Monday 30th December 2019 - Friday 3rd January 2020

[AnatolyKasparov]

PTO

Your wish is my command.

[PorFavor]

Mine too oh, Omnipotent One.

[AFinch]

Happy New Year. Well we can hope.

More of the formerly unbelievable, now being normalised: https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/av/world-asi ... oking-city

[HindleA]

https://www.theguardian.com/politics/20 ... ple-carers" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

[Sky'sGoneOut]

Finally back home on the couch with a glass of wine on my own, thank fuck all that festive bollocks is over with for another year.

[Sky'sGoneOut]

Highlight was definitely getting up on Christmas day early and walking along the beach to watch the sunrise over the sea. I didn't do it on purpose, I woke up because I really needed a wee and couldn't get back to sleep, but it was beautiful. Just me, the sea and the sun and a bunch of other people doing the exact same thing. And their dogs. And children.

Sat in a pub in my old home town last Sunday night on my own reminiscing about the happy times I spent in there during my misspent youth, and believe it or not but it came as a shock to me when I realised those times were nearly 30 years ago. The place has barely changed and it felt like yesterday. I didn't feel depressed as such when this realisation hit me, more bewildered, then increasingly pissed off.

Best thing was a cheese stall in the street market, I went wild and spent over a tenner. Finishing off a sort of Gouda like affair at the moment and it's scrumptious.

[Sky'sGoneOut]

I noticed Richard Burgon attempting to add to the festive jollity by putting himself forward as a candidate for the Labour leadership.

Having witnessed Richard at first hand (during a rather embarrassing episode where I mistakenly thought he was my MP because Parliament's own website told me he was) and fighting off my initial urge to burst out laughing, my main concern became seeing who was pulling the string in his back making him repeat mindless gibberish. He'd only just been elected then but if anything he's got worse. In the thankfully massively unlikely event the Labour membership collectively shit their brains out again and elect him the one benefit would be that at press conferences he could be readily replaced by an only partially shaved monkey which had been trained to lip sync a parrot which had been trained to squawk random phrases from an obsure and particularly badly written 700 page Socialist fantasy novel where Jeremy Corbyn actually lost this last election on purpose because of a prophecy. What that mysterious prophecy is you don't find out until the third book. It's really annoying.

Sorry, Question Time's not on so I've nothing better to do than this.

[Sky'sGoneOut]

I noticed they sold body armour in Mountain Warehouse the other day.

Seriously, I'm not making that up.

I've got the discount card and a further 10% off as an RSPB member so when the imminent apocalypse comes, and if Mountain Warehouse is still open, I can get us all cheap armour. Someone else will have to take care of the weapons.

I'm guessing Anatoly.

I know some caves we can make our base in Yorkshire that nobody will ever find. Mother Shipton's for example.

And we could make our own cheese and age it in the cave and charge a fortune for it, I'm guessing at least 2 human pelts and meat for a quarter wedge.

We wouldn't just survive we would thrive with me as your king.

And ultimately your god until I realised I was in a simulation that Adam had posted on Youtube and I was in fact dribbling in the corner to some random indie band.

Seriously though, you can buy body armour in Mountain Wharehouse.

[PorFavor]

Would that be the best little Wharehouse in . . . ?

[Sky'sGoneOut]

Everywhere, it's a national chain.

Which is why if you walk into any pub these days all the middle aged blokes look like they're about to go on a hike.

I blame John Craven.

[Lost Soul]

Would that be the best little Wharehouse in . . . ?

I saw what you did there...

[AnatolyKasparov]

Back to current events, it looks like the neocon ghouls might finally get the war with Iran that they have slavered for going back two decades now.

Happy new year, and decade

[Willow904]

Major international incident.

So what does our newly elected PM have to say?

[citizenJA]

Good afternoon, everyone.

[citizenJA]

I'd hoped for some peaceful time and sensible leadership prior to the apocalypse.

[citizenJA]

Major international incident.

So what does our newly elected PM have to say?

Has anyone gotten Johnson out of bed?
Maybe it's better to let him sleep.

[citizenJA]

Dr Stephen Pacey

Kind, honourable people live among us. It's encouraging.

[PorFavor]

Good morfternoon.

Qasem Soleimani: Boris Johnson not told about US airstrike

Boris Johnson was not warned about the US airstrike in Iraq that killed a top Iranian general, the BBC understands.

The UK has 400 troops based in the Middle East and works alongside US forces in the region.

But President Donald Trump did not tell the UK PM about the attack he ordered that killed Qasem Soleimani on Friday.

Tory MP Tom Tugendhat said there was a "pattern" from the current White House not to share details with its allies, which was a "matter of concern".

The former chairman of the Commons Foreign Affairs Committee added: "I have long believed the purpose of having allies is so we can surprise our enemies, not each other." (BBC News website)

https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-politics-50981719

[PorFavor]

I had a sense of déjà vu when I read Tom Tugendhat's comments. Has he said exactly that before - or am I imagining things?

[PorFavor]

Just my imagination[ then], running away with me . . .




Edited - tidy up

[PorFavor]

Still no word from Boris Johnson?

[adam]

No, but Trump is very clear. We are a peace loving nation. We do not seek war with Iran. We have assassinated their general. There is no need for them to retaliate. We can all just get along now.

[PorFavor]

Guardian world affairs editor Julian Borger:

State department officials have been trying to bolster claims from the president and secretary of state Mike Pompeo, that the killing of Suleimani stopped imminent attacks and was therefore an act of self defence.

A[n] official added Suleiman’s death would reduce the pace of attacks on Americans.”It slows it down. It makes it less likely,” the official said, adding: “Jesus, do we have to explain why we do these things?”(Guardian Live)

[adam]

Guardian world affairs editor Julian Borger:

State department officials have been trying to bolster claims from the president and secretary of state Mike Pompeo, that the killing of Suleimani stopped imminent attacks and was therefore an act of self defence.

A[n] official added Suleiman’s death would reduce the pace of attacks on Americans.”It slows it down. It makes it less likely,” the official said, adding: “Jesus, do we have to explain why we do these things?”(Guardian Live)

John 11:35

[PorFavor]

Using words carefully chosen to fire up his churchgoing audience, Trump accused Democrats of waging a “crusade” against religious freedom.

“The extreme left in America is... trying to replace God with socialism,” he said. (Guardian Live)

[PorFavor]

John 11:35

Quite.

[PorFavor]

Reuters: 'Air strikes target Iraqi militia convoy north of Baghdad, killing six people, an Iraqi army source says'

Early reports have emerged on a fresh airstrike that took place in Baghdad and the details have in the past hour have appeared increasingly credible.(Guardian Live)

[PorFavor]

He likes to spread it about a bit, doesn't he? Very fair-minded.

[PorFavor]

Lisa Nandy enters Labour leadership race with call for change (Guardian)

https://www.theguardian.com/politics/20 ... for-change

[PorFavor]

Things just keep getting better and better this year.