Meenzer

We've got form there

I'm appreciating these recommendations too, because I'm visiting with the fella soon and I need to soft-sell him on the idea of having Newcastle on the list of potential destinations when we move out of smelly London. I'll join the praise for Dabbawal btw, good grub. The West Jesmond branch is in an interesting building, but obviously no need to go out of your way to go there when they've got a branch right in the city centre.

Right said dead, more like (sorry, had to be done. it was that or "hole in the ground")

Might have helped if we'd been watching their players instead

Must have been watching the Eurovision host city debate and identified it as a potential threat.

Wolverhampton have thrown their hat into the ring as a potential host city. I suppose if it's going to be a Ukrainian co-production, it makes sense to pick somewhere that resembles downtown Mariupol.

Thoughts and prayers for Dead Neymar

Or worse "Dad, can you get us a meet with Adam Pearson?"

This is the thing. The more we tie our colours to the "Tories will fuck this up and leave an open goal for Labour" mast, the more we need them to absolutely fuck this up - as they inevitably will if we give them the chance to, because we actually live in a fundamentally soft-socialist country, even if that voter base has been told they're actually conservative for such a long time and they love voting that way because it makes them feel a part of something. That's what, as an exception in the political continuum, Third Way Blairism got so right (and it's notable just how well the Lib Dems did at that time, too - the potential for a broad "centre and left" consensus has always been there, you just need the grounds to be fertile enough for that to happen in the first place). Now? Now those voters are used to being wooed by the hard-right narrative, because we really don't want to believe that other people deserve the same opportunities as us once they've been reinforced. But ultimately I do think and hope we can see some reversion as long as the Tory alternative is so clearly insane that it can't be outweighed even by the personal prosperity narrative. That's exactly the point we're at now, whether people (and therefore the polls) realise it - but the grim fact is that we do need things to get (even) worse before people will tip over to the other side in sufficient numbers to allow a regime change. And that's why I'm Team Truss.

There's definitely enough people who "remember" Dishy Rishi as the man who gave them a discount on their meals out in restaurants, looking like sour-faced miseries while surrounded by other people looking like sour-faced miseries but all definitely having a good time, that he's a danger. I'm Team Truss too. Bring on the leader who would only pass the Turing Test on a very good day.

You can't trust Labour with the economy marra

I was going to point out that the phrase is "hit the ground running", but then...

Somehow I knew that's what you'd call it

Worst cartoon ever

Mind, also a fair point.

Current advice is to stay at home and avoid contact with others for 5 days from your positive test result, but it's just that (advice) nowadays. When I had it in May I went out for a walk a couple of times, keeping clear of people. Nowt wrong with that imo.

Fuck me, it's Gammon Top Trumps

"Their restaurant has this stuff called pesto, I don't know if any of you have tried it before but it is a taste sensation."

That too, aye

In German, the equivalent of "...and they lived happily ever after" at the end of a fairytale translates as "...and if they haven't died, they're still alive today".