Mailwatch(ed) Forum

More on levelling up from the Queen's speech. It's health, schools and policing, not just economics.

Don't I remember a government, just over a decade ago having done very well on that score? And an opposition who said spending on this caused the Crash?

This Peronist alliance is a high risk strategy for the Tories. They would have gone for this years ago but would have gone down like cold sick with southern centre right voters (more economically and/or socially liberal). Corbyn made this opportunity possible and now he’s gone.

The themes in Starmer’s reply today didn’t sound much different to Corbyn. Ending child poverty is one of Labour’s historic missions in office. But to the voters we have to woo its Labour giving more of their money to layabouts on the Jeremy Kyle Show.

A gift that just keeps on giving?

https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-politics-57087274

Downing Street is seeking to cancel a county court judgment against Prime Minister Boris Johnson that cites an unpaid bill of £535.

The order was made against Mr Johnson, of 10 Downing Street, on 26 October, according to a judgment database.

The creditor and nature of the debt, which was first reported by Private Eye magazine, is not yet known.

I do wonder whether he's trying to see just how much he can get away with, or whether this is an extension of the old idea that the ruling classes never pay their bills on time.

Or letting the “smaller” stuff run to hide the really big naughtiness

Appears that with attention all on Dave, Johnson's CCJ has been struck off. Who'd a thunk it?

I'm no lawyer but there's a fuckton of wriggle room, and some commas doing some very heavy lifting in that legislation.

Listening to Captain Fuckup blustering and bullshitting his way through another press conference and hearing the subsequent comments from those who know what they're talking about, when are people going to finally come to their fucking senses over this complete, total and utter idiot?

Well, he timed the local elections well, didn't he?

Labour stops pissing about and he won't look so clever.

David Allen Green on Johnson's appeal.

https://davidallengreen.com/2021/05/bor ... gressives/

"And what are YOU gonna do about it, eh? EH?

Johnson’s Mustique holiday was ‘twice as expensive as he declared’

Boris Johnson is facing yet another sleaze row, after it emerged that the parliamentary watchdog has judged that he failed to come clean about his controversial Mustique holiday with fiancee Carrie Symonds.

Kathryn Stone, the Parliamentary Commissioner for Standards, said the prime minister’s Caribbean break was worth more than double the £15,000 he declared in the Commons Register.

It is clear that the bill was not met by Tory donor and Carphone Warehouse co-founder David Ross as the prime minister claimed, she added.

The damning verdict was delivered privately to Johnson months ago, the Daily Mail revealed.

As everyone always says, this stuff doesn't matter until it does.

Reading about Kathryn Stone. Bloody liberal elite. Growing up in Belper, going to state school, that's the give away. Remainer, I bet.

Born in Derby and raised in Belper, Kathryn has spent all 40 years of her career in public service. She recently became the Parliamentary Commissioner for Standards, an independent officer of the House of Commons overseeing the code of conduct and rules for MPs.

Kathryn attended Belper High School, where, she said, “There was an expectation of community participation and demonstration of social responsibility which instilled in me a very strong sense of duty to society and helping those who are disadvantaged.”

I wonder why Carphone Warehouse and all the other subsidiaries are to be rebranded as good old "Currys"?

If your business isn't carphones and you're not in a warehouse, I suppose you're going to change the name at some point.

Currys is a very good brand.

Dixons (PCW) bought Currys, CPW bought them. Nobody on the High Street has the balls or the shareholder backing to go for a full rebrand or, more fundamentally, a recalibration at the moment.

It's a shame because it will kill them and take thousands of job with them.

I'd venture to suggest that there is a role for tech oases on retail parks where the less retail-minded members of the family could go to be introduced to and learn about new toys, whether physical or by subscription. Apple seem to be quite good at that although I have never been to one or their stores.


At ease 1998, as you were.

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kreuzberger wrote: ↑Sat May 15, 2021 9:39 pm Dixons (PCW) bought Currys, CPW bought them. Nobody on the High Street has the balls or the shareholder backing to go for a full rebrand or, more fundamentally, a recalibration at the moment.

It's a shame because it will kill them and take thousands of job with them.

I'd venture to suggest that there is a role for tech oases on retail parks where the less retail-minded members of the family could go to be introduced to and learn about new toys, whether physical or by subscription. Apple seem to be quite good at that although I have never been to one or their stores.


At ease 1998, as you were.

</OffTopic>

I'd settle for a place where the staff actually know the first thing about what they're selling and you don't have to track them down with hounds to buy something.

Boiler wrote: ↑Sat May 15, 2021 9:06 pm I wonder why Carphone Warehouse and all the other subsidiaries are to be rebranded as good old "Currys"?

Because they all have a terrible reputation. CPW were the worst upsellers of the phone world when they started out, Dixons were notorious for selling absolute shite PCs and stereos, PC World staff have no clue (I once had to explain to someone wearing a t-shirt that said "tech expert" what an ergonomic mouse was when I went in to buy one after breaking my wrist), and Currys were like Dixons with more large appliances - all also sold at high prices.

They'd honestly be better off starting from scratch - combining the names means you just broaden the population of folk who have had shitty service from one or other of the merged companies and now have sworn off them for life.

In my brief acquaintance with Carphone Warehouse I had a problem with my phone. Six different people in person or on the phone told me six different things culminating in some smug tosser telling me that he was right, he wasn't interested in what anyone else said because he was right, he would be able to fix the problem (for a vastly inflated sum) because he was right and why was I raising my voice because I was wrong and he was right. As I left his colleague was shouting over the shop to him about me.