Neither Left nor Right. Psychotherapist, broadcaster, piano-man, gardener, cook, mender of things. It's a digital world; we are analogue people - abuse blocked.
Just a reminder: Corbyn plans to disinherit every homeowner’s child in Britain. You won’t be able to leave the value of a house in most cases since, over a lifetime, the total limit will be £125,000. Hard luck to the strivers. A windfall for the shirkers. Death to the economy.
Great Britain abolished slavery 58 years before the USA. After the 1830s, the British Empire financed a Navy that hunted down slave ships & blockaded slave ports. We stopped sharing our history with America in 1776.
Finally the truth. Far from having the highest Covid death toll in Europe (as government critics keep chanting), accurate figures derived from overall “excess deaths” show we were in fact 9th in Western Europe, well behind Spain & Italy, & commendably 29th in Europe as a whole.
@CoreyEdward2
Adore them. Grow them. Cook with them. Snack on them. Use their oil twice a day. Actually look like one. Will be reincarnated as one (or two given how many I get through). Probably start talking to them as dotage ripens. What’s your problem?
Another gentle reminder that Labour has proposed introducing a wealth tax of 20% on all your assets. This was backed by McDonnell in 2012. They'd price your home, add up your bank accounts, any investments, works of art or valuables & demand you hand over 20% of the lot in cash.
@allisonpearson
1) Rutnam regards himself as Patel’s superior not servant (“she has not engaged with me” - “I’ve encouraged her to change her behaviors”. 2) He has strong self-regard. 3) He does not accept the conventions of ‘anonymity’ - quite the opposite. 4) He copes poorly with a real boss.
It seems very difficult not to define as “hate speech” Nicola Sturgeon’s latest announcement that she “detest the Tories”. It means she has moved beyond political thinking into something more akin to paranoia or the distorted obsessions of religious fanaticism. Worrying.
I can understand the French feel miffed over the submarine deal from which they’re excluded but it’s not true to suggest they’ve been super allies to the UK recently. 1.Seeking to annexe Northern Ireland into the EU. 2. Trashing our vaccines on no evidence. 3. Abetting migrants.
BBC1’s “Have I Got News For You?” is now so blatantly anti-Tory it clearly imperils the Corporation’s License Fee AND its future. Clearly, the London producers cannot comprehend the electoral wishes of The People. The programme is also surprisingly categorised as comic.
Philosophy fact-checks:
1.Islamophobia’ can never be “racist” for the simple reason that Islam is a theology not a ‘race’. We can criticise it as a set of ideas.
2.True phobias are sudden panics beyond a person’s immediate control & cannot be purged & should never be punished.
In 1966, the Labour government prevented Britons from taking more than £50 out of the country (in cheques) plus £15 in cash. You had to list this money in your passport. At the 2017 Labour Conference, John McDonnell said he might revive this policy.
@DrProudman
What an absurd contention. Ms Markle has been ridiculed - well, for being ridiculous - both fey & silly. Nothing whatever to do with race. Many people saw her on tv with absolutely no idea she wasn’t completely white!
Vague talk that Labour is beginning to lose is its lead. Unlikely, but remember Mrs May had a shocker. I’d pay good money to see Sir Starmer’s concession speech as he fell into history’s waste paper basket. I do not wish to be governed by a vain lawyer who believes in nothing.
@Telegraph
@Elizabe28594095
Nonsense. If, for example, you pretend that Dickens' World is full of highly empowered women and BAME aristocrats you misrepresent the past, mislead the present & belittle the achievements of those who across decades had to strive to curb misogyny & racism.
@Martin_Durkin
Evocation; nostalgia; memory at its simplest; ritual; symbolism; metaphor; familial imagery. This is what people live by: a long narrative of collective identity. If your definition of modernism is Windows 11 or an iPhone 14, you haven’t started to live.
@dominiquetaegon
I am sure that's correct & to be lamented. But it doesn't make it the only form of racism, does it? When I walked down Queensway in West London as a 50-something male, three black guys pushed me aside demanding: "What you looking at, white boy?"
@jordanbpeterson
One cannot make emotion a crime. Crimes are acts. I can hate what I dislike as much as I like provided I do not act on it. How would one even know what I hate unless I say? What did I hate yesterday, for instance? This law is absurd and makes OUR police forces quite ridiculous.
@MetPoliceEvents
The police have a duty to prevent protests from interfering with the lawful movement of the rest of the public. You are taking the side of the protesters in an outrageous dereliction of duty apparently to curry favour with the selfish obstructors.
@afneil
IKEA should be boycotted on many grounds. But firstly, for ruining the planet with throwaway furniture of the flimsiest quality in questionable modernist taste. The unbelievable fact is you could probably buy at auction a craft-made antique table in real wood for the same money.
@ricwe123
Ukraine is not a Nazi country but a diverse, surprisingly modern & important one. (You can find a few oafs doing a Nazi salute in every single city of the world - even in Moscow). But Russia certainly IS what you accuse Ukraine as being. Hence Putin's Hitlerian blitzkrieg of the
@syptweet
@MotospeedValet
You cannot make emotion a crime. Crimes are acts. I can hate what I dislike as much as I like provided I do not act on it. How would you even know what I hate unless I tell you? What did I hate yesterday, for instance? This law is absurd and makes OUR police forces ridiculous.
The problem with voting in a Labour government just to spite the Tories is that Labour intends to stay in permanent power by enfranchising children of 16 & all foreign residents while abolishing compulsory voter ID. Pick the wisdom out of that cynical coup.
@DavidTCDavies
@KayBurley
Never speak to a person of either sex who wags a finger in your face. That is totally unacceptable. Just bid them good day and god speed and hope they encounter an adult who can teach them politeness.
@PolitlcsUK
@IanONeill5
No he is NOT. He is heard mocking the nonsensical part of the trans “debate”. Of course, we should be nice to those whose gender identity is a struggle but have absolutely no truck with those who think women can have a penis.
@afneil
Quite. He’s even more screwed if he insists on “No Deal” because from Jan 1st no French boat can legally enter British waters without quota &/or permission. But apparently the colossal brains in the French government cannot see beyond their own considerable self-importance.
Irony corner. The more a junior family member rambles on about climate issues, the more likely they are to leave all the lights on when going out for the night.
@allisonpearson
Had the identical thought when watching tonight’s exceptionally dull episode of “Have I Got News For You”. The entire panel & the presenter were drawn from the bien pensant, London-centric Left. They all appeared to loathe Boris whereas the country clearly does not.
@LadyDurrant
When the hard left stole the Labour Party thanks to the stupidity of Ed Milliband it was inevitable they would run candidates whose views have been festering under stones for years. They live in an upside down universe. Of course they think poppies celebrate war not brave men.
@LoxyFlo
Engineering genius; super-abundant supplies of coal next to iron ore & lime (still have about 300 years of mineable coal in the ground). Early relaxation of feudalism so large workforce ready for urban factories. Massive trading fleet. Joint-stock companies so access to capital.
@guyverhofstadt
When remoaners claim: “The EU has never tried to interfere with the fundamental sovereign rights of member states” you’d better believe them. They go for direct abolition instead.
@unionlib
@Conservatives
No, it’s what mismanagement within the NHS has brought about. You can’t blame the government for failing to reform ‘the world’s biggest vested interest’ quickly. It takes years & years to persuade people that good healthcare & the current NHS are NOT the same thing.
@damekatydenise_
A real old-fashioned male type in mode of argument, bullying, voice raising and style of dominance. In fact, a stereotyped Macho Man whom modern men no longer aspire to be.
@AromaLady2
Why would you starve instead of consuming a delicious healthy meal chockfull of B vitamins, iron & anti-oxidants (supposing it’s properly cooked of course)?
The idea of dropping Robinson from the England cricket team because he wrote harmless but foolish tweets when a youth is supremely ridiculous. And ironic since without him England’s game looks pretty hopeless.
@acgrayling
Getting children of 16 to vote who remain 9 years away from objective powers of reasoning is a bastardisation of democracy & a reckless form of exploitation.
@theJeremyVine
It’s buddleia growing in wet brickwork on shallow but ultimately penetrating roots & indicates you probably need to renovate windowframes, clear gutters & check drainage then repoint the brick. Neglect it you will definitely get damp on the inside walls & possibly rot.
@GeorgeMonbiot
That’s possibly because you were insensitive & insecure. You hate your own ordinariness. Had you been Laurie Lee, for example, the world would have been spared your relentless attacks on the lovely society that gave you succour because you’d have found your Rosie.
@GBNEWS
So are they arguing for separate economic development? There used to be a word for that. It is bizarre to fight racism by elevating race into the supreme “ism”. The most important aspect of a human being is personality; the most important social denominator isn’t race but class.
Beeb goes nostalgia. Frank Bough testing his charms on Selina Scott’s cheek cavity but nobody mentioning the soon-to-be-bonkers David Icke all-lurking behind them. Ah, the days of cokeheads & crackpots in cuddly cardies.
@christiancalgie
She doesn’t do “education”, she means. How can you go into public life without a general grounding in both sciences & arts not to mention basic general knowledge? Does she even read?
I’m beginning to fancy Britain’s response to the EU’s delusions. “It’s No to surrendering Gibraltar. No to Greece snaffling the Elgin Marbles. No to the ECoJustice. And No to further plunder of our fish stocks. If you’ve nothing else to add, we’ll take No Deal. Goodbye”.
@scottygb
Reminds me of the time I misread the studio clock & ended the programme 10 minutes early. Quite tricky saying “And another thing…”. Well done to her.
Why doesn’t the Beeb realise it has a duty on shows like ‘hignfy’ to balance the contributions? That means two panellists enthusiastic about Boris versus the Hislop & the other no longer funny one (who both need cashiering anyway).
@NesrineMalik
Demonstrable tripe. A national identity coalesces with your personal identity. It is marked broadly by language, ancestral homeland, culture, collective history, diet, values, laws, constitutional arrangements & sexual/emotional/religious mores, rules & styles. Borders are key.
@allisonpearson
Common influenza & most viral infections tend to reduce in spread with the arrival of summer, my friends in white coats tell me, & they assume Covid 19 would follow that pattern. Let’s hope.
@visegrad24
Where do such interviewers gain their confidence when they have no underlying knowledge of history & geography? It would almost be better if a Google robot asked the questions. Answer: “A no-fly zone over Ukraine risks WW III. We will save that till Putin invades any NATO land”.
@_Bad_Bear_
@o_rips
My dentist has a map of every country in the world on his surgery ceiling. I even know a lot of the national flags after just one implant & a root canal.
@MattChorley
Your point, Matt? Trans people are not necessarily “casualties”. They may face some stigma but there are many groups who could claim the same & don’t need or get humour exemptions.
@jennyah46
@RichardDawkins
How somebody who can speak such wisdom about religion (and probably genetics) can talk such utter cock about economics is a bit of a puzzler.
Let us pause to celebrate the departure of John Bercow. Apparently, he is keeping one (third?) promise to leave the House of Commons & his (abused) role as Mr Speaker. I hope to hear he is eating grubs in Australia shortly.
@hackerhowroyd
@afneil
The grammar police exist to remedy the carelessness of most recent British schooling. They will shortly get the power to make arrests. Precision matters.
President Biden’s helicopter fleet buzzing the innocent holidaymakers & residents of St Ives & shaking their walls all evening. So much for a carbon crisis.
@HarrietSergeant
How do they drive a car? How do they hire a van? How do they go fishing? How do they join a library? How do they use the Land Registry? How do they open a bank account? How do they get a passport? If you're off-grid, you cannot vote. The rest of us need to know who you are.
If Corbyn & his Leninist crew take control of our Government, this is precisely what will ensue. You will only have yourself to blame if you assist. Vote RESPONSIBLY.
@Richardmassey82
Sewer is a foul term. There were an extra 36,000 East Europeans arriving here last year so they don’t all feel like your Poles. Our Romanian friends (Gaby & Camellia) certainly don’t.
@AllisonPearson
Today’s mistake is to project current social values onto prior centuries while ignoring historical reality. Until relatively recently Britain was so class-divided there was no reliable power or justice bestowed on the majority of the population. To denominate that BY RACE is rot.
@TitaniaMcGrath
@tinabobuk
If this is the actual University of Oxford & not the Old Polytechnic I do not see how it can continue to claim 1st place among world academies because it's clearly lost its minds.
@zarahsultana
The rules are clear. If you are a refugee, claim asylum in the first country of entry. For instance, France has twice as much land area as Britain but only the same size population. Much of France is actually empty, with falling house prices. Not quite the case in the UK!
@GillianLazarus
Jews were systematically murdered in their homes in Germany, Poland, Ukraine & Russia. They fled to their historic homeland in Judea. There was no country called Palestine just a British colonial mandate. The Arabs decided to slaughter them & made the mistake of losing the war.
@JustinWelby
It’s immoral to pretend this cramped island can solve the long-term problem of humanity. There are 100s of millions of people wishing to arrive in a land of water & social welfare outnumbering the existing population many times over. Unfair to those born here, brother Justin.
@IanMurr58938445
Why would you vote for a priest of restrictive practices, Luddism & economic disintegration? Lynch is a 70s relic. I’d have no objection if he became a comedian full time.
@PaulEmbery
Then why live in Britain? You cannot expect every country to provide you with an ethnic “familiarity”. When I go to Japan or China, I cannot expect to meet any Cotswold lookalikes, beef-faced farmers or tall, round-eyed doctors.
@RosamundUrwin
'Mental health' for 'mental ill-health'. 'Bored of' instead of 'with'. 'More perfect' (an impossibility). 'Comprising of' - because the 'of' is already implied; use 'composed of'. 'Going forward' for 'in future' which is more precise & nimbler. 'Hospital' pronounced 'hospittal'.
@de_generated
@afneil
The French have one very old carrier named after a reactionary general who once had to run away from his own people. We have a modern operational carrier with 15 F35s & 11 strike helicopters, & more due, named after The Queen plus an identical carrier awaiting trials. Pipe down.
@kerryjeanlister
@rcantelo
An absolute slam dunk. Bravo the doc. (Discussing the Falklands War, I was once asked "What the hell would a psychotherapist know about history?" I said I'd got O, A & S-Level history, two history degrees & I'd lived through the conflict whilst working for a News radio station).
@KellerZoe
@AllisonPearson
So not directly relevant to the question of climate tolerability to human life since WE operate on how weather feels to us - not what a satellite states. If my thermometer says it’s 35 Celsius in a hot Mediterranean country I’m possibly pleased.
@DPJHodges
Boris is given to bombastic exaggerations of expression which those outside the metaphorically-minded classes do not use or comprehend. He didn’t mean “I don’t care about mass death” but deployed the literal language of overkill to say he worried for the future of our economy.
@markantro
He sold the jet... And he’s thinking of “changing everything” for what it’s worth. PS - Greens who constantly fly to Carbon conferences get my goat too.
@PrisonPlanet
Yup. Inquisition. Catholics burning Protestants. (Then Prots burning Caths). All the puritan episodes & insanities. Pol Pot in Cambodia. Mao-Tse-Tung. But biggest of all undoubtedly the USSR. Stalin made corpses of those who did not reflect his exact way of thinking.