I see the Mail is whipping it's readers into a frenzy about Lammy's "crazy" comments on Farage's teenage fascist dabblings, and mentioning to none of them that these reports have been circulating for years online anyway, and as a result of Farage's ex-teacher at Dulwich college, not Labour.
There are plenty of other stories about his far-right school days,too.
Labour committimg a cardinal sin. If you need to couch and qualify your attack youre losing
An angry Farage has come out swinging. Starmer has been very careful not to label the voters as racist. Farage has made the accusation that Starmer has. I am comfortable that although a risky strategy shrouded in jeopardy it is worth the risk.
Farage's speech was absolutely polished. It was a very well crafted pack of pies (phew, unparliamentary language avoided).
I haven't seen Starmer's speech but from commentary on here it was an absolute horror show, only not quite as awful as it might have been. I understand from BigG. that Kemi eclipsed Starmer too. Oh dear!
The Reform problem to me seems to be this. People who don’t like Farage/Reform believe that the party AND its supporters are racist. Lots of Reform members and supporters probably are racists. But there is also a large number of people who don’t believe that they are racist, but would quite like a lot fewer immigrants in the country, and that the last two things are not mutually impossible.
If you want Reform voters to vote for you, address their concerns, don’t call them racists.
To be fair Labour are quite clear that they are trying to address those concerns.
The days of the Boriswave are gone (at least until Canada gets invaded). To get ILR migrants will need to stay 10 years rather than five, volunteer and be net tax payers. That is a fairly substantial change. Deportations are running significantly higher than under the Tories.
Voters aren't in the mood to listen, at least not yet, but Labour have moved substantially from the more permissive Conservative policies.
A lot of voters, wrongly, think hundreds of thousands are arriving via small boats each year, and are fed up that nothing is done to stop it. Might not be accurate or logical, but that’s the truth as they see it.
I've been catching up with a great deal of narrative surrounding Donald Trump's 20 point plan.
Was it actually written by someone called Sir Anthony Charles Lynton-Blair?
Asking for a friend.
Dissolved into chaos on day one. Who would have guessed?
But will that matter? The purpose is, with the backing of Arab states which is crucial, to trap Hamas, as Hamas are in a position where they cannot win.
If Hamas say No, then USA/Israel have reasons, however bad, for fighting on until unconditional surrender and imposing an even worse deal on Gaza - including deportation and exile. If Hamas say Yes, then a process begins, however chaotic, in which they cannot win.
Hamas can not win either way, it just depends how long it takes for them to surrender.
Israel have reasons to fight on until Hamas surrender no matter what. Too many here think that a Palestinian death toll means that Israel needs to let Hamas cling on. That's not how war works, or ever has.
Il quartiere spagnolo - named thus because it was where the Spanish soldiers where housed when the Spanish took over Naples. It was around this time that my mother's family came to Naples - the family name is Spanish, from the town in Spain where they came from, and many of the boy's first names have also been Spanish. The main street abutting this area was always known as Via Toledo (and still is by some) but was renamed Via Roma after unification.
Neapolitan is not a dialect but a separate language and Neapolitan humour, theatre and life is hard to understand well without some knowledge of it. Listen to la Tamurriata Nera being sung - it's a world away from the Italy of Milan or Florence. Absolutely glorious, though, despite the subject matter - https://youtu.be/_U8Xp4IMG-I?si=ojrX56IlVr2EKGs3
Waiting for yet another diagnostic test result - pancreas this time. 2025 is proving to be a bit of an annus horribilis.
Still, I hope to be able to travel soon. See Naples and Die and so on.
Interestingly, Herceg Novi, where I am staying, was briefly Spanish. Also Bosnian, Ottoman, Venetian, French, briefly again Russian, and then Austrian.
I haven't travelled over the summer - to be honest most months I have found an excuse to go away in the UK - I thought I had lost my mojo but seem to be getting it back.
Hoping you do get to travel soon. I do like Ottoman Southern Europe and wonder what Naples would be like if Piri Reis or Hayrettin Barbarossa had ever conquered it.
So do I. Though some days I am starting to lose hope. And all the chat about Naples today - the city which is the nearest I have to a home, where I was forged - is making me feel homesick and longing for a safer more optimistic time (for me anyway). The hospital here (ironically one of the very first cases I ever worked as a pupil barrister was a construction dispute about the building of the hospital ) has a "Welcome to Oncology" sign as you go in and, as OH said when we first went, "That's fucking bonkers. Nothing welcome about it." And he's right. (They mean well I know.)
I love the layers of history in Naples and other cities like it - especially in those countries which have been invaded regularly.
Il quartiere spagnolo - named thus because it was where the Spanish soldiers where housed when the Spanish took over Naples. It was around this time that my mother's family came to Naples - the family name is Spanish, from the town in Spain where they came from, and many of the boy's first names have also been Spanish. The main street abutting this area was always known as Via Toledo (and still is by some) but was renamed Via Roma after unification.
Neapolitan is not a dialect but a separate language and Neapolitan humour, theatre and life is hard to understand well without some knowledge of it. Listen to la Tamurriata Nera being sung - it's a world away from the Italy of Milan or Florence. Absolutely glorious, though, despite the subject matter - https://youtu.be/_U8Xp4IMG-I?si=ojrX56IlVr2EKGs3
Waiting for yet another diagnostic test result - pancreas this time. 2025 is proving to be a bit of an annus horribilis.
Still, I hope to be able to travel soon. See Naples and Die and so on.
Interestingly, Herceg Novi, where I am staying, was briefly Spanish. Also Bosnian, Ottoman, Venetian, French, briefly again Russian, and then Austrian.
I haven't travelled over the summer - to be honest most months I have found an excuse to go away in the UK - I thought I had lost my mojo but seem to be getting it back.
Hoping you do get to travel soon. I do like Ottoman Southern Europe and wonder what Naples would be like if Piri Reis or Hayrettin Barbarossa had ever conquered it.
So do I. Though some days I am starting to lose hope. And all the chat about Naples today - the city which is the nearest I have to a home, where I was forged - is making me feel homesick and longing for a safer more optimistic time (for me anyway). The hospital here (ironically one of the very first cases I ever worked as a pupil barrister was a construction dispute about the building of the hospital ) has a "Welcome to Oncology" sign as you go in and, as OH said when we first went, "That's fucking bonkers. Nothing welcome about it." And he's right. (They mean well I know.)
I love the layers of history in Naples and other cities like it - especially in those countries which have been invaded regularly.
Best of British luck old girl
I actually passed GAY ODIN today, and thought of you
I've been catching up with a great deal of narrative surrounding Donald Trump's 20 point plan.
Was it actually written by someone called Sir Anthony Charles Lynton-Blair?
Asking for a friend.
Dissolved into chaos on day one. Who would have guessed?
But will that matter? The purpose is, with the backing of Arab states which is crucial, to trap Hamas, as Hamas are in a position where they cannot win.
If Hamas say No, then USA/Israel have reasons, however bad, for fighting on until unconditional surrender and imposing an even worse deal on Gaza - including deportation and exile. If Hamas say Yes, then a process begins, however chaotic, in which they cannot win.
Hamas can not win either way, it just depends how long it takes for them to surrender.
Israel have reasons to fight on until Hamas surrender no matter what. Too many here think that a Palestinian death toll means that Israel needs to let Hamas cling on. That's not how war works, or ever has.
I think that if Israel were motivated solely to destroy Hamas then they would be fighting in a different way and they would be dealing with the civilians in Gaza in a different way.
Israeli actions are not those of a democratic state that sees Gazan civilians as separate from Hamas. You're in denial about how this war is being fought and what its objectives are.
Fascinated by the Hegseth ‘office junior accidentally gets to be the boss for a day, gets carried away’ vibe of this speech www.theguardian.com/us-news/2025... where he’s apparently summoned a load of generals in the middle of escalating tension with Russia just to say they’re fatter than him?
Il quartiere spagnolo - named thus because it was where the Spanish soldiers where housed when the Spanish took over Naples. It was around this time that my mother's family came to Naples - the family name is Spanish, from the town in Spain where they came from, and many of the boy's first names have also been Spanish. The main street abutting this area was always known as Via Toledo (and still is by some) but was renamed Via Roma after unification.
Neapolitan is not a dialect but a separate language and Neapolitan humour, theatre and life is hard to understand well without some knowledge of it. Listen to la Tamurriata Nera being sung - it's a world away from the Italy of Milan or Florence. Absolutely glorious, though, despite the subject matter - https://youtu.be/_U8Xp4IMG-I?si=ojrX56IlVr2EKGs3
Waiting for yet another diagnostic test result - pancreas this time. 2025 is proving to be a bit of an annus horribilis.
Still, I hope to be able to travel soon. See Naples and Die and so on.
Best wishes.
Italian unification was in reality, a conquest of The Two Sicilies, whose people had to be put down very brutally, by the House of Savoy.
Yes, I know. My family are still cross about it. My grandparents took it as a personal insult and thought the House of Savoy to be rather vulgar arrivistes. What they thought of the Austrian bits of Italy doesn't bear repeating, even on here.
Il quartiere spagnolo - named thus because it was where the Spanish soldiers where housed when the Spanish took over Naples. It was around this time that my mother's family came to Naples - the family name is Spanish, from the town in Spain where they came from, and many of the boy's first names have also been Spanish. The main street abutting this area was always known as Via Toledo (and still is by some) but was renamed Via Roma after unification.
Neapolitan is not a dialect but a separate language and Neapolitan humour, theatre and life is hard to understand well without some knowledge of it. Listen to la Tamurriata Nera being sung - it's a world away from the Italy of Milan or Florence. Absolutely glorious, though, despite the subject matter - https://youtu.be/_U8Xp4IMG-I?si=ojrX56IlVr2EKGs3
Waiting for yet another diagnostic test result - pancreas this time. 2025 is proving to be a bit of an annus horribilis.
Still, I hope to be able to travel soon. See Naples and Die and so on.
Interestingly, Herceg Novi, where I am staying, was briefly Spanish. Also Bosnian, Ottoman, Venetian, French, briefly again Russian, and then Austrian.
I haven't travelled over the summer - to be honest most months I have found an excuse to go away in the UK - I thought I had lost my mojo but seem to be getting it back.
Hoping you do get to travel soon. I do like Ottoman Southern Europe and wonder what Naples would be like if Piri Reis or Hayrettin Barbarossa had ever conquered it.
So do I. Though some days I am starting to lose hope. And all the chat about Naples today - the city which is the nearest I have to a home, where I was forged - is making me feel homesick and longing for a safer more optimistic time (for me anyway). The hospital here (ironically one of the very first cases I ever worked as a pupil barrister was a construction dispute about the building of the hospital ) has a "Welcome to Oncology" sign as you go in and, as OH said when we first went, "That's fucking bonkers. Nothing welcome about it." And he's right. (They mean well I know.)
I love the layers of history in Naples and other cities like it - especially in those countries which have been invaded regularly.
Best of British luck old girl
I actually passed GAY ODIN today, and thought of you
I've been catching up with a great deal of narrative surrounding Donald Trump's 20 point plan.
Was it actually written by someone called Sir Anthony Charles Lynton-Blair?
Asking for a friend.
Dissolved into chaos on day one. Who would have guessed?
But will that matter? The purpose is, with the backing of Arab states which is crucial, to trap Hamas, as Hamas are in a position where they cannot win.
If Hamas say No, then USA/Israel have reasons, however bad, for fighting on until unconditional surrender and imposing an even worse deal on Gaza - including deportation and exile. If Hamas say Yes, then a process begins, however chaotic, in which they cannot win.
Hamas can not win either way, it just depends how long it takes for them to surrender.
Israel have reasons to fight on until Hamas surrender no matter what. Too many here think that a Palestinian death toll means that Israel needs to let Hamas cling on. That's not how war works, or ever has.
I think that if Israel were motivated solely to destroy Hamas then they would be fighting in a different way and they would be dealing with the civilians in Gaza in a different way.
Israeli actions are not those of a democratic state that sees Gazan civilians as separate from Hamas. You're in denial about how this war is being fought and what its objectives are.
No, you are.
Given how comprehensive the trashing of Hamas are, if Gazan civilians were being targeted the same way the death toll would be in the millions, not the thousands.
I've been catching up with a great deal of narrative surrounding Donald Trump's 20 point plan.
Was it actually written by someone called Sir Anthony Charles Lynton-Blair?
Asking for a friend.
Dissolved into chaos on day one. Who would have guessed?
But will that matter? The purpose is, with the backing of Arab states which is crucial, to trap Hamas, as Hamas are in a position where they cannot win.
If Hamas say No, then USA/Israel have reasons, however bad, for fighting on until unconditional surrender and imposing an even worse deal on Gaza - including deportation and exile. If Hamas say Yes, then a process begins, however chaotic, in which they cannot win.
Hamas can not win either way, it just depends how long it takes for them to surrender.
Israel have reasons to fight on until Hamas surrender no matter what. Too many here think that a Palestinian death toll means that Israel needs to let Hamas cling on. That's not how war works, or ever has.
I think that if Israel were motivated solely to destroy Hamas then they would be fighting in a different way and they would be dealing with the civilians in Gaza in a different way.
Israeli actions are not those of a democratic state that sees Gazan civilians as separate from Hamas. You're in denial about how this war is being fought and what its objectives are.
No, you are.
Given how comprehensive the trashing of Hamas are, if Gazan civilians were being targeted the same way the death toll would be in the millions, not the thousands.
Israel is just another murderous Middle Eastern regime.
Housing is what the government should be concentrating on -
- building more - Building a variety of high quality homes - sorting out the post-Grenfell mess - Training proper construction tradesmen and craftsmen - Improving standards in existing homes - Sorting out leasehold issues & the rental market
Not faffing around calling Reform voters names.
Peter Apps who has written extensively about Grenfell and the housing market could give them a few ideas.
They should just get on with their fucking job rather than making adenoidal speeches written by half-witted interns and AI which sound like the sort of rubbish you see printed on overpriced mugs.
Well that does tend to be what party conferences are for. But otherwise, I agree entirely, and have been saying much the same since they took office.
I've been catching up with a great deal of narrative surrounding Donald Trump's 20 point plan.
Was it actually written by someone called Sir Anthony Charles Lynton-Blair?
Asking for a friend.
Dissolved into chaos on day one. Who would have guessed?
But will that matter? The purpose is, with the backing of Arab states which is crucial, to trap Hamas, as Hamas are in a position where they cannot win.
If Hamas say No, then USA/Israel have reasons, however bad, for fighting on until unconditional surrender and imposing an even worse deal on Gaza - including deportation and exile. If Hamas say Yes, then a process begins, however chaotic, in which they cannot win.
Hamas can not win either way, it just depends how long it takes for them to surrender.
Israel have reasons to fight on until Hamas surrender no matter what. Too many here think that a Palestinian death toll means that Israel needs to let Hamas cling on. That's not how war works, or ever has.
I think that if Israel were motivated solely to destroy Hamas then they would be fighting in a different way and they would be dealing with the civilians in Gaza in a different way.
Israeli actions are not those of a democratic state that sees Gazan civilians as separate from Hamas. You're in denial about how this war is being fought and what its objectives are.
No, you are.
Given how comprehensive the trashing of Hamas are, if Gazan civilians were being targeted the same way the death toll would be in the millions, not the thousands.
Israel is just another murderous Middle Eastern regime.
Its a democracy that is waging an existential war.
If they were a fraction as evil of genocidal as most on here pretend, then there wouldn't be any Gazan civilians left. Israel has the weapons to do that quite quickly.
So why aren't they? Are they just utterly incompetent at genocide, or are they not engaging in it?
Il quartiere spagnolo - named thus because it was where the Spanish soldiers where housed when the Spanish took over Naples. It was around this time that my mother's family came to Naples - the family name is Spanish, from the town in Spain where they came from, and many of the boy's first names have also been Spanish. The main street abutting this area was always known as Via Toledo (and still is by some) but was renamed Via Roma after unification.
Neapolitan is not a dialect but a separate language and Neapolitan humour, theatre and life is hard to understand well without some knowledge of it. Listen to la Tamurriata Nera being sung - it's a world away from the Italy of Milan or Florence. Absolutely glorious, though, despite the subject matter - https://youtu.be/_U8Xp4IMG-I?si=ojrX56IlVr2EKGs3
Waiting for yet another diagnostic test result - pancreas this time. 2025 is proving to be a bit of an annus horribilis.
Still, I hope to be able to travel soon. See Naples and Die and so on.
Best wishes.
Italian unification was in reality, a conquest of The Two Sicilies, whose people had to be put down very brutally, by the House of Savoy.
Yes, I know. My family are still cross about it. My grandparents took it as a personal insult and thought the House of Savoy to be rather vulgar arrivistes. What they thought of the Austrian bits of Italy doesn't bear repeating, even on here.
I started reading about it, after watching TheLeopard.
Strange as it may seem, the House of Bourbon were quite popular, among their subjects.
I've been catching up with a great deal of narrative surrounding Donald Trump's 20 point plan.
Was it actually written by someone called Sir Anthony Charles Lynton-Blair?
Asking for a friend.
Dissolved into chaos on day one. Who would have guessed?
But will that matter? The purpose is, with the backing of Arab states which is crucial, to trap Hamas, as Hamas are in a position where they cannot win.
If Hamas say No, then USA/Israel have reasons, however bad, for fighting on until unconditional surrender and imposing an even worse deal on Gaza - including deportation and exile. If Hamas say Yes, then a process begins, however chaotic, in which they cannot win.
Hamas can not win either way, it just depends how long it takes for them to surrender.
Israel have reasons to fight on until Hamas surrender no matter what. Too many here think that a Palestinian death toll means that Israel needs to let Hamas cling on. That's not how war works, or ever has.
I think that if Israel were motivated solely to destroy Hamas then they would be fighting in a different way and they would be dealing with the civilians in Gaza in a different way.
Israeli actions are not those of a democratic state that sees Gazan civilians as separate from Hamas. You're in denial about how this war is being fought and what its objectives are.
No, you are.
Given how comprehensive the trashing of Hamas are, if Gazan civilians were being targeted the same way the death toll would be in the millions, not the thousands.
Israel is just another murderous Middle Eastern regime.
Its a democracy that is waging an existential war.
If they were a fraction as evil of genocidal as most on here pretend, then there wouldn't be any Gazan civilians left. Israel has the weapons to do that quite quickly.
So why aren't they? Are they just utterly incompetent at genocide, or are they not engaging in it?
The IDF of 1967 conquered Gaza in just 48 hours. Why has Netanyahu taken nearly two years?
I've been catching up with a great deal of narrative surrounding Donald Trump's 20 point plan.
Was it actually written by someone called Sir Anthony Charles Lynton-Blair?
Asking for a friend.
Dissolved into chaos on day one. Who would have guessed?
But will that matter? The purpose is, with the backing of Arab states which is crucial, to trap Hamas, as Hamas are in a position where they cannot win.
If Hamas say No, then USA/Israel have reasons, however bad, for fighting on until unconditional surrender and imposing an even worse deal on Gaza - including deportation and exile. If Hamas say Yes, then a process begins, however chaotic, in which they cannot win.
Hamas can not win either way, it just depends how long it takes for them to surrender.
Israel have reasons to fight on until Hamas surrender no matter what. Too many here think that a Palestinian death toll means that Israel needs to let Hamas cling on. That's not how war works, or ever has.
I think that if Israel were motivated solely to destroy Hamas then they would be fighting in a different way and they would be dealing with the civilians in Gaza in a different way.
Israeli actions are not those of a democratic state that sees Gazan civilians as separate from Hamas. You're in denial about how this war is being fought and what its objectives are.
No, you are.
Given how comprehensive the trashing of Hamas are, if Gazan civilians were being targeted the same way the death toll would be in the millions, not the thousands.
Israel is just another murderous Middle Eastern regime.
Its a democracy that is waging an existential war.
If they were a fraction as evil of genocidal as most on here pretend, then there wouldn't be any Gazan civilians left. Israel has the weapons to do that quite quickly.
So why aren't they? Are they just utterly incompetent at genocide, or are they not engaging in it?
Perpetual war suits Netanyahu as much as it does Putin.
I've been catching up with a great deal of narrative surrounding Donald Trump's 20 point plan.
Was it actually written by someone called Sir Anthony Charles Lynton-Blair?
Asking for a friend.
Dissolved into chaos on day one. Who would have guessed?
But will that matter? The purpose is, with the backing of Arab states which is crucial, to trap Hamas, as Hamas are in a position where they cannot win.
If Hamas say No, then USA/Israel have reasons, however bad, for fighting on until unconditional surrender and imposing an even worse deal on Gaza - including deportation and exile. If Hamas say Yes, then a process begins, however chaotic, in which they cannot win.
Hamas can not win either way, it just depends how long it takes for them to surrender.
Israel have reasons to fight on until Hamas surrender no matter what. Too many here think that a Palestinian death toll means that Israel needs to let Hamas cling on. That's not how war works, or ever has.
I think that if Israel were motivated solely to destroy Hamas then they would be fighting in a different way and they would be dealing with the civilians in Gaza in a different way.
Israeli actions are not those of a democratic state that sees Gazan civilians as separate from Hamas. You're in denial about how this war is being fought and what its objectives are.
No, you are.
Given how comprehensive the trashing of Hamas are, if Gazan civilians were being targeted the same way the death toll would be in the millions, not the thousands.
Israel is just another murderous Middle Eastern regime.
Its a democracy that is waging an existential war.
If they were a fraction as evil of genocidal as most on here pretend, then there wouldn't be any Gazan civilians left. Israel has the weapons to do that quite quickly.
So why aren't they? Are they just utterly incompetent at genocide, or are they not engaging in it?
The IDF of 1967 conquered Gaza in just 48 hours. Why has Netanyahu taken nearly two years?
Friedman, NY Times:
"My bottom line: If you are a betting person, bet that the necessary will be impossible — you have a lot of history on your side that says the closer we get to peace, the more the haters will derail it.
If you are a hoping person, hope that this time will be different.
If you are praying person, pray that everything you know about this region, its current leaders and the poisonous legacy of the Gaza war will be overcome — because somehow the key players all realize that this really is the last train to somewhere decent and the next one, and all those ever after, will be nonstops to the gates of hell.
I've been catching up with a great deal of narrative surrounding Donald Trump's 20 point plan.
Was it actually written by someone called Sir Anthony Charles Lynton-Blair?
Asking for a friend.
Dissolved into chaos on day one. Who would have guessed?
But will that matter? The purpose is, with the backing of Arab states which is crucial, to trap Hamas, as Hamas are in a position where they cannot win.
If Hamas say No, then USA/Israel have reasons, however bad, for fighting on until unconditional surrender and imposing an even worse deal on Gaza - including deportation and exile. If Hamas say Yes, then a process begins, however chaotic, in which they cannot win.
Hamas can not win either way, it just depends how long it takes for them to surrender.
Israel have reasons to fight on until Hamas surrender no matter what. Too many here think that a Palestinian death toll means that Israel needs to let Hamas cling on. That's not how war works, or ever has.
I think that if Israel were motivated solely to destroy Hamas then they would be fighting in a different way and they would be dealing with the civilians in Gaza in a different way.
Israeli actions are not those of a democratic state that sees Gazan civilians as separate from Hamas. You're in denial about how this war is being fought and what its objectives are.
No, you are.
Given how comprehensive the trashing of Hamas are, if Gazan civilians were being targeted the same way the death toll would be in the millions, not the thousands.
Israel is just another murderous Middle Eastern regime.
Its a democracy that is waging an existential war.
If they were a fraction as evil of genocidal as most on here pretend, then there wouldn't be any Gazan civilians left. Israel has the weapons to do that quite quickly.
So why aren't they? Are they just utterly incompetent at genocide, or are they not engaging in it?
The IDF of 1967 conquered Gaza in just 48 hours. Why has Netanyahu taken nearly two years?
Housing is what the government should be concentrating on -
- building more - Building a variety of high quality homes - sorting out the post-Grenfell mess - Training proper construction tradesmen and craftsmen - Improving standards in existing homes - Sorting out leasehold issues & the rental market
Not faffing around calling Reform voters names.
Peter Apps who has written extensively about Grenfell and the housing market could give them a few ideas.
They should just get on with their fucking job rather than making adenoidal speeches written by half-witted interns and AI which sound like the sort of rubbish you see printed on overpriced mugs.
When the population is increasing by a half to three-quarters of a million a year net, it's going to be almost impossible to build enough homes.
I see the Mail is whipping it's readers into a frenzy about Lammy's "crazy" comments on Farage's teenage fascist dabblings, and mentioning to none of them that these reports have been circulating for years online anyway, and as a result of Farage's ex-teacher at Dulwich college, not Labour.
There are plenty of other stories about his far-right school days,too.
Il quartiere spagnolo - named thus because it was where the Spanish soldiers where housed when the Spanish took over Naples. It was around this time that my mother's family came to Naples - the family name is Spanish, from the town in Spain where they came from, and many of the boy's first names have also been Spanish. The main street abutting this area was always known as Via Toledo (and still is by some) but was renamed Via Roma after unification.
Neapolitan is not a dialect but a separate language and Neapolitan humour, theatre and life is hard to understand well without some knowledge of it. Listen to la Tamurriata Nera being sung - it's a world away from the Italy of Milan or Florence. Absolutely glorious, though, despite the subject matter - https://youtu.be/_U8Xp4IMG-I?si=ojrX56IlVr2EKGs3
Waiting for yet another diagnostic test result - pancreas this time. 2025 is proving to be a bit of an annus horribilis.
Still, I hope to be able to travel soon. See Naples and Die and so on.
Best wishes.
Italian unification was in reality, a conquest of The Two Sicilies, whose people had to be put down very brutally, by the House of Savoy.
Yes, I know. My family are still cross about it. My grandparents took it as a personal insult and thought the House of Savoy to be rather vulgar arrivistes. What they thought of the Austrian bits of Italy doesn't bear repeating, even on here.
I started reading about it, after watching TheLeopard.
Strange as it may seem, the House of Bourbon were quite popular, among their subjects.
Any recommemdations for a readablr and entertaining history of all this?
I've been catching up with a great deal of narrative surrounding Donald Trump's 20 point plan.
Was it actually written by someone called Sir Anthony Charles Lynton-Blair?
Asking for a friend.
Dissolved into chaos on day one. Who would have guessed?
But will that matter? The purpose is, with the backing of Arab states which is crucial, to trap Hamas, as Hamas are in a position where they cannot win.
If Hamas say No, then USA/Israel have reasons, however bad, for fighting on until unconditional surrender and imposing an even worse deal on Gaza - including deportation and exile. If Hamas say Yes, then a process begins, however chaotic, in which they cannot win.
Hamas can not win either way, it just depends how long it takes for them to surrender.
Israel have reasons to fight on until Hamas surrender no matter what. Too many here think that a Palestinian death toll means that Israel needs to let Hamas cling on. That's not how war works, or ever has.
I think that if Israel were motivated solely to destroy Hamas then they would be fighting in a different way and they would be dealing with the civilians in Gaza in a different way.
Israeli actions are not those of a democratic state that sees Gazan civilians as separate from Hamas. You're in denial about how this war is being fought and what its objectives are.
No, you are.
Given how comprehensive the trashing of Hamas are, if Gazan civilians were being targeted the same way the death toll would be in the millions, not the thousands.
Israel is just another murderous Middle Eastern regime.
Its a democracy that is waging an existential war.
If they were a fraction as evil of genocidal as most on here pretend, then there wouldn't be any Gazan civilians left. Israel has the weapons to do that quite quickly.
So why aren't they? Are they just utterly incompetent at genocide, or are they not engaging in it?
Perpetual war suits Netanyahu as much as it does Putin.
I'm not sure that comparison holds.
Israel has lost essentially no soldiers in its assaults. Its exports are at a record. Its economy is booming. Its enemies divided. If you are an Israeli of a certain persuasion, you are feeling pretty fucking optimistic right now.
By contrast, Russia has lost the best part of a million people, dead or wounded. A further 600,000 people have fled the country. Oil exports are collapsing. Finland and Sweden have joined NATO. You military has been hammered, to the extent you've had to rely on the North Koreans to provide shells. If it wasn't for the large population disparity, the war would be already over.
And you control less of Ukraine than you did four months into the "Special Miitary Occupation".
Even if Russia is able to extract concessions out of Ukraine (no NATO or EU, disarmament, etc), it will be hard not to conclude Russia will have lost by the invasion of Ukraine.
Israel, on the other, is master of all she surveys. Now, sure, everyone hates her, but her enemies are in pieces, and most of her neighbours are willing to make peace.
Il quartiere spagnolo - named thus because it was where the Spanish soldiers where housed when the Spanish took over Naples. It was around this time that my mother's family came to Naples - the family name is Spanish, from the town in Spain where they came from, and many of the boy's first names have also been Spanish. The main street abutting this area was always known as Via Toledo (and still is by some) but was renamed Via Roma after unification.
Neapolitan is not a dialect but a separate language and Neapolitan humour, theatre and life is hard to understand well without some knowledge of it. Listen to la Tamurriata Nera being sung - it's a world away from the Italy of Milan or Florence. Absolutely glorious, though, despite the subject matter - https://youtu.be/_U8Xp4IMG-I?si=ojrX56IlVr2EKGs3
Waiting for yet another diagnostic test result - pancreas this time. 2025 is proving to be a bit of an annus horribilis.
Still, I hope to be able to travel soon. See Naples and Die and so on.
Best wishes.
Italian unification was in reality, a conquest of The Two Sicilies, whose people had to be put down very brutally, by the House of Savoy.
Yes, I know. My family are still cross about it. My grandparents took it as a personal insult and thought the House of Savoy to be rather vulgar arrivistes. What they thought of the Austrian bits of Italy doesn't bear repeating, even on here.
I started reading about it, after watching TheLeopard.
Strange as it may seem, the House of Bourbon were quite popular, among their subjects.
Housing is what the government should be concentrating on -
- building more - Building a variety of high quality homes - sorting out the post-Grenfell mess - Training proper construction tradesmen and craftsmen - Improving standards in existing homes - Sorting out leasehold issues & the rental market
Not faffing around calling Reform voters names.
Peter Apps who has written extensively about Grenfell and the housing market could give them a few ideas.
They should just get on with their fucking job rather than making adenoidal speeches written by half-witted interns and AI which sound like the sort of rubbish you see printed on overpriced mugs.
When the population is increasing by a half to three-quarters of a million a year net, it's going to be almost impossible to build enough homes.
Enjoy it while it lasts. We’re heading into a century of population shrinkage. Within our lifetimes there’ll be nobody left but crusty old codgers, of whatever skin colour.
I've been catching up with a great deal of narrative surrounding Donald Trump's 20 point plan.
Was it actually written by someone called Sir Anthony Charles Lynton-Blair?
Asking for a friend.
Dissolved into chaos on day one. Who would have guessed?
But will that matter? The purpose is, with the backing of Arab states which is crucial, to trap Hamas, as Hamas are in a position where they cannot win.
If Hamas say No, then USA/Israel have reasons, however bad, for fighting on until unconditional surrender and imposing an even worse deal on Gaza - including deportation and exile. If Hamas say Yes, then a process begins, however chaotic, in which they cannot win.
Hamas can not win either way, it just depends how long it takes for them to surrender.
Israel have reasons to fight on until Hamas surrender no matter what. Too many here think that a Palestinian death toll means that Israel needs to let Hamas cling on. That's not how war works, or ever has.
I think that if Israel were motivated solely to destroy Hamas then they would be fighting in a different way and they would be dealing with the civilians in Gaza in a different way.
Israeli actions are not those of a democratic state that sees Gazan civilians as separate from Hamas. You're in denial about how this war is being fought and what its objectives are.
No, you are.
Given how comprehensive the trashing of Hamas are, if Gazan civilians were being targeted the same way the death toll would be in the millions, not the thousands.
Israel is just another murderous Middle Eastern regime.
Its a democracy that is waging an existential war.
If they were a fraction as evil of genocidal as most on here pretend, then there wouldn't be any Gazan civilians left. Israel has the weapons to do that quite quickly.
So why aren't they? Are they just utterly incompetent at genocide, or are they not engaging in it?
Perpetual war suits Netanyahu as much as it does Putin.
I'm not sure that comparison holds.
Israel has lost essentially no soldiers in its assaults. Its exports are at a record. Its economy is booming. Its enemies divided. If you are an Israeli of a certain persuasion, you are feeling pretty fucking optimistic right now.
By contrast, Russia has lost the best part of a million people, dead or wounded. A further 600,000 people have fled the country. Oil exports are collapsing. Finland and Sweden have joined NATO. You military has been hammered, to the extent you've had to rely on the North Koreans to provide shells. If it wasn't for the large population disparity, the war would be already over.
And you control less of Ukraine than you did four months into the "Special Miitary Occupation".
Even if Russia is able to extract concessions out of Ukraine (no NATO or EU, disarmament, etc), it will be hard not to conclude Russia will have lost by the invasion of Ukraine.
Israel, on the other, is master of all she surveys. Now, sure, everyone hates her, but her enemies are in pieces, and most of her neighbours are willing to make peace.
Netanyahu sees Israel as the new Sparta, which was master of all it surveyed in 400 BC.
Housing is what the government should be concentrating on -
- building more - Building a variety of high quality homes - sorting out the post-Grenfell mess - Training proper construction tradesmen and craftsmen - Improving standards in existing homes - Sorting out leasehold issues & the rental market
Not faffing around calling Reform voters names.
Peter Apps who has written extensively about Grenfell and the housing market could give them a few ideas.
They should just get on with their fucking job rather than making adenoidal speeches written by half-witted interns and AI which sound like the sort of rubbish you see printed on overpriced mugs.
When the population is increasing by a half to three-quarters of a million a year net, it's going to be almost impossible to build enough homes.
Enjoy it while it lasts. We’re heading into a century of population shrinkage. Within our lifetimes there’ll be nobody left but crusty old codgers, of whatever skin colour.
Indeed: I suspect we're about to swap one mistake for another; we're going to go from the problems of too many people arriving, to the problem of a shrinking population (and a rapidly worsening dependency ratio).
I've been catching up with a great deal of narrative surrounding Donald Trump's 20 point plan.
Was it actually written by someone called Sir Anthony Charles Lynton-Blair?
Asking for a friend.
Dissolved into chaos on day one. Who would have guessed?
But will that matter? The purpose is, with the backing of Arab states which is crucial, to trap Hamas, as Hamas are in a position where they cannot win.
If Hamas say No, then USA/Israel have reasons, however bad, for fighting on until unconditional surrender and imposing an even worse deal on Gaza - including deportation and exile. If Hamas say Yes, then a process begins, however chaotic, in which they cannot win.
Hamas can not win either way, it just depends how long it takes for them to surrender.
Israel have reasons to fight on until Hamas surrender no matter what. Too many here think that a Palestinian death toll means that Israel needs to let Hamas cling on. That's not how war works, or ever has.
I think that if Israel were motivated solely to destroy Hamas then they would be fighting in a different way and they would be dealing with the civilians in Gaza in a different way.
Israeli actions are not those of a democratic state that sees Gazan civilians as separate from Hamas. You're in denial about how this war is being fought and what its objectives are.
No, you are.
Given how comprehensive the trashing of Hamas are, if Gazan civilians were being targeted the same way the death toll would be in the millions, not the thousands.
Israel is just another murderous Middle Eastern regime.
Its a democracy that is waging an existential war.
If they were a fraction as evil of genocidal as most on here pretend, then there wouldn't be any Gazan civilians left. Israel has the weapons to do that quite quickly.
So why aren't they? Are they just utterly incompetent at genocide, or are they not engaging in it?
Perpetual war suits Netanyahu as much as it does Putin.
I'm not sure that comparison holds.
Israel has lost essentially no soldiers in its assaults. Its exports are at a record. Its economy is booming. Its enemies divided. If you are an Israeli of a certain persuasion, you are feeling pretty fucking optimistic right now.
By contrast, Russia has lost the best part of a million people, dead or wounded. A further 600,000 people have fled the country. Oil exports are collapsing. Finland and Sweden have joined NATO. You military has been hammered, to the extent you've had to rely on the North Koreans to provide shells. If it wasn't for the large population disparity, the war would be already over.
And you control less of Ukraine than you did four months into the "Special Miitary Occupation".
Even if Russia is able to extract concessions out of Ukraine (no NATO or EU, disarmament, etc), it will be hard not to conclude Russia will have lost by the invasion of Ukraine.
Israel, on the other, is master of all she surveys. Now, sure, everyone hates her, but her enemies are in pieces, and most of her neighbours are willing to make peace.
Netanyahu sees Israel as the new Sparta, which was master of all it surveyed in 400 BC.
Thirty years later, not so much.
Oh, indeed, I suspect Netenyahu may have doomed Israel. What's worse is that the rest of the world may well just shrug at its destruction.
Housing is what the government should be concentrating on -
- building more - Building a variety of high quality homes - sorting out the post-Grenfell mess - Training proper construction tradesmen and craftsmen - Improving standards in existing homes - Sorting out leasehold issues & the rental market
Not faffing around calling Reform voters names.
Peter Apps who has written extensively about Grenfell and the housing market could give them a few ideas.
They should just get on with their fucking job rather than making adenoidal speeches written by half-witted interns and AI which sound like the sort of rubbish you see printed on overpriced mugs.
When the population is increasing by a half to three-quarters of a million a year net, it's going to be almost impossible to build enough homes.
Enjoy it while it lasts. We’re heading into a century of population shrinkage. Within our lifetimes there’ll be nobody left but crusty old codgers, of whatever skin colour.
Indeed: I suspect we're about to swap one mistake for another; we're going to go from the problems of too many people arriving, to the problem of a shrinking population (and a rapidly worsening dependency ratio).
I blame Boris.
To be fair to Boris, he's done his best to keep the number of British people growing.
I see the Mail is whipping it's readers into a frenzy about Lammy's "crazy" comments on Farage's teenage fascist dabblings, and mentioning to none of them that these reports have been circulating for years online anyway, and as a result of Farage's ex-teacher at Dulwich college, not Labour.
There are plenty of other stories about his far-right school days,too.
It was 2013?
I wondered where that had come from.
The Mail sounds desperate.
It was all over Sky news paper reviews with Sonia Sodha, former adviser to Ed Miliband, saying Lammy's comments live on TV was an unenforced error and exactly what the party need to avoid
Actually both the paper reviewers were far from complimentary about Starmer’s speech maintaining it was to please the party activists in the conference and doubted the public at large, who only ever see news clips, would be as impressed
Im proud to be English and even prouder to be British. But these flags right now are not showing patriotism- they are a show to intimidate our communities and cause division. If youre actually patriotic... Come and help make this country better. The organisations below... (cont)
I see the Mail is whipping it's readers into a frenzy about Lammy's "crazy" comments on Farage's teenage fascist dabblings, and mentioning to none of them that these reports have been circulating for years online anyway, and as a result of Farage's ex-teacher at Dulwich college, not Labour.
There are plenty of other stories about his far-right school days,too.
I see the Mail is whipping it's readers into a frenzy about Lammy's "crazy" comments on Farage's teenage fascist dabblings, and mentioning to none of them that these reports have been circulating for years online anyway, and as a result of Farage's ex-teacher at Dulwich college, not Labour.
There are plenty of other stories about his far-right school days,too.
It was 2013?
I wondered where that had come from.
The Mail sounds desperate.
It was all over Sky news paper reviews with Sonia Sodha, former adviser to Ed Miliband, saying Lammy's comments live on TV was an unenforced error and exactly what the party need to avoid
Actually both the paper reviewers were far from complimentary about Starmer’s speech maintaining it was to please the party activists in the conference and doubted the public at large, who only ever see news clips, would be as impressed
Both Sky and the Beeb are under strict instructions not to call the racists racist. And to condemn those who do. Because we’re living down the big tech / MAGA rabbit hole, which is sad.
It really isn’t that long ago that Starmer was promising “a politics that treads a little lighter on people’s lives”. Oh to have ever felt those light footsteps, even for just a day. They never came. Instead, it’s a fork in the road, and a long, gruelling battle ahead. Now, because the light stuff proved so far beyond him, we must apparently all do our bit and put in a very heavy shift indeed, which isn’t quite what we signed up for.
It is conceivable Starmer may ultimately not be forgiven for never giving an exhausted country the boring, quiet, lightweight politics for which he is so perfectly suited, and which it so desperately craved.
I see the Mail is whipping it's readers into a frenzy about Lammy's "crazy" comments on Farage's teenage fascist dabblings, and mentioning to none of them that these reports have been circulating for years online anyway, and as a result of Farage's ex-teacher at Dulwich college, not Labour.
There are plenty of other stories about his far-right school days,too.
It was 2013?
I wondered where that had come from.
The Mail sounds desperate.
It was all over Sky news paper reviews with Sonia Sodha, former adviser to Ed Miliband, saying Lammy's comments live on TV was an unenforced error and exactly what the party need to avoid
Actually both the paper reviewers were far from complimentary about Starmer’s speech maintaining it was to please the party activists in the conference and doubted the public at large, who only ever see news clips, would be as impressed
Both Sky and the Beeb are under strict instructions not to call the racists racist. And to condemn those who do. Because we’re living down the big tech / MAGA rabbit hole, which is sad.
Sonia Sodha is labour through and through and she was the one calling Lammy out
Il quartiere spagnolo - named thus because it was where the Spanish soldiers where housed when the Spanish took over Naples. It was around this time that my mother's family came to Naples - the family name is Spanish, from the town in Spain where they came from, and many of the boy's first names have also been Spanish. The main street abutting this area was always known as Via Toledo (and still is by some) but was renamed Via Roma after unification.
Neapolitan is not a dialect but a separate language and Neapolitan humour, theatre and life is hard to understand well without some knowledge of it. Listen to la Tamurriata Nera being sung - it's a world away from the Italy of Milan or Florence. Absolutely glorious, though, despite the subject matter - https://youtu.be/_U8Xp4IMG-I?si=ojrX56IlVr2EKGs3
Waiting for yet another diagnostic test result - pancreas this time. 2025 is proving to be a bit of an annus horribilis.
Still, I hope to be able to travel soon. See Naples and Die and so on.
Best wishes.
Italian unification was in reality, a conquest of The Two Sicilies, whose people had to be put down very brutally, by the House of Savoy.
Yes, I know. My family are still cross about it. My grandparents took it as a personal insult and thought the House of Savoy to be rather vulgar arrivistes. What they thought of the Austrian bits of Italy doesn't bear repeating, even on here.
I started reading about it, after watching TheLeopard.
Strange as it may seem, the House of Bourbon were quite popular, among their subjects.
Any recommemdations for a readablr and entertaining history of all this?
The Pursuit of Italy - David Gilmour
In The Shadow of Vesuvius - A Cultural History of Naples by Jordan Lancaster
Harold Acton wrote the definitive 2- volume work on the Bourbons of Naples
Naples '44 by Norman Lewis - an absolute must read. Brilliant about Naples and war.
The Gallery by John Horne Burns - stories about war-time Naples. He really captures the essence of the city and soldiers' experience.
Susan Sontag's novel The Volcano Lover about Sir William Hamilton, uncovering Pompei, Nelson and the short-lived Parthenopean Republic is very good.
Naples 1944: War, Liberation and Chaos by Keith Lowe - came out last year - is excellent.
Roberto Saviano - Gomorrah - about the Camorra will explain the rubbish problem, among others.
Honestly - there is so much history, it's hard to find it all in one book. I'd start with the Gilmour one and definitely read Norman Lewis - he is such a brilliant writer.
Lammy should be careful not to make accusations that don’t last a few hours and instead stick to the raft of things that Farage has said in the past .
There’s plenty of material. As for Farage and his ridiculous rant . Are we going to get this pathetic whining and hysteria every time someone criticises him and his Reform policies ?
Lammy should be careful not to make accusations that don’t last a few hours and instead stick to the raft of things that Farage has said in the past .
There’s plenty of material. As for Farage and his ridiculous rant . Are we going to get this pathetic whining and hysteria every time someone criticises him and his Reform policies ?
Yes and for four more years unfortunately
I stand to be corrected but hasn't he got his own studio so he can provide an instant comment ?
He is not going away and the more he is attacked the more he will respond
As I said earlier when Badenoch was asked about Starmer v Farage she said it was like '2 boys scrapping in the playground'
Next weekend is her chance to rise above this and set out a clear path and policies
I will watch with interest what she says and how it is reported
The door has been opened to her, let's see if she can step through it
Why the f is UK head of Palantir on a newsnight panel of three discussing the main leader speech of a major political party.?
The rest of the panel is deeply problematic as it is Abbot and Bragg. Both on the left
Bring back Newsnight Review. We can have Allison Pearson, Tom Paulin, Tony Parsons, and Germaine Greer commentating on the news. I'm sure they'll be politically balanced
Why the f is UK head of Palantir on a newsnight panel of three discussing the main leader speech of a major political party.?
The rest of the panel is deeply problematic as it is Abbot and Bragg. Both on the left
Bring back Newsnight Review. We can have Allison Pearson, Tom Paulin, Tony Parsons, and Germaine Greer commentating on the news. I'm sure they'll be politically balanced
Ah Germaine Greer. I remember when she wrote that nonce book. How times change.
My slightly bonkers but sometimes very insightful brother reckons Trump was telling the generals America is gonna withdraw from NATO
🤷🏼♂️
That's entirely possible, and a complete disaster for the US defence industry.
Hegseth seemed to be saying that they had already withdrawn from the Geneva Convention, which is also not good news for US troops.
AIUI it is universal law, so still applies.
Yeah, he is telling his guys (and they are all guys now) to ignore it
They've been ignoring it for over 2 decades
If they are arguing over whether to follow the Geneva rules then that is very good news as it means they are not arguing over whether their oath is to the constitution or fealty to Trump.
Honestly, calling your opponents Racists and/or Hitler does seem a little desperate doesn’t it?
They need some more vigorous condemnation of Farage so that the new cycle moves on.
Perhaps about his fake support for the working man, having voted against the Workers' Rights bill? Compared with his multimillionaire lineup at the top of Reform, his income, and their tax dodging activities?
Or his sequence of liesfabrications about ... well ... everything. If they run out of these to point out, there'll be another one along by about Friday.
Lammy should be careful not to make accusations that don’t last a few hours and instead stick to the raft of things that Farage has said in the past .
There’s plenty of material. As for Farage and his ridiculous rant . Are we going to get this pathetic whining and hysteria every time someone criticises him and his Reform policies ?
Lammy should be careful not to make accusations that don’t last a few hours and instead stick to the raft of things that Farage has said in the past .
There’s plenty of material. As for Farage and his ridiculous rant . Are we going to get this pathetic whining and hysteria every time someone criticises him and his Reform policies ?
Yes. Yes we are
He's a Kenti-sh Man, isn't he? He'll love English Country Whine.
My slightly bonkers but sometimes very insightful brother reckons Trump was telling the generals America is gonna withdraw from NATO
🤷🏼♂️
That's entirely possible, and a complete disaster for the US defence industry.
Hegseth seemed to be saying that they had already withdrawn from the Geneva Convention, which is also not good news for US troops.
AIUI it is universal law, so still applies.
Wikipedia disagrees
The Geneva Conventions apply at times of war and armed conflict to governments who have ratified its terms.
I mean, law is essentially something we apply to ourselves or something others can impose on us, no law or right is technically 'universal' surely? It's just there are some things almost all nations ultimately sign up to (even if many do it with fingers crossed). If, however, various countries start openly withdrawing or ignoring such things, it's a much more dangerous world I would assume.
As for the point about USA withdrawing from NATO, I don't think Trump and Vance have been very subtle about wanting to do that effectively, even if they don't get around to doing it officially.
I've been catching up with a great deal of narrative surrounding Donald Trump's 20 point plan.
Was it actually written by someone called Sir Anthony Charles Lynton-Blair?
Asking for a friend.
Dissolved into chaos on day one. Who would have guessed?
But will that matter? The purpose is, with the backing of Arab states which is crucial, to trap Hamas, as Hamas are in a position where they cannot win.
If Hamas say No, then USA/Israel have reasons, however bad, for fighting on until unconditional surrender and imposing an even worse deal on Gaza - including deportation and exile. If Hamas say Yes, then a process begins, however chaotic, in which they cannot win.
Hamas can not win either way, it just depends how long it takes for them to surrender.
Israel have reasons to fight on until Hamas surrender no matter what. Too many here think that a Palestinian death toll means that Israel needs to let Hamas cling on. That's not how war works, or ever has.
I think that if Israel were motivated solely to destroy Hamas then they would be fighting in a different way and they would be dealing with the civilians in Gaza in a different way.
Israeli actions are not those of a democratic state that sees Gazan civilians as separate from Hamas. You're in denial about how this war is being fought and what its objectives are.
No, you are.
Given how comprehensive the trashing of Hamas are, if Gazan civilians were being targeted the same way the death toll would be in the millions, not the thousands.
Israel is just another murderous Middle Eastern regime.
Its a democracy that is waging an existential war.
If they were a fraction as evil of genocidal as most on here pretend, then there wouldn't be any Gazan civilians left. Israel has the weapons to do that quite quickly.
So why aren't they? Are they just utterly incompetent at genocide, or are they not engaging in it?
Perpetual war suits Netanyahu as much as it does Putin.
Well then Hamas should really say screw you to Netanyahu and surrender and end the war then, shouldn't they?
Perpetual war requires an enemy to be fighting against, which doesn't work if the enemy lays down their arms, or if genocide is committed against the enemy. It not only takes two to tango, but it can't be both genocide and perpetual war, its one or the other, which is it?
Lammy should be careful not to make accusations that don’t last a few hours and instead stick to the raft of things that Farage has said in the past .
There’s plenty of material. As for Farage and his ridiculous rant . Are we going to get this pathetic whining and hysteria every time someone criticises him and his Reform policies ?
I think "hurty words" is the phrase you're looking for. "Snowflake" works too.
Given how touchy Farage is I do think there is something in just winding him up all the time. The constant apoplexy makes him look a bit ridiculous.
Lammy should be careful not to make accusations that don’t last a few hours and instead stick to the raft of things that Farage has said in the past .
There’s plenty of material. As for Farage and his ridiculous rant . Are we going to get this pathetic whining and hysteria every time someone criticises him and his Reform policies ?
Yes. Yes we are
Snowflakes are found on left and right in abundance. If there's one thing that puts me off in politics it's histrionic rhetoric, which is unfortunate as parties love to get dramatic about stuff they criticise others for even if they do it themselves, so we see it a lot. 'They started it' never really works as a rejoinder either, even when it is true.
My slightly bonkers but sometimes very insightful brother reckons Trump was telling the generals America is gonna withdraw from NATO
🤷🏼♂️
That's entirely possible, and a complete disaster for the US defence industry.
Hegseth seemed to be saying that they had already withdrawn from the Geneva Convention, which is also not good news for US troops.
AIUI it is universal law, so still applies.
Wikipedia disagrees
The Geneva Conventions apply at times of war and armed conflict to governments who have ratified its terms.
I mean, law is essentially something we apply to ourselves or something others can impose on us, no law or right is technically 'universal' surely? It's just there are some things almost all nations ultimately sign up to (even if many do it with fingers crossed). If, however, various countries start openly withdrawing or ignoring such things, it's a much more dangerous world I would assume.
As for the point about USA withdrawing from NATO, I don't think Trump and Vance have been very subtle about wanting to do that effectively, even if they don't get around to doing it officially.
Why is Hegseth fretting about the Geneva convention? What aspects of it are keeping him awake at nights?
When they invade Greenland are they planning to ditch these basics?
Honestly, calling your opponents Racists and/or Hitler does seem a little desperate doesn’t it?
They need some more vigorous condemnation of Farage so that the new cycle moves on.
Perhaps about his fake support for the working man, having voted against the Workers' Rights bill? Compared with his multimillionaire lineup at the top of Reform, his income, and their tax dodging activities?
Or his sequence of liesfabrications about ... well ... everything. If they run out of these to point out, there'll be another one along by about Friday.
Unfortunately his view, that mass immigration has negatively affected the lives of millions of working class people in provincial Britain, is shared by millions of working class people in provincial Britain.
When other politicians try to combat it with complex arguments, or invoke bills and clauses, people feel like they’re being gaslit and switch off. Others can can try to imitate his policies, but their hearts aren’t in that. He must be a fiendishly difficult character to take on.
Honestly, calling your opponents Racists and/or Hitler does seem a little desperate doesn’t it?
It's rarely a good idea. If someone is mainstream a Hitler reference will appear absurd to the general public (and Reform are obviously mainstream at this point), and if they are racist and yet are doing well in the polls then it's probably net neutral at best, since supporters won't wake up about it by the reference (or there's a lot of racists out there, which would be a different problem).
My slightly bonkers but sometimes very insightful brother reckons Trump was telling the generals America is gonna withdraw from NATO
🤷🏼♂️
That's entirely possible, and a complete disaster for the US defence industry.
Hegseth seemed to be saying that they had already withdrawn from the Geneva Convention, which is also not good news for US troops.
AIUI it is universal law, so still applies.
Wikipedia disagrees
The Geneva Conventions apply at times of war and armed conflict to governments who have ratified its terms.
I mean, law is essentially something we apply to ourselves or something others can impose on us, no law or right is technically 'universal' surely? It's just there are some things almost all nations ultimately sign up to (even if many do it with fingers crossed). If, however, various countries start openly withdrawing or ignoring such things, it's a much more dangerous world I would assume.
As for the point about USA withdrawing from NATO, I don't think Trump and Vance have been very subtle about wanting to do that effectively, even if they don't get around to doing it officially.
Why is Hegseth fretting about the Geneva convention? What aspects of it are keeping him awake at nights?
Honestly, calling your opponents Racists and/or Hitler does seem a little desperate doesn’t it?
They need some more vigorous condemnation of Farage so that the new cycle moves on.
Perhaps about his fake support for the working man, having voted against the Workers' Rights bill? Compared with his multimillionaire lineup at the top of Reform, his income, and their tax dodging activities?
Or his sequence of liesfabrications about ... well ... everything. If they run out of these to point out, there'll be another one along by about Friday.
Unfortunately his view, that mass immigration has negatively affected the lives of millions of working class people in provincial Britain, is shared by millions of working class people in provincial Britain.
When other politicians try to combat it with complex arguments, or invoke bills and clauses, people feel like they’re being gaslit and switch off. Others can can try to imitate his policies, but their hearts aren’t in that. He must be a fiendishly difficult character to take on.
This was Starmer’s actual quote. I know he’s trying to be patriotic, and no doubt there are examples of Farage employing this technique, but what do people saying this kind of thing think other countries are like? Sure these types of community behaviours are universal
This was Starmer’s actual quote. I know he’s trying to be patriotic, and no doubt there are examples of Farage employing this technique, but what do people saying this kind of thing think other countries are like? Sure these types of community behaviours are universal
Fake. Like Theresa May pretending to be pro-Brexit. They always overcompensate.
This was Starmer’s actual quote. I know he’s trying to be patriotic, and no doubt there are examples of Farage employing this technique, but what do people saying this kind of thing think other countries are like? Sure these types of community behaviours are universal
Damn, and I thought real Britain was colonising one third of the planet and subjugating millions.
Il quartiere spagnolo - named thus because it was where the Spanish soldiers where housed when the Spanish took over Naples. It was around this time that my mother's family came to Naples - the family name is Spanish, from the town in Spain where they came from, and many of the boy's first names have also been Spanish. The main street abutting this area was always known as Via Toledo (and still is by some) but was renamed Via Roma after unification.
Neapolitan is not a dialect but a separate language and Neapolitan humour, theatre and life is hard to understand well without some knowledge of it. Listen to la Tamurriata Nera being sung - it's a world away from the Italy of Milan or Florence. Absolutely glorious, though, despite the subject matter - https://youtu.be/_U8Xp4IMG-I?si=ojrX56IlVr2EKGs3
Waiting for yet another diagnostic test result - pancreas this time. 2025 is proving to be a bit of an annus horribilis.
Still, I hope to be able to travel soon. See Naples and Die and so on.
Best wishes.
Italian unification was in reality, a conquest of The Two Sicilies, whose people had to be put down very brutally, by the House of Savoy.
Yes, I know. My family are still cross about it. My grandparents took it as a personal insult and thought the House of Savoy to be rather vulgar arrivistes. What they thought of the Austrian bits of Italy doesn't bear repeating, even on here.
I started reading about it, after watching TheLeopard.
Strange as it may seem, the House of Bourbon were quite popular, among their subjects.
Any recommemdations for a readablr and entertaining history of all this?
The Pursuit of Italy - David Gilmour
In The Shadow of Vesuvius - A Cultural History of Naples by Jordan Lancaster
Harold Acton wrote the definitive 2- volume work on the Bourbons of Naples
Naples '44 by Norman Lewis - an absolute must read. Brilliant about Naples and war.
The Gallery by John Horne Burns - stories about war-time Naples. He really captures the essence of the city and soldiers' experience.
Susan Sontag's novel The Volcano Lover about Sir William Hamilton, uncovering Pompei, Nelson and the short-lived Parthenopean Republic is very good.
Naples 1944: War, Liberation and Chaos by Keith Lowe - came out last year - is excellent.
Roberto Saviano - Gomorrah - about the Camorra will explain the rubbish problem, among others.
Honestly - there is so much history, it's hard to find it all in one book. I'd start with the Gilmour one and definitely read Norman Lewis - he is such a brilliant writer.
'Restoration and Risorgimento: Italy 1796 - 1870' by David Laven is also worth a read - Laven is notable as being rather against the whole unification process. The 3-episode BBC radio programme 'The Invention of Italy' is also a very good introduction, starting with the 1494 French invasion and ending with the First World War.
Comments
Israel have reasons to fight on until Hamas surrender no matter what. Too many here think that a Palestinian death toll means that Israel needs to let Hamas cling on. That's not how war works, or ever has.
https://news.sky.com/story/hurricanes-humberto-and-imelda-to-bring-heavy-rain-and-strong-winds-to-uk-13441437
A glance at the headline suggests the UKmis about to be hit by two hurricanes. It is not.
I love the layers of history in Naples and other cities like it - especially in those countries which have been invaded regularly.
I actually passed GAY ODIN today, and thought of you
X
Israeli actions are not those of a democratic state that sees Gazan civilians as separate from Hamas. You're in denial about how this war is being fought and what its objectives are.
Given how comprehensive the trashing of Hamas are, if Gazan civilians were being targeted the same way the death toll would be in the millions, not the thousands.
But otherwise, I agree entirely, and have been saying much the same since they took office.
If they were a fraction as evil of genocidal as most on here pretend, then there wouldn't be any Gazan civilians left. Israel has the weapons to do that quite quickly.
So why aren't they? Are they just utterly incompetent at genocide, or are they not engaging in it?
Strange as it may seem, the House of Bourbon were quite popular, among their subjects.
McSweeney and co will be delighted.
https://x.com/AlfieTobutt/status/1973123677811253773/photo/1
…..
Afghan women lose their 'last hope' as Taliban shut down internet
https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/articles/c98dmq03n92o
It's fairly short - 50 minutes, and is here:
https://www.war.gov/Multimedia/Videos/videoid/984046/
Ukraine the Latest tomorrow will be interesting, as the team has 2 or 3 servicemen with significant and varied careers.
I'd say that amongst other things they will comment on his vision of the moral component of war.
She’s a bloody good dj
"My bottom line: If you are a betting person, bet that the necessary will be impossible — you have a lot of history on your side that says the closer we get to peace, the more the haters will derail it.
If you are a hoping person, hope that this time will be different.
If you are praying person, pray that everything you know about this region, its current leaders and the poisonous legacy of the Gaza war will be overcome — because somehow the key players all realize that this really is the last train to somewhere decent and the next one, and all those ever after, will be nonstops to the gates of hell.
Why the f is UK head of Palantir on a newsnight panel of three discussing the main leader speech of a major political party.?
The rest of the panel is deeply problematic as it is Abbot and Bragg. Both on the left
I wondered where that had come from.
The Mail sounds desperate.
Israel has lost essentially no soldiers in its assaults. Its exports are at a record. Its economy is booming. Its enemies divided. If you are an Israeli of a certain persuasion, you are feeling pretty fucking optimistic right now.
By contrast, Russia has lost the best part of a million people, dead or wounded. A further 600,000 people have fled the country. Oil exports are collapsing. Finland and Sweden have joined NATO. You military has been hammered, to the extent you've had to rely on the North Koreans to provide shells. If it wasn't for the large population disparity, the war would be already over.
And you control less of Ukraine than you did four months into the "Special Miitary Occupation".
Even if Russia is able to extract concessions out of Ukraine (no NATO or EU, disarmament, etc), it will be hard not to conclude Russia will have lost by the invasion of Ukraine.
Israel, on the other, is master of all she surveys. Now, sure, everyone hates her, but her enemies are in pieces, and most of her neighbours are willing to make peace.
If they ever sorted out the trash, it would be an amazing city.
Goodnight all, and especially to Cyclefree.
Good to have you back, even if it's a brief visit.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ghazipur_landfill
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=F39M2mqm7og
Thirty years later, not so much.
I blame Boris.
https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/articles/cn95q9j0yyro
Actually both the paper reviewers were far from complimentary about Starmer’s speech maintaining it was to please the party activists in the conference and doubted the public at large, who only ever see news clips, would be as impressed
Hannah
@GreenPartyHan
Im proud to be English and even prouder to be British. But these flags right now are not showing patriotism- they are a show to intimidate our communities and cause division. If youre actually patriotic... Come and help make this country better. The organisations below... (cont)
https://x.com/GreenPartyHan/status/1972965709119734242
It really isn’t that long ago that Starmer was promising “a politics that treads a little lighter on people’s lives”. Oh to have ever felt those light footsteps, even for just a day. They never came. Instead, it’s a fork in the road, and a long, gruelling battle ahead. Now, because the light stuff proved so far beyond him, we must apparently all do our bit and put in a very heavy shift indeed, which isn’t quite what we signed up for.
It is conceivable Starmer may ultimately not be forgiven for never giving an exhausted country the boring, quiet, lightweight politics for which he is so perfectly suited, and which it so desperately craved.
https://www.thetimes.com/article/18a42a51-dee5-427a-831f-0322d9121d21?shareToken=095d8efae67118e26625152e7ee3f381
Nothing to do with alleged Sky censorship
In The Shadow of Vesuvius - A Cultural History of Naples by Jordan Lancaster
Harold Acton wrote the definitive 2- volume work on the Bourbons of Naples
Naples '44 by Norman Lewis - an absolute must read. Brilliant about Naples and war.
The Gallery by John Horne Burns - stories about war-time Naples. He really captures the essence of the city and soldiers' experience.
Susan Sontag's novel The Volcano Lover about Sir William Hamilton, uncovering Pompei, Nelson and the short-lived Parthenopean Republic is very good.
Naples 1944: War, Liberation and Chaos by Keith Lowe - came out last year - is excellent.
Roberto Saviano - Gomorrah - about the Camorra will explain the rubbish problem, among others.
Honestly - there is so much history, it's hard to find it all in one book. I'd start with the Gilmour one and definitely read Norman Lewis - he is such a brilliant writer.
There’s plenty of material. As for Farage and his ridiculous rant . Are we going to get this pathetic whining and hysteria every time someone criticises him and his Reform policies ?
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_War_on_Warriors#:~:text=He criticizes the Geneva Conventions,More casualties.
I stand to be corrected but hasn't he got his own studio so he can provide an instant comment ?
He is not going away and the more he is attacked the more he will respond
As I said earlier when Badenoch was asked about Starmer v Farage she said it was like '2 boys scrapping in the playground'
Next weekend is her chance to rise above this and set out a clear path and policies
I will watch with interest what she says and how it is reported
The door has been opened to her, let's see if she can step through it
The Geneva Conventions apply at times of war and armed conflict to governments who have ratified its terms.
At this point nothing matters more.
Perhaps about his fake support for the working man, having voted against the Workers' Rights bill? Compared with his multimillionaire lineup at the top of Reform, his income, and their tax dodging activities?
Or his sequence of lies fabrications about ... well ... everything. If they run out of these to point out, there'll be another one along by about Friday.
It's quite easy though. So, there's that going for it. Even I managed it and I'm a clutz.
As for the point about USA withdrawing from NATO, I don't think Trump and Vance have been very subtle about wanting to do that effectively, even if they don't get around to doing it officially.
Perpetual war requires an enemy to be fighting against, which doesn't work if the enemy lays down their arms, or if genocide is committed against the enemy. It not only takes two to tango, but it can't be both genocide and perpetual war, its one or the other, which is it?
Given how touchy Farage is I do think there is something in just winding him up all the time. The constant apoplexy makes him look a bit ridiculous.
When they invade Greenland are they planning to ditch these basics?
When other politicians try to combat it with complex arguments, or invoke bills and clauses, people feel like they’re being gaslit and switch off. Others can can try to imitate his policies, but their hearts aren’t in that. He must be a fiendishly difficult character to take on.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eNmxddPMU8Y
" Joshua Idehen - Learn To Swim "
Wow, just wow...
It takes a lot for me to feel sorry for generals and admirals, but sitting through that stream of shit has done so.
Time for a military coup before the purges start?
The 3-episode BBC radio programme 'The Invention of Italy' is also a very good introduction, starting with the 1494 French invasion and ending with the First World War.
https://www.youtube.com/shorts/oOb39unASUQ
Crisis? What crisis?
“We don’t have a military full of Nordic pagans.” — Secretary of War Pete Hegseth declares war on beards
https://x.com/DiaperDiplomacy/status/1973171316707696911
Just as there's something equally sad about an incompetent technocrat.
Just as there's something totally phony about an Islington lefty pretending to understand patriotism.
In fact what the f@ck is that man doing as Prime Minister?
The way the Senate works it’s going to be a regular occurrence since they need 60 votes - and no-one has had 60 votes since early Obama era.