Rayvin

Very much true. But there's just nothing we can do about it principally because the politicians running these parties, even on our side, are more interested in power than they are in meaningful change. There is just no hope of stopping the Tories. Labour could position themselves to the right of Johnson and they'd still not win over Tory voters because, as a collective, they have determined that no matter how shit the Tories are, they will be unwavering. That 40% will stay Tory through thick and thin. And they will win time and time again as a consequence.

Tbf, a lot of the people in my social circles who used to complain about us not giving him a chance are now full converts to our side of the argument. I don't think he's done himself any favours, and it wouldn't surprise me if this was his final job tbh. It's been tragic.

In fairness to UKIP, he's only middling levels of weird - which makes him by far and away the most normal person they've put forward for any election that I can remember. Not all his policies are bad ones in truth but they're also very generic in the main, and almost certainly the 'acceptable face' of more nefarious goals. Not that he's in any danger of actually winning.

True enough - although there seems to be a concerted effort coming to drag Sturgeon through the mud at the moment. I've not followed it particularly and I'm sure she hasn't done herself any favours whatever has gone on between her and Salmond, but I don't think the case for independence should be hanging on her competence anyway. And yet the polls seem to be trending back towards the union again.

It does seem to have become the new, pathetic virtue signal of the current zeitgeist. It'll be up there with poppies soon. All the more fascinating when you consider that it's being used in lieu of policy as a way of appealing to the red wall from all sides of the spectrum. Literally no one should be won over politically by flags.

Anyone have Caulkin's piece on this? Or do we not catch those now he's with the Athletic?

Can understand the point because I don't think any male journalists have been accused of the same sorts of relationships (although they may well have been with May..), but on the other hand she's complicit in perpetuating the regressive kind of thinking that creates these sorts of comments anyway, by supporting a right wing government led by an oversized toddler that rode to power on the back of a 'cultural movement' concerned with bravado, casual racism and misogyny. You reap what you fucking sow. That said, while I don't care remotely about the damage these sorts of comments do to Kuenssberg (and it will be zero damage), they clearly aren't helpful to other female journalists who aren't as ridiculously privileged, or wedged as firmly up Johnson's arse as she has been. Can't comment definitively on whether that last bit is a relationship status or a political preference, but I will say that she's sharing the view with a great many male journalists as well. I hope this qualifies as equal opportunity loathing, on my part.

Really saddened by that news Renton. Words typed on here don't seem to do the situation justice - just really sorry mate.

The most animated debate on here for months has been over which of Yedlin or Manquillo is the least shite. This is where we are as a football club in 2021.

In the interest of fairness, has this been offset by the trade deals secured with Antigua and other such economic titans? With a slightly less sneering tone, how has this drop in trade been reflected within the UK in terms of consumer choices? Have we seen any shortages as a consequence?

Totally this but that showing this morning along with pulling that woman up about her dress is grim even by his standards.

Will the red wall voters care? If not, I don't think it'll get more than a day of attention from Starmer at best.

Does this even really matter? I mean, if it turns out that the takeover could have gone through, that doesn't mean it's suddenly back on the table, does it? I guess I can see an argument that we wouldn't be pursuing this if we hadn't had indications that the takeover would still be an option, but I can also see the argument that Ashley will want to extract some kind of settlement or compensation with or without the Saudis coming back into the picture.

As ever, if you added up all the left/centre left parties (I'll graciously add the LDs to that), we're ahead. Never thought I'd say it but maybe we really do need UKIP back.

Greens ahead of the LDs. That's starting to feel consistent. And I mean yes, it's fairly clear that Starmer isn't pulling up any trees here. Hopefully he's a good campaigner when the time comes but I suspect stuff like this is just going to throw him evermore into the arms of the 'red wall' voters.

And yet very "Britain, 2021"

Tories are considering putting up taxes, Labour are urging them not to. What kind of batshit parallel universe have we stumbled into?

It'll be a stage managed death by a thousand cuts, man. People won't notice because it'll be slow as fuck and leave voters will be doing their utmost to find the positives. We need to stop ceding ground to these people.

Aye and he took the same approach that we now apparently laud Starmer for. Pragmatic compromise. And for all Corbyn's "pragmatism" was a confusing, unstructured and poorly thought through mess, Starmer's is a clear and wholesale concession - and while yes, the ship has sailed, he's treating it like it's out at sea and approaching its destination, rather than having left the port and immediately started taking on water, which is the reality. Apart from his Brexit stance, which I consider short sighted and actually fairly desperate, I don't blame him for anything particularly. He doesn't risk enough to get anything right or wrong, at least not so far. Ultimately Starmer wants everyone to move on from Brexit as much as Johnson does, maybe more - and that's because Labour are fucked if it remains on the agenda. Which it will, because the damage will still be felt in 5 years time, and that broad church will be screaming at each other across the aisle. He cannot win with the approach he's taking unless Brexit goes sideways so monumentally that the Tories start tanking to the tune of about 10%, so I see little point in mollycoddling him. He's barely present and unless he grows a spine and a vision with some urgency, he's going to be a footnote in this country's shameful recent history. If he proves me wrong then more power to him, I'll certainly welcome it should it happen. But as it stands I'm sticking with my 10-15 years of Tory rule prediction. Brexit has annihilated Labour.

Corbyn at least tried to argue for a version of Brexit that wouldn't be a total fiasco - Starmer on the other hand has waved through the current deal without expressing any concern whatsoever. As shit as Corbyn was on Brexit, Starmer has outdone him. I'm really struggling to see Starmer as the next PM. He's no more electable than Corbyn was based on the evidence we're seeing at the moment. He's barely even fucking visible. EDIT - he's currently running third as 'best man for the PM job' with Yougov, behind Johnson in first and 'I don't know' in second. I suppose you could argue that the I don't know group have to break one way or the other in the end but that's still not a hugely encouraging sign IMO.

Grimes was a Lib Dem originally if I recall correctly? Then he jumped ship when he saw profit in the opportunity to spread false right wing talking points. He's reaping what he sowed on that front so it's tough to feel sorry for him. He's not some hapless, ignorant commentator who is the product of a right wing upbringing and a general lack of political education - he's someone who should know better, who indeed does know better, and who chooses profit from ignoring those things.

A lot of it is completely irrational, that's the problem. They're trying to stick the knife in because that's what they perceive happened to Corbyn. Many of the arguments they're throwing at Starmer qualify as fake news IMO. There's actually now a reasonable body of work that you can fairly criticise Starmer on, but the stuff they're going for is basically conspiracy theory twaddle.

I'm sorry like but "billion pound potential" from an energy drink? Maybe with his data arm, if that's set up under the same name, but I'm not exactly clear on what kind of data an energy drink manufacturer is able to get access to about their consumers that would be worth billions. He'll have paid the guy to come in and give him a PR story and almost certainly will have framed the 'billion pound potential' question along the lines of "We currently sell 10 sports drinks a year for £1 each. We plan to sell a billion + a year - do you agree that this would make us a £billion potential company?" "Yes, strange homeless man, that is basic maths. Now pay up my £10,000 per day 'consulting' fee".

It's hard to say I guess - they do still think of themselves as temporary residents in League 1, just beset each year by incompetence. But increasingly they're losing the players and status that such an argument relies on. I actually think the worst outcome for them in the short term would be promotion tbh - they'd soon realise just how far they've fallen.

What was he good at as a player? I can't really remember.