General News Thread

[JonnyBoy]

2 hours ago, skolfoxes said:

Yes this isn’t great, will just have to make sure I don’t crash.
 

I don’t know that the indicator update affects me as I have the new shape model 3 with the indicators on the steering wheel, which is enough of a pain in the ar$e as it is.

ahh mines the older model (you know, the ones with normal indicator stalks that the new version has removed entirely) I don't get the fascination of removing hard buttons for controls, i enjoy using actual things to twiddle and push. Hate the fact that it is all on a screen. 

[Lionator]

2 hours ago, Zear0 said:

You think knowing a criminal is worse than defrauding the state of billions of pounds? I know Kier lives in your head but this is quite a stretch. 

There’s a lot of people that are in the files by coincidence but Mandelson and Andrew were clearly up to some very grubby stuff in different areas. 

[Lionator]

The whole Mandelson saga also adds fuel to the fire that there’s some kind of ‘deep state’ that calls the shots behind the scenes in the west. Someone like Starmer (and most previous Tory PM’s) are completely powerless, disposable and are dumped as soon as they stop serving the system. It’s also very strange how quickly the Westminster media have gone to the default of “Russia is to blame”, just like Brexit, just like Trump, just like anytime they want to divert for the failures of the system they’ve created. 

[FoxesDeb]

23 minutes ago, Lionator said:

There’s a lot of people that are in the files by coincidence but Mandelson and Andrew were clearly up to some very grubby stuff in different areas. 

This. Lots of names are there for very innocent reasons, this doesn't apply to these two though.

 

[Zear0]

28 minutes ago, Lionator said:

There’s a lot of people that are in the files by coincidence but Mandelson and Andrew were clearly up to some very grubby stuff in different areas. 

Not saying they're not. Reading what he was doing in leaking nationally sensitive material to a financier, lobbying for bankers and his creepy sucking up to Epstein for his attention means that he is somehow even more sleazy than I thought he was. 

 

Starmer giving him any job knowing he still had connections to Epstein even after his conviction is just staggeringly stupid and shows appalling judgement. 

 

Point I was making is that people are deliberately conflating open corruption in the previous government with incompetence with this. I'm not exactly impressed with either, but the false equivalence by the fan boys is pure cringe. 

 

I also dread to think of the stuff they're holding back. Not a coincidence this release has turned the spotlight to the UK and not the US. 

 

Edited 4 February by Zear0

[Lionator]

2 minutes ago, Zear0 said:

Not saying they're not. Reading what he was doing in leaking nationally sensitive material to a financier, lobbying for bankers and his creepy sucking up to Epstein for his attention means that he is somehow even more sleazy than I thought he was. 

 

Starmer giving him any job knowing he still had connections to Epstein even after his conviction is just staggeringly stupid and shows appalling judgement. 

 

Point I was making is that were conflating open corruption in the previous government with incompetence with this. I'm not exactly impressed with either, but the false equivalence by the fan boys is pure cringe. 

 

I also dread to think of the stuff they're holding back. Not a coincidence this release has turned the spotlight to the UK and not the US. 

 

Yep to your last paragraph, it seems to get worse with every release. Maybe purposely so. 

[leicsmac]

16 minutes ago, Zear0 said:

Not saying they're not. Reading what he was doing in leaking nationally sensitive material to a financier, lobbying for bankers and his creepy sucking up to Epstein for his attention means that he is somehow even more sleazy than I thought he was. 

 

Starmer giving him any job knowing he still had connections to Epstein even after his conviction is just staggeringly stupid and shows appalling judgement. 

 

Point I was making is that people are deliberately conflating open corruption in the previous government with incompetence with this. I'm not exactly impressed with either, but the false equivalence by the fan boys is pure cringe. 

 

I also dread to think of the stuff they're holding back. Not a coincidence this release has turned the spotlight to the UK and not the US. 

 

Which, as you say and must be emphasised, is a big problem in of itself.

[Parafox]

4 hours ago, Wymsey said:

Of quite equal importance, what cake is that?..

It looks great.

It's the paedophile's favourite, Lovely cake, bring the kids in, they'll be unconscious in ten minutes  

 

(It's a joke BTW before I get Bot banned).

[st albans fox]

The Epstein Russian angle …

surely if he was a Russian asset, he would have fled to Russia once the heat started to come from NYC feds 

 

[Jon the Hat]

Its amazing how in these 3M documents there appears to be not a single identifiable email from Trump.

[Sampson]

11 hours ago, Lionator said:

The whole Mandelson saga also adds fuel to the fire that there’s some kind of ‘deep state’ that calls the shots behind the scenes in the west. Someone like Starmer (and most previous Tory PM’s) are completely powerless, disposable and are dumped as soon as they stop serving the system. It’s also very strange how quickly the Westminster media have gone to the default of “Russia is to blame”, just like Brexit, just like Trump, just like anytime they want to divert for the failures of the system they’ve created. 

I don’t know about the last part. I think Russia could easily be involved too, but either way it is a bit crazy how much Epstein was like a facilitator of the rich and famous, using Mandelson to lobby parliament. Allegedly emailing with Steve Bannon about how they’ve got LePenn, Farage and Orban round their fingers and boasting they’re getting far right parties in power in Europe mostly so they will produce pro-Crypto legislation. This is a guy who most of the public had never heard of until his conviction. 
 

It does feel a bit like he was some secret guy in the background lobbying and connecting everyone he could 
 

 

[foxy tiler]

These files are an absolute horror show that even the greatest Hollywood writers couldn't have made up. Literally sex, snuff, pedophiles and god knows what else. Then you've got the likes of Steve Bannon funding and organising movements to destabilise the EU and also political figures selling and passing state sensitive materials. Where do you start......and whats being held back.....its like some dark cult.

[Md9]

5 hours ago, Jon the Hat said:

Its amazing how in these 3M documents there appears to be not a single identifiable email from Trump.

They spent the last year he has been in charge trying to scrub his name from everything possible. Funny how everyone he gets his followers to go at anyone on the list but as soon as something mentions him it’s all a fake democrat hoax or it doesn’t exist. I’m sure if he was totally innocent they would have released every single document they could after running on releasing it.  

[st albans fox]

1 hour ago, Md9 said:

They spent the last year he has been in charge trying to scrub his name from everything possible. Funny how everyone he gets his followers to go at anyone on the list but as soon as something mentions him it’s all a fake democrat hoax or it doesn’t exist. I’m sure if he was totally innocent they would have released every single document they could after running on releasing it.  

Literally millions of docs 

we can see already now messy the redactions are because victims have been exposed 

 

the instruction to just release within a period of time was well intentioned but has had some bad consequences. And there are millions more docs still to be released. 

[Zear0]

13 minutes ago, st albans fox said:

Literally millions of docs 

we can see already now messy the redactions are because victims have been exposed 

 

the instruction to just release within a period of time was well intentioned but has had some bad consequences. And there are millions more docs still to be released. 

Trump and Vance campaigned on getting this stuff released and then sat on it for a year.  Them and Johnson moved heaven and earth to stop the release, and in this parallel universe we now live in,  Massie and MTG did the right thing forced the issue.  The time scales to release were tight to stop the obvious cover up from the administration who have just done a CTRL+F 'Trump', sat on that, and dumped everything else without a care for them.

[leicsmac]

12 minutes ago, Zear0 said:

Trump and Vance campaigned on getting this stuff released and then sat on it for a year.  Them and Johnson moved heaven and earth to stop the release, and in this parallel universe we now live in,  Massie and MTG did the right thing forced the issue.  The time scales to release were tight to stop the obvious cover up from the administration who have just done a CTRL+F 'Trump', sat on that, and dumped everything else without a care for them.

We can only hope that this, along with the ICE thuggery, will have an effect on the midterms in November. 

 

Another hope is that those midterms will be totally free and fair. 

[Tommy G]

14 hours ago, Zear0 said:

Not saying they're not. Reading what he was doing in leaking nationally sensitive material to a financier, lobbying for bankers and his creepy sucking up to Epstein for his attention means that he is somehow even more sleazy than I thought he was. 

 

Starmer giving him any job knowing he still had connections to Epstein even after his conviction is just staggeringly stupid and shows appalling judgement. 

 

Point I was making is that people are deliberately conflating open corruption in the previous government with incompetence with this. I'm not exactly impressed with either, but the false equivalence by the fan boys is pure cringe. 

 

I also dread to think of the stuff they're holding back. Not a coincidence this release has turned the spotlight to the UK and not the US. 

 

But the sticky point is, the previous corruption with the Tories was called out and heads should of rolled, plenty of people asked for heads to roll.

 

So, by the same standards, the PM has made a huge mistake in handling Mandelson, appointing him in the first place when it was clear the vetting process showed up the issues, and then his judgement was to plough on and appoint him   how can anyone trust him with that kind of poor judgement and leadership? He stumbles from one crisis to another, one mistake to the next. 

 

We can't go on saying ''well the Tories did this bla bla bla so it's ok'' its pathetic. 

[BKLFox]

18 hours ago, st albans fox said:

The person charged wasn’t acquitted but neither were they found guilty.  So unless the cps decides to ask for a retrial, that person will not be sent down at all. 
 

as Mac has posted, jury nullification is complex.  I think it’s a slippery slope and whilst some are extremely happy and celebrating today’s outcome, they could just as easily be horrified with an outcome in six months time. 
 

I think lammy will look at this and come under a lot of pressure from the police to press ahead with his plans. 

The whole thing is an utter joke,  how is ramming doors open with a van to gain entry and threatening staff by swinging sledgehammers at them along with whipping them not classed as “aggravated”, could someone do this to 1 of us in our homes & walk away?

 

How can someone fracture someone’s / anyone’s back with a sledgehammer let alone a PC carrying out her duty in arresting someone with an excuse of, well we thought our friend was being seriously injured..’ so they smashed the PC in the back with a sledgehammer, how many more will be let off assaulting the Police whilst carrying out arrests, no wonder we are struggling to fill roles in the police force.

 

I certainly wouldn’t encourage anyone to join, we’ve seen with the Manchester debacle & now this along with the multiple events we see on programs like Police Code Zero that despite video evidence of police being assaulted the ‘puppy’ sitting next to a pile of poo walks away scot-free, why would anyone put themselves through it with no protection.

[Zear0]

5 minutes ago, Tommy G said:

But the sticky point is, the previous corruption with the Tories was called out and heads should of rolled, plenty of people asked for heads to roll.

 

So, by the same standards, the PM has made a huge mistake in handling Mandelson, appointing him in the first place when it was clear the vetting process showed up the issues, and then his judgement was to plough on and appoint him   how can anyone trust him with that kind of poor judgement and leadership? He stumbles from one crisis to another, one mistake to the next. 

 

We can't go on saying ''well the Tories did this bla bla bla so it's ok'' its pathetic. 

I still think you're making a false equivalence.  Don't get me wrong, I think the guy is useless and appointing someone knowing they maintained connections with Epstein post-conviction is judgement so bad I think he should go.  He sacked Rayner for choosing a high street solicitor and this is much worse.  It'll be interesting to see what was actually revealed in the vetting and if it's beyond just maintaining contact as that determines the severity of this.  Think everyone was surprised at Mandy being borderline treasonous in his activities.

 

That said, despite the decision to hire being utterly weird, maintaining a friendship with a criminal isn't an offence and isn't the same as BJ defending Pincher or genuine corruption of the predecessors.  There's a difference between having to leave as you're s**t at your job and having to go as your corrupt which is where the difference is.

 

I'm not sure a single person has justified this by saying "the tories did it so it's ok" though?

[Tommy G]

2 minutes ago, Zear0 said:

I still think you're making a false equivalence.  Don't get me wrong, I think the guy is useless and appointing someone knowing they maintained connections with Epstein post-conviction is judgement so bad I think he should go.  He sacked Rayner for choosing a high street solicitor and this is much worse.  It'll be interesting to see what was actually revealed in the vetting and if it's beyond just maintaining contact as that determines the severity of this.  Think everyone was surprised at Mandy being borderline treasonous in his activities.

 

That said, despite the decision to hire being utterly weird, maintaining a friendship with a criminal isn't an offence and isn't the same as BJ defending Pincher or genuine corruption of the predecessors.  There's a difference between having to leave as you're s**t at your job and having to go as your corrupt which is where the difference is.

 

I'm not sure a single person has justified this by saying "the tories did it so it's ok" though?

Agree with your first paragraph. 

 

It happens all the time, whether it's this or any other situation Starmer gets tangled up in. 

 

Ironically Rayner is making moves so she can ignite her political career again, it has to be Wes Streeting though, he's one of the only ministers that has shown some credibility and competence since being in position.  

[Zear0]

10 minutes ago, Tommy G said:

Agree with your first paragraph. 

 

It happens all the time, whether it's this or any other situation Starmer gets tangled up in. 

 

Ironically Rayner is making moves so she can ignite her political career again, it has to be Wes Streeting though, he's one of the only ministers that has shown some credibility and competence since being in position.  

Was it the "He's useless" bit per chance? 

[Alf Bentley]

52 minutes ago, leicsmac said:

Another hope is that those midterms will be totally free and fair. 

 

On that point....

 

I know Trump says different stuff every day, but these comments 2 days ago should've received more coverage, I think:

https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/articles/c0mke841zj0o

 

"US President Donald Trump has urged Republicans to "nationalise" elections.

American elections are primarily run by state law, and voting has long been administered by local officials across the country.

"The Republicans should say: 'We want to take over. We should take over the voting in at least 15 places.' The Republicans ought to nationalise the voting," Trump said during an appearance on the podcast of his former deputy FBI director, Dan Bongino. His remarks come days after the FBI raided an elections office in Georgia to examine voting records from the 2020 election. In the interview, Trump did not name the "15 places" where he thought Republicans should "nationalise" voting. The president tied his desire to federalise voting mechanisms to his key agenda item of deporting undocumented immigrants from the US. "If Republicans don't get them out, you will never win another election as a Republican," he said".

[leicsmac]

9 minutes ago, Alf Bentley said:

 

On that point....

 

I know Trump says different stuff every day, but these comments 2 days ago should've received more coverage, I think:

https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/articles/c0mke841zj0o

 

"US President Donald Trump has urged Republicans to "nationalise" elections.

American elections are primarily run by state law, and voting has long been administered by local officials across the country.

"The Republicans should say: 'We want to take over. We should take over the voting in at least 15 places.' The Republicans ought to nationalise the voting," Trump said during an appearance on the podcast of his former deputy FBI director, Dan Bongino. His remarks come days after the FBI raided an elections office in Georgia to examine voting records from the 2020 election. In the interview, Trump did not name the "15 places" where he thought Republicans should "nationalise" voting. The president tied his desire to federalise voting mechanisms to his key agenda item of deporting undocumented immigrants from the US. "If Republicans don't get them out, you will never win another election as a Republican," he said".

I've never really understood the "oh, he's just talking shit" argument re Trump, especially given the way things have panned out. When someone tells you who they are, believe them, and take them seriously. Especially when they have the power to back up anything they say. 

 

With respect to this particular thing, it doesn't surprise me. The only question will be how far things will be pushed. I do think that this is one matter that could generate enough pushback to result in a huge amount of civil unrest, though. 

[kenny]

42 minutes ago, Tommy G said:

Agree with your first paragraph. 

 

It happens all the time, whether it's this or any other situation Starmer gets tangled up in. 

 

Ironically Rayner is making moves so she can ignite her political career again, it has to be Wes Streeting though, he's one of the only ministers that has shown some credibility and competence since being in position.  

Mahmood would be interesting as well

[Sampson]

I really don’t get replacing Starmer with Streeting. He’s very much more of the same - someone trying to act centre-right when most of his mps and backbenchers are voting against it. How would getting Streeting in change the positions of the back bench mps?
 

It feels very much like for like and very much a pointless endeavour to replace Starmer with Streeting that only harms Labour because you get people moaning about the revolving doors of PMs at a time where the world is so unstable