En Passant

What? The link to the results that say that 61% of those polled think the sentences are too harsh? In the quoted part? The quote that belies your assertion? That I provide the link to underneath? That link? In fact this link? Sure I do.

This is why I finally have you on ignore. You simply post your opinion as some sort of fact. I'm only seeing this because I guessed what it might be from its location. Handily I remembered another article from yesterdays Guardian in which the UN special rapporteur condemned the sentences. It included the following quote. Now, I may think the 12% here are a bunch of complete idiots. But at least my statistics are coming from a source that is verifiable, not just off the top of my head. It is however, notably at odds with your 'assessment' (read: bollocks) The entire article including those statistics is here. I surely support nobody paying any attention to your garbage until you learn to back it up. And back on ignore you go.

Disingenuous, swerving, bastards . It may not be for you to intervene after the fact on an individual case, but it most certainly is up to you as the makers of the law under which these sentences were passed to reverse it. Yes I know it was the other lot, but you have no trouble condemning them for all the ills it is politically expedient to say you'll change in time. Say so about this then.

20th July 57 Soft Cell - Say Hello, Wave Goodbye 55 Tears for Fears - Mad World 43 Eurythmics - Who’s That Girl? 42 The J. Geils Band - Centerfold 40 Yazoo - Don't Go 33 Pigbag - Papa’s Got a Brand New Pigbag 32 Siouxsie and the Banshees - Dear Prudence +4 26 Ph.D - I Won’t Let You Down 24 Yazoo - Nobody’s Diary 22 The Beat - Can’t Get Used to Losing You 14 Kool & The Gang - Get Down on It 06 Howard Jones - New Song  04 Soft Cell - What? 00 Wah! - Wah, wah, wah! -6

19th July 3 Soft Cell - Say Hello, Wave Goodbye 51 Tears for Fears - Mad World 42 Yazoo - Don't Go 41 The J. Geils Band - Centerfold 37 Eurythmics - Who’s That Girl? 33 Siouxsie and the Banshees - Dear Prudence +4 28 The Beat - Can’t Get Used to Losing You 26 Ph.D - I Won’t Let You Down 25 Pigbag - Papa’s Got a Brand New Pigbag 23 Kool & The Gang - Get Down on It 22 Yazoo - Nobody’s Diary 17 Soft Cell - What? 14 Howard Jones - New Song  08 Wah! - The Story of the Blues -6

Check, 20 million and one.

There are very very few people who meet the criteria for this challenging role. However at the last count there were approximately 20 million people who expressed vehemently in comments to national newspapers and on social media that they personally are far better qualified than the previous incumbent. Good luck vetting that number of application forms.

He really is an utter cockwomble and thanks to Emily (concur) I can add Kari Lake to my list of people with their head so far up their own arse a petawatt nuclear flash wouldn't damage their retinas. When your answers to perfectly reasonable questions become 'you're a sad case of a human being' or 'because he nearly died' you've truly lost the argument.

Emily Maitlis 'needs her head examined' and further, is 'a sad case of a human being' it would seem. At least according to Kari Lake, republican candidate in Arizona senate 2024, former gubernatorial candidate for Arizona 2022, former news anchor... Only a couple of minutes and a good laugh.

Might have, I'm not saying, but if I did, i've sent another sub.

There's not enough money for the services we already have, taxes aren't going up because that wouldn't have got enough votes, borrowing is already at 97% of GDP, spending is ringfenced on several areas (not unreasonably) but justice isn't one of them, so if the totally unreliable 'growth' doesn't happen it'll probably get cut further. The jails are full the entire world is heading over a climate precipice which will eventually make every other issue irrelevant- so what do we do with 5 peaceful climate protestors (even if annoying in their choice of targets)? Yeah, send them to jail for 4 or 5 years. It must make sense to someone. But that someone isn't me.

That of course is a whole other room 101. Nothing wrong with the last 3 smartphones I had, all just ran out of updates. Sure there's a few functionalities on later ones that I didn't have before but I wouldn't have paid the amount I did to get them. The last one was forced by my bank app not running because Android security updates were no longer being applied. I don't much care for google, but at least the pixel8 I got this time has 7+ years of O/S updates guaranteed and a bit beyond that for security ones I guess. Apple is normally better but for the cost of the things they should be.

Strange how this invariably happens only with monopolistic corporations where you have no choice or the service, complaints or cancellation departments of those where you do. Sales of course will be answered in 3 rings and by somebody who can spell GCSE.

Cults. The lot of them.

The problem is, as far as I can tell, nobody thinks he can now win (especially with Trumps current luck - see Trump thread), if they are correct, then he simply has to be replaced by somebody who stands any chance of winning at all.

Not just me thinks he's been lucky lately.

I wish I were as certain, I've had experiences on the phone where I should have stayed with the chat-bot, it made more sense.

Thu 18 July 51 Tears for Fears - Mad World 47 Soft Cell - Say Hello, Wave Goodbye 36 Siouxsie and the Banshees - Dear Prudence 36 Yazoo - Don't Go 32 Eurythmics - Who’s That Girl? 32 The J. Geils Band - Centerfold 28 Yazoo - Nobody’s Diary 28 The Beat - Can’t Get Used to Losing You 26 Kool & The Gang - Get Down on It 26 Ph.D - I Won’t Let You Down 25 Pigbag - Papa’s Got a Brand New Pigbag 24 Howard Jones - New Song +4 22 Soft Cell - What? 20 Wah! - The Story of the Blues  14 Culture Club - Time (Clock of the Heart) 11 The Belle Stars - Sign of the Times 08 The Style Council - Long Hot Summer/Paris Match 00 JoBoxers - beat  -6 Can't really get enthused about any of this lot. Wouldn't seek them out, wouldn't cross the room to press skip either necessarily.

I'm gutted I'm going to have to miss it, but the time is already allocated to polishing the front door knocker, sorting out the cutlery drawer and if there's any time left over, descaling the kettle. The timing of this event couldn't be worse.

17th July 47 Tears for Fears - Mad World 41 Soft Cell - Say Hello, Wave Goodbye 41 Siouxsie and the Banshees - Dear Prudence +4 34 The Beat - Can’t Get Used to Losing You 32 Yazoo - Don't Go 30 Pigbag - Papa’s Got a Brand New Pigbag 30 Eurythmics - Who’s That Girl?  27 The J. Geils Band - Centerfold 24 Yazoo - Nobody’s Diary 23 Kool & The Gang - Get Down on It 22 Soft Cell - What? 22 Ph.D - I Won’t Let You Down 20 Culture Club - Time (Clock of the Heart)  20 Wah! - The Story of the Blues  20 Howard Jones - New Song 18 JoBoxers - Boxerbeat  17 The Belle Stars - Sign of the Times 15 The Style Council - Long Hot Summer/Paris Match 11 Haircut 100 - Love Plus One -6

All he needs to do is run for president.....

I gave up yesterday and put the block on. Didn't know you get the option to open the posts anyway if you want to, learn something new every day. In over 10 years here () this is the first time I've ever used it.

So this cause sadly turns out to be the case. Confirmed as him via fingerprinting.

Expand that to almost all television for me now. It has always been the case that they've spiced it up and dumbed it down in pursuit of ratings but as I've aged I also find I've seen it all before and the combination of the two just has me reaching for the off button. I also started from a minimal viewing position in the first place I suppose, since a great deal of what seems to pass for entertainment has always bored me rigid. I can't even be in a room where somebody else is watching soaps, game shows, cookery programmes, house improvements and so on. Even those now ubiquitous moving advertisement panels installed at all football venues have me screaming at them because they do what they are designed to and distract you and I'm not even a football fan most of the time. Those never used to be there..... I used to watch 'grumpy old men' though. Probably sums it up ETA: There's actually some quite good 'user made' type of content out there on you tube which I can watch a bit of, it has the added benefit of being fast-forwardable. A fellow by the name of Simon Whistler is involved in a few - also off the top of my head 'map men' and 'auto-shenanigans' though those are a bit niche. You can avoid youtube ads (especially on Firefox) with appropriate ad-blockers.

Tue 16 Jul 37 Tears for Fears - Mad World 35 Siouxsie and the Banshees - Dear Prudence +4 34 Soft Cell - Say Hello, Wave Goodbye 30 The Beat - Can’t Get Used to Losing You 28 Eurythmics - Who’s That Girl? 27 Yazoo - Don't Go 24 Ph.D -- I Won't Let You Down 24 Yazoo - Nobody’s Diary 22 The J. Geils Band - Centerfold 22 Soft Cell - What? 21 Malcolm McLaren - Double Dutch 20 Pigbag - Papa’s Got a Brand New Pigbag (Fuck the Tories) 20 Kool & The Gang - Get Down on It 20 Culture Club - Time (Clock of the Heart) 20 Wah! - The Story of the Blues 20 JoBoxers - Boxerbeat 20 Howard Jones - New Song 17 The Belle Stars - Sign of the Times 17 Haircut 100 - Love Plus One 16 Shakin’ Stevens - Cry Just a Little Bit -4 15 The Style Council - Long Hot Summer/Paris Match 15 Culture Club - Victims 14 Odyssey - Inside Out 10 Duran Duran - Union of the Snake 08 Rod Stewart - What Am I Gonna Do 00 Toto - African't -2