Recent posts

#91

Off the Record / Re: Facebook Follies of Friend...

Last post by crazy canuck - April 15, 2026, 02:34:48 PM

I wonder how different Syt's sister's life would've been if she had married somebody from New York, Washington state, Portland, or you know anywhere outside of Texas and the rest of the deep south

#92

Off the Record / Re: What does a TRUMP presiden...

Last post by Duque de Bragança - April 15, 2026, 02:34:39 PM

Does anyone think the World Cup this summer will be anything but a propaganda event?

I can't wait for it to be over.  It's going to be miserable around me for a month.

Think Berlin '36, in a bad way, with no Leni Riefenstahl to immortalise it?

#93

Off the Record / Re: Russo-Ukrainian War 2014-2...

Last post by Duque de Bragança - April 15, 2026, 01:41:13 PM

And here: the modern-day Quisling


-JD Vance

That's a bit demeaning to Quisling. He actually had a decent career as Fritjof Nansen's assistant in Ukraine during the mass starvation, and was top of his class in Norwegian war college. Actually, none have beaten his score. Vance surely has just used all this to enrich himself and spread his twisted Catholicism.

 

#94

Off the Record / Re: Brexit and the waning days...

Last post by Sheilbh - April 15, 2026, 01:26:17 PM

While I don't think either of us like her/want to vote in support of her, I think we both have had some positive things to say about Kemi.

Though I guess that just proves the accuracy of your statement.

Jesus Christ.

But yeah I think she's doing about the best job possible - and shows that the party membership made the right choice v Jenrick.

On party leaders I think obviously Zack Polanski has been transformative for the Greens. I'm not fully sure where I land on him. I think you could make a case that the Greens' strategy has historicaly always been to build their party, slowly, deep local roots and to avoid the Farage style "air war"/media focus, so he has just unlocked their latent potential. Flipside is that he is a very good communicator and the Greens haven't really changed much of their fundamentals, they've just got a guy who's really good at communicating at the top (arguably this is also the case for replacing Starmer with Streeting). But it doesn't matter he's been really effective.

I've mentioned many times my issues with Starmer. Given that both main partise have collapsed I think the Lib Dems should be doing better and I think that does raise questions about Davey.

But also Farage. His position is not under threat (yet - as Badenoch said, Robert Jenrick's his problem now). Historically - to the air war v ground game point - Farage has tended to cut down tall poppies in his parties and has not built enduring party infrastructures that survive him stepping down. I think there are still open questions about that. But currently they've plateaued and are trending down - and I think (could be wrong on the timing but not far off) that coincides with Jenrick and Braverman defecting. I could be wrong but I suspect the willingness to open the door to the least popular members of the last government may be a strategic mistake - I think it's possibly spending too much time online as Jenrick and Braverman have big followings among the right-wing internet. But I always remember the focus groups watching Jenrick speak during his leadership bid - the longer he spoke, the less people liked him

I think the Lib Dems need to stop appearing as the middle class party who does gimmicks. I do think to rebrand, they would need to ditch Davey as he is to embedded in that image to pivot away from that.

I agree on boh point. Problem is I'm not really sure what that leaves them And in fairness if I was Ed Davey I'd be delighted that the public now associates him with stupid gimmicks in wet suits and not sitting around the cabinet table like a noddding dog with George Osbone and presiding over the cabinet department responsible for the Post Office scandal, but that's just me.

Apart from Davey wanting Starmer to be rude about Donald Trump, I'm not really sure what the Lib Dems want - or how it would be different from this government. There was a poll recently and Starmer's highest approval rating was with Lib Dem voters

But I look back to when I was young and they had really clear stands that they could tie into a tradition of radical liberalism: strongly opposing the Iraq war, really strong civil liberties stance on issues like ID cards or mass surveillance, radical localist agenda. I don't think they really have a clear identity any more beyond what you say.

I genuinely don't understand why they haven't pivoted to being the full-throated pro-EU party. Post-Brexit there is a market for that, I think it aligns with the types of voters the Lib Dems appeal to but they've not done it (possibly burned by Jo Swinson's "bollocks to Brexit" campaign in 2019 which led to them losing seats, including hers - but I think there were other reasons for that).

#95

Computer Affairs / Re: About the FCC router ban

Last post by Grey Fox - April 15, 2026, 01:23:30 PM

Good old fashion corruption. It's almost refreshing.

#96

Off the Record / Re: What does a TRUMP presiden...

Last post by crazy canuck - April 15, 2026, 01:00:13 PM

I read an interesting take on him saying that he was a doctor in the picture depicting him as Jesus.  Apparently, he was told by his press secretary to say that the image had been doctored.  But of course he misunderstood and instead he said he thought he was a doctor.

#97

Off the Record / Re: Russo-Ukrainian War 2014-2...

Last post by Norgy - April 15, 2026, 12:59:00 PM

And here: the modern-day Quisling


-JD Vance

That's a bit demeaning to Quisling. He actually had a decent career as Fritjof Nansen's assistant in Ukraine during the mass starvation, and was top of his class in Norwegian war college. Actually, none have beaten his score. Vance surely has just used all this to enrich himself and spread his twisted Catholicism.

#98

Off the Record / Re: What does a TRUMP presiden...

Last post by Norgy - April 15, 2026, 12:55:06 PM

I am getting really tired of his stream of consciousness social media. You don't have to write everything you think, Donald.

#99

Off the Record / Re: Russo-Ukrainian War 2014-2...

Last post by Richard Hakluyt - April 15, 2026, 12:45:09 PM

I found this article rather encouraging; both from the Ukranian and British points of view :

https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/articles/cm2kk8242jpo

120,000 drones sounds a lot, doesn't give the time scale though 

#100

Off the Record / Re: [Canada] Canadian Politics...

Last post by crazy canuck - April 15, 2026, 12:43:50 PM

Can't make this stuff up.  PP said Carney is " badly educated in economics".