Xmas Eve, Xmas day & Boxing Day 2021

Post by **refitman** » Fri 24 Dec, 2021 9:20 am

Morning all.

AnatolyKasparov · Post by **AnatolyKasparov** » Fri 24 Dec, 2021 10:07 am

An early megathread, how nice.

(and another for the 27th and 28th since they are both bank hoidays)

Post by **PaulfromYorkshire** » Fri 24 Dec, 2021 11:32 am

Hi AK I know it’s out of scope but we could do with a review of a parish council by-election last night

AnatolyKasparov · Post by **AnatolyKasparov** » Fri 24 Dec, 2021 12:04 pm

Ah yes, the rootless cosmopolitan beat the "Englishman"!

There was one principal level contest as well, which was the Tories losing a safe seat in the New Forest to Independents.

Completes an almost totally disastrous December for them, backing up the polls.

Post by **PaulfromYorkshire** » Fri 24 Dec, 2021 12:24 pm

@ak yes a fairytale ending

PorFavor · Post by **PorFavor** » Fri 24 Dec, 2021 2:54 pm

Merry Christmas, all! Be well and stay safe.

Post by **PaulfromYorkshire** » Fri 24 Dec, 2021 7:01 pm

I just watched that Jackie Weaver Parish Council meeting again and I’d forgotten quite how awful it was.

Good riddance to Brian Tolver and welcome Labour’s Ribia Nisa, who won by just 25 votes from someone standing as “the Englishman”.

https://www.knutsfordguardian.co.uk/new ... -election/

tinyclanger2 · Post by **tinyclanger2** » Fri 24 Dec, 2021 7:04 pm

Fresh from a festive viewing of Netflix's "Dont look up". Not the best film ever made but probably one of the most prescient.

Post by **PaulfromYorkshire** » Fri 24 Dec, 2021 7:14 pm

And thanks for the wishes PF

tinyclanger2 · Post by **tinyclanger2** » Fri 24 Dec, 2021 7:18 pm

(and very pertinent to PfY's Cassandra complex.)

frog222 · Post by **frog222** » Fri 24 Dec, 2021 7:19 pm

I'm looking forward to this, being one of the millions who didn't perform due diligence on SKS !

( OK I don't live your side, but am still concerned after exactly 45 years in Europe this month . )

Interestingly it doesn't show up on Amazon.UK

" ABOUT THE STARMER PROJECT
Forensic political biography of the Labour Party leader

The Labour Party has virtually disappeared from view under the leadership of Keir Starmer. Hailed as a human-rights champion and political outsider, what sort of politician is he really, and what mark is he making on the new politics of Labour?

In The Starmer Project, Oliver Eagleton provides a careful reading of Starmer’s record at the Crown Prosecution Service and as a member of Jeremy Corbyn’s Shadow Cabinet, tracing the political alliances he forged and the roots of his bid for the Party leadership.

Starmer originally pledged to revitalise Corbynism with a dose of lawyerly competence. To understand what happened afterwards it is necessary to understand the man himself. So little remains known about Starmer that his actions are usually interpreted as overtures to others. On closer inspection, however, he is anything but an empty political vessel.

https://www.penguinrandomhouse.com/book ... -eagleton/

I was never a Corbynista, tho have held pretty much the same views for over fifty years . There's some sadly funny quotes to be found in this article --

Corbyn’s ‘cabal’ of top aides sabotaged election campaign, says Labour leader’s close friend

In stark contrast, Mr Simpson accuses the leader’s closest aides of “catastrophic misjudgement and ill-focused organisation” and an “obsession” with controlling both the leader and his message.

"Jeremy will inevitably carry much of the blame,” reads Mr Simpson’s submission to an independent review into the election disaster.

“But Labour’s deeper problems lie more in the cadre of senior advisers surrounding Corbyn. None should be allowed within a million miles of Labour’s rebuilding.

“People who’d never negotiated anything more than an extended tea-break were left in charge of the policy sifting process.”

https://www.independent.co.uk/news/uk/p ... 24066.html

I suppose Patel could try to deport me to NZ, but their Law changed , so my slightly younger bro has been there for some time now, and no dice for me !

Post by **PaulfromYorkshire** » Fri 24 Dec, 2021 7:58 pm

@frog

Something to spend my Christmas money on. Oh…

frog222 · Post by **frog222** » Fri 24 Dec, 2021 8:43 pm

PaulfromYorkshire wrote: ↑Fri 24 Dec, 2021 7:58 pm @frog
Something to spend my Christmas money on. Oh…

I think the guts of it are in his Novara article, and maybe more similar to come ...

Post by **PaulfromYorkshire** » Fri 24 Dec, 2021 8:57 pm

Thanks Frog

Don’t have much else to do tomorrow. I am going to sneak out of my isolation room in the morning and stuff the turkey and get it in the oven

tinyclanger2 · Post by **tinyclanger2** » Sat 25 Dec, 2021 7:21 am

Merry xmas nesters.

Post by **refitman** » Sat 25 Dec, 2021 8:59 am

Merry Christmas to all the nesters.

notnowsonny · Post by **notnowsonny** » Sat 25 Dec, 2021 9:36 am

Feliz Navidad to all from Tenerife ( or Felixstowe Navidad as autocorrect wanted!). Nice warm day and looking forward to a cold swim later. Hope we all have an excellent day and a better 2022!

tinyclanger2 · Post by **tinyclanger2** » Sat 25 Dec, 2021 9:41 am

I may adopt Felixstowe Navidad as my habitual festive greeting

frog222 · Post by **frog222** » Sat 25 Dec, 2021 10:22 am

Just wishing everyone Good Health from a rather dull Normandy

Delightful cool Christmas morning for sis in SanJuan -PR --
24°C°F
Precipitation: 95%
Humidity: 86%
Wind: 0 km/h

"It's like having the AC on !"

Sky'sGoneOut · Post by **Sky'sGoneOut** » Sat 25 Dec, 2021 10:37 am

Merry Christmas all!

gilsey · Post by **gilsey** » Sat 25 Dec, 2021 11:04 am

Happy Christmas everyone, have a great day.

frog222 · Post by **frog222** » Sat 25 Dec, 2021 11:14 am

Just wishing everyone Good Health from a rather dull Normandy

Delightful cool Christmas morning for sis in SanJuan -PR --
24°C°F
Precipitation: 95%
Humidity: 86%
Wind: 0 km/h

"It's like having the AC on !"

AnatolyKasparov · Post by **AnatolyKasparov** » Sat 25 Dec, 2021 11:33 am

Hope everybody here has a good one

Willow904 · Post by **Willow904** » Sat 25 Dec, 2021 1:25 pm

Happy Christmas everyone from the damp, windswept Mendips.

I got a copy of the book by The Secret Barrister to cheer me up/depress me, not sure which!

: Xmas Tree.jpg (54.96 KiB) Viewed 6876 times

Post by **PaulfromYorkshire** » Sat 25 Dec, 2021 3:09 pm

I’m so sorry PF - I watched the Queen’s Speech!!!

It was actually very lovely.

tinyclanger2 · Post by **tinyclanger2** » Sat 25 Dec, 2021 3:36 pm

Direct from Felixstowe...

Post by **PaulfromYorkshire** » Sat 25 Dec, 2021 4:09 pm

@tc I accidentally pressed play on that - my life is ruined!

Post by **PaulfromYorkshire** » Sat 25 Dec, 2021 4:10 pm

You have all been warned!!!

Post by **PaulfromYorkshire** » Sat 25 Dec, 2021 4:11 pm

In fact @Refitman it must surely be against the site rules

tinyclanger2 · Post by **tinyclanger2** » Sat 25 Dec, 2021 4:17 pm

I have a strange (not always widely appreciated) gift for these things.

tinyclanger2 · Post by **tinyclanger2** » Sat 25 Dec, 2021 4:25 pm

Chrismas No. 1 1987

Post by **PaulfromYorkshire** » Sat 25 Dec, 2021 6:43 pm

Which made me think of It’s a Sin - easily the best TV of 2021?

AnatolyKasparov · Post by **AnatolyKasparov** » Sun 26 Dec, 2021 12:14 pm

A happy Boxing Day to all. Am recovering from yesterday's excess

Post by **refitman** » Sun 26 Dec, 2021 12:22 pm

For those of us on Twitter

Post by **PaulfromYorkshire** » Sun 26 Dec, 2021 1:10 pm

Yeah poor isn’t it Refitman?

Post by **PaulfromYorkshire** » Sun 26 Dec, 2021 1:14 pm

So, Andrew Adonis just posted this.

‘My motto of the year is from Roy Jenkins - “never worry about criticism from people you wouldn’t dream of taking advice from”’

The problem it seems is this relies on careful choice of advisors. I suspect Jenkins got it right. I’m less certain about Adonis.

frog222 · Post by **frog222** » Sun 26 Dec, 2021 4:38 pm

Just imagine, if he'd been in the Labour Party SKS would have expelled him for antisemitism .

Post by **PaulfromYorkshire** » Sun 26 Dec, 2021 5:55 pm

Yes it hasn’t been a comfortable day for Starmer

Post by **PaulfromYorkshire** » Sun 26 Dec, 2021 5:56 pm

I don’t think Tutu was Blair’s number one fan either!

AnatolyKasparov · Post by **AnatolyKasparov** » Sun 26 Dec, 2021 6:00 pm

PaulfromYorkshire wrote: ↑Sun 26 Dec, 2021 5:55 pm Yes it hasn’t been a comfortable day for Starmer

Why would he be bothered by this?

Nobody has actually been expelled from Labour for expressing sentiments like Tutu's.

Post by **PaulfromYorkshire** » Sun 26 Dec, 2021 6:19 pm

@ak I think his Tweet was asking for trouble. Calling him a “leader of moral activism” so missed the mark IMO.

Tutu was uncompromising in calling Israel an apartheid state and calling for sanctions against Israel.

I’m not saying people have been expelled from Labour over those issues, but Starmer’s stance on Israel is a very long way from Tutu’s.

Post by **PaulfromYorkshire** » Sun 26 Dec, 2021 6:27 pm

Which is a shame, because I’m delighted to see Starmer and Labour doing better in the polls.

But he just seems to fumble these things in a way that really great leaders don’t.

AnatolyKasparov · Post by **AnatolyKasparov** » Sun 26 Dec, 2021 6:35 pm

I don't think that is a totally unreasonable statement either, Tutu wasn't and never claimed to be an actual politician like Mandela was.

(admittedly I say that as somebody who hasn't actually seen the tweet in question)

frog222 · Post by **frog222** » Sun 26 Dec, 2021 6:39 pm

AnatolyKasparov wrote: ↑Sun 26 Dec, 2021 6:00 pm
PaulfromYorkshire wrote: ↑Sun 26 Dec, 2021 5:55 pm Yes it hasn’t been a comfortable day for Starmer
Why would he be bothered by this?
Nobody has actually been expelled from Labour for expressing sentiments like Tutu's.

Jeremy Corbyn was expelled for what, then ?

Post by **PaulfromYorkshire** » Sun 26 Dec, 2021 6:40 pm

“ Desmond Tutu was a tower of a man, and a leader of moral activism.

He dedicated his life to tackling injustice and standing up for the oppressed. His impact on the world crosses borders and echoes through generations.

May he rest in peace.”

Post by **PaulfromYorkshire** » Sun 26 Dec, 2021 6:43 pm

There’s nothing wrong with it, but even Johnson managed to talk about the fight against apartheid, which ultimately is his outstanding, Nobel Prize winning contribution.

Post by **refitman** » Sun 26 Dec, 2021 6:44 pm

AnatolyKasparov wrote: ↑Sun 26 Dec, 2021 6:00 pm
PaulfromYorkshire wrote: ↑Sun 26 Dec, 2021 5:55 pm Yes it hasn’t been a comfortable day for Starmer
Why would he be bothered by this?

Nobody has actually been expelled from Labour for expressing sentiments like Tutu's.

They do seem to be expelling a lot of Jewish members who are critical of both the Labour right and Israel.

Post by **PaulfromYorkshire** » Sun 26 Dec, 2021 7:15 pm

On balance, I think I’ll stick with my assessment that it wasn’t a very comfortable Day for Starmer

AnatolyKasparov · Post by **AnatolyKasparov** » Sun 26 Dec, 2021 7:27 pm

frog222 wrote: ↑Sun 26 Dec, 2021 6:39 pm
AnatolyKasparov wrote: ↑Sun 26 Dec, 2021 6:00 pm
PaulfromYorkshire wrote: ↑Sun 26 Dec, 2021 5:55 pm Yes it hasn’t been a comfortable day for Starmer
Why would he be bothered by this?
Nobody has actually been expelled from Labour for expressing sentiments like Tutu's.
Jeremy Corbyn was expelled for what, then ?

Suspended not expelled, and for a massively tone deaf and self-centred statement when the EHRC report was released - which moreover drove a coach and horses through an agreement he had previously made with Starmer as to how its release was going to be handled.

There is lots to criticise SKS for, but his being absolutely mad when that happened was quite understandable.

frog222 · Post by **frog222** » Sun 26 Dec, 2021 7:54 pm

AK "" Suspended not expelled, and for a massively tone deaf and self-centred statement when the EHRC report was released - which moreover drove a coach and horses through an agreement he had previously made with Starmer as to how its release was going to be handled.

There is lots to criticise SKS for, but his being absolutely mad when that happened was quite understandable"

Not myself ever having been a Corbynista I was outraged that JC was not allowed to say that he thought the so-called antisemitism problem in the LP had been exaggerated .
The EHRC report left that open as a valid opinion too, IIRC .