Gloucester Saint

The meltdown on Red Cafe would bring the whole internet down. Getting compensation from Scotland for George Burley was staggering, but that would be pure mental.

Blimey, I can’t even see where one win is going to come from all season at the moment.

I can’t see any support for it on here, irrespective of views. It’s unworkable even if someone did support it - where would you start and draw distinctions? It’s confected for domestic audiences to keep some leaders and Heads of State in power.

America has to be the ultimate warning about highly toxic, abusive and divisive politics https://www.reuters.com/world/us/trump-kick-off-final-week-campaign-with-madison-square-garden-rally-2024-10-27/ To refer to an island 🏝️- a beautiful one having been there - of 3.2m people as a floating island of garbage - is astonishingly disrespectful. Even so, I’ve given up hope that Trump will be punished for it. Latinos in Pennsylvania, allied to the horrific comments about ‘Latinos love making babies’ will probably vote for him even more.

Plus the papal puffs of smoke - cringeworthy at the time. They cottoned on quicker than most that their political influence is way more limited now. That’s why the main two papers I read when I do are the Indy and the Times. Don’t like giving Murdoch money but it’s a smidgen right of centre and it gives the other parties a bit of a go. And Murdoch will look like Mary Poppins when Paul Marshall takes over the Telegraph. GB News in broadsheet format - marvellous. Whilst only one man, his American Bully XL and a can of Special Brew watch it, it’s polluted our watercourse to the extent you’ve now got politicians of all parties interviewing their colleagues and in some cases spouses. FFS.

It was in Private Eye that the Express have recently been formally been warned about exactly that after the former editor returned after a failed spell working for Schapps, and after he’d openly been saying within Reach the parent firm that the paper would be gone within 12 months. Humble pie… It also stated that the Mail had a headline screaming about how the Tories were more trusted in a piece of research on economic policy. Sadly for them, it was only measure of several on economic competence and Labour were considerably ahead on all of the others. Ted Verity might be the next to get a warning I suspect. Not even as if the Tories have a leader in place or seem to even be encouraging it, let alone directing it. Takes brown nosing to a whole new level.

From uncovering Watergate to the billionaire owner having head up Trump’s arse. Remember, the Republican party looks after the ‘little guy’ against East Coast elites. And if you believe that, I have some magic beans to sell you.

Further evidence of the reverse in social mobility over the past decade https://www.theguardian.com/education/2024/oct/24/first-fall-disadvantaged-students-university-england

You’d also have to deduct all of the tens of billions international aid and overseas R&D. A non-starter. More likely to be helping the more stable Commonwealth countries with better access to re-financing facilities.

People of Clacton have got a good un there. Has he set up a constituency office there yet?

Forgot Vance said that, the Democrats shouldn’t. John Kelly quote is haunting him https://www.telegraph.co.uk/us/politics/2024/10/23/donald-trump-fascist-hitler-john-kelly-claims/

This is better - he needs to build on this https://www.independent.co.uk/news/uk/politics/starmer-germany-defence-deal-brexit-reset-b2633594.html

Best way is to defeat him again, if he’d died it would have created a groundswell for extremist populism.

Just to prove it isn’t us, Luton corner, Carlton Morris prods in. I thought it was odd that the lion flagged, see the replay, Morris is a whole yard onside.

No, Ken Clarke is a big fan of Reeves. Thatcher always went to Frank Field if she wanted advice on welfare issues, and Alan Milburn has been a go-to about the NHS for years all-round. Sir David Amess mentored new MPs from all parties as a HoC elder and made friends, Tony Benn and Enoch Powell were long-time friends and Benn was a prominent guest at Powell’s funeral. Alan Clark wrote in his diaries that he enjoyed nothing more at Westminster than mixing with Frank Dobson and letting their hair down with swearing and gossip. It’s like players from rival clubs - they are adversaries on the pitch and want badly to win, but the relationships can be different off it (and then sometimes not). But we assume that things are as they appear on the pitch/Parliament. I’m sure Saints and Pompey players have been friends and families mixed in some cases over the years.

Well we’ve got the last of those in the dugout. Oh sorry, thought you said…

I think it will make zero difference to the outcome but Trump will pick up on any grievances for fuel in a close contest. It just shouldn’t have happened with any kind of Labour involvement even if informal as it was given the highly volatile and toxic atmosphere. If he does elected, that is now awkward for the UK, NATO and it doesn’t help Ukraine at all. Putting my work hat on, where’s the accountability if they knock on the door with a Democrat of a hard core Trump supporter with a million guns he just bought from Walmart?

I was thinking more of different forms of restorative justice for lower/social level offences and more effective freezing of assets for white collar premeditated offences. But I suppose those are other options too….

If what FS says is correct about a no from Moyes/Potter - but it wouldn’t be a surprise in our context let’s face it from their perspective with Palace and other jobs probably around the corner. The biggest change is SR having a proper Head of Football with serious depth of industry hands-on experience. Then if Saints have a younger first team manager they might stand more of a chance with some support behind them. Jones didn’t help himself but he’d have handled the media aspects better with an older head to advise and steer, Martin has struggled post-Wilcox after winning the play offs. Still a risk that you end up with a Michael Beale type but either that or a more experienced figure with baggage many on here won’t like. Without a restructure at SR, chances are we go around in a Watford/Norwich loop, at best. The Blades have a chance of breaking that with Wilder there.

It’ll be someone who is a highly regarded coach within a bigger club set-up like Maresca was for Leicester, although he loves the same slow pass around the back style as Martin! Although at Chelsea he has the budget to actually do it at PL level. It’ll be their first management role in a major club first team - a younger Jason Wilcox. Jack Wilshere just left his role at Arsenal to be a first team coach to the new Danish manager at Norwich. He’s too junior currently but someone with that profile and playing record is probably an option they’ll look at.

The whataboutery doesn’t change the fact that Gavin is by far the worst keeper I’ve ever seen for Saints by miles. And I’m including Chris Woods, Alan Blayney, Keith Grainger, Phil Kite, Bart and others in that. Whoever thought he was worth £14m or whatever it was or that he’d ever make above L1 needs a session at Specsavers. Even the last sentence is generous. I watched Cheltenham v Bradford last night and the Robins’ number 2 keeper and Bradford’s first choice were far more solid than Gavin on the basics.

Labour say they’ve done nothing wrong, and legally they are 100% correct on the detail. And both Labour and Tories have had effectively work experiences for years as an accepted norm. But this isn’t the GOP of Reagan or Bush families eras, it’s the optics and context. The Trump campaign are desperate, I don’t think this will cut through much in the actual result but it may afterward if Trump does win (God forbid). And that has knockons for NATO, Ukraine etc. Just wasn’t worth it. They need to wise up politically and fast as an organisation. Starmer is up to it IMHO but Labour overall are quite green as an organisation and this is another example which causes me concern. This wouldn’t have happened in the Alastair Campbell/Blair era.

The confused face is not at you, it’s at the MP. Prime example of what deters me from the Labour Party, who I have things in common with in many ways,

Broadly agree and Starmer did his job at CPS, arguably too well. But prisons weren’t his remit. This is a succession of governments, New Labour as well with their ‘tough on crime and tough on causes of crime’. And the short prison sentences gained pace under Major going that far back. We’ve got to find different deterrents for lower-medium risk offences and focus on who is the biggest risk to the public.

If Starmer was pissed off about the DP World comments and Haigh, he’ll be seriously spewing at this. They had better hope Harris wins now hadn’t they? Stupidity and some of the political judgement at the moment in the Labour Party is little or no better than the shambles that preceded it. Quite frankly, I preferred Cameron, Clegg and Osborne to this lot so far. There, I said it. Not May, Boris, Truss or Sunak though. My fellow Lib Dem voters will probably hammer me for that, but there is the excuse of the coalition which we were a major part of!