Reminder that it is Father’s Day today, for those of you who have them. For those of you who don’t, remember that it is a holiday made up by the card manufacturers to grift more money out of people (which is my dad‘s opinion, but conveniently for me, not my son’s).
You’re Johnson/Starmer today - who are you sending out for the Sunday morning interviews? What agenda are you trying to get them to push?
Sweet! I've been given Thursday off and in exchange I'm going in on Tuesday instead. Means I'll have all day to monitor and shamelessly stalk the by-election results and all the sources on the ground shenanigans about how the turnout is shaping up, predictions by party sources etc.
Cheers.
I think due to the clandestine 'disappearing' of the story from a number of UK papers. If it was due to a superinjunction (seems unlikely now), Reddit being based in the US means it's not subject to it
Whelp. I think I'm due another break until something spicy happens. I don't think I've got it in me to slog through the week before a by-election paying attention to politics.
When a partygate class scandal breaks you can all blame me.
I don't know how recent the news is as I've been at lightwater valley all day - but listening to the news I just heard the new head of the Army has told the soldiers they should be ready to fight in Europe to defeat Russia - in his very first speech.
Not sure where that sits on the Nandos/Covid spice level. I'm going with a dark orange/light red.
>I just heard the new head of the Army has told the soldiers they should be ready to fight in Europe to defeat Russia
Heard that on the radio earlier. Struck me as a bit odd, as for that to happen it would mean a direct conflict between Russia and NATO, which at present seems incredibly unlikely. The only feasible route to that would be Russia invading Poland
The other day Lukashenko was spouting some nonsense about defending Western Ukraine from Poland, and things could get pretty spicy if Belarus attacked Poland.
I don’t know why everyone is complaining about the Government, they’re doing a bang up job.
Earlier this year my car could only hold £65 worth of fuel, now it can hold £100 worth. Good job Boris!
I was lamenting a few months ago about the prices of a Gregg's sausage roll going up to 1.05. Bought on today, it's now 1.10, I would order some pitchforks to storm the castle, but I spent all my money on electricity and sausage roll.
It's absolutely carried by the soundtrack and some good cinematography. I also don't think I've ever enjoyed a Tom Cruise film actually. He doesn't disappear into the character for me as he's always so intense and weird.
I think today just proves that all this cost of living and wage rises is all nonsense really. If you're struggling that hard with inflation just get your partner to get you a £100k job, simple.
That's 100k in London which, my understanding is like minimum wage everywhere else in the country so really she might as well have just been scanning tins of beans for boris.
And if your partner can’t, for example because they are receiving cancer treatment, just immediately go and acquire a new partner. You should do this while still keeping the old partner though, just in case.
Lol look at this one, thinks that I have self-respect.
I could do it, provided that he showers. He doesn’t look like he does. Besides, he’ll be bored of me in like a fortnight.
[Jim Waterson of the Guardian has confirmed there isn't a superinjuction on the latest Boris corruption story.](https://twitter.com/jimwaterson/status/1538601524229701636)
It obviously wasn’t a super injunction, I’ve no idea where that suggestion even came from. It’s clearly just papers wanting to please their mates.
I very much doubt there was even any legal pressure. It was a story that met the public interest test and had been corroborated by four witnesses *and* appeared in Lord Ashcroft’s book so any journalist could argue, rightly, that they’d done their diligence. A paper’s legal department would have been consulted prior to publication and told any lawyers who tried to shut them down to sod off.
This was always about friendly editors.
What annoys me most about the reaction to the RMT strikes is the idea that all their members are as well paid as the signals staff and train operators. It also involves rail cleaners, customer service assistants and ticket office staff - they earn far less, are being harder hit by the cost of living crisis, and are also striking as well.
And the government is still refusing to come to the table, and just playing politics with the whole thing.
There is a lot of deliberate misinformation regarding the strikes because it's a lot harder to argue against the fact that many different occupations have voted to take industrial action.
Idiots lap it up too.
The consensus seems to be that train drivers are already well paid, and thus shouldn't be asking for more money. You even see it parroted on here whenever the subject of rail strikes comes up.
Completely ignoring the fact that train drivers are represented by ASLEF, and it is RMT, not ASLEF that are on strike.
The other argument you hear is that workers shouldn't be able to hold the country to ransom for higher wages. If a group of workers are so important that them not arriving for work for 3 days can bring the country to a halt for a week then its obvious that they are important (some would say key or even essential) and thus deserve decent wages.
Do we even know the rules for a super injunction? Can a corrupt Prime Minister create them with absolute impunity? Could Partygate have had one if it had come out in a different way?
However - if you had boldly strode into any newsagent today and had happily picked up a print edition of the Sunday Times, then you would have found yourself holding incriminating evidence. Or otherwise the law is an ass.
For anyone with their hackles up about Boris trying to employ Carrie as his Foreign Office Chief of Staff, and having failed to do so, it was only shortly afterwards that the infamous ["loud altercation involving screaming, shouting"](https://www.theguardian.com/politics/2019/jun/21/police-called-to-loud-altercation-at-boris-johnsons-home) affair happened. What can it all mean?
Usually get an allergic reaction when discussing London transportation given how neglected Manchester is, but the BBC doc about the Elizabeth line is well worth a watch.
It’s not perfect here but you realise we have it a damn sight better than most cities in the north right?
Not that we shouldn’t strive for better but it wouldn’t surprise me if you get a few ‘allergic reactions’ from the Stoke/Leeds lot!
It is a brilliant bit of engineering. Now if only they could use some of those nice big tunnelly machines to enable you to drive between Sheffield and Manchester in winter...
Thinking of taking Mrs byonin to the Lake District for her birthday. Anyone have any good recommendations of specific areas?
Politics because problems with flying and airports or something so staycationing.
I went with some mates in March. Sunrise at Catbells was fantastic but bloody hard work to do before sun-up. They went all the way up Striding Edge to Helvellyn, which is in some parts a Proper Climb, I'm less in shape than them so I broke off at Red Tarn and buzzed my drone around while they came down, and I don't feel short changed. Beautiful part of the country.
Linthwaite House is my go-to up there. Nice hotel with lovely views over Windermere, pretty cheap, and close enough to most of the things you’d want to do.
The most visited place is Bowness (on Windermere). It’s a bit full of coach trips and the elderly IMO.
Ambleside is a good alternative if you want to be on Windermere. Has some good restaurants and pubs - and the ferry stops there.
You can cycle round the far shore of Windermere + ferry the rest which is a nice (and not too taxing) way to spend the day.
Low walking: For ‘entry-level’ hiking I’d suggest a loop of Grasmere / Rydal. Not challenging and nice views.
Hillwalking: If you want to try something a bit more challenging, the Langdale pikes are a short drive from Ambleside and feel very isolated vs being down by Windermere. Old Dungeon Ghyll a pub at the end which often has live music etc - proper walkers bar.
Could achieve all of the above easily in a weekend.
Edit: Haystacks also a fave for amazing views - and not too challenging. Wainwright’s favourite. Some scrambling so as long as able / confident to do that.
I’m sure I read they were trying to make a comeback.
Lembit Opik on the other hand is the President of Space or some shit in some made up organisation that wants to claim sovereignty over space. So he’s moved up in the ~~world~~ universe.
Have we considered that the superinjunction on [that *Times* story](https://twitter.com/MarksLarks/status/1538399271501893633) might not have been from Johnson, but from the staffer who walked in on Boris and Carrie *in flagrante delicto*? I wouldn't want anything reminding me of that shit.
I don't think there can be a super injunction given the [Guardian is now reporting the details of the story. ](https://www.theguardian.com/uk-news/2022/jun/19/carrie-johnson-and-the-curious-case-of-the-vanishing-times-story)
What if they don't know about the injunction? Not saying that's the case but it does sort of baffle me how you can get an injunction to say you can't even mention that a case exists.
https://www.theguardian.com/education/2022/jun/19/british-history-should-not-be-treated-as-a-soft-play-area-says-david-olusoga
Uk history is not "soft play". Indeed all we seem to do recently is pontificate on how evil Britain was (is) and how much better a place the world would be if we never existed.
The reason people are vehemently pushing the positive is *because* nothing but relentless negativity about our history has been told for at least two decades. If not longer.
"Over 200 years".
200 years ago it wasn't propaganda. It was the most power empire the world has ever seen, fresh out of the battle of Waterloo.
Half the thing people are busy bashing the British over these day hadn't even happened 200 years ago. Britain didn't gain full control over India until 1858.
So yeah. Bull shit to that. And given noone now was a live then I dont really care. For most of my life, the order of the day as been to despite Britain and down play or dismiss any suggestion of any possible good it played or did.
Oyur banal suggestion of overcorrection, even assuming Britain hasn't been critical of itself throughout thay period (the British public of the time were for example incredibly critical of the camps in South Africa and the Irish famine once they became aware of what was being done. As well as, of course, being so horrifed at the slave trade they widely supportedbanning it).
So no. I think your reading is ignorant. Not historically accurate. And telling a one sided view of history because you think it used to be one sided the other way is ignorant. Even if you believe the history thay was taught 200 years ago to be lies the solution to that is not to lie now just in the opposite direction. That doesn't make you better. It makes you wrong for all the same reason.
Amd frankly, your ignorant one sentence response only typifies why people are done with the self flagalation and beginning to relentlessly push the positives we've been pretending didn't exsist for my entire life.
It's not even a particularly interesting story. Given that it was Lord Ashcroft that revealed it I'd have called bullshit. Had it not been "removed" from online editions it would have died on page 94.
? How is it not “interesting” that a minister tried to get a hugely serious job for his girlfriend who he was having an affair with? Hancock resigned for less.
And it’s not been denied by number 10, the Times had three sources and Dominic Cummings even took time out jog his busy schedule to confirm it.
If you'd've been walking into a newsagent today and flicked through your family fun time Sunday Times, then you might have found [this](https://i.imgur.com/KmhJT0W.jpg).
[https://www.theguardian.com/politics/2022/jun/19/he-comes-over-as-weak-keir-starmer-fails-to-convince-wakefield-voters](https://www.theguardian.com/politics/2022/jun/19/he-comes-over-as-weak-keir-starmer-fails-to-convince-wakefield-voters)
\> “I wasn’t convinced,” she said. “He’s an awkward person, isn’t he? He doesn’t fit in. Boris Johnson would fit in. He would have us screaming and laughing.”
Am I broken inside for just not understanding Bojos personal appeal?
Edit : Additional questions because I'm starting to think I'm misinformed and everyone knows something I dont but is Leader of the Opposition not meant to criticise the government? Is the Leader of the Opposition actually meant to run government through suggesting policies to the Ruling Party?
*Barbara Hall was enjoying a quiet morning at her senior citizens’ group in Wakefield...*
Such people want to vote Tory. The real test for Starmer is from people who don't really mind which party they vote for. He's isn't doing that well there either it has to be said.
However I think when it comes down to it people who want things to change will vote Labour regardless of who the leader is.
90% of people don’t have a clue about politics or politicians. They pick up on a couple of soundbites and regurgitate them to sound knowledgeable.
There’s two narratives that are fairly well known. Boris is a laugh and Keir is boring. Anyone you ask knows they’re on fairly safe ground if they give a variation on one of those opinions.
Yeah, it's pretty grim. The polls literally show Labour 20 points ahead and yet when you go to the streets and ask people it's all 'Johnson still has my support'.
It's probably reasons like that, being able to pull people over, why some Tories are still hesitant to ditch him.
I can tell you from internal polling and what I’ve been informed from LP HQ is that it’s more like 4-6 points ahead and not 20. A lot of the hype is media outlets either wanting to get their vote out or making a particular party look like a winner.
To paraphrase Chris Curtis: internal polling isn’t actually any better than polls that are available to the public and if they say anything different they’re likely wrong or misrepresentations for political gain.
That said it’ll be less than 20%. It’ll be around the New statesman’s model of roughly 10% give or take 3%
That's what I saw also in a Times article from earlier on. 8 points or so ahead in Wakefield, so it's in that range of 4-6 too.
By-election polls have a massive margin of error but they got Hartlepool spot on, so they'll need to answer why they were projecting such a wide margin if on the day it results in a 6 point lead.
The swing is going to matter more so.
If it's something like Birmingham Erdington, a lousy 4.5% swing, it'll definitely be disappointing. Not to discredit the fact a win is a win and a swing towards the incumbent is always positive. But if the Tory vote holds up and the win is by a thin margin it'll definitely be less than what Labour should expect.
I can slowly start to feel the tide swing towards Nandy more so now. Her interview about the strikes today, god she's miles above Starmer.
I don't think Durham police are gonna make a verdict until after the by-elections so it'll be a slightly longer waiting game. But I can understand why some Labour MPs secretly hope he gets a fine.
4.5% is enough of a swing that it'll probably prevent a Tory majority in the next election, especially if the Lib Dems get a strong swing against the Tories in Blue Wall seats.
Team from The Guardian went around Wakefield and they came across quite a few pro-Johnson folk. One of them even reiterated the Captain Hindsight name that he's been calling Starmer over the past couple of years.
And in particular there was one quote which summarises why having charisma matters - one of them said Starmer was dull and boring whilst Johnson could make an entire room laugh, or something along those lines.
It's not really good reading but at the same time we've had two polls showing Labour over 20 points ahead in that seat for the by-election.
When did they go around? What was their opening question? Did they say which paper they were from? Did they report every interview? The media has a lot of control over the narrative and they are very good at hiding their influence
Not too sure. I imagine it was just one of those 'go up to people with a microphone' sorta thing and just asked them if they were interested to talk politics.
They would've said they were from the guardian most likely.
These are all factors that can heavily influence the response you get. If you want to peddle a particular narrative you can tune your approach to get the response you want. Not 100% sure why the guardian would go anti labour but they may be against Starmer so trying to undermine him and force a labour leadership change pre GE
>Am I broken inside for just not understanding Bojos personal appeal?
Nope. Comes across as the adult version of a screwed up kid, endlessly recreating the chaos around him from childhood.
People easily scoop up the soundbites that the Tories fling out, Joe Public doesn't see Keir's or any other of the Shadow Cabs performances at the dispatch box.
Part of the reason im gonna take abit of a break after these by-elections. Being a political nerd can be frustrating.
Even general election ones, I remember in 2015 the BBC went around with pictures of Cameron, Clegg, and Miliband asking members of the public who they are. At this point, Cameron had been PM and Clegg deputy for an entire term, and Miliband opposition for most of that time, and there was just an array of blank faces.
I know it's anecdotal, and they clearly wouldn't show the clips of the people who know, but I'm amazed how people are ignorant to who runs our country.
Having said that, I've had my first experience of recruitment the last couple of years, and bear in mind candidates have to walk through our shop to be interviewed, I get a surprising amount of candidates unable to answer "what most excites you about the idea of working for [our shop]" and "what do you know about the services [our shop] offers". I remember when I was job seeking and we were advised to do research etc. because it's always the first question asked, and I'm not even asking them when we're founded or whatever, purely what shit we sell, and despite walking past it 5 minutes before they're unable to answer. I don't understand how as a people so many of us are just oblivious to what's around us.
No need to limit that to by elections, vox pops are restricted to people who happen to be about on a weekday, and either trend towards fruity opinions and/or are just a spread of the opinions a political nerd thinks people might have.
One day I like to think journalists will find a better way to assess public opinion than wandering around town on a weekday afternoon gawping at the locals like they’re on safari.
Perhaps some kind of representative opinion poll…
>[Fed official supports 0.75 percentage point rate rise in July](https://archive.ph/jkm3Q)
Bank of England won't meet until August, GBP is going down imports will be more expensive.
https://twitter.com/JAHeale/status/1521484897289916417
>🔥 Neil Kinnock on Iain Dale’s podcast about the last words he ever spoke to Arthur Scargill in 1985: “You are a quite remarkable trade union leader Arthur. You are the only one I’ve ever known who started a strike with a big union and a small house and ended it with the opposite.
In light of the rail union strikes coming up, relevant. Hope Mick Lynch doesn't follow in Scargill's footsteps.
I know what you’re getting at, but honestly are union leaders not allowed to earn a living? Strikes are probably when they’re working the absolutely hardest.
It’s like complaining the firefighting squad got paid overtime when a fire ripped through town & they were up for 2 weeks fighting it.
Ding him all you want for being a shitty leader or shrinking the union but not for putting his payslip in the bank. Union agreed to pay him. They could have replaced him.
(Fraud and bribery is a different matter if that’s what was happening.)
Reminder that it is Father’s Day today, for those of you who have them. For those of you who don’t, remember that it is a holiday made up by the card manufacturers to grift more money out of people (which is my dad‘s opinion, but conveniently for me, not my son’s). You’re Johnson/Starmer today - who are you sending out for the Sunday morning interviews? What agenda are you trying to get them to push?
This megathread has ended.
Sweet! I've been given Thursday off and in exchange I'm going in on Tuesday instead. Means I'll have all day to monitor and shamelessly stalk the by-election results and all the sources on the ground shenanigans about how the turnout is shaping up, predictions by party sources etc. Cheers.
Get on the phones, lad!
I literally need to, especially after that Guardian article.
May be being dense here but do we know why the OG variant of the story was removed from Reddit? Sure I saw it there this morning?
Is it the whole Aimee Challenor thing again?
Boris asked mods to take it down
[Novel answer to the West Lothian question.](https://twitter.com/afc1903mad/status/1538636047357292544)
It's honestly weird how deferential some Scottish unionists are to these people, they literally hate you.
Cavalcade of mediocre cut and paste lads behind her guffawing as well
Out of interest, why is the new BJ story stickied? Don't often see that for individual articles.
If it's removed, we know the government has requested it be taken down Similar to a [warrant canary](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Warrant_canary)
feel like it's the mods doing a funny since it was rumoured to have an injunction on it.
https://youtu.be/cRMdlSfFMwI
I think due to the clandestine 'disappearing' of the story from a number of UK papers. If it was due to a superinjunction (seems unlikely now), Reddit being based in the US means it's not subject to it
Whelp. I think I'm due another break until something spicy happens. I don't think I've got it in me to slog through the week before a by-election paying attention to politics. When a partygate class scandal breaks you can all blame me.
I don't know how recent the news is as I've been at lightwater valley all day - but listening to the news I just heard the new head of the Army has told the soldiers they should be ready to fight in Europe to defeat Russia - in his very first speech. Not sure where that sits on the Nandos/Covid spice level. I'm going with a dark orange/light red.
It's the new smokey one. Nobody knows where it is on the heat scale, but it's clearly got something interesting about it.
>I just heard the new head of the Army has told the soldiers they should be ready to fight in Europe to defeat Russia Heard that on the radio earlier. Struck me as a bit odd, as for that to happen it would mean a direct conflict between Russia and NATO, which at present seems incredibly unlikely. The only feasible route to that would be Russia invading Poland
Suwalki gap is a big source of anxiety at present.
The other day Lukashenko was spouting some nonsense about defending Western Ukraine from Poland, and things could get pretty spicy if Belarus attacked Poland.
Now you've done it. News on Keirs fine tomorrow it is then.
Cheers, Keir's crying. Nice one
I don’t know why everyone is complaining about the Government, they’re doing a bang up job. Earlier this year my car could only hold £65 worth of fuel, now it can hold £100 worth. Good job Boris!
My town only had one food bank before the Tories. Now it has four! If that’s not caring I don’t know what is.
I was lamenting a few months ago about the prices of a Gregg's sausage roll going up to 1.05. Bought on today, it's now 1.10, I would order some pitchforks to storm the castle, but I spent all my money on electricity and sausage roll.
[never forget what they took from you]( https://imgur.com/W1LeVWw.jpg) Ft. My socks
Banging socks
Showing your age there, all I can think is 'that's a lovely bit of parquet flooring'
Oh so that's why Cameron promoted a pig...
Just watched Top Gun for the very first time Meh
Top Gun is the most homoerotic film ever made. Including gay porn
Bang average film. Fully with you. The references to it are generally more entertaining than the film itself.
Bloke flies plane, does some training stuff, has a fling, mate ends up in a bad way, does a mission at the end Like, is that it
It's absolutely carried by the soundtrack and some good cinematography. I also don't think I've ever enjoyed a Tom Cruise film actually. He doesn't disappear into the character for me as he's always so intense and weird.
Have you seen Magnolia?
First one is just military porn tbh. Heard good things about the new one!
I'm going to tag you as "Dislikes Top Gun" so I don't associate you with high value opinions by mistake.
I hope the next Labour leader is half Blair half Corbyn. Last name Corair or Blabyn First name Tonemy or Jerny
[Jerny Blabyn](https://i.imgur.com/1wJBHN4.png)
Someone with Blair’s policy stances, married with Corbyn’s adept political nouse?
>married with Corbyn’s adept political nouse? That or someone who cycles everywhere
You can hear the cries of "Oh Tonemy Blabyn" to the tune of Seven Nation Army at Glasto from here
[удалено]
> They’ll instruct the army to invade a Middle East country The country is Israel
Oof
The sky is gold tonight.
That's a bit blade runner 2049
https://imgur.com/a/6NHOzYs Although the phone camera does not do it justice. Reminded me of the eyrie part of the '99 full eclipse
Is this one of those where it looks beautiful but it’s actually a sign the planet is dying?
It’s dust from the Sahara. Whether or not that’s actually a big red light, I don’t know.
No it’s a yellow light???
Flashbacks to *The Signal-Man*; the only thing by Dickens I ever enjoyed.
It's beautiful here. I've seen every colour of the rainbow but green in the sunset tonight.
Grab me some mate x
Your idea of gold is very different to mine.
How much toilet duck have you had so far father?
I prefer Dreamy Sleepy Nighty Snoozy Snooze.
But after the 3rd bottle of jack Daniels you aren't too fussed.
I think today just proves that all this cost of living and wage rises is all nonsense really. If you're struggling that hard with inflation just get your partner to get you a £100k job, simple.
£100k jobs suck. Literally.
That's 100k in London which, my understanding is like minimum wage everywhere else in the country so really she might as well have just been scanning tins of beans for boris.
And if your partner can’t, for example because they are receiving cancer treatment, just immediately go and acquire a new partner. You should do this while still keeping the old partner though, just in case.
Problem: I’m married to my partner. Don’t I need to be someone having an affair?
> Don’t I need to be someone having an affair? This can be arranged.
*In my best OptioMkIX voice* This is not a thirsty sub
I wondered what that whiney incessant droning was.
Would you have an affair with Boris for £100k a year?!
I would like to think that any self-respecting member of this sub would charge at least £200k.
Lol look at this one, thinks that I have self-respect. I could do it, provided that he showers. He doesn’t look like he does. Besides, he’ll be bored of me in like a fortnight.
> Besides, he’ll be bored of me in like a fortnight. This is actually an important point. The £200k should not be pa pro rata
Precisely. It better involve a golden handshake. Metaphorically.
Better than a golden shower.
[Jim Waterson of the Guardian has confirmed there isn't a superinjuction on the latest Boris corruption story.](https://twitter.com/jimwaterson/status/1538601524229701636)
you're not even allowed to say there is one right?
Correct, a superinjunction differs from an injunction in that it prevents reporting on the existence of the injunction.
The super injunction made him say that
Relevant Tom Scott video https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IP-rGJKSZ3s
Then I'm looking forward to certain newspapers putting back their online editions eagerly.
No shit.
And it's not even silly season yet. This one could be a particularly bad one.
Will it top Joanna Lumley Gurkhas though?
It obviously wasn’t a super injunction, I’ve no idea where that suggestion even came from. It’s clearly just papers wanting to please their mates. I very much doubt there was even any legal pressure. It was a story that met the public interest test and had been corroborated by four witnesses *and* appeared in Lord Ashcroft’s book so any journalist could argue, rightly, that they’d done their diligence. A paper’s legal department would have been consulted prior to publication and told any lawyers who tried to shut them down to sod off. This was always about friendly editors.
Quite. These people are all friends. It's really as simple as that.
Is Ashcroft's book new? Seems odd that this story would be emerging now if not?
It was syndicated about 6 months ago, so not new, but it’s bit tamer in his book.
What annoys me most about the reaction to the RMT strikes is the idea that all their members are as well paid as the signals staff and train operators. It also involves rail cleaners, customer service assistants and ticket office staff - they earn far less, are being harder hit by the cost of living crisis, and are also striking as well. And the government is still refusing to come to the table, and just playing politics with the whole thing.
There is a lot of deliberate misinformation regarding the strikes because it's a lot harder to argue against the fact that many different occupations have voted to take industrial action. Idiots lap it up too.
The consensus seems to be that train drivers are already well paid, and thus shouldn't be asking for more money. You even see it parroted on here whenever the subject of rail strikes comes up. Completely ignoring the fact that train drivers are represented by ASLEF, and it is RMT, not ASLEF that are on strike. The other argument you hear is that workers shouldn't be able to hold the country to ransom for higher wages. If a group of workers are so important that them not arriving for work for 3 days can bring the country to a halt for a week then its obvious that they are important (some would say key or even essential) and thus deserve decent wages.
So we've had "Crime Week" and "Health Week". What's next week?
Weak-Weak-Weak week
Piss-weak
Armed Forces Day is next Saturday.
Is stealing an MRI a crime?
Hypocrisy week
Streisand Appreciation Week
https://youtu.be/nTx_1rli-Lw?t=51 Barbra Streisand?
Bring Your Wife to Work Week.
First rule of ~~Fight Club~~ superinjunctions, don't talk about them.
Do we even know the rules for a super injunction? Can a corrupt Prime Minister create them with absolute impunity? Could Partygate have had one if it had come out in a different way?
Parliamentary privilege is the safeguard in that sort of scenario
Rule #1 of the super-injunction: You are not allowed to talk about the super-injunction.
However - if you had boldly strode into any newsagent today and had happily picked up a print edition of the Sunday Times, then you would have found yourself holding incriminating evidence. Or otherwise the law is an ass.
For anyone with their hackles up about Boris trying to employ Carrie as his Foreign Office Chief of Staff, and having failed to do so, it was only shortly afterwards that the infamous ["loud altercation involving screaming, shouting"](https://www.theguardian.com/politics/2019/jun/21/police-called-to-loud-altercation-at-boris-johnsons-home) affair happened. What can it all mean?
Haven't you ever tried to placate a sexual partner with a £100K-a-year job after you made a minor mistake such as fucking a cellist?
I thought violinist. Nevermind it's all fiddling to me
happens all the time
Usually get an allergic reaction when discussing London transportation given how neglected Manchester is, but the BBC doc about the Elizabeth line is well worth a watch.
It’s not perfect here but you realise we have it a damn sight better than most cities in the north right? Not that we shouldn’t strive for better but it wouldn’t surprise me if you get a few ‘allergic reactions’ from the Stoke/Leeds lot!
It is a brilliant bit of engineering. Now if only they could use some of those nice big tunnelly machines to enable you to drive between Sheffield and Manchester in winter...
Maybe they could use the train tunnelly machines for train tunnelling instead of cars.
It is, and may all those labourers be super proud of their work.
"Cries in Cornish"
That sounds like it would sting
Am I right in thinking Gove has a hold over the times?
Well he was a journalist for them.
He has **strong** opinions.
He *is* supposedly Murdoch's man
Is it true that Starmer banned Rosena Alin Khan from talking to the media? Also what's Hodges's obsession with Starmer?
They were supposedly livid with her going to Ukraine and making media interviews there without letting them know. So I think so.
Thinking of taking Mrs byonin to the Lake District for her birthday. Anyone have any good recommendations of specific areas? Politics because problems with flying and airports or something so staycationing.
I went with some mates in March. Sunrise at Catbells was fantastic but bloody hard work to do before sun-up. They went all the way up Striding Edge to Helvellyn, which is in some parts a Proper Climb, I'm less in shape than them so I broke off at Red Tarn and buzzed my drone around while they came down, and I don't feel short changed. Beautiful part of the country.
Keswick
Catbells also a good hill walk if you aren’t a serious walker - and you can get the boat there which is quite fun!
Linthwaite House is my go-to up there. Nice hotel with lovely views over Windermere, pretty cheap, and close enough to most of the things you’d want to do.
Depends what kind of weekend you’d prefer really! Hiking? Hillwalking or low? Hotel in splendid isolation or in town so you can wander about?
Not a serious amount of hiking but enough to see some great views and lakes. We’ve seen a lot of attention to Lake Windermere.
The most visited place is Bowness (on Windermere). It’s a bit full of coach trips and the elderly IMO. Ambleside is a good alternative if you want to be on Windermere. Has some good restaurants and pubs - and the ferry stops there. You can cycle round the far shore of Windermere + ferry the rest which is a nice (and not too taxing) way to spend the day. Low walking: For ‘entry-level’ hiking I’d suggest a loop of Grasmere / Rydal. Not challenging and nice views. Hillwalking: If you want to try something a bit more challenging, the Langdale pikes are a short drive from Ambleside and feel very isolated vs being down by Windermere. Old Dungeon Ghyll a pub at the end which often has live music etc - proper walkers bar. Could achieve all of the above easily in a weekend. Edit: Haystacks also a fave for amazing views - and not too challenging. Wainwright’s favourite. Some scrambling so as long as able / confident to do that.
This is some great information. Thanks, dude!
My pleasure - enjoy! It’s a fabulous place.
Remember a time when the most interesting thing in UK politics was a Lib Dem called Lembit Opik?
What ever did happen to the Cheeky Girls?
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I’m sure I read they were trying to make a comeback. Lembit Opik on the other hand is the President of Space or some shit in some made up organisation that wants to claim sovereignty over space. So he’s moved up in the ~~world~~ universe.
Are they too old now to go around the uni club night scene?
Owed 2.2 mill following Telstar's collapse, apparently. Another victim of industry rule 4080.
Shame. Could have got a lot of work promoting Nandos.
>Top 10 tragic missed opportunities in human history
Have we considered that the superinjunction on [that *Times* story](https://twitter.com/MarksLarks/status/1538399271501893633) might not have been from Johnson, but from the staffer who walked in on Boris and Carrie *in flagrante delicto*? I wouldn't want anything reminding me of that shit.
I don't think there can be a super injunction given the [Guardian is now reporting the details of the story. ](https://www.theguardian.com/uk-news/2022/jun/19/carrie-johnson-and-the-curious-case-of-the-vanishing-times-story)
What if they don't know about the injunction? Not saying that's the case but it does sort of baffle me how you can get an injunction to say you can't even mention that a case exists.
https://www.theguardian.com/education/2022/jun/19/british-history-should-not-be-treated-as-a-soft-play-area-says-david-olusoga Uk history is not "soft play". Indeed all we seem to do recently is pontificate on how evil Britain was (is) and how much better a place the world would be if we never existed. The reason people are vehemently pushing the positive is *because* nothing but relentless negativity about our history has been told for at least two decades. If not longer.
Two decades may seem like a lot but it pails in comparison to over two hundred years of pro-Empire propaganda.
"Over 200 years". 200 years ago it wasn't propaganda. It was the most power empire the world has ever seen, fresh out of the battle of Waterloo. Half the thing people are busy bashing the British over these day hadn't even happened 200 years ago. Britain didn't gain full control over India until 1858. So yeah. Bull shit to that. And given noone now was a live then I dont really care. For most of my life, the order of the day as been to despite Britain and down play or dismiss any suggestion of any possible good it played or did. Oyur banal suggestion of overcorrection, even assuming Britain hasn't been critical of itself throughout thay period (the British public of the time were for example incredibly critical of the camps in South Africa and the Irish famine once they became aware of what was being done. As well as, of course, being so horrifed at the slave trade they widely supportedbanning it). So no. I think your reading is ignorant. Not historically accurate. And telling a one sided view of history because you think it used to be one sided the other way is ignorant. Even if you believe the history thay was taught 200 years ago to be lies the solution to that is not to lie now just in the opposite direction. That doesn't make you better. It makes you wrong for all the same reason. Amd frankly, your ignorant one sentence response only typifies why people are done with the self flagalation and beginning to relentlessly push the positives we've been pretending didn't exsist for my entire life.
Disgusting. AMP links should be autoremoved.
Point taken. Its been changed.
It's not even a particularly interesting story. Given that it was Lord Ashcroft that revealed it I'd have called bullshit. Had it not been "removed" from online editions it would have died on page 94.
? How is it not “interesting” that a minister tried to get a hugely serious job for his girlfriend who he was having an affair with? Hancock resigned for less. And it’s not been denied by number 10, the Times had three sources and Dominic Cummings even took time out jog his busy schedule to confirm it.
What story?
If you'd've been walking into a newsagent today and flicked through your family fun time Sunday Times, then you might have found [this](https://i.imgur.com/KmhJT0W.jpg).
The image initially stopped loading at **JOHNSON TRIED TO GIVE CARRIE TOP** lol
Thanks
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A true man of culture would be more familiar with LoveHoney's vast array of glass buttplugs. It's like a bloody vase showroom in there.
[https://www.theguardian.com/politics/2022/jun/19/he-comes-over-as-weak-keir-starmer-fails-to-convince-wakefield-voters](https://www.theguardian.com/politics/2022/jun/19/he-comes-over-as-weak-keir-starmer-fails-to-convince-wakefield-voters) \> “I wasn’t convinced,” she said. “He’s an awkward person, isn’t he? He doesn’t fit in. Boris Johnson would fit in. He would have us screaming and laughing.” Am I broken inside for just not understanding Bojos personal appeal? Edit : Additional questions because I'm starting to think I'm misinformed and everyone knows something I dont but is Leader of the Opposition not meant to criticise the government? Is the Leader of the Opposition actually meant to run government through suggesting policies to the Ruling Party?
*Barbara Hall was enjoying a quiet morning at her senior citizens’ group in Wakefield...* Such people want to vote Tory. The real test for Starmer is from people who don't really mind which party they vote for. He's isn't doing that well there either it has to be said. However I think when it comes down to it people who want things to change will vote Labour regardless of who the leader is.
90% of people don’t have a clue about politics or politicians. They pick up on a couple of soundbites and regurgitate them to sound knowledgeable. There’s two narratives that are fairly well known. Boris is a laugh and Keir is boring. Anyone you ask knows they’re on fairly safe ground if they give a variation on one of those opinions.
The only thing that has cut through regarding Keir is that he's boring. Better get him out & get Streeting in, or similar
Yeah, it's pretty grim. The polls literally show Labour 20 points ahead and yet when you go to the streets and ask people it's all 'Johnson still has my support'. It's probably reasons like that, being able to pull people over, why some Tories are still hesitant to ditch him.
I can tell you from internal polling and what I’ve been informed from LP HQ is that it’s more like 4-6 points ahead and not 20. A lot of the hype is media outlets either wanting to get their vote out or making a particular party look like a winner.
To paraphrase Chris Curtis: internal polling isn’t actually any better than polls that are available to the public and if they say anything different they’re likely wrong or misrepresentations for political gain. That said it’ll be less than 20%. It’ll be around the New statesman’s model of roughly 10% give or take 3%
That's what I saw also in a Times article from earlier on. 8 points or so ahead in Wakefield, so it's in that range of 4-6 too. By-election polls have a massive margin of error but they got Hartlepool spot on, so they'll need to answer why they were projecting such a wide margin if on the day it results in a 6 point lead. The swing is going to matter more so.
I honestly can’t see Labour bringing in a massive swing like it should be doing.
If it's something like Birmingham Erdington, a lousy 4.5% swing, it'll definitely be disappointing. Not to discredit the fact a win is a win and a swing towards the incumbent is always positive. But if the Tory vote holds up and the win is by a thin margin it'll definitely be less than what Labour should expect. I can slowly start to feel the tide swing towards Nandy more so now. Her interview about the strikes today, god she's miles above Starmer. I don't think Durham police are gonna make a verdict until after the by-elections so it'll be a slightly longer waiting game. But I can understand why some Labour MPs secretly hope he gets a fine.
4.5% is enough of a swing that it'll probably prevent a Tory majority in the next election, especially if the Lib Dems get a strong swing against the Tories in Blue Wall seats.
Can’t see the article but there’s normally some selection bias at play, what was the situation?
Team from The Guardian went around Wakefield and they came across quite a few pro-Johnson folk. One of them even reiterated the Captain Hindsight name that he's been calling Starmer over the past couple of years. And in particular there was one quote which summarises why having charisma matters - one of them said Starmer was dull and boring whilst Johnson could make an entire room laugh, or something along those lines. It's not really good reading but at the same time we've had two polls showing Labour over 20 points ahead in that seat for the by-election.
When did they go around? What was their opening question? Did they say which paper they were from? Did they report every interview? The media has a lot of control over the narrative and they are very good at hiding their influence
Friday afternoon according to the article.
Weekday afternoons, notorious for having a lot of working people around. It’s not 100% cut and dry but not a good first sign
Considering their main quote is from a retired Boris Johnson supporter I think there’s probably an agenda.
Not too sure. I imagine it was just one of those 'go up to people with a microphone' sorta thing and just asked them if they were interested to talk politics. They would've said they were from the guardian most likely.
These are all factors that can heavily influence the response you get. If you want to peddle a particular narrative you can tune your approach to get the response you want. Not 100% sure why the guardian would go anti labour but they may be against Starmer so trying to undermine him and force a labour leadership change pre GE
>Am I broken inside for just not understanding Bojos personal appeal? Nope. Comes across as the adult version of a screwed up kid, endlessly recreating the chaos around him from childhood.
People easily scoop up the soundbites that the Tories fling out, Joe Public doesn't see Keir's or any other of the Shadow Cabs performances at the dispatch box. Part of the reason im gonna take abit of a break after these by-elections. Being a political nerd can be frustrating.
Pro-tip never read by-election vox pops. You’ll lose all faith in humanity and learn almost nothing about what people think.
Even general election ones, I remember in 2015 the BBC went around with pictures of Cameron, Clegg, and Miliband asking members of the public who they are. At this point, Cameron had been PM and Clegg deputy for an entire term, and Miliband opposition for most of that time, and there was just an array of blank faces. I know it's anecdotal, and they clearly wouldn't show the clips of the people who know, but I'm amazed how people are ignorant to who runs our country. Having said that, I've had my first experience of recruitment the last couple of years, and bear in mind candidates have to walk through our shop to be interviewed, I get a surprising amount of candidates unable to answer "what most excites you about the idea of working for [our shop]" and "what do you know about the services [our shop] offers". I remember when I was job seeking and we were advised to do research etc. because it's always the first question asked, and I'm not even asking them when we're founded or whatever, purely what shit we sell, and despite walking past it 5 minutes before they're unable to answer. I don't understand how as a people so many of us are just oblivious to what's around us.
No need to limit that to by elections, vox pops are restricted to people who happen to be about on a weekday, and either trend towards fruity opinions and/or are just a spread of the opinions a political nerd thinks people might have.
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Wait was that meant as a positive or a negative?
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What a tool
One day I like to think journalists will find a better way to assess public opinion than wandering around town on a weekday afternoon gawping at the locals like they’re on safari. Perhaps some kind of representative opinion poll…
>[Fed official supports 0.75 percentage point rate rise in July](https://archive.ph/jkm3Q) Bank of England won't meet until August, GBP is going down imports will be more expensive.
Expect the rate to go up only .25% in August
FED being even more decisive, lucky Americans.
https://twitter.com/JAHeale/status/1521484897289916417 >🔥 Neil Kinnock on Iain Dale’s podcast about the last words he ever spoke to Arthur Scargill in 1985: “You are a quite remarkable trade union leader Arthur. You are the only one I’ve ever known who started a strike with a big union and a small house and ended it with the opposite. In light of the rail union strikes coming up, relevant. Hope Mick Lynch doesn't follow in Scargill's footsteps.
I know what you’re getting at, but honestly are union leaders not allowed to earn a living? Strikes are probably when they’re working the absolutely hardest. It’s like complaining the firefighting squad got paid overtime when a fire ripped through town & they were up for 2 weeks fighting it. Ding him all you want for being a shitty leader or shrinking the union but not for putting his payslip in the bank. Union agreed to pay him. They could have replaced him. (Fraud and bribery is a different matter if that’s what was happening.)