In the news

Was reminded of this, this morning. Makes me cry with laughter every time.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BrWaSXT2Cwg

I've heard about this before I think, but still it seems odd that prostate cancer leads an american to developing what seems to be an Irish accent.

Is there any news on this happening the other way round? I've had an Irish accent all my life and need to know if I should be concerned.

I dunno. I had a cystoscopy for suspected prostate problems, and my accent certainly changed for a short while.

Who carries a tampon around so they can give it to a guy they want to insult? Weirdos?

Arseholes

Apparently it’s a joke and you’re woke of you don’t find it funny.

I have no idea what woke is but considering the guy fucked half America while married it’s pretty on brand.

Golf… still full of weird old cunts.

archaeological wood is prone to shrinkage and warping.

https://www.theguardian.com/science/2023/feb/20/its-not-a-darning-tool-its-a-very-naughty-toy-roman-dildo-found

archaeological wood is prone to shrinkage and warping.

Feel like this belongs in the middle age thread

This was front page of sky news. It even has a handy scale

1 Attachment

Good to see the news companies making the news;

A statement was read out on behalf of Bulley’s family, which was predominantly an excoriating assessment of the media response to her disappearance.

“And it saddens us to think that one day we will have to explain to them that the press and members of the public accused their dad of wrongdoing, misquoted and vilified friends and family. This is absolutely appalling, they have to be held accountable, this cannot happen to another family.”

The family singled out ITV and Sky News for making contact with them directly on Sunday night after police confirmed a body had been found, adding they had asked for privacy.

predominantly an excoriating assessment of the media response

Deservedly so. The journos in the press conference earlier last week were also falling over each other to ask what her ‘specific vulnerabilities’ were, only to fire a broadside at the police when they told them (after they had published/broadcast the information, of course) and then only to point the finger elsewhere because there was a public backlash. Hypocrisy in the press… who’d have thought.

Water off ducks’ backs though.

I’m trying to figure out what Ukraine has to give back in return for all the tanks and planes.

Water off ducks’ backs though.

That's because the audience are even more hypocritical than the press. People moan about the immorality of journalists while lapping up anything which has a mean-spirited angle. Journalists for the high circulation media don't keep their jobs if they don't give the readers what they want. Harry says the tabloids killed his mother, but they only did it because the readers wanted tabloid garbage. The same readers then went to the palace to cry and leave flowers.

It's hard to think of worse hypocrites than the British public. But generally you're not allowed to criticise the readers or the other media. There's an omerta about it. Except in Private Eye, which is one of the very few British outlets where you can see what journalists would like to produce if they weren't slaves to the public and the proprietors. The New Statesman is another.

A lot of people go into journalism with a public service ethos. But they also want their ego to be fanned. Then they come under pressure to be cunts. And they see that many of the most successful journalists are completely cunty. British columnists cornered the market in shitposting for a long time. Now they are competing for clicks with the likes of Marjorie Taylor Greene and Andrew Tate and so on.

I don't think the press or the public are nearly as bad in other countries. We British are exceptionally vicious and nasty and cynical, and our papers reflect that. Perhaps it's because of our class system? Or using the monarchy as zoo animals?

Parklife?

The lives of a couple of hundred thousand of their citizens.

Hahahaha. Yes, the behaviour of the UK press and how it got to where it is could be a whole thread on its own!

This was unexpected. Twitternomics commentators mostly ascribing it to fiscal drag from freezing income tax thresholds.

Gives political room to manoeuvre on matching inflation in public sector wages but OBVIOUSLY they will piss it away on freezing / cutting fuel duty. Or a Stamp Duty holiday (groan).

In figures that surprised economists and the Treasury, the Office for National Statistics said the public sector registered a £5.4bn surplus in January, far better than the £7.8bn deficit expected by economists polled by Reuters.

https://www.ft.com/content/cfe31b5c-a3fb-43b1-8b61-87071855341b

Or a Stamp Duty holiday

For landlords hopefully. * rings mortgage broker *

lol. Helping more "hardworking families" to get on the "buy to let ladder" (shit you not, it's a phrase from the Torygraph).

https://www.theguardian.com/world/2023/feb/21/spanish-transport-secretary-resigns-new-renfe-trains-too-big-for-tunnels

Spain have their own Chris Grayling.

In 2007 a mechanic friend of mine had worked his way up to 18 buy to lets.

It didn’t end well.

It didn’t end well

Not surprised.. but if he'd managed to hang on he would be laughing now.

Pre-07 bank lending was just on a different planet, but I am sure there are people out there that would be in a much worse financial situation today if they hadn't got a 100%+ LTV Northern Rock mortgage as an FTB.

Spain have their own Chris Grayling.

I'm sure the UK will step in and:

• Buy the trains from Spain for list price
  
• Find they don't fit in our tunnels
  
• Sell them to someone else for a huge discount
  

For sure. Friends of ours bought a fixer-upper with a 110% Northern Rock mortgage which they later sold for well over twice what they paid. It’s set them for life.

... fortune *F*avours *T*he *B*rave