Rayvin

I really think we could manage this if Labour would just get out ahead of it. The Tories hammered down to 100 seats man. I mean you've just said you want a stronger LD here, and I agree, but if they got much stronger than this they'd be the second biggest party. We can dream indeed but at some point, surely, someone has to actually make this happen.

I just went looking for polls to see how Labour were doing and came across this utterly delightful spectacle: https://www.electoralcalculus.co.uk/blogs/ec_constsoc_20220523.html This is what the outcome looks like based on a proper electoral pact: Party 2019 Votes 2019 Seats Predicted Votes Predicted Seats Change CON 44.7% 365 33% 101 −264 LAB 33.0% 203 42% 393 +190 LIB 11.8% 11 8% 71 +60 Green 2.8% 1 2% 17 +16 Reform 2.1% 0 4% 0 0 SNP 4.0% 48 4% 48 0 Plaid 0.5% 4 1% 2 −2

I mean I agree, as I just said, I don't think it's actually working. People are genuinely starting to get pretty fucked off with Johnson, even amongst his 'base'.

They'll certainly try their best to pin it on Labour. I know it's not a complete metric for all Tory voters but I checked the Mail earlier and while plenty of them (all) still hate Labour, there is genuinely no love whatsoever for Johnson and this government. Plenty calling him out as a liar, and some starting to demand a new political system given the impossibility of voting for either party. I'm not sure how well any of their attempts to stick this at Labour's door are landing. Maybe people can understand the strike since actually, we are all suffering.

This sounds to me to be bang on the money. I think people like True Geordie can get away with this stuff because he's got the personality to go with it, and he's built up over years, diversified, really put together a pretty high end show. This lad on the other hand doesn't seem entertaining in and of himself, and that's ultimately what'll kill him - so I agree, either he has access which makes him watchable, or he has personality which makes him watchable. Without either, he's fucked - for exactly the reason you've set out, IMO.

Is he actually getting anywhere with that channel? I'm assuming that his long term angle is to pass some minimum threshold after which the club will kind of acknowledge him and give him access to players/whoever to a higher degree. But then equally, they seem to be doing a decent job of all that themselves anyway, I've seen a number of player interviews lately, straight from the club itself. Not exactly sure where this kid fits into all of it tbh, at least while he's so focused on the club itself. Maybe he could have some success speaking to younger fans on matchday experiences or whatever but that's about as charitable as I think I can possibly be in terms of his prospects.

Anyway aye - would be disappointing if we only came away with Pope and Targett. There is basically no chance of that happening though.

This is more the sort of stuff Bob gets mixed up in

Tbf to Bob, he's a regular in the guardian comment section - probably the most well known one from our fanbase - and he spends a lot of his time defending the club from all manner of bullshit. I do think he gets himself tied into knots a bit at times but he's put himself into a situation where he's pretty constantly under fire on the clubs behalf. So I kinda get it. And honestly he knows you're right too I would wager.

Agreed on all of that. And yes, but moving back to Newcastle soon, at last. As much as I would probably hop over the border again if there was an EU angle to it, I miss Newcastle and my friends there. Life is too short to be away from people you love.

Any economic pain is worth freedom and sovereignty mate Maybe you're right on the PR thing, that could be an interesting development. But then if I'm voting in it, I would still vote leave for the EU.

I was always under the impression that the SNP would do basically anything for another crack at independence. Giving us a final attempt to save ourselves by introducing PR before they disappear into the sunset would be an agreeable way for our relationship with Scotland to come to an end. A coherent electoral strategy for PR and coalition would inevitably bring me back into voting for whatever made that successful. A true left/centre alliance would be worth crossing some red lines for and would probably lock out the Tories for a generation if done well. Forever if it ended with PR.

The more I think about it, the more I think this window almost has to be a frustrating one if we are to avoid being seen as a Man City style entity. It's going to take clubs seeing us walk away from decent players because of them taking the piss, for this notion that we're easy money to be kicked off the table.

Yeah I'm kinda surprised by that but I can understand why we did it. Only slight annoyance is that I don't really think the other alternatives we've been linked with look particularly good - wonder who we'll move onto next. This may also help us secure Botman tbh, if Lille see we're not messing around.

Has there been any more talk about PR since one of the unions went into it? I was sort of hoping that might stack into a concerted policy shift but I've not seen anything further on it. Maybe they're just feeling it out with the public I suppose.

Aye he's done well everywhere I've seen him. Although I would say that the questioning has been so shocking that I'm tempted to argue he's had a fairly easy job in some respects. Morgan questioning him about thunderbirds was just bizarre.

https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-us-canada-61789443 Lynn Fitch, who seems to be an Attorney General in the US, has claimed she is empowering women by getting rid of Roe vs Wade. It will "remove the false choice between career and children. Women can have both" I had to read this several times to make sure I actually understood what was being said, it's that ridiculous.

Aye I mean, ours isn't that low tbh Would have raised some eyebrows if they'd put it up I think. I thought Ashley had been locking prices in place for years?

Yeah I think this is a far better outcome than Henderson so I'm pleased to see it. Not sure this is as key a position to cover as the club seem to have decided, but more depth is never a bad thing, and this is quality depth.

While there is some good debate in here, it is ultimately an echo chamber. It's notable that very few discussions on here ever go down nuanced paths - the majority either agrees with you, or you're satan. Sometimes some of us are on the wrong side of that, other times we're not All that youthful angst that makes it like this, IMO

I'm just explaining to you a factor in a decision I made, there's nothing further to it than that. I'm happy to just leave this if you are.

Believe it or not, I'm actually pretty chill about this - and I have genuinely no bad blood with anyone on any of this. I anticipate it will resolve and then we go on as normal.

If the first bit is true, and I can read it that way, then I apologise. I hope you can see from the apology that I was genuinely under a particular impression of what you had said when I responded. On the latter bit - I didn't say you were terrible, I just avoided dialogue for a bit because I didn't like how that exchange ended. A personal choice - I have anxiety and make decisions to avoid getting myself worked up at times.

It's interesting, because I recall in our first debate, you accused me of putting words in your mouth when I called out something you had plainly written. You and I, for whatever unfortunate reason, do not seem able to engage well. I've tried to deal with that by not replying to you (for a time), or by standing back from things - and we have been having a perfectly reasonable discussion in the other thread. But you've just come over to this one and called me out in the middle of a separate discussion I was having, asked me what I do for a living and then more or less implied that I just sit and complain rather than doing any productive about anything I believe in. I don't know really what it is you want from me but I would like to assure you and Renton both that I'm writing more with grim exasperation than anything on the edge of anger. You can judge me if you want, I simply wanted to hold up to you that I was aware of it. I don't understand your last line btw - I haven't rebutted every challenge with 'people are idiots'. In fact in this thread, I'm sitting here protesting that people aren't idiots and can handle the truth (if delivered correctly and over a sustained period). That said though, people are idiots.

You're the one who said you felt bad about making a personal attack. And what is it you hoped to do with the information about my profession if not use it in consideration of who I am and the impact any of it has on what I say? I'm not even really challenging you on that tbh, we all make judgements of each other - do what you want.