In the news

Bit late to the tale here,
but what i have learnt from Turkish tv, (admittedly not necessarily free from bias),

area overflown by Russian jet home to Turkmen,
(ethnic Turks on wrong side of border drawn up by Europeans post WW2),
fed up with being on receiving end of stick from
IS, (wrong type of Muslim),
Assad, (not Syrians),
Russia, ( supporting above and general border zone enforcement/clearance),
took their families 'back' to Turkey,
and 4000 returned to the war zone to fight for their territory.
Russian pilot ignored multiple warnings.

It's slightly complicated by the story I read yesterday, can't remember the source unfortunately, which basically accused the Turkish Airforce of doing exactly the same over the Greek Border for years.
If proved to be true, it justifies Greece shooting down a Turkish plane, just because that part of the world isn't quite tense enough already.

EODM Vice interview is pretty traumatic punctuated only by a really really jarring reminder of Josh Homme's "Baby Duck" nickname

I'm not sure what to think.

Good is that democracy may have worked, bad is that he may pull a shit trick on other several smaller and more vulnerable groups to get the money.

Under selling stuff like royal mail too.

Never mind popping in to cyprus, or annoying Greece by changing flags on Islands and saying they are turkish.

http://www.theguardian.com/cities/2015/nov/26/lessons-from-leicester-the-uks-unlikely-new-poster-city-for-cycling

That EODM interview is pretty hard to watch.

Students stage mass walk out of Katie Hopkins talk.

http://www.independent.co.uk/news/people/katie-hopkins-brunel-university-students-stage-mass-walk-out-at-debate-as-columnist-speaks-a6749456.html

Good is that democracy may have worked, bad is that he may pull a shit trick on other several smaller and more vulnerable groups to get the money.

Ironic since the bill had passed the elected house of commons, but was blocked by the unelected lords.

Ironic since it wasn't in their election manifesto and Call Me Dave actively denied he would cut tax credits because he knew it could kill his re-election bid.

Just to muddy the water a bit more, it was a Statutory Instrument. If it had been a bill, it would have been a money bill, which the lords are not allowed to debate.
Part of the reason the lords blocked it was to send a message to the commons not to try and get things through on the sly.

But Osborne saw the error of his ways, so that's good.

it wasn't in their election manifesto and Call Me Dave actively denied he would cut tax credits because he knew it could kill his re-election bid.

So the unelected lords are standing up for the wishes of the electorate. Perhaps we'd better hang onto them.

The new Turkish energy minister is Erdogan's son-in-law, apparently.

Who apparently heads up a company that has been buying oil from the Turkmens in Syria.

The Russians have been bombing anyone who opposes Assad in Syria, including said Turkmens and their oil logistics.

Why was the Turkish airforce so trigger happy? When Erdogan says himself he gave the order to shoot down the plane?

At least, this is one theory that has been put to me. Dunno.

Wasn't it the Turkmen militia who got to the parachuted pilots first? They seem to be well informed.

EDIT: Just had a closer look at the news this morning. No shortage of conspiracy theories around. Nobody needs my 2p. Nevermind....

Turkey is playing both sides here, and just using the Kurds but not really wanting to grant their own state.

Great, not really, as Turkey was on the verge of going more towards the EU 10 years ago, now we have a shit stirrer on the border with mainland EU. (let alone the issues it causes for everyone living elsewhere of course...)

Space X Falcon 9 rocks-up in the Scilly Isles.
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/science-environment-34941386

There's been a bit of anti-Erdogan graffiti cropping up on Green Lanes that is very quickly, within a few hours, covered up by paint being thrown over it.

http://act.stopwar.org.uk/lobby/stopbombingsyria
Just in case anyone fancies it

Given the shadow cabinet appear totally split on which way to vote, I fear that will not do much good. Mind you Labour has been such a bloody shambles over the last few months it's difficult to tell what they will do. So much for "taking the fight to the Tories", they are far too busy fighting themselves.

Sent my MP a message, I know him through getting our skate park built and I certainly hope he listens and others write to him / their local MP.

labour needs to hoof the fucking blairite neo liberal PLP traitor scum. they'd sooner see their party crumble than give up their sense of entitlement.

It's not such a bad thing Labour being split on this issue. I'd far rather that than the whips trying to bring everyone down on Corbyn's side, and I don't think he'd go for that anyway.

If anything good's going to come from Corbyn's tenure it will be that his party won't have done things the way we're told they're supposed to be done. They can offer something as a sort of moral counter-balance, if you like.

^ this.

Any honest, Democratic party will always have varied opinions. It is emphatically not a bad thing.