General News Thread

[Clogger_]

23 hours ago, Trav Le Bleu said:

I know a lot of people on here won't want to miss this...

 

Margaret Thatcher festival's programme of events revealed - BBC News

 

https://share.google/V1Nf5Yq50N6WdTYlx

 

F**k me

[Clogger_]

4 hours ago, leicsmac said:

https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/articles/c8j1k3k44e2o

 

A child has died at Liverpool's Alder Hey Children's Hospital after contracting measles, the BBC understands.

There has been a surge in children being taken to the hospital after becoming seriously unwell with the highly contagious virus.

Alder Hey said it would not officially comment on individual cases to respect patient confidentiality but the death has been confirmed to the BBC.

No details have been released about whether the child was being treated for other health problems or their vaccination status.

 

Well, that's horrible.

No words

[Trav Le Bleu]

4 minutes ago, Clogger_ said:

F**k me

Prefer not to.

[Md9]

1 year since trump got shot in the ear which grew back instantly and was never mentioned again. Would think you would hear more about it considering he never shuts up 

[Jattdogg]

26 minutes ago, Md9 said:

1 year since trump got shot in the ear which grew back instantly and was never mentioned again. Would think you would hear more about it considering he never shuts up 

"Nobody can regrow an ear faster, cleaner or better than me, Nobody"

 

 

Lol

 

 

 

[Md9]

12 minutes ago, Jattdogg said:

"Nobody can regrow an ear faster, cleaner or better than me, Nobody"

 

 

Lol

 

 

 

Can’t wait to see them all out the little ear bandages back on as to celebrate the day with him like the lunatic cult they are 

[Super_horns]

A plane crash much closer to home.

 

Hope all are ok .

https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/articles/c1jw71kjx14o.amp

[Jattdogg]

1 hour ago, Md9 said:

Can’t wait to see them all out the little ear bandages back on as to celebrate the day with him like the lunatic cult they are 

That was so cringe and pathetic.

[Md9]

18 minutes ago, Jattdogg said:

That was so cringe and pathetic.

Sums them up perfectly 

[ian__marshall]

19 hours ago, st albans fox said:

What do the Americans make that we have no choice but to use ?  If there are effective and comparable alternatives to everything which aren’t a lot more expensive then we could do as you’ve said.   Otherwise it becomes a problem. 

I believe currently they are the world leaders in AI, chip development, and research into quantum computing. China is catching up and making huge strides in this field but are still some way behind in terms of spend, although they're finding innovative ways to improve the efficiency of their development cycle. 

 

However, I'm not sure that there is any appetite from western nations to channel all their data through products of a nation state that are known for its surveillance activities used for spying, or stealing intellectual property. That's before you even consider issues on censorship and data bias/propaganda. 

 

The UK is investing the 3rd highest amount in AI yet we are miles behind 2nd place China, so for the time being at least it's one or the other. It's also not just a case of having the know how; you also need easy access to precious metals/minerals, highly skilled assembly operatives that can both manufacture chips at scale and low cost, and access to near unlimited energy to power data centres/production lines. 

 

Considering we have entered a revolutionary phase which is like no other ever witnessed by mankind, I'd say right now Europe needs to keep the US on side. It's frustrating as it gives Trump free reign to do as he wants and let's be honest he's not the most stable president that's ever graced the Oval, but as Sampson pointed out, aside from the tech, Europe is also dependant on their military products. In a world of growing geopolitical tension, with nations competing for natural resources, sadly this further strengthens the continents reliance on the US. 

 

As much as it may appear painful in the here and now, Trump changes his mind more than he changes his underpants so I get the impression the EU will play the game for a few weeks until he suddenly comes to his senses. It's not ideal but we just need to ride out his presidency until normality can resume. 

 

Edited 14 July 2025 by ian__marshall

[Super_horns]

More criticism for the BBC to come no doubt but they did pull the documentary it seems although presumably had been aired ..

 

https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/live/cn7dpvee4gkt

Edited 14 July 2025 by Super_horns

[Muzzy_no7]

On 11/07/2025 at 19:26, Parafox said:

 

On the plus side, our police don't usually summarily put to death someone who is a "perceived" threat, on the street.

Very true, this being a perfect example that happened in Braunstone: 

 

https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/articles/c79d533nw9no.amp 

 

[WigstonWanderer]

6 hours ago, ian__marshall said:

 

 

As much as it may appear painful in the here and now, Trump changes his mind more than he changes his underpants so I get the impression the EU will play the game for a few weeks until he suddenly comes to his senses. It's not ideal but we just need to ride out his presidency until normality can resume. 

 

I’m not sure normality will ever resume as it was, and even if it does, it’s probably only a matter of time before they elect some other crackpot based on the latest set of conspiracies. The UK, EU, Canada, Australia and other, more stable democracies should band together and work as fast as possible to remove any sort of dependence on the US.

[Bellend Sebastian]

There's a vague statement on the school's website about something having gone on but I'm struggling to believe that this is completely accurate - it's also claimed another pupil was sent home for dressing as a farmer.

 

I find it very hard to believe that anybody in education in 2025 would not think that this would create a culture war shit-storm, a social media pile-on and their switchboard being jammed by calls from nutters. Perhaps I'm being naive

 

https://www.lbc.co.uk/news/uk/schoolgirl-12-punished-for-wearing-union-flag-dress-to-school-culture-day/

[kenny]

3 minutes ago, Bellend Sebastian said:

There's a vague statement on the school's website about something having gone on but I'm struggling to believe that this is completely accurate - it's also claimed another pupil was sent home for dressing as a farmer.

 

I find it very hard to believe that anybody in education in 2025 would not think that this would create a culture war shit-storm, a social media pile-on and their switchboard being jammed by calls from nutters. Perhaps I'm being naive

 

https://www.lbc.co.uk/news/uk/schoolgirl-12-punished-for-wearing-union-flag-dress-to-school-culture-day/

If was a reform voting teacher, thats exactly the action I would take to stir up a storm.

[bovril]

7 minutes ago, Bellend Sebastian said:

There's a vague statement on the school's website about something having gone on but I'm struggling to believe that this is completely accurate - it's also claimed another pupil was sent home for dressing as a farmer.

 

I find it very hard to believe that anybody in education in 2025 would not think that this would create a culture war shit-storm, a social media pile-on and their switchboard being jammed by calls from nutters. Perhaps I'm being naive

 

https://www.lbc.co.uk/news/uk/schoolgirl-12-punished-for-wearing-union-flag-dress-to-school-culture-day/

Her written piece is very insightful and quite true I think - because our culture and language (also via the US) has become so dominant globally over the last century or so, many people here have stopped seeing it as culture at all. 'Culture' for a lot of people in this country is simply foreign food or traditions. 

[Foxdiamond]

10 minutes ago, bovril said:

Her written piece is very insightful and quite true I think - because our culture and language (also via the US) has become so dominant globally over the last century or so, many people here have stopped seeing it as culture at all. 'Culture' for a lot of people in this country is simply foreign food or traditions. 

Is this an example of those in authority being fearful of celebrating anything British and self loathing. 

[leicsmac]

31 minutes ago, kenny said:

If was a reform voting teacher, thats exactly the action I would take to stir up a storm.

Yeah, agree with this, it's too pat.

 

Set up for the sake of outrage by an interested party (in this case, the teacher).

 

11 minutes ago, Foxdiamond said:

Is this an example of those in authority being fearful of celebrating anything British and self loathing. 

See above. 

[Foxdiamond]

5 minutes ago, leicsmac said:

Yeah, agree with this, it's too pat.

 

Set up for the sake of outrage by an interested party (in this case, the teacher).

 

See above. 

Did it happen or not ?

[leicsmac]

7 minutes ago, Foxdiamond said:

Did it happen or not ?

It did happen, and could well have been instigated by the teacher (or someone else closely associated) in order to cause the exact outrage we're seeing now. 

 

As per above, anyone in the education sector not wanting to cause such an outrage would likely know better than to do this. 

[Foxdiamond]

1 minute ago, leicsmac said:

It did happen, and could well have been instigated by the teacher (or someone else closely associated) in order to cause the exact outrage we're seeing now. 

 

As per above, anyone in the education sector not wanting to cause such an outrage would likely know better than to do this. 

Be very interesting to know the full facts

[bovril]

33 minutes ago, Foxdiamond said:

Is this an example of those in authority being fearful of celebrating anything British and self loathing. 

I don't think it's 'self-loathing'. But in England in the last couple of decades for various reasons we have started problematising anything that is seen as an expression of our dominant culture or traditional social structure, especially when it comes to ethnicity. I guess that is down to anxiety over the loss of Empire and our conscious effort to redefine Britishness or Englishness as ethnically diverse and inclusive in a way most nations don't. There is also this kind of Anglocentrism where we basically see our beliefs, attitudes etc as the norm, even globally.

 

There is also the issue that a lot of people in education and media in this country are commies. 

[bovril]

23 minutes ago, leicsmac said:

As per above, anyone in the education sector not wanting to cause such an outrage would likely know better than to do this. 

A lot of people are just a bit thick and lack any kind of critical thinking. 

[Trav Le Bleu]

7 minutes ago, bovril said:

 

There is also the issue that a lot of people believe that a lot of people in education and media in this country are commies. 

This is closer than the truth.

[Foxdiamond]

7 minutes ago, bovril said:

I don't think it's 'self-loathing'. But in England in the last couple of decades for various reasons we have started problematising anything that is seen as an expression of our dominant culture or traditional social structure, especially when it comes to ethnicity. I guess that is down to anxiety over the loss of Empire and our conscious effort to redefine Britishness or Englishness as ethnically diverse and inclusive in a way most nations don't. There is also this kind of Anglocentrism where we basically see our beliefs, attitudes etc as the norm, even globally.

 

There is also the issue that a lot of people in education and media in this country are commies. 

It would seem a lot of the people you mention are out of step with a lot of the public.