General News Thread

[bovril]

20 minutes ago, Sampson said:

Funny I used to be anti-royal when I was younger but the institution of it has grown on me more and more over the decades now and now I’m a fairly big fan of the monarchy as an institution, and I think constitutional monarchies are holding up against the rise of populism and democratic backsliding better than the republics are right now.

I'm a supporter because of the history and traditions it represents, and aesthetically the coronation was great. Under William V I can see it becoming less esoteric, more corporate and watered down and thus much duller. 

 

For me it's much more likely that Britain has avoided populism and extremism at home for centuries because of our relative economic and military success, rather than our constitution. I don't think the monarchy is going to save us in the next few decades if those things take hold, as they are likely to. 

[CornwallFox]

28 minutes ago, Trav Le Bleu said:

I agree in principle but the problem there is you would then get people saying they were stealing jobs. The fact is that with increasing young people's learning and aspirations, wrongly or rightly, has led to a situation were people want to be pro sports people, film stars, doctors, lawyers etc.

 

There again, should you deliberately leave people with lower expectations to be cleaners, gardeners, call centre workers, delivery people, etc. That would be getting into Brave New World territory, but then much of what that book said is true today.

Get them picking crops, dealing with potholes, picking litter, lawnmowers verges, the stuff that either doesn't get done currently, or where we use immigrants ordinarily, so we could use these ones in their place. 

[Alf Bentley]

The Australian mushroom murders story just got even weirder....

https://news.sky.com/story/australian-mushroom-murderer-allegedly-served-husband-poisoned-pasta-curry-and-sandwiches-13408485

 

So, before his wife murdered his parents and aunt and attempted to murder his uncle, the husband believes that she repeatedly tried to poison him via pasta, curry and a wrap.

To the extent that he suffered temporary paralysis, had part of his bowel removed - and, according to the BBC, ended up in a coma.

 

This begs 2 questions....

- Why the fvck did he carry on eating food she had prepared? Why not leave or cook his own grub? Instead, he kept a spreadsheet detailing the occasions on which she poisoned him. 

- Why the fvck didn't he advise his parents, aunt and uncle not to go and eat the meal she was cooking? He declined an invitation himself, as he thought she might try to poison him again, but didn't see any need to warn his family members off, as he assumed she wouldn't try to poison them, he says.... 

 

[ramboacdc]

8 minutes ago, Alf Bentley said:

The Australian mushroom murders story just got even weirder....

https://news.sky.com/story/australian-mushroom-murderer-allegedly-served-husband-poisoned-pasta-curry-and-sandwiches-13408485

 

So, before his wife murdered his parents and aunt and attempted to murder his uncle, the husband believes that she repeatedly tried to poison him via pasta, curry and a wrap.

To the extent that he suffered temporary paralysis, had part of his bowel removed - and, according to the BBC, ended up in a coma.

 

This begs 2 questions....

- Why the fvck did he carry on eating food she had prepared? Why not leave or cook his own grub? Instead, he kept a spreadsheet detailing the occasions on which she poisoned him. 

- Why the fvck didn't he advise his parents, aunt and uncle not to go and eat the meal she was cooking? He declined an invitation himself, as he thought she might try to poison him again, but didn't see any need to warn his family members off, as he assumed she wouldn't try to poison them, he says.... 

 

He said he never expected her to try and poison the rest. Expected it just to be him she went for. 

Has she been Psych reviewed? With that much overwhelming evidence against her and her still flat out denying it and looking upset to even be accused of it makes me wonder if she is the full ticket. I bet her defence go for something like that in her sentencing. 

[Torquay Gunner]

11 minutes ago, Alf Bentley said:

The Australian mushroom murders story just got even weirder....

https://news.sky.com/story/australian-mushroom-murderer-allegedly-served-husband-poisoned-pasta-curry-and-sandwiches-13408485

 

So, before his wife murdered his parents and aunt and attempted to murder his uncle, the husband believes that she repeatedly tried to poison him via pasta, curry and a wrap.

To the extent that he suffered temporary paralysis, had part of his bowel removed - and, according to the BBC, ended up in a coma.

 

This begs 2 questions....

- Why the fvck did he carry on eating food she had prepared? Why not leave or cook his own grub? Instead, he kept a spreadsheet detailing the occasions on which she poisoned him. 

- Why the fvck didn't he advise his parents, aunt and uncle not to go and eat the meal she was cooking? He declined an invitation himself, as he thought she might try to poison him again, but didn't see any need to warn his family members off, as he assumed she wouldn't try to poison them, he says.... 

 

His sister warned the parents apparently, but they shrugged it off. They all sound bonkers.

[Foxdiamond]

6 minutes ago, Torquay Gunner said:

His sister warned the parents apparently, but they shrugged it off. They all sound bonkers.

Reminds me of the evil nutter Graham Young who poisoned and killed work colleagues in 1970s. Fortunately he is now dead

[Alf Bentley]

6 minutes ago, ramboacdc said:

He said he never expected her to try and poison the rest. Expected it just to be him she went for. 
 

 

Yes, I know he said that. I just find the scale of his misjudgement flabbergasting.

 

I mean, if I thought someone had repeatedly tried to poison me to the extent that I'd become seriously ill, had kept a spreadsheet of occasions on which she'd poisoned me, had stopped eating her meals and moved out of the house as a result, and had declined an invitation to another meal as I feared being poisoned again.....and heard that my parents, aunt & uncle were invited to the meal, even if I thought she only had it in for me, I reckon I'd absolutely tell my family not to attend on a precautionary basis. Surely 99.99% of people would do the same? 

[Torquay Gunner]

2 minutes ago, Foxdiamond said:

Reminds me of the evil nutter Graham Young who poisoned and killed work colleagues in 1970s. Fortunately he is now dead

Yes the Tea cup murderer, he started poisoning people when he was 14! 

[Foxdiamond]

2 minutes ago, Torquay Gunner said:

Yes the Tea cup murderer, he started poisoning people when he was 14! 

Scandalous his employer didn't have a clue about his history 

[leicsmac]

Lammy's welcome to JD "Sofa Violator" Vance is...well, pretty horrific in it's sycophancy.

 

Should have stuck to your guns, David. Cowardice wasn't the way here. 

[Dr The Singh]

19 minutes ago, leicsmac said:

Lammy's welcome to JD "Sofa Violator" Vance is...well, pretty horrific in it's sycophancy.

 

Should have stuck to your guns, David. Cowardice wasn't the way here. 

Politicians behaving like eunuch, who would have thought.

[The Doctor]

1 hour ago, leicsmac said:

Lammy's welcome to JD "Sofa Violator" Vance is...well, pretty horrific in it's sycophancy.

 

Should have stuck to your guns, David. Cowardice wasn't the way here. 

i mean to enter parliament it seems like you have to have your spine surgically removed so I'm not surprised 

[leicsmac]

1 hour ago, Dr The Singh said:

Politicians behaving like eunuch, who would have thought.

 

32 minutes ago, The Doctor said:

i mean to enter parliament it seems like you have to have your spine surgically removed so I'm not surprised 

Yep. Shocker, right?

[Sampson]

[st albans fox]

16 minutes ago, Sampson said:

Can you post some more private eye 

should be compulsory each edition !

[Dr The Singh]

42 minutes ago, Sampson said:

I think this is relevant, I have family in lower wealth society, things are erupting.  Just cus me and some live out of the zones don't think its important, they do.

 

We have to remember is where we put these people, they do not put them i west Bridgford, or oady.

[Zear0]

'Swapping of territories' to be involved in Ukraine-Russia deal, Trump says
Donald Trump says there will be "some swapping of territories to the betterment of both sides" involved in a peace deal for Ukraine.

Speaking at the White House, he said:  "You're looking at a territory that's been fought over for three and a half years. A lot of Russians have died. A lot of Ukrainians have died. 

"So we're looking at that, but we're actually looking to get some back, and some swapping.

"It's complicated, actually. Nothing is easy. It's very complicated. But we're going to get some back. 

"We're going to get some switched. There'll be some swapping of territories to the betterment of both."

Trump added that Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy is "going to have to get ready to sign something".

 

Yalta Part 2 begins.

[Lionator]

56 minutes ago, Zear0 said:

'Swapping of territories' to be involved in Ukraine-Russia deal, Trump says
Donald Trump says there will be "some swapping of territories to the betterment of both sides" involved in a peace deal for Ukraine.

Speaking at the White House, he said:  "You're looking at a territory that's been fought over for three and a half years. A lot of Russians have died. A lot of Ukrainians have died. 

"So we're looking at that, but we're actually looking to get some back, and some swapping.

"It's complicated, actually. Nothing is easy. It's very complicated. But we're going to get some back. 

"We're going to get some switched. There'll be some swapping of territories to the betterment of both."

Trump added that Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy is "going to have to get ready to sign something".

 

Yalta Part 2 begins.

Looks like they’re meeting in Alaska next week. A deal well and truly behind Ukraine’s back unless the meeting focuses more on USA-Russia issues like nuclear weapons agreements and what not. 

[Lionator]

All of these ‘peace deals’ seem very superficial on paper and might disappear if the republicans lose in 2028 (it’s hard to see Vance or Rubio not winning given the state of the Democrats). However one mans insatiable self eroticism and narcissistic personality disorder does seem to ironically be solving more issues. Still causing massive collateral damage though, he may inadvertently develop peace between China and India by pushing India away. Peace between those two was seen as impossible, now look lol. 

[Sampson]

Nm.

Edited 9 August 2025 by Sampson

[st albans fox]

11 hours ago, Zear0 said:

'Swapping of territories' to be involved in Ukraine-Russia deal, Trump says
Donald Trump says there will be "some swapping of territories to the betterment of both sides" involved in a peace deal for Ukraine.

Speaking at the White House, he said:  "You're looking at a territory that's been fought over for three and a half years. A lot of Russians have died. A lot of Ukrainians have died. 

"So we're looking at that, but we're actually looking to get some back, and some swapping.

"It's complicated, actually. Nothing is easy. It's very complicated. But we're going to get some back. 

"We're going to get some switched. There'll be some swapping of territories to the betterment of both."

Trump added that Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy is "going to have to get ready to sign something".

 

Yalta Part 2 begins.

 

10 hours ago, Lionator said:

Looks like they’re meeting in Alaska next week. A deal well and truly behind Ukraine’s back unless the meeting focuses more on USA-Russia issues like nuclear weapons agreements and what not. 

Zelenskyy publicly states that no territories will be given to Russia as part of a deal.  Opening gambit.  if Putin can be convinced to come to a real peace arrangement then perhaps chunks of se Ukraine and crimea will end up in Russia in return for the USA offering full strategic and military protection to Ukraine in the event of a Russian attack in the future.  I mean a real commitment supported by full  UN SC and not what was offered after the Soviet Union broke down (which palpably failed).  whilst that sounds like NATO membership, technically it isn’t.

 

Plus Russia will accept Ukraine can join the EU. 

 

zelenskyy has to be able to sell this his population and Putin likewise. land given up for peace by Ukraine and in the opposite direction for Russia.
 

alternatively, a ceasefire line will be drawn as it exists now and the two countries will argue about who legally controls the areas until government exists in either country that agrees to concede to the other in exchange for a permanent peace arrangement. 

 

[Lionator]

32 minutes ago, st albans fox said:

 

Zelenskyy publicly states that no territories will be given to Russia as part of a deal.  Opening gambit.  if Putin can be convinced to come to a real peace arrangement then perhaps chunks of se Ukraine and crimea will end up in Russia in return for the USA offering full strategic and military protection to Ukraine in the event of a Russian attack in the future.  I mean a real commitment supported by full  UN SC and not what was offered after the Soviet Union broke down (which palpably failed).  whilst that sounds like NATO membership, technically it isn’t.

 

Plus Russia will accept Ukraine can join the EU. 

 

zelenskyy has to be able to sell this his population and Putin likewise. land given up for peace by Ukraine and in the opposite direction for Russia.
 

alternatively, a ceasefire line will be drawn as it exists now and the two countries will argue about who legally controls the areas until government exists in either country that agrees to concede to the other in exchange for a permanent peace arrangement. 

 

More likely thing is that Zelenskyy will say no and that’ll be the trigger for Trump to fully wash his hands of the conflict. 
 

Zelenskyy can’t cede the land for absolutely every legal and moral reason you can think of, but he’s never going to win it back. 
 

If Biden didn’t tie himself into a defence pact with Ukraine, then there’s absolutely zero chance Trump will. He won’t even provide air cover for British and french troops in western Ukraine. Rubio also said last week, somewhat under the radar, that America would never go to war with Russia. 
 

Russia think that Ukraine is a pawn of the Americans. I suspect Putin will realise next week that actually Ukraine does have its own voice. 
 

I still can’t see any good outcome for Zelenskyy though. I’m a coward so I’d take the deal and run if I were him, while my country still has its sovereignty. It may be pyrrhic, but he won. Ukraine survived with its freedom and sovereignty. 

[st albans fox]

45 minutes ago, Lionator said:

More likely thing is that Zelenskyy will say no and that’ll be the trigger for Trump to fully wash his hands of the conflict. 
 

Zelenskyy can’t cede the land for absolutely every legal and moral reason you can think of, but he’s never going to win it back. 
 

If Biden didn’t tie himself into a defence pact with Ukraine, then there’s absolutely zero chance Trump will. He won’t even provide air cover for British and french troops in western Ukraine. Rubio also said last week, somewhat under the radar, that America would never go to war with Russia. 
 

Russia think that Ukraine is a pawn of the Americans. I suspect Putin will realise next week that actually Ukraine does have its own voice. 
 

I still can’t see any good outcome for Zelenskyy though. I’m a coward so I’d take the deal and run if I were him, while my country still has its sovereignty. It may be pyrrhic, but he won. Ukraine survived with its freedom and sovereignty. 

Can’t see Zelenskyy taking a deal where he cedes land without a security pact with either NATO, the USA or a UN SC backed cobbled together group. 
 

otherwise he’s just kicking the can down the road until Russia decides it’s going back in. 

[Lionator]

22 minutes ago, st albans fox said:

Can’t see Zelenskyy taking a deal where he cedes land without a security pact with either NATO, the USA or a UN SC backed cobbled together group. 
 

otherwise he’s just kicking the can down the road until Russia decides it’s going back in. 

Unless he agrees to a ceasefire, then he can rebuild an army that could credibly deter Russia if they thought about it. What would be the gain of continuing the fight? 

[Lionator]

The thing people aren’t grasping and the news aren’t picking up on. Friday could probably be the most consequential day in Europe since the fall of the Berlin Wall.