General News Thread

[Tommy G]

24 minutes ago, danny. said:

It’s obviously better than it going up. My point was pretty clear though, the Labour media is proclaiming this is some amazing achievement. Starmer saying “see I told you we’d bring bills down”. They haven’t brought bills down; they are still higher than when they came into power. 

When there is very little good news and positivity I guess he needs to grasp every bit of it and claim it's his doing, as the less intelligent (average brit) will clap like a sea lion 

[Trumpet]

18 hours ago, hejammy said:

https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/articles/cwy895lz221o

 

I guess we don't mention this? 

 

 

“This is the consequence of far-right politicians scapegoating Muslims”

There’s more to this one and I don’t think it’s a crazed axeman as the headline or narrative being pushed would suggest.

[danny.]

Disgusting far right propaganda this morning from GMB attacking Miliband
 

 

[leicsmac]

https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/articles/c9q5y2yqw2zo

 

Democratic and Republican lawmakers peppered US President Donald Trump's nominee for surgeon general with hours of questions at a confirmation hearing on Wednesday, asking Casey Means about her stands on vaccines and more.

Means - a doctor, entrepreneur, and health influencer - was also questioned heavily about her qualifications and possible conflicts of interest.

Unlike past surgeons general, who lead the 6,000-person US Public Health Service, the 38-year-old Stanford-trained doctor does not have an active medical licence.

 

An antivax Surgeon General without a medical licence. Interesting. 

[leicsmac]

Also the Gorton by-election looks like it's going to be very, very close. 

[CornwallFox]

8 minutes ago, leicsmac said:

Also the Gorton by-election looks like it's going to be very, very close. 

Yes, failure to vote sensibly will be the undoing of the left. Clearly there's a centre-left/ left wing majority in the area, but by splitting the vote it could let reform in. 

[CornwallFox]

1 hour ago, danny. said:

Disgusting far right propaganda this morning from GMB attacking Miliband
 

 

All this far right nonsense you're coming out with is a bit pathetic TBF.

 

The right is called out as far right when proposing policies which were BNP policies 15 years ago. At no other time. 

 

You're really not a victim of left wing over-reaction. As you'll know being as left wing as you are. 

[Mark_w]

I’d be very surprised if it wasn’t a Green win

[leicsmac]

8 minutes ago, CornwallFox said:

Yes, failure to vote sensibly will be the undoing of the left. Clearly there's a centre-left/ left wing majority in the area, but by splitting the vote it could let reform in. 

Quite apart from that, it shows why most sensible nations have gotten rid of FPTP as a voting system. 

 

5 minutes ago, Mark_w said:

I’d be very surprised if it wasn’t a Green win

The odds appear to be that way right now, but they're close enough that the result itself may be close, I think. 

[danny.]

16 minutes ago, CornwallFox said:

All this far right nonsense you're coming out with is a bit pathetic TBF.

 

The right is called out as far right when proposing policies which were BNP policies 15 years ago. At no other time. 

 

You're really not a victim of left wing over-reaction. As you'll know being as left wing as you are. 

How disingenuous! 

I didn't say I was a victim of left win over-reaction, try to keep your narrative based in reality chap.

[CornwallFox]

8 minutes ago, danny. said:

How disingenuous! 

I didn't say I was a victim of left win over-reaction, try to keep your narrative based in reality chap.

No, you didn't, you're just acting like it.

[danny.]

Just now, CornwallFox said:

No, you didn't, you're just acting like it.

Keep the personal insults coming. It's becoming quite a habit for you.

[CornwallFox]

Just now, danny. said:

Keep the personal insults coming. It's becoming quite a habit for you.

Lol how is that a personal insult? 

You keep trying to be funny about any criticism of labour being labelled far right, which it isn't by the way, in a way that very much makes it look like you're personally afronted. It's a bit ridiculous. So while you didn't say it, that's how it looks. 

It's not a personal insult, just an observation. 

I have no reason to personally insult you. 

Let's end this here as even this conversation is a bit ridiculous.

[danny.]

Just now, CornwallFox said:

Lol how is that a personal insult? 

You keep trying to be funny about any criticism of labour being labelled far right, which it isn't by the way, in a way that very much makes it look like you're personally afronted. It's a bit ridiculous. So while you didn't say it, that's how it looks. 

It's not a personal insult, just an observation. 

I have no reason to personally insult you. 

Let's end this here as even this conversation is a bit ridiculous.

You always include sneering ad hominems in your comments. It doesn't bother me at all, says more about you than me. And no, I wasn't trying to "be funny", about "any criticism of labour being labelled far right". You make assumptions and go off your own narrative as to what people are saying, you're not the only one on here so probably par for the course on this forum (little victim comment at the end for you there..).

[CornwallFox]

12 minutes ago, danny. said:

You always include sneering ad hominems in your comments. It doesn't bother me at all, says more about you than me. And no, I wasn't trying to "be funny", about "any criticism of labour being labelled far right". You make assumptions and go off your own narrative as to what people are saying, you're not the only one on here so probably par for the course on this forum (little victim comment at the end for you there..).

Well if I read it wrong my apologies, I'm not sure what else you meant by it though 🤷

I wonder whether you might be doing the same thing by assuming by comments to be a sneering attack though, as I wasn't feeling particularly sneery while writing it? 

Anyway, let's agree to disagree and move on to avoid escalating our little tiff 🤝

[leicsmac]

https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/articles/cpqwv9vvzx9o

 

This story contains details and video that some readers may find distressing.

Last November, a 14-year-old Palestinian boy named Jad Jadallah was shot at close range by Israeli soldiers in a refugee camp in the occupied West Bank.

As Jad lay collapsed in an alley, the soldiers created a cordon around him and blocked two Palestinian ambulances from reaching him.

According to video footage and eyewitness testimony, the soldiers – 14 in total – then stood around Jad casually for at least 45 minutes while he bled from one or more gunshot wounds.

All Israeli soldiers receive training in trauma treatment, and any Israeli combat unit should contain a specifically trained medic, but none of the soldiers appeared to give Jad life-saving medical aid. At points, they appeared to ignore repeated attempts from Jad to get their attention.

The Israel Defence Forces (IDF) told the BBC that soldiers had provided "initial medical treatment", but a spokesperson refused to give any details about the nature or timing of the treatment.

The IDF has also accused Jad of throwing a rock, which, under their rules of engagement, can permit soldiers to use lethal force.

But the footage of the incident shows an IDF soldier dropping an object next to Jad after he was shot, then taking a photograph of it – an action Jad's family and a leading human rights group say appears to be an attempt to frame him.

 

Well... that's not messed up at all. 

[st albans fox]

3 hours ago, danny. said:

You’re right. Let’s continue the echo chamber instead. It was slightly left of centre actually, but in 2026 money that’s to the right of Genghis Khan. 

I think he gets a bad press ……..

 misunderstood and he had a tricky upbringing 

[Trav Le Bleu]

5 minutes ago, leicsmac said:

https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/articles/cpqwv9vvzx9o

 

This story contains details and video that some readers may find distressing.

Last November, a 14-year-old Palestinian boy named Jad Jadallah was shot at close range by Israeli soldiers in a refugee camp in the occupied West Bank.

As Jad lay collapsed in an alley, the soldiers created a cordon around him and blocked two Palestinian ambulances from reaching him.

According to video footage and eyewitness testimony, the soldiers – 14 in total – then stood around Jad casually for at least 45 minutes while he bled from one or more gunshot wounds.

All Israeli soldiers receive training in trauma treatment, and any Israeli combat unit should contain a specifically trained medic, but none of the soldiers appeared to give Jad life-saving medical aid. At points, they appeared to ignore repeated attempts from Jad to get their attention.

The Israel Defence Forces (IDF) told the BBC that soldiers had provided "initial medical treatment", but a spokesperson refused to give any details about the nature or timing of the treatment.

The IDF has also accused Jad of throwing a rock, which, under their rules of engagement, can permit soldiers to use lethal force.

But the footage of the incident shows an IDF soldier dropping an object next to Jad after he was shot, then taking a photograph of it – an action Jad's family and a leading human rights group say appears to be an attempt to frame him.

 

Well... that's not messed up at all. 

The whole problem with the Gaza conflict has been the disproportionate reactions to aggression. You kill 1200 of ours, we kill 73,000 of your. You throw a rock, we shoot you dead.

 

I get that you can respond to stone throwing with lethal force. If you're dealing with enough people then stone throwing can be lethal itself.

But shooting a child throwing one stone (and the authorities seemingly happy to accept this as enough cause) is just fundamentally wrong.

[Trav Le Bleu]

9 minutes ago, st albans fox said:

I think he gets a bad press ……..

 misunderstood and he had a tricky upbringing 

That plus he's probably your great, great, great, great, (etc) grandfather or uncle.

[leicsmac]

14 minutes ago, st albans fox said:

I think he gets a bad press ……..

 misunderstood and he had a tricky upbringing 

Positive contributor to the environment, as well! 

[Lionator]

1 hour ago, Mark_w said:

I’d be very surprised if it wasn’t a Green win

Fingers crossed. 

[leicsmac]

6 minutes ago, Trav Le Bleu said:

The whole problem with the Gaza conflict has been the disproportionate reactions to aggression. You kill 1200 of ours, we kill 73,000 of your. You throw a rock, we shoot you dead.

 

I get that you can respond to stone throwing with lethal force. If you're dealing with enough people then stone throwing can be lethal itself.

But shooting a child throwing one stone (and the authorities seemingly happy to accept this as enough cause) is just fundamentally wrong.

If one believes the "throwing a stone" account is actually what happened anyway. 

 

And yes, disproportionate retribution has been a massive issue here, and sadly not a new one in the field is such conflicts. 

[Trav Le Bleu]

2 minutes ago, leicsmac said:

If one believes the "throwing a stone" account is actually what happened anyway. 

 

And yes, disproportionate retribution has been a massive issue here, and sadly not a new one in the field is such conflicts. 

Had Israel made an incursion of a few days, killing a couple of thousand Palestinians, I think the world at large would have shrugged it's shoulders and gone, "same old same old".

 

No mass killing is ever justifiable, but the above scenario would be just another episode amongst many others, compared to what actually happened.

[st albans fox]

2 minutes ago, Trav Le Bleu said:

The whole problem with the Gaza conflict has been the disproportionate reactions to aggression. You kill 1200 of ours, we kill 73,000 of your. You throw a rock, we shoot you dead.

 

I get that you can respond to stone throwing with lethal force. If you're dealing with enough people then stone throwing can be lethal itself.

But shooting a child throwing one stone (and the authorities seemingly happy to accept this as enough cause) is just fundamentally wrong

This was in the west bank
it looks indefensible - for me, the withholding of the body is the worst part - anyone can be shot dead by accident (but no evidence of that in this case),  

this happened in November 

it was widely reported by the Middle East media outlets at the time

ha’aretz picked it up a few weeks ago and then times of Israel.  Now the bbc 

He was fifteeen in the original reports. 

If Iran doesn’t become a war within the next week or two then this case may gain some traction inside Israel. 
 

the idea that Israeli soldiers could be held accountable for gross misconduct/murder (failing to treat the victim and to allow an ambulance to attend - two other youths were attended to that afternoon by red crescent) is probably fanciful under the current administration. 
 

roll on the general election there. Rarely will an Israeli GE be so closely watched. 
the ‘Arab list’ could easily return 10/15% of MKs and they’ve committed to stick together (though we’ve heard that before). 
if they could actually get their vote out and work out their political disputes then they’d get closer to 20% of seats. And they’d surely then have a say in govt. It would appear to be one of the strangest anomalies in world politics.  The Arab Israelis are approx 20% of the electorate in a PR system and yet they’ve never returned more than 15% of the MKs   Surely they can manage to work it out between them and amongst their communities, 

 

 

[ROB-THE-BLUE]

Pity...