Brexit and the waning days of the United Kingdom

[Admiral Yi]

 

[Josquius]

He's not wrong.

[Sheilbh]

Great day for Harold Wilson fans though.

[Duque de Bragança]

Although I can't imagine a bigger indictment of the London media (posted an article on this) than describing making the English National Opera to move to Manchester is the "cruellest gesture". I mean for God's sake

Hey, I didn't say it was all brilliant thinking.   

Like the part about the HS2 being all about increasing capacity from the Home Counties to London. 

Let me guess, this shows, as if it were needed, the  planned, then postponed a few years later, then sine die postponed  extension to Josq's Norf is even more... delayed? 

[mongers]

Although I can't imagine a bigger indictment of the London media (posted an article on this) than describing making the English National Opera to move to Manchester is the "cruellest gesture". I mean for God's sake

Hey, I didn't say it was all brilliant thinking.   

Like the part about the HS2 being all about increasing capacity from the Home Counties to London. 

Let me guess, this show, as if it were needed, the  planned, then postponed a few years later, then sine die postponed  extension to Josq's Norf is even more... delayed? 

I mean, what if you're wrong?

[Sheilbh]

In very minor scandals Sunak has been fined for not wearing a seatbelt. He did a publicity video for social media in the back of a moving vehicle and is obviously not wearing one.

It's a fixed penalty notice - just like the fines for breaching covid rules. But it's not even frontpage news (there are worse scandals). It just captures again why the covid breaches were different and why British public opinion cared so much more about them - despite all the Johnson loyalist whataboutism of "should a PM resign if he gets a speeding ticket?" just because they're also fixed penalty notices.

It's one of those wood and trees/form over substance things. Legally they are exactly equivalent "offences" - but they're not in any other way.

[Duque de Bragança]

Although I can't imagine a bigger indictment of the London media (posted an article on this) than describing making the English National Opera to move to Manchester is the "cruellest gesture". I mean for God's sake

Hey, I didn't say it was all brilliant thinking.   


Like the part about the HS2 being all about increasing capacity from the Home Counties to London. 

Let me guess, this shows, as if it were needed, the  planned, then postponed a few years later, then sine die postponed  extension to Josq's Norf is even more... delayed? 

I mean, what if you're wrong?

Extension date anticipated instead? Josq's Norf will certainly agree.. Unlikely though.

[Josquius]

I'm lost.
HS2 to the north has been cancelled. Its currently planned to end in Manchester with FA for the east of the country beyond vague promises of Leeds trams

[Duque de Bragança]

I'm lost.
HS2 to the north has been cancelled. Its currently planned to end in Manchester with FA for the east of the country beyond vague promises of Leeds trams

Think of it as a temporary cancellation.  A de facto postponement, if by 20-30 years. 

[mongers]

I'm lost.
HS2 to the north has been cancelled. Its currently planned to end in Manchester with FA for the east of the country beyond vague promises of Leeds trams

Think of it as a temporary cancellation.  A de facto postponement, if by 20-30 years. 

In time for the Liberal Democrats to get in on a wave of NIMBYism, having promised to cancel the extension. :brit:

[Sheilbh]

These Lib Dems?
https://www.independent.co.uk/news/uk/politics/lib-dems-byelection-brexit-hs2-b1868404.html

Pulling off the standard Lib Dem approach to any sort of infrastructure/building. They support it in their manifest on a national level, but local candidates and councillors in areas where it's unpopular can campaign against it and cause difficulties if they want. It's very good third party politics but it is annoying

[Duque de Bragança]

I'm lost.
HS2 to the north has been cancelled. Its currently planned to end in Manchester with FA for the east of the country beyond vague promises of Leeds trams

Think of it as a temporary cancellation.  A de facto postponement, if by 20-30 years. 

In time for the Liberal Democrats to get in on a wave of NIMBYism, having promised to cancel the extension. :brit:

 

I would think everybody by then would have embraced NIMBYism, leaving "poor" Liberal-Democrats once again destitute, politically.  What will happen with the Greens by the way? 

[mongers]

Anyone changing their behaviour due to the NHS disaster and onging ambulance strikes?

I've not been biking on very cold evenings/day because of the accident risk due to ice; I don't fancy waiting 10* hours in an ambulance/A&E with a broken bone.


* last average A&E wait times I heard at Bournemouth hospital.

[Tamas]

There is still no explanation why there's a big manhunt for these two, so its hard not to think it has something to do with the woman being from a royals-linked family and the guy being a black American ex-convict: https://www.theguardian.com/uk-news/2023/jan/24/couple-missing-with-newborn-baby-may-have-been-sleeping-rough-police-fear

I mean, I don't remember ever seeing such a series of articles and police pleading for a case of "a newborn might be rough sleeping" which is obviously a big deal and it'd be great if the kid could be saved from these morons, but how is this a "missing persons" case?

[Sheilbh]

I hadn't really been following this.

I think the police do get reports from families of adults who've gone missing. At any time they have around 3,500 adult missing persons. They do publish appeals on their social media and local force websites. But I think with adults especially, after that whether there's any effort from the police entirely depends on the media coverage which is why you'll (sadly) often see families on social media trying to get enough attention on their case for the press to cover it which means the police will devote resources.

I think the point on the press is that she used to be an "it girl" in Tatler and the Evening Standard - so she'd be a regular feature in diary columns. She was basically an influencer in pre-social media days. From those days she had friends who were journalists. So in terms of getting the media to cover her, it's pretty easy. And it is slightly weird people covering this - lots is from the agency reporting of police statements but I saw one article in the Standard which was by a features writer not a crime or beat reporter which is odd.

From a more prurient journalistic, human interest angle you can see the appeal (I believe there's at least one podcast company already collecting material). There's the aristocratic, royal angle, the "eccentric" dad, the link to the Mosleys, 2000s "it girl" stuff - and then on her partner probably a lot to investigate given that 20 year old rape conviction. That's why, I suspect, you already have features teams on this is because - rather grimly - newspapers are lining up long-reads and podcasts.

I think this is mainly a story about the press and the media - and there is always something ghoulish about this - which creates pressure the police respond to.