General News Thread

[Bellend Sebastian]

Reform's candidate for the Makerfield by-election's X account has been mysteriously suspended (might be back up now, I'm not on there anymore). The chatter was initially that he'd done/said something pretty outrageous to have fallen foul of their rules, but some talk now suggesting the account being suspended is actually in Reform's interests, given what might have been on there.

 

The curious folk at Byline Times have gone digging into the archive and whilst a few of you will probably say, what's wrong with that, I think it's fair to describe his views as perhaps a little niche:

 

https://bylinetimes.com/2026/05/20/reading-the-riot-act-reform-uks-makerfield-by-election-candidate-during-the-summer-of-trouble/?utm_source=bluesky&utm_medium=jetpack_social

 

 

[FoxesDeb]

What an absolutely tragic story from Brighton, the three ladies were sisters.

 

I can't begin to imagine how their poor parents must feel.

 

BBC News - Women who died in sea off Brighton were sisters

https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/articles/c62dn5r4elqo

 

 

[Parafox]

25 minutes ago, FoxesDeb said:

What an absolutely tragic story from Brighton, the three ladies were sisters.

 

I can't begin to imagine how their poor parents must feel.

 

BBC News - Women who died in sea off Brighton were sisters

https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/articles/c62dn5r4elqo

 

 

Tragic.

 

Having read the report and considered the time of the first call to the emergency services, I have my own thoughts on the sequence of events but I'm definitely not posting them here or anywhere else. I'm sure SM will be full of keyboard theorists, anyway.

[bovril]

Still find it interesting how many reform voters and indeed candidates manage to square their obvious concern about an influx of Muslims and brown people in general with Farage's comments during the referendum on commonwealth immigration and subsequent massive rise post Brexit in immigration from places like India and Nigeria. 

[Lionator]

24 minutes ago, bovril said:

Still find it interesting how many reform voters and indeed candidates manage to square their obvious concern about an influx of Muslims and brown people in general with Farage's comments during the referendum on commonwealth immigration and subsequent massive rise post Brexit in immigration from places like India and Nigeria. 

The care sector would’ve collapsed post 2016 without Zimbabweans, it’s a complete mess, and they’ve saved us 

[Lionator]

Talking of despicable POS, this guy should be sanctioned to high hell and back 

 

[leicsmac]

6 minutes ago, Lionator said:

Talking of despicable POS, this guy should be sanctioned to high hell and back 

 

Should make another appearance in the ACOOT thread. 

 

Proper sociopath. 

Edited 20 May by leicsmac

[StanSP]

She gets dumber as time goes by...

 

[st albans fox]

54 minutes ago, Lionator said:

Talking of despicable POS, this guy should be sanctioned to high hell and back 

 

 

48 minutes ago, leicsmac said:

Should make another appearance in the ACOOT thread. 

 

Proper sociopath. 

He should never be anywhere near a position of responsibility 

sums up how the PM sees himself as more important than his country.  

today’s antics are mainly for domestic political reasons (and his narcissism) 

the general election looks likely to be early sept 

current polling says that the Arab parties could hold the balance of power with the Bennett/netenhayu alliances fairly even 

[Trav Le Bleu]

4 hours ago, Lionator said:

The living standard of the average Chinese person has grown exponentially over the last 30 years and makes what we have look silly, all within the parameters of a gigantic population. We know there are ethnic groups that are discriminated against and where human rights are abused, and of course that’s dreadful, and should be called out. But also what can you actually do?

As a nation, or indeed, a bloc of nations, you can leverage to bring about change, instead of (ironically handy Cantonese word here) kowtowing to them.

[CornwallFox]

It's ironic, the grief Starmar gets from the right when labour have actually done more to reduce legal and illegal immigration, and deported more failed asylum seekers, than any government in UK history.

 

"The number of asylum seekers living in hotels while waiting for their claims to be processed in the UK has fallen to 20,885 in the 12 months to March 2026.

That's down from 30,657 people in December 2025.

The peak was about 56,000 in September 2023 under the last Conservative government."

 

Also, BBC News - https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/live/cvgzjpd1jjgt

UK net migration drops to 171,000 in 2025, lowest since 2012 excluding pandemic - follow live - BBC New

 

Then, Boat crossings last year were 3% up on the year before, but so far this year are 42% down. 

 

 

 

 

Edited 21 May by CornwallFox

[Sampson]

55 minutes ago, CornwallFox said:

It's ironic, the grief Starmar gets from the right when labour have actually done more to reduce legal and illegal immigration, and deported more failed asylum seekers, than any government in UK history.

 

"The number of asylum seekers living in hotels while waiting for their claims to be processed in the UK has fallen to 20,885 in the 12 months to March 2026.

That's down from 30,657 people in December 2025.

The peak was about 56,000 in September 2023 under the last Conservative government."

 

Also, BBC News - https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/live/cvgzjpd1jjgt

UK net migration drops to 171,000 in 2025, lowest since 2012 excluding pandemic - follow live - BBC New

 

Then, Boat crossings last year were 3% up on the year before, but so far this year are 42% down. 

 

 

 

 

I've said all along Labour will lose far more voters than they gain with this anti-immigration stuff. They are chasing a demographic who hasn't voted them for 20 years with this anti-immigration stuff and is pissing off the demographics that actually have voted for them in the past decade in doing this. Farage will always change the goalpost on this - first it was 5 figure net migration, then net zero migration, then net negative migration and then it will be re-migration. The net migration figures probably will be quite small by 2029, but Farage will have moved the goalposts to being remigration by then, meanwhile Labour will have pissed off all the university educated, pro-EU, liberal gen z and millenial voters who the anti-immigration stuff doesn't play with and who were the voters who actually voted them in.

Edited 21 May by Sampson

[CornwallFox]

40 minutes ago, Sampson said:

I've said all along Labour will lose far more voters than they gain with this anti-immigration stuff. They are chasing a demographic who hasn't voted them for 20 years with this anti-immigration stuff and is pissing off the demographics that actually have voted for them in the past decade in doing this. Farage will always change the goalpost on this - first it was 5 figure net migration, then net zero migration, then net negative migration and then it will be re-migration. The net migration figures probably will be quite small by 2029, but Farage will have moved the goalposts to being remigration by then, meanwhile Labour will have pissed off all the university educated, pro-EU, liberal gen z and millenial voters who the anti-immigration stuff doesn't play with and who were the voters who actually voted them in.

As a leftie and labour voter myself, I'm fine with them cutting immigration, I just want to see them talk about it in better language that the right do, and to compliment it with some policies that actually help ordinary people. Spend some money, stop running the country like Tory-lite, stop pretending tight finances lead to a better quality of life.

[davieG]

What an absolute shit show this has been and continues to be.

[CornwallFox]

35 minutes ago, davieG said:

What an absolute shit show this has been and continues to be.

I can't help but think the private sector must be absolutely making bank here. I often think this week public sector projects. 

 

You're telling me with that sort of money and government power to legislate away problems they can't build a few train tracks? Shambolic on the government side and I'd love to see where the money went. 

 

I always think the same about the multi billion supposed cost of fixing up the palace of Westminster/parliament. I get it's quite big and there's some fiddly work but several billion to fix the wiring, stop leaks and keep the rats out? Don't be ridiculous. 

[Bellend Sebastian]

6 hours ago, Sampson said:

I've said all along Labour will lose far more voters than they gain with this anti-immigration stuff. They are chasing a demographic who hasn't voted them for 20 years with this anti-immigration stuff and is pissing off the demographics that actually have voted for them in the past decade in doing this. Farage will always change the goalpost on this - first it was 5 figure net migration, then net zero migration, then net negative migration and then it will be re-migration. The net migration figures probably will be quite small by 2029, but Farage will have moved the goalposts to being remigration by then, meanwhile Labour will have pissed off all the university educated, pro-EU, liberal gen z and millenial voters who the anti-immigration stuff doesn't play with and who were the voters who actually voted them in.

It's very hard to tell who's actually a real person on there these days but wherever this has been posted on Facebook there are hundreds and sometimes thousands of replies that are just folk saying 'no'. No trace of any begrudging acknowledgement of progress on the issue, nothing like that.

 

It does little to undermine my completely unscientific theory that people don't really want it sorting out because if it was you couldn't moan about it anymore

 

 

 

 

[Jattdogg]

21 hours ago, st albans fox said:

 

He should never be anywhere near a position of responsibility 

sums up how the PM sees himself as more important than his country.  

today’s antics are mainly for domestic political reasons (and his narcissism) 

the general election looks likely to be early sept 

current polling says that the Arab parties could hold the balance of power with the Bennett/netenhayu alliances fairly even 

Hope the **** falls off a cliff. 

Edited 21 May by Jattdogg

[leicsmac]

https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/articles/cn0pk2e22jro

 

Trying to avoid the Al Capone method of accountability, then. 

[SpacedX]

2 hours ago, davieG said:

What an absolute shit show this has been and continues to be.

The reduced route is now unlikely to hit its target of 2033 and is set to cost in excess of £100billion. That figure is more than NASA's £79billion budget for the Artemis missions, exceeding costs for the planned Artemis IV expedition, expected to place astronauts back on the moon within a fraction of the timescale.

[bovril]

1 hour ago, Bellend Sebastian said:

It's very hard to tell who's actually a real person on there these days but wherever this has been posted on Facebook there are hundreds and sometimes thousands of replies that are just folk saying 'no'. No trace of any begrudging acknowledgement of progress on the issue, nothing like that.

 

It does little to undermine my completely unscientific theory that people don't really want it sorting out because if it was you couldn't moan about it anymore

 

 

 

 

What is perhaps unique about English political culture is that people who are most anti immigration are by and large the same people that have consistently voted for people and things that increase immigration, so they solve this very obvious contradiction by convincing themselves utterly that Labour are responsible for the increase in non white people they see in their towns. 

[leicsmac]

6 minutes ago, bovril said:

What is perhaps unique about English political culture is that people who are most anti immigration are by and large the same people that have consistently voted for people and things that increase immigration, so they solve this very obvious contradiction by convincing themselves utterly that Labour are responsible for the increase in non white people they see in their towns. 

It becomes less of a contradiction when the "problem" is its own point and vast amounts of cruelty involved in "solving" it in the most spectacular way is the rewarding solution. Permit the "problem" of the "other" to reach such a critical mass that you're justified in whatever atrocity you carry out against that "other".

 

Perhaps that's a bit tinfoil hat, but it explains a bit of the actions involved. 

[leicsmac]

32 minutes ago, SpacedX said:

The reduced route is now unlikely to hit its target of 2033 and is set to cost in excess of £100billion. That figure is more than NASA's £79billion budget for the Artemis missions, exceeding costs for the planned Artemis IV expedition, expected to place astronauts back on the moon within a fraction of the timescale.

And people say it would have been a waste of money for the UK to have its own space program. 

[leicsmac]

In lighter, football related news:

 

https://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/football/articles/cx21xelynrno

 

Sometimes the game can transcend even the highest national boundaries. 

[Lionator]

“He’s a person I’ve known for a long time” 

 

you’ll never guess who Trump was talking about today

 

https://x.com/acyn/status/2057500004991009220?s=46

[StanSP]

Immigration was never the problem as much as the media and the right will have you believe. But numbers are down to their lowest since 2012.

 

Let's see how the media play this one...