Gloucester Saint

This is the crux of it and their business model simply doesn’t work any more than Mike Ashley’s did at Newcastle.

Gloucestershire and England quick Syd Lawrence as well.

it gets worse this afternoon. She’s going to announce a cut of 10,000 university places and double the value of the apprentice levy borough in under May. The levy most medium-large firms already struggle to spend. And the reason they struggle to spend it as David Willetts said is that our economy in the 1980s pivoted to being more a service economy. That means we no longer have the scale of manufacturing base say Germany does to sustain the good old days of apprenticeships boomers get misty eyed about (and my parents and their generation progressed from). Moreover, the 10000 places will come out of former Polys where a decent % of spin-out companies come from. And when she refers to having done an apprenticeship - she didn’t. BSc from Sussex and Masters from Birkbeck. Do as I say not say as I do. Halfron used to bang on about apprenticeships as well, graduate from Exeter. The only recent cabinet minister with one was Gillian Keegan from AC Delco so she could speak with some of authority on the subject.

Reform pissing it up the wall again

Bit trickier than gluten or milk. Peanut is another dangerous one though.

Apart from that, he’s brilliant then. I’d play Damion Thorn up there - gives you a 6 out of 10 performance every time.

I dunno though, South Devon, which is 98% white Uk/N European, where my folks live is definitely not shouting loudly about the merits of immigration. Quite the opposite - the shopping centres have Reform stands and their NextDoor app is full of Duckhunter and Soggy type characters arguing, x100 the amount happening on here. The one up here is completely different outlook with places like Gloucester and Cheltenham a lot more diverse than Devon and only an hour from Bristol/Birmingham.

People see what they want to see for their narrative. Did he visit any of the local community centres? Any of the faith establishments? The pubs and clubs? Meeting and engaging with people is how you find out what the level of cohesion really is or isn’t. Handsworth had a violent history in the 1980s and added to the bin strike (Unite is a disgrace as well as their City Council) it’s easy to resort to stereotypes. But I’d rather take the word of a recent and effective Conservative Mayor for that region who knows the area inside out than a failed and corrupt former Minister who spends his time making videos of fare evaders, getting in the way of the BTP.

Rat population hardly needed adding to with his visit.

It’s ignorant as much as racist but goes to prove that Bob Jenryck should never be anywhere near power, let alone the stench of corruption around him over the years. Wouldn’t be surprised if he jumped ship to Reform once Badenoch is ousted. Then he can help them tank like he did the Tories. Compare the maturity here with Andy Street’s comments, having been Mayor of the region and having actually lived there for decades https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/articles/cy85zlpwne6o

MND remains a chronically underfunded topic for research. Needs to be an all-sector push on fundraising and the agencies need to take it more seriously. New drug available in the EU, not in UK yet but trials and has delayed symptoms slightly and increased life expectancy by a year or so. Nowhere near more effective treatments let alone cures though.

Baz always looks like an outfield player in goal from the days of one or two subs allowed when the main keeper has been injured/sent off.

The ‘Streets not safe’ line Reform have also been pushing with huge (and inevitably dodgy) funding on Facebook. Splitting the Reform vote with a change of leader is probably the best they can hope for. I’d be getting Street elected however they can as an MP and getting him as leader, fresh face without the tarnish of the post-Brexit disaster.

Either Alfie House or Adam Blackmore referred to Downs on social media as a ‘project’. I prefer the project from the US Derby purchased for £2m less who is also ahead of Damian Downs in the US national squad.

Other sports using the Americanism ‘Three Peat’ instead of hat-trick https://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/rugby-union/articles/cpqlvg1pjy4o What’s wrong with hat-trick? Is it a banned phrase now? Mind you, love to use either in association with a Saints player doing three of anything! Unless it’s own goals.

In Private Eye, just to show what a buffoon Badenoch is, she’s been directing her followers to Turning Point UK’s website. Which amongst other activities last month featured TPUK members accusing Southampton motorists without evidence of taking down their ‘fucking flags’ and being a ‘fucking cunt’. TPUK went one better down the M27, thinking they were gatecrashing Corbyn launching his new party. Corbyn was nowhere near Portsmouth but TPUK did manage to find a mob of ex-EDL and BNP boneheads who chanted ‘Corbyn’s a wanker’ through a PA system. Not only was Corbyn nor his new party not there but Hampshire Police dispersed them as they frightened disabled kids having a dance meeting in the community centre upstairs. TPUK thanked Kemi for being the only elected party leader who reached out to them.

At times - she had the benefit of North Sea oil and 1983-88 she did have strong growth. Unfortunately unlike Norway and their Sovereign Fund, the UK spaffed it up the wall on a credit boom which led to a nasty overheating and recession which lasted until the mid-90s as Clarke got things back on an even keel.

Chris Mason twisting the knife on BBC. Their 1922 Committee have got to act by the spring of next year unless Reform implodes by then (it won’t yet) as Badenoch trying to take them on directly and out-Reform him is stupid. They need a centre right pro business leader like Street if they can find him a seat, attack Farage on that as it’s his Achilles Heel and hold Reeves to better account.

Be careful what you wish for though, disappointing as Starmer has been domestically. Look at Milei in Argentina, lauded by Farage as Thatcher on steroids, the man ‘with the chainsaw and funny hairstyle - that’s leadership’ and expressed a wish to buy Argentinian bonds, Milei is the template’ said Kemi. Trump loves him. Good job really, as the US last week had to pledge a ‘large and forceful bailout’ (Private Eye) with the Peso down 75% since Milei’s election less than 2 years ago. We have a lot of issues ourselves but not on this scale and Farage’s judgement hasn’t improved on the economy clearly.

Dreadful news, on top of Doddie Weir as a Rugby Union fan as well as human being. Rob Burrow too in League. https://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/rugby-union/articles/cz7rddrrlqno I hope the club and everyone associated supports Dylan and the Moody family. As a further Saints-related note, my grandmother, who I never got to meet, passed away at the age of just 52 due to MND in December 1975. She followed Saints home and away, and her ultimate was seeing Saints win the FA Cup one day. I don’t really need the type the rest…not sure how my Mum kept it together at Wembley.

And Derby’s US striker whilst raw, did cause our centres halves issues yesterday and did score as well. For £5.8m. That’s what happens when you actually scout players properly in person several times and not just use AI.

Don’t worry, the club will have any positivity coached out of him and he will be backwards and sideways like the rest.

Damion Downs is the worst call since Charles called Camilla for the squidgeygate tape.

The only way I can see it happening is for Ben Gvir to go missing and be found David Kelly style with an open coroners’ verdict. Not advocating for that by the way.

He wouldn’t get a start either at Cheltenham in L2 and Wotton wouldn’t want him at Conference South Torquay.