scoobos

I dont find it funny, it shouldn't be allowed on either side .. Corbyn in a chicken suit , now this. It's not on.

I meant the peddlers of lies should be punished. what alternative to democracy would you like, other than campaigners run campaigns and people vote on which one they are allied to? Nothing is factual (during election campaigns) , everything is opinion. You are allowed to believe in survival of the fittest, you are allowed to believe in collectism , it's a personal thing. But saying people cant vote because they are "stupid" is oppressive and more in line with a totalitarian regime !

Dissallowing people votes , is not democracy.

I could have sworn he was CM when Howe changed his position. fuck im getting old

I'll have to read up on all that, hadn't a clue .. Next time im feeling upbeat I'll give it a go - there's enough miserable stuff in the here and now

Last post honest guv. When they say "highest tax in 70 years" - well, isnt that to be expected, given we've just gone through the most globally disruptive thing to happen since WW2 , with Covid? And we've fucked that up now too - as I sit here typing full of Covid - with Brain fog, vertigo and deafness in one ear - and LFTs that barely detect it - with the same strategy of saying somethings sorted it pretend everything's ok? The admission numbers are well up again (Gateshead 2nd highest in the country at the moment )

I'm enjoying this as much as most - but ... Personally I keep perspective that we don't want to start evangelising the IMF - these are evil fuckers - they ousted a democratically elected government and took control of a country (Greece), resulting in deaths from hospital closures and people routinely eating out of bins - in the name of "unacceptable debt" when Greece's debt as a proportion of GDP was lower than MANY other countries at the time.

Wow well its feral on here for Brexit. I've quoted you, but read all the replies , so other comments are included. That's what the landed aristocracy said , or what men said about women prior to the suffragetes. There shouldn't have been a referendum, but once there is NO ONE should be excluded from the vote - it annoys me that over 16's cant vote. It's one of those topics you elect a government to make decisions for on your behalf, hoping that they are qualified to do so. But that's different from saying people shouldnt be allowed to vote. They are voting based on a campaign - if the campaign is bent so be it - but the electoral process wasn't - why call it bent because it doesn't go your way? That's what Trump did!! I think criminal charges should have faced loads of the Leave campaign, it was utterly corrupt. I'm very pro europe as I've said - but to try and overturn a stupid election result, by holding another one in 2 years time is not the answer - we made our bed, should stand by democracy and do the will of the people. Problem is, the will of the people seemed to be "Stop darkies coming in" for a lot of people, because they've been indoctrinated for years that illegal immigrants are everywhere - while the secret sauce is that immigration from non EU countries has been the underpinning strategy of the Tories for a decade at least. Cheap labour wins all. Finally, I wasn't in country , so educate me if there's something I'm missing - but the referendum wasnt FPTP - it was pure democracy, right? and a majority did vote in favor to leave - how is that bent?

I see Joelinton as that DM - I thought that's how we setup earlier in the season, or am I mistaken? I'm a season ticket holder now and worry that I'm watching different games some days I'm not a great fan of ASM either tbh , its the amount of sitting on his arse everytime he loses the ball , then isnt on his feet when we win it back. Willock seems to just run about like a headless chicken most of the time to me.

I'm lucky enough to have had VR since HTV Vive . I've got a whole double bedroom as a playspace and a Valve Index at the moment - it drives my wife bonkers I think Half Life - Alyx , is possibly the best gaming experience I've ever had. Anyhoo - coming on to share that I've just finished "Return to Monkey Island" and it brought a frog to my throat and a tear to my eye, it was that good. I think you have to be 40+ though !

He shouldn't be anywhere near TV imo , Carragher too - but Keane has openly admitted to deliberately trying to end someones career . That's no role model or man worth keeping on. no matter how "Passionate" you are - trying to end someone's career and breaking bones on purpose - is a criminal offence, that's he not even been charged with and here's his reward.

I have a real problem , I always see him as rubbish in the team - stats dont lie, but seriously I think we'd be better playing Joelinton .

It wasn't cameron I was talking about - Cameron didn't want Brexit - it was the Brexit team that all legged it, Boris Farage et all those numpties. Cameron resigned because he didnt have a plan for it winning, because everyone (Leave team too) really thought it would just be a protest vote. They won by betting on currency and market drops , but I strongly believe that they only wanted leverage against the EU motion to start controlling tax havens. Everybody has egos and no one is "right" . If people didnt go out and vote remain, that's their own problem - but democracy did dictate we had to do it . Lesson learnt for the future , if you have a referendum, you'd really better make it clear what percentage difference wins. Making such a huge change on 2-4% of the vote was mental. One mans truth is another man's lie - that's the essence of politics. Many people don't like education or facts or science, they like gut feelings and reckons. Now if thats a ewark quote I'm cutting me own throat I tell ya!

Fucking hell. That's pure scary

I liked Carney - but - they acted less than the current group. Interest rates have needed to rise for years, everyone knew it - but due to QE , everyone's money was in assets bought with debt *cough free money*.

Maybe he was - but Brexit didn't have to mean what we got served with - it didn't have to be hard etc - as the Tories ended up presenting it as; so it's not necessarily economic suicide.

Nah, the BoE shouldn't really be buying them , full stop. He's commited to not buying them to try and relieve the pressure on the gild/bond return rate - because if they do - the private companies that hold them will take the piss. It's a temporary safety net to keep the pumps moving and they are now, but the government keep on fucking it up as every day goes on. I think its the right decision. My understanding is that there's no chicken with HMG - it's independent to them, but caused by them . BoE buying these bonds does not support or not support government , its purely protecting the economy as a whole at this point from someone trying to destroy it. Problem with money not actually being backed by anything, is that everything - money, investments, share markets etc are all based on confidence - what people believe stuff is going to be worth in the future. If confidence dips, our let's pretend economy is fucked.

My 2 cents is that it's that kind of black and white divisive thinking that gets us into this mess though. Not everyone who voted Brexit did so out of being nasty or self serving , some saw it as a genuine opportunity and expected , not unreasonably imo, that there was a plan ready to go. I didn't vote at all as I was out of the country (helping (as the IT guy) someone short the pound and make over 3 million dollars in 7 hours , in an offshore tax haven on the night of the vote, for what its worth! AND I'm a socialist!) I was a remainer, my main reasoning being that I believed it was the strongest reason for peace we had in Europe. I actually wanted us to have a single European army, rather than NATO - as I think our affiliation with the US Military is too close. Feels like I was right, at this time in 2022 I still remember being absolutely bowled over when they won, and moreso when all the people associated with it ran away the next morning. You couldn't make it up..

I don't think that's in the rules. I read that the protection is for a PM who's defended a vote of no confidence - so Truss has no protection.

I'll jump to his defence . He's doing a good job this month and I personally respect his actions and diplomacy. He can't commit to buying bonds , when the government are making people realise (not worry, realise) that they are not getting their money back in the short to medium term, all things remaining equal. Thus higher interest rates on gvt borrowing because they have extra risk, they are supposed to be a safe "boring" investment option. He's in a horrible position also, in that he knows we have to HIKE interest rates to be around the 8-10% mark with the extra inflationary pressure hmg have put on the economy - but that the government are good at hoodwinking and are already pointing the finger at the BoE for blame. In my semi educated view of economics , this is the equivalent of a car being on fire and HMG putting petrol on it and asking the fire brigade why they can't get it under control. For me, I'm reassured that he looks a broken stressed out man - it shows he cares and he's putting the effort in.

And working very hard on banning farmers from placing solar panels on their own private land - not to sell to the energy market , but to reduce their consumption. Parallel to this week's announcement that no energy saving information will be given because "we can't be telling people what to do" Meanwhile, those "climate emergency" protestors "Block ambulances" in central London. Hell in a fucking handbasket.

I beg to differ, since returning after a decade away the UK is more like the US than I can believe (admittedly the west coast mind). The arguments and division are very similar "Freedum" vs "communism" "Immigrants" vs "us" De-regulation vs Enemies of the economy Destroying of empathy and compassion for those less able.. One thing that shocked me in the USA was how veterans, deaf and blind people etc had to BEG and live in hostels , there's no state support that lasts long enough. In the UK today - we are paying foster carers 12 pound a day to look after a child and keep them off the streets - and asking the foster carers to only work part time .. Its not possible, then its just "kids choosing to be homeless" in the news. Even the NHS is regularly getting attacked now for being "Inefficient, costly, impossible" etc - when the cost per head is a fraction of what people in the US pay. The NHS is already massively privatised from what I can see - I've had a cancer scare in recent years , was treated overseas then came back to the UK I paid for an MRI overseas and it was a bill of 200 KYD$ - In the UK every single referral from my endocrinologist to have scans and checks, were performed in big white vans, owned by private health companies but branded with NHS logos , which charged £350 (450-500 KYD$) for the same MRI calling it a "Priority referral")- it sickens me (pardon the pun).* Supplychain.nhs.uk shows the extent, almost all support services are up for grabs. Then mental health services are the same - VitaHealth now "own" the contract for Newcastle's services at 20% extra cost with probably less quality of service. *MRI Scanners and Related Services (supplychain.nhs.uk) It's cheesy but I believe that division is the key tool used in the US and our politicians are lobbied by the same people ultimately, because the same people own the same equity funds that essentially own the huge monopolistic multinationals that own everything beneath them. E.g nestle, unilever , coca cola, YUM (Taco bell, KFC and Pizza Hut among others, all essentially the same company). end covid inspired rant

I seriously hope they do mutate by the following election though, neoliberal centre isnt going to fix everything thats been bust. This country has been pushed to US ideology in the general population for almost a decade - there's so much division, and I dare say hate out there now. Everyone's judging everyone else (me included) by default like we've been conditioned to. To use a corny US term, its winning peoples "Hearts and minds" back to we are all one country, in it together - that's going to be so difficult cos the Tories were fucking excellent at making a mockery of "we are all in this together" by deliberately gaslighting using the term during May's / Camerons time. I never noticed this Tory trait until Boris came in, as he was so shit at it that everything was obvious - so 1 thing to thank him for. I really hope there's a long game, and that we can bring back some solidarity and team spirit to the country to reunite us, and then start collectively working on restoring public services. Most major cities, Newcastle in particular, absolutely STINK of piss on a weekend evening - there's not a single public toilet in the entire city centre anymore. We are giving away money in tax cuts to the tune of tens of billions, when it costs less than 0.7bn a year to fund our libraries, after a 60% cut over 10 years. I could go on...

That would be the worlds hardest job at the moment! Malcolm Tucker would be 6 feet under by now.

Because he is trying to win votes from Tories, he has to , to get power. He can't insult people to that degree and win their votes, he has to seem (in their own words) a "Credible choice" for people who've voted tory year after year during this shitshow decade. Corbyn showed that, whatever you think of him, he listened to their attacks and tried to meet them (Fully costed spending plan VS "There was no money left, they bankrupted the country" - He leaked Trump / Boris trade deal that said NHS was up for grabs and made it publically available to the media - Media started putting him in chicken outfit photoshops). I truly believe the rhetoric and party will change over the years if they get power. But imo, on current polling its anyones game for the GE - except hopefully the Tories. Personally I'd be happy with a coalition of anyone but Tory and a change to the ministerial code to make it properly legally binding and a change to the voting system to PR. My dream would be Lib Dem / Lab coalition with Lib Dem majority! Civil Servants seem to love the Lib Dems and would hopefully be empowered to do what they should be doing - running the country - Civil servants have been demonised so badly, because they are the people who actually do the running of the country and push back on the absurd policies and targets and slashing and burning critical departments. Aaaaaaaaand relax