Lived in Makerfield back in the 80's. Stood for the Council and managed 40% in a straight fight with Labour. Know the area well, Burnham lives in Golborne, is very well known, was the MP for Leigh next door seat. I think he will walk it and Reform crash and burn.
Apparently Burnham won every polling district in Greater Manchester when he was re-elected mayor.
It does seem a case of Irresistible Force meeting Immovable Object.
My take:
The Reform vote nationally (and leading the polls) is made up of right-wing ex Tories, (mainly) WWC ex Labourites, and ex non-voters. In Macca it's the last 2 blocs who are key. Voters who used to be Labour or not voting and now support Reform. Where these break will determine the byelection. If they stick with Reform, Nigel wins. If enough of them are tempted back to Labour by Andy, he wins.
There's a hard and a soft component to this (non ex Tory) Reform support. The hard bit is those for whom it really is all about Immigration. The soft bit is people who are more just generally fed up about things and feel a bit forgotten by Westminster and by Labour in particular who they expected better of.
The hard 'anti-immigrant' votes belong to Reform (ignoring Restore so as not to clutter the argument). It's the soft part that is in play. This is a awful lot of voters and I'm expecting AB to win enough of them to romp home. It's an open goal imo. If he's as popular up there as everybody says he is I can't see him doing anything but finding the back of the net.
Burnham should be running explicitly on a stop Farage by replacing Labour's leader and deliver change platform.
That's already implicit, but I don't think it pays to be coy about it.
...Burnham rejects claims his morning jogging routine fake Andy Burnham started his day with a run this morning. His shorts are an improvement on the pair he was wearing..
He's at that dangerous age. A few years ago I caught a BBC social doc on a tough mudder, the younger males (under 40ish) were all in appropriate running shorts, but the older mid-life crises had mainly opted for the uncovered lycra running short... aargh my eyes!! I can't remember what the documentary series was but if you can find the episode on the microlight competition it is hilarious, The Real Magnificent Men in Their Flying Machines.
EXCL: Reform will launch its attack ad blitz on Andy Burnham today. I can exclusively reveal the first set of ads the party will plaster across social media. The graphics attempt to paint Burnham as a career opportunist putting personal ambitions above the people of Makerfield. Here they are 👇
What were Farages connections to Clacton ?
Putting that aside it’s a good attack line on Burnham .
Hope the electoral commission is keeping track of the cost of all this.
Or does that not start until the writ is moved?
It starts from when a candidate says they are the candidate.
When I looked at the rules on Friday you could easily abuse it in the early days before your candidate is known
Opponents would prefer we stuck in the past - with Mayors denied the choice to raise revenue to invest locally, supporting growth, tourism & raising the economic potential of their areas.
Tourist tax.
My economics 101 course said that if you raise the price of something you reduce the demand for it, so presumably the intention is to reduce demand for hotel rooms in the city?
Of course, tax something generally, you get less of it.
For wealthy people it’s a nothing issues. Stopping in a £200 a night room an extra couple of quid per person, per night is nothing.
For a family stopping in a caravan on a Parkdean or Haven type of site, then the tourist tax is going to be a major disincentive. Of course it’s at local mayors discretion but some are planning to introduce it across the board. Still they’re only poor people. They need to suck it up I guess.
1) Bribery. If you live within x distance of a solar farm, you can be offered free electricity or a monthly payment while the scheme is operation. If you are living next to a new development, a brown envelope per house built is yours. 2) Council funding. Remove caps on council tax. Allow councils to issue bonds, on the strict legal basis that national government doesn't back their bonds. Let them fuck up. Woking is the future.
Further on 1), link any payments/deal to the property. So when you sell the house, you can put on the Estate Agent bumf - "Free electricity for the property provided by ..."
Lived in Makerfield back in the 80's. Stood for the Council and managed 40% in a straight fight with Labour. Know the area well, Burnham lives in Golborne, is very well known, was the MP for Leigh next door seat. I think he will walk it and Reform crash and burn.
Apparently Burnham won every polling district in Greater Manchester when he was re-elected mayor.
It does seem a case of Irresistible Force meeting Immovable Object.
My take:
The Reform vote nationally (and leading the polls) is made up of right-wing ex Tories, (mainly) WWC ex Labourites, and ex non-voters. In Macca it's the last 2 blocs who are key. Voters who used to be Labour or not voting and now support Reform. Where these break will determine the byelection. If they stick with Reform, Nigel wins. If enough of them are tempted back to Labour by Andy, he wins.
There's a hard and a soft component to this (non ex Tory) Reform support. The hard bit is those for whom it really is all about Immigration. The soft bit is people who are more just generally fed up about things and feel a bit forgotten by Westminster and by Labour in particular who they expected better of.
The hard 'anti-immigrant' votes belong to Reform (ignoring Restore so as not to clutter the argument). It's the soft part that is in play. This is a awful lot of voters and I'm expecting AB to win enough of them to romp home. It's an open goal imo. If he's as popular up there as everybody says he is I can't see him doing anything but finding the back of the net.
Burnham should be running explicitly on a stop Farage by replacing Labour's leader and deliver change platform.
That's already implicit, but I don't think it pays to be coy about it.
...Burnham rejects claims his morning jogging routine fake Andy Burnham started his day with a run this morning. His shorts are an improvement on the pair he was wearing..
He's at that dangerous age. A few years ago I caught a BBC social doc on a tough mudder, the younger males (under 40ish) were all in appropriate running shorts, but the older mid-life crises had mainly opted for the uncovered lycra running short... aargh my eyes!! I can't remember what the documentary series was but if you can find the episode on the microlight competition it is hilarious, The Real Magnificent Men in Their Flying Machines.
Clearly he's a jogger
He still plays football
The Daily fecking Mail used to show pictures of Boris jogging on to number 10 and photoshop out the official limo he'd gotten out of 20 yards down the road.
Lived in Makerfield back in the 80's. Stood for the Council and managed 40% in a straight fight with Labour. Know the area well, Burnham lives in Golborne, is very well known, was the MP for Leigh next door seat. I think he will walk it and Reform crash and burn.
Apparently Burnham won every polling district in Greater Manchester when he was re-elected mayor.
It does seem a case of Irresistible Force meeting Immovable Object.
My take:
The Reform vote nationally (and leading the polls) is made up of right-wing ex Tories, (mainly) WWC ex Labourites, and ex non-voters. In Macca it's the last 2 blocs who are key. Voters who used to be Labour or not voting and now support Reform. Where these break will determine the byelection. If they stick with Reform, Nigel wins. If enough of them are tempted back to Labour by Andy, he wins.
There's a hard and a soft component to this (non ex Tory) Reform support. The hard bit is those for whom it really is all about Immigration. The soft bit is people who are more just generally fed up about things and feel a bit forgotten by Westminster and by Labour in particular who they expected better of.
The hard 'anti-immigrant' votes belong to Reform (ignoring Restore so as not to clutter the argument). It's the soft part that is in play. This is a awful lot of voters and I'm expecting AB to win enough of them to romp home. It's an open goal imo. If he's as popular up there as everybody says he is I can't see him doing anything but finding the back of the net.
Burnham should be running explicitly on a stop Farage by replacing Labour's leader and deliver change platform.
That's already implicit, but I don't think it pays to be coy about it.
Doing that in a constituency where ~50% voted Reform in the locals seems "courageous". These voters are people with a relatively positive view of Farage. They won't vote to "Stop Farage" as they are up for having Farage.
What they really want is SKS gone, ASAP. If Burnham is going to win, he does it by ignoring Farage and running "against" Starmer and the current Labour Party.
The way Reform win this is to hammer home that Burnham is as stupid and vacuous as SKS, and he will do the same stuff as people already hate, because that *is* the ambition of the modern Labour Party. He's just like Starmer - he wants to be PM to be PM, not because he's got any ideas that would be good for the country. Tell that story successfully, and he's done.
Running in such a constituency is the "courageous" bit.
Burnham's only serious opponent is Reform; there's no ignoring that. As one if his own Labour colleagues just said: It’s compelling to say tell progressive voters to vote for Andy to get Starmer out, but the flip side is you’re saying to Reform voters that if they vote Reform they can finish the Labour party off for good.
He has to tackle Reform head on. Brexit failure, and Farage's dodgy overseas money ought to be helpful messages. Ignoring Farage is conceding the argument.
Opponents would prefer we stuck in the past - with Mayors denied the choice to raise revenue to invest locally, supporting growth, tourism & raising the economic potential of their areas.
Tourist tax.
My economics 101 course said that if you raise the price of something you reduce the demand for it, so presumably the intention is to reduce demand for hotel rooms in the city?
Of course, tax something generally, you get less of it.
For wealthy people it’s a nothing issues. Stopping in a £200 a night room an extra couple of quid per person, per night is nothing.
For a family stopping in a caravan on a Parkdean or Haven type of site, then the tourist tax is going to be a major disincentive. Of course it’s at local mayors discretion but some are planning to introduce it across the board. Still they’re only poor people. They need to suck it up I guess.
Hey if you are visiting an area and using the resources of that area (albeit just a couple of workers keeping the streets clean) you should contribute towards doing so.
I think the only mayor who has said that he won’t be seeking the money is Ben Houchen which makes senses as Teesside isn’t much of a tourist attraction
Opponents would prefer we stuck in the past - with Mayors denied the choice to raise revenue to invest locally, supporting growth, tourism & raising the economic potential of their areas.
Tourist tax.
My economics 101 course said that if you raise the price of something you reduce the demand for it, so presumably the intention is to reduce demand for hotel rooms in the city?
That balance would be up to each mayor/council to work out. They won't all come up with the same answer (which is the point).
My comment was about our centralised state, rather than the merits of the particular policy.
London taxpayers may have to pay an extra £2.5m if West Ham are relegated from the Premier League this season, because of the club's lease agreement for London Stadium.
GLA Holdings should simply put sell the stadium, the current situation of essentially state funding for West Ham United is ridiculous. It's up to West Ham's owners whether or not they want to buy it or not, but this sort of asset should not be on a council's books - if they don't want it they can pay rent to Mike Ashley or whoever buys it.
Oh, well. I fear we will be relegated after all.
WHU WILL require new Owners very soon.
It won't be a case of would like, it will be a case of will have to.
Opponents would prefer we stuck in the past - with Mayors denied the choice to raise revenue to invest locally, supporting growth, tourism & raising the economic potential of their areas.
Tourist tax.
My economics 101 course said that if you raise the price of something you reduce the demand for it, so presumably the intention is to reduce demand for hotel rooms in the city?
Of course, tax something generally, you get less of it.
For wealthy people it’s a nothing issues. Stopping in a £200 a night room an extra couple of quid per person, per night is nothing.
For a family stopping in a caravan on a Parkdean or Haven type of site, then the tourist tax is going to be a major disincentive. Of course it’s at local mayors discretion but some are planning to introduce it across the board. Still they’re only poor people. They need to suck it up I guess.
Yes, the way these ‘tourist taxes’ are implemented can be very regressive, and also can disadvantage regular hotels against the AirBnB crowd.
Having seen the same idea in a number of countries and cities, there’s a right way and a wrong way to do it. By far the easiest, and the most revenue-raising is a 5% local tax on the room rate collected by the hotel.
Opponents would prefer we stuck in the past - with Mayors denied the choice to raise revenue to invest locally, supporting growth, tourism & raising the economic potential of their areas.
Tourist tax.
My economics 101 course said that if you raise the price of something you reduce the demand for it, so presumably the intention is to reduce demand for hotel rooms in the city?
There are a lot of cities where demand for hotel rooms exceeds supply. So you have essentially three choices.
1. Build more hotel rooms. 2. Allow hotel room rates to rise and have a very profitable hotel sector. 3. Tax hotel rooms so that the local government captures some of the tourist value of the city directly to invest in the city.
Given the huge growth in demand for tourism globally then I would think it was a no-brainer to introduce a tax on it. I'd expect the tax would have to be pretty high to counteract the global growth in demand for tourism.
Lived in Makerfield back in the 80's. Stood for the Council and managed 40% in a straight fight with Labour. Know the area well, Burnham lives in Golborne, is very well known, was the MP for Leigh next door seat. I think he will walk it and Reform crash and burn.
Apparently Burnham won every polling district in Greater Manchester when he was re-elected mayor.
It does seem a case of Irresistible Force meeting Immovable Object.
My take:
The Reform vote nationally (and leading the polls) is made up of right-wing ex Tories, (mainly) WWC ex Labourites, and ex non-voters. In Macca it's the last 2 blocs who are key. Voters who used to be Labour or not voting and now support Reform. Where these break will determine the byelection. If they stick with Reform, Nigel wins. If enough of them are tempted back to Labour by Andy, he wins.
There's a hard and a soft component to this (non ex Tory) Reform support. The hard bit is those for whom it really is all about Immigration. The soft bit is people who are more just generally fed up about things and feel a bit forgotten by Westminster and by Labour in particular who they expected better of.
The hard 'anti-immigrant' votes belong to Reform (ignoring Restore so as not to clutter the argument). It's the soft part that is in play. This is a awful lot of voters and I'm expecting AB to win enough of them to romp home. It's an open goal imo. If he's as popular up there as everybody says he is I can't see him doing anything but finding the back of the net.
Burnham should be running explicitly on a stop Farage by replacing Labour's leader and deliver change platform.
That's already implicit, but I don't think it pays to be coy about it.
And whatever he says it won't stop the questions being all about what he wants to do as PM.
Opponents would prefer we stuck in the past - with Mayors denied the choice to raise revenue to invest locally, supporting growth, tourism & raising the economic potential of their areas.
Tourist tax.
My economics 101 course said that if you raise the price of something you reduce the demand for it, so presumably the intention is to reduce demand for hotel rooms in the city?
Of course, tax something generally, you get less of it.
For wealthy people it’s a nothing issues. Stopping in a £200 a night room an extra couple of quid per person, per night is nothing.
For a family stopping in a caravan on a Parkdean or Haven type of site, then the tourist tax is going to be a major disincentive. Of course it’s at local mayors discretion but some are planning to introduce it across the board. Still they’re only poor people. They need to suck it up I guess.
Yes, the way these ‘tourist taxes’ are implemented can be very regressive, and also can disadvantage regular hotels against the AirBnB crowd.
Having seen the same idea in a number of countries and cities, there’s a right way and a wrong way to do it. By far the easiest, and the most revenue-raising is a 5% local tax on the room rate collected by the hotel.
Probs are that it only encourages the plague of campervans, with their "informal" parking arrangements, in some of the more scenic parts of the kingdom - at the expense of employment providing hotels and B&Bs. Growing problem in the Highlands.
At the risk of revisiting yesterday’s discussion, how’s about having a songwriting competition, and than getting an established (but not A-list) artist to sing the song next year?
Can’t we book someone like a Sophie Ellis-Bextor, who will take the job seriously but come up with a fun performance?
Opponents would prefer we stuck in the past - with Mayors denied the choice to raise revenue to invest locally, supporting growth, tourism & raising the economic potential of their areas.
Tourist tax.
My economics 101 course said that if you raise the price of something you reduce the demand for it, so presumably the intention is to reduce demand for hotel rooms in the city?
Of course, tax something generally, you get less of it.
For wealthy people it’s a nothing issues. Stopping in a £200 a night room an extra couple of quid per person, per night is nothing.
For a family stopping in a caravan on a Parkdean or Haven type of site, then the tourist tax is going to be a major disincentive. Of course it’s at local mayors discretion but some are planning to introduce it across the board. Still they’re only poor people. They need to suck it up I guess.
Hey if you are visiting an area and using the resources of that area (albeit just a couple of workers keeping the streets clean) you should contribute towards doing so.
I think the only mayor who has said that he won’t be seeking the money is Ben Houchen which makes senses as Teesside isn’t much of a tourist attraction
The Holiday parks and hotels do actually pay local taxes which covers costs of local resources and their customers effectively pay that when they pay for the stay.
They’re also spending money in the local economy helping to keep people in work.
As I say, a flat levy will effectively penalise the poor far more than the well off and this really is just a shakedown. Why not make it a fixed percent than a flat levy if they’re doing it ?
Still, some mayors have indicated they wont apply it to holiday parks.
London taxpayers may have to pay an extra £2.5m if West Ham are relegated from the Premier League this season, because of the club's lease agreement for London Stadium.
GLA Holdings should simply put sell the stadium, the current situation of essentially state funding for West Ham United is ridiculous. It's up to West Ham's owners whether or not they want to buy it or not, but this sort of asset should not be on a council's books - if they don't want it they can pay rent to Mike Ashley or whoever buys it.
Oh, well. I fear we will be relegated after all.
WHU WILL require new Owners very soon.
It won't be a case of would like, it will be a case of will have to.
At the risk of revisiting yesterday’s discussion, how’s about having a songwriting competition, and than getting an established (but not A-list) artist to sing the song next year?
Can’t we book someone like a Sophie Ellis-Bextor, who will take the job seriously but come up with a fun performance?
If you have an existing career you won't go near it...
Opponents would prefer we stuck in the past - with Mayors denied the choice to raise revenue to invest locally, supporting growth, tourism & raising the economic potential of their areas.
Tourist tax.
My economics 101 course said that if you raise the price of something you reduce the demand for it, so presumably the intention is to reduce demand for hotel rooms in the city?
Of course, tax something generally, you get less of it.
For wealthy people it’s a nothing issues. Stopping in a £200 a night room an extra couple of quid per person, per night is nothing.
For a family stopping in a caravan on a Parkdean or Haven type of site, then the tourist tax is going to be a major disincentive. Of course it’s at local mayors discretion but some are planning to introduce it across the board. Still they’re only poor people. They need to suck it up I guess.
Yes, the way these ‘tourist taxes’ are implemented can be very regressive, and also can disadvantage regular hotels against the AirBnB crowd.
Having seen the same idea in a number of countries and cities, there’s a right way and a wrong way to do it. By far the easiest, and the most revenue-raising is a 5% local tax on the room rate collected by the hotel.
Probs are that it only encourages the plague of campervans, with their "informal" parking arrangements, in some of the more scenic parts of the kingdom - at the expense of employment providing hotels and B&Bs. Growing problem in the Highlands.
What, you mean that there can be unintended consequences of simplistic political solutions to complex societal problems?
Even the socialists at the IMF think the UK has reached peak tax. The idea that Burnham can come in and promise loads of spending increases and either tax or borrow to do is laughable.
Burnham giving a keynote speech in Leeds and he is the first labour politician i have heaed to attack the mantra about Univercities and demands focus on FE for thousands of young people
He also rejects opening the debate on re-joining the EU as he wants to bring the country together and not open divisions but he does want a closer relatuonship with Europe
He certainly talks to the 'left behind' and is an interesting politician
Burnham giving a keynote speech in Leeds and he is the first labour politician i have heaed to attack the mantra about Univercities and demands focus on FE for thousands of young people
He also rejects opening the debate on re-joining the EU as he wants to bring the country together and not open divisions but he does want a closer relatuonship with Europe
He certainly talks to the 'left behind' and is an interesting politician
Seems I cannot correct my spelling errors as edit greys out
London taxpayers may have to pay an extra £2.5m if West Ham are relegated from the Premier League this season, because of the club's lease agreement for London Stadium.
GLA Holdings should simply put sell the stadium, the current situation of essentially state funding for West Ham United is ridiculous. It's up to West Ham's owners whether or not they want to buy it or not, but this sort of asset should not be on a council's books - if they don't want it they can pay rent to Mike Ashley or whoever buys it.
Oh, well. I fear we will be relegated after all.
WHU WILL require new Owners very soon.
It won't be a case of would like, it will be a case of will have to.
Looks like it, whatever the outcome.
It's worse than just the rent loss, under the deal done by Johnson the GLA is responsible for stewarding and some other operating costs. So more games to steward as well.
Nearly 50% of all European Venture in 2026 has flown into the UK.
Last year was all about Stockholm, and there were high hopes for AI in Paris.
The overall view was that the rest of Europe was catching up with the UK.
But actually it seems to be pulling away.
I listened to Andy Haldane on a Bloomberg money podcast making the point that we are actually not in too bad a place and the economy could really take off in the next two years or so.
Lots of seed businesses in STEM and AI with lots of growth potential.
Burnham giving a keynote speech in Leeds and he is the first labour politician i have heaed to attack the mantra about Univercities and demands focus on FE for thousands of young people
He also rejects opening the debate on re-joining the EU as he wants to bring the country together and not open divisions but he does want a closer relatuonship with Europe
He certainly talks to the 'left behind' and is an interesting politician
Seems I cannot correct my spelling errors as edit greys out
Was just chatting to a neighbour this morning who went to the UTK rally, he's Jewish so I was a bit surprised he'd be out on a day like that when the far left and far right hordes marching really only agree on one thing - their hatred of Jews. Anyway, he went with his wife and they said it was actually very chill, not may non white people but he said probably at least 5% of the crowd were black or brown. He met a few other Jewish people there too who were also a bit wary like he was but he said none of them received or saw any kind of abuse from the people who attended. According to him it felt safer to be in amongst them than it would have been in the other rally going on in London with the lefty mob.
Had a good conversation with him about it, he said didn't hide that he was Jewish and actively brought it up in conversations with people who didn't seem bothered. Lots of support for Israel overall he said that the most common minority people there were middle aged and older Jamaican men who very much identify as British, have lived here for 40+ years or were born here. Second place was Indian people who were generally pretty happy to be there waving flags.
The conversations he said were most common were about immigrants, especially more recent ones, not integrating into British culture and society at all and how the state has allowed them to choose that life rather than force them to adopt British values or go to a country which will tolerate that kind of culture. The second most common topic was welfare being paid to immigrants, asylum seekers and illegals - he said there is real anger about this one among everyone he spoke to, stories about illegal boat arrivals getting priority access to housing and healthcare was the topic that got most people very angry. Lots of anger at Labour but also at the Tories for presiding over it. Not a lot of hostility towards Kemi, most people either didn't know who she was or didn't believe that the Tories would win or if they won do anything differently to before.
Anyway, thought it was an interesting chat over our fence this morning while I was having my coffee on the patio.
We'll have to see where it goes. I get some of the disgruntlement expressed even if I'm nervous about some of the motives behind the rally.
Burnham giving a keynote speech in Leeds and he is the first labour politician i have heaed to attack the mantra about Univercities and demands focus on FE for thousands of young people
He also rejects opening the debate on re-joining the EU as he wants to bring the country together and not open divisions but he does want a closer relatuonship with Europe
He certainly talks to the 'left behind' and is an interesting politician
Seems I cannot correct my spelling errors as edit greys out
A few spelling mistakes helps to verify that you wrote the comment yourself, instead of having an AI do it for you.
At the risk of revisiting yesterday’s discussion, how’s about having a songwriting competition, and than getting an established (but not A-list) artist to sing the song next year?
Can’t we book someone like a Sophie Ellis-Bextor, who will take the job seriously but come up with a fun performance?
Or we just find some non-Israel reason to boycott it? LOOK MUM NO POINT...
Alternatively, we go all Trump on Eurovision - no first prize, no money...
Burnham giving a keynote speech in Leeds and he is the first labour politician i have heaed to attack the mantra about Univercities and demands focus on FE for thousands of young people
He also rejects opening the debate on re-joining the EU as he wants to bring the country together and not open divisions but he does want a closer relatuonship with Europe
He certainly talks to the 'left behind' and is an interesting politician
Seems I cannot correct my spelling errors as edit greys out
A few spelling mistakes helps to verify that you wrote the comment yourself, instead of having an AI do it for you.
Former South Africa Under-20 centre Benhard Janse van Rensburg has been called up to the England training squad in the clearest indication yet that head coach Steve Borthwick intends to blood him this summer. Janse van Rensburg's inclusion comes at the expense of Bath pair Ollie Lawrence and Max Ojomoh, who are left out.
This lad can play. Should absolutely be given the chance to start for England at centre. Ardunell not even in the squad.
Arundell is a brilliant player. Yes, erratic, but he will improve
Madness to exclude him entirely. Use him, if nothing else, as an electrifying sub
The madness is that I think he is not suited to Borthwick's chosen style of play. Stick Arundell outside a lightening set of backs at Bath or the midfield of Northampton Saints and he will score for fun. Ask him to chase 20 up and unders a match and he is not your number 1.
In my list of people I irrationally and viscerally hate, Steve Borthwick is third, just behind Gareth Southgate. But both are far behind Skyr
Southgate was an excellent ambassador who brought real sartorial elegance to football and kept up the fine English tradition of losing with style and good grace.
Michelle Singletary says the Loser is acting like a bridezilla:
This is bridezilla behavior.
It occurs when a person — regardless of gender — becomes so intoxicated by their own vision that they lose the ability to consider the circumstances of those around them. For example, they don’t just suggest a destination wedding; they demand attendance, weaponizing guests’ loyalty and love to pressure them into expensive travel and “must-attend” events. It’s acting entitled when the host’s dream is prioritized over guests’ actual ability to pay, leaving the wedding party feeling they have no choice but to subsidize a vision they cannot afford.
President Donald Trump had a bridezilla moment this week.
The Bureau of Labor Statistics on Tuesday released the April Consumer Price Index report, showing that inflation had surged to 3.8 percent, a three-year high.
Within hours of the public learning how much costs have spiked, a reporter asked the president to what extent Americans’ finances are motivating him to pursue a peace deal with Iran.
Was just chatting to a neighbour this morning who went to the UTK rally, he's Jewish so I was a bit surprised he'd be out on a day like that when the far left and far right hordes marching really only agree on one thing - their hatred of Jews. Anyway, he went with his wife and they said it was actually very chill, not may non white people but he said probably at least 5% of the crowd were black or brown. He met a few other Jewish people there too who were also a bit wary like he was but he said none of them received or saw any kind of abuse from the people who attended. According to him it felt safer to be in amongst them than it would have been in the other rally going on in London with the lefty mob.
Had a good conversation with him about it, he said didn't hide that he was Jewish and actively brought it up in conversations with people who didn't seem bothered. Lots of support for Israel overall he said that the most common minority people there were middle aged and older Jamaican men who very much identify as British, have lived here for 40+ years or were born here. Second place was Indian people who were generally pretty happy to be there waving flags.
The conversations he said were most common were about immigrants, especially more recent ones, not integrating into British culture and society at all and how the state has allowed them to choose that life rather than force them to adopt British values or go to a country which will tolerate that kind of culture. The second most common topic was welfare being paid to immigrants, asylum seekers and illegals - he said there is real anger about this one among everyone he spoke to, stories about illegal boat arrivals getting priority access to housing and healthcare was the topic that got most people very angry. Lots of anger at Labour but also at the Tories for presiding over it. Not a lot of hostility towards Kemi, most people either didn't know who she was or didn't believe that the Tories would win or if they won do anything differently to before.
Anyway, thought it was an interesting chat over our fence this morning while I was having my coffee on the patio.
We'll have to see where it goes. I get some of the disgruntlement expressed even if I'm nervous about some of the motives behind the rally.
The commentary I’ve seen suggests a disconnect between the views of the speakers at the main rally (Tommy and friends), and the views of the majority of the attendees, the latter being significantly more moderate. There were lots of family groups there, not just the football hooligans.
Former South Africa Under-20 centre Benhard Janse van Rensburg has been called up to the England training squad in the clearest indication yet that head coach Steve Borthwick intends to blood him this summer. Janse van Rensburg's inclusion comes at the expense of Bath pair Ollie Lawrence and Max Ojomoh, who are left out.
This lad can play. Should absolutely be given the chance to start for England at centre. Ardunell not even in the squad.
Arundell is a brilliant player. Yes, erratic, but he will improve
Madness to exclude him entirely. Use him, if nothing else, as an electrifying sub
The madness is that I think he is not suited to Borthwick's chosen style of play. Stick Arundell outside a lightening set of backs at Bath or the midfield of Northampton Saints and he will score for fun. Ask him to chase 20 up and unders a match and he is not your number 1.
In my list of people I irrationally and viscerally hate, Steve Borthwick is third, just behind Gareth Southgate. But both are far behind Skyr
Southgate was an excellent ambassador who brought real sartorial elegance to football and kept up the fine English tradition of losing with style and good grace.
I would disagree on the style part. Southgate did a fantastic job of taking a disorganised group of players with some big gaps in ability in certain positions and intially maximised the results given the overall ability of the group playing quite a turgid style.
What he was unable to do was when more high quality talent came along was to evolve his tactics sufficiently to take more advantage of the world class abilities of certain players and relied on some of his favourite for too long. It was very much a defensive first strategy that got England a long way, but ultimately wasn't sufficient for that final step.
England is now blessed with abudance of talent in certain areas, but when you look at others it is still rather weak e.g. striker for instance, its Harry Kane or Harry Kane, the next cabs off the rank are miles below this.
Tuchel so far has managed at times to play so more exciting football but still doesn't seem to be quite right other times. Also, he is now struggling with egos, something which Southgate team managed to keep at bay, and resorted to bringing back so well past it duffers like Henderson.
BREAKING: Andy Burnham u-turns on his desire to rejoin the EU
“I am not proposing rejoining the EU”
“I respect the decision that was made at the referendum”
“The last thing we should do now is re-run those arguments”
Flips his view from just 7 months ago when he backed rejoin
Those are my principles, and if you don't like them... well, I have others
At least he understands the case for Rejoin cannot be made to the voters. Because the sneaky bastards ask follow up questions - like "On what terms? At what cost? Which hospitals do we have to close to pay for the membership fees?"
BREAKING: Andy Burnham u-turns on his desire to rejoin the EU
“I am not proposing rejoining the EU”
“I respect the decision that was made at the referendum”
“The last thing we should do now is re-run those arguments”
Flips his view from just 7 months ago when he backed rejoin
That's pitiful. How hard was it to work out that "any decision on that would be after the next General Election" ?
Neither remainers nor leavers could argue with that.
Instead he's potentially alienated some voters without any corresponding positive message.
Jeez what a pathetic u-turn . He could have simply said what you suggested. Even say it’s for future generations to decide . This makes him look totally unprincipled . This doesn’t bode well for his campaign.
BREAKING: Andy Burnham u-turns on his desire to rejoin the EU
“I am not proposing rejoining the EU”
“I respect the decision that was made at the referendum”
“The last thing we should do now is re-run those arguments”
Flips his view from just 7 months ago when he backed rejoin
That's pitiful. How hard was it to work out that "any decision on that would be after the next General Election" ?
Neither remainers nor leavers could argue with that.
Instead he's potentially alienated some voters without any corresponding positive message.
But...Labour are looking to put him in Westminster to hen put him in Downing Street. To the extent this a. er, referendum on that new PM, we need to know what he would do as that PM.
Next up, some honesty on tax, spend and borrowing please.
"What?? We might as well have the bloody TORIES back..."
BREAKING: Andy Burnham u-turns on his desire to rejoin the EU
“I am not proposing rejoining the EU”
“I respect the decision that was made at the referendum”
“The last thing we should do now is re-run those arguments”
Flips his view from just 7 months ago when he backed rejoin
That's pitiful. How hard was it to work out that "any decision on that would be after the next General Election" ?
Neither remainers nor leavers could argue with that.
Instead he's potentially alienated some voters without any corresponding positive message.
Jeez what a pathetic u-turn . He could have simply said what you suggested. Even say it’s for future generations to decide . This makes him look totally unprincipled . This doesn’t bode well for his campaign.
As I said in the header he's reminding us why he lost two Labour leadership contests.
BREAKING: Andy Burnham u-turns on his desire to rejoin the EU
“I am not proposing rejoining the EU”
“I respect the decision that was made at the referendum”
“The last thing we should do now is re-run those arguments”
Flips his view from just 7 months ago when he backed rejoin
That's pitiful. How hard was it to work out that "any decision on that would be after the next General Election" ?
Neither remainers nor leavers could argue with that.
Instead he's potentially alienated some voters without any corresponding positive message.
Jeez what a pathetic u-turn . He could have simply said what you suggested. Even say it’s for future generations to decide . This makes him look totally unprincipled . This doesn’t bode well for his campaign.
As I said in the header he's reminding us why he lost two Labour leadership contests.
Think this one might be a touch tougher to explain away compared to his jog to the car !
If Burnham wins Makersfield, Reform must be nailed on for mayor of Manchester, given the local results. Who is going to come out with the slogan: "Vote Labour get Reform - as Mayor Of Manchester"
BREAKING: Andy Burnham u-turns on his desire to rejoin the EU
“I am not proposing rejoining the EU”
“I respect the decision that was made at the referendum”
“The last thing we should do now is re-run those arguments”
Flips his view from just 7 months ago when he backed rejoin
That's pitiful. How hard was it to work out that "any decision on that would be after the next General Election" ?
Neither remainers nor leavers could argue with that.
Instead he's potentially alienated some voters without any corresponding positive message.
Jeez what a pathetic u-turn . He could have simply said what you suggested. Even say it’s for future generations to decide . This makes him look totally unprincipled . This doesn’t bode well for his campaign.
As I said in the header he's reminding us why he lost two Labour leadership contests.
He could have easily said what he did the other day that the focus should be on domestic matters . There’s plenty of clips of him saying the UK should re-join. This makes him look very untrustworthy and willing to ditch his principles. He’s made an uncomfortable situation into a total cluster fxck.
BREAKING: Andy Burnham u-turns on his desire to rejoin the EU
“I am not proposing rejoining the EU”
“I respect the decision that was made at the referendum”
“The last thing we should do now is re-run those arguments”
Flips his view from just 7 months ago when he backed rejoin
That's pitiful. How hard was it to work out that "any decision on that would be after the next General Election" ?
Neither remainers nor leavers could argue with that.
Instead he's potentially alienated some voters without any corresponding positive message.
Jeez what a pathetic u-turn . He could have simply said what you suggested. Even say it’s for future generations to decide . This makes him look totally unprincipled . This doesn’t bode well for his campaign.
As I said in the header he's reminding us why he lost two Labour leadership contests.
Adds to feeling that Miliband is still value. 11 last time I looked
Nigel Farage’s claim that he paid for a £1.4mn house with his fee from a reality TV show has been challenged by corporate accounts that appear to show that the income remained on his company’s balance sheet after the property purchase.
Its a stupid lie to tell given that Farage made a load of money in the city, then in the EU parliament and then all this other grifts. And I imagine like lots of people of his age has done very well out of moving up the housing ladder. Therefore, I would say it is unsurprising he could have bought a £1 million house for cash, crypto sugar daddy or not *. But instead told another whopper and one that is easy to check (people had already checked this out days ago).
* obviously if one was to think they might come into £5 million gift in the near future probably give you a lot more confidence.
Former South Africa Under-20 centre Benhard Janse van Rensburg has been called up to the England training squad in the clearest indication yet that head coach Steve Borthwick intends to blood him this summer. Janse van Rensburg's inclusion comes at the expense of Bath pair Ollie Lawrence and Max Ojomoh, who are left out.
This lad can play. Should absolutely be given the chance to start for England at centre. Ardunell not even in the squad.
Arundell is a brilliant player. Yes, erratic, but he will improve
Madness to exclude him entirely. Use him, if nothing else, as an electrifying sub
The madness is that I think he is not suited to Borthwick's chosen style of play. Stick Arundell outside a lightening set of backs at Bath or the midfield of Northampton Saints and he will score for fun. Ask him to chase 20 up and unders a match and he is not your number 1.
In my list of people I irrationally and viscerally hate, Steve Borthwick is third, just behind Gareth Southgate. But both are far behind Skyr
Southgate was an excellent ambassador who brought real sartorial elegance to football and kept up the fine English tradition of losing with style and good grace.
Southgate delivered some if the best English tournament performances of my life. Two Euros finals in a row. World cup semi. The sadness is the missed opportunity. Should have gone for Italy at 1-0 up, but didn't. Should have gone for Croatia at 1-0 up and didn't.
I think he was brilliant at building a squad of players who wanted to play for England. So many other England teams have been riven with factions and players putting club before country. What he was not good at was tactical flexibility and seizing the moment. But realistically who has performed better as England manager? Only Ramsey. Robson got lucky and still lost in the semis.
Burnham's explanation for the run to his car is that he picked it up from Newton (Presumably Newton-Le-Willows) as he had a pint at the match (Presumably he caught the train to Everton-Sunderland from Newton-Le-Willows station). Then either walked or taxied back to his house post-match (My supposition). I assume he lives near Haydock Park judging by the timings & distances - it looks true to me tbh.
Its a stupid lie to tell given that Farage made a load of money in the city, then in the EU parliament and then all this other grifts. And I imagine like lots of people of his age has done very well out of moving up the housing ladder. Therefore, I would say it is unsurprising he could have bought a £1 million house for cash, crypto sugar daddy or not *. But instead told another whopper and one that is easy to check (people had already checked this out days ago).
* obviously if one was to think they might come into £5 million gift in the near future probably give you a lot more confidence.
Farage cannot stick with a story about what happened. Maybe we'll find out the truth one day.
BREAKING: Andy Burnham u-turns on his desire to rejoin the EU
“I am not proposing rejoining the EU”
“I respect the decision that was made at the referendum”
“The last thing we should do now is re-run those arguments”
Flips his view from just 7 months ago when he backed rejoin
That's pitiful. How hard was it to work out that "any decision on that would be after the next General Election" ?
Neither remainers nor leavers could argue with that.
Instead he's potentially alienated some voters without any corresponding positive message.
But...Labour are looking to put him in Westminster to hen put him in Downing Street. To the extent this a. er, referendum on that new PM, we need to know what he would do as that PM.
Next up, some honesty on tax, spend and borrowing please.
"What?? We might as well have the bloody TORIES back..."
No PM, including Streeting, would be rejoining the EU before the next election, so he could have answered in a dozen different wats without U-turning. Such pandering to a local electorate is quite possibly counterproductive when your opponent's position is straightforward on the issue..
Its a stupid lie to tell given that Farage made a load of money in the city, then in the EU parliament and then all this other grifts. And I imagine like lots of people of his age has done very well out of moving up the housing ladder. Therefore, I would say it is unsurprising he could have bought a £1 million house for cash, crypto sugar daddy or not *. But instead told another whopper and one that is easy to check (people had already checked this out days ago).
* obviously if one was to think they might come into £5 million gift in the near future probably give you a lot more confidence.
Farage cannot stick with a story about what happened. Maybe we'll find out the truth one day.
That's a deliberate tactic, which Trump perfected. Tell so many lies that pinning them down becomes impossible onerous.
Andrew Lilico @andrew_lilico · 4h Burnham's presumably less unpopular than other Labour figures because he hasn't been around, so isn't tainted with recent disasters, & people have some vague idea he "did OK in Manchester". Would any of that last more than 5 minutes once he were back in Westminster?
Its a stupid lie to tell given that Farage made a load of money in the city, then in the EU parliament and then all this other grifts. And I imagine like lots of people of his age has done very well out of moving up the housing ladder. Therefore, I would say it is unsurprising he could have bought a £1 million house for cash, crypto sugar daddy or not *. But instead told another whopper and one that is easy to check (people had already checked this out days ago).
* obviously if one was to think they might come into £5 million gift in the near future probably give you a lot more confidence.
This £5m, was it seriously a single paid transaction from an overseas donor straight into Farage’s personal bank account?
I understand that he wasn’t an MP at the time, but that’s the most inefficient way possible to make a donation to a politician.
If it was actually for his security, you’d set up a company called “Reform MP Security Ltd” or similar, and pay the money to that entity.
Former South Africa Under-20 centre Benhard Janse van Rensburg has been called up to the England training squad in the clearest indication yet that head coach Steve Borthwick intends to blood him this summer. Janse van Rensburg's inclusion comes at the expense of Bath pair Ollie Lawrence and Max Ojomoh, who are left out.
This lad can play. Should absolutely be given the chance to start for England at centre. Ardunell not even in the squad.
Arundell is a brilliant player. Yes, erratic, but he will improve
Madness to exclude him entirely. Use him, if nothing else, as an electrifying sub
The madness is that I think he is not suited to Borthwick's chosen style of play. Stick Arundell outside a lightening set of backs at Bath or the midfield of Northampton Saints and he will score for fun. Ask him to chase 20 up and unders a match and he is not your number 1.
In my list of people I irrationally and viscerally hate, Steve Borthwick is third, just behind Gareth Southgate. But both are far behind Skyr
Southgate was an excellent ambassador who brought real sartorial elegance to football and kept up the fine English tradition of losing with style and good grace.
Southgate delivered some if the best English tournament performances of my life. Two Euros finals in a row. World cup semi. The sadness is the missed opportunity. Should have gone for Italy at 1-0 up, but didn't. Should have gone for Croatia at 1-0 up and didn't.
I think he was brilliant at building a squad of players who wanted to play for England. So many other England teams have been riven with factions and players putting club before country. What he was not good at was tactical flexibility and seizing the moment. But realistically who has performed better as England manager? Only Ramsey. Robson got lucky and still lost in the semis.
Totally agree. He was by any rational measure a very good England manager from whom the accolade of 'great' must be withheld because he didn't win a trophy. He got closer - much closer - to doing something that nobody bar Alf Ramsey in the older different world of 60 years ago has done, but by the paint of a goalpost it didn't happen.
BREAKING: Andy Burnham u-turns on his desire to rejoin the EU
“I am not proposing rejoining the EU”
“I respect the decision that was made at the referendum”
“The last thing we should do now is re-run those arguments”
Flips his view from just 7 months ago when he backed rejoin
That's pitiful. How hard was it to work out that "any decision on that would be after the next General Election" ?
Neither remainers nor leavers could argue with that.
Instead he's potentially alienated some voters without any corresponding positive message.
Jeez what a pathetic u-turn . He could have simply said what you suggested. Even say it’s for future generations to decide . This makes him look totally unprincipled . This doesn’t bode well for his campaign.
As I said in the header he's reminding us why he lost two Labour leadership contests.
On the other hand, his position on the need for devolution of central government power is pretty clear. And essentially correct.
..My core argument is this. Britain has been on the wrong path, 40 years on the wrong path, a path that has damaged communities across the north. The deindustrialisation of the 1980s was devastating for places across Makerfield like Ashton-in-Makerfield … You know exactly what I am talking about. The draining away of economic, social and political power from these places left adrift. That’s what happened. That deindustrialisation was then compounded by deregulation, privatisation in the 90s and austerity in the 2010s. It all adds up to 40 years of neoliberalism that have not been kind to the north of England – 40 years of trickle-down economics that did not, in the end, trickle down very much at all to Platt Bridge or Hindley. In fact, that system has siphoned wealth out of those places and into the hands of people for whom life was already very good. It created an economy that didn’t work for most working people. It led to the loss of good jobs, the decline of our high streets, and the neglect of our towns. It led to people paying over the odds for the daily basics energy, housing, water, transport. And in the 2000s, and particularly in the 2010s, our councils across the north of England were stripped of the resource and power to do anything about it. They just don’t have the agency that they should have to protect people from these changes. And that’s the broken state of local government in England that we see right now, particularly felt in councils across across the north...
Its a stupid lie to tell given that Farage made a load of money in the city, then in the EU parliament and then all this other grifts. And I imagine like lots of people of his age has done very well out of moving up the housing ladder. Therefore, I would say it is unsurprising he could have bought a £1 million house for cash, crypto sugar daddy or not *. But instead told another whopper and one that is easy to check (people had already checked this out days ago).
* obviously if one was to think they might come into £5 million gift in the near future probably give you a lot more confidence.
This £5m, was it seriously a single paid transaction from an overseas donor straight into Farage’s personal bank account?
I understand that he wasn’t an MP at the time, but that’s the most inefficient way possible to make a donation to a politician.
If it was actually for his security, you’d set up a company called “Reform MP Security Ltd” or similar, and pay the money to that entity.
Former South Africa Under-20 centre Benhard Janse van Rensburg has been called up to the England training squad in the clearest indication yet that head coach Steve Borthwick intends to blood him this summer. Janse van Rensburg's inclusion comes at the expense of Bath pair Ollie Lawrence and Max Ojomoh, who are left out.
This lad can play. Should absolutely be given the chance to start for England at centre. Ardunell not even in the squad.
Arundell is a brilliant player. Yes, erratic, but he will improve
Madness to exclude him entirely. Use him, if nothing else, as an electrifying sub
The madness is that I think he is not suited to Borthwick's chosen style of play. Stick Arundell outside a lightening set of backs at Bath or the midfield of Northampton Saints and he will score for fun. Ask him to chase 20 up and unders a match and he is not your number 1.
In my list of people I irrationally and viscerally hate, Steve Borthwick is third, just behind Gareth Southgate. But both are far behind Skyr
Southgate was an excellent ambassador who brought real sartorial elegance to football and kept up the fine English tradition of losing with style and good grace.
Southgate delivered some if the best English tournament performances of my life. Two Euros finals in a row. World cup semi. The sadness is the missed opportunity. Should have gone for Italy at 1-0 up, but didn't. Should have gone for Croatia at 1-0 up and didn't.
I think he was brilliant at building a squad of players who wanted to play for England. So many other England teams have been riven with factions and players putting club before country. What he was not good at was tactical flexibility and seizing the moment. But realistically who has performed better as England manager? Only Ramsey. Robson got lucky and still lost in the semis.
To anyone who wants to feel old:
The song “Three Lions”, with the lyric “30 years of hurt”, is now itself 30 years old.
Former South Africa Under-20 centre Benhard Janse van Rensburg has been called up to the England training squad in the clearest indication yet that head coach Steve Borthwick intends to blood him this summer. Janse van Rensburg's inclusion comes at the expense of Bath pair Ollie Lawrence and Max Ojomoh, who are left out.
This lad can play. Should absolutely be given the chance to start for England at centre. Ardunell not even in the squad.
Arundell is a brilliant player. Yes, erratic, but he will improve
Madness to exclude him entirely. Use him, if nothing else, as an electrifying sub
The madness is that I think he is not suited to Borthwick's chosen style of play. Stick Arundell outside a lightening set of backs at Bath or the midfield of Northampton Saints and he will score for fun. Ask him to chase 20 up and unders a match and he is not your number 1.
In my list of people I irrationally and viscerally hate, Steve Borthwick is third, just behind Gareth Southgate. But both are far behind Skyr
Southgate was an excellent ambassador who brought real sartorial elegance to football and kept up the fine English tradition of losing with style and good grace.
Southgate delivered some if the best English tournament performances of my life. Two Euros finals in a row. World cup semi. The sadness is the missed opportunity. Should have gone for Italy at 1-0 up, but didn't. Should have gone for Croatia at 1-0 up and didn't.
I think he was brilliant at building a squad of players who wanted to play for England. So many other England teams have been riven with factions and players putting club before country. What he was not good at was tactical flexibility and seizing the moment. But realistically who has performed better as England manager? Only Ramsey. Robson got lucky and still lost in the semis.
He also protected the players rather than blaming individuals. Sadly I anticipate an underperformance by England and scapegoating of players this time.
Former South Africa Under-20 centre Benhard Janse van Rensburg has been called up to the England training squad in the clearest indication yet that head coach Steve Borthwick intends to blood him this summer. Janse van Rensburg's inclusion comes at the expense of Bath pair Ollie Lawrence and Max Ojomoh, who are left out.
This lad can play. Should absolutely be given the chance to start for England at centre. Ardunell not even in the squad.
Arundell is a brilliant player. Yes, erratic, but he will improve
Madness to exclude him entirely. Use him, if nothing else, as an electrifying sub
The madness is that I think he is not suited to Borthwick's chosen style of play. Stick Arundell outside a lightening set of backs at Bath or the midfield of Northampton Saints and he will score for fun. Ask him to chase 20 up and unders a match and he is not your number 1.
In my list of people I irrationally and viscerally hate, Steve Borthwick is third, just behind Gareth Southgate. But both are far behind Skyr
Southgate was an excellent ambassador who brought real sartorial elegance to football and kept up the fine English tradition of losing with style and good grace.
Southgate delivered some if the best English tournament performances of my life. Two Euros finals in a row. World cup semi. The sadness is the missed opportunity. Should have gone for Italy at 1-0 up, but didn't. Should have gone for Croatia at 1-0 up and didn't.
I think he was brilliant at building a squad of players who wanted to play for England. So many other England teams have been riven with factions and players putting club before country. What he was not good at was tactical flexibility and seizing the moment. But realistically who has performed better as England manager? Only Ramsey. Robson got lucky and still lost in the semis.
To anyone who wants to feel old:
The song “Three Lions”, with the lyric “30 years of hurt”, is now itself 30 years old.
Its a stupid lie to tell given that Farage made a load of money in the city, then in the EU parliament and then all this other grifts. And I imagine like lots of people of his age has done very well out of moving up the housing ladder. Therefore, I would say it is unsurprising he could have bought a £1 million house for cash, crypto sugar daddy or not *. But instead told another whopper and one that is easy to check (people had already checked this out days ago).
* obviously if one was to think they might come into £5 million gift in the near future probably give you a lot more confidence.
This £5m, was it seriously a single paid transaction from an overseas donor straight into Farage’s personal bank account?
I understand that he wasn’t an MP at the time, but that’s the most inefficient way possible to make a donation to a politician.
If it was actually for his security, you’d set up a company called “Reform MP Security Ltd” or similar, and pay the money to that entity.
Comments
I can't remember what the documentary series was but if you can find the episode on the microlight competition it is hilarious, The Real Magnificent Men in Their Flying Machines.
For wealthy people it’s a nothing issues. Stopping in a £200 a night room an extra couple of quid per person, per night is nothing.
For a family stopping in a caravan on a Parkdean or Haven type of site, then the tourist tax is going to be a major disincentive. Of course it’s at local mayors discretion but some are planning to introduce it across the board. Still they’re only poor people. They need to suck it up I guess.
He still plays football
The Daily fecking Mail used to show pictures of Boris jogging on to number 10 and photoshop out the official limo he'd gotten out of 20 yards down the road.
Burnham's only serious opponent is Reform; there's no ignoring that. As one if his own Labour colleagues just said: It’s compelling to say tell progressive voters to vote for Andy to get Starmer out, but the flip side is you’re saying to Reform voters that if they vote Reform they can finish the Labour party off for good.
He has to tackle Reform head on.
Brexit failure, and Farage's dodgy overseas money ought to be helpful messages. Ignoring Farage is conceding the argument.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GJxPc3B2osU
I think the only mayor who has said that he won’t be seeking the money is Ben Houchen which makes senses as Teesside isn’t much of a tourist attraction
My comment was about our centralised state, rather than the merits of the particular policy.
It won't be a case of would like, it will be a case of will have to.
Having seen the same idea in a number of countries and cities, there’s a right way and a wrong way to do it. By far the easiest, and the most revenue-raising is a 5% local tax on the room rate collected by the hotel.
https://store.lookmumnocomputer.com/products/look-mum-no-points-t-shirt?variant=58169972392317
1. Build more hotel rooms.
2. Allow hotel room rates to rise and have a very profitable hotel sector.
3. Tax hotel rooms so that the local government captures some of the tourist value of the city directly to invest in the city.
Given the huge growth in demand for tourism globally then I would think it was a no-brainer to introduce a tax on it. I'd expect the tax would have to be pretty high to counteract the global growth in demand for tourism.
Can’t we book someone like a Sophie Ellis-Bextor, who will take the job seriously but come up with a fun performance?
They’re also spending money in the local economy helping to keep people in work.
As I say, a flat levy will effectively penalise the poor far more than the well off and this really is just a shakedown. Why not make it a fixed percent than a flat levy if they’re doing it ?
Still, some mayors have indicated they wont apply it to holiday parks.
https://www.lalettre.fr/fr/english-corner/2026/05/18/nato-to-set-up-its-ai-centre-in-france,110765612-fac
He also rejects opening the debate on re-joining the EU as he wants to bring the country together and not open divisions but he does want a closer relatuonship with Europe
He certainly talks to the 'left behind' and is an interesting politician
This is genuinely wild.
Nearly 50% of all European Venture in 2026 has flown into the UK.
Last year was all about Stockholm, and there were high hopes for AI in Paris.
The overall view was that the rest of Europe was catching up with the UK.
But actually it seems to be pulling away.
Lots of seed businesses in STEM and AI with lots of growth potential.
Still, Burnham
Alternatively, we go all Trump on Eurovision - no first prize, no money...
BREAKING: Andy Burnham u-turns on his desire to rejoin the EU
“I am not proposing rejoining the EU”
“I respect the decision that was made at the referendum”
“The last thing we should do now is re-run those arguments”
Flips his view from just 7 months ago when he backed rejoin
All my posts are mine and not Ai
How hard was it to work out that "any decision on that would be after the next General Election" ?
Neither remainers nor leavers could argue with that.
Instead he's potentially alienated some voters without any corresponding positive message.
Michelle Singletary says the Loser is acting like a bridezilla: It's funny, because it's true.
*UNLIKE ITS PREVIOUS TEXTS, THE US HAS ACCEPTED IN THE NEW TEXT TO WAVE IRAN'S OIL SANCTIONS DURING THE NEGOTIATION PERIOD: TASNIM’
https://x.com/investingcom/status/2056340697171538183?s=61
The all caps is not me !
*UNLIKE ITS PREVIOUS TEXTS, THE US HAS ACCEPTED IN THE NEW TEXT TO WAVE IRAN'S OIL SANCTIONS DURING THE NEGOTIATION PERIOD: TASNIM’
https://x.com/investingcom/status/2056340697171538183?s=61
The all caps is not me !
What he was unable to do was when more high quality talent came along was to evolve his tactics sufficiently to take more advantage of the world class abilities of certain players and relied on some of his favourite for too long. It was very much a defensive first strategy that got England a long way, but ultimately wasn't sufficient for that final step.
England is now blessed with abudance of talent in certain areas, but when you look at others it is still rather weak e.g. striker for instance, its Harry Kane or Harry Kane, the next cabs off the rank are miles below this.
Tuchel so far has managed at times to play so more exciting football but still doesn't seem to be quite right other times. Also, he is now struggling with egos, something which Southgate team managed to keep at bay, and resorted to bringing back so well past it duffers like Henderson.
Next up, some honesty on tax, spend and borrowing please.
"What?? We might as well have the bloody TORIES back..."
https://bsky.app/profile/pickardje.bsky.social/post/3mm4uqmbbus2m
Labour 8/13
Reform 11/8
Restore 9/1
Three horse race?
https://x.com/RestoreBritain_/status/2056059695413006684
Nigel Farage’s claim that he paid for a £1.4mn house with his fee from a reality TV show has been challenged by corporate accounts that appear to show that the income remained on his company’s balance sheet after the property purchase.
* obviously if one was to think they might come into £5 million gift in the near future probably give you a lot more confidence.
I think he was brilliant at building a squad of players who wanted to play for England. So many other England teams have been riven with factions and players putting club before country.
What he was not good at was tactical flexibility and seizing the moment.
But realistically who has performed better as England manager? Only Ramsey. Robson got lucky and still lost in the semis.
Such pandering to a local electorate is quite possibly counterproductive when your opponent's position is straightforward on the issue..
NEW THREAD
Tell so many lies that pinning them down becomes impossible onerous.
Andrew Lilico
@andrew_lilico
·
4h
Burnham's presumably less unpopular than other Labour figures because he hasn't been around, so isn't tainted with recent disasters, & people have some vague idea he "did OK in Manchester". Would any of that last more than 5 minutes once he were back in Westminster?
https://x.com/andrew_lilico/status/2056305585302163588
That said, with this pronouncement, it's gifting Reform the opportunity for a series of campaign ads on "two faced Andy Burnham".
I understand that he wasn’t an MP at the time, but that’s the most inefficient way possible to make a donation to a politician.
If it was actually for his security, you’d set up a company called “Reform MP Security Ltd” or similar, and pay the money to that entity.
And essentially correct.
..My core argument is this.
Britain has been on the wrong path, 40 years on the wrong path, a path that has damaged communities across the north.
The deindustrialisation of the 1980s was devastating for places across Makerfield like Ashton-in-Makerfield … You know exactly what I am talking about. The draining away of economic, social and political power from these places left adrift. That’s what happened.
That deindustrialisation was then compounded by deregulation, privatisation in the 90s and austerity in the 2010s. It all adds up to 40 years of neoliberalism that have not been kind to the north of England – 40 years of trickle-down economics that did not, in the end, trickle down very much at all to Platt Bridge or Hindley.
In fact, that system has siphoned wealth out of those places and into the hands of people for whom life was already very good.
It created an economy that didn’t work for most working people. It led to the loss of good jobs, the decline of our high streets, and the neglect of our towns. It led to people paying over the odds for the daily basics energy, housing, water, transport.
And in the 2000s, and particularly in the 2010s, our councils across the north of England were stripped of the resource and power to do anything about it.
They just don’t have the agency that they should have to protect people from these changes. And that’s the broken state of local government in England that we see right now, particularly felt in councils across across the north...
The song “Three Lions”, with the lyric “30 years of hurt”, is now itself 30 years old.
Sadly I anticipate an underperformance by England and scapegoating of players this time.
Mustn't he?