I only recently became aware of the violence against protestors at Saint Soline mega resevoir. It made me wonder if Iâm living in the kind of country I want to be in.
https://www.google.com/search?q=saint+soline+video&rlz=1CABVOQ_enFR1200&oq=saint+soline+video&gs_lcrp=EgZjaHJvbWUyBggAEEUYOdIBCjE5NTY1ajBqMTWoAgiwAgE&sourceid=chrome&source=chrome.rb&ie=UTF-8#fpstate=ive&vld=cid:ad92b14a,vid:TT8j4a10aKE,st:0
Maybe itâs me, but I donât like the fact that the government has authorised insecticides that are very harmful to bees. Big agri business wins again. This from the Guardian
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There are some interesting statistics in this report: https://lgbbusinessforum.org/wp-content/uploads/2025/07/Compelled-Conformity-Report.pdf
LGB people were surveyed - that is, excluding trans people. The study found that
- 91% [of gay people] feel uncomfortable being grouped under the broader LGBTQ+ umbrella commonly used in workplace EDI policy and initiatives
- Over a third (36%) have been advised by HR to stay silent about views that conflict with staff LGBTQ+ groups and DEI initiatives â while 86% avoid expressing their views altogether, fearing consequences such as job loss or disciplinary action
- 79% of LGB employees say workplace âLGBTâ training does not address LGB-specific issues
Funny
French Navy carries out âshooting drillâ mid interview French Navy carries out 'shooting drill' in English Channel mid BBC interview - BBC News
Philp is a halfwit IMHO. Heâs trying to out-Farage Farage, isnât he?
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Iâve a bit of sympathy for politicians in general at the moment, even if they largely contributed to the toxic environment that they now live in.
I think theyâre all at risk, perhaps more than ever, and idiots like Polanski posting nonsense doesnât help.
I wish Burnham and Badenoch and Davey would get together and agree to tell their troops to behave properly. Canât see it happening, though.
Yes, agree - in the sense that no one has the patience to let them do their jobs and expect instant results. Then shit allegance to the next politician who claims they can fix everything.
That said they are the authors of their own problems sometimes, especially Labour.
Burnham is pushing technical qualifications (hello, the 1970âs called and would like their CSEâs back). Joking aside I think this is a good enough idea - the Blair years saw a push to get everyone to university because, apparently, a degree in a subject no one has heard of is a good thing.
It does matter that there are jobs to go to, which is one area where the current scheme looks like coming up short (except maybe construction I think weâre pretty short of skilled workers there since all the Poles went home).
The BBC bod interviewing McFadden said something about getting the benefits bill down - McFadden immediately agreed thus falling into the trap of supporting the idea that the amount we spend on benefits is, indeed, a problem. He then doubled down on this by talking about âcontractualisingâ benefits - i.e âyou have to do X or you wonât get any money from the stateâ this reinforcing the idea of scroungers who donât want to work.
What he should have said is something like âwell only about 10% of benefits go to the unemployed - the rest goes to support people in work or to pensioners. We recognise the importance of getting people back into work by generating the right training and employment opportunities which will reduce pressure on the system and allow us to use some of the benefits bill more effectivelyâ.
I really donât know where they get these people.
But no, he fell into the traps laid for him - we spend too much on the feckless unemployed and thatâs why we have such a large benefits bill. So they become the next target for the RW to hate once they have ejected all the brown people.
OH is a secondary school teacher and she had one question for Mr Burnham - where are these new teachers going to come from when retention is already a major problem across all subjects?
On a separate but related note, Burnham has invited Badenoch and Davey to meet him to discuss reform of social care.
Heâs not given them much notice though so Badenoch is sending a minion and Davey is attending via Zoom from a caravan in France!
But itâs good that he is trying to involve the opposition and get them to make constructive comments instead of going straight for a Monty Python âten minute argumentââŚ
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5 minute argument.
Most parliamentary committees and working groups are cross party so Iâm not sure it is totally new, but Burnham perhaps understands that making a headline out of it is good political capital.
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No thatâs true - but having party leaders involved is perhaps a step up given that committees don;t make policy? But yes itâs good PR too, which is an area that Starmer was lacking in.
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or even the full half hour.
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Thatâs Alastair Campbell.
Richard Tice is under investigation for failing to disclose an interest.
Good. The Times has dug up quite a lot about party finances recently.