Some bonkers comments on here last night, of which @Big_G_NorthWales was not one of them.
"Antifa" is bonkers. Its an idea, not a terrorist organisation. I am antifa. But Big G is quoting someone important mentioning it - which makes it relevant to post on here.
What else did we have. "every sane Patriotic Brit" have to vote for Farage - Mr Russia who went to American demanding economic sanctions on us.
A "civil war" if Reform win the election or "eventual islamic takeover" if they don't. Riiiiiiiiight.
This forum is a microcosm of the real world. We have representatives from most elements of real world politics. And we need to try switching off and back on again as everyone has lost it.
Calm down. The “every sane patriotic Brit” remark was me having a giraffe. I know it winds up the Centrist Duds
For a start, you could ALSO vote for Advance
If you’d have suggested, fifty or sixty years ago, that London would have a Muslim mayor, entire neighbourhoods in big cities would be almost entirely Muslim, churches were disappearing but mosques were increasing, and there were half a dozen MPs elected solely on the back of a bloc of Islamic votes, they’d have called you an absolute loon who was scaremongering. And that’s not to mention 7/7, Lee Rigby, Manchester Arena etc
But that is where we are, and it’s regarded as completely normal. Actually it’s considered offensive to criticise, or even to merely point it out.
So why would it be odd if we were governed by an Islamic party or the country became majority Muslim in another fifty years or so? The demographics are pointing in that direction. Things change, they have already are are continuing to do so
Also: that white Britons would become a minority in their own capital city. Ditto Manchester and other cities
Unthinkable NF race-baiting 50 years ago. Now a fact
We've already covered the White Britons in London ambiguity part extensively, though. White anglo/celts are probably a minority in London, whereas White Britons probably aren't, due to the government still not clarifying the census categories correctly.
“In London, the 2021 UK Census showed that about 37% of Londoners identified as “White: English, Welsh, Scottish, Northern Irish or British” — that’s the classic “White British” category”
And that is BEFORE the Boriswave. The percentage will be notably lower, now
Hard to lay any blame at the door of Manchester police. They acted fast with limited intelligence on what threat they were facing, against a determined assassin who apparently was wearing a "suicide belt". If they held back, more would likely have been killed.
Have much sympathy for the officer who fired the fatal shot into the victim. He was doing his best. The alternative is a situation where we watch a young person drown because no risk assessment has been undertaken for the officer to go into the water to save him.
The way the guy was moving I would have shot him many more times than those officers did (and probably accidentally killed more people inside the synagogue). That's why you need cool heads in a situation like this rather than the American method of hundreds of rounds going in.
Of all those currently incarcerated for terrorism related offences, more than 60% are categorised as holding extremist Islamist views.
Over 90% of terrorism related deaths in the UK this century have been at the hands of those identified as Islamist extremists.
Estimates put the proportion of British Muslims aged 18-30 that travelled to Syria to fight for ISIS as high as 2.4 per 1000.
Some polling indicates that the number of British Muslims that think Hamas did not commit rape or murder on 7th Oct outnumber those that do by as much as 1.5x.
If you told someone in 2001 these things, I suspect they would be rather surprised when you then told them that since 2001, policy makers have overseen a near three fold increase in the uk’s Muslim population, and allowed shariah councils to embed themselves in the uk, with a 7-8 fold increase in the same period.
I know it will upset people me posting all the above. But it is hard not to conclude that we learnt some profoundly wrong lessons since 2001.
It’s a nightmare and it’s getting worse
In a weird way, the “protests” last night were more disturbing, to me, than the attack in Manchester
That is to say: we’ve sadly suffered many Muslim terror attacks before. But I’m not sure we’ve ever seen gleeful flag-waving crowds, in Britain, going out to celebrate them: the same day
It’s become rather trendy in the last few weeks to bash Farage for importing Americanisms into his political language. Oh no! He mispronounced Antifa!
Those gleeful “protests” last night were a disturbing parallel to the similar phenomenon after the Kirk murder. Far worse in fact, because it wasn’t just brain farts on social media, but large groups in public places.
Tbf to Farage his pronunciation of ‘Up the ‘Ra’ was ok even if he was clueless on the topic, the lads sure got their £87 worth. I’m sure Farage is in no way being re-numerated for injecting US culture war memes into the UK body politic, oh no, certainly not.
Sarah Mulally as next ABP. The Church Times is a good place to watch.
The Church Times will have a lot of coverage from different angles, and you get two free articles a month with a free account, or it archives successfully. https://www.churchtimes.co.uk/
Next week's letters page will also be one to look at for a range of thoughtful views.
1 - Problems will be more international, rather than within the UK. There is potential for eg "Primus inter Pares" for the Anglican Communion to be split from "Archbishop of Canterbury" as a Via Media to keep the show on the road, or something similar. 2 - One significant point will be about how marginal the story becomes across our media. If it is niche, that speaks to a marginalisation of the Church of England, and the Bishops in the Lords are at risk. 3 - When listening to Justin Welby's poorly judged standing-down speech in the Lords (and I've generally been a fan on JW) she had a face like thunder throughout afaics, whilst the male Bishops sitting behind chuckled a little at his couple of quips. That is a positive indicator, perhaps. 4 - Some have personal questions about her on things in London Diocese. I don't know enough to comment on how material these are. https://youtu.be/2Uerg54oTJQ?t=283
Starmer warmly welcome Mullally's appointment so the Bishops look safe in the Lords with him.
Farage wants a fully elected upper house anyway, so there would be no Lords to be in with a Reform government. Albeit Farage still describes himself as a lapsed Anglican, Davey is a practising Anglican
Does Sir Keir's announcement go beyond normal Prime Ministerial politeness at such a time?
One thing I would encourage in such circumstances as an elected House of Lords would be for one or several "Bishops with an apostolate to public life and the world of politics" to stand for election to such a House of Lords.
The Ministry of the House of Bishops is collegial as well as each Bishop having their own ministry, so such a concept is in keeping with tradition, and a good model fitting in with a diverse society.
Good morning. The ghouls were out last night and it's not even Halloween. Wonder when we are going to read about someone being radicalised by PB?
Back on subject and looking at the forecast for my own 'safe' Tory seat which is supposed to go Reform. Knowing the local Reform people (ex-UKIP) they just don't have the skills to run a council given the level of issues to be dealt with locally. Scale that up to Westminster and if Reform do get in, then unless there is something like the Heritage Foundation or some well-financed Think Tank, then it will be more of a disaster than the previous 3 governments.
One can only hope there will be more defections of skilled and capable politicians to Reform before 2029 cos a Reform government won't be pretty.
I am in one of the seats showing conservative on this MRP, with Reform a close second. My Tory MP is one of the relatively sane ones, but there is no way that I would tactically vote for them when Jenrick will be running on the same platform as Reform.
If Kemi is replaced next year it will be Cleverly who replaces her by coronation as Tory MPs elected Howard by coronation to succeed IDS in 2003 and Sunak by coronation to replace Truss in 2022.
Tory voters who stayed loyal in 2024 and all voters prefer Cleverly too polls show, only Reform voters prefer Jenrick. Even Tory members rejected Jenrick last year
The best chance the Tories have is to select a leader who looks "prime ministerial" and is able to attract Reform-defectors who are queasy about the prospect of Nige in Downing Street. May also help with the fight with the LibDems. Cleverly appears the only option so far as I can see and, let's face it, he would have won the top job if the Tory MP's hadn't screwed up the leadership election. I think he must still feel in the game, as he accepted a job in the shadow cabinet (much like Howard becoming Shadow Chancellor under IDS when he might have reasonably retired).
There was some talk downstream about the SDP. Worth remembering that they brought to the party some serious politicians with cabinet experience - Jenkins, Owen, Williams plus several more competent juniors. So far, Reform has only Farage, who is no-one's idea of a competent man of government. And as for his followers - don't ask.
Whatever happen, Reform will prove short-lived. They either fail to maintain momentum, don't win the election, and then disappear when Farage steps down, and the Tories recover. Or else, they win, form a Government, and collapse under the pressure of office and events. Just imagine what a Reform-majority parliamentary party would look like. "Strong and stable"?
I suspect if Cleverley is not leader by conference next year he will be unveiled as London Mayor candidate.
From what I hear the Tory establishment are already plotting to make Cleverly party leader and Seb Coe London Mayoral candidate by conference next year
Some bonkers comments on here last night, of which @Big_G_NorthWales was not one of them.
"Antifa" is bonkers. Its an idea, not a terrorist organisation. I am antifa. But Big G is quoting someone important mentioning it - which makes it relevant to post on here.
What else did we have. "every sane Patriotic Brit" have to vote for Farage - Mr Russia who went to American demanding economic sanctions on us.
A "civil war" if Reform win the election or "eventual islamic takeover" if they don't. Riiiiiiiiight.
This forum is a microcosm of the real world. We have representatives from most elements of real world politics. And we need to try switching off and back on again as everyone has lost it.
Calm down. The “every sane patriotic Brit” remark was me having a giraffe. I know it winds up the Centrist Duds
For a start, you could ALSO vote for Advance
If you’d have suggested, fifty or sixty years ago, that London would have a Muslim mayor, entire neighbourhoods in big cities would be almost entirely Muslim, churches were disappearing but mosques were increasing, and there were half a dozen MPs elected solely on the back of a bloc of Islamic votes, they’d have called you an absolute loon who was scaremongering. And that’s not to mention 7/7, Lee Rigby, Manchester Arena etc
But that is where we are, and it’s regarded as completely normal. Actually it’s considered offensive to criticise, or even to merely point it out.
So why would it be odd if we were governed by an Islamic party or the country became majority Muslim in another fifty years or so? The demographics are pointing in that direction. Things change, they have already are are continuing to do so
Also: that white Britons would become a minority in their own capital city. Ditto Manchester and other cities
Unthinkable NF race-baiting 50 years ago. Now a fact
We've already covered the White Britons in London ambiguity part extensively, though. White anglo/celts are probably a minority in London, whereas White Britons probably aren't, due to the government still not clarifying the census categories correctly.
“In London, the 2021 UK Census showed that about 37% of Londoners identified as “White: English, Welsh, Scottish, Northern Irish or British” — that’s the classic “White British” category”
And that is BEFORE the Boriswave. The percentage will be notably lower, now
As we've discussed extensively on this, British is a civic category dating to 1707, not an ethnicity. A large number of white and British Londoners are not putting that on the census, because they think it means only english or celtic. Many people with Irish ancestry from South of the border don't put it, either, which is millions, in Britain.
Sarah Mullally, the Bishop of London, has been announced as the next Archbishop of Canterbury by Downing Street.
She will be the first female Archbishop in history and a good choice in my view
What are the factors that make her a good choice?
I know very little about CofE Bishops, or internal politics.
Possibly some factors, and it could be a very good tactical move minimising institutional risks - maybe. But this all depends on how she leads and what she does.
Senior management experience, and dealing with institutions and establishments - she was the youngest ever Chief Nurse for England.
She has 10 years experience of being a Bishop, including 7 at London. So she has key relationships inside and many outside the Church already in place.
London Diocese is very diverse, so she has been leading across traditions and factions in the CofE.
London Diocese is the place where there has been growth in the church over 3+ decades, which means she has some experience of non-decline of the Church of England, which may inure her against a "management of decline"mindset. I'm not all over the detail of that over recent years.
She is 63, so 7 years left to normal retirement - which is 70. So it has a "half way between transitional and the normal decade" feel to it.
One wrinkle is that the normal international ructions come up at and around the worldwide gathering of Bishops at the Lambeth Conference. That would be expected around a female ABC, but she is due to retire in March 2032, a few months before the Lambeth Conference is due in I think summer 2032. Is there's a Sir Humphrey in there somewhere (What about this, Minister?) ?
The odd thing is that, in advance, she had largely been ruled out... Presumably because of the "too close to retirement" thing.
Actually, having someone with a finite term of office might be good for the urgent cleaning house needed. She has good form for that in London, and enough establishment heft to make changes.
Echoes of the recent appointment of Cherry Vann in Wales.
Good morning. The ghouls were out last night and it's not even Halloween. Wonder when we are going to read about someone being radicalised by PB?
Back on subject and looking at the forecast for my own 'safe' Tory seat which is supposed to go Reform. Knowing the local Reform people (ex-UKIP) they just don't have the skills to run a council given the level of issues to be dealt with locally. Scale that up to Westminster and if Reform do get in, then unless there is something like the Heritage Foundation or some well-financed Think Tank, then it will be more of a disaster than the previous 3 governments.
One can only hope there will be more defections of skilled and capable politicians to Reform before 2029 cos a Reform government won't be pretty.
I am in one of the seats showing conservative on this MRP, with Reform a close second. My Tory MP is one of the relatively sane ones, but there is no way that I would tactically vote for them when Jenrick will be running on the same platform as Reform.
If Kemi is replaced next year it will be Cleverly who replaces her by coronation as Tory MPs elected Howard by coronation to succeed IDS in 2003 and Sunak by coronation to replace Truss in 2022.
Tory voters who stayed loyal in 2024 and all voters prefer Cleverly too polls show, only Reform voters prefer Jenrick. Even Tory members rejected Jenrick last year
The best chance the Tories have is to select a leader who looks "prime ministerial" and is able to attract Reform-defectors who are queasy about the prospect of Nige in Downing Street. May also help with the fight with the LibDems. Cleverly appears the only option so far as I can see and, let's face it, he would have won the top job if the Tory MP's hadn't screwed up the leadership election. I think he must still feel in the game, as he accepted a job in the shadow cabinet (much like Howard becoming Shadow Chancellor under IDS when he might have reasonably retired).
There was some talk downstream about the SDP. Worth remembering that they brought to the party some serious politicians with cabinet experience - Jenkins, Owen, Williams plus several more competent juniors. So far, Reform has only Farage, who is no-one's idea of a competent man of government. And as for his followers - don't ask.
Whatever happen, Reform will prove short-lived. They either fail to maintain momentum, don't win the election, and then disappear when Farage steps down, and the Tories recover. Or else, they win, form a Government, and collapse under the pressure of office and events. Just imagine what a Reform-majority parliamentary party would look like. "Strong and stable"?
I suspect if Cleverley is not leader by conference next year he will be unveiled as London Mayor candidate.
From what I hear the Tory establishment are already plotting to make Cleverly party leader and Seb Coe London Mayoral candidate by conference next year
Interesting, thanks! Not sure about Seb though, hes a funny one
You can get married where you like (sort of) although this seems to be a pre-emptive announcement of changes that will be made at some point in the future when the government gets around to it. And one can't help suspecting that £535 million belongs on the side of a bus.
Excellent news if true. I have said for the years that the single best reform any Government could make to marriage is to allow you to marry in any location, but give the Registrar the power to refuse if you took the piss with something that disrespected the occasion.
The wedding tax whereby the same venue costs more for a wedding than a birthday party (where the market is wider) has always been unjust.
I fear this will increase the wedding tax but lead to emptier churches and registry offices.
Yes on close inspection I can see it’s just adding a few more venues. I am convinced the answer is to empower the Registrar (or vicar etc. - I can never remember if they have powers to marry through a different route or just qualify as a Registrar as well). I suppose the risk of that is them all taking kickbacks from favoured venues.
IIRC Registrar comes with the job for CofE vicars, but a similar role is available for other religious establishments via a different route involving a different process.
I have long thought that (*&^% David Cameron should have taken the trouble to tidy this area up to introduce consistently when he rushed through his same sex marriage ideas in 2013 (?).
Hard to lay any blame at the door of Manchester police. They acted fast with limited intelligence on what threat they were facing, against a determined assassin who apparently was wearing a "suicide belt". If they held back, more would likely have been killed.
Have much sympathy for the officer who fired the fatal shot into the victim. He was doing his best. The alternative is a situation where we watch a young person drown because no risk assessment has been undertaken for the officer to go into the water to save him.
It's wrong to blame anybody but the perpetrator(s). People keen to do so are using the atrocity to further an agenda.
Some bonkers comments on here last night, of which @Big_G_NorthWales was not one of them.
"Antifa" is bonkers. Its an idea, not a terrorist organisation. I am antifa. But Big G is quoting someone important mentioning it - which makes it relevant to post on here.
What else did we have. "every sane Patriotic Brit" have to vote for Farage - Mr Russia who went to American demanding economic sanctions on us.
A "civil war" if Reform win the election or "eventual islamic takeover" if they don't. Riiiiiiiiight.
This forum is a microcosm of the real world. We have representatives from most elements of real world politics. And we need to try switching off and back on again as everyone has lost it.
Calm down. The “every sane patriotic Brit” remark was me having a giraffe. I know it winds up the Centrist Duds
For a start, you could ALSO vote for Advance
If you’d have suggested, fifty or sixty years ago, that London would have a Muslim mayor, entire neighbourhoods in big cities would be almost entirely Muslim, churches were disappearing but mosques were increasing, and there were half a dozen MPs elected solely on the back of a bloc of Islamic votes, they’d have called you an absolute loon who was scaremongering. And that’s not to mention 7/7, Lee Rigby, Manchester Arena etc
But that is where we are, and it’s regarded as completely normal. Actually it’s considered offensive to criticise, or even to merely point it out.
So why would it be odd if we were governed by an Islamic party or the country became majority Muslim in another fifty years or so? The demographics are pointing in that direction. Things change, they have already are are continuing to do so
I lived in Aldgate East in the last 1990s, which was 30 years ago, and had a Muslim landlord and all my neighbours were Muslims. Brick Lane and environs and all the areas heading towards Commercial Road and Commercial Street were all majority Muslim.
I went to a school in Bedford from the 80s to the 90s (Biddenham), that was majority Muslim.
The main thing I discovered from this is that Muslims (like Jews and atheists and Christians) are just like everybody else.
Or, let me put it another way, I do wonder if you or @Lenon actually have any close Musliim friends? Because I think when we don't know people in a particular group well, we tend to assume that they are (a) much more homogenous than they are, and (b) that they are much more different to us than they are,
The fact that many are voting along religious lines suggests a greater degree of homogeneity than you suggest.
Sarah Mulally as next ABP. The Church Times is a good place to watch.
The Church Times will have a lot of coverage from different angles, and you get two free articles a month with a free account, or it archives successfully. https://www.churchtimes.co.uk/
Next week's letters page will also be one to look at for a range of thoughtful views.
1 - Problems will be more international, rather than within the UK. There is potential for eg "Primus inter Pares" for the Anglican Communion to be split from "Archbishop of Canterbury" as a Via Media to keep the show on the road, or something similar. 2 - One significant point will be about how marginal the story becomes across our media. If it is niche, that speaks to a marginalisation of the Church of England, and the Bishops in the Lords are at risk. 3 - When listening to Justin Welby's poorly judged standing-down speech in the Lords (and I've generally been a fan on JW) she had a face like thunder throughout afaics, whilst the male Bishops sitting behind chuckled a little at his couple of quips. That is a positive indicator, perhaps. 4 - Some have personal questions about her on things in London Diocese. I don't know enough to comment on how material these are. https://youtu.be/2Uerg54oTJQ?t=283
Some bonkers comments on here last night, of which @Big_G_NorthWales was not one of them.
"Antifa" is bonkers. Its an idea, not a terrorist organisation. I am antifa. But Big G is quoting someone important mentioning it - which makes it relevant to post on here.
What else did we have. "every sane Patriotic Brit" have to vote for Farage - Mr Russia who went to American demanding economic sanctions on us.
A "civil war" if Reform win the election or "eventual islamic takeover" if they don't. Riiiiiiiiight.
This forum is a microcosm of the real world. We have representatives from most elements of real world politics. And we need to try switching off and back on again as everyone has lost it.
Calm down. The “every sane patriotic Brit” remark was me having a giraffe. I know it winds up the Centrist Duds
For a start, you could ALSO vote for Advance
If you’d have suggested, fifty or sixty years ago, that London would have a Muslim mayor, entire neighbourhoods in big cities would be almost entirely Muslim, churches were disappearing but mosques were increasing, and there were half a dozen MPs elected solely on the back of a bloc of Islamic votes, they’d have called you an absolute loon who was scaremongering. And that’s not to mention 7/7, Lee Rigby, Manchester Arena etc
But that is where we are, and it’s regarded as completely normal. Actually it’s considered offensive to criticise, or even to merely point it out.
So why would it be odd if we were governed by an Islamic party or the country became majority Muslim in another fifty years or so? The demographics are pointing in that direction. Things change, they have already are are continuing to do so
Also: that white Britons would become a minority in their own capital city. Ditto Manchester and other cities
Unthinkable NF race-baiting 50 years ago. Now a fact
We've already covered the White Britons in London ambiguity part extensively, though. White anglo/celts are probably a minority in London, whereas White Britons probably aren't, due to the government still not clarifying the census categories correctly.
“In London, the 2021 UK Census showed that about 37% of Londoners identified as “White: English, Welsh, Scottish, Northern Irish or British” — that’s the classic “White British” category”
And that is BEFORE the Boriswave. The percentage will be notably lower, now
As we've discussed extensively on this, British is a civic category dating to 1707, not an ethnicity. A large number of white and British Londoners are not putting that on the census, because they think it means only english or celtic.
What a load of obfuscating bollocks. We can only go by self ID. Unless you want to go out and do the pencil test on everyone
In the 2021 census white Britons - self identified - constituted 37% of Londoners. And, given the speed of the fall since 1990 and the advent of the Boriswave, that number will be even lower now, and still falling
It’s called “white flight”. It happened to American cities and now it’s happening - very fast - in European cities
Sarah Mullally, the Bishop of London, has been announced as the next Archbishop of Canterbury by Downing Street.
She will be the first female Archbishop in history and a good choice in my view
What are the factors that make her a good choice?
I know very little about CofE Bishops, or internal politics.
Well she is a woman for starters which after recent sex abuse cases involving males was desperately needed. She is reasonably pro Parish and backed blessings for same sex couples
Interesting. Does that mean she's anti gay marriage, or conversely leaning that way?
She is likely pro but Synod decides and LLF was the compromise that got through it.
Should also be noted the most well funded and biggest congregation conservative evangelical churches in the C of E would likely leave if same sex marriage was allowed. Opposition to same sex marriage is a defining thing for conservative evangelicals as even the SNP found with Kate Forbes when she stood for SNP leader
Good morning. The ghouls were out last night and it's not even Halloween. Wonder when we are going to read about someone being radicalised by PB?
Back on subject and looking at the forecast for my own 'safe' Tory seat which is supposed to go Reform. Knowing the local Reform people (ex-UKIP) they just don't have the skills to run a council given the level of issues to be dealt with locally. Scale that up to Westminster and if Reform do get in, then unless there is something like the Heritage Foundation or some well-financed Think Tank, then it will be more of a disaster than the previous 3 governments.
One can only hope there will be more defections of skilled and capable politicians to Reform before 2029 cos a Reform government won't be pretty.
I am in one of the seats showing conservative on this MRP, with Reform a close second. My Tory MP is one of the relatively sane ones, but there is no way that I would tactically vote for them when Jenrick will be running on the same platform as Reform.
If Kemi is replaced next year it will be Cleverly who replaces her by coronation as Tory MPs elected Howard by coronation to succeed IDS in 2003 and Sunak by coronation to replace Truss in 2022.
Tory voters who stayed loyal in 2024 and all voters prefer Cleverly too polls show, only Reform voters prefer Jenrick. Even Tory members rejected Jenrick last year
The best chance the Tories have is to select a leader who looks "prime ministerial" and is able to attract Reform-defectors who are queasy about the prospect of Nige in Downing Street. May also help with the fight with the LibDems. Cleverly appears the only option so far as I can see and, let's face it, he would have won the top job if the Tory MP's hadn't screwed up the leadership election. I think he must still feel in the game, as he accepted a job in the shadow cabinet (much like Howard becoming Shadow Chancellor under IDS when he might have reasonably retired).
There was some talk downstream about the SDP. Worth remembering that they brought to the party some serious politicians with cabinet experience - Jenkins, Owen, Williams plus several more competent juniors. So far, Reform has only Farage, who is no-one's idea of a competent man of government. And as for his followers - don't ask.
Whatever happen, Reform will prove short-lived. They either fail to maintain momentum, don't win the election, and then disappear when Farage steps down, and the Tories recover. Or else, they win, form a Government, and collapse under the pressure of office and events. Just imagine what a Reform-majority parliamentary party would look like. "Strong and stable"?
I suspect if Cleverley is not leader by conference next year he will be unveiled as London Mayor candidate.
From what I hear the Tory establishment are already plotting to make Cleverly party leader and Seb Coe London Mayoral candidate by conference next year
How do you propose getting Kemi Badenoch to agree to this?
Sarah Mulally as next ABP. The Church Times is a good place to watch.
The Church Times will have a lot of coverage from different angles, and you get two free articles a month with a free account, or it archives successfully. https://www.churchtimes.co.uk/
Next week's letters page will also be one to look at for a range of thoughtful views.
1 - Problems will be more international, rather than within the UK. There is potential for eg "Primus inter Pares" for the Anglican Communion to be split from "Archbishop of Canterbury" as a Via Media to keep the show on the road, or something similar. 2 - One significant point will be about how marginal the story becomes across our media. If it is niche, that speaks to a marginalisation of the Church of England, and the Bishops in the Lords are at risk. 3 - When listening to Justin Welby's poorly judged standing-down speech in the Lords (and I've generally been a fan on JW) she had a face like thunder throughout afaics, whilst the male Bishops sitting behind chuckled a little at his couple of quips. That is a positive indicator, perhaps. 4 - Some have personal questions about her on things in London Diocese. I don't know enough to comment on how material these are. https://youtu.be/2Uerg54oTJQ?t=283
Starmer warmly welcome Mullally's appointment so the Bishops look safe in the Lords with him.
Farage wants a fully elected upper house anyway, so there would be no Lords to be in with a Reform government. Albeit Farage still describes himself as a lapsed Anglican, Davey is a practising Anglican
Does Sir Keir's announcement go beyond normal Prime Ministerial politeness at such a time?
One thing I would encourage in such circumstances as an elected House of Lords would be for one or several "Bishops with an apostolate to public life and the world of politics" to stand for election to such a House of Lords.
The Ministry of the House of Bishops is collegial as well as each Bishop having their own ministry, so such a concept is in keeping with tradition, and a good model fitting in with a diverse society.
That would be interesting.
I would treasure the reaction of the National Secular Society if a group of Bishops were elected to the House of Lords.
Good morning. The ghouls were out last night and it's not even Halloween. Wonder when we are going to read about someone being radicalised by PB?
Back on subject and looking at the forecast for my own 'safe' Tory seat which is supposed to go Reform. Knowing the local Reform people (ex-UKIP) they just don't have the skills to run a council given the level of issues to be dealt with locally. Scale that up to Westminster and if Reform do get in, then unless there is something like the Heritage Foundation or some well-financed Think Tank, then it will be more of a disaster than the previous 3 governments.
One can only hope there will be more defections of skilled and capable politicians to Reform before 2029 cos a Reform government won't be pretty.
I am in one of the seats showing conservative on this MRP, with Reform a close second. My Tory MP is one of the relatively sane ones, but there is no way that I would tactically vote for them when Jenrick will be running on the same platform as Reform.
If Kemi is replaced next year it will be Cleverly who replaces her by coronation as Tory MPs elected Howard by coronation to succeed IDS in 2003 and Sunak by coronation to replace Truss in 2022.
Tory voters who stayed loyal in 2024 and all voters prefer Cleverly too polls show, only Reform voters prefer Jenrick. Even Tory members rejected Jenrick last year
The best chance the Tories have is to select a leader who looks "prime ministerial" and is able to attract Reform-defectors who are queasy about the prospect of Nige in Downing Street. May also help with the fight with the LibDems. Cleverly appears the only option so far as I can see and, let's face it, he would have won the top job if the Tory MP's hadn't screwed up the leadership election. I think he must still feel in the game, as he accepted a job in the shadow cabinet (much like Howard becoming Shadow Chancellor under IDS when he might have reasonably retired).
There was some talk downstream about the SDP. Worth remembering that they brought to the party some serious politicians with cabinet experience - Jenkins, Owen, Williams plus several more competent juniors. So far, Reform has only Farage, who is no-one's idea of a competent man of government. And as for his followers - don't ask.
Whatever happen, Reform will prove short-lived. They either fail to maintain momentum, don't win the election, and then disappear when Farage steps down, and the Tories recover. Or else, they win, form a Government, and collapse under the pressure of office and events. Just imagine what a Reform-majority parliamentary party would look like. "Strong and stable"?
I suspect if Cleverley is not leader by conference next year he will be unveiled as London Mayor candidate.
From what I hear the Tory establishment are already plotting to make Cleverly party leader and Seb Coe London Mayoral candidate by conference next year
You can get married where you like (sort of) although this seems to be a pre-emptive announcement of changes that will be made at some point in the future when the government gets around to it. And one can't help suspecting that £535 million belongs on the side of a bus.
Excellent news if true. I have said for the years that the single best reform any Government could make to marriage is to allow you to marry in any location, but give the Registrar the power to refuse if you took the piss with something that disrespected the occasion.
The wedding tax whereby the same venue costs more for a wedding than a birthday party (where the market is wider) has always been unjust.
I fear this will increase the wedding tax but lead to emptier churches and registry offices.
Yes on close inspection I can see it’s just adding a few more venues. I am convinced the answer is to empower the Registrar (or vicar etc. - I can never remember if they have powers to marry through a different route or just qualify as a Registrar as well). I suppose the risk of that is them all taking kickbacks from favoured venues.
IIRC Registrar comes with the job for CofE vicars, but a similar role is available for other religious establishments via a different route involving a different process.
I have long though that (*&^% David Cameron should have taken the trouble to tidy this area up to introduce consistently when he rushed through his same sex marriage ideas in 2013 (?).
A mass clearup would have likely reduced the likelihood of gay marriage getting passed.
Heh. A female Arch Bishop. Let’s see how the Anglican Churches overseas react to that…
What about God? How will She react?
It's about time the monotheistic religions re-organized based on the views that really matter to them, to make things simpler for the rest of us ... e.g
Misogynists and homophobes - Orthodox, Roman Catholics, Islam, conservative Jews, conservative Anglicans and Protestants, white US Churchs
More liberal / airy fairy - CoE, liberal Jews, black US Churchs, Quakers, Methodists etc
Agree with most of that albeit black US Pentecostal churches tend to be more conservative on LGBT issues than white Methodist, Lutheran or Anglican churches for example
I've just had my x-ray results from yesterday. My elbow, which is hurting, is fine. My shoulder, which is not hurting, has a loose bone fragment in it.
Some bonkers comments on here last night, of which @Big_G_NorthWales was not one of them.
"Antifa" is bonkers. Its an idea, not a terrorist organisation. I am antifa. But Big G is quoting someone important mentioning it - which makes it relevant to post on here.
What else did we have. "every sane Patriotic Brit" have to vote for Farage - Mr Russia who went to American demanding economic sanctions on us.
A "civil war" if Reform win the election or "eventual islamic takeover" if they don't. Riiiiiiiiight.
This forum is a microcosm of the real world. We have representatives from most elements of real world politics. And we need to try switching off and back on again as everyone has lost it.
Calm down. The “every sane patriotic Brit” remark was me having a giraffe. I know it winds up the Centrist Duds
For a start, you could ALSO vote for Advance
If you’d have suggested, fifty or sixty years ago, that London would have a Muslim mayor, entire neighbourhoods in big cities would be almost entirely Muslim, churches were disappearing but mosques were increasing, and there were half a dozen MPs elected solely on the back of a bloc of Islamic votes, they’d have called you an absolute loon who was scaremongering. And that’s not to mention 7/7, Lee Rigby, Manchester Arena etc
But that is where we are, and it’s regarded as completely normal. Actually it’s considered offensive to criticise, or even to merely point it out.
So why would it be odd if we were governed by an Islamic party or the country became majority Muslim in another fifty years or so? The demographics are pointing in that direction. Things change, they have already are are continuing to do so
Also: that white Britons would become a minority in their own capital city. Ditto Manchester and other cities
Unthinkable NF race-baiting 50 years ago. Now a fact
We've already covered the White Britons in London ambiguity part extensively, though. White anglo/celts are probably a minority in London, whereas White Britons probably aren't, due to the government still not clarifying the census categories correctly.
“In London, the 2021 UK Census showed that about 37% of Londoners identified as “White: English, Welsh, Scottish, Northern Irish or British” — that’s the classic “White British” category”
And that is BEFORE the Boriswave. The percentage will be notably lower, now
As we've discussed extensively on this, British is a civic category dating to 1707, not an ethnicity. A large number of white and British Londoners are not putting that on the census, because they think it means only english or celtic.
What a load of obfuscating bollocks. We can only go by self ID. Unless you want to go out and do the pencil test on everyone
In the 2021 census white Britons - self identified - constituted 37% of Londoners. And, given the speed of the fall since 1990 and the advent of the Boriswave, that number will be even lower now, and still falling
It’s called “white flight”. It happened to American cities and now it’s happening - very fast - in European cities
You need to clarify the categories first, before making the descriptions. In recent censuses, hundreds of thousands of people in London who are likely British citizens have put themselves down as "white irish", for instance.
That's even before the huge number of Britons of Continental origin here, many of them born in Britain.
Sarah Mulally as next ABP. The Church Times is a good place to watch.
The Church Times will have a lot of coverage from different angles, and you get two free articles a month with a free account, or it archives successfully. https://www.churchtimes.co.uk/
Next week's letters page will also be one to look at for a range of thoughtful views.
1 - Problems will be more international, rather than within the UK. There is potential for eg "Primus inter Pares" for the Anglican Communion to be split from "Archbishop of Canterbury" as a Via Media to keep the show on the road, or something similar. 2 - One significant point will be about how marginal the story becomes across our media. If it is niche, that speaks to a marginalisation of the Church of England, and the Bishops in the Lords are at risk. 3 - When listening to Justin Welby's poorly judged standing-down speech in the Lords (and I've generally been a fan on JW) she had a face like thunder throughout afaics, whilst the male Bishops sitting behind chuckled a little at his couple of quips. That is a positive indicator, perhaps. 4 - Some have personal questions about her on things in London Diocese. I don't know enough to comment on how material these are. https://youtu.be/2Uerg54oTJQ?t=283
Yeh, but what's her stand on Catherine of Aragon?
I'd apply some fudge: "That's above my pay grade; here's the King's phone number".
Good morning. The ghouls were out last night and it's not even Halloween. Wonder when we are going to read about someone being radicalised by PB?
Back on subject and looking at the forecast for my own 'safe' Tory seat which is supposed to go Reform. Knowing the local Reform people (ex-UKIP) they just don't have the skills to run a council given the level of issues to be dealt with locally. Scale that up to Westminster and if Reform do get in, then unless there is something like the Heritage Foundation or some well-financed Think Tank, then it will be more of a disaster than the previous 3 governments.
One can only hope there will be more defections of skilled and capable politicians to Reform before 2029 cos a Reform government won't be pretty.
I am in one of the seats showing conservative on this MRP, with Reform a close second. My Tory MP is one of the relatively sane ones, but there is no way that I would tactically vote for them when Jenrick will be running on the same platform as Reform.
If Kemi is replaced next year it will be Cleverly who replaces her by coronation as Tory MPs elected Howard by coronation to succeed IDS in 2003 and Sunak by coronation to replace Truss in 2022.
Tory voters who stayed loyal in 2024 and all voters prefer Cleverly too polls show, only Reform voters prefer Jenrick. Even Tory members rejected Jenrick last year
The best chance the Tories have is to select a leader who looks "prime ministerial" and is able to attract Reform-defectors who are queasy about the prospect of Nige in Downing Street. May also help with the fight with the LibDems. Cleverly appears the only option so far as I can see and, let's face it, he would have won the top job if the Tory MP's hadn't screwed up the leadership election. I think he must still feel in the game, as he accepted a job in the shadow cabinet (much like Howard becoming Shadow Chancellor under IDS when he might have reasonably retired).
There was some talk downstream about the SDP. Worth remembering that they brought to the party some serious politicians with cabinet experience - Jenkins, Owen, Williams plus several more competent juniors. So far, Reform has only Farage, who is no-one's idea of a competent man of government. And as for his followers - don't ask.
Whatever happen, Reform will prove short-lived. They either fail to maintain momentum, don't win the election, and then disappear when Farage steps down, and the Tories recover. Or else, they win, form a Government, and collapse under the pressure of office and events. Just imagine what a Reform-majority parliamentary party would look like. "Strong and stable"?
I suspect if Cleverley is not leader by conference next year he will be unveiled as London Mayor candidate.
From what I hear the Tory establishment are already plotting to make Cleverly party leader and Seb Coe London Mayoral candidate by conference next year
Interesting, thanks! Not sure about Seb though, hes a funny one
Probably a strong candidate, though he'd be 72 by then. 8 years older than Farage, who'd have thought it. Maybe there is something in that tech bro blood transfusion eternal life thing
Just had fantastic service at A&E, seen, analysed, x-rayed and assessed in an hour.
Wanted to post about a very interesting seminar I went to yesterday as some very interesting approaches coming in relation to property and stable coin. An incredibly interesting day for even a Luddite like me.
Also v interesting about the regulation issues globally - never thought I would find regulation talks so interesting.
Will post what I can later when I stop vomming from pain and although limited what I can say about yesterday it was perfect timing with the BOE volte face on digital currencies.
Yesterday's events have obviously bought greater salience to something I have tried impressing upon people for the last two years. Whether we now begin to take more seriously the fears of the Jewish population is up to us.
Remember also that their plight is probably worse in several other European countries.
Good morning. The ghouls were out last night and it's not even Halloween. Wonder when we are going to read about someone being radicalised by PB?
Back on subject and looking at the forecast for my own 'safe' Tory seat which is supposed to go Reform. Knowing the local Reform people (ex-UKIP) they just don't have the skills to run a council given the level of issues to be dealt with locally. Scale that up to Westminster and if Reform do get in, then unless there is something like the Heritage Foundation or some well-financed Think Tank, then it will be more of a disaster than the previous 3 governments.
One can only hope there will be more defections of skilled and capable politicians to Reform before 2029 cos a Reform government won't be pretty.
I am in one of the seats showing conservative on this MRP, with Reform a close second. My Tory MP is one of the relatively sane ones, but there is no way that I would tactically vote for them when Jenrick will be running on the same platform as Reform.
If Kemi is replaced next year it will be Cleverly who replaces her by coronation as Tory MPs elected Howard by coronation to succeed IDS in 2003 and Sunak by coronation to replace Truss in 2022.
Tory voters who stayed loyal in 2024 and all voters prefer Cleverly too polls show, only Reform voters prefer Jenrick. Even Tory members rejected Jenrick last year
The best chance the Tories have is to select a leader who looks "prime ministerial" and is able to attract Reform-defectors who are queasy about the prospect of Nige in Downing Street. May also help with the fight with the LibDems. Cleverly appears the only option so far as I can see and, let's face it, he would have won the top job if the Tory MP's hadn't screwed up the leadership election. I think he must still feel in the game, as he accepted a job in the shadow cabinet (much like Howard becoming Shadow Chancellor under IDS when he might have reasonably retired).
There was some talk downstream about the SDP. Worth remembering that they brought to the party some serious politicians with cabinet experience - Jenkins, Owen, Williams plus several more competent juniors. So far, Reform has only Farage, who is no-one's idea of a competent man of government. And as for his followers - don't ask.
Whatever happen, Reform will prove short-lived. They either fail to maintain momentum, don't win the election, and then disappear when Farage steps down, and the Tories recover. Or else, they win, form a Government, and collapse under the pressure of office and events. Just imagine what a Reform-majority parliamentary party would look like. "Strong and stable"?
I suspect if Cleverley is not leader by conference next year he will be unveiled as London Mayor candidate.
From what I hear the Tory establishment are already plotting to make Cleverly party leader and Seb Coe London Mayoral candidate by conference next year
Then they deserve to die. Cleverly. lol
He would be the right choice to hold Sunak 2024 voters and get tactical votes from Labour and LD voters to beat Reform in Tory held seats and get a few swing voters in the top 50 Tory target seats which is the best the Tories can do at the next general election.
Jenrick won't beat Farage but if Cleverly enables the Conservatives to fight another day then Jenrick would be best placed to reunite the right after the next general election in a post Farage era
Some bonkers comments on here last night, of which @Big_G_NorthWales was not one of them.
"Antifa" is bonkers. Its an idea, not a terrorist organisation. I am antifa. But Big G is quoting someone important mentioning it - which makes it relevant to post on here.
What else did we have. "every sane Patriotic Brit" have to vote for Farage - Mr Russia who went to American demanding economic sanctions on us.
A "civil war" if Reform win the election or "eventual islamic takeover" if they don't. Riiiiiiiiight.
This forum is a microcosm of the real world. We have representatives from most elements of real world politics. And we need to try switching off and back on again as everyone has lost it.
Calm down. The “every sane patriotic Brit” remark was me having a giraffe. I know it winds up the Centrist Duds
For a start, you could ALSO vote for Advance
If you’d have suggested, fifty or sixty years ago, that London would have a Muslim mayor, entire neighbourhoods in big cities would be almost entirely Muslim, churches were disappearing but mosques were increasing, and there were half a dozen MPs elected solely on the back of a bloc of Islamic votes, they’d have called you an absolute loon who was scaremongering. And that’s not to mention 7/7, Lee Rigby, Manchester Arena etc
But that is where we are, and it’s regarded as completely normal. Actually it’s considered offensive to criticise, or even to merely point it out.
So why would it be odd if we were governed by an Islamic party or the country became majority Muslim in another fifty years or so? The demographics are pointing in that direction. Things change, they have already are are continuing to do so
Also: that white Britons would become a minority in their own capital city. Ditto Manchester and other cities
Unthinkable NF race-baiting 50 years ago. Now a fact
There’s some percentage of people who still care about melanin and genetics. I suspect it’s far larger than I would like but smaller than many worry. What’s really at stake here is not race but culture. It is multiculturalism that is at the heart of so much of this country’s failings.
Through complacency and a wish to avoid embarrassment of offence, our society now includes far too many people that wish violence and death on Jews, gays or non-believers. That see women as property rather than independently minded humans. That consider sexual relations with children as being religiously condoned, either through child marriage or cultural practices such as bacha bazi.
There was a time when something resembling an Islamic Enlightenment seemed as likely to be led by Britain as anywhere in the world. But we’ve made such a damn hash of our migration policies and compounded it with misguided multiculturalism. It is a pickle that will be far harder to resolve today than it would have been 20 years.
Heh. A female Arch Bishop. Let’s see how the Anglican Churches overseas react to that…
What about God? How will She react?
It's about time the monotheistic religions re-organized based on the views that really matter to them, to make things simpler for the rest of us ... e.g
Misogynists and homophobes - Orthodox, Roman Catholics, Islam, conservative Jews, conservative Anglicans and Protestants, white US Churchs
More liberal / airy fairy - CoE, liberal Jews, black US Churchs, Quakers, Methodists etc
Agree with most of that albeit black US Pentecostal churches tend to be more conservative on LGBT issues than white Methodist, Lutheran or Anglican churches for example
Some bonkers comments on here last night, of which @Big_G_NorthWales was not one of them.
"Antifa" is bonkers. Its an idea, not a terrorist organisation. I am antifa. But Big G is quoting someone important mentioning it - which makes it relevant to post on here.
What else did we have. "every sane Patriotic Brit" have to vote for Farage - Mr Russia who went to American demanding economic sanctions on us.
A "civil war" if Reform win the election or "eventual islamic takeover" if they don't. Riiiiiiiiight.
This forum is a microcosm of the real world. We have representatives from most elements of real world politics. And we need to try switching off and back on again as everyone has lost it.
Calm down. The “every sane patriotic Brit” remark was me having a giraffe. I know it winds up the Centrist Duds
For a start, you could ALSO vote for Advance
If you’d have suggested, fifty or sixty years ago, that London would have a Muslim mayor, entire neighbourhoods in big cities would be almost entirely Muslim, churches were disappearing but mosques were increasing, and there were half a dozen MPs elected solely on the back of a bloc of Islamic votes, they’d have called you an absolute loon who was scaremongering. And that’s not to mention 7/7, Lee Rigby, Manchester Arena etc
But that is where we are, and it’s regarded as completely normal. Actually it’s considered offensive to criticise, or even to merely point it out.
So why would it be odd if we were governed by an Islamic party or the country became majority Muslim in another fifty years or so? The demographics are pointing in that direction. Things change, they have already are are continuing to do so
I lived in Aldgate East in the last 1990s, which was 30 years ago, and had a Muslim landlord and all my neighbours were Muslims. Brick Lane and environs and all the areas heading towards Commercial Road and Commercial Street were all majority Muslim.
I went to a school in Bedford from the 80s to the 90s (Biddenham), that was majority Muslim.
The main thing I discovered from this is that Muslims (like Jews and atheists and Christians) are just like everybody else.
Or, let me put it another way, I do wonder if you or @Lenon actually have any close Musliim friends? Because I think when we don't know people in a particular group well, we tend to assume that they are (a) much more homogenous than they are, and (b) that they are much more different to us than they are,
I’m not criticising Muslims, saying they’re bad people/a bad religion, or anything negative, just saying what I think will happen based on what has happened and what I think will in the future based on my understanding of human behaviour. I don’t see that it matters whether I am friends with any Muslims or not but, even if I were, and they were just like everybody else , I still think we are eventually heading for an Islamic takeover of Britain. Actually you could argue that it’s because they’re just like everybody else that it is likely to happen.
The three year old data is particularly worrying and is a bit of a canary in the coalmine that this is NOT a covid cohort phenomenon and will in fact be ongoing. Gov't needs to get a grip on this, badly.
I didn't know until we buried my mother, so probably most people here don't know: Jewish cemeteries strongly recommend that you get insurance for the headstone.
Because the cemeteries are so often desecrated, the gravestones smashed.
Good morning. The ghouls were out last night and it's not even Halloween. Wonder when we are going to read about someone being radicalised by PB?
Back on subject and looking at the forecast for my own 'safe' Tory seat which is supposed to go Reform. Knowing the local Reform people (ex-UKIP) they just don't have the skills to run a council given the level of issues to be dealt with locally. Scale that up to Westminster and if Reform do get in, then unless there is something like the Heritage Foundation or some well-financed Think Tank, then it will be more of a disaster than the previous 3 governments.
One can only hope there will be more defections of skilled and capable politicians to Reform before 2029 cos a Reform government won't be pretty.
I am in one of the seats showing conservative on this MRP, with Reform a close second. My Tory MP is one of the relatively sane ones, but there is no way that I would tactically vote for them when Jenrick will be running on the same platform as Reform.
If Kemi is replaced next year it will be Cleverly who replaces her by coronation as Tory MPs elected Howard by coronation to succeed IDS in 2003 and Sunak by coronation to replace Truss in 2022.
Tory voters who stayed loyal in 2024 and all voters prefer Cleverly too polls show, only Reform voters prefer Jenrick. Even Tory members rejected Jenrick last year
The best chance the Tories have is to select a leader who looks "prime ministerial" and is able to attract Reform-defectors who are queasy about the prospect of Nige in Downing Street. May also help with the fight with the LibDems. Cleverly appears the only option so far as I can see and, let's face it, he would have won the top job if the Tory MP's hadn't screwed up the leadership election. I think he must still feel in the game, as he accepted a job in the shadow cabinet (much like Howard becoming Shadow Chancellor under IDS when he might have reasonably retired).
There was some talk downstream about the SDP. Worth remembering that they brought to the party some serious politicians with cabinet experience - Jenkins, Owen, Williams plus several more competent juniors. So far, Reform has only Farage, who is no-one's idea of a competent man of government. And as for his followers - don't ask.
Whatever happen, Reform will prove short-lived. They either fail to maintain momentum, don't win the election, and then disappear when Farage steps down, and the Tories recover. Or else, they win, form a Government, and collapse under the pressure of office and events. Just imagine what a Reform-majority parliamentary party would look like. "Strong and stable"?
I suspect if Cleverley is not leader by conference next year he will be unveiled as London Mayor candidate.
From what I hear the Tory establishment are already plotting to make Cleverly party leader and Seb Coe London Mayoral candidate by conference next year
How do you propose getting Kemi Badenoch to agree to this?
The betting doesn't reflect the view that she's toast next year. It's better than evens - so for anybody holding that view there's a great value bet crying out to be had.
Just had fantastic service at A&E, seen, analysed, x-rayed and assessed in an hour.
Wanted to post about a very interesting seminar I went to yesterday as some very interesting approaches coming in relation to property and stable coin. An incredibly interesting day for even a Luddite like me.
Also v interesting about the regulation issues globally - never thought I would find regulation talks so interesting.
Will post what I can later when I stop vomming from pain and although limited what I can say about yesterday it was perfect timing with the BOE volte face on digital currencies.
Hope you feel better soon.
My recent NHS experience was also good - in part. It took me a few weeks to get a referral to the hospital (I think due to my GP not actually requesting one at first...(*)), but when it finally came the referral was for a week's time. I was seen yesterday with only a ten-minute wait past the scheduled time, they took five x-rays, and I got basic results from my GP this morning.
(*) Though I think the GP might have been dissuaded by the following conversation: "So you've dislocated your shoulder, and your elbow is hurting." "Yes." "And you're in pain." "Yes." "But you've done two triathlons since." "Yes." "Despite being in pain?" My wife: "Yes, but that's the sort of stupid thing he does..."
The three year old data is particularly worrying and is a bit of a canary in the coalmine that this is NOT a covid cohort phenomenon and will in fact be ongoing. Gov't needs to get a grip on this, badly.
Local councils being left with an issue/problem that central government politicians don't want to face dealing with. Like adult social care:
"Councils have little control over this spending as it is determined by the statutory provision set out in EHCPs. Since the cost of provision has exceeded funding provided by central government, local authorities have faced large annual shortfalls. The resulting debts are forecast to reach £8 billion by 2028. This is not financially sustainable. Local authorities are not normally allowed to borrow for day-to- day spending and a ‘statutory override’ of these rules for school spending is set to expire in 2028. If left unchecked – and without top-ups to school spending plans – these spending pressures will likely imply real-terms cuts to mainstream school spending per pupil." (IFS report)
Yesterday's events have obviously bought greater salience to something I have tried impressing upon people for the last two years. Whether we now begin to take more seriously the fears of the Jewish population is up to us.
Remember also that their plight is probably worse in several other European countries.
What would you suggest needs to happen?
Is it simply a matter of resourcing the police and justice system so that they can make anti-Semitic hate crimes a higher priority than at present (along with all the other things we want them to focus on)?
Sarah Mulally as next ABP. The Church Times is a good place to watch.
The Church Times will have a lot of coverage from different angles, and you get two free articles a month with a free account, or it archives successfully. https://www.churchtimes.co.uk/
Next week's letters page will also be one to look at for a range of thoughtful views.
1 - Problems will be more international, rather than within the UK. There is potential for eg "Primus inter Pares" for the Anglican Communion to be split from "Archbishop of Canterbury" as a Via Media to keep the show on the road, or something similar. 2 - One significant point will be about how marginal the story becomes across our media. If it is niche, that speaks to a marginalisation of the Church of England, and the Bishops in the Lords are at risk. 3 - When listening to Justin Welby's poorly judged standing-down speech in the Lords (and I've generally been a fan on JW) she had a face like thunder throughout afaics, whilst the male Bishops sitting behind chuckled a little at his couple of quips. That is a positive indicator, perhaps. 4 - Some have personal questions about her on things in London Diocese. I don't know enough to comment on how material these are. https://youtu.be/2Uerg54oTJQ?t=283
Starmer warmly welcome Mullally's appointment so the Bishops look safe in the Lords with him.
Farage wants a fully elected upper house anyway, so there would be no Lords to be in with a Reform government. Albeit Farage still describes himself as a lapsed Anglican, Davey is a practising Anglican
Does Sir Keir's announcement go beyond normal Prime Ministerial politeness at such a time?
One thing I would encourage in such circumstances as an elected House of Lords would be for one or several "Bishops with an apostolate to public life and the world of politics" to stand for election to such a House of Lords.
The Ministry of the House of Bishops is collegial as well as each Bishop having their own ministry, so such a concept is in keeping with tradition, and a good model fitting in with a diverse society.
That would be interesting.
I would treasure the reaction of the National Secular Society if a group of Bishops were elected to the House of Lords.
On current polls a third of an elected Lords would be Christian Nationalist Reform Senators even with PR who would make the C of E Bishops in the Lords look like woke liberals by comparison
The three year old data is particularly worrying and is a bit of a canary in the coalmine that this is NOT a covid cohort phenomenon and will in fact be ongoing. Gov't needs to get a grip on this, badly.
There is, IIRC, one year cohort in which more than 50% of welsh schoolchildren are registered as special needs. Apparently once the child is statemented (as I think they used to say) the benefits are easier to get. So there is a moral hazard.
Some bonkers comments on here last night, of which @Big_G_NorthWales was not one of them.
"Antifa" is bonkers. Its an idea, not a terrorist organisation. I am antifa. But Big G is quoting someone important mentioning it - which makes it relevant to post on here.
What else did we have. "every sane Patriotic Brit" have to vote for Farage - Mr Russia who went to American demanding economic sanctions on us.
A "civil war" if Reform win the election or "eventual islamic takeover" if they don't. Riiiiiiiiight.
This forum is a microcosm of the real world. We have representatives from most elements of real world politics. And we need to try switching off and back on again as everyone has lost it.
Calm down. The “every sane patriotic Brit” remark was me having a giraffe. I know it winds up the Centrist Duds
For a start, you could ALSO vote for Advance
If you’d have suggested, fifty or sixty years ago, that London would have a Muslim mayor, entire neighbourhoods in big cities would be almost entirely Muslim, churches were disappearing but mosques were increasing, and there were half a dozen MPs elected solely on the back of a bloc of Islamic votes, they’d have called you an absolute loon who was scaremongering. And that’s not to mention 7/7, Lee Rigby, Manchester Arena etc
But that is where we are, and it’s regarded as completely normal. Actually it’s considered offensive to criticise, or even to merely point it out.
So why would it be odd if we were governed by an Islamic party or the country became majority Muslim in another fifty years or so? The demographics are pointing in that direction. Things change, they have already are are continuing to do so
I lived in Aldgate East in the last 1990s, which was 30 years ago, and had a Muslim landlord and all my neighbours were Muslims. Brick Lane and environs and all the areas heading towards Commercial Road and Commercial Street were all majority Muslim.
I went to a school in Bedford from the 80s to the 90s (Biddenham), that was majority Muslim.
The main thing I discovered from this is that Muslims (like Jews and atheists and Christians) are just like everybody else.
Or, let me put it another way, I do wonder if you or @Lenon actually have any close Musliim friends? Because I think when we don't know people in a particular group well, we tend to assume that they are (a) much more homogenous than they are, and (b) that they are much more different to us than they are,
I’m not criticising Muslims, saying they’re bad people/a bad religion, or anything negative, just saying what I think will happen based on what has happened and what I think will in the future based on my understanding of human behaviour. I don’t see that it matters whether I am friends with any Muslims or not but, even if I were, and they were just like everybody else , I still think we are eventually heading for an Islamic takeover of Britain. Actually you could argue that it’s because they’re just like everybody else that it is likely to happen.
Personally I think the western lifestyle will eventually seduce them away from religion, as it has to the West. The UK is a Christian country in name only - most Brits are not actively religious (once a year at Christmas does not count).
Good morning. The ghouls were out last night and it's not even Halloween. Wonder when we are going to read about someone being radicalised by PB?
Back on subject and looking at the forecast for my own 'safe' Tory seat which is supposed to go Reform. Knowing the local Reform people (ex-UKIP) they just don't have the skills to run a council given the level of issues to be dealt with locally. Scale that up to Westminster and if Reform do get in, then unless there is something like the Heritage Foundation or some well-financed Think Tank, then it will be more of a disaster than the previous 3 governments.
One can only hope there will be more defections of skilled and capable politicians to Reform before 2029 cos a Reform government won't be pretty.
I am in one of the seats showing conservative on this MRP, with Reform a close second. My Tory MP is one of the relatively sane ones, but there is no way that I would tactically vote for them when Jenrick will be running on the same platform as Reform.
If Kemi is replaced next year it will be Cleverly who replaces her by coronation as Tory MPs elected Howard by coronation to succeed IDS in 2003 and Sunak by coronation to replace Truss in 2022.
Tory voters who stayed loyal in 2024 and all voters prefer Cleverly too polls show, only Reform voters prefer Jenrick. Even Tory members rejected Jenrick last year
The best chance the Tories have is to select a leader who looks "prime ministerial" and is able to attract Reform-defectors who are queasy about the prospect of Nige in Downing Street. May also help with the fight with the LibDems. Cleverly appears the only option so far as I can see and, let's face it, he would have won the top job if the Tory MP's hadn't screwed up the leadership election. I think he must still feel in the game, as he accepted a job in the shadow cabinet (much like Howard becoming Shadow Chancellor under IDS when he might have reasonably retired).
There was some talk downstream about the SDP. Worth remembering that they brought to the party some serious politicians with cabinet experience - Jenkins, Owen, Williams plus several more competent juniors. So far, Reform has only Farage, who is no-one's idea of a competent man of government. And as for his followers - don't ask.
Whatever happen, Reform will prove short-lived. They either fail to maintain momentum, don't win the election, and then disappear when Farage steps down, and the Tories recover. Or else, they win, form a Government, and collapse under the pressure of office and events. Just imagine what a Reform-majority parliamentary party would look like. "Strong and stable"?
I suspect if Cleverley is not leader by conference next year he will be unveiled as London Mayor candidate.
From what I hear the Tory establishment are already plotting to make Cleverly party leader and Seb Coe London Mayoral candidate by conference next year
How do you propose getting Kemi Badenoch to agree to this?
Same as usual.
Men in grey suits/white coats. It's hardly ever a formal VONC.
Some of these awards are 'gateways'. If you get this, you might be a related payment to the parent or carer. It is a payment for the parent/carer who might be unable to work full-time. Benefits like most things in government are complex because people are complex and their individual circumstances are varied.
Having spent quite a bit of time in this area, the bottom line is there is not enough money in the world to sort these issues. The only debate is how much to whom for how long.
Good morning. The ghouls were out last night and it's not even Halloween. Wonder when we are going to read about someone being radicalised by PB?
Back on subject and looking at the forecast for my own 'safe' Tory seat which is supposed to go Reform. Knowing the local Reform people (ex-UKIP) they just don't have the skills to run a council given the level of issues to be dealt with locally. Scale that up to Westminster and if Reform do get in, then unless there is something like the Heritage Foundation or some well-financed Think Tank, then it will be more of a disaster than the previous 3 governments.
One can only hope there will be more defections of skilled and capable politicians to Reform before 2029 cos a Reform government won't be pretty.
I am in one of the seats showing conservative on this MRP, with Reform a close second. My Tory MP is one of the relatively sane ones, but there is no way that I would tactically vote for them when Jenrick will be running on the same platform as Reform.
If Kemi is replaced next year it will be Cleverly who replaces her by coronation as Tory MPs elected Howard by coronation to succeed IDS in 2003 and Sunak by coronation to replace Truss in 2022.
Tory voters who stayed loyal in 2024 and all voters prefer Cleverly too polls show, only Reform voters prefer Jenrick. Even Tory members rejected Jenrick last year
The best chance the Tories have is to select a leader who looks "prime ministerial" and is able to attract Reform-defectors who are queasy about the prospect of Nige in Downing Street. May also help with the fight with the LibDems. Cleverly appears the only option so far as I can see and, let's face it, he would have won the top job if the Tory MP's hadn't screwed up the leadership election. I think he must still feel in the game, as he accepted a job in the shadow cabinet (much like Howard becoming Shadow Chancellor under IDS when he might have reasonably retired).
There was some talk downstream about the SDP. Worth remembering that they brought to the party some serious politicians with cabinet experience - Jenkins, Owen, Williams plus several more competent juniors. So far, Reform has only Farage, who is no-one's idea of a competent man of government. And as for his followers - don't ask.
Whatever happen, Reform will prove short-lived. They either fail to maintain momentum, don't win the election, and then disappear when Farage steps down, and the Tories recover. Or else, they win, form a Government, and collapse under the pressure of office and events. Just imagine what a Reform-majority parliamentary party would look like. "Strong and stable"?
I suspect if Cleverley is not leader by conference next year he will be unveiled as London Mayor candidate.
From what I hear the Tory establishment are already plotting to make Cleverly party leader and Seb Coe London Mayoral candidate by conference next year
How do you propose getting Kemi Badenoch to agree to this?
She would lose a VONC if she has not improved Tory poll ratings. Most Jenrick backing MPs have been plotting for months to oust her and increasingly Cleverly backing MPs now want her gone too. Remember only a third of Tory MPs backed Kemi in the final ballot of Tory MPs last year
Just had fantastic service at A&E, seen, analysed, x-rayed and assessed in an hour.
Wanted to post about a very interesting seminar I went to yesterday as some very interesting approaches coming in relation to property and stable coin. An incredibly interesting day for even a Luddite like me.
Also v interesting about the regulation issues globally - never thought I would find regulation talks so interesting.
Will post what I can later when I stop vomming from pain and although limited what I can say about yesterday it was perfect timing with the BOE volte face on digital currencies.
Hope you feel better soon.
My recent NHS experience was also good - in part. It took me a few weeks to get a referral to the hospital (I think due to my GP not actually requesting one at first...(*)), but when it finally came the referral was for a week's time. I was seen yesterday with only a ten-minute wait past the scheduled time, they took five x-rays, and I got basic results from my GP this morning.
(*) Though I think the GP might have been dissuaded by the following conversation: "So you've dislocated your shoulder, and your elbow is hurting." "Yes." "And you're in pain." "Yes." "But you've done two triathlons since." "Yes." "Despite being in pain?" My wife: "Yes, but that's the sort of stupid thing he does..."
(GP shrugs and sends the request to /dev/null)
My wife who has completed over 25 marathons and countless off road races, was hit from behind while driving and suffered a slipped disc. Really bad pain for months, an injection helped (too late really) but lasting effects. Still loves running though.
During her insurance claim I was paranoid that some wanker would realise she was still (trying) running, albeit no more road marathons and significantly battling a lot of pain to do it.
Good morning. The ghouls were out last night and it's not even Halloween. Wonder when we are going to read about someone being radicalised by PB?
Back on subject and looking at the forecast for my own 'safe' Tory seat which is supposed to go Reform. Knowing the local Reform people (ex-UKIP) they just don't have the skills to run a council given the level of issues to be dealt with locally. Scale that up to Westminster and if Reform do get in, then unless there is something like the Heritage Foundation or some well-financed Think Tank, then it will be more of a disaster than the previous 3 governments.
One can only hope there will be more defections of skilled and capable politicians to Reform before 2029 cos a Reform government won't be pretty.
I am in one of the seats showing conservative on this MRP, with Reform a close second. My Tory MP is one of the relatively sane ones, but there is no way that I would tactically vote for them when Jenrick will be running on the same platform as Reform.
If Kemi is replaced next year it will be Cleverly who replaces her by coronation as Tory MPs elected Howard by coronation to succeed IDS in 2003 and Sunak by coronation to replace Truss in 2022.
Tory voters who stayed loyal in 2024 and all voters prefer Cleverly too polls show, only Reform voters prefer Jenrick. Even Tory members rejected Jenrick last year
The best chance the Tories have is to select a leader who looks "prime ministerial" and is able to attract Reform-defectors who are queasy about the prospect of Nige in Downing Street. May also help with the fight with the LibDems. Cleverly appears the only option so far as I can see and, let's face it, he would have won the top job if the Tory MP's hadn't screwed up the leadership election. I think he must still feel in the game, as he accepted a job in the shadow cabinet (much like Howard becoming Shadow Chancellor under IDS when he might have reasonably retired).
There was some talk downstream about the SDP. Worth remembering that they brought to the party some serious politicians with cabinet experience - Jenkins, Owen, Williams plus several more competent juniors. So far, Reform has only Farage, who is no-one's idea of a competent man of government. And as for his followers - don't ask.
Whatever happen, Reform will prove short-lived. They either fail to maintain momentum, don't win the election, and then disappear when Farage steps down, and the Tories recover. Or else, they win, form a Government, and collapse under the pressure of office and events. Just imagine what a Reform-majority parliamentary party would look like. "Strong and stable"?
I suspect if Cleverley is not leader by conference next year he will be unveiled as London Mayor candidate.
From what I hear the Tory establishment are already plotting to make Cleverly party leader and Seb Coe London Mayoral candidate by conference next year
How do you propose getting Kemi Badenoch to agree to this?
She would lose a VONC if she has not improved Tory poll ratings. Most Jenrick backing MPs have been plotting for months to oust her and increasingly Cleverly backing MPs now want her gone too. Remember only a third of Tory MPs backed Kemi in the final ballot of Tory MPs last year
Are you expecting any noisy defections around conference or is 2025 still too early?
Good morning. The ghouls were out last night and it's not even Halloween. Wonder when we are going to read about someone being radicalised by PB?
Back on subject and looking at the forecast for my own 'safe' Tory seat which is supposed to go Reform. Knowing the local Reform people (ex-UKIP) they just don't have the skills to run a council given the level of issues to be dealt with locally. Scale that up to Westminster and if Reform do get in, then unless there is something like the Heritage Foundation or some well-financed Think Tank, then it will be more of a disaster than the previous 3 governments.
One can only hope there will be more defections of skilled and capable politicians to Reform before 2029 cos a Reform government won't be pretty.
I am in one of the seats showing conservative on this MRP, with Reform a close second. My Tory MP is one of the relatively sane ones, but there is no way that I would tactically vote for them when Jenrick will be running on the same platform as Reform.
If Kemi is replaced next year it will be Cleverly who replaces her by coronation as Tory MPs elected Howard by coronation to succeed IDS in 2003 and Sunak by coronation to replace Truss in 2022.
Tory voters who stayed loyal in 2024 and all voters prefer Cleverly too polls show, only Reform voters prefer Jenrick. Even Tory members rejected Jenrick last year
The best chance the Tories have is to select a leader who looks "prime ministerial" and is able to attract Reform-defectors who are queasy about the prospect of Nige in Downing Street. May also help with the fight with the LibDems. Cleverly appears the only option so far as I can see and, let's face it, he would have won the top job if the Tory MP's hadn't screwed up the leadership election. I think he must still feel in the game, as he accepted a job in the shadow cabinet (much like Howard becoming Shadow Chancellor under IDS when he might have reasonably retired).
There was some talk downstream about the SDP. Worth remembering that they brought to the party some serious politicians with cabinet experience - Jenkins, Owen, Williams plus several more competent juniors. So far, Reform has only Farage, who is no-one's idea of a competent man of government. And as for his followers - don't ask.
Whatever happen, Reform will prove short-lived. They either fail to maintain momentum, don't win the election, and then disappear when Farage steps down, and the Tories recover. Or else, they win, form a Government, and collapse under the pressure of office and events. Just imagine what a Reform-majority parliamentary party would look like. "Strong and stable"?
I suspect if Cleverley is not leader by conference next year he will be unveiled as London Mayor candidate.
From what I hear the Tory establishment are already plotting to make Cleverly party leader and Seb Coe London Mayoral candidate by conference next year
How do you propose getting Kemi Badenoch to agree to this?
She would lose a VONC if she has not improved Tory poll ratings. Most Jenrick backing MPs have been plotting for months to oust her and increasingly Cleverly backing MPs now want her gone too. Remember only a third of Tory MPs backed Kemi in the final ballot of Tory MPs last year
Are you expecting any noisy defections around conference or is 2025 still too early?
Better not be Cleverly or Plan A is out the window faster than a failing Russian general.
Some of these awards are 'gateways'. If you get this, you might be a related payment to the parent or carer. It is a payment for the parent/carer who might be unable to work full-time. Benefits like most things in government are complex because people are complex and their individual circumstances are varied.
Having spent quite a bit of time in this area, the bottom line is there is not enough money in the world to sort these issues. The only debate is how much to whom for how long.
It feels like if you want the welfare state to survive you need to support a medium-ish hard cap. Free for all is just accelerationism.
Some bonkers comments on here last night, of which @Big_G_NorthWales was not one of them.
"Antifa" is bonkers. Its an idea, not a terrorist organisation. I am antifa. But Big G is quoting someone important mentioning it - which makes it relevant to post on here.
What else did we have. "every sane Patriotic Brit" have to vote for Farage - Mr Russia who went to American demanding economic sanctions on us.
A "civil war" if Reform win the election or "eventual islamic takeover" if they don't. Riiiiiiiiight.
This forum is a microcosm of the real world. We have representatives from most elements of real world politics. And we need to try switching off and back on again as everyone has lost it.
Calm down. The “every sane patriotic Brit” remark was me having a giraffe. I know it winds up the Centrist Duds
For a start, you could ALSO vote for Advance
If you’d have suggested, fifty or sixty years ago, that London would have a Muslim mayor, entire neighbourhoods in big cities would be almost entirely Muslim, churches were disappearing but mosques were increasing, and there were half a dozen MPs elected solely on the back of a bloc of Islamic votes, they’d have called you an absolute loon who was scaremongering. And that’s not to mention 7/7, Lee Rigby, Manchester Arena etc
But that is where we are, and it’s regarded as completely normal. Actually it’s considered offensive to criticise, or even to merely point it out.
So why would it be odd if we were governed by an Islamic party or the country became majority Muslim in another fifty years or so? The demographics are pointing in that direction. Things change, they have already are are continuing to do so
I lived in Aldgate East in the last 1990s, which was 30 years ago, and had a Muslim landlord and all my neighbours were Muslims. Brick Lane and environs and all the areas heading towards Commercial Road and Commercial Street were all majority Muslim.
I went to a school in Bedford from the 80s to the 90s (Biddenham), that was majority Muslim.
The main thing I discovered from this is that Muslims (like Jews and atheists and Christians) are just like everybody else.
Or, let me put it another way, I do wonder if you or @Lenon actually have any close Musliim friends? Because I think when we don't know people in a particular group well, we tend to assume that they are (a) much more homogenous than they are, and (b) that they are much more different to us than they are,
The fact that many are voting along religious lines suggests a greater degree of homogeneity than you suggest.
BES: The key is incomplete (source graph to play around with) but the most homogenous (as in largest groups for any particular party, but still minorities) are Jewish and Sikh people, it seems. The darker green line for Muslims is independents (of any type), the lighter one being the Green Party. The purple is not UKIP(!) but 'other'
ETA: hmm, not sure why Vanilla has tinified the graph - have to follow the link instead. Have we been doing too much uploading?
Just had fantastic service at A&E, seen, analysed, x-rayed and assessed in an hour.
Wanted to post about a very interesting seminar I went to yesterday as some very interesting approaches coming in relation to property and stable coin. An incredibly interesting day for even a Luddite like me.
Also v interesting about the regulation issues globally - never thought I would find regulation talks so interesting.
Will post what I can later when I stop vomming from pain and although limited what I can say about yesterday it was perfect timing with the BOE volte face on digital currencies.
Hope you feel better soon.
My recent NHS experience was also good - in part. It took me a few weeks to get a referral to the hospital (I think due to my GP not actually requesting one at first...(*)), but when it finally came the referral was for a week's time. I was seen yesterday with only a ten-minute wait past the scheduled time, they took five x-rays, and I got basic results from my GP this morning.
(*) Though I think the GP might have been dissuaded by the following conversation: "So you've dislocated your shoulder, and your elbow is hurting." "Yes." "And you're in pain." "Yes." "But you've done two triathlons since." "Yes." "Despite being in pain?" My wife: "Yes, but that's the sort of stupid thing he does..."
(GP shrugs and sends the request to /dev/null)
I’m currently in Emergency Surgery, at Luton & Dunstable, after a bad accident, and they have been outstanding. This is the second occasion they’ve saved my life (the first being appendicitis in 2013).
The three year old data is particularly worrying and is a bit of a canary in the coalmine that this is NOT a covid cohort phenomenon and will in fact be ongoing. Gov't needs to get a grip on this, badly.
Ultimately this is about the normalisation of disability and the extension of what it means to be disabled. My students that have DAPs (disability action plans) most often are 'anxious' or 'stressed' or 'depressed'. Things that in previous times we accepted as part of life. Is it better or worse what we do now?
Some bonkers comments on here last night, of which @Big_G_NorthWales was not one of them.
"Antifa" is bonkers. Its an idea, not a terrorist organisation. I am antifa. But Big G is quoting someone important mentioning it - which makes it relevant to post on here.
What else did we have. "every sane Patriotic Brit" have to vote for Farage - Mr Russia who went to American demanding economic sanctions on us.
A "civil war" if Reform win the election or "eventual islamic takeover" if they don't. Riiiiiiiiight.
This forum is a microcosm of the real world. We have representatives from most elements of real world politics. And we need to try switching off and back on again as everyone has lost it.
Calm down. The “every sane patriotic Brit” remark was me having a giraffe. I know it winds up the Centrist Duds
For a start, you could ALSO vote for Advance
If you’d have suggested, fifty or sixty years ago, that London would have a Muslim mayor, entire neighbourhoods in big cities would be almost entirely Muslim, churches were disappearing but mosques were increasing, and there were half a dozen MPs elected solely on the back of a bloc of Islamic votes, they’d have called you an absolute loon who was scaremongering. And that’s not to mention 7/7, Lee Rigby, Manchester Arena etc
But that is where we are, and it’s regarded as completely normal. Actually it’s considered offensive to criticise, or even to merely point it out.
So why would it be odd if we were governed by an Islamic party or the country became majority Muslim in another fifty years or so? The demographics are pointing in that direction. Things change, they have already are are continuing to do so
I lived in Aldgate East in the last 1990s, which was 30 years ago, and had a Muslim landlord and all my neighbours were Muslims. Brick Lane and environs and all the areas heading towards Commercial Road and Commercial Street were all majority Muslim.
I went to a school in Bedford from the 80s to the 90s (Biddenham), that was majority Muslim.
The main thing I discovered from this is that Muslims (like Jews and atheists and Christians) are just like everybody else.
Or, let me put it another way, I do wonder if you or @Lenon actually have any close Musliim friends? Because I think when we don't know people in a particular group well, we tend to assume that they are (a) much more homogenous than they are, and (b) that they are much more different to us than they are,
The fact that many are voting along religious lines suggests a greater degree of homogeneity than you suggest.
What numbers do you have to show that “many” are voting along religious lines? Does that differ from other religious groups in the country?
Not, of course, that voting behaviour is the be all and end all of most people’s lives, so there can be great heterogeneity among people voting the same way.
Some bonkers comments on here last night, of which @Big_G_NorthWales was not one of them.
"Antifa" is bonkers. Its an idea, not a terrorist organisation. I am antifa. But Big G is quoting someone important mentioning it - which makes it relevant to post on here.
What else did we have. "every sane Patriotic Brit" have to vote for Farage - Mr Russia who went to American demanding economic sanctions on us.
A "civil war" if Reform win the election or "eventual islamic takeover" if they don't. Riiiiiiiiight.
This forum is a microcosm of the real world. We have representatives from most elements of real world politics. And we need to try switching off and back on again as everyone has lost it.
Calm down. The “every sane patriotic Brit” remark was me having a giraffe. I know it winds up the Centrist Duds
For a start, you could ALSO vote for Advance
If you’d have suggested, fifty or sixty years ago, that London would have a Muslim mayor, entire neighbourhoods in big cities would be almost entirely Muslim, churches were disappearing but mosques were increasing, and there were half a dozen MPs elected solely on the back of a bloc of Islamic votes, they’d have called you an absolute loon who was scaremongering. And that’s not to mention 7/7, Lee Rigby, Manchester Arena etc
But that is where we are, and it’s regarded as completely normal. Actually it’s considered offensive to criticise, or even to merely point it out.
So why would it be odd if we were governed by an Islamic party or the country became majority Muslim in another fifty years or so? The demographics are pointing in that direction. Things change, they have already are are continuing to do so
Also: that white Britons would become a minority in their own capital city. Ditto Manchester and other cities
Unthinkable NF race-baiting 50 years ago. Now a fact
We've already covered the White Britons in London ambiguity part extensively, though. White anglo/celts are probably a minority in London, whereas White Britons probably aren't, due to the government still not clarifying the census categories correctly.
“In London, the 2021 UK Census showed that about 37% of Londoners identified as “White: English, Welsh, Scottish, Northern Irish or British” — that’s the classic “White British” category”
And that is BEFORE the Boriswave. The percentage will be notably lower, now
As we've discussed extensively on this, British is a civic category dating to 1707, not an ethnicity. A large number of white and British Londoners are not putting that on the census, because they think it means only english or celtic.
What a load of obfuscating bollocks. We can only go by self ID. Unless you want to go out and do the pencil test on everyone
In the 2021 census white Britons - self identified - constituted 37% of Londoners. And, given the speed of the fall since 1990 and the advent of the Boriswave, that number will be even lower now, and still falling
It’s called “white flight”. It happened to American cities and now it’s happening - very fast - in European cities
You need to clarify the categories first, before making the descriptions. In recent censuses, hundreds of thousands of people in London who are likely British citizens have put themselves down as "white irish", for instance.
That's even before the huge number of Britons of Continental origin here, many of them born in Britain.
My lad (born in Germany, identifies as White European) has just moved down to London from the Midlands. I've not been to London much, but I have to say it seems noticably more relaxed and friendly than I remember it being. For example, just minutes after we arrived and parked up with his stuff, my lad was unfortunately shat upon by a pigeon; a doorman at a nearby hotel noticed, and immediately ran inside to get a tissue for him. And since moving there he keeps getting offered free food by the market traders near his flat. So far so good!
The three year old data is particularly worrying and is a bit of a canary in the coalmine that this is NOT a covid cohort phenomenon and will in fact be ongoing. Gov't needs to get a grip on this, badly.
Ultimately this is about the normalisation of disability and the extension of what it means to be disabled. My students that have DAPs (disability action plans) most often are 'anxious' or 'stressed' or 'depressed'. Things that in previous times we accepted as part of life. Is it better or worse what we do now?
The three year old data is particularly worrying and is a bit of a canary in the coalmine that this is NOT a covid cohort phenomenon and will in fact be ongoing. Gov't needs to get a grip on this, badly.
Ultimately this is about the normalisation of disability and the extension of what it means to be disabled. My students that have DAPs (disability action plans) most often are 'anxious' or 'stressed' or 'depressed'. Things that in previous times we accepted as part of life. Is it better or worse what we do now?
Good morning. The ghouls were out last night and it's not even Halloween. Wonder when we are going to read about someone being radicalised by PB?
Back on subject and looking at the forecast for my own 'safe' Tory seat which is supposed to go Reform. Knowing the local Reform people (ex-UKIP) they just don't have the skills to run a council given the level of issues to be dealt with locally. Scale that up to Westminster and if Reform do get in, then unless there is something like the Heritage Foundation or some well-financed Think Tank, then it will be more of a disaster than the previous 3 governments.
One can only hope there will be more defections of skilled and capable politicians to Reform before 2029 cos a Reform government won't be pretty.
I am in one of the seats showing conservative on this MRP, with Reform a close second. My Tory MP is one of the relatively sane ones, but there is no way that I would tactically vote for them when Jenrick will be running on the same platform as Reform.
If Kemi is replaced next year it will be Cleverly who replaces her by coronation as Tory MPs elected Howard by coronation to succeed IDS in 2003 and Sunak by coronation to replace Truss in 2022.
Tory voters who stayed loyal in 2024 and all voters prefer Cleverly too polls show, only Reform voters prefer Jenrick. Even Tory members rejected Jenrick last year
The best chance the Tories have is to select a leader who looks "prime ministerial" and is able to attract Reform-defectors who are queasy about the prospect of Nige in Downing Street. May also help with the fight with the LibDems. Cleverly appears the only option so far as I can see and, let's face it, he would have won the top job if the Tory MP's hadn't screwed up the leadership election. I think he must still feel in the game, as he accepted a job in the shadow cabinet (much like Howard becoming Shadow Chancellor under IDS when he might have reasonably retired).
There was some talk downstream about the SDP. Worth remembering that they brought to the party some serious politicians with cabinet experience - Jenkins, Owen, Williams plus several more competent juniors. So far, Reform has only Farage, who is no-one's idea of a competent man of government. And as for his followers - don't ask.
Whatever happen, Reform will prove short-lived. They either fail to maintain momentum, don't win the election, and then disappear when Farage steps down, and the Tories recover. Or else, they win, form a Government, and collapse under the pressure of office and events. Just imagine what a Reform-majority parliamentary party would look like. "Strong and stable"?
I suspect if Cleverley is not leader by conference next year he will be unveiled as London Mayor candidate.
From what I hear the Tory establishment are already plotting to make Cleverly party leader and Seb Coe London Mayoral candidate by conference next year
How do you propose getting Kemi Badenoch to agree to this?
She would lose a VONC if she has not improved Tory poll ratings. Most Jenrick backing MPs have been plotting for months to oust her and increasingly Cleverly backing MPs now want her gone too. Remember only a third of Tory MPs backed Kemi in the final ballot of Tory MPs last year
Are you expecting any noisy defections around conference or is 2025 still too early?
Mark Francois, Andrew Rosindell and Edward Leigh will be on Reform defection watch but I expect them to stay for now. Francois is a friend of Cleverly though he ran Jenrick's leadership campaign
Just had fantastic service at A&E, seen, analysed, x-rayed and assessed in an hour.
Wanted to post about a very interesting seminar I went to yesterday as some very interesting approaches coming in relation to property and stable coin. An incredibly interesting day for even a Luddite like me.
Also v interesting about the regulation issues globally - never thought I would find regulation talks so interesting.
Will post what I can later when I stop vomming from pain and although limited what I can say about yesterday it was perfect timing with the BOE volte face on digital currencies.
Hope you feel better soon.
My recent NHS experience was also good - in part. It took me a few weeks to get a referral to the hospital (I think due to my GP not actually requesting one at first...(*)), but when it finally came the referral was for a week's time. I was seen yesterday with only a ten-minute wait past the scheduled time, they took five x-rays, and I got basic results from my GP this morning.
(*) Though I think the GP might have been dissuaded by the following conversation: "So you've dislocated your shoulder, and your elbow is hurting." "Yes." "And you're in pain." "Yes." "But you've done two triathlons since." "Yes." "Despite being in pain?" My wife: "Yes, but that's the sort of stupid thing he does..."
(GP shrugs and sends the request to /dev/null)
I’m currently in Emergency Surgery, at Luton & Dunstable, after a bad accident, and they have been outstanding. This is the second occasion they’ve saved my life (the first being appendicitis in 2013).
Sending best wishes for a full and speedy recovery at the L&D.
I've just had my x-ray results from yesterday. My elbow, which is hurting, is fine. My shoulder, which is not hurting, has a loose bone fragment in it.
I have to conclude that I am weird...
Good luck with both! There are, of course, many things that don’t show up on an X-ray that can cause pain. You’ll probably get exercises from a physiotherapist.
Good morning. The ghouls were out last night and it's not even Halloween. Wonder when we are going to read about someone being radicalised by PB?
Back on subject and looking at the forecast for my own 'safe' Tory seat which is supposed to go Reform. Knowing the local Reform people (ex-UKIP) they just don't have the skills to run a council given the level of issues to be dealt with locally. Scale that up to Westminster and if Reform do get in, then unless there is something like the Heritage Foundation or some well-financed Think Tank, then it will be more of a disaster than the previous 3 governments.
One can only hope there will be more defections of skilled and capable politicians to Reform before 2029 cos a Reform government won't be pretty.
I am in one of the seats showing conservative on this MRP, with Reform a close second. My Tory MP is one of the relatively sane ones, but there is no way that I would tactically vote for them when Jenrick will be running on the same platform as Reform.
If Kemi is replaced next year it will be Cleverly who replaces her by coronation as Tory MPs elected Howard by coronation to succeed IDS in 2003 and Sunak by coronation to replace Truss in 2022.
Tory voters who stayed loyal in 2024 and all voters prefer Cleverly too polls show, only Reform voters prefer Jenrick. Even Tory members rejected Jenrick last year
The best chance the Tories have is to select a leader who looks "prime ministerial" and is able to attract Reform-defectors who are queasy about the prospect of Nige in Downing Street. May also help with the fight with the LibDems. Cleverly appears the only option so far as I can see and, let's face it, he would have won the top job if the Tory MP's hadn't screwed up the leadership election. I think he must still feel in the game, as he accepted a job in the shadow cabinet (much like Howard becoming Shadow Chancellor under IDS when he might have reasonably retired).
There was some talk downstream about the SDP. Worth remembering that they brought to the party some serious politicians with cabinet experience - Jenkins, Owen, Williams plus several more competent juniors. So far, Reform has only Farage, who is no-one's idea of a competent man of government. And as for his followers - don't ask.
Whatever happen, Reform will prove short-lived. They either fail to maintain momentum, don't win the election, and then disappear when Farage steps down, and the Tories recover. Or else, they win, form a Government, and collapse under the pressure of office and events. Just imagine what a Reform-majority parliamentary party would look like. "Strong and stable"?
I suspect if Cleverley is not leader by conference next year he will be unveiled as London Mayor candidate.
From what I hear the Tory establishment are already plotting to make Cleverly party leader and Seb Coe London Mayoral candidate by conference next year
How do you propose getting Kemi Badenoch to agree to this?
She would lose a VONC if she has not improved Tory poll ratings. Most Jenrick backing MPs have been plotting for months to oust her and increasingly Cleverly backing MPs now want her gone too. Remember only a third of Tory MPs backed Kemi in the final ballot of Tory MPs last year
Are you expecting any noisy defections around conference or is 2025 still too early?
Mark Francois, Andrew Rosindell and Edward Leigh will be on Reform defection watch but I expect them to stay for now. Francois is a friend of Cleverly though he ran Jenrick's leadership campaign
Given whatever scuttlebutt caused Andy R to be absent himself from Parliament all that time, the whips presumably have a fair bit in their black book to keep him on the right track.
Just had fantastic service at A&E, seen, analysed, x-rayed and assessed in an hour.
Wanted to post about a very interesting seminar I went to yesterday as some very interesting approaches coming in relation to property and stable coin. An incredibly interesting day for even a Luddite like me.
Also v interesting about the regulation issues globally - never thought I would find regulation talks so interesting.
Will post what I can later when I stop vomming from pain and although limited what I can say about yesterday it was perfect timing with the BOE volte face on digital currencies.
Hope you feel better soon.
My recent NHS experience was also good - in part. It took me a few weeks to get a referral to the hospital (I think due to my GP not actually requesting one at first...(*)), but when it finally came the referral was for a week's time. I was seen yesterday with only a ten-minute wait past the scheduled time, they took five x-rays, and I got basic results from my GP this morning.
(*) Though I think the GP might have been dissuaded by the following conversation: "So you've dislocated your shoulder, and your elbow is hurting." "Yes." "And you're in pain." "Yes." "But you've done two triathlons since." "Yes." "Despite being in pain?" My wife: "Yes, but that's the sort of stupid thing he does..."
(GP shrugs and sends the request to /dev/null)
I’m currently in Emergency Surgery, at Luton & Dunstable, after a bad accident, and they have been outstanding. This is the second occasion they’ve saved my life (the first being appendicitis in 2013).
Sending best wishes for a full and speedy recovery at the L&D.
Some bonkers comments on here last night, of which @Big_G_NorthWales was not one of them.
"Antifa" is bonkers. Its an idea, not a terrorist organisation. I am antifa. But Big G is quoting someone important mentioning it - which makes it relevant to post on here.
What else did we have. "every sane Patriotic Brit" have to vote for Farage - Mr Russia who went to American demanding economic sanctions on us.
A "civil war" if Reform win the election or "eventual islamic takeover" if they don't. Riiiiiiiiight.
This forum is a microcosm of the real world. We have representatives from most elements of real world politics. And we need to try switching off and back on again as everyone has lost it.
Calm down. The “every sane patriotic Brit” remark was me having a giraffe. I know it winds up the Centrist Duds
For a start, you could ALSO vote for Advance
If you’d have suggested, fifty or sixty years ago, that London would have a Muslim mayor, entire neighbourhoods in big cities would be almost entirely Muslim, churches were disappearing but mosques were increasing, and there were half a dozen MPs elected solely on the back of a bloc of Islamic votes, they’d have called you an absolute loon who was scaremongering. And that’s not to mention 7/7, Lee Rigby, Manchester Arena etc
But that is where we are, and it’s regarded as completely normal. Actually it’s considered offensive to criticise, or even to merely point it out.
So why would it be odd if we were governed by an Islamic party or the country became majority Muslim in another fifty years or so? The demographics are pointing in that direction. Things change, they have already are are continuing to do so
I lived in Aldgate East in the last 1990s, which was 30 years ago, and had a Muslim landlord and all my neighbours were Muslims. Brick Lane and environs and all the areas heading towards Commercial Road and Commercial Street were all majority Muslim.
I went to a school in Bedford from the 80s to the 90s (Biddenham), that was majority Muslim.
The main thing I discovered from this is that Muslims (like Jews and atheists and Christians) are just like everybody else.
Or, let me put it another way, I do wonder if you or @Lenon actually have any close Musliim friends? Because I think when we don't know people in a particular group well, we tend to assume that they are (a) much more homogenous than they are, and (b) that they are much more different to us than they are,
The three year old data is particularly worrying and is a bit of a canary in the coalmine that this is NOT a covid cohort phenomenon and will in fact be ongoing. Gov't needs to get a grip on this, badly.
Ultimately this is about the normalisation of disability and the extension of what it means to be disabled. My students that have DAPs (disability action plans) most often are 'anxious' or 'stressed' or 'depressed'. Things that in previous times we accepted as part of life. Is it better or worse what we do now?
I once has a period of anxiety lasting almost eighteen months where my chest was tight all day, every day. And every day was fucking awful to get through. Didn't need any extra money, though. Not everything needs financial amelioration.
Some bonkers comments on here last night, of which @Big_G_NorthWales was not one of them.
"Antifa" is bonkers. Its an idea, not a terrorist organisation. I am antifa. But Big G is quoting someone important mentioning it - which makes it relevant to post on here.
What else did we have. "every sane Patriotic Brit" have to vote for Farage - Mr Russia who went to American demanding economic sanctions on us.
A "civil war" if Reform win the election or "eventual islamic takeover" if they don't. Riiiiiiiiight.
This forum is a microcosm of the real world. We have representatives from most elements of real world politics. And we need to try switching off and back on again as everyone has lost it.
Calm down. The “every sane patriotic Brit” remark was me having a giraffe. I know it winds up the Centrist Duds
For a start, you could ALSO vote for Advance
If you’d have suggested, fifty or sixty years ago, that London would have a Muslim mayor, entire neighbourhoods in big cities would be almost entirely Muslim, churches were disappearing but mosques were increasing, and there were half a dozen MPs elected solely on the back of a bloc of Islamic votes, they’d have called you an absolute loon who was scaremongering. And that’s not to mention 7/7, Lee Rigby, Manchester Arena etc
But that is where we are, and it’s regarded as completely normal. Actually it’s considered offensive to criticise, or even to merely point it out.
So why would it be odd if we were governed by an Islamic party or the country became majority Muslim in another fifty years or so? The demographics are pointing in that direction. Things change, they have already are are continuing to do so
I lived in Aldgate East in the last 1990s, which was 30 years ago, and had a Muslim landlord and all my neighbours were Muslims. Brick Lane and environs and all the areas heading towards Commercial Road and Commercial Street were all majority Muslim.
I went to a school in Bedford from the 80s to the 90s (Biddenham), that was majority Muslim.
The main thing I discovered from this is that Muslims (like Jews and atheists and Christians) are just like everybody else.
Or, let me put it another way, I do wonder if you or @Lenon actually have any close Musliim friends? Because I think when we don't know people in a particular group well, we tend to assume that they are (a) much more homogenous than they are, and (b) that they are much more different to us than they are,
I’m not criticising Muslims, saying they’re bad people/a bad religion, or anything negative, just saying what I think will happen based on what has happened and what I think will in the future based on my understanding of human behaviour. I don’t see that it matters whether I am friends with any Muslims or not but, even if I were, and they were just like everybody else , I still think we are eventually heading for an Islamic takeover of Britain. Actually you could argue that it’s because they’re just like everybody else that it is likely to happen.
Personally I think the western lifestyle will eventually seduce them away from religion, as it has to the West. The UK is a Christian country in name only - most Brits are not actively religious (once a year at Christmas does not count).
I think it's the social democratic lifestyle rather than the western lifestyle that is best at seducing people away from religion. Look at the contrast between the US and, say, Scandinavia, for example. People lose their religion when they are content; they get religious when they are struggling.
Another Russian oil refinery hit. This one in Orenburg Oblast, nearly 1,500km from Ukraine.
This refinery was previously hit in April 2024.
Phillips P O'Brien pointing out today that the attacks on Russian oil refineries in the last few months have mostly concentrated on hitting the key cracking units, which causes harder to repair damage, while the attacks in 2024 were mostly targeted at easier to repair/less consequential (but easier to hit) storage tanks.
The three year old data is particularly worrying and is a bit of a canary in the coalmine that this is NOT a covid cohort phenomenon and will in fact be ongoing. Gov't needs to get a grip on this, badly.
Just had fantastic service at A&E, seen, analysed, x-rayed and assessed in an hour.
Wanted to post about a very interesting seminar I went to yesterday as some very interesting approaches coming in relation to property and stable coin. An incredibly interesting day for even a Luddite like me.
Also v interesting about the regulation issues globally - never thought I would find regulation talks so interesting.
Will post what I can later when I stop vomming from pain and although limited what I can say about yesterday it was perfect timing with the BOE volte face on digital currencies.
Hope you feel better soon.
My recent NHS experience was also good - in part. It took me a few weeks to get a referral to the hospital (I think due to my GP not actually requesting one at first...(*)), but when it finally came the referral was for a week's time. I was seen yesterday with only a ten-minute wait past the scheduled time, they took five x-rays, and I got basic results from my GP this morning.
(*) Though I think the GP might have been dissuaded by the following conversation: "So you've dislocated your shoulder, and your elbow is hurting." "Yes." "And you're in pain." "Yes." "But you've done two triathlons since." "Yes." "Despite being in pain?" My wife: "Yes, but that's the sort of stupid thing he does..."
(GP shrugs and sends the request to /dev/null)
I’m currently in Emergency Surgery, at Luton & Dunstable, after a bad accident, and they have been outstanding. This is the second occasion they’ve saved my life (the first being appendicitis in 2013).
Some bonkers comments on here last night, of which @Big_G_NorthWales was not one of them.
"Antifa" is bonkers. Its an idea, not a terrorist organisation. I am antifa. But Big G is quoting someone important mentioning it - which makes it relevant to post on here.
What else did we have. "every sane Patriotic Brit" have to vote for Farage - Mr Russia who went to American demanding economic sanctions on us.
A "civil war" if Reform win the election or "eventual islamic takeover" if they don't. Riiiiiiiiight.
This forum is a microcosm of the real world. We have representatives from most elements of real world politics. And we need to try switching off and back on again as everyone has lost it.
Calm down. The “every sane patriotic Brit” remark was me having a giraffe. I know it winds up the Centrist Duds
For a start, you could ALSO vote for Advance
If you’d have suggested, fifty or sixty years ago, that London would have a Muslim mayor, entire neighbourhoods in big cities would be almost entirely Muslim, churches were disappearing but mosques were increasing, and there were half a dozen MPs elected solely on the back of a bloc of Islamic votes, they’d have called you an absolute loon who was scaremongering. And that’s not to mention 7/7, Lee Rigby, Manchester Arena etc
But that is where we are, and it’s regarded as completely normal. Actually it’s considered offensive to criticise, or even to merely point it out.
So why would it be odd if we were governed by an Islamic party or the country became majority Muslim in another fifty years or so? The demographics are pointing in that direction. Things change, they have already are are continuing to do so
Also: that white Britons would become a minority in their own capital city. Ditto Manchester and other cities
Unthinkable NF race-baiting 50 years ago. Now a fact
We've already covered the White Britons in London ambiguity part extensively, though. White anglo/celts are probably a minority in London, whereas White Britons probably aren't, due to the government still not clarifying the census categories correctly.
“In London, the 2021 UK Census showed that about 37% of Londoners identified as “White: English, Welsh, Scottish, Northern Irish or British” — that’s the classic “White British” category”
And that is BEFORE the Boriswave. The percentage will be notably lower, now
As we've discussed extensively on this, British is a civic category dating to 1707, not an ethnicity. A large number of white and British Londoners are not putting that on the census, because they think it means only english or celtic.
What a load of obfuscating bollocks. We can only go by self ID. Unless you want to go out and do the pencil test on everyone
In the 2021 census white Britons - self identified - constituted 37% of Londoners. And, given the speed of the fall since 1990 and the advent of the Boriswave, that number will be even lower now, and still falling
It’s called “white flight”. It happened to American cities and now it’s happening - very fast - in European cities
You need to clarify the categories first, before making the descriptions. In recent censuses, hundreds of thousands of people in London who are likely British citizens have put themselves down as "white irish", for instance.
That's even before the huge number of Britons of Continental origin here, many of them born in Britain.
London in the 2021 census:
White 53.8% White British 36.8% Irish 1.8% Gypsy/Traveller 0.1% Roma 0.4% White Other 14.7%
Asian/Asian British 20.8% Indian 7.5% Pakistani 3.3% Bangladeshi 3.7% Chinese 1.7% Other Asian 4.6%
Black/Black British 13.5% African 7.9% Caribbean 3.9% Other Black 1.7%
Mixed/British Mixed 5.7% White and Black Caribbean 1.5% White and Black African 0.9% White and Asian 1.4% Other Mixed 1.9%
Other 6.3% Arab 1.6% Any other 4.7%
These are ethnicity categorisations, not nationalities, so most of those people who have ticked Indian are British citizens.
Thus, overall, the biggest ethnic group by far remains White British, with White Other (which is mostly EU immigrants) second and African third.
By religion, the 2021 census found: Christianity (41%), no religion/atheism (27%), Islam (15%), no response given (7%), Hinduism (5%), Judaism (2%), Sikhism (2%), Buddhism (1%) and others (1%).
Just had fantastic service at A&E, seen, analysed, x-rayed and assessed in an hour.
Wanted to post about a very interesting seminar I went to yesterday as some very interesting approaches coming in relation to property and stable coin. An incredibly interesting day for even a Luddite like me.
Also v interesting about the regulation issues globally - never thought I would find regulation talks so interesting.
Will post what I can later when I stop vomming from pain and although limited what I can say about yesterday it was perfect timing with the BOE volte face on digital currencies.
Some of these awards are 'gateways'. If you get this, you might be a related payment to the parent or carer. It is a payment for the parent/carer who might be unable to work full-time. Benefits like most things in government are complex because people are complex and their individual circumstances are varied.
Having spent quite a bit of time in this area, the bottom line is there is not enough money in the world to sort these issues. The only debate is how much to whom for how long.
It feels like if you want the welfare state to survive you need to support a medium-ish hard cap. Free for all is just accelerationism.
There is a long overdue conversation between politicians and the public about the meaning of 'the state' and what the relative responsibilities are. Benefits and related payments are statutorily due to those entitled. You have to sort the statutes if you want to cap the (statutorily due) payments. As mentioned before, Labour tried to do it but failed and the other parties didn't seem to want to help achieve the changes which leads me to the conclusion that no politician wants to sort issues. They just want to ride whatever grievance gets them votes e.g. potholes.
Some bonkers comments on here last night, of which @Big_G_NorthWales was not one of them.
"Antifa" is bonkers. Its an idea, not a terrorist organisation. I am antifa. But Big G is quoting someone important mentioning it - which makes it relevant to post on here.
What else did we have. "every sane Patriotic Brit" have to vote for Farage - Mr Russia who went to American demanding economic sanctions on us.
A "civil war" if Reform win the election or "eventual islamic takeover" if they don't. Riiiiiiiiight.
This forum is a microcosm of the real world. We have representatives from most elements of real world politics. And we need to try switching off and back on again as everyone has lost it.
Calm down. The “every sane patriotic Brit” remark was me having a giraffe. I know it winds up the Centrist Duds
For a start, you could ALSO vote for Advance
If you’d have suggested, fifty or sixty years ago, that London would have a Muslim mayor, entire neighbourhoods in big cities would be almost entirely Muslim, churches were disappearing but mosques were increasing, and there were half a dozen MPs elected solely on the back of a bloc of Islamic votes, they’d have called you an absolute loon who was scaremongering. And that’s not to mention 7/7, Lee Rigby, Manchester Arena etc
But that is where we are, and it’s regarded as completely normal. Actually it’s considered offensive to criticise, or even to merely point it out.
So why would it be odd if we were governed by an Islamic party or the country became majority Muslim in another fifty years or so? The demographics are pointing in that direction. Things change, they have already are are continuing to do so
I lived in Aldgate East in the last 1990s, which was 30 years ago, and had a Muslim landlord and all my neighbours were Muslims. Brick Lane and environs and all the areas heading towards Commercial Road and Commercial Street were all majority Muslim.
I went to a school in Bedford from the 80s to the 90s (Biddenham), that was majority Muslim.
The main thing I discovered from this is that Muslims (like Jews and atheists and Christians) are just like everybody else.
Or, let me put it another way, I do wonder if you or @Lenon actually have any close Musliim friends? Because I think when we don't know people in a particular group well, we tend to assume that they are (a) much more homogenous than they are, and (b) that they are much more different to us than they are,
I’m not criticising Muslims, saying they’re bad people/a bad religion, or anything negative, just saying what I think will happen based on what has happened and what I think will in the future based on my understanding of human behaviour. I don’t see that it matters whether I am friends with any Muslims or not but, even if I were, and they were just like everybody else , I still think we are eventually heading for an Islamic takeover of Britain. Actually you could argue that it’s because they’re just like everybody else that it is likely to happen.
Complete nonsense, isam. Stop reading far right propaganda.
Sarah Mulally as next ABP. The Church Times is a good place to watch.
The Church Times will have a lot of coverage from different angles, and you get two free articles a month with a free account, or it archives successfully. https://www.churchtimes.co.uk/
Next week's letters page will also be one to look at for a range of thoughtful views.
1 - Problems will be more international, rather than within the UK. There is potential for eg "Primus inter Pares" for the Anglican Communion to be split from "Archbishop of Canterbury" as a Via Media to keep the show on the road, or something similar. 2 - One significant point will be about how marginal the story becomes across our media. If it is niche, that speaks to a marginalisation of the Church of England, and the Bishops in the Lords are at risk. 3 - When listening to Justin Welby's poorly judged standing-down speech in the Lords (and I've generally been a fan on JW) she had a face like thunder throughout afaics, whilst the male Bishops sitting behind chuckled a little at his couple of quips. That is a positive indicator, perhaps. 4 - Some have personal questions about her on things in London Diocese. I don't know enough to comment on how material these are. https://youtu.be/2Uerg54oTJQ?t=283
Fundamentally, the problem the Church of England has is that it doesn't believe in itself.
The three year old data is particularly worrying and is a bit of a canary in the coalmine that this is NOT a covid cohort phenomenon and will in fact be ongoing. Gov't needs to get a grip on this, badly.
Ultimately this is about the normalisation of disability and the extension of what it means to be disabled. My students that have DAPs (disability action plans) most often are 'anxious' or 'stressed' or 'depressed'. Things that in previous times we accepted as part of life. Is it better or worse what we do now?
Anxiety =/= disability. Not in my book anyway.
I reckon I might have qualified for that as a kid. The problem I had was that the teachers wanted to add to my anxiety!
Some bonkers comments on here last night, of which @Big_G_NorthWales was not one of them.
"Antifa" is bonkers. Its an idea, not a terrorist organisation. I am antifa. But Big G is quoting someone important mentioning it - which makes it relevant to post on here.
What else did we have. "every sane Patriotic Brit" have to vote for Farage - Mr Russia who went to American demanding economic sanctions on us.
A "civil war" if Reform win the election or "eventual islamic takeover" if they don't. Riiiiiiiiight.
This forum is a microcosm of the real world. We have representatives from most elements of real world politics. And we need to try switching off and back on again as everyone has lost it.
Calm down. The “every sane patriotic Brit” remark was me having a giraffe. I know it winds up the Centrist Duds
For a start, you could ALSO vote for Advance
If you’d have suggested, fifty or sixty years ago, that London would have a Muslim mayor, entire neighbourhoods in big cities would be almost entirely Muslim, churches were disappearing but mosques were increasing, and there were half a dozen MPs elected solely on the back of a bloc of Islamic votes, they’d have called you an absolute loon who was scaremongering. And that’s not to mention 7/7, Lee Rigby, Manchester Arena etc
But that is where we are, and it’s regarded as completely normal. Actually it’s considered offensive to criticise, or even to merely point it out.
So why would it be odd if we were governed by an Islamic party or the country became majority Muslim in another fifty years or so? The demographics are pointing in that direction. Things change, they have already are are continuing to do so
Also: that white Britons would become a minority in their own capital city. Ditto Manchester and other cities
Unthinkable NF race-baiting 50 years ago. Now a fact
We've already covered the White Britons in London ambiguity part extensively, though. White anglo/celts are probably a minority in London, whereas White Britons probably aren't, due to the government still not clarifying the census categories correctly.
“In London, the 2021 UK Census showed that about 37% of Londoners identified as “White: English, Welsh, Scottish, Northern Irish or British” — that’s the classic “White British” category”
And that is BEFORE the Boriswave. The percentage will be notably lower, now
As we've discussed extensively on this, British is a civic category dating to 1707, not an ethnicity. A large number of white and British Londoners are not putting that on the census, because they think it means only english or celtic.
What a load of obfuscating bollocks. We can only go by self ID. Unless you want to go out and do the pencil test on everyone
In the 2021 census white Britons - self identified - constituted 37% of Londoners. And, given the speed of the fall since 1990 and the advent of the Boriswave, that number will be even lower now, and still falling
It’s called “white flight”. It happened to American cities and now it’s happening - very fast - in European cities
The composition of my house is 80% non white British and it's totally fine.
The three year old data is particularly worrying and is a bit of a canary in the coalmine that this is NOT a covid cohort phenomenon and will in fact be ongoing. Gov't needs to get a grip on this, badly.
How on earth did this happen under the Tories?
After IDS resigned in 2016 there were eight Secretaries of State in eight years for DWP, which can't have helped.
Labour are now on their second, so not much sign of stability returning.
Just had fantastic service at A&E, seen, analysed, x-rayed and assessed in an hour.
Wanted to post about a very interesting seminar I went to yesterday as some very interesting approaches coming in relation to property and stable coin. An incredibly interesting day for even a Luddite like me.
Also v interesting about the regulation issues globally - never thought I would find regulation talks so interesting.
Will post what I can later when I stop vomming from pain and although limited what I can say about yesterday it was perfect timing with the BOE volte face on digital currencies.
Hope you feel better soon.
My recent NHS experience was also good - in part. It took me a few weeks to get a referral to the hospital (I think due to my GP not actually requesting one at first...(*)), but when it finally came the referral was for a week's time. I was seen yesterday with only a ten-minute wait past the scheduled time, they took five x-rays, and I got basic results from my GP this morning.
(*) Though I think the GP might have been dissuaded by the following conversation: "So you've dislocated your shoulder, and your elbow is hurting." "Yes." "And you're in pain." "Yes." "But you've done two triathlons since." "Yes." "Despite being in pain?" My wife: "Yes, but that's the sort of stupid thing he does..."
(GP shrugs and sends the request to /dev/null)
I’m currently in Emergency Surgery, at Luton & Dunstable, after a bad accident, and they have been outstanding. This is the second occasion they’ve saved my life (the first being appendicitis in 2013).
What has befallen PB today that everyone is ill and injured! Get better soon.
Good morning. The ghouls were out last night and it's not even Halloween. Wonder when we are going to read about someone being radicalised by PB?
Back on subject and looking at the forecast for my own 'safe' Tory seat which is supposed to go Reform. Knowing the local Reform people (ex-UKIP) they just don't have the skills to run a council given the level of issues to be dealt with locally. Scale that up to Westminster and if Reform do get in, then unless there is something like the Heritage Foundation or some well-financed Think Tank, then it will be more of a disaster than the previous 3 governments.
One can only hope there will be more defections of skilled and capable politicians to Reform before 2029 cos a Reform government won't be pretty.
I am in one of the seats showing conservative on this MRP, with Reform a close second. My Tory MP is one of the relatively sane ones, but there is no way that I would tactically vote for them when Jenrick will be running on the same platform as Reform.
If Kemi is replaced next year it will be Cleverly who replaces her by coronation as Tory MPs elected Howard by coronation to succeed IDS in 2003 and Sunak by coronation to replace Truss in 2022.
Tory voters who stayed loyal in 2024 and all voters prefer Cleverly too polls show, only Reform voters prefer Jenrick. Even Tory members rejected Jenrick last year
The best chance the Tories have is to select a leader who looks "prime ministerial" and is able to attract Reform-defectors who are queasy about the prospect of Nige in Downing Street. May also help with the fight with the LibDems. Cleverly appears the only option so far as I can see and, let's face it, he would have won the top job if the Tory MP's hadn't screwed up the leadership election. I think he must still feel in the game, as he accepted a job in the shadow cabinet (much like Howard becoming Shadow Chancellor under IDS when he might have reasonably retired).
There was some talk downstream about the SDP. Worth remembering that they brought to the party some serious politicians with cabinet experience - Jenkins, Owen, Williams plus several more competent juniors. So far, Reform has only Farage, who is no-one's idea of a competent man of government. And as for his followers - don't ask.
Whatever happen, Reform will prove short-lived. They either fail to maintain momentum, don't win the election, and then disappear when Farage steps down, and the Tories recover. Or else, they win, form a Government, and collapse under the pressure of office and events. Just imagine what a Reform-majority parliamentary party would look like. "Strong and stable"?
I suspect if Cleverley is not leader by conference next year he will be unveiled as London Mayor candidate.
From what I hear the Tory establishment are already plotting to make Cleverly party leader and Seb Coe London Mayoral candidate by conference next year
How do you propose getting Kemi Badenoch to agree to this?
She would lose a VONC if she has not improved Tory poll ratings. Most Jenrick backing MPs have been plotting for months to oust her and increasingly Cleverly backing MPs now want her gone too. Remember only a third of Tory MPs backed Kemi in the final ballot of Tory MPs last year
Are you expecting any noisy defections around conference or is 2025 still too early?
Mark Francois, Andrew Rosindell and Edward Leigh will be on Reform defection watch but I expect them to stay for now. Francois is a friend of Cleverly though he ran Jenrick's leadership campaign
An interesting one would be Katie Lam, current pbtory darling. She looks doomed in her High Weald seat, perhaps could haggle her way as economic spokesperson.
Just had fantastic service at A&E, seen, analysed, x-rayed and assessed in an hour.
Wanted to post about a very interesting seminar I went to yesterday as some very interesting approaches coming in relation to property and stable coin. An incredibly interesting day for even a Luddite like me.
Also v interesting about the regulation issues globally - never thought I would find regulation talks so interesting.
Will post what I can later when I stop vomming from pain and although limited what I can say about yesterday it was perfect timing with the BOE volte face on digital currencies.
Hope you feel better soon.
My recent NHS experience was also good - in part. It took me a few weeks to get a referral to the hospital (I think due to my GP not actually requesting one at first...(*)), but when it finally came the referral was for a week's time. I was seen yesterday with only a ten-minute wait past the scheduled time, they took five x-rays, and I got basic results from my GP this morning.
(*) Though I think the GP might have been dissuaded by the following conversation: "So you've dislocated your shoulder, and your elbow is hurting." "Yes." "And you're in pain." "Yes." "But you've done two triathlons since." "Yes." "Despite being in pain?" My wife: "Yes, but that's the sort of stupid thing he does..."
(GP shrugs and sends the request to /dev/null)
I’m currently in Emergency Surgery, at Luton & Dunstable, after a bad accident, and they have been outstanding. This is the second occasion they’ve saved my life (the first being appendicitis in 2013).
Saved your life ?? Blimey.
I hope you're out of danger now, and make a speedy recovery.
FPT BBC doc on Met Police There was a suggestion yesterday that MET should be disbanded and London policing should be local. Having now watched the documentary, which is specific to Charing X station, there was clearly a toxic culture, condoned or set from the top, which stemmed from the custody Sergeants who'd formed a protective clique. Rather than making the MET more local, the solution could be to make it less local, deploying people across stations so that any toxic behaviour is more widely apparent rather than becoming normalised within a small group. In the doc it is reported to be two BTP who make an official complaint about the behaviour of the custody Sergeant.
Some bonkers comments on here last night, of which @Big_G_NorthWales was not one of them.
"Antifa" is bonkers. Its an idea, not a terrorist organisation. I am antifa. But Big G is quoting someone important mentioning it - which makes it relevant to post on here.
What else did we have. "every sane Patriotic Brit" have to vote for Farage - Mr Russia who went to American demanding economic sanctions on us.
A "civil war" if Reform win the election or "eventual islamic takeover" if they don't. Riiiiiiiiight.
This forum is a microcosm of the real world. We have representatives from most elements of real world politics. And we need to try switching off and back on again as everyone has lost it.
Calm down. The “every sane patriotic Brit” remark was me having a giraffe. I know it winds up the Centrist Duds
For a start, you could ALSO vote for Advance
If you’d have suggested, fifty or sixty years ago, that London would have a Muslim mayor, entire neighbourhoods in big cities would be almost entirely Muslim, churches were disappearing but mosques were increasing, and there were half a dozen MPs elected solely on the back of a bloc of Islamic votes, they’d have called you an absolute loon who was scaremongering. And that’s not to mention 7/7, Lee Rigby, Manchester Arena etc
But that is where we are, and it’s regarded as completely normal. Actually it’s considered offensive to criticise, or even to merely point it out.
So why would it be odd if we were governed by an Islamic party or the country became majority Muslim in another fifty years or so? The demographics are pointing in that direction. Things change, they have already are are continuing to do so
Also: that white Britons would become a minority in their own capital city. Ditto Manchester and other cities
Unthinkable NF race-baiting 50 years ago. Now a fact
We've already covered the White Britons in London ambiguity part extensively, though. White anglo/celts are probably a minority in London, whereas White Britons probably aren't, due to the government still not clarifying the census categories correctly.
“In London, the 2021 UK Census showed that about 37% of Londoners identified as “White: English, Welsh, Scottish, Northern Irish or British” — that’s the classic “White British” category”
And that is BEFORE the Boriswave. The percentage will be notably lower, now
As we've discussed extensively on this, British is a civic category dating to 1707, not an ethnicity. A large number of white and British Londoners are not putting that on the census, because they think it means only english or celtic.
What a load of obfuscating bollocks. We can only go by self ID. Unless you want to go out and do the pencil test on everyone
In the 2021 census white Britons - self identified - constituted 37% of Londoners. And, given the speed of the fall since 1990 and the advent of the Boriswave, that number will be even lower now, and still falling
It’s called “white flight”. It happened to American cities and now it’s happening - very fast - in European cities
The composition of my house is 80% non white British and it's totally fine.
Furloughed Dept. of Education employees discovered their out of office messages were manipulated blaming Democrats for a government shutdown
"None of us consented to this. And it’s written in the first-person, as if I’m the one conveying this message, and I’m not. I don’t agree with it. I don’t think it’s ethical or legal. I think it violates the Hatch Act." https://x.com/natashakorecki/status/1973794090509590648
The GOP, of course, controls all branches of government. The shutdown is on them.
The three year old data is particularly worrying and is a bit of a canary in the coalmine that this is NOT a covid cohort phenomenon and will in fact be ongoing. Gov't needs to get a grip on this, badly.
Ultimately this is about the normalisation of disability and the extension of what it means to be disabled. My students that have DAPs (disability action plans) most often are 'anxious' or 'stressed' or 'depressed'. Things that in previous times we accepted as part of life. Is it better or worse what we do now?
Anxiety =/= disability. Not in my book anyway.
I reckon I might have qualified for that as a kid. The problem I had was that the teachers wanted to add to my anxiety!
I had asthma as a child/young teenager. I would have liked some sort of support, instead of abuse, especially for always being last in cross-country. I'd puff and pant my way to the half way rest-point, only to be told that there was no time for a rest; everyone else had been waiting for me.
When I stepped out of Pavia University this morning it looked a bit dicky, as up the street one way it was blocked by a large Gaza demonstration, and the other way by a line of Italian riot police, with no way out other than back into the university. For a moment it didn't seem a great spot for me and the dog to be standing. But it all seemed to be passing off peacefully and the riot police didn't seem to see me or the dog as any threat. Second day running we've encountered large demonstrations here.
Good morning. The ghouls were out last night and it's not even Halloween. Wonder when we are going to read about someone being radicalised by PB?
Back on subject and looking at the forecast for my own 'safe' Tory seat which is supposed to go Reform. Knowing the local Reform people (ex-UKIP) they just don't have the skills to run a council given the level of issues to be dealt with locally. Scale that up to Westminster and if Reform do get in, then unless there is something like the Heritage Foundation or some well-financed Think Tank, then it will be more of a disaster than the previous 3 governments.
One can only hope there will be more defections of skilled and capable politicians to Reform before 2029 cos a Reform government won't be pretty.
I am in one of the seats showing conservative on this MRP, with Reform a close second. My Tory MP is one of the relatively sane ones, but there is no way that I would tactically vote for them when Jenrick will be running on the same platform as Reform.
If Kemi is replaced next year it will be Cleverly who replaces her by coronation as Tory MPs elected Howard by coronation to succeed IDS in 2003 and Sunak by coronation to replace Truss in 2022.
Tory voters who stayed loyal in 2024 and all voters prefer Cleverly too polls show, only Reform voters prefer Jenrick. Even Tory members rejected Jenrick last year
The best chance the Tories have is to select a leader who looks "prime ministerial" and is able to attract Reform-defectors who are queasy about the prospect of Nige in Downing Street. May also help with the fight with the LibDems. Cleverly appears the only option so far as I can see and, let's face it, he would have won the top job if the Tory MP's hadn't screwed up the leadership election. I think he must still feel in the game, as he accepted a job in the shadow cabinet (much like Howard becoming Shadow Chancellor under IDS when he might have reasonably retired).
There was some talk downstream about the SDP. Worth remembering that they brought to the party some serious politicians with cabinet experience - Jenkins, Owen, Williams plus several more competent juniors. So far, Reform has only Farage, who is no-one's idea of a competent man of government. And as for his followers - don't ask.
Whatever happen, Reform will prove short-lived. They either fail to maintain momentum, don't win the election, and then disappear when Farage steps down, and the Tories recover. Or else, they win, form a Government, and collapse under the pressure of office and events. Just imagine what a Reform-majority parliamentary party would look like. "Strong and stable"?
I suspect if Cleverley is not leader by conference next year he will be unveiled as London Mayor candidate.
From what I hear the Tory establishment are already plotting to make Cleverly party leader and Seb Coe London Mayoral candidate by conference next year
Interesting, thanks! Not sure about Seb though, hes a funny one
Although older voters will remember him running and winning in the past
Some bonkers comments on here last night, of which @Big_G_NorthWales was not one of them.
"Antifa" is bonkers. Its an idea, not a terrorist organisation. I am antifa. But Big G is quoting someone important mentioning it - which makes it relevant to post on here.
What else did we have. "every sane Patriotic Brit" have to vote for Farage - Mr Russia who went to American demanding economic sanctions on us.
A "civil war" if Reform win the election or "eventual islamic takeover" if they don't. Riiiiiiiiight.
This forum is a microcosm of the real world. We have representatives from most elements of real world politics. And we need to try switching off and back on again as everyone has lost it.
Calm down. The “every sane patriotic Brit” remark was me having a giraffe. I know it winds up the Centrist Duds
For a start, you could ALSO vote for Advance
If you’d have suggested, fifty or sixty years ago, that London would have a Muslim mayor, entire neighbourhoods in big cities would be almost entirely Muslim, churches were disappearing but mosques were increasing, and there were half a dozen MPs elected solely on the back of a bloc of Islamic votes, they’d have called you an absolute loon who was scaremongering. And that’s not to mention 7/7, Lee Rigby, Manchester Arena etc
But that is where we are, and it’s regarded as completely normal. Actually it’s considered offensive to criticise, or even to merely point it out.
So why would it be odd if we were governed by an Islamic party or the country became majority Muslim in another fifty years or so? The demographics are pointing in that direction. Things change, they have already are are continuing to do so
Also: that white Britons would become a minority in their own capital city. Ditto Manchester and other cities
Unthinkable NF race-baiting 50 years ago. Now a fact
We've already covered the White Britons in London ambiguity part extensively, though. White anglo/celts are probably a minority in London, whereas White Britons probably aren't, due to the government still not clarifying the census categories correctly.
“In London, the 2021 UK Census showed that about 37% of Londoners identified as “White: English, Welsh, Scottish, Northern Irish or British” — that’s the classic “White British” category”
And that is BEFORE the Boriswave. The percentage will be notably lower, now
As we've discussed extensively on this, British is a civic category dating to 1707, not an ethnicity. A large number of white and British Londoners are not putting that on the census, because they think it means only english or celtic.
What a load of obfuscating bollocks. We can only go by self ID. Unless you want to go out and do the pencil test on everyone
In the 2021 census white Britons - self identified - constituted 37% of Londoners. And, given the speed of the fall since 1990 and the advent of the Boriswave, that number will be even lower now, and still falling
It’s called “white flight”. It happened to American cities and now it’s happening - very fast - in European cities
You need to clarify the categories first, before making the descriptions. In recent censuses, hundreds of thousands of people in London who are likely British citizens have put themselves down as "white irish", for instance.
That's even before the huge number of Britons of Continental origin here, many of them born in Britain.
London in the 2021 census:
White 53.8% White British 36.8% Irish 1.8% Gypsy/Traveller 0.1% Roma 0.4% White Other 14.7%
Asian/Asian British 20.8% Indian 7.5% Pakistani 3.3% Bangladeshi 3.7% Chinese 1.7% Other Asian 4.6%
Black/Black British 13.5% African 7.9% Caribbean 3.9% Other Black 1.7%
Mixed/British Mixed 5.7% White and Black Caribbean 1.5% White and Black African 0.9% White and Asian 1.4% Other Mixed 1.9%
Other 6.3% Arab 1.6% Any other 4.7%
These are ethnicity categorisations, not nationalities, so most of those people who have ticked Indian are British citizens.
Thus, overall, the biggest ethnic group by far remains White British, with White Other (which is mostly EU immigrants) second and African third.
By religion, the 2021 census found: Christianity (41%), no religion/atheism (27%), Islam (15%), no response given (7%), Hinduism (5%), Judaism (2%), Sikhism (2%), Buddhism (1%) and others (1%).
And I love it, I love London and Londoners.
Yeah, I love the fact we now have a de facto blasphemy law, teachers in hiding for their lives for showing religious images, armed guards outsdie Jewish schools and synagogues, hideous anti-terror barriers outside public buildings and gatherings, a national inquiry coming about REDACTED, anti-Semitic marches on our streets, a major problem with female genital mutilation, and on, and on
You can get married where you like (sort of) although this seems to be a pre-emptive announcement of changes that will be made at some point in the future when the government gets around to it. And one can't help suspecting that £535 million belongs on the side of a bus.
Excellent news if true. I have said for the years that the single best reform any Government could make to marriage is to allow you to marry in any location, but give the Registrar the power to refuse if you took the piss with something that disrespected the occasion.
The wedding tax whereby the same venue costs more for a wedding than a birthday party (where the market is wider) has always been unjust.
I fear this will increase the wedding tax but lead to emptier churches and registry offices.
Yes on close inspection I can see it’s just adding a few more venues. I am convinced the answer is to empower the Registrar (or vicar etc. - I can never remember if they have powers to marry through a different route or just qualify as a Registrar as well). I suppose the risk of that is them all taking kickbacks from favoured venues.
IIRC Registrar comes with the job for CofE vicars, but a similar role is available for other religious establishments via a different route involving a different process.
I have long though that (*&^% David Cameron should have taken the trouble to tidy this area up to introduce consistently when he rushed through his same sex marriage ideas in 2013 (?).
A mass clearup would have likely reduced the likelihood of gay marriage getting passed.
The synod might object to parliament changing the mass (although they have the right to do so)
When I stepped out of Pavia University this morning it looked a bit dicky, as up the street one way it was blocked by a large Gaza demonstration, and the other way by a line of Italian riot police, with no way out other than back into the university. For a moment it didn't seem a great spot for me and the dog to be standing. But it all seemed to be passing off peacefully and the riot police didn't seem to see me or the dog as any threat. Second day running we've encountered large demonstrations here.
That's interesting, as is the photo of Yaxley-Lennon under Identitarians.
I assume it is AI, and it is very Usonian.
I think it misses out distinctions based on attitudes to free markets and international trade, which is one of the key MAGA vs "Globalists" distinctives.
That one is also afaics a new distinctive acting as a deep dividing wall on the UK Right.
Test question: Was Margaret Thatcher a Conservative?
Comments
“In London, the 2021 UK Census showed that about 37% of Londoners identified as “White: English, Welsh, Scottish, Northern Irish or British” — that’s the classic “White British” category”
And that is BEFORE the Boriswave. The percentage will be notably lower, now
I’m sure Farage is in no way being re-numerated for injecting US culture war memes into the UK body politic, oh no, certainly not.
One thing I would encourage in such circumstances as an elected House of Lords would be for one or several "Bishops with an apostolate to public life and the world of politics" to stand for election to such a House of Lords.
The Ministry of the House of Bishops is collegial as well as each Bishop having their own ministry, so such a concept is in keeping with tradition, and a good model fitting in with a diverse society.
That would be interesting.
It's a mess which needs clearing up.
Actually, having someone with a finite term of office might be good for the urgent cleaning house needed. She has good form for that in London, and enough establishment heft to make changes.
Echoes of the recent appointment of Cherry Vann in Wales.
@BenZaranko
There are some eye-popping stats in this new report from my @TheIFS colleagues.
Here's just one: 10% of teenagers now receive child disability living allowance (CDLA), up from 5% a decade ago. Just a remarkable change.
https://x.com/BenZaranko/status/1974040804386562488
I have long thought that (*&^% David Cameron should have taken the trouble to tidy this area up to introduce consistently when he rushed through his same sex marriage ideas in 2013 (?).
In the 2021 census white Britons - self identified - constituted 37% of Londoners. And, given the speed of the fall since 1990 and the advent of the Boriswave, that number will be even lower now, and still falling
It’s called “white flight”. It happened to American cities and now it’s happening - very fast - in European cities
Should also be noted the most well funded and biggest congregation conservative evangelical churches in the C of E would likely leave if same sex marriage was allowed. Opposition to same sex marriage is a defining thing for conservative evangelicals as even the SNP found with Kate Forbes when she stood for SNP leader
I've just had my x-ray results from yesterday. My elbow, which is hurting, is fine.
My shoulder, which is not hurting, has a loose bone fragment in it.
I have to conclude that I am weird...
That's even before the huge number of Britons of Continental origin here, many of them born in Britain.
8 years older than Farage, who'd have thought it.
Maybe there is something in that tech bro blood transfusion eternal life thing
Wanted to post about a very interesting seminar I went to yesterday as some very interesting approaches coming in relation to property and stable coin. An incredibly interesting day for even a Luddite like me.
Also v interesting about the regulation issues globally - never thought I would find regulation talks so interesting.
Will post what I can later when I stop vomming from pain and although limited what I can say about yesterday it was perfect timing with the BOE volte face on digital currencies.
Remember also that their plight is probably worse in several other European countries.
hold Sunak 2024 voters and get
tactical votes from Labour and
LD voters to beat Reform in Tory held seats and get a few swing voters in the top 50 Tory target seats which is the best the Tories can do at the next general election.
Jenrick won't beat Farage but if Cleverly enables the Conservatives to fight another day then Jenrick would be best placed to reunite the right after the next general election in a post Farage era
Through complacency and a wish to avoid embarrassment of offence, our society now includes far too many people that wish violence and death on Jews, gays or non-believers. That see women as property rather than independently minded humans. That consider sexual relations with children as being religiously condoned, either through child marriage or cultural practices such as bacha bazi.
There was a time when something resembling an Islamic Enlightenment seemed as likely to be led by Britain as anywhere in the world. But we’ve made such a damn hash of our migration policies and compounded it with misguided multiculturalism. It is a pickle that will be far harder to resolve today than it would have been 20 years.
(John Wimber was such before he branched out.)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IQKMZdBv2yA (9 mins)
0:00 neoconservative
0:57 populism
1:50 libertarianism
2:41 technocrats
3:38 traditional conservative
4:30 manosphere
5:23 groypers
@naomialderman.bsky.social
I didn't know until we buried my mother, so probably most people here don't know: Jewish cemeteries strongly recommend that you get insurance for the headstone.
Because the cemeteries are so often desecrated, the gravestones smashed.
https://bsky.app/profile/naomialderman.bsky.social/post/3m2brphfx7c23
My recent NHS experience was also good - in part. It took me a few weeks to get a referral to the hospital (I think due to my GP not actually requesting one at first...(*)), but when it finally came the referral was for a week's time. I was seen yesterday with only a ten-minute wait past the scheduled time, they took five x-rays, and I got basic results from my GP this morning.
(*) Though I think the GP might have been dissuaded by the following conversation:
"So you've dislocated your shoulder, and your elbow is hurting."
"Yes."
"And you're in pain."
"Yes."
"But you've done two triathlons since."
"Yes."
"Despite being in pain?"
My wife: "Yes, but that's the sort of stupid thing he does..."
(GP shrugs and sends the request to /dev/null)
"Councils have little control over this spending as it is determined by the statutory provision set out in EHCPs. Since the cost of provision has exceeded funding provided by central government, local authorities have faced large annual shortfalls. The resulting debts are forecast to reach £8 billion by 2028. This is not financially sustainable. Local authorities are not normally allowed to borrow for day-to- day spending and a ‘statutory override’ of these rules for school spending is set to expire in 2028. If left unchecked – and without top-ups to school spending plans – these spending pressures will likely imply real-terms cuts to mainstream school spending per pupil." (IFS report)
Is it simply a matter of resourcing the police and justice system so that they can make anti-Semitic hate crimes a higher priority than at present (along with all the other things we want them to focus on)?
Edit almost 50%. Here we are:
https://schoolofeducation.blogs.bristol.ac.uk/2024/07/29/wales-sen-children-research/
Men in grey suits/white coats. It's hardly ever a formal VONC.
Having spent quite a bit of time in this area, the bottom line is there is not enough money in the world to sort these issues. The only debate is how much to whom for how long.
During her insurance claim I was paranoid that some wanker would realise she was still (trying) running, albeit no more road marathons and significantly battling a lot of pain to do it.
The key is incomplete (source graph to play around with) but the most homogenous (as in largest groups for any particular party, but still minorities) are Jewish and Sikh people, it seems. The darker green line for Muslims is independents (of any type), the lighter one being the Green Party. The purple is not UKIP(!) but 'other'
ETA: hmm, not sure why Vanilla has tinified the graph - have to follow the link instead. Have we been doing too much uploading?
Not, of course, that voting behaviour is the be all and end all of most people’s lives, so there can be great heterogeneity among people voting the same way.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hxP_4O7MBTg
This refinery was previously hit in April 2024.
Phillips P O'Brien pointing out today that the attacks on Russian oil refineries in the last few months have mostly concentrated on hitting the key cracking units, which causes harder to repair damage, while the attacks in 2024 were mostly targeted at easier to repair/less consequential (but easier to hit) storage tanks.
Hope you're ok.
White 53.8%
White British 36.8%
Irish 1.8%
Gypsy/Traveller 0.1%
Roma 0.4%
White Other 14.7%
Asian/Asian British 20.8%
Indian 7.5%
Pakistani 3.3%
Bangladeshi 3.7%
Chinese 1.7%
Other Asian 4.6%
Black/Black British 13.5%
African 7.9%
Caribbean 3.9%
Other Black 1.7%
Mixed/British Mixed 5.7%
White and Black Caribbean 1.5%
White and Black African 0.9%
White and Asian 1.4%
Other Mixed 1.9%
Other 6.3%
Arab 1.6%
Any other 4.7%
These are ethnicity categorisations, not nationalities, so most of those people who have ticked Indian are British citizens.
Thus, overall, the biggest ethnic group by far remains White British, with White Other (which is mostly EU immigrants) second and African third.
By religion, the 2021 census found: Christianity (41%), no religion/atheism (27%), Islam (15%), no response given (7%), Hinduism (5%), Judaism (2%), Sikhism (2%), Buddhism (1%) and others (1%).
And I love it, I love London and Londoners.
Labour are now on their second, so not much sign of stability returning.
Blimey.
I hope you're out of danger now, and make a speedy recovery.
There was a suggestion yesterday that MET should be disbanded and London policing should be local.
Having now watched the documentary, which is specific to Charing X station, there was clearly a toxic culture, condoned or set from the top, which stemmed from the custody Sergeants who'd formed a protective clique.
Rather than making the MET more local, the solution could be to make it less local, deploying people across stations so that any toxic behaviour is more widely apparent rather than becoming normalised within a small group.
In the doc it is reported to be two BTP who make an official complaint about the behaviour of the custody Sergeant.
Makes our energy policy, and Milliband, look even worse.
Spain is successfully decoupling electricity prices from gas power costs 🇪🇸⚡️
Spain reduced the number of hours where electricity prices exceed gas costs by 75% since 2019.
As a result, Spain's electricity prices were 32% lower than the EU average in H1-2025...
https://x.com/nicolasfulghum/status/1973681424785191404
Furloughed Dept. of Education employees discovered their out of office messages were manipulated blaming Democrats for a government shutdown
"None of us consented to this. And it’s written in the first-person, as if I’m the one conveying this message, and I’m not. I don’t agree with it. I don’t think it’s ethical or legal. I think it violates the Hatch Act."
https://x.com/natashakorecki/status/1973794090509590648
The GOP, of course, controls all branches of government. The shutdown is on them.
I'd puff and pant my way to the half way rest-point, only to be told that there was no time for a rest; everyone else had been waiting for me.
Remember kids, DiVerSitY is ouR StrEngtH
I assume it is AI, and it is very Usonian.
I think it misses out distinctions based on attitudes to free markets and international trade, which is one of the key MAGA vs "Globalists" distinctives.
That one is also afaics a new distinctive acting as a deep dividing wall on the UK Right.
Test question: Was Margaret Thatcher a Conservative?