Tuesday 19th August 2025

[refitman]

Morning all.

[Frog222]

Morning
For once I will perhaps look at the whole of yesterday's WH performance by Z and the Europeans !
The self-control needed to deal with the Mad King Donny is quite something ...

Yesterday's NS Morning Call mail was "The King Over The Water", on the replacement of the hugely unpopular SKS --

"" It’s easy to dismiss the twice-defeated leadership candidate (and plenty still do). But after eight years running Greater Manchester, Burnham is the only senior Labour politician with a positive net approval rating (+7) and the public’s preferred choice to succeed Keir Starmer as leader. Among party members, the group who would determine the outcome, his ratings are positively North Korean: a favourability rating of +78 (in a new LabourList poll).

Burnham has done little to discourage speculation about his future. Back in June, as I reported at the time, he made what amounted to a leadership pitch at Compass’s conference, offering a “popular left programme” of economic and constitutional radicalism: the reversal of local authority cuts, higher wealth taxes and proportional representation.

It’s one that some MPs – plenty of them former Burnham critics – are increasingly attracted by. “He’s the only possible front-runner not tainted by being part of this government,” remarks one influential backbencher. “Andy says he has changed. Personally, I believe him.” Another senior figure suggested: “There are many more than 80 MPs who would nominate him.” Neal Lawson, the head of Compass, which is repositioning itself as the leader of Labour’s soft left, comments: “Burnham is proving himself to be popular in the party and is seen to have the character and politics to win the country. I meet a lot of people in Labour increasingly willing this to happen.”

But is there a way? Speculation over Burnham’s imminent return is an old Westminster sport and there’s been plenty of it in recent weeks. ""

Not sure where he stands on the Gaza mass murder but that's something else where govt members will all be tainted by .

[refitman]

[Frog222]

"Four more Years " indeed !

Yes of course Sire, now did you take your pills this morning ?

[Frog222]

Sent this to my English sister who is a bit dissatisfied by being used as a free babysitter by her well-heeled next generation ...

https://archive.ph/M05Xu

[Frog222]

Off soon but time for a quick one, only picked it because of the thumbnail, and SHORT ! (Three minutes )

One comment, (most are shit) --
@mh060168 il y a 8 heures
You didn't pickup that when Donald Trump called upon every single person at the table to speak he did so (a) by name, (b) called them friend, and (c) paid them at least some complement, except... guess who?
Yes, our glorious leader simply got "Mr. Prime Minister"



Another reason to watch the whole damn thing and make up my own mind

[refitman]

Fixing, or even better, scrapping the crap legislation isn't an option. Let's just make it infinitely worse instead.

[Frog222]

Lollled ! Of course it makes sense that for example children should not be allowed to use an adult's computer

Good to see Eagleton at the G . I read his first article on SKS, AND the book, so not been surprised since . https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfr ... retary-nhs

Young Wes is in love with the 'private sector and markets' , with no fucking experience or plain general knowledge on their history and current practice about either !

"

The other front on which Streeting has been fighting is the culture war. He has imposed a permanent ban on puberty blockers for trans children – despite a wealth of dissenting expert opinion including that of the British Medical Association, which disputes the scientific basis of the prohibition – and he has also barred those under 18 from changing gender markers on their NHS records, potentially making it more difficult for them to access vital services.

The irony, of course, is that while Streeting styles himself as the man to beat Nigel Farage, his politics is one of deference to big business, clampdowns on trans rights and incendiary rhetoric to provoke the left. These features are more typically associated with reactionary populism than with social democracy. Streeting’s ascent reflects the fact that, in today’s Labour party, the former is cannibalising the latter."

Oliver Eagleton is an associate editor at the New Left Review and author of The Starmer Project: A Journey to the Right

[Frog222]

Even Melania ????????

Or is it just a big act ?

Anyway, a reminder, in the public domain .

[Frog222]

Troll feeding ?



Reply

[Frog222]

[Frog222]

I had a couple of pages of these from ancient CiF.

[Frog222]

" Naval gazing"

"Under the yolk of the invaders"

[Frog222]

Manchester United are importing a sinister US tactic: Public money for stadiums

Politicians supporting United’s plan, like Greater Manchester mayor Andy Burnham, have stressed that no public money will be used to build the stadium. But that appears to be a bit of verbal trickery: United’s new stadium cannot be built as planned without moving the freight rail hub; if the government pays to move the hub, they save United from having to do so themselves. (Manchester United declined to respond to a request for comment.)

https://www.theguardian.com/football/20 ... ic-funding
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Billionaires were quite recently still meeting Starmer in the Director's Box at Arsenal .

Is he preparing a soft landing for after his eviction ?

[Sky'sGoneOut]

I honestly thought it was 'anchors away'. Though to be fair I don't think it's a term I've ever had cause to use. "I'm just popping to the shops...anchors aweigh!" Nope that just sounds mad.

Spoke to a lovely lady at the council today about my housing benefit woes. It took her all of 5 minutes to sort it out on their system after seeing someone had fucked up. I left with a novel feeling of happy satisfaction, well that and relief now that it's been officially confirmed that I don't owe them a load of money.

Can we have the heatwave back please? It's only 22° in here and I'm thinking of going and getting a blanket.

[Frog222]

Nights drawing in, fast !

I'd got used to bedroom at 23 too .......

[Sky'sGoneOut]

Fixing, or even better, scrapping the crap legislation isn't an option. Let's just make it infinitely worse instead.

Rachel de Souza's response is also drivel. How the hell does she imagine anyone can age verify VPN's? It's the same kind of ignorant crap we had from the Tories when they demanded encrypted messaging apps give the security services a back door into their systems. I remember a particularly excruciating exchange on Newsnight between the UK head of Signal (the messaging app) and some Tory gimp where she repeatedly explained to him that even they couldn't read their users messages so the only option would be for them to stop offering their service in the UK. It's even harder for VPN's. For Signal or other messaging apps you obviously need to give your phone number, but I've been using the free Proton VPN for the last couple of years and have never had to give anything other than an throwaway email address it took 5 minutes to create when I signed up. I guess they they could force registration using a credit card like they've done with the porn sites, but then all it would take would be to use the likes of TOR to sign up to a VPN from a foreign IP address and Bob's your uncle. At which point you're putting kids precariously close to the scary dark web.

The only way to satisfy the likes of de Souza would be to ban VPN's entirely, which would cripple British businesses which is why even the Chinese haven't done it.

I fully appreciate that kids are growing up in a world where they're able to see horrible shit that we were never exposed to at their age, not just porn but all of it. The genie however is out of the bottle and there's no stuffing it back in. Perhaps instead of seeing it from our generation’s perspective and what we would regard to be a normal upbringing it would be better to educate them to adapt to the new reality rather than fruitlessly tilting at digital windmills in pursuit of an impossible goal. We humans have been adapting for 200,000 years. My world was different to my parents growing up as theirs was to their parents. And we all turned out fine. Mostly.

[Frog222]

Parking!

[Frog222]