stumobir

Imagining I’m contorting his lanky frame around a huge trident makes my dinner all the more satisfying.

The company I work for has put out instructions for office staff to maintain a minimum of 1m distance from each other, no meetings in small meeting rooms, no travelling together in cars and no travel between regions. My job role (not office based) means that on a daily basis I need to be in a confined, unventilated, space with up to 10 people for an hour or more, their advice “wash your hands regularly and do the best you can”. 
This is the same company who, during beast from the east, gave office staff a couple of days off so they didn’t have to travel to work but threatened one of our, almost retired, guys with disciplinary for refusing to continue to work despite it being plainly obvious how dangerous it was becoming, the entire operation was suspended about and hour later and swift apology was delivered. 
I think a coup is brewing. 

Fusilli and farfalle are for Tories and nonces, all other pasta is great but as Tommy said, it depends what it’s going with. Carbonara is my go-to 10 minute dinner, that has to be with spaghetti.  
 

Today’s the only day of the festival I’ll get to watch and what a start that was, great race and some finish. I have Samcro on my Lucky 15 and Mister Fisher on my e/w acca. More of this please. Only sitting about £50 down for the week so far, today’s the day 🤞🏻

14 minutes ago, Keith Houchen said:

Not a fan of parading the working class as thicko bells in the hope of getting a gotcha to go viral. If these journalists were any good, they’d have been asking those questions constantly for the last four years. 

Valid point, and preferably to the people orchestrating the entire thing and not Sheila who does two nights a week in Ladbrokes (not a slight). 
 

Though in my very limited, anecdotal, experience it’s those that know the least who tend to shout the loudest and in that case I have absolutely no issue with them being shown up on national television ie. 90% of people asking questions on Question Time. 

Watched a couple of films that I’be been meaning to see on a long-haul to Thailand.

Once Upon a Time in Hollywood - the three hours absolutely whizzed by, the polar opposite of The Hateful Eight which felt like it was a week long. I definitely think I enjoyed it but other than last 20 minutes and the Bruce Lee scene, I’m not sure I can remember all that much about it other than a lot of driving. I don’t know what that says about it, if anyone were to ask, I’d recommend they watch it but I’m not sure I’d be able to tell them why. The best I’ve seen Brad Pitt for quite a while. Caught Ad Astra in the imax at the tail end of last year, visually stunning but my god it bored me to the point of struggling to stay awake.

Parasite - Admittedly, I don’t watch many foreign films but I had this recommended to me by a few people so I was looking forward to seeing it. What a ride. Relatively tame but interesting enough start, bumpy middle then pure exhilaration for the final third. I could’ve watched it again right away. I’m no film critic but I thought they cast were incredible, especially the dad (the older one), loved every minute he was on screen. I plan to check out some more of the director’s stuff but I’m not expecting to enjoy it half as much as I did this. I hope it does well at the Oscars (yeah, I know...) just so that it gets some more, well deserved, eyes on it. 

Agreed. This pestering people in the street nonsense should be ended, I don’t care who it is, it’s borderline harassment. Especially sickening when you see a squad of journalists and photographers standing at someone’s private home, seemed to be everyday there would be footage of Jeremy Corbyn leaving his house to get straight in to a people carrier. What were they ever hoping to achieve, he’d walk out draped in the Irish tricolour holding a copy of Mein Kampf?

Edit: VoxPops on the other hand, while providing zero political insight, make for great viewing.

https://mobile.twitter.com/mrsmigginshere/status/1223366315383164928
 

Never know how to bloody embed on my phone.

46 minutes ago, PunkStep said:

Cash in and buy a proven CB and a commanding midfielder.

Could be said for any of the last, what, twenty windows?

2 hours ago, Shy Dad said:

Went for a post PGCE job interview today to be told essentially my lesson wasn't good enough for the ability they need and that my content isn't strong enough to teach. 

Which is great when I've been placed in a grammar school with much higher ability students than this job for my new placement and I don't think I have the ability to teach that now. 

Nothing like having your confidence in everything you've been doing absolutely demolished in the first month in 2020 and being in a school and university that seemingly is setting you up to fail because they know you can talk but struggle with the background. 

Needed to ramble here as all my teacher friends are doing the stereotypical "it'll be better next time" now they've all landed their post degree jobs. 

Interviews are learning experiences as much as they are job opportunities. If you got this post then there would be 20 others feeling how you do now.  I know nothing about teaching but it sounds like they’ve given you some constructive feedback which is more than most get from an interview. It’s a big ask but try not to beat yourself up about it, use what they’ve said, apply it and go in to your next round of interviews/applications more confident and better prepared. You’ve come through far worse than one knock back from an interview. 

34 minutes ago, tiger_rick said:

Had the veggie meatballs from subway for lunch. Not great, tbh. Texture was ok and the sauce was nice but the flavour was a bit odd. Still, nearly 200 calories less than meaty-meatballs so I'd go for them again.

Snap! I really enjoyed it. I hadn’t had a meatball marinara for years so had no real recollection of what it was like but I thought it was a pretty decent imitation. I didn’t pay attention to the calories but that’s good to know, I reckon I’d go for again. Tried Gregg’s vegan steak bake a few days ago too, found the “steak” a bit grainy but it was tasty enough, surprised how rich the gravy was. Another solid effort by them. 

A pretty grim account of working in a slaughterhouse.  

Confessions of a slaughterhouse worker https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/stories-50986683

There’s a slaughterhouse directly across from my old school, it also sits right next door to a caravan park, never been able to get my head round that one. The smell during the summer was something else and could be picked up a fair distance away, can’t imagine how bad it must have been inside. It’s probably still one of the biggest employers in that town but it was always a particular type of person who worked there. Some of the stories, probably all bullshit, that got bandied about made it sound like a horrendous place to work. One of my good mate’s brother worked there for a while, his job title was a “boner”, that used to give me a chuckle.

Been Vegan five minutes and he thinks he’s Noah.

Kat, your sanctimonious attitude in this thread makes me want to go out and strangle a cow with my bare hands just to spite you. Thought you should know.

12 minutes ago, Carbomb said:

Someone once shared Ottolenghi's black pepper tofu recipe on here (apologies to whomever it was for not recalling who)

Believe it was me but all is forgiven. It’s an excellent recipe, takes practically no time to prepare and it’s packed with flavour. One of my absolute favourite dishes, not just with tofu. I’m sure a lot of people are familiar with him but for anyone trying vegan or veggie and enjoys cooking then Ottolenghi is your man. A lot of his dishes are time consuming but the pay off is always worth it. Meera Sodha (The Guardian)does some fantastic vegan recipes too and is doing a Veganuary thing where she posts weekly meal plans.

https://www.theguardian.com/food/2019/dec/27/veganuary-food-ideas-meera-sodha-meal-plan-recipes?CMP=Share_iOSApp_Other

Did #4 just no-sell a fucking taser?

1 hour ago, Devon Malcolm said:

This is some demolition job on Jess Phillips.

http://gal-dem.com/heres-why-weve-got-no-time-for-jess-phillips/

Seeing her emptied in this leadership contest will be the sweetest consolation from this whole shitshow. The episode with Diane Abbott tells us everything we need to know about Phillips - a mouthy, immoral, pain in the arse, media darling.

1 hour ago, MPDTT said:

It's tough to find anything I did like! I don't have long as I need to go out, but here is a sample:

1. Tax rises - no thanks! Even though Labour claimed the income tax rise would only hit people earning over £80, the IFS lampooned that

2. Hiking corporation tax to 26%, implementing a £10 living wage and aspiring for a 4 day week (albeit within a decade) would all hurt business and cost jobs. Just shocking for UK PLC! I support a low tax, low regulation economy that allows people the retain more of their hard earning income. 

3. Unions - they wanted to give unions more power - sectoral collective bargaining, a return to secondary picketing, remove restrictions on industrial action...just a return to the 70s! Basically undo all that Thatcher achieved following the winter of discontent, ensuring militant unions can't hold the country to ransom. No thank you. I favour further limiting or even banning industrial action. Unions were relevant when employment law wasn't robust enough. Now it is. I'd ban strike action in a whole raft of industries starting with rail and airlines. 

4. Public ownership - He wanted to nationalise everything. Again, no thank you. I have zero confidence that the public sector can run rail, water or utility companies better than the private sector and I much prefer the prospect of small government

5. Brexit......"I will lead the country, but won't take a position on the most important issue of a generation". Oh, and even if he did go back to negotiate a new deal in 6 months, it was a ridiculous policy as the EU would have no motivation to give them any deal that was any good whatsoever given they would have known it was going back to the people. 

6. Free tuition fees. No thanks - this is a gimmick. its morally right that the people who benefit from the higher education in the form of higher salaries and life chances should also then pay for the cost of it. Free fees for everyone is not something I would support (although I would support it for designated subjects that the economy badly needs eg doctors, nurses....areas where skills gaps are identified). In truth they are not fees either - they are a tax supplement on those who go into higher education and is perfectly justified. Alternative would be to reverse Blair's vision of sending 50% of young people to university,

7. Far too high public spending - spending far more than we can afford, borrowing ridiculously and changing the rules of how borrowing is measured to try and fiddle it. Labour would bankrupt us. 

I could go on and on...I haven't even got to social housing. But I think I've given enough reasons as to why I would never support such a manifesto.

1. So you reckon there's no investment needed then? Happy with our Victorian railways and ports? Our NHS in the worst condition it's ever been in? Head Teachers writing to parents asking for supplies and monetary donations? Mental Health and Social Care services that would make other Western European nations blush. Or let me guess, you would like to see improvements in these, you just don't want to pay an extra couple of hundred quid a year for it.

2. HIKING!! Corporation tax to a level lower than that of Germany, France, Japan, Belgium etc etc etc and lower than at any point under your apparent idol Thatcher. And an actual living wage that would mean people might just be able to feed themselves and heat their homes without charity handouts, what kind of nonsense Utopia is this that's being offered?

3. Yeah, let's continue to make comparisons to almost 50 years ago. In fact, let's just exhume Thatcher and join North Korea as a necrocracy and basque in a zero-hour contract, neoliberal paradise where employers can carry out arbitrary sackings and you'll pay for it through the nose if you decide to take it to tribunal. 

4. Public Ownership never works, it's why I'm glad Germany, Netherlands and France own our railway franchises and subsidise their own public transport with the profits made off ours. Also makes me feel really secure in the knowledge that China will own a large percentage of our nuclear energy output. God forbid they should get their hands on 5G but nuclear energy is safe as houses with them.

5. Fair enough.

6.  Why should someone saddle themselves with £30k debt just to get a reasonably well paid job? Why should companies make no contribution to the training and education of the staff they seek to employ and profit off of? If you go to Uni, get a well paid job then you pay higher rates of tax, you shouldn't be paying twice. My better half is a doctor, she had/has over £50k of student debt, she lives in London and earns less than a tube driver but has to pay back several hundreds of pounds a month because she had the audacity to go to Uni to get a degree which means she may end up saving you or a member of your family's life.  And this is without mention of the £600 exams she still has to sit regularly and pay for out of her own pocket. 

7. We've cut public spending to a record low and as a result we have the slowest growing economy in the G7, if you don't spend money in places then you pay for it in others. That seems to be accepted by everyone other than the Tories.

In summary, what a load of Ayn Rand, myopic, Daily Mail bullshit you've posted. You're Lib Dem mask has well and truly slipped and quelle surprise there's a grotty little Tory under there. I hope you never have to rely on the welfare state or any other public service for that matter because you're in for a bit of a fright. 

Edit: I still want to know why Rebecca Long-Bailey would be such an awful leader?

I used to work in the hotel where they’d all stay while they were doing their coaching badges. I can confirm that Duncan Ferguson is a knob and a sleaze. One of the grumpiest guys I’ve had the displeasure of meeting and he was a complete creep with the young waitresses, using language like “doll”.

Owen Coyle on the other hand, top lad. The bar made a few quid the week he was staying. 

You’re right, I do remember the Hamas “friends” thing now. Hamas and Hezbollah seemed to be last election, it was the IRA I was seeing and hearing more of this time round. They tried to avoid talking about it in the same vain they avoided talking about Brexit. If it’s all over social media, the news and “on the doorsteps” then deal with it head on. Someone mentioned it earlier in this thread (probably Pat), that the right are very much in control of the narrative, Labour and Corbyn thought they could creat their own conversation but the only people listening were those who were always going to vote Labour anyway. 

Agreed, the suddenness of a lot of it was definitely an issue, it reinforced the amateur narrative and made them look to be a tad desperate. There was a hint of Partridge around the free broadband for all policy. “Monkey Tennis!”

I was thinking about the similarities and differences between Corbyn and Sanders, who also gets his fair share of it from the press. The similarities in their ideology and grassroots base is obvious but what I find interesting is the difference in their approach to a hostile media. Sanders gives as good as he gets and doesn’t pull his punches, Corbyn on the other is placate, placate and placate - completely futile, of course. How often do you hear the parroted line “terrorist sympathiser” but more importantly how often does it go unchallenged? I can’t once remember him addressing this and calling it out to bullshit. If you won’t, at least, defend yourself then you’re all but saying it’s free rein. 

@MPDTT What do you know about Rebecca Long-Bailey that makes you so sure she'd be an awful leader? From what I've seen of her, she's competent and highly likeable, she performed well covering at PMQs and on one of the debates during the campaign. She's female(Labour need a female leader soon), Northern and from a "working class" background. She started her working life in a pawn shop before getting herself a law degree, working as a solicitor and ending up as an MP for her local constituency. She embodies opportunity, aspiration and meritocratic values,  everything the Leader of the Labour Party should. 

While I believe the two main factors in Labour's defeat was Brexit and the media's treatment of Corbyn (I full accept he didn't help himself with either of those), it's idealistic to suggest there weren't issues with their manifesto, they can claim they won the policy argument all they like but it was simply too much, too soon. Whether it's fair or not Labour are seen, my many, to be an economic basketcase and the party of shirkers and giveaways. Policies such as increased spending in education and health and nationalisation of key public services are absolutely popular but you raise eyebrows when you start talking about a 4 day week, free broadband for all and seizing 10% of companies for employee ownership. These might be progressive policies that make sense but it was unbelievably naive to think they wouldn't be pounced on by the media and the Tories. Get in to Government, prove your economic competence and keep your more radical stuff for the next election. This country will never be up for revolution, so evolution is all that's left. Labour undoubtedly need to take a more pragmatic approach to the next election but in no terms does that mean there should be a paradigm shift to the centre.

A festive lesson in winging it like a pro.
 

Margaret Hodge certainly does, she apparently felt the same fear as a Jew in 1930’s Germany, thinking “they were coming for her”, after she was legitimately suspended for calling her boss “a fucking anti-Semite and racist”.  She was on the Today programme this morning refusing to answer whether she would prefer Johnson or Corbyn as PM, during an election campaign where she’s standing as a Labour candidate.

Michael Rosen isn’t the only one getting fed up of the dangerous hyperbole at play, in February Jewish Voice for Labour published an open letter  highlighting the disproportionate focus on anti-semitism within Labour. The letter was signed by academics, educators, film & theatre directors, lawyers, physicians etc. It got practically no publicity despite JVL’s membership being exclusively Jewish Labour members, in contrast with their far more covered contemporaries Jewish Labour Movement, which doesn’t require you to be Jewish or even a Labour Party member to join.

Listen to what’s Jews are telling us about Corbyn!! No, not those Jews, the other Jews, the Jewish “community”.

John Mann, ex-Labour MP, massive Corbyn critic, now Government's anti-semitism "Tsar" and Member of the Lords having been nominated by Theresa May.

John Woodcock, ex-Labour MP suspended for allegations of sexual harassment, massive Corbyn critic, voted confidence in May when Labour brought about VONC earlier in the year, now Government appointed anti-extremism envoy.

Ian Austin, ex-Labour MP claiming he couldn't remain in Labour as they were now a racist party, massive Corbyn critic, heckled his own party leader in the HOC when he was responding to the Chilcot Inquiry Report (Iraq War) calling him a "disgrace", been all over the media the last 24hrs calling on Labour voters to switch to Boris "letterbox piccaninny watermelon smiles" Johnson and his Windrush Scandal Tory Party, now Government's Trade envoy to Israel.

Move along now, nothing to see here. Nooo, sir.