Current Affairs and Politics

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Open Loop 37

    • Brianie @Brianie Swanley - updated 6mo

      Urgent - Moderator required - Current members of the loop only

      Due to a change in personal circumstances, I shall no longer have time for Scooploop. Please PM me if you are interested. I'll choose based on the member's record.

      I'll cancel the new loop, which wouldn't have been possible in the near future anyway, as my contact is no longer doing work for Scooploop.

    • Mary @maire Wanstead - updated 1d

      Removed post

      Has a recent post I read about Israel/Gaza in this loop been removed?

    • Braveheart @Braveheart Collier Row - updated 4d

      War With Russia?

      It is widely thought that the U.K. is in imminent danger of war with Russia. Senior members of the defence forces have stated that the U.K. is woefully ill prepared in both armaments and forces personnel. God help us if conscription needs to be implemented. I can just imagine youngsters being unable to hold a weapon because of a mobile phone glued to their ears.

    • Braveheart @Braveheart Collier Row - updated 15d

      Robert Kennedy Junior

      An extremely dangerous conspiracy theorist.
      THIS IS NOT HOW WE DO SCIENCE, EVER’
      The Trump administration is manipulating government-sponsored research to get the answers it wants.
      APRIL 24, 2025
      One of the most notable things about Robert F. Kennedy Jr.—the secretary of the Department of Health and Human Services, a federal agency tasked with “improving the health, safety, and well-being of America”—is how confidently he distorts the basics of health, safety, and well-being.
      In his short stint as health secretary, Kennedy has touted cod-liver oil as a valid measles treatment (it’s not), said that Americans are being “poisoned” by seed oils (they’re not), and claimed that “many” vaccines are not adequately safety-tested (they are). And he has readily cherry-picked and exaggerated findings to suit his own needs: “There’s a scientist at Harvard now who is curing schizophrenia with a carnivore diet,” he said at a press conference in March (it’s not a carnivore diet, and it’s not a cure).
      Follow The Atlantic on Apple News
      The secretary also seems to think he knows what causes autism, a topic that scientists have been looking into for decades without producing a simple, clear-cut result, M. Daniele Fallin, a genetic epidemiologist at Emory University, told me. Kennedy, however, is adamant that a series of new investigations by his department will reveal at least “some of the answers” by September. “And we will be able to eliminate those exposures,” he said at a recent Cabinet meeting.
      Since its first days, the new Trump administration has clearly shown where it thinks scientific attention should not be focused: It has attempted to censor federal scientific data, cut billions in government spending on research, and compromised care for some of the world’s most at-risk populations. Now, as the nation’s leaders have begun to encourage inquiry into specific areas, they are signaling that they’re willing to not just slash and burn research that challenges their political ideology but to replace it with shoddy studies designed to support their goals, under the guise of scientific legitimacy.
      Just last week, in a press conference discussing a new CDC report that described a continued rise in the prevalence of autism, Kennedy pledged to “follow the science no matter what it says.” And in an email, Kush Desai, a White House spokesperson, told me that the administration’s intention is “to leave no stone unturned to get to the bottom of America’s epidemic of chronic diseases and conditions.” But those statements seem at odds with Kennedy’s behavior.
      Among scientists who study and treat autism, the consensus has long been that “there is no ‘one cause’” of autism, Neelkamal Soares, a developmental and behavioral pediatrician in Michigan, told me. Genetics are likely to play a role; researchers have also explored the possible contributions of factors such as parental age; labor and delivery conditions; and exposures to certain chemicals, medications, or infections during pregnancy. Experts also generally agree that much of the growing prevalence of autism can be attributed to increased awareness and diagnosis—an explanation that the CDC, an agency Kennedy oversees, cited in its report.
      But at last week’s press conference, Kennedy dismissed that explanation as “a canard of epidemic denial.” He instead claimed, without citing any data, that autism rates soared after “industry” contaminated Americans with a “toxin,” and called genetics a “dead end” for future research. “Somebody made a profit by putting that environmental toxin into our air, our water, our medicines, our food,” he said. And he appears to be trying to bolster that viewpoint with what will now count as official government research—“a series of new studies,” he said, “to identify precisely what the environmental toxins are that are causing it.”
      Kennedy did promise to look at all possible environmental factors “agnostically.” But several experts told me they’re worried that the secretary has at least one particular exposure in mind. For years, Kennedy has championed the debunked idea that childhood vaccinations cause autism. And in March, he reportedly tapped David Geier, a discredited health analyst who has long promoted the notion that vaccine ingredients cause autism, to lead an HHS study to once again search for a link between immunizations and the neurodevelopmental condition. Kennedy didn’t evoke vaccines when describing this new research, and since his confirmation as HHS secretary, he has been more sanguine—albeit inconsistently—about the benefits of shots. But vaccines have, for years, stood out in his rhetoric as “a very clear preconceived hypothesis,” Megan Pesch, a developmental and behavioral pediatrician at the University of Michigan, told me.
      Kennedy, who has no scientific or medical training himself, also seems confused about what a scientifically rigorous investigation would entail—and how long it might take. During this month’s Cabinet meeting, he said that by September, HHS would complete “a massive research and testing effort involving hundreds of scientists from around the world.” At last week’s press conference, however, his comments suggested that HHS might rely heavily on AI and electronic-health-record data, which aren’t gathered uniformly, can depend on self-reporting, and cover only populations that interact with the health-care system. And Jay Bhattacharya, the new, Trump-appointed director of NIH, recently gave a presentation detailing the administration's plans to source data for these investigations from hospitals, pharmacies, wearable devices, and other private sources with limited reach.
      That approach, experts told me, can’t provide enough evidence to definitively pinpoint autism’s cause, much less guide policy to eliminate it. “The chances of getting garbage are so high,” Catherine Lord, a clinical psychologist at UCLA’s Semel Institute for Neuroscience and Human Behavior, told me. Desai said that Kennedy had promised “an exhaustive examination of the underlying causes of autism,” which “naturally would include use of data points such as electronic health records, among other data sets,” and noted that the secretary is focused on fulfilling President Donald Trump’s directives “with the Gold Standard of Science.”
      No matter which methodologies Kennedy chooses, his September deadline “is ridiculous,” Lord said. Even the job of assembling the expert task force to initiate such a project could go past September. And Bhattacharya has already suggested getting results could take longer. (When asked about the practicality of this timeline, Desai replied, “Would the preference be vague timelines and no commitments to address a matter of utmost concern for millions of Americans?”) One way to rigorously gather more data on autism’s causes would involve following a large, representative sample of the American population over time, tracking participants’ exposures, taking into account their genetic and health history, and monitoring whether any of them develop autism. The process would take years—and still may not yield causes as clear-cut or easy to “eliminate” as Kennedy seems to expect. But an administration that already knows the answers it wants doesn’t need years to find them.
      Government-funded science has, to some extent, always been subject to the political priorities of leadership: The National Institutes of Health, for instance, is run by a political appointee. Trump and his allies, however, have already demonstrated that they are willing not just to set priorities, but to engage in science theater, with even more broad-reaching interference in the field of trans health.
      Today's essential stories. In audio. Listen in The Atlantic app.
      From the start, the new administration’s views on transgender health have been clear. Since January, Trump has issued executive orders denying the existence of gender and describing hormone therapy and gender-affirming surgery for children as “maiming,” “sterilizing,” and “mutilation.” One order announced that the administration would not “fund, sponsor, promote, assist, or support the so-called ‘transition’ of a child from one sex to another” and instructed federal agencies to end such procedures at government-funded institutions, leading hospitals and clinics across the country to pause gender-affirming care for young people. Through the NIH, the administration has also slashed funding from more than a hundred research grants involving trans people.
      In place of this research, HHS is pursuing a pointed agenda to confirm the president’s statements. Last month, Matthew Memoli, the acting director of the NIH at the time, sent top agency officials a memo with instructions to urgently “fund research” into “regret and detransition following social transition as well as chemical and surgical mutilation of children and adults.” (In his email, Desai described the memo’s stipulations as “realigning taxpayer-funded research to align with the priorities of the American people.”) “This is very important to the President and the Secretary,” the memo read.
      The outcomes of gender-affirming care do need further study across the age spectrum, experts told me. Scientists still don’t have a full sense of the long-term outcomes of transition on mental and physical health, or how to best tailor interventions to patients. (Extended use of certain hormones, for instance, could raise people’s risk of some cancers or cardiovascular complications.) More research is needed, in particular, on how best to support gender-diverse youth, a growing sector of the population. But the kinds of research that the Trump administration is pursuing won’t help clarify or alleviate those concerns. And of all the scientific questions that could be asked about trans health, “regret and detransition aren’t the major problems,” Arjee Restar, a social epidemiologist at Yale, told me: Studies have found that adults and adolescents are generally very satisfied with the outcomes of hormone therapy and gender-affirming surgeries, and that rates of regret following surgeries are about just 1 percent.
      NIH officials found the memo’s directives appalling. “This is not how we do science, ever,” one of them, who requested anonymity out of concern for professional retribution, told me. “This is politicized research, exactly what we were always told we would never do.” In his memo, Memoli specified that studies into the outcomes of gender-affirming care should deploy “methods that don’t themselves subsidize or incentivize such practices as previous NIH studies have done.” (Desai pointed to a case in which an NIH-funded researcher cited politics to help explain her hesitation to publish a study with unfavorable results about puberty blockers.) But previous NIH studies have never “subsidized or incentivized” gender-affirming care, the NIH official told me. Rather, they followed the recipients of that care over time, and observed the results.
      In contrast, Memoli’s memo unabashedly advertised the conclusion that the administration is pushing for: that gender-affirming care is harmful and regrettable. The directive also implicitly solicits researchers who “are following the administration’s example,” Logan S. Casey, the director of policy research for the Movement Advancement Project, an equality-focused think tank, told me—and potentially, for participants who might share those viewpoints as well. That makes it all the more likely that those projects will produce the skewed results the administration wants to see.
      This is consistent with everything Trump and his allies have revealed about their views on science since January: that it is not a means to better understand objective reality, but a political weapon that they must guard against, or deploy themselves. In recent months, Kennedy has accused the expert committee that counsels the CDC on its nationwide vaccine recommendations of being in the pocket of vaccine manufacturers; the administration has also fired from HHS several scientists who were prominent leaders in the COVID-19 response, including a few closely affiliated with Anthony Fauci, whom Trump has ridiculed as a “disaster” and an idiot and Desai derided as one of many “demonstrably fallible ‘experts.’” Last week, administration officials also redirected two federal websites, once used to share information on COVID-19 tests, treatments, and vaccines, to a page promoting the idea that the coronavirus pandemic began as a lab leak, rather than Fauci’s “preferred narrative that COVID-19 originated in nature.”
      The causes of autism, the outcomes of gender-affirming care, and the origins of SARS-CoV-2 are all topics worthy of scientific investigation. But how questions are asked can influence the answers they yield—and directly affect the populations they’re asked about. The language in the NIH memo is “alarming and inflammatory,” Camie Nitzel, a psychologist who specializes in transgender and gender-diverse people, told me: It shows that the administration is pursuing these studies not from a place of genuine inquiry, but from prejudice. Disdain is coded into the administration’s methodology on autism, too: In his briefings on HHS’s new pursuits, Kennedy has repeatedly described autism as a scourge worse than COVID-19 that “destroys” families and children, and insinuated that it should be purged from the population. But the implication of both the administration’s statements and its proposed studies is that neither trans people nor autistic people should visibly exist in America. Science is now yet another tool that the government is using to disappear anyone it deems undesirable.

    • Braveheart @Braveheart Collier Row - updated 16d

      Only In America

      Where MAGA parents and grandparents admonish their sons/grandsons for their achievements. What sad people.
      https://www.huffpost.com/entry/harvard-acceptance-maga-grandparents-response_n_6806a994e4b052543c13a41a?ncid=APPLENEWS00001

    • Braveheart @Braveheart Collier Row - updated 28d

      Trump Tariffs

      Most people with half a brain understand that tariffs that are put in place on countries like China eventually costs the country that introduce them, ie the consumers, not the country where tariffs have been placed, but Trump believes the country he placed tariffs on does. You couldn’t make it up.

      https://x.com/retroagent12/status/1910861833331937521?s=46

    • Braveheart @Braveheart Collier Row - 1mo

      Turkish Proverb

      Obviously aimed at Trump went viral. Read the piece by Dan Rather.
      https://www.huffingtonpost.co.uk/entry/dan-rather-donald-trump-turkish-proverb-facebook_n_67efe3b0e4b0d50ac8763c56

    • Braveheart @Braveheart Collier Row - updated 1mo

      Trump has shown

      Where his allegiances lay. He has imposed tariffs on most of the world (including uninhabited islands: the clown), but guess who he has exempted from those tariffs? Russia and North Korea! What an obnoxious clown he is.
      https://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/europe/ukraine-russia-war-map-live-putin-trump-exemption-peace-talks-b2726495.html

    • Braveheart @Braveheart Collier Row - updated 1mo

      Chlorinated Chicken Anyone?

      Trump has stated that the U.K. must agree to import chlorinated chicken from the US if it wants loosening the tariffs he has imposed. This will probably mean the U.K. accepting beef that’s been heavily treated with antibiotics. I’d rather become a vegan.
      https://www.independent.co.uk/news/uk/politics/trump-tariffs-chlorinated-chicken-uk-b2726709.html

    • Braveheart @Braveheart Collier Row - updated 1mo

      The Israeli Regime

      Again, has some explaining to do as does the U.K. government. James Kirby, a U.K. aid worker, along with two other British aid workers, was killed by an Israeli drone in April 2024. The family is asking for an enquiry but their questions have gone unanswered. Another war crime perpetrated by Benjamin Netanyahu.

      https://www.independent.co.uk/news/uk/home-news/family-gaza-british-britons-israeli-b2725418.html

    • Braveheart @Braveheart Collier Row - updated 1mo

      It looks like

      Benjamin Netanyahu has something to hide.
      https://www.theguardian.com/world/2025/mar/26/bbc-jeremy-bowen-accuses-israel-blocking-journalists-gaza

    • Braveheart @Braveheart Collier Row - updated 1mo

      Typical far right

      Politicians creaming off funds.
      https://news.sky.com/story/flatplan-13339142

    • Braveheart @Braveheart Collier Row - updated 1mo

      JD Vance’s

      Disastrous Greenland visit. He’s a walking blot on democracy.
      https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2025/mar/31/trump-greenland-us-morally-wrong-strategy-disastrous?CMP=oth_b-aplnews_d-5

    • Braveheart @Braveheart Collier Row - 1mo

      Trump and Greenland (Edited)

      I doesn’t take a genius to realise that Trump’s statement regarding America needing Greenland for strategic security reasons is nothing more than utter nonsense. It’s all about the untapped minerals that he wants to get his hands on.
      Of course there are major geopolitical consequences that JD Vance has stated that won't worry the Trump administration.
      Things Trump should ponder on.
      If the United States were to forcibly take over Greenland, the ramifications would be severe and far-reaching, both geopolitically and economically.
      Greenland is an autonomous territory of Denmark, which is a NATO member. A U.S. invasion or forceful annexation would likely trigger a military response from Denmark and its allies. Since NATO’s Article 5 states that an attack on one member is an attack on all, this could spark a wider conflict.
      European Union Sanctions: The EU (which Denmark is a member of) would likely impose harsh sanctions on the U.S., damaging trade and economic relations.
      Global Condemnation: The U.S. would face international isolation, potentially leading to sanctions from the UN and economic retaliation from global powers like China and Russia.
      Trade Disruptions: A military takeover could lead to boycotts and trade restrictions, affecting the U.S. economy.
      Occupying Greenland would require extensive military investment to secure the territory, leading to massive expenditures.
      Resource Control vs. Viability: While Greenland has valuable rare earth minerals and untapped resources, forcibly acquiring them would likely result in long-term legal battles and sabotage rather than economic gains.
      Guerrilla Warfare & Resistance: Greenlanders may resist U.S. control, leading to prolonged unrest, insurgency, and the need for an occupying force.
      Russian & Chinese Response: Both nations could see this as a precedent for military expansion, potentially escalating global conflicts or increasing their presence in the Arctic.
      Political Fallout: Such an act would likely be seen as an extreme violation of international law, leading to internal political turmoil, protests, and potential impeachment efforts.
      Financial Strain: The cost of war, occupation, and maintaining Greenland would likely lead to increased national debt and economic instability.
      This next statement could have far reaching consequences across the globe.
      If the U.S. takes Greenland by force, other countries might use this as justification for their own territorial ambitions—Russia in Ukraine, China in Taiwan, or other disputed regions. This could lead to a breakdown of international norms and increased global instability.

    • Braveheart @Braveheart Collier Row - updated 1mo

      Elon Musk

      Is beside himself as a Chinese company has developed an EV battery that can be charged almost as quick as filling a car with petrol/diesel. He’s on record throwing a tantrum because a foreign company has outstripped Tesla charging technology.
      Read details below 👇
      https://www.livescience.com/technology/electric-vehicles/chinas-superfast-charging-technology-is-twice-as-fast-as-teslas-fully-recharging-evs-in-just-6-minutes?utm_term=2CE1F50D-49A4-4D4C-B519-73E277B430D1&lrh=6a9af0f0198b51716c2248b474d9ae31d0e344a97737aa2f12cfd453f9173851&utm_campaign=368B3745-DDE0-4A69-A2E8-62503D85375D&utm_medium=email&utm_content=46DB2265-9791-4BBB-8649-FCB4AEC82899&utm_source=SmartBrief

    • Braveheart @Braveheart Collier Row - updated 1mo

      Thames Water.

      Thames Water was privatised in 1989 with no debt.
      Since then it’s racked up £14.7 billion in debt at the same time as paying out £10.4 billion to its shareholders.
      If that's not a scam, I don't know what is!

    • Braveheart @Braveheart Collier Row - 1mo

      Sub-Station Fire

      As a retired electrician that has worked on HT power supplies, I’m extremely amazed at the misinformation that’s being spread elsewhere regarding the Hayes sub-station fire that brought Heathrow to a standstill. People have been saying that the backup generators weren’t operational. This is nonsense! The backup generators did kick in as well as uninterruptible power supplies (look it up) but there is no way they could fully power an airport the size of Heathrow which draws enough voltage to power a small city. So who should be blamed? Obviously, it’s the power network companies that should have upgraded/renewed/added high capacity sub-stations to prop up an aging electrical supply network.
      People shouldn’t take any notice of certain MPs jumping on a dodgy bandwagon when it obvious they have no knowledge of electrical distribution systems.

    • Joss @Joss Malden - updated 1mo

      Gaza

      www.aa.com.tr/en/europe/uk-based-charity-slams-downing-street-for-rejecting-foreign-secretarys-comments-on-israel-s-gaza-attacks/3513627

      Your thoughts?

    • Braveheart @Braveheart Collier Row - updated 1mo

      Do the French

      know something we don’t?
      https://www.lbc.co.uk/world-news/concerns-grow-as-france-issues-survival-manual-to-prepare-citizens-for-invasion/

    • Braveheart @Braveheart Collier Row - updated 1mo

      Disturbing news

      That the Trump administration (DOGE in particular) has erased valuable information regarding children abducted by Putins forces.
      https://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/europe/trump-ukraine-children-russia-war-kidnapping-evidence-b2717730.html

    • Braveheart @Braveheart Collier Row - updated 1mo

      Trump.

      A danger to the world and his own country. He’s wrecking the US economy.
      https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2025/mar/14/donald-trump-crashing-us-economy-fake-news

    • Braveheart @Braveheart Collier Row - updated 1mo

      MPs NHS Sleaze. (Edited)

      MPs received more than £2.7m in donations from individuals and companies directly or indirectly connected to the private healthcare sector between 2021 and 2023
      More than half (£1.4m) of the donations came from companies with investments in the private healthcare sector such as asset management firms.
      A tenth of the donation (£312,204) came from companies that already provide services to the NHS.
      More than £230,000 was donated to MPs from directors of companies that have investments in the private healthcare sector.
      Lobbyists with private healthcare clients donated more than £110,000 to MPs.

    • Braveheart @Braveheart Collier Row - 2mo

      Fun fact of the day.

      A blue whale's anus can stretch to approximately 3 and a half feet, making it the second largest areshole on the planet, after Donald Trump.

    • Braveheart @Braveheart Collier Row - updated 2mo

      Trump/Vance Debacle

      The meeting between Trump/Zelensky/Vance turned into the most disgraceful put down by a US President and VP. Also, it’s come to light that TASS, the Russian state news agency, was allowed into the White House for the meeting, whereas CNN and AP (Associated Press) were barred. Make of that what you will folks.

    • Braveheart @Braveheart Collier Row - updated 2mo

      This is hilarious

      Zelensky/Trump
      https://x.com/PierreCol/status/1895734038981472635

    • Braveheart @Braveheart Collier Row - updated 2mo

      The Group ‘Anything’ All that’s missing from its title is a swastika emblem. (Edited)

      A few home truths. I joined this group some months ago as an innocent newcomer. Within a very short time accusations started flying around about me accusing me of being someone else! An accusation that was completely false. The first instigator of this ridiculous claim was who was then followed by and then All sad individuals. I was then banned from ‘Anything’ by the moderator who obviously is in cahoots with the aforementioned Co conspirators. @Clive banned me but allows hatred at every level being spouted everywhere across his group. At one stage, I tried to join the group Share Tips To Make Life Easier. On clicking on ‘Join’ I found that I had been banned from the group without even being able to post anything. again and her co moderator Conpiracy theories are rife on Scooploop.
      Then there’s & who also cast aspersions on my integrity. Two people who do nothing but post far right propaganda and hatred in the group. So, I as an innocent, get banned but allows racism, hatred and downright lies in his group. I haven’t a clue where Scooploop moderators are. Conclusion? Give the racist ultra right wing group Anything a very wide berth.

    • Braveheart @Braveheart Collier Row - updated 3mo

      Nigel Farage’s Nephew

      Interesting.
      Joseph Farage, Nigel Farage’s nephew, avoids jail after pleading guilty to upskirting a woman in a Co-op. He admitted to placing a mobile phone “beneath clothing of another without consent” in July.
      People who committed the same offence were put on the sex offenders register. He was only fined £576
      Perhaps this is what Nige means when he spouts ‘two tier policing’.

    • Braveheart @Braveheart Collier Row - 3mo

      Are you being ripped off

      By insurance companies? Here is an interesting piece by Which? There is a petition included in the article.
      https://www.which.co.uk/campaigns/end-the-insurance-rip-off?utm_medium=email&utm_source=engagingnetworks&utm_campaign=supporters&utm_content=Insurance+activation+nonsign+wrippoff+RE+260125+-+Meet

    • Braveheart @Braveheart Collier Row - updated 3mo

      Racist Musk

      You’d need to be a fool to not recognise that Musk did make a Nazi salute during Trump’s inauguration. His maternal grandparents were staunch Nazi supporters and don’t forget his support of AfD, the extreme right wing party in Germany. He was also known to support apartheid in his former place of residence, South Africa. A nasty piece of work in anyone’s book.

    • Braveheart @Braveheart Collier Row - updated 4mo
    • Braveheart @Braveheart Collier Row - updated 5mo

      Covid Fraud Commissioner

      Tom Hayhoe the new Covid fraud commissioner started work this week to get to the bottom of what could be the biggest fraud committed by any government.
      Tom Hayhoe's first task will be reviewing the £8.7bn of PPE bought during the pandemic that then had to be written off the government's books.
      Mr Hayhoe is also likely to review the previous government's abandoning of attempts to reclaim money from deals worth £674m.
      The National Crime Agency is separately investigating possible criminal offences committed in the PPE procurement system.
      I’d like to think Baroness Mone’s involvement in the procurement of PPE will also be investigated.
      https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/articles/cvg6r7zk47eo

    • Braveheart @Braveheart Collier Row - 5mo
    • Braveheart @Braveheart Collier Row - updated 5mo

      Nigel Farage

      The MP that’s in America and on GBNews more than he’s in his Clacton constituency.
      https://x.com/carolvorders/status/1862037818593214796?s=61&t=v6RWq6UYZzjLNonXUSpS6g

    • Krista L @KristaLonsdale East Barnet - updated 5mo

      How finland deal with homelessness.

      And the only comment was " Finland is very different from us and havent succumbed to the US style of capitalism which ignores any idea that's not immediately profitable!"
      How true-nothing is costed on what it`s likely to save the country as a whole or gain in new tax-payers.

    • Krista L @KristaLonsdale East Barnet - updated 5mo

      Clarkson & Farms

      `Clarkson claimed today that he only wrote about buying a farm for tax reasons (see 11.20am) because he did not want to admit the real reason.
      Asked about the past comment, he told PA Media:
      "That’s actually quite funny because the real reason I bought the farm was because I wanted to shoot, so I thought if I told a bunch of people that I bought a farm so I could shoot pheasants it might look bad.🤣
      So, I thought I better come up with another excuse, so I said inheritance tax. I actually didn’t know about inheritance tax until after I bought it. I didn’t mind, obviously, but the real reason I bought it is because I wanted to shoot."`
      Farge and Clarkson have become self-styled spokesmen for the Farms and Inheritance tax issue.🤣
      Not that I don`t have any concerns about the issue,I do, but they are the last people they want for their spokesmen-they are neither of them (real) Farmers!

    • Braveheart @Braveheart Collier Row - updated 6mo

      Ladies & gents………

      I give you the U.K. honours system.
      Dame Thérèse Anne Coffey DBE is a British politician who served as Deputy Prime Minister of the United Kingdom from September to October 2022 under Liz Truss. She has also served as Environment Secretary, Health Secretary and Work and Pensions Secretary.
      She’s 52. Yes 52.

    • Mary @maire Wanstead - updated 6mo

      Life and death in Gaza

      I watched this last night. Watch it if you can.

      https://inews.co.uk/culture/television/life-death-gaza-harrowing-human-account-life-warzone-3324539

    • Mary @maire Wanstead - updated 6mo

      Windrush

      This item on Channel 4 News last night really moved me.

      https://youtu.be/7qK5I8lAUew?feature=shared

    • Brianie @Brianie Swanley - updated 6mo

      I'm not around for a few days

      I'm away visiting from this morning for a few days, perhaps longer, so behave yourselves!

    • Krista L @KristaLonsdale East Barnet - updated 6mo
    • Brianie @Brianie Swanley - 6mo

      Troublemakers

      Some members seem intent on causing trouble and spreading false information. I attach a post by sent to me by a member of the No Nonsense Loop. I can assure you that Braveheart is not me. If it had been, I can assure you that I would not have put the time and effort that he did into his interesting posts. You have caused a new member (rare these days) to no longer post. I suggest some of you get a life other than your pathetic time consuming troublemaking one on Scooploop.

    • Sheila A @Ange Bromley Common - updated 7mo

      Cleverly out

      I really thought he'd be in the last 2 if not the actual winner

      https://uk.yahoo.com/news/tory-party-next-leader-odds-poll-election-185309681.html

    • Sheila A @Ange Bromley Common - updated 7mo

      P & O Ferries.........

      to pull out of £1bn UK investment after remarks by Angela Rayner.

      She might be right but would have been better to keep her mouth shut and not bite off the hand that feeds

      https://www.msn.com/en-gb/money/other/p-o-ferries-owner-pulls-1bn-uk-investment-after-rayner-attack/ar-AA1s6bD3

    • Brianie @Brianie Swanley - updated 7mo

      Welcome to the new members

      Welcome to the new members, and goodbye to the 'old'. Let others know the trolls have gone.

    • Dawn @Dawns Stoke Poges - updated 7mo

      More funding needed to keep children safe

      Hopefully the budget may reflect an increase in child protection as there are so many cases now
      https://news.sky.com/story/urgent-call-for-funding-as-record-617-child-protection-investigations-carried-out-a-day-13230367

    • Brianie @Brianie Swanley - updated 7mo

      Possible future vacancy for moderator

      I can't believe how nasty and ungrateful some members have been. No one has responded to Braveheart, and I would not be surprised if he does not post again. If the occasion arises, please make it known below that you are willing to be a moderator.

    • Braveheart @Braveheart Collier Row - updated 7mo

      It seems

      I’ve upset a few people by my posting of messages I received from someone I’ve had no contact with and who made outrageous claims. I’d ask the people who have now left this group, what would they have done under the circumstances? Accept the message and soldier on? It’s no use suggesting contacting Scooploop as I’ve tried that regarding another issue. Any correspondence with them is ignored!
      What I would say is this; The person sending these messages is trying to disrupt Scooploop, and in this case has been successful to a certain extent by people leaving this group! I’d like to think they’d ponder on that.
      As a footnote, I noticed that Brianie felt the need to inform one of the members that left that I was indeed a ‘genuine member’. I think perhaps they must have sent a direct message to him making silly claims! I stated in my original post on this matter that I was bemused. Well, I can say now that I’m totally shocked at this outcome.

    • Braveheart @Braveheart Collier Row - updated 7mo

      BBC Tory Mouthpiece

      Laura Kuenssberg has ‘mistakenly’ sent Boris Johnson her briefing notes ahead of an interview that was supposed to take part tonight on BBC1. The briefing notes were meant for her team. I find it highly suspicious that she could send briefing notes to the wrong recipient. The BBC have cancelled the interview.
      https://news.sky.com/story/bbc-cancels-boris-johnson-interview-after-laura-kuenssbergs-embarrassing-mistake-13226969

    • Braveheart @Braveheart Collier Row - updated 7mo

      I’m totally bemused.

      Does anyone know or understand what the hell this is? Messages I’ve received this morning.
      JohnH6/Brianie
      Thursday, October 3rd
      JohnH6/Brianie
      JohnH6/Brianie
      Hi John/Charles M/ Trevor B/ Michael Caine / Brianie, you spend so much time pontificating on how you can spot aliases a mile off, forgetting that we can as well. Old Braveheart has been accepted rather quickly and bedded himself into your politics group, thus giving it a bit of traffic. Do you think we’re actually that stupid? And making a power play for the Anything group, which is about the only one you don’t moderate….Here’s something you might be interested in…..one of many email communications between Sterling Jackson and me, where we discuss the dark goings on on kahuti. I was part of a small team working with Sterling to try and root out you and the other crazy malicious aliases who were destroying the site. Bet you didn’t know we were talking actively to Sterling. Here is one of the exchanges…I’ve got a load more, and one is specifically about you…Enjoy..

      JohnH6/Brianie
      JohnH6/Brianie
      Oh look, here’s one about you and your bloody stupid mayhem you caused, because you were making lists of everyone. If you remember, we all took the piss and made up the most ridiculous IDs. Hilarious…..

      JohnH6/Brianie
      JohnH6/Brianie
      Maybe I should change my handle to JohnH, seeing as you’ve got mine. For someone so bloody righteous, you seem to be unaware that pinching people should personal information is a very nasty thing to do……Good day….
      Braveheart
      Braveheart
      Excuse me but what the hell are you on about? Can you please explain yourself?
      JohnH6/Brianie
      JohnH6/Brianie
      No explanation needed, John….
      Thursday, October 3rd
      Braveheart
      Braveheart
      You need help

    • Braveheart @Braveheart Collier Row - updated 7mo

      Artificial Intelligence

      Friend or foe? Yoshua Bengio, a pioneer in the research into AI, cites his concerns for the future of humanity. Read below.
      https://www.livescience.com/technology/artificial-intelligence/people-always-say-these-risks-are-science-fiction-but-they-re-not-godfather-of-ai-yoshua-bengio-on-the-risks-of-machine-intelligence-to-humanity?lrh=f226f09dfebe9987d07f98c98546f962431c1f85f5c35cc08f71aae73bc9c52c

Open Loop 37