If you're not in the U.S., what's up in your part of the world? Showing 2,351-2,400 of 3,266

[Ian]

And then if enough people decide to protest against the bank and withdraw their money, the bank will run bleating to the government for help.

[J.]

And after the government gives said bank our money, it will declare the protestors to be terrorists.

[[deleted user]]

It would be easy to imagine that scenario playing out.

The West is so polarised, it's untrue, and the side that has lost touch with Western values (and reality) seems to hold all the cards.

Look at that Dutch beauty contest you cited. All the heavy hitting Western leaders will be nodding their heads, telling anyone who will listen how beautiful she is. Biden will be leading the praise.

Is it any wonder when these politicians and other movers and shakers produce further evidence of Trump wrong doings, most people are sceptical and just glaze over? It doesn't matter how watertight their message, they tell blatant lies so often that it's hard to believe them on anything. They could tell me today is Wednesday, and I'd start to doubt the calendar on my watch.

This is all manna from Heaven for China, Russia et al.

[Papaphilly]

The hard part is not who won the contest, but the untold damage being done. This may be what really kills the beauty contest. The average Joe will stop watching it unless it turns into a version of the Kardashians as a train wreck.

[J.]

Beau wrote: "It would be easy to imagine that scenario playing out.

The West is so polarised, it's untrue, and the side that has lost touch with Western values (and reality) seems to hold all the cards.

Loo..."

Victor Davis Hanson has pointed out that we've created a class of people who have pretentions about human nature without being subject to the ramifications of their own ideologies.

It is easy to decry the treatment of criminals from within your gated community.

It is easy to cheer on men beating women in women's competitions when your daughters don't need scholarships to pay for school.

It is easy to wage wars for no good reasons when your sons aren't in uniform.

It is easy to celebrate public degeneracy as "Pride" when your kids aren't being exposed to it.


Etc., Etc., Etc...

[[deleted user]]

Hanson is right, J.

Do you know who I feel sorry for in all this? Normal trans people, who just want to be accepted and get on with their lives.

All right-minded people are happy to accept them for who they are. I'm happy to call him 'her' if it makes them happy but the problem is when militant activists insist they ARE the opposite sex and that everyone should acknowledge this. We can't acknowledge this because it is an absurdity. Emperor's New Clothes on steroids. Trying to turn a fantasy that can be harmlessly indulged into a very dangerous reality for women.

There will always be militant activists tho. The real villains are the politicians backing them. If your MP or senator thinks a man can be a woman (or vice versa), they are either a coward to the mob or unfit for office on sanity grounds. They don't deserve a vote.

[Nik]

Netanyahu thrust to change the system causes the unprecedented rift within the society and harms usually politically neutral army: https://www.timesofisrael.com/over-11...
More and more officers warn they'd stop volunteering if the legislation changing the democratic basis of the country continues. The air force is about to grind to a halt.

[Ian]

One of the big issues in our upcoming election will be crime/law and order. The government now has the embarrassing fact that the (ex)Minister of Justice spent four hours in the clink last night following motor accident. She will be charged with reckless driving, driving with excess alcohol and resisting arrest. She has now resigned as Minister, but that leaves the Prime Minister with the problem of replacing her on a top election issue with someone who presumably has no idea what she had been dealing with, and the election is three months away.

[J.]

Ian wrote: "One of the big issues in our upcoming election will be crime/law and order. The government now has the embarrassing fact that the (ex)Minister of Justice spent four hours in the clink last night fo..."

Are New Zealand cops and cop cars equipped with video cameras? A drunken minister doing the "Do you know who I am" speech could be New Zealand's funniest video.

[Ian]

Yes to the video cameras. Since formal charges have been laid, nothing from the police will come out until the court appearance.

[Nik]

I love and envy countries, where a celeb drunk would be top news for weeks :)

[[deleted user]]

Further to the ongoing conversation on the climate thread ('deniers' lol), leading UK Government figures are now talking about slowing the drive towards net zero:

https://www.theguardian.com/politics/...

If it happens, I welcome this change of direction. It puts clear blue water between the Conservatives and Labour/ Lib Dems.

Interestingly, when I recently drove into London (no choice as train staff were on strike), I didn't have to pay any charges as I have a v low emission car. Unlike some of the Just Stop Oil protestors, of course, who were pictured by the tabloids getting into huge SUVs after their protests.

I will listen with an open mind to all views on this topic, but important to practise what you preach.

[J.]

Beau wrote: "Further to the ongoing conversation on the climate thread ('deniers' lol), leading UK Government figures are now talking about slowing the drive towards net zero:

https://www.theguardian.com/polit..."

Mayor Sadiq Khan admits he used to drive Land Rover to his central London office every day as he continues campaign to expand hated £12-a-day Ulez charge across capital
https://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/arti...

How they really see us:
https://youtu.be/h0iAcQVIokg

[[deleted user]]

Funny clip and too true.

Spain's Climate Minister allegedly flew on a private jet, drove in a gas guzzling limo, and then hopped on a bicycle for the final 100 yards (photo opportunity) on her way to a climate conference:

https://www.dailywire.com/news/spanis...

I gather the fact checking dudes are disputing the private jet claim but I've seen her transition from car to bike. Must've received news of the climate emergency en route 🤣

[J.]

Beau wrote: "Funny clip and too true.

Spain's Climate Minister allegedly flew on a private jet, drove in a gas guzzling limo, and then hopped on a bicycle for the final 100 yards (photo opportunity) on her way..."

I do love the headline referring to it as pulling a Buttigieg. For those who don't know, US Secretary of Transportation Pete Buttigieg got caught staging a bike ride from the White House to his office about three miles away.
https://youtu.be/8ufP9FX13l

The "fact checkers" responded.
Video Doesn’t Show Buttigieg Staging Bike Ride
https://www.factcheck.org/2021/04/vid...

That's right. It wasn't staged. The bike was just stored on the rack of an SUV in the security detail that followed him to and from his office during his bike ride. 🤦

[J.]

Beau wrote: "Funny clip and too true."

Never doubt the eloquence of Mel Brooks
https://youtu.be/UK9hqBF9bMQ

[J.]

Israeli government passes law to limit Supreme Court power, defying mass protests
https://www.cnn.com/2023/07/24/middle...

[Nik]

I’m with those “mass protests”. The country has triggered self-liquidation mechanism and became totally nuts. If Supreme Courts intervened, it could end the insanity, however clashes are inevitable from either side. This “judicial reform” is a disguised usurpation of powers and dismantling of very few checks and balances that we have(had) in place

[J.]

Actual good news!

A flightless parrot is returning to mainland New Zealand after a 40-year absence
https://www.popsci.com/environment/ka...

[Ian]

It will still need to be kept in a predator-free environment though.

[[deleted user]]

Further to the American Dream thread, bad news for the UK:

https://www.ft.com/content/b25903fd-2...

[Nik]

Not the best field to lead in 💷

[Ian]

Not good news

[J.]

Beau wrote: "Further to the American Dream thread, bad news for the UK:

https://www.ft.com/content/b25903fd-2..."

Ouch.

Sorry chaps, that means every municipality will be putting up speed trap cameras to make up for budget shortfalls

[[deleted user]]

Apologies for the paywall on last link. Thought I'd got round it.

Yes, J, us motorists will have to be extra vigilant to pay for this...for the next 1000 years or so :|

The Nigel Farage banking ban has taken a few twists and turns since I last posted a link to the story. The latest news is that the Government has come down firmly on the side of NF and the Natwest (owns Coutts) boss has resigned:

https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/live/busin...

Nigel has now got the bit firmly between his teeth, wants the whole board gone, and is launching a campaign against banks who act like this.

All good news in the push back against woke authoritarianism cancel culture.

[Philip]

Beau wrote: "Apologies for the paywall on last link. Thought I'd got round it.

Yes, J, us motorists will have to be extra vigilant to pay for this...for the next 1000 years or so :|

The Nigel Farage banking b..."

Breach of privacy as well as over PC but all banks monitor politically vulnerable people. In this case they lied, covered it up then lied again. Of interest there are apparently more clients involved. Suspect this will require more popcorn

[Ian]

Secretary of State Blinken flies to Welllngton - I suspect mainly to see the US vs Netherlands at womens' world cup. Good choice because it was a very gripping game.

[[deleted user]]

Excellent news for GB:

https://www.theguardian.com/environme...

Rishi is playing this sensibly. Invest in low carbon tech AND approve 100 new North Sea oil and gas licences. Keep nodding agreement with the zero carbon crew, then do whatever you've got planned anyway while still nodding your agreement with them. Like it.

Another sign of clear blue water between Conservatives and Labour.

[[deleted user]]

Over here, the big news is that interest rates have risen again, and are likely to go higher still:

https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/business-6...

Bad news for many areas of the economy and disaster for many mortgage holders.

Still, severe inflation, and so interest rate rises, were inevitable once money was printed at unprecedented levels to pay for lockdown measures and once supply chains had been disrupted like never before.

A painful lesson in elementary economics for those who embraced these measures.

Those who held mortgages in the 70s and 80s are quick to remind the youngsters that they had to endure 15% interest rates, but 15% of £2k, or even £30k, is nowhere near the same as 6% of £300k.

I don't believe that it's right (or possible) for Government to bail out mortgage holders in trouble, and I believe it's for the long-term greater good for house prices to come down.

However, this is going to be a very painful process. A collapsing housing market is also going to have further negative implications for the wider economy, making it a real double whammy. And, of course, the link between the resulting poverty and reduced life expectancy is a clearly proven one.

So, the lesson is that next time you hear someone mention the need to take unprecedented action to 'save lives', always consider the lives that are going to be lost by those actions.

[Philip]

And another UK news item https://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/rowing/66...
Transgender banned in female rowing. Suspect a different row.

[Ian]

Bedau, when you say "Those who held mortgages in the 70s and 80s are quick to remind the youngsters that they had to endure 15% interest rates, but 15% of £2k, or even £30k, is nowhere near the same as 6% of £300k." Numerically, that is true, BUT omitted is the fact that in the 70s salaries were very much lower. The comparison requires the percentage of after-tax income. That uncovers another feature - the fiscal creep of inflatio9n has meant that large numbers have been propelled into higher tax brackets, without a genuine increase in value, so they are really going backwards.

The real problem is that period of ridiculously low interest rates that were made so low just so politicians could argue that their policies were not harming the society and were to encourage productive investment. Instead, here at least, it simply generated a property boom that is really hurting the younger ones who failed to realize that this situation could not last, but they needed a home.

[J.]

Philip wrote: "And another UK news item https://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/rowing/66...
Transgender banned in female rowing. Suspect a different row."

Similar decisions are being made in international swimming competition.

Lia Thomas banned as FINA votes to restrict transgender women from competitions
https://nypost.com/2022/06/19/fina-vo...

[J.]

Someone was done with him.

Missing Crypto Millionaire, 41, Found by Children Dead and Dismembered in Suitcase in Argentina
https://people.com/crypto-millionaire...

[[deleted user]]

Bedau? It might've been a typo, Ian, but I like it. It has a certain gravitas about it. Might adopt it as my new nickname :)

On topic, wages haven't increased at anywhere near the rate of house prices.

[Ian]

Not my backyard, but there are dreadful fires in Hawaii. It appears tropical cyclone has somehow fed a large anticyclone, leading to winds up to category 4, but cursed by being hot and dry and thus feeding the fire.

All we can do is to hope this can be brought under control ASAP. And hope these freaky weather events stop.

[Philip]

Ian wrote: "Not my backyard, but there are dreadful fires in Hawaii. It appears tropical cyclone has somehow fed a large anticyclone, leading to winds up to category 4, but cursed by being hot and dry and thus..."

Portugal also suffering as has North Africa. UK has finally forecast a warm day, >25C (77F) for first time in over a month.

Other UK news - asylum seeker accommodation, scandal of appointed lords, an MP who was resigning but hasn't and the destruction of the wonkiest pub.

https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england...

[Nik]

A friend from London claims that since Rishi assumed the position, the government more or less disappeared from the headlines, which is a good thing, as opposed to scandal chasing scandal under Boris. Do you feel the same?

[Philip]

Nik wrote: "A friend from London claims that since Rishi assumed the position, the government more or less disappeared from the headlines, which is a good thing, as opposed to scandal chasing scandal under Bor..."

Some would say hiding. Some of his brief appearances are more like Biden than broadcasts from Johnson/Trump. The quiet is better.

Unfortunately, his party as many in power do, has become corrupt, incompetent and is full of sycophants. The scandals emerging of profiteering on the back of COVID may be linked more to Johnson, but Rishi was part of that cabinet, part of the management and it seems part of the problem. His wife is very rich and her tax affairs are not in complete order.

This leaves the way forward, or it should for the opposition. They over platitudes but little in the way of what they would actually do despite there complaints. It feels like a repeat of Blair's coronation in some ways but Keir has his own issues. Not least the worst aspects of Labour hiding in the background waiting for their chance.

Labour has a significant lead in the polls but the general election is a bit away yet. If the economy improves (big if) then that will change.

[[deleted user]]

Big difference between now and the run up to 97 election is the Government's majority.

If I remember rightly, Major had one in single figures (or certainly v close). Rishi's majority is currently 64. Overturning a majority this size would be unprecedented, regardless of what polls say.

If Kier thinks he's awaiting a coronation, he's in for a shock. Best Labour can hope for is being largest party in a hung parliament, and forming a coalition with Libs and others.

Although I prefer Rishi to Kier on a personal level, I have no affiliation with either main party and dislike both of them, so am reasonably disinterested in the outcome.

My disinterested prediction is that come the GE, we'll see a single figure Conservative majority.

[Philip]

Beau wrote: "Big difference between now and the run up to 97 election is the Government's majority.

If I remember rightly, Major had one in single figures (or certainly v close). Rishi's majority is currently ..."

I probably agree on likely outcome, but I had hoped that Red Wall Conservative MPs would be better than they have turned out. The loss of more centrist Conservatives has not helped. Johnson used this to get things done namely Brexit but that's left a bad taste and has been done so incompetently it's hard to fathom.

Looks like Labour if minority with Lib Dems will have re-join as manifesto pledge - Libs will insist as part of any deal as would SNP.

Rejoin discussion will be interesting e.g. goodbye pound and on contributor without discount terms.

[[deleted user]]

Brexit and BJ did for centrist Tories. If I'm honest, Parliament and the country is a lot worse off without them.

What amazed me about the BJ Govt was its timidity considering size of majority. I struggle to even consider it conservative.

Rishi impresses me far more but, whoever is in power, hands are becoming increasingly tied by pan-national global institutions and whims of White House.

Not sure Lib Lab will look to rejoin next parliament (if they are in govt). Will probably further align UK with EU then put rejoin as pledge for GE after that.

As mentioned on Brexit thread, I've changed my mind on it. Humongous u-turn for me. If you'd known me longer, you'd know how big.

If it happens, I'd just incude it in a GE manifesto. Another referendum would be too divisive.

[J.]

British political parties can scream "Rejoin" all they like, but what reasons does the EU have to care? The EU's strongest move is to deny future membership and offer trade negotiations after Brexit is completely settled.

The EU gains only headaches if member states think that they can join, quit, rejoin whenever they don't like something about the EU.

[Philip]

J. wrote: "British political parties can scream "Rejoin" all they like, but what reasons does the EU have to care? The EU's strongest move is to deny future membership and offer trade negotiations after Brexi..."

That may be true but they also want net contributors. They are still desperately trying to fill UK contributions gap. They have limited scope for further expansion. Switzerland and Norway remain associated not in. Turkey been on path for decades and Ukraine? They want money therefore another group of Eastern Europeans or Turkey would not help.

That does not mean I think UK will get good rejoin deal. As I said it will be required to join Euro for starters and will be back competing for EU distribution funds.

[[deleted user]]

100%, J.

The assumption of being ABLE to rejoin is arrogant. I've never assumed it but would now welcome it.

Philip is right that there'll be a price. Possibly Euro and poorer terms.

I can live with that and can live with a European superstate too.

Last 3 years, re so many things, says to me that idea of nation state and national autonomy is dead (bar for maybe US, China and India).

I would rather seek out like minded people and politicians in EU, and pool what is left of sovereignty, than be governed by our charade of an 'independent' parliament.

[Ian]

There is a complication in that the UK has recently joined the trans-Pacific trade partnership.l From the UK perspective it should at least see how that plays out. From the trade point of view it is bigger than the EU and does not demand massive donations to the weaker members.

From the EU point of view, why would the EU want the UK, other than to suck money, and if the UK wants back in it would have to leave the trans-Pacific deal and pay a huge amount of money. My guess is Germany is now no longer going to be able to finance Eastern Europe because it depended on heap energy, and it n ow has some of the most expensive. The UK would not want to have to support the East, and even worse, Ukraine.

[[deleted user]]

Good point about Germany.

Not sure if it's directly related to Brexit but I've noticed a lot of sweeties on sale lately with extraordinary amounts of e numbers. They've come from the US. Hope the chlorinated chicken doesn't follow.

The way we always try and do things on the cheap, I'm beginning to wonder if we needed the EU regs to save us from ourselves. Quality of life so much better on the mainland.

[Ian]

The chlorinated chicken is an interesting question. There is no real evidence of harm from the chlorinated wash (https://www.bbc.com/news/uk-47440562) except it is not 100% guaranteed to kill all bacteria and might encourage poor food standards.

It would be better for the EU to prove the chicken was harmful. It is more like one of the EU's many regulations that are really theere to protect local producers, i,.e. it is there rfor economic reasons, not hygiene.

[J.]

Ian wrote: "The chlorinated chicken is an interesting question. There is no real evidence of harm from the chlorinated wash (https://www.bbc.com/news/uk-47440562) except it is not 100% guaranteed to kill all b..."

That's the Chicken Tax. People talk about dropping it, but none of the protected industries want it gone.

When Europeans started banning US chicken back in the 1960s, the USA responded by levying a 25% tariff on all European light trucks (and darn it if it ain't difficult to figure out if some vehicles aren't actually trucks). As a result, European auto makers never got any real foothold in the massive American truck market. But lots of others did.

So if the chicken tax vanished tomorrow, all those European poultry farmers would be in direct competition with American industrial chicken farms. Even with transportation, the US farmers can completely undercut the Europeans. So the European farmers don't want that.

Simultaneously, European truck makers could ship trucks, vans, and SUVs to the USA without getting reamed in customs. The Big Three, Toyota, and Nissan don't want that.

[Ian]

Actually, the one thing big business dislikes more than anything else is the government changing the rules. They make their investments based on the situation will be X where they expect to make money, and when it turns out to be Y, all that investment might turn to custard.

[Nik]

When I read this "Since the late 1950s, genetics companies have approximately halved the amount of time it takes for a meat chicken to achieve the same slaughter weight" https://www.rspcaassured.org.uk/farm-... I wonder whether the chick is a bit fishy :)