General News Thread

[FoyleFox]

9 hours ago, Trav Le Bleu said:

The politics of personality.

 

Ant and Dec would ace any general election.

At this point in time, if the leading option is Farage, I'm not sure that I wouldn't prefer Ant and Dec...

[Trav Le Bleu]

1 hour ago, leicsmac said:

No. Because it's not. 

 

But then, this is the era where perception overrules proven facts, so unfortunately the question is irrelevant. 

 

Interesting times, eh?

We're cursed.

[CornwallFox]

New virtual hospital to create 8.5m appointments over 3 years. Entirely optional service to remove things like gp appointments that are nothing but onward referrals or quick verbal check ups. Great policy. 

[st albans fox]

Just noticed that the flotilla is due to arrive in gzan waters on yom kippur - assume this is totally co incidental! It will wind up the isrlies big time. 40/50 boats is a lot to deal with and avoid unplanned consequences. . 

[danny.]

38 minutes ago, CornwallFox said:

New virtual hospital to create 8.5m appointments over 3 years. Entirely optional service to remove things like gp appointments that are nothing but onward referrals or quick verbal check ups. Great policy. 

That is well overdue. Absolutely bonkers currently waiting 3-4 weeks to walk in and say “can I have a referral” “sure” “bye”. 

[Vowels]

46 minutes ago, CornwallFox said:

New virtual hospital to create 8.5m appointments over 3 years. Entirely optional service to remove things like gp appointments that are nothing but onward referrals or quick verbal check ups. Great policy. 

AI? Or staffed?

 

If staffed, who is going to staff it once all the immigrants have been sent 'home' ?

[leicsmac]

48 minutes ago, Trav Le Bleu said:

We're cursed.

But not out of moves yet. 

[Trav Le Bleu]

52 minutes ago, st albans fox said:

Just noticed that the flotilla is due to arrive in gzan waters on yom kippur - assume this is totally co incidental! It will wind up the isrlies big time. 40/50 boats is a lot to deal with and avoid unplanned consequences. . 

When's the flotilla due in Dover?

[leicsmac]

2 hours ago, Tommy G said:

Who’s “you”?

Not to answer for the OP, but I would suggest practically all of those who list excessive migration as their only or top of the list of concerns that they have. 

 

If polling data is accurate, that's quite a few people.

[CornwallFox]

45 minutes ago, Vowels said:

AI? Or staffed?

 

If staffed, who is going to staff it once all the immigrants have been sent 'home' ?

Well it's a labour policy and they aren't suggesting sending everybody home 

[st albans fox]

54 minutes ago, Trav Le Bleu said:

When's the flotilla due in Dover?

Dover too busy 
 

will be further down the coast 

 

nice calm day …..

 

no boats due over the weekend ! 

[kenny]

1 hour ago, Vowels said:

AI? Or staffed?

 

If staffed, who is going to staff it once all the immigrants have been sent 'home' ?

WFH?

[ajthefox]

12 hours ago, danny. said:

Just going off recent polls. Starmer is the most unpopular PM in history. Labour are not liked with either the left or right. I don’t know anyone that would vote Tory again, but could be wrong on this one. Not many happy with how they ran the country for 14 years. 
 

Nope. I have no stake in this. I’m not a Reform voter. I’ve previously voted Labour, Green and Lib Dem and am currently politically homeless. 

Most unpopular PM in history? I know the polling is bad but c'mon. 

 

What about the woman who half the North of England hate and whose death was celebrated by significant numbers? What about the Labour leader who played a significant part in war crimes and lied about them? What about the man who led a shambolic pandemic response? What about the woman who no-one voted for, who crashed the economy with her first budget within a couple of months of taking office and was then swiftly booted out?

 

Millions of people voted Tory at the last GE just a year or so ago. Plenty will keep voting for them.

 

And just a broader point on polling - I seem to recall most polls having Labour down for a record breaking win. The reality was somewhat different.

Edited 1 October 2025 by ajthefox

[FoyleFox]

The rescheduled parole hearing for Colin Pitchfork is now Friday. 

 

BBC News - Date set to consider release of child killer Colin Pitchfork - BBC News

https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/articles/cp3v8ejpp08o

 

After his previous parole in 2021 he was recalled for breaking it, by approaching a young woman. I'm not in anyway convinced this parole should be approved. 

[Wymsey]

20 minutes ago, FoyleFox said:

The rescheduled parole hearing for Colin Pitchfork is now Friday. 

 

BBC News - Date set to consider release of child killer Colin Pitchfork - BBC News

https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/articles/cp3v8ejpp08o

 

After his previous parole in 2021 he was recalled for breaking it, by approaching a young woman. I'm not in anyway convinced this parole should be approved. 

Can someone be a 'Guardian' for him; I.e. closely monitor him in-person at all times when out in public?

[Zear0]

3 minutes ago, Wymsey said:

Can someone be a 'Guardian' for him; I.e. closely monitor him in-person at all times when out in public?

Or just keep the piece of s*** behind bars.

[Trav Le Bleu]

32 minutes ago, ajthefox said:

Most unpopular PM in history? I know the polling is bad but c'mon. 

 

What about the woman who half the North of England hate and whose death was celebrated by significant numbers? What about the Labour leader who played a significant part in war crimes and lied about them? What about the man who led a shambolic pandemic response? What about the woman who no-one voted for, who crashed the economy with her first budget within a couple of months of taking office and was then swiftly booted out?

 

Millions of people voted Tory at the last GE just a year or so ago. Plenty will keep voting for them.

 

And just a broader point on polling - I seem to recall most polls having Labour down for a record breaking win. The reality was somewhat different.

I think it would be fair to say that in terms of individual hate, Thatcher would be certainly up there, but there were those who absolutely loved her too. Strange but true.

 

The current incumbents has done a good job of peeing off almost everyone. I doubt there's anyone who hates him as much as Thatcher was hated, but conversely he's not loved as much as she was either.

 

To antiphrase (would that be the correct new word?) Churchill, "You can annoy some of the people all of the time or you can annoy all of the people some of the time, but you can't annoy all of the people all of the time."

 

Though Starmer seems to be trying.

[BKLFox]

Whilst plenty of posters mock others over the subject of immigration do they themselves really have no genuine concerns over the subject?

The question’s been asked from the mocking side of us that do say they have concerns which have been answered in various ways but I still get the feeling the mocking side are fixed on everyone just being racist.

 

My concerns are numbers and unknowns, the unknown of who is coming in and the inability to check on their character, have they a criminal record, are they part of a more sinister group, what / who are they running from, mental states, future intentions to mention a few things, is that racist to have those concern?

 

Then the shear numbers & i’m not talking this week, last month last year but over a course of 25yrs.

 

The UK is registered (using worldometer) as the 22nd  most heavily populated country in the world, logged against 233 registered countries.

Now let’s use the year 2000 as a starting point when the UK had a recorded population of 58m, the previous 25yrs figures showed the population had only grown by 2m in that period up from 56m in 1975

Now looking at the 25yrs since 2000, we are just a good Saturday night, away from 12m growth sitting at just shy of 70m.

In that 25yrs we have grown more than the entire population of countries (& sticking just to the west) like Belgium, Portugal, Sweden, Bulgaria, Denmark, even the combined total of Finland & Norway the list goes on, in fact it’s grown more than the entire populations of 123 of those 233 countries registered.

 

For the size of the UK in relation to other countries it’s not sustainable, look at France’s current day figure below us at 66m, their 2000 figure was 60m, take Germany’s 84m & just 2m less 2000 figure of 82m, we are well ahead in the past 25yrs of taking in numbers despite being 2.5 & 1.5 times the size in land mass of those 2.

 

Does looking at just numbers, not eye shape or skin colour and thinking if I had a box that fitted 18 apples but I’m trying to squeeze 38 apples into it and now the sides of the box have given way under the strain of the extra apples and can no longer be useable as a box make me racist?

 

 

[Tommy G]

33 minutes ago, Wymsey said:

Can someone be a 'Guardian' for him; I.e. closely monitor him in-person at all times when out in public?

Who's paying for that?

[ajthefox]

8 minutes ago, Trav Le Bleu said:

I think it would be fair to say that in terms of individual hate, Thatcher would be certainly up there, but there were those who absolutely loved her too. Strange but true.

 

The current incumbents has done a good job of peeing off almost everyone. I doubt there's anyone who hates him as much as Thatcher was hated, but conversely he's not loved as much as she was either.

 

To antiphrase (would that be the correct new word?) Churchill, "You can annoy some of the people all of the time or you can annoy all of the people some of the time, but you can't annoy all of the people all of the time."

 

Though Starmer seems to be trying.

I don't really disagree with anything there Trav.

 

Starmer is clearly not popular at all. This government seems to be alienating a lot of their voters and Starmer takes the brunt of that. But I disagree with the notion that he is actively hated anywhere near as much as Thatcher, Boris or Blair.

 

A lot of the criticism of him (predominantly from the right wags) is that if anything, he is boring and vanilla. A lot of people lap that up, personally I think it's nonsense given the buffoons in charge previously but there you go. Politically he is pissing off those who want to see more socially driven policies, but I don't think those more towards the left hate him, they are just frustrated with the direction Labour are moving in.

[leicsmac]

7 minutes ago, BKLFox said:

Whilst plenty of posters mock others over the subject of immigration do they themselves really have no genuine concerns over the subject?

The question’s been asked from the mocking side of us that do say they have concerns which have been answered in various ways but I still get the feeling the mocking side are fixed on everyone just being racist.

 

My concerns are numbers and unknowns, the unknown of who is coming in and the inability to check on their character, have they a criminal record, are they part of a more sinister group, what / who are they running from, mental states, future intentions to mention a few things, is that racist to have those concern?

 

Then the shear numbers & i’m not talking this week, last month last year but over a course of 25yrs.

 

The UK is registered (using worldometer) as the 22nd  most heavily populated country in the world, logged against 233 registered countries.

Now let’s use the year 2000 as a starting point when the UK had a recorded population of 58m, the previous 25yrs figures showed the population had only grown by 2m in that period up from 56m in 1975

Now looking at the 25yrs since 2000, we are just a good Saturday night, away from 12m growth sitting at just shy of 70m.

In that 25yrs we have grown more than the entire population of countries (& sticking just to the west) like Belgium, Portugal, Sweden, Bulgaria, Denmark, even the combined total of Finland & Norway the list goes on, in fact it’s grown more than the entire populations of 123 of those 233 countries registered.

 

For the size of the UK in relation to other countries it’s not sustainable, look at France’s current day figure below us at 66m, their 2000 figure was 60m, take Germany’s 84m & just 2m less 2000 figure of 82m, we are well ahead in the past 25yrs of taking in numbers despite being 2.5 & 1.5 times the size in land mass of those 2.

 

Does looking at just numbers, not eye shape or skin colour and thinking if I had a box that fitted 18 apples but I’m trying to squeeze 38 apples into it and now the sides of the box have given way under the strain of the extra apples and can no longer be useable as a box make me racist?

 

 

Of course the infrastructure concerns based on increasing population are ones that are valid and should be considered carefully. 

 

That doesn't, however, stop that argument being either ignored or used as a smokescreen for good old-fashioned xenophobia. 

 

The UK (and governments of all stripes running it in recent times) has really dropped the ball on long term infrastructure projects, and so vital services are creaking right now, that's obvious. That's rather tangential to the actual matter at hand, though, and there really needs to be a look at the whole thing that encompasses both getting such projects started and finished without political interruption and added cost, and also addressing the root causes of why people migrate in the first place. Because without addressing those causes, it isn't going to stop, it isn't going to get better (particularly as the world changes) and the only other choice is to functionally choose the borders and abandon millions, if not more, people to their fate. 

[st albans fox]

I see that govt has won its case against PPE medpro and awarded £122m damages. 
 

I also see that PPE medpro has been placed into administration 

the case was brought in 2022 - company accounts at that time showed assets of the business to be just below £4m.  What was the point of bringing this case ?  At the very most it could recover that amount and it would be obvious that any case would take years and that funds in the company would dwindle away.  We must have spent millions obtaining a ruling that is worth bugger all.   Govt is ludicrous- no commerciality whatsoever.  Just spending our money like it’s water. 

 

[Tommy G]

5 minutes ago, st albans fox said:

I see that govt has won its case against PPE medpro and awarded £122m damages. 
 

I also see that PPE medpro has been placed into administration 

the case was brought in 2022 - company accounts at that time showed assets of the business to be just below £4m.  What was the point of bringing this case ?  At the very most it could recover that amount and it would be obvious that any case would take years and that funds in the company would dwindle away.  We must have spent millions obtaining a ruling that is worth bugger all.   Govt is ludicrous- no commerciality whatsoever.  Just spending our money like it’s water. 

 

Politics is about optics not results........

[RoboFox]

Mone's a crook and her peerage should be revoked. 

[Sampson]

Finally Starmer allowing himself to mention the B word again and hammering Farage by pointing out the obvious that the Brexit Farage brought about is the reason we can’t return asylum seekers to other European countries