Westminster Politics

Mr Pigeon

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Yay. About time the public sector had a 1% cap on their wages, long time coming...

And before anyone says "the private sector have had to blah blah blah" just realise that if public sector rates are throttled then there's bugger all incentive for your bosses to make your pay competitive in comparison. We all lose. Again.

Grateful I've still got a job, but, fecking hell man... Pick a different strategy for once, eh?!
 
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vodrake

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Well it’s not real for starters. That’s probably a better starting point.
You can do it on the image from Boris's tweet yourself. Stick it in an image editor and crank up the brightness and contrast. It clearly says Trump above Biden
 

ThierryHenry

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Well it’s not real for starters. That’s probably a better starting point.
I've just tried it myself - it's real, you can see Trump's name there if you zoom in. They must have pasted this image over a version where they congratulate Trump, and have done it very poorly. Completely ridiculous. :lol:
 

dumbo

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Imagine writing your congratulations to the POTUS in chalk on a blackboard.

Oh and also: Murderous bastards.
 

UnrelatedPsuedo

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You can do it on the image from Boris's tweet yourself. Stick it in an image editor and crank up the brightness and contrast. It clearly says Trump above Biden
I've just tried it myself - it's real, you can see Trump's name there if you zoom in. They must have pasted this image over a version where they congratulate Trump, and have done it very poorly. Completely ridiculous. :lol:
It's 100% real and easily checkable.
Aye. Hands up. I read the first video response. Tried it on my phone. Didn’t see it.

Enough people have now tweeted proof. I’m wrong. Apologies all.
 

Xeno

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Too many people putting it down to incompetence when I think it’s deliberate.

It says:

Trump
The future
Second term

Nothing else.
 

Abizzz

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It's the sort of stuff one does when one wants to distract from something else? There's no way one can do this by mistake. Them suggesting it is is disrespectful in itself. Do they honestly believe everyone is as stupid as the people they fraternize with?
 

UnrelatedPsuedo

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It's the sort of stuff one does when one wants to distract from something else? There's no way one can do this by mistake. Them suggesting it is is disrespectful in itself. Do they honestly believe everyone is as stupid as the people they fraternize with?
It’s probably more innocent than that.

“What did we say last time?”
[Writer checks network drive : USA>New President>Image2016]
”Ok, same template, write some guff, put it under my nose by tomorrow”.

The big ticket government players are capable of many things. Run-rate civil service folks just do the same kind of job that regular people do.

I’m not defending it. It’s embarrassing to the point I didn’t believe it. But honest cock ups are possible and frequent.
 

NinjaFletch

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It’s probably more innocent than that.

“What did we say last time?”
[Writer checks network drive : USA>New President>Image2016]
”Ok, same template, write some guff, put it under my nose by tomorrow”.

The big ticket government players are capable of many things. Run-rate civil service folks just do the same kind of job that regular people do.

I’m not defending it. It’s embarrassing to the point I didn’t believe it. But honest cock ups are possible and frequent.
What I find hardest to believe is why on earth you'd go about editing it in that way.

It's common sense they would have had two messages on the go and just wheeled out whichever one was appropriate, but why the feck would you do it like that?!
 

UnrelatedPsuedo

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What I find hardest to believe is why on earth you'd go about editing it in that way.

It's common sense they would have had two messages on the go and just wheeled out whichever one was appropriate, but why the feck would you do it like that?!
Naivety? If it really is a run of the mill balls up, the creator did get the job done.

I do some shocking workarounds in Excel and PowerPoint at times when it’s quicker to get the right result with the wrong method. Hide all the columns or text box outlines just to get shit in the right place.

My mistakes are all in there but the outcome is the same as doing it properly.

It’s obviously a big problem if the Government isn’t training internal staff to use the tools needed to do their job.... but it’s small beer to me.
 

Abizzz

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It’s probably more innocent than that.

“What did we say last time?”
[Writer checks network drive : USA>New President>Image2016]
”Ok, same template, write some guff, put it under my nose by tomorrow”.

The big ticket government players are capable of many things. Run-rate civil service folks just do the same kind of job that regular people do.

I’m not defending it. It’s embarrassing to the point I didn’t believe it. But honest cock ups are possible and frequent.
Nah i'm not having it. It makes no sense to use some template when all you're doing is typing out 2 sentences. If this is a "mistake" I'll have the Brooklyn bridge for christmas.
 

NinjaFletch

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Naivety? If it really is a run of the mill balls up, the creator did get the job done.

I do some shocking workarounds in Excel and PowerPoint at times when it’s quicker to get the right result with the wrong method. Hide all the columns or text box outlines just to get shit in the right place.

My mistakes are all in there but the outcome is the same as doing it properly.

It’s obviously a big problem if the Government isn’t training internal staff to use the tools needed to do their job.... but it’s small beer to me.
Wait, there's a better way than this? :lol:
 

UnrelatedPsuedo

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Wait, there's a better way than this? :lol:
Exactly. Once you’ve got so exceptionally brilliant at being shit, you’re basically a Jedi master that has transcended the creation method.

“Why did you do this like this?”
‘It was quicker’
“Yes but if anyone wants to make changes they have to start fresh, or use your restrictive formatting”
‘Problem being?’
 

Solius

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I can only imagine the state of the newspapers if Labour had done everything the Tories had done.
 

Solius

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The sad fact is that Labour would have been down and out after any one of these scandals.
Probably because they'd actually admit accountability. Scary thing is now that the current government have proven you can blatantly lie, steal and be generally incompetent with zero consequences.
 

Pexbo

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Probably because they'd actually admit accountability. Scary thing is now that the current government have proven you can blatantly lie, steal and be generally incompetent with zero consequences.
This is definitely something Trump brought into western politics, a complete disregard for political norms and shunning of accountability and a complete debasing of the media who should hold the power to hold them to account.

The way they have turned prominent journalists into subservient yes men and women is the most depressing. The likes of Keusenberg and Peston parroting narratives at their beck and call is incredibly dangerous.
 

Solius

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This is definitely something Trump brought into western politics, a complete disregard for political norms and shunning of accountability and a complete debasing of the media who should hold the power to hold them to account.

The way they have turned prominent journalists into subservient yes men and women is the most depressing. The likes of Keusenberg and Peston parroting narratives at their beck and call is incredibly dangerous.
"Can you tweet something like..."
 

UnrelatedPsuedo

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Probably because they'd actually admit accountability. Scary thing is now that the current government have proven you can blatantly lie, steal and be generally incompetent with zero consequences.
This is definitely something Trump brought into western politics, a complete disregard for political norms and shunning of accountability and a complete debasing of the media who should hold the power to hold them to account.

The way they have turned prominent journalists into subservient yes men and women is the most depressing. The likes of Keusenberg and Peston parroting narratives at their beck and call is incredibly dangerous.
I’d argue that it goes further.

Labour are not allowed to acknowledge nuance. The Corbyn Antisemite shit is evidence enough. He’s not wrong in attitude. But is wrong in perception and messaging. That gap is never bridged. If they concede ‘mistakes were made’ that means all bets are off. The situation is reduced to a headline full of misrepresentation.

The Tories can offer a non response to clear as day racism, cronyism, corruption.... and nothing. The headline is ‘CORRUPTION’. The editorial is ‘another coin in the well I guess’.

Trump did not create this though. He’s a conman. He spotted the media mood music (Murdoch) and exploited it. He jumped on the bandwagon.
 

UnrelatedPsuedo

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Can someone tell me why in the uk its 5 years per election term? Isnt that a big long, I think America has it right with 4.
Also see : UK elections are confined to a strict and regulated election window.

America is in a constant state of campaigning.

Both systems are broke. 5 year terms are not a problem if there are available interjection points.
 

Pexbo

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"Can you tweet something like..."
Exactly. The classic recently was when Boris/Cummings/whoever shared in the WhatsApp group the template tweet that all Tory MP’s were expected to use in response to Starmer’s calling for a lockdown and coincidently both Kuenssberg and Peston shared the same thing, albeit in quotation marks. No analysis, comment or critical thought, just sharing it like every other Tory MP.
 

Classical Mechanic

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:lol: :lol:

Seem a pointless exercise for the govenment to be involved with. It may be a rogue employee but I don't see why the government needs to 'sabotage' a relationship with Biden. If they want to cool the 'special relationship' it wouldn't need petty contrivances like this. It would be a good thing if we binned the 'special relationship' anyway.
 

neverdie

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What I find hardest to believe is why on earth you'd go about editing it in that way.

It's common sense they would have had two messages on the go and just wheeled out whichever one was appropriate, but why the feck would you do it like that?!
It was done on purpose to generate drama. The kind that doesn't hurt the government.
 

UnrelatedPsuedo

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It was done on purpose to generate drama. The kind that doesn't hurt the government.
These are not bright people. We credit them with too much intelligence. They are a Brexit cult. Our front-bench MP’s are dumber than many of us and are without question dumber than the top 10% of most organisations.

There’s no ‘win’ if this is a ploy. Where is the upside?
 

Abizzz

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These are not bright people. We credit them with too much intelligence. They are a Brexit cult. Our front-bench MP’s are dumber than many of us and are without question dumber than the top 10% of most organisations.

There’s no ‘win’ if this is a ploy. Where is the upside?
Distracting attention from their nepotism?
 

UnrelatedPsuedo

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Seem a pointless exercise for the govenment to be involved with. It may be a rogue employee but I don't see why the government needs to 'sabotage' a relationship with Biden. If they want to cool the 'special relationship' it wouldn't need petty contrivances like this. It would be a good thing if we binned the 'special relationship' anyway.
The UK is a no-mark non entity that’s been a falling and fading influence on global politics. We don’t matter. We can’t stop anything. We are a leading Capitalist GDP economy that won’t be top 10 inside 10 years and will slide into obscurity inside 50 years. We just voted to abandon our only point of ongoing significance.
 

ThierryHenry

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These are not bright people. We credit them with too much intelligence. They are a Brexit cult. Our front-bench MP’s are dumber than many of us and are without question dumber than the top 10% of most organisations.

There’s no ‘win’ if this is a ploy. Where is the upside?
I agree completely. This is dumb luck, and stupid processes/ decision making by individuals within Whitehall. Laughable, but nothing more sinister. You're moving into conspiracy theory territory if you think otherwise.