[Crabcakes]

I was thinking Corbiyn might this time. Then again, "Independent" might help him hide some of the crank nonsense better than if he was in a party with a whole bunch of other people who keep banging on about "NATO sabre rattling" or whatever. He can be Jez the nice chap who just talks about free stuff vaguely paid for by someone else.

If someone does it all for him and funds it, possibly. If he has to do anything, no way. Plus he’ll check the polling to see if there’s any chance he’ll lose - and the slightest whiff of a knock to the ego and he’ll either retire or ‘nobly step aside so as not to hand a seat to the Tories despite the Labour party’s behaviour’ (or some such nonsense)

He’s had 70-odd years of drifting and grifting. It’d be quite the turnaround now if he put his money where his mouth is and risk taking an L.

[Tubby Isaacs]

I think he'll do it. There's not all that much work to do, he can just phone it in, while being a bit more careful than before about who he associates with. Labour will probably play him really badly. There's a big chunk of people who love for voting for the underdog, don't support the main parties, blah.

[mattomac]

It’s a weird one, because anyone who campaigns for him can effectively be removed from the party, there desperate Labour don’t move on it and leave it too late.

You might say what’s the big deal, but it cuts their numbers down fewer, and you know what twitter is like, no one will be able to hide.

As for this I get my flu jab done at Lloyd’s Pharmacy every year.

[Crabcakes]

Meanwhile, Diane has clearly had some feedback that her polio analogy was too much of a stretch even for the Corbynistas, as that tweet has been deleted.

[Youngian]

Perhaps Diane’s looking to follow her mate Portillo as a GBNews gobshite.

[Crabcakes]

Perhaps Diane’s looking to follow her mate Portillo as a GBNews gobshite.

Bloody hell, has Portillo sold out to the GBeebies? I never particularly liked the guy, but thought he had more integrity than that.

[Tubby Isaacs]

He has indeed.

Some suggestion GB News are trying to go more respectable but even so, odd move by him.

[Crabcakes]

He has indeed.

Some suggestion GB News are trying to go more respectable but even so, odd move by him.

That’s like a sewage farm applying for a 5-star hygiene rating.

[Youngian]

Portillo does have views formed in his own head rather than a sock puppet for the Murdoch mind hive.
The loon wing of the Lib Dems pop up on GBNews in the form of Lembit Opik (anti vaxer) and Ufologist Norman Baker. They’re at least entertaining and preferable to another frequent LD guest Vince Cable who has a new set of fag packet ideas every month.

[Malcolm Armsteen]

Cable reminds me of a comment made about a fellow student, "She'll fuck anybody who'll listen to her talk about herself."

[Abernathy]

Do rats actually fight each other if you put a couple of them in a sack? Why would they do that ?

[Malcolm Armsteen]

>ahem<

An historical reference, m'lud.

In the 19th century your local rat-catcher had a sideline in ratting contests. He'd capture the rats and then either organise or supply competitions in which people tested their terriers against gangs of rats in a 'rat-pit'. The dog that killed the largest number of rats in a given time won, and many bets were laid. The rats were transported in a sack, and it's fair to say they were keen to regain their liberty as free rodents. Aggression ensued.


See 'London Labour and the London Poor' chapter on Jack Black The Rat Catcher to Queen Victoria - Henry Mayhew. Well worth a read.

Among the men, rat-killing is a favourite sport. They will enter an old stable, fasten the door and then turn out the rats. Or they will find out some unfrequented yard, and at night time build up a pit with apple-case boards, and lighting up their lamps, enjoy the sport.

Mayhew, Henry. London Labour and the London Poor: Selection (Classics) (p. 22). Penguin Books Ltd. Kindle Edition.

[Andy McDandy]

Seems to be a bit of a red flag, when an MP goes from "the member for [constituency]" to seeing themselves as a brand. When they start to believe their own bullshit, basically.

[MisterMuncher]

>ahem<

An historical reference, m'lud.

In the 19th century your local rat-catcher had a sideline in ratting contests. He'd capture the rats and then either organise or supply competitions in which people tested their terriers against gangs of rats in a 'rat-pit'. The dog that killed the largest number of rats in a given time won, and many bets were laid. The rats were transported in a sack, and it's fair to say they were keen to regain their liberty as free rodents. Aggression ensued.


See 'London Labour and the London Poor' chapter on Jack Black The Rat Catcher to Queen Victoria - Henry Mayhew. Well worth a read.

Among the men, rat-killing is a favourite sport. They will enter an old stable, fasten the door and then turn out the rats. Or they will find out some unfrequented yard, and at night time build up a pit with apple-case boards, and lighting up their lamps, enjoy the sport.

Mayhew, Henry. London Labour and the London Poor: Selection (Classics) (p. 22). Penguin Books Ltd. Kindle Edition.

Gets a nod in Sir Terry's "The Amazing Maurice" too. A useful book for children, teaching them that most, if not all the world's seeming cruelties don't arise from nature or chance, but from people who are pure cunts.

[Malcolm Armsteen]

There's an excellent TV documentary - years old - by Jonathan Miller, and I used to use it when teaching Victorian London. There's an associated book.

The kids' favourite was the woman who made a living by collecting dog shit - the white was the best - to sell to the tanners.

The trouble is that the present Tory party think it's an instruction manual.

[Youngian]

Jonathan Miller can talk to anyone, genuinely engaged and never talks down or over them. Be it tramps or lords although it isn’t long before he’d show his contempt for a lord. Which makes you like him even more.

[Malcolm Armsteen]

Jonathan Miller can talk to anyone, genuinely engaged and never talks down or over them. Be it tramps or lords although it isn’t long before he’d show his contempt for a lord. Which makes you like him even more.

He died in 2019, sadly.

[davidjay]

There's an excellent TV documentary - years old - by Jonathan Miller, and I used to use it when teaching Victorian London. There's an associated book.

The kids' favourite was the woman who made a living by collecting dog shit - the white was the best - to sell to the tanners.

The trouble is that the present Tory party think it's an instruction manual.

Never done me no harm

[mattomac]

I wonder if his train programme has come to an end.