NPR

Paddington Bear wrote: Thu May 23, 2024 7:00 am

Insane_Homer wrote: Wed May 22, 2024 4:58 pm So what sort of a terrorist attack will befall us between now and 4 July? All this security rhetoric does not sit well, and I really wouldn't put it past these cunts. Probably be one of those 'known to police, lack of resource, got lost in the system but definitely arrived via a dingy' types.

Jesus

Just ignored it the first time

Simon Case giving evidence to the Covid enquiry today. Should be interesting.
Hopefully not overshadowed by election news and Vennells 2nd day giving evidence

Paddington Bear wrote: Thu May 23, 2024 7:00 am

Insane_Homer wrote: Wed May 22, 2024 4:58 pm So what sort of a terrorist attack will befall us between now and 4 July? All this security rhetoric does not sit well, and I really wouldn't put it past these cunts. Probably be one of those 'known to police, lack of resource, got lost in the system but definitely arrived via a dingy' types.

Jesus

10 days ago
https://www.gov.uk/government/speeches/ ... 3-may-2024

Countries like Russia are weaponising immigration for their own ends, and criminal gangs keep finding new routes across European borders.

Illegal migration is placing an intolerable strain on our security and our sense of fairness, and unless we act now and act boldly this problem is only going to grow.

Extremists are also exploiting these global conflicts to divide us.

...and from the Tory in-house magazine and his speech yesterday.
https://www.spectator.co.uk/article/sun ... mp-speech/

Sunak makes security central to his stump speech

The middle section of his speech touched on issues of high politics: Islamist extremism in the Middle East and a China ‘seeking to dominate the 21st century by stealing a lead in technology.’ Yet in the same breath that decried the weaponisation of migration by ‘hostile states’, Sunak then turned his guns on Labour, whom he declared would ‘enact a de facto amnesty for asylum-seekers making us a magnet for every illegal migrant in Europe.’ ‘In every way,’ he concluded ‘Labour would make our country less secure.’

Insane_Homer wrote: Thu May 23, 2024 9:50 am

Paddington Bear wrote: Thu May 23, 2024 7:00 am

Insane_Homer wrote: Wed May 22, 2024 4:58 pm So what sort of a terrorist attack will befall us between now and 4 July? All this security rhetoric does not sit well, and I really wouldn't put it past these cunts. Probably be one of those 'known to police, lack of resource, got lost in the system but definitely arrived via a dingy' types.

Jesus

10 days ago
https://www.gov.uk/government/speeches/ ... 3-may-2024

Countries like Russia are weaponising immigration for their own ends, and criminal gangs keep finding new routes across European borders.

Illegal migration is placing an intolerable strain on our security and our sense of fairness, and unless we act now and act boldly this problem is only going to grow.

Extremists are also exploiting these global conflicts to divide us.

...and from the Tory in-house magazine and his speech yesterday.
https://www.spectator.co.uk/article/sun ... mp-speech/

Sunak makes security central to his stump speech

The middle section of his speech touched on issues of high politics: Islamist extremism in the Middle East and a China ‘seeking to dominate the 21st century by stealing a lead in technology.’ Yet in the same breath that decried the weaponisation of migration by ‘hostile states’, Sunak then turned his guns on Labour, whom he declared would ‘enact a de facto amnesty for asylum-seekers making us a magnet for every illegal migrant in Europe.’ ‘In every way,’ he concluded ‘Labour would make our country less secure.’

It is a massive/mad jump from pretty mundane and widely accepted security concerns to allowing a terrorist attack on the UK.

Worth also pointing out that there were terror attacks during the 2017 election and if anything they benefitted Labour.

petej wrote: Thu May 23, 2024 9:53 am It is a massive/mad jump from pretty mundane and widely accepted security concerns to allowing a terrorist attack on the UK.

Only anecdotal coincidences for the last 2 elections, the chances of a third coincidence are very very small.

2017
19 April - Teresa May announces the election

22 May - Manchester Arena bombing - "more should have been done" by British police to stop the attack" "A public inquiry found MI5 missed a significant chance to take action that might have stopped the 2017 bombing."

3 June - London Bridge - "Butt and his brother were part of the UK government's Prevent programme, which aims to stop people from becoming terrorists, and which reports suspected radicals to police programmes"

General Election - 8 June

2019
29 October - Johnson's snap election passed my MPs

29 November - London Bridge stabbing - "Usman Khan, had been released from prison in 2018 on licence after serving a sentence for terrorist offences."

General Election - 12 December 2019

Insane_Homer wrote: Thu May 23, 2024 10:46 am

petej wrote: Thu May 23, 2024 9:53 am It is a massive/mad jump from pretty mundane and widely accepted security concerns to allowing a terrorist attack on the UK.

Only anecdotal coincidences for the last 2 elections, the chances of a third coincidence are very very small.

2017
19 April - Teresa May announces the election

22 May - Manchester Arena bombing - "more should have been done" by British police to stop the attack" "A public inquiry found MI5 missed a significant chance to take action that might have stopped the 2017 bombing."

3 June - London Bridge - "Butt and his brother were part of the UK government's Prevent programme, which aims to stop people from becoming terrorists, and which reports suspected radicals to police programmes"

General Election - 8 June

2019
29 October - Johnson's snap election passed my MPs

29 November - London Bridge stabbing - "Usman Khan, had been released from prison in 2018 on licence after serving a sentence for terrorist offences."

General Election - 12 December 2019

Except there were another three in 2017, two in 2018, one more in 2019 and another 7 since 2020. So not very, very small. On average two or three a year in that time period, so the likelihood of there bieng something in a two month spell is about 1 in 3. And that's before you factor in a potentially increased likelihood during an election period

But don't let actual facts put you off your paranoia.

Insane_Homer wrote: Thu May 23, 2024 10:46 am

petej wrote: Thu May 23, 2024 9:53 am It is a massive/mad jump from pretty mundane and widely accepted security concerns to allowing a terrorist attack on the UK.

Only anecdotal coincidences for the last 2 elections, the chances of a third coincidence are very very small.

2017
19 April - Teresa May announces the election

22 May - Manchester Arena bombing - "more should have been done" by British police to stop the attack" "A public inquiry found MI5 missed a significant chance to take action that might have stopped the 2017 bombing."

3 June - London Bridge - "Butt and his brother were part of the UK government's Prevent programme, which aims to stop people from becoming terrorists, and which reports suspected radicals to police programmes"

General Election - 8 June

2019
29 October - Johnson's snap election passed my MPs

29 November - London Bridge stabbing - "Usman Khan, had been released from prison in 2018 on licence after serving a sentence for terrorist offences."

General Election - 12 December 2019

Part of the nature of this. No one knows about the attacks stopped. In many instances you can't do anything until the attack is going ahead. The fact that these individuals were known to our security services is a sign that they are competent, would be more worrying if they weren't known.

Insane_Homer wrote: Thu May 23, 2024 10:46 am

petej wrote: Thu May 23, 2024 9:53 am It is a massive/mad jump from pretty mundane and widely accepted security concerns to allowing a terrorist attack on the UK.

Only anecdotal coincidences for the last 2 elections, the chances of a third coincidence are very very small.

2017
19 April - Teresa May announces the election

22 May - Manchester Arena bombing - "more should have been done" by British police to stop the attack" "A public inquiry found MI5 missed a significant chance to take action that might have stopped the 2017 bombing."

3 June - London Bridge - "Butt and his brother were part of the UK government's Prevent programme, which aims to stop people from becoming terrorists, and which reports suspected radicals to police programmes"

General Election - 8 June

2019
29 October - Johnson's snap election passed my MPs

29 November - London Bridge stabbing - "Usman Khan, had been released from prison in 2018 on licence after serving a sentence for terrorist offences."

General Election - 12 December 2019

This is absolutely pathetic stuff

Paddington Bear wrote: Thu May 23, 2024 11:09 am

Insane_Homer wrote: Thu May 23, 2024 10:46 am

petej wrote: Thu May 23, 2024 9:53 am It is a massive/mad jump from pretty mundane and widely accepted security concerns to allowing a terrorist attack on the UK.

Only anecdotal coincidences for the last 2 elections, the chances of a third coincidence are very very small.

2017
19 April - Teresa May announces the election

22 May - Manchester Arena bombing - "more should have been done" by British police to stop the attack" "A public inquiry found MI5 missed a significant chance to take action that might have stopped the 2017 bombing."

3 June - London Bridge - "Butt and his brother were part of the UK government's Prevent programme, which aims to stop people from becoming terrorists, and which reports suspected radicals to police programmes"

General Election - 8 June

2019
29 October - Johnson's snap election passed my MPs

29 November - London Bridge stabbing - "Usman Khan, had been released from prison in 2018 on licence after serving a sentence for terrorist offences."

General Election - 12 December 2019

This is absolutely pathetic stuff

All I can infer is that general elections happen and terrorist incidents happen.

terrorists use elections to maximise the impact of their actions on the political landscape.

In other news water is wet, ursine arboreal defecation and pope seen taking holy communion.

Biffer wrote: Thu May 23, 2024 10:57 am Except there were another three in 2017, two in 2018, one more in 2019 and another 7 since 2020. So not very, very small. On average two or three a year in that time period, so the likelihood of there bieng something in a two month spell is about 1 in 3.

You're right that does seem like a lot. Does that mean we've not been safe under the Tories or we are? There have only been one each in 2022 and 2023, which is good but does then seem at odds with this pre-election 'top priority' rhetoric that we should all be scared and vote for him to keep us safe because we're not safe and Labour can't do that? I'm confused

& The Russians, as he's stated, are clearly a danger, releasing the Russian Report might therefore be quite relevant...

Paddington Bear wrote: Thu May 23, 2024 11:09 am

Insane_Homer wrote: Thu May 23, 2024 10:46 am

petej wrote: Thu May 23, 2024 9:53 am It is a massive/mad jump from pretty mundane and widely accepted security concerns to allowing a terrorist attack on the UK.

Only anecdotal coincidences for the last 2 elections, the chances of a third coincidence are very very small.

2017
19 April - Teresa May announces the election

22 May - Manchester Arena bombing - "more should have been done" by British police to stop the attack" "A public inquiry found MI5 missed a significant chance to take action that might have stopped the 2017 bombing."

3 June - London Bridge - "Butt and his brother were part of the UK government's Prevent programme, which aims to stop people from becoming terrorists, and which reports suspected radicals to police programmes"

General Election - 8 June

2019
29 October - Johnson's snap election passed my MPs

29 November - London Bridge stabbing - "Usman Khan, had been released from prison in 2018 on licence after serving a sentence for terrorist offences."

General Election - 12 December 2019

This is absolutely pathetic stuff

The man is clearly mad, insane some may say.

Insane_Homer wrote: Thu May 23, 2024 11:52 am

Biffer wrote: Thu May 23, 2024 10:57 am Except there were another three in 2017, two in 2018, one more in 2019 and another 7 since 2020. So not very, very small. On average two or three a year in that time period, so the likelihood of there bieng something in a two month spell is about 1 in 3.

You're right that does seem like a lot. Does that mean we've not been safe under the Tories or we are? There have only been one each in 2022 and 2023, which is good but does then seem at odds with this pre-election 'top priority' rhetoric that we should all be scared and vote for him to keep us safe because we're not safe and Labour can't do that? I'm confused

& The Russians, as he's stated, are clearly a danger, releasing the Russian Report might therefore be quite relevant...

I didn't say it was a lot.

If you go back thirty years, 1990-93 had 22 attacks, as opposed to the seven from 2020 to now.

Biffer wrote: Thu May 23, 2024 2:09 pm I didn't say it was a lot.

Rishi wants you to think otherwise, 8 times in just one 10-minute stump speech.

This thread is fucking batshit.

Look it's all PART OF THE PLAN

Speaking into the camera, Mr Sunak said though the public are “only just starting to feel the benefits” of Tory plans, “this hard won economic stability was only ever meant to be the beginning.

“And that’s why I’ve called an election.”

David in Gwent wrote: Thu May 23, 2024 3:03 pm This thread is fucking batshit.

Coming from you, that's quite the um.... compliment?

tabascoboy wrote: Thu May 23, 2024 3:06 pm Look it's all PART OF THE PLAN

Speaking into the camera, Mr Sunak said though the public are “only just starting to feel the benefits” of Tory plans, “this hard won economic stability was only ever meant to be the beginning.

“And that’s why I’ve called an election.”

Maybe its because of ...

Bill for Infected Blood scandal
Bill for Post Office scandal
Bill for implementing Brexit checks at Border
Inflation resulting from Brexit border checks on food
Public outcry at queues when biometric checks come in October at ports and Eurotunnel/Eurostar
No fiscal headroom for promised tax cuts in Autumn, indeed taxes will remain at highest since WW2
Internal fighting amongst MPs and big surge in letters wanting to get rid of Sunak
Small boat numbers continue to increase over the summer
Rwanda never going to happen
Minimse chances of students voting as they are between Uni, home, travel, etc.
Summer sun helps get the OAPs out to vote
Sewage in the water get worse yet we will see water bills increasing
Interest rate cuts not likely until later in summer/autumn so more mortgage holders getting a hit
Inflation won't get any lower, indeed power prices will rise again in the autumn
NHS will continue its slow decline with waiting lists getting longer
NHS and Care sector collapse as overseas workers cant meet new minimum wage for a visa
Net legal immigration continues at 600k+ driven by Nigerians and Indians

In reality he has achieved the sum of the square root of feck all in his premiership and he knows it! Despite all his bluster nobody is listening to him anymore, there will be more Tory scandals, more defections and more grumbling from the far right. He is Johnny No Mates, he reeks of failure, is miserable at doing politics and his Downing Street speech in the pissing rain encapsulated the desperateness of his position. The Tory Party and their big funders know this and want rid but can't do anything now as it is too close to a general election. The right are playing a long game and will take the hit of losing the election in order to regroup and come again in 2029 once Labour have been blamed for the shit the 14 years of Tory mismanagement has created. Sunak knows all this and has thrown the dice in a big personal gamble and is now praying hard for something, anything to turn up and save his political career. Nothing will! However he has a backstop and if/when he loses he is off to sunny California in time for the back end of the summer - a good time to uproot the kids and get them settled into a new US school in time for the start of the new academic year.

Some chuckle-worthy comments and quotes (saw via an historian who said Labour will promise a Home Guard using an image of Dad's Army)

Insane_Homer wrote: Thu May 23, 2024 10:46 am

petej wrote: Thu May 23, 2024 9:53 am It is a massive/mad jump from pretty mundane and widely accepted security concerns to allowing a terrorist attack on the UK.

Only anecdotal coincidences for the last 2 elections, the chances of a third coincidence are very very small.

2017
19 April - Teresa May announces the election

22 May - Manchester Arena bombing - "more should have been done" by British police to stop the attack" "A public inquiry found MI5 missed a significant chance to take action that might have stopped the 2017 bombing."

3 June - London Bridge - "Butt and his brother were part of the UK government's Prevent programme, which aims to stop people from becoming terrorists, and which reports suspected radicals to police programmes"

General Election - 8 June

2019
29 October - Johnson's snap election passed my MPs

29 November - London Bridge stabbing - "Usman Khan, had been released from prison in 2018 on licence after serving a sentence for terrorist offences."

General Election - 12 December 2019

Starmer using the words change and working class ad nauseum along with aspiration in his keynote speech.
It could be Blair rather than the gray marrionette.
The Red Queen looks to be having her case dropped this week.
When this happens she is going to be playing the working class female victim card against the rich public school lads.
It's going to get very spicy.

C69 wrote: Mon May 27, 2024 9:26 am
It's going to get very embarrassing .

fixed

Another scandal under the watch of these useless cunts

Carers put through the wringer of carer’s allowance overpayments raise the same question time and again: they weren’t aware they had infringed benefit rules but welfare officials were. Why were they not told, rather than overpayments being allowed to run on for months, landing them with debts of thousands of pounds?

For thousands of carers who unwittingly breached carer’s allowance earnings rules and are repaying sums as high as £20,000, this may have happened because officials failed to check earnings alerts. Had they done so, the problem may have been nipped in the bud, and the debt and misery of overpayments largely avoided.

https://www.theguardian.com/society/a ... t-crisis
https://www.theguardian.com/society/ar ... epay-13k

https://x.com/GregBirks/status/1794820867400302787

The kids are alright

David in Gwent wrote: Wed May 15, 2024 11:38 am

dpedin wrote: Wed May 15, 2024 9:46 am

sockwithaticket wrote: Wed May 15, 2024 9:16 am

I do agree with you wholeheartedly, I think the values of parties as a whole and individual politicians should matter. Clearly the Labour leadership have decided political expediency and spectacle is a bit more important

Yesterday the Unions met with Labour over the New Deal for workers and seem to have brow beaten them into returning to a prior version that had been agreed, rather than the recently leaked one that watered down proposals.

It would certainly be interesting to see how any defectors have voted recently in relation to strike -busting bills.

Starmer holding his nose on these defections but has calculated the means justifies the end! The likes of Elphicke will disappear quickly into the ether after the GE and she will be forgotten however if it speeds up and makes more certain a Tory defeat in a GE then it might be a price worth paying?

This GE is going to get lower and even dirtier, the attack on Rayner and her ex council house sale over a decade ago is just the start! Tory attack dog MP on BBC R5 is just now referencing something that Starmer wrote about racist immigration policies in an academic law book from 1988 FFS! Nicky Campbell deals with it wonderfully well and refers to his degree dissertation written on Oswald Mosely and hopes that doesnt get out!!! Tories are digging very very deep to try and find dirt and they won't be slow in using anything they find.

They are also using culture war type issues to try and create divides, despite any damage it might do. The latest immigration figures suggest that the NHS and Care sector are heading to a real even bigger disaster due to new immigration requirements and the collapse of foreign workers in these sectors coming to the UK. Their latest 'wheeze' being sex education, including transgender issues, in primary school despite there being no evidence that there is any issues or problems that need resolved, in fact the evidence suggests that it is being handled very appropriately! Girl identifying as a cat will no doubt raise its head again? Feckin bastards!

A lot of guff there backed up with you saying "evidence" but you haven't provided any evidence.

Here's some evidence:

https://digital.nhs.uk/data-and-informa ... nuary-2024

All NHS Hospital & Community Health Service (HCHS) staff - 1,499,368 Headcount in January 2024. This is 5.4% (76,319) more than in January 2023

You do realise that there are still over 100,000 vacancies in the NHS and headcount is not wte's

The lefty FT has a quite remarkable statistic

Thames Water pumped 14bn litres of sewage into river Thames in central London in 2023

Figures obtained via freedom of information laws come as water pollution rises up political agenda

Thames Water pumped 14.2bn litres of sewage into the river Thames in central London last year, according to data that highlights the quantity of effluent flowing from the pipes of the UK’s largest water company.

The figures, obtained under freedom of information laws, reveal for the first time the volume of sewage outflows into the section of the river covered by the £4.5bn Tideway Tunnel, which is due to open next year.

....

https://www.ft.com/content/d26f2b0f-720 ... 3ea7508cab

According to google, London has a population of a little less than 9 million; so that's ~4.26 lt, every day, for every man, woman & child in London !!

Do they actually bother their arses to process any of it ?

I mean, what exactly are they doing to justify charging people for water in London if they just are discharging almost all sewage into the Thames untreated ?

fishfoodie wrote: Mon May 27, 2024 8:26 pm The lefty FT has a quite remarkable statistic

Thames Water pumped 14bn litres of sewage into river Thames in central London in 2023

Figures obtained via freedom of information laws come as water pollution rises up political agenda

Thames Water pumped 14.2bn litres of sewage into the river Thames in central London last year, according to data that highlights the quantity of effluent flowing from the pipes of the UK’s largest water company.

The figures, obtained under freedom of information laws, reveal for the first time the volume of sewage outflows into the section of the river covered by the £4.5bn Tideway Tunnel, which is due to open next year.

....

https://www.ft.com/content/d26f2b0f-720 ... 3ea7508cab

According to google, London has a population of a little less than 9 million; so that's ~4.26 lt, every day, for every man, woman & child in London !!

Do they actually bother their arses to process any of it ?

I mean, what exactly are they doing to justify charging people for water in London if they just are discharging almost all sewage into the Thames untreated ?

https://www.tideway.london/

Niegs wrote: Sun May 26, 2024 1:45 pm Some chuckle-worthy comments and quotes (saw via an historian who said Labour will promise a Home Guard using an image of Dad's Army)

Don't forget who championed privatising everything and told us "there is no such thing as society".

They are intellectually bankrupt opportunists.

And in the least surprising news ever...

https://x.com/carolvorders/status/17954 ... E0J6A&s=19

Uncle fester wrote: Tue May 28, 2024 6:02 pm And in the least surprising news ever...

https://x.com/carolvorders/status/17954 ... E0J6A&s=19

They're doubling down though, fucking morons

_Os_ wrote: Sat May 04, 2024 7:38 pm

C69 wrote: Sat May 04, 2024 6:58 pm THE TORIES ARE NOW FUCKED....

Agreed. So what does the Question Time panel look like?

The fair and impartial Fiona Bruce hosting. Reform has two council seats, they are the party of the people, this means Tice and Farage get season tickets on the panel flanking both sides of Bruce. The Tories are in government and represent the will of the people, so they must have a place on the panel, taken up on a revolving basis by their highly intelligent back benchers (they would never put up cabinet ministers and even the PM like the evil New Labour and Blair did). There must be a left wing voice, this should be represented by the highly sensible Workers Party of Great Britain that will in no way be there so they can be mocked. There will also be a comedian for some colour comments, and to make inane obvious points which are applauded by the audience, he/she in no way being made to look more insightful by the panel being totally mental.

Labour should not be on the panel. Starmer is not loved. There is no excitement for Starmer. Labour only did well in a mid term election, where they didn't actually do well it was a mixed bag. No one wants a general election, they want the Tories to get on doing an excellent job. Labour will not win that election, it will be a hung parliament. Both the Lib Dems and Greens should never be heard from, because no one votes for them, only popular parties with large memberships and elected officials like Reform should be heard from.

Farage has secured a place on the Question Time panel, because of course he fucking has.

Not the leader of Reform, not standing as a candidate in the GE, Reform won 2 seats in the locals this month winning less seats than the Workers Party of Britain, but Farage will get the air time ahead of others who people actually vote for.

For all the good that it will do, I have written a complaint to the BBC about their disproportionate platforming of Reform and particularly via Farage's Question Time appearance.

sockwithaticket wrote: Wed May 29, 2024 5:52 pm For all the good that it will do, I have written a complaint to the BBC about their disproportionate platforming of Reform and particularly via Farage's Question Time appearance.

And he continues to campaign despite remaining employed as a TV presenter, what action will offcom take I wonder?

sturginho wrote: Wed May 29, 2024 8:04 pm

sockwithaticket wrote: Wed May 29, 2024 5:52 pm For all the good that it will do, I have written a complaint to the BBC about their disproportionate platforming of Reform and particularly via Farage's Question Time appearance.

And he continues to campaign despite remaining employed as a TV presenter, what action will offcom take I wonder?

Zero

Just don't mention the 'B' word

Took Peston a very long time to work out that the blonde cunt was & is a cunt !