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Following the colonies – politicalbetting.com

SystemSystem Posts: 12,725
edited October 10 in General
Following the colonies – politicalbetting.com

Thought this was quite an interesting question. We asked which political party do people think is most "American" in it's style and Reform comes out on top by a country mile. Most likely to do with Trump, but also perhaps their more attention grabbing set pieces?

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Comments

  • turbotubbsturbotubbs Posts: 20,636
    First, really, again? And me being busy all day too...
  • AnneJGPAnneJGP Posts: 4,095
    Attack on the rule of war? Really?
  • turbotubbsturbotubbs Posts: 20,636
    I might be wrong but my sense is that Reform supporters (as in opinion polls) are not that well educated in political studies, and have very little idea about what the parties are like, what they are for/against etc. Is this poll not simply reflecting Farage being seen as close to Trump?
  • SandpitSandpit Posts: 57,420
    If the next UK election happens as planned in May 2029, Donald Trump won’t be US President.
  • turbotubbsturbotubbs Posts: 20,636
    Sandpit said:

    If the next UK election happens as planned in May 2029, Donald Trump won’t be US President.

    No, no Sandpit, you are doing this wrong. There won't ever be another Presidential Election.
  • Sandpit said:

    If the next UK election happens as planned in May 2029, Donald Trump won’t be US President.

    You sweet innocent child.
  • SandpitSandpit Posts: 57,420

    Sandpit said:

    If the next UK election happens as planned in May 2029, Donald Trump won’t be US President.

    You sweet innocent child.
    Want a bet? My £100 says he won’t be.
  • Scott_xPScott_xP Posts: 40,478
    SAD!


  • Sandpit said:

    Sandpit said:

    If the next UK election happens as planned in May 2029, Donald Trump won’t be US President.

    You sweet innocent child.
    Want a bet? My £100 says he won’t be.
    Yes, but the bet becomes void if he dies before the 20th of January 2029.
  • SandpitSandpit Posts: 57,420

    Sandpit said:

    Sandpit said:

    If the next UK election happens as planned in May 2029, Donald Trump won’t be US President.

    You sweet innocent child.
    Want a bet? My £100 says he won’t be.
    Yes, but the bet becomes void if he dies before the 20th of January 2029.
    Okay, so to confirm, if Donald Trump is alive and not President on 21st Jan 2029, you owe me £100?
  • Andy_JSAndy_JS Posts: 37,974
    Sandpit said:

    If the next UK election happens as planned in May 2029, Donald Trump won’t be US President.

    It used to be more usual to hold UK elections every 4 years than every 5.
  • turbotubbsturbotubbs Posts: 20,636
    Scott_xP said:

    SAD!


    All very humorous and all that but Obama got his for simply being black, whereas when Trumpy gets his next year, he will genuinely have achieved something.

    Its not Obama's fault, and I have a lot of time for him. I imagine him running again is the main reason Trump would not abolish the two term limit. But he really didn't deserve the Nobel for simply getting elected.
  • Sandpit said:

    Sandpit said:

    Sandpit said:

    If the next UK election happens as planned in May 2029, Donald Trump won’t be US President.

    You sweet innocent child.
    Want a bet? My £100 says he won’t be.
    Yes, but the bet becomes void if he dies before the 20th of January 2029.
    Okay, so to confirm, if Donald Trump is alive and not President on 21st Jan 2029, you owe me £100?
    Yes.
  • isamisam Posts: 42,785
    I’m a bit put off by the American style Reform are employing if I’m honest. A Tory-Reform alliance would be preferable to Reform Maj, as I like a few of the Tory politicians that survived GE24.
  • viewcodeviewcode Posts: 26,118
    Andy_JS said:

    Sandpit said:

    If the next UK election happens as planned in May 2029, Donald Trump won’t be US President.

    It used to be more usual to hold UK elections every 4 years than every 5.
    Yes, but (unsarcastically) Britain isn't usual. A max of 5 years works just fine.
  • OnlyLivingBoyOnlyLivingBoy Posts: 17,054
    It's not just the cosying up to Trump, it's the parroting of US rightwing talking points. Even stuff that has no traction here like the crazy Christian nationalist stuff. I think the answer is simple: this has become a grift operation and Farage is chasing money on the US speaking circuit. People here don't appreciate how much money there is in America.
  • SandpitSandpit Posts: 57,420
    edited October 10

    Sandpit said:

    Sandpit said:

    Sandpit said:

    If the next UK election happens as planned in May 2029, Donald Trump won’t be US President.

    You sweet innocent child.
    Want a bet? My £100 says he won’t be.
    Yes, but the bet becomes void if he dies before the 20th of January 2029.
    Okay, so to confirm, if Donald Trump is alive and not President on 21st Jan 2029, you owe me £100?
    Yes.
    Okay, agreed. Bookmarking this post.

    I should have made it a bag of sand.
  • IanB2IanB2 Posts: 53,090
    edited October 10
    The US markets are taking a dive this afternoon - hot news out there somewhere?

    Edit/ OK, I see it…. Stock indexes fell sharply Friday after President Donald Trump threatened "massive" tariffs on China
  • numbertwelvenumbertwelve Posts: 8,232
    Sandpit said:

    If the next UK election happens as planned in May 2029, Donald Trump won’t be US President.

    Assuming the constitution holds on that point, it is however highly plausible that MAGA will still control the WH, IMHO. I've seen little as it stands to make me think the Democrats have a great candidate right now and then there's what happens with the electoral apparatus...
  • MexicanpeteMexicanpete Posts: 35,032

    Scott_xP said:

    SAD!


    All very humorous and all that but Obama got his for simply being black, whereas when Trumpy gets his next year, he will genuinely have achieved something.

    Its not Obama's fault, and I have a lot of time for him. I imagine him running again is the main reason Trump would not abolish the two term limit. But he really didn't deserve the Nobel for simply getting elected.
    Even if a President has generated peace in the Middle East (time will tell) does he lose Nobel Peace Prize points for subjugating his citizens with military force and maliciously and vexatiously prosecuting his political opponents?

    Asking for a friend.
  • BarnesianBarnesian Posts: 9,418
    edited October 10
    IanB2 said:

    The US markets are taking a dive this afternoon - hot news out there somewhere?

    Peace. RR and BAE well down on LSE
  • MexicanpeteMexicanpete Posts: 35,032
    isam said:

    I’m a bit put off by the American style Reform are employing if I’m honest. A Tory-Reform alliance would be preferable to Reform Maj, as I like a few of the Tory politicians that survived GE24.

    Both would be horrible outcomes. Can't Tories just go back to being one-nation feudal Conservatives?
  • numbertwelvenumbertwelve Posts: 8,232
    IanB2 said:

    The US markets are taking a dive this afternoon - hot news out there somewhere?

    There's been a lot of noise recently about whether we are in an AI "bubble". I wonder if some of it is a reaction to that. The shutdown continues unabated too.
  • PulpstarPulpstar Posts: 80,236
    Barnesian said:

    IanB2 said:

    The US markets are taking a dive this afternoon - hot news out there somewhere?

    Peace. RR and BAE well down on LSE
    Everywhere's been on a bit of a tear recently so a pullback at some point was inevitable.
  • DopermeanDopermean Posts: 1,709

    Scott_xP said:

    SAD!


    All very humorous and all that but Obama got his for simply being black, whereas when Trumpy gets his next year, he will genuinely have achieved something.

    Its not Obama's fault, and I have a lot of time for him. I imagine him running again is the main reason Trump would not abolish the two term limit. But he really didn't deserve the Nobel for simply getting elected.
    Even if a President has generated peace in the Middle East (time will tell) does he lose Nobel Peace Prize points for subjugating his citizens with military force and maliciously and vexatiously prosecuting his political opponents?

    Asking for a friend.
    Stalin didn't get it either
  • BattlebusBattlebus Posts: 1,718
    OT

    Looking at the GE24 results, the Incumbent Party took 300 seats. And the latest MRP appears to indicate they'll take 213 seats so the battle seems to be for the Reform curious who might not be curious at all in a couple of years.
  • Scott_xPScott_xP Posts: 40,478
    @atrupar.com‬

    Pritzker to @gregsargent.bsky.social: "Trump says a lot of crazy things. I genuinely think there's something wrong with him. I wish his family would intervene... I don’t think anybody around is going to do it bc they’re benefiting from his dementia"

    https://bsky.app/profile/atrupar.com/post/3m2tzphqdys2e
  • eekeek Posts: 31,485

    IanB2 said:

    The US markets are taking a dive this afternoon - hot news out there somewhere?

    There's been a lot of noise recently about whether we are in an AI "bubble". I wonder if some of it is a reaction to that. The shutdown continues unabated too.
    Nope - it's Trump's announcement of more tariffs for China.

    If you want to see the scale of the AI bubble though look at https://www.wheresyoured.at/the-ai-bubbles-impossible-promises/ which has a number of points but if you just focus on the energy required you will see that none of the AI data centres can be built because there isn't the power to supply them.

    A new 1gigawatt AI data centre requires 1.3 to 1.4 gigawatts to power the GPUs and cooling hardware and the lead time for a efficient gas turbine is currently 7 years. That means those centres destined to arrive in 2026-8 aren't being built..
  • rcs1000rcs1000 Posts: 61,876
    Sandpit said:

    If the next UK election happens as planned in May 2029, Donald Trump won’t be US President.

    Why not?
  • rcs1000rcs1000 Posts: 61,876
    Sandpit said:

    Sandpit said:

    Sandpit said:

    If the next UK election happens as planned in May 2029, Donald Trump won’t be US President.

    You sweet innocent child.
    Want a bet? My £100 says he won’t be.
    Yes, but the bet becomes void if he dies before the 20th of January 2029.
    Okay, so to confirm, if Donald Trump is alive and not President on 21st Jan 2029, you owe me £100?
    Personally, I'd want rather better than evens. (Probably more like 10 or 15 to 1.)

    But it's a non-zero chance, surely. Which is -in itself- quite frightening.
  • SandpitSandpit Posts: 57,420
    rcs1000 said:

    Sandpit said:

    Sandpit said:

    Sandpit said:

    If the next UK election happens as planned in May 2029, Donald Trump won’t be US President.

    You sweet innocent child.
    Want a bet? My £100 says he won’t be.
    Yes, but the bet becomes void if he dies before the 20th of January 2029.
    Okay, so to confirm, if Donald Trump is alive and not President on 21st Jan 2029, you owe me £100?
    Personally, I'd want rather better than evens. (Probably more like 10 or 15 to 1.)

    But it's a non-zero chance, surely. Which is -in itself- quite frightening.
    He’s 2% on Polymarket.

    https://polymarket.com/event/presidential-election-winner-2028?tid=1760111541658
  • CookieCookie Posts: 16,261
    I've said this before - but I can't help thinking that Reform are falling some way short of their potential. There is, as some have pointed out in the past, a gap in the market for a properly socially conservative-with-state-spending party. It feels like Reform took aim for this, then for reasons of personal preference dialled some way right on market economics, and for reasons hard to fathom dialled the crankery and Trumpery up by about 50%, such that the point where they are aiming is now fairly empty. Voters haven't noticed yet and they're atill surfing a promising wave of noneoftheabovery, but they risk alienating their coalition without a bit of recalibration.
  • rcs1000rcs1000 Posts: 61,876
    edited October 10
    eek said:

    IanB2 said:

    The US markets are taking a dive this afternoon - hot news out there somewhere?

    There's been a lot of noise recently about whether we are in an AI "bubble". I wonder if some of it is a reaction to that. The shutdown continues unabated too.
    Nope - it's Trump's announcement of more tariffs for China.

    If you want to see the scale of the AI bubble though look at https://www.wheresyoured.at/the-ai-bubbles-impossible-promises/ which has a number of points but if you just focus on the energy required you will see that none of the AI data centres can be built because there isn't the power to supply them.

    A new 1gigawatt AI data centre requires 1.3 to 1.4 gigawatts to power the GPUs and cooling hardware and the lead time for a efficient gas turbine is currently 7 years. That means those centres destined to arrive in 2026-8 aren't being built..
    Indeed: if you want a new Siemens or GE turbine, good luck getting one before 2031/2032. (It's funny: I do wonder if Siemens Energy is a bit of a hidden AI play.)
  • MalmesburyMalmesbury Posts: 57,481
    eek said:

    IanB2 said:

    The US markets are taking a dive this afternoon - hot news out there somewhere?

    There's been a lot of noise recently about whether we are in an AI "bubble". I wonder if some of it is a reaction to that. The shutdown continues unabated too.
    Nope - it's Trump's announcement of more tariffs for China.

    If you want to see the scale of the AI bubble though look at https://www.wheresyoured.at/the-ai-bubbles-impossible-promises/ which has a number of points but if you just focus on the energy required you will see that none of the AI data centres can be built because there isn't the power to supply them.

    A new 1gigawatt AI data centre requires 1.3 to 1.4 gigawatts to power the GPUs and cooling hardware and the lead time for a efficient gas turbine is currently 7 years. That means those centres destined to arrive in 2026-8 aren't being built..
    That we are in an AI investment bubble can't be denied. As you say, some of the promises are physically impossible. In addition, the pattern of investment is following all the previous bubbles. Hence the recent comments from the governor of the bank of England.
  • MoonRabbitMoonRabbit Posts: 14,527
    edited October 10

    Sandpit said:

    Sandpit said:

    Sandpit said:

    If the next UK election happens as planned in May 2029, Donald Trump won’t be US President.

    You sweet innocent child.
    Want a bet? My £100 says he won’t be.
    Yes, but the bet becomes void if he dies before the 20th of January 2029.
    Okay, so to confirm, if Donald Trump is alive and not President on 21st Jan 2029, you owe me £100?
    Yes.
    TSE - I have dropped a spunky and topical header in the usual place to you. 👩‍💻
  • HYUFDHYUFD Posts: 130,680
    Trump's white nationalist and protectionist views go down well with a section of the population, especially on the anti globalist hard right. That is no more than about 15% of the population though so Farage cannot risk getting too close to Trump if he wants Reform to win most seats or a majority
  • Sunil_PrasannanSunil_Prasannan Posts: 56,188
    kinabalu said:

    Sandpit said:

    MaxPB said:

    If the peace deal holds until next year does it make Trump the favourite for the prize? He will definitely get nominated for it and they'd struggle to find a reason not to give it to him if there's no resumption of war or fighting between Israel and Hamas.

    If he can kick Putin’s arse, he deserves it.
    Do you get the Peace Prize for kicking arses?
    "Good at getting his ass... kicked. They should call him Ass-Kick, instead!"
  • '...The economically illiterate, science denying, attack on the rule of law, culture wars that Trump espouses....'

    You don't like him, do you, TSE.
  • StuartinromfordStuartinromford Posts: 20,168
    Cookie said:

    I've said this before - but I can't help thinking that Reform are falling some way short of their potential. There is, as some have pointed out in the past, a gap in the market for a properly socially conservative-with-state-spending party. It feels like Reform took aim for this, then for reasons of personal preference dialled some way right on market economics, and for reasons hard to fathom dialled the crankery and Trumpery up by about 50%, such that the point where they are aiming is now fairly empty. Voters haven't noticed yet and they're atill surfing a promising wave of noneoftheabovery, but they risk alienating their coalition without a bit of recalibration.

    Nanny state, but nanny has a stiff wire hairbrush and she's not afraid to use it.

    It used to be a strand of thinking on the Conservative right, it's also where Blue Labour have landed, isn't it? I'm not sure it's where Farage ever was, because he doesn't like taxes.

    The cynical answer is that right-populism has always tended to use culture wars to distract the lower orders from the downsides of right wing economics, and money to distract the elites from the authoritarianism. It would be better if it didn't work, but it does.
  • rcs1000rcs1000 Posts: 61,876
    rcs1000 said:

    eek said:

    IanB2 said:

    The US markets are taking a dive this afternoon - hot news out there somewhere?

    There's been a lot of noise recently about whether we are in an AI "bubble". I wonder if some of it is a reaction to that. The shutdown continues unabated too.
    Nope - it's Trump's announcement of more tariffs for China.

    If you want to see the scale of the AI bubble though look at https://www.wheresyoured.at/the-ai-bubbles-impossible-promises/ which has a number of points but if you just focus on the energy required you will see that none of the AI data centres can be built because there isn't the power to supply them.

    A new 1gigawatt AI data centre requires 1.3 to 1.4 gigawatts to power the GPUs and cooling hardware and the lead time for a efficient gas turbine is currently 7 years. That means those centres destined to arrive in 2026-8 aren't being built..
    Indeed: if you want a new Siemens or GE turbine, good luck getting one before 2031/2032. (It's funny: I do wonder if Siemens Energy is a bit of a hidden AI play.)
    Very minor rant: this makes the tariffs on import of solar panels to the US even more dumb. Because so much of the power usage of an AI datacenter is cooling, they have power usage cycles that mimic insolation (with about a two hour lag).

    Adding solar panels to AI data centers is a nobrainer, and in China, it's practically compulsory.

    But the US's tariffs on solar panels from China basically mean it no longer happesn in the US, and makes it harder to compete because US AI plays are paying more for power.
  • HYUFDHYUFD Posts: 130,680

    Sandpit said:

    If the next UK election happens as planned in May 2029, Donald Trump won’t be US President.

    Assuming the constitution holds on that point, it is however highly plausible that MAGA will still control the WH, IMHO. I've seen little as it stands to make me think the Democrats have a great candidate right now and then there's what happens with the electoral apparatus...
    Trump certainly needs to get his approval rating back uo to 50% from its current 40% or so for he and Vance to hold the White House with an election or avoid blue and purple states seceding without one.

    I see Trump has also cancelled a meeting with President Xi and threatened yet higher tariffs on Chinese imports after a dispute over minerals
  • OldKingColeOldKingCole Posts: 35,851
    HYUFD said:

    Trump's white nationalist and protectionist views go down well with a section of the population, especially on the anti globalist hard right. That is no more than about 15% of the population though so Farage cannot risk getting too close to Trump if he wants Reform to win most seats or a majority

    The turnout in US elections is, by European standards, low. Consequently the really motivated, because of their extreme opinions, can have an effect greater than one would expect.
  • Andy_JSAndy_JS Posts: 37,974
    Cookie said:

    I've said this before - but I can't help thinking that Reform are falling some way short of their potential. There is, as some have pointed out in the past, a gap in the market for a properly socially conservative-with-state-spending party. It feels like Reform took aim for this, then for reasons of personal preference dialled some way right on market economics, and for reasons hard to fathom dialled the crankery and Trumpery up by about 50%, such that the point where they are aiming is now fairly empty. Voters haven't noticed yet and they're atill surfing a promising wave of noneoftheabovery, but they risk alienating their coalition without a bit of recalibration.

    True but they have 3 and half years to try different ideas.
  • scampi25scampi25 Posts: 297

    isam said:

    I’m a bit put off by the American style Reform are employing if I’m honest. A Tory-Reform alliance would be preferable to Reform Maj, as I like a few of the Tory politicians that survived GE24.

    Both would be horrible outcomes. Can't Tories just go back to being one-nation feudal Conservatives?
    One way or another the next government will either be centre left or centre right - unfortunately for you the Overton window is leaning right... Of course that could change .
  • CiceroCicero Posts: 3,889
    edited October 10
    Given the recent conviction of the leader of the Faragists in Wales, the problem for Reform may not just be from the USA, but also from Russia.

    https://news.err.ee/1609824438/russia-s-gru-parcel-bomb-operation-traced-to-estonia

    (TLDR: Russian GRU tried to blow up cargo flights from Warsaw, Leipzig and Birmingham last month.)

    The naked lies Farage has told about not being meeting Russian spies (he did), never meeting the Russian Ambassador (he had) etc etc will be far more unpopular than being close to the US, especially when, Trump aside (I know, I know), the USA is still reasonably well liked in Britain.
  • SandyRentoolSandyRentool Posts: 23,584

    IanB2 said:

    The US markets are taking a dive this afternoon - hot news out there somewhere?

    There's been a lot of noise recently about whether we are in an AI "bubble". I wonder if some of it is a reaction to that. The shutdown continues unabated too.
    So time to switch out of AI stocks and into Crypto?
  • EabhalEabhal Posts: 12,166
    Cookie said:

    I've said this before - but I can't help thinking that Reform are falling some way short of their potential. There is, as some have pointed out in the past, a gap in the market for a properly socially conservative-with-state-spending party. It feels like Reform took aim for this, then for reasons of personal preference dialled some way right on market economics, and for reasons hard to fathom dialled the crankery and Trumpery up by about 50%, such that the point where they are aiming is now fairly empty. Voters haven't noticed yet and they're atill surfing a promising wave of noneoftheabovery, but they risk alienating their coalition without a bit of recalibration.

    Isn't there a theory this is to try and keep the donors onside?
  • Andy_JSAndy_JS Posts: 37,974
    "Digital ID cards could be needed to buy a pint in the pub, as ministers are accused of taking a 'Big Brother approach' to civil liberties"

    https://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-15181035/Digital-ID-cards-needed-buy-pint-pub-ministers-accused-taking-Big-Brother-approach-civil-liberties.html
  • MalmesburyMalmesbury Posts: 57,481
    Andy_JS said:

    "Digital ID cards could be needed to buy a pint in the pub, as ministers are accused of taking a 'Big Brother approach' to civil liberties"

    https://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-15181035/Digital-ID-cards-needed-buy-pint-pub-ministers-accused-taking-Big-Brother-approach-civil-liberties.html

    {Narrator : But they won't be required in the bars in the House of Commons.}
  • scampi25scampi25 Posts: 297

    Andy_JS said:

    "Digital ID cards could be needed to buy a pint in the pub, as ministers are accused of taking a 'Big Brother approach' to civil liberties"

    https://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-15181035/Digital-ID-cards-needed-buy-pint-pub-ministers-accused-taking-Big-Brother-approach-civil-liberties.html

    {Narrator : But they won't be required in the bars in the House of Commons.}
    It's almost like they want to reach a record low in the polls.
  • Jim_MillerJim_Miller Posts: 3,544
    Here's the Wikipedia list of Peace Pirze winners:
    https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_Nobel_Peace_Prize_laureates

    FPT: This correction: Teddy Roosevelt was, of course, a Republican when he won the prize. (He split later to form his own party in the 2012 election.)
  • SandpitSandpit Posts: 57,420

    Andy_JS said:

    "Digital ID cards could be needed to buy a pint in the pub, as ministers are accused of taking a 'Big Brother approach' to civil liberties"

    https://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-15181035/Digital-ID-cards-needed-buy-pint-pub-ministers-accused-taking-Big-Brother-approach-civil-liberties.html

    {Narrator : But they won't be required in the bars in the House of Commons.}
    The last Blair proposal had an explicit carve-out for “Important People”, will be really interesting to see if that ideas persists…
  • kinabalukinabalu Posts: 47,628
    What a bizarre and concerning poll. Not the American thing, the other bit at the bottom. We (along with many similar countries) are struggling with a flat economy, ageing demographics, stagnant living standards, and tight public finances. That 88% of people consider this to mean "Britain is Broken" shows that febrile hyperbole has become the norm. Unless it's just become a phrase that means all is not well and some things need to change. Perhaps that's it. I don't like it anyway, all this "broken" and "fix" business. It's overwrought and leading to poor debate and decisions. We are not broken, and if we were it wouldn't be something fixable by politicians at Westminster.
  • OldKingColeOldKingCole Posts: 35,851
    Andy_JS said:

    "Digital ID cards could be needed to buy a pint in the pub, as ministers are accused of taking a 'Big Brother approach' to civil liberties"

    https://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-15181035/Digital-ID-cards-needed-buy-pint-pub-ministers-accused-taking-Big-Brother-approach-civil-liberties.html

    We all know that if a Conservative Govt suggested introducing ID cards the Mail would find some reason to enthuse over the idea, as the greatest improvement in Civil Liberties since .......
  • numbertwelvenumbertwelve Posts: 8,232
    edited October 10
    Andy_JS said:

    "Digital ID cards could be needed to buy a pint in the pub, as ministers are accused of taking a 'Big Brother approach' to civil liberties"

    https://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-15181035/Digital-ID-cards-needed-buy-pint-pub-ministers-accused-taking-Big-Brother-approach-civil-liberties.html

    They have completely naffed up the comms again on this (it’s Labour, so we shouldn’t be surprised).

    This is all happening because (a bit like their stupid “our economy is at deaths door and there will be all sorts of pain in our budget but we’re not going to tell you what. Enjoy your summer” wheeze after winning the GE), they just said they’d consult on what the final policy looked like. That just breeds speculation.

    They should’ve just announced the policy, warts and all, and that would have killed all these “mission creep” headlines.

    Or better still, they shouldn’t have announced it at all. Because it’s a crap policy.
  • HYUFDHYUFD Posts: 130,680

    HYUFD said:

    Trump's white nationalist and protectionist views go down well with a section of the population, especially on the anti globalist hard right. That is no more than about 15% of the population though so Farage cannot risk getting too close to Trump if he wants Reform to win most seats or a majority

    The turnout in US elections is, by European standards, low. Consequently the really motivated, because of their extreme opinions, can have an effect greater than one would expect.
    Especially in the primary elections which decide Presidential.nominees and candidates for other offices, which in safe Senate or House seats for the party effectively decides who wins anyway
  • PJHPJH Posts: 941
    Cookie said:

    I've said this before - but I can't help thinking that Reform are falling some way short of their potential. There is, as some have pointed out in the past, a gap in the market for a properly socially conservative-with-state-spending party. It feels like Reform took aim for this, then for reasons of personal preference dialled some way right on market economics, and for reasons hard to fathom dialled the crankery and Trumpery up by about 50%, such that the point where they are aiming is now fairly empty. Voters haven't noticed yet and they're atill surfing a promising wave of noneoftheabovery, but they risk alienating their coalition without a bit of recalibration.

    I have been thinking for some time that this is where the gap in the market is. And unlike the USA, socially conservative doesn't need to mean conservative biblical values of women knowing their place etc, it probably just means keep things as they are. Most people are actually personally quite liberal, don't really care about your colour or sexuality, but perhaps what the current Reform voters want is for the "woke" to be dialled down a bit.

    And for a lot of people, 'keeping things as they are' means no immigrants. I don't see why the Hard Left is so supportive of immigration - simplistically it depresses wages, so I would have through that they ought to oppose it on economic grounds, rather like the old Trades Unions applying restrictive practices etc to restrict entry to certain industries with the aim of keeping wages high. They don't have to be (overtly) racist, although the cold war Communists had no problem with being nationalist to the point of racism. The first populist left party to get its act together in terms of leadership and coherence and oppose immigration will win a landslide.

    Especially as by then a Reform government will also have failed badly and they will be the only option not tried, after 50 years of (more or less) right-wing capitalist governments. Not something I want to see personally, but I can see how it could happen.
  • viewcodeviewcode Posts: 26,118
    Ryan McBeth on Trump's 20pt Peace Plan

    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BlQZ2gvnmD8 (18mins)
  • kinabalu said:

    What a bizarre and concerning poll. Not the American thing, the other bit at the bottom. We (along with many similar countries) are struggling with a flat economy, ageing demographics, stagnant living standards, and tight public finances. That 88% of people consider this to mean "Britain is Broken" shows that febrile hyperbole has become the norm. Unless it's just become a phrase that means all is not well and some things need to change. Perhaps that's it. I don't like it anyway, all this "broken" and "fix" business. It's overwrought and leading to poor debate and decisions. We are not broken, and if we were it wouldn't be something fixable by politicians at Westminster.

    The problem is Starmer and Reeves, from before and after their election win, complained how bad everything is after 14 years of Tory rule, then produced the most anti business budget anyone could imagine, so yes Labour need to reflect on their own behaviour in this story
  • Andy_JS said:

    "Digital ID cards could be needed to buy a pint in the pub, as ministers are accused of taking a 'Big Brother approach' to civil liberties"

    https://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-15181035/Digital-ID-cards-needed-buy-pint-pub-ministers-accused-taking-Big-Brother-approach-civil-liberties.html

    They have completely naffed up the comms again on this (it’s Labour, so we shouldn’t be surprised).

    This is all happening because (a bit like their stupid “our economy is at deaths door and there will be all sorts of pain in our budget but we’re not going to tell you what. Enjoy your summer” wheeze after winning the GE), they just said they’d consult on what the final policy looked like. That just breeds speculation.

    They should’ve just announced the policy, warts and all, and that would have killed all these “mission creep” headlines.

    Or better still, they shouldn’t have announced it at all. Because it’s a crap policy.
    I expect they will be quietly dropped
  • Andy_JSAndy_JS Posts: 37,974
    Average last 10 polls

    Ref 31.5%
    Lab 20.1%
    Con 17.6%
    LD 13.7%
    Grn 10.4%

    https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Opinion_polling_for_the_next_United_Kingdom_general_election#2025
  • PJHPJH Posts: 941
    On an unrelated matter, is there some scam going on with Insurance Companies? Somebody scraped my car the other week, I have a deepish scartch and some denting along both doors and rear wing. I made a claim so I could get it fixed - really I just wanted to know if I had to take it to a trusted repairer for a quote - but they are saying my car is a write-off. Does it really cost £7500 to make some bodywork repairs to a VW Golf?
  • CarnyxCarnyx Posts: 45,842

    Andy_JS said:

    "Digital ID cards could be needed to buy a pint in the pub, as ministers are accused of taking a 'Big Brother approach' to civil liberties"

    https://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-15181035/Digital-ID-cards-needed-buy-pint-pub-ministers-accused-taking-Big-Brother-approach-civil-liberties.html

    We all know that if a Conservative Govt suggested introducing ID cards the Mail would find some reason to enthuse over the idea, as the greatest improvement in Civil Liberties since .......
    Also a bit of a stupid complaint as (at least up here) there is an identity card scheme for young and young-looking drinkers, only it's run by the licensed victuallers' industry body.
  • NigelbNigelb Posts: 81,957
    Not so much kleptocracy as comprehensive griftocracy.

    Pete Hegseth announces that Qatar, an Authoritarian regime, will be authorized to build an Air Force training base on U.S soil in Idaho.

    A foreign regime, not a NATO ally, with military inside America…What the actual fuck?

    https://x.com/CalltoActivism/status/1976665259030319465
  • geoffwgeoffw Posts: 9,290

    Here's the Wikipedia list of Peace Pirze winners:
    https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_Nobel_Peace_Prize_laureates

    FPT: This correction: Teddy Roosevelt was, of course, a Republican when he won the prize. (He split later to form his own party in the 2012 election.)

    1912 election?
  • DecrepiterJohnLDecrepiterJohnL Posts: 33,283

    Scott_xP said:

    SAD!


    All very humorous and all that but Obama got his for simply being black, whereas when Trumpy gets his next year, he will genuinely have achieved something.

    Its not Obama's fault, and I have a lot of time for him. I imagine him running again is the main reason Trump would not abolish the two term limit. But he really didn't deserve the Nobel for simply getting elected.
    Obama got the prize for not being the perceived warmonger George Bush.
  • MaxPBMaxPB Posts: 40,902
    @Leon a YouTube creator has beaten you to the story on werewolf porn for women.

    https://youtu.be/XZ3OPifyQZ8?si=xjY0zqhfJZuEH0tC
  • MalmesburyMalmesbury Posts: 57,481

    Andy_JS said:

    "Digital ID cards could be needed to buy a pint in the pub, as ministers are accused of taking a 'Big Brother approach' to civil liberties"

    https://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-15181035/Digital-ID-cards-needed-buy-pint-pub-ministers-accused-taking-Big-Brother-approach-civil-liberties.html

    They have completely naffed up the comms again on this (it’s Labour, so we shouldn’t be surprised).

    This is all happening because (a bit like their stupid “our economy is at deaths door and there will be all sorts of pain in our budget but we’re not going to tell you what. Enjoy your summer” wheeze after winning the GE), they just said they’d consult on what the final policy looked like. That just breeds speculation.

    They should’ve just announced the policy, warts and all, and that would have killed all these “mission creep” headlines.

    Or better still, they shouldn’t have announced it at all. Because it’s a crap policy.
    I expect they will be quietly dropped
    I'm surprised the more pro-EU people aren't pointing out that large chucks of the more stupid stuff break EU laws and rules on privacy and data security - they would be barrier to re-entry.

    Even in the present circumstances, the EU is likely to be very angry about the really insane stuff being applied to their citizens. Such as storing primary biometric id - not just a hash of your fingerprint.

    Yes, the last time this was planned, the idea was to include in the database of every actual fingerprint in the country. And eye scans.

    What's wrong with that? asks @kinabalu. Well, when the data is stolen, as it will be, changing your fingerprints may be a bit hard. And no, it's perfectly possible to do finger print recognition without storing your primary fingerprint.
  • MalmesburyMalmesbury Posts: 57,481
    edited October 10
    PJH said:

    On an unrelated matter, is there some scam going on with Insurance Companies? Somebody scraped my car the other week, I have a deepish scartch and some denting along both doors and rear wing. I made a claim so I could get it fixed - really I just wanted to know if I had to take it to a trusted repairer for a quote - but they are saying my car is a write-off. Does it really cost £7500 to make some bodywork repairs to a VW Golf?

    Cost of labour has gone through the roof.

    Plus it is more the car companies. Better for them if they sell more cars, rather than panels.
  • HYUFDHYUFD Posts: 130,680
    edited October 10
    PJH said:

    Cookie said:

    I've said this before - but I can't help thinking that Reform are falling some way short of their potential. There is, as some have pointed out in the past, a gap in the market for a properly socially conservative-with-state-spending party. It feels like Reform took aim for this, then for reasons of personal preference dialled some way right on market economics, and for reasons hard to fathom dialled the crankery and Trumpery up by about 50%, such that the point where they are aiming is now fairly empty. Voters haven't noticed yet and they're atill surfing a promising wave of noneoftheabovery, but they risk alienating their coalition without a bit of recalibration.

    I have been thinking for some time that this is where the gap in the market is. And unlike the USA, socially conservative doesn't need to mean conservative biblical values of women knowing their place etc, it probably just means keep things as they are. Most people are actually personally quite liberal, don't really care about your colour or sexuality, but perhaps what the current Reform voters want is for the "woke" to be dialled down a bit.

    And for a lot of people, 'keeping things as they are' means no immigrants. I don't see why the Hard Left is so supportive of immigration - simplistically it depresses wages, so I would have through that they ought to oppose it on economic grounds, rather like the old Trades Unions applying restrictive practices etc to restrict entry to certain industries with the aim of keeping wages high. They don't have to be (overtly) racist, although the cold war Communists had no problem with being nationalist to the point of racism. The first populist left party to get its act together in terms of leadership and coherence and oppose immigration will win a landslide.

    Especially as by then a Reform government will also have failed badly and they will be the only option not tried, after 50 years of (more or less) right-wing capitalist governments. Not something I want to see personally, but I can see how it could happen.
    As the left is generally globalist and socially liberal even if economically left.In the UK at least we are spending nearly 50% of gdp and since Labour was elected tax is going up yet further. France is spending well over 50% of gdp so a million miles from pure capitalism and New York city looks about to elect a socialist as its Mayor
  • MalmesburyMalmesbury Posts: 57,481
    Nigelb said:

    Not so much kleptocracy as comprehensive griftocracy.

    Pete Hegseth announces that Qatar, an Authoritarian regime, will be authorized to build an Air Force training base on U.S soil in Idaho.

    A foreign regime, not a NATO ally, with military inside America…What the actual fuck?

    https://x.com/CalltoActivism/status/1976665259030319465

    I'm surprised that anyone is surprised. The Saudis have been training in the US for decades.
  • NigelbNigelb Posts: 81,957
    MaxPB said:

    @Leon a YouTube creator has beaten you to the story on werewolf porn for women.

    https://youtu.be/XZ3OPifyQZ8?si=xjY0zqhfJZuEH0tC

    The genre is two decades old.
    https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Laurell_K._Hamilton
  • HYUFDHYUFD Posts: 130,680
    edited October 10
    Andy_JS said:

    Average last 10 polls

    Ref 31.5%
    Lab 20.1%
    Con 17.6%
    LD 13.7%
    Grn 10.4%

    https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Opinion_polling_for_the_next_United_Kingdom_general_election#2025

    If the rump largely liberal Cons merged with the Orange Book Davey LDs and Labour merged with the Greens we would have genuine three way politics with them and Reform
  • rottenboroughrottenborough Posts: 68,405
    Kaboom!!!!!


    Laura Loomer
    @LauraLoomer
    ·
    1h
    Never thought I’d see Republicans give terror financing Muslims from Qatar a MILITARY BASE on US soil so they can murder Americans.

    I don’t think I’ll be voting in 2026.

    I cannot in good conscience make any excuses for the harboring of jihadis.

    This is where I draw the line.

    https://x.com/LauraLoomer/status/1976668333539021140


    Hegseth has announced a deal to give the Qatar a military base in Idaho. Yes you read that right!
  • CarnyxCarnyx Posts: 45,842
    Nigelb said:

    Not so much kleptocracy as comprehensive griftocracy.

    Pete Hegseth announces that Qatar, an Authoritarian regime, will be authorized to build an Air Force training base on U.S soil in Idaho.

    A foreign regime, not a NATO ally, with military inside America…What the actual fuck?

    https://x.com/CalltoActivism/status/1976665259030319465

    As noted on the previous thread, the Republic of Singapore has a training squadron, actually part of the USAF, on that very air base. If that is what is intended, then it's nothing new.

  • PJH said:

    On an unrelated matter, is there some scam going on with Insurance Companies? Somebody scraped my car the other week, I have a deepish scartch and some denting along both doors and rear wing. I made a claim so I could get it fixed - really I just wanted to know if I had to take it to a trusted repairer for a quote - but they are saying my car is a write-off. Does it really cost £7500 to make some bodywork repairs to a VW Golf?

    Cost of labour has gone through the roof.

    Plus it is more the car companies. Better for them if they sell more cars, rather than panels.
    A similar incident happened to my car last year when I was parked and I claimed from my insurance company

    They insisted on taking it to Wrexham, their nearest approved repairer, offered me a courtesy car [ not required ] and refused to tell me the cost just it would be repaired

    I was utterly shocked that when they did note the repair cost on my policy it was £3,200 for a repair when the local body shop had quoted at £850

    I told them I thought it was not only unacceptable, but they were acting as a cartel but all to no avail and my brokers cheapest renewal premium was 40 % higher and this through no fault of mine, other than the third party did not stop
  • DecrepiterJohnLDecrepiterJohnL Posts: 33,283
    Trump and the answer to Nobelgate.

    In physics, there is the Nobel prize but also now the Fundamental Prize and some others which have been recently endowed and are worth more money than the Nobels.

    The answer is obvious. The billionaires who gave millions to Trump's election fund should set up a new peace prize worth $10 million and a solid gold trophy (cf the World Cup) and then award the inaugural prize to The Donald. Problem solved.
  • LostPasswordLostPassword Posts: 20,498
    edited October 10
    kinabalu said:

    What a bizarre and concerning poll. Not the American thing, the other bit at the bottom. We (along with many similar countries) are struggling with a flat economy, ageing demographics, stagnant living standards, and tight public finances. That 88% of people consider this to mean "Britain is Broken" shows that febrile hyperbole has become the norm. Unless it's just become a phrase that means all is not well and some things need to change. Perhaps that's it. I don't like it anyway, all this "broken" and "fix" business. It's overwrought and leading to poor debate and decisions. We are not broken, and if we were it wouldn't be something fixable by politicians at Westminster.

    Take for example housing. Britain has a recognised problem with housing. Every political party agrees there is a problem. Every political party has promised to fix those problems. Every political party that has reached government has failed to fix the problems with housing. This has been going on for at least two decades.

    If a country recognises it has a problem, decides to solve it, implements policies to solve it, and fails - repeatedly - is it much of a stretch to conclude that the country is broken in some respect?

    It's certainly not functioning as you might expect or hope it to.
  • Trump and the answer to Nobelgate.

    In physics, there is the Nobel prize but also now the Fundamental Prize and some others which have been recently endowed and are worth more money than the Nobels.

    The answer is obvious. The billionaires who gave millions to Trump's election fund should set up a new peace prize worth $10 million and a solid gold trophy (cf the World Cup) and then award the inaugural prize to The Donald. Problem solved.

    The International Global Nobel Prize - the IGNobel. Sounds great!
  • Andy_JSAndy_JS Posts: 37,974
    edited October 10
    Alba loses its only MSP.

    "MSP Ash Regan quits Alba to focus on prostitution bill"

    https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/articles/cre5g13zljqo
  • CarnyxCarnyx Posts: 45,842
    edited October 10

    Trump and the answer to Nobelgate.

    In physics, there is the Nobel prize but also now the Fundamental Prize and some others which have been recently endowed and are worth more money than the Nobels.

    The answer is obvious. The billionaires who gave millions to Trump's election fund should set up a new peace prize worth $10 million and a solid gold trophy (cf the World Cup) and then award the inaugural prize to The Donald. Problem solved.

    The International Global Nobel Prize - the IGNobel. Sounds great!
    Already taken, alas. Complete with Peace Prize.
    https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ig_Nobel_Prize
    https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_Ig_Nobel_Prize_winners
  • viewcodeviewcode Posts: 26,118
    Bradford 1902: colourised and remastered

    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bfdQYdF-vsM (9 mins)
  • AnthonyTAnthonyT Posts: 222
    "the economically illiterate, science denying, attack on the rule of law, culture wars that Trump espouses...."

    Well now, all or some of these criticisms could be made of many of the UK's political parties - including the Greens, Reform, the LibDems and Corbyn's new vehicle. It could also be made of quite a few Labour and Tory MPs.

  • LostPasswordLostPassword Posts: 20,498

    Sometimes away from politics nice things happen

    Our 16 year old grandson, who has just started his 3 year catering course, arrived today with sticky toffee pudding and sauce he had made, and it was quite the best we have tasted anywhere

    Who says our FE colleges are not worth it, though it does have an excellent reputation and many years ago my cousin qualified there and eventually became a director of Trust House Forte

    You can have a very tasty and reasonably priced meal at an FE college with a chef course.
  • kinabalukinabalu Posts: 47,628

    Andy_JS said:

    "Digital ID cards could be needed to buy a pint in the pub, as ministers are accused of taking a 'Big Brother approach' to civil liberties"

    https://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-15181035/Digital-ID-cards-needed-buy-pint-pub-ministers-accused-taking-Big-Brother-approach-civil-liberties.html

    They have completely naffed up the comms again on this (it’s Labour, so we shouldn’t be surprised).

    This is all happening because (a bit like their stupid “our economy is at deaths door and there will be all sorts of pain in our budget but we’re not going to tell you what. Enjoy your summer” wheeze after winning the GE), they just said they’d consult on what the final policy looked like. That just breeds speculation.

    They should’ve just announced the policy, warts and all, and that would have killed all these “mission creep” headlines.

    Or better still, they shouldn’t have announced it at all. Because it’s a crap policy.
    I expect they will be quietly dropped
    I'm surprised the more pro-EU people aren't pointing out that large chucks of the more stupid stuff break EU laws and rules on privacy and data security - they would be barrier to re-entry.

    Even in the present circumstances, the EU is likely to be very angry about the really insane stuff being applied to their citizens. Such as storing primary biometric id - not just a hash of your fingerprint.

    Yes, the last time this was planned, the idea was to include in the database of every actual fingerprint in the country. And eye scans.

    What's wrong with that? asks @kinabalu. Well, when the data is stolen, as it will be, changing your fingerprints may be a bit hard. And no, it's perfectly possible to do finger print recognition without storing your primary fingerprint.
    Oi I'm not the frontman for the Surveillance Society! I might even be anti the scheme when we know what it is - as opposed to frothing over Daily Mail clickbait or what Tony Blair was or wasn't intending 25 years ago.
  • MaxPBMaxPB Posts: 40,902

    kinabalu said:

    What a bizarre and concerning poll. Not the American thing, the other bit at the bottom. We (along with many similar countries) are struggling with a flat economy, ageing demographics, stagnant living standards, and tight public finances. That 88% of people consider this to mean "Britain is Broken" shows that febrile hyperbole has become the norm. Unless it's just become a phrase that means all is not well and some things need to change. Perhaps that's it. I don't like it anyway, all this "broken" and "fix" business. It's overwrought and leading to poor debate and decisions. We are not broken, and if we were it wouldn't be something fixable by politicians at Westminster.

    Take for example housing. Britain has a recognised problem with housing. Every political party agrees there is a problem. Every political party has promised to fix those problems. Every political party that has reached government has failed to fix the problems with housing. This has been going on for at least two decades.

    If a country recognises it has a problem, decides to solve it, implements policies to solve it, and fails - repeatedly - is it much of a stretch to conclude that the country is broken in some respect?

    It's certainly not functioning as you might expect or hope it to.
    Because the proposed solution from the public is to halt immigration and send back millions of migrants and illegals, the political parties want to pave over the countryside and build shitty high rise blocks in already overpopulated cities.

    Consistently the public has asked for lower immigration and the government hasn't delivered. That's what's broken.
  • kinabalukinabalu Posts: 47,628
    Nigelb said:

    Not so much kleptocracy as comprehensive griftocracy.

    Pete Hegseth announces that Qatar, an Authoritarian regime, will be authorized to build an Air Force training base on U.S soil in Idaho.

    A foreign regime, not a NATO ally, with military inside America…What the actual fuck?

    https://x.com/CalltoActivism/status/1976665259030319465

    The corruption is absolutely brazen.
  • SandpitSandpit Posts: 57,420

    Nigelb said:

    Not so much kleptocracy as comprehensive griftocracy.

    Pete Hegseth announces that Qatar, an Authoritarian regime, will be authorized to build an Air Force training base on U.S soil in Idaho.

    A foreign regime, not a NATO ally, with military inside America…What the actual fuck?

    https://x.com/CalltoActivism/status/1976665259030319465

    I'm surprised that anyone is surprised. The Saudis have been training in the US for decades.
    If it means that Qatar is investing in the US and not in Hamas…
  • LostPasswordLostPassword Posts: 20,498
    MaxPB said:

    kinabalu said:

    What a bizarre and concerning poll. Not the American thing, the other bit at the bottom. We (along with many similar countries) are struggling with a flat economy, ageing demographics, stagnant living standards, and tight public finances. That 88% of people consider this to mean "Britain is Broken" shows that febrile hyperbole has become the norm. Unless it's just become a phrase that means all is not well and some things need to change. Perhaps that's it. I don't like it anyway, all this "broken" and "fix" business. It's overwrought and leading to poor debate and decisions. We are not broken, and if we were it wouldn't be something fixable by politicians at Westminster.

    Take for example housing. Britain has a recognised problem with housing. Every political party agrees there is a problem. Every political party has promised to fix those problems. Every political party that has reached government has failed to fix the problems with housing. This has been going on for at least two decades.

    If a country recognises it has a problem, decides to solve it, implements policies to solve it, and fails - repeatedly - is it much of a stretch to conclude that the country is broken in some respect?

    It's certainly not functioning as you might expect or hope it to.
    Because the proposed solution from the public is to halt immigration and send back millions of migrants and illegals, the political parties want to pave over the countryside and build shitty high rise blocks in already overpopulated cities.

    Consistently the public has asked for lower immigration and the government hasn't delivered. That's what's broken.
    The specifics of the problem and policies that might fix it aren't really the point. The point is the repeated failure.

    On immigration, for example, Cameron promised immigration in the tens of thousands and that never happened. And he was five Prime Ministers ago. If you repeatedly tell the public that you are going to do something and you repeatedly don't do that, then they are going to conclude that you are taking the piss.

    It's a fundamental lack of honesty between politicians and the voters.
  • kinabalukinabalu Posts: 47,628

    kinabalu said:

    What a bizarre and concerning poll. Not the American thing, the other bit at the bottom. We (along with many similar countries) are struggling with a flat economy, ageing demographics, stagnant living standards, and tight public finances. That 88% of people consider this to mean "Britain is Broken" shows that febrile hyperbole has become the norm. Unless it's just become a phrase that means all is not well and some things need to change. Perhaps that's it. I don't like it anyway, all this "broken" and "fix" business. It's overwrought and leading to poor debate and decisions. We are not broken, and if we were it wouldn't be something fixable by politicians at Westminster.

    The problem is Starmer and Reeves, from before and after their election win, complained how bad everything is after 14 years of Tory rule, then produced the most anti business budget anyone could imagine, so yes Labour need to reflect on their own behaviour in this story
    No, that's not the problem. It's the gormless gullible public. I never went round saying Britain is Broken even during the worst times under the Tories, nor when I personally was struggling.
  • StuartinromfordStuartinromford Posts: 20,168

    Sometimes away from politics nice things happen

    Our 16 year old grandson, who has just started his 3 year catering course, arrived today with sticky toffee pudding and sauce he had made, and it was quite the best we have tasted anywhere

    Who says our FE colleges are not worth it, though it does have an excellent reputation and many years ago my cousin qualified there and eventually became a director of Trust House Forte

    You can have a very tasty and reasonably priced meal at an FE college with a chef course.
    See also: haircuts.

    Though maybe leave it a few more weeks into the term.

    (But yes, FE is great, and ought to be where academic and vocational dance together in Yourtown. Financially, it was totally stuffed when Gove was Ed Sec. Schools were sort-of protected, Universities got 9k fees, FE got austerity.)
  • rottenboroughrottenborough Posts: 68,405

    Spencer Hakimian
    @SpencerHakimian
    ·
    22s
    BREAKING: Venezuela has requested an emergency session of the United Nations Security Council, citing expectations of an imminent “armed attack” by the United States.
  • numbertwelvenumbertwelve Posts: 8,232


    Spencer Hakimian
    @SpencerHakimian
    ·
    22s
    BREAKING: Venezuela has requested an emergency session of the United Nations Security Council, citing expectations of an imminent “armed attack” by the United States.

    Well, now Trump doesn’t have his Nobel prize I guess he might as well start another conflict…
  • LostPasswordLostPassword Posts: 20,498
    kinabalu said:

    kinabalu said:

    What a bizarre and concerning poll. Not the American thing, the other bit at the bottom. We (along with many similar countries) are struggling with a flat economy, ageing demographics, stagnant living standards, and tight public finances. That 88% of people consider this to mean "Britain is Broken" shows that febrile hyperbole has become the norm. Unless it's just become a phrase that means all is not well and some things need to change. Perhaps that's it. I don't like it anyway, all this "broken" and "fix" business. It's overwrought and leading to poor debate and decisions. We are not broken, and if we were it wouldn't be something fixable by politicians at Westminster.

    The problem is Starmer and Reeves, from before and after their election win, complained how bad everything is after 14 years of Tory rule, then produced the most anti business budget anyone could imagine, so yes Labour need to reflect on their own behaviour in this story
    No, that's not the problem. It's the gormless gullible public. I never went round saying Britain is Broken even during the worst times under the Tories, nor when I personally was struggling.
    The public are gullible by being upset when politicians don't deliver what they promised to deliver?

    Nice.
  • MalmesburyMalmesbury Posts: 57,481
    kinabalu said:

    Andy_JS said:

    "Digital ID cards could be needed to buy a pint in the pub, as ministers are accused of taking a 'Big Brother approach' to civil liberties"

    https://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-15181035/Digital-ID-cards-needed-buy-pint-pub-ministers-accused-taking-Big-Brother-approach-civil-liberties.html

    They have completely naffed up the comms again on this (it’s Labour, so we shouldn’t be surprised).

    This is all happening because (a bit like their stupid “our economy is at deaths door and there will be all sorts of pain in our budget but we’re not going to tell you what. Enjoy your summer” wheeze after winning the GE), they just said they’d consult on what the final policy looked like. That just breeds speculation.

    They should’ve just announced the policy, warts and all, and that would have killed all these “mission creep” headlines.

    Or better still, they shouldn’t have announced it at all. Because it’s a crap policy.
    I expect they will be quietly dropped
    I'm surprised the more pro-EU people aren't pointing out that large chucks of the more stupid stuff break EU laws and rules on privacy and data security - they would be barrier to re-entry.

    Even in the present circumstances, the EU is likely to be very angry about the really insane stuff being applied to their citizens. Such as storing primary biometric id - not just a hash of your fingerprint.

    Yes, the last time this was planned, the idea was to include in the database of every actual fingerprint in the country. And eye scans.

    What's wrong with that? asks @kinabalu. Well, when the data is stolen, as it will be, changing your fingerprints may be a bit hard. And no, it's perfectly possible to do finger print recognition without storing your primary fingerprint.
    Oi I'm not the frontman for the Surveillance Society! I might even be anti the scheme when we know what it is - as opposed to frothing over Daily Mail clickbait or what Tony Blair was or wasn't intending 25 years ago.
    Thank you, for demonstrating what I said.
  • kinabalukinabalu Posts: 47,628

    kinabalu said:

    What a bizarre and concerning poll. Not the American thing, the other bit at the bottom. We (along with many similar countries) are struggling with a flat economy, ageing demographics, stagnant living standards, and tight public finances. That 88% of people consider this to mean "Britain is Broken" shows that febrile hyperbole has become the norm. Unless it's just become a phrase that means all is not well and some things need to change. Perhaps that's it. I don't like it anyway, all this "broken" and "fix" business. It's overwrought and leading to poor debate and decisions. We are not broken, and if we were it wouldn't be something fixable by politicians at Westminster.

    Take for example housing. Britain has a recognised problem with housing. Every political party agrees there is a problem. Every political party has promised to fix those problems. Every political party that has reached government has failed to fix the problems with housing. This has been going on for at least two decades.

    If a country recognises it has a problem, decides to solve it, implements policies to solve it, and fails - repeatedly - is it much of a stretch to conclude that the country is broken in some respect?

    It's certainly not functioning as you might expect or hope it to.
    That's a big one, yes. I have it right up there. I wouldn't in fact demur from "our housing model is unfit for purpose and needs radical reform".
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