James Leakyboots Batty

‘The shine has been taken off’: Dubai faces existential threat as foreigners flee conflict Tens of thousands of residents and tourists have left UAE since the US and Israel started bombing Iran two weeks ago, leaving beach bars, malls and hotels eerily empty

Maybe the well-to-do foreigners will realise their cushy lifestyle depends on indentured labour.

I had an assignment in Dubai about 12 years ago. I chatted with a lot of manual workers & told the client I'd never go back to a place with a slave-based economy.

www.theguardian.com/world/2026/m...

The Guardian view on Adam Smith: he deserves rescuing from the free-market myth | Editorial Editorial: On the 250th anniversary of The Wealth of Nations, the Scottish philospher is still invoked by the right. Yet he worried about inequality, monopoly and the power of wealth

One of my favourite Adam Smith quotes, clearly giving the lie to deregulators.

‘People of the same trade seldom meet together, even for merriment and diversion, but the conversation ends in a conspiracy against the publick, or in some contrivance to raise prices’
www.theguardian.com/commentisfre...

Absolutely, flabbergastingly insane.

Apparently Question Time is heading to Clacton.

That’s a sure fire way of ensuring Nigel Farage won’t be on it…

#NigelMirage

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#ASongOrMovieForNutrition
Anything by Vitamin D, Dozy, Beaky, Mick & Tich

#ASongOrMovieForNutrition
Drive My Carbs

#ASongOrMovieForNutrition
Any song by the Beta Carotene Band

#ASongOrMovieForNutrition
Low Cal Hero

#ASongOrMovieForNutrition
Saturday Night's Alright for Fibre

#ASongOrMovieForNutrition
I Feel Like I'm Fixin' to Diet (Country Joe & the Fish)

#ASongOrMovieForNutrition
Five a Day

#ASongOrMovieForNutrition
Anything by Protein Harum

I Can Vitamin C for Miles

#ASongOrMovieForNutrition

Iranians living in UK tell Starmer that war will only strengthen Tehran regime Nazanin Zaghari-Ratcliffe among more than 100 signatories to letter urging PM not to get drawn further into the conflict

This seems to be almost guaranteed. Trump & Netanyahu see attacks as strengthening their political positions; even more likely to be the case when Iran is the one being attacked.

www.theguardian.com/world/2026/m...

My guess: never.

Self-awareness is not Badenoch's strong suit.

Farage will kiss Trump's arse no matter what.

Not sure Trump & Hegseth are capable of thinking that far ahead.

Mohammed's Radio - Warren Zevon (and several covers)

Thomas Jefferson, who read the Quran, wrote that “neither Pagan nor Mahometan [Muslim] nor Jew ought to be excluded from the civil rights of the Commonwealth.”

Andy Ogles likely has no idea who Thomas Jefferson was.

If Lam looks like a "rising star," it's because the rest of Badenoch's are lead balloons.

"Ending war will be 'mutual' decision with Netanyahu, Trump says." (BBC)

I take it this means Trump will do what Netanyahu tells him to do.

The first lesson of war is ‘know your enemy’ – and Britain’s enemy now is Donald Trump | Simon Tisdall As the Iran disaster escalates, the US president should be seen as an enemy whose actions threaten the lawful, democratic way of life everywhere, says Guardian foreign affairs commentator Simon Tisdal...

www.theguardian.com/commentisfre...

Congratulations from a writer you don't know.

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#WhenToBeAContrarian

When "expert opinion" comes from Fox News.

#WhenToBeAContrarian

When you hear the same investment advice from everyone.

#WhenToBeAContrarian
When the conventional wisdom is coming from people in stupid shirts.

Nigel Farage is celebrating Reform UK shady donations, whilst jetting off to Washington.

On the day MPs head to their constituency to do the job they were elected to do.

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