byron78

Sort of. But America is so big most states are miles bigger than the UK anyway. It's more like the EU in that regard, really. (Much easier than the EU though, given most Americans - broadly - speak the same language).

I've seen Americanisation of the UK creep in for 40+ years now. It's got worse for most. Not better. I'd like older style American capitalism. Breaks for small businesses/individuals and higher taxes for the bigger players etc. But then perhaps a lot of America would like that back?

This is how cities die, isn't it? I lived through New York losing its soul in this way. It still makes money, but the art and music scenes are really the preserves of those with wealthy parents now. The people you actually need to be there in order for it to thrive (struggling artists) have been priced out. Berlin was amazing just after the wall came down. 90s Berlin reminded me of 70s London in a way I never expected tbh. I've heard it's changed but I'll probably never get round to going back again now anyway.

Good move. Have heard London is sucking in as many wealthy Hong Kong types as it can for a while. That sounds like a really vivid example though!

Your mentalism and propaganda regurgitation are on the very first page of this thread.

That doesn't mean they're biowarfare labs. It just means they're labs designed for biological research. There are 600+ of those in the UK alone. Guess what... some of them have links to US healthcare firms etc too!

It was pennies really (about a tenth what Kwasi's mini budget will cost) but I bet Gordon Brown wishes he'd never sold that gold now! Will follow him forever.

I'm connected whether I like it or not I'm afraid. But there's a huge resistance building. As you say, a lot of small c conservatives don't recognise this government (or the last few) at all now.

The markets don't want to freeze pensioners or punish disabled people anymore than anyone else does. Especially given our provisions for both these groups are already much lower than most developed countries. They reacted negatively to the stupidity of borrowing 200 billion to give it away to those who need it least (Kwasi's mini budget). Not because they wanted or needed deeper cuts. At any rate, this is presently the internal Sunak Tory party logic, not mine! The huge giveaway for the richest they tried to get through last month simply isn't going to be followed by a big kick for the poorest. Political suicide that (especially given the black hole is basically the result of the aforementioned idiocy). Basically, we won't see deep cuts in the budget statement thing at the end of this month. They will cut some infrastructure projects and perhaps focus/target any help for bills from this point onward a little better, but that's about it. There may also be housing props I expect (but not personally heard anything here).

Was told this weekend the Tory plan is now: Hide all austerity and cuts until at least 2024/25 (after next GE). Tax rises for the majority (as stealthily as possible). We are to try and shift the blame for this back to Labour and Gordon Brown if possible. The reality - that the budget hole is almost entirely down to Kwasi and Truss - needs to be hidden as much as possible etc. Pinch Labour ideas that are popular (windfall tax etc). Try to convince the MSM barons etc that we aren't all completely corrupt and useless and that they should keep backing us.

What a great response. Gosh. I'm convinced. I'm definitely taking you off "obvious Russian troll block" now.

Can't we just use the Brexit dividends and the 350M a week we've saved to fill it? 🤣

Oh go on then. Please explain, in great scientific and physical detail, how an external explosion would suck all the metal outwards as if by magic? "Russia says so" is obviously good enough for you. That's fine if you want to flag yourself up as having fallen (or actively working to push?) all that misinformation. You do you etc.

Oh if Russia said so it must be true then. Wibble. After all, who wouldn't believe a country who has...er... lied about everything and is presently lying through its own teeth as it conscripts its own to go to war? Luckily they're being told they'll have proper equipment and will be celebrated as liberators from the evil Nazis they are fighting! 🤣

A blowout? As in, it's blown outward from the inside? It doesn't matter what the bloody water pressure is tbh. The pressure from any external explosion is going to be far greater. Because that's sort of how explosions work. I'm sure it could have been folded in by a bomb and then the gas pressure would indeed have violently surged out, but enough to twist all of the metal blown inside by a bomb back outwards? Not unless physics is laughing at us. Doesn't prove it was Russia still of course. Plenty of their own freedom fighters now as well as our own special forces who I'm sure would have happily placed a bomb inside the pipe if asked. And it is pretty sophisticated as special force attacks go. Russia tend to be more poison in a perfume bottle (and bodging it) etc.

I think it'll depend how much Russian propaganda you've had for breakfast tbh. I suppose we could have somehow blown the pipe from the inside but that's definitely how it's been done.

Man who has form for making up ******** and repeating Russian propaganda verbatim says what Russia says shocker!

Not just Islamicists I'm afraid. Any religion tends to appeal to nutjobs in much the same way as you say (our own fair Christianity has, and still does, kill plenty). You can't campaign. It's an illness of sorts. These people are convinced they're right and everyone else is wrong. Man in the sky. Everything wrong with this country is because of the boat people etc. It's all sad, simplistic nonsense. The preserves of fools and those who need to cling to fallicies to preserve what little sanity they have left. People are free to believe what they want of course, but once ANYTHING crosses over into violence and bigotry then that's the issue, NOT whatever the nutters thought the issue was...

I find this so hard because that isn't normal behaviour, is it? For me that is an indication people with mental health issues and other problems are being gaslit into doing terrible and stupid things by year and years of propaganda etc. It's like all the nutjobs you get in America attacking Nancy Pelosi's family etc - all very simple very stupid sorts who clearly needed help long before they commited crimes etc.

Quite difficult to pull out of your own country, isn't it!

Yes. What a stupid list. #1 should be "an idiot who has fallen for propaganda will not be able to see the invading and occupying country is the aggressor."

🤣

I call bull. Your standing charge alone would be close to £15 a month now. You use £25 electric a month? What's that 50KW? Most kettles are 3KW. Sure you won't hit an hour a month use, but anyone having a couple of cups of tea a day is going to come close. And that's just the kettle. I presume you have an electric shower (and no gas?) Electric oven? What do you do for heating. Logs? I'd guess most people use around 5KW a day (at least). You use just over 1? What do you live in. A shed? A bedsit?

It's a fake tweet apparently (as in, someone has photoshopped it. Not on Musk's Twitter feed at all).

Russia hacked Truss's phone!