Jones also confirms Burnham will borrow more. However mostly for infrastructure which is an excellent idea.
Council house building.
Put like that, it's pretty sensible, isn't it? Borrowing to create things that are both useful and should generate income.
And, splendid as the profit motive is, in housebuilding it seems to lead to a throttling of supply.
Borrowing for investment in new labour speak was simply spending money on day to day stuff so if they do this, I cannot see an issue. As long as it is a proper market based return and not heavily subsidised.
There is plenty of spare capacity in the house building industry. Vistry and Crest Nicholson are laying people off
If,you can’t make a profit or adequate return doing something, why do it. I listened to a Bloomberg money podcast on housing. In some parts of London if a builder had the land for free they wouldn’t make any money. We need to encourage private businesses.
Vistry and Crest Nicholson are laying people off because the demand isn't there for houses at the current cost of building.
Unless the Government kicks off a social housing scheme which would open up a whole set of Nimby issues I can't see much that can be done to resolve the issue.
Down here in the South after all the pressure to build new homes, Vistry are offering shared ownership on a large 600+ homes development. Normally it would be 50% equity. Then it dropped to 25% equity. Now they are offering 10% which equates to £45K on a £450K 3 bed. Desperate not to cut prices.
Shared ownership, I’d run like hell from it.
Taz, at 10% it would likely be far cheaper than renting.
Ed Davey gives Kemi the death stare saying the "we are all human and it's something everyone should remember"
What an utter twunt.
She's the most arrogant of arrogant pieces of shit.
She surpasses Braverman in her complete lack of grace and empathy.
People say that PMQs doesn’t matter but clearly it does to have caused such a volte-face from you. Previously you were so pro, or at worst neutral re Kemi and yet her behaviour today has made you obsessively anti her in vitriolic terms. Massive surprise.
BREAKING: Nottingham maternity review exposes ‘cruel’ care and toxic bullying at NHS trust:
Some 520 mothers and babies suffered potentially avoidable harm or death. There were at least 156 deaths of babies and six mothers died. Of the baby deaths, 94 were stillbirths. Some 62 cases were neonatal deaths shortly after birth Of the 14 senior leaders at CCG/ICB level, only 4 agreed to give evidence. Of 66 senior managers at @nottmhospitals only 35 actually engaged with the review just 53%.
This is shocking behaviour by supposed NHS leaders.
The logic should be refusal to talk to an inquiry is admission of gross misconduct - with the appropriate immediate consequence.
Absolutely. As @Cyclefree frequently reminds us these inquiries will never achieve anything until those responsible are held accountable with clear consequences.
No, that’s nonsense. You do inquiries to work out what went wrong. That might be someone’s fault, but it might not be, it might be a problem with the system. Assigning blame should not be the primary purpose of an inquiry: it stops people from cooperating. The airline industry learnt this decades ago.
Excluding Liz Truss who is Scottish, Andy Burnham is first bona fide Northerner to become PM in 50 years.
Jessica Elgot @jessicaelgot · 58m I’m really sorry to do this but the last Northern PM was actually Roundhay’s Liz Truss - as much as she tried to disown our great city.
She was born in Oxford, that rules her out as a bona fide Northerner.
As the most bona fide Northerner on PB I can tell you we Northerners take this stuff very seriously.
I'm not quibbling with your overall conclusion, but how does that make her Scottish?
In 1977 Truss and her parents moved to Warsaw in Poland, but returned to Britain after John and Priscilla found it "quite grim".
After living briefly in Kidderminster, Worcestershire, the family moved to Paisley in Scotland when Truss was four years old, where she attended West Primary School. In 1985 they moved south to Leeds,
And this makes her Scottish?? Not even the SRU would claim that.
She spent her formative years in Scotland (ages 4 to 10), if that's not Scottish then I don't know what is.
Some Scots don't even accept Tony Blair was Scottish, I mean born in Edinburgh, educated in Scotland...
To some Scots, if a Scot has ever left Scotland for more than a holiday they are no longer Scottish.
Remember the Is Andy Murray British website and ramp the logic up to insane levels and that is how Scots work.
The way to hit back is to use the adjective "Scotch" which annoys them intensely for some reason.
Bit like but not as bad as "Rosbif" which Scotland's friends in France call a certain nation.
Rosbif is quaintly non-insulting. I don't think any Brit has ever felt offended by it.
You think calling us Scotch is of any offence , we are the ones laughing at the stupidity and childishness of it.
Excluding Liz Truss who is Scottish, Andy Burnham is first bona fide Northerner to become PM in 50 years.
Jessica Elgot @jessicaelgot · 58m I’m really sorry to do this but the last Northern PM was actually Roundhay’s Liz Truss - as much as she tried to disown our great city.
She was born in Oxford, that rules her out as a bona fide Northerner.
As the most bona fide Northerner on PB I can tell you we Northerners take this stuff very seriously.
I'm not quibbling with your overall conclusion, but how does that make her Scottish?
In 1977 Truss and her parents moved to Warsaw in Poland, but returned to Britain after John and Priscilla found it "quite grim".
After living briefly in Kidderminster, Worcestershire, the family moved to Paisley in Scotland when Truss was four years old, where she attended West Primary School. In 1985 they moved south to Leeds,
And this makes her Scottish?? Not even the SRU would claim that.
She spent her formative years in Scotland (ages 4 to 10), if that's not Scottish then I don't know what is.
Some Scots don't even accept Tony Blair was Scottish, I mean born in Edinburgh, educated in Scotland...
To some Scots, if a Scot has ever left Scotland for more than a holiday they are no longer Scottish.
Remember the Is Andy Murray British website and ramp the logic up to insane levels and that is how Scots work.
The way to hit back is to use the adjective "Scotch" which annoys them intensely for some reason.
Bit like but not as bad as "Rosbif" which Scotland's friends in France call a certain nation.
Rosbif is quaintly non-insulting. I don't think any Brit has ever felt offended by it.
You think calling us Scotch is of any offence , we are the ones laughing at the stupidity and childishness of it.
As I've said before I would also be talking about moving Parliament somewhere just to watch how quickly HS2 got fully built.
Oh and move a lot more of the Treasury to Darlington - granted I'm biased as I live in the town but the core of the Treasury should up north and London a small sub office...
Excluding Liz Truss who is Scottish, Andy Burnham is first bona fide Northerner to become PM in 50 years.
Jessica Elgot @jessicaelgot · 58m I’m really sorry to do this but the last Northern PM was actually Roundhay’s Liz Truss - as much as she tried to disown our great city.
She was born in Oxford, that rules her out as a bona fide Northerner.
As the most bona fide Northerner on PB I can tell you we Northerners take this stuff very seriously.
I'm not quibbling with your overall conclusion, but how does that make her Scottish?
In 1977 Truss and her parents moved to Warsaw in Poland, but returned to Britain after John and Priscilla found it "quite grim".
After living briefly in Kidderminster, Worcestershire, the family moved to Paisley in Scotland when Truss was four years old, where she attended West Primary School. In 1985 they moved south to Leeds,
And this makes her Scottish?? Not even the SRU would claim that.
She spent her formative years in Scotland (ages 4 to 10), if that's not Scottish then I don't know what is.
Some Scots don't even accept Tony Blair was Scottish, I mean born in Edinburgh, educated in Scotland...
To some Scots, if a Scot has ever left Scotland for more than a holiday they are no longer Scottish.
Remember the Is Andy Murray British website and ramp the logic up to insane levels and that is how Scots work.
The way to hit back is to use the adjective "Scotch" which annoys them intensely for some reason.
Bit like but not as bad as "Rosbif" which Scotland's friends in France call a certain nation.
Rosbif is quaintly non-insulting. I don't think any Brit has ever felt offended by it.
You think calling us Scotch is of any offence , we are the ones laughing at the stupidity and childishness of it.
Deleted. Can’t be arsed
Good move. That user is nasty and adds little of value to the site.
£33 for a ticket. I think I paid €10 when I saw it in Bayeaux a couple of years ago.
Ouch!
But will still probably have to go, when in the UK for a couple of weeks in the summer.
Edit: or maybe not, doesn’t start until mid-September. Perhaps next year, by which time the queues might have died down a little!
I've got the same problem - down in London the week before it begins for a comedy show that my wife has insisted tagging herself along to (Guy Montgomery's Guy Mont-Spelling Bee for anyone who cares). I'm in London for work, she's just going to see the show and do things while I work.
When I say the tapestry in March 2025 it was €16 each, but given that the evening meal was €160 it didn't seem that important..
Is the Bayeux Tapestry worth looking at, or just cultural FOMO?
Absolutely worth it. As an object in its own right - one thousand year old work of art - and its association with one of the most significant events in European history.
BREAKING: Nottingham maternity review exposes ‘cruel’ care and toxic bullying at NHS trust:
Some 520 mothers and babies suffered potentially avoidable harm or death. There were at least 156 deaths of babies and six mothers died. Of the baby deaths, 94 were stillbirths. Some 62 cases were neonatal deaths shortly after birth Of the 14 senior leaders at CCG/ICB level, only 4 agreed to give evidence. Of 66 senior managers at @nottmhospitals only 35 actually engaged with the review just 53%.
This is shocking behaviour by supposed NHS leaders.
£33 for a ticket. I think I paid €10 when I saw it in Bayeaux a couple of years ago.
Ouch!
But will still probably have to go, when in the UK for a couple of weeks in the summer.
Edit: or maybe not, doesn’t start until mid-September. Perhaps next year, by which time the queues might have died down a little!
I've got the same problem - down in London the week before it begins for a comedy show that my wife has insisted tagging herself along to (Guy Montgomery's Guy Mont-Spelling Bee for anyone who cares). I'm in London for work, she's just going to see the show and do things while I work.
When I say the tapestry in March 2025 it was €16 each, but given that the evening meal was €160 it didn't seem that important..
Is the Bayeux Tapestry worth looking at, or just cultural FOMO?
Absolutely worth it. As an object in its own right - one thousand year old work of art - and its association with one of the most significant events in European history.
My thoughts are that the British Museum is going to awfully busy but when we saw it on a Friday afternoon in Bayeux we were two of 6 people looking at it
As I've said before I would also be talking about moving Parliament somewhere just to watch how quickly HS2 got fully built.
Oh and move a lot more of the Treasury to Darlington - granted I'm biased as I live in the town but the core of the Treasury should up north and London a small sub office...
How do you move part of No 10 to Manchester? Do Larry, the front door and the policeman at the front door go north, while the rest of the operation remains in London (with more mice)?
BREAKING: Nottingham maternity review exposes ‘cruel’ care and toxic bullying at NHS trust:
Some 520 mothers and babies suffered potentially avoidable harm or death. There were at least 156 deaths of babies and six mothers died. Of the baby deaths, 94 were stillbirths. Some 62 cases were neonatal deaths shortly after birth Of the 14 senior leaders at CCG/ICB level, only 4 agreed to give evidence. Of 66 senior managers at @nottmhospitals only 35 actually engaged with the review just 53%.
This is shocking behaviour by supposed NHS leaders.
The logic should be refusal to talk to an inquiry is admission of gross misconduct - with the appropriate immediate consequence.
Absolutely. As @Cyclefree frequently reminds us these inquiries will never achieve anything until those responsible are held accountable with clear consequences.
No, that’s nonsense. You do inquiries to work out what went wrong. That might be someone’s fault, but it might not be, it might be a problem with the system. Assigning blame should not be the primary purpose of an inquiry: it stops people from cooperating. The airline industry learnt this decades ago.
The point here is that those who should be sacked refused to cooperate with the inquiry so that such lessons could indeed be learned. I have sympathy for overworked doctors facing sometimes impossible choices. I have no sympathy for those who seek to cover up such disasters and refuse to even give evidence. None. They are a disgrace.
Jones also confirms Burnham will borrow more. However mostly for infrastructure which is an excellent idea.
Council house building.
Put like that, it's pretty sensible, isn't it? Borrowing to create things that are both useful and should generate income.
And, splendid as the profit motive is, in housebuilding it seems to lead to a throttling of supply.
Borrowing for investment in new labour speak was simply spending money on day to day stuff so if they do this, I cannot see an issue. As long as it is a proper market based return and not heavily subsidised.
There is plenty of spare capacity in the house building industry. Vistry and Crest Nicholson are laying people off
If,you can’t make a profit or adequate return doing something, why do it. I listened to a Bloomberg money podcast on housing. In some parts of London if a builder had the land for free they wouldn’t make any money. We need to encourage private businesses.
Vistry and Crest Nicholson are laying people off because the demand isn't there for houses at the current cost of building.
Unless the Government kicks off a social housing scheme which would open up a whole set of Nimby issues I can't see much that can be done to resolve the issue.
Down here in the South after all the pressure to build new homes, Vistry are offering shared ownership on a large 600+ homes development. Normally it would be 50% equity. Then it dropped to 25% equity. Now they are offering 10% which equates to £45K on a £450K 3 bed. Desperate not to cut prices.
Shared ownership, I’d run like hell from it.
Taz, at 10% it would likely be far cheaper than renting.
You pay rent on the 90% don’t own
thought it was too good to be true
Always is with these leeches Malc.
Simply another way of propping up the market.
Lots of horror stories if people in these now trapped effectively and they’re unsellable.
As I've said before I would also be talking about moving Parliament somewhere just to watch how quickly HS2 got fully built.
Oh and move a lot more of the Treasury to Darlington - granted I'm biased as I live in the town but the core of the Treasury should up north and London a small sub office...
Oh, that'll be disappointing for all the OAPs who were hoping to promenade out in the lovely soupy weather.
But never fear, perhaps the grannies can go on a trip to Hampshire or Dorset to warm up. It's already over 34C in several places in the South and it's only midday!
Beautiful here, blue sky , low 20's and fresh
Actually similar here in Cappadocia, 1300m up. Pic of the day, distant Mt Ercyes from Uchisar
As I've said before I would also be talking about moving Parliament somewhere just to watch how quickly HS2 got fully built.
Oh and move a lot more of the Treasury to Darlington - granted I'm biased as I live in the town but the core of the Treasury should up north and London a small sub office...
How do you move part of No 10 to Manchester? Do Larry, the front door and the policeman at the front door go north, while the rest of the operation remains in London (with more mice)?
He's probably got the developers lined up already.
£33 for a ticket. I think I paid €10 when I saw it in Bayeaux a couple of years ago.
Ouch!
But will still probably have to go, when in the UK for a couple of weeks in the summer.
Edit: or maybe not, doesn’t start until mid-September. Perhaps next year, by which time the queues might have died down a little!
I've got the same problem - down in London the week before it begins for a comedy show that my wife has insisted tagging herself along to (Guy Montgomery's Guy Mont-Spelling Bee for anyone who cares). I'm in London for work, she's just going to see the show and do things while I work.
When I say the tapestry in March 2025 it was €16 each, but given that the evening meal was €160 it didn't seem that important..
Is the Bayeux Tapestry worth looking at, or just cultural FOMO?
oh it's worth it but again I do cross stitch and it's a period of history where I like the misinformation around it (and the tapestry is a source of some of that misunderstanding).
Equally I won't be rushing to see it in London wll probably visit Bayeux again when it's back there.
How does the copy in Reading compare, anyone who knows?
(I'd go for the real deal ideally, but if I miss it, I've been aware for a couple of years that we have what is supposed to be a decent replica and have been tempted).
The and finally on Scottish Legal News today reports that 2 people have been arrested on suspicion of possession of narcotics found in a bag with "Definitely not a bag full of drugs" on the side. It appears our police don't take everything at face value.
The rail accident investigation branch says that the train driver who died passed a red signal moments before the collision
I understood the braking system automatically overrides the driver if the train passes a red signal but maybe it was too late
No matter, still very sad
That's bad reporting - but hardly expected from people who don't understand the stopping distance for a train due to metal wheels and metal tracks is measured in miles not metres..
It's worth reporting this paragraph from the actual Government report
Having entered the Up Fast line, train 1H46 then approached signal WH154. FFCCTV shows that this signal was displaying a red aspect as the train approached and then passed it. The data downloaded from the OTDR on the front vehicle of this train is still being analysed, as the recorder could not be accessed until the vehicle was recovered. This means that it is not yet possible to say what indication the driver received from the AWS equipment on the train or how they responded to this.
As I've said before I would also be talking about moving Parliament somewhere just to watch how quickly HS2 got fully built.
Oh and move a lot more of the Treasury to Darlington - granted I'm biased as I live in the town but the core of the Treasury should up north and London a small sub office...
The rail accident investigation branch says that the train driver who died passed a red signal moments before the collision
I understood the braking system automatically overrides the driver if the train passes a red signal but maybe it was too late
No matter, still very sad
That's bad reporting - but hardly expected from people who don't understand the stopping distance for a train due to metal wheels and metal tracks is measured in miles not metres..
“He has been let down by backbenchers who don't understand that government is about tough choices. He U-turned again and again and again to appease them, and now they've abandoned him. What for? A pair of eyelashes and a black T-shirt.”
Jones also confirms Burnham will borrow more. However mostly for infrastructure which is an excellent idea.
Council house building.
Put like that, it's pretty sensible, isn't it? Borrowing to create things that are both useful and should generate income.
And, splendid as the profit motive is, in housebuilding it seems to lead to a throttling of supply.
Borrowing for investment in new labour speak was simply spending money on day to day stuff so if they do this, I cannot see an issue. As long as it is a proper market based return and not heavily subsidised.
There is plenty of spare capacity in the house building industry. Vistry and Crest Nicholson are laying people off
If,you can’t make a profit or adequate return doing something, why do it. I listened to a Bloomberg money podcast on housing. In some parts of London if a builder had the land for free they wouldn’t make any money. We need to encourage private businesses.
Vistry and Crest Nicholson are laying people off because the demand isn't there for houses at the current cost of building.
Unless the Government kicks off a social housing scheme which would open up a whole set of Nimby issues I can't see much that can be done to resolve the issue.
Down here in the South after all the pressure to build new homes, Vistry are offering shared ownership on a large 600+ homes development. Normally it would be 50% equity. Then it dropped to 25% equity. Now they are offering 10% which equates to £45K on a £450K 3 bed. Desperate not to cut prices.
Shared ownership, I’d run like hell from it.
Depends if you can afford full ownership.
As a step on the ladder then shared ownership can be considerably better than renting, even if not as good as full ownership. Its a compromise.
Especially good shared ownership schemes that let you buy out the shares that you don't own over time so you can end in full ownership- and many of them also have discounted rents on the shares you don't own too.
I know someone who got [I believe either a 25% or 40%] on a 2 bed flat in London, with a mortgage and rent on the remainder [either 75% or 60%]. He uses 1 bed and lets out the other (allowed under the scheme) and the rent he's gets from the second bed basically covers his full mortgage and rent.
So he is basically rent and mortgage free on his own cost of living, in London - not too shabby!
Excluding Liz Truss who is Scottish, Andy Burnham is first bona fide Northerner to become PM in 50 years.
Jessica Elgot @jessicaelgot · 58m I’m really sorry to do this but the last Northern PM was actually Roundhay’s Liz Truss - as much as she tried to disown our great city.
She was born in Oxford, that rules her out as a bona fide Northerner.
As the most bona fide Northerner on PB I can tell you we Northerners take this stuff very seriously.
I'm not quibbling with your overall conclusion, but how does that make her Scottish?
In 1977 Truss and her parents moved to Warsaw in Poland, but returned to Britain after John and Priscilla found it "quite grim".
After living briefly in Kidderminster, Worcestershire, the family moved to Paisley in Scotland when Truss was four years old, where she attended West Primary School. In 1985 they moved south to Leeds,
And this makes her Scottish?? Not even the SRU would claim that.
She spent her formative years in Scotland (ages 4 to 10), if that's not Scottish then I don't know what is.
Some Scots don't even accept Tony Blair was Scottish, I mean born in Edinburgh, educated in Scotland...
To some Scots, if a Scot has ever left Scotland for more than a holiday they are no longer Scottish.
Remember the Is Andy Murray British website and ramp the logic up to insane levels and that is how Scots work.
The way to hit back is to use the adjective "Scotch" which annoys them intensely for some reason.
Bit like but not as bad as "Rosbif" which Scotland's friends in France call a certain nation.
Rosbif is quaintly non-insulting. I don't think any Brit has ever felt offended by it.
You think calling us Scotch is of any offence , we are the ones laughing at the stupidity and childishness of it.
Deleted. Can’t be arsed
Good move. That user is nasty and adds little of value to the site.
I agree with that last point, but he's far from the only one.
Growing up, people of my grandparents age were always using the word Scotch instead of Scottish. So, I have no problem with this. Scotch also meant to chop up, as in a scotch whisky was a mix of other whiskies (a blend). It's lost it's meaning now and just stands for Scottish.
Tony Blair wasn't Scottish because he himself denied he was, despite the evidence. Even Gordon Brown made a similar point during the Scotland/England game at the Euros.
BREAKING: Nottingham maternity review exposes ‘cruel’ care and toxic bullying at NHS trust:
Some 520 mothers and babies suffered potentially avoidable harm or death. There were at least 156 deaths of babies and six mothers died. Of the baby deaths, 94 were stillbirths. Some 62 cases were neonatal deaths shortly after birth Of the 14 senior leaders at CCG/ICB level, only 4 agreed to give evidence. Of 66 senior managers at @nottmhospitals only 35 actually engaged with the review just 53%.
This is shocking behaviour by supposed NHS leaders.
The logic should be refusal to talk to an inquiry is admission of gross misconduct - with the appropriate immediate consequence.
Absolutely. As @Cyclefree frequently reminds us these inquiries will never achieve anything until those responsible are held accountable with clear consequences.
No, that’s nonsense. You do inquiries to work out what went wrong. That might be someone’s fault, but it might not be, it might be a problem with the system. Assigning blame should not be the primary purpose of an inquiry: it stops people from cooperating. The airline industry learnt this decades ago.
The point here is that those who should be sacked refused to cooperate with the inquiry so that such lessons could indeed be learned. I have sympathy for overworked doctors facing sometimes impossible choices. I have no sympathy for those who seek to cover up such disasters and refuse to even give evidence. None. They are a disgrace.
You don’t know why certain people didn’t cooperate or whether their cooperation would’ve made any difference to the review’s answers. If people should be sacked, then they should be taken through the appropriate disciplinary procedure.
The rail accident investigation branch says that the train driver who died passed a red signal moments before the collision
I understood the braking system automatically overrides the driver if the train passes a red signal but maybe it was too late
No matter, still very sad
I doubt that's an end to the investigation. For instance, and I don't know the answer here, could the front train, which I understand stopped due a fault with its automated stopping systems, have progressed a little further beyond the light to a safer stopping point, or to the next signals, or would that in itself have constituted a greater balance of probability risk?
As I've said before I would also be talking about moving Parliament somewhere just to watch how quickly HS2 got fully built.
Oh and move a lot more of the Treasury to Darlington - granted I'm biased as I live in the town but the core of the Treasury should up north and London a small sub office...
As I've said before I would also be talking about moving Parliament somewhere just to watch how quickly HS2 got fully built.
Oh and move a lot more of the Treasury to Darlington - granted I'm biased as I live in the town but the core of the Treasury should up north and London a small sub office...
“He has been let down by backbenchers who don't understand that government is about tough choices. He U-turned again and again and again to appease them, and now they've abandoned him. What for? A pair of eyelashes and a black T-shirt.”
Kemi didn’t take any prisoners today and it has clearly upset some.
However, politics is politics and had the roles been reversed Starmer would have done the same as we saw with his interactions with Boris
The hardest clip to watch is Kemi questioning why Reeves was not present at Starmer’s resignation speech but at Burnham's photo call
As Starmer defended her she looked completely broken
Moving part of Number 10 to Manchester is interesting
But beyond symbolism what will it do.
Has moving the BBC from broadcasting house to Salford really changed the BBC?
I haven't noticed a difference.
It will send and important message; "Style over Substance is Here to Stay!"
Peter.
London has very strong economic activity privately, moving public sector and pseudo public sector (BBC) work outside the capital where it might otherwise be done in the capital is likely a good thing in the round.
The rail accident investigation branch says that the train driver who died passed a red signal moments before the collision
I understood the braking system automatically overrides the driver if the train passes a red signal but maybe it was too late
No matter, still very sad
I doubt that's an end to the investigation. For instance, and I don't know the answer here, could the front train, which I understand stopped due a fault with its automated stopping systems, have progressed a little further beyond the light to a safer stopping point, or to the next signals, or would that in itself have constituted a greater balance of probability risk?
I agree - lots of questions need an answer
Our Holyhead to Euston service broke down between Chester and Crewe yesterday with the train manager at one time suggesting we may have to be evacuated. As it happens it limped into Crewe 35 minutes late but being stopped for half an hour on the main Holyhead to Euston two track section in the middle of nowhere was quite a worry
It's not the first time. She's compared me to a Gestapo officer.
I wonder what it is about a working class woman driving record investment in state schools by ending private schools' tax breaks that the Tories hate so much.
Moving part of Number 10 to Manchester is interesting
But beyond symbolism what will it do.
Has moving the BBC from broadcasting house to Salford really changed the BBC?
I haven't noticed a difference.
It will send and important message; "Style over Substance is Here to Stay!"
Peter.
I woud absolutely say it has. 20 years ago, the BBC viewed everything through a London lens. Now it does not. Admittedly arguably it now views things through a Manchester lens, but Manchester is rather more representative of the country as a whole.
It's also enabled people to pursue a media career without having to trek right down to the far corner of the country - Manchester being consideraboy more central and rather more affordable.
“He has been let down by backbenchers who don't understand that government is about tough choices. He U-turned again and again and again to appease them, and now they've abandoned him. What for? A pair of eyelashes and a black T-shirt.”
Kemi didn’t take any prisoners today and it has clearly upset some.
However, politics is politics and had the roles been reversed Starmer would have done the same as we saw with his interactions with Boris
The hardest clip to watch is Kemi questioning why Reeves was not present at Starmer’s resignation speech but at Burnham's photo call
As Starmer defended her she looked completely broken
Politics is tough
Starmer did however win a resounding election; Badenoch is as far as we can tell is unlikely to do so. Maybe she doesn't care about coming across as a thoroughly nasty person, politically it's a fail. Starmer was able to deal with her without missing a beat and he's a dead man walking.
£33 for a ticket. I think I paid €10 when I saw it in Bayeaux a couple of years ago.
Ouch!
But will still probably have to go, when in the UK for a couple of weeks in the summer.
Edit: or maybe not, doesn’t start until mid-September. Perhaps next year, by which time the queues might have died down a little!
I've got the same problem - down in London the week before it begins for a comedy show that my wife has insisted tagging herself along to (Guy Montgomery's Guy Mont-Spelling Bee for anyone who cares). I'm in London for work, she's just going to see the show and do things while I work.
When I say the tapestry in March 2025 it was €16 each, but given that the evening meal was €160 it didn't seem that important..
Is the Bayeux Tapestry worth looking at, or just cultural FOMO?
oh it's worth it but again I do cross stitch and it's a period of history where I like the misinformation around it (and the tapestry is a source of some of that misunderstanding).
Equally I won't be rushing to see it in London wll probably visit Bayeux again when it's back there.
How does the copy in Reading compare, anyone who knows?
(I'd go for the real deal ideally, but if I miss it, I've been aware for a couple of years that we have what is supposed to be a decent replica and have been tempted).
“He has been let down by backbenchers who don't understand that government is about tough choices. He U-turned again and again and again to appease them, and now they've abandoned him. What for? A pair of eyelashes and a black T-shirt.”
Kemi didn’t take any prisoners today and it has clearly upset some.
However, politics is politics and had the roles been reversed Starmer would have done the same as we saw with his interactions with Boris
The hardest clip to watch is Kemi questioning why Reeves was not present at Starmer’s resignation speech but at Burnham's photo call
As Starmer defended her she looked completely broken
Politics is tough
Starmer did however win a resounding election; Badenoch is as far as we can tell is unlikely to do so. Maybe she doesn't care about coming across as a thoroughly nasty person, politically it's a fail. Starmer was able to deal with her without missing a beat and he's a dead man walking.
Nobody has any idea who will win in 2029 but she is being heard as per this thread header
£33 for a ticket. I think I paid €10 when I saw it in Bayeaux a couple of years ago.
Ouch!
But will still probably have to go, when in the UK for a couple of weeks in the summer.
Funny thing about ticket prices is that we wince at them but for many people it costs many £hundreds to get there and back, stay there and eat out there, hundreds more than the price of the thing we went to see.
Moving part of Number 10 to Manchester is interesting
But beyond symbolism what will it do.
Has moving the BBC from broadcasting house to Salford really changed the BBC?
I haven't noticed a difference.
It will send and important message; "Style over Substance is Here to Stay!"
Peter.
London has very strong economic activity privately, moving public sector and pseudo public sector (BBC) work outside the capital where it might otherwise be done in the capital is likely a good thing in the round.
In theory yes, but whether it's the BBC or No 10, will the scale of these moves compared to the size of London make a difference. I can see how a large move might do some good, but much like my Barnett example the problem with talk of teh "Northern Powerhouse!" has always been the gap between waht is actually being committed and what you would need.
It's also worth asking and the upcoming Mayoral election might feature this just who are teh main beneficiaries. How much of teh new development in manchester welcome though it is has helped traditional Labour voters. Is it like the Docklands lots of new flats built on cheap derelect land that no one local can afford.
Are we going to repeat the same as before massive new developments beside areas of deprevation that see little progress. Much like globalisation there could well be an overall benefit but will it be yet agains marginal for most and uneven?
Excluding Liz Truss who is Scottish, Andy Burnham is first bona fide Northerner to become PM in 50 years.
Jessica Elgot @jessicaelgot · 58m I’m really sorry to do this but the last Northern PM was actually Roundhay’s Liz Truss - as much as she tried to disown our great city.
She was born in Oxford, that rules her out as a bona fide Northerner.
As the most bona fide Northerner on PB I can tell you we Northerners take this stuff very seriously.
I'm not quibbling with your overall conclusion, but how does that make her Scottish?
In 1977 Truss and her parents moved to Warsaw in Poland, but returned to Britain after John and Priscilla found it "quite grim".
After living briefly in Kidderminster, Worcestershire, the family moved to Paisley in Scotland when Truss was four years old, where she attended West Primary School. In 1985 they moved south to Leeds,
And this makes her Scottish?? Not even the SRU would claim that.
She spent her formative years in Scotland (ages 4 to 10), if that's not Scottish then I don't know what is.
Some Scots don't even accept Tony Blair was Scottish, I mean born in Edinburgh, educated in Scotland...
To some Scots, if a Scot has ever left Scotland for more than a holiday they are no longer Scottish.
Remember the Is Andy Murray British website and ramp the logic up to insane levels and that is how Scots work.
The way to hit back is to use the adjective "Scotch" which annoys them intensely for some reason.
Bit like but not as bad as "Rosbif" which Scotland's friends in France call a certain nation.
Rosbif is quaintly non-insulting. I don't think any Brit has ever felt offended by it.
You think calling us Scotch is of any offence , we are the ones laughing at the stupidity and childishness of it.
Going off topic with this comment, it's interesting how most England fans are happy to support Scotland, Wales, Northern Ireland, Ireland as long as England aren't playing in the same match, but it doesn't work the other way round, particularly with Scottish fans.
Oh, that'll be disappointing for all the OAPs who were hoping to promenade out in the lovely soupy weather.
But never fear, perhaps the grannies can go on a trip to Hampshire or Dorset to warm up. It's already over 34C in several places in the South and it's only midday!
Beautiful here, blue sky , low 20's and fresh
Low 20s here in Dorset too. Oh... but that's inside.
£33 for a ticket. I think I paid €10 when I saw it in Bayeaux a couple of years ago.
We joined the British Museum - tickets to the Bayeux Tapestry and other exhibitions are free.
Joint membership is £106 per year, so you only have to go to two exhibitions a year to make it worthwhile. Plus you get early booking priority - we've already booked our tickets.
We've seen it before in France but seeing it in the UK will be a once in a lifetime chance so has to be done imo.
Excluding Liz Truss who is Scottish, Andy Burnham is first bona fide Northerner to become PM in 50 years.
Jessica Elgot @jessicaelgot · 58m I’m really sorry to do this but the last Northern PM was actually Roundhay’s Liz Truss - as much as she tried to disown our great city.
She was born in Oxford, that rules her out as a bona fide Northerner.
As the most bona fide Northerner on PB I can tell you we Northerners take this stuff very seriously.
I'm not quibbling with your overall conclusion, but how does that make her Scottish?
In 1977 Truss and her parents moved to Warsaw in Poland, but returned to Britain after John and Priscilla found it "quite grim".
After living briefly in Kidderminster, Worcestershire, the family moved to Paisley in Scotland when Truss was four years old, where she attended West Primary School. In 1985 they moved south to Leeds,
And this makes her Scottish?? Not even the SRU would claim that.
She spent her formative years in Scotland (ages 4 to 10), if that's not Scottish then I don't know what is.
Some Scots don't even accept Tony Blair was Scottish, I mean born in Edinburgh, educated in Scotland...
To some Scots, if a Scot has ever left Scotland for more than a holiday they are no longer Scottish.
Remember the Is Andy Murray British website and ramp the logic up to insane levels and that is how Scots work.
The way to hit back is to use the adjective "Scotch" which annoys them intensely for some reason.
Bit like but not as bad as "Rosbif" which Scotland's friends in France call a certain nation.
Rosbif is quaintly non-insulting. I don't think any Brit has ever felt offended by it.
You think calling us Scotch is of any offence , we are the ones laughing at the stupidity and childishness of it.
Going off topic with this comment, it's interesting how most England fans are happy to support Scotland, Wales, Northern Ireland, Ireland as long as England aren't playing in the same match, but it doesn't work the other way round, particularly with Scottish fans.
Well, if supporting means singing songs about shoving our bag pipes up our arse, John McGinn being a sex offender and the party's over Scotland, you're going home, thanks awfully for the support.
I sense being among football supporters is not your natural milieu.
“He has been let down by backbenchers who don't understand that government is about tough choices. He U-turned again and again and again to appease them, and now they've abandoned him. What for? A pair of eyelashes and a black T-shirt.”
Kemi didn’t take any prisoners today and it has clearly upset some.
However, politics is politics and had the roles been reversed Starmer would have done the same as we saw with his interactions with Boris
The hardest clip to watch is Kemi questioning why Reeves was not present at Starmer’s resignation speech but at Burnham's photo call
As Starmer defended her she looked completely broken
Politics is tough
Starmer did however win a resounding election; Badenoch is as far as we can tell is unlikely to do so. Maybe she doesn't care about coming across as a thoroughly nasty person, politically it's a fail. Starmer was able to deal with her without missing a beat and he's a dead man walking.
And yet Badenoch will still be leader of her party when Starmer is nothing more than a back bencher - if that.
In politics you are only as good as your last failure
£33 for a ticket. I think I paid €10 when I saw it in Bayeaux a couple of years ago.
Ouch!
But will still probably have to go, when in the UK for a couple of weeks in the summer.
Funny thing about ticket prices is that we wince at them but for many people it costs many £hundreds to get there and back, stay there and eat out there, hundreds more than the price of the thing we went to see.
I’m off to see Pulp at the Royal Festival Hall.
Got the expensive seats as my hotel was twice the price of those tickets and the train fare not much different
Also I’m taking a day off work - the opportunity cost of that almost trumps the other bits
£33 for a ticket. I think I paid €10 when I saw it in Bayeaux a couple of years ago.
Ouch!
But will still probably have to go, when in the UK for a couple of weeks in the summer.
Funny thing about ticket prices is that we wince at them but for many people it costs many £hundreds to get there and back, stay there and eat out there, hundreds more than the price of the thing we went to see.
I’m off to see Pulp at the Royal Festival Hall.
Got the expensive seats as my hotel was twice the price of those tickets and the train fare not much different
Also I’m taking a day off work - the opportunity cost of that almost trumps the other bits
Oh, that'll be disappointing for all the OAPs who were hoping to promenade out in the lovely soupy weather.
But never fear, perhaps the grannies can go on a trip to Hampshire or Dorset to warm up. It's already over 34C in several places in the South and it's only midday!
Beautiful here, blue sky , low 20's and fresh
Actually similar here in Cappadocia, 1300m up. Pic of the day, distant Mt Ercyes from Uchisar
I now realise that was a shit photo and you can hardly make out Mt Erciyes. I posted while on a walk with the sun glaring down on the screen. I had much better ones. Oh well. That's my daily allowance
NEW - MPs say Bridget Phillipson and Liz Kendall confronted Kemi Badenoch about her language at PMQs today where she called Phillipson "spiteful" which Kendall said was outrageous.
Badenoch reported to have said “I’m never going to stop talking about how spiteful you are”
Phillipson then hit back at Badenoch: “The public are going to find out who you really are.”
Badenoch responded: "I will never stop fighting you. You are destroying children’s lives"
Oh, that'll be disappointing for all the OAPs who were hoping to promenade out in the lovely soupy weather.
But never fear, perhaps the grannies can go on a trip to Hampshire or Dorset to warm up. It's already over 34C in several places in the South and it's only midday!
Beautiful here, blue sky , low 20's and fresh
Low 20s here in Dorset too. Oh... but that's inside.
34.2 outside and rising. Phew what a scorcher!
Same here in the shade in the Essex suburbs; a little cooler indoors in my Edwardian cottage but I just had to retrieve something from my loft room and despite the blinds being closed it is roasting hot up there. The price of a roof built to modern insulation standards!
Oh, that'll be disappointing for all the OAPs who were hoping to promenade out in the lovely soupy weather.
But never fear, perhaps the grannies can go on a trip to Hampshire or Dorset to warm up. It's already over 34C in several places in the South and it's only midday!
Beautiful here, blue sky , low 20's and fresh
Actually similar here in Cappadocia, 1300m up. Pic of the day, distant Mt Ercyes from Uchisar
I now realise that was a shit photo and you can hardly make out Mt Erciyes. I posted while on a walk with the sun glaring down on the screen. I had much better ones. Oh well. That's my daily allowance
NEW - MPs say Bridget Phillipson and Liz Kendall confronted Kemi Badenoch about her language at PMQs today where she called Phillipson "spiteful" which Kendall said was outrageous.
Badenoch reported to have said “I’m never going to stop talking about how spiteful you are”
Phillipson then hit back at Badenoch: “The public are going to find out who you really are.”
Badenoch responded: "I will never stop fighting you. You are destroying children’s lives"
Given spite seems a hefty part of Badenoch's personal make up, perhaps she meant it as a compliment?
“He has been let down by backbenchers who don't understand that government is about tough choices. He U-turned again and again and again to appease them, and now they've abandoned him. What for? A pair of eyelashes and a black T-shirt.”
Kemi didn’t take any prisoners today and it has clearly upset some.
However, politics is politics and had the roles been reversed Starmer would have done the same as we saw with his interactions with Boris
The hardest clip to watch is Kemi questioning why Reeves was not present at Starmer’s resignation speech but at Burnham's photo call
As Starmer defended her she looked completely broken
Politics is tough
Starmer did however win a resounding election; Badenoch is as far as we can tell is unlikely to do so. Maybe she doesn't care about coming across as a thoroughly nasty person, politically it's a fail. Starmer was able to deal with her without missing a beat and he's a dead man walking.
And yet Badenoch will still be leader of her party when Starmer is nothing more than a back bencher - if that.
In politics you are only as good as your last failure
True. We're probably seeing the failure of both. Yet I don't think Badenoch will achieve even Starmer's heights.
So you wonder the point of Badenoch's performative vitriol when it seems counterproductive anyway. But she thinks she's got it absolutely nailed.
It supplies half of Moscow’s petrol and diesel, three airports, and a fair amount of specialist military aircraft fuels. At least it did until last week.
The rail accident investigation branch says that the train driver who died passed a red signal moments before the collision
I understood the braking system automatically overrides the driver if the train passes a red signal but maybe it was too late
No matter, still very sad
That's bad reporting - but hardly expected from people who don't understand the stopping distance for a train due to metal wheels and metal tracks is measured in miles not metres..
It's worth reporting this paragraph from the actual Government report
Having entered the Up Fast line, train 1H46 then approached signal WH154. FFCCTV shows that this signal was displaying a red aspect as the train approached and then passed it. The data downloaded from the OTDR on the front vehicle of this train is still being analysed, as the recorder could not be accessed until the vehicle was recovered. This means that it is not yet possible to say what indication the driver received from the AWS equipment on the train or how they responded to this.
I've always wondered why trains do not have a rubber brake as well as the metal wheels - just a block of rubber like on a bike. Also rubber "acceleration wheels" that can be lifted up once up to speed.
NEW - MPs say Bridget Phillipson and Liz Kendall confronted Kemi Badenoch about her language at PMQs today where she called Phillipson "spiteful" which Kendall said was outrageous.
Badenoch reported to have said “I’m never going to stop talking about how spiteful you are”
Phillipson then hit back at Badenoch: “The public are going to find out who you really are.”
Badenoch responded: "I will never stop fighting you. You are destroying children’s lives"
Phillipson really did squirm under Badenochs withering critique.
£33 for a ticket. I think I paid €10 when I saw it in Bayeaux a couple of years ago.
Ouch!
But will still probably have to go, when in the UK for a couple of weeks in the summer.
Edit: or maybe not, doesn’t start until mid-September. Perhaps next year, by which time the queues might have died down a little!
I've got the same problem - down in London the week before it begins for a comedy show that my wife has insisted tagging herself along to (Guy Montgomery's Guy Mont-Spelling Bee for anyone who cares). I'm in London for work, she's just going to see the show and do things while I work.
When I say the tapestry in March 2025 it was €16 each, but given that the evening meal was €160 it didn't seem that important..
Is the Bayeux Tapestry worth looking at, or just cultural FOMO?
Absolutely worth it. As an object in its own right - one thousand year old work of art - and its association with one of the most significant events in European history.
My thoughts are that the British Museum is going to awfully busy but when we saw it on a Friday afternoon in Bayeux we were two of 6 people looking at it
That they’re selling tickets well ahead of time, presumably for a specific time slot, suggests that they’re expecting it to be busy and need to limit numbers at least initially.
Oh, that'll be disappointing for all the OAPs who were hoping to promenade out in the lovely soupy weather.
But never fear, perhaps the grannies can go on a trip to Hampshire or Dorset to warm up. It's already over 34C in several places in the South and it's only midday!
Beautiful here, blue sky , low 20's and fresh
Low 20s here in Dorset too. Oh... but that's inside.
34.2 outside and rising. Phew what a scorcher!
First decent test of high temperatures for your new house?
Oh, that'll be disappointing for all the OAPs who were hoping to promenade out in the lovely soupy weather.
But never fear, perhaps the grannies can go on a trip to Hampshire or Dorset to warm up. It's already over 34C in several places in the South and it's only midday!
Beautiful here, blue sky , low 20's and fresh
Actually similar here in Cappadocia, 1300m up. Pic of the day, distant Mt Ercyes from Uchisar
I now realise that was a shit photo and you can hardly make out Mt Erciyes. I posted while on a walk with the sun glaring down on the screen. I had much better ones. Oh well. That's my daily allowance
Dog for scale next time?
Funny story about a dog actually.
Yesterday evening I was on a walk through the fairy chimneys and orchards and got a bit lost. I saw a farmer and asked him in sign language if I was going the right way for Goreme. He signalled yes but then pointed up to a high crag and started talking ten to the dozen in a serious tone of voice (in Turkish).
I looked confused and concerned. He then started saying something else and pointing to the path. I looked more confused so he pointed at the dog in his car and said the word again. I took this to mean proceed this way, you may have to climb a steep crag, and beware of the dogs.
I thanked him and proceeded with caution, listening out for growling noises. One of the worst tourist experiences is getting barked and charged at by fierce dogs in rustic settings at dusk.
Before long a huge dog limbered up and started sniffing me. I noted with relief that it didn't appear to be foaming at the mouth. It then looked me in the eyes and turned to walk ahead. Then turned round again, looked at me, and continued walking. I followed it. Up a narrow path over the steep crag, through farmland and on to the track. The dog ended up walking me about 3km all the way back to town. At which point it turned to me, got a pat on the head, and trotted back off towards its farm.
So the farmer has been saying "there's a steep crag and it's a confusing path, but don't worry one of my dogs will show you the way".
It supplies half of Moscow’s petrol and diesel, three airports, and a fair amount of specialist military aircraft fuels. At least it did until last week.
It supplies half of Moscow’s petrol and diesel, three airports, and a fair amount of specialist military aircraft fuels. At least it did until last week.
It supplies half of Moscow’s petrol and diesel, three airports, and a fair amount of specialist military aircraft fuels. At least it did until last week.
Excluding Liz Truss who is Scottish, Andy Burnham is first bona fide Northerner to become PM in 50 years.
Jessica Elgot @jessicaelgot · 58m I’m really sorry to do this but the last Northern PM was actually Roundhay’s Liz Truss - as much as she tried to disown our great city.
She was born in Oxford, that rules her out as a bona fide Northerner.
As the most bona fide Northerner on PB I can tell you we Northerners take this stuff very seriously.
I'm not quibbling with your overall conclusion, but how does that make her Scottish?
In 1977 Truss and her parents moved to Warsaw in Poland, but returned to Britain after John and Priscilla found it "quite grim".
After living briefly in Kidderminster, Worcestershire, the family moved to Paisley in Scotland when Truss was four years old, where she attended West Primary School. In 1985 they moved south to Leeds,
And this makes her Scottish?? Not even the SRU would claim that.
She spent her formative years in Scotland (ages 4 to 10), if that's not Scottish then I don't know what is.
Some Scots don't even accept Tony Blair was Scottish, I mean born in Edinburgh, educated in Scotland...
To some Scots, if a Scot has ever left Scotland for more than a holiday they are no longer Scottish.
Remember the Is Andy Murray British website and ramp the logic up to insane levels and that is how Scots work.
The way to hit back is to use the adjective "Scotch" which annoys them intensely for some reason.
Bit like but not as bad as "Rosbif" which Scotland's friends in France call a certain nation.
Rosbif is quaintly non-insulting. I don't think any Brit has ever felt offended by it.
You think calling us Scotch is of any offence , we are the ones laughing at the stupidity and childishness of it.
Going off topic with this comment, it's interesting how most England fans are happy to support Scotland, Wales, Northern Ireland, Ireland as long as England aren't playing in the same match, but it doesn't work the other way round, particularly with Scottish fans.
Well, if supporting means singing songs about shoving our bag pipes up our arse, John McGinn being a sex offender and the party's over Scotland, you're going home, thanks awfully for the support.
I sense being among football supporters is not your natural milieu.
I think it was Ludovic Kenendy who wrote the book "In Bed with an Elephant!"
It looked at the historic Scottish English Rivalry, but you can look at Canada v the USA in Ice Hockey, Portugal v Spain at football, New Zealand v Australia and Rugby and the Ashes too with England and Australia.
The underdog, the little guy always wants to beat the big guy and especially hates getting a beating by them.
They also have to endure beyond that rivalry, just being smaller and watching the bigger nation; achieve more, grow faster, get more regard and win more often.
Our to quote "Only an Excuse!";
"A bit of petty minded bigotry...Where would our Game be without it!"
NEW - MPs say Bridget Phillipson and Liz Kendall confronted Kemi Badenoch about her language at PMQs today where she called Phillipson "spiteful" which Kendall said was outrageous.
Badenoch reported to have said “I’m never going to stop talking about how spiteful you are”
Phillipson then hit back at Badenoch: “The public are going to find out who you really are.”
Badenoch responded: "I will never stop fighting you. You are destroying children’s lives"
Phillipson really did squirm under Badenochs withering critique.
Oh it keeps getting better. Russian central bank admits to printing 5trn roubles (£25bn or so, c.2.5% of GDP) and says more is coming. Stock market falling.
And yes, proper communism Brexit hasn't been tried yet. Despite Brexiteers being in charge for most of the last ten years.
Point of order. Whilst I actually agree with your criticism of Farage's comments, Brexiteers have not been in charge for most of the last 10 years.
May, Truss and Starmer were all Remainers.
Johnson + Sunak = 1759 days in power so I make that roughly 48% of the period since the referendum. I’d contend there’s a genuine argument over Truss given she is as mad as a box of frogs and maybe was genuinely a Brexiteer by the time she was PM. That nudges us up to 49% of the given period. But you are correct, only by the the thinnest of margins, either way.
Just to reiterate, I don't buy the 'true Brexit' bullshit from Farage.
One of the problems is that May thought she had to deliver a hard Brexit so was unwilling to compromise or stand up to her own backbenchers. She thought only of what was good for her premiership and her party rather than the nation.
It supplies half of Moscow’s petrol and diesel, three airports, and a fair amount of specialist military aircraft fuels. At least it did until last week.
I'd be surprised if they get it back up and running even in 27. A lot of the equipment required is going to be of foreign origin, and replacements won't be available and can't easily be manufactured in today's Russia.
And of course, as soon as they make any real progress Ukraine will just bomb the crap out of it again.
It’s hot but that recollection of the burst of hot weather we had a couple of years back was that it felt hotter then
It was hotter then, several degrees hotter. Though less humid.
It's widely about 34C at the moment, 35 in a few places, you need 36-37 before you start to get that hairdryer feeling when the wind itself is hot. Likely to get there tomorrow and Friday.
It supplies half of Moscow’s petrol and diesel, three airports, and a fair amount of specialist military aircraft fuels. At least it did until last week.
I'd be surprised if they get it back up and running even in 27. A lot of the equipment required is going to be of foreign origin, and replacements won't be available and can't easily be manufactured in today's Russia.
And of course, as soon as they make any real progress Ukraine will just bomb the crap out of it again.
NEW - MPs say Bridget Phillipson and Liz Kendall confronted Kemi Badenoch about her language at PMQs today where she called Phillipson "spiteful" which Kendall said was outrageous.
Badenoch reported to have said “I’m never going to stop talking about how spiteful you are”
Phillipson then hit back at Badenoch: “The public are going to find out who you really are.”
Badenoch responded: "I will never stop fighting you. You are destroying children’s lives"
The avalanche of 'class war' and 'sheer spite' and 'politics of envy' attacks in response to the objectively rather mild step of removing tax breaks from private schools tells you one thing loud and clear - that a battle royal would break out if a large reduction in inequality was pursued as a political priority.
Oh, that'll be disappointing for all the OAPs who were hoping to promenade out in the lovely soupy weather.
But never fear, perhaps the grannies can go on a trip to Hampshire or Dorset to warm up. It's already over 34C in several places in the South and it's only midday!
Beautiful here, blue sky , low 20's and fresh
Actually similar here in Cappadocia, 1300m up. Pic of the day, distant Mt Ercyes from Uchisar
I now realise that was a shit photo and you can hardly make out Mt Erciyes. I posted while on a walk with the sun glaring down on the screen. I had much better ones. Oh well. That's my daily allowance
Dog for scale next time?
Funny story about a dog actually.
Yesterday evening I was on a walk through the fairy chimneys and orchards and got a bit lost. I saw a farmer and asked him in sign language if I was going the right way for Goreme. He signalled yes but then pointed up to a high crag and started talking ten to the dozen in a serious tone of voice (in Turkish).
I looked confused and concerned. He then started saying something else and pointing to the path. I looked more confused so he pointed at the dog in his car and said the word again. I took this to mean proceed this way, you may have to climb a steep crag, and beware of the dogs.
I thanked him and proceeded with caution, listening out for growling noises. One of the worst tourist experiences is getting barked and charged at by fierce dogs in rustic settings at dusk.
Before long a huge dog limbered up and started sniffing me. I noted with relief that it didn't appear to be foaming at the mouth. It then looked me in the eyes and turned to walk ahead. Then turned round again, looked at me, and continued walking. I followed it. Up a narrow path over the steep crag, through farmland and on to the track. The dog ended up walking me about 3km all the way back to town. At which point it turned to me, got a pat on the head, and trotted back off towards its farm.
So the farmer has been saying "there's a steep crag and it's a confusing path, but don't worry one of my dogs will show you the way".
Or he could have been saying "Okay fido lead him up there till he dies of sunstroke and then bring back his wallet!"
“He has been let down by backbenchers who don't understand that government is about tough choices. He U-turned again and again and again to appease them, and now they've abandoned him. What for? A pair of eyelashes and a black T-shirt.”
Kemi didn’t take any prisoners today and it has clearly upset some.
However, politics is politics and had the roles been reversed Starmer would have done the same as we saw with his interactions with Boris
The hardest clip to watch is Kemi questioning why Reeves was not present at Starmer’s resignation speech but at Burnham's photo call
As Starmer defended her she looked completely broken
Politics is tough
Politics is tough but others Sunak, Boris, Theresa, Gordon, Tony, John as PMs and Starmer, and other Party Leaders, and I include Davey, Farage, Flynn and so many before them can do it with humour, humility, respect.
She's previously refused to acknowledge the deaths of Mon Tory past political legends.
Today did cross a red line as much of the media is reporting.
Her attitude to to other female politicians stinks, utterly indefensible catty and unnecessary.
It is highly unusual for a Speaker to rebuke as he did.
I've said it before and it's patentlybibvious, she has a personality defect, no off button, no empathy, no contrition. She is A bully of the worst kind.
Never kick anyone when they are down, one day she will be down, well in everyone's mind but hers. That will be the day hopefully she does realise how nasty she is.
Starmer is too much of a gentleman to give it her back, someone will soon.
The comment about knives after what happened to Jo Cox and David Amess is particularly sick, the daughter of Amess who was a decent man has previously castigated her for her tone and language.
“He has been let down by backbenchers who don't understand that government is about tough choices. He U-turned again and again and again to appease them, and now they've abandoned him. What for? A pair of eyelashes and a black T-shirt.”
Kemi didn’t take any prisoners today and it has clearly upset some.
However, politics is politics and had the roles been reversed Starmer would have done the same as we saw with his interactions with Boris
The hardest clip to watch is Kemi questioning why Reeves was not present at Starmer’s resignation speech but at Burnham's photo call
As Starmer defended her she looked completely broken
Politics is tough
Politics is tough but others Sunak, Boris, Theresa, Gordon, Tony, John as PMs and Starmer, and other Party Leaders, and I include Davey, Farage, Flynn and so many before them can do it with humour, humility, respect.
She's previously refused to acknowledge the deaths of Mon Tory past political legends.
Today did cross a red line as much of the media is reporting.
Her attitude to to other female politicians stinks, utterly indefensible catty and unnecessary.
It is highly unusual for a Speaker to rebuke as he did.
I've said it before and it's patentlybibvious, she has a personality defect, no off button, no empathy, no contrition. She is A bully of the worst kind.
Never kick anyone when they are down, one day she will be down, well in everyone's mind but hers. That will be the day hopefully she does realise how nasty she is.
Starmer is too much of a gentleman to give it her back, someone will soon.
The comment about knives after what happened to Jo Cox and David Amess is particularly sick, the daughter of Amess who was a decent man has previously castigated her for her tone and language.
NEW - MPs say Bridget Phillipson and Liz Kendall confronted Kemi Badenoch about her language at PMQs today where she called Phillipson "spiteful" which Kendall said was outrageous.
Badenoch reported to have said “I’m never going to stop talking about how spiteful you are”
Phillipson then hit back at Badenoch: “The public are going to find out who you really are.”
Badenoch responded: "I will never stop fighting you. You are destroying children’s lives"
The avalanche of 'class war' and 'sheer spite' and 'politics of envy' attacks in response to the objectively rather mild step of removing tax breaks from private schools tells you one thing loud and clear - that a battle royal would break out if a large reduction in inequality was pursued as a political priority.
I'm not sure it tells us anything very much tbh although I do wonder if it is actually true that there are fewer teachers.
NEW - MPs say Bridget Phillipson and Liz Kendall confronted Kemi Badenoch about her language at PMQs today where she called Phillipson "spiteful" which Kendall said was outrageous.
Badenoch reported to have said “I’m never going to stop talking about how spiteful you are”
Phillipson then hit back at Badenoch: “The public are going to find out who you really are.”
Badenoch responded: "I will never stop fighting you. You are destroying children’s lives"
The avalanche of 'class war' and 'sheer spite' and 'politics of envy' attacks in response to the objectively rather mild step of removing tax breaks from private schools tells you one thing loud and clear - that a battle royal would break out if a large reduction in inequality was pursued as a political priority.
I'm not sure it tells us anything very much tbh although I do wonder if it is actually true that there are fewer teachers.
There are fewer teachers
Totally due to falling rolls
The proceeds have helped the new version of Sure Start and is helping hundreds of thousands of less well off children and their schools to give them a better chance in life at school
NEW - MPs say Bridget Phillipson and Liz Kendall confronted Kemi Badenoch about her language at PMQs today where she called Phillipson "spiteful" which Kendall said was outrageous.
Badenoch reported to have said “I’m never going to stop talking about how spiteful you are”
Phillipson then hit back at Badenoch: “The public are going to find out who you really are.”
Badenoch responded: "I will never stop fighting you. You are destroying children’s lives"
The avalanche of 'class war' and 'sheer spite' and 'politics of envy' attacks in response to the objectively rather mild step of removing tax breaks from private schools tells you one thing loud and clear - that a battle royal would break out if a large reduction in inequality was pursued as a political priority.
NEW - MPs say Bridget Phillipson and Liz Kendall confronted Kemi Badenoch about her language at PMQs today where she called Phillipson "spiteful" which Kendall said was outrageous.
Badenoch reported to have said “I’m never going to stop talking about how spiteful you are”
Phillipson then hit back at Badenoch: “The public are going to find out who you really are.”
Badenoch responded: "I will never stop fighting you. You are destroying children’s lives"
The avalanche of 'class war' and 'sheer spite' and 'politics of envy' attacks in response to the objectively rather mild step of removing tax breaks from private schools tells you one thing loud and clear - that a battle royal would break out if a large reduction in inequality was pursued as a political priority.
It’s not “objectively mild” to the tens of thousands of parents who have had to find a new school for their child at short notice, not to mention that the policy has raised almost nothing when increased state school rolls are taken into account.
There was no serious economic case for the change, it was pure class envy and the politics of spite.
NEW - MPs say Bridget Phillipson and Liz Kendall confronted Kemi Badenoch about her language at PMQs today where she called Phillipson "spiteful" which Kendall said was outrageous.
Badenoch reported to have said “I’m never going to stop talking about how spiteful you are”
Phillipson then hit back at Badenoch: “The public are going to find out who you really are.”
Badenoch responded: "I will never stop fighting you. You are destroying children’s lives"
The avalanche of 'class war' and 'sheer spite' and 'politics of envy' attacks in response to the objectively rather mild step of removing tax breaks from private schools tells you one thing loud and clear - that a battle royal would break out if a large reduction in inequality was pursued as a political priority.
I'm not sure it tells us anything very much tbh although I do wonder if it is actually true that there are fewer teachers.
I think it does. If that's Class War (!) just imagine the resistance to something that seriously erodes privilege.
Comments
As I've said before I would also be talking about moving Parliament somewhere just to watch how quickly HS2 got fully built.
Oh and move a lot more of the Treasury to Darlington - granted I'm biased as I live in the town but the core of the Treasury should up north and London a small sub office...
Simply another way of propping up the market.
Lots of horror stories if people in these now trapped effectively and they’re unsellable.
Like leasehold flats and retirement homes
The rail accident investigation branch says that the train driver who died passed a red signal moments before the collision
I understood the braking system automatically overrides the driver if the train passes a red signal but maybe it was too late
No matter, still very sad
(I'd go for the real deal ideally, but if I miss it, I've been aware for a couple of years that we have what is supposed to be a decent replica and have been tempted).
It's worth reporting this paragraph from the actual Government report
Having entered the Up Fast line, train 1H46 then approached signal WH154. FFCCTV shows that this signal was displaying a red aspect as the train approached and then passed it. The data downloaded from the OTDR on the front vehicle of this train is still being analysed, as the recorder could not be accessed until the vehicle was recovered. This means that it is not yet possible to say what indication the driver received from the AWS equipment on the train or how they responded to this.
Has moving the BBC from broadcasting house to Salford really changed the BBC?
I haven't noticed a difference.
It will send and important message; "Style over Substance is Here to Stay!"
Peter.
As a step on the ladder then shared ownership can be considerably better than renting, even if not as good as full ownership. Its a compromise.
Especially good shared ownership schemes that let you buy out the shares that you don't own over time so you can end in full ownership- and many of them also have discounted rents on the shares you don't own too.
I know someone who got [I believe either a 25% or 40%] on a 2 bed flat in London, with a mortgage and rent on the remainder [either 75% or 60%]. He uses 1 bed and lets out the other (allowed under the scheme) and the rent he's gets from the second bed basically covers his full mortgage and rent.
So he is basically rent and mortgage free on his own cost of living, in London - not too shabby!
As always though, buyer beware.
Growing up, people of my grandparents age were always using the word Scotch instead of Scottish. So, I have no problem with this. Scotch also meant to chop up, as in a scotch whisky was a mix of other whiskies (a blend). It's lost it's meaning now and just stands for Scottish.
Tony Blair wasn't Scottish because he himself denied he was, despite the evidence. Even Gordon Brown made a similar point during the Scotland/England game at the Euros.
The tweet quoted above is misleading. The review, available at https://assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/media/6a3bb63930b491f55b3c4862/ockenden-report-review-of-maternity-services-nottingham-university-hospitals-nhs-trust-web-accessible.pdf , is not saying all 162 deaths were avoidable. The review doesn’t make a big thing of non-cooperation of witnesses. The tragedy of the review is that its conclusions are very similar to umpteen other maternity reviews. I don’t think there are any lessons that have been missed because some people didn’t talk to the review.
Complaining about people not cooperating is a distraction here. The actual recommendations of the review on p. 328 seq. are what matters here.
However, politics is politics and had the roles been reversed Starmer would have done the same as we saw with his interactions with Boris
The hardest clip to watch is Kemi questioning why Reeves was not present at Starmer’s resignation speech but at Burnham's photo call
As Starmer defended her she looked completely broken
Politics is tough
Our Holyhead to Euston service broke down between Chester and Crewe yesterday with the train manager at one time suggesting we may have to be evacuated. As it happens it limped into Crewe 35 minutes late but being stopped for half an hour on the main Holyhead to Euston two track section in the middle of nowhere was quite a worry
Kemi lost her head at PMQs - and afterwards too.
It's not the first time. She's compared me to a Gestapo officer.
I wonder what it is about a working class woman driving record investment in state schools by ending private schools' tax breaks that the Tories hate so much.
It's also enabled people to pursue a media career without having to trek right down to the far corner of the country - Manchester being consideraboy more central and rather more affordable.
It's certainly not decentralisation; just shifting the centre of government a bit.
It's also worth asking and the upcoming Mayoral election might feature this just who are teh main beneficiaries. How much of teh new development in manchester welcome though it is has helped traditional Labour voters. Is it like the Docklands lots of new flats built on cheap derelect land that no one local can afford.
Are we going to repeat the same as before massive new developments beside areas of deprevation that see little progress.
Much like globalisation there could well be an overall benefit but will it be yet agains marginal for most and uneven?
Peter.
34.2 outside and rising. Phew what a scorcher!
Joint membership is £106 per year, so you only have to go to two exhibitions a year to make it worthwhile. Plus you get early booking priority - we've already booked our tickets.
We've seen it before in France but seeing it in the UK will be a once in a lifetime chance so has to be done imo.
I sense being among football supporters is not your natural milieu.
In politics you are only as good as your last failure
Got the expensive seats as my hotel was twice the price of those tickets and the train fare not much different
Also I’m taking a day off work - the opportunity cost of that almost trumps the other bits
NEW - MPs say Bridget Phillipson and Liz Kendall confronted Kemi Badenoch about her language at PMQs today where she called Phillipson "spiteful" which Kendall said was outrageous.
Badenoch reported to have said “I’m never going to stop talking about how spiteful you are”
Phillipson then hit back at Badenoch: “The public are going to find out who you really are.”
Badenoch responded: "I will never stop fighting you. You are destroying children’s lives"
The South Korean Air Force is conducting training to intercept a swarm of 50 drones.
https://x.com/Southwood_/status/2069694485068738789
So you wonder the point of Badenoch's performative vitriol when it seems counterproductive anyway. But she thinks she's got it absolutely nailed.
https://x.com/bayraktar_1love/status/2069745984628748668
It supplies half of Moscow’s petrol and diesel, three airports, and a fair amount of specialist military aircraft fuels. At least it did until last week.
But she supposedly being replaced by Rayner.
Seems pretty good so far.
Each day, big drops.
Yesterday evening I was on a walk through the fairy chimneys and orchards and got a bit lost. I saw a farmer and asked him in sign language if I was going the right way for Goreme. He signalled yes but then pointed up to a high crag and started talking ten to the dozen in a serious tone of voice (in Turkish).
I looked confused and concerned. He then started saying something else and pointing to the path. I looked more confused so he pointed at the dog in his car and said the word again. I took this to mean proceed this way, you may have to climb a steep crag, and beware of the dogs.
I thanked him and proceeded with caution, listening out for growling noises. One of the worst tourist experiences is getting barked and charged at by fierce dogs in rustic settings at dusk.
Before long a huge dog limbered up and started sniffing me. I noted with relief that it didn't appear to be foaming at the mouth. It then looked me in the eyes and turned to walk ahead. Then turned round again, looked at me, and continued walking. I followed it. Up a narrow path over the steep crag, through farmland and on to the track. The dog ended up walking me about 3km all the way back to town. At which point it turned to me, got a pat on the head, and trotted back off towards its farm.
So the farmer has been saying "there's a steep crag and it's a confusing path, but don't worry one of my dogs will show you the way".
Power move.
Bibi really screwed up here.
I guess all those tins of tomatoes and beans, olive oil and dried food I bought I needn’t have bothered doing
https://x.com/PolitlcsUK/status/2069754431546019845?s=20
No stropping off like some
Sunak too has remained an MP.
It looked at the historic Scottish English Rivalry, but you can look at Canada v the USA in Ice Hockey, Portugal v Spain at football, New Zealand v Australia and Rugby and the Ashes too with England and Australia.
The underdog, the little guy always wants to beat the big guy and especially hates getting a beating by them.
They also have to endure beyond that rivalry, just being smaller and watching the bigger nation; achieve more, grow faster, get more regard and win more often.
Our to quote "Only an Excuse!";
"A bit of petty minded bigotry...Where would our Game be without it!"
Peter.
NEW THREAD
https://x.com/realjakebroe/status/2069595528351092773
That might explain the queues at the banks we saw earlier.
One of the problems is that May thought she had to deliver a hard Brexit so was unwilling to compromise or stand up to her own backbenchers. She thought only of what was good for her premiership and her party rather than the nation.
And of course, as soon as they make any real progress Ukraine will just bomb the crap out of it again.
It's widely about 34C at the moment, 35 in a few places, you need 36-37 before you start to get that hairdryer feeling when the wind itself is hot. Likely to get there tomorrow and Friday.
Peter.
She's previously refused to acknowledge the deaths of Mon Tory past political legends.
Today did cross a red line as much of the media is reporting.
Her attitude to to other female politicians stinks, utterly indefensible catty and unnecessary.
It is highly unusual for a Speaker to rebuke as he did.
I've said it before and it's patentlybibvious, she has a personality defect, no off button, no empathy, no contrition. She is A bully of the worst kind.
Never kick anyone when they are down, one day she will be down, well in everyone's mind but hers. That will be the day hopefully she does realise how nasty she is.
Starmer is too much of a gentleman to give it her back, someone will soon.
The comment about knives after what happened to Jo Cox and David Amess is particularly sick, the daughter of Amess who was a decent man has previously castigated her for her tone and language.
She should come to the House and apologise.
No point waiting, she won't.
She's previously refused to acknowledge the deaths of Mon Tory past political legends.
Today did cross a red line as much of the media is reporting.
Her attitude to to other female politicians stinks, utterly indefensible catty and unnecessary.
It is highly unusual for a Speaker to rebuke as he did.
I've said it before and it's patentlybibvious, she has a personality defect, no off button, no empathy, no contrition. She is A bully of the worst kind.
Never kick anyone when they are down, one day she will be down, well in everyone's mind but hers. That will be the day hopefully she does realise how nasty she is.
Starmer is too much of a gentleman to give it her back, someone will soon.
The comment about knives after what happened to Jo Cox and David Amess is particularly sick, the daughter of Amess who was a decent man has previously castigated her for her tone and language.
She should come to the House and apologise.
No point waiting, she won't.
Totally due to falling rolls
The proceeds have helped the new version of Sure Start and is helping hundreds of thousands of less well off children and their schools to give them a better chance in life at school
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There was no serious economic case for the change, it was pure class envy and the politics of spite.