bickster

I wonder how the Chinese are reacting to this?

Well it certainly has more cause than Wigan and boy o boy are those pie munching buffoons proud of being from Wigan

Or Glasgow, or Newcastle or Bristol or Cardiff or most places not in the midlands if we're being honest.

Usually 6 to 7 weeks

Personally I think all the polling is off to some extent. Right now people are reacting to a question they can’t possibly know the answer to until an election is called. I fully expect there to be a much higher tactical voting element to this election. I think the LibDems final figure is being under represented in the polling, I wouldn’t be shocked if they ended up around 15%. Conversely I think Reform are being over represented in some polls. One of those polls you’re referring to has Labour down 5 and Tory up 2, that just isn’t a credible swing given the events of the last week but they do have reform at a more reasonable 8 and LibDems up 1. Tbh, right now, I don’t think any of the polling is bang on the money. I do think the Tories are headed for their worst ever election defeat since the current electoral system was constituted, worse that 1997 by some distance and I also think it will be many election cycles before they recover because initially they will swing themselves further to right and they'll increase their marginalisation more rapidly than is already naturally happening. These minor changes at this stage of the cycle mean absolutely nothing

Nope, in the latest round of polling, only two companies showing that kind of lead, Sevanta and More In Common. The ectual two latest polls, Redfield and Wilton and Deltapoll both have Labour with 1 to 2% rises and leads of 18 and 25%

Nah, Socialism. Far too authoritarian a doctrine on a personal / social level, it doesn’t matter which part of the party you are, there’s always, deep down an authoritarian streak. Kinnock /Blair / Brown / Corbyn / Callaghan / Wilson… they all had it, especially when it comes down to party discipline. It’s not even restricted to Labour, all the rest have it too. Socialism is very much about control, there are some aspects of life that need it, I'm very much in favour of controls on markets, nationalising key infrastructural elements etc but I'm far more libertarian on a personal freedom level and Labour are always the wrong side of that line for me. One of the main reasons I left the party in the 80s. I've never reacted well to those that like that element of control over people, it’s far to stifling.

Yeah you said in the pub. The views ok as long as you look over the land of the six fingered and across the Dee

Well there’s a gap in the market because one of the big local theme hotel companies went bango not long ago, the corrupt f***ers, so that put paid to the Shankly and the Dixie Dean hotels. There is a new Holiday Inn Exprees and some upmarket hotel beginning with H about open in the near future on Duke St

Dale St and that’s an Ibis Styles, get you

None of them obviously, I live 3 miles up the road

How authoritarian of you, that's remarkably Stalinist tbh

Two entirely different organisations with different aims and memberships, neither of which is compatible with getting involved on the ground

I agree but the comedian is the word removed in the equation. He asked someone a question and didn't like the answer so he abused him. The audience member didn't initiate the situation

I'm not sure why you'd label the member of the audience as a racist, he was a Jewish Israeli, hence his objection to the Palestinian flag, that doesn't make him a racist though Story goes like this, Paul Currie produces Ukrainian and Palestinian flag at the end of the show and encourages the audience to give him and the flags a standing ovation. Israeli audience member in second row doesn't stand and applaud, comedian asks him why, audience member said he enjoyed the show until the Palestine Flag came out. Comedian then tells him to get the F*** out of the show, repeatedly. Which one do you think is the racist now?

That Rochdale bye-election candidate list is nuts Labour not Labour candidate ex-Labour (remain) - now Reform - thats some leap by Simon Danczuk ex-Labour - now Putin puppet and roleplaying cat Green not Green candidate Independents *4 (5 if you include the obligatory MRLP) Tory Candidate LibDem candidate It really could be a seriously mental result. You'd have to kind of hope that everyone lumps on the LibDem by default

If I saw that in a Charity shop, I'd buy it for the cover alone

Nope, not in that instance. It is illegal to sign up for a foreign army that is at war with a country the UK is at peace with. Two things come into play here. Firstly, we don't recognise Palestine as a country and secondly Hamas is a proscribed terrorist organisation. It's no different to the UK citizens who went to fight with various militias against ISIS in Syria etc, in fact the ISIS ones were on far less clear legal grounds. No one was ever prosecuted that did that on their return. Also worth noting that we didn't ever prosecute any of the 3000 odd UK citizens that signed up to fight the fascists in Spain as part of the International Brigades before WW2

Ukraine are claiming that they "destroyed" another large landing craft off the coast of Crimea. This time they claim it is the Caesar Kunikov a ship they've previously hit (but not sunk) If true, Russian logistics just got a little bit harder again and the black sea fleet shrinks some more

How, realistically would the Nazis have invaded Ireland? The logistics would be rather insurmountable I think. Where would they have launched the invasion from? You’d have to imagine it would have to be from the Bay of Biscay coast rather than a Channel port. But even then, the chances of getting the armada across to Ireland undetected (months prior to launch even) would be next to impossible. The ships would be sitting ducks on the journey over. Let’s not forget the German Navy was primarily submarines for most of the war and the U-boats weren’t going to provide enough protection for the size of fleet required. As much as Ireland had no army of note, we know the British did, there’d have to be enough of a force to counter that, with a massive resupply issue once they’d taken a foothold, not only that but they’d need enough to quell any revolt and Ireland was a country well used to partisan activity in recent times. Also, the U-boats would have left the Atlantic so the Battle of the Atlantic would have had far fewer casualties. It was never going to happen

Complete fluke Wordle 970 2/6*

Best car rental advert music ever

I don’t think the Luftwaffe would have had the capability of getting fighter aircraft to Ireland would they, didn't the Me109 only have a range of about 400 miles?

Yep and I say that as fan and so does Michael Stipe