Off Topic The Politics Thread
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I think you may be suffering from syphfleecus, mate, from befriending all those woolly babes. When it reaches your brain, you start having nightmarish delusions of Diane Abbott as Home Secretary.
are the lib dems now the official opposition
Chuka UmunnaVerified account@ChukaUmunna Aug 21
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Chuka Umunna Retweeted Liberal Democrats
I'm absolutely delighted and honoured to have been appointed by @JoSwinson as the @LibDems new Shadow Foreign Secretary, scrutinising the work of @DominicRaab and the @ForeignOffice. /1
Chuka UmunnaVerified account@ChukaUmunna Aug 21
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Chuka Umunna Retweeted Liberal Democrats
I'm absolutely delighted and honoured to have been appointed by @JoSwinson as the @LibDems new Shadow Foreign Secretary, scrutinising the work of @DominicRaab and the @ForeignOffice. /1
Marco Pierre White slams 'delusional' Jamie Oliver for blaming Brexit for the collapse of his restaurant empire and hints 'horrific' wait for food might be more to do with it
Published: 22:34 AEST, 21 August 2019 | Updated: 02:42 AEST, 22 August 2019
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Marco Pierre White, pictured, slammed Jamie Oliver for claiming Brexit was to blame for the collapse of his restaurant empire and suggested he was 'delusional' for thinking that" ;
- Marco Pierre White criticised Jamie Oliver for blaming failures on Brexit
- He suggested celebrity chef was 'delusional' and said it was 'lamest excuse'
- Mr White also said he had 'horrific' experience at Mr Oliver's Gatwick restaurant
- Comes after collapse of Mr Oliver's Italian, Barbecoa and Fifteen brands
- The pair of chefs have been embroiled in war of words for the past decade
Published: 22:34 AEST, 21 August 2019 | Updated: 02:42 AEST, 22 August 2019
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Marco Pierre White, pictured, slammed Jamie Oliver for claiming Brexit was to blame for the collapse of his restaurant empire and suggested he was 'delusional' for thinking that" ;
- Brexit over the collapse of his restaurant empire.
The 'Naked Chef' saw 25 of his Italian, Barbecoa and Fifteen eateries close in May when the brands went into administration with around 1,000 jobs lost.
Speaking on Radio 4 earlier this week, Mr Oliver blamed the failures on the high street becoming 'Uber-fied' and the uncertainty of Brexit causing people's eating habits to change.
But, speaking at his Steakhouse Bar & Grill restaurant at The Cube in Birmingham, Mr White dismissed the claims and questioned whether Mr Oliver was 'delusional'.
It is the latest bout in a long-running feud between the pair, with Mr Oliver previously calling Mr White a 'Mafia-don-type character' after he was branded a 'fat chef with a drum kit' by Mr White.
He added he had previously had a 'horrific' experience at a Jamie Oliver restaurant at Gatwick Airport last year due to the wait for his food, suggesting the service may have also had an impact on a drop in trade.
Mr White said: 'I have read Jamie is blaming his business failure on Brexit but I really don't understand that at all.
'Wouldn't that mean then all restaurants have gone bust too?
'I don't think he can blame Brexit. It's the lamest excuse in the world. I think it is wrong to blame Brexit. We're all in the same boat. If it's Brexit's fault, we'd all be bust.
'How can you blame everyone but yourself? Is he delusional?'
On his previous experience dining at a Jamie Oliver restaurant, Mr White said: 'The only time I've ever dined at a Jamie's was at Gatwick Airport. I've dined twice there, most recently, last year.
'Both times I had to wait a very long time for my food. It was horrific. We all make mistakes, we all have bad days.
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Mr Oliver, pictured, said Brexit uncertainty had changed people's eating habits and also blamed the high street being 'Uber-fied'"
Mr White also criticised Mr Oliver in 2010 over his campaign to ban turkey twizzlers from schools five years earlier, claiming it was 'unfair' of his rival to label the product unhealthy. It came after Mr White signed an advertising deal for Bernard Matthews, which produced the twizzlers.
A year later he claimed Mr Oliver was 'not a real chef' because he 'never won a Michelin star' and was therefore 'not accepted by the chef world'.
Mr White has his own food franchise, Black and White Hospitality, following a stellar career in the kitchen where he was the first British chef to win three Michelin stars by the age of 32, also becoming the youngest in the world to achieve that accolade.
Mr White's group owns the rights to eight brands bearing his name and has locations in New York and Abu Dhabi.
Explaining his own approach to business, Mr White said: 'I franchise my brands out to owners then my team and I do the menus, pricing, choose the decor, lighting, music.
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="It comes after his restaurant group went into administration in May causing the closure of more than 20 restaurants including his Jamie's Italian range (file picture)"
It comes after his restaurant group went into administration in May causing the closure of more than 20 restaurants including his Jamie's Italian range (file picture)
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="His Jamie's Fifteen brand (file picture) was also shut down while around 1,000 jobs were lost" class="
His Jamie's Fifteen brand (file picture) was also shut down while around 1,000 jobs were lost
'If I don't like the colour of the ceiling, I will get it changed. In the past I've lowered the ceilings in places - because lower ceilings mean a more buzzy dining atmosphere. And romance is very important for a restaurant.'
He added: 'As a franchiser, I don't pay the business rates Jamie did but I work seven days a week.
Kitchen Wars: How Marco Pierre White and Jamie Oliver have been locked in a feud for the past decade
Marco Pierre White's blast at Jamie Oliver over the collapse of his restaurant empire is not the first time the two have entered a war of words.
They have had beef for much of the past decade, trading barbs occasionally over their respective careers and achievements.
Mr Oliver previously called Mr White a 'Mafia-don-type character' after he was branded a 'fat chef with a drum kit' by Mr White.
Mr Oliver also called him a 'psychological bully' in 2014, but he added he did not 'hate' Mr White and added he was once his childhood hero.
Mr White also criticised Mr Oliver in 2010 over his campaign to ban turkey twizzlers from schools five years earlier, claiming it was 'unfair' of his rival to label the product unhealthy. It came after Mr White signed an advertising deal for Bernard Matthews, which produced the twizzlers.
A year later he claimed Mr Oliver was 'not a real chef' because he 'never won a Michelin star' and was therefore 'not accepted by the chef world'.
'If I'm in the UK I'll regularly be at one of the restaurants - checking everything is okay.
'I don't think Jamie could have gone to Gatwick. Had he gone to Gatwick then he would have realised there were problems there.
'It's not enough to put your name above the door. There's nothing wrong with expanding but you have to have the infrastructure in place - people who understand the restaurant business working for your brand. I don't think Jamie had that.
'Our CEO Nick Taplin is a restaurateur and we have a massive infrastructure - people who visit the restaurants every week.'
Mr White's team also includes executive head chef Jason Everett. He previously worked for the two Michelin-starred restaurant Harvey's in London in the late 1980s, alongside Gordon Ramsay.
Mr White added: 'Service, environment and atmosphere is key - more important than food.
'We're selling a night out. Here we have the views, the good lighting and live music. It's all a package.
'If you worked hard all week and want a treat, then come here and order what we specialise in - steak. We use Campbell's - which is the Queen's butchers. You pay for good meat.
'When we get the bill we say to ourselves - does that represent value? Nothing worse than being stung with a bill that doesn't represent value.
'I have a favourite place to eat near where I live in Bath. I'll have steak and chips or maybe a burger. Is the food the best in the world? No. It's okay food but I feel comfortable in the environment, that's what is important.'
When asked why he believes so many restaurants are now closing, Mr White said: 'If a restaurant closes it's because it's too pricey.
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In the new two-part programme Jamie Oliver: A Life Through Food - which comes just three months after the majority of his restaurants were closed - he claimed his 40th birthday was ruined by the collapse of his business
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Mr Oliver's Barbecoa Butchery range was another of his brands that fell during the collapse (file picture)
Jamie Oliver dons sausage fingers for bizarre Channel 4 promo
'It's all about price points. A lot of people don't want to spend £50 a head on a Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday.
'They will pay £50 a head on a Friday and Saturday if they're getting good value for the overall experience.
'A place that ticks all the boxes. As a customer you should have the choice on the menu to make your dinner as formal and as inexpensive as you want.
'The whole thing about restaurants is you've got to fill them. If you don't fill them you go bust and blame Brexit.'
Mr Oliver recently said the last few months had been the 'most disappointing' of his life.
He told the Times: 'I did believe I could turn it round. I put in £3million, another £3million, then another £3million, however the numbers went.
'But there was no good news.'
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Ian Holloway has moved to clarify his comments over Brexit and the new handball law, arguing its introduction at the same time as VAR's arrival in the Premier League has caused chaos.
https://www.standard.co.uk/sport/fo...-denies-blaming-eu-new-var-rule-a4218601.html
U R's
That’s ridiculous and stupid how do know this poster lives in Wales? Or has ever seen a sheep ? His football team maybe the Swans but no need to tag on a stupid stereotype fable
Anyway, enough of this horseplay...
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more islamafauxbia
Man charged after five Birmingham mosques 'had windows smashed' in a single night
Arman Rezazadeh, aged 34 and from Handsworth, charged with religiously aggravated criminal damage
Man charged after five Birmingham mosques 'had windows smashed' in a single night
Arman Rezazadeh, aged 34 and from Handsworth, charged with religiously aggravated criminal damage
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Witton Islamic Centre (Image: PA)
A Birmingham man has been charged with religiously aggravated criminal damage after five mosques had their windows smashed in a single night.
Three Aston mosques - the Witton Islamic Centre, Witton Road, the Al-Habib Trust, off Birchfield Road and the Jamia Masjid Ghausia, on Albert Road - were allegedly attacked on the evening of March 20 into the morning of March 21, this year.
Windows were also smashed at the Masjid Madrassa Faizul Islam, off the Broadway in Perry Barr , and the Jam-E-Masjid Qiblah Hadhrat Sahib Gulhar Shareef, off Slade Road, Erdington.
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Witton Islamic Centre (Image: PA)
Arman Rezazadeh, aged 34, from Greenhill Road, Handsworth, was originally detained under the Mental Health Act .
He has since been deemed fit to face court and today (August 20) was charged with religiously aggravated criminal damage.
He will appear before Birmingham Magistrates on September 12.
'And when you've finished shining these get your granny to make me a cup of tea.
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Diane AbbottVerified account@HackneyAbbott Aug 21
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It's shameful that in one of the wealthiest countries children are being made to live in shipping containers. Gov needs to build more social housing, properly fund local authorities & work to ensure people are living in safe and secure housing immediately
Homeless children put up in shipping containers, report says
Children’s commissioner for England condemns ‘scandal’ of family homelessness
Patrick Butler Social policy editor
Wed 21 Aug 2019 00.01 BST Last modified on Wed 21 Aug 2019 19.10 BST
maybe if so many people werent fleeing war torn france there would be more accomodation to choose from
and less people on the streets
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It's shameful that in one of the wealthiest countries children are being made to live in shipping containers. Gov needs to build more social housing, properly fund local authorities & work to ensure people are living in safe and secure housing immediately
Homeless children put up in shipping containers, report says
Children’s commissioner for England condemns ‘scandal’ of family homelessness
Patrick Butler Social policy editor
Wed 21 Aug 2019 00.01 BST Last modified on Wed 21 Aug 2019 19.10 BST
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The home of Corelle Tertullien, 26, where she lives with her two children in Hanwell, west London. Photograph: Stefan Rousseau/PA
Thousands of homeless children are growing up in cheaply converted shipping containers and cramped rooms in former office blocks, putting their health and wellbeing at serious risk, according to the children’s commissioner for England.
Anne Longfield said it was scandal that at least 210,000 young people in homeless families in England were put up by councils in temporary housing and bed and breakfasts or forced to “sofa-surf” with friends, often for long periods.
Such accommodation could be unsafe, disruptive and overcrowded, with no room for children to play or do homework. It was frequently in poor condition, far from family support networks and schools, and often in isolated locations dogged by crime or antisocial behaviour.
“Something has gone very wrong with our housing system when children are growing up in B&Bs, shipping containers and old office blocks,” said Longfield. “It is a scandal that a country as prosperous as ours is leaving tens of thousands of families in temporary accommodation for long periods of time, or to sofa-surf.”
Launching a report on family homelessness, she said the main causes were a lack of affordable housing and financial instability created by welfare changes, cuts to universal credit and a four-year freeze on housing benefit.
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Shipping containers that have been converted to residential use for the homeless of Brighton. Photograph: Dominic Dibbs/Alamy Stock Photo
Corelle Tertullien, a mother of two, was previously housed in a hostel in Southall, west London, and moved into a container in Hanwell shortly before she was due to give birth in December.
“When I got the phone call, he said: ‘Oh, we have a flat for you’,” she told the PA Media news agency. “And then when I came here, I realised obviously this is not a flat. This is a shipping container. When they tell you, they make it out like it’s a flat or a house, but no, it’s a shipping container.”
Tertullien, who has two sons aged two and nine months, was forced to move out of her family home due to overcrowding and has to keep her belongings elsewhere because of a lack of space.
She said: “We’re all sleeping in one bed at the moment because I can’t fit the cot in here, there’s no space. There’s no bathtub. Originally I was washing him (the nine month-old) in the kitchen sink but now I wash him on the floor, getting a cup and washing him that way, because he’s too big to fit in the sink now.”
She said the lack of circulation in the metal storage containers means they were prone to overheating, which leads to condensation dripping from the ceiling.
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Terminus House, a disused office building in Harlow, Essex, now being used for social housing. Photograph: Chris J Ratcliffe/Getty Images
“The fan is never off, it is constantly hot in here. The only way is to have your door open but I don’t want to have my door open because I don’t want people to look inside,” she said. “Most of the time they’re in their nappies because it’s just too hot.”
After almost nine months living in the container, the shop assistant is unsure when she will move into permanent accommodation. She said another resident had been living in a container for three years. “But to me, if it’s temporary accommodation, you shouldn’t be here for three years,” she added.
The report cites the case of Lucy, a homeless woman in her early 20s, and her two-year-old son, who were placed in a converted office block an hour away from their local area in London. The room had no basic furniture. Supposedly an emergency placement, they ended up staying for 11 months.
“They put me in a small room in an office block which had been converted into flats. It was in an industrial estate in the middle of nowhere. The cars and lorries would whizz round really fast. It was very noisy and it felt unsafe to walk to the shops,” Lucy said.
The NSPCC said such conditions were harmful to children. “These descriptions of pokey, dangerous conditions belong in a Dickensian novel, but instead they paint a picture of life in the 21st century for many families,” said the charity’s head of policy, Almudena Lara.
The report says one in 10 new homes created in England and Wales since 2016 are in former office blocks, rising to more than half in hotspots such as Harlow in Essex. A government rule-change in 2013 means such developments no longer have to seek planning permission. Councils have called for the rule to be revoked.
Many of the conversions fail to meet official size standards for a one-bedroom home, which is 37 sq metres. The report cites single-room flats of 18 sq metres converted from offices, and one of 13 sq metres – barely larger than a parking space.
Office-block conversions are often located on or near industrial estates, far from shops, schools and other amenities. Some children who live in them are reportedly stigmatised by peers as “office-block kids”.
Converted shipping containers are increasingly used by councils to provide temporary accommodation for homeless families. While some families prefer them to B&Bs because they have their own self-contained bathroom and kitchen, they are regarded as too hot in summer and too cold in winter.
The report says 124,000 homeless children were recorded as living in temporary accommodation in England at the end of 2018, an 80% increase since 2010. On top of this, it calculates there were 92,000 homeless young people in families who sofa-surfed with friends or relatives.
These estimates do not include a further group of children who have been placed in temporary housing by social services, for which there is no publicly available official data. Of those young people in temporary homes in 2017, more than half had been there for longer than six months, and one in 20 for more than a year.
The report says an estimated further 375,000 children live in households that have fallen behind on rent or mortgage payments, putting them at risk of becoming homeless.
The latest official statistics show 2,420 families were living in B&Bs in December 2018, a third of whom had been kept there for longer than six weeks, in breach of the law. These figures do not count at least 1,641 families in council-owned B&Bs, which are not included in official data.
The Local Government Association said a severe lack of social rented homes in which to house families meant councils had no choice but to place households into temporary accommodation including B&Bs.
A government spokesperson said: “No child should ever be without a roof over their head and we are working to ensure all families have a safe place to stay.”
maybe if so many people werent fleeing war torn france there would be more accomodation to choose from
and less people on the streets
Its stories like this that let our country down. There are much more important issues that never get addressed like this.
People complaining about being housed
How many people are supposed to be living on the streets again
Most of them would love to be offered a container flat
Let diane abbott know about them
If it's a nice enough issue she might tweet about it
Like most issues in this country, Thatcher is the root cause.
She has no control over it mate. The tories are the party in government
Shes not a liked lady up here. She was a wicked bitch