BUT......Ukraine have been striking into Russia using British missiles.......I doubt Russia would take into consideration if or not we supported Trump......a British missile is a British missile at the end of the day......
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It’s an Anglo-French missile
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Storm_Shadow
The Ukrainians have used this too
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Brimstone_(missile)
it was used in the defeat of the large armoured columns that Russia deployed In the early days of the war in Ukraine.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Storm_Shadow
The Ukrainians have used this too
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Brimstone_(missile)
it was used in the defeat of the large armoured columns that Russia deployed In the early days of the war in Ukraine.
Not many would dispute that Wayne Rooney was not a top player of his generation.
But he has proven also that he isn't a top manager or even a successful one at any level.....as we found out to our cost.
He has now settled in to being a pundit.....and the question then is.....just because he was a top player does that qualify him to be a top pundit ?
At present he is being critical of Liverpool and their present form....to the extent that Virgil van Dijk has hit back say that Rooney's comments are just lazy criticism.....so what qualities has Rooney got so that people respect his thought on the game today.
Personally I think he has no qualifications at all to be accepted as a top pundit just like with his management abilities lacking and proven over time to be poor.
One other comment....you need to concentrate quite hard to decipher his scouse accent to understand at times what he is saying.
You might not be surprised to know that Rooney isn't top of my favourite player...manager...or pundit list.
Anyone who knocks my favourite Bobby Charlton at Man U off of top spot....doesn't go down well with me......at least Bobby realized he wasn't a manager or a pundit of renown.
The boss of his family his wife Coleen needs to keep him on a shorter chain and find him something useful to do around the house.
But he has proven also that he isn't a top manager or even a successful one at any level.....as we found out to our cost.
He has now settled in to being a pundit.....and the question then is.....just because he was a top player does that qualify him to be a top pundit ?
At present he is being critical of Liverpool and their present form....to the extent that Virgil van Dijk has hit back say that Rooney's comments are just lazy criticism.....so what qualities has Rooney got so that people respect his thought on the game today.
Personally I think he has no qualifications at all to be accepted as a top pundit just like with his management abilities lacking and proven over time to be poor.
One other comment....you need to concentrate quite hard to decipher his scouse accent to understand at times what he is saying.
You might not be surprised to know that Rooney isn't top of my favourite player...manager...or pundit list.
Anyone who knocks my favourite Bobby Charlton at Man U off of top spot....doesn't go down well with me......at least Bobby realized he wasn't a manager or a pundit of renown.
The boss of his family his wife Coleen needs to keep him on a shorter chain and find him something useful to do around the house.
WE are all pundits without any formal qualifications including you. You do not have to have a GCE (for the more senior amongst us) in English to be able to read or write. Punditry is an opinion as are most things written or spoken about football. I would hazard a guess however that Rooney, despite his failures, has more idea about the professional game than all the contributors on this site put together. Your opinion has more to do with your own personal like or dislike of the man.
p.s. I would be surprised if Bobby Charlton would get into the Man U team or any other top team in this era. The game has moved on a million miles from his time. He was only a great player in HIS time.
p.s. I would be surprised if Bobby Charlton would get into the Man U team or any other top team in this era. The game has moved on a million miles from his time. He was only a great player in HIS time.
It’d be interesting to know what the background is of the games top managers of this generation.
There are some who were top players: Pep Guardiola is an obvious one.but I suspect far fewer are these days. General management skills are to the fore - particularly man-management.
Gareth Southgate was in the BBC News this morning - he has a book coming out in time for Xmas dealing with how he used references in general business to help build his England teams. He mentioned the Army particularly for its blend of discipline and camaraderie. He took the squad out onto the moors and into the woods on exercises. Many of the England players had never slept in a tent or been without their phones for days on the trot.
He comes across a very thoughtful man. He said that it was wrong to see players and managers as somehow different - almost superheroes. He said had often thought of posting pictures of himself on social media while putting the bins out just to show that he was like everyone else with all the doubts and fears that go with it.
Compare and contrast……… I leave it to you.
There are some who were top players: Pep Guardiola is an obvious one.but I suspect far fewer are these days. General management skills are to the fore - particularly man-management.
Gareth Southgate was in the BBC News this morning - he has a book coming out in time for Xmas dealing with how he used references in general business to help build his England teams. He mentioned the Army particularly for its blend of discipline and camaraderie. He took the squad out onto the moors and into the woods on exercises. Many of the England players had never slept in a tent or been without their phones for days on the trot.
He comes across a very thoughtful man. He said that it was wrong to see players and managers as somehow different - almost superheroes. He said had often thought of posting pictures of himself on social media while putting the bins out just to show that he was like everyone else with all the doubts and fears that go with it.
Compare and contrast……… I leave it to you.
I see with fury that the Resolution Foundation, a Think Tank extremely closely linked to the current government, has suggested that tax rises are inevitable and that Rachel Reeves should increase Income Tax rates with a partial offset by cutting National Insurance.
That would mean that as NI isn’t payable on pensions, pensioners will suffer a higher than necessary Income Tax hike in order to fund a cut in NI for those in work.
What is the logic of that?
If she wants to tax income that isn’t taxed as heavily as that from employment that she perceives “the idle rich” benefit from disproportionately (rents, interest, dividends from investments, capital gains etc), then she should tax them directly.
If she is thinks the Triple Lock is excessively generous, then she should have the balls to scrap it.
Otherwise, this is a cowardly and underhand attempt to benefit workers (who can after all increase their income by working more hours or getting a better job etc) at the expense of those whose income is fixed and who by enlarge won’t understand what a fraudulent sleight of hand has been inflicted on them.
Bearing in mind the State Pension now takes up almost all of the Income Tax zero rate band, which hasn’t been increased to cover inflation for years, and won’t be increased for years to come, this would mean pretty much anyone who has a private pension will suffer. Most of those are not remotely “super rich” by any stretch of the imagination.
This of course is all necessary primarily to cover the failure of this government to push through the cuts in welfare spending which it itself deemed necessary and fair, in the face of opposition by its own far-left MPs.
Not only would pensioners therefore be subsidising those in work, they’s also be subsidising the growing numbers who could work but won’t.
This is perhaps what she means by “protecting the NHS” because NI was introduced originally precisely to fund the NHS, state pensions and sickness and unemployment benefits. It’s obviously true that older people use the NHS more than other groups but surely the whole point was that it was “free at the point of use”. The corollary of that is that it’s paid for evenly over over life. Why then should the current cohort of pensioners suddenly be required to make up a shortfall in funding?
It’s certainly true that it’s working age individuals who are making excessive use of sickness and unemployment benefits and indeed ineffective counselling schemes vainly aimed at getting them to work.
Finally, it must be seen as absolute cant to say on the one hand that protecting the NHS is your priority and then cut National Insurance which traditionally is seen as being ring-fenced to pay for it.
That would mean that as NI isn’t payable on pensions, pensioners will suffer a higher than necessary Income Tax hike in order to fund a cut in NI for those in work.
What is the logic of that?
If she wants to tax income that isn’t taxed as heavily as that from employment that she perceives “the idle rich” benefit from disproportionately (rents, interest, dividends from investments, capital gains etc), then she should tax them directly.
If she is thinks the Triple Lock is excessively generous, then she should have the balls to scrap it.
Otherwise, this is a cowardly and underhand attempt to benefit workers (who can after all increase their income by working more hours or getting a better job etc) at the expense of those whose income is fixed and who by enlarge won’t understand what a fraudulent sleight of hand has been inflicted on them.
Bearing in mind the State Pension now takes up almost all of the Income Tax zero rate band, which hasn’t been increased to cover inflation for years, and won’t be increased for years to come, this would mean pretty much anyone who has a private pension will suffer. Most of those are not remotely “super rich” by any stretch of the imagination.
This of course is all necessary primarily to cover the failure of this government to push through the cuts in welfare spending which it itself deemed necessary and fair, in the face of opposition by its own far-left MPs.
Not only would pensioners therefore be subsidising those in work, they’s also be subsidising the growing numbers who could work but won’t.
This is perhaps what she means by “protecting the NHS” because NI was introduced originally precisely to fund the NHS, state pensions and sickness and unemployment benefits. It’s obviously true that older people use the NHS more than other groups but surely the whole point was that it was “free at the point of use”. The corollary of that is that it’s paid for evenly over over life. Why then should the current cohort of pensioners suddenly be required to make up a shortfall in funding?
It’s certainly true that it’s working age individuals who are making excessive use of sickness and unemployment benefits and indeed ineffective counselling schemes vainly aimed at getting them to work.
Finally, it must be seen as absolute cant to say on the one hand that protecting the NHS is your priority and then cut National Insurance which traditionally is seen as being ring-fenced to pay for it.
Dick Cheney, Vice President under George W Bush and on 9/11, has died.
He was seen as a warmonger at the time but my goodness, doesn’t he look like a paragon of rationality compared the lot currently in the White House.
He was seen as a warmonger at the time but my goodness, doesn’t he look like a paragon of rationality compared the lot currently in the White House.
I was listening to 5Live radio this morning during the phone in bit 9am to 11am. Obviously it was on the Rachel speech today. What struck about the people who phoned in was that almost all of them were interested mostly in themselves rather than any greater good. I say almost all because there was one exception to that. She was 92 years old and said that the triple lock should be got rid of if that was what was needed. She wasn't one of the rich by the way but would rather be paid less than those that need it being penalised for more as she didn't need it. There was a plumber on there who said that he didn't want to take anyone on and train them or do more work as he would have to do paperwork for VAT. There was a Consultant Surgeon who advocated not bothering (his words) to qualify because it took people over £100k earnings and therefore a higher tax bracket. Makes you proud don't it.
Our local foxes seemed to have had a party in our garden last night.
I have a pile of rubbish which I will off-load into a skip when I can find the time.....amongst this rubbish was an old broken expandable water hose.....Mrs Plym finds it is easier to use than the more solid traditional hose.....this one had torn out of its fixture at the tap end and of course they are impossible to repair.
So the foxes had dragged it onto the lawn and bitten it into five sections and given it a good old chewing.
It's reminded me... to put the more traditional hose away for the winter.....harder to chew but not worth risking it.
I have a pile of rubbish which I will off-load into a skip when I can find the time.....amongst this rubbish was an old broken expandable water hose.....Mrs Plym finds it is easier to use than the more solid traditional hose.....this one had torn out of its fixture at the tap end and of course they are impossible to repair.
So the foxes had dragged it onto the lawn and bitten it into five sections and given it a good old chewing.
It's reminded me... to put the more traditional hose away for the winter.....harder to chew but not worth risking it.
It's easy to say the Government should do away with something you don't need. Clearly those pensioners who don't have additional occupational pensions do need the state pension badly and a lot of those are women who didn't have fair access to the labour market, either because of employer bias or shall we say "traditional" husbands.
I wouldn't want to live on the state pension.
However, it is a bit barmy to have a mechanism which either allows you to win or draw (see what I did there?) but never a year in which you lose. It's a substitute I suppose for having Governments who will always do the right thing for those who don't have any option.
That's quite distinct from the 20% of the working age population that could work but don't. They cost us £212 billion each year, without which we could be looking forward to significant tax cuts, not increases.
https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/articles/c7v80n7mz2jo
I wouldn't want to live on the state pension.
However, it is a bit barmy to have a mechanism which either allows you to win or draw (see what I did there?) but never a year in which you lose. It's a substitute I suppose for having Governments who will always do the right thing for those who don't have any option.
That's quite distinct from the 20% of the working age population that could work but don't. They cost us £212 billion each year, without which we could be looking forward to significant tax cuts, not increases.
https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/articles/c7v80n7mz2jo
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Elon Musk has today been awarded a remuneration package worth $1 trillion. It's over a 10 year period and it's not "pay" as the BBC describe it as it's paid in shares of the market capitalisation increases by a factor of 6, plus other factors.
https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/articles/cwyk6kvyxvzo
Thais is what one lorry driver thought of it as he saw a Tesla coming the other way.
https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/av/uk-england-norfolk-57284221
https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/articles/cwyk6kvyxvzo
Thais is what one lorry driver thought of it as he saw a Tesla coming the other way.
https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/av/uk-england-norfolk-57284221
I hear the Chancellor intends to apply a charge on First or Club class airline travel (and to further undermine a once very effective UK private pension system by taxing salary sacrifice schemes).
I'm wondering how much Kier Starmer will pay next time he flies to an environmental conference on any of these...
Dassault Falcon
Airbus A320
The paint job alone on the last of these (an Airbus A330 capable of carrying around 400 passengers in coach class) cost about £900k.
I smell rank hypocrisy....
I'm wondering how much Kier Starmer will pay next time he flies to an environmental conference on any of these...
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Dassault Falcon
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Airbus A320
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The paint job alone on the last of these (an Airbus A330 capable of carrying around 400 passengers in coach class) cost about £900k.
I smell rank hypocrisy....
14 years waiting for government and then followed by 18 months in government the Labour Party has managed to trash everything in record time.
They can boast that what you Tories took 14 years to do we can do it in only 18 months......nah na na nah na.
The next conference that Starmer goes to he should do it ultra green.....by rowing boat with only half a paddle.....that'll keep him out of the way for awhile......
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They can boast that what you Tories took 14 years to do we can do it in only 18 months......nah na na nah na.
The next conference that Starmer goes to he should do it ultra green.....by rowing boat with only half a paddle.....that'll keep him out of the way for awhile......
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I’m also looking forward to Trump turning up in his Boeing 747-200 complete with conference rooms, bedrooms, dining room and chef and being asked for his credit card.
Oh no that’s his old one.
The bribe - I mean gesture of goodwill - from Qatar is a Boeing 747-800. Its having to be completely disassembled and put back together again before use, partly to install all the special kit (secure comms, missile defences, in-flight refuelling) and partly to make sure the Qataris haven’t added any special bits of their own.
Can you conceive of the president of the most powerful nation on earth accepting such a gift from another country? It’s preposterous.
The bribe - I mean gesture of goodwill - from Qatar is a Boeing 747-800. Its having to be completely disassembled and put back together again before use, partly to install all the special kit (secure comms, missile defences, in-flight refuelling) and partly to make sure the Qataris haven’t added any special bits of their own.
Can you conceive of the president of the most powerful nation on earth accepting such a gift from another country? It’s preposterous.
14 years waiting for government and then followed by 18 months in government the Labour Party has managed to trash everything in record time.
They can boast that what you Tories took 14 years to do we can do it in only 18 months......nah na na nah na.
The next conference that Starmer goes to he should do it ultra green.....by rowing boat with only half a paddle.....that'll keep him out of the way for awhile......
Reference para 2. You state the Tories fecked everything up in their 14 years so it isn't possible for Labour to do it in 18 months if it was already fecked before they got there. I sugest your argument might be better if you say they have failed to put anything right after it was fecked previously.
Ermmm. Get a fecking job.
In England and Wales, the number of working-age adults claiming disability or incapacity benefits increased from approximately three million in 2019 to about four million by March 2025, according to the Institute for Fiscal Studies (IFS). This rise represents a shift from 1 in 13 to 1 in 10 of the working-age population.
In England and Wales, the number of working-age adults claiming disability or incapacity benefits increased from approximately three million in 2019 to about four million by March 2025, according to the Institute for Fiscal Studies (IFS). This rise represents a shift from 1 in 13 to 1 in 10 of the working-age population.
- Population change: The number of working-age adults (16-64) claiming these benefits rose from around 2.8 million in 2019 to 4.1 million in 2024.
- Prevalence: This means the proportion of people claiming benefits has increased from 1 in 13 to 1 in 10 of the working-age population.
- Primary driver: Research from the IFS indicates that more than half of the increase since the COVID-19 pandemic is linked to more claims for mental health or behavioral conditions.
- Claimant breakdown: Approximately 1.3 million people claim disability benefits primarily for mental health or behavioral conditions, which is 44% of all claimants.