Saturday 10th & Sunday 11th April 2021

[refitman]

Morning all.

[Willow904]

Morning.

Is it safe to check out the news again yet? It almost feels a bit inappropriate the way the BBC has thrown itself into the royal tributes with such enthusiasm. Feels a bit ghoulish and undignified. Un-British, even.

[refitman]

Morning.

Is it safe to check out the news again yet? It almost feels a bit inappropriate the way the BBC has thrown itself into the royal tributes with such enthusiasm. Feels a bit ghoulish and undignified. Un-British, even.

Only 8 more days, then we can all stop feeling sad at 8am on the 18th?!

https://twitter.com/RussInCheshire/stat ... 25696?s=20" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

[gilsey]

BBC love it, don't have to talk about politics.

I was going to say Nicholas Witchell is ghastly, but then realised I've managed to avoid seeing him at all, so far at least.

[AnatolyKasparov]

At least some normal programming has reappeared on the Beeb now.

[RogerOThornhill]

Good morning.

Apparently, according to The Sun, we are all weeping with the Queen. I doubt that.

Meanwhile, I don't think I would have retweeted this even if I did write it...

Laurence Fox Glass of milk Retweeted
The Reclaim Party
@thereclaimparty
In light of the extremely sad news of Prince Phillips passing, the Reclaim Party will cease campaigning until further notice.

God save the queen.
12:46 PM · Apr 9, 2021·Twitter Web App

Oh dear...

[citizenJA]

Good afternoon, everyone.

[citizenJA]

It's snowing here.

[citizenJA]

Stopped snowing

[citizenJA]

it started snowing again then it stopped

[refitman]

Stopped snowing

Hailing in S.Yorkshire.

[AnatolyKasparov]

Might never say this again - but great result for Leeds today!

[RogerOThornhill]

I'm shocked, shocked that the person responsible for selecting the Commissioners to write and "independent" report seems to have had her sticky paws all over the resulting document!

Downing Street rewrote ‘independent’ report on race, experts claim

https://amp.theguardian.com/uk-news/202 ... pMSNpeIsfY" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

The Observer has been told that significant sections of the report published on 31 March, which were criticised and debunked by health professionals, academics, business chiefs and crime experts, were not written by the 12 commissioners who were appointed last July.


The 258-page document was not made available to be read in full or signed off by the group, which included scientist and BBC broadcaster Maggie Alderin-Pockock and Samir Shah, former chair of the Runnymede Trust, nor were they made aware of its 24 final recommendations. Instead, the finished report, it is alleged, was produced by No 10.

Didn't think it would be long before a few broke ranks.

[AnatolyKasparov]

Thank you for blowing away the tumbleweed, and a very interesting contribution too.

[refitman]

I think Starmer might need to get some new focus groups, this is just beyond belief.

Liam Young
@liamyoung
Asked if he would describe Meghan Markle’s treatment in the mainstream press as “racist”, Keir Starmer says “I wouldn’t.”
Image
11:23 AM · Apr 11, 2021·Twitter for iPhone

https://twitter.com/liamyoung/status/13 ... 49441?s=20" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

[AnatolyKasparov]

Just about the only people who think it wasn't are newspaper journalists, and that is Starmer's problem.

[refitman]

I'm done with Labour - direct debit cancelled, resignation submitted.

(Tbh, my membership was continuing out of apathy, more than anything else.)

[AnatolyKasparov]

Ah that is a shame. And, in my view, mistaken.

As it was when people left "because of Corbyn" - the party is bigger than any one person.

[Sky'sGoneOut]

Across the pond that would put Starmer firmly in the same camp as Fox News.

If he said that on any other major news network they'd be incredulous and he'd be torn to pieces.

Quite astonishing.

[Sky'sGoneOut]

I'm done with Labour - direct debit cancelled, resignation submitted.

Welcome to the wonderful world of the disillusioned and disenfranchised.

If you're wondering about what to do next I think I've got a pamphlet around here somewhere...nope that's a flyer for hot air balloon rides, well that's no good...let's see...a brochure for a monkey perming salon with a discount for Capuchins, again not very useful...hang on...an information leaflet from the Heckmonthwaite steam mangle museum, I doubt they'll ever let me back in there again...just a minute...aha, found it!

Ok, here's what it says.

"Thank you for purchasing the Zannusi superwash X2000."

[AnatolyKasparov]

Across the pond that would put Starmer firmly in the same camp as Fox News.

If he said that on any other major news network they'd be incredulous and he'd be torn to pieces.

Quite astonishing.

Which just shows that our media is now significantly worse than it is in the US. Which was an almost unthinkable prospect a scarily short time ago.

[Sky'sGoneOut]

the party is bigger than any one person.

True, but if I were on the left of the Labour party and was being asked to compromise my principles and swallow the guff Refitman highlighted above, then the least I would expect in return was competence and the prospect of success.

The distinct possibility of losing a seat like Hartlepool while the party leader appeases the Tory press would be a bit of a kick in the balls.

I'm on record here saying I thought Starmer would make a good Labour leader, but after that initial clawing back of losses it's just not happening, and there's always an excuse. First it was the Brexit bounce, then it was rallying around the Prime Minister in the face of an emergency, now it's the vaccination programme, there's always something to explain away why Labour under Starmer aren't performing as we well as we would hope. Of course we have been living in 'interesting times' for the last year and once we settle back into some kind of political normality things might change, but I'm not remotely confident that they will.

In short, Starmer promised competence and decency. His competence is beginning to look distinctly frayed around the edges and there's nothing decent about denying racism for reasons of political expediency.

I'm sure the Tory press will take note of his obsequiousness and reward him accordingly with a mountain of praise and glowing coverage of Labour policies.

(Once again AK, this wasn't aimed at you, I'm just venting).

[PorFavor]

I don't think that you have to be on the left of the Labour Party to feel that things aren't going swimmingly. As I might have said before, Keir Starmer is like Tony Blair without the good bits (and there were some).

[Sky'sGoneOut]

Which just shows that our media is now significantly worse than it is in the US. Which was an almost unthinkable prospect a scarily short time ago.

Or perhaps because Meghan Markle is one of their own the U.S media is more sympathetic to her cause. Piers Morgan chose racist, white nationalist Tucker Carlson's show to vent his spleen because anywhere else he'd have been flayed alive.

If there's one good thing Trump managed to achieve it was to increase the ratings of CNN and MSNBC while causing the viewing figures for Fox News to plummet. Although that's meant Fox has had to become more extreme to attract back the racists and nutjobs it lost.

[Sky'sGoneOut]

I don't think that you have to be on the left of the Labour Party to feel that things aren't going swimmingly. As I might have said before, Keir Starmer is like Tony Blair without the good bits (and there were some).

Go on then, which of Tony Blairs' bits were good?

Apart from the sanitation, the medicine, education, wine, public order, irrigation, roads, a fresh water system, public health and winning elections.

[Sky'sGoneOut]

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Spot_Fetcher

[PorFavor]

Well, I didn't like him much either. But he did spend money on education and health, and Scotland and Wales got devolution. He did squander the opportunities he had though. He could have done so much more to change things for the good - and make it difficult for them to be changed for the bad. I can't let him off that one. Keir Starmer seems disinclined to change anything, though.

[PorFavor]

Night night.