leicsmac

https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/articles/c5y708l015mo A former chief of staff of UK Special Forces has told a public inquiry he believed war crimes allegations against the SAS were not referred to military police out of concern an investigation could disrupt operations and negatively affect morale. The officer, the second highest ranking in special forces at the time, said another factor in the decision was that evidence had in part come via a rival special forces regiment. The decision meant that military police did not learn for years of special forces concerns that the SAS was carrying out extra-judicial killings and submitting falsified reports. The testimony came from closed-door evidence to the Independent Inquiry relating to Afghanistan. The inquiry is investigating allegations that the SAS committed war crimes on operations between 2010 and 2013, including the killing of children and civilians. The latest batch of testimony was heard in 2024 but only released in summarised form by the inquiry on Friday. Well... that's not a good look.

No disagreement with the current standard of play and appeal of cricket in Ireland. But I do think they've earned the right to have time to get better if they can, even if it's slow. Edit:absolutely agree with the county cricket point - domestic red ball practice is important for aspiring Test players.

New Zealand took 26 years and 45 matches to get even their first Test win. India took 25 matches themselves to get their first victory. Perhaps some patience is called for.

Great night and a classic final.

I appreciate the tongue in cheek, mon ami. A little humour in these times when there's not a lot to find humourous is important.

Peter Thiel apparently relocating to Argentina. There's a joke made around 1945 in there, I think.

And I can supply correlatory graphical data as mine (they've been shown here before), but I guess it's easy to make the argument that correlation doesn't equal causation if someone wanted, as easily as I could mention that one HS's work on the numbers doesn't prove by itself that political will alone is responsible or that Brexit is not. So we're at something of an impasse, which personally I think is fine - this isn't an exact hard science anyway.

Looks like it's going to be a two-Luke showdown again.

An accusation that is equally applied to your own position. Anyhow, for something different about the general topic, it's been said before but should be reiterated when this discussion comes about - seeking to turn nations into walled ethnic enclaves as some people wish will help neither the UK nor anyone in the long run (or maybe even the short run).

That just sounds like a very convenient absolution of any kind of responsibility (big or small) for the current migration situation for anyone enamoured of Brexit, but I guess we'll leave it at that and simply differ. Very true. The fast food nature of politics right now really doesn't lend itself to long term decision making, at just the time when it is really, really needed.

I see where you're coming from here, but I think the point still stands that increased non-EU migration was a corollary of Brexit - political will may address it but that doesn't mean much about the genesis of the matter. WRT the last paragraph, far too many people do pay attention to media sources like the Mail (to say nothing of other sources) engaged in scaremongering and hypocrisy, and in a democracy sadly ithat can affect political policymaking that then affects us all. But then migration is hardly the only issue - or even the biggest - for which that is true. The subversion of the very idea of truth is both far reaching and consequential, and will only get more so.

Appreciate the clarification. In that case, I'm not sure why the Mail are making such a fuss about this now in the first instance (except, you know, sensationalism for clicks) and I'm not sure one HS coming in and addressing the matter doesn't mean that Brexit didn't mean it became a matter in the first instance too.

Not sure of the exact significance of that date, some elaboration would be welcomed.

Quite right. I'll only add that imo given the kind of nationalism in the name of "preserving culture" that Trump and Farage etc speak of has been responsible for great many bodies in the past, the only reason I can think of for someone well-acquainted with that in the present to go for it is because they're totally OK with seeing more bodies. Just as long as they're not "their own".

So either way, the media sections salivating for Boris, or Brexit, or both (and getting both) shouldn't get to act all shocked and lamenting now when the consequences of what they wanted become more apparent.

@bovril (I think) has thrown up data here in the past indicating pretty clear and obvious correlation post-2016. If that increase is somehow coincidental or there is another cause that can be readily identified with superior evidence, then it would be interesting to hear about it.

Well, he was elected in 2019 with a pretty decent majority with that single issue being the cause, so perhaps those two terms are rather interchangeable.

And if they (and whichever other entities) think that, perhaps they might have thought a little about the consequences of a course of action they directly advocated for. Arsonists shouldn't perhaps complain about the heat of the fire they start when it burns those they don't want burned too - even if they didn't "want" it or "intend" it that way.

And yet a decision the Mail actively advocated for and still does, directly led to that increase in non-EU migration that they're lamenting now. They doth protest too much, perhaps.

Once the vehicle has been moved ASAP, that would be ideal.

https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/articles/clyp77jd407o What kind of a world is it where in a (supposed) first world nation a legally liable rapist can then attempt to pursue the woman he raped for criminal charges related to that rape?

I'd rather have clear signage that the emergency services can and will break into your car to move it if it is causing a blockage, and they are in no way liable for any damage incurred while doing so.

That would have a deterrent effect over time, certainly, but it would still rob the emergency services of vital time needed while towing is happening, both in the short term and in the long term with entitled shitestains who will simply do it and pay the fine with no issue later anyway. That being said, I'm trying to think of the best way they could use to remove the car immediately by themselves.

Absolutely, though it sounded like a fair few hit the ground last night. Some of the numbers on the energy that even a garden-variety storm (not a hurricane or typhoon) releases compared to what humans can generate is quite unbelievable.

Hopefully that volume of lightning strikes hasn't caused too much actual damage. Apparently every strike delivers around 1 gigajoule of energy, which is quite a lot.