Brexit and the waning days of the United Kingdom

[Tamas]

Sadly it does seem like the only organised force not in cahoots with fascists in the UK is the pan-Muslims - far-left alliance.

[Sheilbh]

The people around Keir Starmer really don't like Diane Abbott:
https://www.theguardian.com/politics/2025/sep/15/senior-starmer-adviser-paul-ovenden-quits-over-offensive-diane-abbott-messages

Maybe for just one day they could leave Britain's first black female MP alone

[Razgovory]

Sadly it does seem like the only organised force not in cahoots with fascists in the UK is the pan-Muslims - far-left alliance.

Are they anti-Hamas?

[Crazy_Ivan80]

Sadly it does seem like the only organised force not in cahoots with fascists in the UK is the pan-Muslims - far-left alliance.

Are they anti-Hamas?

is Putin a democrat?

[Richard Hakluyt]

The people around Keir Starmer really don't like Diane Abbott:
https://www.theguardian.com/politics/2025/sep/15/senior-starmer-adviser-paul-ovenden-quits-over-offensive-diane-abbott-messages

Maybe for just one day they could leave Britain's first black female MP alone

What always amazes me is that people who want to work in the heart of Westminster post such nauseating rubbish on social media. One of our "best brains" it would appear, or, in old money, a bloody fool.

[Sheilbh]

I've had some exposure to Labour HQ people. There's a huge factional element in that Labour HQ is broadly on the right of the party - which in this case intersected with racism and misogyny. But my experience is that there's a weird "laddishness" to them which I think is quite nasty if you're on the outside - as someone on the left and who is black and a woman is. And I think the social media/group chat (stag do/football trip WhatsApp) dynamic has actually possibly made this worse.

I don't want to pathologise but I sometimes wonder if there's a bit of overcompensation of "laddish" behaviour from a bunch of graduates from elite universities who are incredibly nerdy. I think there's possibly also an element of some in Westminster loving The Thick of It for all the wrong reasons.

I genuinely think WhatsApp and the group chat has had a huge impact on politics in Britain.

Edit: And frankly I think we're sort of seeing this with Burnham - I've started to see some briefing against him from Starmer loyalists that is absolutely scorched earth. For example attacking him on grooming gangs - which fees like a very risky line for Labour HQ to take - or, less seriously, on not being coherent as having been a Blairite ultra and now soft left - again, not a line of attack I'd make if I were a Starmer fan. And there may well be something to those attacks but - as during Corbyn's leadership - I sort of feel there's a lot of people in Labour HQ who would very happily plow into an iceberg as long as they're on the bridge.

Edit: And incidentally mentioned this story to someone at work who is on the asset management side of things - and fair to say very dry politically. Even his response was basically what have they got against her? Why can't they just leave her alone?

[mongers]

Journey home this evening delayed by the Pigs forming roadblocks. 

[Admiral Yi]

Maybe for just one day they could leave Britain's first black female MP alone

How very DEI of you.

[garbon]

Not DEI used as a negative.

[Sheilbh]

Not only DEI but intersectional! I think the main reason they don't like Abbott is that she's on the hard left/in the opposing faction.

But the form that dislike takes intersects with and is structured by her race, gender and age into specifically quite nasty behaviour.

[mongers]

Not only DEI but intersectional! I think the main reason they don't like Abbott is that she's on the hard left/in the opposing faction.

But the form that dislike takes intersects with and is structured by her race, gender and age into specifically quite nasty behaviour.

Don't forget the greater 'audience' response, some of that increased response will be from a small minority who'll laugh along because they're racists, but hid it well.

[crazy canuck]

Not only DEI but intersectional! I think the main reason they don't like Abbott is that she's on the hard left/in the opposing faction.

But the form that dislike takes intersects with and is structured by her race, gender and age into specifically quite nasty behaviour.

Don't forget the greater 'audience' response, some of that increased response will be from a small minority who'll laugh along because they're racists, but hid it well.

You may be too generous/optimistic in thinking it is a small minority

[Sheilbh]

Further to all this apparently fears within Number 10 that the left have acquired a stash of emails from within Labour HQ that will be damaging to various staffers around Starmer - like this story.

Separately reports the OBR (who should be abolished) have reduced their estimates of productivity which means the likelihood of tax rises in order for Reeves to meet her fiscal rules increases and there's a limited base to do it from given her electoral promises. I'd add to that that Treasury kite-flying of different tax ideas seems to have had an impact in the real world. Huge withdrawal of lump-sums from pensions following the (unconfired, undenied rumour) of taxing those pensions. At the same time, given the triple lock pensions will increase by 4.7% next year which is a fair bit higher than growth.

Reports of cabinet ministers speculating whether Starmer will last until Christmas (in the short term - I think a leadership challenge now-ish helps Streeting/the right).

Meanwhile having promised a laser focus on growth as well as decarbonising the grid by 2030 - which in 2023 required that we build more grid infrastructure in those seven years than we've built in the last 30 - the Government Office for Science has launched a new set of 8 principles to "consider the social dimensions of grid transformation" which I'm sure won't slow anything down - not least because we haven't actually accelerated

Meanwhile we're coming up to the one year anniversary of one of the government's big ideas for growth, the National Wealth Fund. So far it has committed £2.5 billion of investment - but I'm sure they've profoundly considered all sorts of "dimensions".

[Josquius]

On a lighter but not really note.... This is why we can't have nice things.

BBC News - Newcastle 24/7 Greggs bid opposed by Northumbria Police - BBC News
https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/articles/cly0qp7x052o

Around-the-clock Greggs opposed by police
Greggs on Neville Street, Newcastle. The unit has the firm's name and logo above a large glass window. Central Station can be seen across the road.
Image caption,
Greggs has applied to open its branch on Neville Street in Newcastle 24 hours a day

ByDaniel Holland
Local Democracy Reporting Service
Published
2 hours ago
A Greggs bakery risks becoming a "focal point" for crime and disorder if it is allowed to stay open around the clock every day of the week, police say.

The chain has applied to extend the opening hours of its Newcastle city centre branch on Neville Street, opposite Central Station, to operate 24 hours a day. It also wants to lengthen the hours of its shop on nearby Grainger Street.

Northumbria Police told a Newcastle City Council licensing hearing that doing so would likely lead to more drunken people staying the area and put them at risk of becoming victims of crime, but Greggs said it could help disperse revellers.

The authority is set to make a decision within five working days.

As well as extending the Neville's Street shop's hours to allow round-the-clock trading, councillors were told Greggs wants a late-night refreshment licence for its Grainger Street branch which would allow it to run until 05:00.

Ben Williams, representing the firm at the meeting, said Greggs was an "exceptional" operator and would have two door supervisors on duty at certain hours while some staff would be required to wear body cameras.

'Greater choice'
However, Northumbria Police solicitor Hayley Hebb argued the branches could become a potential "flashpoint" for incidents.

Sgt Graham Yare claimed a combined 30 extra opening hours per week between the two units "will logically generate crime".

He said: "Due to the affordability of the food there, that is more likely to be a focal point where people group together if it is open until 5am."

The council's public health department also argued the application would harm efforts to reduce obesity in the city as it would "extend and increase access to calorie-dense food at a late-night hour, which particularly affects shift workers and vulnerable populations".

The Local Democracy Reporting Service said Mr Williams countered Greggs was "not part of the problem, they are operating within an area that has its own problems".

He added the Neville Street unit already opens until 04:30 most days and that the Grainger Street site opens until 04:00 from Wednesday to Saturday.

Mr Williams also pointed out McDonald's opens in the city centre until 05:00 and that Greggs would "follow suit and offer a greater level of choice and assist with dispersal [of revellers from the city centre]".

Greggs does operates 24 hours a day, seven days a week, at Newcastle International Airport, but abandoned hopes of all-day trading in London's Leicester Square in 2023 following police concerns

Jesus wept.

If its the only place open at 5am of course it's where trouble will happen.
But it seems like they're having it both ways here.
Either it's good to keep that contained in one place, or, my preference, we should let more places stay open however late.

It's something that the Netherlands and Japan really do right that the UK can learn from. All night pubs and take aways.

[Sheilbh]

Same happened in London - in Leicester Square!

Greggs tried to get a license for 24 hours which was refused by Westminster Council (who hate nightlife generally) with an intervention by the Met because it could cause a wave of crime and disorder (the Met suggested that opening of Greggs would stretch their resources...in Leicester Square). Greggs appealed and were facing a three day hearing before reaching an agreement with the council allowing them to stay open until 2am on Thursday to Saturday, until midnight the rest of the week but could not sell food "heated above ambient temperature" past 11.

It's got a lot worse in London over the last ten years too in terms of night life and late night venues. I think most other cities in the UK (like Manchester or Newcastle) are better for that and basically any other city in the world has a better claim to being a 24 hour city than London.