shurlock

“ Weird that people would highlight it when the "side" they aren't on does it but ignore it from their own side” Let’s just acknowledge there are very real problems on both sides. And no it’s not a matter of false equivalence.

Lord Lilley soiling himself in public on Newsnight. At least swivels like Les only do it on here. As usual, Ivan Rogers telling some uncomfortable home truths.

Must be the UK branch of antifa.

Who are you going to replace Leitch with? I must admit getting his journo/insider insights has been one of the main reasons for listening to the show. How are you going to rise above the podcast fray?

"If the Labour and Liberal Democrat manifestos were notable for the scale of their ambitions the Conservative one is not. If a single Budget had contained all these tax and spending proposals we would have been calling it modest. As a blueprint for five years in government the lack of significant policy action is remarkable In part that is because the chancellor announced some big spending rises back in September. Other than for health and schools, though, that was a one-off increase. Taken at face value today’s manifesto suggests that for most services, in terms of day-to-day spending, that’s it. Health and school spending will continue to rise. Give or take pennies, other public services, and working age benefits, will see the cuts to their day-to-day budgets of the last decade baked in".

Fine-sounding words pal. It will probably cut Jamie’s contributions on here by half but let’s see if you can walk the walk from now on then

You didn’t like the alliteration with Karl Marx then? It’s in today’s news and I thought it would provide a bit of balance to Jamie’s (aka Guido Fawkes fluffer) usual schtick of regurgitating politicians moronic tweets and social media faux pas. Don’t see you complaining too much then pal. Anyway keep banging on globalism and the globalists

Not Karl Marx but Karl McCartney https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/election-2019-50546353 Down with those evil globalists

It cuts both ways. Grassroots Labour supporters have been attacking Lib Dems (if only by virtue of the fact that they are larger in number) while Swinson who’s had a horrible campaign has been far more critical of Corbyn and Labour than Johnson and the Conservatives. The s**tshow in Canterbury has caused a lot of bad blood on both sides.

Globalism - christ we have some special posters on here

https://www.ft.com/content/0fbf4d8e-022b-11ea-be59-e49b2a136b8d

As a wise sage would say, they all do it - earlier this month China was given permission to impose sanctions on US goods for the US failure to remove anti-dumping duties in compliance with WTO rules. Alas little ole Global Britain will find itself caught in the crosshairs and crossfire of the big three - the US, EU and China.

Hoj was very poor today, albeit he had a slightly better second half. Consistently slowed play down and was cumbersome on the ball. As for the two fullbacks, they were decent going forward (Bertrand especially); but were a liability from crosses. Arsenal’s goals and best chances came from crosses and us leaving the backpost unmarked. I don’t know if Cedric or Bertrand were instructed to come inside or towards the ball; but they repeatedly lost track of what was happening behind them. Maybe that’s a symptom or hangover from playing 3 CBs for so long. Who knows. But it cost us today.

No its because they're embarrassed to be associated with the likes of Les. #unhinged

Sturgeon by some distance tonight, though she’s an afterthought politically. Johnson following the Saints strategy of recent years - perform utter s**t but hope there are candidates worse than you and/or not strong enough to overturn the conservatives built-in advantage in the polls.

It gets pretty busy on Holloway Road as it is the major road in the area. The tube is manageable as the Victoria line is very efficient. I’d leave around 85mins if we’re no longer in the game. You could probably leave a bit later as long as it’s before the Arsenal fans. The away end is on the side of the ground closest to Holloway Road, so that will give you a head start.

Highbury Islington then - Victoria line to Euston (two stops). EDIT: I wouldn’t mess around and would probably leave at 4.45 just to be safe. It’s about 1 kilometre walk (10-15mins) from the Emirates to Highbury Islington (south down Holloway Road). Then it’s about 5mins by tube from Highbury Islington to Euston (the Victoria line is by far the best line on the tube) and Euston station is tiny and easy to navigate. The hardest part is getting from the stadium back onto Holloway Road - after that it’s a piece of pîss.

Coming from you, the comedy king, that’s high praise pal

The reference has gone over your head as usual Les How do you think you've performed on here this week pal?

Another gem from dopey duckhunter. Nobody is questioning the Conservatives decision to put up "facts" or "rebuttals" to challenge Labour, however pony there are. They can do whatever they like. The objection is that the Conservaties are using the same branding, identifiers, associations as independent factchecking sites (and in Channel 4's case, the same name), trading on their credibility. Insider has that none of that baggage (if anything, the name couldn't sound more partial and sounds like the type of s**tty transfer rumour site set up by billy no mates the wannabe football agent). Never mind UKLabour is far more known than CCHQ. Do let us know when Twitter and the Electoral Commission warn the Labour Party....

The authorities have trialled voter ID schemes in a number of areas and found that the number of eligible voters turned away, including those who didn’t subsequently return, far exceeded the numbers convicted of voter fraud - and we’re talking about multiples of hundreds, if not thousands, if rolled out and applied at a national level. The figures, if anything, on the conservative side as the areas in which IDs were trialled were not especially representative of the socioeconomic or ethnic mix of the rest of the country. The idea of free IDs is appealing in principle but it is no panacea in practice -leaving aside the cost to the taxpayer, they will still require paperwork and forms to be filled, creating further complexity which will put many off from applying. Past experience shows that some groups are disproportionately affected by changes in electoral rules given awareness and knowledge levels are not even across the population. In sum, the usual chumps are being whipped into a frenzy by the elements of media and making a mountain out of a molehill. Unsurprisingly they have little to say about fraud relating to campaign offences such as spending despite it posing a more serious issue. I see mr whatabout is drawing a characteristically f**kwitted parallel between voting and going to the cinema: voting is a fundamental democratic right and is intrinsically linked to a host of outcomes that affect our lives. Being turned away from an 18-rated film at a private establishment isn’t. As such there needs to be a much stronger justification for any change that interferes with the exercise of that right. The burden of proof is on government, not the other way around. It’s not a particularly complicated point.

Head of Communications at the Super League Triathlon.

Morning Les - you certainly are a glutton for punishment pal. So perhaps you can tell me the extent of the current problem and whether the benefits outweigh the costs.