Tuesday 26th September 2023

[refitman]

Morning all.

[frog222]

Morning refit



" Sunak had yet more dreams and visions. Transforming the education system to one where everyone was as brilliant at maths as he was. All without the necessary maths teachers. Or the curriculum. The wonder of imaginary numbers. But Rish! was on a roll. So many ideas. So few principles. Clutter the airwaves with white noise. Fantasy culture wars. The mask of inactivity. Anything to escape his own existential implosion. "

https://www.theguardian.com/politics/20 ... he-started

[AnatolyKasparov]

I know its shooting fish in a barrel stuff right now, but Crace has been on form recently.

[RogerOThornhill]

Good afternoon.

Nothing will happen of course...

In other, more personal news, 'er indoors died this morning. Difficult day today phoning round organising stuff. It was fairly inevitable that it wouldn't be long once she had the diagnosis of a brain tumour a couple of months ago. Sigh.

[notnowsonny]

So sorry, RO’H. Even though you know it’s going to happen, it’s still horrible. Sincere condolences.

[AnatolyKasparov]

Well though that news is not unexpected, it is still terribly sad. Best wishes at this time to you and yours.

[frog222]

RoT -- hard times , and best wishes to you XX

Will tell other people tomorrow AM tho Ohso has already seen it and sends her condolences .

[Sky'sGoneOut]

That's awful news Roger. Take care mate.

[refitman]

Sorry to hear that Roger.

[refitman]

Looks like Trump is done in NYC

[Sky'sGoneOut]

In regard to Braverman's offensive idiocy today, I can't really find it in myself to blame her for it. If you took equal measures of delusion, ignorance, stupidity, and ambition, melted them down into an alloy then cast them in a crudely made mould, Suella is what you would get. This is a woman who is laughed and and mocked every single time she has to face the public. She's completely cuckoo, a national joke. And yet she gets to pontificate on an international stage representing this country. Why? Certainly not because of her talents, it's pretty obvious most of the Tory party think she's round the bend. She's where she is because she could bring votes to Truss and then Sunak in their leadership bids and Sunak thinks keeping her in her job will placate the headbangers on his back benches.

If you did a Caligula and started granting offices of the state to animals it would be entirely unfair to blame them if they shat all over the place and ran amok, and so it is with Suella. She's so manifestly incapable and out of her depth that the only people to blame are those who put her where she is for their own tawdry benefit.

[gilsey]

That is sad news indeed, Roger O'T.
Look after yourself.

[AnatolyKasparov]

I do think that Braverman is almost daring Inaction Man to sack her now.

[Sky'sGoneOut]

Looks like Trump is done in NYC

Oof! That's gotta hurt. Most of his assets are in NY real estate and this will make it seriously difficult for him to borrow money.

What really pisses me off though is the absolute certainty that if he'd never become president this wouldn't be happening. Not that I'm saying the judgement is politically motivated, it's clear given the judge's statement that the Trump organisation has committed fraud, clumsily tried to cover it up, and attempted to wreck the case with nonsense legal arguments which resulted in all of Trump's lawyers being fined.

What I mean is if he'd remained a relatively harmless buffoon, avoided the gaze of prosecutors (or indeed giving them abuse and suing them), none of this would have come to light. For decades financial journalists have been reporting that the Trump Organisation has been inflating its assets but nobody who could do anything about it seemed to care. Or they were too afraid of the kind of lawyers he could afford. The IRS or HMRC are far happier going after those who can't fight back. It's only his egregious behaviour that has led to this while countless other 'billionaires' swan around happily in New York and London with no scrutiny whatsoever. Just look how far Bankman-Fried got before it all collapsed on him, wining and dining the great and good of American politics and culture (and Blair) using the proceeds of fraud before being taken down by rival crypto bros while the American financial establishment was still fawning over him.

Of course while Trump can still afford expensive lawyers thanks to his ruthless grifting from yokels in bandanas with eagles on them, the quality of those lawyers prepared to take his money has dropped significantly, I mean we're talking Braverman levels here so that might be another reason he's lost Trump Towers.

[AnatolyKasparov]

I do think there was some "curiosity" about his business dealings prior to his going into politics tbf, but point taken.

[Sky'sGoneOut]

I do think there was some "curiosity" about his business dealings prior to his going into politics tbf, but point taken.

That's exactly my point. There wasn't just curiosity but accusations yet nothing was done.