Another thought: while the very depressing debate in these circumstances tends to focus on immigration, perhaps what I feel most strongly is that there is a growing sense of unease around public safety. Let’s leave aside ideology and nationality for a second. Do people feel more secure going about their daily business in this country than they did say 25-30 years ago? We have always had isolated incidents and attacks on the general public, but something does feel different at the moment.
There are myriad reasons and causes, as is usual. But I do think that we need to look at policing, law and order and matters of security much more closely to try and address this. That is, of course, not something that changes overnight.
Is there any evidence that random violence, or indeed any violence is more common than decades ago?
It certainly was quite dangerous to be on the streets in the Eightis at pub kicking out time.
Of course any violence is to be deplored, but a large part of the current moral panic is to do with the relentless craving for ever more click-bait on Social Media and 24 hour rolling news.
THere's an interesting argument that the decline in violence is to do with the introduction of lead-free petrol.
Another thought: while the very depressing debate in these circumstances tends to focus on immigration, perhaps what I feel most strongly is that there is a growing sense of unease around public safety. Let’s leave aside ideology and nationality for a second. Do people feel more secure going about their daily business in this country than they did say 25-30 years ago? We have always had isolated incidents and attacks on the general public, but something does feel different at the moment.
There are myriad reasons and causes, as is usual. But I do think that we need to look at policing, law and order and matters of security much more closely to try and address this. That is, of course, not something that changes overnight.
I don't think that Islamic Terrorism has ever reached the levels of Irish Republican Terrorism. The most unnerved I felt was when litter bins were removed from railway stations in the 90s.
I think the instant online reaction does create some extra anxiety because of the uncertainty. In earlier decades, when you were used to waiting for tomorrow's papers, or the evening news bulletin, it would feel like you weren't waiting as long because the pertinent facts would be laid out on the second or third time the incident was reported. Whereas now you've checked various news websites and live blogs, etc, dozens of times.
Probably time to log off for a bit and do something on the real world. Brownies or Apple Crumble?
Another thought: while the very depressing debate in these circumstances tends to focus on immigration, perhaps what I feel most strongly is that there is a growing sense of unease around public safety. Let’s leave aside ideology and nationality for a second. Do people feel more secure going about their daily business in this country than they did say 25-30 years ago? We have always had isolated incidents and attacks on the general public, but something does feel different at the moment.
There are myriad reasons and causes, as is usual. But I do think that we need to look at policing, law and order and matters of security much more closely to try and address this. That is, of course, not something that changes overnight.
I don't think that Islamic Terrorism has ever reached the levels of Irish Republican Terrorism. The most unnerved I felt was when litter bins were removed from railway stations in the 90s.
I think the instant online reaction does create some extra anxiety because of the uncertainty. In earlier decades, when you were used to waiting for tomorrow's papers, or the evening news bulletin, it would feel like you weren't waiting as long because the pertinent facts would be laid out on the second or third time the incident was reported. Whereas now you've checked various news websites and live blogs, etc, dozens of times.
Probably time to log off for a bit and do something on the real world. Brownies or Apple Crumble?
I see majorities of all voters for parties other than Conservatives want to be rid of Kemi. So, she is the one they fear most, and rightly so. I did not vote for Kemi to be leader, I knew she would face real Racism and real Sexism every day from those racist and sexist "anti-wacysts" and anti-sexists who throw both words around to dismiss their opponents. She has done a heck of a good job in the circumstances and if she wasn't doing one heck of a good job our opponents would not be so desperate to be rid of her.
I don't think most survey respondents are as calculating as you suggest - "I fear Badenoch, therefore I'll say she should be replaced". (I don't dislike her, but my opinion is irrelevant since I can't imagine voting Tory.) Rather, they feel she's OK but not really a strong candidate to be PM. Farage's cheery manner and indifference to charges of inconsistency are more effective than the careful steps of the traditional party leaders.
Badenoch's strength is the negative one that it's not obvious that any other available candidate would do better.
Well it turns out that the Ukranian attack on Tuapse Oil Terminal was worse than first thought.
Not only is the terminal itself, one of only three in Russia and originator of $7bn/year in exports, completely destroyed, but two dodgy tankers that were on site are also still on fire.
Ukrainian intel is always spot on. Always manage to hit just when ships are loading oil/unloading weapons.
While these sort of attacks are chicken soup for the soul, this is not by itself a game changer. This terminal exports around 7m mt of refined product per year out of around 150m mt total, with a fairly incidental secondary stream of crude. Refined products exports are only around a third of the Russian hydrocarbons total. And it will likely be online again in weeks to months. So a drop in the ocean.
But what else is an ocean but a multitude of drops.
But the scale of the attacks on these hydrocarbons facilities since early August 2025 IS a gamechanger. The lights are literally going out over Moscow. As well as pissing off the citizenry, previously told that Moscow was untouchable, these attacks are making it much harder for the Russian war machine to operate.
Russia is trying to fix these facilities. But the companies that own them can neither source the parts (sometimes huge bits of refinery construction kit whose movement you can track from space), nor afford the interest rates on the finance to rebuild. And what was an occasional strike that allowed time to repair is now a missile slamming in every month, to every fortnight as Flamingo production ramps up from initially 30 a month to over 200 a month now. The "cope cages" that are being built around these facilities just can't cope with 1,000 kg of high explosives, where the charge is now being shaped to focus downwards.
Russian refining capacity is down by as much as 30%. Even if not refined, the production of crude oil requires storage before it is sold. That storage is being hit too. As are the vessels that transport it. Plus the buyers are being scared off - both China and India are halting most of their purchases from Russia, fearing the fall out of sanctions. Sure, some of it will be sold to say Indonesia and refined there. But they will be the next level of sanctions.
Russia is under the cosh, far more so now than Ukraine.
The most meaningful western sanction yet unveiled was the recent US action against rosneft and threat of secondary sanctions against India. It is gumming up the international trade of Indian hydrocarbons even to the third world.
Another thought: while the very depressing debate in these circumstances tends to focus on immigration, perhaps what I feel most strongly is that there is a growing sense of unease around public safety. Let’s leave aside ideology and nationality for a second. Do people feel more secure going about their daily business in this country than they did say 25-30 years ago? We have always had isolated incidents and attacks on the general public, but something does feel different at the moment.
There are myriad reasons and causes, as is usual. But I do think that we need to look at policing, law and order and matters of security much more closely to try and address this. That is, of course, not something that changes overnight.
Is there any evidence that random violence, or indeed any violence is more common than decades ago?
It certainly was quite dangerous to be on the streets in the Eightis at pub kicking out time.
Of course any violence is to be deplored, but a large part of the current moral panic is to do with the relentless craving for ever more click-bait on Social Media and 24 hour rolling news.
I don’t have those statistics to hand and therefore I don’t feel qualified to answer your first question, but what I would say is that doesn’t affect the point of principle. Which is that part of people’s connection with society and their attitudes and outlook are affected very closely by this stuff. It’s not “moral panic” for people to be fearful of their safety and security. It’s a concern that we need to address as a society.
Another thought: while the very depressing debate in these circumstances tends to focus on immigration, perhaps what I feel most strongly is that there is a growing sense of unease around public safety. Let’s leave aside ideology and nationality for a second. Do people feel more secure going about their daily business in this country than they did say 25-30 years ago? We have always had isolated incidents and attacks on the general public, but something does feel different at the moment.
There are myriad reasons and causes, as is usual. But I do think that we need to look at policing, law and order and matters of security much more closely to try and address this. That is, of course, not something that changes overnight.
I don't think that Islamic Terrorism has ever reached the levels of Irish Republican Terrorism. The most unnerved I felt was when litter bins were removed from railway stations in the 90s.
I think the instant online reaction does create some extra anxiety because of the uncertainty. In earlier decades, when you were used to waiting for tomorrow's papers, or the evening news bulletin, it would feel like you weren't waiting as long because the pertinent facts would be laid out on the second or third time the incident was reported. Whereas now you've checked various news websites and live blogs, etc, dozens of times.
Probably time to log off for a bit and do something on the real world. Brownies or Apple Crumble?
I'm not sure about that. How many people on the British mainland did the URA kill, vs how many have the Islamists killed? The big difference between the two is that the IRA wanted a specific and achievable outcome, whereas the Islamists simply want to kill all the non-Muslims, as well as all the wrong sort of Muslims.
The nation needs to stop with the 'don't look back in anger'. We need to be livid, we need to be angry we need to show the inherent exceptionalism of British civilisation and express that anger to the institutions and the people that man them and their failure, not the individuals who shouldnt be here, or came because it was a rational choice for them to do so, but the people who let them in. Every politician needs to be afraid that the ballot box is coming for them. Every local government officer, every civil servant, every charity worker and activist who's charity is supping from the taxpayer and is complicit in how our nation has rapidly transformed over the last decade. But it makes me feel a bit dirty that the change is through Farage and Reform.
It is not wrong to wonder why this violent thug was given asylum after one violent attack. Now up to 5, and not wrong to want him deported.
It is quite unbelievable. Anyone coming here should have to survive on their own , no benefits of any kind whatsoever and any crimes means instant deportation.
I have a friend who has moved here from Canada. As I understand it, part of his conditions for being allowed to stay here is that he won't claim any benefits, he has had to take out insurance in case of having to be looked after by the NHS, and he agrees not to commit any crimes on pain of deportation. Of course, he's perfectly able to support himself and there's no reason to believe he's going to commit any crimes. But it's baffling that we can apply conditions like this to the 'good' immigrants that we want while spending so much on the 'bad' immigrants that we do not.
It isn’t baffling - it’s part of the pattern.
Just as the domestic building site that Scrum properly are inspected.
And the ones that are visibly dangerous, employ illegal labour, cash in hand etc aren’t.
The nation needs to stop with the 'don't look back in anger'. We need to be livid, we need to be angry we need to show the inherent exceptionalism of British civilisation and express that anger to the institutions and the people that man them and their failure, not the individuals who shouldnt be here, or came because it was a rational choice for them to do so, but the people who let them in. Every politician needs to be afraid that the ballot box is coming for them. Every local government officer, every civil servant, every charity worker and activist who's charity is supping from the taxpayer and is complicit in how our nation has rapidly transformed over the last decade. But it makes me feel a bit dirty that the change is through Farage and Reform.
Thanks for taking the bait. This is the absurdity of you religious war warriors. Even now you are dancing round your handbag unwilling to state precisely which people you want to deport and why.
To say nothing of the ultimate absurdity. This is put down as "Christianity" against Islam. But most of the "we're Christians" mob aren't...
I'm fairly clear. I want to deport every damn illegal immigrant, every one of them. I wand the IRL rules changed that anyone with IRL who is convicted of a crime that involves a custodial sentence is added to the list of deportees. That's enough to be getting on with. I dont care what religion they are. I've not mentioned religion, directly or indirectly, or intended to infer.
Just so we are clear. You decry the endless posts from all the people who like you demand to deport all the illegals because they are "fighting age" muslims?
I'm nobody's keeper, or accountable for the actions and opinions of others. Go and have your straw man arguments with someone else.
Thats ok thanks. I am just curious because you appear to be the sole person wanting to deport all illegals who isn't foaming about Islam.
What are the reasons why you want to deport them? We've dismissed race. So why?
I want to deport them because they're illegal immigrants, and they should be deported. This is not controversial, this is the law as written and how it has been written and settled for a very long term. It's like saying I want shop lifters prosecuted, I want drunk drivers banned.
A whole lot of people seemed to have had a conversation and decided that those in breach of their immigration status should no longer be detained and then deported. But havent bothered to tell parliament about it.
Quite how many undocumented migrants we have is unclear, as there are no official figures and by their vey nature undocumented migrants avoid contact with officialdom, but realistic estimates are around 800 000.
These are quite a mix. A high percentage are children, often with one parent legal, or spouses of legal residents. A lot are visa overstayers, or entered on a visa as tourist etc but are working. Then there are asylum seekers whose applications have been refused (worth noting that half of asylum appeals are successful, so a fair number of these will become legal).
Yesterday we had a long header on the importance of implementing the law, and in this context it is worth stressing that it is not illegal to enter the country without documents to seek asylum, nor is it a legal requirement to seek asylum in the first safe country. There is a case to make it illegal, though that would involve leaving the international convention on asylum etc, but at present it is not.
We do deport a lot of people, and many more leave voluntarily, often without the authorities noticing as we do not have exit checks to check for overstayers etc. Of the ones we do know about many are engaged in a process of legalising themselves (extending visas, applying for different forms of visas, asylum appeals etc). It is harder still to deport those that we do not know about.
Exit checks at ports and airports might be a useful way of getting a better handle on the figures, and flagging up those who overstay, work illegally etc and later plan re-entry.
These checks would only be of value if we were to use the information. For instance if a car with four people gets pulled over by anpr, and the officer cant determine the identification of the drivers or passengers, is there a mechanism to then detain and deport? If so, if this became routine would we have the capacity to do anything about it? I understand that entrants to the country are now have biometric data captured.
Is this used? If a suspect is taken back to the station and prints are taken, would their immigration status be flagged up as routine?
It should be a routine assumption, and an expected part of the job of agents of the state to notify and detain (if possible) when they encounter illegal immigrants. Whether at schools, police stations, local councils, or hospitals (the last one needs a bit of thought though. The desire to deport needs to be balanced with the risk to life).
While it’s true that you always arm to fight the next war than the last one, the war in Ukraine has torn up much of the playbook when it comes to how a land war is fought in the 21st century.
Both sides have used millions, millions of small drones, not to mention the longer-range large one-way drones currently taking out O&G facilities across Russia.
One good thing it has shown, is that current Western kit is considerably better than Soviet kit, although the Chinese are still pushing the innovation so we need to make sire we don’t fall behind.
The single most important lesson for me is that, given a severely constrained budget, we need to stop wasting money on legacy kit, especially the flawed stuff. So truncate or terminate Ajax, and definitely terminate Challenger 3. An MBT is about the least urgent requirement for the UK, and Challenger 3 will be used by literally no one else in NATO. And use the money saved build the army some serious artillery (with a year's worth of ammunition rather than a week's) and drone capacity.
The choices for the navy and airforce are a lot less clear (though again, all of their kit is useless without a far larger stock of munitions). We need to make some choices, though, rather than trying to do a bit of everything, badly.
Yes the most important point is that we need ammunition. Lots and lots of ammunition. You can have all the artillery, missile launchers, and air defence systems in the world, but they’re useless if they have no ammo.
C3 tank probably makes little sense, when C2 is already better than anything an enemy can field. Going forward one common NATO design of tank hardware makes sense, that can be built anywhere with local electronics if required.
We need to make what works already and in quantity, and then look at how innovation can help, which is clearly cheap drones mass-produced when needed.
After the war, we can and should have the Ukranians help with knowing what worked and what didn’t. We can buy from them what they innovated and worked.
The problem is that the quality mentality.
Which means that if we could afford hundreds of something cheap, it must be better to spend the money on a few dozens.
For artillery - buy 500 RCH-155 or Archer. At level, you’d get the factory built in the U.K. - probably more than one. Order a hundred million shell *bodies* - again, you’d get factories built. Why shell bodies? Well, it takes time and a serious factory to make them. Unfilled, they are just a nicely machined piece of steel - they will last for a hundred years.
That little lot would upset any opposing army on the planet.
The main reason to go for quality over quantity is that it gives you a stronger military with a lower manpower requirement. In general this is a good objective - we're not Russia and we should seek to be minimising casualties as much as possible by using better kit.
Sure, you can take this process too far, but I'd want to be further over on the quality end of quality/quantity spectrum than any adversary.
Archer and RCH-155 are top of the line.
The problem is that just buying them wasn’t sexy. Without Unique British Requirements, it wouldn’t keep the managers managing. And without silly little bits* of work for British firms added on, the politicians would be unhappy.
So the original plan was less than a 100 of something custom. Most probably 50, after the usual disastrous over runs.
My way, we’d have the biggest manufacturing facility for SPGs in Europe. So the next generation would naturally tend to be built here. The whole thing, not just some seat covers.
With the money saved and spent on shell bodies, we’d have the industrial plant to be the biggest manufacturer of shells in Europe. So if anyone needed shells, they’d be calling us.
*in one project, they have the work for a handful of seat covers to a British firm. With a resultant price per seat….
Do you really need that many shells though, if you are delivering them by drone? Some 75-80% of Russian tank/IFV kills are by Ukrainian FPV drones now. Even if you need 5 drones each to finish off that number, that needs a tiny fraction of the shells previously used to blanket the batllefield.
Invest in drones and spotty kids in their bedroom who can take out a couple of MBT before they even get up. Cheap as chips.
Drones of that kind are a bit of dead end, between electronic warfare and point defence systems*, they won’t be making a dent in a prepared Western Army.
155 artillery has lasted so long, precisely because it is a balance between effective, cheap and very hard to stop.
Archer and RCH can automatically fire a pre-loaded mix of ammunition, in a few seconds, using a mix of trajectories so that the shells all arrive at the same moment. Since they need no guidance, they can operate in radio silence, and shoot-and-scoot. That is, drive off before the shells have landed on the target.
*There are point defence systems in service that can deal with incoming heavy supersonic ATGMs. They would be overkill for drones.
And the cost of those point defence systems when attacked by 1,000 cheap drones? However good the first 200 defences are, the next 800 are getting through. At least until the system comprises laser defence that have the power to fire almost without limit.
Well it turns out that the Ukranian attack on Tuapse Oil Terminal was worse than first thought.
Not only is the terminal itself, one of only three in Russia and originator of $7bn/year in exports, completely destroyed, but two dodgy tankers that were on site are also still on fire.
Ukrainian intel is always spot on. Always manage to hit just when ships are loading oil/unloading weapons.
While these sort of attacks are chicken soup for the soul, this is not by itself a game changer. This terminal exports around 7m mt of refined product per year out of around 150m mt total, with a fairly incidental secondary stream of crude. Refined products exports are only around a third of the Russian hydrocarbons total. And it will likely be online again in weeks to months. So a drop in the ocean.
But what else is an ocean but a multitude of drops.
But the scale of the attacks on these hydrocarbons facilities since early August 2025 IS a gamechanger. The lights are literally going out over Moscow. As well as pissing off the citizenry, previously told that Moscow was untouchable, these attacks are making it much harder for the Russian war machine to operate.
Russia is trying to fix these facilities. But the companies that own them can neither source the parts (sometimes huge bits of refinery construction kit whose movement you can track from space), nor afford the interest rates on the finance to rebuild. And what was an occasional strike that allowed time to repair is now a missile slamming in every month, to every fortnight as Flamingo production ramps up from initially 30 a month to over 200 a month now. The "cope cages" that are being built around these facilities just can't cope with 1,000 kg of high explosives, where the charge is now being shaped to focus downwards.
Russian refining capacity is down by as much as 30%. Even if not refined, the production of crude oil requires storage before it is sold. That storage is being hit too. As are the vessels that transport it. Plus the buyers are being scared off - both China and India are halting most of their purchases from Russia, fearing the fall out of sanctions. Sure, some of it will be sold to say Indonesia and refined there. But they will be the next level of sanctions.
Russia is under the cosh, far more so now than Ukraine.
The most meaningful western sanction yet unveiled was the recent US action against rosneft and threat of secondary sanctions against India. It is gumming up the international trade of Indian hydrocarbons even to the third world.
And that should have been done 3 years ago. Biden was far too timid.
The nation needs to stop with the 'don't look back in anger'. We need to be livid, we need to be angry we need to show the inherent exceptionalism of British civilisation and express that anger to the institutions and the people that man them and their failure, not the individuals who shouldnt be here, or came because it was a rational choice for them to do so, but the people who let them in. Every politician needs to be afraid that the ballot box is coming for them. Every local government officer, every civil servant, every charity worker and activist who's charity is supping from the taxpayer and is complicit in how our nation has rapidly transformed over the last decade. But it makes me feel a bit dirty that the change is through Farage and Reform.
It is not wrong to wonder why this violent thug was given asylum after one violent attack. Now up to 5, and not wrong to want him deported.
It is quite unbelievable. Anyone coming here should have to survive on their own , no benefits of any kind whatsoever and any crimes means instant deportation.
I have a friend who has moved here from Canada. As I understand it, part of his conditions for being allowed to stay here is that he won't claim any benefits, he has had to take out insurance in case of having to be looked after by the NHS, and he agrees not to commit any crimes on pain of deportation. Of course, he's perfectly able to support himself and there's no reason to believe he's going to commit any crimes. But it's baffling that we can apply conditions like this to the 'good' immigrants that we want while spending so much on the 'bad' immigrants that we do not.
It isn’t baffling - it’s part of the pattern.
Just as the domestic building site that Scrum properly are inspected.
And the ones that are visibly dangerous, employ illegal labour, cash in hand etc aren’t.
Another thought: while the very depressing debate in these circumstances tends to focus on immigration, perhaps what I feel most strongly is that there is a growing sense of unease around public safety. Let’s leave aside ideology and nationality for a second. Do people feel more secure going about their daily business in this country than they did say 25-30 years ago? We have always had isolated incidents and attacks on the general public, but something does feel different at the moment.
There are myriad reasons and causes, as is usual. But I do think that we need to look at policing, law and order and matters of security much more closely to try and address this. That is, of course, not something that changes overnight.
I don't think that Islamic Terrorism has ever reached the levels of Irish Republican Terrorism. The most unnerved I felt was when litter bins were removed from railway stations in the 90s.
I think the instant online reaction does create some extra anxiety because of the uncertainty. In earlier decades, when you were used to waiting for tomorrow's papers, or the evening news bulletin, it would feel like you weren't waiting as long because the pertinent facts would be laid out on the second or third time the incident was reported. Whereas now you've checked various news websites and live blogs, etc, dozens of times.
Probably time to log off for a bit and do something on the real world. Brownies or Apple Crumble?
I'm not sure about that. How many people on the British mainland did the URA kill, vs how many have the Islamists killed? The big difference between the two is that the IRA wanted a specific and achievable outcome, whereas the Islamists simply want to kill all the non-Muslims, as well as all the wrong sort of Muslims.
PIRA terrorism did bother me more. I was once on the opposite side of Shaftesbury Avenue, when a bomb went off. Islamists have not achieved much here, for twenty years.
Another thought: while the very depressing debate in these circumstances tends to focus on immigration, perhaps what I feel most strongly is that there is a growing sense of unease around public safety. Let’s leave aside ideology and nationality for a second. Do people feel more secure going about their daily business in this country than they did say 25-30 years ago? We have always had isolated incidents and attacks on the general public, but something does feel different at the moment.
There are myriad reasons and causes, as is usual. But I do think that we need to look at policing, law and order and matters of security much more closely to try and address this. That is, of course, not something that changes overnight.
I don't think that Islamic Terrorism has ever reached the levels of Irish Republican Terrorism. The most unnerved I felt was when litter bins were removed from railway stations in the 90s.
I think the instant online reaction does create some extra anxiety because of the uncertainty. In earlier decades, when you were used to waiting for tomorrow's papers, or the evening news bulletin, it would feel like you weren't waiting as long because the pertinent facts would be laid out on the second or third time the incident was reported. Whereas now you've checked various news websites and live blogs, etc, dozens of times.
Probably time to log off for a bit and do something on the real world. Brownies or Apple Crumble?
I'm not sure about that. How many people on the British mainland did the URA kill, vs how many have the Islamists killed? The big difference between the two is that the IRA wanted a specific and achievable outcome, whereas the Islamists simply want to kill all the non-Muslims, as well as all the wrong sort of Muslims.
For all their sins, members of the IRA gave the impression that they wanted to live to see victory. Suicide attacks are have an added level of nihilism on top of all the horror of terrorism.
Another thought: while the very depressing debate in these circumstances tends to focus on immigration, perhaps what I feel most strongly is that there is a growing sense of unease around public safety. Let’s leave aside ideology and nationality for a second. Do people feel more secure going about their daily business in this country than they did say 25-30 years ago? We have always had isolated incidents and attacks on the general public, but something does feel different at the moment.
There are myriad reasons and causes, as is usual. But I do think that we need to look at policing, law and order and matters of security much more closely to try and address this. That is, of course, not something that changes overnight.
Is there any evidence that random violence, or indeed any violence is more common than decades ago?
It certainly was quite dangerous to be on the streets in the Eightis at pub kicking out time.
Of course any violence is to be deplored, but a large part of the current moral panic is to do with the relentless craving for ever more click-bait on Social Media and 24 hour rolling news.
THere's an interesting argument that the decline in violence is to do with the introduction of lead-free petrol.
I think it was a theory proposed in Bellow’s novel The Dean’s December back in 1982. Istr he first coined the phrase the moronic inferno in relation to the lead induced behaviour of elements of society in the same book. On current empirical evidence, still some work to be done on extinguishing said inferno.
I see majorities of all voters for parties other than Conservatives want to be rid of Kemi. So, she is the one they fear most, and rightly so. I did not vote for Kemi to be leader, I knew she would face real Racism and real Sexism every day from those racist and sexist "anti-wacysts" and anti-sexists who throw both words around to dismiss their opponents. She has done a heck of a good job in the circumstances and if she wasn't doing one heck of a good job our opponents would not be so desperate to be rid of her.
Those who aren't hearing Kemi aren't listening, at the moment that is their problem, not hers. She can't make them do that any more than two Estate Agents could when they begged the Chancellor to spend 10 minutes filling out a trivial Pro Forma. If neither the Chancellor nor her husband have the intellect to fill out a form which they mandate for all others how is in not malfeasance to allow either of them to serve the Government in a roll which pays more than the minimum wage ?
"For Black Britons, Kemi Badenoch is the most dangerous political leader we have ever faced. While we have experienced the dog-whistle racism of Boris and the quiet denial of institutional and systemic racism from Rishi (who presided over the undeniably racist Rwanda policy), Kemi Badenoch will be like no other leader we have seen before.
She has made history at the expense of women, Black people, people of colour, and anyone who is marginalised by society and she will go to any lengths to cover up racism and therefore prevent steps being taken to dismantle it.
Her journey to her new role is one further step in her party’s playbook of weaponising Black and Brown faces. "
I see it COP30 this week in Brazil. There’s been little fanfare about it in the lead up to it. A few years ago it would have had significant coverage.
Main countries aren’t bothering. Hard to see what it can achieve aside from the regular demand for ‘climate reparations’.
And, yet, the problem is more serious than ever.
It just goes to show how fickle and shallow much opinion is on this.
Musk has spoken quite a bit in the last 48 hours about climate change. I think his view is correct. This doesn’t need to be solved at the cost of all else in the next 5 years, but it needs to have been addressed roughly by the time the century is out.
In truth, man made climate change is rather low down the list for likely causes of civilisational collapse.
That's not really how climate change works though, is it?
It's going to be exceptionally difficult to reverse and, while their is enormous uncertainty about the severity and nature of the ongoing damage, it's almost certainly better value to reduce emissions now than spend billions on flood defences and deal with mass migration from Africa, crop blight etc etc. Or at least it is if you are younger or care about the next few generations.
The same people who were denying climate change existed have now reached a final, late stage of denialism where they insist it's not worth doing anything about. It's pathetic and transparent.
It’s not worth it at the cost of all else, which is the Miliband approach. You do that which is most economic and not that which is not. It’s rather extraordinary by the way to characterise Musk as a climate denialist and rather undermines your opinion on this matter.
I didn't call Musk a denialist, did I? Miliband's approach is almost indistinguishable from the previous government.
Anyway, the logical outcome from this kind of debate is we need to think about investing much more in adaptation. Flooding is the obvious one (particularly SE England).
Dredge the rivers. Build more reservoirs to store the water, so we don't have winter floods and summer droughts every sodding year. Old school actual water management, as banned by the EU's absurd habitats regulations - the ones we no longer have to abide by. Next.
Does dredging rivers not increase floods at the lower end? Hence measures such as increased forest to slow down percolation into said rivers? I thought that was a basic.
It's the same reason we use Sustainable Drainage Systems in new developments.
I'd add reduced water usage as an obvious strategy, We use 25% more than our most efficient European peers (which is usually taken as Denmark).
'I thought that was a basic' is code here for 'I have zero evidence to back my claim up'.
And I would enjoy an explanation as to how reducing water usage is going to result in less flooding.
Efforts to get everyone to take shorter showers etc., as well as being revolting, are absurdly unnecessary in a country with water so abundant that we are discussing flood mitigation strategies. It is a sign of how absurd and perverse the discourse on this has become that it is even raised.
The nation needs to stop with the 'don't look back in anger'. We need to be livid, we need to be angry we need to show the inherent exceptionalism of British civilisation and express that anger to the institutions and the people that man them and their failure, not the individuals who shouldnt be here, or came because it was a rational choice for them to do so, but the people who let them in. Every politician needs to be afraid that the ballot box is coming for them. Every local government officer, every civil servant, every charity worker and activist who's charity is supping from the taxpayer and is complicit in how our nation has rapidly transformed over the last decade. But it makes me feel a bit dirty that the change is through Farage and Reform.
It is not wrong to wonder why this violent thug was given asylum after one violent attack. Now up to 5, and not wrong to want him deported.
It is quite unbelievable. Anyone coming here should have to survive on their own , no benefits of any kind whatsoever and any crimes means instant deportation.
I have a friend who has moved here from Canada. As I understand it, part of his conditions for being allowed to stay here is that he won't claim any benefits, he has had to take out insurance in case of having to be looked after by the NHS, and he agrees not to commit any crimes on pain of deportation. Of course, he's perfectly able to support himself and there's no reason to believe he's going to commit any crimes. But it's baffling that we can apply conditions like this to the 'good' immigrants that we want while spending so much on the 'bad' immigrants that we do not.
That is the whole issue, the people we want have to spend a fortune and takes forever but all the roasters get taken by the hand and get endless handouts.
Sochi airport in Russia, favoured holiday destination of the Muscovite elites, has apparently been closed for several hours due to drones in their airspace.
The thinking is that Ukraine isn’t putting weapons or bombs on these drones, but simply filling them full of fuel and having them fly around for hours, busting civilian airspace and generally making a nuisance of themselves.
This is the sort of thing that does get noticed by rich Russians, when they get stuck at the airport for half a day or more.
I see majorities of all voters for parties other than Conservatives want to be rid of Kemi. So, she is the one they fear most, and rightly so. I did not vote for Kemi to be leader, I knew she would face real Racism and real Sexism every day from those racist and sexist "anti-wacysts" and anti-sexists who throw both words around to dismiss their opponents. She has done a heck of a good job in the circumstances and if she wasn't doing one heck of a good job our opponents would not be so desperate to be rid of her.
Those who aren't hearing Kemi aren't listening, at the moment that is their problem, not hers. She can't make them do that any more than two Estate Agents could when they begged the Chancellor to spend 10 minutes filling out a trivial Pro Forma. If neither the Chancellor nor her husband have the intellect to fill out a form which they mandate for all others how is in not malfeasance to allow either of them to serve the Government in a roll which pays more than the minimum wage ?
"For Black Britons, Kemi Badenoch is the most dangerous political leader we have ever faced. While we have experienced the dog-whistle racism of Boris and the quiet denial of institutional and systemic racism from Rishi (who presided over the undeniably racist Rwanda policy), Kemi Badenoch will be like no other leader we have seen before.
She has made history at the expense of women, Black people, people of colour, and anyone who is marginalised by society and she will go to any lengths to cover up racism and therefore prevent steps being taken to dismantle it.
Her journey to her new role is one further step in her party’s playbook of weaponising Black and Brown faces. "
I see it COP30 this week in Brazil. There’s been little fanfare about it in the lead up to it. A few years ago it would have had significant coverage.
Main countries aren’t bothering. Hard to see what it can achieve aside from the regular demand for ‘climate reparations’.
And, yet, the problem is more serious than ever.
It just goes to show how fickle and shallow much opinion is on this.
Just look at Greta. Completely forgotten about climate change and wrapped herself in a Palestinian flag.
Don’t make stuff up. I just looked at her Instagram. The majority of recent posts are about Sudan, while there are others about Palestine and about climate change.
Sudan? So she's found a new bandwagon to jump on.
She can’t win with you, can she? If she doesn’t say anything about Sudan, you’d accuse her of being too obsessed with Palestine and ignoring Sudan. If she does say something about Sudan, you accuse her of jumping on a bandwagon.
She's supposed to be an "environmental campaigner".
Neither Palestinian nor Sudan are part of that brief.
What do you mean, “She's supposed to be an "environmental campaigner".”? She’s a private individual. She can do what she wants.
I think people are just surprised that having staged a school strike for years over the Climate to draw public attention to an issue she felt was absolutely critical to our survival - and massively sidelined - she's now, when it has yet again taken a back seat, and progress has stalled, deciding to focus most of her energy on Gaza.
Yes, she can do what she likes. Yes, you can find the odd post on Instagram that still mentions the climate but it makes some question whether what really drives her has changed.
I'm concerned about climate change mostly because of the adverse effect it will have on people. It doesn't seem that much of a stretch to them be concerned about a war that has lead to do much civilian suffering.
Of course it is ironic that this is an argument often used against acting on climate change - that we have more immediate problems to deal with.
In general I'm wary of people claiming that X should be ignored because there are more important things to worry about. On the whole, people who worry about global problems are quite able to worry about several. People who worry about nothing are much more of a problem.
They are a 32-year-old black British male and 35-year-old British national of Caribbean descent.
They have been arrested on suspicion of attempted murder.
"Mental health" it is, then.
How much of this mental health stuff is down to too much waccy baccy? It is definitely linked to schizophrenia.
Well, we don't know. It could be that. They've ruled out terrorism so it's difficult to see what else motivates two people to do that unless they're on something.
While it’s true that you always arm to fight the next war than the last one, the war in Ukraine has torn up much of the playbook when it comes to how a land war is fought in the 21st century.
Both sides have used millions, millions of small drones, not to mention the longer-range large one-way drones currently taking out O&G facilities across Russia.
One good thing it has shown, is that current Western kit is considerably better than Soviet kit, although the Chinese are still pushing the innovation so we need to make sire we don’t fall behind.
The single most important lesson for me is that, given a severely constrained budget, we need to stop wasting money on legacy kit, especially the flawed stuff. So truncate or terminate Ajax, and definitely terminate Challenger 3. An MBT is about the least urgent requirement for the UK, and Challenger 3 will be used by literally no one else in NATO. And use the money saved build the army some serious artillery (with a year's worth of ammunition rather than a week's) and drone capacity.
The choices for the navy and airforce are a lot less clear (though again, all of their kit is useless without a far larger stock of munitions). We need to make some choices, though, rather than trying to do a bit of everything, badly.
Yes the most important point is that we need ammunition. Lots and lots of ammunition. You can have all the artillery, missile launchers, and air defence systems in the world, but they’re useless if they have no ammo.
C3 tank probably makes little sense, when C2 is already better than anything an enemy can field. Going forward one common NATO design of tank hardware makes sense, that can be built anywhere with local electronics if required.
We need to make what works already and in quantity, and then look at how innovation can help, which is clearly cheap drones mass-produced when needed.
After the war, we can and should have the Ukranians help with knowing what worked and what didn’t. We can buy from them what they innovated and worked.
The problem is that the quality mentality.
Which means that if we could afford hundreds of something cheap, it must be better to spend the money on a few dozens.
For artillery - buy 500 RCH-155 or Archer. At level, you’d get the factory built in the U.K. - probably more than one. Order a hundred million shell *bodies* - again, you’d get factories built. Why shell bodies? Well, it takes time and a serious factory to make them. Unfilled, they are just a nicely machined piece of steel - they will last for a hundred years.
That little lot would upset any opposing army on the planet.
The main reason to go for quality over quantity is that it gives you a stronger military with a lower manpower requirement. In general this is a good objective - we're not Russia and we should seek to be minimising casualties as much as possible by using better kit.
Sure, you can take this process too far, but I'd want to be further over on the quality end of quality/quantity spectrum than any adversary.
Archer and RCH-155 are top of the line.
The problem is that just buying them wasn’t sexy. Without Unique British Requirements, it wouldn’t keep the managers managing. And without silly little bits* of work for British firms added on, the politicians would be unhappy.
So the original plan was less than a 100 of something custom. Most probably 50, after the usual disastrous over runs.
My way, we’d have the biggest manufacturing facility for SPGs in Europe. So the next generation would naturally tend to be built here. The whole thing, not just some seat covers.
With the money saved and spent on shell bodies, we’d have the industrial plant to be the biggest manufacturer of shells in Europe. So if anyone needed shells, they’d be calling us.
*in one project, they have the work for a handful of seat covers to a British firm. With a resultant price per seat….
Do you really need that many shells though, if you are delivering them by drone? Some 75-80% of Russian tank/IFV kills are by Ukrainian FPV drones now. Even if you need 5 drones each to finish off that number, that needs a tiny fraction of the shells previously used to blanket the batllefield.
Invest in drones and spotty kids in their bedroom who can take out a couple of MBT before they even get up. Cheap as chips.
Drones kill tanks but soon anti-drone lasers or guns will be mounted on tanks and the pendulum will swing the other way. We all know the dangers of fighting the last war but soon the SMO will be the last war.
I see majorities of all voters for parties other than Conservatives want to be rid of Kemi. So, she is the one they fear most, and rightly so. I did not vote for Kemi to be leader, I knew she would face real Racism and real Sexism every day from those racist and sexist "anti-wacysts" and anti-sexists who throw both words around to dismiss their opponents. She has done a heck of a good job in the circumstances and if she wasn't doing one heck of a good job our opponents would not be so desperate to be rid of her.
Those who aren't hearing Kemi aren't listening, at the moment that is their problem, not hers. She can't make them do that any more than two Estate Agents could when they begged the Chancellor to spend 10 minutes filling out a trivial Pro Forma. If neither the Chancellor nor her husband have the intellect to fill out a form which they mandate for all others how is in not malfeasance to allow either of them to serve the Government in a roll which pays more than the minimum wage ?
"For Black Britons, Kemi Badenoch is the most dangerous political leader we have ever faced. While we have experienced the dog-whistle racism of Boris and the quiet denial of institutional and systemic racism from Rishi (who presided over the undeniably racist Rwanda policy), Kemi Badenoch will be like no other leader we have seen before.
She has made history at the expense of women, Black people, people of colour, and anyone who is marginalised by society and she will go to any lengths to cover up racism and therefore prevent steps being taken to dismantle it.
Her journey to her new role is one further step in her party’s playbook of weaponising Black and Brown faces. "
That a lot of words somebody is using to call her a coconut. Its like the racist Kwasi Kwarteng is a "proper" black bloke stuff.
According to the BBC, four of those hospitalised with "life-threatening injuries" have already been discharged, which rather suggests their injuries were not, in fact, life-threatening. Let's hope that those remaining in hospital have similar outcomes.
I see majorities of all voters for parties other than Conservatives want to be rid of Kemi. So, she is the one they fear most, and rightly so. I did not vote for Kemi to be leader, I knew she would face real Racism and real Sexism every day from those racist and sexist "anti-wacysts" and anti-sexists who throw both words around to dismiss their opponents. She has done a heck of a good job in the circumstances and if she wasn't doing one heck of a good job our opponents would not be so desperate to be rid of her.
Those who aren't hearing Kemi aren't listening, at the moment that is their problem, not hers. She can't make them do that any more than two Estate Agents could when they begged the Chancellor to spend 10 minutes filling out a trivial Pro Forma. If neither the Chancellor nor her husband have the intellect to fill out a form which they mandate for all others how is in not malfeasance to allow either of them to serve the Government in a roll which pays more than the minimum wage ?
"For Black Britons, Kemi Badenoch is the most dangerous political leader we have ever faced. While we have experienced the dog-whistle racism of Boris and the quiet denial of institutional and systemic racism from Rishi (who presided over the undeniably racist Rwanda policy), Kemi Badenoch will be like no other leader we have seen before.
She has made history at the expense of women, Black people, people of colour, and anyone who is marginalised by society and she will go to any lengths to cover up racism and therefore prevent steps being taken to dismantle it.
Her journey to her new role is one further step in her party’s playbook of weaponising Black and Brown faces. "
How come those who call themselves “anti-racist”, can come up with some of the most racist diatribes?
Plod say 2 British black males been arrested on suspicion of murder, but nothing to suggest this was a terrorist incident. They are a 32-year-old male black British male and 35-year-old British national of Caribbean descent.
I despair of this ‘not terror related’ stuff. It’s a mass stabbing. If it’s not terror related what is it?
Whether it gets labelled terrorism or not, at some point they'll have to say whether this was an on-board incident that escalated or whether this was a premeditated attack.
Not to mention dining cars. With silver service. Happy memory of them in the 1960s, en route from Edinburgh to London behind a nice Deltic (Mum used to book lunch there to help break up the long journey for me, so she told me, and - I now suspect - give herself a treat.)
GNER were still running silver service dining cars on the London-Edinburgh route until 2007 when, despite an excellent service they lost the franchise. Not sure what happened after that.
They are a 32-year-old black British male and 35-year-old British national of Caribbean descent.
They have been arrested on suspicion of attempted murder.
Is this absolutely confirmed? If they are both wrong uns (rather than one have a go hero), then the possibilities are:
1) they had an altercation that escalated 2) they perpetrated a premeditated crime
If it’s 1, would they not have told us? If it’s 2, well, that’s an unusual situation for something that isn’t terrorism.
The police annoy me because they tell people not to speculate but themselves start speculating on the motive. First and foremost, they should tell us what kind of incident they are dealing with (I’d have thought the CCTV would give a good indication of that).
Another thought: while the very depressing debate in these circumstances tends to focus on immigration, perhaps what I feel most strongly is that there is a growing sense of unease around public safety. Let’s leave aside ideology and nationality for a second. Do people feel more secure going about their daily business in this country than they did say 25-30 years ago? We have always had isolated incidents and attacks on the general public, but something does feel different at the moment.
There are myriad reasons and causes, as is usual. But I do think that we need to look at policing, law and order and matters of security much more closely to try and address this. That is, of course, not something that changes overnight.
I don't think that Islamic Terrorism has ever reached the levels of Irish Republican Terrorism. The most unnerved I felt was when litter bins were removed from railway stations in the 90s.
I think the instant online reaction does create some extra anxiety because of the uncertainty. In earlier decades, when you were used to waiting for tomorrow's papers, or the evening news bulletin, it would feel like you weren't waiting as long because the pertinent facts would be laid out on the second or third time the incident was reported. Whereas now you've checked various news websites and live blogs, etc, dozens of times.
Probably time to log off for a bit and do something on the real world. Brownies or Apple Crumble?
I'm not sure about that. How many people on the British mainland did the URA kill, vs how many have the Islamists killed? The big difference between the two is that the IRA wanted a specific and achievable outcome, whereas the Islamists simply want to kill all the non-Muslims, as well as all the wrong sort of Muslims.
PIRA terrorism did bother me more. I was once on the opposite side of Shaftesbury Avenue, when a bomb went off. Islamists have not achieved much here, for twenty years.
Yes, IRA terrorism was insidious.
That said, there was a time in 2004 when I was convinced every tube train I got on might summarily blow up, so I changed carriages more than once whenever I didn't feel comfortable.
They are a 32-year-old black British male and 35-year-old British national of Caribbean descent.
They have been arrested on suspicion of attempted murder.
"Mental health" it is, then.
How much of this mental health stuff is down to too much waccy baccy? It is definitely linked to schizophrenia.
One person, probably. Two seems like unlikely. It could just as easily be some sort of gang fight / "road men" have attacked somebody and people have stepped in and all hell has broken loose.
They are a 32-year-old black British male and 35-year-old British national of Caribbean descent.
They have been arrested on suspicion of attempted murder.
What does the "both culprits" mean? Surely a trial will determine that?
Earlier there was speculation that one might have been the perpetrator and the other arrested for attacking the perpetrator.
Which just demonstrates how useless the sort of speculation we see after these incidents is.
Unless there is a suspect still at large, it seems to me sensible of the Police to confirm details before doing a press conference. It is only 18 hours since the incident FFS.
Well it turns out that the Ukranian attack on Tuapse Oil Terminal was worse than first thought.
Not only is the terminal itself, one of only three in Russia and originator of $7bn/year in exports, completely destroyed, but two dodgy tankers that were on site are also still on fire.
Ukrainian intel is always spot on. Always manage to hit just when ships are loading oil/unloading weapons.
While these sort of attacks are chicken soup for the soul, this is not by itself a game changer. This terminal exports around 7m mt of refined product per year out of around 150m mt total, with a fairly incidental secondary stream of crude. Refined products exports are only around a third of the Russian hydrocarbons total. And it will likely be online again in weeks to months. So a drop in the ocean.
But what else is an ocean but a multitude of drops.
But the scale of the attacks on these hydrocarbons facilities since early August 2025 IS a gamechanger. The lights are literally going out over Moscow. As well as pissing off the citizenry, previously told that Moscow was untouchable, these attacks are making it much harder for the Russian war machine to operate.
Russia is trying to fix these facilities. But the companies that own them can neither source the parts (sometimes huge bits of refinery construction kit whose movement you can track from space), nor afford the interest rates on the finance to rebuild. And what was an occasional strike that allowed time to repair is now a missile slamming in every month, to every fortnight as Flamingo production ramps up from initially 30 a month to over 200 a month now. The "cope cages" that are being built around these facilities just can't cope with 1,000 kg of high explosives, where the charge is now being shaped to focus downwards.
Russian refining capacity is down by as much as 30%. Even if not refined, the production of crude oil requires storage before it is sold. That storage is being hit too. As are the vessels that transport it. Plus the buyers are being scared off - both China and India are halting most of their purchases from Russia, fearing the fall out of sanctions. Sure, some of it will be sold to say Indonesia and refined there. But they will be the next level of sanctions.
Russia is under the cosh, far more so now than Ukraine.
The most meaningful western sanction yet unveiled was the recent US action against rosneft and threat of secondary sanctions against India. It is gumming up the international trade of Indian hydrocarbons even to the third world.
And that should have been done 3 years ago. Biden was far too timid.
While one might understand that the US has to tread more carefully than most other countries when it comes to Russia, both Biden and Trump administrations have been less than brilliant when it comes to Ukraine.
The latest sanctions packages are definitely helping though, and the Tomahawks could be on the way soon.
Plod say 2 British black males been arrested on suspicion of murder, but nothing to suggest this was a terrorist incident. They are a 32-year-old male black British male and 35-year-old British national of Caribbean descent.
I despair of this ‘not terror related’ stuff. It’s a mass stabbing. If it’s not terror related what is it?
Whether it gets labelled terrorism or not, at some point they'll have to say whether this was an on-board incident that escalated or whether this was a premeditated attack.
Not to mention dining cars. With silver service. Happy memory of them in the 1960s, en route from Edinburgh to London behind a nice Deltic (Mum used to book lunch there to help break up the long journey for me, so she told me, and - I now suspect - give herself a treat.)
GNER were still running silver service dining cars on the London-Edinburgh route until 2007 when, despite an excellent service they lost the franchise. Not sure what happened after that.
I remember flying first class back from the US about a year after 9/11....full silver service, sorry sir, we can't give you a metal steak knife with your dinner, you will have to use a plastic one due to threat of terrorism. I mean a) what crazy Jihadi is paying for first class* and b) if I was one, there are plenty of other things I can use as a weapon.
* suppose if it is going to be your last meal, might as well go for the best. Although 9/11 attackers weren't using their airmiles for upgrades.
They are a 32-year-old black British male and 35-year-old British national of Caribbean descent.
They have been arrested on suspicion of attempted murder.
"Mental health" it is, then.
How much of this mental health stuff is down to too much waccy baccy? It is definitely linked to schizophrenia.
Alright Peter H, calm down...
I have a relative with exactly that , he does not wish to murder people though. However an incredible drain on the state and there are multitudes of them around.
According to the BBC, four of those hospitalised with "life-threatening injuries" have already been discharged, which rather suggests their injuries were not, in fact, life-threatening. Let's hope that those remaining in hospital have similar outcomes.
In this context I think "Life Threatening" means sufficiently severe to be admitted to hospital. "Critical" means in intensive care.
Another thought: while the very depressing debate in these circumstances tends to focus on immigration, perhaps what I feel most strongly is that there is a growing sense of unease around public safety. Let’s leave aside ideology and nationality for a second. Do people feel more secure going about their daily business in this country than they did say 25-30 years ago? We have always had isolated incidents and attacks on the general public, but something does feel different at the moment.
There are myriad reasons and causes, as is usual. But I do think that we need to look at policing, law and order and matters of security much more closely to try and address this. That is, of course, not something that changes overnight.
I don't think that Islamic Terrorism has ever reached the levels of Irish Republican Terrorism. The most unnerved I felt was when litter bins were removed from railway stations in the 90s.
I think the instant online reaction does create some extra anxiety because of the uncertainty. In earlier decades, when you were used to waiting for tomorrow's papers, or the evening news bulletin, it would feel like you weren't waiting as long because the pertinent facts would be laid out on the second or third time the incident was reported. Whereas now you've checked various news websites and live blogs, etc, dozens of times.
Probably time to log off for a bit and do something on the real world. Brownies or Apple Crumble?
I'm not sure about that. How many people on the British mainland did the URA kill, vs how many have the Islamists killed? The big difference between the two is that the IRA wanted a specific and achievable outcome, whereas the Islamists simply want to kill all the non-Muslims, as well as all the wrong sort of Muslims.
PIRA terrorism did bother me more. I was once on the opposite side of Shaftesbury Avenue, when a bomb went off. Islamists have not achieved much here, for twenty years.
Yes, IRA terrorism was insidious.
That said, there was a time in 2004 when I was convinced every tube train I got on might summarily blow up, so I changed carriages more than once whenever I didn't feel comfortable.
I remember when avoiding walking past bins was a thing, at least until they were all removed.
I see majorities of all voters for parties other than Conservatives want to be rid of Kemi. So, she is the one they fear most, and rightly so. I did not vote for Kemi to be leader, I knew she would face real Racism and real Sexism every day from those racist and sexist "anti-wacysts" and anti-sexists who throw both words around to dismiss their opponents. She has done a heck of a good job in the circumstances and if she wasn't doing one heck of a good job our opponents would not be so desperate to be rid of her.
Those who aren't hearing Kemi aren't listening, at the moment that is their problem, not hers. She can't make them do that any more than two Estate Agents could when they begged the Chancellor to spend 10 minutes filling out a trivial Pro Forma. If neither the Chancellor nor her husband have the intellect to fill out a form which they mandate for all others how is in not malfeasance to allow either of them to serve the Government in a roll which pays more than the minimum wage ?
"For Black Britons, Kemi Badenoch is the most dangerous political leader we have ever faced. While we have experienced the dog-whistle racism of Boris and the quiet denial of institutional and systemic racism from Rishi (who presided over the undeniably racist Rwanda policy), Kemi Badenoch will be like no other leader we have seen before.
She has made history at the expense of women, Black people, people of colour, and anyone who is marginalised by society and she will go to any lengths to cover up racism and therefore prevent steps being taken to dismantle it.
Her journey to her new role is one further step in her party’s playbook of weaponising Black and Brown faces. "
How come those who call themselves “anti-racist”, can come up with some of the most racist diatribes?
I've read that note. There's nothing racist about it, it's just completely biased and free from any evidence.
They are a 32-year-old black British male and 35-year-old British national of Caribbean descent.
They have been arrested on suspicion of attempted murder.
What does the "both culprits" mean? Surely a trial will determine that?
Earlier there was speculation that one might have been the perpetrator and the other arrested for attacking the perpetrator.
Which just demonstrates how useless the sort of speculation we see after these incidents is.
Unless there is a suspect still at large, it seems to me sensible of the Police to confirm details before doing a press conference. It is only 18 hours since the incident FFS.
You can't stop people worrying and speculating about what's happened in a vacuum of information.
They are a 32-year-old black British male and 35-year-old British national of Caribbean descent.
They have been arrested on suspicion of attempted murder.
What does the "both culprits" mean? Surely a trial will determine that?
Earlier there was speculation that one might have been the perpetrator and the other arrested for attacking the perpetrator.
Which just demonstrates how useless the sort of speculation we see after these incidents is.
Unless there is a suspect still at large, it seems to me sensible of the Police to confirm details before doing a press conference. It is only 18 hours since the incident FFS.
I think that speculation is fine. Indeed, I’m still questioning if we know for sure what’s happened because the police haven’t said that one of the arrested is a have a go hero (though, let’s be honest, the police might not want to admit it if that’s what’s happened).
But, let’s be honest, that sort of speculation is trying to come up with a reason why it’s not a terrorist attack. So, it’s kind of the opposite of what the “don’t speculate” mob are concerned about.
Plod say 2 British black males been arrested on suspicion of murder, but nothing to suggest this was a terrorist incident. They are a 32-year-old male black British male and 35-year-old British national of Caribbean descent.
I despair of this ‘not terror related’ stuff. It’s a mass stabbing. If it’s not terror related what is it?
Whether it gets labelled terrorism or not, at some point they'll have to say whether this was an on-board incident that escalated or whether this was a premeditated attack.
Not to mention dining cars. With silver service. Happy memory of them in the 1960s, en route from Edinburgh to London behind a nice Deltic (Mum used to book lunch there to help break up the long journey for me, so she told me, and - I now suspect - give herself a treat.)
GNER were still running silver service dining cars on the London-Edinburgh route until 2007 when, despite an excellent service they lost the franchise. Not sure what happened after that.
I remember flying first class back from the US about a year after 9/11....full silver service, sorry sir, we can't give you a metal steak knife with your dinner, you will have to use a plastic one due to threat of terrorism. I mean a) what crazy Jihadi is paying for first class* and b) if I was one, there are plenty of other things I can use as a weapon.
* suppose if it is going to be your last meal, might as well go for the best. Although 9/11 attackers weren't using their airmiles for upgrades.
A lot of this is symbolic stuff to signal a message. Doesn't actually treat real risk.
I remember in the aftermath of the 2008 credit crunch when the first thing many companies did to cut back was abolish free biscuits.
The savings were puny, and it was something a lot of staff noticed and were annoyed about, but it wanted to send a hair shirt message.
According to the BBC, four of those hospitalised with "life-threatening injuries" have already been discharged, which rather suggests their injuries were not, in fact, life-threatening. Let's hope that those remaining in hospital have similar outcomes.
Sometimes hard to tell when a person has large holes cut in them or gaping wounds pissing blood etc. Community service will suffice as not enough died to make it bad.
Plod say 2 British black males been arrested on suspicion of murder, but nothing to suggest this was a terrorist incident. They are a 32-year-old male black British male and 35-year-old British national of Caribbean descent.
I despair of this ‘not terror related’ stuff. It’s a mass stabbing. If it’s not terror related what is it?
Whether it gets labelled terrorism or not, at some point they'll have to say whether this was an on-board incident that escalated or whether this was a premeditated attack.
Not to mention dining cars. With silver service. Happy memory of them in the 1960s, en route from Edinburgh to London behind a nice Deltic (Mum used to book lunch there to help break up the long journey for me, so she told me, and - I now suspect - give herself a treat.)
GNER were still running silver service dining cars on the London-Edinburgh route until 2007 when, despite an excellent service they lost the franchise. Not sure what happened after that.
I remember flying first class back from the US about a year after 9/11....full silver service, sorry sir, we can't give you a metal steak knife with your dinner, you will have to use a plastic one due to threat of terrorism. I mean a) what crazy Jihadi is paying for first class* and b) if I was one, there are plenty of other things I can use as a weapon.
* suppose if it is going to be your last meal, might as well go for the best. Although 9/11 attackers weren't using their airmiles for upgrades.
Your point b) may be true but point a) sounds a bit flaky tbh. "No Jihadi is going to pay to fly 1st class"? hmmm...
They are a 32-year-old black British male and 35-year-old British national of Caribbean descent.
They have been arrested on suspicion of attempted murder.
Is this absolutely confirmed? If they are both wrong uns (rather than one have a go hero), then the possibilities are:
1) they had an altercation that escalated 2) they perpetrated a premeditated crime
If it’s 1, would they not have told us? If it’s 2, well, that’s an unusual situation for something that isn’t terrorism.
The police annoy me because they tell people not to speculate but themselves start speculating on the motive. First and foremost, they should tell us what kind of incident they are dealing with (I’d have thought the CCTV would give a good indication of that).
It’s obviously terrorism. It’s the first part of a 5 point destabilisation strategy.
Plod say 2 British black males been arrested on suspicion of murder, but nothing to suggest this was a terrorist incident. They are a 32-year-old male black British male and 35-year-old British national of Caribbean descent.
I despair of this ‘not terror related’ stuff. It’s a mass stabbing. If it’s not terror related what is it?
Whether it gets labelled terrorism or not, at some point they'll have to say whether this was an on-board incident that escalated or whether this was a premeditated attack.
Not to mention dining cars. With silver service. Happy memory of them in the 1960s, en route from Edinburgh to London behind a nice Deltic (Mum used to book lunch there to help break up the long journey for me, so she told me, and - I now suspect - give herself a treat.)
GNER were still running silver service dining cars on the London-Edinburgh route until 2007 when, despite an excellent service they lost the franchise. Not sure what happened after that.
Meals at seats now, in first class (as part of the all-in price). Not bad at all though I haven't been for a while.
Another thought: while the very depressing debate in these circumstances tends to focus on immigration, perhaps what I feel most strongly is that there is a growing sense of unease around public safety. Let’s leave aside ideology and nationality for a second. Do people feel more secure going about their daily business in this country than they did say 25-30 years ago? We have always had isolated incidents and attacks on the general public, but something does feel different at the moment.
There are myriad reasons and causes, as is usual. But I do think that we need to look at policing, law and order and matters of security much more closely to try and address this. That is, of course, not something that changes overnight.
I don't think that Islamic Terrorism has ever reached the levels of Irish Republican Terrorism. The most unnerved I felt was when litter bins were removed from railway stations in the 90s.
I think the instant online reaction does create some extra anxiety because of the uncertainty. In earlier decades, when you were used to waiting for tomorrow's papers, or the evening news bulletin, it would feel like you weren't waiting as long because the pertinent facts would be laid out on the second or third time the incident was reported. Whereas now you've checked various news websites and live blogs, etc, dozens of times.
Probably time to log off for a bit and do something on the real world. Brownies or Apple Crumble?
I'm not sure about that. How many people on the British mainland did the URA kill, vs how many have the Islamists killed? The big difference between the two is that the IRA wanted a specific and achievable outcome, whereas the Islamists simply want to kill all the non-Muslims, as well as all the wrong sort of Muslims.
PIRA terrorism did bother me more. I was once on the opposite side of Shaftesbury Avenue, when a bomb went off. Islamists have not achieved much here, for twenty years.
I think the last big one was the Manchester arena bomb in 2017. But there have been a steady trickle of murders of ones and twos.
They are a 32-year-old black British male and 35-year-old British national of Caribbean descent.
They have been arrested on suspicion of attempted murder.
"Mental health" it is, then.
How much of this mental health stuff is down to too much waccy baccy? It is definitely linked to schizophrenia.
One person, probably. Two seems like unlikely. It could just as easily be some sort of gang fight / "road men" have attacked somebody and people have stepped in and all hell has broken loose.
Sounds plausible, I can just imagine being on a train when some ne'er do wells start hacking each other to bits with machetes and me jumping up and saying come on chaps play nice there.
Plod say 2 British black males been arrested on suspicion of murder, but nothing to suggest this was a terrorist incident. They are a 32-year-old male black British male and 35-year-old British national of Caribbean descent.
I despair of this ‘not terror related’ stuff. It’s a mass stabbing. If it’s not terror related what is it?
Whether it gets labelled terrorism or not, at some point they'll have to say whether this was an on-board incident that escalated or whether this was a premeditated attack.
Not to mention dining cars. With silver service. Happy memory of them in the 1960s, en route from Edinburgh to London behind a nice Deltic (Mum used to book lunch there to help break up the long journey for me, so she told me, and - I now suspect - give herself a treat.)
GNER were still running silver service dining cars on the London-Edinburgh route until 2007 when, despite an excellent service they lost the franchise. Not sure what happened after that.
I remember flying first class back from the US about a year after 9/11....full silver service, sorry sir, we can't give you a metal steak knife with your dinner, you will have to use a plastic one due to threat of terrorism. I mean a) what crazy Jihadi is paying for first class* and b) if I was one, there are plenty of other things I can use as a weapon.
* suppose if it is going to be your last meal, might as well go for the best. Although 9/11 attackers weren't using their airmiles for upgrades.
A lot of this is symbolic stuff to signal a message. Doesn't actually treat real risk.
I remember in the aftermath of the 2008 credit crunch when the first thing many companies did to cut back was abolish free biscuits.
The savings were puny, and it was something a lot of staff noticed and were annoyed about, but it wanted to send a hair shirt message.
Its all performative really with the scanners etc. The easiest way of getting things onto planes is via people who work airside and there 1000s of them, constant turn over of staff, deliveries coming in round the clock, etc.
Another thought: while the very depressing debate in these circumstances tends to focus on immigration, perhaps what I feel most strongly is that there is a growing sense of unease around public safety. Let’s leave aside ideology and nationality for a second. Do people feel more secure going about their daily business in this country than they did say 25-30 years ago? We have always had isolated incidents and attacks on the general public, but something does feel different at the moment.
There are myriad reasons and causes, as is usual. But I do think that we need to look at policing, law and order and matters of security much more closely to try and address this. That is, of course, not something that changes overnight.
I don't think that Islamic Terrorism has ever reached the levels of Irish Republican Terrorism. The most unnerved I felt was when litter bins were removed from railway stations in the 90s.
I think the instant online reaction does create some extra anxiety because of the uncertainty. In earlier decades, when you were used to waiting for tomorrow's papers, or the evening news bulletin, it would feel like you weren't waiting as long because the pertinent facts would be laid out on the second or third time the incident was reported. Whereas now you've checked various news websites and live blogs, etc, dozens of times.
Probably time to log off for a bit and do something on the real world. Brownies or Apple Crumble?
I'm not sure about that. How many people on the British mainland did the URA kill, vs how many have the Islamists killed? The big difference between the two is that the IRA wanted a specific and achievable outcome, whereas the Islamists simply want to kill all the non-Muslims, as well as all the wrong sort of Muslims.
PIRA terrorism did bother me more. I was once on the opposite side of Shaftesbury Avenue, when a bomb went off. Islamists have not achieved much here, for twenty years.
A very early vivid memory for me, when I was five and six years old, is the safety broadcasts on BFBS (British Forces Broadcasting Service, when we lived in Rheindahlen, British forces HQ in Germany)
They told us to use a mirror on a stick to check under the car for IRA bombs every morning. We didn't have a mirror on a stick, so I used to lie next to the car and look underneath for bombs before my Dad went to work
I had no idea what I was looking for, but it felt like an important job
Two years after we left the IRA blew up a 300lb car bomb outside the officers' mess on that base
@Cyclefree Thank you for your response. I am well aware of the impact & importance of the SC judgement thank you. Indeed, unlike many I have actually read through the judgement. Clearly, any assertion about trans rights that relied on the previous interpretation of the Equality Act 2010 has been rendered invalid by the SC.
It seems to me however that you still haven’t addressed my query: the SC goes to considerable lengths to assert that their judgement applies solely to the interpretation of “woman” and “man” when interpreting the terms of the Equality Act 2010. They are very explicit about this: I quote para 2 again:
“It is not the role of the court ... to define the meaning of the word “woman” other than when it is used in the provisions of the EA 2010”
It seems to me to be an unavoidable conclusion from the text of the SC judgement therefore that the terms of the GRA 2004 apply to all legislation except for the EA 2010. Any legal statement in any other legislation other than the EA 2010 that mentions men or women must include trans women with a GRC in the category of “women” and trans men with a GRC in the category of “men” by the terms of the GRA 2004.
Do you agree or disagree with this statement? Have I got the wrong end of the legal stick here?
They are a 32-year-old black British male and 35-year-old British national of Caribbean descent.
They have been arrested on suspicion of attempted murder.
What does the "both culprits" mean? Surely a trial will determine that?
Earlier there was speculation that one might have been the perpetrator and the other arrested for attacking the perpetrator.
Which just demonstrates how useless the sort of speculation we see after these incidents is.
Unless there is a suspect still at large, it seems to me sensible of the Police to confirm details before doing a press conference. It is only 18 hours since the incident FFS.
I think that speculation is fine. Indeed, I’m still questioning if we know for sure what’s happened because the police haven’t said that one of the arrested is a have a go hero (though, let’s be honest, the police might not want to admit it if that’s what’s happened).
But, let’s be honest, that sort of speculation is trying to come up with a reason why it’s not a terrorist attack. So, it’s kind of the opposite of what the “don’t speculate” mob are concerned about.
The similarity in race and age and the fact both were arrested on suspicion of attempted murder make that statistically somewhat less likely, in my view.
Another thought: while the very depressing debate in these circumstances tends to focus on immigration, perhaps what I feel most strongly is that there is a growing sense of unease around public safety. Let’s leave aside ideology and nationality for a second. Do people feel more secure going about their daily business in this country than they did say 25-30 years ago? We have always had isolated incidents and attacks on the general public, but something does feel different at the moment.
There are myriad reasons and causes, as is usual. But I do think that we need to look at policing, law and order and matters of security much more closely to try and address this. That is, of course, not something that changes overnight.
I don't think that Islamic Terrorism has ever reached the levels of Irish Republican Terrorism. The most unnerved I felt was when litter bins were removed from railway stations in the 90s.
I think the instant online reaction does create some extra anxiety because of the uncertainty. In earlier decades, when you were used to waiting for tomorrow's papers, or the evening news bulletin, it would feel like you weren't waiting as long because the pertinent facts would be laid out on the second or third time the incident was reported. Whereas now you've checked various news websites and live blogs, etc, dozens of times.
Probably time to log off for a bit and do something on the real world. Brownies or Apple Crumble?
I'm not sure about that. How many people on the British mainland did the URA kill, vs how many have the Islamists killed? The big difference between the two is that the IRA wanted a specific and achievable outcome, whereas the Islamists simply want to kill all the non-Muslims, as well as all the wrong sort of Muslims.
PIRA terrorism did bother me more. I was once on the opposite side of Shaftesbury Avenue, when a bomb went off. Islamists have not achieved much here, for twenty years.
I think the last big one was the Manchester arena bomb in 2017. But there have been a steady trickle of murders of ones and twos.
I reckon it’s really hard to do something big without the authorities spotting what you’re up to.
Plod say 2 British black males been arrested on suspicion of murder, but nothing to suggest this was a terrorist incident. They are a 32-year-old male black British male and 35-year-old British national of Caribbean descent.
I despair of this ‘not terror related’ stuff. It’s a mass stabbing. If it’s not terror related what is it?
Whether it gets labelled terrorism or not, at some point they'll have to say whether this was an on-board incident that escalated or whether this was a premeditated attack.
Not to mention dining cars. With silver service. Happy memory of them in the 1960s, en route from Edinburgh to London behind a nice Deltic (Mum used to book lunch there to help break up the long journey for me, so she told me, and - I now suspect - give herself a treat.)
GNER were still running silver service dining cars on the London-Edinburgh route until 2007 when, despite an excellent service they lost the franchise. Not sure what happened after that.
I remember flying first class back from the US about a year after 9/11....full silver service, sorry sir, we can't give you a metal steak knife with your dinner, you will have to use a plastic one due to threat of terrorism. I mean a) what crazy Jihadi is paying for first class* and b) if I was one, there are plenty of other things I can use as a weapon.
* suppose if it is going to be your last meal, might as well go for the best. Although 9/11 attackers weren't using their airmiles for upgrades.
Your point b) may be true but point a) sounds a bit flaky tbh. "No Jihadi is going to pay to fly 1st class"? hmmm...
I did think all the 9/11 terrorists were in Business or 1st Class. So they could be close to the cockpits.
Another thought: while the very depressing debate in these circumstances tends to focus on immigration, perhaps what I feel most strongly is that there is a growing sense of unease around public safety. Let’s leave aside ideology and nationality for a second. Do people feel more secure going about their daily business in this country than they did say 25-30 years ago? We have always had isolated incidents and attacks on the general public, but something does feel different at the moment.
There are myriad reasons and causes, as is usual. But I do think that we need to look at policing, law and order and matters of security much more closely to try and address this. That is, of course, not something that changes overnight.
I don't think that Islamic Terrorism has ever reached the levels of Irish Republican Terrorism. The most unnerved I felt was when litter bins were removed from railway stations in the 90s.
I think the instant online reaction does create some extra anxiety because of the uncertainty. In earlier decades, when you were used to waiting for tomorrow's papers, or the evening news bulletin, it would feel like you weren't waiting as long because the pertinent facts would be laid out on the second or third time the incident was reported. Whereas now you've checked various news websites and live blogs, etc, dozens of times.
Probably time to log off for a bit and do something on the real world. Brownies or Apple Crumble?
I'm not sure about that. How many people on the British mainland did the URA kill, vs how many have the Islamists killed? The big difference between the two is that the IRA wanted a specific and achievable outcome, whereas the Islamists simply want to kill all the non-Muslims, as well as all the wrong sort of Muslims.
PIRA terrorism did bother me more. I was once on the opposite side of Shaftesbury Avenue, when a bomb went off. Islamists have not achieved much here, for twenty years.
I think the last big one was the Manchester arena bomb in 2017. But there have been a steady trickle of murders of ones and twos.
Which is in some ways a neat illustration of the differences between the IRA and the Islamist events. The IRA phoned the police who got almost everyone out of the way before the bomb went off, the more recent event in the same city was a suicide bomber who went into the middle of the crowd at a pop concert aiming to kill as many people as possible.
According to the BBC, four of those hospitalised with "life-threatening injuries" have already been discharged, which rather suggests their injuries were not, in fact, life-threatening. Let's hope that those remaining in hospital have similar outcomes.
In this context I think "Life Threatening" means sufficiently severe to be admitted to hospital. "Critical" means in intensive care.
That's good to know, because I thought life threatening meant injuries that needed to be staunched immediately to save the victim's life - like a rupture of a key organ or blood vessel.
Serious or life-changing injury I could understand is being general admittance to hospital.
They are a 32-year-old black British male and 35-year-old British national of Caribbean descent.
They have been arrested on suspicion of attempted murder.
"Mental health" it is, then.
How much of this mental health stuff is down to too much waccy baccy? It is definitely linked to schizophrenia.
One person, probably. Two seems like unlikely. It could just as easily be some sort of gang fight / "road men" have attacked somebody and people have stepped in and all hell has broken loose.
Sounds plausible, I can just imagine being on a train when some ne'er do wells start hacking each other to bits with machetes and me jumping up and saying come on chaps play nice there.
People do funny things. Remember the bloke when the Islamists attacked Glasgow airport with a car bomb and the airport worker ran up and booted the terrorists in the nuts. There was the incident the other week were the group of the public got involved with a loon on a train (and they now appear to be under investigation for assault) Also, not always clear in the panic and chaos.
They are a 32-year-old black British male and 35-year-old British national of Caribbean descent.
They have been arrested on suspicion of attempted murder.
What does the "both culprits" mean? Surely a trial will determine that?
Earlier there was speculation that one might have been the perpetrator and the other arrested for attacking the perpetrator.
Which just demonstrates how useless the sort of speculation we see after these incidents is.
Unless there is a suspect still at large, it seems to me sensible of the Police to confirm details before doing a press conference. It is only 18 hours since the incident FFS.
I think that speculation is fine. Indeed, I’m still questioning if we know for sure what’s happened because the police haven’t said that one of the arrested is a have a go hero (though, let’s be honest, the police might not want to admit it if that’s what’s happened).
But, let’s be honest, that sort of speculation is trying to come up with a reason why it’s not a terrorist attack. So, it’s kind of the opposite of what the “don’t speculate” mob are concerned about.
The similarity in race and age and the fact both were arrested on suspicion of attempted murder make that statistically somewhat less likely, in my view.
I see it COP30 this week in Brazil. There’s been little fanfare about it in the lead up to it. A few years ago it would have had significant coverage.
Main countries aren’t bothering. Hard to see what it can achieve aside from the regular demand for ‘climate reparations’.
And, yet, the problem is more serious than ever.
It just goes to show how fickle and shallow much opinion is on this.
Musk has spoken quite a bit in the last 48 hours about climate change. I think his view is correct. This doesn’t need to be solved at the cost of all else in the next 5 years, but it needs to have been addressed roughly by the time the century is out.
In truth, man made climate change is rather low down the list for likely causes of civilisational collapse.
That's not really how climate change works though, is it?
It's going to be exceptionally difficult to reverse and, while there is enormous uncertainty about the severity and nature of the ongoing damage, it's almost certainly better value to reduce emissions now than spend billions on flood defences and deal with mass migration from Africa, crop blight etc etc. Or at least it is if you are younger or care about the next few generations.
The same people who were denying climate change existed have now reached a final, late stage of denialism where they insist it's not worth doing anything about. It's pathetic and transparent.
The curious thing is that Musk has previously backed, with his own money, brand and talent, the "innovation not hair shirt" approach. And with the improvements in solar and batteries, that has very largely worked. A very large percentage of the solution exists, and capitalism is delivering it. It's just a question of doing it.
Yay capitalism.
And now it seems that Musk is backing away from his triumph, just as it is happening. Why? Has he been driven mad by his own opinion machine?
You should watch his commentary. He’s not backing away from anything, he thinks much of the US economy can and should be powered by solar / batteries with electric consumption. He just does not think climate change is the most pressing matter for human civilisation. Nor does Bill Gates any more of course.
The correct answer is what Musk is doing, advancing the state of technology. Unfortunately the Chinese are doing the same.
That's not unfortunate; we'd be screwed if they weren't. What is truly unfortunate is that we ceded domination of both battery and solar production to them by default.
China has just installed more solar power in six months than the US has installed ever.
They don’t have Liberal Democrat NIMBY councils over there so can get stuff done.
Well it turns out that the Ukranian attack on Tuapse Oil Terminal was worse than first thought.
Not only is the terminal itself, one of only three in Russia and originator of $7bn/year in exports, completely destroyed, but two dodgy tankers that were on site are also still on fire.
Ukrainian intel is always spot on. Always manage to hit just when ships are loading oil/unloading weapons.
While these sort of attacks are chicken soup for the soul, this is not by itself a game changer. This terminal exports around 7m mt of refined product per year out of around 150m mt total, with a fairly incidental secondary stream of crude. Refined products exports are only around a third of the Russian hydrocarbons total. And it will likely be online again in weeks to months. So a drop in the ocean.
But what else is an ocean but a multitude of drops.
But the scale of the attacks on these hydrocarbons facilities since early August 2025 IS a gamechanger. The lights are literally going out over Moscow. As well as pissing off the citizenry, previously told that Moscow was untouchable, these attacks are making it much harder for the Russian war machine to operate.
Russia is trying to fix these facilities. But the companies that own them can neither source the parts (sometimes huge bits of refinery construction kit whose movement you can track from space), nor afford the interest rates on the finance to rebuild. And what was an occasional strike that allowed time to repair is now a missile slamming in every month, to every fortnight as Flamingo production ramps up from initially 30 a month to over 200 a month now. The "cope cages" that are being built around these facilities just can't cope with 1,000 kg of high explosives, where the charge is now being shaped to focus downwards.
Russian refining capacity is down by as much as 30%. Even if not refined, the production of crude oil requires storage before it is sold. That storage is being hit too. As are the vessels that transport it. Plus the buyers are being scared off - both China and India are halting most of their purchases from Russia, fearing the fall out of sanctions. Sure, some of it will be sold to say Indonesia and refined there. But they will be the next level of sanctions.
Russia is under the cosh, far more so now than Ukraine.
The most meaningful western sanction yet unveiled was the recent US action against rosneft and threat of secondary sanctions against India. It is gumming up the international trade of Indian hydrocarbons even to the third world.
And that should have been done 3 years ago. Biden was far too timid.
While one might understand that the US has to tread more carefully than most other countries when it comes to Russia, both Biden and Trump administrations have been less than brilliant when it comes to Ukraine.
The latest sanctions packages are definitely helping though, and the Tomahawks could be on the way soon.
Until Putin was rude to him Trump was minded to support Russia against Ukraine.
Another thought: while the very depressing debate in these circumstances tends to focus on immigration, perhaps what I feel most strongly is that there is a growing sense of unease around public safety. Let’s leave aside ideology and nationality for a second. Do people feel more secure going about their daily business in this country than they did say 25-30 years ago? We have always had isolated incidents and attacks on the general public, but something does feel different at the moment.
There are myriad reasons and causes, as is usual. But I do think that we need to look at policing, law and order and matters of security much more closely to try and address this. That is, of course, not something that changes overnight.
I don't think that Islamic Terrorism has ever reached the levels of Irish Republican Terrorism. The most unnerved I felt was when litter bins were removed from railway stations in the 90s.
I think the instant online reaction does create some extra anxiety because of the uncertainty. In earlier decades, when you were used to waiting for tomorrow's papers, or the evening news bulletin, it would feel like you weren't waiting as long because the pertinent facts would be laid out on the second or third time the incident was reported. Whereas now you've checked various news websites and live blogs, etc, dozens of times.
Probably time to log off for a bit and do something on the real world. Brownies or Apple Crumble?
I'm not sure about that. How many people on the British mainland did the URA kill, vs how many have the Islamists killed? The big difference between the two is that the IRA wanted a specific and achievable outcome, whereas the Islamists simply want to kill all the non-Muslims, as well as all the wrong sort of Muslims.
PIRA terrorism did bother me more. I was once on the opposite side of Shaftesbury Avenue, when a bomb went off. Islamists have not achieved much here, for twenty years.
A very early vivid memory for me, when I was five and six years old, is the safety broadcasts on BFBS (British Forces Broadcasting Service, when we lived in Rheindahlen, British forces HQ in Germany)
They told us to use a mirror on a stick to check under the car for IRA bombs every morning. We didn't have a mirror on a stick, so I used to lie next to the car and look underneath for bombs before my Dad went to work
I had no idea what I was looking for, but it felt like an important job
Two years after we left the IRA blew up a 300lb car bomb outside the officers' mess on that base
I was going to 'like' that post but fear that may be misconstrued. I did like the post though.
While it’s true that you always arm to fight the next war than the last one, the war in Ukraine has torn up much of the playbook when it comes to how a land war is fought in the 21st century.
Both sides have used millions, millions of small drones, not to mention the longer-range large one-way drones currently taking out O&G facilities across Russia.
One good thing it has shown, is that current Western kit is considerably better than Soviet kit, although the Chinese are still pushing the innovation so we need to make sire we don’t fall behind.
The single most important lesson for me is that, given a severely constrained budget, we need to stop wasting money on legacy kit, especially the flawed stuff. So truncate or terminate Ajax, and definitely terminate Challenger 3. An MBT is about the least urgent requirement for the UK, and Challenger 3 will be used by literally no one else in NATO. And use the money saved build the army some serious artillery (with a year's worth of ammunition rather than a week's) and drone capacity.
The choices for the navy and airforce are a lot less clear (though again, all of their kit is useless without a far larger stock of munitions). We need to make some choices, though, rather than trying to do a bit of everything, badly.
Yes the most important point is that we need ammunition. Lots and lots of ammunition. You can have all the artillery, missile launchers, and air defence systems in the world, but they’re useless if they have no ammo.
C3 tank probably makes little sense, when C2 is already better than anything an enemy can field. Going forward one common NATO design of tank hardware makes sense, that can be built anywhere with local electronics if required.
We need to make what works already and in quantity, and then look at how innovation can help, which is clearly cheap drones mass-produced when needed.
After the war, we can and should have the Ukranians help with knowing what worked and what didn’t. We can buy from them what they innovated and worked.
The problem is that the quality mentality.
Which means that if we could afford hundreds of something cheap, it must be better to spend the money on a few dozens.
For artillery - buy 500 RCH-155 or Archer. At level, you’d get the factory built in the U.K. - probably more than one. Order a hundred million shell *bodies* - again, you’d get factories built. Why shell bodies? Well, it takes time and a serious factory to make them. Unfilled, they are just a nicely machined piece of steel - they will last for a hundred years.
That little lot would upset any opposing army on the planet.
The main reason to go for quality over quantity is that it gives you a stronger military with a lower manpower requirement. In general this is a good objective - we're not Russia and we should seek to be minimising casualties as much as possible by using better kit.
Sure, you can take this process too far, but I'd want to be further over on the quality end of quality/quantity spectrum than any adversary.
Archer and RCH-155 are top of the line.
The problem is that just buying them wasn’t sexy. Without Unique British Requirements, it wouldn’t keep the managers managing. And without silly little bits* of work for British firms added on, the politicians would be unhappy.
So the original plan was less than a 100 of something custom. Most probably 50, after the usual disastrous over runs.
My way, we’d have the biggest manufacturing facility for SPGs in Europe. So the next generation would naturally tend to be built here. The whole thing, not just some seat covers.
With the money saved and spent on shell bodies, we’d have the industrial plant to be the biggest manufacturer of shells in Europe. So if anyone needed shells, they’d be calling us.
*in one project, they have the work for a handful of seat covers to a British firm. With a resultant price per seat….
Do you really need that many shells though, if you are delivering them by drone? Some 75-80% of Russian tank/IFV kills are by Ukrainian FPV drones now. Even if you need 5 drones each to finish off that number, that needs a tiny fraction of the shells previously used to blanket the batllefield.
Invest in drones and spotty kids in their bedroom who can take out a couple of MBT before they even get up. Cheap as chips.
Drones of that kind are a bit of dead end, between electronic warfare and point defence systems*, they won’t be making a dent in a prepared Western Army.
155 artillery has lasted so long, precisely because it is a balance between effective, cheap and very hard to stop.
Archer and RCH can automatically fire a pre-loaded mix of ammunition, in a few seconds, using a mix of trajectories so that the shells all arrive at the same moment. Since they need no guidance, they can operate in radio silence, and shoot-and-scoot. That is, drive off before the shells have landed on the target.
*There are point defence systems in service that can deal with incoming heavy supersonic ATGMs. They would be overkill for drones.
And the cost of those point defence systems when attacked by 1,000 cheap drones? However good the first 200 defences are, the next 800 are getting through. At least until the system comprises laser defence that have the power to fire almost without limit.
Specific anti drone defence systems are being constructed using 40mm grenade launchers or even automatic shotguns. The cost per round is far less than the cost of a drone.
Plod say 2 British black males been arrested on suspicion of murder, but nothing to suggest this was a terrorist incident. They are a 32-year-old male black British male and 35-year-old British national of Caribbean descent.
I despair of this ‘not terror related’ stuff. It’s a mass stabbing. If it’s not terror related what is it?
Whether it gets labelled terrorism or not, at some point they'll have to say whether this was an on-board incident that escalated or whether this was a premeditated attack.
Not to mention dining cars. With silver service. Happy memory of them in the 1960s, en route from Edinburgh to London behind a nice Deltic (Mum used to book lunch there to help break up the long journey for me, so she told me, and - I now suspect - give herself a treat.)
GNER were still running silver service dining cars on the London-Edinburgh route until 2007 when, despite an excellent service they lost the franchise. Not sure what happened after that.
I remember flying first class back from the US about a year after 9/11....full silver service, sorry sir, we can't give you a metal steak knife with your dinner, you will have to use a plastic one due to threat of terrorism. I mean a) what crazy Jihadi is paying for first class* and b) if I was one, there are plenty of other things I can use as a weapon.
* suppose if it is going to be your last meal, might as well go for the best. Although 9/11 attackers weren't using their airmiles for upgrades.
The 9/11 high jackers flew first or business - close to the cockpit presumably.
They are a 32-year-old black British male and 35-year-old British national of Caribbean descent.
They have been arrested on suspicion of attempted murder.
"Mental health" it is, then.
How much of this mental health stuff is down to too much waccy baccy? It is definitely linked to schizophrenia.
One person, probably. Two seems like unlikely. It could just as easily be some sort of gang fight / "road men" have attacked somebody and people have stepped in and all hell has broken loose.
Sounds plausible, I can just imagine being on a train when some ne'er do wells start hacking each other to bits with machetes and me jumping up and saying come on chaps play nice there.
I didn't realise you'd travelled on the C2C line, malc!
Plod say 2 British black males been arrested on suspicion of murder, but nothing to suggest this was a terrorist incident. They are a 32-year-old male black British male and 35-year-old British national of Caribbean descent.
I despair of this ‘not terror related’ stuff. It’s a mass stabbing. If it’s not terror related what is it?
Whether it gets labelled terrorism or not, at some point they'll have to say whether this was an on-board incident that escalated or whether this was a premeditated attack.
Not to mention dining cars. With silver service. Happy memory of them in the 1960s, en route from Edinburgh to London behind a nice Deltic (Mum used to book lunch there to help break up the long journey for me, so she told me, and - I now suspect - give herself a treat.)
GNER were still running silver service dining cars on the London-Edinburgh route until 2007 when, despite an excellent service they lost the franchise. Not sure what happened after that.
I remember flying first class back from the US about a year after 9/11....full silver service, sorry sir, we can't give you a metal steak knife with your dinner, you will have to use a plastic one due to threat of terrorism. I mean a) what crazy Jihadi is paying for first class* and b) if I was one, there are plenty of other things I can use as a weapon.
* suppose if it is going to be your last meal, might as well go for the best. Although 9/11 attackers weren't using their airmiles for upgrades.
The 9/11 high jackers flew first or business - close to the cockpit presumably.
I just checked, it seems like they were spread across different classes including first (which makes sense from holding up the whole plane). I actually didn't know that.
They didn't go for the steak knife though, box cutters were plenty.
Plod say 2 British black males been arrested on suspicion of murder, but nothing to suggest this was a terrorist incident. They are a 32-year-old male black British male and 35-year-old British national of Caribbean descent.
I despair of this ‘not terror related’ stuff. It’s a mass stabbing. If it’s not terror related what is it?
Whether it gets labelled terrorism or not, at some point they'll have to say whether this was an on-board incident that escalated or whether this was a premeditated attack.
Not to mention dining cars. With silver service. Happy memory of them in the 1960s, en route from Edinburgh to London behind a nice Deltic (Mum used to book lunch there to help break up the long journey for me, so she told me, and - I now suspect - give herself a treat.)
GNER were still running silver service dining cars on the London-Edinburgh route until 2007 when, despite an excellent service they lost the franchise. Not sure what happened after that.
I remember flying first class back from the US about a year after 9/11....full silver service, sorry sir, we can't give you a metal steak knife with your dinner, you will have to use a plastic one due to threat of terrorism. I mean a) what crazy Jihadi is paying for first class* and b) if I was one, there are plenty of other things I can use as a weapon.
* suppose if it is going to be your last meal, might as well go for the best. Although 9/11 attackers weren't using their airmiles for upgrades.
Plod say 2 British black males been arrested on suspicion of murder, but nothing to suggest this was a terrorist incident. They are a 32-year-old male black British male and 35-year-old British national of Caribbean descent.
I despair of this ‘not terror related’ stuff. It’s a mass stabbing. If it’s not terror related what is it?
Whether it gets labelled terrorism or not, at some point they'll have to say whether this was an on-board incident that escalated or whether this was a premeditated attack.
Not to mention dining cars. With silver service. Happy memory of them in the 1960s, en route from Edinburgh to London behind a nice Deltic (Mum used to book lunch there to help break up the long journey for me, so she told me, and - I now suspect - give herself a treat.)
GNER were still running silver service dining cars on the London-Edinburgh route until 2007 when, despite an excellent service they lost the franchise. Not sure what happened after that.
I remember flying first class back from the US about a year after 9/11....full silver service, sorry sir, we can't give you a metal steak knife with your dinner, you will have to use a plastic one due to threat of terrorism. I mean a) what crazy Jihadi is paying for first class* and b) if I was one, there are plenty of other things I can use as a weapon.
* suppose if it is going to be your last meal, might as well go for the best. Although 9/11 attackers weren't using their airmiles for upgrades.
The 9/11 high jackers flew first or business - close to the cockpit presumably.
Another thought: while the very depressing debate in these circumstances tends to focus on immigration, perhaps what I feel most strongly is that there is a growing sense of unease around public safety. Let’s leave aside ideology and nationality for a second. Do people feel more secure going about their daily business in this country than they did say 25-30 years ago? We have always had isolated incidents and attacks on the general public, but something does feel different at the moment.
There are myriad reasons and causes, as is usual. But I do think that we need to look at policing, law and order and matters of security much more closely to try and address this. That is, of course, not something that changes overnight.
I don't think that Islamic Terrorism has ever reached the levels of Irish Republican Terrorism. The most unnerved I felt was when litter bins were removed from railway stations in the 90s.
I think the instant online reaction does create some extra anxiety because of the uncertainty. In earlier decades, when you were used to waiting for tomorrow's papers, or the evening news bulletin, it would feel like you weren't waiting as long because the pertinent facts would be laid out on the second or third time the incident was reported. Whereas now you've checked various news websites and live blogs, etc, dozens of times.
Probably time to log off for a bit and do something on the real world. Brownies or Apple Crumble?
I'm not sure about that. How many people on the British mainland did the URA kill, vs how many have the Islamists killed? The big difference between the two is that the IRA wanted a specific and achievable outcome, whereas the Islamists simply want to kill all the non-Muslims, as well as all the wrong sort of Muslims.
PIRA terrorism did bother me more. I was once on the opposite side of Shaftesbury Avenue, when a bomb went off. Islamists have not achieved much here, for twenty years.
I think the last big one was the Manchester arena bomb in 2017. But there have been a steady trickle of murders of ones and twos.
Which is in some ways a neat illustration of the differences between the IRA and the Islamist events. The IRA phoned the police who got almost everyone out of the way before the bomb went off, the more recent event in the same city was a suicide bomber who went into the middle of the crowd at a pop concert aiming to kill as many people as possible.
PIRA often did not give warnings, or else they gave misleading warnings.
Their most vicious units forced other people to become suicide bombers, by holding family members hostage.
They are a 32-year-old black British male and 35-year-old British national of Caribbean descent.
They have been arrested on suspicion of attempted murder.
"Mental health" it is, then.
How much of this mental health stuff is down to too much waccy baccy? It is definitely linked to schizophrenia.
One person, probably. Two seems like unlikely. It could just as easily be some sort of gang fight / "road men" have attacked somebody and people have stepped in and all hell has broken loose.
Sounds plausible, I can just imagine being on a train when some ne'er do wells start hacking each other to bits with machetes and me jumping up and saying come on chaps play nice there.
“Play nice”?
Good god. Standards have slipped.
“Ahem! Ahem! Gentlemen, please restrain yourselves. Impromptu fencing in the Epee style, is not the thing upon the public railways. ”
Why is it that despite so much activity, legislation to ban knives, so much investment in mental health, we’re seeing more violence on our streets. What is causing this? Lots of people will be speculating - I think we should wait until more facts emerge. But there’s clearly something going wrong in our society right now, which I believe all politicians of all parties need to have a conversation about.
Plod say 2 British black males been arrested on suspicion of murder, but nothing to suggest this was a terrorist incident. They are a 32-year-old male black British male and 35-year-old British national of Caribbean descent.
I despair of this ‘not terror related’ stuff. It’s a mass stabbing. If it’s not terror related what is it?
Whether it gets labelled terrorism or not, at some point they'll have to say whether this was an on-board incident that escalated or whether this was a premeditated attack.
Not to mention dining cars. With silver service. Happy memory of them in the 1960s, en route from Edinburgh to London behind a nice Deltic (Mum used to book lunch there to help break up the long journey for me, so she told me, and - I now suspect - give herself a treat.)
GNER were still running silver service dining cars on the London-Edinburgh route until 2007 when, despite an excellent service they lost the franchise. Not sure what happened after that.
GNER handed the service back because its parent company (Sea Containers) went bankrupt and it didn't pay the franchise fee..
Plod say 2 British black males been arrested on suspicion of murder, but nothing to suggest this was a terrorist incident. They are a 32-year-old male black British male and 35-year-old British national of Caribbean descent.
I despair of this ‘not terror related’ stuff. It’s a mass stabbing. If it’s not terror related what is it?
Whether it gets labelled terrorism or not, at some point they'll have to say whether this was an on-board incident that escalated or whether this was a premeditated attack.
Not to mention dining cars. With silver service. Happy memory of them in the 1960s, en route from Edinburgh to London behind a nice Deltic (Mum used to book lunch there to help break up the long journey for me, so she told me, and - I now suspect - give herself a treat.)
GNER were still running silver service dining cars on the London-Edinburgh route until 2007 when, despite an excellent service they lost the franchise. Not sure what happened after that.
I remember flying first class back from the US about a year after 9/11....full silver service, sorry sir, we can't give you a metal steak knife with your dinner, you will have to use a plastic one due to threat of terrorism. I mean a) what crazy Jihadi is paying for first class* and b) if I was one, there are plenty of other things I can use as a weapon.
* suppose if it is going to be your last meal, might as well go for the best. Although 9/11 attackers weren't using their airmiles for upgrades.
bin laden wasn't short of a bob or two
But didn't pay for all of them to go first. What a cheapskate.
My headcanon now includes an argument between the hijackers who got a silver service final meal and the ones who only got whatever was served in coach that day.
They are a 32-year-old black British male and 35-year-old British national of Caribbean descent.
They have been arrested on suspicion of attempted murder.
Is this absolutely confirmed? If they are both wrong uns (rather than one have a go hero), then the possibilities are:
1) they had an altercation that escalated 2) they perpetrated a premeditated crime
If it’s 1, would they not have told us? If it’s 2, well, that’s an unusual situation for something that isn’t terrorism.
The police annoy me because they tell people not to speculate but themselves start speculating on the motive. First and foremost, they should tell us what kind of incident they are dealing with (I’d have thought the CCTV would give a good indication of that).
It’s obviously terrorism. It’s the first part of a 5 point destabilisation strategy.
Too subtle. Rabbits are quick witted but other animals are slow, horses for example
Plod say 2 British black males been arrested on suspicion of murder, but nothing to suggest this was a terrorist incident. They are a 32-year-old male black British male and 35-year-old British national of Caribbean descent.
I despair of this ‘not terror related’ stuff. It’s a mass stabbing. If it’s not terror related what is it?
Whether it gets labelled terrorism or not, at some point they'll have to say whether this was an on-board incident that escalated or whether this was a premeditated attack.
Not to mention dining cars. With silver service. Happy memory of them in the 1960s, en route from Edinburgh to London behind a nice Deltic (Mum used to book lunch there to help break up the long journey for me, so she told me, and - I now suspect - give herself a treat.)
GNER were still running silver service dining cars on the London-Edinburgh route until 2007 when, despite an excellent service they lost the franchise. Not sure what happened after that.
I remember flying first class back from the US about a year after 9/11....full silver service, sorry sir, we can't give you a metal steak knife with your dinner, you will have to use a plastic one due to threat of terrorism. I mean a) what crazy Jihadi is paying for first class* and b) if I was one, there are plenty of other things I can use as a weapon.
* suppose if it is going to be your last meal, might as well go for the best. Although 9/11 attackers weren't using their airmiles for upgrades.
The 9/11 high jackers flew first or business - close to the cockpit presumably.
Hijack not high jack !!
Yes from the seat plan most did
9/11 would have been considerably less traumatic for all had they flown business or first and then turned their attention to orchestrating a high stakes poker game.
They are a 32-year-old black British male and 35-year-old British national of Caribbean descent.
They have been arrested on suspicion of attempted murder.
Is this absolutely confirmed? If they are both wrong uns (rather than one have a go hero), then the possibilities are:
1) they had an altercation that escalated 2) they perpetrated a premeditated crime
If it’s 1, would they not have told us? If it’s 2, well, that’s an unusual situation for something that isn’t terrorism.
The police annoy me because they tell people not to speculate but themselves start speculating on the motive. First and foremost, they should tell us what kind of incident they are dealing with (I’d have thought the CCTV would give a good indication of that).
It’s obviously terrorism. It’s the first part of a 5 point destabilisation strategy.
Too subtle. Rabbits are quick witted but other animals are slow, horses for example
Worst season so far. Its was far to Thick of It -esque.
The new Apple+ show, Down Cemetery Road, from an other series of Mick Herron books had a reasonable start.
Another thought: while the very depressing debate in these circumstances tends to focus on immigration, perhaps what I feel most strongly is that there is a growing sense of unease around public safety. Let’s leave aside ideology and nationality for a second. Do people feel more secure going about their daily business in this country than they did say 25-30 years ago? We have always had isolated incidents and attacks on the general public, but something does feel different at the moment.
There are myriad reasons and causes, as is usual. But I do think that we need to look at policing, law and order and matters of security much more closely to try and address this. That is, of course, not something that changes overnight.
I don't think that Islamic Terrorism has ever reached the levels of Irish Republican Terrorism. The most unnerved I felt was when litter bins were removed from railway stations in the 90s.
I think the instant online reaction does create some extra anxiety because of the uncertainty. In earlier decades, when you were used to waiting for tomorrow's papers, or the evening news bulletin, it would feel like you weren't waiting as long because the pertinent facts would be laid out on the second or third time the incident was reported. Whereas now you've checked various news websites and live blogs, etc, dozens of times.
Probably time to log off for a bit and do something on the real world. Brownies or Apple Crumble?
I'm not sure about that. How many people on the British mainland did the URA kill, vs how many have the Islamists killed? The big difference between the two is that the IRA wanted a specific and achievable outcome, whereas the Islamists simply want to kill all the non-Muslims, as well as all the wrong sort of Muslims.
PIRA terrorism did bother me more. I was once on the opposite side of Shaftesbury Avenue, when a bomb went off. Islamists have not achieved much here, for twenty years.
I think the last big one was the Manchester arena bomb in 2017. But there have been a steady trickle of murders of ones and twos.
Which is in some ways a neat illustration of the differences between the IRA and the Islamist events. The IRA phoned the police who got almost everyone out of the way before the bomb went off, the more recent event in the same city was a suicide bomber who went into the middle of the crowd at a pop concert aiming to kill as many people as possible.
PIRA often did not give warnings, or else they gave misleading warnings.
Their most vicious units forced other people to become suicide bombers, by holding family members hostage.
There is a story that what convinced Adams to go for the ceasefire was actually the attack on Heathrow Airport.
Mortars fired on a timers aimed at a runway.
If the timers had been set a minute or so different, they would have hit a plane about to take off, or it would have run into the shrapnel on takeoff - which would have shredded the tires leading to a crash - the location on the runway was V1 but below Vr.
The passengers on the plane included 3 digits of Americans.
If the plane had been hit, there was no way that anyone would have believed denials it was a deliberate plan.
Don’t worry people, Marjorie Taylor-Greene has resumed normal service.
“ Republican US House member Marjorie Taylor Greene has said she believes in demons, surmising that they might be aliens who fell from heaven, and claims to have been unaware that key figures in the antisemitic space lasers conspiracy she floated were Jewish.”
Plod say 2 British black males been arrested on suspicion of murder, but nothing to suggest this was a terrorist incident. They are a 32-year-old male black British male and 35-year-old British national of Caribbean descent.
I despair of this ‘not terror related’ stuff. It’s a mass stabbing. If it’s not terror related what is it?
Whether it gets labelled terrorism or not, at some point they'll have to say whether this was an on-board incident that escalated or whether this was a premeditated attack.
Not to mention dining cars. With silver service. Happy memory of them in the 1960s, en route from Edinburgh to London behind a nice Deltic (Mum used to book lunch there to help break up the long journey for me, so she told me, and - I now suspect - give herself a treat.)
GNER were still running silver service dining cars on the London-Edinburgh route until 2007 when, despite an excellent service they lost the franchise. Not sure what happened after that.
I remember flying first class back from the US about a year after 9/11....full silver service, sorry sir, we can't give you a metal steak knife with your dinner, you will have to use a plastic one due to threat of terrorism. I mean a) what crazy Jihadi is paying for first class* and b) if I was one, there are plenty of other things I can use as a weapon.
* suppose if it is going to be your last meal, might as well go for the best. Although 9/11 attackers weren't using their airmiles for upgrades.
The 9/11 high jackers flew first or business - close to the cockpit presumably.
Hijack not high jack !!
Yes from the seat plan most did
9/11 would have been considerably less traumatic for all had they flown business or first and then turned their attention to orchestrating a high stakes poker game.
The hijackers spent a weekend in Vegas in lap dancing bars and gambling before the attack, as it happens.
Plod say 2 British black males been arrested on suspicion of murder, but nothing to suggest this was a terrorist incident. They are a 32-year-old male black British male and 35-year-old British national of Caribbean descent.
I despair of this ‘not terror related’ stuff. It’s a mass stabbing. If it’s not terror related what is it?
Whether it gets labelled terrorism or not, at some point they'll have to say whether this was an on-board incident that escalated or whether this was a premeditated attack.
Not to mention dining cars. With silver service. Happy memory of them in the 1960s, en route from Edinburgh to London behind a nice Deltic (Mum used to book lunch there to help break up the long journey for me, so she told me, and - I now suspect - give herself a treat.)
GNER were still running silver service dining cars on the London-Edinburgh route until 2007 when, despite an excellent service they lost the franchise. Not sure what happened after that.
I remember flying first class back from the US about a year after 9/11....full silver service, sorry sir, we can't give you a metal steak knife with your dinner, you will have to use a plastic one due to threat of terrorism. I mean a) what crazy Jihadi is paying for first class* and b) if I was one, there are plenty of other things I can use as a weapon.
* suppose if it is going to be your last meal, might as well go for the best. Although 9/11 attackers weren't using their airmiles for upgrades.
The 9/11 high jackers flew first or business - close to the cockpit presumably.
How many people on the British mainland did the URA (sic) kill.
I'm a bit averse to answer this question, as it implies that casualties in NI don't count. But the function of a statistician is to answer questions, so as follows.
Location Count Belfast East 128 Belfast North 577 Belfast South 213 Belfast West 623 Britain 125 County Antrim 209 County Armagh 477 County Derry 123 County Down 243 County Fermanagh 112 County Tyrone 341 Derry 227 Europe 18 Republic of Ireland 116 TOTAL 3532
So of of the 3532 deaths attributed by Sutton to the Troubles, 125 were on the island of Great Britain
Plod say 2 British black males been arrested on suspicion of murder, but nothing to suggest this was a terrorist incident. They are a 32-year-old male black British male and 35-year-old British national of Caribbean descent.
I despair of this ‘not terror related’ stuff. It’s a mass stabbing. If it’s not terror related what is it?
Whether it gets labelled terrorism or not, at some point they'll have to say whether this was an on-board incident that escalated or whether this was a premeditated attack.
Not to mention dining cars. With silver service. Happy memory of them in the 1960s, en route from Edinburgh to London behind a nice Deltic (Mum used to book lunch there to help break up the long journey for me, so she told me, and - I now suspect - give herself a treat.)
GNER were still running silver service dining cars on the London-Edinburgh route until 2007 when, despite an excellent service they lost the franchise. Not sure what happened after that.
I remember flying first class back from the US about a year after 9/11....full silver service, sorry sir, we can't give you a metal steak knife with your dinner, you will have to use a plastic one due to threat of terrorism. I mean a) what crazy Jihadi is paying for first class* and b) if I was one, there are plenty of other things I can use as a weapon.
* suppose if it is going to be your last meal, might as well go for the best. Although 9/11 attackers weren't using their airmiles for upgrades.
The 9/11 high jackers flew first or business - close to the cockpit presumably.
Hijack not high jack !!
Yes from the seat plan most did
9/11 would have been considerably less traumatic for all had they flown business or first and then turned their attention to orchestrating a high stakes poker game.
The hijackers spent a weekend in Vegas in lap dancing bars and gambling before the attack, as it happens.
Yeah I remember some old brass moaning that they weren’t great tippers 😂😂😂😂
Plod say 2 British black males been arrested on suspicion of murder, but nothing to suggest this was a terrorist incident. They are a 32-year-old male black British male and 35-year-old British national of Caribbean descent.
I despair of this ‘not terror related’ stuff. It’s a mass stabbing. If it’s not terror related what is it?
Whether it gets labelled terrorism or not, at some point they'll have to say whether this was an on-board incident that escalated or whether this was a premeditated attack.
Not to mention dining cars. With silver service. Happy memory of them in the 1960s, en route from Edinburgh to London behind a nice Deltic (Mum used to book lunch there to help break up the long journey for me, so she told me, and - I now suspect - give herself a treat.)
I remember travelling from Glasgow to London on business with an Executive Return. Down to London in a first class sleeper. Back to Glasgow from Kings Cross with dinner included. That must have been before privatisation, when we had an integrated railway system.
Plod say 2 British black males been arrested on suspicion of murder, but nothing to suggest this was a terrorist incident. They are a 32-year-old male black British male and 35-year-old British national of Caribbean descent.
I despair of this ‘not terror related’ stuff. It’s a mass stabbing. If it’s not terror related what is it?
Whether it gets labelled terrorism or not, at some point they'll have to say whether this was an on-board incident that escalated or whether this was a premeditated attack.
Not to mention dining cars. With silver service. Happy memory of them in the 1960s, en route from Edinburgh to London behind a nice Deltic (Mum used to book lunch there to help break up the long journey for me, so she told me, and - I now suspect - give herself a treat.)
GNER were still running silver service dining cars on the London-Edinburgh route until 2007 when, despite an excellent service they lost the franchise. Not sure what happened after that.
I remember flying first class back from the US about a year after 9/11....full silver service, sorry sir, we can't give you a metal steak knife with your dinner, you will have to use a plastic one due to threat of terrorism. I mean a) what crazy Jihadi is paying for first class* and b) if I was one, there are plenty of other things I can use as a weapon.
* suppose if it is going to be your last meal, might as well go for the best. Although 9/11 attackers weren't using their airmiles for upgrades.
The 9/11 high jackers flew first or business - close to the cockpit presumably.
Hijack not high jack !!
Yes from the seat plan most did
Lunch time or I'd be searching YouTube for that joke from The Sweeney. Well, almost – Hijack? Hello Guv.
How many people on the British mainland did the URA (sic) kill.
I'm a bit averse to answer this question, as it implies that casualties in NI don't count. But the function of a statistician is to answer questions, so as follows.
Location Count Belfast East 128 Belfast North 577 Belfast South 213 Belfast West 623 Britain 125 County Antrim 209 County Armagh 477 County Derry 123 County Down 243 County Fermanagh 112 County Tyrone 341 Derry 227 Europe 18 Republic of Ireland 116 TOTAL 3532
So of of the 3532 deaths attributed by Sutton to the Troubles, 125 were on the island of Great Britain
Plod say 2 British black males been arrested on suspicion of murder, but nothing to suggest this was a terrorist incident. They are a 32-year-old male black British male and 35-year-old British national of Caribbean descent.
I despair of this ‘not terror related’ stuff. It’s a mass stabbing. If it’s not terror related what is it?
Whether it gets labelled terrorism or not, at some point they'll have to say whether this was an on-board incident that escalated or whether this was a premeditated attack.
Not to mention dining cars. With silver service. Happy memory of them in the 1960s, en route from Edinburgh to London behind a nice Deltic (Mum used to book lunch there to help break up the long journey for me, so she told me, and - I now suspect - give herself a treat.)
GNER were still running silver service dining cars on the London-Edinburgh route until 2007 when, despite an excellent service they lost the franchise. Not sure what happened after that.
I remember flying first class back from the US about a year after 9/11....full silver service, sorry sir, we can't give you a metal steak knife with your dinner, you will have to use a plastic one due to threat of terrorism. I mean a) what crazy Jihadi is paying for first class* and b) if I was one, there are plenty of other things I can use as a weapon.
* suppose if it is going to be your last meal, might as well go for the best. Although 9/11 attackers weren't using their airmiles for upgrades.
The 9/11 high jackers flew first or business - close to the cockpit presumably.
Comments
I think the instant online reaction does create some extra anxiety because of the uncertainty. In earlier decades, when you were used to waiting for tomorrow's papers, or the evening news bulletin, it would feel like you weren't waiting as long because the pertinent facts would be laid out on the second or third time the incident was reported. Whereas now you've checked various news websites and live blogs, etc, dozens of times.
Probably time to log off for a bit and do something on the real world. Brownies or Apple Crumble?
Badenoch's strength is the negative one that it's not obvious that any other available candidate would do better.
The big difference between the two is that the IRA wanted a specific and achievable outcome, whereas the Islamists simply want to kill all the non-Muslims, as well as all the wrong sort of Muslims.
Just as the domestic building site that Scrum properly are inspected.
And the ones that are visibly dangerous, employ illegal labour, cash in hand etc aren’t.
I understand that entrants to the country are now have biometric data captured.
Is this used? If a suspect is taken back to the station and prints are taken, would their immigration status be flagged up as routine?
It should be a routine assumption, and an expected part of the job of agents of the state to notify and detain (if possible) when they encounter illegal immigrants. Whether at schools, police stations, local councils, or hospitals (the last one needs a bit of thought though. The desire to deport needs to be balanced with the risk to life).
They are a 32-year-old black British male and 35-year-old British national of Caribbean descent.
They have been arrested on suspicion of attempted murder.
On current empirical evidence, still some work to be done on extinguishing said inferno.
https://antiracistcumbria.org/a-note-on-kemi
"For Black Britons, Kemi Badenoch is the most dangerous political leader we have ever faced. While we have experienced the dog-whistle racism of Boris and the quiet denial of institutional and systemic racism from Rishi (who presided over the undeniably racist Rwanda policy), Kemi Badenoch will be like no other leader we have seen before.
She has made history at the expense of women, Black people, people of colour, and anyone who is marginalised by society and she will go to any lengths to cover up racism and therefore prevent steps being taken to dismantle it.
Her journey to her new role is one further step in her party’s playbook of weaponising Black and Brown faces. "
And I would enjoy an explanation as to how reducing water usage is going to result in less flooding.
Efforts to get everyone to take shorter showers etc., as well as being revolting, are absurdly unnecessary in a country with water so abundant that we are discussing flood mitigation strategies. It is a sign of how absurd and perverse the discourse on this has become that it is even raised.
How much of this mental health stuff is down to too much waccy baccy? It is definitely linked to schizophrenia.
https://x.com/gerashchenko_en/status/1984942579947856005
The thinking is that Ukraine isn’t putting weapons or bombs on these drones, but simply filling them full of fuel and having them fly around for hours, busting civilian airspace and generally making a nuisance of themselves.
This is the sort of thing that does get noticed by rich Russians, when they get stuck at the airport for half a day or more.
Let's hope that those remaining in hospital have similar outcomes.
1) they had an altercation that escalated
2) they perpetrated a premeditated crime
If it’s 1, would they not have told us? If it’s 2, well, that’s an unusual situation for something that isn’t terrorism.
The police annoy me because they tell people not to speculate but themselves start speculating on the motive. First and foremost, they should tell us what kind of incident they are dealing with (I’d have thought the CCTV would give a good indication of that).
That said, there was a time in 2004 when I was convinced every tube train I got on might summarily blow up, so I changed carriages more than once whenever I didn't feel comfortable.
Unless there is a suspect still at large, it seems to me sensible of the Police to confirm details before doing a press conference. It is only 18 hours since the incident FFS.
The latest sanctions packages are definitely helping though, and the Tomahawks could be on the way soon.
* suppose if it is going to be your last meal, might as well go for the best. Although 9/11 attackers weren't using their airmiles for upgrades.
But then again, so is @A_View_From_Cumbria5's post.
But, let’s be honest, that sort of speculation is trying to come up with a reason why it’s not a terrorist attack. So, it’s kind of the opposite of what the “don’t speculate” mob are concerned about.
I remember in the aftermath of the 2008 credit crunch when the first thing many companies did to cut back was abolish free biscuits.
The savings were puny, and it was something a lot of staff noticed and were annoyed about, but it wanted to send a hair shirt message.
They told us to use a mirror on a stick to check under the car for IRA bombs every morning. We didn't have a mirror on a stick, so I used to lie next to the car and look underneath for bombs before my Dad went to work
I had no idea what I was looking for, but it felt like an important job
Two years after we left the IRA blew up a 300lb car bomb outside the officers' mess on that base
It seems to me however that you still haven’t addressed my query: the SC goes to considerable lengths to assert that their judgement applies solely to the interpretation of “woman” and “man” when interpreting the terms of the Equality Act 2010. They are very explicit about this: I quote para 2 again:
“It is not the role of the court ... to define the meaning of the word “woman”
other than when it is used in the provisions of the EA 2010”
https://supremecourt.uk/uploads/uksc_2024_0042_judgment_updated_16f5d72e76.pdf
It seems to me to be an unavoidable conclusion from the text of the SC judgement therefore that the terms of the GRA 2004 apply to all legislation except for the EA 2010. Any legal statement in any other legislation other than the EA 2010 that mentions men or women must include trans women with a GRC in the category of “women” and trans men with a GRC in the category of “men” by the terms of the GRA 2004.
Do you agree or disagree with this statement? Have I got the wrong end of the legal stick here?
Serious or life-changing injury I could understand is being general admittance to hospital.
Just have to wait and see.
I didn't realise you'd travelled on the C2C line, malc!
They didn't go for the steak knife though, box cutters were plenty.
Yes from the seat plan most did
Their most vicious units forced other people to become suicide bombers, by holding family members hostage.
Good god. Standards have slipped.
“Ahem! Ahem! Gentlemen, please restrain yourselves. Impromptu fencing in the Epee style, is not the thing upon the public railways. ”
https://x.com/KemiBadenoch/status/1984936620106059810
My headcanon now includes an argument between the hijackers who got a silver service final meal and the ones who only got whatever was served in coach that day.
The new Apple+ show, Down Cemetery Road, from an other series of Mick Herron books had a reasonable start.
Mortars fired on a timers aimed at a runway.
If the timers had been set a minute or so different, they would have hit a plane about to take off, or it would have run into the shrapnel on takeoff - which would have shredded the tires leading to a crash - the location on the runway was V1 but below Vr.
The passengers on the plane included 3 digits of Americans.
If the plane had been hit, there was no way that anyone would have believed denials it was a deliberate plan.
“ Republican US House member Marjorie Taylor Greene has said she believes in demons, surmising that they might be aliens who fell from heaven, and claims to have been unaware that key figures in the antisemitic space lasers conspiracy she floated were Jewish.”
https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2025/nov/02/marjorie-taylor-greene-real-time-bill-maher
The best archive of casualties during the Troubles is the CAIN archive in the University of Ulster. It contains databases of deaths. One of those databases is Malcolm Sutton's Index of Deaths. It contains statistical tables thus:
- basic tabulations (tables) of each variable, including geographies
- crosstabulations (two-way tables) of key variables
- selection of a subset of the information and crosstabulation of two variables
One of those basic tabulations is by location. It tells me thatLocation Count
Belfast East 128
Belfast North 577
Belfast South 213
Belfast West 623
Britain 125
County Antrim 209
County Armagh 477
County Derry 123
County Down 243
County Fermanagh 112
County Tyrone 341
Derry 227
Europe 18
Republic of Ireland 116
TOTAL 3532
So of of the 3532 deaths attributed by Sutton to the Troubles, 125 were on the island of Great Britain