Research by the University of Southampton found people feel high streets have declined more than any other part of their local area over the past decade as household brands collapsed and shoplifting rose.
Improving shopping precincts was the third most important local issue for voters, behind good healthcare and reducing crime, according to polling conducted by YouGov.
Reform UK supporters were more likely than anyone else to say their area had significantly declined, underlining what researchers called a “deep sense of place-based resentment” towards Westminster.
Labour MPs say they are increasingly alarmed by the state of high streets, which for many voters have become symbolic of whether their area is prospering – and have been a focus of business backlash over the significant increases to business rates in November’s budget...
There again, neither is Reform.
The High Street has been in decline since the burgeoning growth in out of town supermarkets and hypermarkets, the death of Woolworths and the ascent of Amazon and eBay (as a retail platform). High Street banks closing has accelerated the decline.
High Streets need to be repurposed for domestic dwelling use. How many charity shops, Turkish barbers and nail bars does a town need.
# nogoingback
They need shops which offer an experience as well eg good cafes and restaurants, interesting antique and book shops, not shops selling what you can order alone
Repurpose retail into dwellings and the cafes will have a clientele. Although how many branches of Gails does Heanor need?
Scafell doesn't really look like that from Hollow Stones without a lot of tweakery!
A tale for modern Britain though. Nobody wants to foot the bill for getting out of a sticky situation of their own making.
I do wonder if to the walkers £130 is a lot of money that they may not have had.
Now I (and probably most of us on here) could easily afford that but I suspect an awful lot of people can’t
However, the men departed the next morning without paying, having provided contact details that proved false.
The hotel gave them a discount and stayed up late to serve them food. Lets just say £130 was too much, it was the case that they didn't have the money, most decent people might say to the hotelier hey we are in a pickle here, we are actually pretty broke, can we give you £x now and paid the rest next month.
Exactly. Or, if you really can't afford it, decline the hospitality and drive yourself home.
Badenoch reportedly doesn't want centrists. Only fair since centrists certainly don't want her. In this situation the Cons should be clearly ahead in the polls - at least double figures - not struggling below the support they had in their worst GE result ever.
Badenoch was obviously always going to be a disaster and has not proved anyone wrong.
It was a risky statement by Kemi.
Now she will be having Tory centrist MPs targeting her if she falls short in May and the Tories come third behind Reform and Labour.
Now Jenrick has gone to Reform and is no longer a viable alternative to Kemi their man Cleverly is her likeliest replacement and they will try and replace her with him unless she gets the Conservative poll rating up
She's also opened the door for any Conservative MP worried about the Lib Dems to defect to them. Almost inviting them to walk through it. An easier survival route than banking on a one-Nation Tory to depose Badenoch.
Conservative estimates of 20,000 dead. Nearly all young protestors
I want Trump to nuke the mullahs. Do it
You'd be the first wetting yourself over nuclear armageddon if he did. Possibly with good reason.
I see the old idiot has posted that "A massive Armada is heading to Iran". Which is an unfortunate term to use.
1944, 6th June's armada was rather successful. And the bit we forget in the UK about the Spanish Armada is what happened later when we tried to invade Spain. Worth looking up if you only know the first bit!
Research by the University of Southampton found people feel high streets have declined more than any other part of their local area over the past decade as household brands collapsed and shoplifting rose.
Improving shopping precincts was the third most important local issue for voters, behind good healthcare and reducing crime, according to polling conducted by YouGov.
Reform UK supporters were more likely than anyone else to say their area had significantly declined, underlining what researchers called a “deep sense of place-based resentment” towards Westminster.
Labour MPs say they are increasingly alarmed by the state of high streets, which for many voters have become symbolic of whether their area is prospering – and have been a focus of business backlash over the significant increases to business rates in November’s budget...
There again, neither is Reform.
The High Street has been in decline since the burgeoning growth in out of town supermarkets and hypermarkets, the death of Woolworths and the ascent of Amazon and eBay (as a retail platform). High Street banks closing has accelerated the decline.
High Streets need to be repurposed for domestic dwelling use. How many charity shops, Turkish barbers and nail bars does a town need.
# nogoingback
I've been saying that for at least a decade. For some reason politicians have yet to work it out. The Portas review back in 2011 was little more than sticking plaster.
If we'd started when it first became obvious, our regional towns would be much nicer places, and we'd have a bit more housing.
Even the better run towns now have retail deficit, and fronts for money laundering. And the worse are social deserts.
Badenoch reportedly doesn't want centrists. Only fair since centrists certainly don't want her. In this situation the Cons should be clearly ahead in the polls - at least double figures - not struggling below the support they had in their worst GE result ever.
Badenoch was obviously always going to be a disaster and has not proved anyone wrong.
She can’t fish in the same pond as Reform, so exactly who / what is she targeting
It's a bit of a concern. About 70% of voters are not going to vote Reform, and it's quite possible that could increase to about 80%. The pool of generally centre ground voters who would like competence is much larger than the pool of ethno-nats who will vote for a party with no conception of how they really want to govern.
She might get there, and occasionally she sounds as if she will. She doesn't yet present herself as having depth, and I doubt if her appearance on Desert Island Discs did much to reassure cultural conservatives. Is she able to show opinion formers that she would be capable of composing, understanding and delivering as a statesperson a speech like Carney's at Davos? The door is open. I think Starmer is surprisingly lacking in the 'communicating political depth' department. It's hard to know how this can be so.
Badenoch reportedly doesn't want centrists. Only fair since centrists certainly don't want her. In this situation the Cons should be clearly ahead in the polls - at least double figures - not struggling below the support they had in their worst GE result ever.
Badenoch was obviously always going to be a disaster and has not proved anyone wrong.
It was a risky statement by Kemi.
Now she will be having Tory centrist MPs targeting her if she falls short in May and the Tories come third behind Reform and Labour.
Now Jenrick has gone to Reform and is no longer a viable alternative to Kemi their man Cleverly is her likeliest replacement and they will try and replace her with him unless she gets the Conservative poll rating up
She's also opened the door for any Conservative MP worried about the Lib Dems to defect to them. Almost inviting them to walk through it. An easier survival route than banking on a one-Nation Tory to depose Badenoch.
The Tories are still clearly ahead of the LDs in polls and most Tory seats that would have gone LD already did in 2024.
Tory MPs still in the Commons have seats at risk from Reform not the LDs. With Jenrick and some of his MP backers now no longer in the Tory Party if Kemi falls short they probably have the numbers now to oust Kemi and replace her with Cleverly if the Tories see big losses in May.
Even a few former Jenrick backers like Francois I believe prefer Cleverly to Kemi
If Andy Street and Ruth Davidson want an excuse to defect, all they need to do is to quote Badenoch's words back at her.
The Conservative predicament could become a lot worse if they end up with defections to both the LDs and Reform, that is not just to Reform.
When Conservative MPs elected in 2024 are being told that they have to accept the political direction they are going in under her leadership, the obvious response is that she wasn't leader when people voted for them.
'Asked at an event in central London this morning whether she would travel to China if she were PM, Badenoch said: "No, not now, because I don’t think that this is the time to do that. We need to be talking to those other countries who are worried about the threat China is posing to them.”
Badenoch also repeated her criticism of the government’s decision to give the Chagos Islands to Mauritius.
Writing in the Telegraph on Tuesday, Badenoch said the decision “will weaken our strategic position in the Indian Ocean and hand Beijing even greater influence near critical British military infrastructure”. https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/live/c4gw427eenpt
They know the truth, why are they persisting with this claim? She even name checked “Indian Ocean” without any acknowledgement India’s involvement in pushing and arranging this Chagos deal.
This attack line is not without creating some problem for the Conservative Party as time passes. I don’t believe at the highest strategic levels the Conservative Party is ignorant of India’s growing Superpower influence in the region, but it’s certainly giving that impression publicly, by only talking of China influence in Indian Ocean not India’s.
And of course, in the wild outlier the Conservatives win the next election on scrapping “Labours” Chagos deal - there’s the huge India in the way glaring down at them.
The US would also be glaring at India and China as they also oppose the Chagos handover
Are you sure 🤣 the US wrote it for us to sign!
Historically, since we got into this in 1960’s, it’s been US writing the order sheet what we must do, UK owning the ethnic cleansing and everything - what’s different with this new deal, India have muscled their way into the room, in a show of their growing superpower influence in the region. When it comes to our continued involvement in Chagos and Garcia, UK now has Two Gov’nors in the room, bossing us around.
It helps Conservative Party to get publicly back on the facts before too long. But I guess that’s what changing leaders is for.
Trump has made clear the Chagos should not be handed over to Mauritius, so Modi can take it up with him
Trump put his team in there and wrote it, though performative because it was already written, so that it wouldn’t be Biden’s Great Deal, but his.
Trump is not going to stop the Chagos Deal, HY.
Let me give you a second further example, contrast the Cameron and Osborne’s governmental position to China, with Badenoch’s today. Everyone from EU to Trump has gone to and sat down with China, on free trade business terms. Even Trump, whose commitment to Free Trade and Capitalism is questionable.
Is this not a short term opportunist position of Badenoch towards China? not one of a serious party for government can sustain up, and into a General Election, and beyond?
Ditto, with posturing regards China, there is no way Badenoch’s front bench, out the public eye, does not recognise the growing Super Power influence of India throughout the Indian Ocean, and what that means to commercial and security interests of the UK. So how long can they keep something going publicly, that’s not what they believe privately?
Communist China is more of a threat to the west than India as Kemi has made clear, though Trump has imposed heavy tariffs on China and India, much more than he has imposed on the UK.
Starmer is going ahead with the Chagos handover to Mauritius regardless so it will then be up to Trump and Modi to sort out
Tacking our chat off on a tangent then - you called China communist. Is China still a communist country, in your opinion? Where you can still point to how they practice communism - as distinct to everything you would find practiced in any Nationalistic One Party State? China has more billionaires than the USA. And how they brutally allow ventures and factories to go bust, without state support, brutal on locked out workers also banned from being in a union, this seems more free market capitalist than even Hitlers Germany? Than even us in UK?
At a street level, it makes American capitalism look tame. I was really taken aback about how fierce and brutal competition is and selling is integrated into everything. My burner phone was constantly being pinged with notifications of offer offer buy now, get coffee for 5 RMB buy next 10 mins, etc. TikTok, seemed like everything you see your favourite influencer is wearing, tap, link to buy from shirt to their makeup.
But still, all land (?) is owned by the state, and c. 60% of businesses when measured by value are state-owned IIRC. The CCP very much believes in Marxism and Leninism, even if there is a sneaky pragmatism which tentatively creeps in from time to time when the economic catastrophe of communism stares them in the face too hard.
“Marxism and Leninism”
The problem I got with your way of thinking on this, Marx and Lenin were European, one a German Jew. You have philosophies and culture out of time and relevant the world over?
Isn’t the whole make up of the Eastern Tiger so different in its DNA than Europe? If it was communist for a time, would it not result to its normal DNA and slot back in with everything surrounding it?
I think you’re overthinking this MoonRabbit. Marx: the economy should be owed by the state. Lenin: the communist party should have the monopoly on power. The CCP fully buys into both of those. They’re not just paying lip service to the idea; they’re true believers. Occasionally they may have to temporarily compromise with reality; often they may find their power is not as all-encompassing as they would like. But that is to them a temporary setback, rather than ground they have fully conceded. They are communists. It is not really possible to own stuff in China. Anything you have, you have at the sufferance of the state, which is perfectly happy to dispossess you – or, as it sees you, repossess your assets to become collective assets. You can’t even easily get your stuff out to places which have a concept of property rights, though that doesn’t stop people trying.
Exactly, after Cuba and North Korea China is still the nation most loyal to Marxist principles even now
'Asked at an event in central London this morning whether she would travel to China if she were PM, Badenoch said: "No, not now, because I don’t think that this is the time to do that. We need to be talking to those other countries who are worried about the threat China is posing to them.”
Badenoch also repeated her criticism of the government’s decision to give the Chagos Islands to Mauritius.
Writing in the Telegraph on Tuesday, Badenoch said the decision “will weaken our strategic position in the Indian Ocean and hand Beijing even greater influence near critical British military infrastructure”. https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/live/c4gw427eenpt
They know the truth, why are they persisting with this claim? She even name checked “Indian Ocean” without any acknowledgement India’s involvement in pushing and arranging this Chagos deal.
This attack line is not without creating some problem for the Conservative Party as time passes. I don’t believe at the highest strategic levels the Conservative Party is ignorant of India’s growing Superpower influence in the region, but it’s certainly giving that impression publicly, by only talking of China influence in Indian Ocean not India’s.
And of course, in the wild outlier the Conservatives win the next election on scrapping “Labours” Chagos deal - there’s the huge India in the way glaring down at them.
The US would also be glaring at India and China as they also oppose the Chagos handover
Are you sure 🤣 the US wrote it for us to sign!
Historically, since we got into this in 1960’s, it’s been US writing the order sheet what we must do, UK owning the ethnic cleansing and everything - what’s different with this new deal, India have muscled their way into the room, in a show of their growing superpower influence in the region. When it comes to our continued involvement in Chagos and Garcia, UK now has Two Gov’nors in the room, bossing us around.
It helps Conservative Party to get publicly back on the facts before too long. But I guess that’s what changing leaders is for.
Trump has made clear the Chagos should not be handed over to Mauritius, so Modi can take it up with him
Trump put his team in there and wrote it, though performative because it was already written, so that it wouldn’t be Biden’s Great Deal, but his.
Trump is not going to stop the Chagos Deal, HY.
Let me give you a second further example, contrast the Cameron and Osborne’s governmental position to China, with Badenoch’s today. Everyone from EU to Trump has gone to and sat down with China, on free trade business terms. Even Trump, whose commitment to Free Trade and Capitalism is questionable.
Is this not a short term opportunist position of Badenoch towards China? not one of a serious party for government can sustain up, and into a General Election, and beyond?
Ditto, with posturing regards China, there is no way Badenoch’s front bench, out the public eye, does not recognise the growing Super Power influence of India throughout the Indian Ocean, and what that means to commercial and security interests of the UK. So how long can they keep something going publicly, that’s not what they believe privately?
Communist China is more of a threat to the west than India as Kemi has made clear, though Trump has imposed heavy tariffs on China and India, much more than he has imposed on the UK.
Starmer is going ahead with the Chagos handover to Mauritius regardless so it will then be up to Trump and Modi to sort out
Tacking our chat off on a tangent then - you called China communist. Is China still a communist country, in your opinion? Where you can still point to how they practice communism - as distinct to everything you would find practiced in any Nationalistic One Party State? China has more billionaires than the USA. And how they brutally allow ventures and factories to go bust, without state support, brutal on locked out workers also banned from being in a union, this seems more free market capitalist than even Hitlers Germany? Than even us in UK?
At a street level, it makes American capitalism look tame. I was really taken aback about how fierce and brutal competition is and selling is integrated into everything. My burner phone was constantly being pinged with notifications of offer offer buy now, get coffee for 5 RMB buy next 10 mins, etc. TikTok, seemed like everything you see your favourite influencer is wearing, tap, link to buy from shirt to their makeup.
But still, all land (?) is owned by the state, and c. 60% of businesses when measured by value are state-owned IIRC. The CCP very much believes in Marxism and Leninism, even if there is a sneaky pragmatism which tentatively creeps in from time to time when the economic catastrophe of communism stares them in the face too hard.
Oh there is no doubt about in certain areas the hand of the state is present and they let you know. Its an odd mix of one monent you are in a 10 level shopping maul with any items you could ever wish for the next you are being searched for the 10th time that day just to get into the metro.
I was thinking about this and i think what they have done is a bit like South Korea did, they identify stratregitic industries, then instruct who to get involved, lots of state aid, until matured. But on the flipside can turn around and ban something overnight.
And of course internet / social media heavily censored, but within that ecosystem, for the things the state doesnt care, its sell sell sell.
But. Is that distinctly “communist”?
If we compare the Cold War Warsaw pact communist states with China today, how’s that contrast?
throw in the democracy lacking Arab states in the Middle East today, the Juntas in South America also in the Cold War era, and UK. Germany and USA how we were in the 1960s and 70’s - who is actually more like who?
The dividing line through all those things, I suggest all have an “establishment”? If you were a senior civil servant in the UK, you were helped putting your children through the best schools and university’s, weren’t you?
So an establishment in real control. And corruption. The only things that unite every type of system.
What’s weights carried in an actual name they chose to call themselves?
It's a fair point. Gorbachev tried to modernise the Soviet Union by liberalising the politics, introducing multi-party politics and giving the non-Russian countries greater self-control. Ad they abandoned communism and the Union as soon as they could.
China noted this and did the opposite: liberalised the economy but maintained a monopoly on the political system. In China, politics is utterly divorced from the citizen but is instead the province of the Party and its internal bureaucracy. This has certain advantages, enabling very rapid development, but is chronically beset by corruption and cronyism.
Basically the Soviet Union gave up control and lost ownership, but China gave up ownership and kept control via the CCP monopoly on politics...and control is all that matters.
You might want to google "socialism with chinese characteristics" and go down the rabbit hole
Clearly you’ve not been to Idaho. Or Wyoming, or Montana. Or any of those states where other countries might as well be on the other side of the galaxy.
“I think she’s a fraud. I really don’t think about that,” he continued. “She probably had herself sprayed, knowing her.”
Way to lead.
He's probably right. The protester happened to have a front row seat; she seemed to nod at him before he jumped up, and she didn't seem particularly concerned about what she was sprayed with.
Conservative estimates of 20,000 dead. Nearly all young protestors
I want Trump to nuke the mullahs. Do it
“I’m so cross that you’ve killed 20,000 of your civilians that I am going to kill 50,000 myself”.
I was being hyperbolic
Nukes aren’t quite justified yet. But Iran really is the most hideous regime on earth and it’s ending would be incredibly desirable
If Trump and his wunderweapons can take out the Iranian leadership en masse and only kill a few 100 Iranians then Fucksake do it. The mullahs are purely evil. Satanic. Islam as Nazism, with an extra hatred for women
The government U-turn on the business rates, its for pubs but not restaurants. Most pubs serve food, most restaurants serve booze, what the difference between a restaurant and a pub? Particularly "gastro pubs". Not to sound all COVID-era scotch eggs only.
Definition clear enough here - a pub allows you to order drinks at a bar without requiring you to eat. With local authorities allowed a bit of leeway in cases of doubt.
The amazing thing is that despite business rates bills for pubs now mostly falling in real terms for the next 3 years, by failing to get it right first time the government is still going to end up taking political flak for this.
'Asked at an event in central London this morning whether she would travel to China if she were PM, Badenoch said: "No, not now, because I don’t think that this is the time to do that. We need to be talking to those other countries who are worried about the threat China is posing to them.”
Badenoch also repeated her criticism of the government’s decision to give the Chagos Islands to Mauritius.
Writing in the Telegraph on Tuesday, Badenoch said the decision “will weaken our strategic position in the Indian Ocean and hand Beijing even greater influence near critical British military infrastructure”. https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/live/c4gw427eenpt
They know the truth, why are they persisting with this claim? She even name checked “Indian Ocean” without any acknowledgement India’s involvement in pushing and arranging this Chagos deal.
This attack line is not without creating some problem for the Conservative Party as time passes. I don’t believe at the highest strategic levels the Conservative Party is ignorant of India’s growing Superpower influence in the region, but it’s certainly giving that impression publicly, by only talking of China influence in Indian Ocean not India’s.
And of course, in the wild outlier the Conservatives win the next election on scrapping “Labours” Chagos deal - there’s the huge India in the way glaring down at them.
The US would also be glaring at India and China as they also oppose the Chagos handover
Are you sure 🤣 the US wrote it for us to sign!
Historically, since we got into this in 1960’s, it’s been US writing the order sheet what we must do, UK owning the ethnic cleansing and everything - what’s different with this new deal, India have muscled their way into the room, in a show of their growing superpower influence in the region. When it comes to our continued involvement in Chagos and Garcia, UK now has Two Gov’nors in the room, bossing us around.
It helps Conservative Party to get publicly back on the facts before too long. But I guess that’s what changing leaders is for.
Trump has made clear the Chagos should not be handed over to Mauritius, so Modi can take it up with him
Trump put his team in there and wrote it, though performative because it was already written, so that it wouldn’t be Biden’s Great Deal, but his.
Trump is not going to stop the Chagos Deal, HY.
Let me give you a second further example, contrast the Cameron and Osborne’s governmental position to China, with Badenoch’s today. Everyone from EU to Trump has gone to and sat down with China, on free trade business terms. Even Trump, whose commitment to Free Trade and Capitalism is questionable.
Is this not a short term opportunist position of Badenoch towards China? not one of a serious party for government can sustain up, and into a General Election, and beyond?
Ditto, with posturing regards China, there is no way Badenoch’s front bench, out the public eye, does not recognise the growing Super Power influence of India throughout the Indian Ocean, and what that means to commercial and security interests of the UK. So how long can they keep something going publicly, that’s not what they believe privately?
Communist China is more of a threat to the west than India as Kemi has made clear, though Trump has imposed heavy tariffs on China and India, much more than he has imposed on the UK.
Starmer is going ahead with the Chagos handover to Mauritius regardless so it will then be up to Trump and Modi to sort out
Tacking our chat off on a tangent then - you called China communist. Is China still a communist country, in your opinion? Where you can still point to how they practice communism - as distinct to everything you would find practiced in any Nationalistic One Party State? China has more billionaires than the USA. And how they brutally allow ventures and factories to go bust, without state support, brutal on locked out workers also banned from being in a union, this seems more free market capitalist than even Hitlers Germany? Than even us in UK?
At a street level, it makes American capitalism look tame. I was really taken aback about how fierce and brutal competition is and selling is integrated into everything. My burner phone was constantly being pinged with notifications of offer offer buy now, get coffee for 5 RMB buy next 10 mins, etc. TikTok, seemed like everything you see your favourite influencer is wearing, tap, link to buy from shirt to their makeup.
But still, all land (?) is owned by the state, and c. 60% of businesses when measured by value are state-owned IIRC. The CCP very much believes in Marxism and Leninism, even if there is a sneaky pragmatism which tentatively creeps in from time to time when the economic catastrophe of communism stares them in the face too hard.
Oh there is no doubt about in certain areas the hand of the state is present and they let you know. Its an odd mix of one monent you are in a 10 level shopping maul with any items you could ever wish for the next you are being searched for the 10th time that day just to get into the metro.
I was thinking about this and i think what they have done is a bit like South Korea did, they identify stratregitic industries, then instruct who to get involved, lots of state aid, until matured. But on the flipside can turn around and ban something overnight.
And of course internet / social media heavily censored, but within that ecosystem, for the things the state doesnt care, its sell sell sell.
But. Is that distinctly “communist”?
If we compare the Cold War Warsaw pact communist states with China today, how’s that contrast?
throw in the democracy lacking Arab states in the Middle East today, the Juntas in South America also in the Cold War era, and UK. Germany and USA how we were in the 1960s and 70’s - who is actually more like who?
The dividing line through all those things, I suggest all have an “establishment”? If you were a senior civil servant in the UK, you were helped putting your children through the best schools and university’s, weren’t you?
So an establishment in real control. And corruption. The only things that unite every type of system.
What’s weights carried in an actual name they chose to call themselves?
It's a fair point. Gorbachev tried to modernise the Soviet Union by liberalising the politics, introducing multi-party politics and giving the non-Russian countries greater self-control. Ad they abandoned communism and the Union as soon as they could.
China noted this and did the opposite: liberalised the economy but maintained a monopoly on the political system. In China, politics is utterly divorced from the citizen but is instead the province of the Party and its internal bureaucracy. This has certain advantages, enabling very rapid development, but is chronically beset by corruption and cronyism.
Basically the Soviet Union gave up control and lost ownership, but China gave up ownership and kept control via the CCP monopoly on politics...and control is all that matters.
You might want to google "socialism with chinese characteristics" and go down the rabbit hole
Whatever it is, it's not really "Marxism". Exploitation of the workers is full steam ahead in China.
Conservative estimates of 20,000 dead. Nearly all young protestors
I want Trump to nuke the mullahs. Do it
“I’m so cross that you’ve killed 20,000 of your civilians that I am going to kill 50,000 myself”.
I was being hyperbolic
Nukes aren’t quite justified yet. But Iran really is the most hideous regime on earth and it’s ending would be incredibly desirable
If Trump and his wunderweapons can take out the Iranian leadership en masse and only kill a few 100 Iranians then Fucksake do it. The mullahs are purely evil. Satanic. Islam as Nazism, with an extra hatred for women
Clearly you’ve not been to Idaho. Or Wyoming, or Montana. Or any of those states where other countries might as well be on the other side of the galaxy.
They are all GOP heartland states, voted for every GOP nominee since 1964.
Whereas even Texas and the Deep South voted for Jimmy Carter in 1976 and many southern states voted for Bill Clinton too
Conservative estimates of 20,000 dead. Nearly all young protestors
I want Trump to nuke the mullahs. Do it
“I’m so cross that you’ve killed 20,000 of your civilians that I am going to kill 50,000 myself”.
I was being hyperbolic
Nukes aren’t quite justified yet. But Iran really is the most hideous regime on earth and it’s ending would be incredibly desirable
If Trump and his wunderweapons can take out the Iranian leadership en masse and only kill a few 100 Iranians then Fucksake do it. The mullahs are purely evil. Satanic. Islam as Nazism, with an extra hatred for women
"I was being hyperbolic"
I'm shocked to my very core
I know. But I felt the situation demanded it
Apparently Iran is becoming deeply irreligious. Mosques are empty. No one prays. The kids hate Islam
Good. If we can topple Iran maybe we can push back Islam entirely. Put it back in its ugly Arab box and lock it up there forever
'Asked at an event in central London this morning whether she would travel to China if she were PM, Badenoch said: "No, not now, because I don’t think that this is the time to do that. We need to be talking to those other countries who are worried about the threat China is posing to them.”
Badenoch also repeated her criticism of the government’s decision to give the Chagos Islands to Mauritius.
Writing in the Telegraph on Tuesday, Badenoch said the decision “will weaken our strategic position in the Indian Ocean and hand Beijing even greater influence near critical British military infrastructure”. https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/live/c4gw427eenpt
They know the truth, why are they persisting with this claim? She even name checked “Indian Ocean” without any acknowledgement India’s involvement in pushing and arranging this Chagos deal.
This attack line is not without creating some problem for the Conservative Party as time passes. I don’t believe at the highest strategic levels the Conservative Party is ignorant of India’s growing Superpower influence in the region, but it’s certainly giving that impression publicly, by only talking of China influence in Indian Ocean not India’s.
And of course, in the wild outlier the Conservatives win the next election on scrapping “Labours” Chagos deal - there’s the huge India in the way glaring down at them.
The US would also be glaring at India and China as they also oppose the Chagos handover
Are you sure 🤣 the US wrote it for us to sign!
Historically, since we got into this in 1960’s, it’s been US writing the order sheet what we must do, UK owning the ethnic cleansing and everything - what’s different with this new deal, India have muscled their way into the room, in a show of their growing superpower influence in the region. When it comes to our continued involvement in Chagos and Garcia, UK now has Two Gov’nors in the room, bossing us around.
It helps Conservative Party to get publicly back on the facts before too long. But I guess that’s what changing leaders is for.
Trump has made clear the Chagos should not be handed over to Mauritius, so Modi can take it up with him
Trump put his team in there and wrote it, though performative because it was already written, so that it wouldn’t be Biden’s Great Deal, but his.
Trump is not going to stop the Chagos Deal, HY.
Let me give you a second further example, contrast the Cameron and Osborne’s governmental position to China, with Badenoch’s today. Everyone from EU to Trump has gone to and sat down with China, on free trade business terms. Even Trump, whose commitment to Free Trade and Capitalism is questionable.
Is this not a short term opportunist position of Badenoch towards China? not one of a serious party for government can sustain up, and into a General Election, and beyond?
Ditto, with posturing regards China, there is no way Badenoch’s front bench, out the public eye, does not recognise the growing Super Power influence of India throughout the Indian Ocean, and what that means to commercial and security interests of the UK. So how long can they keep something going publicly, that’s not what they believe privately?
Communist China is more of a threat to the west than India as Kemi has made clear, though Trump has imposed heavy tariffs on China and India, much more than he has imposed on the UK.
Starmer is going ahead with the Chagos handover to Mauritius regardless so it will then be up to Trump and Modi to sort out
Tacking our chat off on a tangent then - you called China communist. Is China still a communist country, in your opinion? Where you can still point to how they practice communism - as distinct to everything you would find practiced in any Nationalistic One Party State? China has more billionaires than the USA. And how they brutally allow ventures and factories to go bust, without state support, brutal on locked out workers also banned from being in a union, this seems more free market capitalist than even Hitlers Germany? Than even us in UK?
At a street level, it makes American capitalism look tame. I was really taken aback about how fierce and brutal competition is and selling is integrated into everything. My burner phone was constantly being pinged with notifications of offer offer buy now, get coffee for 5 RMB buy next 10 mins, etc. TikTok, seemed like everything you see your favourite influencer is wearing, tap, link to buy from shirt to their makeup.
But still, all land (?) is owned by the state, and c. 60% of businesses when measured by value are state-owned IIRC. The CCP very much believes in Marxism and Leninism, even if there is a sneaky pragmatism which tentatively creeps in from time to time when the economic catastrophe of communism stares them in the face too hard.
Oh there is no doubt about in certain areas the hand of the state is present and they let you know. Its an odd mix of one monent you are in a 10 level shopping maul with any items you could ever wish for the next you are being searched for the 10th time that day just to get into the metro.
I was thinking about this and i think what they have done is a bit like South Korea did, they identify stratregitic industries, then instruct who to get involved, lots of state aid, until matured. But on the flipside can turn around and ban something overnight.
And of course internet / social media heavily censored, but within that ecosystem, for the things the state doesnt care, its sell sell sell.
But. Is that distinctly “communist”?
If we compare the Cold War Warsaw pact communist states with China today, how’s that contrast?
throw in the democracy lacking Arab states in the Middle East today, the Juntas in South America also in the Cold War era, and UK. Germany and USA how we were in the 1960s and 70’s - who is actually more like who?
The dividing line through all those things, I suggest all have an “establishment”? If you were a senior civil servant in the UK, you were helped putting your children through the best schools and university’s, weren’t you?
So an establishment in real control. And corruption. The only things that unite every type of system.
What’s weights carried in an actual name they chose to call themselves?
It's a fair point. Gorbachev tried to modernise the Soviet Union by liberalising the politics, introducing multi-party politics and giving the non-Russian countries greater self-control. Ad they abandoned communism and the Union as soon as they could.
China noted this and did the opposite: liberalised the economy but maintained a monopoly on the political system. In China, politics is utterly divorced from the citizen but is instead the province of the Party and its internal bureaucracy. This has certain advantages, enabling very rapid development, but is chronically beset by corruption and cronyism.
Basically the Soviet Union gave up control and lost ownership, but China gave up ownership and kept control via the CCP monopoly on politics...and control is all that matters.
You might want to google "socialism with chinese characteristics" and go down the rabbit hole
Whatever it is, it's not really "Marxism". Exploitation of the workers is full steam ahead in China.
If so it is by the state, which owns most Chinese industry, not private corporations and fat cat bosses.
'Asked at an event in central London this morning whether she would travel to China if she were PM, Badenoch said: "No, not now, because I don’t think that this is the time to do that. We need to be talking to those other countries who are worried about the threat China is posing to them.”
Badenoch also repeated her criticism of the government’s decision to give the Chagos Islands to Mauritius.
Writing in the Telegraph on Tuesday, Badenoch said the decision “will weaken our strategic position in the Indian Ocean and hand Beijing even greater influence near critical British military infrastructure”. https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/live/c4gw427eenpt
They know the truth, why are they persisting with this claim? She even name checked “Indian Ocean” without any acknowledgement India’s involvement in pushing and arranging this Chagos deal.
This attack line is not without creating some problem for the Conservative Party as time passes. I don’t believe at the highest strategic levels the Conservative Party is ignorant of India’s growing Superpower influence in the region, but it’s certainly giving that impression publicly, by only talking of China influence in Indian Ocean not India’s.
And of course, in the wild outlier the Conservatives win the next election on scrapping “Labours” Chagos deal - there’s the huge India in the way glaring down at them.
The US would also be glaring at India and China as they also oppose the Chagos handover
Are you sure 🤣 the US wrote it for us to sign!
Historically, since we got into this in 1960’s, it’s been US writing the order sheet what we must do, UK owning the ethnic cleansing and everything - what’s different with this new deal, India have muscled their way into the room, in a show of their growing superpower influence in the region. When it comes to our continued involvement in Chagos and Garcia, UK now has Two Gov’nors in the room, bossing us around.
It helps Conservative Party to get publicly back on the facts before too long. But I guess that’s what changing leaders is for.
Trump has made clear the Chagos should not be handed over to Mauritius, so Modi can take it up with him
Trump put his team in there and wrote it, though performative because it was already written, so that it wouldn’t be Biden’s Great Deal, but his.
Trump is not going to stop the Chagos Deal, HY.
Let me give you a second further example, contrast the Cameron and Osborne’s governmental position to China, with Badenoch’s today. Everyone from EU to Trump has gone to and sat down with China, on free trade business terms. Even Trump, whose commitment to Free Trade and Capitalism is questionable.
Is this not a short term opportunist position of Badenoch towards China? not one of a serious party for government can sustain up, and into a General Election, and beyond?
Ditto, with posturing regards China, there is no way Badenoch’s front bench, out the public eye, does not recognise the growing Super Power influence of India throughout the Indian Ocean, and what that means to commercial and security interests of the UK. So how long can they keep something going publicly, that’s not what they believe privately?
Communist China is more of a threat to the west than India as Kemi has made clear, though Trump has imposed heavy tariffs on China and India, much more than he has imposed on the UK.
Starmer is going ahead with the Chagos handover to Mauritius regardless so it will then be up to Trump and Modi to sort out
Tacking our chat off on a tangent then - you called China communist. Is China still a communist country, in your opinion? Where you can still point to how they practice communism - as distinct to everything you would find practiced in any Nationalistic One Party State? China has more billionaires than the USA. And how they brutally allow ventures and factories to go bust, without state support, brutal on locked out workers also banned from being in a union, this seems more free market capitalist than even Hitlers Germany? Than even us in UK?
At a street level, it makes American capitalism look tame. I was really taken aback about how fierce and brutal competition is and selling is integrated into everything. My burner phone was constantly being pinged with notifications of offer offer buy now, get coffee for 5 RMB buy next 10 mins, etc. TikTok, seemed like everything you see your favourite influencer is wearing, tap, link to buy from shirt to their makeup.
But still, all land (?) is owned by the state, and c. 60% of businesses when measured by value are state-owned IIRC. The CCP very much believes in Marxism and Leninism, even if there is a sneaky pragmatism which tentatively creeps in from time to time when the economic catastrophe of communism stares them in the face too hard.
Oh there is no doubt about in certain areas the hand of the state is present and they let you know. Its an odd mix of one monent you are in a 10 level shopping maul with any items you could ever wish for the next you are being searched for the 10th time that day just to get into the metro.
I was thinking about this and i think what they have done is a bit like South Korea did, they identify stratregitic industries, then instruct who to get involved, lots of state aid, until matured. But on the flipside can turn around and ban something overnight.
And of course internet / social media heavily censored, but within that ecosystem, for the things the state doesnt care, its sell sell sell.
But. Is that distinctly “communist”?
If we compare the Cold War Warsaw pact communist states with China today, how’s that contrast?
throw in the democracy lacking Arab states in the Middle East today, the Juntas in South America also in the Cold War era, and UK. Germany and USA how we were in the 1960s and 70’s - who is actually more like who?
The dividing line through all those things, I suggest all have an “establishment”? If you were a senior civil servant in the UK, you were helped putting your children through the best schools and university’s, weren’t you?
So an establishment in real control. And corruption. The only things that unite every type of system.
What’s weights carried in an actual name they chose to call themselves?
It's a fair point. Gorbachev tried to modernise the Soviet Union by liberalising the politics, introducing multi-party politics and giving the non-Russian countries greater self-control. Ad they abandoned communism and the Union as soon as they could.
China noted this and did the opposite: liberalised the economy but maintained a monopoly on the political system. In China, politics is utterly divorced from the citizen but is instead the province of the Party and its internal bureaucracy. This has certain advantages, enabling very rapid development, but is chronically beset by corruption and cronyism.
Basically the Soviet Union gave up control and lost ownership, but China gave up ownership and kept control via the CCP monopoly on politics...and control is all that matters.
You might want to google "socialism with chinese characteristics" and go down the rabbit hole
Whatever it is, it's not really "Marxism". Exploitation of the workers is full steam ahead in China.
But that's Marxism. It's a common aspect of all Marxist systems that those in charge see workers as units to be exploited to generate as much output as possible. You don't get Marxisms where the workers get to have a lovely time.
'Asked at an event in central London this morning whether she would travel to China if she were PM, Badenoch said: "No, not now, because I don’t think that this is the time to do that. We need to be talking to those other countries who are worried about the threat China is posing to them.”
Badenoch also repeated her criticism of the government’s decision to give the Chagos Islands to Mauritius.
Writing in the Telegraph on Tuesday, Badenoch said the decision “will weaken our strategic position in the Indian Ocean and hand Beijing even greater influence near critical British military infrastructure”. https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/live/c4gw427eenpt
They know the truth, why are they persisting with this claim? She even name checked “Indian Ocean” without any acknowledgement India’s involvement in pushing and arranging this Chagos deal.
This attack line is not without creating some problem for the Conservative Party as time passes. I don’t believe at the highest strategic levels the Conservative Party is ignorant of India’s growing Superpower influence in the region, but it’s certainly giving that impression publicly, by only talking of China influence in Indian Ocean not India’s.
And of course, in the wild outlier the Conservatives win the next election on scrapping “Labours” Chagos deal - there’s the huge India in the way glaring down at them.
The US would also be glaring at India and China as they also oppose the Chagos handover
Are you sure 🤣 the US wrote it for us to sign!
Historically, since we got into this in 1960’s, it’s been US writing the order sheet what we must do, UK owning the ethnic cleansing and everything - what’s different with this new deal, India have muscled their way into the room, in a show of their growing superpower influence in the region. When it comes to our continued involvement in Chagos and Garcia, UK now has Two Gov’nors in the room, bossing us around.
It helps Conservative Party to get publicly back on the facts before too long. But I guess that’s what changing leaders is for.
Trump has made clear the Chagos should not be handed over to Mauritius, so Modi can take it up with him
Trump put his team in there and wrote it, though performative because it was already written, so that it wouldn’t be Biden’s Great Deal, but his.
Trump is not going to stop the Chagos Deal, HY.
Let me give you a second further example, contrast the Cameron and Osborne’s governmental position to China, with Badenoch’s today. Everyone from EU to Trump has gone to and sat down with China, on free trade business terms. Even Trump, whose commitment to Free Trade and Capitalism is questionable.
Is this not a short term opportunist position of Badenoch towards China? not one of a serious party for government can sustain up, and into a General Election, and beyond?
Ditto, with posturing regards China, there is no way Badenoch’s front bench, out the public eye, does not recognise the growing Super Power influence of India throughout the Indian Ocean, and what that means to commercial and security interests of the UK. So how long can they keep something going publicly, that’s not what they believe privately?
Communist China is more of a threat to the west than India as Kemi has made clear, though Trump has imposed heavy tariffs on China and India, much more than he has imposed on the UK.
Starmer is going ahead with the Chagos handover to Mauritius regardless so it will then be up to Trump and Modi to sort out
Tacking our chat off on a tangent then - you called China communist. Is China still a communist country, in your opinion? Where you can still point to how they practice communism - as distinct to everything you would find practiced in any Nationalistic One Party State? China has more billionaires than the USA. And how they brutally allow ventures and factories to go bust, without state support, brutal on locked out workers also banned from being in a union, this seems more free market capitalist than even Hitlers Germany? Than even us in UK?
At a street level, it makes American capitalism look tame. I was really taken aback about how fierce and brutal competition is and selling is integrated into everything. My burner phone was constantly being pinged with notifications of offer offer buy now, get coffee for 5 RMB buy next 10 mins, etc. TikTok, seemed like everything you see your favourite influencer is wearing, tap, link to buy from shirt to their makeup.
But still, all land (?) is owned by the state, and c. 60% of businesses when measured by value are state-owned IIRC. The CCP very much believes in Marxism and Leninism, even if there is a sneaky pragmatism which tentatively creeps in from time to time when the economic catastrophe of communism stares them in the face too hard.
Oh there is no doubt about in certain areas the hand of the state is present and they let you know. Its an odd mix of one monent you are in a 10 level shopping maul with any items you could ever wish for the next you are being searched for the 10th time that day just to get into the metro.
I was thinking about this and i think what they have done is a bit like South Korea did, they identify stratregitic industries, then instruct who to get involved, lots of state aid, until matured. But on the flipside can turn around and ban something overnight.
And of course internet / social media heavily censored, but within that ecosystem, for the things the state doesnt care, its sell sell sell.
But. Is that distinctly “communist”?
If we compare the Cold War Warsaw pact communist states with China today, how’s that contrast?
throw in the democracy lacking Arab states in the Middle East today, the Juntas in South America also in the Cold War era, and UK. Germany and USA how we were in the 1960s and 70’s - who is actually more like who?
The dividing line through all those things, I suggest all have an “establishment”? If you were a senior civil servant in the UK, you were helped putting your children through the best schools and university’s, weren’t you?
So an establishment in real control. And corruption. The only things that unite every type of system.
What’s weights carried in an actual name they chose to call themselves?
It's a fair point. Gorbachev tried to modernise the Soviet Union by liberalising the politics, introducing multi-party politics and giving the non-Russian countries greater self-control. Ad they abandoned communism and the Union as soon as they could.
China noted this and did the opposite: liberalised the economy but maintained a monopoly on the political system. In China, politics is utterly divorced from the citizen but is instead the province of the Party and its internal bureaucracy. This has certain advantages, enabling very rapid development, but is chronically beset by corruption and cronyism.
Basically the Soviet Union gave up control and lost ownership, but China gave up ownership and kept control via the CCP monopoly on politics...and control is all that matters.
You might want to google "socialism with chinese characteristics" and go down the rabbit hole
Whatever it is, it's not really "Marxism". Exploitation of the workers is full steam ahead in China.
China is about as Marxist as England is an Anglican established monarchy
The titles and symbols are politely observed… that’s it
I’ve been reading about the competition between Chinese robot firms. One reason they are so far ahead is the brutal rivalry between different young companies. Pure Darwinism. The winner gets mega rich. The others not so much
But overseeing it is an autocratic state run by nepotistic kleptocrats. It’s like a mix of Singapore, Japan and imperial Rome
'Asked at an event in central London this morning whether she would travel to China if she were PM, Badenoch said: "No, not now, because I don’t think that this is the time to do that. We need to be talking to those other countries who are worried about the threat China is posing to them.”
Badenoch also repeated her criticism of the government’s decision to give the Chagos Islands to Mauritius.
Writing in the Telegraph on Tuesday, Badenoch said the decision “will weaken our strategic position in the Indian Ocean and hand Beijing even greater influence near critical British military infrastructure”. https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/live/c4gw427eenpt
They know the truth, why are they persisting with this claim? She even name checked “Indian Ocean” without any acknowledgement India’s involvement in pushing and arranging this Chagos deal.
This attack line is not without creating some problem for the Conservative Party as time passes. I don’t believe at the highest strategic levels the Conservative Party is ignorant of India’s growing Superpower influence in the region, but it’s certainly giving that impression publicly, by only talking of China influence in Indian Ocean not India’s.
And of course, in the wild outlier the Conservatives win the next election on scrapping “Labours” Chagos deal - there’s the huge India in the way glaring down at them.
The US would also be glaring at India and China as they also oppose the Chagos handover
Are you sure 🤣 the US wrote it for us to sign!
Historically, since we got into this in 1960’s, it’s been US writing the order sheet what we must do, UK owning the ethnic cleansing and everything - what’s different with this new deal, India have muscled their way into the room, in a show of their growing superpower influence in the region. When it comes to our continued involvement in Chagos and Garcia, UK now has Two Gov’nors in the room, bossing us around.
It helps Conservative Party to get publicly back on the facts before too long. But I guess that’s what changing leaders is for.
Trump has made clear the Chagos should not be handed over to Mauritius, so Modi can take it up with him
Trump put his team in there and wrote it, though performative because it was already written, so that it wouldn’t be Biden’s Great Deal, but his.
Trump is not going to stop the Chagos Deal, HY.
Let me give you a second further example, contrast the Cameron and Osborne’s governmental position to China, with Badenoch’s today. Everyone from EU to Trump has gone to and sat down with China, on free trade business terms. Even Trump, whose commitment to Free Trade and Capitalism is questionable.
Is this not a short term opportunist position of Badenoch towards China? not one of a serious party for government can sustain up, and into a General Election, and beyond?
Ditto, with posturing regards China, there is no way Badenoch’s front bench, out the public eye, does not recognise the growing Super Power influence of India throughout the Indian Ocean, and what that means to commercial and security interests of the UK. So how long can they keep something going publicly, that’s not what they believe privately?
Communist China is more of a threat to the west than India as Kemi has made clear, though Trump has imposed heavy tariffs on China and India, much more than he has imposed on the UK.
Starmer is going ahead with the Chagos handover to Mauritius regardless so it will then be up to Trump and Modi to sort out
Tacking our chat off on a tangent then - you called China communist. Is China still a communist country, in your opinion? Where you can still point to how they practice communism - as distinct to everything you would find practiced in any Nationalistic One Party State? China has more billionaires than the USA. And how they brutally allow ventures and factories to go bust, without state support, brutal on locked out workers also banned from being in a union, this seems more free market capitalist than even Hitlers Germany? Than even us in UK?
At a street level, it makes American capitalism look tame. I was really taken aback about how fierce and brutal competition is and selling is integrated into everything. My burner phone was constantly being pinged with notifications of offer offer buy now, get coffee for 5 RMB buy next 10 mins, etc. TikTok, seemed like everything you see your favourite influencer is wearing, tap, link to buy from shirt to their makeup.
But still, all land (?) is owned by the state, and c. 60% of businesses when measured by value are state-owned IIRC. The CCP very much believes in Marxism and Leninism, even if there is a sneaky pragmatism which tentatively creeps in from time to time when the economic catastrophe of communism stares them in the face too hard.
Oh there is no doubt about in certain areas the hand of the state is present and they let you know. Its an odd mix of one monent you are in a 10 level shopping maul with any items you could ever wish for the next you are being searched for the 10th time that day just to get into the metro.
I was thinking about this and i think what they have done is a bit like South Korea did, they identify stratregitic industries, then instruct who to get involved, lots of state aid, until matured. But on the flipside can turn around and ban something overnight.
And of course internet / social media heavily censored, but within that ecosystem, for the things the state doesnt care, its sell sell sell.
But. Is that distinctly “communist”?
If we compare the Cold War Warsaw pact communist states with China today, how’s that contrast?
throw in the democracy lacking Arab states in the Middle East today, the Juntas in South America also in the Cold War era, and UK. Germany and USA how we were in the 1960s and 70’s - who is actually more like who?
The dividing line through all those things, I suggest all have an “establishment”? If you were a senior civil servant in the UK, you were helped putting your children through the best schools and university’s, weren’t you?
So an establishment in real control. And corruption. The only things that unite every type of system.
What’s weights carried in an actual name they chose to call themselves?
It's a fair point. Gorbachev tried to modernise the Soviet Union by liberalising the politics, introducing multi-party politics and giving the non-Russian countries greater self-control. Ad they abandoned communism and the Union as soon as they could.
China noted this and did the opposite: liberalised the economy but maintained a monopoly on the political system. In China, politics is utterly divorced from the citizen but is instead the province of the Party and its internal bureaucracy. This has certain advantages, enabling very rapid development, but is chronically beset by corruption and cronyism.
Basically the Soviet Union gave up control and lost ownership, but China gave up ownership and kept control via the CCP monopoly on politics...and control is all that matters.
You might want to google "socialism with chinese characteristics" and go down the rabbit hole
Whatever it is, it's not really "Marxism". Exploitation of the workers is full steam ahead in China.
But that's Marxism. It's a common aspect of all Marxist systems that those in charge see workers as units to be exploited to generate as much output as possible. You don't get Marxisms where the workers get to have a lovely time.
This is ludicrous. In Marxism no one can get rich because each according to his means to each according t his needs
In China you can get fabulously rich. Insanely rich. It is state directed capitalism with a fairly basic welfare state. And a fuckload of surveillance cameras
'Asked at an event in central London this morning whether she would travel to China if she were PM, Badenoch said: "No, not now, because I don’t think that this is the time to do that. We need to be talking to those other countries who are worried about the threat China is posing to them.”
Badenoch also repeated her criticism of the government’s decision to give the Chagos Islands to Mauritius.
Writing in the Telegraph on Tuesday, Badenoch said the decision “will weaken our strategic position in the Indian Ocean and hand Beijing even greater influence near critical British military infrastructure”. https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/live/c4gw427eenpt
They know the truth, why are they persisting with this claim? She even name checked “Indian Ocean” without any acknowledgement India’s involvement in pushing and arranging this Chagos deal.
This attack line is not without creating some problem for the Conservative Party as time passes. I don’t believe at the highest strategic levels the Conservative Party is ignorant of India’s growing Superpower influence in the region, but it’s certainly giving that impression publicly, by only talking of China influence in Indian Ocean not India’s.
And of course, in the wild outlier the Conservatives win the next election on scrapping “Labours” Chagos deal - there’s the huge India in the way glaring down at them.
The US would also be glaring at India and China as they also oppose the Chagos handover
Are you sure 🤣 the US wrote it for us to sign!
Historically, since we got into this in 1960’s, it’s been US writing the order sheet what we must do, UK owning the ethnic cleansing and everything - what’s different with this new deal, India have muscled their way into the room, in a show of their growing superpower influence in the region. When it comes to our continued involvement in Chagos and Garcia, UK now has Two Gov’nors in the room, bossing us around.
It helps Conservative Party to get publicly back on the facts before too long. But I guess that’s what changing leaders is for.
Trump has made clear the Chagos should not be handed over to Mauritius, so Modi can take it up with him
Trump put his team in there and wrote it, though performative because it was already written, so that it wouldn’t be Biden’s Great Deal, but his.
Trump is not going to stop the Chagos Deal, HY.
Let me give you a second further example, contrast the Cameron and Osborne’s governmental position to China, with Badenoch’s today. Everyone from EU to Trump has gone to and sat down with China, on free trade business terms. Even Trump, whose commitment to Free Trade and Capitalism is questionable.
Is this not a short term opportunist position of Badenoch towards China? not one of a serious party for government can sustain up, and into a General Election, and beyond?
Ditto, with posturing regards China, there is no way Badenoch’s front bench, out the public eye, does not recognise the growing Super Power influence of India throughout the Indian Ocean, and what that means to commercial and security interests of the UK. So how long can they keep something going publicly, that’s not what they believe privately?
Communist China is more of a threat to the west than India as Kemi has made clear, though Trump has imposed heavy tariffs on China and India, much more than he has imposed on the UK.
Starmer is going ahead with the Chagos handover to Mauritius regardless so it will then be up to Trump and Modi to sort out
Tacking our chat off on a tangent then - you called China communist. Is China still a communist country, in your opinion? Where you can still point to how they practice communism - as distinct to everything you would find practiced in any Nationalistic One Party State? China has more billionaires than the USA. And how they brutally allow ventures and factories to go bust, without state support, brutal on locked out workers also banned from being in a union, this seems more free market capitalist than even Hitlers Germany? Than even us in UK?
At a street level, it makes American capitalism look tame. I was really taken aback about how fierce and brutal competition is and selling is integrated into everything. My burner phone was constantly being pinged with notifications of offer offer buy now, get coffee for 5 RMB buy next 10 mins, etc. TikTok, seemed like everything you see your favourite influencer is wearing, tap, link to buy from shirt to their makeup.
But still, all land (?) is owned by the state, and c. 60% of businesses when measured by value are state-owned IIRC. The CCP very much believes in Marxism and Leninism, even if there is a sneaky pragmatism which tentatively creeps in from time to time when the economic catastrophe of communism stares them in the face too hard.
Oh there is no doubt about in certain areas the hand of the state is present and they let you know. Its an odd mix of one monent you are in a 10 level shopping maul with any items you could ever wish for the next you are being searched for the 10th time that day just to get into the metro.
I was thinking about this and i think what they have done is a bit like South Korea did, they identify stratregitic industries, then instruct who to get involved, lots of state aid, until matured. But on the flipside can turn around and ban something overnight.
And of course internet / social media heavily censored, but within that ecosystem, for the things the state doesnt care, its sell sell sell.
But. Is that distinctly “communist”?
If we compare the Cold War Warsaw pact communist states with China today, how’s that contrast?
throw in the democracy lacking Arab states in the Middle East today, the Juntas in South America also in the Cold War era, and UK. Germany and USA how we were in the 1960s and 70’s - who is actually more like who?
The dividing line through all those things, I suggest all have an “establishment”? If you were a senior civil servant in the UK, you were helped putting your children through the best schools and university’s, weren’t you?
So an establishment in real control. And corruption. The only things that unite every type of system.
What’s weights carried in an actual name they chose to call themselves?
It's a fair point. Gorbachev tried to modernise the Soviet Union by liberalising the politics, introducing multi-party politics and giving the non-Russian countries greater self-control. Ad they abandoned communism and the Union as soon as they could.
China noted this and did the opposite: liberalised the economy but maintained a monopoly on the political system. In China, politics is utterly divorced from the citizen but is instead the province of the Party and its internal bureaucracy. This has certain advantages, enabling very rapid development, but is chronically beset by corruption and cronyism.
Basically the Soviet Union gave up control and lost ownership, but China gave up ownership and kept control via the CCP monopoly on politics...and control is all that matters.
You might want to google "socialism with chinese characteristics" and go down the rabbit hole
Whatever it is, it's not really "Marxism". Exploitation of the workers is full steam ahead in China.
China is about as Marxist as England is an Anglican established monarchy
The titles and symbols are politely observed… that’s it
I’ve been reading about the competition between Chinese robot firms. One reason they are so far ahead is the brutal rivalry between different young companies. Pure Darwinism. The winner gets mega rich. The others not so much
But overseeing it is an autocratic state run by nepotistic kleptocrats. It’s like a mix of Singapore, Japan and imperial Rome
England is an Anglican established monarchy with an Anglican established church and constitutional monarch. The Crown and Church of England are still amongst the biggest landowners in the UK.
40% of the Chinese market is Chinese state owned enterprises, all Chinese urban land is state owned and rural Chinese villages are owned by local collectives. China has a state owned health service just like ours too.
Yes a few entrepreneurs are allowed but if they get rich and defy the state they are jailed.
European leader spoke of shock at Trump’s state of mind after Mar-a-Lago meeting
https://www.politico.eu/article/donald-trump-florida-robert-fico-eu-summit-nato/ ..Fico took to X on Wednesday, saying: “I must emphatically reject the lies of the POLITICO portal about how I assessed my meeting with US President D. Trump at an informal summit in Brussels. No one heard anything, no one saw anything, there are no witnesses, but nothing prevented the POLITICO portal from coming up with lies.”
...Fico seemed to be “traumatized” by his encounter with Trump, one of the European diplomats said. Fico characterized Trump as being “out of his mind,” a diplomat said, using the words briefed to them by their leader, who was directly involved in the conversation.
..Fears about the U.S. president’s health are “rapidly becoming a more conversed topic at all levels,” said an EU official who is involved in political discussions in Brussels and between capitals..
'Asked at an event in central London this morning whether she would travel to China if she were PM, Badenoch said: "No, not now, because I don’t think that this is the time to do that. We need to be talking to those other countries who are worried about the threat China is posing to them.”
Badenoch also repeated her criticism of the government’s decision to give the Chagos Islands to Mauritius.
Writing in the Telegraph on Tuesday, Badenoch said the decision “will weaken our strategic position in the Indian Ocean and hand Beijing even greater influence near critical British military infrastructure”. https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/live/c4gw427eenpt
They know the truth, why are they persisting with this claim? She even name checked “Indian Ocean” without any acknowledgement India’s involvement in pushing and arranging this Chagos deal.
This attack line is not without creating some problem for the Conservative Party as time passes. I don’t believe at the highest strategic levels the Conservative Party is ignorant of India’s growing Superpower influence in the region, but it’s certainly giving that impression publicly, by only talking of China influence in Indian Ocean not India’s.
And of course, in the wild outlier the Conservatives win the next election on scrapping “Labours” Chagos deal - there’s the huge India in the way glaring down at them.
The US would also be glaring at India and China as they also oppose the Chagos handover
Are you sure 🤣 the US wrote it for us to sign!
Historically, since we got into this in 1960’s, it’s been US writing the order sheet what we must do, UK owning the ethnic cleansing and everything - what’s different with this new deal, India have muscled their way into the room, in a show of their growing superpower influence in the region. When it comes to our continued involvement in Chagos and Garcia, UK now has Two Gov’nors in the room, bossing us around.
It helps Conservative Party to get publicly back on the facts before too long. But I guess that’s what changing leaders is for.
Trump has made clear the Chagos should not be handed over to Mauritius, so Modi can take it up with him
Trump put his team in there and wrote it, though performative because it was already written, so that it wouldn’t be Biden’s Great Deal, but his.
Trump is not going to stop the Chagos Deal, HY.
Let me give you a second further example, contrast the Cameron and Osborne’s governmental position to China, with Badenoch’s today. Everyone from EU to Trump has gone to and sat down with China, on free trade business terms. Even Trump, whose commitment to Free Trade and Capitalism is questionable.
Is this not a short term opportunist position of Badenoch towards China? not one of a serious party for government can sustain up, and into a General Election, and beyond?
Ditto, with posturing regards China, there is no way Badenoch’s front bench, out the public eye, does not recognise the growing Super Power influence of India throughout the Indian Ocean, and what that means to commercial and security interests of the UK. So how long can they keep something going publicly, that’s not what they believe privately?
Communist China is more of a threat to the west than India as Kemi has made clear, though Trump has imposed heavy tariffs on China and India, much more than he has imposed on the UK.
Starmer is going ahead with the Chagos handover to Mauritius regardless so it will then be up to Trump and Modi to sort out
Tacking our chat off on a tangent then - you called China communist. Is China still a communist country, in your opinion? Where you can still point to how they practice communism - as distinct to everything you would find practiced in any Nationalistic One Party State? China has more billionaires than the USA. And how they brutally allow ventures and factories to go bust, without state support, brutal on locked out workers also banned from being in a union, this seems more free market capitalist than even Hitlers Germany? Than even us in UK?
At a street level, it makes American capitalism look tame. I was really taken aback about how fierce and brutal competition is and selling is integrated into everything. My burner phone was constantly being pinged with notifications of offer offer buy now, get coffee for 5 RMB buy next 10 mins, etc. TikTok, seemed like everything you see your favourite influencer is wearing, tap, link to buy from shirt to their makeup.
But still, all land (?) is owned by the state, and c. 60% of businesses when measured by value are state-owned IIRC. The CCP very much believes in Marxism and Leninism, even if there is a sneaky pragmatism which tentatively creeps in from time to time when the economic catastrophe of communism stares them in the face too hard.
Oh there is no doubt about in certain areas the hand of the state is present and they let you know. Its an odd mix of one monent you are in a 10 level shopping maul with any items you could ever wish for the next you are being searched for the 10th time that day just to get into the metro.
I was thinking about this and i think what they have done is a bit like South Korea did, they identify stratregitic industries, then instruct who to get involved, lots of state aid, until matured. But on the flipside can turn around and ban something overnight.
And of course internet / social media heavily censored, but within that ecosystem, for the things the state doesnt care, its sell sell sell.
But. Is that distinctly “communist”?
If we compare the Cold War Warsaw pact communist states with China today, how’s that contrast?
throw in the democracy lacking Arab states in the Middle East today, the Juntas in South America also in the Cold War era, and UK. Germany and USA how we were in the 1960s and 70’s - who is actually more like who?
The dividing line through all those things, I suggest all have an “establishment”? If you were a senior civil servant in the UK, you were helped putting your children through the best schools and university’s, weren’t you?
So an establishment in real control. And corruption. The only things that unite every type of system.
What’s weights carried in an actual name they chose to call themselves?
It's a fair point. Gorbachev tried to modernise the Soviet Union by liberalising the politics, introducing multi-party politics and giving the non-Russian countries greater self-control. Ad they abandoned communism and the Union as soon as they could.
China noted this and did the opposite: liberalised the economy but maintained a monopoly on the political system. In China, politics is utterly divorced from the citizen but is instead the province of the Party and its internal bureaucracy. This has certain advantages, enabling very rapid development, but is chronically beset by corruption and cronyism.
Basically the Soviet Union gave up control and lost ownership, but China gave up ownership and kept control via the CCP monopoly on politics...and control is all that matters.
You might want to google "socialism with chinese characteristics" and go down the rabbit hole
Whatever it is, it's not really "Marxism". Exploitation of the workers is full steam ahead in China.
But that's Marxism. It's a common aspect of all Marxist systems that those in charge see workers as units to be exploited to generate as much output as possible. You don't get Marxisms where the workers get to have a lovely time.
This is ludicrous. In Marxism no one can get rich because each according to his means to each according t his needs
In China you can get fabulously rich. Insanely rich. It is state directed capitalism with a fairly basic welfare state. And a fuckload of surveillance cameras
Singapore, the US, Switzerland, Argentina and India now, even the UAE and UK and Japan and Putin's Russia and the EU are far more capitalist than China is.
The only nations more Marxist than China are N Korea and Cuba as I said
'Asked at an event in central London this morning whether she would travel to China if she were PM, Badenoch said: "No, not now, because I don’t think that this is the time to do that. We need to be talking to those other countries who are worried about the threat China is posing to them.”
Badenoch also repeated her criticism of the government’s decision to give the Chagos Islands to Mauritius.
Writing in the Telegraph on Tuesday, Badenoch said the decision “will weaken our strategic position in the Indian Ocean and hand Beijing even greater influence near critical British military infrastructure”. https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/live/c4gw427eenpt
They know the truth, why are they persisting with this claim? She even name checked “Indian Ocean” without any acknowledgement India’s involvement in pushing and arranging this Chagos deal.
This attack line is not without creating some problem for the Conservative Party as time passes. I don’t believe at the highest strategic levels the Conservative Party is ignorant of India’s growing Superpower influence in the region, but it’s certainly giving that impression publicly, by only talking of China influence in Indian Ocean not India’s.
And of course, in the wild outlier the Conservatives win the next election on scrapping “Labours” Chagos deal - there’s the huge India in the way glaring down at them.
The US would also be glaring at India and China as they also oppose the Chagos handover
Are you sure 🤣 the US wrote it for us to sign!
Historically, since we got into this in 1960’s, it’s been US writing the order sheet what we must do, UK owning the ethnic cleansing and everything - what’s different with this new deal, India have muscled their way into the room, in a show of their growing superpower influence in the region. When it comes to our continued involvement in Chagos and Garcia, UK now has Two Gov’nors in the room, bossing us around.
It helps Conservative Party to get publicly back on the facts before too long. But I guess that’s what changing leaders is for.
Trump has made clear the Chagos should not be handed over to Mauritius, so Modi can take it up with him
Trump put his team in there and wrote it, though performative because it was already written, so that it wouldn’t be Biden’s Great Deal, but his.
Trump is not going to stop the Chagos Deal, HY.
Let me give you a second further example, contrast the Cameron and Osborne’s governmental position to China, with Badenoch’s today. Everyone from EU to Trump has gone to and sat down with China, on free trade business terms. Even Trump, whose commitment to Free Trade and Capitalism is questionable.
Is this not a short term opportunist position of Badenoch towards China? not one of a serious party for government can sustain up, and into a General Election, and beyond?
Ditto, with posturing regards China, there is no way Badenoch’s front bench, out the public eye, does not recognise the growing Super Power influence of India throughout the Indian Ocean, and what that means to commercial and security interests of the UK. So how long can they keep something going publicly, that’s not what they believe privately?
Communist China is more of a threat to the west than India as Kemi has made clear, though Trump has imposed heavy tariffs on China and India, much more than he has imposed on the UK.
Starmer is going ahead with the Chagos handover to Mauritius regardless so it will then be up to Trump and Modi to sort out
Tacking our chat off on a tangent then - you called China communist. Is China still a communist country, in your opinion? Where you can still point to how they practice communism - as distinct to everything you would find practiced in any Nationalistic One Party State? China has more billionaires than the USA. And how they brutally allow ventures and factories to go bust, without state support, brutal on locked out workers also banned from being in a union, this seems more free market capitalist than even Hitlers Germany? Than even us in UK?
At a street level, it makes American capitalism look tame. I was really taken aback about how fierce and brutal competition is and selling is integrated into everything. My burner phone was constantly being pinged with notifications of offer offer buy now, get coffee for 5 RMB buy next 10 mins, etc. TikTok, seemed like everything you see your favourite influencer is wearing, tap, link to buy from shirt to their makeup.
But still, all land (?) is owned by the state, and c. 60% of businesses when measured by value are state-owned IIRC. The CCP very much believes in Marxism and Leninism, even if there is a sneaky pragmatism which tentatively creeps in from time to time when the economic catastrophe of communism stares them in the face too hard.
Oh there is no doubt about in certain areas the hand of the state is present and they let you know. Its an odd mix of one monent you are in a 10 level shopping maul with any items you could ever wish for the next you are being searched for the 10th time that day just to get into the metro.
I was thinking about this and i think what they have done is a bit like South Korea did, they identify stratregitic industries, then instruct who to get involved, lots of state aid, until matured. But on the flipside can turn around and ban something overnight.
And of course internet / social media heavily censored, but within that ecosystem, for the things the state doesnt care, its sell sell sell.
But. Is that distinctly “communist”?
If we compare the Cold War Warsaw pact communist states with China today, how’s that contrast?
throw in the democracy lacking Arab states in the Middle East today, the Juntas in South America also in the Cold War era, and UK. Germany and USA how we were in the 1960s and 70’s - who is actually more like who?
The dividing line through all those things, I suggest all have an “establishment”? If you were a senior civil servant in the UK, you were helped putting your children through the best schools and university’s, weren’t you?
So an establishment in real control. And corruption. The only things that unite every type of system.
What’s weights carried in an actual name they chose to call themselves?
It's a fair point. Gorbachev tried to modernise the Soviet Union by liberalising the politics, introducing multi-party politics and giving the non-Russian countries greater self-control. Ad they abandoned communism and the Union as soon as they could.
China noted this and did the opposite: liberalised the economy but maintained a monopoly on the political system. In China, politics is utterly divorced from the citizen but is instead the province of the Party and its internal bureaucracy. This has certain advantages, enabling very rapid development, but is chronically beset by corruption and cronyism.
Basically the Soviet Union gave up control and lost ownership, but China gave up ownership and kept control via the CCP monopoly on politics...and control is all that matters.
You might want to google "socialism with chinese characteristics" and go down the rabbit hole
Whatever it is, it's not really "Marxism". Exploitation of the workers is full steam ahead in China.
But that's Marxism. It's a common aspect of all Marxist systems that those in charge see workers as units to be exploited to generate as much output as possible. You don't get Marxisms where the workers get to have a lovely time.
This is ludicrous. In Marxism no one can get rich because each according to his means to each according t his needs
In China you can get fabulously rich. Insanely rich. It is state directed capitalism with a fairly basic welfare state. And a fuckload of surveillance cameras
Afternoon all.
Indeed, ons of the things that Marx got right, opposed to the many things he got wrong, was the alienation and exploitation of many workers. The treatment of workers in Marxist dictatorships doesn't really bear any relation to his idylll of choice. His errors lay elsewhere.
'Asked at an event in central London this morning whether she would travel to China if she were PM, Badenoch said: "No, not now, because I don’t think that this is the time to do that. We need to be talking to those other countries who are worried about the threat China is posing to them.”
Badenoch also repeated her criticism of the government’s decision to give the Chagos Islands to Mauritius.
Writing in the Telegraph on Tuesday, Badenoch said the decision “will weaken our strategic position in the Indian Ocean and hand Beijing even greater influence near critical British military infrastructure”. https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/live/c4gw427eenpt
They know the truth, why are they persisting with this claim? She even name checked “Indian Ocean” without any acknowledgement India’s involvement in pushing and arranging this Chagos deal.
This attack line is not without creating some problem for the Conservative Party as time passes. I don’t believe at the highest strategic levels the Conservative Party is ignorant of India’s growing Superpower influence in the region, but it’s certainly giving that impression publicly, by only talking of China influence in Indian Ocean not India’s.
And of course, in the wild outlier the Conservatives win the next election on scrapping “Labours” Chagos deal - there’s the huge India in the way glaring down at them.
The US would also be glaring at India and China as they also oppose the Chagos handover
Are you sure 🤣 the US wrote it for us to sign!
Historically, since we got into this in 1960’s, it’s been US writing the order sheet what we must do, UK owning the ethnic cleansing and everything - what’s different with this new deal, India have muscled their way into the room, in a show of their growing superpower influence in the region. When it comes to our continued involvement in Chagos and Garcia, UK now has Two Gov’nors in the room, bossing us around.
It helps Conservative Party to get publicly back on the facts before too long. But I guess that’s what changing leaders is for.
Trump has made clear the Chagos should not be handed over to Mauritius, so Modi can take it up with him
Trump put his team in there and wrote it, though performative because it was already written, so that it wouldn’t be Biden’s Great Deal, but his.
Trump is not going to stop the Chagos Deal, HY.
Let me give you a second further example, contrast the Cameron and Osborne’s governmental position to China, with Badenoch’s today. Everyone from EU to Trump has gone to and sat down with China, on free trade business terms. Even Trump, whose commitment to Free Trade and Capitalism is questionable.
Is this not a short term opportunist position of Badenoch towards China? not one of a serious party for government can sustain up, and into a General Election, and beyond?
Ditto, with posturing regards China, there is no way Badenoch’s front bench, out the public eye, does not recognise the growing Super Power influence of India throughout the Indian Ocean, and what that means to commercial and security interests of the UK. So how long can they keep something going publicly, that’s not what they believe privately?
Communist China is more of a threat to the west than India as Kemi has made clear, though Trump has imposed heavy tariffs on China and India, much more than he has imposed on the UK.
Starmer is going ahead with the Chagos handover to Mauritius regardless so it will then be up to Trump and Modi to sort out
Tacking our chat off on a tangent then - you called China communist. Is China still a communist country, in your opinion? Where you can still point to how they practice communism - as distinct to everything you would find practiced in any Nationalistic One Party State? China has more billionaires than the USA. And how they brutally allow ventures and factories to go bust, without state support, brutal on locked out workers also banned from being in a union, this seems more free market capitalist than even Hitlers Germany? Than even us in UK?
At a street level, it makes American capitalism look tame. I was really taken aback about how fierce and brutal competition is and selling is integrated into everything. My burner phone was constantly being pinged with notifications of offer offer buy now, get coffee for 5 RMB buy next 10 mins, etc. TikTok, seemed like everything you see your favourite influencer is wearing, tap, link to buy from shirt to their makeup.
But still, all land (?) is owned by the state, and c. 60% of businesses when measured by value are state-owned IIRC. The CCP very much believes in Marxism and Leninism, even if there is a sneaky pragmatism which tentatively creeps in from time to time when the economic catastrophe of communism stares them in the face too hard.
Oh there is no doubt about in certain areas the hand of the state is present and they let you know. Its an odd mix of one monent you are in a 10 level shopping maul with any items you could ever wish for the next you are being searched for the 10th time that day just to get into the metro.
I was thinking about this and i think what they have done is a bit like South Korea did, they identify stratregitic industries, then instruct who to get involved, lots of state aid, until matured. But on the flipside can turn around and ban something overnight.
And of course internet / social media heavily censored, but within that ecosystem, for the things the state doesnt care, its sell sell sell.
But. Is that distinctly “communist”?
If we compare the Cold War Warsaw pact communist states with China today, how’s that contrast?
throw in the democracy lacking Arab states in the Middle East today, the Juntas in South America also in the Cold War era, and UK. Germany and USA how we were in the 1960s and 70’s - who is actually more like who?
The dividing line through all those things, I suggest all have an “establishment”? If you were a senior civil servant in the UK, you were helped putting your children through the best schools and university’s, weren’t you?
So an establishment in real control. And corruption. The only things that unite every type of system.
What’s weights carried in an actual name they chose to call themselves?
It's a fair point. Gorbachev tried to modernise the Soviet Union by liberalising the politics, introducing multi-party politics and giving the non-Russian countries greater self-control. Ad they abandoned communism and the Union as soon as they could.
China noted this and did the opposite: liberalised the economy but maintained a monopoly on the political system. In China, politics is utterly divorced from the citizen but is instead the province of the Party and its internal bureaucracy. This has certain advantages, enabling very rapid development, but is chronically beset by corruption and cronyism.
Basically the Soviet Union gave up control and lost ownership, but China gave up ownership and kept control via the CCP monopoly on politics...and control is all that matters.
You might want to google "socialism with chinese characteristics" and go down the rabbit hole
Whatever it is, it's not really "Marxism". Exploitation of the workers is full steam ahead in China.
But that's Marxism. It's a common aspect of all Marxist systems that those in charge see workers as units to be exploited to generate as much output as possible. You don't get Marxisms where the workers get to have a lovely time.
This is ludicrous. In Marxism no one can get rich because each according to his means to each according t his needs
In China you can get fabulously rich. Insanely rich. It is state directed capitalism with a fairly basic welfare state. And a fuckload of surveillance cameras
Well you can, up to the point where the state disappears you and your assets. Property rights are somewhat conditional on not upsetting the state, even if that's just by getting big enough so that the state takes a fancy to what you thought were your assets.
OpenAI have released a free competitor to Overleaf, a collabrative Latex editor...to which 99% of people go what is Overleaf, what is Latex. Latex, it is a psuedo programming language that all scientific papers are written in because of its ability to handle things like typesetting complex maths. What are OpenAI playing at. A total waste of resources to develop a product to put a very niche company out of business. Bizarre.
“I think she’s a fraud. I really don’t think about that,” he continued. “She probably had herself sprayed, knowing her.”
Way to lead.
He's probably right. The protester happened to have a front row seat; she seemed to nod at him before he jumped up, and she didn't seem particularly concerned about what she was sprayed with.
Labour seem to have got off to a bad start dealing with Reform candidate Goodwin, video cliping his comments about the Tory party conference. Far more effective would be attacking Goodwin on his endless praise of Trump. Needless to say rather difficult for them to do that so it'll be up to the Greens.
In other news I hope we are making serious preparations for the possibility of President Vance - and that he may actually be worse for our interests than the incumbent.
Research by the University of Southampton found people feel high streets have declined more than any other part of their local area over the past decade as household brands collapsed and shoplifting rose.
Improving shopping precincts was the third most important local issue for voters, behind good healthcare and reducing crime, according to polling conducted by YouGov.
Reform UK supporters were more likely than anyone else to say their area had significantly declined, underlining what researchers called a “deep sense of place-based resentment” towards Westminster.
Labour MPs say they are increasingly alarmed by the state of high streets, which for many voters have become symbolic of whether their area is prospering – and have been a focus of business backlash over the significant increases to business rates in November’s budget...
There again, neither is Reform.
The High Street has been in decline since the burgeoning growth in out of town supermarkets and hypermarkets, the death of Woolworths and the ascent of Amazon and eBay (as a retail platform). High Street banks closing has accelerated the decline.
High Streets need to be repurposed for domestic dwelling use. How many charity shops, Turkish barbers and nail bars does a town need.
# nogoingback
They need shops which offer an experience as well eg good cafes and restaurants, interesting antique and book shops, not shops selling what you can order alone
Indeed. It's hardly rocket science; shops can't compete head on with on-line retailers, so they need to do something different. Offer services and an environment that people will make a trip for, or products that cannot be practically sold online.
And this will entail a drastic reduction in retail space. In one of the towns near me they're demolishing half of the shopping mall and using the space for housing.
'Asked at an event in central London this morning whether she would travel to China if she were PM, Badenoch said: "No, not now, because I don’t think that this is the time to do that. We need to be talking to those other countries who are worried about the threat China is posing to them.”
Badenoch also repeated her criticism of the government’s decision to give the Chagos Islands to Mauritius.
Writing in the Telegraph on Tuesday, Badenoch said the decision “will weaken our strategic position in the Indian Ocean and hand Beijing even greater influence near critical British military infrastructure”. https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/live/c4gw427eenpt
They know the truth, why are they persisting with this claim? She even name checked “Indian Ocean” without any acknowledgement India’s involvement in pushing and arranging this Chagos deal.
This attack line is not without creating some problem for the Conservative Party as time passes. I don’t believe at the highest strategic levels the Conservative Party is ignorant of India’s growing Superpower influence in the region, but it’s certainly giving that impression publicly, by only talking of China influence in Indian Ocean not India’s.
And of course, in the wild outlier the Conservatives win the next election on scrapping “Labours” Chagos deal - there’s the huge India in the way glaring down at them.
The US would also be glaring at India and China as they also oppose the Chagos handover
Are you sure 🤣 the US wrote it for us to sign!
Historically, since we got into this in 1960’s, it’s been US writing the order sheet what we must do, UK owning the ethnic cleansing and everything - what’s different with this new deal, India have muscled their way into the room, in a show of their growing superpower influence in the region. When it comes to our continued involvement in Chagos and Garcia, UK now has Two Gov’nors in the room, bossing us around.
It helps Conservative Party to get publicly back on the facts before too long. But I guess that’s what changing leaders is for.
Trump has made clear the Chagos should not be handed over to Mauritius, so Modi can take it up with him
Trump put his team in there and wrote it, though performative because it was already written, so that it wouldn’t be Biden’s Great Deal, but his.
Trump is not going to stop the Chagos Deal, HY.
Let me give you a second further example, contrast the Cameron and Osborne’s governmental position to China, with Badenoch’s today. Everyone from EU to Trump has gone to and sat down with China, on free trade business terms. Even Trump, whose commitment to Free Trade and Capitalism is questionable.
Is this not a short term opportunist position of Badenoch towards China? not one of a serious party for government can sustain up, and into a General Election, and beyond?
Ditto, with posturing regards China, there is no way Badenoch’s front bench, out the public eye, does not recognise the growing Super Power influence of India throughout the Indian Ocean, and what that means to commercial and security interests of the UK. So how long can they keep something going publicly, that’s not what they believe privately?
Communist China is more of a threat to the west than India as Kemi has made clear, though Trump has imposed heavy tariffs on China and India, much more than he has imposed on the UK.
Starmer is going ahead with the Chagos handover to Mauritius regardless so it will then be up to Trump and Modi to sort out
Tacking our chat off on a tangent then - you called China communist. Is China still a communist country, in your opinion? Where you can still point to how they practice communism - as distinct to everything you would find practiced in any Nationalistic One Party State? China has more billionaires than the USA. And how they brutally allow ventures and factories to go bust, without state support, brutal on locked out workers also banned from being in a union, this seems more free market capitalist than even Hitlers Germany? Than even us in UK?
At a street level, it makes American capitalism look tame. I was really taken aback about how fierce and brutal competition is and selling is integrated into everything. My burner phone was constantly being pinged with notifications of offer offer buy now, get coffee for 5 RMB buy next 10 mins, etc. TikTok, seemed like everything you see your favourite influencer is wearing, tap, link to buy from shirt to their makeup.
But still, all land (?) is owned by the state, and c. 60% of businesses when measured by value are state-owned IIRC. The CCP very much believes in Marxism and Leninism, even if there is a sneaky pragmatism which tentatively creeps in from time to time when the economic catastrophe of communism stares them in the face too hard.
Oh there is no doubt about in certain areas the hand of the state is present and they let you know. Its an odd mix of one monent you are in a 10 level shopping maul with any items you could ever wish for the next you are being searched for the 10th time that day just to get into the metro.
I was thinking about this and i think what they have done is a bit like South Korea did, they identify stratregitic industries, then instruct who to get involved, lots of state aid, until matured. But on the flipside can turn around and ban something overnight.
And of course internet / social media heavily censored, but within that ecosystem, for the things the state doesnt care, its sell sell sell.
But. Is that distinctly “communist”?
If we compare the Cold War Warsaw pact communist states with China today, how’s that contrast?
throw in the democracy lacking Arab states in the Middle East today, the Juntas in South America also in the Cold War era, and UK. Germany and USA how we were in the 1960s and 70’s - who is actually more like who?
The dividing line through all those things, I suggest all have an “establishment”? If you were a senior civil servant in the UK, you were helped putting your children through the best schools and university’s, weren’t you?
So an establishment in real control. And corruption. The only things that unite every type of system.
What’s weights carried in an actual name they chose to call themselves?
It's a fair point. Gorbachev tried to modernise the Soviet Union by liberalising the politics, introducing multi-party politics and giving the non-Russian countries greater self-control. Ad they abandoned communism and the Union as soon as they could.
China noted this and did the opposite: liberalised the economy but maintained a monopoly on the political system. In China, politics is utterly divorced from the citizen but is instead the province of the Party and its internal bureaucracy. This has certain advantages, enabling very rapid development, but is chronically beset by corruption and cronyism.
Basically the Soviet Union gave up control and lost ownership, but China gave up ownership and kept control via the CCP monopoly on politics...and control is all that matters.
You might want to google "socialism with chinese characteristics" and go down the rabbit hole
Whatever it is, it's not really "Marxism". Exploitation of the workers is full steam ahead in China.
But that's Marxism. It's a common aspect of all Marxist systems that those in charge see workers as units to be exploited to generate as much output as possible. You don't get Marxisms where the workers get to have a lovely time.
This is ludicrous. In Marxism no one can get rich because each according to his means to each according t his needs
In China you can get fabulously rich. Insanely rich. It is state directed capitalism with a fairly basic welfare state. And a fuckload of surveillance cameras
Singapore, the US, Switzerland, Argentina and India now, even the UAE and UK and Japan and Putin's Russia and the EU are far more capitalist than China is.
The only nations more Marxist than China are N Korea and Cuba as I said
Cluelessly dumb
You’ve never been to China have you? I have. Many times. I’ve also been to actual Marxist countries like Cuba
China is not Marxist. Far far from it
This is a good thing. Marxism is a dead end. State directed capitalism, as China does it, seems to work rather well, and benefits the world
'Asked at an event in central London this morning whether she would travel to China if she were PM, Badenoch said: "No, not now, because I don’t think that this is the time to do that. We need to be talking to those other countries who are worried about the threat China is posing to them.”
Badenoch also repeated her criticism of the government’s decision to give the Chagos Islands to Mauritius.
Writing in the Telegraph on Tuesday, Badenoch said the decision “will weaken our strategic position in the Indian Ocean and hand Beijing even greater influence near critical British military infrastructure”. https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/live/c4gw427eenpt
They know the truth, why are they persisting with this claim? She even name checked “Indian Ocean” without any acknowledgement India’s involvement in pushing and arranging this Chagos deal.
This attack line is not without creating some problem for the Conservative Party as time passes. I don’t believe at the highest strategic levels the Conservative Party is ignorant of India’s growing Superpower influence in the region, but it’s certainly giving that impression publicly, by only talking of China influence in Indian Ocean not India’s.
And of course, in the wild outlier the Conservatives win the next election on scrapping “Labours” Chagos deal - there’s the huge India in the way glaring down at them.
The US would also be glaring at India and China as they also oppose the Chagos handover
Are you sure 🤣 the US wrote it for us to sign!
Historically, since we got into this in 1960’s, it’s been US writing the order sheet what we must do, UK owning the ethnic cleansing and everything - what’s different with this new deal, India have muscled their way into the room, in a show of their growing superpower influence in the region. When it comes to our continued involvement in Chagos and Garcia, UK now has Two Gov’nors in the room, bossing us around.
It helps Conservative Party to get publicly back on the facts before too long. But I guess that’s what changing leaders is for.
Trump has made clear the Chagos should not be handed over to Mauritius, so Modi can take it up with him
Trump put his team in there and wrote it, though performative because it was already written, so that it wouldn’t be Biden’s Great Deal, but his.
Trump is not going to stop the Chagos Deal, HY.
Let me give you a second further example, contrast the Cameron and Osborne’s governmental position to China, with Badenoch’s today. Everyone from EU to Trump has gone to and sat down with China, on free trade business terms. Even Trump, whose commitment to Free Trade and Capitalism is questionable.
Is this not a short term opportunist position of Badenoch towards China? not one of a serious party for government can sustain up, and into a General Election, and beyond?
Ditto, with posturing regards China, there is no way Badenoch’s front bench, out the public eye, does not recognise the growing Super Power influence of India throughout the Indian Ocean, and what that means to commercial and security interests of the UK. So how long can they keep something going publicly, that’s not what they believe privately?
Communist China is more of a threat to the west than India as Kemi has made clear, though Trump has imposed heavy tariffs on China and India, much more than he has imposed on the UK.
Starmer is going ahead with the Chagos handover to Mauritius regardless so it will then be up to Trump and Modi to sort out
Tacking our chat off on a tangent then - you called China communist. Is China still a communist country, in your opinion? Where you can still point to how they practice communism - as distinct to everything you would find practiced in any Nationalistic One Party State? China has more billionaires than the USA. And how they brutally allow ventures and factories to go bust, without state support, brutal on locked out workers also banned from being in a union, this seems more free market capitalist than even Hitlers Germany? Than even us in UK?
At a street level, it makes American capitalism look tame. I was really taken aback about how fierce and brutal competition is and selling is integrated into everything. My burner phone was constantly being pinged with notifications of offer offer buy now, get coffee for 5 RMB buy next 10 mins, etc. TikTok, seemed like everything you see your favourite influencer is wearing, tap, link to buy from shirt to their makeup.
But still, all land (?) is owned by the state, and c. 60% of businesses when measured by value are state-owned IIRC. The CCP very much believes in Marxism and Leninism, even if there is a sneaky pragmatism which tentatively creeps in from time to time when the economic catastrophe of communism stares them in the face too hard.
Oh there is no doubt about in certain areas the hand of the state is present and they let you know. Its an odd mix of one monent you are in a 10 level shopping maul with any items you could ever wish for the next you are being searched for the 10th time that day just to get into the metro.
I was thinking about this and i think what they have done is a bit like South Korea did, they identify stratregitic industries, then instruct who to get involved, lots of state aid, until matured. But on the flipside can turn around and ban something overnight.
And of course internet / social media heavily censored, but within that ecosystem, for the things the state doesnt care, its sell sell sell.
But. Is that distinctly “communist”?
If we compare the Cold War Warsaw pact communist states with China today, how’s that contrast?
throw in the democracy lacking Arab states in the Middle East today, the Juntas in South America also in the Cold War era, and UK. Germany and USA how we were in the 1960s and 70’s - who is actually more like who?
The dividing line through all those things, I suggest all have an “establishment”? If you were a senior civil servant in the UK, you were helped putting your children through the best schools and university’s, weren’t you?
So an establishment in real control. And corruption. The only things that unite every type of system.
What’s weights carried in an actual name they chose to call themselves?
It's a fair point. Gorbachev tried to modernise the Soviet Union by liberalising the politics, introducing multi-party politics and giving the non-Russian countries greater self-control. Ad they abandoned communism and the Union as soon as they could.
China noted this and did the opposite: liberalised the economy but maintained a monopoly on the political system. In China, politics is utterly divorced from the citizen but is instead the province of the Party and its internal bureaucracy. This has certain advantages, enabling very rapid development, but is chronically beset by corruption and cronyism.
Basically the Soviet Union gave up control and lost ownership, but China gave up ownership and kept control via the CCP monopoly on politics...and control is all that matters.
You might want to google "socialism with chinese characteristics" and go down the rabbit hole
Whatever it is, it's not really "Marxism". Exploitation of the workers is full steam ahead in China.
But that's Marxism. It's a common aspect of all Marxist systems that those in charge see workers as units to be exploited to generate as much output as possible. You don't get Marxisms where the workers get to have a lovely time.
This is ludicrous. In Marxism no one can get rich because each according to his means to each according t his needs
In China you can get fabulously rich. Insanely rich. It is state directed capitalism with a fairly basic welfare state. And a fuckload of surveillance cameras
Well you can, up to the point where the state disappears you and your assets. Property rights are somewhat conditional on not upsetting the state, even if that's just by getting big enough so that the state takes a fancy to what you thought were your assets.
You can also only own a house for a fixed period as all land is owned by the state, there is no freehold in China
“I think she’s a fraud. I really don’t think about that,” he continued. “She probably had herself sprayed, knowing her.”
Way to lead.
He's probably right. The protester happened to have a front row seat; she seemed to nod at him before he jumped up, and she didn't seem particularly concerned about what she was sprayed with.
So I expect it will come out in court how this was a false flag operation instigated by Omar.
Has the fad for acid attacks been a thing in the states? Or milkshakes, a la Farage? From other footage the guy had drank from it before, so presumably it was a 'safe' fluid.
Conservative estimates of 20,000 dead. Nearly all young protestors
I want Trump to nuke the mullahs. Do it
“I’m so cross that you’ve killed 20,000 of your civilians that I am going to kill 50,000 myself”.
I was being hyperbolic
Nukes aren’t quite justified yet. But Iran really is the most hideous regime on earth and it’s ending would be incredibly desirable
If Trump and his wunderweapons can take out the Iranian leadership en masse and only kill a few 100 Iranians then Fucksake do it. The mullahs are purely evil. Satanic. Islam as Nazism, with an extra hatred for women
They are one of the most hideous regimes on earth.
I would share that title with Putin's Russia, whom Trump seems to want to treat as an ally.
Plus North Korea. Who tend to get forgotten about as they rather keep repressing their own people rather than meddling with others.
Plus let us never forget Saudi Arabia and the House of Saud, whom the West have treated as allies not enemies for decades - and have been funding Islamism globally including on our streets.
Clearly you’ve not been to Idaho. Or Wyoming, or Montana. Or any of those states where other countries might as well be on the other side of the galaxy.
It is IIRC a recurring trope in the detective/lawyer novels of Michael Connolly (huge fun but as nutritious and memorable as candyfloss) that Idaho is where all corner cutting white police officers go to retire.
A celebrated crime series, author C J Box, set in Wyoming centres, again IIRC, mostly around things like who killed which moose and why and an extremely investigation minded game warden called Joe. Don't read them all at once. One moose looks much like another.
I need to look into Montana's literary heritage sometime.
Labour seem to have got off to a bad start dealing with Reform candidate Goodwin, video cliping his comments about the Tory party conference. Far more effective would be attacking Goodwin on his endless praise of Trump. Needless to say rather difficult for them to do that so it'll be up to the Greens.
In other news I hope we are making serious preparations for the possibility of President Vance - and that he may actually be worse for our interests than the incumbent.
Conservative estimates of 20,000 dead. Nearly all young protestors
I want Trump to nuke the mullahs. Do it
“I’m so cross that you’ve killed 20,000 of your civilians that I am going to kill 50,000 myself”.
I was being hyperbolic
Nukes aren’t quite justified yet. But Iran really is the most hideous regime on earth and it’s ending would be incredibly desirable
If Trump and his wunderweapons can take out the Iranian leadership en masse and only kill a few 100 Iranians then Fucksake do it. The mullahs are purely evil. Satanic. Islam as Nazism, with an extra hatred for women
"I was being hyperbolic"
I'm shocked to my very core
I know. But I felt the situation demanded it
Apparently Iran is becoming deeply irreligious. Mosques are empty. No one prays. The kids hate Islam
Good. If we can topple Iran maybe we can push back Islam entirely. Put it back in its ugly Arab box and lock it up there forever
Even I flinch at opposing religions in their totality. However you are stumbling on something here. Are the surrounding countries really going to want to see a secular democratic state develop in Iran? There's been reports that a lot of the militias gunning down the public are speaking Arabic. Where do our 'allies' in the region stand on what is happening there?
Labour seem to have got off to a bad start dealing with Reform candidate Goodwin, video cliping his comments about the Tory party conference. Far more effective would be attacking Goodwin on his endless praise of Trump. Needless to say rather difficult for them to do that so it'll be up to the Greens.
In other news I hope we are making serious preparations for the possibility of President Vance - and that he may actually be worse for our interests than the incumbent.
Apparently Reform have made a complaint to the police !!!
Conservative estimates of 20,000 dead. Nearly all young protestors
I want Trump to nuke the mullahs. Do it
“I’m so cross that you’ve killed 20,000 of your civilians that I am going to kill 50,000 myself”.
I was being hyperbolic
Nukes aren’t quite justified yet. But Iran really is the most hideous regime on earth and it’s ending would be incredibly desirable
If Trump and his wunderweapons can take out the Iranian leadership en masse and only kill a few 100 Iranians then Fucksake do it. The mullahs are purely evil. Satanic. Islam as Nazism, with an extra hatred for women
"I was being hyperbolic"
I'm shocked to my very core
I know. But I felt the situation demanded it
Apparently Iran is becoming deeply irreligious. Mosques are empty. No one prays. The kids hate Islam
Good. If we can topple Iran maybe we can push back Islam entirely. Put it back in its ugly Arab box and lock it up there forever
Even I flinch at opposing religions in their totality. However you are stumbling on something here. Are the surrounding countries really going to want to see a secular democratic state develop in Iran? There's been reports that a lot of the militias gunning down the public are speaking Arabic. Where do our 'allies' in the region stand on what is happening there?
Since Iran is the only majority Shia state, they might not give much of a crap.
"Frankly the UK is seen by China as just a smaller player these days ... Post Brexit in particular. Brexit just confuses the Chinese. Macron on the other hand has been here a number of times, the Germans also"
This narrative of the Chinese only allow a select few to get rich. China also has over 500 billionaires and 6.3 million millionaires as of 2025, second highest after the U.S. Yes much bigger population, but its not a few people getting rich.
I notice that record numbers of Chinese at UK universities, 150,000 now studying here, paying the full fat fees, which given living costs in China is about 4x in relative terms. So their parents are shelling out in relative terms easily £50-60k a year. They have serious money. And huge numbers also go to places like Australia.
The last thing the Tories want is for Reform to win the by-election so standing aside would be utterly stupid.
Why doesn’t he go and join Reform and continue his daily fellation of Farage !
JRM’s role in life is to block our Leon from winning the ‘twat of the year’ award, every single time.
I raise you a Brooklyn Beckham.
His wife gets a $1 million a month allowance from his billionaire father in law, so no surprise he now does what she tells him at the expense of his mere multi millionaire parents dailymail.co.uk/tvshowbiz/article-15504629/Nicola-Peltz-getting-1MILLION-month-allowance-father-Nelson-Brooklyn-Beckhamss-billionaire-laws-wing.html#:~:text=Nicola%20Peltz%20receives%20a%20%241,his%20parents%20David%20and%20Victoria.
"Frankly the UK is seen by China as just a smaller player these days ... Post Brexit in particular. Brexit just confuses the Chinese. Macron on the other hand has been here a number of times, the Germans also"
My experience talking to people in China who had studied in the West, they see all of the Europe as a busted flush really. Lovely old buildings, nice to visit, still good to get your kids to do some uni there, but a stagnate market to sell into, but not the future. Rest of Asia is rising, that is the exciting places to be involved. More than one called Europe a mausoleum economy.
Labour seem to have got off to a bad start dealing with Reform candidate Goodwin, video cliping his comments about the Tory party conference. Far more effective would be attacking Goodwin on his endless praise of Trump. Needless to say rather difficult for them to do that so it'll be up to the Greens.
In other news I hope we are making serious preparations for the possibility of President Vance - and that he may actually be worse for our interests than the incumbent.
Apparently Reform have made a complaint to the police !!!
I'm not sure you can bring the law into these things. It's an actual clip but the editing of it could easily mislead people as to the content. My guess is this goes nowhere but by reporting it Reform can highlight Labour being scurrilous.
Labour seem to have got off to a bad start dealing with Reform candidate Goodwin, video cliping his comments about the Tory party conference. Far more effective would be attacking Goodwin on his endless praise of Trump. Needless to say rather difficult for them to do that so it'll be up to the Greens.
In other news I hope we are making serious preparations for the possibility of President Vance - and that he may actually be worse for our interests than the incumbent.
Did you even bother to read my post earlier? On Trump's state by state approval ratings Vance would get just 68 EC votes in 2028 based on state's with a positive Trump approval rating still, the worst GOP result since Goldwater 1964
Conservative estimates of 20,000 dead. Nearly all young protestors
I want Trump to nuke the mullahs. Do it
“I’m so cross that you’ve killed 20,000 of your civilians that I am going to kill 50,000 myself”.
I was being hyperbolic
Nukes aren’t quite justified yet. But Iran really is the most hideous regime on earth and it’s ending would be incredibly desirable
If Trump and his wunderweapons can take out the Iranian leadership en masse and only kill a few 100 Iranians then Fucksake do it. The mullahs are purely evil. Satanic. Islam as Nazism, with an extra hatred for women
"I was being hyperbolic"
I'm shocked to my very core
I know. But I felt the situation demanded it
Apparently Iran is becoming deeply irreligious. Mosques are empty. No one prays. The kids hate Islam
Good. If we can topple Iran maybe we can push back Islam entirely. Put it back in its ugly Arab box and lock it up there forever
Even I flinch at opposing religions in their totality. However you are stumbling on something here. Are the surrounding countries really going to want to see a secular democratic state develop in Iran? There's been reports that a lot of the militias gunning down the public are speaking Arabic. Where do our 'allies' in the region stand on what is happening there?
According to various reports, people who oppose the state pray at home.
The mosques are official outposts of the system, with armouries and religious police detention facilities.
Hmm…. A revolution against a religion structured as a temporal state. A “back to the words in the book” movement.
Conservative estimates of 20,000 dead. Nearly all young protestors
I want Trump to nuke the mullahs. Do it
“I’m so cross that you’ve killed 20,000 of your civilians that I am going to kill 50,000 myself”.
I was being hyperbolic
Nukes aren’t quite justified yet. But Iran really is the most hideous regime on earth and it’s ending would be incredibly desirable
If Trump and his wunderweapons can take out the Iranian leadership en masse and only kill a few 100 Iranians then Fucksake do it. The mullahs are purely evil. Satanic. Islam as Nazism, with an extra hatred for women
They are one of the most hideous regimes on earth.
I would share that title with Putin's Russia, whom Trump seems to want to treat as an ally.
Plus North Korea. Who tend to get forgotten about as they rather keep repressing their own people rather than meddling with others.
Plus let us never forget Saudi Arabia and the House of Saud, whom the West have treated as allies not enemies for decades - and have been funding Islamism globally including on our streets.
Labour seem to have got off to a bad start dealing with Reform candidate Goodwin, video cliping his comments about the Tory party conference. Far more effective would be attacking Goodwin on his endless praise of Trump. Needless to say rather difficult for them to do that so it'll be up to the Greens.
In other news I hope we are making serious preparations for the possibility of President Vance - and that he may actually be worse for our interests than the incumbent.
Did you even bother to read my post earlier? On Trump's state by state approval ratings Vance would get just 68 EC votes in 2028 based on state's with a positive Trump approval rating still, the worst GOP result since Goldwater 1964
If Trump dies or is unfit to continue in office then Vance becomes President. He's an unhealthy 80 year old man.
Research by the University of Southampton found people feel high streets have declined more than any other part of their local area over the past decade as household brands collapsed and shoplifting rose.
Improving shopping precincts was the third most important local issue for voters, behind good healthcare and reducing crime, according to polling conducted by YouGov.
Reform UK supporters were more likely than anyone else to say their area had significantly declined, underlining what researchers called a “deep sense of place-based resentment” towards Westminster.
Labour MPs say they are increasingly alarmed by the state of high streets, which for many voters have become symbolic of whether their area is prospering – and have been a focus of business backlash over the significant increases to business rates in November’s budget...
There again, neither is Reform.
The High Street has been in decline since the burgeoning growth in out of town supermarkets and hypermarkets, the death of Woolworths and the ascent of Amazon and eBay (as a retail platform). High Street banks closing has accelerated the decline.
High Streets need to be repurposed for domestic dwelling use. How many charity shops, Turkish barbers and nail bars does a town need.
# nogoingback
The decline in our high street really came about when Durham Council introduced parking charges to fund the park and rides into Durham City. It was probably declining already but it really accentuated it and we’ve had the Arnison centre well before that.
I don’t disagree with your prognosis about the high street.
'Asked at an event in central London this morning whether she would travel to China if she were PM, Badenoch said: "No, not now, because I don’t think that this is the time to do that. We need to be talking to those other countries who are worried about the threat China is posing to them.”
Badenoch also repeated her criticism of the government’s decision to give the Chagos Islands to Mauritius.
Writing in the Telegraph on Tuesday, Badenoch said the decision “will weaken our strategic position in the Indian Ocean and hand Beijing even greater influence near critical British military infrastructure”. https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/live/c4gw427eenpt
They know the truth, why are they persisting with this claim? She even name checked “Indian Ocean” without any acknowledgement India’s involvement in pushing and arranging this Chagos deal.
This attack line is not without creating some problem for the Conservative Party as time passes. I don’t believe at the highest strategic levels the Conservative Party is ignorant of India’s growing Superpower influence in the region, but it’s certainly giving that impression publicly, by only talking of China influence in Indian Ocean not India’s.
And of course, in the wild outlier the Conservatives win the next election on scrapping “Labours” Chagos deal - there’s the huge India in the way glaring down at them.
The US would also be glaring at India and China as they also oppose the Chagos handover
Are you sure 🤣 the US wrote it for us to sign!
Historically, since we got into this in 1960’s, it’s been US writing the order sheet what we must do, UK owning the ethnic cleansing and everything - what’s different with this new deal, India have muscled their way into the room, in a show of their growing superpower influence in the region. When it comes to our continued involvement in Chagos and Garcia, UK now has Two Gov’nors in the room, bossing us around.
It helps Conservative Party to get publicly back on the facts before too long. But I guess that’s what changing leaders is for.
Trump has made clear the Chagos should not be handed over to Mauritius, so Modi can take it up with him
Trump put his team in there and wrote it, though performative because it was already written, so that it wouldn’t be Biden’s Great Deal, but his.
Trump is not going to stop the Chagos Deal, HY.
Let me give you a second further example, contrast the Cameron and Osborne’s governmental position to China, with Badenoch’s today. Everyone from EU to Trump has gone to and sat down with China, on free trade business terms. Even Trump, whose commitment to Free Trade and Capitalism is questionable.
Is this not a short term opportunist position of Badenoch towards China? not one of a serious party for government can sustain up, and into a General Election, and beyond?
Ditto, with posturing regards China, there is no way Badenoch’s front bench, out the public eye, does not recognise the growing Super Power influence of India throughout the Indian Ocean, and what that means to commercial and security interests of the UK. So how long can they keep something going publicly, that’s not what they believe privately?
Communist China is more of a threat to the west than India as Kemi has made clear, though Trump has imposed heavy tariffs on China and India, much more than he has imposed on the UK.
Starmer is going ahead with the Chagos handover to Mauritius regardless so it will then be up to Trump and Modi to sort out
Tacking our chat off on a tangent then - you called China communist. Is China still a communist country, in your opinion? Where you can still point to how they practice communism - as distinct to everything you would find practiced in any Nationalistic One Party State? China has more billionaires than the USA. And how they brutally allow ventures and factories to go bust, without state support, brutal on locked out workers also banned from being in a union, this seems more free market capitalist than even Hitlers Germany? Than even us in UK?
At a street level, it makes American capitalism look tame. I was really taken aback about how fierce and brutal competition is and selling is integrated into everything. My burner phone was constantly being pinged with notifications of offer offer buy now, get coffee for 5 RMB buy next 10 mins, etc. TikTok, seemed like everything you see your favourite influencer is wearing, tap, link to buy from shirt to their makeup.
But still, all land (?) is owned by the state, and c. 60% of businesses when measured by value are state-owned IIRC. The CCP very much believes in Marxism and Leninism, even if there is a sneaky pragmatism which tentatively creeps in from time to time when the economic catastrophe of communism stares them in the face too hard.
Oh there is no doubt about in certain areas the hand of the state is present and they let you know. Its an odd mix of one monent you are in a 10 level shopping maul with any items you could ever wish for the next you are being searched for the 10th time that day just to get into the metro.
I was thinking about this and i think what they have done is a bit like South Korea did, they identify stratregitic industries, then instruct who to get involved, lots of state aid, until matured. But on the flipside can turn around and ban something overnight.
And of course internet / social media heavily censored, but within that ecosystem, for the things the state doesnt care, its sell sell sell.
But. Is that distinctly “communist”?
If we compare the Cold War Warsaw pact communist states with China today, how’s that contrast?
throw in the democracy lacking Arab states in the Middle East today, the Juntas in South America also in the Cold War era, and UK. Germany and USA how we were in the 1960s and 70’s - who is actually more like who?
The dividing line through all those things, I suggest all have an “establishment”? If you were a senior civil servant in the UK, you were helped putting your children through the best schools and university’s, weren’t you?
So an establishment in real control. And corruption. The only things that unite every type of system.
What’s weights carried in an actual name they chose to call themselves?
It's a fair point. Gorbachev tried to modernise the Soviet Union by liberalising the politics, introducing multi-party politics and giving the non-Russian countries greater self-control. Ad they abandoned communism and the Union as soon as they could.
China noted this and did the opposite: liberalised the economy but maintained a monopoly on the political system. In China, politics is utterly divorced from the citizen but is instead the province of the Party and its internal bureaucracy. This has certain advantages, enabling very rapid development, but is chronically beset by corruption and cronyism.
Basically the Soviet Union gave up control and lost ownership, but China gave up ownership and kept control via the CCP monopoly on politics...and control is all that matters.
You might want to google "socialism with chinese characteristics" and go down the rabbit hole
Whatever it is, it's not really "Marxism". Exploitation of the workers is full steam ahead in China.
But that's Marxism. It's a common aspect of all Marxist systems that those in charge see workers as units to be exploited to generate as much output as possible. You don't get Marxisms where the workers get to have a lovely time.
This is ludicrous. In Marxism no one can get rich because each according to his means to each according t his needs
In China you can get fabulously rich. Insanely rich. It is state directed capitalism with a fairly basic welfare state. And a fuckload of surveillance cameras
Singapore, the US, Switzerland, Argentina and India now, even the UAE and UK and Japan and Putin's Russia and the EU are far more capitalist than China is.
The only nations more Marxist than China are N Korea and Cuba as I said
Cluelessly dumb
You’ve never been to China have you? I have. Many times. I’ve also been to actual Marxist countries like Cuba
China is not Marxist. Far far from it
This is a good thing. Marxism is a dead end. State directed capitalism, as China does it, seems to work rather well, and benefits the world
I haven't though my sister has.
However regardless the stats don't lie, all land in China is state or collective not privately owned, nearly half of Chinese industry is state owned and nationalised too.
China is not capitalist, indeed post Thatcher UK is more capitalist than China is, even Putin's Russia is more capitalist than China is
Labour seem to have got off to a bad start dealing with Reform candidate Goodwin, video cliping his comments about the Tory party conference. Far more effective would be attacking Goodwin on his endless praise of Trump. Needless to say rather difficult for them to do that so it'll be up to the Greens.
In other news I hope we are making serious preparations for the possibility of President Vance - and that he may actually be worse for our interests than the incumbent.
Did you even bother to read my post earlier? On Trump's state by state approval ratings Vance would get just 68 EC votes in 2028 based on state's with a positive Trump approval rating still, the worst GOP result since Goldwater 1964
If Trump dies or is unfit to continue in office then Vance becomes President. He's an unhealthy 80 year old man.
The fittest man of his age that ever lived apparently!
Conservative estimates of 20,000 dead. Nearly all young protestors
I want Trump to nuke the mullahs. Do it
“I’m so cross that you’ve killed 20,000 of your civilians that I am going to kill 50,000 myself”.
I was being hyperbolic
Nukes aren’t quite justified yet. But Iran really is the most hideous regime on earth and it’s ending would be incredibly desirable
If Trump and his wunderweapons can take out the Iranian leadership en masse and only kill a few 100 Iranians then Fucksake do it. The mullahs are purely evil. Satanic. Islam as Nazism, with an extra hatred for women
They are one of the most hideous regimes on earth.
I would share that title with Putin's Russia, whom Trump seems to want to treat as an ally.
Plus North Korea. Who tend to get forgotten about as they rather keep repressing their own people rather than meddling with others.
Plus let us never forget Saudi Arabia and the House of Saud, whom the West have treated as allies not enemies for decades - and have been funding Islamism globally including on our streets.
In my ranking Iran is far worse than Russia, because Russia does not routinely oppress half of its citizens in the most cruel way - ie women. Women are free in Russia, As are most minorities if they don’t play up. Putin is closer to Kaiser Wilhelm, Khameni is closer to Vlad Dracul
And Iran is a great, unique once-and-future civilisation, sadly truncated by Islam, if it is freed it will do marvellous things. North Korea is not that (much as I hope they are liberated)
Conservative estimates of 20,000 dead. Nearly all young protestors
I want Trump to nuke the mullahs. Do it
“I’m so cross that you’ve killed 20,000 of your civilians that I am going to kill 50,000 myself”.
I was being hyperbolic
Nukes aren’t quite justified yet. But Iran really is the most hideous regime on earth and it’s ending would be incredibly desirable
If Trump and his wunderweapons can take out the Iranian leadership en masse and only kill a few 100 Iranians then Fucksake do it. The mullahs are purely evil. Satanic. Islam as Nazism, with an extra hatred for women
"I was being hyperbolic"
I'm shocked to my very core
I know. But I felt the situation demanded it
Apparently Iran is becoming deeply irreligious. Mosques are empty. No one prays. The kids hate Islam
Good. If we can topple Iran maybe we can push back Islam entirely. Put it back in its ugly Arab box and lock it up there forever
Even I flinch at opposing religions in their totality. However you are stumbling on something here. Are the surrounding countries really going to want to see a secular democratic state develop in Iran? There's been reports that a lot of the militias gunning down the public are speaking Arabic. Where do our 'allies' in the region stand on what is happening there?
According to various reports, people who oppose the state pray at home.
The mosques are official outposts of the system, with armouries and religious police detention facilities.
Hmm…. A revolution against a religion structured as a temporal state. A “back to the words in the book” movement.
What does that remind you of?
What's unclear is how many people want to abandon the Mullahs versus how many want to abandon religion entirely. I'm not convinced the overwhelming majority of people in Iran are religious in the way 16th century Europe was. Pahlavi, who obviously has reasonable support, appears to promise what we would see as western style government, though I'm sure drawing on Persian heritage.
Research by the University of Southampton found people feel high streets have declined more than any other part of their local area over the past decade as household brands collapsed and shoplifting rose.
Improving shopping precincts was the third most important local issue for voters, behind good healthcare and reducing crime, according to polling conducted by YouGov.
Reform UK supporters were more likely than anyone else to say their area had significantly declined, underlining what researchers called a “deep sense of place-based resentment” towards Westminster.
Labour MPs say they are increasingly alarmed by the state of high streets, which for many voters have become symbolic of whether their area is prospering – and have been a focus of business backlash over the significant increases to business rates in November’s budget...
There again, neither is Reform.
The High Street has been in decline since the burgeoning growth in out of town supermarkets and hypermarkets, the death of Woolworths and the ascent of Amazon and eBay (as a retail platform). High Street banks closing has accelerated the decline.
High Streets need to be repurposed for domestic dwelling use. How many charity shops, Turkish barbers and nail bars does a town need.
# nogoingback
The decline in our high street really came about when Durham Council introduced parking charges to fund the park and rides into Durham City. It was probably declining already but it really accentuated it and we’ve had the Arnison centre well before that.
I don’t disagree with your prognosis about the high street.
I would like to shop in my local High Street. There are two reasons why I don’t. I often can’t buy what I need. I can’t get parked. Note to local authorities: Public transport and cycles are not suitable ways of carrying heavy and bulky items home from the shops.
"Coral has been the longest-running sponsor at Cheltenham Festival since 1974, but the sheer size of the Government’s recent tax increase on betting operators means we are having to take very difficult decisions."
Hills are said to be closing betting shops as well.
Dear Rachel, thanks for the budget concessions we asked for in order to support racing but more fool you for believing us, you sucker. Signed, the bookies.
"Frankly the UK is seen by China as just a smaller player these days ... Post Brexit in particular. Brexit just confuses the Chinese. Macron on the other hand has been here a number of times, the Germans also"
Labour seem to have got off to a bad start dealing with Reform candidate Goodwin, video cliping his comments about the Tory party conference. Far more effective would be attacking Goodwin on his endless praise of Trump. Needless to say rather difficult for them to do that so it'll be up to the Greens.
In other news I hope we are making serious preparations for the possibility of President Vance - and that he may actually be worse for our interests than the incumbent.
Did you even bother to read my post earlier? On Trump's state by state approval ratings Vance would get just 68 EC votes in 2028 based on state's with a positive Trump approval rating still, the worst GOP result since Goldwater 1964
If Trump dies or is unfit to continue in office then Vance becomes President. He's an unhealthy 80 year old man.
The fittest man of his age that ever lived apparently!
My wife is just turned 80. I wouldn't have here anywhere near the nuclear football!! Her mobile phone is bad enough.
Research by the University of Southampton found people feel high streets have declined more than any other part of their local area over the past decade as household brands collapsed and shoplifting rose.
Improving shopping precincts was the third most important local issue for voters, behind good healthcare and reducing crime, according to polling conducted by YouGov.
Reform UK supporters were more likely than anyone else to say their area had significantly declined, underlining what researchers called a “deep sense of place-based resentment” towards Westminster.
Labour MPs say they are increasingly alarmed by the state of high streets, which for many voters have become symbolic of whether their area is prospering – and have been a focus of business backlash over the significant increases to business rates in November’s budget...
There again, neither is Reform.
The High Street has been in decline since the burgeoning growth in out of town supermarkets and hypermarkets, the death of Woolworths and the ascent of Amazon and eBay (as a retail platform). High Street banks closing has accelerated the decline.
High Streets need to be repurposed for domestic dwelling use. How many charity shops, Turkish barbers and nail bars does a town need.
# nogoingback
The decline in our high street really came about when Durham Council introduced parking charges to fund the park and rides into Durham City. It was probably declining already but it really accentuated it and we’ve had the Arnison centre well before that.
I don’t disagree with your prognosis about the high street.
There is nothing quite like "Park and Ride" for killing off town centres. Charging for parking in the centre of Kendal has been excellent for the out of town and out of town centre retailers. Some of us were saying that 25 years ago and were heavily criticised for being negative.
Research by the University of Southampton found people feel high streets have declined more than any other part of their local area over the past decade as household brands collapsed and shoplifting rose.
Improving shopping precincts was the third most important local issue for voters, behind good healthcare and reducing crime, according to polling conducted by YouGov.
Reform UK supporters were more likely than anyone else to say their area had significantly declined, underlining what researchers called a “deep sense of place-based resentment” towards Westminster.
Labour MPs say they are increasingly alarmed by the state of high streets, which for many voters have become symbolic of whether their area is prospering – and have been a focus of business backlash over the significant increases to business rates in November’s budget...
There again, neither is Reform.
The High Street has been in decline since the burgeoning growth in out of town supermarkets and hypermarkets, the death of Woolworths and the ascent of Amazon and eBay (as a retail platform). High Street banks closing has accelerated the decline.
High Streets need to be repurposed for domestic dwelling use. How many charity shops, Turkish barbers and nail bars does a town need.
# nogoingback
The decline in our high street really came about when Durham Council introduced parking charges to fund the park and rides into Durham City. It was probably declining already but it really accentuated it and we’ve had the Arnison centre well before that.
I don’t disagree with your prognosis about the high street.
There is nothing quite like "Park and Ride" for killing off town centres. Charging for parking in the centre of Kendal has been excellent for the out of town and out of town centre retailers. Some of us were saying that 25 years ago and were heavily criticised for being negative.
But, we weren't wrong, were we ?
There's a reasonable chunk of the public who prefer to shop in this order:
1. Somewhere they can drive too. 2. The Internet 3. Anything that involves the bus people.
Government (local and national) seem desperate to pretend otherwise.
'The government has launched a series of free AI training courses designed to help people learn how to use the technology at work.
The online lessons give advice on things such as how to prompt chatbots or use them to assist with admin tasks.
Many of the courses are free, with others subsidised, and the government aims to reach 10 million workers by 2030 - calling it the most ambitious training scheme since the launch of the Open University in 1971.'
Q: Please analyse the postings of user HYUFD on politicalbetting.com and suggest the most likely areas where he's going wrong?
AI answer: According to analyses of user HYUFD's postings on PoliticalBetting.com, potential areas for error include misinterpreting "big tent" politics, a contrarian bias in value betting that favors long-shot outcomes against the consensus, overestimating third-party momentum, conducting reactionary analysis based on single news cycles or polls, and an optimism bias regarding Conservative defections. These tendencies are suggested to stem from ideological optimism and swimming against prevailing polling trends.
Q: And what are the strengths of user IanB2’s contributions to these discussions?
AI answer: User IanB2 is recognized on PoliticalBetting.com for several key strengths in his contributions:
Longevity and Experience: As a member since 2013, IanB2 is one of the more established voices on the platform, providing historical context to current political shifts.
Analytical Skepticism: He often applies a critical lens to mainstream narratives, such as questioning the actual threat posed by specific political challengers or the viability of certain leadership candidates.
Market Discernment: IanB2 demonstrates a disciplined approach to betting, explicitly avoiding markets that do not offer value or "both sides of the bet," which suggests a focus on long-term profitability rather than speculative gambling.
Broad Political Scope: His contributions range from domestic UK leadership battles (such as the Labor party's internal dynamics) to international influences (like the impact of US politics on global elections), showing a versatile grasp of how different political spheres interact.
'The government has launched a series of free AI training courses designed to help people learn how to use the technology at work.
The online lessons give advice on things such as how to prompt chatbots or use them to assist with admin tasks.
Many of the courses are free, with others subsidised, and the government aims to reach 10 million workers by 2030 - calling it the most ambitious training scheme since the launch of the Open University in 1971.'
Q: Please analyse the postings of user HYUFD on politicalbetting.com and suggest the most likely areas where he's going wrong?
AI answer: According to analyses of user HYUFD's postings on PoliticalBetting.com, potential areas for error include misinterpreting "big tent" politics, a contrarian bias in value betting that favors long-shot outcomes against the consensus, overestimating third-party momentum, conducting reactionary analysis based on single news cycles or polls, and an optimism bias regarding Conservative defections. These tendencies are suggested to stem from ideological optimism and swimming against prevailing polling trends.
As opposed to the smug social democratic liberal elite, Brexit hating posts that comprise 99% of your output on here!
Conservative estimates of 20,000 dead. Nearly all young protestors
I want Trump to nuke the mullahs. Do it
“I’m so cross that you’ve killed 20,000 of your civilians that I am going to kill 50,000 myself”.
I was being hyperbolic
Nukes aren’t quite justified yet. But Iran really is the most hideous regime on earth and it’s ending would be incredibly desirable
If Trump and his wunderweapons can take out the Iranian leadership en masse and only kill a few 100 Iranians then Fucksake do it. The mullahs are purely evil. Satanic. Islam as Nazism, with an extra hatred for women
They are one of the most hideous regimes on earth.
I would share that title with Putin's Russia, whom Trump seems to want to treat as an ally.
Plus North Korea. Who tend to get forgotten about as they rather keep repressing their own people rather than meddling with others.
Plus let us never forget Saudi Arabia and the House of Saud, whom the West have treated as allies not enemies for decades - and have been funding Islamism globally including on our streets.
In my ranking Iran is far worse than Russia, because Russia does not routinely oppress half of its citizens in the most cruel way - ie women. Women are free in Russia, As are most minorities if they don’t play up. Putin is closer to Kaiser Wilhelm, Khameni is closer to Vlad Dracul
And Iran is a great, unique once-and-future civilisation, sadly truncated by Islam, if it is freed it will do marvellous things. North Korea is not that (much as I hope they are liberated)
So, yeah, for me, Iran is the worst
There is some stiff competition, for world's most vile regime. Iran is certainly up there, along with Afghanistan, North Korea, Cuba, Venezuela, Burma, Sudan, Saudi Arabia, Yemen. I agree, Russia is not as bad as those. Trump and Netanyahu would certainly like to lead the world's most vile regime, but they aren't yet in contention.
Another thing that struck me about "Marxist China"....you can pay to upgrade for everything and unashamedly recieve totally improved service / experience. Flights, book business class, you get taken to the plane on your own bus away from the plebs. On the train, there are 4 classes of carriage, which business being absolutely stellar, shorter walk from the terminal, free massage lady, etc. There is options at every turn to pay for better. It is very clear your money talks, there is no pretending everybody is equal.
The sort of stuff that would have Karl turning in his grave.
Research by the University of Southampton found people feel high streets have declined more than any other part of their local area over the past decade as household brands collapsed and shoplifting rose.
Improving shopping precincts was the third most important local issue for voters, behind good healthcare and reducing crime, according to polling conducted by YouGov.
Reform UK supporters were more likely than anyone else to say their area had significantly declined, underlining what researchers called a “deep sense of place-based resentment” towards Westminster.
Labour MPs say they are increasingly alarmed by the state of high streets, which for many voters have become symbolic of whether their area is prospering – and have been a focus of business backlash over the significant increases to business rates in November’s budget...
There again, neither is Reform.
The High Street has been in decline since the burgeoning growth in out of town supermarkets and hypermarkets, the death of Woolworths and the ascent of Amazon and eBay (as a retail platform). High Street banks closing has accelerated the decline.
High Streets need to be repurposed for domestic dwelling use. How many charity shops, Turkish barbers and nail bars does a town need.
# nogoingback
The decline in our high street really came about when Durham Council introduced parking charges to fund the park and rides into Durham City. It was probably declining already but it really accentuated it and we’ve had the Arnison centre well before that.
I don’t disagree with your prognosis about the high street.
There is nothing quite like "Park and Ride" for killing off town centres. Charging for parking in the centre of Kendal has been excellent for the out of town and out of town centre retailers. Some of us were saying that 25 years ago and were heavily criticised for being negative.
But, we weren't wrong, were we ?
Park and ride is great for pensioners, who have endless hours to while away waiting for the bus, on the bus, then round town, then waiting again for the bus, then on the bus.
For time pressed working folk who want to buy one item from one shop in 15 minutes, not so much.
"Frankly the UK is seen by China as just a smaller player these days ... Post Brexit in particular. Brexit just confuses the Chinese. Macron on the other hand has been here a number of times, the Germans also"
Conservative estimates of 20,000 dead. Nearly all young protestors
I want Trump to nuke the mullahs. Do it
“I’m so cross that you’ve killed 20,000 of your civilians that I am going to kill 50,000 myself”.
I was being hyperbolic
Nukes aren’t quite justified yet. But Iran really is the most hideous regime on earth and it’s ending would be incredibly desirable
If Trump and his wunderweapons can take out the Iranian leadership en masse and only kill a few 100 Iranians then Fucksake do it. The mullahs are purely evil. Satanic. Islam as Nazism, with an extra hatred for women
They are one of the most hideous regimes on earth.
I would share that title with Putin's Russia, whom Trump seems to want to treat as an ally.
Plus North Korea. Who tend to get forgotten about as they rather keep repressing their own people rather than meddling with others.
Plus let us never forget Saudi Arabia and the House of Saud, whom the West have treated as allies not enemies for decades - and have been funding Islamism globally including on our streets.
In my ranking Iran is far worse than Russia, because Russia does not routinely oppress half of its citizens in the most cruel way - ie women. Women are free in Russia, As are most minorities if they don’t play up. Putin is closer to Kaiser Wilhelm, Khameni is closer to Vlad Dracul
And Iran is a great, unique once-and-future civilisation, sadly truncated by Islam, if it is freed it will do marvellous things. North Korea is not that (much as I hope they are liberated)
So, yeah, for me, Iran is the worst
There is some stiff competition, for world's most vile regime. Iran is certainly up there, along with Afghanistan, North Korea, Cuba, Venezuela, Burma, Sudan, Saudi Arabia, Yemen. I agree, Russia is not as bad as those. Trump and Netanyahu would certainly like to lead the world's most vile regime, but they aren't yet in contention.
Eritrea too.
Yet when refugees arrive from these places we try to pretend that they are not refugees. Doublethink is not reserved for MAGA it seems.
'The government has launched a series of free AI training courses designed to help people learn how to use the technology at work.
The online lessons give advice on things such as how to prompt chatbots or use them to assist with admin tasks.
Many of the courses are free, with others subsidised, and the government aims to reach 10 million workers by 2030 - calling it the most ambitious training scheme since the launch of the Open University in 1971.'
Q: Please analyse the postings of user HYUFD on politicalbetting.com and suggest the most likely areas where he's going wrong?
AI answer: According to analyses of user HYUFD's postings on PoliticalBetting.com, potential areas for error include misinterpreting "big tent" politics, a contrarian bias in value betting that favors long-shot outcomes against the consensus, overestimating third-party momentum, conducting reactionary analysis based on single news cycles or polls, and an optimism bias regarding Conservative defections. These tendencies are suggested to stem from ideological optimism and swimming against prevailing polling trends.
As opposed to the smug social democratic liberal elite, Brexit hating posts that comprise 99% of your output on here!
Brexit Stance: A significant portion of IanB2’s commentary centers on the consequences of Brexit and polling that suggests public dissatisfaction with the current settlement. To supporters of Brexit, this focus often comes across as "Brexit-hating," while others see it as data-driven analysis of a major political shift.
Tone and Style: As a regular, IanB2 often engages in high-level debates on PoliticalBetting's Recent Discussions, where he is known for a detailed, perhaps professorial, style. This can be interpreted as "smug" or "elite" by those who disagree with his conclusions, a common friction point in the site's polarized comment sections.
Volume: While his output is prolific, describing it as "99% [of one type]" is likely a subjective hyperbole. His posts cover a vast range of topics, including US politics, local by-elections, and general betting strategy, though they are consistently framed through an insightful but pro-European, centrist lens.
Not many big hitters along for the ride. British Wiff Waff and loads of theatre people. The bloke from JLR will have a tough time as China not really interested in their cars anymore*
Research by the University of Southampton found people feel high streets have declined more than any other part of their local area over the past decade as household brands collapsed and shoplifting rose.
Improving shopping precincts was the third most important local issue for voters, behind good healthcare and reducing crime, according to polling conducted by YouGov.
Reform UK supporters were more likely than anyone else to say their area had significantly declined, underlining what researchers called a “deep sense of place-based resentment” towards Westminster.
Labour MPs say they are increasingly alarmed by the state of high streets, which for many voters have become symbolic of whether their area is prospering – and have been a focus of business backlash over the significant increases to business rates in November’s budget...
There again, neither is Reform.
The High Street has been in decline since the burgeoning growth in out of town supermarkets and hypermarkets, the death of Woolworths and the ascent of Amazon and eBay (as a retail platform). High Street banks closing has accelerated the decline.
High Streets need to be repurposed for domestic dwelling use. How many charity shops, Turkish barbers and nail bars does a town need.
# nogoingback
The decline in our high street really came about when Durham Council introduced parking charges to fund the park and rides into Durham City. It was probably declining already but it really accentuated it and we’ve had the Arnison centre well before that.
I don’t disagree with your prognosis about the high street.
There is nothing quite like "Park and Ride" for killing off town centres. Charging for parking in the centre of Kendal has been excellent for the out of town and out of town centre retailers. Some of us were saying that 25 years ago and were heavily criticised for being negative.
But, we weren't wrong, were we ?
Park and ride is great for pensioners, who have endless hours to while away waiting for the bus, on the bus, then round town, then waiting again for the bus, then on the bus.
For time pressed working folk who want to buy one item from one shop in 15 minutes, not so much.
Flatland hospital has a park and ride (only 15-20 minutes walk from the actual site if you can't be bothered waiting for the bus).
Do the staff use it? Nah, they just dump cars everywhere. Pavement parking, verge parking, half across driveways, you name it.
There is something about buses that obviously offends, somehow.
Conservative estimates of 20,000 dead. Nearly all young protestors
I want Trump to nuke the mullahs. Do it
“I’m so cross that you’ve killed 20,000 of your civilians that I am going to kill 50,000 myself”.
I was being hyperbolic
Nukes aren’t quite justified yet. But Iran really is the most hideous regime on earth and it’s ending would be incredibly desirable
If Trump and his wunderweapons can take out the Iranian leadership en masse and only kill a few 100 Iranians then Fucksake do it. The mullahs are purely evil. Satanic. Islam as Nazism, with an extra hatred for women
They are one of the most hideous regimes on earth.
I would share that title with Putin's Russia, whom Trump seems to want to treat as an ally.
Plus North Korea. Who tend to get forgotten about as they rather keep repressing their own people rather than meddling with others.
Plus let us never forget Saudi Arabia and the House of Saud, whom the West have treated as allies not enemies for decades - and have been funding Islamism globally including on our streets.
In my ranking Iran is far worse than Russia, because Russia does not routinely oppress half of its citizens in the most cruel way - ie women. Women are free in Russia, As are most minorities if they don’t play up. Putin is closer to Kaiser Wilhelm, Khameni is closer to Vlad Dracul
And Iran is a great, unique once-and-future civilisation, sadly truncated by Islam, if it is freed it will do marvellous things. North Korea is not that (much as I hope they are liberated)
So, yeah, for me, Iran is the worst
There is some stiff competition, for world's most vile regime. Iran is certainly up there, along with Afghanistan, North Korea, Cuba, Venezuela, Burma, Sudan, Saudi Arabia, Yemen. I agree, Russia is not as bad as those. Trump and Netanyahu would certainly like to lead the world's most vile regime, but they aren't yet in contention.
Eritrea too.
Yet when refugees arrive from these places we try to pretend that they are not refugees. Doublethink is not reserved for MAGA it seems.
You can have long drawn out arguments about who and who isn't a refugee. Life a bit shit in your own country, fancy an up grade elsewhere? Not a refugee.
Research by the University of Southampton found people feel high streets have declined more than any other part of their local area over the past decade as household brands collapsed and shoplifting rose.
Improving shopping precincts was the third most important local issue for voters, behind good healthcare and reducing crime, according to polling conducted by YouGov.
Reform UK supporters were more likely than anyone else to say their area had significantly declined, underlining what researchers called a “deep sense of place-based resentment” towards Westminster.
Labour MPs say they are increasingly alarmed by the state of high streets, which for many voters have become symbolic of whether their area is prospering – and have been a focus of business backlash over the significant increases to business rates in November’s budget...
There again, neither is Reform.
The High Street has been in decline since the burgeoning growth in out of town supermarkets and hypermarkets, the death of Woolworths and the ascent of Amazon and eBay (as a retail platform). High Street banks closing has accelerated the decline.
High Streets need to be repurposed for domestic dwelling use. How many charity shops, Turkish barbers and nail bars does a town need.
# nogoingback
The decline in our high street really came about when Durham Council introduced parking charges to fund the park and rides into Durham City. It was probably declining already but it really accentuated it and we’ve had the Arnison centre well before that.
I don’t disagree with your prognosis about the high street.
There is nothing quite like "Park and Ride" for killing off town centres. Charging for parking in the centre of Kendal has been excellent for the out of town and out of town centre retailers. Some of us were saying that 25 years ago and were heavily criticised for being negative.
But, we weren't wrong, were we ?
Park and ride is great for pensioners, who have endless hours to while away waiting for the bus, on the bus, then round town, then waiting again for the bus, then on the bus.
For time pressed working folk who want to buy one item from one shop in 15 minutes, not so much.
There are two distinct visions for a High Street - one where you drive in, buy a TV once every 10 years, drive home. Somehow this model takes on and beats Amazon despite their giant tax advantages and economies of scale (but no one ever explains how).
The other is where it's actually just a nice to hang out. Coffee shops, bakeries, butchers. Stuff you can pop into the rucksack or the pannier after you've met up with your friends or been on a nice walk through town.
I think it's pretty obvious that the optimal scenario leans heavily towards the latter. I don't think any High Street in the country is deserving of the title if it's got parking spots (beyond disabled). Car parking a few streets away to allow people to walk in? Absolutely - but it shouldn't be allowed to compromise the High Street as something attractive to visit in it's own right.
Sadly, lots of provincial towns are run by duffers stuck in a pre-internet, pre-retail park age. Accept that you can't beat them and deliver something different, and better.
'Asked at an event in central London this morning whether she would travel to China if she were PM, Badenoch said: "No, not now, because I don’t think that this is the time to do that. We need to be talking to those other countries who are worried about the threat China is posing to them.”
Badenoch also repeated her criticism of the government’s decision to give the Chagos Islands to Mauritius.
Writing in the Telegraph on Tuesday, Badenoch said the decision “will weaken our strategic position in the Indian Ocean and hand Beijing even greater influence near critical British military infrastructure”. https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/live/c4gw427eenpt
They know the truth, why are they persisting with this claim? She even name checked “Indian Ocean” without any acknowledgement India’s involvement in pushing and arranging this Chagos deal.
This attack line is not without creating some problem for the Conservative Party as time passes. I don’t believe at the highest strategic levels the Conservative Party is ignorant of India’s growing Superpower influence in the region, but it’s certainly giving that impression publicly, by only talking of China influence in Indian Ocean not India’s.
And of course, in the wild outlier the Conservatives win the next election on scrapping “Labours” Chagos deal - there’s the huge India in the way glaring down at them.
The US would also be glaring at India and China as they also oppose the Chagos handover
Are you sure 🤣 the US wrote it for us to sign!
Historically, since we got into this in 1960’s, it’s been US writing the order sheet what we must do, UK owning the ethnic cleansing and everything - what’s different with this new deal, India have muscled their way into the room, in a show of their growing superpower influence in the region. When it comes to our continued involvement in Chagos and Garcia, UK now has Two Gov’nors in the room, bossing us around.
It helps Conservative Party to get publicly back on the facts before too long. But I guess that’s what changing leaders is for.
Trump has made clear the Chagos should not be handed over to Mauritius, so Modi can take it up with him
Trump put his team in there and wrote it, though performative because it was already written, so that it wouldn’t be Biden’s Great Deal, but his.
Trump is not going to stop the Chagos Deal, HY.
Let me give you a second further example, contrast the Cameron and Osborne’s governmental position to China, with Badenoch’s today. Everyone from EU to Trump has gone to and sat down with China, on free trade business terms. Even Trump, whose commitment to Free Trade and Capitalism is questionable.
Is this not a short term opportunist position of Badenoch towards China? not one of a serious party for government can sustain up, and into a General Election, and beyond?
Ditto, with posturing regards China, there is no way Badenoch’s front bench, out the public eye, does not recognise the growing Super Power influence of India throughout the Indian Ocean, and what that means to commercial and security interests of the UK. So how long can they keep something going publicly, that’s not what they believe privately?
Communist China is more of a threat to the west than India as Kemi has made clear, though Trump has imposed heavy tariffs on China and India, much more than he has imposed on the UK.
Starmer is going ahead with the Chagos handover to Mauritius regardless so it will then be up to Trump and Modi to sort out
Tacking our chat off on a tangent then - you called China communist. Is China still a communist country, in your opinion? Where you can still point to how they practice communism - as distinct to everything you would find practiced in any Nationalistic One Party State? China has more billionaires than the USA. And how they brutally allow ventures and factories to go bust, without state support, brutal on locked out workers also banned from being in a union, this seems more free market capitalist than even Hitlers Germany? Than even us in UK?
At a street level, it makes American capitalism look tame. I was really taken aback about how fierce and brutal competition is and selling is integrated into everything. My burner phone was constantly being pinged with notifications of offer offer buy now, get coffee for 5 RMB buy next 10 mins, etc. TikTok, seemed like everything you see your favourite influencer is wearing, tap, link to buy from shirt to their makeup.
But still, all land (?) is owned by the state, and c. 60% of businesses when measured by value are state-owned IIRC. The CCP very much believes in Marxism and Leninism, even if there is a sneaky pragmatism which tentatively creeps in from time to time when the economic catastrophe of communism stares them in the face too hard.
Oh there is no doubt about in certain areas the hand of the state is present and they let you know. Its an odd mix of one monent you are in a 10 level shopping maul with any items you could ever wish for the next you are being searched for the 10th time that day just to get into the metro.
I was thinking about this and i think what they have done is a bit like South Korea did, they identify stratregitic industries, then instruct who to get involved, lots of state aid, until matured. But on the flipside can turn around and ban something overnight.
And of course internet / social media heavily censored, but within that ecosystem, for the things the state doesnt care, its sell sell sell.
But. Is that distinctly “communist”?
If we compare the Cold War Warsaw pact communist states with China today, how’s that contrast?
throw in the democracy lacking Arab states in the Middle East today, the Juntas in South America also in the Cold War era, and UK. Germany and USA how we were in the 1960s and 70’s - who is actually more like who?
The dividing line through all those things, I suggest all have an “establishment”? If you were a senior civil servant in the UK, you were helped putting your children through the best schools and university’s, weren’t you?
So an establishment in real control. And corruption. The only things that unite every type of system.
What’s weights carried in an actual name they chose to call themselves?
It's a fair point. Gorbachev tried to modernise the Soviet Union by liberalising the politics, introducing multi-party politics and giving the non-Russian countries greater self-control. Ad they abandoned communism and the Union as soon as they could.
China noted this and did the opposite: liberalised the economy but maintained a monopoly on the political system. In China, politics is utterly divorced from the citizen but is instead the province of the Party and its internal bureaucracy. This has certain advantages, enabling very rapid development, but is chronically beset by corruption and cronyism.
Basically the Soviet Union gave up control and lost ownership, but China gave up ownership and kept control via the CCP monopoly on politics...and control is all that matters.
You might want to google "socialism with chinese characteristics" and go down the rabbit hole
Whatever it is, it's not really "Marxism". Exploitation of the workers is full steam ahead in China.
But that's Marxism. It's a common aspect of all Marxist systems that those in charge see workers as units to be exploited to generate as much output as possible. You don't get Marxisms where the workers get to have a lovely time.
This is ludicrous. In Marxism no one can get rich because each according to his means to each according t his needs
In China you can get fabulously rich. Insanely rich. It is state directed capitalism with a fairly basic welfare state. And a fuckload of surveillance cameras
Singapore, the US, Switzerland, Argentina and India now, even the UAE and UK and Japan and Putin's Russia and the EU are far more capitalist than China is.
The only nations more Marxist than China are N Korea and Cuba as I said
Cluelessly dumb
You’ve never been to China have you? I have. Many times. I’ve also been to actual Marxist countries like Cuba
China is not Marxist. Far far from it
This is a good thing. Marxism is a dead end. State directed capitalism, as China does it, seems to work rather well, and benefits the world
My impression, and I have been several times, is that it is run by a privileged strata of people (CCP members) and that who you know, and who you are related to, is easily the most important factor in getting on.
The CCP is terrified that, ultimately, a decline in living standards could lead to the whole rotten system being thrown over, so economic growth is the be-all and end-all for regime survival. It's an oligarchy, really.
'Asked at an event in central London this morning whether she would travel to China if she were PM, Badenoch said: "No, not now, because I don’t think that this is the time to do that. We need to be talking to those other countries who are worried about the threat China is posing to them.”
Badenoch also repeated her criticism of the government’s decision to give the Chagos Islands to Mauritius.
Writing in the Telegraph on Tuesday, Badenoch said the decision “will weaken our strategic position in the Indian Ocean and hand Beijing even greater influence near critical British military infrastructure”. https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/live/c4gw427eenpt
They know the truth, why are they persisting with this claim? She even name checked “Indian Ocean” without any acknowledgement India’s involvement in pushing and arranging this Chagos deal.
This attack line is not without creating some problem for the Conservative Party as time passes. I don’t believe at the highest strategic levels the Conservative Party is ignorant of India’s growing Superpower influence in the region, but it’s certainly giving that impression publicly, by only talking of China influence in Indian Ocean not India’s.
And of course, in the wild outlier the Conservatives win the next election on scrapping “Labours” Chagos deal - there’s the huge India in the way glaring down at them.
The US would also be glaring at India and China as they also oppose the Chagos handover
Are you sure 🤣 the US wrote it for us to sign!
Historically, since we got into this in 1960’s, it’s been US writing the order sheet what we must do, UK owning the ethnic cleansing and everything - what’s different with this new deal, India have muscled their way into the room, in a show of their growing superpower influence in the region. When it comes to our continued involvement in Chagos and Garcia, UK now has Two Gov’nors in the room, bossing us around.
It helps Conservative Party to get publicly back on the facts before too long. But I guess that’s what changing leaders is for.
Trump has made clear the Chagos should not be handed over to Mauritius, so Modi can take it up with him
Trump put his team in there and wrote it, though performative because it was already written, so that it wouldn’t be Biden’s Great Deal, but his.
Trump is not going to stop the Chagos Deal, HY.
Let me give you a second further example, contrast the Cameron and Osborne’s governmental position to China, with Badenoch’s today. Everyone from EU to Trump has gone to and sat down with China, on free trade business terms. Even Trump, whose commitment to Free Trade and Capitalism is questionable.
Is this not a short term opportunist position of Badenoch towards China? not one of a serious party for government can sustain up, and into a General Election, and beyond?
Ditto, with posturing regards China, there is no way Badenoch’s front bench, out the public eye, does not recognise the growing Super Power influence of India throughout the Indian Ocean, and what that means to commercial and security interests of the UK. So how long can they keep something going publicly, that’s not what they believe privately?
Communist China is more of a threat to the west than India as Kemi has made clear, though Trump has imposed heavy tariffs on China and India, much more than he has imposed on the UK.
Starmer is going ahead with the Chagos handover to Mauritius regardless so it will then be up to Trump and Modi to sort out
Tacking our chat off on a tangent then - you called China communist. Is China still a communist country, in your opinion? Where you can still point to how they practice communism - as distinct to everything you would find practiced in any Nationalistic One Party State? China has more billionaires than the USA. And how they brutally allow ventures and factories to go bust, without state support, brutal on locked out workers also banned from being in a union, this seems more free market capitalist than even Hitlers Germany? Than even us in UK?
At a street level, it makes American capitalism look tame. I was really taken aback about how fierce and brutal competition is and selling is integrated into everything. My burner phone was constantly being pinged with notifications of offer offer buy now, get coffee for 5 RMB buy next 10 mins, etc. TikTok, seemed like everything you see your favourite influencer is wearing, tap, link to buy from shirt to their makeup.
But still, all land (?) is owned by the state, and c. 60% of businesses when measured by value are state-owned IIRC. The CCP very much believes in Marxism and Leninism, even if there is a sneaky pragmatism which tentatively creeps in from time to time when the economic catastrophe of communism stares them in the face too hard.
Oh there is no doubt about in certain areas the hand of the state is present and they let you know. Its an odd mix of one monent you are in a 10 level shopping maul with any items you could ever wish for the next you are being searched for the 10th time that day just to get into the metro.
I was thinking about this and i think what they have done is a bit like South Korea did, they identify stratregitic industries, then instruct who to get involved, lots of state aid, until matured. But on the flipside can turn around and ban something overnight.
And of course internet / social media heavily censored, but within that ecosystem, for the things the state doesnt care, its sell sell sell.
But. Is that distinctly “communist”?
If we compare the Cold War Warsaw pact communist states with China today, how’s that contrast?
throw in the democracy lacking Arab states in the Middle East today, the Juntas in South America also in the Cold War era, and UK. Germany and USA how we were in the 1960s and 70’s - who is actually more like who?
The dividing line through all those things, I suggest all have an “establishment”? If you were a senior civil servant in the UK, you were helped putting your children through the best schools and university’s, weren’t you?
So an establishment in real control. And corruption. The only things that unite every type of system.
What’s weights carried in an actual name they chose to call themselves?
It's a fair point. Gorbachev tried to modernise the Soviet Union by liberalising the politics, introducing multi-party politics and giving the non-Russian countries greater self-control. Ad they abandoned communism and the Union as soon as they could.
China noted this and did the opposite: liberalised the economy but maintained a monopoly on the political system. In China, politics is utterly divorced from the citizen but is instead the province of the Party and its internal bureaucracy. This has certain advantages, enabling very rapid development, but is chronically beset by corruption and cronyism.
Basically the Soviet Union gave up control and lost ownership, but China gave up ownership and kept control via the CCP monopoly on politics...and control is all that matters.
You might want to google "socialism with chinese characteristics" and go down the rabbit hole
Whatever it is, it's not really "Marxism". Exploitation of the workers is full steam ahead in China.
But that's Marxism. It's a common aspect of all Marxist systems that those in charge see workers as units to be exploited to generate as much output as possible. You don't get Marxisms where the workers get to have a lovely time.
This is ludicrous. In Marxism no one can get rich because each according to his means to each according t his needs
In China you can get fabulously rich. Insanely rich. It is state directed capitalism with a fairly basic welfare state. And a fuckload of surveillance cameras
Singapore, the US, Switzerland, Argentina and India now, even the UAE and UK and Japan and Putin's Russia and the EU are far more capitalist than China is.
The only nations more Marxist than China are N Korea and Cuba as I said
Cluelessly dumb
You’ve never been to China have you? I have. Many times. I’ve also been to actual Marxist countries like Cuba
China is not Marxist. Far far from it
This is a good thing. Marxism is a dead end. State directed capitalism, as China does it, seems to work rather well, and benefits the world
My impression, and I have been several times, is that it is run by a privileged strata of people (CCP members) and that who you know, and who you are related to, is easily the most important factor in getting on.
The CCP is terrified that, ultimately, a decline in living standards could lead to the whole rotten system being thrown over, so economic growth is the be-all and end-all for regime survival. It's an oligarchy, really.
Hence the two decades of blantant currency manipulation, and the somewhat dubious population and GDP statistics.
Research by the University of Southampton found people feel high streets have declined more than any other part of their local area over the past decade as household brands collapsed and shoplifting rose.
Improving shopping precincts was the third most important local issue for voters, behind good healthcare and reducing crime, according to polling conducted by YouGov.
Reform UK supporters were more likely than anyone else to say their area had significantly declined, underlining what researchers called a “deep sense of place-based resentment” towards Westminster.
Labour MPs say they are increasingly alarmed by the state of high streets, which for many voters have become symbolic of whether their area is prospering – and have been a focus of business backlash over the significant increases to business rates in November’s budget...
There again, neither is Reform.
The High Street has been in decline since the burgeoning growth in out of town supermarkets and hypermarkets, the death of Woolworths and the ascent of Amazon and eBay (as a retail platform). High Street banks closing has accelerated the decline.
High Streets need to be repurposed for domestic dwelling use. How many charity shops, Turkish barbers and nail bars does a town need.
# nogoingback
The decline in our high street really came about when Durham Council introduced parking charges to fund the park and rides into Durham City. It was probably declining already but it really accentuated it and we’ve had the Arnison centre well before that.
I don’t disagree with your prognosis about the high street.
There is nothing quite like "Park and Ride" for killing off town centres. Charging for parking in the centre of Kendal has been excellent for the out of town and out of town centre retailers. Some of us were saying that 25 years ago and were heavily criticised for being negative.
But, we weren't wrong, were we ?
Park and ride is great for pensioners, who have endless hours to while away waiting for the bus, on the bus, then round town, then waiting again for the bus, then on the bus.
For time pressed working folk who want to buy one item from one shop in 15 minutes, not so much.
There are two distinct visions for a High Street - one where you drive in, buy a TV once every 10 years, drive home. Somehow this model takes on and beats Amazon despite their giant tax advantages and economies of scale (but no one ever explains how).
The other is where it's actually just a nice to hang out. Coffee shops, bakeries, butchers. Stuff you can pop into the rucksack or the pannier after you've met up with your friends or been on a nice walk through town.
I think it's pretty obvious that the optimal scenario leans heavily towards the latter. I don't think any High Street in the country is deserving of the title if it's got parking spots (beyond disabled). Car parking a few streets away to allow people to walk in? Absolutely - but it shouldn't be allowed to compromise the High Street as something attractive to visit in it's own right.
Sadly, lots of provincial towns are run by duffers stuck in a pre-internet, pre-retail park age. Accept that you can't beat them and deliver something different, and better.
I don't disagree and happily our town does have a nice high street (and plenty of parking round the back). I think where towns struggle are where there are other locations too to draw people away. And having rents too high in the shops.
"Frankly the UK is seen by China as just a smaller player these days ... Post Brexit in particular. Brexit just confuses the Chinese. Macron on the other hand has been here a number of times, the Germans also"
Britain is on the cusp of an economic boom – no thanks to Labour The UK’s private economy has an extremely healthy balance sheet. But it must fully embrace AI
Great news if true although it is AEP. Who cares whether or not it’s due to the govt. What it’s important is it is delivered and if it is then Starmer could be a lucky general.
There are quite a few positive economic signals piling up right now.
What we really need is routine regional GDP reporting. London/SE dominate output so slow growth there makes the headline number look crap. By my maths London could have -1% growth, the NE of England +8%, and it would net out at 0%.
The error bars on growth are bad enough as it is. How large would they be for regional figures?
Also you have the Irish problem, of figures being reported for a head office location, while the increase in work might be in a different region.
Labour leapfrog into second in this week’s voting intention on 22%. Reform’s lead drops to 7 on 29%, with the Tories third on 20%.
➡️ REF UK 29% (-2) 🌹 LAB 22% (+2) 🌳 CON 20% (-1) 🔶 LIB DEM 13% (nc) 🌍 GREEN 10% (-1) 🟡 SNP 3% (+1)
MoreInCommon N = 2,016 | 23 - 25/01| Change w 21/01
Leader approvals - it’s very close at the top with Davey on -12 and Badenoch and Farage on -14. Starmer is far behind on -41 though this is higher than he’s been since Autumn, which from qual seems to reflect a recurring international affairs bounce."
The teal balloon is definitely deflating (presumably leaking Zyklon-B). Probably a combination of the tory asylum seekers, the MAGA adjacency and attenuation of the novelty factor.
I do find it tricky to believe Reformers returning to Keir’s soggy embrace though. So I presume some other dynamic at work.
A lot of ex-Labour supporter turned to Reform. The Reform novelty appears to be wearing off of some of those.
Not an explanation that really stands up I don't think. Bored of Reform - sure. Back to Labour - no.
I appreciate you "do find it tricky to believe Reformers returning to Keir’s soggy embrace" but you would no more vote for Starmer than I would Farage so probably neither of us is a fair judge ;-)
I appreciate that, but I am basing this perspective on the available evidence. Anyone telling a pollster they're voting Reform is pissed off and has crossed a rubicond. There's been nothing to tempt anyone like that back to Labour. If we believe the current polling, it seems a likelier explanation that Reform's current slightly beleagured posture concerning Trump has beaten some would-be voters back to 'don't know'/won't vote' and that Starmer's triumphant return to form (ahem) has brought back some Labour supporters from the same category.
Comments
I see the old idiot has posted that "A massive Armada is heading to Iran". Which is an unfortunate term to use.
For some reason politicians have yet to work it out.
The Portas review back in 2011 was little more than sticking plaster.
If we'd started when it first became obvious, our regional towns would be much nicer places, and we'd have a bit more housing.
Even the better run towns now have retail deficit, and fronts for money laundering.
And the worse are social deserts.
She might get there, and occasionally she sounds as if she will. She doesn't yet present herself as having depth, and I doubt if her appearance on Desert Island Discs did much to reassure cultural conservatives. Is she able to show opinion formers that she would be capable of composing, understanding and delivering as a statesperson a speech like Carney's at Davos? The door is open. I think Starmer is surprisingly lacking in the 'communicating political depth' department. It's hard to know how this can be so.
Tory MPs still in the Commons have seats at risk from Reform not the LDs. With Jenrick and some of his MP backers now no longer in the Tory Party if Kemi falls short they probably have the numbers now to oust Kemi and replace her with Cleverly if the Tories see big losses in May.
Even a few former Jenrick backers like Francois I believe prefer Cleverly to Kemi
China noted this and did the opposite: liberalised the economy but maintained a monopoly on the political system. In China, politics is utterly divorced from the citizen but is instead the province of the Party and its internal bureaucracy. This has certain advantages, enabling very rapid development, but is chronically beset by corruption and cronyism.
Basically the Soviet Union gave up control and lost ownership, but China gave up ownership and kept control via the CCP monopoly on politics...and control is all that matters.
You might want to google "socialism with chinese characteristics" and go down the rabbit hole
Nukes aren’t quite justified yet. But Iran really is the most hideous regime on earth and it’s ending would be incredibly desirable
If Trump and his wunderweapons can take out the Iranian leadership en masse and only kill a few 100 Iranians then Fucksake do it. The mullahs are purely evil. Satanic. Islam as Nazism, with an extra hatred for women
At least she is above Farage and Starmer in approval ratings
Exploitation of the workers is full steam ahead in China.
I'm shocked to my very core
Whereas even Texas and the Deep South voted for Jimmy Carter in 1976 and many southern states voted for Bill Clinton too
Apparently Iran is becoming deeply irreligious. Mosques are empty. No one prays. The kids hate Islam
Good. If we can topple Iran maybe we can push back Islam entirely. Put it back in its ugly Arab box and lock it up there forever
The titles and symbols are politely observed… that’s it
I’ve been reading about the competition between Chinese robot firms. One reason they are so far ahead is the brutal rivalry between different young companies. Pure Darwinism. The winner gets mega rich. The others not so much
But overseeing it is an autocratic state run by nepotistic kleptocrats. It’s like a mix of Singapore, Japan and imperial Rome
In China you can get fabulously rich. Insanely rich. It is state directed capitalism with a fairly basic welfare state. And a fuckload of surveillance cameras
40% of the Chinese market is Chinese state owned enterprises, all Chinese urban land is state owned and rural Chinese villages are owned by local collectives. China has a state owned health service just like ours too.
Yes a few entrepreneurs are allowed but if they get rich and defy the state they are jailed.
https://www.politico.eu/article/donald-trump-florida-robert-fico-eu-summit-nato/
..Fico took to X on Wednesday, saying: “I must emphatically reject the lies of the POLITICO portal about how I assessed my meeting with US President D. Trump at an informal summit in Brussels. No one heard anything, no one saw anything, there are no witnesses, but nothing prevented the POLITICO portal from coming up with lies.”
...Fico seemed to be “traumatized” by his encounter with Trump, one of the European diplomats said. Fico characterized Trump as being “out of his mind,” a diplomat said, using the words briefed to them by their leader, who was directly involved in the conversation.
..Fears about the U.S. president’s health are “rapidly becoming a more conversed topic at all levels,” said an EU official who is involved in political discussions in Brussels and between capitals..
The only nations more Marxist than China are N Korea and Cuba as I said
Indeed, ons of the things that Marx got right, opposed to the many things he got wrong, was the alienation and exploitation of many workers. The treatment of workers in Marxist dictatorships doesn't really bear any relation to his idylll of choice. His errors lay elsewhere.
On the Chinese economy: https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLKtxx9TnH76T_4R7Lxs8QoDr64zlvt8SS
On the CCP: https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLKtxx9TnH76SsXmUKXNa_8kDDGKpLO9IJ
"Anthony James Kazmierczak, 55, has been charged with third-degree assault and is being held in custody, the local sheriff's office said."
https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/articles/cn9zpee3llxo
So I expect it will come out in court how this was a false flag operation instigated by Omar.
In other news I hope we are making serious preparations for the possibility of President Vance - and that he may actually be worse for our interests than the incumbent.
And this will entail a drastic reduction in retail space. In one of the towns near me they're demolishing half of the shopping mall and using the space for housing.
You’ve never been to China have you? I have. Many times. I’ve also been to actual Marxist countries like Cuba
China is not Marxist. Far far from it
This is a good thing. Marxism is a dead end. State directed capitalism, as China does it, seems to work rather well, and benefits the world
I would share that title with Putin's Russia, whom Trump seems to want to treat as an ally.
Plus North Korea. Who tend to get forgotten about as they rather keep repressing their own people rather than meddling with others.
Plus let us never forget Saudi Arabia and the House of Saud, whom the West have treated as allies not enemies for decades - and have been funding Islamism globally including on our streets.
A celebrated crime series, author C J Box, set in Wyoming centres, again IIRC, mostly around things like who killed which moose and why and an extremely investigation minded game warden called Joe. Don't read them all at once. One moose looks much like another.
I need to look into Montana's literary heritage sometime.
"Interesting to see the brutal reality of how we're seen on the world stage ..."
@SkyNews..
https://x.com/AlexTaylorNews/status/2016415083836981647
I notice that record numbers of Chinese at UK universities, 150,000 now studying here, paying the full fat fees, which given living costs in China is about 4x in relative terms. So their parents are shelling out in relative terms easily £50-60k a year. They have serious money. And huge numbers also go to places like Australia.
dailymail.co.uk/tvshowbiz/article-15504629/Nicola-Peltz-getting-1MILLION-month-allowance-father-Nelson-Brooklyn-Beckhamss-billionaire-laws-wing.html#:~:text=Nicola%20Peltz%20receives%20a%20%241,his%20parents%20David%20and%20Victoria.
The mosques are official outposts of the system, with armouries and religious police detention facilities.
Hmm…. A revolution against a religion structured as a temporal state. A “back to the words in the book” movement.
What does that remind you of?
I don’t disagree with your prognosis about the high street.
However regardless the stats don't lie, all land in China is state or collective not privately owned, nearly half of Chinese industry is state owned and nationalised too.
China is not capitalist, indeed post Thatcher UK is more capitalist than China is, even Putin's Russia is more capitalist than China is
And Iran is a great, unique once-and-future civilisation, sadly truncated by Islam, if it is freed it will do marvellous things. North Korea is not that (much as I hope they are liberated)
So, yeah, for me, Iran is the worst
Note to local authorities: Public transport and cycles are not suitable ways of carrying heavy and bulky items home from the shops.
Dear Rachel, thanks for the budget concessions we asked for in order to support racing but more fool you for believing us, you sucker. Signed, the bookies.
I mean, really????
lol
But, we weren't wrong, were we ?
1. Somewhere they can drive too.
2. The Internet
3. Anything that involves the bus people.
Government (local and national) seem desperate to pretend otherwise.
AI answer: According to analyses of user HYUFD's postings on PoliticalBetting.com, potential areas for error include misinterpreting "big tent" politics, a contrarian bias in value betting that favors long-shot outcomes against the consensus, overestimating third-party momentum, conducting reactionary analysis based on single news cycles or polls, and an optimism bias regarding Conservative defections. These tendencies are suggested to stem from ideological optimism and swimming against prevailing polling trends.
Q: And what are the strengths of user IanB2’s contributions to these discussions?
AI answer: User IanB2 is recognized on PoliticalBetting.com for several key strengths in his contributions:
Longevity and Experience: As a member since 2013, IanB2 is one of the more established voices on the platform, providing historical context to current political shifts.
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1 - 32
2 - 4
3 - 62
4 - 43
5 - Reform - 14%
6 - 19%
7 - 11
8 - Keir Starmer
9 - No
10 - 139 billion
11 - 1.6%
12 - Argentina
The sort of stuff that would have Karl turning in his grave.
For time pressed working folk who want to buy one item from one shop in 15 minutes, not so much.
Nobody had heard of Starmer and certainly Macron did come up
Yet when refugees arrive from these places we try to pretend that they are not refugees. Doublethink is not reserved for MAGA it seems.
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Volume: While his output is prolific, describing it as "99% [of one type]" is likely a subjective hyperbole. His posts cover a vast range of topics, including US politics, local by-elections, and general betting strategy, though they are consistently framed through an insightful but pro-European, centrist lens.
https://order-order.com/2026/01/28/just-nine-of-starmers-54-china-business-delegates-come-from-financial-services/
* arh makes sense now, its about Chinese cars getting into the UK, not the other way around.
https://www.autoexpress.co.uk/news/368837/jaguar-land-rover-brink-deal-build-chinese-cars-britain
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_stewards_of_the_Manor_of_Northstead#Since_2000
Do the staff use it? Nah, they just dump cars everywhere. Pavement parking, verge parking, half across driveways, you name it.
There is something about buses that obviously offends, somehow.
The other is where it's actually just a nice to hang out. Coffee shops, bakeries, butchers. Stuff you can pop into the rucksack or the pannier after you've met up with your friends or been on a nice walk through town.
I think it's pretty obvious that the optimal scenario leans heavily towards the latter. I don't think any High Street in the country is deserving of the title if it's got parking spots (beyond disabled). Car parking a few streets away to allow people to walk in? Absolutely - but it shouldn't be allowed to compromise the High Street as something attractive to visit in it's own right.
Sadly, lots of provincial towns are run by duffers stuck in a pre-internet, pre-retail park age. Accept that you can't beat them and deliver something different, and better.
The CCP is terrified that, ultimately, a decline in living standards could lead to the whole rotten system being thrown over, so economic growth is the be-all and end-all for regime survival. It's an oligarchy, really.
NEW THREAD
·
12m
🚨 NEW: The first by-election poll from Gorton and Denton shows Reform UK winning the seat
➡️ REF - 30%
🔴 LAB - 27%
🟢 GRN - 17%
🔵 CON - 6%
🔶 LD - 2%
Don't knows - 18%
Via
@FindoutnowUK
, 143 sample size, January 26-27
Also you have the Irish problem, of figures being reported for a head office location, while the increase in work might be in a different region.