I’d prefer if they were clamped into stocks on the back of a flatbed, like a carnival float. I wouldn’t want the donkeys getting hit by fruit.

Good point. I’ll put Michael Gove in charge of coming up with a technology solution for shielding the donkeys from fruit. I’m sure it will be fine.

Failing that, then the flatbed truck is a good idea – it could be an emergency back up in case the dinghy sank too soon too. Stick em back on the truck and drive them out into the Thames at low tide. Then let renewables take care of the rest.

👍

I feel like composing a ceremonial march for when we rejoin the EU.

I’m getting carried away with this thought. I’ve already got various musical pieces in mind for the big day.

I’m particularly looking forward to the ceremonial procession where a moderately beaten Farage and Johnson are led naked whilst strapped across donkey’s backs through London and especially Brixton. Free rancid fruit will be provided and the music will be a rearrangement of the Benny Hill Show theme. This is before they arrive at London Bridge to be symbolically flushed out of the Thames estuary in a small dinghy with some holes in it to the tune of Ode To Joy.

I feel the monarchy is one of the defining things that makes us British (particularly at an international level), like it or not.

I feel that a supposedly developed country being defined by a hereditary monarchy in the 21st century is a bit daft.

But, different strokes for different folks, and all that.

Just turned the radio on after getting back from my Saturday am ride. The singing is compelling stuff – take away the meaning and it sounds great in its own right.

I feel like composing a ceremonial march for when we rejoin the EU.

What would that be?

Pegging?

Who are you justifying it to, yourself?

Basically yes.

They moved swiftly on to the likelihood of Prince William getting mobbed by ‘the gays’ during his visit to Soho.

Well, presumably the pageant won’t be within range of an overloaded dinghy full of brown people, so I guess it is going to be turn of ‘the gays’.

If Charlie goes arse over tit wearing a showy dressing gown or Archbishop Thingy drops the ceremonial mug of oil, presumably that will be the fault of ‘wokes’ or similar?

Pfffft.

Not that this has stopped the usual Tory headbangers calling for him to be reinstated as PM after last nights results

And in turn demonstrating their contempt for the electorate and their intellect. It still dismays me that they think this is a door worth pushing at.

@monkeyboyjc

I was getting at whether your invite had left you feeling somewhat comprimised and co-opted.

You’ve no need to answer that, I was just curious.

Despite being a republican, I’m going to a ‘Coronation Party’ round at friends. I’m justifying this by saying that I’m an atheist, but I still take opportunities around Xmas and Easter to socialise.

My wife has already said I will have to behave. All I have said to that is that I won’t be walking around whistling La Marseillaise, but should someone ask a direct question I won’t lie to them either. If someone decides they no longer want to be friends over something like this, then I guess they weren’t that good a friend to start with. 🤷‍♂️

It’s why I’m hesitant to get involved in the discussion.

Pourquoi?

Your views are your views.

Starkey has form.

Vile man. Eloquent and intelligent enough to know exactly what each word will do. No excuses for him based on ambiguity or intended vs real meaning.

But I bet he’s all for the continuation of the unelected Germano-Greek royal family. Hypocritical swine.

This article by Martin Kettle is a good take on the ceremony itself and what it says.

https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2023/may/05/coronation-king-charles-reform-modernise-monarchy-religious

But there is so much more to it. What he (probably out of charity) leaves out is that the vast majority of frothers who would resist any amendments wouldn’t have the first clue that anything had been changed unless they’d had it pointed out to them by the likes of the Mail. Just like all the tattooed crushers who were ‘outraged’ by Rule Britannia being an instrumental at the Last Night of the Proms. I doubt very much they were avid prommers or even watched the last night anyway – it just gave them something more to be angry about – especially when blamed on ‘wokes’ or limpwrists or Socialist sleeper agents etc.

Thurrock has long been a byword for a certain type of voter and indeed person. This comes as no surprise. Should planet earth ever need an enema, we at least know where the hose needs shoving.

If I’m reading it right, two of the biggest tory losses are in Stoke and NW Leics. With MPs Gullis and (until recently) Bridgen – two leading culture war a-holes. Is this a sign that the culture war crap is now just winding people up and they are finally realising what has been going on?

I do hope so.

T’other half is a health service professional.

But it’s still Witch Hazel for bruises and a saltwater wash for anything bacterial on a body surface or buccal.

Don’t know if we’ve got any Saffers on this thread, but my-my, Zambuk is an amazing product. If it is a placebo it is a bloody good one.

I don’t understand why the landlady claims now to be “totally and utterly gutted” by the fallout.

She made it clear last month that she didn’t care about the fallout and invited people who didn’t share her love of golliwogs not to do business with her when she said, “If they don’t like it, they don’t have to come through the door.”

So Heineken and Carlsberg have decided not to do business with her, sounds perfectly reasonable to me. I have no idea why she’s whining – surely it’s called ‘choice’?

I understand – it’s because she’s full of shit and an idiot.

Hope that’s cleared it up for you.

Voted earlier. No Libdem, so Tory, Labour or Green.

Our local tory Councillor is good on the local things, but Brexit, Truss, Johnson, Raab, Braverman etc – so he can get in the sea.

Had to be Green, really – sod all difference it will make to anything.

No one is stupid enough to place them in the bar without being able to appreciate the message they are portraying. I’m guessing it was a ‘beacon’ to the like minded and a sign you are not welcome to the snowflake, the ‘woke’ and those of ethnic minority heritage.

So. Totally. This.

Does anyone care to speculate about the probable voting patterns in recent years of the ownership, staff and clientele?

As a last thought – wouldn’t it be great if the place was now turned into a loud and proud gay pub? Full rainbow paint job on the outside etc. As Kevin Keegan once said, “I would love it, love it”.

At this point it feels like the Tories are only holding onto power by showing their support for racism.

I really hope that’s not true. It’s a horrible insight into the UK if it’s actually true.

It’s largely true – with the exception that they’ll have a pop at transgender people a bit too.

What are they actually campaigning on right now that can’t be characterised as “Labour are soft on immigration/trans/whatever – the country will go to the dogs if they get in”?

I haven’t heard much other than that, TBH.

Im waiting for the ex-proprietor to get a gig on GBNews

Maybe co-hosting one of those naff faux natural shows with our erstwhile Deputy PM. Will anyone be tuning in for ‘A Round With Raab’ as he muses about thwarted geniuses down the ages and airs a constant stream of made up grievances?

So we now live in a country where CAMRA, breweries and maintenance contractors have a stronger moral compass than the Home Secretary?

Three cheers for Brexit Britain.

But if you want to raise a glass to that, you need to find a different pub from the White Hart.

“We will not be joining the single market. We will not be joining a customs union.”

Kier Starmer, Monday 4 July 2022 / 7:30 PM

And I’ll add to that:

“We have exited the EU and we are not going back – let me be very clear in the north east about that. There is no case for rejoining.”

Kier Starmer, 14 February 2022 / 9.15 AM

This is a former QC stating that there is no case to rejoin. And flushing his own credibility down the toilet in the process.

Sure, Brexit corrupts everything with its various looking glasses, but it is his choice to take this stance. So let’s hope that his advisors are right, because he isn’t getting my vote.

I’m basically just saying the same thing over and over again in slightly different words now, so unless something new* and pertinent to the thread comes up, that’s me done for a bit.

*Probably another lost company operation or investment or research funding or opportunity for cultural enrichment – to add to the list. It won’t be long until another lost opportunity comes up.

Don’t blame the folks who were lied to about Brexit, blame the people who told them lies about it

Which means both the current Tory and Labour parties as they both continue to lie about it. It isn’t “making brexit work” it is “limiting the damage of brexit” – for one example.

Back to square one. If you have disdain for the parties who lie about Brexit, you can’t vote Labour or Tory. 🤷‍♂️

^^^

I fully accept all that.

But I still can’t vote for a supposedly grown up party, with a supposedly intelligent leader who feels he has to debase himself by pretending that a gargantuan error/cockup isn’t one.

Sorry and all that, but here we are.

So you’d better brand me a Tory now for my pro-rejoin stance – if that one will survive the irony filter. 🤷‍♂️

I’ll pledge allegiance if non-adherence means I lose my extra bank holiday. Otherwise – nah, you’re alright, ta.

At least we get an extra day off as a result of all this tosh.

I think it’s more that he doesn’t want to write the Tory’s Red Wall attack ads for them.

Ergo – a vote winner on balance.

As I’ve said, if this is some kind of well thought out plan, then fine. No skin off my nose.

^^^^

Groningen police said on their Instagram account: “Unfortunately for this person, we did not fall for his forgery.”

And then, as an aside:

“Unlike millions of thick Brits”.

😂

Someone has to be telling Starmer pretending Brexit is a good idea is a vote winner. Or he believes it himself.

He’s a very intelligent bloke, he cannot possibly believe in Brexit itself. 🙄

I’m sure the Labour advisors know what they’re doing and pretending Brexit is a good idea is, on balance, a vote winner.

It won’t be winning my vote, but I’m a drop in the ocean, apparently. It is what it is.

Well if that is the case then his advisors are wrong.

It’s no concern of mine, I didn’t vote for this nonsense, and I can’t vote for anyone who won’t call it out for what it is. 🤷‍♂️

Stupid, short sighted and a vote losing position

That’s clearly not what his strategy advisors are telling him, though.

And that is a reflection on us.

My favourite rider is the Aussie spidermonkey himself.

Starmer having to pretend Brexit is/was a good idea is just a mark of how tainted the UK is by the whole thing.

He’s an intelligent bloke, a former QC who is having to dumb down to pretend that the UK’s biggest political* mistake since WW2 is a bad thing.

That tells you a lot about how the politicians perceive the electorate – and it isn’t flattering.

As for how we are perceived in Europe – a mixture of ridicule and pity.

*Excluding the war-based ones – notably Suez and Iraq.

^^^

Yeah, but we’ve got a nice big hearty bowl of sovereignty to ward off the hunger.

Remember we are talking about a serving British Prime Minister here. Who needed nearly a million quid at short notice for undisclosed personal needs.

FFS, people.

Obviously my questions were somewhat rhetorical. And pre-supposed we weren’t so far through the Brexit looking glass that this integrity stuff sort of mattered. 🙄

I caught an interview with someone who seemed to be a tory shill earlier – banging on about Dodgy Dicky Sharp and how donating to political parties shouldn’t be a bar to positions like DG of the BBC.

Putting aside that comment’s own issues, that has got precisely **** all to do with Dodgy Dicky and Alexander Boris De Pfeffel Johnson. He helped De Pfeffel secure a £800k personal loan. This isn’t about party funding it is about doing dodgy favours for dodgy mates. This person attempting to conflate the two really got my goat.

The interviewer didn’t probe at all either. What they should be asking is:

1) How can you possibly say Sharp is impartial having done a personal fave for the PM?

2) Why on earth would a serving PM need £800k at short notice in any case?

3) What does needing £800k at short notice say about that PM being open to blackmail/bribery etc?

Does the top job not require vetting? I’m pretty certain that that kind of exposure would preclude someone from a relatively junior level of the civil service or military. I know for a fact that law firms have to be very careful dealing with PEPs (Politically Exposed People).

The whole thing stinks and there is no way Sharp’s resignation should be the end of it.

Lovely bike, but personally I can’t get past bent seat stays on any bike

I’m in that camp too, but who cares what I think? If you like it, you like it. Nice colour as well.

It can be frustrating when someone’s missing of the point isn’t accidental, though…

It is a particular joy of the modern age when a ranty gammon on social media uses ‘defiantly’ when they mean ‘definitely’. Since there is no way in hell they’re going to back down, it is then very easy to manoeuvre them into arguing defiantly that they are right. I can usually elicit a tirade of badly spelled abuse in less than three replies. Then I just block them anyway – leaving them fuming into empty space.

I mean, keep banging on about British this and English that, but they can’t even get their own language right.

🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣

To be honest the kids are old enough to have heard it all before at school now.

A month or so ago a seemingly simple DIY task escalated out of control quite rapidly.

When I loudly questioned the parentage of the shoe rack I was putting up on a stud wall all I could hear was chuckling from the cherubs.

I am naturally predisposed to violence when it comes to bike fettling.

I’m 50/50. If I’ve set enough time aside, cleared it with the missus that I won’t be needed for a couple of hours and told her to keep the kids inside if I look like I’m walking quickly back and forth to the shed – then I’m usually fine.

The time I refer to above was one of those ones where I know I’ve only got an hour or so and my mind is saying “you will regret this” as the first anticlockwise turn of an Allen key goes in.

I managed to shatter the footnut as well during the rapidly accelerating spiral of vile language, perspiration and violence that ensued.

🤦