Thursday 9th May 2024

[refitman]

Morning all.

[RogerOThornhill]

Good morning.

I'm finding this interesting...

[RogerOThornhill]

I love it that some people got this and others were blissfully unaware...

[frog222]

Good morning.

I'm finding this interesting...

Morning Roger -- that was a nice start to the day, after all the laughs we had yesterday !

Hon. Members know that I am a strong advocate for the importance of social and affordable housing. I grew up in council housing, and I firmly believe that it is social and affordable housing that provides a good home. That is somewhere that provides opportunity—a springboard for life chances—as well as stability, flexibility and affordability. A good home is not incidental or subsidiary to the other fundamental needs or priorities of a Government, such as health or education. Providing good homes is itself a fundamental need and priority. It is the foundation stone for families and people across all ages to live well and prosper in our society.
...
As a constituency MP, I am proud of the work that the Conservative-led Dover District Council has undertaken to provide new council and affordable homes for our local community. However, more must be done nationally to support those in need. It is time for Operation Homemaker —a new national mission to house the homeless and build the affordable homes that our country needs. We can and must deliver the social homes that are needed. The time to deliver social and affordable housing is not the future; it is right here and right now, and that is what we must do.

https://parallelparliament.co.uk/mp/nat ... al-housing

[frog222]

[refitman]

[Sky'sGoneOut]

I wonder what Nandy is going to have say about her newly acquired comrade. Let's hope she does a better job than Anneliese Dodds this morning. That was painful.

[Sky'sGoneOut]

[AnatolyKasparov]

Good line, but I also think it was posted yesterday

[frog222]

Good line, but I also think it was posted yesterday

Indeed !

[Sky'sGoneOut]

It's been interesting seeing the fall out from Elphicke's welcome into the Labour party from its centrist cheerleaders.

Noticeably there's been an almost complete split between male commentators like Raphael Behr above who see it as pragmatic politics, and female commentators like Marina Purkiss and 'Supertanskiii' who seem genuinely shocked and disgusted.

I'm with the ladies on this one.

[AnatolyKasparov]

Again a good one liner, but its a shame someone didn't then ask Penny "was your reaction the same when Natalie backed you for leader two years ago?"

[refitman]

I'm off on holiday tomorrow, for 10 days, so chances are I won't be able to open up in the mornings.

[refitman]

It's not gonna turn out like this, but it would be hilarious

[Sky'sGoneOut]

I'm off on holiday tomorrow, for 10 days, so chances are I won't be able to open up in the mornings.

Very nice. Where are you off to?

[refitman]

I'm off on holiday tomorrow, for 10 days, so chances are I won't be able to open up in the mornings.

Very nice. Where are you off to?

Going to Corfu, with the rest of my family. Same place I went a couple of years ago.
https://www.theorchardvillas.com/villa/villa-karydia/

[Sky'sGoneOut]

Looks marvellous.

Mind you Leeds feels like the Mediterranean today.

[frog222]

So has my garden in Normandy !

[Sky'sGoneOut]

Question Time came tonight from Stoke. When the audience was asked to raise their hands if they thought Natalie Elphicke would be an asset to the Labour Party guess how many did so? That's right, not one of them.

For the Conservatives we had Nigel Huddleston. Nigel was so insipidly dull it's almost impossible to take the piss out of him, the only time he became agitated about anything was when he was defending Israel. So unremittingly boring was he that he managed to avoid being laughed at for a good 40 minutes, largely I presume because everyone kept drifting off whenever he opened his mouth, but then the subject of 'levelling up' arose and the inevitable happened. Apparently the good people of Stoke on Trent weren't hugely impressed by the new car park they've had built with money from the levelling up fund and let Nigel know it in the form of raucous guffawing when he tried to assure them his government was investing in the city.

For Labour we had Lisa Nandy. Lisa was tasked tonight with defending Natalie Elphicke being welcomed with open arms into her party and she blew it. She tried to paint it as a numbers game, as in the more MPs Labour have the more effectively they can oppose the government and thus she claimed it would be morally wrong to turn down any help they can get. Which begs the question if Jacob Rees-Mogg or Jonathan Gullis wished to join Labour would she object? Because according to her own ridiculous reasoning it would be immoral for her to do so. Absolutely nobody was convinced by what she was saying and I have to admit I felt embarrassed for her. She's usually one to speak her mind for good or ill but watching her spout such transparent bollocks at the behest of her party leadership was painful. She rallied a bit afterwards, giving probably the strongest criticism of Israel I've heard to date from a Labour politician but then let herself down again denying that Starmer had said Israel had the right to cut off power and water to Gaza while in a heated argument with our next panellist...

For the Left we had Grace Blakeley. Grace was excellent and had obviously come for a fight with Starmer's Labour and it was hard to disagree with anything she said. She clearly irked Nandy and they ended up knocking lumps out of each other until Fiona Bruce ruined the fun. It's odd to see but we've reached a state of affairs now where despite still running the country the Tories have become an irrelevance, Grace and Lisa ignored poor Nigel who was sat between them as they traded barbs. Perhaps I'm being unfair in doubting Grace is much of a football fan but she kept kicking balls into an open goal. Should we be arming the Israelis? No. Should Natalie Elphicke be welcomed into the Labour Party while Diane Abbott remains suspended? No. Is Labour watering down just about everything it has been promising? Yes. Back of the net every time with applause from an audience in a part of the country Labour needs to win back.

For people who own gyms we inexplicably had Humphrey Cobbold. Humphrey said absolutely nothing of any interest whatsoever, and it's not just that I've got to the end here and I'm flagging, he genuinely offered nothing besides blind corporate management wankspeak and a feeble defence of Israel. Presumably he was booked as a right wing voice and if so if so if I were Robbie Gibb I'd be wanting the appearance fee back.

[Sky'sGoneOut]

Ok so what do we do when Refit's away enjoying a well deserved holiday?

First one up and about starts a new thread for the day?

I can guarantee that won't be me so have at it.

[Sky'sGoneOut]

So Steve Albini died yesterday.