The missus and I came home after a trip to Wickes, and the kitchen fitters had slung the extractor fan out with the cooker. I lept out of the car to retrieve it quickly, and a guy in a van on the main road shouted: "I'm fooking having that!" I replied, "No, you're fooking not!" and took it in the house.
The next thing I know, the bloke had walked up my drive, through my side gate, appeared at my kitchen back door, and said to the kitchen fitter, "Your mates just took my metal." I went out and said, "It's my metal mate, and this is my house, so fook off!"
Cheeky caaant then says, "Are you ripping out the boiler?" Mate, fuck off!
Thank The Pond Gods, I've booked the next five days off!
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One of the presenters made a good point on the BBC coverage of the US elections this morning. 40% of the voters in Georgia are black or Hispanic. Playing the race card didn't work, and as was pointed out, Hispanics who can vote are legally American; they are not illegal immigrants—a distinction a lot of people should take on board.
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foxnews.com/politics/harris-no…
Harris will not speak from Howard University on election night as planned
Vice President Kamala Harris' campaign co-chair, Cedric Richmond, addressed those gathered at Harris' alma mater at Howard University in the early morning hours of Wednesday.Alec Schemmel (Fox News)
Watched Caitríona Perry on the BBC this morning, struggling with the US Election results. "He's not won yet!" seemed to be the catchphrase. At one point, I am sure she was slightly sick in her mouth when she said "Trump." 🤣
I don't think she's a fan. 🤔
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LOL
s'bout right. I doubt they're going to show reruns of American Apprentice. I dunno why everyone is so shocked. I didn't think for definite that he was going to win, but I was definitely "I wouldn't be surprised."
I know it's controversial, and you're not supposed to say anything, but the average person in the street is sick to death of illegal immigration. And it's not just that; the point is there's a general feeling that people seem to be doing what the hell they like these days: shoplifting, going to ASDA in your pyjamas, and nobody is doing anything about it. If anything, socialists et al. are making excuses for it! This then opens the door to people with right-wing views, and Eric down the pub saying: "I'm voting Reform UK!"
The #NHS is not underfunded; it's swimming with money just not being spent on patients.
bbc.co.uk/news/articles/cy0lkx…
NHS consultants earning £200,000 in overtime to tackle backlog
Some consultants are being paid £200 an hour for working extra hours, a BBC News investigation finds.Nick Triggle (BBC News)
So tonight, Britain, as usual, gets it wrong and celebrates the capture and death of Guido Fawkes in 1605. Robert Catesby and his co-conspirators were the ones who planned to blow up the House of Lords during the State Opening of Parliament on 5 November. They employed Guido (Guy) Fawkes, a mercenary expert in gunpowder, to do the deed, so in my book, Catesby is more the villain. I suppose "Robert Catesby Night" doesn't sound as good. 🤷♂️
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foxnews.com/us/trump-vs-harris…
#UsaElection
Trump vs. Harris: Cities across US board up ahead of election
Business owners from Washington, D.C., to Portland, Oregon, are taking extra security measures by boarding up in fear of post-election riots and chaos.Christina Coulter (Fox News)
telegraph.co.uk/news/2024/11/0…
#politcs
Keir Starmer to raise university tuition fees
The fee rise is expected to come into force from September 2025Poppy Wood (The Telegraph)
Not long now and #Labour will be spending more than the Rwanda deal.
bbc.co.uk/news/articles/cwy1n2…
How do you stop a boat that's already in British waters? Extra Enforcement Officers? But that's not 𝗦𝘁𝗼𝗽𝗽𝗶𝗻𝗴 that's 𝗣𝗿𝗼𝗰𝗲𝘀𝘀𝗶𝗻𝗴 that's allowing illegals to land and spending millions on processing their asylum claims. i.e. spending it on reception centres: "Welcome to the UK"
Keir Starmer announces extra £75m to tackle people smuggling
Sir Keir Starmer wants to reset the UK's approach to border security, after ditching the Rwanda plan.Sam Francis (BBC News)
If only the public were informed precisely what Reeves is doing—raising employers' NI contributions and then raising the minimum wage! Ultimately, that means: Sacking staff, raising prices (Hello inflation) halting pay rises and going out of business for many SME's.
bbc.co.uk/news/live/cp9zrg128g…
She's changing the rules so she can borrow up to £55 Billion, a large portion of which will go to that black hole, the NHS. None of it will be invested in projects showing a financial return so that #Labour can prop up the idea of the state paying for everything.
Budget 2024 live: Chancellor Rachel Reeves to deliver first Budget as tax rises and spending cuts expected
The chancellor has repeatedly warned the government needs to make "difficult" financial decisions.BBC News
bbc.co.uk/news/articles/c704ee…
Tommy Robinson jailed for contempt of court
He was jailed for republishing and distributing untrue claims about a Syrian refugee.Dominic Casciani (BBC News)
Jesus Christ! See, this is what happens when news outlets don't tell you the full story. When it first broke, it was presented as a scared MP feeling threatened, not of a bloke lying on the ground being restrained by his arm while Mike Amesbury punches him repeatedly in the face!
news.sky.com/story/labour-part…
#politics
Labour Party suspends MP Mike Amesbury after video showed him punching man in street
The video showed the MP for Runcorn and Helsby punching a man, who fell to the floor. Mr Amesbury then hit him repeatedly before members of the public intervened.Sky News
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And this shows how incompetent and politically stunted #Labour is!
Does he think the majority of those working "Clock on"? If he's going to tax people who do not leave the house to put in fourteen hours at "t' mill." will he be taxing people on benefits?
news.sky.com/story/sir-keir-st…
All Labour and Kier Starmer know is: "TAX PEOPLE WITH MONEY!" it's the same mantra Labour has repeated for the last seventy-odd years. "Who can we find to pay for our dumb ideas? I know, rich people."
So, in other words:
Don't save any money for your retirement.
Don't invest in BT, Water, Electricity, or Nuclear shares.
Don't get into owning properties.
Don't try to get a better education.
If you do any of those things, Labour will do everything possible to take some of it off you and give it to those who don't work. Oh, hang on. He's taxing those too! 😉
#politics
Sir Keir Starmer says those with assets are 'not working people' - paving way for possible tax rises
The prime minister is asked to give his definition of working people after Labour promised in its manifesto not to hit them with tax rises.Alexandra Rogers (Sky News)
I don't blame Ukraine and Moldova, but I do blame them!
It's all very well these former USSR countries clambering to get underneath the supposed protective wing of the European Union, but I can't blame Russia for becoming uneasy with an ever-increasing EU right on its doorstep once buffer zones such as Ukraine are removed. Yet it's unfair to expect Ukraine and Moldova to be piggy-backing in the middle. And before anyone accuses Russia of being the aggressor, the EU is no saint either.
france24.com/en/europe/2024102…
Moldova's EU vote too close to call as president blames foreign 'assault' on democracy
Moldovan voters cast ballots on Sunday in two decisive polls: a presidential election and a referendum on joining the EU. Incumbent President Maia Sandu came up short of the majority needed to avoid a tough second round of voting.FRANCE 24
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Is there anyone dumb enough out there to believe Israel will take a blind bit of notice regarding this letter?
Israel now feels strong enough and secure enough to do whatever it likes, even to the extent of attacking and killing UN forces. It knows the West will do nothing so telling them they might get their toys taken away will not work.
#gaza
bbc.co.uk/news/articles/c9wk0e…
US gives Israel 30 days to boost Gaza aid or risk cuts to military support
The letter, sent on Sunday, amounts to the strongest known written warning from the US to its ally.Tom Bateman (BBC News)
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#MiddleEastConflict
independent.co.uk/news/world/a…
Biden administration to send Thaad anti-missile system and US troops to Israel
The Pentagon says the United States will send a Terminal High Altitude Area Defense battery and troops to IsraelLolita C. Baldor (The Independent)
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#politics
#politics
bbc.co.uk/news/live/cp8l58gp42…
Cleverly knocked out of Tory leadership race as Jenrick and Badenoch to face final vote
Conservative MPs have voted to eliminate the shadow home secretary from the race.BBC News
If you needed any proof that the Conservative party has not only imploded but is now bereft of even the slightest hope of having a credible chance of leading the country again, look no further than this motley bunch of "No other choice" deluded chancers.
About the only candidate with a hint of leadership is James Cleverly, who unfortunately looks a little bit like Kwasi Kwarteng but with a beard—and look how well that turned out!
#politics #conservatives
bbc.co.uk/news/articles/cgq8gy…
Crunch point approaches in Tory leadership race
Conservatives MPs will vote this week in the next phase of the process to replace Rishi Sunak.Chris Mason (BBC News)
#politics #freebies #MadeUpJobs
bbc.co.uk/news/articles/cdenx2…
Keir Starmer's chief of staff Sue Gray quits
She is leaving after a month in post and will take up a new role as the PM's envoy for nations and regions.Jennifer McKiernan (BBC News)
Here's the thing with Dame Esther Rantzen's campaign for assisted dying. She was diagnosed in January 2023 with lung cancer. Now, if we had assisted dying, who can say that on one of her bad days, which I'm sure she has, she could have decided to end her pain and suffering. Yet, there she is, nearly two years later, saying: "I'm surprised as you are that I'm still alive." with assisted dying, there's a chance someone could convince two doctors when, in reality, there was still more time left to them.
bbc.co.uk/news/articles/c1d5z5…
Assisted dying: Relief and fear ahead of bill vote
Activists on both sides of the debate are reacting to plans for the first vote on the issue in years.Harrison Jones (BBC News)
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Talking of rebooting things and being afraid:
So, last night, I upgraded the firmware of my router and access point. (No, it didn't help.)
The router all went fine, but when I upgraded the firmware on the Vigor 903, the login page wouldn't appear. "Oh Fook!" of course, it was at this point Channel 4 decided to play up, right in the middle of Bake Off. "WHAT HAVE YOU DONE?" Bellowed the wife.
Oh, I tried everything: ping, checking the DHCP tables, and even trying to access the 903 from the router management screen. "It doesn't affect the TV! Catchup is via the TV aerial," I said. The wife was not convinced as I hammered away at the keyboard, desperate for a solution.
Yeah, it helps if you do Ctrl+F5, Pete, you know, clear the browser cache. 🤦♂️
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"Better the devil, you know.........."
timesofisrael.com/israel-said-…
Israel said to ask US to deter Iran from retaliating for Nasrallah assassination | The Times of Israel
Pentagon chief assures Gallant the US supports Israel’s right to self defense, 'remains postured to defend its forces in the region,' as Tehran vows revenge for Beirut strikeAgencies (The Times of Israel)
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independent.co.uk/news/uk/rosi…
#politics
MP Rosie Duffield says Labour supporters are being ‘taken for granted’
Ms Duffield told the BBC the party was ‘in my heart and in my soul’, but she has lost her ‘faith’ in the leadership.John Besley (The Independent)
news.sky.com/story/dozens-let-…
#politics #PrisonOvercrowding
Dozens let out of prison under emergency release scheme were freed by mistake
About 1,700 prisoners were released from jails across England and Wales on 10 September in a bid to cut overcrowding.Sky News
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The world stood by and did nothing while Israel tore across Gaza, destroying and killing everything in its path, determined to wipe out all and any Palestinians, but now that the centre of Israel had been hit in retaliation. World leaders are like: "Ooh? This might be getting out of hand?"
standard.co.uk/news/world/us-u…
#politics #gaza
Netanyahu under pressure as US and UK call for 21-day ceasefire on Lebanon-Israel border
Senior US officials hope deal can be implemented ‘in the coming hours’Mark Wilkinson (Evening Standard)
𝗙𝗿𝗲𝗲 𝗦𝗰𝗵𝗼𝗼𝗹 𝗕𝗿𝗲𝗮𝗸𝗳𝗮𝘀𝘁 𝗖𝗹𝘂𝗯𝘀
independent.co.uk/news/uk/poli…
Given the amount of children we have seen starved to death by their so-called parents I'm willing to pay for any child to get at least one meal a day out of my taxes regardless of how much their parents earn.
Rachel Reeves announces free school breakfast clubs from April as she doubles down on winter fuel cuts
Labour chancellor was heckled about the sale of arms to Israel as she made her speech to her party’s annual conference in LiverpoolKate Devlin (The Independent)
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Interestingly, I've been saying for years that schools should provide at least one hot meal a day for free for all pupils. I'm fairly confident those parents who can afford to contribute would even if it was to pay for another child's meal.
For me, it's not about providing a "Freebie" it's about ensuring there's not another bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-birm…
@neil
We looked at this in a local primary school I was a governor of a few years ago. We tried to find funding for a lunch for all pupils. The evidence was that attainment and health was improved by doing this. However we could not get it done.
The issue was not around cost as it actually would not have been too costly. However we had issues finding a specific budget pot that could be used to fund it.
The sensible idea would be to have a "Meal Club" account. The only issue I see with that is if the account accrues too much money, some councillor or MP will try to get their grubby hands on it rather than letting the school fund a Christmas dinner or something extra.
The only other thought I had was there would be scum out there that would stop feeding their kids: "You had something at Breakfast Club, didn't you?"
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bbc.co.uk/news/live/c5y3n56eg9…
Winter fuel vote live: Cut to winter fuel payment set to go ahead after government wins Commons vote
An opposition motion is defeated by 348 to 228 votes, meaning bill help for pensioners will be means tested.BBC News
Are they a deterrent? Punishment? Protecting Society? Rehabilitation? I'm wondering what releasing prisoners early tells offenders? "We were just kidding when we gave you your sentence. You do know you only have to serve a bit of it, don't you?"
bbc.co.uk/news/live/c62rygz20g…
Prisons start releasing offenders early in effort to ease overcrowding
More than 1,700 prisoners are being let out early today as part of a government scheme to deal with overcrowding.BBC News
So, how long of a given sentence do you think someone should serve? A day? A week? A month? What is the point of giving someone twelve months custodial if they know there's a chance they could be released within two or three months? And given how tariffs work, they could be out within a month once "Time served on remand" has been taken into account.
I blame ALL governments for not investing in 'capacity' within the UK, including the NHS and education. The population has exploded since the '60s to 80 Million, and we're still stumbling along with a capacity of 53 Million; there are only so many eggs you can squeeze in a box before they start cracking.
Length of sentence depends on circumstances of course, and then on behavior inside.
I get the impression that sentence-inflation is much of the cause of the overcrowding. Keep making sentences longer without building more capacity with no indication that doing so has any good effect on actual crime levels.
Not investing in the country and all the austerity since the banking crisis in 2008 does seem to have broken just about everything.
While I can fully understand the parents' pain and distress caused by questioning Lucy Letby's conviction, I would have hoped they would want the truth and not what appears to be, on the face of it, a very thin case. I'm unsure if an accusation of "Well, according to the rotas, you were always on duty when incidents happened!" is proof of guilt. Now, eminent professors are starting to question the medical evidence.
news.sky.com/story/lucy-letby-…
Lucy Letby: Doubts over conviction as families seek answers ahead of inquiry
Ahead of a public inquiry kicking off today, there is a call for its scope to be widened - as some raise questions about Lucy Letby's conviction. For the family of the victims, there has never been any flicker of remorse or motive suggested.Greg Milam (Sky News)
People say strange things about themselves in dark moments of personal crisis.
Here's a simple question: Have you ever rubber-necked a crash on the motorway? Have you ever been disappointed that the collision wasn't horrific and just looked like a bad shunt? Does that mean you are a killer? I would argue not. People do lots of things that that with hindsight may not be the best of ideas. Does looking at Best Gore (The site is gone now, thank The Pond Gods) make one a serial killer? The trouble is, the police and courts would say, "Ah! See what he was looking at? He must be guilty." the same can be said for her diary; it fits the narrative, but that doesn't mean it's proof.
I would argue we've seen an erosion of: "Beyond reasonable doubt." over the years in favour of the Vera syndrome: "Com on, you did it!" 🤷♂️
My daughter (The Nurse) is convinced she's guilty.
"Come on, Dad, She's very strange. She sent love letters to a Consultant!"
Oh, so infatuation is proof of committing infanticide, is it? 🤦♂️
"I don't mean to be rude."
"Don't take this the wrong way."
"With the greatest of respect."
Have you noticed that when people make that statement, they proceed to rip you to bits after playing what they believe is a "Get out of jail" card?
#politics #winterfuel #labour
youtube.com/watch?v=RwxW3beZ8P…
Keir Starmer: “We are going to have to be unpopular”
The prime minister says his government has to do 'difficult things now' even if they are unpopular in order to bring about change.YouTube
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Translation:
"I don't mean to be rude." - I couldn’t care less what you think or say, I’ll do and say what I want
"Don't take this the wrong way."- - I couldn’t care less what you think or say, I’ll do and say what I want
"With the greatest of respect." - I couldn’t care less what you think or say, I’ll do and say what I want
And those using these phrases think were daft enough not to know what they mean.
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#DoubleStandards
theguardian.com/society/articl…
Minister won’t deny UK government may rent prison space in Estonia
Justice ministry reportedly considering sending criminals in England and Wales to Baltic stateJamie Grierson (The Guardian)
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See, that is the greatest lie of the 21st century. While some of the initial countries, such as Iran, Saudi Arabia, and possibly even Turkey, might be a bit dangerous for them, you can't possibly believe Hungary, Austria, Italy, Switzerland, and France or Germany, Belgium, and France are not "Safe Countries" for a fleeing Afghan?
I watched a programme the other day documenting how numerous towns across Italy are welcoming migrants in the hope of reanimating dead towns and villages. Yet, thousands ignore that option and race for Calais.
While many migrants may have family in the UK, that doesn't mean they get an automatic right to come here. It is obvious why Britain is the destination of choice. I wonder what would happen if the welfare state was abolished?
I didn't say anything about the safety of those countries.
Are you under the impression that there's some international rule saying people fleeing war have to stop at the first safe place they come to?
That rule doesn't exist, and it would be madness if it did, forcing the fleeing population to bunch up on the borders instead of spreading out around the world.
Scotland also wants immigrants, the UK is in dire need of immigrants because the population is old and retiring.
Most immigrants don't pick the UK, and those that do usually do so because of the language I suspect. That and Only Fools And Horses.
If they are under the impression we have a particularly generous welfare state they soon find they are mistaken.
Neil Darlow :gotosocial: :silverblue: :xmpp:
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