In the news

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-hampshire-32697186#

A man who felt "belittled by society" for being white and ginger-haired plotted a mass cyanide attack from his bedroom

mr colborne, 38, who lived at home with his mum ...............

http://www.manchestereveningnews.co.uk/news/greater-manchester-news/video-drivers-filmed-using-mobile-9234143

"Some 66 of those stopped have been handed £100 on-the-spot fines for driving without due care and attention."

Has driving without due care and atention been downgraded to a fine..? i thought it was an endorsable offence..?

Endorsable equals points....
You can get an automatic fixed penalty notice if you’re caught using a hand-held phone while driving or riding. You’ll get 3 penalty points on your licence and a fine of £100.

Programming your satnav or similar hand held device whilst driving 3 points and £100 fine.

Driving without due care etc is also at least 3 points and £100 fine.

http://www.manchestereveningnews.co.uk/news/greater-manchester-news/video-m60-lorry-driver-caught-9228094

He was given a fixed penalty notice for driving without due care and attention which he paid on the spot.

Seems to be the same for reading a book too...

Yesterday I saw a guy on a scooter coming down a hill towards a zebra crossing, take both hands off the bars and look down to do something with his phone.

Brilliant...

should have thrown the book at him.

Just for the record, it doesn't happen in Hackney very often. Hope the victim wasn't too badly injured.

Fancy doing it with a bottle of a theatrical blood analogue. Was it one of LMNH's own or did they bring it in?

Yet another article that doesn't understand what actually counts as 'Aryan' ...

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Aryan

It's a wee bit more complex than the idiot Nazi usage, and any journalist worth their salt should at least note this since the information is available so readily and easily on t'Internet. It might just catch the attention of the next frustrated person with a potential for terrible violence and enable them to think a little further.

It is understood the fight had kicked off outside the cafe before the men, who were not customers, ran inside.

Bit colloquial. I bet it was old bill who described it like that, not avocado Mike.

nepal just been twatted by another 7.4 earthquake :(

http://edition.cnn.com/2015/05/12/asia/nepal-earthquake/index.html

and now your right to strike is about to be severely curtailed. 40% minimum ballot? shame we can't apply the same rule to politicians come election time.

voted tory? i hope you fucking choke.

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/business-32702585

I found the wording on that a bit unclear. Is the 40% for workers that are members of the union or 40% that could be members of the union (e.g. total workforce).

If the former then I think there is a case for a threshold (whether 40% is too high is a difficult question) and part of the issue the unions need to work out is why is engagement so low. I remember some of the strikes recently re: the RMT worker who was accused of failing an alcohol test had 20% or so of eligible voters in favour of striking.

If unions want to argue against this they need to explain why it is a bad idea, why they can't get their members to vote in sufficient numbers to hit a 40% threshold rather than just the same rhetoric of the nasty tories want to screw over the union members (which may well be true but doesn't make for a convincing argument).

You can't be that livid about a threshold for strike action. It was becoming ridiculous during the coalition era. The stats show two thirds of strike ballots didn't get the support of half the workforce and some strikes during the last government went ahead with 1 in 10 workers in favour. You can't be pro strikes when (a) less than half the workforce turns up to vote and (b) of those that do, less than half are in favour of action. As aggi says, the nasty Tories line is hopeless. Also hoping people choke just for exercising their right to vote is a tad strong. This is a democracy champ, and the people have spoken, whether you or I agree with it!

^ typical undercover Tory's sermon.

political engagement doesn't end at the ballot box, champ.

tory?

Nah m8, u ain't gettin' it. Strikes are bad cos the lazy tube drivers are making peeps miss the meeting wit the ladz n that. Making us all bus wankers init

cheeky nandos?

Ledge

tory?

more likely 'employer' or just plain 'cunt'

I

yeah it was you I just called a cunt, champ

you guys

Do most strike ballots have half a dozen different options to vote for?

I just find it difficult to understand why workers are sufficiently motivated to strike but not sufficiently motivated to vote to strike.

If union leaders could explain that rather than come out with the same political rhetoric it may be easier to justify why this is a bad thing.

Do most strike ballots have half a dozen different options to vote for?

It is either yes or no.

ie strike or no strike.

What business is it of yours about another person's relationship with their employer?

Do other people have no rights in your eyes?

Are you Ian Duncan Smith?