Britain - The Official Thread

[Imari]

https://www.npr.org/2025/07/26/g-s1-79744/scotland-protesters-anti-trump-golf

Respect to Scotland!

The Scottish always struck me as the sort of people who know where their towel is.

 

[TheCracker]

One recent poll found 71% of people in Scotland have an unfavorable opinion of Trump, compared to 57% of people in the United Kingdom overall.

Who and where the hell are the 43%* of Brits who do have a favorable opinion of Trump? - Even the right-wing and far-right leaning people i know think he's an idiot. I've never met anyone from anywhere who has anything positive to say about him.

*it's actually 25% with a favourable opinion with 18% that either sit on the fence or 'don't care'.

 

[Dreadmed]

Meanwhile, in a surprise to almost nobody...

VPNs top App Store charts as UK age verification kick in

Experts say free versions of such apps or services may carry potential security and privacy risks.

www.bbc.co.uk

 

[Carpocalypse]

http://Minister must apologise over Savile claim, says Farage - BBC

Nigel Farage has urged Technology Secretary Peter Kyle to "do the right thing and apologise" after he suggested that by opposing the government's online safety law, the Reform UK leader was on the side of sex offenders like Jimmy Savile.

What Peter Kyle said was, in my opinion, completely unacceptable, and should be grounds for him to be removed.

I can't believe I'm saying this but... I'm on the side of Nigel.

shudders

I'm going to take a long shower now. A couple hours. And really try and scrub off the stink of being on the side of Nigel Farage.

 

[TheCracker]

http://Minister must apologise over Savile claim, says Farage - BBC


What Peter Kyle said was, in my opinion, completely unacceptable, and should be grounds for him to be removed.

I can't believe I'm saying this but... I'm on the side of Nigel.

shudders

I'm going to take a long shower now. A couple hours. And really try and scrub off the stink of being on the side of Nigel Farage.

To be fair, Savile would have no doubt been a big Reform/Farage fan and had the Savile cover-up never come to light, Farage would have gladly wheeled Savile out for publicity/support.

 

[Fezzik]

The kind of moron we'll have in government if Farage wins the next election

Rupert Lowe mistakes charity rowers for 'illegal migrants'

Rupert Lowe says he will donate £1,000 to charity but makes "no apologies over being vigilant".

www.bbc.co.uk

 

[McLaren]

I thought this might be hearsay, but seems a few British outlets are sharing it. Good on you Brits.

A pub in the Cotswolds was almost faced with chaos after dinner reservations were made for Vice President JD Vance, according to reports. It's claimed the US vice president was expected to attend a gastro-pub in the area, but had to swiftly change plans.

Vance has been on a family holiday with his wife, Usha Chilukuri, 39, and their three children. His visit to the UK had sparked controversy after locals hit out at him for making their life "hell" due to the multiple car police convoys and buzzing helicopters.

And now, it's been reported that one group of staff took matters into their own hands. It's thought Vance had reservations at the Bull Pub, which entertained former US Democratic presidential candidate Kamala Harris last week. It comes after Vogue Williams quits drinking after blacking out drunk at lavish showbiz wedding.

But workers were reportedly unimpressed with a planned visit from the Vance clan and threatened to walk out if his reservation was honoured.

https://www.mirror.co.uk/3am/us-celebrity-news/jd-vances-uk-trip-chaos-35739706

 

[Fezzik]

Also this:

Folk musician Molly Davies backs out of gig over JD Vance

The US vice president is spending part of his summer holiday in the Cotswolds.

www.bbc.com

The hillbilly does have some support over here though

Inside the special relationship between JD Vance and ‘bosh’ king Tom Skinner

Why would a US vice-president meet up with a Romford-born reality TV star known for his catch phrases and perennial tan? Zoë Beaty takes a closer look at why it works for both of them...

www.independent.co.uk

Well-off background, previous conviction, pretending to be a man of the people - yeah fits the pattern.

 

[Famine]

I think I previously posted this under the Strange remit of the Funny/Strange News Stories thread (Edit: Yup), but this time I'm going to go with the Britain one...

Spoiler: Big Yikes

Woman took her own life on skydive in Shotton Colliery

Experienced skydiver Jade Damarell made no attempt to deploy her parachutes, an inquest hears.

www.bbc.co.uk

Additionally, "man gets a ton of racist abuse and called a paedophile by that one very racist guy (you know the one) after being shown in video in a public park playing with his grandchildren".

Family in fear after Tommy Robinson shares video of black man with white granddaughters

Exclusive: Olajuwon Ayeni racially abused and falsely labelled a paedophile as far right weaponises clip of family in park

www.theguardian.com

 

[DK]

I can't wait to see how Sir Keith will respond to this. Maybe he'll show his teeth with a crackdown on Just-Eat riders instead of Deliveroo ones.

 

[Touring Mars]

I think I previously posted this under the Strange remit of the Funny/Strange News Stories thread (Edit: Yup), but this time I'm going to go with the Britain one...

Spoiler: Big Yikes

Woman took her own life on skydive in Shotton Colliery

Experienced skydiver Jade Damarell made no attempt to deploy her parachutes, an inquest hears.

www.bbc.co.uk

Yes, the details were not made public until recently, but very much a deliberate act unfortunately.

I thought all parachutes had an automatic release to prevent this sort of thing?

She turned off the device that would normally have triggered the reserve parachute.

 

[Liquid]

Once again, that's an awful way to go and I'm sorry she felt the need to do it that way. I can't imagine the horror if she changed her mind halfway down.

 

[Famine]

Missing Texas woman found living among lost ‘African’ tribe in Scotland

Texas native Kaura Taylor has been found with the Kingdom of Kubala, a group living in a forest in Jedburgh.

www.independent.co.uk

 

[Touring Mars]

Missing Texas woman found living among lost ‘African’ tribe in Scotland

Texas native Kaura Taylor has been found with the Kingdom of Kubala, a group living in a forest in Jedburgh.

www.independent.co.uk

At least they are fitting in with the locals

-

Thanks @Famine for posting this in the early evening - had I seen this after a few beers, I would probably have ended myself laughing.

 

[Touring Mars]

Scottish Tory leader says asylum hotel protests 'understandable'

The Scottish Conservative leader has spoken out after demonstrations in Perth, Falkirk and Aberdeenshire.

www.bbc.co.uk

I met this guy in the pub several years ago, as he was dating a friend of mine at the time and they ended up getting married - though they are now divorced. Who knew he'd end up as the Scottish Tory leader 😅

 

[MatskiMonk]

Scottish Tory leader says asylum hotel protests 'understandable'

The Scottish Conservative leader has spoken out after demonstrations in Perth, Falkirk and Aberdeenshire.

www.bbc.co.uk

I met this guy in the pub several years ago, as he was dating a friend of mine at the time and they ended up getting married - though they are now divorced. Who knew he'd end up as the Scottish Tory leader 😅

Understandable is not agreeable.

I can understand some of the issues with asylum hotels, but I don't agree with them. I literally got paraletic drunk the other night, with a Conservative/Reform voter that bought a Jaguar with the profits his English SME made from renovating Asylum hotels. A large portion of the money stays in the English economy... that's what most Tory/Reform scum fail to appreciate or acknowledge.

 

[Fezzik]

I wonder if he finds this understandable

At a demonstration outside a former hotel in Falkirk, at least one person performed a Nazi salute while another carried a banner that said "Kill 'Em All, Let God Sort 'Em Out".

Of course he's a former supporter of the delusional lettuce Liz Truzz so his mental faculties are probably limited.

 

[DK]

Ah, but god forbid you reach the Finding Out stage after tweeting about your lust for arson.

 

[Fezzik]

If we are going to be deporting whole groups of people because of the actions of a few individuals, to "protect the women and children" I have a few more candidates for Nigel's list.

Catholics

Paul Dunleavy: Christian Brother jailed for child sex abuse dies

Paul Dunleavy, a former school principal, has died at an out hospital whilst he served a prison sentence over historical sexual abuse.

www.bbc.co.uk

Met Police officers

Met Police special constable found guilty of sex offences

James Bubb, who now identifies as a woman named Gwyn Samuels, abused a position of trust, police say.

www.bbc.co.uk

Politicians (I think we can all agree on that one)

MSP Colin Smyth locked out of parliament after secret toilet camera claims

South Scotland MSP Colin Smyth is understood to have been charged by the police over the allegations.

www.bbc.co.uk

I expect the hotel mob to start protesting outside churches, police stations and Holyrood - because again this is all about protecting women and children, right?

 

[Liquid]

You listed two types of nonces and those who protect nonces. No big surprise.

 

[Touring Mars]

The High Court has overruled the decision to block/remove asylum seekers from a hotel in Epping, where there was a large protest a couple of weeks ago after one of the asylum seeker residents of the hotel made sexual advances towards a child in the town centre.

I expect there will be another large protest now that the initial ruling has been overturned at the behest of the Home Office.

Ironically, the judges appeared more concerned with the idea that upholding the original injunction could create more protests - I'm not sure I agree with that, however - I think there will be more protests in any case, but especially now that it looks like the UK government are going against the wishes of local communities.

 

[Fezzik]

The High Court has overruled the decision to block/remove asylum seekers from a hotel in Epping, where there was a large protest a couple of weeks ago after one of the asylum seeker residents of the hotel made sexual advances towards a child in the town centre.

I expect there will be another large protest now that the initial ruling has been overturned at the behest of the Home Office.

Ironically, the judges appeared more concerned with the idea that upholding the original injunction could create more protests - I'm not sure I agree with that, however - I think there will be more protests in any case, but especially now that it looks like the UK government are going against the wishes of local communities.

Was it a local community protest though? Or was it a neo Nazi protest?

Epping hotel anti-migrant protests were organised by members of Neo-Nazi groups

Two members of the Homeland Party have been identified as administrators of the Facebook group organising the protests

www.independent.co.uk

I’d also like to know people’s ideas of alternative accommodation, besides our own version of Alligator Alcatraz. They need to be housed somewhere, unless people want even more rough sleepers on the streets in their communities.

Councils have no temporary or permanent housing available for various reasons - Right To Buy, lifetime tenancies, NIMBYs blocking developments.

Asylum seekers mostly aren’t permitted to work so they can’t rent privately and the rental sector is already overloaded anyway.

Spend even more money converting old army camps? Buy a load of Stockholm Bibby barges? The hotels are likely the cheapest option.

I agree with the protesters that this country is going downhill, but not for the same reason. It’s not the migrants, it’s that this place is becoming openly racist once again. I grew up in the 80s and 90s on a working class estate, being called a Paki every day. It feels like that.