, puts Moscow well within reach from Ukraine.
Just think, if you selected 30 people totally at random, how many would be shysters, fraudsters, liars and utter nincompoops and yet that is Starmer's Cabinet. Literally he could go to Euston Station and pick up 30 people from the next train to turn up and in all likelihood they would be less unsuited to being cabinet members than the ones he has chosen. That is how bad he is. But, he is evil as well of course.
On topic, notice the top failure by the government- cost of living. There was a neat bit of polling a while back showing that, although immigration/boats is seen as the top issue facing the country, CoL is the biggest one facing most voters.
It's the economy (stupid), because it usually is. And there have been a couple of years now where wages have grown faster than prices. But as long as most people have more month than money, they are going to be understandably unhappy.
But to a very large degree, that's out of the government's hands to fix, in the short term anyway. We can shuffle how things are paid for, but they will largely cost what they cost.
(After all, the big ones are housing, energy and people who work for us. Building more homes will help, if it happens, but gradually. Energy is partly about wind and solar, but mostly about Ukraine. And, although I'd be better off if other people were paid less, it wouldn't be on.)
Housing requires some joined-up thinking from government on planning reform and building regulations, the annoucement of even a handful more small Poundburys isn’t going to be sufficient .
Energy is basically impossible to fix with Ed Miliband in place
The assumption was that many of the 10-12% occupied by Greens would convert to Your Party, and a big chunk of the remainder would revert to Labour or LibDem tactically - in most seats...
However, it's possible that if Your Party continues to implode, and Starmer and Reeves continue to push ID, batter welfare, and give few jots for nature or climate, and shred planning systems, that people will see Greens (and LibDems and SNP/PC) in further surges/resurges. And even more green welly Tories to some extent in rural seats, though Zack may put them off.
Indeed there's anecdotal evidence that Your Party buffoonery combined with lure of Zack has driven many dissafected socialists newly to the Greens.
Regardless of the figure it was interesting actually listening to people articulating what we have discussed on here about what people consider “fair” etc.
Followed up with a discussion with Ruth Curtis from the Resolution foundation. This is what Today should be doing for the whole programme, good quality analysis of news and politics without having to flip to numerous short pointless stories.
I was looking at the Spitting Image puppet of Starmer (incidentally the programme clips seem to have monstrous amounts of views on Youtube) and actually it's a good deal more likeable than the real thing, probably because they haven't been able to replicate that gimlet stare. The stare that says 'I'm telling you a barefaced lie, but I demand you believe me'.
Ukraine has been hitting the oil and gas industry to reduce availability of exports and to limit fuel to the Russian army (and to civilians although they are not the primary target)
The alleged shooter in Michigan. Weird that Vance and Patel haven’t tweeted out this info.
https://bsky.app/profile/mehdirhasan.bsky.social/post/3lzxbyuovss2v
But not evil.
It doesn’t help to use emotional terms like that about political opponents
Edit: I forgot unprincipled and pusillanimous
JohnO and myself are off to our regular working man’s venue for lunch, Claridge’s.
Time that Starmer used Brexit. People voted to eat sovvrintyinnit. Boris used sovereignty to Take Back Control of the border and fling it wide open. Starmer could use sovereignty to change the voting system. If Labour are supporting it then so will LD, Green, SNP etc. Reform are publicly in favour so will likely vote against as its a plot to steal their win or something. But as they only have
fivefourfivesixfive MPs who cares.Parliament can do anything that commands a majority.
https://bsky.app/profile/angusyoung61.bsky.social/post/3lzvwtovgts2q
And yes, socialist chums, government is harder than it looks, isn't it?
Europe's Top Golfers Mock Donald Trump After Beating US To Win Ryder Cup
https://x.com/KevinASchofield/status/1972557274590962023
He probably thinks he has some moral high ground but ultimately this constant game of “your team did a shooting so you are bad” doesn’t make anyone look good because one time it’s the right and another the left so everyone is wrestling in the mud thinking they are cleaner.
I bet that Hasan was terrified that the alleged shooter might be a trans person or extreme leftist and then the relief when it turns out it’s not makes him feel righteous. The same the other way when the right are desperately hoping it’s not a rightie doing the shooting and when it turns out it’s a lefty, jubilation.
Government is always harder than opposition, as every new government quickly realises.
Starmer is not evil and it is unnecessary language
He is simply not a PM by any definition and has been a terrible disappointment
I think these football chants best describes him
'You don't know what you are doing'
And
'You're getting sacked in the morning'
[Just checked, and rather surprised that was 10 years ago, when the first Tour de Yorkshire was held].
Not this one though, not by a long shot. Leaderless, rudderless, incompetent; yes. But far, far from being evil. And neither were its predecessors.
The likes of Mehdi Hasan are just trying to be provocative virtue-signallers as usual.
This war could be about to take a turn, there’s a lot of Western assets airbourne over Eastern Europe and the Baltics at the moment, Poland have been clearing their airspace on the boundary with Ukraine, there’s a number of US tanker aircraft currently heading for Europe…
I predict something gets shot down this week for being where it shouldn’t be, most likely something Russian.
Where the ground is a rundown shack, the development and scouting don't happen and any spare cash is thrown at the latest gimmicky hero.
And where the support base assume they are still entitled to outsized success because Portsmouth were brilliant when Jimmy Dickinson played for them.
Much easier to blame and dump the figurehead, but it rarely works.
Personally, the political affiliation and background are not a major causal factor in these events. The access to guns, and gun culture, is a much larger one - whether it is left on right, right on left, or just an angry man shaking his metaphorical fist at the world. And too many in the USA, especially on the right, want to ignore that.
@ytregaws.bsky.social
"I spoke to the governor, she was very nice. But I said, 'Well wait a minute, am I watching things on television that are different from what's happening? My people tell me different.' They are literally attacking and there are fires all over the place...
https://bsky.app/profile/ytregaws.bsky.social/post/3lzwaljztks2r
Vance etc have already been spinning this incident as part of a "war on Christianity", and implying it's leftist thugs.
You're effectively arguing that Democrats should cede entire the propaganda space to Trump and his crew, and if they don't they're just as bad as them. That's a heads we win tails you lose argument, and part of the reason Trump got elected in the first place.
The reason why previously not very popular Democrats like Newsom are now moving up rapidly in the polls is that they're throwing Trump's tactics back in his face.
“We all know that their tour is funded by the Ryder Cup. Every four years they rake it in. The real reality is our guys take no money and the European Tour players end up playing for the profit. They can claim what they want but I think it’s a false narrative. The way he framed it, it’s another sneaky effort but it’s a false narrative, it just is,” Azinger said. “The extra $200,000 this year that goes to the players, that money is going to go to local First Tees and local Boys and Girls Clubs. That’s what Sam Burns is talking about. No one is keeping that money. Two hundred grand is like $2.50 to these guys. That money is going to people in need. I would ask them where all their money goes.”
...
“Europe is trying to work an ugly spin on something,” he said. “I would be doing the same thing Luke’s doing but when you’re playing chess you have to make a counter move. They're saying, we play for pride and not for money. Well, our guys can say we’re playing for pride and charity; your guys are playing for pride and the European Tour, which gets most of the money.”
https://golfweek-eu.usatoday.com/story/sports/golf/ryder-cup/2025/09/26/paul-azinger-defends-team-usa-paid-stipend-ryder-cup-2025/86359522007/
given awayprivatised before.Apologies if this was reported but been away, theres a third MRP this weekend from Survation, details out later today . Bit better for Labour and Farage just short of number 10 without Tory support
Rather old though, ending start Sept
Party / Projected seats / Projected vote share
Con / 42 / 19
Green / 6 / 7
LDem / 63 / 12
Lab / 191 / 25
Reform / 293 / 29
SNP / 30 / 3
PC 2 / 1
https://x.com/Survation/status/1972347873250709985?t=Xtl7adTqjSWCG7SckoX_4Q&s=19
Your self righteous stance hardly squares with you straightforward assumption that you understand Hasssan's motives: I bet that Hasan was terrified that the alleged shooter might be a trans person or extreme leftist and then the relief when it turns out it’s not makes him feel righteous...
What to do is one of Farage's dilemmas.
@axios
Study: Left-wing terrorism climbs to 30-year high
https://x.com/axios/status/1972294700280250758
Just, don't actually look at the graph...
While Tomahawk is now now nuclear, there used to be a nuclear version. Which put it in various arms control categories. IIRC that was why they weren't sold to Israel. Chucking them in the direction of Russia would be seen as extra provocative.
https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/articles/c3w5n903447o
Like many things in the shadowy world of cyber-crime, an insider threat is something very few people have experience of.
Even fewer people want to talk about it.
But I was given a unique and worrying experience of how hackers can leverage insiders when I myself was recently propositioned by a criminal gang.
"If you are interested, we can offer you 15% of any ransom payment if you give us access to your PC."
That was the message I received out of the blue from someone called Syndicate who pinged me in July on the encrypted chat app Signal.
I had no idea who this person was but instantly knew what it was about.
I was being offered a portion of a potentially large amount of money if I helped cyber criminals access BBC systems through my laptop.
They would steal data or install malicious software and hold my employer to ransom and I would secretly get a cut.
I had heard stories about this kind of thing.
In fact, only a few days before the unsolicited message, news emerged from Brazil that an IT worker there had been arrested for selling his login details to hackers which police say led to the loss of $100m (£74m) for the banking victim.
I decided to play along with Syndicate after taking advice from a senior BBC editor. I was eager to see how criminals make these shady deals with potentially treacherous employees at a time when cyber-attacks around the world are becoming more impactful and disruptive to everyday life.
I told Syn, who had changed their name mid-conversation, that I was potentially interested but needed to know how it works.
They explained that if I gave them my login details and security code then they would hack the BBC and then extort the corporation for a ransom in bitcoin. I would be in line for a portion of that payout.
They upped their offer.
"We aren't sure how much the BBC pays you but what if you took 25% of the final negotiation as we extract 1% of the BBC's total revenue? You wouldn't need to work ever again."..
It has enabled people to buy cars that they previously wouldn't have been able to afford - but really they still can't afford them, and so they're struggling to make ends meet because of the millstone of car finance.
I haven't interrogated the idea to see if the numbers stack up, but it suggests a way forward for the government to help square the circle. Increase regulation of car financing to save people from immiserating themselves spending beyond their means, and although this will mean more people have to make do with a lower status motor, they will end up happier when they can more easily reach the end of the month with the money previously being spent on finance for the car they couldn't afford.
If you want to play the journalist looking for a good story, you first make damn sure there’s never any real risk to the organisation and have your work cleared right up to the very senior management, while organising everything in a way that gives the authorities the best chance to actually apprehend the perpetrators.
Southgate to United?????
I remember Sir Alf Ramsey to Birmingham City. I expect the outcome will be similar.
Personally, I would be mildly irritating in response.
Why your average Joe leases a new car will remain a total mystery to me, it’s totally dead money as the depreciation is horrific for those first three or four years. It’s understandable for a company car, but totally mad for a personal one.
Especially since, if there was a hack, the police will be looking at you. And senior management in large organisation has absolutely no track record of throwing employees overboard. None whatsoever.
I suppose £425/month for five years (having paid £5-10k at the beginning and end) somehow makes people think it's affordable.
To say nothing of rates today.
And Good Morning one and all!
While I believe ID cards offer a whole set of benefits (as shown by the Lib Dems agreeing) I wouldn't be surprised in seeing some Labour voters switching Green...
STV will make it easier for fringe parties to win minute representation in the legislature, but it also makes it impossible for minority opinion (say a 34% vote share) to win a landslide majority.
When Britain is run by a majority Reform government with Farage as PM, after winning the support of less than a third of the vote, the argument that PR risks empowering the extreme right will ring a little hollow.
Radio ads are dreadful "Pets in a Pickle" is my least favourite, and we don't have TV ads of the quality of the Smash aliens any more. My favourite ad from the eighties was an Adam West lookalike Batman crime fighting in an Austin Metro to avoid Gotham City traffic congestion.
https://youtu.be/CwzHLm_1ar0?si=3iKnyAVxqBIcCoMl