bbc.co.uk/news/articles/ckgpzn…
How rival protesters were kept apart by £4.5m police operation
Serious clashes between Unite the Kingdom and pro-Palestinian protesters were avoided on Saturday.Daniel Sandford (BBC News)
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Serious clashes between Unite the Kingdom and pro-Palestinian protesters were avoided on Saturday.Daniel Sandford (BBC News)
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This demonstrates how ineffectual our so-called PM is. He's doing nothing while his party colleagues are literally setting in motion actions that could potentially lead to his downfall, in full view of everyone, including Starmer himself. He'll go down in history as the Prime Minister who did nothing!
#Politics #UselessLabour
politico.eu/article/uk-leaders…
Follow along for the latest as Britain’s prime minister tries to ride out dire election results while his own Labour colleagues circle.POLITICO
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The PM’s battle with Whitehall is a delayed reckoningEthan Croft (New Statesman)
Guardian investigation uncovers decision by UK security officials to deny clearance before Mandelson took up role as US ambassadorPaul Lewis (The Guardian)
I did a bit of digging last night.
Canonical can get some idea of usage, just not in the way people seem to think.
Mirror & telemetry data (aggregate, not per-user)
They can see things like:
IPs hitting mirrors
Package download volumes
Which releases are being pulled
Useful for trends and capacity planning, but it’s not tied to individuals or licences.
Optional telemetry (since 18.04)
There’s a one-off system report:
Hardware profile
Installed packages (high level)
Basic system config
You can opt out, and plenty do.
Ubuntu Pro (formerly Advantage)
This is the only place it gets closer to “counting”:
Machines are attached to a subscription
So yes, they can see numbers there
But that’s about support entitlement, not policing updates.
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Rachel Reeves is set to urge coordinated action to tackle the global economic shock caused by the war at a Washington summit.irishnews.com
Yeah, the futures market reacts on what it expects to happen. Makes it volatile.
Fuel coming out of the pumps today in the UK shouldn't be much affected for a month or more, but they are coz the forecourts use that futures price I guess.
And this is another reason I don't trust news outlets!
A news story about Corridoor Beds had a reporter who said: "We've just come out of the worst winter on record for the #NHS." Umm? Did you forget COVID?
Everything is always "On record", and yet when I cast my mind back, I'm like "Well, you must have been in a different country? Especially when it comes to the weather, "Warmest on record!" Aye? I had my heating on all day!
#BBC News
The prime minister says a "historic deal" is on offer from the government to resident doctors, and the decision to reject it will damage the NHS.Sky News
THE People’s Postcode Lottery has sparked fury after raising the price of tickets yet again — with players branding it an “absolute waste of money”. Tickets have gone up to £12.50 per month, a 25 …Tara Evans (The Sun)
As of March 2026, the #Labour government is significantly off track to meet its manifesto target of building 1.5 million new homes in England by the end of this Parliament (estimated August 2029). To hit 1.5 million homes over five years, the government needs to deliver an average of 300,000 homes per year (approximately 811 per day).
Total Delivered: Approximately 309,600 net additional homes were delivered between the start of the Parliament (9 July 2024) and 11 January 2026.
Shortfall to Date: By early November 2025, the government should have built roughly 396,000 homes to stay on track, representing a deficit of over 120,000 homes just in the first 16 months.
Daily Rate: The current delivery rate is roughly 564 homes per day, well below the required 811. GOV.UK
#politics
It's like the General Belgrano all over again.
𝘏𝘦𝘨𝘴𝘦𝘵𝘩 𝘵𝘰𝘭𝘥 𝘢 𝘯𝘦𝘸𝘴 𝘤𝘰𝘯𝘧𝘦𝘳𝘦𝘯𝘤𝘦 𝘰𝘯 𝘞𝘦𝘥𝘯𝘦𝘴𝘥𝘢𝘺 𝘵𝘩𝘢𝘵 𝘢 𝘜𝘚 𝘴𝘶𝘣𝘮𝘢𝘳𝘪𝘯𝘦 𝘩𝘢𝘥 𝘴𝘶𝘯𝘬 𝘢𝘯 𝘐𝘳𝘢𝘯𝘪𝘢𝘯 𝘸𝘢𝘳𝘴𝘩𝘪𝘱 "𝘵𝘩𝘢𝘵 𝘵𝘩𝘰𝘶𝘨𝘩𝘵 𝘪𝘵 𝘸𝘢𝘴 𝘴𝘢𝘧𝘦 𝘪𝘯 𝘪𝘯𝘵𝘦𝘳𝘯𝘢𝘵𝘪𝘰𝘯𝘢𝘭 𝘸𝘢𝘵𝘦𝘳𝘴".
bbc.co.uk/news/articles/c0e55g…
Sri Lanka's navy says around 140 people are feared missing after a military vessel went down off its southern coast.Yogita Limaye (BBC News)
HMS Dragon is being loaded with ammunition in Portsmouth having just recently come out of maintenance.Jonathan Beale (BBC News)
Hey, look, I'm a dumbass, what would I know? But I find it interesting that all the news outlets, and especially the BBC, are ramming it down our throats that while Donald Trump spoke for two hours, TWO HOURS! According to them, he said nothing of value? I even read a BBC fact-checker that debunked much of what he said about fuel prices, etc.
The thing is, I watched a lot of it LIVE, and I watched both sides of the Senate stand and applaud him and not just once either! So that tells this dumbass that a lot of what he said struck a chord with senators across the political spectrum and not just his party faithful.
We need to be careful what the press, TV and social media tell us. Remember, folks, they, too, have their own agenda, and we've seen numerous court cases where it turns out that maybe journalists and editors are not your guardians with your best interests at heart after all.
Right Reverend Stephen Conway has also been suspended by the Church of England.Aleem Maqbool (BBC News)
The report comes as police widen investigations into former prince, including questioning his close protection teams.David D. Lee (Al Jazeera)
Government sources tell BBC News they could slow down plans to make minimum wage equal across age groups.Joe Pike (BBC News)
Thirty councils across England now have to organise local polls after the government abandoned plans to delay.Damian Grammaticas (BBC News)
Ministers had planned to delay the polls until 2027 to help deliver a major reorganisation of local government.BBC News
Documents appear to show former prince shared confidential reports with Jeffery EpsteinAthena Stavrou (The Independent)
𝗜𝗳 𝗼𝗻𝗹𝘆 𝗜 𝘄𝗲𝗿𝗲 𝗮𝗻 𝗠𝗣
Mr Speaker. The highest position in the land, before his majesty, the king, is Prime Minister. The holder of that position is entrusted by his majesty to not only serve the people but also to guide and ensure their well-being while shielding them from harm. The office of the Prime Minister carries significant responsibility and power. It is the Prime Minister's responsibility to ensure that the people are represented by honourable and competent individuals. The ultimate responsibility for prestigious appointments rests with the Prime Minister, who is accountable not only to this House but also to the British public. The buck stops here!
Mr Speaker, sadly, I call upon the House to censure the Prime Minister and call for a vote of "No Confidence" to be invoked.
That was jolly nice of Sweeney to take the bullet for Kier Starmer, wasn't it?
Ask yourself, who made the ultimate decision? I think it was the man that has "𝗧𝗵𝗲 𝗯𝘂𝗰𝗸 𝘀𝘁𝗼𝗽𝘀 𝗵𝗲𝗿𝗲!" on his desk.
politico.eu/article/top-starme…
The British prime minister has been under pressure since revelations about Mandelson’s relationship with the convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein.Mason Boycott-Owen (POLITICO)
Pressure grows on PM over ex-minister’s Jeffrey Epstein links as Tories criticise move to withhold some recordsBen Quinn (The Guardian)
Police probe Mandelson's alleged government leaks to Epstein and AI bots "moan about humans" leads Tuesday's papers.BBC News
How on earth can ANY of Epstein's victims gain justice? What, money? Is that the answer? Give people a few quid, and that's justice? Justice is tracking down everyone who participated in or facilitated his activities, and I mean everyone, even those who offered up their friends or other girls to him and his fellow pedos, because that, in my opinion, is the worst betrayal.
It was a mistake to let him die because now he will never suffer, unlike his victims.
bbc.co.uk/news/articles/c5y5dq…
Lord Mandelson and Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor facing fresh accusations amid latest Epstein files release leads Monday's papers.BBC News
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And let's not forget Nadhim Zahawi
“𝘐𝘧 𝘐 𝘵𝘩𝘰𝘶𝘨𝘩𝘵 𝘵𝘩𝘪𝘴 𝘮𝘢𝘯 𝘴𝘪𝘵𝘵𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘯𝘦𝘹𝘵 𝘵𝘰 𝘮𝘦 𝘪𝘯 𝘢𝘯𝘺 𝘸𝘢𝘺 𝘩𝘢𝘥 𝘢𝘯 𝘪𝘴𝘴𝘶𝘦 𝘸𝘪𝘵𝘩 𝘱𝘦𝘰𝘱𝘭𝘦 𝘰𝘧 𝘮𝘺 𝘤𝘰𝘭𝘰𝘶𝘳 𝘰𝘳 𝘮𝘺 𝘣𝘢𝘤𝘬𝘨𝘳𝘰𝘶𝘯𝘥 … 𝘐 𝘸𝘰𝘶𝘭𝘥𝘯’𝘵 𝘣𝘦 𝘴𝘪𝘵𝘵𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘯𝘦𝘹𝘵 𝘵𝘰 𝘩𝘪𝘮,”
Farage is scoring so many ****** points.
𝗧𝗵𝗶𝘀 𝗶𝘀 𝘄𝗵𝘆 𝗜 𝗽𝗿𝗲𝗳𝗲𝗿 𝗲𝗺𝗮𝗶𝗹𝘀 𝘁𝗼 𝗽𝗵𝗼𝗻𝗲 𝗰𝗮𝗹𝗹𝘀!
Customer sends me a requirement email and yet still phones "for a chat". Mulling over the request, he adds a monitor to his original request. I go ahead and order his stuff, including the monitor. This morning I opened his PO, and there's no monitor. I email him, and he rings:
𝗖𝘂𝘀𝘁𝗼𝗺𝗲𝗿: "Ah, I wanted to try the monitor we have."
𝗠𝗲: "I know, you said that, but you also said you still needed a monitor."
𝗖𝘂𝘀𝘁𝗼𝗺𝗲𝗿: "Yeah, I was thinking I might need another PC, so I would need a monitor."
𝗠𝗲: "You never mentioned a PC?"
𝗖𝘂𝘀𝘁𝗼𝗺𝗲𝗿: "Yeah."
𝗠𝗲: "I've ordered it now."
𝗖𝘂𝘀𝘁𝗼𝗺𝗲𝗿: "Hmm? OK."
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The MP was unveiled as Reform's latest recruit by leader Nigel Farage at a rally, bringing the number of the party's sitting MPs to eight.Paul Seddon (BBC News)
Labour sources say concerns were raised about the cost of a mayoral election and a "divisive campaign".Joshua Nevett (BBC News)
𝗘𝗺𝗽𝗹𝗼𝘆𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗽𝗲𝗼𝗽𝗹𝗲 𝗼𝗻 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗰𝗵𝗲𝗮𝗽!
Once or twice, I've told the story of a fairly well-known customer of ours, in which the Director, walking through the factory, stopped at one of the workers' machines and said, "You know about computers, don't you?" The worker responded, "Yeah, I build 'em on the weekend." The director promptly made him head of IT for a multi-million-pound company.
The other day, I mentioned a PA at another big customer was either pushed or jumped. She was the main point of contact for a group of about 15 companies, submitting support tickets to us and approving or resolving any requests for work requiring payment. This morning, there is an email in my inbox introducing the new point of contact and asking for our help and understanding as they take on this new (secondary to their own) role. This person works in the design department. 🤦♂️
West Midlands-raised Conservative MP Robert Jenrick has been sacked and suspended from the party by its leader, Kemi Badenoch.www.expressandstar.com
I see there are still people struggling to understand the Fediverse (Mastodon to all those who don't know the real name).
Unlike 𝕏 or Facebook, where their algorithm spoon-feeds stories that align with your opinions or nudge you towards only those users who are likely to think and say the same as you, on the Fediverse, you are the master of your own destiny and, like real life, will have to find out for yourself if you want to interact or follow anyone here.
Of course, if you only want like-minded users, we have those too, but what a boring day that would be. 🙂
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Read letter to government in full.Essex County Council
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Last month, the government said some 63 council areas could postpone elections until 2027 after some told ministers they lack the capacity to reorganise in timeMillie Cooke (The Independent)
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I take it I'm the only one in the UK who is annoyed and a little depressed that #Labour seems able to U-Turn on every announcement they have made since coming to power, and nobody says a word against them. If that had been the Tories, Social Media would have gone into meltdown by down screaming that they were not fit to govern, seeing as they can't see anything through.
A recent aggregated list identifies 13 major U-turns — including reversals on pubs business rates, inheritance tax for farmers, workers’ rights protection, welfare cut rollbacks, winter fuel payments, academy freedom limits and, most recently, making digital IDs optional rather than compulsory for workers.
bbc.co.uk/news/articles/c3385z…
There will still be digital checks on those starting a new job, but people will not need to hold a digital ID.Kate Whannel (BBC News)
Chris Ellis
in reply to dick_turpin • • •Wish he would just do the honourable thing and resign. His lack of vision and communication ability is mostly what got us into this mess.
Let alone his inability to listen or take accountability for the consistent u-turns, resets and failings.
dick_turpin
in reply to Chris Ellis • •It seems abundantly clear to me that he is bereft of any skill or ability. Most of these damaging tinkering, such as winter fuel payments, have been instigated by others, and anything he does seems to blow up in the Labour Party's face. We have a fuel crisis at the moment, along with a whole host of other problems, and he just sits in number ten watching events unfold. It wouldn't be so bad if Burnham and Streeting et al were being devious and carrying out their manoeuvres behind his back; it's the fact that it's all out in the open that's mind-blowing.
At least when John Major stabbed Maggie in the back, he did it behind her back.
Chris Ellis
in reply to dick_turpin • • •yeh, agree, he turned out to not have enough integrity to actually stand for anything. It's impossible to know what his own position is on anything.
He made some good positive appointments early on, then nothing ever seemed to come from them.
No doubt we're going to blunder through this crisis without doing anything about the root cause again and just crank up inflation.
Part of me thinks this is happening in the open due to Labour party processes which seem unsuitable.
dick_turpin
in reply to Chris Ellis • •Chris Ellis
in reply to dick_turpin • • •Starmer could always make him a Lord to speed things up, lol.
I think that demonstrates a bigger problem, a lack of any decent candidates in a party of over 400 MPs.
Not that I think there is that much talent across all the parties these days.
dick_turpin
in reply to Chris Ellis • •Potentially, there's only Reeves, and she's not had the best of starts. I know I've been joking about Raynor and Abbott, but my worry is that factions may well think that Raynor is a viable option. Don't forget, there is still a powerful lobby within the Labour party who think it's still 1970.
Raynor would have been in her element during the 70s and mid 80s. She would drag us back to those times if she could.
Chris Ellis
in reply to dick_turpin • • •I think Reeves would be a useless as Starmer.
At least Raynor actually stands for something and can communicate that.
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