[Bones McCoy]

Loathe as I am to cut any sort of slack towards a group that includes Boris Johnson and Michael Gove, the lack of outside focus in life isn't confined to politicians. I find that many middle-aged people tend to be, despite their honours degree from the University of Life, frighteningly ignorant of anything that doesn't directly concern them. Their parents, born in the immediate post-war era and wanting to improve themselves, were far more politically and socially aware, as are their children.

This is true, but there has been a culture of drawing our leaders from deeper thinkers.
We now have a bunch of dead behind the eyes automata, with nothing but peer pressure in a belief system.

I could wrap this would to the 9/11 discussion, by asking.
"When all you have is the party, what won't you do in the name of the party".

[Andy McDandy]

Neocon thinking to a certain degree - "So what if I like the really popular stuff? All those people can't be wrong!".

Similar with "unpopular opinions", such as Piers Moron on vegan sausage rolls. Very 49%, very popular in their unpopularity, very safe.

[Boiler]

Mustn't laugh...

https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/business-58395401

[Cyclist]

An interesting piece in the Grauniad today

Leavers’ pride may not endure as Britain’s poverty rises


The emotional three-word catchphrase ‘get Brexit done’ has been replaced by a new one: ‘supply chain issues’

...The evidence mounts that Brexit is an almost unmitigated disaster. The slogan “get Brexit done” has been supplanted by “supply chain issues”. As a direct, and wholly predictable, consequence of Brexit, Britain is economically, culturally, reputationally, politically and diplomatically poorer.

Now, I say “almost” unmitigated disaster because there is a classic, unexpected consequence of Brexit: induced labour shortages. They may lead to something that the better-heeled Brexiters did not want, namely a revival of trade union bargaining power.

However, I don’t think it needed an insane act of making the country poorer in order to improve wages and working conditions. A more humane government would have been seeking that anyway. Yet, as my old friend and Observer colleague Alan Watkins used to say, “there it is”.

But structural changes in the economy take years to work their way through. The airwaves are replete with the problems employers are having in replacing continental European employees who have, surprise, surprise, got the impression they are not wanted in this country by our so-called home secretary and her colleagues...


...we Remainers are missing the main point, which is “that both those for and against Brexit have a view based not on economic but on emotional grounds”...

...But the emotional grounds of the Brexiters are all about “taking back control” – something they have singularly failed to achieve...


https://amp.theguardian.com/business/20 ... erty-rises

[Boiler]

That'll be dismissed with a wave of the hand by the Brexit Cult.

Isn't it odd how in the last few years that several groups have arrived on the scene that eschew reason, facts and science altogether - and yet I bet they all mock the Taliban...

[mattomac]

Depends how solid that group is at the end of the day.

Trump had a solid group but it in the end could not win the popular vote. In fact they haven’t in 16 years.

[Boiler]

The BTL comments are what you'd expect on this one, but I liked this:

Screenshot 2021-09-06 at 17-54-24 M S warns of new food supplies threat as Brexit rules change.png (11.04 KiB) Viewed 2575 times

More typical of course are these:

Screenshot 2021-09-06 at 17-57-39 M S warns of new food supplies threat as Brexit rules change.png (8.72 KiB) Viewed 2572 times

Screenshot 2021-09-06 at 18-00-15 M S warns of new food supplies threat as Brexit rules change.png (14.9 KiB) Viewed 2569 times

https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/business-58462351

[Tubby Isaacs]

Avocados are now elite fancy stuff, are they? Jeez.

[Andy McDandy]

Elite seems to cover an awful lot of stuff. I'm reminded of apparently some advice given to Tory canvassers at the last couple of elections to avoid houses with visible bookshelves, as people who read books won't vote Tory. But yeah, anything hinting at intelligence, empathy, taking an interest in things, wanting to better yourself, giving a shit: elitist.

[Boiler]

Avocados are now elite fancy stuff, are they? Jeez.

To me they are...

[Boiler]

Elite seems to cover an awful lot of stuff. I'm reminded of apparently some advice given to Tory canvassers at the last couple of elections to avoid houses with visible bookshelves, as people who read books won't vote Tory. But yeah, anything hinting at intelligence, empathy, taking an interest in things, wanting to better yourself, giving a shit: elitist.

I can think of one or two forums I've been where that applies big-time.

[Tubby Isaacs]

Elite seems to cover an awful lot of stuff. I'm reminded of apparently some advice given to Tory canvassers at the last couple of elections to avoid houses with visible bookshelves, as people who read books won't vote Tory. But yeah, anything hinting at intelligence, empathy, taking an interest in things, wanting to better yourself, giving a shit: elitist.

Some numbers on education levels in each constituency here, from 2009 (which I appreciate isn't a perfect proxy for books, but it ought to have something to do with it.

https://www.theguardian.com/news/databl ... uency-data

Lots of very educated constituencies voted Tory by a landslide. Not that you'd need to canvas much in most of them. Some of these seats have become more competitive since, some haven't, but either way "avoid the book people" would likely pass up a fair few Tory voters.

[Tubby Isaacs]

The Government have unilaterally extended NI grace periods. The EU don't seem bothered for now, but it's there for later, like a pool ball in the jaws. Ball still in our court.

https://www.theguardian.com/politics/20 ... d-protocol

[Nigredo]

https://www.independent.co.uk/climate-c ... 15765.html

Brexit delivering on those sunlit, sewage filled uplands.

In 5 years time we'll all have water like Flint, Michigan

[Cyclist]

SOVRINTEEE !!!1!!!1111!!11

And just how much of this evil EU price hike stuff would we be suffering if a certain bunch of lying cunts had kept their fucking mouths shut?


SOVRINTEEEEE!!!11!!!1!!

PayPal is introducing new fees for payments between businesses in the UK and those in Europe, from November.

British businesses will be charged a 1.29% fee for payments from the European Economic Area and vice versa.

Most currently pay about 0.5% in similar charges, which have remained unchanged since before the UK left the EU customs union and single market.

PayPal said it was now incurring extra costs, such as the rise in interchange fees between the UK and EEA.

European rules capping credit and debit card interchange fees at 0.2% and 0.3% no longer apply to UK businesses.

And both Visa and Mastercard have announced they will raise them fivefold from mid-October...

https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/technology-58492953

Three has become the latest mobile network to reintroduce roaming fees when travelling abroad, in a fresh post-Brexit blow for consumers.

A flat £2 daily charge when roaming within an EU country will apply to customers who are new or upgrading from October 1, though the changes do not come into effect until May 23 2022.

The firm joins EE and Vodafone who have also recently announced the return of charges, while O2 has clung on with a fair use roaming limit...

https://www.standard.co.uk/news/uk/thre ... 54429.html

Was it really fucking worth it?*







*rhetorical question - I think we all know the answer to that one.

[Boiler]

Was it really fucking worth it?*

52% of the electorate say "yes of course it was you bitter, sad Remoaner, you should be buying British anyway and boycotting Europe because they send immigrants in dinghies to us - why aren't there vigilante fishermen shooting holes in the dinghies with air rifles*?".

*the last is based on a BTL comment seen in the Mail today.

[Cyclist]

And when they get home after two weeks in Benidorm to find a mobile phone bill bigger than their monthly income...

[Boiler]

And when they get home after two weeks in Benidorm to find a mobile phone bill bigger than their monthly income...

Are we likely to see the return of "streaming Peppa Pig made us penniless" headlines though?

[Boiler]

Elsewhere, I've just seen that from 27/9 if driving abroad you should have a UK sticker on your car, not a GB one as it technically won't be recognised any more.

https://www.rac.co.uk/drive/news/motori ... k-version/

[kreuzberger]

And when they get home after two weeks in Benidorm to find a mobile phone bill bigger than their monthly income...

Are we likely to see the return of "streaming Peppa Pig made us penniless" headlines though?

Yep, as night follows Dave, Bazza, and Chantelle.

To a degree, we are all guilty of data incontinence these days and it can be really expensive, even without trying too hard, as I found out when I dopily left my phone on on a flight to the far east.