TheCat

Waseley Wrote: ------------------------------------------------------- > Bit reactionary Spartacus.Britain had a proud > history of direct action to change society. > 'direct action' targetting corporations, interest/political groups or governments is one thing....but targetting individuals? As well as being the very definition of vigilantism (just as Spartacus is arguing), I would suggest it is likely to be massively counter-productive to their intent....I'd be very surprised if many car owners who have had their tyres let down, has reacted to finding out about it with poignant reflection about their own climate impact....and (with a thankful nod to wise climate activisit foresight) resolved to change their ways....

Its quite illuminating discovering what levels of civil disobedience some people will accept if its a cause/position they happen to agree with. Sure, its 'ok' to have to reinflate one's tyres for the most part (other than the pretty tangible example given earlier by the poster that rushed his burned daughter to hospital)...but shall we all just ignore this real world example of what harm could be caused, because we all agree that we're in a 'climate emergency'...??? I wonder how the great and good of the forum would react if The Cat gathered a few Brexiteer mates and went round the neighborhood letting the air out of people's tyres...and leaving a little leaflet saying we were sick of all the 'hot air' coming from remainers moaning about brexit....perhaps a slightly different tone of reaction from some forummites?

I'd be willing to bet that these poeple obstructung the police/immigration from carrying out the laws of the land are many of the same people who are so up in arms that the UK is breaking international law.... I guess not all laws are created equal in the eyes of the virtuous mob.

rorsome Wrote: ------------------------------------------------------- > East Dulwich gets a (dubious) mention in Vice's > list of London's "most heterosexual > neighbourhoods". > > https://www.vice.com/en/article/pkgek9/london-neig > hbourhoods-straightest "Heterosexual vibes? don?t simply mean ?lots of straight people?. It can be a feeling in the air, an aesthetic or a set of priorities built around a certain life path" ahh..the 'feeling in the air'....Brrr....defintely feels a bit 'gay' out there this morning, make sure you take a jumper when you go out.... IN the case of this aricle, you could probably swap the word "heterosexual"....for 'whiteness' or 'maleness' or "cisgender'....and the article wouldnt miss a beat as some vague tribute to the gods of diversity, where the sole purpose of the article seems to be to puff up the authours sense of their own virtue.....

Its quite a talent to run a populist govt that isnt popular....

Dont downplay it Mal. Perhaps unbeknowst to you, when you crafted your OP...the selfie is a manifestation of one of the biggest social issues of our age....the Social-Media driven march of the population towards narcissism.... Lets put it very bluntly....when people used to go one holidays prior to the Selfie Age, they would take photos of things they saw on their holiday, or shots of friends and family together enjoying the holiday, and of course a random few shots of a travelling collegue standing awkwardly in front of a selection landmarks/tourist attractions. There was nothing stopping people 'back then' from turning the camera around and taking a 'selfie', but they didnt. We were good people back then. (okay, to be fair...maybe a Canon SLR was tricky to hold in one hand, and you'd also never know if you'd even got in the shot properly until 2-3 weeks after your holiday once the film was developed and came back from the photo place...but...details....) Nowadays...all those same photos are taken...i.e. things you see on holiday....but with the new addition of the protagonsist's oversized head in the foreground, and (crucially) with an appropriatley overemphasised/manufactured expression displayed on their face, so that when others view the picture on social media, the focus becomes all about what the person who posted it was 'feeling' at at the time, rather than what the photo is actually mena to be of. Its quite amazing how some people can make a photo of some of the world's most sacred, impressive and historic landmarks all about them..... (For the avoidance of doubt....I am partially tongue in cheek with my comments above....but also partially not....)

Full text of the 'Leadership Memo' written by a tory backbencher and doing the rounds amongst consrvative MP's the past 24 hours.....geez I hope most of them heed its message, even if it is based on concern for their own electroal survival, rather than for ethical/policy reasons...i'll take it.... PARTY LEADERSHIP ? Boris Johnson is no longer an electoral asset and, if left in post, will lead the Party to a substantial defeat in 2024. He will lose Red Wall seats (with majorities under 10,000) to Labour, and Blue Wall seats (majorities up to 20,000) to the Liberal Democrats. At least 160 MPs are at risk (all majorities under 10k, and LD-facing majorities under 20k). Furthermore, tactical voting, so devastating in 1997, is returning and could turn a defeat into a landslide. ? Partygate, and the Prime Minister?s denials of it in the House of Commons, represent a major breach of trust with the British population, including 2019 Conservatives, many of whom have abandoned the party already. Boris Johnson cannot win their trust back, and they will discount anything a Government led by him promises. ? Partygate is not going away. Allegations of a birthday party ? hitherto uninvestigated ? in the flat on June 19, 2020 have not been denied by Downing Street. And the ?Abba party? of November 13, 2020 was not fully investigated by Sue Gray. The Privileges Committee will want to examine both events, and may demand that Boris Johnson, Carrie Johnson, Sue Gray and No 10 staff give evidence to them. ? The entire purpose of the Government now appears to be the sustenance of Boris Johnson as Prime Minister. MPs are having to defend the indefensible, not for the sake of the party, but for one man. He is the only Minister given negative ratings by activists in the ConHome ratings (link), meaning he is dragging everyone else down. Electoral Considerations: ? Our last lead in the polls was on 6th December, a week after the initial Partygate stories broke. We are now an average of 8% down. We won the last election by 11.8% (GB) so this represents a 10% swing against us. (link) ? 27% of current Conservative voters think the PM should resign, indicating there is potential for a further fall in our polling position. 51% of current Conservative voters think the PM knowingly lied about breaking lockdown rules. (link) ? The booing of Boris Johnson at the Jubilee Thanksgiving service tells us nothing that data does not. There is no social group that trusts him, with even 55% of current Conservatives calling him untrustworthy, against only 25% saying he is trustworthy. (link) ? The damage done to trust in Boris Johnson is such that popular policies are falling flat with the public (e.g. cost-of-living measures). A pollster has dubbed him the ?Conservative Corbyn? because of this. (link) ? The recent YouGov MRP poll (link) showed us losing 85 of 88 Labour-facing seats at the next election. Bookmakers expect us to lose the Red Wall seat of Wakefield (maj 3,358) comfortably. ? Facing the Lib Dems, we have already lost Chesham & Amersham (maj 16,223) on a 25.2% swing and North Shropshire (maj 22,949) on a 34.2% swing. North Shropshire was the seventh-worst by-election swing since the war ? only Christchurch was bigger in the 1992-97 Parliament (link). Bookmakers also expect Tiverton & Honiton (maj 24,239) to follow. ? This situation is not comparable to the ?mid-term blues? in the 2010-15 Parliament. There are very few votes on our right to squeeze (unlike e.g. 2013, where UKIP polled into the 20s at times, link). The polls in 2010-15 were also shown to be wrong following an inquiry after the 2015 election. Risk of an early General Election: ? Should Boris Johnson win a vote of no confidence, but only narrowly, his authority within the Commons and the Parliamentary Party would be destroyed. Most Prime Ministers would resign; however it has been suggested (link) that he would consider calling an early General Election (despite the obvious electoral risk) as the only way to restore his personal mandate. This would put MPs in marginal seats at risk. Privileges Committee: ? The Partygate story will continue to be played out over the summer, with reports suggesting the Privileges Committee may not report until October (link), overshadowing our conference and ensuring Ministers and MPs continue to face questions on this subject for months. The four Conservative MPs on the Committee ? and the integrity of all of them is beyond question ? have been placed in a very difficult position. ? The only way to end this misery, earn a hearing from the British public, and restore Conservative fortunes to a point where we can win the next General Election, is to remove Boris Johnson as Prime Minister.

Sephiroth Wrote: ------------------------------------------------------- > Ah such innocent 2014 days > > 8 more years of Tory rule and we can see that > Thornberry was the true monster

Yes. One chart. One chart showing total trade figures. Surley, the only chart that really matters for people whinging about brexit destroying trade. One chart not showing any benefits (yet), becuase they would indeed only be evident 'after 10 years'. But one chart showing a lack of foretold negative impacts which even the most ardent remainers admitted would likely be near-dated. So what if they havent instituted full checks in imports? What dangerous or damaging imports are you concerned with from the EU that makes you so keen to see them check things? Its the UK"s choice to check or not check imports, the only risk is p1ssing off non-eu importers who think they are being treated unfairly versus the EU. Delaying the full checks is probably the one sensible decision the govt has made. In anycase, the application of full checks from the EU doesnt appear to have had much an impact on overall exports to the EU, as the chart shows, so perhaps the impacts of these checks are somewhat overstated. Its obviously worse in some industries that others, but overall, little impact from the hard data. Its funny how many remainers spent years demanding 'tangible impacts'...now i've given you 'one chart' with 'tangible numbers' and you want to obsfucate about OBR forecats and apparent vague reference to 'context'.... Seperatley, I wont bother explaining how flawed that same tired old OBR study is (which i've done multiple times and no one on here has responded to) Anyway...my aim here is not re hash all this old ground, but to maybe highlight (with actual data, not hysterical anecdotes about tea trolleys and hotplates) that this indefensible government is the main problem, not nessarily the concept of brexit....

diable rouge Wrote: ------------------------------------------------------- > Here's the article* in full for those who want to > read the full > context...https://www.theguardian.com/business/202 > 2/may/30/brexit-uk-firms-eu-trade-northern-ireland > > > *Warning: Article contains 'cherry picked sob > story anecdotes'... Sure the aritcle is full of those. This 'context' you are providing in not way detracts or changes the overall data....which I note you've failed to address or comment on at all....

malumbu Wrote: ------------------------------------------------------- > > Oh, wait a second, he didn't get it sorted, and > the whole thing is a mess (irrespective of the > opportunities Cat). > Yep it is a bit of a mess Mal, no disgreement there. As an aside....I do find it bemusing however that some people can constantly cite this govenrment's total ineptitude on anything and everything (which I agree with by the way) as a reason why the country has 'gone to the dogs'. But when it comes to Brexit, its nothing to do with terrible government...its just 'brexit is bad'..... If brexit is so very, awfully terrible (irrespective of who runs the place), than can someone please explain the attached chart (from the very anti-Brexit Garun of all places, using ONS data)......without giving me cherry picked sob story anecdotes about people they've heard about doing it tough or indiviudal sub-sectors that are doing poorly...Overall, while these charts are far fron 'sunlit uplands' they are also very far from 'absolulte disaster/carnage', and also not really even able to be descibed as particualrly negative if we're being honest (recpover after intial shock early last year)...so looks to me like overall things are about the same as they were before brexit on the trade front....and thats with a totally inept government in charge....imagine what might be able to happen with someone competent....

Here is one thing we can agrtee on totally seph. This imperial measurement thing is one of the stupidest annoucnements I've ever seen. As you well, know I beleive there are many other proper, material benefits that could imporve the economic outlook, and need to be explored (and havent throuigh govt ineptitude, not becuase Brexit doesnt make it possible)....and if imperial measurements are the type of 'benefit' the government want to trumpet, then its a gift for critics of brexit mock the whole thing.....

legalalien Wrote: ------------------------------------------------------- > This is worth a read. Complete phase out of cash > is a serious issue for victims of domestic abuse. > > https://www.refuge.org.uk/refuge-call-make-cash-pr > iority-queens-speech/ > > Moving to cash free is also a great opportunity to > allow the government to control how eg welfare > payments are spent. See this trial in Australia > (very targeted but could easily be the thin end of > the wedge). > > https://www.dss.gov.au/families-and-children/progr > ammes-services/welfare-conditionality/cashless-deb > it-card-overview > > I?m not sure that entirely cash free is the way to > go... Far out. The aussie nanny state strikes again..... I remember when I first came to the UK, and was amazed to see people could drink booze openly in a public place (a train, the park, the street corner), and booze was able to be freely bought at most corner shops and supermarkets...not hived away in a specific 'liquir store'/Bottlo....now it seems ridiculous to think that people shouldnt be able to do that....if it can be controlled some level of aussie government (local, state or federal) will find a way to control it....

When even things like Ice Cream Vans and drug dealers (so im told) use contactless/bank transfers thee days, there would seemingly be little point raging against the trend....

We're so lucky to live in an area of the UK with the highest density of cheesemongers per square mile.

I think perhaps that after meeting all these mayors with wide-ranging responsibilities, in of all this big US cities, Sadiq has forgotten that all he has the power to do is to warn people to 'mind the gap'.....

Thankfully (and all credit to the Graun on this occasion) Simon jenkins speaks some sense on this whole affair.... https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2022/may/09/partygate-beergate-brexit-northern-ireland-cost-of-living

diable rouge Wrote: ------------------------------------------------------- > jazzer Wrote: > -------------------------------------------------- > ----- > Even funnier their is the beginnings of talk on GB > News of Starmer being replaced, so much for a > united team, you really couldn't make it up even > if you wanted to!!! > > What's really amusing is seeing > newspapers/pundits/posters et al who were once > saying there are far more important things to talk > about than parties/fines etc, now happily talking > about someone eating a curry... No different from the Graun with an opinion peice today bemoaning why trivial 'beergate' is being focussed on when its far more important that the Tories took an eletoral kicking.... All sides do exactly the same...all the time...whether its the left/right leaning press or left/right leaning politicians...no side is more ehtical or less hypocritical than the other for the most part (I'll except the PM from this generlisation of sides being equally as hyocritical, as he is a very specific, slippery indiviudal case who is a clear outLIER!)...it just depends on which ones you choose to focus on. In my view if Starmer really wants to standout from the crowd and make an impact, he should come out today and resign straight-up, proving he is a man of principle and practices what he preaches etc etc. I think it would be a smart move if he's willing the play the long game....it would certianly garner a great deal of resepct from a lot of people who perhaps arent really fans of his....then try for the leadership again in a couple of years when Labour inevtively have their next leadership contest...and this time with an even stronger stranglehold on credibility/priciples....

diable rouge Wrote: ------------------------------------------------------- > ''It was a work w*nk event...'' I bet he regrets not W*nking From Home on that day...

On the 'indefensible' thematic...watching p0rn in the commons?? Im less horrified than I am absolutely intruiged....

diable rouge Wrote: ------------------------------------------------------- > While the cat's away the mice will play... I havent gone anywhere......

Bloody Foreigner......coming over here, demanding to know what love is....

Langdale Wrote: ------------------------------------------------------- > We don't use Deliveroo very often but we had a > terrible experience last night with the wrong food > being delivered and having to reorder and then > waiting for an hour for the original order to > arrive (COLD). I wouldn't normally post but I > wondered if anyone else had had this problem. This > is actually the third time something has gone > wrong with an order (previously the wrong food > arriveed - like last night, and another our > delivery was sent to the wrong address - 2 hours > to sort out by which time it was 11pm, and like I > said we hardly ever use this service, so it > appears to occur every time we use it. I am so > over Deliveroo and Pizza Express - NEVER AGAIN! I work fairly long hours, so we tend to use deliveroo probbaly far too much....!...for takeaways and for small grocery shops as well to top up the weekely ocado shop. When it works fine its great, and to be honest thats 80-90% of the time. But when theres a problem there is very little in the way of easy solutions which can resolve the problem then and there. What I mean by that is that if you want a replacement order, you're probably better off just ordering again and getting a refund for the original delivery. Getting a refund for wrong, cold and damaged items is really easy through the app. Just hit the 'order help' link in the top right of your screen, then there is a bunch of options where you can flag which items are damaged/cold/missing, and if its a small amount its almost instantaneous that you'll get a refund of credit to your deliveroo account. If its a larger amount then someone might call you (either later that day or next day) to ask for more details and the refund might not come through until the next day. Thats all good an well...but if you want to eat dinner a refund doesnt do much for you, and unfort the Deliveroo driver is in no way incentivised to return your items to the resturant or go back to get missing things. He/she just wants to got to his next order as quick as possible. I even had one driver that when I opened the door I actually saw him drop an item on the pavement cracking the container (it was a ramen...so which drained all the liquid out and just left dry noodles and a few veg), and then try to give it to me. I said I was not accepting it, as I had just seen him drop it (which he denied, despite me seeing it and pointing to the massive pool of ramen liquid on the pavement!). A stand-off ensued and he ended up refusing to help, and left it my front garden and b#ggering off....I complained on the app straight away, and the next day I got a full refund from deliveroo of the meal and the delivery fee, plus an extra tenner in credit for my trouble...but ended having a couple of slices of toast for my dinner that night!

Yes, optics....I guess not all causes are equal. I imagine if an anti-vax nutter or neo-nazi lay down in the road. He/she would be removed pretty quickly.....

Genuine question, this isnt something I know much about (see quote from DT below)...why the heck do police not want to pick her up out of the road? Is it just fear from the police if they are 1) being seen to be disrupting right to protest, or 2) being seen to physically handle a woman after recent publicty? Whats the world come to if 'two dozen' police cant (or dont want to) remove one person from lying down in the road....? "For one period Blackfriars bridge was held by a single 76-year-old woman who lay in the road and refused to move. About two dozen officers from City of London police surrounded the woman, who said she was determined to be arrested. However, she voluntarily ended her blockade after officers refused to pick her up and threatened to call an ambulance to take her away"