General News Thread

[kenny]

8 minutes ago, st albans fox said:

If you suggest 50% social housing as part of the project then I can guarantee it will go through 

Can we fill them with migrants. That will save on building fake hotels for the rw lot.

 

If we build in an area of outstanding natural beauty, the countryside alliance can block until their Barbour jackets are steaming with fury.

[st albans fox]

10 minutes ago, kenny said:

Can we fill them with migrants. That will save on building fake hotels for the rw lot.

 

If we build in an area of outstanding natural beauty, the countryside alliance can block until their Barbour jackets are steaming with fury.

it’s all falling into place 

get your plans in !

 

[leicsmac]

From the other side of the world...

 

https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/articles/c79llljy4qeo

 

South Korea's military has shrunk to about 450,000 people - a decline of 20% over the last six years, according to a defence ministry report released by a ruling party lawmaker on Sunday.

Authorities say the main reason behind the decline is the country's dismal birth rate, which at 0.75 babies per woman is the world's lowest.

South Korea retains compulsory military service mainly because the country is still technically at war with its nuclear-armed neighbour North Korea.

 

Demographic crisis might lead to a problem...

 

 

https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/articles/cm2klzxldl6o

 

South Korea's military says North Korea has begun removing some of the loudspeakers used to broadcast propaganda across the border between the two countries.

North Korea's move appears to be a positive reaction to the overtures from newly elected South Korean President Lee Jae Myung, who had campaigned on improving inter-Korean ties.

South Korea dismantled some of its own loudspeakers earlier this week. It had halted broadcasts along the demilitarised zone shortly after Lee took office in June - prompting a similar response from its neighbour.

 

... or perhaps not, if we continue to see this kind of promising detente. 

[Trav Le Bleu]

3 hours ago, Lionator said:

I see we’ve moved onto the murdering journalists part of the events in the place that shall not be named on here. If I were Jeremy Bowen I’d be very afraid, they’ve already shown they have no qualms in murdering British citizens as there’s no consequences of it. 

To mirror Mo Salah, how did he die? Where? Who did it?

[Lionator]

2 hours ago, st albans fox said:

again, people are killed for the company they keep.  It’s morally very questionable but it’s legal in war if the killing can be militarily justified.  The specific journalist you are referring to is, with written evidence provided to the media yesterday (Bowen not convinced ), a member of Hams - and not just a foot soldier. This is also a failure of intel because he had previously been detained in the early stages of the war and released.   Bowen is safe whilst he isn’t in a war zone - any journalist who enters a war zone will be in danger.  

That evidence seems sketchy at best though? Wasn’t it an internal document? Justifying every action with “his auntie’s sister’s cousin’s father’s best friend’s pet ferrit was once a member of H***s, therefore its justified obviously doesn’t rub!

[Lionator]

37 minutes ago, leicsmac said:

From the other side of the world...

 

https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/articles/c79llljy4qeo

 

South Korea's military has shrunk to about 450,000 people - a decline of 20% over the last six years, according to a defence ministry report released by a ruling party lawmaker on Sunday.

Authorities say the main reason behind the decline is the country's dismal birth rate, which at 0.75 babies per woman is the world's lowest.

South Korea retains compulsory military service mainly because the country is still technically at war with its nuclear-armed neighbour North Korea.

 

Demographic crisis might lead to a problem...

 

 

https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/articles/cm2klzxldl6o

 

South Korea's military says North Korea has begun removing some of the loudspeakers used to broadcast propaganda across the border between the two countries.

North Korea's move appears to be a positive reaction to the overtures from newly elected South Korean President Lee Jae Myung, who had campaigned on improving inter-Korean ties.

South Korea dismantled some of its own loudspeakers earlier this week. It had halted broadcasts along the demilitarised zone shortly after Lee took office in June - prompting a similar response from its neighbour.

 

... or perhaps not, if we continue to see this kind of promising detente. 

New South Korean president made it clear he wants a detente on the first day and is also aligning closer to China too. Nice to see the North taking concrete steps to reciprocate. One less area of the world to worry about for the next few years.

 

Not like the previous who wanted to goad the North into attacking so that he could put in place martial law, Kim had to act like the rational one lol.

[leicsmac]

13 minutes ago, Lionator said:

New South Korean president made it clear he wants a detente on the first day and is also aligning closer to China too. Nice to see the North taking concrete steps to reciprocate. One less area of the world to worry about for the next few years.

 

Not like the previous who wanted to goad the North into attacking so that he could put in place martial law, Kim had to act like the rational one lol.

Yeah, that's about right.

 

Unfortunately the ROK seems to be stuck in a revolving door of having the leading two parties taking turns with power (and then get kicked out/ impeached/ arrested) every five years, so I fear that in five years time we might be back here with the same problems involving an idiot hawk in charge. 

Edited 11 August 2025 by leicsmac

[Alf Bentley]

1 hour ago, st albans fox said:

Two reports on the same incident in 2024 

https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/articles/c5y7z8ye154o?app-referrer=deep-link and https://www.standard.co.uk/news/crime/palestine-action-protest-israel-elbit-old-bailey-b1198510.html

 

PA may look like their approach is compliant protest as per the scene in parliament square on Saturday but the violent attacks on security guards and policemen just doing their jobs and the more recent RAF base incident shows a different side.  My question was also why people have to align to a particular group that’s currently proscribed when there are other groups available under which to make their protest and who are protesting every weekend??  You’re saying that this is now also a protest about free speech.  I understand that but this is now in the courts and will be adjudicated on within a couple months.  It’s not like anyone is being denied the right to protest support for Ptine or against some govt policy - just under that particular banner.  
 

my ISIS question was, I agree,  skewed.  My point being that are you able to decide which proscribed organisations are acceptable and which aren’t? that’s not how the law works. I’d also point out that govt will have more access to information about these organisations than we do. 

 

I'm well aware that PA take part in direct action as well as compliant protest. In my own posts, I've mentioned the paint attack on the plane and the break-in causing damage at the Elbit arms firm. Direct action protesters will expect to face the legal consequences of any damage they cause - and should also face legal consequences if found guilty of assault.

 

You call for the protesters to wait for the outcome of the court case before protesting about the proscription of PA as a terrorist group. Yet you do not wait for the court case against those who broke into Elbit. You simply refer to "the violent attacks on security guards and policemen just doing their jobs", when nobody has yet been convicted of assault in that case. That betrays a certain bias, I feel.

 

People don't have to align with a particular group. I'm sure there are plenty who protest about Palestine without supporting PA. But, as usual with draconian govt over-reactions, the proscription of PA has caused a lot more people to rally to their cause, as they view this as an attack on the civil right to protest - be that PA, other Palestine protests or protests about other issues.

 

Here is a press release from the UN, prior to the proscription, urging the UK not to abuse terrorist legislation in this way, stating internationally accepted definitions of terrorism and predicting likely consequences of such a proscription: https://www.ohchr.org/en/press-releases/2025/07/un-experts-urge-united-kingdom-not-misuse-terrorism-laws-against-protest

 

Of course, I don't have the power to decide which proscribed organisation are/are not acceptable. But how the law works is that I am allowed to express views about that - and I do believe that some organisations (e.g. ISIS) clearly are terrorists, while others (e.g. PA) clearly are not. PA or its supporters have committed crimes during direct action and should face the legal consequences for any crimes of which they're convicted....but crimes of criminal damage, breaking & entering or even assault do not equate to terrorism. You trust that the Govt has more info than we do. That may be true. If so, I'd expect it to already be in the public domain or to have been publicised (with anonymised sources, if need be) by the govt when PA was proscribed.....not the case, as I understand it.

 

[Trav Le Bleu]

57 minutes ago, Lionator said:

New South Korean president made it clear he wants a detente on the first day and is also aligning closer to China too. Nice to see the North taking concrete steps to reciprocate. One less area of the world to worry about for the next few years.

 

Not like the previous who wanted to goad the North into attacking so that he could put in place martial law, Kim had to act like the rational one lol.

USA positively pushing them into China's welcoming arms.

[st albans fox]

40 minutes ago, Alf Bentley said:

 

I'm well aware that PA take part in direct action as well as compliant protest. In my own posts, I've mentioned the paint attack on the plane and the break-in causing damage at the Elbit arms firm. Direct action protesters will expect to face the legal consequences of any damage they cause - and should also face legal consequences if found guilty of assault.

 

You call for the protesters to wait for the outcome of the court case before protesting about the proscription of PA as a terrorist group. Yet you do not wait for the court case against those who broke into Elbit. You simply refer to "the violent attacks on security guards and policemen just doing their jobs", when nobody has yet been convicted of assault in that case. That betrays a certain bias, I feel.

 

People don't have to align with a particular group. I'm sure there are plenty who protest about Palestine without supporting PA. But, as usual with draconian govt over-reactions, the proscription of PA has caused a lot more people to rally to their cause, as they view this as an attack on the civil right to protest - be that PA, other Palestine protests or protests about other issues.

 

Here is a press release from the UN, prior to the proscription, urging the UK not to abuse terrorist legislation in this way, stating internationally accepted definitions of terrorism and predicting likely consequences of such a proscription: https://www.ohchr.org/en/press-releases/2025/07/un-experts-urge-united-kingdom-not-misuse-terrorism-laws-against-protest

 

Of course, I don't have the power to decide which proscribed organisation are/are not acceptable. But how the law works is that I am allowed to express views about that - and I do believe that some organisations (e.g. ISIS) clearly are terrorists, while others (e.g. PA) clearly are not. PA or its supporters have committed crimes during direct action and should face the legal consequences for any crimes of which they're convicted....but crimes of criminal damage, breaking & entering or even assault do not equate to terrorism. You trust that the Govt has more info than we do. That may be true. If so, I'd expect it to already be in the public domain or to have been publicised (with anonymised sources, if need be) by the govt when PA was proscribed.....not the case, as I understand it.

 

FWIW, I think that those court cases should have been heard before govt took a decision BUT I also want to trust that my govt take security decisions based on evidence that they have. (And that may not be permitted to be shared re sub judice).   I can also see that proscription could also be said to affect the outcome of the trial if you want to go down that route. 
 

 

[The Doctor]

15 hours ago, st albans fox said:

 

So we decide which laws to enforce and which to ignore ???

id say that’s a slippery slope 

not sure why my response to this was held then not approved but basically, due to either reluctance of the police to do so, or a lack of resources, we're already essentially there, and of the laws that are being effectively ignored, some are far more important than arresting peaceful protestors 

[Trav Le Bleu]

16 minutes ago, The Doctor said:

not sure why my response to this was held then not approved but basically, due to either reluctance of the police to do so, or a lack of resources, we're already essentially there, and of the laws that are being effectively ignored, some are far more important than arresting peaceful protestors 

I think the forum is being moderated by Abraham Ben-Stalin Mohammed Trump-Farage of the Van Corbyn-Robinson family.

[Muzzy_no7]

Hold on a minute…are some on here suggesting that PA should not have been proscribed?

 

Give me strength…

Edited 11 August 2025 by Muzzy_no7

[Trav Le Bleu]

46 minutes ago, Muzzy_no7 said:

Hold on a minute…are some on here suggesting that PA should not have been subscribed?

 

Give me strength…

I never buy their magazine.

[Torquay Gunner]

2 hours ago, Muzzy_no7 said:

Hold on a minute…are some on here suggesting that PA should not have been proscribed?

 

Give me strength…

 

[st albans fox]

7 hours ago, Lionator said:

That evidence seems sketchy at best though? Wasn’t it an internal document? Justifying every action with “his auntie’s sister’s cousin’s father’s best friend’s pet ferrit was once a member of H***s, therefore its justified obviously doesn’t rub!

internal hams docs - yes 

could be gerrymandered of course 

 

there is some photo evidence - seems quite paly with the higher echelons. Maybe Sinwar was just the type of bloke who did this with local journos ….
 

[Wymsey]

Does anyone watch this sort of thing?..

https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/articles/cvgnne6lznzo

 

[Torquay Gunner]

2 minutes ago, Wymsey said:

Does anyone watch this sort of thing?..

https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/articles/cvgnne6lznzo

 

Only with a shotgun to my head. 

[Lionator]

3 hours ago, st albans fox said:

internal hams docs - yes 

could be gerrymandered of course 

 

there is some photo evidence - seems quite paly with the higher echelons. Maybe Sinwar was just the type of bloke who did this with local journos ….
 

Ok even if this guy was, and the BBC seem to think he was a H***s media guy, the other 4 murdered in cold blood absolutely weren’t. And how is murdering him going to make the situation any better? It’s a deliberate attack against journalists showing the horrors of what’s occurring. 

[Tuna]

Awful story

 

Man left ex-partner’s body on sofa in his flat for years, court told

[Trav Le Bleu]

I see Trump has deployed the National Guard in Washington DC.

 

Praetorian guard?

[leicsmac]

4 minutes ago, Trav Le Bleu said:

I see Trump has deployed the National Guard in Washington DC.

 

Praetorian guard?

No, that would be the January 6th insurrectionists (no, wait, sorry, "demonstrators") that he's recruited into various government entities across the board. 

 

Picked for loyalty to the Dear Leader, but thankfully mostly not matching that loyalty in competence. 

Edited 12 August 2025 by leicsmac

[FoyleFox]

13 hours ago, Wymsey said:

Does anyone watch this sort of thing?..

https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/articles/cvgnne6lznzo

 

No one will be watching anything, the new deal is a first look option deal, dependent on them having a good idea and Netflix commissioning it.... the chances of them having a good idea are below mine of replacing Vardy.

Smart from Netflix, no bad publicity for dropping them but don't actually have to pay them, just decline whatever sh1t idea they suggest. 

[The Doctor]

19 hours ago, Muzzy_no7 said:

Hold on a minute…are some on here suggesting that PA should not have been proscribed?

 

Give me strength…

Yes. It's a dangerous path to be going down around the suppression of free speech and the right to object to the governments actions if property damage is considered terrorism rather than vandalism. Personally I think that what we're going to call terrorism should be restricted to taking actions or inciting actions that are intended to cause mass death or injury, to intimidate people in service of a political ideology. Still not perfect (that would for instance still perfectly describe the suffragettes and they were absolutely right) but that's the one man's terrorist is anothers freedom fighter issue.

[st albans fox]

1 hour ago, The Doctor said:

Yes. It's a dangerous path to be going down around the suppression of free speech and the right to object to the governments actions if property damage is considered terrorism rather than vandalism. Personally I think that what we're going to call terrorism should be restricted to taking actions or inciting actions that are intended to cause mass death or injury, to intimidate people in service of a political ideology. Still not perfect (that would for instance still perfectly describe the suffragettes and they were absolutely right) but that's the one man's terrorist is anothers freedom fighter issue.

It’s complicated and presumably we’ll find out when the court rules whether govt have overstepped.  You’d expect this to go all the way to the Supreme Court if they find in favour of the state