Sephiroth

2. In times when police are leaving in ever decreasing numbers and recruitment is hard, how will he put more police on the streets ? 3. Rough sleeping, no matter what is done, some still choose that way of life, so what's his plan in that case ? my guess for #2 would be that 14 years of this govt has done much to drive that exodus - an incoming new government is likely to take some steps to repair relations and make the offer more attractove re #3 - this questions arises every time there are a lot of people sleeping rough but as we all saw under the last labour government, those numbers reduced dramatically. Again, the London mayor will benefit from that Have people given up all hope that anything might ever get better ever - it did under last labour govt and whilst this one has a much harder job on it's hands, targets like this are at least honestly on their todo list (overall I would say that Khan list of targets is, charitably, "ambitious" as things stand in 2024. But they are positive targets and something to aim for. Compared to whatever it was that Hall was offering, it's the better of the two options)

maybe anyone, anyone, who posts cliched doggerel such as "London has fallen" should just be ignored Heads up: London has in no way "fallen" even with benefit of doubt that a poster may not know "London has fallen" is a trope used by racists, it's nonsense on it's own terms. But it IS a trope used by racists so if I was poster who had uniwttingly used that phrase I might reconsider

Very much appreciated Macron’s comments yesterday on brexit ”” given the lack of traffic on this thread I can’t help but feel it underlines his point

The government spends years trying to not implement different parts of Brexit (because had they gone all in the country would have revolted0 - but every time they are finally forced to, it costs a fortune (to consumers and businesses) and adds red tape a large majority now know it's wrong - but constitutionally and emotionally have no way to even consider how to row back https://news.sky.com/story/brexit-border-checks-to-add-billions-to-consumer-bills-13125846

Day by day, even the terminally dim begin to realise of course thanks to them being terminally dim we can’t “just” anything https://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/2024/04/01/britain-is-now-terrified-of-freedom-it-should-rejoin-the-eu/

all I said was "take a pro cash stance too far" - what twisting have I done? plenty of good arguments for retention of cash - but let's not get too detached from reality either lest we go back to trading livestock But to go back to your post DD: "Or don't stop using cash" Yep plenty of people will agree with this - nothing controversial here "Stop using your phone or even your watch as a banknote" - getting a bit weird now - why not - it's super convenient for both users and businesses. And far easier to keep a track of your balance using your electronic wallet than old systems of cheques taking days to clear, how much did I take from cashpoint 2 days ago etc. But people will differ so whatever works "God only knows how much damage we're doing to the planet because all the above must require a hell of a lot of resources and juice from the grid" - big straw man argument here. Why bring this in? Unless you are also suggesting we don't buy any goods not made from within a 5 mile radius and nothing transported by air or sea? "a big lump of plastic with a screen and full of personal information that can be easily gleamed." I've had my phone stolen but nothing was lost because it was secure.I've been mugged and lost cash and valuable. It's not a binary thing "your sky rocket with a phone in your hand. It's become a source of dopamine for many. It's an addiction for many." Proper overreaching now There is a reason people like their modern phones - and it isn't just replacing cash. Replacing all of these functions in a tiny device is a magnificent achievement and to just boil it down to "big lump with a screen" is reductive in the extreme

you know when you take your pro-cash stance too far? yeah....

Another factor is this - if phone theft is as widespread as many fear, then let’s assume there is a big screen at police hq, showing all of the phones in their current location - how exactly would you manage that number of locations with the number of officers at your disposal and yes, it being difficult for police to obtain a warrant is a net Good Thing lastly - when I had my phone nicked I assumed “find my phone” would help. But I discovered that most stolen phones are immediately switched off and kept that way to prevent tracking

Some insights here (a LOT of experience disappeared with those cuts - replacing them with new bodies doesn't get you back to where you were) https://www.theguardian.com/uk-news/2022/aug/16/how-theresa-mays-careless-cuts-destroyed-britains-police-service https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2022/aug/11/senior-officer-police-investigate-crimes-inspectorate-report

well yes - but that overlooks the point where this govt massively reduced police numbers (against much advice) and have been playing catch up ever since Found a thread from over 10 years ago that touches on this type of crime and the kind of discussion we had then

meanwhile in a country with no money for seemingly anything - here is 24 million spaffed on a Brexit checks shed that's never been used https://news.sky.com/story/portsmouths-new-brexit-border-post-could-be-demolished-without-ever-being-used-13099358 I mean the money is clearly important - but it's the total distraction, waste and overhead that's so emblematic

myfonts.com allows you to paste an image and it will return some results This looks like one of the matches https://befonts.com/duskey-font.html

There were threads exactly like this on this forum almost 20 years ago same MO (bike swipes) same reports of stabbings And this was in the pre-2008 global financial crisis 14 years of austerity, Brexit, police reductions, cost of living etc and we could expect crime of most kinds to be up - doesn't mean we should be blind to it but fixing it requires will and money

No one asked anyone to say how long they had been away - so there was no need to lie anyway. Yes I appear to be the only one posting about the damage Brexit continues to inflict on the uk I used the Australia trade deal as an example. Now if an Australian happens upon it they could reflect on how it’s viewed in their country and if it has made the change any opinion - but nope. Cheap shots at me a lies. So very brexit and as for Spartacus - also avoiding the topic and happier to accuse me of same “fanboy!” Nonsense instead of wondering why supporters of such a toxic project continue to lie So very U.K.

"You sound like you are Cats stalker or fan boy " nope - just wary. Call it a hangover from my days as a moderator on here

nope - I can't see anything - what I said was "IF were to take a look we would see" But if we look at Cat's profile any of us can see "last visited" - and he has been a frequent visitor

unbelievable - not only does he pop back up to NOT address a point, he then lies about how often he checks the forum "I hadnt checked in on the forum in quite a long time, but had reason to, as am planning a quick trip back later this year...and of course couldn't resist a peek at Sunlit Uplands." I wonder what "quite a long time" can be defined as? Days? Weeks? Months? Because dear reader, if we were to take a look at forum IP records I can assure you that Cat is a regular visitor - he just chooses not to post. But mention his name and boom there he is But yes, there is merit to the argument that there is no-one posting on here which given how much the population loves to grumble about the cost of everything it still collectively won't engage with what it needs to do to start addressing the problems And I used the Australian trade deal as an example

British farmers screwed by Australian deal. Long term pain for short term popular headlines. Sums the whole exercise up ironic that arch brexiteer Catty is back in Australia but will still be telling himself and us it was a good idea for the uk https://www.nationalworld.com/news/politics/brexit-british-beef-australia-trade-4556041

this is paranoid delusions "doesn't stop the left immediately if not already now plotting how they WILL unseat him." if we know anything about the left after last 8 years it's how inept they are. And if we know anything about Starmer and co is how ruthless he is with them. There is ZERO chance of the Corbyn wing unseating Starmer. It;s like listening to someone saying "yes Blair might get elected but Benn is plotting to unseat him"

calling Labour and Tories the same is to ignore all of the rebuilding that was done under last Labour govt only for Tories to dismantle it over last 14 NHS waiting lists, Sure Start, School buildings - etc etc They weren't perfect (and no government anywhere can be) and could be criticised for much - but it's simply incorrect to say there is no difference. Whether Starmer's Labour manages to meaningfully improve things (given the headwinds - many self-imposed - hello Brexit) remains to be seen. But it would be criminal to reward this govt with another term

in this rubbish FPTP system, I don't understand malumbu's voting logic at all, even if I can sympathise with the reasoning We either do everything we can to remove this govt (and for me that means voting LD in my constituency) or we pander to our principles like Corbyn did and let the Tories back in If we had a different system then sure - we should vote for who we like best and see how rest of country does. But that isn't something we can do in UK

"Rayner will unseat Starmer, bring in Abbott with her and it will go far left." for someone who likes to chuckle at other people's opinions.....

if you have to ask, Pete... 😉

it's coming (even as Tories debate jettisoning Yet Another leader beforehand) soon and I for one can't wait to see the back of these inept political pygmies Starmer's Labour are nowhere close to perfect but I can see all manner of wheels beginning to turn just by dint of basic competence and basic acknowledgment of geography (leading to more alignments and agreements with EU for example) But what will happened between now and election day? How will Reform impact things? Any thoughts?

Back in the day (12-13 years ago?) when Scott and co @ Capital pubco revamped it I used to enjoy walking over from East Dulwich Grove and even had an after party for my 1-year old's birthday there. But it was a big old unit that never found its footing IMO. Neil (who managed Bishop and Actress for spells) was looking after it but felt it a bit removed So when the Green King takeover happened I assumed it was doomed. Shame - I have good memories