Priti Vacant has a plan, a deal with migrants plan.

[oldius]

We didn’t spend £34bn or even £37bn on an app at all. Firstly this is the budget not money spent. Secondly of the £37bn budget about £43m was spent on the app (which is an extraordinarily large sum for something that is worse than the Domino’s pizza ordering app). The vast majority of the money spent, by some way, has gone on - or is allocated to - testing - it’s over £20bn.

That’s not to say some serious questions don’t need answering but to say £34/37bn was spent on an app is just plain wrong.

Fair point, I shall research that further.

 

[metalblue]

I really never understood what would be the problem with a 'United States of Europe'. I hear people pronounce the peril of unelected bureaucrats from Brussels and the delight in being able to make our own laws, but I cannot grasp what makes people feel that the UK makes a good job of that: crime has soared; debt had doubled before the pandemic; we have the lowest state pension in Europe; burgeoning homelessness; collapsing social care; MPs who will award contracts to their friends without a tender process; a Prime Minister who will allow donors to enter the House of Lords, and cash for lobbying is a regular feature. In what way will laws from Brussels be worse than what we have become?

Erm, didn’t the majority of those things you cite occur when we were in the EU?

Anyroad the problem with the United States of Europe is that what countries hold dear to themselves are too varied. The Brits love the NHS, the French love their pensions and setting fire to shit, the Greeks love not paying taxes and owning big ships, the Nordic members love the environment and flat pack furniture, the Spanish love bailing out their football clubs and so on and so forth. All noble and honest causes (except the Spanish) but you’d never arrive at something that works particularly given the EU’s pertinence for giving everyone an equal voice.

The US it’s gives the impression of one country but it’s really a bit of an illusion - you have the federal and the state which results in widely different state laws - can you imagine if they tried to abolish some of the state laws and make law uniform across the country, would result in civil war.

 

[NeilYoungIsBack]

Definition: Geld - deprive of vitality or vigor (gelded past tense of geld). Bearing in mind they were ground down by England and by extra time, when we had made one substitution whilst they had made five and yet we still looked fitter, it is not a bad verb to use.

Now, I’m sure you are referring to the other term, to do with race horses, but was the Daily Mail? Possibly, but its not exactly: ‘Watch out, Krauts, England are gonna bomb you to bits at Wembley’ from 1996, is it?

The headline pun is to do with Danegeld, which was a tax that was levied back in Saxon times to pay for an army to fight the raiding Danes (Vikings).

 

[metalblue]

Fair point, I shall research that further.

Somebody needs to mate. I hope it’s an independent review and the government get held to account. I doubt it will occur until this lot are out of power

 

[generobinson]

Great point. I remember loving this back in the day but now it makes me cringe.
Depriving of vitality and vigour might be the dictionary definition but in the equine world, it means cutting of the goolies.

Which is exactly the point I was making, things have moved on - what was acceptable in the tabloids in the 90s (or even in 1982 re: Argentina) is now deemed un-PC.

P.S. I don't think you read all of my post by the way, I had acknowledged the double meaning of the word 'gelded'.

 

[Postman Pep]

We didn’t spend £34bn or even £37bn on an app at all. Firstly this is the budget not money spent. Secondly of the £37bn budget about £43m was spent on the app (which is an extraordinarily large sum for something that is worse than the Domino’s pizza ordering app). The vast majority of the money spent, by some way, has gone on - or is allocated to - testing - it’s over £20bn.

That’s not to say some serious questions don’t need answering but to say £34/37bn was spent on an app is just plain wrong.

Given that the Deloitte day rate was 7K I'd say the vast majority of money was spent on 'consultancy' fees. You could almost justify it if it wasn't a complete failure.

 

[oldius]

Which is exactly the point I was making, things have moved on - what was acceptable in the tabloids in the 90s (or even in 1982 re: Argentina) is now deemed un-PC.

P.S. I don't think you read all of my post by the way, I had acknowledged the double meaning of the word 'gelded'.

I did miss that.

 

[oldius]

Which is exactly the point I was making, things have moved on - what was acceptable in the tabloids in the 90s (or even in 1982 re: Argentina) is now deemed un-PC.

P.S. I don't think you read all of my post by the way, I had acknowledged the double meaning of the word 'gelded'.

In this case, it is my own personal development rather than the slogan being a sign of the times.

 

[oldius]

Erm, didn’t the majority of those things you cite occur when we were in the EU?

Anyroad the problem with the United States of Europe is that what countries hold dear to themselves are too varied. The Brits love the NHS, the French love their pensions and setting fire to shit, the Greeks love not paying taxes and owning big ships, the Nordic members love the environment and flat pack furniture, the Spanish love bailing out their football clubs and so on and so forth. All noble and honest causes (except the Spanish) but you’d never arrive at something that works particularly given the EU’s pertinence for giving everyone an equal voice.

The US it’s gives the impression of one country but it’s really a bit of an illusion - you have the federal and the state which results in widely different state laws - can you imagine if they tried to abolish some of the state laws and make law uniform across the country, would result in civil war.

We all love peace; we all love being able to afford the necessities of life; we all love crime-free streets; we all love to be able to go on holiday; we all love to feel we will be cared for when we are old or ill; we all want decent pay for a decent day's work...

 

[generobinson]

....the Nordic members love the environment and flat pack furniture, AND PORN!

Sorry, that's one for fans of 'The Likely Lads'.