sadoldgit

You might recall back in the Thatcher reign all the talk was about how, in the not too distant future, the retirement age would come down as would our working hours and we would all be able to enjoy more leisure time. The complete opposite has happened.

The Met is a mess but has been a mess for some considerable time and Cressida Dick isn’t responsible for the state of it prior to 2017. It needs a complete overhaul but then that has been the case for years.

Nope. Why pay a fiver to get stalked by trolls? This place, unfortunately, is spoiled by a few freaks and playground bullies. Perhaps if they were sorted out it would be worth it but even when one of them is banned they return under a different name (eh Delldays/Batman?).

I did not say that they did/do nothing and you seem to ignore the fact that they have given billions to their mates (just as you always ignore everything else that does not fit in with your far right agenda). Bless you though for still trying to defend the indefensible. When the next GE comes around they will be heartened to know that they can still count on your vote and that Braverman and her nasty chums can continue to rely on you to support them on social media.

Sorry to hear that. I wish you all the best mate. As for the Championship, should we go down I think we will do well. I have no idea who will stay and who will go but we know we have two proven goal scorers at that level, Adams and Armstrong. I think Mara would do well there too. Tella and Smallbone are proven performers at that level too now. You have to feel sorry for Tella though, going up with Burnley only to return to the Championship with us.

Assuming they win the next election, Labour will have to find the money for it though. People need help now. This would have had a real effect for a number of people now, unlike the pension plan (which is another Tory sop to the well off anyway). The only upside is that it is hopefully another nail in their coffin - along with Sunak upgrading his local national grid in order to get his swimming pool heated. Another Tory completely out of touch with reality and demonstrating to all where there priorities lie. With themselves. And yes Batman, I am whining about the Government again (but this time you started it). Who’d have thought it, more money in tax brakes for the well off but nothing for public services. Even when faced with obliteration at the polls, the Tories first thought is to look after their own and screw the rest of us. Despite everything there are still some people who will whine about the whiners and accuse people who are seriously struggling financially of it being their own fault. Tell that to the dozens of small businesses going under everyday thanks to the economic mess this country is in after 13 years of Tory (mis)rule.

I know that you like to model yourself on Rees-Mogg Duckie but we live in the 21st century around here and call them pubs. You wouldn’t be banned from my local, but once the regulars found out you support Farage you might have to dodge the odd cold meat pie. I would also suggest that you don’t call any of the female bar staff “chicks” as you might find something unsavoury floating on the surface of your “ale”.

To be fair, if it wasn’t me they would find someone else, as they often do. I think you are right. I expect that they were either school bullies or they were bullied at school, either way they feel a need to gravitate to others of the same ilk and find targets to attack. I guess it makes them feel better about themselves and gives them a feeling that they have some power in their lives. There is also a complete lack of self awareness in this small group of posters. The poster you responded to accuses me of living in an echo chamber and needing to get out more yet he spends far much more time posting on here than I do everyday. Perhaps he should take some of his own advice instead of following another similar poster around looking for targets to have a pop at? Another similar poster, let’s call him Batman, accused me yesterday of whining all the time. This coming from someone who spends all day every day trawling the internet to find things to whine about that suit his far right agenda ( check out his avatar too, nice). So “normal people” only talk about the weather? In my experience, when they have exhausted the weather, the latest episode of Line of Duty, whether the bins have been emptied or not - if you spend any length of time talking to them, will eventually get around to the main news of the day. So yes, when I go out, as I do occasionally, and meet other people, if we talk for any length of time, we will eventually talk about things like Brexit, the pandemic, Boris Johnson, the cost of living crisis, the latest Government cock up, strikes, Gary Lineker etc etc. Strangely enough, “normal people” do watch and listen to the news, read newspapers, read news items on their phones, form opinions and like to express those opinions to other “normal people” in real time. I know this happens outside of internet forums because I speak to “normal people” more than I post on internet forums. Sorry to disappoint you Weston. Now off you pop to check out who Turkish is having a go at today, you don’t want to miss out!

I’m not whining about anything. Someone else brought it up. Also, the financial mess we are in is not only due to Covid. Perhaps you have forgotten the farce under Truss or the decade of austerity that had nothing to do with a pandemic? By the way, I see you haven’t posted on the Eleanor Williams case. Strange you only post when Asians are found guilty of rape and are not remotely interested when they are vindicated. I guess it doesn’t fit in with your agenda.

The death toll would have been higher, but then that doesn’t worry you does it? Oh, and when you get likes from the resident knee jerk reactionary, you know you are talking cobblers.

If you are referring to me, yet again you post without having a clue what you are talking about. Our financial issues and the problems we have experienced in trying to deal with them have a direct correlation to Government policies and their effects on personal finances. As for lives being better if this Government were no longer in power, I think the majority of of people believe that to be the case. As for you, why should you worry, you seem to have found a job where you can troll people all day long on the internet and get paid for it. Well done. I also think that I have made it abundantly clear that the problems I have with this Government relate to the problems they are causing for normal, everyday people, not just us. I appreciate though that as someone whose world revolves around himself and who spends his time stalking others in order to belittle them on social media, that concept is probably alien to you.

You have to admire the brass neck of a man who posts constantly on issues that he is completely ignorant about whilst apparently still holding down a full time job. He is another cut from the same cloth as many cabinet members who think that it is perfectly ok to put utter bollocks out into the public domain in the hope that people will believe it. As any person with a modicum of intelligence would know, where you live has absolutely nothing to do with how you formulate your views on what is happening in the world around if you just take the trouble to look and engage your brain. As it happens I was born and raised with 4 miles of Westminster and a short walk from Brixton. You know, the place where many of the Windrush generation came in the 50’s. I spent many Saturdays wondering around the market in Brixton as a kid which is about as diverse as they come. I have spent much of my life living and working in London, one of the most diverse capitals in the world. I spent over 20 years of my life working for a national newspaper known for its liberal and humanitarian stance. The nearest town from where I currently live, Ashford, is as diverse as they come. I was born 9 years after the end of WW2 and have seen this country and the world change immeasurably, yet because I have retired to a small village in the middle of nowhere that is a reason to try and discredit my views on immigration. On the plus side, he and the few on here who support his daily trolling, constantly show themselves up for the ill informed people they are. On the minus side, these people have the vote and the time and energy to spend their days posting ignorant nonsense which is designed to influence others who are also hard of thinking. There are important issues to be discussed about migration both here and across the world, sadly everywhere on social media there are people like the few we have here who just drag it down to a Braverman/Patel level. If nothing else this ridiculous attempt by the right wing media to gaslight us and to overshadow the immigration bill has highlighted just how these thing work. It also helps to flush out those who support these dangerous policies. The more these people are called out and challenged the better chance we have of changing our society for the better.

For someone who believes he is a big hitter on social media, how come you ended up feeding the people running the U boats rather than helping to run them yourself? What a waste of someone with your massive insight and ability to scour the internet for just the right take down for any given situation. Perhaps MI6 could use your skills to try and topple Putin via social media?

“Put up with?” This country is full of migrants from various generations and needs migrants to function. If you bothered to look at the stats you would see that most of these people, when they finally get around to having their claims processed, are “ legal” and are given asylum. But well done for continuing the Braverman rhetoric in language similar to that used by the German government in the 1930’s. Anyway, back to the football on the BBC. I didn’t bother with MOTD on Saturday but did watch it last night. How crap was that without a commentary and analysis? Whatever you think of the taters and pundits, they do add something to the proceedings that’s worth having.

I have just seen Sunak’s contribution to the Lineker debacle from yesterday. Having sent out his henchmen and women all week to whip up a media frenzy, added and abetted by his right wing media friends, he finally say a few nice things about our Gary then washes his hands of the whole affair by saying it is a matter for the BBC! Why then wheel out the odious Braverman to comment? She even managed to drag in the Holocaust for good measure just to make sure the Jewish contingent were stirred up despite the fact that he only spoke about the language used and said nothing about the Holocaust in his Tweet. If nothing else his point has been proven. This Government helped by the right wing media are playing exactly the same mind games and are trying to manipulate the public in the same way. The sad thing is that we have learned nothing from history and those of a certain mindset, a number who post here frequently, swallow the red meat thrown to them gladly and carry on the job the likes the Daily Mail do through social media outlets. Thank goodness the vast majority seem to have their number and it is good to see the push back against those who continue to propagate the right wing bullshit on here and elsewhere. I think we all know whose names will appear on the posts following this one. The current position appears to be that if anyone associated with the BBC says something supportive of the Government, that falls under the “impartiality” umbrella and they embrace it. If anyone associated with the BBC says something critical of the Government, that falls outside of the “impartiality” umbrella and they work to shut it down. Sound familiar?

So everyone should settle in France? I am sure the French will be delighted that all migrants will have to settle there. You seem completely oblivious to the fact that we take far less migrants than many other countries. Sort of sounds like Braverman has done a job on you and you believe that millions, nay billions of migrants are heading this way.

That was indeed a bizarre statement. Even more so because that statement that it only happened once came from friends and is heresay. If the BBC were truly impartial Bruce should have also said that his ex wife claimed that he hit her all the time for a balanced response. For what is supposed to be a “Lefty” riddled organisation the BBC seem to be terrified of upsetting the Tory government, maybe because the Tories have filled many of the senior management positions with their own supporters? Whatever Government is in power, they are not above scrutiny and criticism from anyone, least of all the publicly owned broadcasting company. Still, the usual Tory tactic of deflection had worked again in that we are all talking about a presenter of a sports programme and not a draconian, inhumane policy brought in to appease the less savoury elements of our society.

I did not say or suggest that they do it for free. You are either being deliberately obtuse or you are not very bright. Given that you have likes from Dumb and Dumber I would favour the latter. Most people with a shred of humanity and compassion can see through the B/S spouted by the likes of Patel, Braverman and even your hero Farage, but you swallow it hook line and sinker. The further right people are from the political centre, the less humane, intelligent and more gullible they seem to become.

But we don’t know until the people are processed about why they are seeking to relocate here. Perhaps the Government should make it easier/possible to apply to resettle here without actually having to be in the country?

Rich? Even the Tory mouthpiece on QT last night started off by saying they were spending their “life savings” on the crossing. These people are risking their lives and some lose them. Shouldn’t that put this into perspective.? And you know full well that the migrants coming here are a small percentage of the total. There are good reasons for people wanting to settle is specific countries from speaking the language to having a support network there of family and friends. Strangely enough, not all migrants want to settle in the UK ( and those wanting to go to Rwanda, wouldn’t they go there first rather than coming here to be sent there later?). So back to the Tory policy of distraction. They and the right wing press have managed to pull it off again. A football programme presenter through one small tweet has managed to displace the actual discussion about the bill has managed to become the story now. How ridiculous is that? When you actually look at what he said he was also spot on. The fact that virtually all of the far right organisations across Europe are lining up to praise the bill should be a major indicator of what is going on here.

I have just read Braverman’s full statement and it contains yet another crass and deliberate use of provocative language. She suggests that migrants are “rich” enough to pay gangs thousands of pounds for a passage across the channel. Rich? If they were “rich” why are they risking their lives in an overcrowded rubber dinghy on frozen seas? If they are so minted, why aren’t they employing the finest lawyers and being flown in by private jets or helicopters? Yet more rhetoric tailored to demonise those seeking safety and a better life. For those who don’t think it is a big electoral issue, it certainly is in my part of Kent where the Tory MPs milk it for all they are worth.

“Horrendous racism?” That’s a bit rich coming from the resident Farage enabler! So which is it Duckie? One minute you are labelling me a pinko liberal and the next you are lumping me in with your coterie of right wing reactionary knee jerkers. You can’t have it both ways buddy. If I am such a horrendous racist how come I spend my time calling out the abhorrent racist policies being pushed by the last two Home Secretaries, Patel and Braverman? Surely if I was such a racist I would be supporting them? If I was such a racist then why would I post in support of minority racial and religious groups? I know logic isn’t the strong point of people who voted for the likes of Johnson and Farage, but surely even you, in your skunk induced haze, can see you are talking “pony”. You are using the same tactic as the people you vote for and Trump use, stick a label on someone that isn’t remotely true but appeals to those of a far right mentality and keep pushing it so that it becomes “true”. It is currently being used to denigrate Keir Starmer with “Lefty Lawyer”. What is a lawyer but someone who applies and upholds the law. Not a bad thing surely? But stick “Lefty” in front of it and suddenly you have a pejorative term and some who becomes, to you lot, an “enemy of the people” (just like the judges who decided that packing asylum seekers off to Africa was not legal). By their own admission the current bill to treat migrants as criminals might fall foul of international law. The law is the law, but all of a sudden, when it doesn’t suit the far right (your) mentality, the “Left” is dragged into the picture and front pages of outrage on the Mail and Express follow like night follows day. I am no more a racist than you are woke as anyone reading this forum for any length of time knows, so carry on calling women “chicks” or “ten pinters”, Irish people “Micks” and anyone left of Genghis Khan “Pinkos” but please engage your brain a bit more before posting such “pony”.

Feel free to show us the post. You are no better than the people you help elect. Spout lies for distraction. If I were a rabid gammon like yourself Duckie, why do you spend so much time attacking me?

Sadly you can’t put the genie back in the bottle. Football has been more about business for some time, but once the big bucks flowed into the game, that was it. To quote The Apprentice, it is all about “numbers” now, everything else is a by-product. It is basic capitalism/Darwinism. Big fish eat little fish and get even bigger. If a super league does happen that won’t be the end of it. There will be plenty of clubs outside of it wanting to get their noses in the trough too and that then will become the Holy Grail for aspirational clubs. You see, there will be plenty of fans berating their Boards for lack of investment in making their club a candidate for the super league. I am just glad that I lived through a period when a club the size of Southampton could beat United in the FA Cup Final and push Liverpool closely for the old Division 1 title.

Biggest dog whistle of the year so far. Yesterday Suella Braverman told us that there are potentially up to 100 million refugees/asylum seekers/illegal immigrants out there…and they “are all coming here”. Gaslighting on an industrial scale. Typical Tory smoke and mirrors, when in trouble play the immigrant card. It got them Brexit and now they are hoping it will take people’s minds off of the mess the country is in. The trouble is some people still buy this crap.