Wes Tender

So how come the Italians have got it so bad? Lack of garlic in their diet?

All the more reason for the perpetrators to be prosecuted here then, eh? Sometime between now and the next GE, I also hope that Boris will tighten up the rules on postal voting, so that it is only available to those who aren't physically able to get to the polling stations for one reason or another.

Best to deal with it now surely, so that it doesn't become an issue in future elections. Mind you, there probably won't be a GE for at least another four years, local elections are something that most can't be bothered with, and who knows, Labour might actually get around to purging itself of Momentum at some stage. Although of course, I'm quite happy that they remain strong in the Labour Party, unless they go about gaining seats by illegal means.

https://wolvesofwestminster.co.uk/?p=2983 Momentum breaking election law in the last GE. Who would have thought it?

Now mayoral and local elections suspended for a year because of coronavirus

Breaking news. Premier League football suspended until at least 3rd April

The face to face talks with the EU over the future trade arrangements have apparently been cancelled because of the coronavirus. However, other means of continuing the dialogue such as video conferencing are being explored. Both sides will be presenting their recently published trade proposal plans. The UK is not seeking any form of bespoke agreement; it wants a Canada style FTA similar to those already in place with other third party countries like Canada, Japan and S.Korea. Barnier has prepared their proposals on the basis of the mandate he has received following talks among the 27 member states. A Senior EU diplomat has apparently said that the EU's position will be "take it or leave it". Good luck with that one. If they wish to be so stupid as to put that particular gun against Boris' head, then it is going to backfire badly and they will be told that the talks might as well end right there. The same thing if the French insist on having the same level of continued access to our coastal waters as a price to pay before trading arrangements commence.

You're late, Tamesaint. All the other children were in the playground hours ago. Did Gavyn have to PM you?

You don't listen,do you? Which part of "I'm not biting" didn't you understand? Amuse yourself by making up my refutation for me. You often make assumptions as to what I think, so why change the habit now?

In the first sentence you wrote, you literally didn't say "parts", you said "a bit like", although I will accept that the meaning is similar, if not the exactly the same. And quite who Sunak's pal is, I don't know. But let's not get petty about it. You can see I'm getting bored with it. You can make up your own mind about what you think I do or don't think, as you usually do. I'm not biting.

I think that Lisa Nandy has effectively ruled herself out of the Labour leadership with her stupidity in this interview, incapable of giving a simple answer on transgender athletes' rights. Of course it would not be fair for transgender males to compete against female athletes, but she is incapable of taking a common sense stance on it for fear of appearing non-PC towards the transgender lobby. Let them have their own events competing against each other.

I won't be attempting to say anything beyond what I have already said; that Sunak's budget wasn't like a McDonnell budget would be, because there weren't any proposals to nationalise anything in it. Carry on huffing and puffing in other directions all you like, fill your boots. Carry on Labouring the point to your heart's content, Gavyn. Continue massaging your ego by believing that my reply was nonsensical and that your response has me feeling desperate. Introduce as many opinions of journalists and so-called experts to back up whatever case you think supports your argument against one that you think I'm making, but actually am not.

Again, a response so typical that I really do have to laugh at it, Gavyn. That nationalisation didn't appear in the Sunak budget, was one reason why it wasn't like a McDonnell budget. It's a simple enough point, so I don't know why you're making yourself look ridiculous by labouring it.

A typical Gavyn response. I didn't suggest that it was exactly the same as a McDonnell budget either, did I, so keep up yourself. And from the simple statement that "it's not just Labour who have discovered the magic money tree", one is somehow supposed to deduce that you were referring solely to the borrowing/spending side of the equation. This is one of your masterstrokes of obfuscation. Does state nationalisation, not cost anything, Gavyn? It seems that your desire to demonstrate how clever you are by spouting uncalled for economic concepts renders you incapable of simple, rational responses to one or two line posts.

Except that I don't see anything about him proposing to nationalise everything in sight. Perhaps I missed it and you'll be happy to show me the details, Gavyn.

Well, judging by yesterday's budget, austerity is definitely over. Well delivered by Sunak with some good humour. Just imagine what a McDonnell budget would have been like. It doesn't bear thinking about.

So it's a damned good thing that the body responsible for authorising referenda, the government, has a stonking great majority, and a solid Brexiteer cabinet too. I note that prominent former remoaners like our ex-chancellor Hammond (whatever happened to him?) have suggested that perhaps it would be a good idea to delay the Implementation period beyond the 31st December, as the coronavirus provided a decent excuse for him to attempt to put the trade talks on the back burner. Happily, that deadline is engraved into law and Boris has stated that it is not going to be overturned. The message doesn't seem to have penetrated Von De Leyen's brain yet, but it is still early days and the penny/pfennig/cent will eventually drop, no doubt.

The poor little snowflake darlings. We can't hurt their feelings by having somebody speak at their university with whom they disagree, can we? Did Rudd invite herself? No, she was invited, and presumably many wished to hear her speak, many no doubt to challenge her political views in a debate; you know, the sort of intellectual exercise that Oxford is renowned for. Instead, the university's reputation has taken a bad knock as being a hotbed of lefties, intolerant of the views of others. You don't appear to understand the purpose of debate. It's not to force views upon an audience. It is to persuade by argument, the protagonists having to be subjected themselves to rival opinions in return.

I think that you've missed the point somewhat. Where did I say that the attack on Patel was racist? I didn't. I stated an opinion that had a similar attack happened to Abbott or Butler in the Tory press, then the Guardian and leftie press would label it as a racist attack and that the depths of the gutter were being plumbed. My point being that it is the leftie media that are usually the ones more prone to label any criticism of Labour's politicians of colour as being racially motivated, whether the criticism is justified or not.

You're an apologist for the Guardian, Soggy. What do you think about this awful cartoon they have of Priti Patel that is being widely condemned? Will you be condemning it too? Had something similar appeared in the Daily Mail/Telegraph/Express featuring Diane Abbott or Dawn Butler for example, I could imagine the outrage and bile that would ensue in the Guardian about the racist Tory press and how they had sunk down into the gutter. What hypocrites they are. In fact what hypocrites the left are generally. Well done them with their nasty campaign against the current Home Secretary and the no platforming of her predecessor by Oxford University students who can' bear there to be free speech debates when they don't like the politics of the speaker, the poor idiotic snowflake lefties.

And those same democratically elected MPs found that many of them were in the dole queue looking for new jobs post the election. Sounds like democracy to me. #80seats

Exactly. On the evidence of that, we would probably have won it had we retained 11 men. Most appear to have overlooked that first 30 minutes.

And then there's coronavirus too. You sound as if you're in need of a good chat to somebody at The Samaritans, Gavyn. We only left at the end of January. It's a bit premature for you to get so depressed and negative about things that might never happen.

I really can't understand the degree of wrist-slashing on here. We were by far the better team for the first half an hour until Djenepo got himself sent off. We also defended with spirit until virtually the 80th minute, including some quite brilliant saves by McCarthy, but had we been facing a keeper making such saves, some on here would be moaning at how crap our strikers were for not being able to put the ball in the net. Yes, McCarthy had an inspired game, but that is a big plus in terms of team spirit that we were able to still give Newcastle a few frights in their defence until late on in the match. Ultimately a mistake by young Valery gave Newcastle the chance they took, having been pretty dire with others. Perhaps playing Djenepo and Boufal in the same team was a bit of a luxury, but they didn't look bad together until Djenepo got sent off. Looking at the bigger picture until the end of the season, Redmond and Armstrong would have probably helped win us the match today if playing, Smallbone looks a good find and Valery and Walker-Peters at least give options at right back if they both attain proper match fitness and an understanding with the CBs. One has been out for a while and the other has only recently arrived, so let's not be too hasty to judge them just yet. As for the atmosphere, that was amazing, quite the best of the season. Refereeing and linesmen, appalling.