There is an appallingly bad royal doc on C5 now, Harry & Meghan: The Wedding That Split Two Families' with actors accents for Harry and Meghan, William and the late Queen so awful it is hilarious
There is an appallingly bad royal doc on C5 now, Harry & Meghan: The Wedding That Split Two Families' with actors accents for Harry and Meghan, William and the late Queen so awful it is hilarious
Revealed: Nigel Farage secretly funded by convicted criminal
The Reform UK leader did not declare benefits including staff, security and housing by crypto-gambler George Cottrell, our investigation reveals
...Farage appears to have broken MPs’ rules by failing to declare that Cottrell provided funding for his operation in the year before his election.
We can also reveal that:
• The Reform leader received “in kind” benefits ranging from his back office to his private security, staff, transport and accommodation. • Cottrell recruited and paid three staff to transform Farage’s social media presence, producing content on immigration, human rights law and political correctness, and that promoted Reform. • Cottrell has been involved in a crypto-gambling platform implicated in illegal betting in the UK. • Two men — a friend of Cottrell’s and a Reform employee — owned UK companies which allowed illicit payments originally from or destined for the platform, which did not have a legally required UK licence. • Since the election Cottrell has let Farage use a five-storey house he rents on a street near Buckingham Palace. His lawyer said: “As a close friend, our client did, and does, allow Mr Farage to stay in our client’s rental property.” • The convict has applied for a presidential pardon in the US, where he pleaded guilty to wire fraud. • Cottrell received an £8.5 million Chelsea property from the billionaire Reform treasurer Nick Candy in the last year. Land Registry documents say the price paid was zero. Candy said Cottrell paid him by buying shares in an offshore Guernsey company but would not specify the value of the transaction.
The code of conduct says MPs must disclose any benefit which “might reasonably be thought by others to influence [their] actions or words” on their register of interests. Its “overall aim” is to protect democracy by upholding the highest levels of transparency.
It says MPs must declare any gifts, benefits and hospitality” received in the year preceding their election and which relate “in any way” to their “political activities”. The exception is “purely personal” gifts, such as presents from family. Even then, the code says “both the possible motive of the giver and the use [of the gift] should be considered”, clarifying: “If there is any doubt, the benefit should be registered.”
Having been teflon for so long I am starting to think that Farage's corruption may finally have destroyed him. How will Reform fare without him?
What is increasingly certain is that Reform are not going to form or lead the next government and Farage is finished. And there is an end to major figures leaping to Reform from the Tories. And figures like Kruger and Montgomerie are looking wan and sad.
Reform are likely to collapse. How many of their erstwhile supporters go to Kemi and how many to Restore? Might decide the largest party after the next election.
Have to say while I accept for Conservatives like you and @algarkirk the end of Reform can't come soon enough, the fact remains they are still leading the polls and winning local council by-election seats including from the Conservatives.
People have written off Farage and rather like (you can add your own analogy), he keeps coming back. Perhaps this time he will be done but I'm not convinced.
There's also the small matter of the assumption somehow all the Reform vote will head Kemi's way - again, I'm not convinced.
All the reform vote will not return to the conservatives but some will and it depends on how many
Straws in the wind of conservatives rowing in behind Kemi, with Rees Mogg this week and interestingly Kemi receiving advice from previous conservative pms [ not Truss] and leaders including Cameron and Boris
Three years to go and a lot of ground to make up but I do expect Kemi to crossover with reform in the next 12 months
If she does crossover to Reform that would be a bombshell and a half.
Revealed: Nigel Farage secretly funded by convicted criminal
The Reform UK leader did not declare benefits including staff, security and housing by crypto-gambler George Cottrell, our investigation reveals
...Farage appears to have broken MPs’ rules by failing to declare that Cottrell provided funding for his operation in the year before his election.
We can also reveal that:
• The Reform leader received “in kind” benefits ranging from his back office to his private security, staff, transport and accommodation. • Cottrell recruited and paid three staff to transform Farage’s social media presence, producing content on immigration, human rights law and political correctness, and that promoted Reform. • Cottrell has been involved in a crypto-gambling platform implicated in illegal betting in the UK. • Two men — a friend of Cottrell’s and a Reform employee — owned UK companies which allowed illicit payments originally from or destined for the platform, which did not have a legally required UK licence. • Since the election Cottrell has let Farage use a five-storey house he rents on a street near Buckingham Palace. His lawyer said: “As a close friend, our client did, and does, allow Mr Farage to stay in our client’s rental property.” • The convict has applied for a presidential pardon in the US, where he pleaded guilty to wire fraud. • Cottrell received an £8.5 million Chelsea property from the billionaire Reform treasurer Nick Candy in the last year. Land Registry documents say the price paid was zero. Candy said Cottrell paid him by buying shares in an offshore Guernsey company but would not specify the value of the transaction.
The code of conduct says MPs must disclose any benefit which “might reasonably be thought by others to influence [their] actions or words” on their register of interests. Its “overall aim” is to protect democracy by upholding the highest levels of transparency.
It says MPs must declare any gifts, benefits and hospitality” received in the year preceding their election and which relate “in any way” to their “political activities”. The exception is “purely personal” gifts, such as presents from family. Even then, the code says “both the possible motive of the giver and the use [of the gift] should be considered”, clarifying: “If there is any doubt, the benefit should be registered.”
Having been teflon for so long I am starting to think that Farage's corruption may finally have destroyed him. How will Reform fare without him?
What is increasingly certain is that Reform are not going to form or lead the next government and Farage is finished. And there is an end to major figures leaping to Reform from the Tories. And figures like Kruger and Montgomerie are looking wan and sad.
Reform are likely to collapse. How many of their erstwhile supporters go to Kemi and how many to Restore? Might decide the largest party after the next election.
Have to say while I accept for Conservatives like you and @algarkirk the end of Reform can't come soon enough, the fact remains they are still leading the polls and winning local council by-election seats including from the Conservatives.
People have written off Farage and rather like (you can add your own analogy), he keeps coming back. Perhaps this time he will be done but I'm not convinced.
There's also the small matter of the assumption somehow all the Reform vote will head Kemi's way - again, I'm not convinced.
All the reform vote will not return to the conservatives but some will and it depends on how many
Straws in the wind of conservatives rowing in behind Kemi, with Rees Mogg this week and interestingly Kemi receiving advice from previous conservative pms [ not Truss] and leaders including Cameron and Boris
Three years to go and a lot of ground to make up but I do expect Kemi to crossover with reform in the next 12 months
If she does crossover to Reform that would be a bombshell and a half.
She'd be a definite improvement on the ex-Cons they've picked up so far though.
I'd ban alcohol at rugby matches too. Some tw@t carrying four pints for him and his mates, climbing the stairs at the Principality, turns at the roar for a try and drops all four pints over the nearest convenient head. It wouldn't have been so bad if it had been me, but my wife was the head in question. "Sorry but" addressed to me didn't help.
https://www.opinium.com/resource-center/voting-intention-17th-june-2026/ Reform UK continues to lead voting intention on 27%, despite falling two points since earlier this month. Labour remains on 20%, while the Conservatives have edged up to 18%. The Greens stand on 14% and the Liberal Democrats on 12%.
I'd ban alcohol at rugby matches too. Some tw@t carrying four pints for him and his mates, climbing the stairs at the Principality, turns at the roar for a try and drops all four pints over the nearest convenient head. It wouldn't have been so bad if it had been me, but my wife was the head in question. "Sorry but" addressed to me didn't help.
Yes but imagine if alcohol was banned and instead he was carrying four pints of kefir or spicy tomato juice.
I thought that was what the £5m bung was supposed to be for ?
Nigel Farage appears to have breached MP rules after failing to declare that convicted criminal George Cottrell paid for his staff, security and social media output before 2024 election https://x.com/PolitlcsUK/status/2073495527358959758
I thought that was what the £5m bung was supposed to be for ?
Nigel Farage appears to have breached MP rules after failing to declare that convicted criminal George Cottrell paid for his staff, security and social media output before 2024 election https://x.com/PolitlcsUK/status/2073495527358959758
Could be worse, could be the convicted criminal Donald Trump.
Fair assessment. Reform are very transfer unfriendly both in receiving second pref votes and giving them out. I think if the by election was 5 weeks earlier Reform would have had a stronger lead over the Tories and would likely have finished second overall. Ultimately Reform have been a gift to Mr Swinney and helped them retain Banff and some other Aberdeenshire seats in May.
Expect Mr Offord will come under more pressure on his leadership once MSPs summer playtime is over
I thought that was what the £5m bung was supposed to be for ?
Nigel Farage appears to have breached MP rules after failing to declare that convicted criminal George Cottrell paid for his staff, security and social media output before 2024 election https://x.com/PolitlcsUK/status/2073495527358959758
Could be worse, could be the convicted criminal Donald Trump.
Love the response.
Reform UK said: "It comes as no surprise that The Sunday Times has chosen to publish this baseless and contrived story, covering a period of time when Nigel Farage was not even an active politician, let alone an elected one, given that the newspaper backed the Labour Party at the last general election. Contrary to the story’s tone, no parliamentary rules have been broken... https://x.com/PolitlcsUK/status/2073495901763490054
https://www.opinium.com/resource-center/voting-intention-17th-june-2026/ Reform UK continues to lead voting intention on 27%, despite falling two points since earlier this month. Labour remains on 20%, while the Conservatives have edged up to 18%. The Greens stand on 14% and the Liberal Democrats on 12%.
24th - 26th June figures
Reform 26 Labour 21 Conservative 17
Looks as if reform is the same
Ah I see. The report for 24-26Jun was issued on the 27th. The report did not contain the VI, but the data tables did
I'd ban alcohol at rugby matches too. Some tw@t carrying four pints for him and his mates, climbing the stairs at the Principality, turns at the roar for a try and drops all four pints over the nearest convenient head. It wouldn't have been so bad if it had been me, but my wife was the head in question. "Sorry but" addressed to me didn't help.
Yes but imagine if alcohol was banned and instead he was carrying four pints of kefir or spicy tomato juice.
They wouldn't be up and down every five minutes for a Jimmy Riddle after ten pints of Kefir.
https://www.opinium.com/resource-center/voting-intention-17th-june-2026/ Reform UK continues to lead voting intention on 27%, despite falling two points since earlier this month. Labour remains on 20%, while the Conservatives have edged up to 18%. The Greens stand on 14% and the Liberal Democrats on 12%.
24th - 26th June figures
Reform 26 Labour 21 Conservative 17
Looks as if reform is the same
Ah I see. The report for 24-26Jun was issued on the 27th. The report did not contain the VI, but the data tables did
Revealed: Nigel Farage secretly funded by convicted criminal
The Reform UK leader did not declare benefits including staff, security and housing by crypto-gambler George Cottrell, our investigation reveals
...Farage appears to have broken MPs’ rules by failing to declare that Cottrell provided funding for his operation in the year before his election.
We can also reveal that:
• The Reform leader received “in kind” benefits ranging from his back office to his private security, staff, transport and accommodation. • Cottrell recruited and paid three staff to transform Farage’s social media presence, producing content on immigration, human rights law and political correctness, and that promoted Reform. • Cottrell has been involved in a crypto-gambling platform implicated in illegal betting in the UK. • Two men — a friend of Cottrell’s and a Reform employee — owned UK companies which allowed illicit payments originally from or destined for the platform, which did not have a legally required UK licence. • Since the election Cottrell has let Farage use a five-storey house he rents on a street near Buckingham Palace. His lawyer said: “As a close friend, our client did, and does, allow Mr Farage to stay in our client’s rental property.” • The convict has applied for a presidential pardon in the US, where he pleaded guilty to wire fraud. • Cottrell received an £8.5 million Chelsea property from the billionaire Reform treasurer Nick Candy in the last year. Land Registry documents say the price paid was zero. Candy said Cottrell paid him by buying shares in an offshore Guernsey company but would not specify the value of the transaction.
The code of conduct says MPs must disclose any benefit which “might reasonably be thought by others to influence [their] actions or words” on their register of interests. Its “overall aim” is to protect democracy by upholding the highest levels of transparency.
It says MPs must declare any gifts, benefits and hospitality” received in the year preceding their election and which relate “in any way” to their “political activities”. The exception is “purely personal” gifts, such as presents from family. Even then, the code says “both the possible motive of the giver and the use [of the gift] should be considered”, clarifying: “If there is any doubt, the benefit should be registered.”
Having been teflon for so long I am starting to think that Farage's corruption may finally have destroyed him. How will Reform fare without him?
What is increasingly certain is that Reform are not going to form or lead the next government and Farage is finished. And there is an end to major figures leaping to Reform from the Tories. And figures like Kruger and Montgomerie are looking wan and sad.
Reform are likely to collapse. How many of their erstwhile supporters go to Kemi and how many to Restore? Might decide the largest party after the next election.
Have to say while I accept for Conservatives like you and @algarkirk the end of Reform can't come soon enough, the fact remains they are still leading the polls and winning local council by-election seats including from the Conservatives.
People have written off Farage and rather like (you can add your own analogy), he keeps coming back. Perhaps this time he will be done but I'm not convinced.
There's also the small matter of the assumption somehow all the Reform vote will head Kemi's way - again, I'm not convinced.
All the reform vote will not return to the conservatives but some will and it depends on how many
Straws in the wind of conservatives rowing in behind Kemi, with Rees Mogg this week and interestingly Kemi receiving advice from previous conservative pms [ not Truss] and leaders including Cameron and Boris
Three years to go and a lot of ground to make up but I do expect Kemi to crossover with reform in the next 12 months
"All the reform vote will not return to the conservatives"
That's partly because a lot of it didn't come from the Conservatives in the first place. Both ex-Labour and ex-non-voters make up the ranks.
So a Reform collapse should give Labour a boost too, albeit smaller than the Tory boost.
Whilst I agree with you to some extent, I think the biggest boost will be to 'none of the above'. Just because Reform support drops doesn't mean the things that drove people away from Labour are all suddenly forgotten. Sadly I can see Restore improving its polling a little but would not be surprised to see no appreciably improvement in Labour support.
Why is it allowed at the rugger and cricket but not the football ? Are football fans considered to be uniquely uncouth or something ?
Er, yep.
But it's now for a different reason to the bad old days. Alcohol was permitted in the stands at the Champions League final. I had a split second of joy when Havertz scored but then knew what was coming. Thankfully I wasn't completely soaked, but the last thing I want is some twat doing it on a cold Tuesday night at Portman Road.
I thought that was what the £5m bung was supposed to be for ?
Nigel Farage appears to have breached MP rules after failing to declare that convicted criminal George Cottrell paid for his staff, security and social media output before 2024 election https://x.com/PolitlcsUK/status/2073495527358959758
How do these grifters keep getting bucket loads of buckshee cash from other grifters? What am I doing wrong?
Football fans in the top leagues can drink alcohol in their seats, so long as they're in the Directors Box or -indeed- in any expensive hospitality box.
The theocrats in Iran America are talking about providence.
It is impossible to review the events of the last decade and conclude that it is anything other than divine providence that Donald J. Trump is the President of the United States on the year of America 250, July 4th, 2026.
The theocrats in Iran America are talking about providence.
It is impossible to review the events of the last decade and conclude that it is anything other than divine providence that Donald J. Trump is the President of the United States on the year of America 250, July 4th, 2026.
The theocrats in Iran America are talking about providence.
It is impossible to review the events of the last decade and conclude that it is anything other than divine providence that Donald J. Trump is the President of the United States on the year of America 250, July 4th, 2026.
I thought that was what the £5m bung was supposed to be for ?
Nigel Farage appears to have breached MP rules after failing to declare that convicted criminal George Cottrell paid for his staff, security and social media output before 2024 election https://x.com/PolitlcsUK/status/2073495527358959758
Could be worse, could be the convicted criminal Donald Trump.
Love the response.
Reform UK said: "It comes as no surprise that The Sunday Times has chosen to publish this baseless and contrived story, covering a period of time when Nigel Farage was not even an active politician, let alone an elected one, given that the newspaper backed the Labour Party at the last general election. Contrary to the story’s tone, no parliamentary rules have been broken... https://x.com/PolitlcsUK/status/2073495901763490054
But yes, Trump would have been worse still.
I am surprised Farage has been this stupid.
I wonder if this will delay the parliamentary investigation into the £5 million?
Formula 1 president Stefano Domenicali has confirmed the sport’s bosses are hoping to be able to restore either the Bahrain or Saudi Arabian Grand Prix.
"King George is a total loser and nobody likes him. He's completely crazy and a failure. Crazy George. That's his name now. Crazy George." - Thomas Jefferson, first draft
The match going football fans on PB aren't supportive of this policy change.
I admit I don't go to football matches.
But speaking from rugby, I'd be surprised if many people manage to get more than one pint per half allowing for queues. Presumably some of said people already try to get a quick one at half time or before the match.
I'm not sure it'd have a meaningful impact on bad behaviour. But perhaps doing trials would be sensible before a wholesale change. Start somewhere more civilised rather than diving straight into the deep end.
"King George is a total loser and nobody likes him. He's completely crazy and a failure. Crazy George. That's his name now. Crazy George." - Thomas Jefferson, first draft
I'd ban alcohol at rugby matches too. Some tw@t carrying four pints for him and his mates, climbing the stairs at the Principality, turns at the roar for a try and drops all four pints over the nearest convenient head. It wouldn't have been so bad if it had been me, but my wife was the head in question. "Sorry but" addressed to me didn't help.
Alcohol will never be banned at cricket matches, thank goodness.
The match going football fans on PB aren't supportive of this policy change.
I admit I don't go to football matches.
But speaking from rugby, I'd be surprised if many people manage to get more than one pint per half allowing for queues. Presumably some of said people already try to get a quick one at half time or before the match.
I'm not sure it'd have a meaningful impact on bad behaviour. But perhaps doing trials would be sensible before a wholesale change. Start somewhere more civilised rather than diving straight into the deep end.
Bath has a pretty good system. Pints are pre poured at the back of the bar and handed over to the till operators. Long queue goes really quickly if you are not waiting for the beers to be poured. And they sell two pint queu busters. And have trays for four pints. The bigger issue is the toilets...
Sounds like Burnham is making a concerted effort to do and say things that Starmer would never have done or said in a million years, such as this alcohol at football matches idea.
The most striking polling result to me is the different reaction to Trump's first and second terms. Besides the Covid period - when Trump's manifest failings became all the more obvious - people's opinion of the US was not overwhelmingly negative, and not obviously damaged by the Trump presidency, but in the second term, the reaction has been much more negative. I think this is consistent with Trump's second term being much more damaging than his first, and it's interesting to see evidence of opinion reacting to things that happen, rather than being fixed in 2016.
Seems to me a mistake to imagine things returning to how they were once Mr Trump leaves office. Trust has been damaged, and that takes quite a while to rebuild, if it ever can be rebuilt.
I would tend to agree, but just to be contrary, if Trump is followed by an anti-Trump there will be a lot of relief from the rest of the world and a willingness to try to forget that Trump ever existed.
We saw something along those lines when Obama replaced Bush II.
Why is it allowed at the rugger and cricket but not the football ? Are football fans considered to be uniquely uncouth or something ?
My wife quoted me something today.
"Soccer is a gentlemen's game played by hooligans. Rugby is a hooligan's game played by gentlemen. GAA is a hooligan's game played by hooligans."
I don't know if you're allowed to drink alcohol in your seat at a GAA match, but I'd guess most violence problems are caused by cocaine use these days.
Next time you are inclined to think defence spending shouldn't be increased/Russia isn't a threat, remember this.
Russia planning attack on Poland to test Nato resolve, US warns
Critical infrastructure could be targeted by missiles and drones, with soldiers potentially crossing the border from Kaliningrad or Belarus
Russia is planning an armed “provocation” on Polish soil to test Nato’s resolve, the United States has warned.
Polish critical infrastructure could be targeted by missiles and drones or Russian soldiers could cross the border into Nato territory.
Washington has issued several warnings to Warsaw about the plot, sources close to Karol Nawrocki, the Polish president, told Onet, the Polish news outlet, which, along with The Telegraph, is owned by Axel Springer and is part of its Global Reporters Network.
The goal of the Russian provocation would be to escalate tensions and force Western allies to suspend aid to Ukraine. It could be launched in a matter of months.
Four 'coulds' and a 'would' in that short passage. To say nothing of a 'sources close' and a 'potentially'. I can't identify a single claim of an actual fact.
It's fucking idiotic and you'd have to be a fucking idiot to believe it. However, it is the Telegraph so that shouldn't need to be stated.
Maybe I'm too late to comment on the Taylor Swift wedding, but I was musing about the claim that the amount spent on a wedding is inversely correlated with the longevity of the marriage.
I think this must be a British thing.
My second wedding (nearly twelve years now) was a much larger and more expensive affair than my first (divorce papers sent less than three years in) but almost entirely because it was an Irish wedding, rather than because either of us wanted a big wedding.
I remember my wife-to-be being upset and frustrated at being told by her parents that she had to extend invitations to particular people because, "they would expect to be invited."
This is an example of how communities are generally stronger and extended families more involved in Ireland than in Britain, and so a large number is guests is a sign of stronger communities, rather than status (and a larger wedding often pays for itself, as cash gifts are standard, so weddings also operate as a sort of savings and loan system where you pay for your wedding gradually in the gifts you give to people at their weddings, which you then receive back at your own).
So, Taylor Swift's large wedding invite list can be seen as her posting her dues to her community, and building relationships with people who will be important to her in the future. The people who were invited to the wedding can definitely be said to be the people who matter in showbiz, and so receiving an invite creates a subtle bond of obligation between the guest and the bride.
Where I think Taylor Swift made a mistake was in shutting out completely her fans. They're part of her community too, and she should have done the equivalent of the Royal thing of appearing at the Buckingham Palace balcony for a kiss. Surprisingly, in this respect, you'd have to say that the Royal PR is much better than Taylor Swift's.
US president Donald Trump had a 90-minute phone call with Russian president Vladimir Putin, during which the US leader offered to help find a solution to the Ukraine war, a Kremlin aide has said. ... Ukrainian president Volodymyr Zelenskyy said he also spoke to president Trump. Writing on his Telegram account, he described the conversation as “very good”, including a discussion on the war’s 1,200km frontline. “There is a real prospect to end this war and American resolve will have a crucial meaning,” he said. https://www.theguardian.com/world/2026/jul/05/ukraine-war-briefing-trump-repositions-himself-as-peacemaker-in-long-call-with-putin
This is nothing to do with marriage, it’s all about the couples versus single rates of Universal Credit. Which itself is based on the premise that a couple can live cheaper than two single people.
Ironically, the Centre for Social Justice was set up by none other than the architect of UC Iain Duncan Smith
O/T I keep seeing adverts online for self-contained ’air conditioning’ units that break the laws of physics by generating cold without dumping the extracted heat anywhere. Does the Advertising Standards Authority’s remit not include online adverts?
How may gullible people are being duped by these scammers I wonder?
F1: for what it's worth, I've backed Hamilton to be winner without Antonelli tomorrow, 3 with Ladbrokes. He has a great Silverstone record and both Leclerc and Russell have pretty weak results here. Suspect Antonelli will be over the hills and far away.
O/T I keep seeing adverts online for self-contained ’air conditioning’ units that break the laws of physics by generating cold without dumping the extracted heat anywhere. Does the Advertising Standards Authority’s remit not include online adverts?
How may gullible people are being duped by these scammers I wonder?
The physics isn't completely scammy; the usual set up is a picnic cool pack and a fan, which works surprisingly well for a reasonable length of time. After all, there's not that much mass in the air in a room. So the heat was dumped at the back of the freezer some days earlier.
As for regulating the adverts... It's the internet and all UK regulators were stretched to breaking point some time ago.
O/T I keep seeing adverts online for self-contained ’air conditioning’ units that break the laws of physics by generating cold without dumping the extracted heat anywhere. Does the Advertising Standards Authority’s remit not include online adverts?
How may gullible people are being duped by these scammers I wonder?
The physics isn't completely scammy; the usual set up is a picnic cool pack and a fan, which works surprisingly well for a reasonable length of time. After all, there's not that much mass in the air in a room. So the heat was dumped at the back of the freezer some days earlier.
As for regulating the adverts... It's the internet and all UK regulators were stretched to breaking point some time ago.
Don't ask the government to regulate more. They'll end up wanting passport uploads to check a weather forecast.
O/T I keep seeing adverts online for self-contained ’air conditioning’ units that break the laws of physics by generating cold without dumping the extracted heat anywhere. Does the Advertising Standards Authority’s remit not include online adverts?
How may gullible people are being duped by these scammers I wonder?
The physics isn't completely scammy; the usual set up is a picnic cool pack and a fan, which works surprisingly well for a reasonable length of time. After all, there's not that much mass in the air in a room. So the heat was dumped at the back of the freezer some days earlier.
As for regulating the adverts... It's the internet and all UK regulators were stretched to breaking point some time ago.
Don't ask the government to regulate more. They'll end up wanting passport uploads to check a weather forecast.
It’s a fair point. It’s just quite nice to think you can pretty much assume no advert on conventional TV or on the established press is lying to you.
It’s ‘rule of law’ thing that makes for a civilised society imo.
O/T I keep seeing adverts online for self-contained ’air conditioning’ units that break the laws of physics by generating cold without dumping the extracted heat anywhere. Does the Advertising Standards Authority’s remit not include online adverts?
How may gullible people are being duped by these scammers I wonder?
The ones designed by NASA engineers by any chance ?
O/T I keep seeing adverts online for self-contained ’air conditioning’ units that break the laws of physics by generating cold without dumping the extracted heat anywhere. Does the Advertising Standards Authority’s remit not include online adverts?
How may gullible people are being duped by these scammers I wonder?
The ones designed by NASA engineers by any chance ?
NASA engineers whose granny was about to die of hyperthermia in a citywide power cut? Yes, those ones.
(Why is it that citywide power cuts are enough of a thing in America for that sort of language to work?)
Now if you'll excuse me, there appears to be a delegation of NASA engineers and their grannies at my door, all armed with baseball bats.
O/T I keep seeing adverts online for self-contained ’air conditioning’ units that break the laws of physics by generating cold without dumping the extracted heat anywhere. Does the Advertising Standards Authority’s remit not include online adverts?
How may gullible people are being duped by these scammers I wonder?
The ASA does cover online adverts and you can send a complaint to them, but the ASA is a voluntary code only. Trading standards can prosecute, but were gutted by austerity. The companies involved are probably not in the UK anyway and would probably just vanish. It’s the social media companies who should do something, vet the adverts they host, but they don’t care and are out of control.
We need to make social media companies more liable for what they show.
O/T I keep seeing adverts online for self-contained ’air conditioning’ units that break the laws of physics by generating cold without dumping the extracted heat anywhere. Does the Advertising Standards Authority’s remit not include online adverts?
How may gullible people are being duped by these scammers I wonder?
The ones designed by NASA engineers by any chance ?
NASA engineers whose granny was about to die of hyperthermia in a citywide power cut? Yes, those ones.
(Why is it that citywide power cuts are enough of a thing in America for that sort of language to work?)
Now if you'll excuse me, there appears to be a delegation of NASA engineers and their grannies at my door, all armed with baseball bats.
Dunno but back in the last millennium I knew a chap who went to work in New York and he could not believe the frequency of power cuts and what they called brownouts in what was arguably the cultural centre of the world.
As for now, lots of American towns are what we would call villages in terms of size, but are far more remote, and subject to extreme weather conditions.
This is nothing to do with marriage, it’s all about the couples versus single rates of Universal Credit. Which itself is based on the premise that a couple can live cheaper than two single people.
Ironically, the Centre for Social Justice was set up by none other than the architect of UC Iain Duncan Smith
And the possible solutions are:
1) a massive increase in benefit spending as couples are given the same allowance as two singles. Millions of households would be brought into the UC threshold for the first time. 2) a massive increase in child poverty as single parents see their allowance cut. It’s these households that make up the bulk of the non-working UC and poverty caseloads.
They must have been salty that they got the sideshow (NYC flyover) and Patrouille de France got the main event (DC flyover).
Having spent a lot of time in New York, I would advise that to almost every person on the Planet, NEW YORK is the USA and Washington is a very pale imitation.
This is nothing to do with marriage, it’s all about the couples versus single rates of Universal Credit. Which itself is based on the premise that a couple can live cheaper than two single people.
Ironically, the Centre for Social Justice was set up by none other than the architect of UC Iain Duncan Smith
I recall 40 odd years ago the ratio was that 2 could live as cheaply as 1.47.
I always found this kind of thing interesting but it was sadly ineffective as a chat up line. People are funny that way.
This is nothing to do with marriage, it’s all about the couples versus single rates of Universal Credit. Which itself is based on the premise that a couple can live cheaper than two single people.
Ironically, the Centre for Social Justice was set up by none other than the architect of UC Iain Duncan Smith
And the possible solutions are:
1) a massive increase in benefit spending as couples are given the same allowance as two singles. Millions of households would be brought into the UC threshold for the first time. 2) a massive increase in child poverty as single parents see their allowance cut. It’s these households that make up the bulk of the non-working UC and poverty caseloads.
Yesterday's discussion was about using the Tax system as a signally mechanism. Tax land. Less tax on work etc. The Benefits system is simply a mirror image.
If you reward being single, then the economic rationale is to have more single families (though uncle Rob does stay over a few nights ...). Then there is a raft of DWP checks that single people are indeed single. So if coupling makes more economic sense at the national level then change the economics of the benefits system to reflect this. If you reward partnerships more than single families, people will partner up or reflect their real life situations to the DWP with related savings from less bedroom snooping. And if you want more children born in the UK, get rid of the two child limit and allow for more child friendly employment policies.
So if you intend to tax economic 'sins', then reward benefits virtues.
O/T I keep seeing adverts online for self-contained ’air conditioning’ units that break the laws of physics by generating cold without dumping the extracted heat anywhere. Does the Advertising Standards Authority’s remit not include online adverts?
How may gullible people are being duped by these scammers I wonder?
Yes I saw one of those during the last heatwave and nearly wet myself at the poor science! Where does the heat go?
This is nothing to do with marriage, it’s all about the couples versus single rates of Universal Credit. Which itself is based on the premise that a couple can live cheaper than two single people.
Ironically, the Centre for Social Justice was set up by none other than the architect of UC Iain Duncan Smith
I recall 40 odd years ago the ratio was that 2 could live as cheaply as 1.47.
I always found this kind of thing interesting but it was sadly ineffective as a chat up line. People are funny that way.
At our school we have a special button to give 3 house points at once for a particularly excellent classroom contribution.
This comment makes me pine for a '3 likes' button. Chapeau.
O/T I keep seeing adverts online for self-contained ’air conditioning’ units that break the laws of physics by generating cold without dumping the extracted heat anywhere. Does the Advertising Standards Authority’s remit not include online adverts?
How may gullible people are being duped by these scammers I wonder?
The physics isn't completely scammy; the usual set up is a picnic cool pack and a fan, which works surprisingly well for a reasonable length of time. After all, there's not that much mass in the air in a room. So the heat was dumped at the back of the freezer some days earlier.
As for regulating the adverts... It's the internet and all UK regulators were stretched to breaking point some time ago.
Not the one I saw… Appeared to be using electricity to cool something akin to the back of the fridge… Nowhere for heat to go.
This is nothing to do with marriage, it’s all about the couples versus single rates of Universal Credit. Which itself is based on the premise that a couple can live cheaper than two single people.
Ironically, the Centre for Social Justice was set up by none other than the architect of UC Iain Duncan Smith
And the possible solutions are:
1) a massive increase in benefit spending as couples are given the same allowance as two singles. Millions of households would be brought into the UC threshold for the first time. 2) a massive increase in child poverty as single parents see their allowance cut. It’s these households that make up the bulk of the non-working UC and poverty caseloads.
Yesterday's discussion was about using the Tax system as a signally mechanism. Tax land. Less tax on work etc. The Benefits system is simply a mirror image.
If you reward being single, then the economic rationale is to have more single families (though uncle Rob does stay over a few nights ...). Then there is a raft of DWP checks that single people are indeed single. So if coupling makes more economic sense at the national level then change the economics of the benefits system to reflect this. If you reward partnerships more than single families, people will partner up or reflect their real life situations to the DWP with related savings from less bedroom snooping. And if you want more children born in the UK, get rid of the two child limit and allow for more child friendly employment policies.
So if you intend to tax economic 'sins', then reward benefits virtues.
Trouble is, there are three limting points on the 'benefits solution' diagram.
1 Pay some people less than the minimum to keep body and soul sort-of together. Social ouch. 2 Pay some people more than the minimum to keep body and soul sort-of together. Political ouch, I fear. 3 Pay everyone the exact minimum to keep body and soul sort-of together. Brutal clawbacks when people do the right things (like working more or coupling.)
Option 3 is the one that minimises cost in the short term but stops problems being solved in the medium term. So of course it's the one the UK goes for.
This is nothing to do with marriage, it’s all about the couples versus single rates of Universal Credit. Which itself is based on the premise that a couple can live cheaper than two single people.
Ironically, the Centre for Social Justice was set up by none other than the architect of UC Iain Duncan Smith
How is that a travesty of reporting? Precisely none of what you've written contradicts the headline.
Your no secondhand market point is toss because people can and do buy and sell Steam accounts (even though it's against Valve's ToS) on G2G (other scammy online marketplaces are available). So for AAA titles that are going have a consistent resale value people set up a dedicated Steam account with just that game in it so it's easy to resell. If you can be arsed you can share the game account's library with your main account so you don't even need to log,in and out of different Steam IDs. Something similar will happen with PS accounts if it is not already.
It's amazing what I learn from tutoring 18 year olds for A-Levels.
This is nothing to do with marriage, it’s all about the couples versus single rates of Universal Credit. Which itself is based on the premise that a couple can live cheaper than two single people.
Ironically, the Centre for Social Justice was set up by none other than the architect of UC Iain Duncan Smith
And the possible solutions are:
1) a massive increase in benefit spending as couples are given the same allowance as two singles. Millions of households would be brought into the UC threshold for the first time. 2) a massive increase in child poverty as single parents see their allowance cut. It’s these households that make up the bulk of the non-working UC and poverty caseloads.
Yesterday's discussion was about using the Tax system as a signally mechanism. Tax land. Less tax on work etc. The Benefits system is simply a mirror image.
If you reward being single, then the economic rationale is to have more single families (though uncle Rob does stay over a few nights ...). Then there is a raft of DWP checks that single people are indeed single. So if coupling makes more economic sense at the national level then change the economics of the benefits system to reflect this. If you reward partnerships more than single families, people will partner up or reflect their real life situations to the DWP with related savings from less bedroom snooping. And if you want more children born in the UK, get rid of the two child limit and allow for more child friendly employment policies.
So if you intend to tax economic 'sins', then reward benefits virtues.
Trouble is, there are three limting points on the 'benefits solution' diagram.
1 Pay some people less than the minimum to keep body and soul sort-of together. Social ouch. 2 Pay some people more than the minimum to keep body and soul sort-of together. Political ouch, I fear. 3 Pay everyone the exact minimum to keep body and soul sort-of together. Brutal clawbacks when people do the right things (like working more or coupling.)
Option 3 is the one that minimises cost in the short term but stops problems being solved in the medium term. So of course it's the one the UK goes for.
Would agree the UK is in phase #3 and everything gets kicked into the long grass for the next lot to solve. But assuming benefits claimants are not as economically rational as a business owner is a mistake. Economics pervades every aspect of life but politicians prefer to demonise scroungers, landlords, tax avoiders etc rather than sit down and take some time to work out the effects.
Cameron's Behavioural Insights Team (aka the Nudge Unit) was a start but that was dumped when it was just showing fruit.
Your no secondhand market point is toss because people can and do buy and sell Steam accounts (even though it's against Valve's ToS) on G2G (other scammy online marketplaces are available). So for AAA titles that are going have a consistent resale value people set up a dedicated Steam account with just that game in it so it's easy to resell. If you can be arsed you can share the game account's library with your main account so you don't even need to log,in and out of different Steam IDs. Something similar will happen with PS accounts if it is not already.
It's amazing what I learn from tutoring 18 year olds for A-Levels.
Interesting counterpoint.
Allow me to counter it, partially: most people won't do that. It's a pain. And there's also the chance that if you charge for something, give over the details, you may then find the payment gets subsequently cancelled. Hand over a physical disc and receive a tenner and that won't happen.
I do agree that'll happen, to an extent. Unless devices themselves start getting linked to specific accounts.
Three years to go and a lot of ground to make up but I do expect Kemi to crossover with reform in the next 12 months
The tories were SIX POINTS ahead of the Fukkers when she took over so even getting back to parity wouldn't exactly be a shining triumph.
To stand any chance she needs Big Nige to fout le camp, whether by financial misadventure fueled scandal, ill health (yes please) or getting ousted. In a head-to-head competition of selling simplistic solutions for complex problems to people who vape she has 0% chance of beating him and shouldn't be on the same pitch.
On the topic of taxing wealth or earnings there are two very different issues at play.
Most wealth can't be taxed as it can just be taken out of the country. Taxing that is futile.
The argument why tax wealth people have worked for is valid, but even more valid for incomes. Incomes people have worked for too.
Increasing taxes on potentially unearned wealth, that can't be transfered out of the country, with a commensurate reduction in taxing earned incomes would be both economically and philosophically justifiable.
What wealth can't be transferred out of the country? We come back to land ...
Which -as I'm sure you're alluding to- is the argument for taxing land. It's much harder to hide land than other assets, and if you tax the land directly you also avoid the situation where non-UK taxpayers own land, and benefit from the ownership of land, without paying tax.
Unless, of course, they rent the land out, in which case the tax is effectively paid by the tenants.
I don't think that's true: the cost of renting the land is set by supply and demand. A tax on the ultimate owner doesn't affect that.
Surely if rented property attracts, say, £1200 pa tax, landlords are all going to put their rents up by £100pcm and the tenants are going to be stuck with it.
That's not really how it works in the real world. Let me give you a simplified example.
Let's say there is some farm land, used for growing corn. The value of that farm land is set by how much money you can make by growing corn. If the landlord attempts to raise the rent, the tenant farmer simply won't rent it, because they cannot make enough money from farming to cover the rent.
And that's true -in slightly more complex ways- across the whole market. Prices are set by supply (of buildings, farmland. etc.) and demand (number of people needing housing, etc). The imposition of a tax does not affect supply and demand.
Yeah, but people who need to rent somewhere to live need to rent somewhere to live.
That's right: demand is unaffected by the tax on landlords.
If landlords could charge more today, they would. Why don't they? Because if they did, they wouldn't rent the place out.
(And, by the way, if rents rise, then demand will fall. People will stay with their parents longer, or will choose to rent out their spare bedroom. Etc. etc.)
Yes but taxes increase the cost to the landlord. Some of whom leave the market , the supply curve moves and we have fewer rental properties and higher rents.
How does fewer rental properties create higher rents? It's possible (heck likely) that as a house is sold reducing supply by 1, it's bought by a former renter so reducing demand by one.
Otherwise we are back to the old argument that as a landlord sells up the house magically disappears into thin air.
the renter still cannot afford to buy and a person who would have bought in any case buys it, still means pressure on rents. Renters don't magically buy houses when landlords sell.
Comments
https://ballotbox.scot/result-peterhead-south/
NEW Andy Burnham says he wants to change laws to allow football fans in the top leagues to drink alcohol in their seats like rugby fans… 👇⚽️⚽️🥅
https://x.com/christopherhope/status/2073489898544181486
Andy's on a roll.
Reform 26
Labour 21
Conservative 17
Looks as if reform is the same
Nigel Farage appears to have breached MP rules after failing to declare that convicted criminal George Cottrell paid for his staff, security and social media output before 2024 election
https://x.com/PolitlcsUK/status/2073495527358959758
Expect Mr Offord will come under more pressure on his leadership once MSPs summer playtime is over
Are football fans considered to be uniquely uncouth or something ?
Reform UK said: "It comes as no surprise that The Sunday Times has chosen to publish this baseless and contrived story, covering a period of time when Nigel Farage was not even an active politician, let alone an elected one, given that the newspaper backed the Labour Party at the last general election. Contrary to the story’s tone, no parliamentary rules have been broken...
https://x.com/PolitlcsUK/status/2073495901763490054
But yes, Trump would have been worse still.
https://www.opinium.com/resource-center/voting-intention-24th-june-2026/
https://www.opinium.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/06/VI-2026-06-24-Opinium-Observer-Web-Data-Tables-1733.xlsx
So I did miss something (my bad) but in fairness so did Opinium...
The latter doesn't need segregated seating.
Surely it should be 'Ungrateful Tax Dodging Colonials'
'Happy Treason Day you bunch of ungrateful tax dodging colonials/The day we decided we'd rather have India.'
IranAmerica are talking about providence.It is impossible to review the events of the last decade and conclude that it is anything other than divine providence that Donald J. Trump is the President of the United States on the year of America 250, July 4th, 2026.
https://x.com/StephenM/status/2073407087996969117
I assume it'll be very unpopular.
Most famously he was convinced FDR dying was divine providence to help Germany.
Narrator: 18 days later Adolf Hitler committed suicide as the Soviets were about to take Berlin.
I wonder if this will delay the parliamentary investigation into the £5 million?
https://www.skysports.com/f1/news/12433/13560321/formula-1-f1-boss-stefano-domenicali-reveals-hope-to-restore-cancelled-middle-east-race-to-2026-calendar
Eddy Elfenbein
@EddyElfenbein
"King George is a total loser and nobody likes him. He's completely crazy and a failure. Crazy George. That's his name now. Crazy George." - Thomas Jefferson, first draft
https://x.com/EddyElfenbein/status/2073197628641182078
But speaking from rugby, I'd be surprised if many people manage to get more than one pint per half allowing for queues. Presumably some of said people already try to get a quick one at half time or before the match.
I'm not sure it'd have a meaningful impact on bad behaviour. But perhaps doing trials would be sensible before a wholesale change. Start somewhere more civilised rather than diving straight into the deep end.
The bigger issue is the toilets...
Gabriel Pogrund
@Gabriel_Pogrund
Replying to @Gabriel_Pogrund @willroe2 and 3 others
Sunday Times splash tonight ft @ManuMidolo @venetiamenzies @GeorgeGreenwood
https://x.com/Gabriel_Pogrund/status/2073518827602629017
Mbappe penalty
@piersmorgan
The bungs keep on coming…
https://x.com/piersmorgan/status/2073516214094041508
We saw something along those lines when Obama replaced Bush II.
"Soccer is a gentlemen's game played by hooligans.
Rugby is a hooligan's game played by gentlemen.
GAA is a hooligan's game played by hooligans."
I don't know if you're allowed to drink alcohol in your seat at a GAA match, but I'd guess most violence problems are caused by cocaine use these days.
I think this must be a British thing.
My second wedding (nearly twelve years now) was a much larger and more expensive affair than my first (divorce papers sent less than three years in) but almost entirely because it was an Irish wedding, rather than because either of us wanted a big wedding.
I remember my wife-to-be being upset and frustrated at being told by her parents that she had to extend invitations to particular people because, "they would expect to be invited."
This is an example of how communities are generally stronger and extended families more involved in Ireland than in Britain, and so a large number is guests is a sign of stronger communities, rather than status (and a larger wedding often pays for itself, as cash gifts are standard, so weddings also operate as a sort of savings and loan system where you pay for your wedding gradually in the gifts you give to people at their weddings, which you then receive back at your own).
So, Taylor Swift's large wedding invite list can be seen as her posting her dues to her community, and building relationships with people who will be important to her in the future. The people who were invited to the wedding can definitely be said to be the people who matter in showbiz, and so receiving an invite creates a subtle bond of obligation between the guest and the bride.
Where I think Taylor Swift made a mistake was in shutting out completely her fans. They're part of her community too, and she should have done the equivalent of the Royal thing of appearing at the Buckingham Palace balcony for a kiss. Surprisingly, in this respect, you'd have to say that the Royal PR is much better than Taylor Swift's.
...
Ukrainian president Volodymyr Zelenskyy said he also spoke to president Trump. Writing on his Telegram account, he described the conversation as “very good”, including a discussion on the war’s 1,200km frontline. “There is a real prospect to end this war and American resolve will have a crucial meaning,” he said.
https://www.theguardian.com/world/2026/jul/05/ukraine-war-briefing-trump-repositions-himself-as-peacemaker-in-long-call-with-putin
Women punished for choosing a stable family life, says report calling for benefit reforms
https://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/2026/07/04/single-mothers-10k-worse-off-if-they-choose-to-marry/ (£££)
Report is from IDS's Centre for Social Justice. The Stability Advantage can be downloaded from this page:-
https://www.centreforsocialjustice.org.uk/library/the-stability-advantage
This is nothing to do with marriage, it’s all about the couples versus single rates of Universal Credit. Which itself is based on the premise that a couple can live cheaper than two single people.
Ironically, the Centre for Social Justice was set up by none other than the architect of UC Iain Duncan Smith
How may gullible people are being duped by these scammers I wonder?
Betting PostGood morning, everyone.
F1: for what it's worth, I've backed Hamilton to be winner without Antonelli tomorrow, 3 with Ladbrokes. He has a great Silverstone record and both Leclerc and Russell have pretty weak results here. Suspect Antonelli will be over the hills and far away.
As for regulating the adverts... It's the internet and all UK regulators were stretched to breaking point some time ago.
It’s ‘rule of law’ thing that makes for a civilised society imo.
(Why is it that citywide power cuts are enough of a thing in America for that sort of language to work?)
Now if you'll excuse me, there appears to be a delegation of NASA engineers and their grannies at my door, all armed with baseball bats.
We need to make social media companies more liable for what they show.
As for now, lots of American towns are what we would call villages in terms of size, but are far more remote, and subject to extreme weather conditions.
1) a massive increase in benefit spending as couples are given the same allowance as two singles. Millions of households would be brought into the UC threshold for the first time.
2) a massive increase in child poverty as single parents see their allowance cut. It’s these households that make up the bulk of the non-working UC and poverty caseloads.
I always found this kind of thing interesting but it was sadly ineffective as a chat up line. People are funny that way.
If you reward being single, then the economic rationale is to have more single families (though uncle Rob does stay over a few nights ...). Then there is a raft of DWP checks that single people are indeed single. So if coupling makes more economic sense at the national level then change the economics of the benefits system to reflect this. If you reward partnerships more than single families, people will partner up or reflect their real life situations to the DWP with related savings from less bedroom snooping. And if you want more children born in the UK, get rid of the two child limit and allow for more child friendly employment policies.
So if you intend to tax economic 'sins', then reward benefits virtues.
This comment makes me pine for a '3 likes' button. Chapeau.
Here's my Medium (free to read) ramble lambasting the recent PlayStation decision to end discs. And yes, I do sound like a grumpy old man:
https://medium.com/@rkilner/the-end-of-playstation-discs-53d4ce058087
1 Pay some people less than the minimum to keep body and soul sort-of together. Social ouch.
2 Pay some people more than the minimum to keep body and soul sort-of together. Political ouch, I fear.
3 Pay everyone the exact minimum to keep body and soul sort-of together. Brutal clawbacks when people do the right things (like working more or coupling.)
Option 3 is the one that minimises cost in the short term but stops problems being solved in the medium term. So of course it's the one the UK goes for.
It's amazing what I learn from tutoring 18 year olds for A-Levels.
Cameron's Behavioural Insights Team (aka the Nudge Unit) was a start but that was dumped when it was just showing fruit.
https://news.gallup.com/poll/711938/american-pride-falls-year-record-low.aspx
Allow me to counter it, partially: most people won't do that. It's a pain. And there's also the chance that if you charge for something, give over the details, you may then find the payment gets subsequently cancelled. Hand over a physical disc and receive a tenner and that won't happen.
I do agree that'll happen, to an extent. Unless devices themselves start getting linked to specific accounts.
To stand any chance she needs Big Nige to fout le camp, whether by financial misadventure fueled scandal, ill health (yes please) or getting ousted. In a head-to-head competition of selling simplistic solutions for complex problems to people who vape she has 0% chance of beating him and shouldn't be on the same pitch.