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The voters want to bin Farage – politicalbetting.com

SystemSystem Posts: 13,245
edited 8:42AM in General
The voters want to bin Farage – politicalbetting.com

Clacton faces the ultimate choice ??33% of Brits would prefer Count Binface to win the by-election in Clacton, while 21% would prefer Farage to win.

Read the full story here

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Comments

  • TresTres Posts: 3,749
    FIRST
  • TazTaz Posts: 29,368
    Doesn’t matter what the country thinks, it’s what Clacton thinks that matters.

  • NigelbNigelb Posts: 90,743
    And the dripfeed continues, with the Times slowly opening the faucet.

    The criminal who funded Nigel Farage made undisclosed donations to Reform in apparent breach of electoral law

    George Cottrell lawyers at Carter Ruck refuse to say when he became permissible donor
    https://x.com/Gabriel_Pogrund/status/2076208818606792734


    Lol at Carter Ruck cropping up.
  • BattlebusBattlebus Posts: 3,564
    FPT

    The debate on everyone's lips. The hand dryer at the Crown and Treaty pub.


  • TazTaz Posts: 29,368
    Battlebus said:

    FPT

    The debate on everyone's lips. The hand dryer at the Crown and Treaty pub.


    What’s the issue with it ?
  • TazTaz Posts: 29,368
    This is fabulous

    Row back home !!

    https://x.com/crimeldn/status/2076115664394142195?s=61
  • DecrepiterJohnLDecrepiterJohnL Posts: 37,077
    Nigelb said:

    And the dripfeed continues, with the Times slowly opening the faucet.

    The criminal who funded Nigel Farage made undisclosed donations to Reform in apparent breach of electoral law

    George Cottrell lawyers at Carter Ruck refuse to say when he became permissible donor
    https://x.com/Gabriel_Pogrund/status/2076208818606792734


    Lol at Carter Ruck cropping up.

    Yes, Cottrell aka Posh George seems more problematic than the £5 million gift and more than twice that in donations from Christopher Harborne that has triggered the PSC inquiry and vanity by-election.

    That said, the FT has a throwaway story that at the time Harborne was writing cheques to Reform, he was telling an American court he was not well.
    Christopher Harborne suffered serious medical issues while donating £12mn to Reform UK
    https://www.ft.com/content/b5b32b7e-7d4a-448a-b7f7-ebdc1533c6a9 (£££)
  • kle4kle4 Posts: 104,552
    Farage will be fine, he was super popular in Clacton when they were polling half what they are now. But he would have done better to cash that in when needed, say at a recall forced by 'the Establishment', not in a stunt where he wants to criticise the same but no-one forced it.
  • kle4kle4 Posts: 104,552
    Taz said:

    Battlebus said:

    FPT

    The debate on everyone's lips. The hand dryer at the Crown and Treaty pub.


    What’s the issue with it ?
    Too close to the sink and the urinal - you'd get a right pile out there on a busy night.
  • kle4kle4 Posts: 104,552
    DecrepiterJohnL said:

    Nigelb said:

    And the dripfeed continues, with the Times slowly opening the faucet.

    The criminal who funded Nigel Farage made undisclosed donations to Reform in apparent breach of electoral law

    George Cottrell lawyers at Carter Ruck refuse to say when he became permissible donor
    https://x.com/Gabriel_Pogrund/status/2076208818606792734


    Lol at Carter Ruck cropping up.

    Yes, Cottrell aka Posh George seems more problematic than the £5 million gift and more than twice that in donations from Christopher Harborne that has triggered the PSC inquiry and vanity by-election.

    That said, the FT has a throwaway story that at the time Harborne was writing cheques to Reform, he was telling an American court he was not well.
    Christopher Harborne suffered serious medical issues while donating £12mn to Reform UK
    https://www.ft.com/content/b5b32b7e-7d4a-448a-b7f7-ebdc1533c6a9 (£££)
    Clearly not, if he wanted to buy influence or a peerage he wouldn't need to donate anywhere near that amount if the prices Labour and the Tories charge to sell honours is any indication.
  • Pro_RataPro_Rata Posts: 6,411
    There is one useful nugget here. The 32% saying neither. These are likely people who hold no truck with and see little humour in the Pythonesque element of British democracy, and that's fine.

    In Clacton these people are likely to be quite numerous, including amongst those who voted against Farage in 2024. These are the cap on Binface's possible vote share.

    Binface, if he is taking the contest at all seriously, needs to intercut his comedic bits with some real sense in Clacton of how he could become a functioning constituency MP, perhaps in a way that Farage isn't.
  • LostPasswordLostPassword Posts: 24,884
    More Russian ships hit in the Sea of Azov overnight. The total number is given as 93 over 7 days now, but some are repeat hits on the same vessel, so the total number of different ships hit is a little bit under 90.

    There were reckoned to be around 120 ships in the Russian merchant fleet in the Sea of Azov, so Ukraine are getting close to bringing maritime supply of Crimea to a halt.

    This would be a major strategic victory for Ukraine.
  • TheScreamingEaglesTheScreamingEagles Posts: 129,665
    edited 9:06AM
    So my fellow football fans.

    The Swiss red card was it

    1) Deserved second yellow card for diving

    or

    2) FIFA doing their best to ensure Messi gets to the final

    I still haven't made up my mind.
  • eekeek Posts: 34,507
    kle4 said:

    Farage will be fine, he was super popular in Clacton when they were polling half what they are now. But he would have done better to cash that in when needed, say at a recall forced by 'the Establishment', not in a stunt where he wants to criticise the same but no-one forced it.

    Farage was trying to get ahead of the story and hoping that by going now - he would avoid a by-election when the facts were in black and white and time had passed allowing the facts to become both become known and simplified into something like Farage took dodgy money and doesn't care about Clacton.

    Which is why this election is so funny he's now going to have to focus on Clacton until August while extra problems are published but not investigated. Then he will return in September at which point the investigation begins again.

    Farage is then barred from Parliament for x00 days during which time he will need to fight a second by-election.
  • kle4kle4 Posts: 104,552
    Pro_Rata said:

    There is one useful nugget here. The 32% saying neither. These are likely people who hold no truck with and see little humour in the Pythonesque element of British democracy, and that's fine.

    In Clacton these people are likely to be quite numerous, including amongst those who voted against Farage in 2024. These are the cap on Binface's possible vote share.

    Binface, if he is taking the contest at all seriously, needs to intercut his comedic bits with some real sense in Clacton of how he could become a functioning constituency MP, perhaps in a way that Farage isn't.

    I expect if he got double figures he would be perfectly content with the performance.
  • Scott_xPScott_xP Posts: 43,673
    @DailyMail

    Reform facing demands for probe into source of church warden's £200,000 donation

    https://x.com/DailyMail/status/2076085340670967890?s=20
  • turbotubbsturbotubbs Posts: 23,778
    kle4 said:

    Taz said:

    Battlebus said:

    FPT

    The debate on everyone's lips. The hand dryer at the Crown and Treaty pub.


    What’s the issue with it ?
    Too close to the sink and the urinal - you'd get a right pile out there on a busy night.
    But surely no real man washes his hands after a pee?
  • Northern_AlNorthern_Al Posts: 9,716
    TheScreamingEagles said:

    So my fellow football fans.

    The Swiss red card was it

    1) Deserved second yellow card for diving

    or

    2) FIFA doing their best to ensure Messi gets to the final

    I still haven't made up my mind.

    I've just watched it. He dived/simulated, so it's a yellow card. Stupid thing to do when you're already on a yellow. Ref got it right.
  • StuartinromfordStuartinromford Posts: 23,304
    Taz said:

    Doesn’t matter what the country thinks, it’s what Clacton thinks that matters.

    For this particular folderol, that's true. But if we're thinking in terms of whether there will be a Reform government... the dislike many people have for Farage matters.

    Then the problem goes like this. Without Farage, UKIP rapidly fell apart. He both attracts lots of devotees and lots of haters. But how do you run an organisation based on Führerprinzip without a Führer?
  • TheScreamingEaglesTheScreamingEagles Posts: 129,665
    Northern_Al said:

    TheScreamingEagles said:

    So my fellow football fans.

    The Swiss red card was it

    1) Deserved second yellow card for diving

    or

    2) FIFA doing their best to ensure Messi gets to the final

    I still haven't made up my mind.

    I've just watched it. He dived/simulated, so it's a yellow card. Stupid thing to do when you're already on a yellow. Ref got it right.
    Ta.
  • kle4kle4 Posts: 104,552
    Northern_Al said:

    TheScreamingEagles said:

    So my fellow football fans.

    The Swiss red card was it

    1) Deserved second yellow card for diving

    or

    2) FIFA doing their best to ensure Messi gets to the final

    I still haven't made up my mind.

    I've just watched it. He dived/simulated, so it's a yellow card. Stupid thing to do when you're already on a yellow. Ref got it right.
    It can be both deserved and Fifa helping out. People dive all the time without yellows - Kane is a big diver for example.
  • SirNorfolkPassmoreSirNorfolkPassmore Posts: 7,626
    kle4 said:

    Farage will be fine, he was super popular in Clacton when they were polling half what they are now. But he would have done better to cash that in when needed, say at a recall forced by 'the Establishment', not in a stunt where he wants to criticise the same but no-one forced it.

    Farage will win. But turnout will be low and Count Binface will get a decent vote. For once, Rachel Reeves called it spot on - he'll have spent the summer arguing with a bin, and he'll still come back to serious questions about his extremely dodgy finances and connections.

    As well as it being an unfathomably daft thing to do, he couldn't really have timed it worse. Binface v Frogface is perfect silly season fodder, playing out in peak silly season. He's a man who isn't known for his ability to laugh at himself, and he's made himself the joke for several gruelling weeks.
  • kle4kle4 Posts: 104,552
    turbotubbs said:

    kle4 said:

    Taz said:

    Battlebus said:

    FPT

    The debate on everyone's lips. The hand dryer at the Crown and Treaty pub.


    What’s the issue with it ?
    Too close to the sink and the urinal - you'd get a right pile out there on a busy night.
    But surely no real man washes his hands after a pee?
    It does sound pretty woke to me.

    And Count Binface has gloves on, so what's his issue with it?
  • kle4kle4 Posts: 104,552
    SirNorfolkPassmore said:

    kle4 said:

    Farage will be fine, he was super popular in Clacton when they were polling half what they are now. But he would have done better to cash that in when needed, say at a recall forced by 'the Establishment', not in a stunt where he wants to criticise the same but no-one forced it.

    Farage will win. But turnout will be low and Count Binface will get a decent vote. For once, Rachel Reeves called it spot on - he'll have spent the summer arguing with a bin, and he'll still come back to serious questions about his extremely dodgy finances and connections.

    As well as it being an unfathomably daft thing to do, he couldn't really have timed it worse. Binface v Frogface is perfect silly season fodder, playing out in peak silly season. He's a man who isn't known for his ability to laugh at himself, and he's made himself the joke for several gruelling weeks.
    I will credit Farage in that I haven't seem a lot of wailing and whinging from him about Binface and the media lining up behind him (maybe I just haven't seen it), whereas his online supporters have been incredible fragile and upset about it.
  • tlg86tlg86 Posts: 27,981
    TheScreamingEagles said:

    So my fellow football fans.

    The Swiss red card was it

    1) Deserved second yellow card for diving

    or

    2) FIFA doing their best to ensure Messi gets to the final

    I still haven't made up my mind.

    Bit of both. Where was VAR on the Olise incident v Paraguay?
  • SirNorfolkPassmoreSirNorfolkPassmore Posts: 7,626
    kle4 said:

    turbotubbs said:

    kle4 said:

    Taz said:

    Battlebus said:

    FPT

    The debate on everyone's lips. The hand dryer at the Crown and Treaty pub.


    What’s the issue with it ?
    Too close to the sink and the urinal - you'd get a right pile out there on a busy night.
    But surely no real man washes his hands after a pee?
    It does sound pretty woke to me.

    And Count Binface has gloves on, so what's his issue with it?
    Surely the fact he's standing up for the little man, who isn't a begloved intergalactic space warrior, speaks very well to his character and suitability to represent the ordinary residents of Clacton?
  • OnlyLivingBoyOnlyLivingBoy Posts: 18,666
    Scott_xP said:

    @DailyMail

    Reform facing demands for probe into source of church warden's £200,000 donation

    https://x.com/DailyMail/status/2076085340670967890?s=20

    I wonder if we'll ever find out where that huge donation funneled through Northern Ireland during the Brexit referendum came from?
  • TheScreamingEaglesTheScreamingEagles Posts: 129,665
    tlg86 said:

    TheScreamingEagles said:

    So my fellow football fans.

    The Swiss red card was it

    1) Deserved second yellow card for diving

    or

    2) FIFA doing their best to ensure Messi gets to the final

    I still haven't made up my mind.

    Bit of both. Where was VAR on the Olise incident v Paraguay?
    That's where I am leaning.
  • geoffwgeoffw Posts: 9,662
    Why would FIFA favour Argentina?
  • MarqueeMarkMarqueeMark Posts: 60,859
    LostPassword said:

    More Russian ships hit in the Sea of Azov overnight. The total number is given as 93 over 7 days now, but some are repeat hits on the same vessel, so the total number of different ships hit is a little bit under 90.

    There were reckoned to be around 120 ships in the Russian merchant fleet in the Sea of Azov, so Ukraine are getting close to bringing maritime supply of Crimea to a halt.

    This would be a major strategic victory for Ukraine.

    The Ukrainians have now closed the Azov Sea from being used as a route to deliver fuel and vital supplis to Crimea. Gathering a large fleet of riverine craft for the task was always a bold/desperate measure by Putin. There is no obvious Plan B - escort by the Black Sea fleet is a joke notion.

    It is already a major strategic victory. Crimea is no longer a viable Russian territory.
  • kle4kle4 Posts: 104,552
    SirNorfolkPassmore said:

    kle4 said:

    Farage will be fine, he was super popular in Clacton when they were polling half what they are now. But he would have done better to cash that in when needed, say at a recall forced by 'the Establishment', not in a stunt where he wants to criticise the same but no-one forced it.

    Farage will win. But turnout will be low and Count Binface will get a decent vote. For once, Rachel Reeves called it spot on - he'll have spent the summer arguing with a bin, and he'll still come back to serious questions about his extremely dodgy finances and connections.

    As well as it being an unfathomably daft thing to do, he couldn't really have timed it worse. Binface v Frogface is perfect silly season fodder, playing out in peak silly season. He's a man who isn't known for his ability to laugh at himself, and he's made himself the joke for several gruelling weeks.
    He's going to pretend that people seriously thought he would lose. "The mainstream media and establishment put everything into trying to humiliate me, but the people of Clacton did not fall for that, hence my amazing increase in vote to 85%"

    Jenrick will embarrass himself repeating that line on GB News.
  • DecrepiterJohnLDecrepiterJohnL Posts: 37,077
    TheScreamingEagles said:

    tlg86 said:

    TheScreamingEagles said:

    So my fellow football fans.

    The Swiss red card was it

    1) Deserved second yellow card for diving

    or

    2) FIFA doing their best to ensure Messi gets to the final

    I still haven't made up my mind.

    Bit of both. Where was VAR on the Olise incident v Paraguay?
    That's where I am leaning.
    The good news is that England picked up no new yellow cards, so no more suspensions for the semi-final and the older bookings are wiped.
  • MarqueeMarkMarqueeMark Posts: 60,859
    kle4 said:

    SirNorfolkPassmore said:

    kle4 said:

    Farage will be fine, he was super popular in Clacton when they were polling half what they are now. But he would have done better to cash that in when needed, say at a recall forced by 'the Establishment', not in a stunt where he wants to criticise the same but no-one forced it.

    Farage will win. But turnout will be low and Count Binface will get a decent vote. For once, Rachel Reeves called it spot on - he'll have spent the summer arguing with a bin, and he'll still come back to serious questions about his extremely dodgy finances and connections.

    As well as it being an unfathomably daft thing to do, he couldn't really have timed it worse. Binface v Frogface is perfect silly season fodder, playing out in peak silly season. He's a man who isn't known for his ability to laugh at himself, and he's made himself the joke for several gruelling weeks.
    I will credit Farage in that I haven't seem a lot of wailing and whinging from him about Binface and the media lining up behind him (maybe I just haven't seen it), whereas his online supporters have been incredible fragile and upset about it.
    Farage is still sufficiently politically astute to know that being a whiny prick is not a good look.
  • kle4kle4 Posts: 104,552
    geoffw said:

    Why would FIFA favour Argentina?

    Messi is a legend and well known (for a footballer) in the USA, currently playing there. And it would make for a more interesting final if it is not two Western European nations in it.
  • kle4kle4 Posts: 104,552
    MarqueeMark said:

    kle4 said:

    SirNorfolkPassmore said:

    kle4 said:

    Farage will be fine, he was super popular in Clacton when they were polling half what they are now. But he would have done better to cash that in when needed, say at a recall forced by 'the Establishment', not in a stunt where he wants to criticise the same but no-one forced it.

    Farage will win. But turnout will be low and Count Binface will get a decent vote. For once, Rachel Reeves called it spot on - he'll have spent the summer arguing with a bin, and he'll still come back to serious questions about his extremely dodgy finances and connections.

    As well as it being an unfathomably daft thing to do, he couldn't really have timed it worse. Binface v Frogface is perfect silly season fodder, playing out in peak silly season. He's a man who isn't known for his ability to laugh at himself, and he's made himself the joke for several gruelling weeks.
    I will credit Farage in that I haven't seem a lot of wailing and whinging from him about Binface and the media lining up behind him (maybe I just haven't seen it), whereas his online supporters have been incredible fragile and upset about it.
    Farage is still sufficiently politically astute to know that being a whiny prick is not a good look.
    If only he could tell his party that.
  • TheuniondivvieTheuniondivvie Posts: 48,199
    In other good news, another MAGA rapist loser whining like a little bitch.

    Conor McGregor
    @TheNotoriousMMA
    My head gasket is gone. Destroyed. I had no injury / injuries going into the fight. I was throwing kicks, planted and jumping, all throughout camp as well as backstage before the fight. This came out of nowhere. I am beyond dark here. I can only describe it as hell.

    https://x.com/TheNotoriousMMA/status/2076177561793835073?s=20
  • DriverDriver Posts: 5,694
    geoffw said:

    Why would FIFA favour Argentina?

    Messi in the final is a huge draw.
  • kinabalukinabalu Posts: 51,459
    I've been racking my brains to work out if I've ever been to Clacton and I don't think I have. At least not knowingly. I have however been to Yarmouth. These are the twin spiritual HQs of the English far right aren't they. Clacton and Yarmouth. They do like to be beside the seaside, the far right. At present they are at war, fighting furiously with each other, which is good news for the rest of us but no reason for complacency. Because once that's over comes the real danger as whoever wins girds up for the larger battle.
  • TheuniondivvieTheuniondivvie Posts: 48,199
    Driver said:

    geoffw said:

    Why would FIFA favour Argentina?

    Messi in the final is a huge draw.
    Also Trump would love having the Bernard Manning of the Pampas Milei at the final.
  • MarqueeMarkMarqueeMark Posts: 60,859
    OnlyLivingBoy said:

    Scott_xP said:

    @DailyMail

    Reform facing demands for probe into source of church warden's £200,000 donation

    https://x.com/DailyMail/status/2076085340670967890?s=20

    I wonder if we'll ever find out where that huge donation funneled through Northern Ireland during the Brexit referendum came from?
    I wonder if we'll ever find out how much was funnelled into Remain by the State? Was it taxpayer money well spent?
  • OldKingColeOldKingCole Posts: 37,652
    MarqueeMark said:

    kle4 said:

    SirNorfolkPassmore said:

    kle4 said:

    Farage will be fine, he was super popular in Clacton when they were polling half what they are now. But he would have done better to cash that in when needed, say at a recall forced by 'the Establishment', not in a stunt where he wants to criticise the same but no-one forced it.

    Farage will win. But turnout will be low and Count Binface will get a decent vote. For once, Rachel Reeves called it spot on - he'll have spent the summer arguing with a bin, and he'll still come back to serious questions about his extremely dodgy finances and connections.

    As well as it being an unfathomably daft thing to do, he couldn't really have timed it worse. Binface v Frogface is perfect silly season fodder, playing out in peak silly season. He's a man who isn't known for his ability to laugh at himself, and he's made himself the joke for several gruelling weeks.
    I will credit Farage in that I haven't seem a lot of wailing and whinging from him about Binface and the media lining up behind him (maybe I just haven't seen it), whereas his online supporters have been incredible fragile and upset about it.
    Farage is still sufficiently politically astute to know that being a whiny prick is not a good look.
    And he has got the death of Ann Widdecombe to be serious about. I notice he laid a wreath outside her house yesterday and was pictured wearing a very smart black tie.

    Otherwise, Good Morning everyone. Very pleasant summer's day here, although a bit breezy. Family gathering shortly, since we've Mrs C's Canadian relations visiting.
  • BartholomewRobertsBartholomewRoberts Posts: 29,229
    They're rowing home
    They're rowing home
    They're rowing
    Norway's rowing home ...
  • MarqueeMarkMarqueeMark Posts: 60,859
    kle4 said:

    MarqueeMark said:

    kle4 said:

    SirNorfolkPassmore said:

    kle4 said:

    Farage will be fine, he was super popular in Clacton when they were polling half what they are now. But he would have done better to cash that in when needed, say at a recall forced by 'the Establishment', not in a stunt where he wants to criticise the same but no-one forced it.

    Farage will win. But turnout will be low and Count Binface will get a decent vote. For once, Rachel Reeves called it spot on - he'll have spent the summer arguing with a bin, and he'll still come back to serious questions about his extremely dodgy finances and connections.

    As well as it being an unfathomably daft thing to do, he couldn't really have timed it worse. Binface v Frogface is perfect silly season fodder, playing out in peak silly season. He's a man who isn't known for his ability to laugh at himself, and he's made himself the joke for several gruelling weeks.
    I will credit Farage in that I haven't seem a lot of wailing and whinging from him about Binface and the media lining up behind him (maybe I just haven't seen it), whereas his online supporters have been incredible fragile and upset about it.
    Farage is still sufficiently politically astute to know that being a whiny prick is not a good look.
    If only he could tell his party that.
    But they are immune to reason.
  • IanB2IanB2 Posts: 55,759
    Right on topic, today's Rawnsley:

    Could the guy who wears a bin over his head beat the one whose head overflows with rubbish? It wouldn’t be the craziest thing that Britons have voted for over the past decade. We’ve seen at previous byelections how anti-Farage voters are increasingly prone to coalesce around whoever is best placed to vanquish Reform. It is one of the party’s most fundamental strategic weaknesses. Here lies a golden opportunity to squelch the inglorious leader himself. Campaign donations from the public are flowing in.

    I guess the main question for him is whether he is just in this for the publicity or feels capable of becoming the punchline to Mr Farage’s career. To pose a serious threat to the leader of Reform, the Count will have to get organised and be energetic about harvesting the anti-Farage vote. It is duller, but probably safer, to assume that the leader of Reform won’t be devoured by a garbage can. Humiliation will be his reward if his fake byelection falls flat and he can only eke out a thin win on a low turnout.

    Calling this byelection was manifestly a panicky attempt to pre-empt and undermine the investigations into how he and his party are being bankrolled. The byelection guarantees that there will be even more scrutiny of how Mr Farage and his party are subsidised by crypto wealth.

    A byelection can decide who represents Clacton. It can’t properly adjudicate on whether parliamentary rules designed to prevent corruption have been broken. That is for the standards commissioner and the privileges committee to judge. Should Mr Farage make his way back to the Commons, the inquiries will resume. If he is found guilty of flouting the rules and suspended from parliament for 10 or more sitting days, a recall petition would force another byelection at which he’d have to defend the seat as a “sanctioned” MP.

    This tawdry farce could have months to run. Unless the people of Clacton choose to bring down the curtain on Reform’s leader by making Count Binface the unanticipated nemesis of Old Toadface. Lord, that would be funny.
  • kinabalukinabalu Posts: 51,459
    Driver said:

    geoffw said:

    Why would FIFA favour Argentina?

    Messi in the final is a huge draw.
    I definitely want to see Messi in the final - so long as he can play for us.
  • SandpitSandpit Posts: 62,442
    TheScreamingEagles said:

    So my fellow football fans.

    The Swiss red card was it

    1) Deserved second yellow card for diving

    or

    2) FIFA doing their best to ensure Messi gets to the final

    I still haven't made up my mind.

    It was a pretty blatant dive to be fair, the sort of thing usually associated with the likes of Argentina rather than Switzerland.
  • rcs1000rcs1000 Posts: 64,781
    LostPassword said:

    More Russian ships hit in the Sea of Azov overnight. The total number is given as 93 over 7 days now, but some are repeat hits on the same vessel, so the total number of different ships hit is a little bit under 90.

    There were reckoned to be around 120 ships in the Russian merchant fleet in the Sea of Azov, so Ukraine are getting close to bringing maritime supply of Crimea to a halt.

    This would be a major strategic victory for Ukraine.

    If they were able to destroy the Kerch bridge -or render it unusable- it would leave the Russian presence there in serious trouble.
  • DecrepiterJohnLDecrepiterJohnL Posts: 37,077
    Scott_xP said:

    @DailyMail

    Reform facing demands for probe into source of church warden's £200,000 donation

    https://x.com/DailyMail/status/2076085340670967890?s=20

    Reform is facing demands for a formal probe into the source of a church warden's £200,000 donation.

    John Richard Simpson, who works for the family of a secretive Kazakhstan-born billionaire, split the sum over seven payments between June and August last year.

    His company is so small it does not have to file audited accounts – and questions are now being asked how such a modest operation could afford to bankroll the party to the tune of six figures.
    https://www.dailymail.com/news/article-15971025/Reform-demands-probe-church-wardens-donation.html

    Although it looks like the questions being asked come from the Conservative Party:-

    Conservative Party chairman Kevin Hollinrake said: 'Questions were raised about this significant financial gift at the time.

    'Given the events of the past week, it is now clear the appropriate authorities need to again review this donation.'
    https://www.dailymail.com/news/article-15971025/Reform-demands-probe-church-wardens-donation.html
  • SandpitSandpit Posts: 62,442
    Theuniondivvie said:

    In other good news, another MAGA rapist loser whining like a little bitch.

    Conor McGregor
    @TheNotoriousMMA
    My head gasket is gone. Destroyed. I had no injury / injuries going into the fight. I was throwing kicks, planted and jumping, all throughout camp as well as backstage before the fight. This came out of nowhere. I am beyond dark here. I can only describe it as hell.

    https://x.com/TheNotoriousMMA/status/2076177561793835073?s=20

    It’s probably one of sport’s funniest moments of the year.

    He came out from the opening bell with a flying head kick, missed and fell flat on his arse, then got up and did the same again, twisting his ankle when he landed. His opponent did almost nothing. All over in 30s.
  • ThomasNasheThomasNashe Posts: 5,872
    Scott_xP said:

    @DailyMail

    Reform facing demands for probe into source of church warden's £200,000 donation

    https://x.com/DailyMail/status/2076085340670967890?s=20

    Would we be entirely surprised if the ultimate source of some or all of these donations turns out to be Russian?
  • OldKingColeOldKingCole Posts: 37,652
    Sandpit said:

    Theuniondivvie said:

    In other good news, another MAGA rapist loser whining like a little bitch.

    Conor McGregor
    @TheNotoriousMMA
    My head gasket is gone. Destroyed. I had no injury / injuries going into the fight. I was throwing kicks, planted and jumping, all throughout camp as well as backstage before the fight. This came out of nowhere. I am beyond dark here. I can only describe it as hell.

    https://x.com/TheNotoriousMMA/status/2076177561793835073?s=20

    It’s probably one of sport’s funniest moments of the year.

    He came out from the opening bell with a flying head kick, missed and fell flat on his arse, then got up and did the same again, twisting his ankle when he landed. His opponent did almost nothing. All over in 30s.

    ???Sport???
  • SandpitSandpit Posts: 62,442
    rcs1000 said:

    LostPassword said:

    More Russian ships hit in the Sea of Azov overnight. The total number is given as 93 over 7 days now, but some are repeat hits on the same vessel, so the total number of different ships hit is a little bit under 90.

    There were reckoned to be around 120 ships in the Russian merchant fleet in the Sea of Azov, so Ukraine are getting close to bringing maritime supply of Crimea to a halt.

    This would be a major strategic victory for Ukraine.

    If they were able to destroy the Kerch bridge -or render it unusable- it would leave the Russian presence there in serious trouble.
    The Kerch bridge they’ve left up as the only viable route to evacuate the peninsula. It’s already unusable to anything heavier than a car.
  • SandpitSandpit Posts: 62,442
    Sad to hear about the sudden passing of Sen Lindsey Graham.

    He’d just returned from a productive bipartisan trip to Ukraine, which resulted in a batch of Patriot missiles being released from the limited US stocks.

    Meanwhile, we’ve still heard little about the condition of Sen Mitch McConnell.
  • ThomasNasheThomasNashe Posts: 5,872
    edited 9:58AM
    kle4 said:

    Northern_Al said:

    TheScreamingEagles said:

    So my fellow football fans.

    The Swiss red card was it

    1) Deserved second yellow card for diving

    or

    2) FIFA doing their best to ensure Messi gets to the final

    I still haven't made up my mind.

    I've just watched it. He dived/simulated, so it's a yellow card. Stupid thing to do when you're already on a yellow. Ref got it right.
    It can be both deserved and Fifa helping out. People dive all the time without yellows - Kane is a big diver for example.
    There's a difference between an exaggerated fall following a defender's clip (which Kane does all the time) and a complete fiction of a fall when there was no actual contact (which was what Embolo was rightly booked for).
  • kle4kle4 Posts: 104,552
    edited 10:03AM
    ThomasNashe said:

    kle4 said:

    Northern_Al said:

    TheScreamingEagles said:

    So my fellow football fans.

    The Swiss red card was it

    1) Deserved second yellow card for diving

    or

    2) FIFA doing their best to ensure Messi gets to the final

    I still haven't made up my mind.

    I've just watched it. He dived/simulated, so it's a yellow card. Stupid thing to do when you're already on a yellow. Ref got it right.
    It can be both deserved and Fifa helping out. People dive all the time without yellows - Kane is a big diver for example.
    There's a difference between an exaggerated fall following a defender's clip (which Kane does all the time) and a complete fiction of a fall when there was no actual contact (which was what Embolo was rightly booked for).
    The difference being a gnat's wing. Kane also leaves his leg in to cause a 'clip'.

    Great player, but a dirty one.
  • TheScreamingEaglesTheScreamingEagles Posts: 129,665
    ThomasNashe said:

    Scott_xP said:

    @DailyMail

    Reform facing demands for probe into source of church warden's £200,000 donation

    https://x.com/DailyMail/status/2076085340670967890?s=20

    Would we be entirely surprised if the ultimate source of some or all of these donations turns out to be Russian?
    Latest on Reform sleaze:

    * British security services believe Russia and other bad actors have been attempting to penetrate Reform and UKIP for over a decade
    * They believe Nathan Gill was not the only Russian Reform target
    * Montenegro is of particular concern to UK agencies

    https://www.dailymail.com/news/article-15970781/spies-watching-Reform-sleaze-trail-leads-Kremlin-HODGES.html
  • FF43FF43 Posts: 19,937
    Taz said:

    Doesn’t matter what the country thinks, it’s what Clacton thinks that matters.

    Not sure this is true. Farage may win the Clacton battle but lose the UK war. If Farage winning a pyrrhic victory against a man with a bin on his head means everywhere outside Reform's probable one really safe seat despises him even more.
  • MalmesburyMalmesbury Posts: 64,264
    ThomasNashe said:

    Scott_xP said:

    @DailyMail

    Reform facing demands for probe into source of church warden's £200,000 donation

    https://x.com/DailyMail/status/2076085340670967890?s=20

    Would we be entirely surprised if the ultimate source of some or all of these donations turns out to be Russian?
    Obvious explanation -

    Some Russians visited the church in question and were so struck by the spire that they gave the church warden a personal gift of £200k

    They then continued their tour of famous churches and cathedrals.

    After praying on the mater, the church warden decided that this purely personal no-strings gift didn’t need to go to the church repair fund. Or that he should buy a motorhome.

    But instead, the Lord directed him to donate to a political party.
  • LostPasswordLostPassword Posts: 24,884
    Mediazona/BBC have now confirmed the identities of more than 230,000 Russian soldiers who have died in the war since 2022.

    That is nearly four times US military deaths in Vietnam.

    The estimated total number of Russian dead soldiers is between 417,000 and 527,000, which is more than the 383,700 who died fighting for the British Empire in WWII.

    This shows up in Russian opinion polling, where the number of people who know someone who has died fighting in the war was 30% in September 2025 (I'm sure there are more recent figures, but I can't find them).
  • MalmesburyMalmesbury Posts: 64,264
    OldKingCole said:

    Sandpit said:

    Theuniondivvie said:

    In other good news, another MAGA rapist loser whining like a little bitch.

    Conor McGregor
    @TheNotoriousMMA
    My head gasket is gone. Destroyed. I had no injury / injuries going into the fight. I was throwing kicks, planted and jumping, all throughout camp as well as backstage before the fight. This came out of nowhere. I am beyond dark here. I can only describe it as hell.

    https://x.com/TheNotoriousMMA/status/2076177561793835073?s=20

    It’s probably one of sport’s funniest moments of the year.

    He came out from the opening bell with a flying head kick, missed and fell flat on his arse, then got up and did the same again, twisting his ankle when he landed. His opponent did almost nothing. All over in 30s.

    ???Sport???
    Conor McGregor getting his arse kicked is very watchable. Good sporting fun.
  • bondegezoubondegezou Posts: 21,564
    Japan embracing Manchesterism?

    https://youtu.be/wguIfitoH_k
  • kle4kle4 Posts: 104,552
    Sandpit said:

    Theuniondivvie said:

    In other good news, another MAGA rapist loser whining like a little bitch.

    Conor McGregor
    @TheNotoriousMMA
    My head gasket is gone. Destroyed. I had no injury / injuries going into the fight. I was throwing kicks, planted and jumping, all throughout camp as well as backstage before the fight. This came out of nowhere. I am beyond dark here. I can only describe it as hell.

    https://x.com/TheNotoriousMMA/status/2076177561793835073?s=20

    It’s probably one of sport’s funniest moments of the year.

    He came out from the opening bell with a flying head kick, missed and fell flat on his arse, then got up and did the same again, twisting his ankle when he landed. His opponent did almost nothing. All over in 30s.
    Any chance he was actually injured before the fight, but needed to at least start it to get a full payout?
  • StuartinromfordStuartinromford Posts: 23,304
    TheScreamingEagles said:

    ThomasNashe said:

    Scott_xP said:

    @DailyMail

    Reform facing demands for probe into source of church warden's £200,000 donation

    https://x.com/DailyMail/status/2076085340670967890?s=20

    Would we be entirely surprised if the ultimate source of some or all of these donations turns out to be Russian?
    Latest on Reform sleaze:

    * British security services believe Russia and other bad actors have been attempting to penetrate Reform and UKIP for over a decade
    * They believe Nathan Gill was not the only Russian Reform target
    * Montenegro is of particular concern to UK agencies

    https://www.dailymail.com/news/article-15970781/spies-watching-Reform-sleaze-trail-leads-Kremlin-HODGES.html
    R is for Reform
    R is for Russia.

    The question is- what here is new news, and what is old news that only matters now?
  • StuartinromfordStuartinromford Posts: 23,304
    Malmesbury said:

    ThomasNashe said:

    Scott_xP said:

    @DailyMail

    Reform facing demands for probe into source of church warden's £200,000 donation

    https://x.com/DailyMail/status/2076085340670967890?s=20

    Would we be entirely surprised if the ultimate source of some or all of these donations turns out to be Russian?
    Obvious explanation -

    Some Russians visited the church in question and were so struck by the spire that they gave the church warden a personal gift of £200k

    They then continued their tour of famous churches and cathedrals.

    After praying on the mater, the church warden decided that this purely personal no-strings gift didn’t need to go to the church repair fund. Or that he should buy a motorhome.

    But instead, the Lord directed him to donate to a political party.
    God moves in a mysterious way,
    His wonders to perform.
  • Luckyguy1983Luckyguy1983 Posts: 35,636
    TheScreamingEagles said:

    ThomasNashe said:

    Scott_xP said:

    @DailyMail

    Reform facing demands for probe into source of church warden's £200,000 donation

    https://x.com/DailyMail/status/2076085340670967890?s=20

    Would we be entirely surprised if the ultimate source of some or all of these donations turns out to be Russian?
    Latest on Reform sleaze:

    * British security services believe Russia and other bad actors have been attempting to penetrate Reform and UKIP for over a decade
    * They believe Nathan Gill was not the only Russian Reform target
    * Montenegro is of particular concern to UK agencies

    https://www.dailymail.com/news/article-15970781/spies-watching-Reform-sleaze-trail-leads-Kremlin-HODGES.html
    I think 'the establishment' have gone off a bit soon on this one. They always seem to do this - pile in so it all gets lost in what appears to be a tidal wave of witch hunt. Farage has chosen the battleground (Clacton) and the other parties have chosen (by default) Binface to go up against him - a very weak choice given that he is a made up character and cannot be an MP.

    If Farage wins a powerful byelection victory, that makes it very hard for a parliamentary commitee to send him back to face another one. I can see why those who are against Reform want to do this now to finish him off, but these additional allegations, especially the intelligence services weighing in (we have already had the police), are somewhat feeding the narrative. It also serves Farage to have it all out now, because if it's all out now, not only can he claim the voters of Clacton knew it all and still want him as their MP, it also means there's nothing left for any fresh interventions between now and the next election. It feels a bit like Napoleon sending in the Old Guard at Waterloo.
  • logical_songlogical_song Posts: 10,168
    IanB2 said:

    Right on topic, today's Rawnsley:

    Could the guy who wears a bin over his head beat the one whose head overflows with rubbish? It wouldn’t be the craziest thing that Britons have voted for over the past decade. We’ve seen at previous byelections how anti-Farage voters are increasingly prone to coalesce around whoever is best placed to vanquish Reform. It is one of the party’s most fundamental strategic weaknesses. Here lies a golden opportunity to squelch the inglorious leader himself. Campaign donations from the public are flowing in.

    I guess the main question for him is whether he is just in this for the publicity or feels capable of becoming the punchline to Mr Farage’s career. To pose a serious threat to the leader of Reform, the Count will have to get organised and be energetic about harvesting the anti-Farage vote. It is duller, but probably safer, to assume that the leader of Reform won’t be devoured by a garbage can. Humiliation will be his reward if his fake byelection falls flat and he can only eke out a thin win on a low turnout.

    Calling this byelection was manifestly a panicky attempt to pre-empt and undermine the investigations into how he and his party are being bankrolled. The byelection guarantees that there will be even more scrutiny of how Mr Farage and his party are subsidised by crypto wealth.

    A byelection can decide who represents Clacton. It can’t properly adjudicate on whether parliamentary rules designed to prevent corruption have been broken. That is for the standards commissioner and the privileges committee to judge. Should Mr Farage make his way back to the Commons, the inquiries will resume. If he is found guilty of flouting the rules and suspended from parliament for 10 or more sitting days, a recall petition would force another byelection at which he’d have to defend the seat as a “sanctioned” MP.

    This tawdry farce could have months to run. Unless the people of Clacton choose to bring down the curtain on Reform’s leader by making Count Binface the unanticipated nemesis of Old Toadface. Lord, that would be funny.

    Vote for the Man in the White, sorry Silver, Suit.
  • rcs1000rcs1000 Posts: 64,781
    Sandpit said:

    rcs1000 said:

    LostPassword said:

    More Russian ships hit in the Sea of Azov overnight. The total number is given as 93 over 7 days now, but some are repeat hits on the same vessel, so the total number of different ships hit is a little bit under 90.

    There were reckoned to be around 120 ships in the Russian merchant fleet in the Sea of Azov, so Ukraine are getting close to bringing maritime supply of Crimea to a halt.

    This would be a major strategic victory for Ukraine.

    If they were able to destroy the Kerch bridge -or render it unusable- it would leave the Russian presence there in serious trouble.
    The Kerch bridge they’ve left up as the only viable route to evacuate the peninsula. It’s already unusable to anything heavier than a car.
    That's not quite true (sadly): the gas pipeline on the Kerch bridge remains in service, and basically supplies all of Crimea's gas needs (which includes the the peninsular's two main electrical power plants, Tavrida and Balaklava).
  • SandpitSandpit Posts: 62,442
    edited 10:18AM
    kle4 said:

    Sandpit said:

    Theuniondivvie said:

    In other good news, another MAGA rapist loser whining like a little bitch.

    Conor McGregor
    @TheNotoriousMMA
    My head gasket is gone. Destroyed. I had no injury / injuries going into the fight. I was throwing kicks, planted and jumping, all throughout camp as well as backstage before the fight. This came out of nowhere. I am beyond dark here. I can only describe it as hell.

    https://x.com/TheNotoriousMMA/status/2076177561793835073?s=20

    It’s probably one of sport’s funniest moments of the year.

    He came out from the opening bell with a flying head kick, missed and fell flat on his arse, then got up and did the same again, twisting his ankle when he landed. His opponent did almost nothing. All over in 30s.
    Any chance he was actually injured before the fight, but needed to at least start it to get a full payout?
    I guess it’s possible, but fights get postponed for injury all the time.

    That said, I’d be mighty pissed off if I’d paid a PPV only for it to be over in seconds with almost no actual action. It wasn’t like young Mike Tyson who’d have the guy out cold in a few seconds.

    It will be, err, interesting, to see patterns of betting in the run up to the fight though. A fighter who’s less than 100% often gets bet heavily against in the short term, for some unknown reason.
  • kle4kle4 Posts: 104,552
    Sandpit said:

    kle4 said:

    Sandpit said:

    Theuniondivvie said:

    In other good news, another MAGA rapist loser whining like a little bitch.

    Conor McGregor
    @TheNotoriousMMA
    My head gasket is gone. Destroyed. I had no injury / injuries going into the fight. I was throwing kicks, planted and jumping, all throughout camp as well as backstage before the fight. This came out of nowhere. I am beyond dark here. I can only describe it as hell.

    https://x.com/TheNotoriousMMA/status/2076177561793835073?s=20

    It’s probably one of sport’s funniest moments of the year.

    He came out from the opening bell with a flying head kick, missed and fell flat on his arse, then got up and did the same again, twisting his ankle when he landed. His opponent did almost nothing. All over in 30s.
    Any chance he was actually injured before the fight, but needed to at least start it to get a full payout?
    I guess it’s possible, but fights get postponed for injury all the time.
    Sure, but if you no longer really care about the fighting at all you may not be inclined to go through the whole rigmarole again to reschedule. Open with a flurry, claim you got hurt doing that, and save a lot of time.
  • LostPasswordLostPassword Posts: 24,884
    rcs1000 said:

    LostPassword said:

    More Russian ships hit in the Sea of Azov overnight. The total number is given as 93 over 7 days now, but some are repeat hits on the same vessel, so the total number of different ships hit is a little bit under 90.

    There were reckoned to be around 120 ships in the Russian merchant fleet in the Sea of Azov, so Ukraine are getting close to bringing maritime supply of Crimea to a halt.

    This would be a major strategic victory for Ukraine.

    If they were able to destroy the Kerch bridge -or render it unusable- it would leave the Russian presence there in serious trouble.
    Apparently the Kerch bridge is sufficiently damaged by previous strikes that it isn't safe for heavy goods traffic - trucks have been ferried across the strait instead - so leaving it up as a route for Russians (civilian and hopefully eventually military) to evacuate from Crimea makes a certain amount of sense.

    Ukraine will need to return to the bridges into Crimea from the north. There will be pontoon crossings there after the bridges were damaged previously, and some of the bridges may have been repaired.

    The Russian Parliamentary elections are coming up just before the autumn equinox, and these attacks to isolate Crimea are part of Ukraine's 40-day campaign to pressure Russia into ending the war. That was announced on June 25th, so 40 days would take us to August 4th.

    Perhaps the campaign ends with the symbolic destruction of the Kerch bridge, or we might otherwise expect the campaign to isolate Crimea to reach a conclusion by then, if Russia continue to be unable to do anything to stop it.

    I also think that the Ukrainians expect Russia to announce mobilisation in order to throw another couple of hundred thousand bodies at the front line, but they would really like to force Russia into doing that before the elections, or to take advantage of their unwillingness to do so. It's ten weeks until the elections.
  • SandpitSandpit Posts: 62,442
    rcs1000 said:

    Sandpit said:

    rcs1000 said:

    LostPassword said:

    More Russian ships hit in the Sea of Azov overnight. The total number is given as 93 over 7 days now, but some are repeat hits on the same vessel, so the total number of different ships hit is a little bit under 90.

    There were reckoned to be around 120 ships in the Russian merchant fleet in the Sea of Azov, so Ukraine are getting close to bringing maritime supply of Crimea to a halt.

    This would be a major strategic victory for Ukraine.

    If they were able to destroy the Kerch bridge -or render it unusable- it would leave the Russian presence there in serious trouble.
    The Kerch bridge they’ve left up as the only viable route to evacuate the peninsula. It’s already unusable to anything heavier than a car.
    That's not quite true (sadly): the gas pipeline on the Kerch bridge remains in service, and basically supplies all of Crimea's gas needs (which includes the the peninsular's two main electrical power plants, Tavrida and Balaklava).
    Yes there’s still a gas pipeline across the bridge, which is annoying but not terminal. They can’t supply liquid fuels for vehicles, and a number of pieces of electricity infrastructure have been taken out, which also threatens the water supply in some areas, after the Russians bombed the dam that supplies fresh water a couple of years ago.

    Taking out that gas pipeline would definitely accelerate the starving-out of the peninsula though, perhaps a few Flamingos can fly close by sometime soon.
  • LostPasswordLostPassword Posts: 24,884
    FF43 said:

    Taz said:

    Doesn’t matter what the country thinks, it’s what Clacton thinks that matters.

    Not sure this is true. Farage may win the Clacton battle but lose the UK war. If Farage winning a pyrrhic victory against a man with a bin on his head means everywhere outside Reform's probable one really safe seat despises him even more.
    Ridicule is more powerful than hate. If Farage were to become a laughing stock across the country he would be done.
  • LostPasswordLostPassword Posts: 24,884
    edited 10:31AM
    Luckyguy1983 said:

    TheScreamingEagles said:

    ThomasNashe said:

    Scott_xP said:

    @DailyMail

    Reform facing demands for probe into source of church warden's £200,000 donation

    https://x.com/DailyMail/status/2076085340670967890?s=20

    Would we be entirely surprised if the ultimate source of some or all of these donations turns out to be Russian?
    Latest on Reform sleaze:

    * British security services believe Russia and other bad actors have been attempting to penetrate Reform and UKIP for over a decade
    * They believe Nathan Gill was not the only Russian Reform target
    * Montenegro is of particular concern to UK agencies

    https://www.dailymail.com/news/article-15970781/spies-watching-Reform-sleaze-trail-leads-Kremlin-HODGES.html
    I think 'the establishment' have gone off a bit soon on this one. They always seem to do this - pile in so it all gets lost in what appears to be a tidal wave of witch hunt. Farage has chosen the battleground (Clacton) and the other parties have chosen (by default) Binface to go up against him - a very weak choice given that he is a made up character and cannot be an MP.

    If Farage wins a powerful byelection victory, that makes it very hard for a parliamentary commitee to send him back to face another one. I can see why those who are against Reform want to do this now to finish him off, but these additional allegations, especially the intelligence services weighing in (we have already had the police), are somewhat feeding the narrative. It also serves Farage to have it all out now, because if it's all out now, not only can he claim the voters of Clacton knew it all and still want him as their MP, it also means there's nothing left for any fresh interventions between now and the next election. It feels a bit like Napoleon sending in the Old Guard at Waterloo.
    What would you define as a powerful by-election victory in terms of share of the vote, turnout, total number of votes for Farage, etc?
  • kle4kle4 Posts: 104,552
    Big_G_NorthWales said:

    Luckyguy1983 said:

    TheScreamingEagles said:

    ThomasNashe said:

    Scott_xP said:

    @DailyMail

    Reform facing demands for probe into source of church warden's £200,000 donation

    https://x.com/DailyMail/status/2076085340670967890?s=20

    Would we be entirely surprised if the ultimate source of some or all of these donations turns out to be Russian?
    Latest on Reform sleaze:

    * British security services believe Russia and other bad actors have been attempting to penetrate Reform and UKIP for over a decade
    * They believe Nathan Gill was not the only Russian Reform target
    * Montenegro is of particular concern to UK agencies

    https://www.dailymail.com/news/article-15970781/spies-watching-Reform-sleaze-trail-leads-Kremlin-HODGES.html
    I think 'the establishment' have gone off a bit soon on this one. They always seem to do this - pile in so it all gets lost in what appears to be a tidal wave of witch hunt. Farage has chosen the battleground (Clacton) and the other parties have chosen (by default) Binface to go up against him - a very weak choice given that he is a made up character and cannot be an MP.

    If Farage wins a powerful byelection victory, that makes it very hard for a parliamentary commitee to send him back to face another one. I can see why those who are against Reform want to do this now to finish him off, but these additional allegations, especially the intelligence services weighing in (we have already had the police), are somewhat feeding the narrative. It also serves Farage to have it all out now, because if it's all out now, not only can he claim the voters of Clacton knew it all and still want him as their MP, it also means there's nothing left for any fresh interventions between now and the next election. It feels a bit like Napoleon sending in the Old Guard at Waterloo.

    This is an election to try to stop a legitimate investigation into Farage and his funding, and it most certainly will not stop the standards investigation reconvening if he wins, no matter the size of the result and nor should it

    Yes, this is where the whole Farage plan makes no sense, democratic backing is good but doesn't speak to the facts about his conduct at all. And public backing now doesn't mean anything for further reason, in that people may take a different view when the facts change (in his favour, or against). There were plenty of people who showed up to support their GP Harold Shipman* when his trial started, but they didn't by the end, once they saw the facts.

    As happens I think Clacton would vote for Farage even if he is found to have breached the rules and a petition causes a recall election, and that would mean something, and is why I think he should have waited to see if that happens.

    *no, I'm not saying Farage is similar to a serial killer, it's just an extreme example of how people might support someone or something, until they find out more.
  • DavidLDavidL Posts: 59,468
    Big_G_NorthWales said:

    Luckyguy1983 said:

    TheScreamingEagles said:

    ThomasNashe said:

    Scott_xP said:

    @DailyMail

    Reform facing demands for probe into source of church warden's £200,000 donation

    https://x.com/DailyMail/status/2076085340670967890?s=20

    Would we be entirely surprised if the ultimate source of some or all of these donations turns out to be Russian?
    Latest on Reform sleaze:

    * British security services believe Russia and other bad actors have been attempting to penetrate Reform and UKIP for over a decade
    * They believe Nathan Gill was not the only Russian Reform target
    * Montenegro is of particular concern to UK agencies

    https://www.dailymail.com/news/article-15970781/spies-watching-Reform-sleaze-trail-leads-Kremlin-HODGES.html
    I think 'the establishment' have gone off a bit soon on this one. They always seem to do this - pile in so it all gets lost in what appears to be a tidal wave of witch hunt. Farage has chosen the battleground (Clacton) and the other parties have chosen (by default) Binface to go up against him - a very weak choice given that he is a made up character and cannot be an MP.

    If Farage wins a powerful byelection victory, that makes it very hard for a parliamentary commitee to send him back to face another one. I can see why those who are against Reform want to do this now to finish him off, but these additional allegations, especially the intelligence services weighing in (we have already had the police), are somewhat feeding the narrative. It also serves Farage to have it all out now, because if it's all out now, not only can he claim the voters of Clacton knew it all and still want him as their MP, it also means there's nothing left for any fresh interventions between now and the next election. It feels a bit like Napoleon sending in the Old Guard at Waterloo.
    Good morning

    'If Farage wins a powerful by election victory, that makes it very hard for a parliamentary committee to send him back to face another one'

    This is an election to try to stop a legitimate investigation into Farage and his funding, and it most certainly will not stop the standards investigation reconvening if he wins, no matter the size of the result and nor should it

    Why does Farage expect to be held to lesser standards than other mps, and if he has nothing to hide why on earth start this charade ?

    It should be made crystal clear by the relevant authorities that the investigation will recommence, and indeed be extended in light of more recent disclosures, if and when Farage becomes a member of Parliament again.
  • MalmesburyMalmesbury Posts: 64,264
    rcs1000 said:

    Sandpit said:

    rcs1000 said:

    LostPassword said:

    More Russian ships hit in the Sea of Azov overnight. The total number is given as 93 over 7 days now, but some are repeat hits on the same vessel, so the total number of different ships hit is a little bit under 90.

    There were reckoned to be around 120 ships in the Russian merchant fleet in the Sea of Azov, so Ukraine are getting close to bringing maritime supply of Crimea to a halt.

    This would be a major strategic victory for Ukraine.

    If they were able to destroy the Kerch bridge -or render it unusable- it would leave the Russian presence there in serious trouble.
    The Kerch bridge they’ve left up as the only viable route to evacuate the peninsula. It’s already unusable to anything heavier than a car.
    That's not quite true (sadly): the gas pipeline on the Kerch bridge remains in service, and basically supplies all of Crimea's gas needs (which includes the the peninsular's two main electrical power plants, Tavrida and Balaklava).
    Hitting such a gas pipeline while the bridge is in use by civilians could lead to a slaughter.

    How close is it to the vehicle deck?
  • kle4kle4 Posts: 104,552
    edited 10:42AM
    LostPassword said:

    Luckyguy1983 said:

    TheScreamingEagles said:

    ThomasNashe said:

    Scott_xP said:

    @DailyMail

    Reform facing demands for probe into source of church warden's £200,000 donation

    https://x.com/DailyMail/status/2076085340670967890?s=20

    Would we be entirely surprised if the ultimate source of some or all of these donations turns out to be Russian?
    Latest on Reform sleaze:

    * British security services believe Russia and other bad actors have been attempting to penetrate Reform and UKIP for over a decade
    * They believe Nathan Gill was not the only Russian Reform target
    * Montenegro is of particular concern to UK agencies

    https://www.dailymail.com/news/article-15970781/spies-watching-Reform-sleaze-trail-leads-Kremlin-HODGES.html
    I think 'the establishment' have gone off a bit soon on this one. They always seem to do this - pile in so it all gets lost in what appears to be a tidal wave of witch hunt. Farage has chosen the battleground (Clacton) and the other parties have chosen (by default) Binface to go up against him - a very weak choice given that he is a made up character and cannot be an MP.

    If Farage wins a powerful byelection victory, that makes it very hard for a parliamentary commitee to send him back to face another one. I can see why those who are against Reform want to do this now to finish him off, but these additional allegations, especially the intelligence services weighing in (we have already had the police), are somewhat feeding the narrative. It also serves Farage to have it all out now, because if it's all out now, not only can he claim the voters of Clacton knew it all and still want him as their MP, it also means there's nothing left for any fresh interventions between now and the next election. It feels a bit like Napoleon sending in the Old Guard at Waterloo.
    What would you define as a powerful by-election victory in terms of share of the vote, turnout, total number of votes for Farage, etc?
    I once saw some people claim a thunderous mandate for a particular proposition in a (inherently non-binding) parish poll which had a turnout of under 2%. They expressed no hesitation that such was a clear democratic mandate, it was hilarious.
  • PJHPJH Posts: 1,169
    I visited Walton on the Naze yesterday. On the door of a pub:


  • MalmesburyMalmesbury Posts: 64,264
    DavidL said:

    Big_G_NorthWales said:

    Luckyguy1983 said:

    TheScreamingEagles said:

    ThomasNashe said:

    Scott_xP said:

    @DailyMail

    Reform facing demands for probe into source of church warden's £200,000 donation

    https://x.com/DailyMail/status/2076085340670967890?s=20

    Would we be entirely surprised if the ultimate source of some or all of these donations turns out to be Russian?
    Latest on Reform sleaze:

    * British security services believe Russia and other bad actors have been attempting to penetrate Reform and UKIP for over a decade
    * They believe Nathan Gill was not the only Russian Reform target
    * Montenegro is of particular concern to UK agencies

    https://www.dailymail.com/news/article-15970781/spies-watching-Reform-sleaze-trail-leads-Kremlin-HODGES.html
    I think 'the establishment' have gone off a bit soon on this one. They always seem to do this - pile in so it all gets lost in what appears to be a tidal wave of witch hunt. Farage has chosen the battleground (Clacton) and the other parties have chosen (by default) Binface to go up against him - a very weak choice given that he is a made up character and cannot be an MP.

    If Farage wins a powerful byelection victory, that makes it very hard for a parliamentary commitee to send him back to face another one. I can see why those who are against Reform want to do this now to finish him off, but these additional allegations, especially the intelligence services weighing in (we have already had the police), are somewhat feeding the narrative. It also serves Farage to have it all out now, because if it's all out now, not only can he claim the voters of Clacton knew it all and still want him as their MP, it also means there's nothing left for any fresh interventions between now and the next election. It feels a bit like Napoleon sending in the Old Guard at Waterloo.
    Good morning

    'If Farage wins a powerful by election victory, that makes it very hard for a parliamentary committee to send him back to face another one'

    This is an election to try to stop a legitimate investigation into Farage and his funding, and it most certainly will not stop the standards investigation reconvening if he wins, no matter the size of the result and nor should it

    Why does Farage expect to be held to lesser standards than other mps, and if he has nothing to hide why on earth start this charade ?

    It should be made crystal clear by the relevant authorities that the investigation will recommence, and indeed be extended in light of more recent disclosures, if and when Farage becomes a member of Parliament again.
    I would make reference to the crack down on police officers using resignation to terminate investigation, then trying to return to The Farce.

    “We should stop MPs behaving like corrupt police officers”
  • nico67nico67 Posts: 8,494
    Let’s say the unimaginable happened and the Bin beat Farage I’m wondering how international media would report it and especially in the USA many are unaware of our very quintessentially British bizarre candidates that turn up to contest by-elections .
  • LostPasswordLostPassword Posts: 24,884
    Malmesbury said:

    rcs1000 said:

    Sandpit said:

    rcs1000 said:

    LostPassword said:

    More Russian ships hit in the Sea of Azov overnight. The total number is given as 93 over 7 days now, but some are repeat hits on the same vessel, so the total number of different ships hit is a little bit under 90.

    There were reckoned to be around 120 ships in the Russian merchant fleet in the Sea of Azov, so Ukraine are getting close to bringing maritime supply of Crimea to a halt.

    This would be a major strategic victory for Ukraine.

    If they were able to destroy the Kerch bridge -or render it unusable- it would leave the Russian presence there in serious trouble.
    The Kerch bridge they’ve left up as the only viable route to evacuate the peninsula. It’s already unusable to anything heavier than a car.
    That's not quite true (sadly): the gas pipeline on the Kerch bridge remains in service, and basically supplies all of Crimea's gas needs (which includes the the peninsular's two main electrical power plants, Tavrida and Balaklava).
    Hitting such a gas pipeline while the bridge is in use by civilians could lead to a slaughter.

    How close is it to the vehicle deck?
    As far as I can work out the gas pipeline is on the sea floor. There are some gas compressor stations that Ukraine could target to stop flow of gas through the pipeline.
  • nico67nico67 Posts: 8,494
    https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/articles/c8628q3eqdeo

    It still seems bizarre as to the motive behind the murder .
  • TheScreamingEaglesTheScreamingEagles Posts: 129,665
    nico67 said:

    Let’s say the unimaginable happened and the Bin beat Farage I’m wondering how international media would report it and especially in the USA many are unaware of our very quintessentially British bizarre candidates that turn up to contest by-elections .

    The Yanks are aware.



    https://edition.cnn.com/2026/07/09/uk/nigel-farage-special-election-bin-face-intl
  • BartholomewRobertsBartholomewRoberts Posts: 29,229
    nico67 said:

    https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/articles/c8628q3eqdeo

    It still seems bizarre as to the motive behind the murder .

    Old woman killed at home - tragically its not unheard of.

    Her being famous and a former politician could both be entirely coincidental.
  • maxhmaxh Posts: 2,110
    edited 10:58AM
    PJH said:

    I visited Walton on the Naze yesterday. On the door of a pub:


    Yes but this is just the equivalent of the vocal minority who go on and on about things like Chagos (or, indeed, Gaza).

    Binface will cause a small minority to spend all summer baffling the good people of Clacton on their doorstep trying to tell them a joke that most don't find in the slightest bit funny.

    More broadly he will enthuse plenty, and will cause merriment to many (including me). But this by-election will barely turn the dial on Reform more generally.

    The one exception to this would be if Farage snowflakes, implodes and reduces himself to the farcical level at which this by-election is being run by attempting to respond to Binface.

    As long as he stays quiet, commenting only on serious topics like Widdecombe (and ideally throwing some dead cats around, like speculating on a police investigation) he (and Reform) will ride this out with barely a ripple.

    I wish it were not so, but I'm not a fool.
  • tlg86tlg86 Posts: 27,981
    nico67 said:

    https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/articles/c8628q3eqdeo

    It still seems bizarre as to the motive behind the murder .

    Leave aside it's a well-known individual, what's the first port of call in a murder in the home? Friends or family or possibly someone else in their life.

    Not that it matters and we don't need to know, but I'm not sure if the police are hinting that they do know what's gone or if they don't have a clue.
  • Scott_xPScott_xP Posts: 43,673
    @pickardje.bsky.social‬

    Crypto billionaire Christopher Harborne was granted a lengthy pause in a legal battle because of severe illness, a period in which he gave £12mn to Nigel Farage’s Reform UK, court documents show

    https://bsky.app/profile/pickardje.bsky.social/post/3mqgxhwf5rk27
  • SandpitSandpit Posts: 62,442
    Malmesbury said:

    DavidL said:

    Big_G_NorthWales said:

    Luckyguy1983 said:

    TheScreamingEagles said:

    ThomasNashe said:

    Scott_xP said:

    @DailyMail

    Reform facing demands for probe into source of church warden's £200,000 donation

    https://x.com/DailyMail/status/2076085340670967890?s=20

    Would we be entirely surprised if the ultimate source of some or all of these donations turns out to be Russian?
    Latest on Reform sleaze:

    * British security services believe Russia and other bad actors have been attempting to penetrate Reform and UKIP for over a decade
    * They believe Nathan Gill was not the only Russian Reform target
    * Montenegro is of particular concern to UK agencies

    https://www.dailymail.com/news/article-15970781/spies-watching-Reform-sleaze-trail-leads-Kremlin-HODGES.html
    I think 'the establishment' have gone off a bit soon on this one. They always seem to do this - pile in so it all gets lost in what appears to be a tidal wave of witch hunt. Farage has chosen the battleground (Clacton) and the other parties have chosen (by default) Binface to go up against him - a very weak choice given that he is a made up character and cannot be an MP.

    If Farage wins a powerful byelection victory, that makes it very hard for a parliamentary commitee to send him back to face another one. I can see why those who are against Reform want to do this now to finish him off, but these additional allegations, especially the intelligence services weighing in (we have already had the police), are somewhat feeding the narrative. It also serves Farage to have it all out now, because if it's all out now, not only can he claim the voters of Clacton knew it all and still want him as their MP, it also means there's nothing left for any fresh interventions between now and the next election. It feels a bit like Napoleon sending in the Old Guard at Waterloo.
    Good morning

    'If Farage wins a powerful by election victory, that makes it very hard for a parliamentary committee to send him back to face another one'

    This is an election to try to stop a legitimate investigation into Farage and his funding, and it most certainly will not stop the standards investigation reconvening if he wins, no matter the size of the result and nor should it

    Why does Farage expect to be held to lesser standards than other mps, and if he has nothing to hide why on earth start this charade ?

    It should be made crystal clear by the relevant authorities that the investigation will recommence, and indeed be extended in light of more recent disclosures, if and when Farage becomes a member of Parliament again.
    I would make reference to the crack down on police officers using resignation to terminate investigation, then trying to return to The Farce.

    “We should stop MPs behaving like corrupt police officers”
    I wonder if Binface might actually take the bin off and do one serious interview, just before the postal votes go out, majoring on bad money in politics and actually committing to live in Clacton for a couple of years, being a good local MP fighting for the people who live in one of the poorest places in the country?

    It would immediately diffuse the Reform critism of him as an Establishment “Uniparty” stooge.
  • kle4kle4 Posts: 104,552
    edited 11:00AM
    TheScreamingEagles said:

    nico67 said:

    Let’s say the unimaginable happened and the Bin beat Farage I’m wondering how international media would report it and especially in the USA many are unaware of our very quintessentially British bizarre candidates that turn up to contest by-elections .

    The Yanks are aware.



    https://edition.cnn.com/2026/07/09/uk/nigel-farage-special-election-bin-face-intl
    The US online right prefer Restore (and thanks to Musk think they are the real opposition force in the UK), so may be more inclined to poke fun at Farage along with any on the left who are aware of him.
  • BartholomewRobertsBartholomewRoberts Posts: 29,229
    tlg86 said:

    nico67 said:

    https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/articles/c8628q3eqdeo

    It still seems bizarre as to the motive behind the murder .

    Leave aside it's a well-known individual, what's the first port of call in a murder in the home? Friends or family or possibly someone else in their life.

    Not that it matters and we don't need to know, but I'm not sure if the police are hinting that they do know what's gone or if they don't have a clue.
    Or burglary etc
  • TheScreamingEaglesTheScreamingEagles Posts: 129,665
    kle4 said:

    TheScreamingEagles said:

    nico67 said:

    Let’s say the unimaginable happened and the Bin beat Farage I’m wondering how international media would report it and especially in the USA many are unaware of our very quintessentially British bizarre candidates that turn up to contest by-elections .

    The Yanks are aware.



    https://edition.cnn.com/2026/07/09/uk/nigel-farage-special-election-bin-face-intl
    The US online right prefer Restore (and thanks to Musk think they are the real opposition force in the UK), so may be more inclined to poke fun at Farage along with any on the left who are aware of him.
    It's amusing to see the American online Right convinced that Brits want looser gun control laws.

    You can tell there's some chicanery going on with some accounts pretending to be Brits telling them that's true.

    One issue that united 99.99% of Brits is the desire to NOT loosen gun control laws.
  • BartholomewRobertsBartholomewRoberts Posts: 29,229
    Sandpit said:

    Malmesbury said:

    DavidL said:

    Big_G_NorthWales said:

    Luckyguy1983 said:

    TheScreamingEagles said:

    ThomasNashe said:

    Scott_xP said:

    @DailyMail

    Reform facing demands for probe into source of church warden's £200,000 donation

    https://x.com/DailyMail/status/2076085340670967890?s=20

    Would we be entirely surprised if the ultimate source of some or all of these donations turns out to be Russian?
    Latest on Reform sleaze:

    * British security services believe Russia and other bad actors have been attempting to penetrate Reform and UKIP for over a decade
    * They believe Nathan Gill was not the only Russian Reform target
    * Montenegro is of particular concern to UK agencies

    https://www.dailymail.com/news/article-15970781/spies-watching-Reform-sleaze-trail-leads-Kremlin-HODGES.html
    I think 'the establishment' have gone off a bit soon on this one. They always seem to do this - pile in so it all gets lost in what appears to be a tidal wave of witch hunt. Farage has chosen the battleground (Clacton) and the other parties have chosen (by default) Binface to go up against him - a very weak choice given that he is a made up character and cannot be an MP.

    If Farage wins a powerful byelection victory, that makes it very hard for a parliamentary commitee to send him back to face another one. I can see why those who are against Reform want to do this now to finish him off, but these additional allegations, especially the intelligence services weighing in (we have already had the police), are somewhat feeding the narrative. It also serves Farage to have it all out now, because if it's all out now, not only can he claim the voters of Clacton knew it all and still want him as their MP, it also means there's nothing left for any fresh interventions between now and the next election. It feels a bit like Napoleon sending in the Old Guard at Waterloo.
    Good morning

    'If Farage wins a powerful by election victory, that makes it very hard for a parliamentary committee to send him back to face another one'

    This is an election to try to stop a legitimate investigation into Farage and his funding, and it most certainly will not stop the standards investigation reconvening if he wins, no matter the size of the result and nor should it

    Why does Farage expect to be held to lesser standards than other mps, and if he has nothing to hide why on earth start this charade ?

    It should be made crystal clear by the relevant authorities that the investigation will recommence, and indeed be extended in light of more recent disclosures, if and when Farage becomes a member of Parliament again.
    I would make reference to the crack down on police officers using resignation to terminate investigation, then trying to return to The Farce.

    “We should stop MPs behaving like corrupt police officers”
    I wonder if Binface might actually take the bin off and do one serious interview, just before the postal votes go out, majoring on bad money in politics and actually committing to live in Clacton for a couple of years, being a good local MP fighting for the people who live in one of the poorest places in the country?

    It would immediately diffuse the Reform critism of him as an Establishment “Uniparty” stooge.
    Doubt it, that's not his point.

    "Uniparty" is not a British term in the first place anyway.
  • kle4kle4 Posts: 104,552
    maxh said:

    PJH said:

    I visited Walton on the Naze yesterday. On the door of a pub:


    Yes but this is just the equivalent of the vocal minority who go on and on about things like Chagos (or, indeed, Gaza).

    Binface will cause a small minority to spend all summer baffling the good people of Clacton on their doorstep trying to tell them a joke that most don't find in the slightest bit funny.

    More broadly he will enthuse plenty, and will cause merriment to many (including me). But this by-election will barely turn the dial on Reform more generally.

    The one exception to this would be if Farage snowflakes, implodes and reduces himself to the farcical level at which this by-election is being run by attempting to respond to Binface.

    As long as he stays quiet, commenting only on serious topics like Widdecombe (and ideally throwing some dead cats around, like speculating on a police investigation) he (and Reform) will ride this out with barely a ripple.

    I wish it were not so, but I'm not a fool.
    Of course he will, he's popular locally and even those who enjoy the Binface joke will mostly not go so far as to actually bother to vote.

    What a low turnout and unexpectedly low victory (IDK, say 60-70% against not real opposition) might do is puncture the Reform narrative of overwhelming support, but that does depend on external factors leading to a general decline to go along with it.
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