YoungWillz

Jack Petchey picked right up until last year, then seemingly dropped so List of the Missed: https://www.derbydeadpool.co.uk/deadpool2023/celebs_P.html#petcj0

Tory donor Sir John Hall defects to Reform. https://www.itv.com/news/tyne-tees/2024-06-27/tory-donor-and-ex-newcastle-united-owner-sir-john-hall-endorses-reform-uk John Hall is 91.

Hmm. Donald Scott, who played international rugby union for Scotland and born 1928, reportedly dead: https://scottishrugby.org/obituary-donald-scott/

I'm in my third year of picking him for the DDP. Should he be able to exist any more? Am I prolonging his existence by picking him?

Lot of talk this morning about Sunak's "surrender" line last night. Surrender to Labour? In return, if it means 5 more years of this Tory government then I have my own little tune playing in my head.

One week to go if you want to enter the side game. Personally I did not know that Philip Davies (8,000 quid down the bookies on himself to lose his seat) is married to Esther McVey (minister for seemingly nothing). Their respective constituencies are hardly adjacent, how does that work? Do they each have homes in those places? Will they be spending more time with each other post-election? Is the prospect of both of them losing their seats enticing? I'm simply way too peak excitement for the election I guess.

Lee MacDonald diagnosed with skin cancer, seems to have been caught early: https://www.dailymail.co.uk/tvshowbiz/article-13573961/Grange-Hill-star-Lee-MacDonald-skin-cancer.html

Tommy Walsh reveals his cancer is slowly shrinking : https://www.dailymail.co.uk/tvshowbiz/article-13573219/Tommy-Walsh-reveals-cancer-slowly-shrinking.html

I really had problems watching this. But it was like a road traffic incident - I couldn't look away. Politicians are really really stupid sometimes. No matter how much you prepare, you are never really ready for the questions, some so skewed or nuanced you will never satisfy the questioner. I think that's where Starmer falls down in these "debates". As a lawyer you would prepare having been handed the other side's evidence in advance - here that simply doesn't work, he's not an agile performer who can leap from rocky outcrop to green pastures. Sunak on the other hand is a prick who thinks debating like you do in front of crowds roaring you on is a win. In fact he came across as a fear-mongering dick who made up almost everything and shouted down a lot of Starmer's answers. Hopefully most people with any sense made up their minds a long time ago. My main takeaways from today are the basics as follows: 1. Sunak will cut your taxes. Ok then, let's look at what that means. That means he is going to cut everyone's taxes. Given the tax system in this country that means that tax cuts will proportionally favour the rich and wealthy. Like Sunak. I see little in the way of recovery of the loss of that revenue stream to the Treasury. Now I'm old enough to remember Thatcher's government who at least had public utilities to sell off to fund tax cuts, but like the current government they weren't interested in building schools or hospitals or investing in public services - indeed, I'd go so far to say that in making certain parts of the country poorer, that actually made them qualify for help from...Europe. The country is crying out for better everything, but Sunak says, I'll give you a little back, I'll take a lot for myself and nothing will actually get better. 2. Meantime, Starmer is promising more Blair. Collegiate decision making, tackling social ills blah bah blah, but pairs that with inviting big business to sit alongside him and hope that growth follows. His difficulty with that message is that people remember how their towns and cities gave Labour their vote and then were forgotten about. He also can't promise jam tomorrow to any great effect because the Tories stopped baking bread 14 fucking years ago. While he seemingly has good intentions, by swinging from Corbyn's incredulous plans for spending to a minimal amount of spending, people can't see where that improvement is going to come from - and he's not a great message carrier. The guy who said "are these guys the best we have" was simply a tosser. I'll bet he longs for the days of Johnson, full of populism and colour but with all the ability of Tess Daly. I thought Starmer was a little better at analysing the problems in the round - get the waiting lists down lower crime and get people off welfare and back to work, and incentivise bosses to do that. Sunak on the other hand is content with how Britain is with it's outlandish National Debt, it's crumbling infrastructure and wasteland town centres, but hey, here's a couple of quid to make you shut up, and hate those horrid benefit scroungers and those nasty nasty immigrants he keeps letting into the country. Anything is preferable to the current incumbents, but another round of Red Tories isn't that appealing either. So anyway, Binface for PM.

Phil Foden. He's coming home, he's coming home... https://news.sky.com/story/phil-foden-leaves-englands-euro-2024-camp-in-germany-13159437

Sunak has identified the problem. It's...David Tennant!

Perhaps it should be noted that England have only ever won a men's international tournament under Labour. And the UK has won the Eurovision 4 times out of 5 under Labour. Coincidence? Yes.

Unbelievable. Imogen Stuart QO: https://www.telegraph.co.uk/obituaries/2024/06/25/imogen-stuart-germany-sculpture-ireland-christianity/

Worsley And Eccles constituency. Meantime, I received a load of bumf (bumph? bumough?) from the parties through the letter box today. Every damn one of them was printed in the south of England. Only Alba had a Scottish print address - in the constituency, no less! Yet apart from Reform, the others all claimed to be from the Scottish branch of the party!

It had already been updated so i didn't bother mentioning it.

Micheal O Muircheartaigh QO: https://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/articles/c9xx83d7x3no Under O.

Imogen Stuart still doesn't have one, which surprises me.

Irish RTE broadcaster Micheal O Muircheartaigh reportedly dead aged 93: https://www.thesun.ie/sport/13245772/micheal-o-muircheartaigh-dies-gaa-commentator/ DDP pick. For the highly successful Sick Bed of Cuchulainn.

How dare Sunak withdraw support for Saunders and Williams over Gamblegate? Innocent until proven guilty. Prejudice to the ongoing investigations. Stabbing Tories in the front. If it hadn't been for the war in Ukraine and the global pandemic, these Tory candidates would not have had to resort to a "flutter" down William Hill. Of course, I'm being sarcastic. Truth is you only have to look at how Sunak is running his campaign and the flip flopping over this issue to see this is how he has been running the country and why it is in the mess it is. His attack line on flippity floppity Starmer just went down the toilet.

Fred Feast, best known for playing Fred Gee in Coronation Street, became a Rover never to Return 25 years ago today, aged 69.

Frank Duckworth reportedly dead: Awaiting the usual confirmations.

Caption: Ross: I learnt everything I needed to know about stabbing another Tory in the front from you, Sunak. Sunak: Any tips for the 3.45 at Musselburgh?

Say what you like about Nigel Farage (I'm not a fan btw), he has poked the bear here (by which I mean the soft squishy holiday-making cockwomble who wanted our pensioners dead):

Lyricist Agim Doci, who wrote the lyrics for Albania's entries in 2004 (The Image Of You, 7th) and 2009 (Carry Me In Your Dreams, 17th), reportedly dead: https://www.koha.net/en/rajon/423926/vdiq-poeti-agim-doci

Pictured yesterday: