Renton

This is delicious. Tomorrow night.

Random though here. We keep hearing how Reform has hurt the conservatives more than Labour. I think in some ways this is true, but in absolute terms, I don't think it is. Looking at the graph below, at least as many if not more Labour voters have drifted to Reform since Farage returned. Difference is, in relative terms, that is going to hit the party with half the voting intention twice as much. And with FPTP, this is massively exaggerated. Nobody has mentioned this, I should be a psephologist me. As you were.

I hope you will see an improvement in the UK over time when you visit back. If I had your choice, I am sure I would do the same. Actually, Copenhagen reminded me most of Newcastle of all the European cities I have visited. Lovely place.

Lucky you! (Again, genuinely). I do wish we were more Scandinavian. Denmark is a bit flat mind.

Good for you (genuinely). Where to out of interest? Because the right is in power or rising right across Europe. Italy, Holland, France, Germany. Oh, and of course the United States. The UK might be an exception to this trend (although I know you won't accept Labour are a centre left party). Ateod we need this election not to be about Brexit. I'm a pro-European as they come but there's realpolitik as well as domestic politics involved here. It will take many years or decades to repair the damage of Brexit.

Corbyn made sure of it by allowing Johnson to win a massive majority I meant. He destroyed the party from being competitive at the time it was most vital. And btw, you may have forgotten, he was a Brexiter and it showed. I wasn't responding to anything specific about Streeting. But I have heard and read him say his problem is with the middle class lefties who are idealogically opposed to using private healthcare to get the waiting lists down. I agree with him on that. As with New Labour, I want us to use all available resources to improve the NHS. When they left office in 2010, it was the best healthcare system in the World, now not so much. Pragmatism over idealism.

Yeah, I heard that as well. One of the worst things abour Brexit was the bandwidth it took up. We can't afford to repeat that again.

Membership is definitely dead. Corbyn made sure of that in 2019.

He's right.

Right, so he says he can't foresee us rejoining in his lifetime, not that he would stop us joining in his lifetime. Subtle difference there. At the age of 61 he's probably right. He's talked to European leaders more than you have and understands the barriers on their side as much as ours. They won't even countenance our rejoining unless all parties favoured it and there was huge public opinion for it. I'd be much more optimistic about SM and CU membership, but I just can't see us adopting the euro and accepting Schenghen. My own opinion is we're not a good fir for the EU, as demonstrated when we were in it. We still need to be a satellite of it though, and the bonds will grow closer, immediately.

Seems to be a bit of a habit by Reform this, almost like they can't be trusted? I imagine the not dead fictional person who is 79 years' old is a bit miffed at beiong confused with the dead real person who is 112 years' old!

Fair enough if you've got that option. Where does he say that btw? Just seems a very odd thing to say because unless he intends to become a life-long dictator it's not really in his gift?

Well not really mate, Farage likes a pint and tab, and is a man of the people.

Another MRP. The last ones are remarkably consistent tbh.

But they do slag off the tories, which is the main thing. Might make a small difference. In another 5 years, I doubt it will make any difference as we'll all be watching deep fakes of Starmer killing kittens.

An interviewer managed to get that stupid junior tory minister yesterday to say she accepted her family had to suffer because of her job (she claimed to work 20 hours, 7 days a week). Nobody believes that bullshit and anyway the vast majority of us are not workaholics prepared to sacrifice everything else for our jobs. Especially the good people of toontastic.

Exactly. Many think Blair got too cosy with Murdoch (including Blair himself). Reality is they have almost no power now.

Btw, where can I get the best odds on "I am Maximus" for the 2024 Grand National? I fancy a flutter.

You know what, he really could if he wanted with minimal damage. I guess a shoulder shrug should suffice though.

I mean though, if work isn't paying, how much extra are people willing to pay for all this? What type of salaries are you mofos on that you don't have better things to do with your money? I needed to be in Edinburgh the other week and it cost £200 for a premier inn ffs. 5* would have been >£800.

I don't waste money on 5* hotels, but my work put me up in Grand at York recently (5*). Yes, the outfits looked like something from Upstairs Downstairs.

It's crazy how bad these fakes are. Literally all you have to do is right click on the image to see where its been used before.

I honestly can't get my head around how any person (either sex) from a normal working background (jobs, mortgage etc) would value 5 star service. I don't want it at best and, as said, its awkward/uncomfortable at worst. Besides, I'm not staying at a hotel to be stuck in a hotel. Obviously on a beach holiday I value comfort but I'm perfectly capable of doing things for myself. 3 or 4 star is fine. Like Alex, fortunately my wife agrees.

Not to mention the other guests being, in general, twats.

He's such a weird liar. Apparently he has a tradition of having "election pie". Assuming he only started this after he was parachuted into this consituency and got to know the butcher he's plugging (aye, right), that means he's done this twice. Tradition.