That just means its a common law offence, meaning not one defined in legislation, so Parliament has not set a maximum penalty for it. The offence is due to be replaced by some statutory gubbins this Parliament sometime.
Wouldn't his first line of defence be that he wasn't in public office? He wasn't paid to be Trade Envoy, for example.
Holding an office does not require payment, unlike being an employee, which by definition is someone who works under a contract of employment. An officer is simply a person appointed or elected to some position of responsibility or authority in an organisation. Doesn't necessarily have to be paid.
It would be an interesting argument, to claim that being a Royal Prince is not a public office.
Yes but isn’t there all sorts of tortured legal logic around all this, I think for instance MPs aren’t public officers despite most people rightly expecting they would be?
Royals inhabit a very grey area id have thought. They’re sort of “sovereign-adjacent” individuals but I wouldn’t have thought officers of the public themselves, at law. This has been the whole problem of this working vs non-working royal thing of recent years - there’s no rulebook. I think the Trade Envoy status must be the intended distinction here but I am sure it’s going to be the topic of extensive legal arguments!
“[Romeo] goes to parties and looks like she’s enjoying herself, in contrast with the vast majority of permanent secretaries I’ve known,” said one Whitehall insider."
Guardian
Sounds like a good appointment. Who goes to parties and doesn't enjoy themselves?
Everyone who went to Your Party.
Funniest political party of recent times was definitely Change UK, or The Independent Group For Change - who desparately wanted to maintain the status quo and not change anything at all.
I'd forgotten them! Bless them, they gave us all a good laugh at the time. Whatever happened to Chuka Umnuna? Probably some management consultant now.
Wheres the woman who said something about a 'funny tinge'?! Gapes is back being a boring Labour shill i believe as is Berger Soubry is a permanent pantomime dame I think
I think today is actually a very good one for our country. As the King and the Prime Minister have both said, nobody is above the law. Could the same thing be said about the United States, for instance?
Mostly, but Trump vs United States disestablished that principle - A president has absolute immunity for acts committed as president. OTOH Marbury vs Madison wrote the court the power of judicial review out of whole cloth.
So Marbury effectively made the court the top power as it is THEY who interpret the constitution, but 221 years late Trump vs USA definitely gave a fair chunk of power back to the president.
The more notable point is that not a single member of the political Epstein class in the US has faced any real criminal investigation, let alone penalty, resulting from their entanglement with the child rapist.
the British arrest the King's brother as part of the investigations into Epstein and the South Koreans send their former president to jail for life for trying to overthrow democracy after he attempted a coup for faked election claims
I think today is actually a very good one for our country. As the King and the Prime Minister have both said, nobody is above the law. Could the same thing be said about the United States, for instance?
Strictly speaking no-one is above the law except for Charles.
Tell that to Charles I. He unsuccessfully ran that specific defence IIRC.
The only thing that is above the law is the King-in-Parliament, which makes it. Individual components of that gestalt entity are restrained by the law in many respects, especially the King.
I think today is actually a very good one for our country. As the King and the Prime Minister have both said, nobody is above the law. Could the same thing be said about the United States, for instance?
Mostly, but Trump vs United States disestablished that principle - A president has absolute immunity for acts committed as president. OTOH Marbury vs Madison wrote the court the power of judicial review out of whole cloth.
So Marbury effectively made the court the top power as it is THEY who interpret the constitution, but 221 years late Trump vs USA definitely gave a fair chunk of power back to the president.
The more notable point is that not a single member of the political Epstein class in the US has faced any real criminal investigation, let alone penalty, resulting from their entanglement with the child rapist.
the British arrest the King's brother as part of the investigations into Epstein and the South Koreans send their former president to jail for life for trying to overthrow democracy after he attempted a coup for faked election claims
It's obviously all going to come out after he's out of power (Well unless they elect Vance which I don't think will happen) - the Epstein stuff obviously didn't happen as part of his presidential duties.
That just means its a common law offence, meaning not one defined in legislation, so Parliament has not set a maximum penalty for it. The offence is due to be replaced by some statutory gubbins this Parliament sometime.
Wouldn't his first line of defence be that he wasn't in public office? He wasn't paid to be Trade Envoy, for example.
Holding an office does not require payment, unlike being an employee, which by definition is someone who works under a contract of employment. An officer is simply a person appointed or elected to some position of responsibility or authority in an organisation. Doesn't necessarily have to be paid.
It would be an interesting argument, to claim that being a Royal Prince is not a public office.
The mere fact of being officially entrusted with privileged information surely confirms that a person is in a public office. Otherwise, it would just be leakage of information.
“[Romeo] goes to parties and looks like she’s enjoying herself, in contrast with the vast majority of permanent secretaries I’ve known,” said one Whitehall insider."
Guardian
Sounds like a good appointment. Who goes to parties and doesn't enjoy themselves?
Everyone who went to Your Party.
Funniest political party of recent times was definitely Change UK, or The Independent Group For Change - who desparately wanted to maintain the status quo and not change anything at all.
I'd forgotten them! Bless them, they gave us all a good laugh at the time. Whatever happened to Chuka Umnuna? Probably some management consultant now.
Of all of them, the rest were no marks but he really could have made a name for himself in politics.
I think today is actually a very good one for our country. As the King and the Prime Minister have both said, nobody is above the law. Could the same thing be said about the United States, for instance?
Mostly, but Trump vs United States disestablished that principle - A president has absolute immunity for acts committed as president. OTOH Marbury vs Madison wrote the court the power of judicial review out of whole cloth.
So Marbury effectively made the court the top power as it is THEY who interpret the constitution, but 221 years late Trump vs USA definitely gave a fair chunk of power back to the president.
The more notable point is that not a single member of the political Epstein class in the US has faced any real criminal investigation, let alone penalty, resulting from their entanglement with the child rapist.
the British arrest the King's brother as part of the investigations into Epstein and the South Koreans send their former president to jail for life for trying to overthrow democracy after he attempted a coup for faked election claims
It's obviously all going to come out after he's out of power (Well unless they elect Vance which I don't think will happen) - the Epstein stuff obviously didn't happen as part of his presidential duties.
I think today is actually a very good one for our country. As the King and the Prime Minister have both said, nobody is above the law. Could the same thing be said about the United States, for instance?
I doubt anyone could have predicted that the first arrest after the release of the Epstein files is the king's brother and 8th in line
This is not just a sensational domestic story but across the globe
You wonder how many commonwealth countries will move to become republics
It is a lesson to the US that no matter how high your office, UK law enforcement will act when required
Yeah, about 20 years too late..😴 The establishment are just throwing someone to the wolves to stop even more investigations..🤨
I think today is actually a very good one for our country. As the King and the Prime Minister have both said, nobody is above the law. Could the same thing be said about the United States, for instance?
I doubt anyone could have predicted that the first arrest after the release of the Epstein files is the king's brother and 8th in line
This is not just a sensational domestic story but across the globe
You wonder how many commonwealth countries will move to become republics
It is a lesson to the US that no matter how high your office, UK law enforcement will act when required
To any country where the people are struggling against a corrupt leadership/government, this event should be an example to emulate, rather than repudiate.
I think today is actually a very good one for our country. As the King and the Prime Minister have both said, nobody is above the law. Could the same thing be said about the United States, for instance?
I doubt anyone could have predicted that the first arrest after the release of the Epstein files is the king's brother and 8th in line
This is not just a sensational domestic story but across the globe
You wonder how many commonwealth countries will move to become republics
It is a lesson to the US that no matter how high your office, UK law enforcement will act when required
Yeah, about 20 years too late..😴 The establishment are just throwing someone to the wolves to stop even more investigations..🤨
I think that, wherever this ends up, we are likely going to get to a position where Charles will broadcast a statement directly on this.
It feels that written statements aren’t going to really cut it anymore. I think he’ll need to talk about it openly to lance the boil, a bit like the Queen and Diana.
Ironically yesterday was the 548th anniversary of the death of George Plantaganet, Duke of Clarence, brother of Edward IV. Edward had his brother put in the Tower of London, before having him executed for treason - allegedly by drowning him in a butt of malmsey wine.
Whether the Duke of Clarence was fond of private parties on US islands remains to be seen
I think today is actually a very good one for our country. As the King and the Prime Minister have both said, nobody is above the law. Could the same thing be said about the United States, for instance?
I doubt anyone could have predicted that the first arrest after the release of the Epstein files is the king's brother and 8th in line
This is not just a sensational domestic story but across the globe
You wonder how many commonwealth countries will move to become republics
It is a lesson to the US that no matter how high your office, UK law enforcement will act when required
Yeah, about 20 years too late..😴 The establishment are just throwing someone to the wolves to stop even more investigations..🤨
That's an odd thing to say. Surely that arrest of Andrew is going to focus attention even more on who else was involved.
I think that, wherever this ends up, we are likely going to get to a position where Charles will broadcast a statement directly on this.
It feels that written statements aren’t going to really cut it anymore. I think he’ll need to talk about it openly to lance the boil, a bit like the Queen and Diana.
Ironically yesterday was the 548th anniversary of the death of George Plantaganet, Duke of Clarence, brother of Edward IV. Edward had his brother put in the Tower of London, before having him executed for treason - allegedly by drowning him in a butt of malmsey wine.
Whether the Duke of Clarence was fond of private parties on US islands remains to be seen
I believe Malmsey was his request? - he was allowed to choose his own method of execution
Factual, rather than LOL ? It is understood neither King Charles or Buckingham Palace was informed in advance of Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor’s arrest...
I think that, wherever this ends up, we are likely going to get to a position where Charles will broadcast a statement directly on this.
It feels that written statements aren’t going to really cut it anymore. I think he’ll need to talk about it openly to lance the boil, a bit like the Queen and Diana.
Ironically yesterday was the 548th anniversary of the death of George Plantaganet, Duke of Clarence, brother of Edward IV. Edward had his brother put in the Tower of London, before having him executed for treason - allegedly by drowning him in a butt of malmsey wine.
Whether the Duke of Clarence was fond of private parties on US islands remains to be seen
It was his brother, the king, who was the reputed womaniser.
Factual, rather than LOL ? It is understood neither King Charles or Buckingham Palace was informed in advance of Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor’s arrest...
Rather makes Dan Hodges look a twat for saying Government buried news when it was before King or Downing Street knew of AMW arrest
Interesting polling. In all but two of the match ups (Lib Dems vs Labour or the Greens) the more left wing option is ahead.
Yes, very interesting polling. Reform lose every contest, with the implication they have the plurality of unpopularity as well as, from current general polling, the plurality of popularity.
So ensuring they don't form a government should be easy.
There is one central problem, and another secondary problem, and the next election may well turn on its resolution: Firstly identifying the party in each relevant seat that can beat Reform in a world where Labour unusually hold all the seats that are most likely to change hands, but are now unloved.
(Cumbria, apart from Farron's seat is my example but is typical: 2024: all Labour. 2019: all Tory. Projected 2029: all Reform. Which party is the tactical vote?)
The secondary problem is how to know if voting Tory is in fact a vote for a Reform + Tory government or not.
Indeed and this is the big question for Badenoch going forward. Whatever her public criticisms of Reform before an election, do we still think IF the numbers work for a Reform minority Government, she will offer Confidence & Supply to Farage? I suspect this is something she has been pondering - I would if I were her.
Publicly, it will be all about maximising the Conservative vote but as we know what leaders say before the votes are cast and what they do once they are counted aren't always the same.
Davey faces a similar dilemma - would he support a minority second term Labour Government with Confidence & Supply?
Both Badenoch and Davey could come out before the election and say they will neither support a Reform minority nor a Labour minority but the charge then will be, as it would have for Clegg in 2010, to have been to cause chaos in the name of self indulgence.
The test would then be whether either or both would vote down a Reform or Labour Queen's Speech and trigger a second election - I suspect they'd get little thanks from the public for that.
I think we will see semi-official unpublicised verbal agreements to lay off certain constituencies, as we did between Lab and Lib in 1997.
I'm not sure which parties would be involved though - perhaps the Greens as their realistic target seats will be few and far between most likely.
Greens came second in 40 seats in 2024
That looks like a good basis for a negotiation - a decent number of targets to ask another party to leave alone, or to agree to leave alone.
I call it for 5-10 Green seats in 2029 !
Greens are already totally ignoring Labour and attacking Reform in Manchester. Trusting voters to do their thing.
G&D will have an influence. I also think we should have half an eye on the small c conservatives. I would be crafting our message that way.
Plus Nostalgia is a strong narrative. It’s all Reform have got and they are doing okay. Their non-racists are sitting there waiting to be plucked. The WWC tends socially liberal despite their rep.
10 to 15
——
I expect the next by-election will be used to test the effectiveness of a direct attack on Labour. It would be a good to know. I’m not comfortable with it but it needs to be done.
Kier has definitely started the Labour attack on the Greens so I’m coming to expect quite a nasty campaign in 29.
I would have thought they'd be more likely to convert Labour voters than Reform voters, so they should be attacking Labour...? Or are they attacking Reform because Green-curious voters, who would never vote Reform, like seeing Reform attacked...? Or maybe there are just lots of Green/Reform waverers.
I think today is actually a very good one for our country. As the King and the Prime Minister have both said, nobody is above the law. Could the same thing be said about the United States, for instance?
I doubt anyone could have predicted that the first arrest after the release of the Epstein files is the king's brother and 8th in line
This is not just a sensational domestic story but across the globe
You wonder how many commonwealth countries will move to become republics
It is a lesson to the US that no matter how high your office, UK law enforcement will act when required
To any country where the people are struggling against a corrupt leadership/government, this event should be an example to emulate, rather than repudiate.
I suspect it won't be though. It will be "isn't thi country lucky to have [insert despot here] rather than the British royal family." AMW and perhaps Petey M will get to carry thecan for three decades of Epsteinery and everyone else will close ranks and get off scot free. I hope I am wrong.
And one can lighten the mood during a crisis by shouting: "Romeo! Romeo! Where for art thou, Romeo?!"
Wherefore. As in "therefore", but with a "w".
What I like about "Romeo, Romeo, wherefore art thou, Romeo", perhaps the best known or at least top 2 Shakespeare quotation, is that there are three words in it and none of them really exist in modern English.
That just means its a common law offence, meaning not one defined in legislation, so Parliament has not set a maximum penalty for it. The offence is due to be replaced by some statutory gubbins this Parliament sometime.
Wouldn't his first line of defence be that he wasn't in public office? He wasn't paid to be Trade Envoy, for example.
From Wikipedia:
"Case law has established a broad definition of "public office holder" for this purpose that does not depend on the person holding a formal "office" as such, nor on being paid out of the public purse, though a government employee is more likely to be found to fall into the definition."
Surely it will turn around being in receipt of restricted information as a result of having a role in the public domain? There must be at least an implied duty not to release that information?
Market sensitive information
Insider dealing
Who it went to and who they passed it too.
Mandy, Andy, Epstein may be in far greater shit for that than any sexual deviancy.
Someone looking for £3k at 21/1 Restore Britain to win most seats at the next GE on Betfair
Why in the name of goodness we continue to believe that gamblers are good predictors of election results is beyond me. I mean God love the guy, but he's going to lose that bet.
I think today is actually a very good one for our country. As the King and the Prime Minister have both said, nobody is above the law. Could the same thing be said about the United States, for instance?
I doubt anyone could have predicted that the first arrest after the release of the Epstein files is the king's brother and 8th in line
This is not just a sensational domestic story but across the globe
You wonder how many commonwealth countries will move to become republics
It is a lesson to the US that no matter how high your office, UK law enforcement will act when required
Factual, rather than LOL ? It is understood neither King Charles or Buckingham Palace was informed in advance of Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor’s arrest...
Rather makes Dan Hodges look a twat for saying Government buried news when it was before King or Downing Street knew of AMW arrest
Any day with a Y in it has Dan Hodges looking like a twat.
Caerphilly - Plaid looking to consolidate the senedd win (Tories failed to find anyone to stand here!) Redcar - i suspect a LD vs Reform battle with Labour fading away Leicester - will be won on a low share but dont count out a surprise Tory gain if the Indy doesnt gain it from Lab
Interesting polling. In all but two of the match ups (Lib Dems vs Labour or the Greens) the more left wing option is ahead.
Yes, very interesting polling. Reform lose every contest, with the implication they have the plurality of unpopularity as well as, from current general polling, the plurality of popularity.
So ensuring they don't form a government should be easy.
There is one central problem, and another secondary problem, and the next election may well turn on its resolution: Firstly identifying the party in each relevant seat that can beat Reform in a world where Labour unusually hold all the seats that are most likely to change hands, but are now unloved.
(Cumbria, apart from Farron's seat is my example but is typical: 2024: all Labour. 2019: all Tory. Projected 2029: all Reform. Which party is the tactical vote?)
The secondary problem is how to know if voting Tory is in fact a vote for a Reform + Tory government or not.
Indeed and this is the big question for Badenoch going forward. Whatever her public criticisms of Reform before an election, do we still think IF the numbers work for a Reform minority Government, she will offer Confidence & Supply to Farage? I suspect this is something she has been pondering - I would if I were her.
Publicly, it will be all about maximising the Conservative vote but as we know what leaders say before the votes are cast and what they do once they are counted aren't always the same.
Davey faces a similar dilemma - would he support a minority second term Labour Government with Confidence & Supply?
Both Badenoch and Davey could come out before the election and say they will neither support a Reform minority nor a Labour minority but the charge then will be, as it would have for Clegg in 2010, to have been to cause chaos in the name of self indulgence.
The test would then be whether either or both would vote down a Reform or Labour Queen's Speech and trigger a second election - I suspect they'd get little thanks from the public for that.
I think we will see semi-official unpublicised verbal agreements to lay off certain constituencies, as we did between Lab and Lib in 1997.
I'm not sure which parties would be involved though - perhaps the Greens as their realistic target seats will be few and far between most likely.
Greens came second in 40 seats in 2024
That looks like a good basis for a negotiation - a decent number of targets to ask another party to leave alone, or to agree to leave alone.
I call it for 5-10 Green seats in 2029 !
Greens are already totally ignoring Labour and attacking Reform in Manchester. Trusting voters to do their thing.
G&D will have an influence. I also think we should have half an eye on the small c conservatives. I would be crafting our message that way.
Plus Nostalgia is a strong narrative. It’s all Reform have got and they are doing okay. Their non-racists are sitting there waiting to be plucked. The WWC tends socially liberal despite their rep.
10 to 15
——
I expect the next by-election will be used to test the effectiveness of a direct attack on Labour. It would be a good to know. I’m not comfortable with it but it needs to be done.
Kier has definitely started the Labour attack on the Greens so I’m coming to expect quite a nasty campaign in 29.
That's a bad strategy. Labour need tactical votes from Green supporters (and there are a lot more of them now) in Lab/Con or lab/Ref marginals. He shouldn't rubbish their party. He should seduce them not hammer them.
Caerphilly - Plaid looking to consolidate the senedd win (Tories failed to find anyone to stand here!) Redcar - i suspect a LD vs Reform battle with Labour fading away Leicester - will be won on a low share but dont count out a surprise Tory gain if the Indy doesnt gain it from Lab
Isn’t that the one where the Reform candidate was disowned after the nominations - Redcar
Caerphilly - Plaid looking to consolidate the senedd win (Tories failed to find anyone to stand here!) Redcar - i suspect a LD vs Reform battle with Labour fading away Leicester - will be won on a low share but dont count out a surprise Tory gain if the Indy doesnt gain it from Lab
Isn’t that the one where the Reform candidate was disowned after the nominations - Redcar
Oooooh, is it?? Ah, in that case LD gain by a distance!
And one can lighten the mood during a crisis by shouting: "Romeo! Romeo! Where for art thou, Romeo?!"
Wherefore. As in "therefore", but with a "w".
What I like about "Romeo, Romeo, wherefore art thou, Romeo", perhaps the best known or at least top 2 Shakespeare quotation, is that there are three words in it and none of them really exist in modern English.
FKA Prince Andrew has finally been arrested - and on Popbitch day too!
Sadly, while his timing might be great for gossip newsletters, it’s less ideal for the rest of the Royal Fam and their diaries of stacked public service appearances.
For instance, while Andrew is spending his day in a police station, his sister Anne is spending the day in jail.
Or, more accurately: Today the Princess Royal, as Patron of the Butler Trust, will be paying an official visit to HMP Leeds.
Murdoch is going to want to go big against Andy WM.
He can't do that and keep quiet in the US. So the biggest fall-out from Epstein could be Murdoch doing a switcheroo - with Fox TV turning against Trump. That would REALLY cut off Trump at the knees.
He might decide to row in behind Marjorie Taylor Green.
And one can lighten the mood during a crisis by shouting: "Romeo! Romeo! Where for art thou, Romeo?!"
Wherefore. As in "therefore", but with a "w".
What I like about "Romeo, Romeo, wherefore art thou, Romeo", perhaps the best known or at least top 2 Shakespeare quotation, is that there are three words in it and none of them really exist in modern English.
Doesn't wherefore mean why?
Yes. It's the question version of "therefore". She's asking why are you called Romeo, as the rest of the soliloquy makes clear.
O Romeo, Romeo, wherefore art thou Romeo? Deny thy father and refuse thy name. Or if thou wilt not, be but sworn my love And I’ll no longer be a Capulet. ‘Tis but thy name that is my enemy: Thou art thyself, though not a Montague. What’s Montague? It is nor hand nor foot Nor arm nor face nor any other part Belonging to a man. O be some other name. What’s in a name? That which we call a rose By any other name would smell as sweet; So Romeo would, were he not Romeo call’d, Retain that dear perfection which he owes Without that title. Romeo, doff thy name, And for that name, which is no part of thee, Take all myself.
But we don't have "wherefore" in modern English, so modern ears presume she's asking, "Where are you, Romeo?" Which is why we should stop teaching Shakespeare in schools. QED.
Someone looking for £3k at 21/1 Restore Britain to win most seats at the next GE on Betfair
Why in the name of goodness we continue to believe that gamblers are good predictors of election results is beyond me. I mean God love the guy, but he's going to lose that bet.
(probably)
Its a PR* bet not a value bet.
* PR = Hopefully Obviously public relations, not proportional representation
Someone looking for £3k at 21/1 Restore Britain to win most seats at the next GE on Betfair
Why in the name of goodness we continue to believe that gamblers are good predictors of election results is beyond me. I mean God love the guy, but he's going to lose that bet.
(probably)
Its a PR* bet not a value bet.
* PR = Hopefully Obviously public relations, not proportional representation
And if they have Musks money behind them then could see them trading single figures at some point regardless of polling, actual chances.
Someone looking for £3k at 21/1 Restore Britain to win most seats at the next GE on Betfair
Why in the name of goodness we continue to believe that gamblers are good predictors of election results is beyond me. I mean God love the guy, but he's going to lose that bet.
(probably)
Its a PR* bet not a value bet.
* PR = Hopefully Obviously public relations, not proportional representation
And if they have Musks money behind them then could see them trading single figures at some point regardless of polling, actual chances.
If we can spot PR gambling It's a great opportunity for us gamblers.
Caerphilly - Plaid looking to consolidate the senedd win (Tories failed to find anyone to stand here!) Redcar - i suspect a LD vs Reform battle with Labour fading away Leicester - will be won on a low share but dont count out a surprise Tory gain if the Indy doesnt gain it from Lab
Isn’t that the one where the Reform candidate was disowned after the nominations - Redcar
Oooooh, is it?? Ah, in that case LD gain by a distance!
Someone looking for £3k at 21/1 Restore Britain to win most seats at the next GE on Betfair
Why in the name of goodness we continue to believe that gamblers are good predictors of election results is beyond me. I mean God love the guy, but he's going to lose that bet.
(probably)
I mean, stranger things have happened.
Let’s say that Farage falls under the proverbial bus, and that means that voters are now asked to support a Reform Party led by characters like (checks notes) Robert Jenrick and Suella Braverman.
All the “NOTA” vote decamps to the new “anti-politician”, most Reform councillors defect, etc, and Lowe cannibalises their vote.
It is very improbable but Reform IS a Farage vehicle. Remove him from the equation and the house of cards could fall down quite quickly
That just means its a common law offence, meaning not one defined in legislation, so Parliament has not set a maximum penalty for it. The offence is due to be replaced by some statutory gubbins this Parliament sometime.
Wouldn't his first line of defence be that he wasn't in public office? He wasn't paid to be Trade Envoy, for example.
From Wikipedia:
"Case law has established a broad definition of "public office holder" for this purpose that does not depend on the person holding a formal "office" as such, nor on being paid out of the public purse, though a government employee is more likely to be found to fall into the definition."
Surely it will turn around being in receipt of restricted information as a result of having a role in the public domain? There must be at least an implied duty not to release that information?
Market sensitive information
Insider dealing
Who it went to and who they passed it too.
Mandy, Andy, Epstein may be in far greater shit for that than any sexual deviancy.
They are going to have to Epstein AMW because he will have no compunction about pulling the whole royal edifice down around him if he is looking a long stretch.
The UK has arrested Andrew because of the Epstein files and over here the President signed an EO protecting cancer causing Glyphosate in our foods and we have zero Epstein related arrest and investigations since release of the files.
And we are on the verge of going to war against Iran.
One thing I'm struggling with is that I've seen images in the Epstein files that unambiguously show men abusing children and not a single one of those men has been arrested. How can the FBI get away with ignoring this? https://x.com/hashjenni/status/2024121497544163661
Because someone gave them a non-prosecution agreement, for no apparent reason, and without naming them (which in itself is unlawful).
Caerphilly - Plaid looking to consolidate the senedd win (Tories failed to find anyone to stand here!) Redcar - i suspect a LD vs Reform battle with Labour fading away Leicester - will be won on a low share but dont count out a surprise Tory gain if the Indy doesnt gain it from Lab
Greens putting in a lot of work in Stoneygate ward Leicester too, but there are a lot of posters up in the ward for the Independent candidate. The same shops that had Shockat Adam posters up at the GE. I thing Indy gain.
Someone looking for £3k at 21/1 Restore Britain to win most seats at the next GE on Betfair
Why in the name of goodness we continue to believe that gamblers are good predictors of election results is beyond me. I mean God love the guy, but he's going to lose that bet.
(probably)
Its a PR* bet not a value bet.
* PR = Hopefully Obviously public relations, not proportional representation
And if they have Musks money behind them then could see them trading single figures at some point regardless of polling, actual chances.
If we can spot PR gambling It's a great opportunity for us gamblers.
It is pretty obvious sometimes. That Brian Rose chap for London mayor traded as second fav despite a polling high of 3%. He came dead last out of 13 candidates with 0.3%.
FKA Prince Andrew has finally been arrested - and on Popbitch day too!
Sadly, while his timing might be great for gossip newsletters, it’s less ideal for the rest of the Royal Fam and their diaries of stacked public service appearances.
For instance, while Andrew is spending his day in a police station, his sister Anne is spending the day in jail.
Or, more accurately: Today the Princess Royal, as Patron of the Butler Trust, will be paying an official visit to HMP Leeds.
They are going to have to Epstein AMW because he will have no compunction about pulling the whole royal edifice down around him if he is looking a long stretch.
Fake his death or actually bump him off ? (Not entirely clear in Epstein's case.)
The UK has arrested Andrew because of the Epstein files and over here the President signed an EO protecting cancer causing Glyphosate in our foods and we have zero Epstein related arrest and investigations since release of the files.
And we are on the verge of going to war against Iran.
That’s the current state of MAGA and MAHA.
MTG making sense and Speaking Truth To Power wasn’t on my list of Things That Will Happen in 2026
Interesting polling. In all but two of the match ups (Lib Dems vs Labour or the Greens) the more left wing option is ahead.
Yes, very interesting polling. Reform lose every contest, with the implication they have the plurality of unpopularity as well as, from current general polling, the plurality of popularity.
So ensuring they don't form a government should be easy.
There is one central problem, and another secondary problem, and the next election may well turn on its resolution: Firstly identifying the party in each relevant seat that can beat Reform in a world where Labour unusually hold all the seats that are most likely to change hands, but are now unloved.
(Cumbria, apart from Farron's seat is my example but is typical: 2024: all Labour. 2019: all Tory. Projected 2029: all Reform. Which party is the tactical vote?)
The secondary problem is how to know if voting Tory is in fact a vote for a Reform + Tory government or not.
Indeed and this is the big question for Badenoch going forward. Whatever her public criticisms of Reform before an election, do we still think IF the numbers work for a Reform minority Government, she will offer Confidence & Supply to Farage? I suspect this is something she has been pondering - I would if I were her.
Publicly, it will be all about maximising the Conservative vote but as we know what leaders say before the votes are cast and what they do once they are counted aren't always the same.
Davey faces a similar dilemma - would he support a minority second term Labour Government with Confidence & Supply?
Both Badenoch and Davey could come out before the election and say they will neither support a Reform minority nor a Labour minority but the charge then will be, as it would have for Clegg in 2010, to have been to cause chaos in the name of self indulgence.
The test would then be whether either or both would vote down a Reform or Labour Queen's Speech and trigger a second election - I suspect they'd get little thanks from the public for that.
I think we will see semi-official unpublicised verbal agreements to lay off certain constituencies, as we did between Lab and Lib in 1997.
I'm not sure which parties would be involved though - perhaps the Greens as their realistic target seats will be few and far between most likely.
Greens came second in 40 seats in 2024
That looks like a good basis for a negotiation - a decent number of targets to ask another party to leave alone, or to agree to leave alone.
I call it for 5-10 Green seats in 2029 !
Greens are already totally ignoring Labour and attacking Reform in Manchester. Trusting voters to do their thing.
G&D will have an influence. I also think we should have half an eye on the small c conservatives. I would be crafting our message that way.
Plus Nostalgia is a strong narrative. It’s all Reform have got and they are doing okay. Their non-racists are sitting there waiting to be plucked. The WWC tends socially liberal despite their rep.
10 to 15
——
I expect the next by-election will be used to test the effectiveness of a direct attack on Labour. It would be a good to know. I’m not comfortable with it but it needs to be done.
Kier has definitely started the Labour attack on the Greens so I’m coming to expect quite a nasty campaign in 29.
I would have thought they'd be more likely to convert Labour voters than Reform voters, so they should be attacking Labour...? Or are they attacking Reform because Green-curious voters, who would never vote Reform, like seeing Reform attacked...? Or maybe there are just lots of Green/Reform waverers.
It feels like half of Labour are ours already. Obviously in a competition that matters that will turn very very soft.
I have met a surprising number of Reform or maybe Green voters over the last few years. The discussion has generally gone, “I’ll try Reform and if that doesn’t work it is gonna be Green for me”.
I’ve tried suggesting doing it in reverse order but it’s very stony ground. I don’t half get some looks.
FKA Prince Andrew has finally been arrested - and on Popbitch day too!
Sadly, while his timing might be great for gossip newsletters, it’s less ideal for the rest of the Royal Fam and their diaries of stacked public service appearances.
For instance, while Andrew is spending his day in a police station, his sister Anne is spending the day in jail.
Or, more accurately: Today the Princess Royal, as Patron of the Butler Trust, will be paying an official visit to HMP Leeds.
Not the best calendar clash, PR-wise.
Anne hasn't had to pack an overnight bag...
She also isn’t going to have to squat to be searched.
FKA Prince Andrew has finally been arrested - and on Popbitch day too!
Sadly, while his timing might be great for gossip newsletters, it’s less ideal for the rest of the Royal Fam and their diaries of stacked public service appearances.
For instance, while Andrew is spending his day in a police station, his sister Anne is spending the day in jail.
Or, more accurately: Today the Princess Royal, as Patron of the Butler Trust, will be paying an official visit to HMP Leeds.
Not the best calendar clash, PR-wise.
Anne hasn't had to pack an overnight bag...
She also isn’t going to have to squat to be searched.
Anne is one person I wouldn't want to pick a fight with.
Pound for pound a GOAT when it comes to speaking frankly from all accounts.
Taiwan is brilliant and I love it and it’s insanely complex and almost every building is ugly and 70% of the women are hot and the food is superb and I’m happy
FKA Prince Andrew has finally been arrested - and on Popbitch day too!
Sadly, while his timing might be great for gossip newsletters, it’s less ideal for the rest of the Royal Fam and their diaries of stacked public service appearances.
For instance, while Andrew is spending his day in a police station, his sister Anne is spending the day in jail.
Or, more accurately: Today the Princess Royal, as Patron of the Butler Trust, will be paying an official visit to HMP Leeds.
Not the best calendar clash, PR-wise.
Anne hasn't had to pack an overnight bag...
She also isn’t going to have to squat to be searched.
Anne is one person I wouldn't want to pick a fight with.
Pound for pound a GOAT when it comes to speaking frankly from all accounts.
She’s been with Scotland Rugby through thick and thin too.
I saw an old TOTP the other day where the presenter was talking to people who went to see the royal wedding. Hers to Mark Phillips.
Breaking news. An unnamed man in his 60s has been arrested on the Sandringham Estate on suspicion of misconduct in public office. Wonder who that might be? Intriguing.🧐
The usual silence on ethnicity, I see. They just never learn.
"Almost every important decision of the past 36 years, by Labour, Tories and coalition Lib Dems alike – with the exception of some of John Major’s domestic reforms, the launch of auto-enrolled pensions, the legalisation of gay marriage, Michael Gove’s school reforms and Brexit – has been a disaster or backfired in catastrophic ways. Most will need to be reversed if Britain is to be saved."
"Almost every important decision of the past 36 years, by Labour, Tories and coalition Lib Dems alike – with the exception of some of John Major’s domestic reforms, the launch of auto-enrolled pensions, the legalisation of gay marriage, Michael Gove’s school reforms and Brexit – has been a disaster or backfired in catastrophic ways. Most will need to be reversed if Britain is to be saved."
Taiwan is brilliant and I love it and it’s insanely complex and almost every building is ugly and 70% of the women are hot and the food is superb and I’m happy
Is this your first visit to Taiwan? Surprising if so.
Global Counsel, the advisory firm founded by Lord Peter Mandelson, is set to go into administration as soon as Friday in the wake of revelations about the former peer and Jeffrey Epstein, its staff have been told.
"Almost every important decision of the past 36 years, by Labour, Tories and coalition Lib Dems alike – with the exception of some of John Major’s domestic reforms, the launch of auto-enrolled pensions, the legalisation of gay marriage, Michael Gove’s school reforms and Brexit – has been a disaster or backfired in catastrophic ways. Most will need to be reversed if Britain is to be saved."
"Almost every important decision of the past 36 years, by Labour, Tories and coalition Lib Dems alike – with the exception of some of John Major’s domestic reforms, the launch of auto-enrolled pensions, the legalisation of gay marriage, Michael Gove’s school reforms and Brexit – has been a disaster or backfired in catastrophic ways. Most will need to be reversed if Britain is to be saved."
"Almost every important decision of the past 36 years, by Labour, Tories and coalition Lib Dems alike – with the exception of some of John Major’s domestic reforms, the launch of auto-enrolled pensions, the legalisation of gay marriage, Michael Gove’s school reforms and Brexit – has been a disaster or backfired in catastrophic ways. Most will need to be reversed if Britain is to be saved."
Wow, that's quite a list he's put together there. ('the displacement of religious observance by secular ideologies such as Gaia worship, NHS idolatry and wokery'!) And, of course, there's only one man who can save from all this. The expectations they're piling on Nigel are enormous. It almost seems unfair.
So Skyr is destroying NATO and our major alliance and the pillar of Five Eyes so his corrupt and venal friends can giveaway British territory to China and make us pay billions for the pleasure
Begs the question, why are we paying to keep the base, almost exclusively for American use, if we don't want them to utilise it anyway. The deal becomes more and more bizarre. Either get rid, or keep without paying for the privelidge.
Im not going to post the defection rumours i am reading on X as I suspect they may be horse doings i dont want to be assiciated with. However, if you like a bit of gossip, DYOR. If they happened to be true, i wouldn't stop laughing for a week
So Skyr is destroying NATO and our major alliance and the pillar of Five Eyes so his corrupt and venal friends can giveaway British territory to China and make us pay billions for the pleasure
Pipe down.
NATO was destroyed by Trump and his Greenland bullshit.
Comments
Royals inhabit a very grey area id have thought. They’re sort of “sovereign-adjacent” individuals but I wouldn’t have thought officers of the public themselves, at law. This has been the whole problem of this working vs non-working royal thing of recent years - there’s no rulebook. I think the Trade Envoy status must be the intended distinction here but I am sure it’s going to be the topic of extensive legal arguments!
Gapes is back being a boring Labour shill i believe as is Berger
Soubry is a permanent pantomime dame I think
the British arrest the King's brother as part of the investigations into Epstein and the South Koreans send their former president to jail for life for trying to overthrow democracy after he attempted a coup for faked election claims
Here? We take NO action against Trump
https://x.com/KeithOlbermann/status/2024441790338634215
The only thing that is above the law is the King-in-Parliament, which makes it. Individual components of that gestalt entity are restrained by the law in many respects, especially the King.
They can arrest him the w/b 2nd of March onwards.
‘I have learned..’
https://x.com/chrisshipitv/status/2024454678700806530?s=61&t=LYVEHh2mqFy1oUJAdCfe-Q
How much better to write just:
"The law must take its course."
Shades of David Cameron beginning every response in the commons with "What I would say to the honourable gentleman is...".
Sorry, when.
Let us wait and see.
Well, given their likely differing fathers, half-brother....
Whether the Duke of Clarence was fond of private parties on US islands remains to be seen
It is understood neither King Charles or Buckingham Palace was informed in advance of Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor’s arrest...
He’s fully lawyered up.
I hope I am wrong.
What I like about "Romeo, Romeo, wherefore art thou, Romeo", perhaps the best known or at least top 2 Shakespeare quotation, is that there are three words in it and none of them really exist in modern English.
The other two, however...
(probably)
EDIT: Duh! No, it wasn't. Mandelson was the first arrest, wasn't he?
MORE EDIT: Oh, they didn't arrest Mandelson? But they did raid his house(s)!
Caerphilly - Plaid looking to consolidate the senedd win (Tories failed to find anyone to stand here!)
Redcar - i suspect a LD vs Reform battle with Labour fading away
Leicester - will be won on a low share but dont count out a surprise Tory gain if the Indy doesnt gain it from Lab
Labour need tactical votes from Green supporters (and there are a lot more of them now) in Lab/Con or lab/Ref marginals. He shouldn't rubbish their party. He should seduce them not hammer them.
Ah, in that case LD gain by a distance!
Meamwhile in the USA there’s tumbleweed when it comes to holding those to account over there .
(Via ukpressonline.co.uk)
Sibling Rivalry
Of all the days...
FKA Prince Andrew has finally been arrested - and on Popbitch day too!
Sadly, while his timing might be great for gossip newsletters, it’s less ideal for the rest of the Royal Fam and their diaries of stacked public service appearances.
For instance, while Andrew is spending his day in a police station, his sister Anne is spending the day in jail.
Or, more accurately: Today the Princess Royal, as Patron of the Butler Trust, will be paying an official visit to HMP Leeds.
Not the best calendar clash, PR-wise.
Murdoch is going to want to go big against Andy WM.
He can't do that and keep quiet in the US. So the biggest fall-out from Epstein could be Murdoch doing a switcheroo - with Fox TV turning against Trump. That would REALLY cut off Trump at the knees.
He might decide to row in behind Marjorie Taylor Green.
O Romeo, Romeo, wherefore art thou Romeo?
Deny thy father and refuse thy name.
Or if thou wilt not, be but sworn my love
And I’ll no longer be a Capulet.
‘Tis but thy name that is my enemy:
Thou art thyself, though not a Montague.
What’s Montague? It is nor hand nor foot
Nor arm nor face nor any other part
Belonging to a man. O be some other name.
What’s in a name? That which we call a rose
By any other name would smell as sweet;
So Romeo would, were he not Romeo call’d,
Retain that dear perfection which he owes
Without that title. Romeo, doff thy name,
And for that name, which is no part of thee,
Take all myself.
But we don't have "wherefore" in modern English, so modern ears presume she's asking, "Where are you, Romeo?" Which is why we should stop teaching Shakespeare in schools. QED.
* PR = Hopefully Obviously public relations, not proportional representation
Let’s say that Farage falls under the proverbial bus, and that means that voters are now asked to support a Reform Party led by characters like (checks notes) Robert Jenrick and Suella Braverman.
All the “NOTA” vote decamps to the new “anti-politician”, most Reform councillors defect, etc, and Lowe cannibalises their vote.
It is very improbable but Reform IS a Farage vehicle. Remove him from the equation and the house of cards could fall down quite quickly
‘The monarchy may come out of this stronger’
Still, means it also fits when the bullying claims come back to bite and Starmer acts confused about how she got chosen!
https://x.com/FmrRepMTG/status/2024456267440263267
The UK has arrested Andrew because of the Epstein files and over here the President signed an EO protecting cancer causing Glyphosate in our foods and we have zero Epstein related arrest and investigations since release of the files.
And we are on the verge of going to war against Iran.
That’s the current state of MAGA and MAHA.
https://x.com/hashjenni/status/2024121497544163661
Because someone gave them a non-prosecution agreement, for no apparent reason, and without naming them (which in itself is unlawful).
Surprise, surprise the issue is we are not letting the US use our Air Force bases to attack Iran
(Not entirely clear in Epstein's case.)
It feels like half of Labour are ours already. Obviously in a competition that matters that will turn very very soft.
I have met a surprising number of Reform or maybe Green voters over the last few years. The discussion has generally gone, “I’ll try Reform and if that doesn’t work it is gonna be Green for me”.
I’ve tried suggesting doing it in reverse order but it’s very stony ground. I don’t half get some looks.
hopefully Catherine will do a better job with Charlotte and Louis to prepare them for adult life as not important people
The disagreement over the use of British sites is behind the US president’s withdrawal of support for the Chagos Islands deal, The Times understands
https://www.thetimes.com/uk/politics/article/trump-chagos-islands-deal-iran-attack-british-bases-kcj0gzbr8
Pound for pound a GOAT when it comes to speaking frankly from all accounts.
We'll done Starmer
No use of our bases
No collaboration that includes Israel
Let Trump be the pussy.
I saw an old TOTP the other day where the presenter was talking to people who went to see the royal wedding. Hers to Mark Phillips.
"Almost every important decision of the past 36 years, by Labour, Tories and coalition Lib Dems alike – with the exception of some of John Major’s domestic reforms, the launch of auto-enrolled pensions, the legalisation of gay marriage, Michael Gove’s school reforms and Brexit – has been a disaster or backfired in catastrophic ways. Most will need to be reversed if Britain is to be saved."
https://www.telegraph.co.uk/opinion/2026/02/18/the-plot-to-topple-britain-next-right-wing-government/
FT exclusive:
Global Counsel, the advisory firm founded by Lord Peter Mandelson, is set to go into administration as soon as Friday in the wake of revelations about the former peer and Jeffrey Epstein, its staff have been told.
As for Michael Gove’s school reforms what planet is he on - unless his wife is the CEO of a school’s trust on £200,000+ a year
However, if you like a bit of gossip, DYOR.
If they happened to be true, i wouldn't stop laughing for a week
NATO was destroyed by Trump and his Greenland bullshit.
FAFO.