reporterpenguin

Indeed, and I fully respect your opinion. I’d just be interested to know why you hold it. I’ve explained why I don’t think it’s right to publicly name a child, so again I’d like to ask you to explain why you do think they should be? It’s an interesting debate and I’m genuinely curious to understand the reasoning behind the other position.

Absolutely, and they should be punished for it. I’m just not sure releasing their name as a 13 year old for threatening violence should form part of that punishment, tying that to them for perhaps the next 80 years. Sure they may not grow out of being a scum bag, but they might and it doesn’t quite sit right with me that they are forever publicly associated with their actions as a young teenager. Punish them, but it doesn’t have to be a part of their life forever. I am genuinely interested if you don’t mind, why do you want to know their names? What difference does it make to you and your life if they’re going to be punished anyway?

I have mixed feelings on this. Part of me thinks that a teenager, as you said, would know what they’re doing and should face the consequences. On the other hand, I’m sure a lot of us would like to think that mistakes we made in our teens don’t reflect us once we’re adults. Putting a kids name out there now will be a millstone around their neck for the rest of their life, unless it’s a particularly serious crime I’m not sure how right would be. My final thought, why do any of us need to know the name of a 13 year old in Aldershot who was threatening violence? What difference to our lives does it make? It’s reassuring to know that people are being prosecuted and held responsible, but that doesn’t always mean we need to know each individuals name. As you say, allowing a 13 year old to join in with this sounds like a huge failure of parenting as much as anything. It doesn’t excuse the 13 year old, but it’s certainly mitigation.

I’l join in on the Rest is Politics love in, they’re both very engaging and open and have really highlighted the utter lack of class at the top of politics in this country in recent years. I don’t listen to that many of the Leading interviews, but I listened to the Kwasi Kwarteng one recently. I was very surprised at how well he came across, the benefit of a long form interview is it gives a chance for a persons real character to come through, both strength and flaws. Short interviews where people have to deliver a message only seems to bring out flaws. I listen to the US podcast but find them both very grating. The insight they give, as someone who isn’t that tuned in to US politics, is very good though and makes it worth a listen.

Because all the foreigners have come over here and taken their jobs init /s

I watched this really interesting video the other week about him. His summary is that Musk is someone that thrives on conflict and being the underdog, but as the/one of the wealthiest man in the world that's largely dried up so he's having to create it himself. I've followed Musk since the early SpaceX days, so getting on for 15 odd years now. While he's always been a bit of an undeniable pr!ck, his legacy could have been as one of the most consequential people ever in my opinion. He's played a large part in driving EV adoption, and SpaceX have already done things that were thought virtually impossible even 10 years ago. As a manager and an engineer he's made reusable rockets a normality, and Starship will put humans on Mars in the next quarter of a century. Obviously SpaceX wouldn't be where it is now without an incredibly talented team, but by all accounts it is his vision and determination that has almost single handedly changed what is considered possible in space. But with all that going so well, he's decided to cast himself as a controversy maker who encourages and stokes divisiveness in an already highly fractured world...

I listen to it and that was my take away from the latest episode as well. It sounds as though everybody (with the exception of the Biden's) has privately accepted he cannot run. Once more of them make their feelings publicly known his position will quickly become even more untenable than it currently is. The Clooney article sounds as though it could be a key tipping point, especially as Obama allegedly signed off on it. A quick look at oddschecker shows the odds have now moved Biden into 3rd place for winning the election, with Harris ahead of him but behind Trump. The whole thing is just really sad to see unfold. Everything about his behaviour at the moment takes me back to when my Grandad was developing Alzheimer's. Not just the symptoms but the insistence that everything is fine and a refusal to accept anything that shows it isn't fine.

I’m very pleasantly surprised that a politics thread on FT has made it to 169 pages without being locked. There’s been disagreements but largely respectfully handled. I’m sure there’s a few flare ups (@Daggers ) that I’ve missed, but it’s been very refreshing to read and occasionally contribute to. I hope these sorts of discussions are able to continue and will stay mostly civilised. Well played FT

I’m in the same boat in the same constituency. It seems to be a bit of a toss up between them, stopthetories.vote is recommending Lib Dem so I’m going to go with that.

Well that was always going to happen. Both pushing the limits of acceptable racing but I think it was Max who was pushing it too far repeatedly.

Same here. By choice I’d vote Labour but am happy to vote tactically as my part in helping decimate the Tories.

Sunak's loving the "do not surrender" line isn't he?

Cabinet minister claimed he won £2,000 on election bets He now says it was a joke, with the oddly specific denial of “I did not place any bets on the date of the general election during May“

Presumably by the end of the day either he or one of his lackeys will be sent out to parrot that he’s taken “swift and decisive action”

Fair enough, I quite like our local Tory MP and he won’t be getting my vote either. I do hope it isn’t just the nutters left after the election though, even if I don’t like them and wouldn’t vote for them I think it’ll be healthier to have a party based more in the centre than one lurching to the right.

I agree, she’s one of the good ones with (hopefully) a decent future and role in shaping the party going forwards. For the good of the country having a credible and moderate opposition people like her need to be in what remains of the Tory party, not the likes of Badenoch, Jenrick, or Braverman.

It’s Kane, of course there’s no prizes.

The conspiracy theorist in me could believe that there are elements with vested interests within JSO that want to discredit them and make them unpopular. Their cause is surely one with decent support, but the way they go about it understandably drives people away.

AI is getting scarily good. You can hardly tell that the original said “Mason Mount” and not “Jordan Henderson”.

There’s no need to be offensive. Please apologise to mince, what’s it done to deserve that comparison?

That’s very impressive how he’s actually managed to make a bad situation worse.

Possibly including a catch attempt of the booster 😬

The hosting was fantastic, hearing them laugh as it somehow kept going through reentry was great. I'll be honest, I had major goosebumps listening to the emotion of them as it made it all the way to splash down.

Oh wow! That was beyond belief, how the hell did it make it through reentry and successfully do the flip and land with that flap half burnt off?!?!

And he's standing to fail to win a seat for the 8th(?) time