Gloucester Saint

Nope…one was taking a huge economic experiment to try to keep her and her party in power, putting the country second. Akin to Martin’s playing from the back experiment in the PL this season. The other are people who are taking some decisions any government would find bloody difficult, even if they aren’t the ones I’d have chosen myself. Do you think any Labour government wants to cut departmental budgets by 5-10% on top of 14 years of reductions bar the protected areas. The Tories don’t like doing it despite the rhetoric in opposition but the Left will create hell for Reeves in the CSR. Have a look at Reform’s ‘waste and efficiency’ plans - they are bonkers and typical of people with no practical experience, but they’ll carry on promising everything with no way of finding it post-Single Market like they did during the referendum. Have a look online at the reaction James Callaghan got at their conference in 1976 when they did.

Different circumstances - Truss could see the political winds and tried an IEA Hail Mary which failed spectacularly. What Starmer and Reeves has inherited is the worst post-war. Normally if a Tory government comes in, they get slightly better public services but slightly worse public services from Labour. Reverse that for Labour from Tory. That’s true post-war, the most extreme example since then before this was Callaghan-Thatcher. What people are forgetting but I haven’t is how long that took to turn around. She came in May 1979, doubled VAT having said they wouldn’t, and the economy was struggling even worse than now, steel went to the wall, no Clyde style shipbuilding rescue packages, BL ailing and in huge debt. It wasn’t demonstrably better until the other side of the Falklands. Howe and her monetarist policies to get public debt under control were under huge fire even from most of their own party, especially the ‘wets’. The large tax cutting veteran right wingers wank off about every week in the fucking Telegraph or Mail didn’t happen until 1985 with Nigel Lawson when they could afford it. The stagflation of the 1970s also bears some relation to now. Globally the economy is choppy, Trump doesn’t help with that but the one variable we could change straight away and restore 5-10% of national economic power is the Single Market.

Appreciate what you are saying but given the Cox, Amess and earlier Lib Dem fatal stabbings I just don’t want to see that language. The Navratilova things was amusing with Duck though, as if he’d normally take any notice of someone like that.

The achievements with women’s refuge and safety are considerable and well done to her those. I can’t stand Galloway but it’s still not the right behaviours for public life. Politicians and those with a large public voice like Musk need to be better in the language they use and accuracy/evidence of what they say.

I don’t like Phillips that much either for some of the reasons you’ve identified above, and others, but two wrongs don’t make a right. What Musk said wasnt evidenced whatsoever. Musk ought to do better with the following he has and the extremes some of them will go to (as we see with MAGA) - they both should do better as whilst I can’t stand Corbyn, the comment about him was a disgrace.

Probably wearing a protective boot 👢

Some photos of the Yorkshire dales for anyone who has not been or been for quite a while. Bottom photo has Ingelborough in the distance, which Turkish climbed last year I think.

Absolutely, love Ian Hislop and Private Eye, posted that LBC interview a few days ago but it got lost in other squabbling, so delighted it’s been re-posted.

Excellent post Whelk. There’s far too much from all of the parties, not just the Tories but Reform and Labour, of cake-ism. China is an unnecessarily risky route to be taking, yes, it might provide a short-medium boost but many of its activities and policies don’t pass simple due diligence tests (as SFC found with Gao) and look at the report on Shein and slavery today. AI has more potential but still plenty of risks. We can’t ignore it either but a lot of work to do to make it beneficial in creating better careers and not being the next mining/steel wipeout for another round of Red Wall constituencies. Single Market = partners who pass due diligence, that we know, yes there are still risks (German dependence on Russian gas until recently) but it’s by far the lowest risk/highest reward as an economic and business proposition. More control of our borders like we had pre-2016 with people movement by European cultures like ours. If we hadn’t already been in, it would clearly the best option and for the right wingers on here, they can correctly boast it was Maggie’s idea. Win-win, unless you are Farage, Tice, Lowe and Candy.

Phillips has said some things I don’t agree with like suggesting not approving the selection of any more male Labour MPs until 50% were women. To suggest she laughed at male suicide though is an extreme take, whilst I don’t agree with her about marking International Mens Day in the HoC having lost one of my best mates I was at the JPT final with in 2010 to it, which was and remains devastating to his friends, wife and children, the disgusting Incel rape and other threats received were rightly called out and condemned by Philip Davies and plenty of other Tory MPs.

He has been open about it several times - there’s loads https://www.theladders.com/career-advice/elon-musk-mental-health https://economictimes.indiatimes.com/news/international/us/elon-musks-biographer-warns-the-billionaire-is-going-mad-and-could-endanger-us-all-says-he-is-deeply-unwell/articleshow/117130551.cms?from=mdr https://www.healthline.com/health-news/elon-musk-ketamine-depression-treatment

Agree with most of that, Musk is clearly very, very bright in a technical/engineering solutions way but not socially which isn’t a total surprise with Asperger’s. His declining mental health has probably led to finding social masking more difficult. What’s interesting is that none of the Coalition era Conservatives who worked with Starmer at the CPS have joined in with the attacks and some have said that he’s (Musk) wrong.

I didn’t realise when I typed this earlier that Steve Bannon had made these comments declaring war on Musk https://www.vanityfair.com/news/story/steve-bannon-vows-to-oust-elon-musk-from-donald-trump-inner-circle?srsltid=AfmBOoqY4mvzHtRpMEQQmS8gmt858gKNHJkYm8LI31MvXpWWWg52773y Whilst Trump is the lead singer for MAGA, Bannon is the song writer. The GOP will always back Bannon and Trump needs the GOP to pass his plans - see recent budget saga for how difficult that’s already proved. At least Musk isn’t a jailbird I suppose.

As I say, whilst Stewart’s overall outlook is not dissimilar to mine overall, some of his expressions of it are not consistent and can be incoherent occasionally. FWIW I don’t think Musk does per se. A lot of MAGA folk do though, hence the tensions we have already seen.

It could also be indicative of Musk’s poor mental health (self-confessed) and inconsistency created by his own views and the requirements of his businesses. Stewart does flip flop but then David Owen became a Brexiteer and Liz Truss was a Lib Dem. It may be the case that Musk sees some immigration as good and some bad based on his view.

Whoever was in power had invidious options without rejoining the Single Market. I share the IFS’s frustration about the parties and media not being honest with the trade offs of their decision-making. Ian Hislop hit the nail on the head when he said that Boris started the era of fantasy thinking with the NHS red bus and boosterism with an economy reduced by 7-10%. That means less spending on key services and a lot more paperwork for firms of all sizes. The cake-ism and rhetoric from him, Farage, Frost etc about the easiest deal in history poured petrol on the fire. Politicians have always been marmite figures but Boris really damaged our democracy. Anyone would be boxed in, I wish Labour would just say ‘if you want services back, and end to austerity, rejoining the Single Market gives us a huge boost to do it and power up growth’. Lose some Red Wall seats but would gain even more in the South. Public opinion has swung in favour of it. Access to the EIB at much better rates for infrastructure borrowing and investment too, losing that was another ‘gift’ from Brexit. And secure our borders better against migrants the public doesn’t want. Sadly I don’t think Starmer and Reeves have the bollocks to be up front about it. Streeting or Burnham would.

It is your in this instance, not you’re which would be plural. Do yourself a favour and cut down on the Carling during the match.

Your opinion and who is being abusive now? Go and follow Andrew Tate and Elon Musk, you’ll enjoy the content.

Also known as Norwich City syndrome, Birmingham City before that and Leeds United/Burnley next season.

Your opinion and clearly that of the social media followers you have. 90% of people wouldn’t agree, even most Conservatives.

Read Paul’s opening remarks and you’ll change your understanding https://ifs.org.uk/events/general-election-2024-ifs-manifesto-analysis Paul Johnson is our top independent expert on the public finances and the IFS were very critical of the main parties not being honest, and they savaged Reform UK’s manifesto. Personally I’d have reversed Hunt’s uncosted NI cuts rather than put it on the employers but trying to pretend it wasn’t a horrific hand is fantasy.

And certainly not a panacea from the private sector which the Tory right and Farage crippled with a hard, red tape intensive Brexit. They need help to make exporting easier. Frictionless trade my arse.

Not one I voted for but compared to Johnson a fuck sight better. Hell, even Truss was better than Boris, let alone May, Cameron, Brown, Blair, Major and Thatcher. And most of those could keep it in their underpants or at least use a condom. None of the above told blatant lies on the side of a large red bus to swing a generational referendum nor have been sacked by the Times for lying. So yeah, Boris is a shitheap and worse than Truss, she’s a delusional lunatic but not pathologically dishonest per se.

They won’t care if they lose this 4 or 5-0 as long as they beat Cardiff next week.

Leave it to the Snap Dragon