The Sunday Rumble: 24.7.16

I do be a 'orny-'anded zon of the zoil:  Or at least, I will be later on when I set off with the 'Memsahib' and a couple of friends to undertake some fruit picking.  I'm not terribly good at it so most of my raspberries will probably be squidged and I will be in receipt of sundry bollackings from 'she who must be obeyed'.  I put up with it because I just love fruit crumble!

 

Brave fella' that Emmett Tyrrell:  He is the founder and editor of The American Spectator and he it was who forecast Trump's triumph at the Republican convention - eight days after he announced his run!  He has now doubled down on his bet by forecasting a Trump win in November.  According to him, republicans are divided over this and that but one single thing binds them together - their absolute determination to beat "crooked Hillary".  I think, over here, we sometimes underestimate the extreme detestation in which 'HillBilly' is held by an enormous number of Americans.

 

Jezza well and truly 'Hodged':   I still can't get used to Dan Hodges writing for The Mail on Sunday and so sometimes I miss his usually excellent columns.  His effort today is a corker.  It can be summed up in just one of his passages:

Jeremy Corbyn is not a nice or decent man. He is a coward. He is a hypocrite. He is a bully. And he is a fraud.

He continues by backing up those accusations with some recent history. 

 

Hate crime!  Really?   According to news reports this morning, the government has given the go ahead for so-called 'hate crimes' to be more severely punished and this will likely include saying publicly hateful things about other people.  Perhaps our new Home Secretary, the less than delicious Amber Rudd, will hand herself in for all the hateful things she said to Boris during one of those Brexit debates.

 

The Tour de France:   Is there anyone out there who really understands the ins and outs and the ups and downs of this ridiculous 'race' which takes weeks and weeks and which ends with everyone pedalling gently up the Champs-Élysées?  Still, I gather that it has been won by a frightfully decent British chap, so that's alright then!

 

That was a hard day's work:  We were driven by our friends to the fruit-picking site which has a fairly decent restaurant.  It was tough trying to choose a suitable red wine to wash down my lunch but I stuck to the task in hand and settled on an Argentinian Malbec.  After that the 'Memsahib' and our friends went off to pick fruit whilst I, valiantly, volunteered to sit in the sunshine and guard the ladies' handbags and finish off the red wine.  Damn, I'm good!

 

Turkey's in the oven:   I do not pretend to know what is really going on in Turkey.  I offer you an opinion piece from The Coffee House which intimates that the whole coup thing was a set up by Erdogan as a means for him to seize total power.  Read it and make up your own minds - but remember, that's how they do things in the Middle East!

http://blogs.spectator.co.uk/2016/07/president-erdogans-postmodern-coup/

 

John Kerry should sue the doorman at No. 10:   The other day, the Brain of America (aka: John Kerry) turned round suddenly and walked straight into the door of No. 10.  We all thought no damage had occurred, er, to Mr. Kerry (or to the door) but now I'm not so sure.  According to those rascals at IHTM, he has just issued the following statement:

“Secretary of State John Kerry said in Vienna on Friday that air conditioners and refrigerators are as big of a threat to life as the threat of terrorism posed by groups like the Islamic State.”

Yeeeeeeeeeeees, quite!

 

James Bond is a mystery:   I expect to be confused by John le Carré but not by James Bond.  However, I tried to watch the film Quantum of Solace tonight but gave up because I couldn't understand what the hell was going on or why!  I remember exactly the same confusion when I saw the film originally.  Is it the film-makers or is it, dread thought, me?  Don't answer that!

 

No more rumbles today

Comments

[Whitewall]

I hear the Tour de France winner is awarded a life supply of fruit crumble!

[Loz]

"I gather that it has been won by a frightfully decent British chap, so that's alright then!"

So your old political sound-bite extends to sport - well, at least there's some consistency!

SoD

[Loz]

By George and all the Saints: -

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/2016/07/24/tory-mps-react-with-fury-as-eu-leaders-consider-uk-emergency-bra/

For just a second there I felt sorry for the hard Brexit fraternity, so utterly betrayed.

But then I thought of the delicious outcome, beyond my wildest dreams ...

- Single market membership, albeit with a token "emergency brake" on EU immigration - enough to spare EU blushes and split a chunk off the hard Brexit blok, leaving the shrivelled rump of country bumpkins, Ukippers, and ex-BNP-ers isolated and marginalized.
- Freedom to cut free trade deals with the ex-colonials, China, et al

... and suddenly I thought "All's fair in Love and war".

SoD

[Whitewall]

SoD, for the life of me, I can't figure out if you resent being English or hate being British or what? There seems to have been a massive ripping apart in the culture after WW2. Most of the developed world speaks 'your' language normally or at least was taught it right along side their native language. From my perch over here, you are simply hard to figure out.

[JK]

You reckon David, there's anything to Hillary's constant and shrieking insistence that, "There's absolutely Zero evidence the Russians hacked mine and the Democrat Party's server!" was actually the biggest whopper thus far in the race for 2016?

(Or perhaps, and just perhaps ... "these emails" are somehow what we've sort of/kind of been expecting from a few disgruntled FBI investigators?)

[David Duff]

SoD, you might fall for EU trickery and mischief-making but no one else will, least of all David Davis!

[David Duff]

JK, you are the in-house expert for these sort of arcane details, so you tell me!

[TheBigHenry]

JK,

Please clarify whether your quotes embracing "these emails" are standard (if so, where is the referenced usage?), ironic, or otherwise special sense. For me, at least, that would go a long way towards a fuller understanding of your remark.

[Bob]

You have a point, David, Hillary has high unfavorable ratings. Problem is, Trump's are consistently higher. Also, Melania Trump is the least popular candidate spouse since 1988. Regardless, popularity ratings do not an election determine, and Clinton still has a solid lead: http://projects.fivethirtyeight.com/2016-election-forecast/

Also, Trump's not likely to be helped by emerging stories about his coziness with Putin and ties to the Russian mob: http://www.politifact.com/truth-o-meter/statements/2016/mar/02/ted-cruz/yes-donald-trump-has-been-linked-mob/

[JK]

Henry,

The batch of emails Comey spoke to Congress on, the subject of were all "national security related" ... and that was the object [nat sec] the bureau designed the non-disclosure agreements all the agents working that specific investigation around, are bound by.

Friday's Wikileaked batch however, while there's "some" nat sec content contained other stuff seems to be more a matter specific of either; the Clinton Foundation investigation or, DNC machinations. Six do appear to pertain to Hillary's yoga classes interestingly.

Remember - among the various other explanations Hillary has put on offer for deleting the 30,000 emails that were not, apparently and/or otherwise confirmed by Comey's omission, FOIAble - "those emails were strictly of a personal nature."

But at this point, one might ask, what difference does any of this make? I'd suggest maybe nothing or, maybe just enough.

[JK]

"Also, Melania Trump is the least popular candidate spouse since 1988."

Well Bob, not to worry about Melania very much, Arkansas' AG has ruled Melania didn't get enough primary votes to make the ballot. I expect other state's AGs to go along.

Maybe even Pennsylvania's.

[Andra]

I'm surprised by Bob's comment regarding Melanoma Trump.
I read something on a link here a few days ago that says she is clever, beautiful, sweet and kind and loved by all.
Also, she looks terrific in the naked photos she posed for in earlier times.

[Loz]

OMG.

This is only the skirmish before the main battle, and it's already a blood bath! Looks like the head of the family is going to make Brexit look like a tea party (oh, wrong choice of terminology there, but you know what I mean!).

Anyway, let me wade in ...

So Hillbilly's a naughty bee-atch, email server in the basement, et al. But weren't all her predecessors at it? Wasn't she just the last one caught with her knickers around her ankles?

SoD

[Up2L8]

Was watching an excerpt of a speech given by Hillary's selected V.P. Tim Kain. Hillary was seated on a stool behind and slightly to the right of Kaine and in view of the camera. While viewing her was also thinking about other times she was on stage with other speakers. She reminds me of a bobble head. Not sure if it is an involuntary reflex or just a rubber neck, but she has a tendency to bobble her head - - alot while others are speaking.

[Up2L8]

SoD:

The difference being the others didn't have their own private server.

[JK]

Bob?

Your listing Nate Silver's Five-Thirty Eight reminded me of a link to an article David linked to back in May. On the eighth if I'm not mistaken. You might well enjoy it yourself should you do the clicky;

https://theintercept.com/2016/05/04/beyond-schadenfreude-the-spectacular-pundit-failure-on-trump-is-worth-remembering/

And SoD?

"But weren't all her predecessors at it?"

Yes, just to get that outta the way but as Ups states it above, a private server does take it to a whole new level. And paraphrasing, "No more secured than a Gmail account" looks to've been ... well I dunno I can improve on "Extremely careless."

[TheBigHenry]

Andra,

Thank god it wasn't either HillBilly who posed for those naked photos.

[TheBigHenry]

If the following pic has the advertised remedial effect, I suspect its naked version would convert a rabbi into a Roman Catholic priest:

[Bob]

JK,

I've pointed that out myself here and don't claim to see the future. However, if you understand the electoral college you know the Democrats have a head start and Trump is doing nothing to close it. Melania only deserves mention because the Republican rank-and-file generally don't like "foreigners". The close ties to Putin, Russian banks and mobsters won't help him with any group of voters. It's getting harder to imagine how he wins no matter how "scandalous" Clinton might be. (SoD, I wish I could unimagine her with knickers around her ankles.)

[Hank]

David

I was looking at the Real Clear Politics poll averages.

Registered voters showed Clinton 4-8 percent ahead.

Likely Voters showed tie to Trump one point ahead.

And old truism, a higher percentage of registered Republicans actually vote than registered Democrats.

Of course the press will trumpet the registered vote counts.

But it is early in the season so who knows.

----------------------------

A very subjective observation.

It seems people I suspect who will vote against Clinton and/or for Trump seem to be making non committal comments when discussing the election, to keep peace in the office home or neighborhood. Clinton supporters are loud and in your face.

Like I said subjective, take it with a grain or so of salt.

[David Duff]

Let me assure you all that I am not making predictions, given my record they would be greeted with gales of laughter. I was merely repeating Mr. Tyrrell's effort and given that he forecast Trump's nomination months ago when every expert in the Land of the Free said he was a no-hoper, he deserves to be noted.

[Andra]

Henry, Henry - the thought of a naked Clinton of any sex has absolutely terrified me.
I wish you hadn't done that.

[Mayfly]

And now, a short movie interlude….

“Quantum of Solace” (and the title was pretentious enough to put one off) was a mess, mainly because the writers went on strike in the middle of it, and some of the script was reportedly written by the actors themselves. I love Daniel Craig, I have seen a number of his films now, but if this was an advert for his script writing skills, it fell down a lot. The film is most notable for the death of Rene Mathis, which was a bloody shame, since he was an interesting character who seemed to have had a great deal to do with the making of Bond, and had his own chequered past. As we didn’t explore this, he ended up being the Huggy Bear of the Bond world. However, as silver foxes go, Giancarlo Giannini was well worth looking at. To make you feel better, David, I would suggest you Google “Everything wrong with “Quantum of Solace”” on YouTube, which may allow you to see where the plot should have gone, and exactly why it didn’t make it there, whilst also leaving you just as confused as before.

[David Duff]

Once again, Miss Mayfly, you are a proper education and it is a relief to know that my utter confusion was not (entirely) due to my old age!

[Loz]

Ref Jezza, as predicted by me, the hard Left have woken to the massive opportunity Brexit brings them. "Something Corbyn this way comes" - a chilling quote from this article on Lenin's tomb: -

http://www.leninology.co.uk/2016/07/brexit-monkeys-paw-edition.html

Remember the hard left voter base, soon to be unfettered from the anti-nationalisation, pro-free market constraints of the single market rules and regs? : -

Public sector
Northerners
Sweaties
Taffs
Paddies
Unions
Students
Youf
Londoners
Greens
Corporate workforce (feeding off HMG contracts)
Hairies (of both persuasions)

You Brexiteers better get down on your knees and pray May & Co goes for the Norgie EEA model / soft Brexit, and doesn't make a cock and bollocks of it.

Otherwise it's a new dark age.

That's why I wanted to stay safe, and not up the ante.

SoD

[David Duff]

SoD, why don't you wait and see just how many votes the Jezza polit-bureau manages to scrape together at the next election before you rush around shouting, "Don't panic, Capt. Mainwaring, don't panic!"

And anyone who relies on anything from that total twat at 'Leninology' needs their bumps felt!

[TheBigHenry]

David,

I know what a twat is, but I was curious what a "total twat" was for a Brit. Found this online:

[TheBigHenry]

Sorry, Andra. It didn't terrify me, but I did throw up in my mouth a little bit.

[David Duff]

Henry, yes, that about sums it up!

[Loz]

Bejaysus! SCINI - The old new kid on the blok: -

http://www.irishtimes.com/opinion/fintan-o-toole-three-state-union-may-be-the-answer-to-brexit-1.2734041

Dear old Blighty. Going gently into that good night. Lead there by the very people who lauded her - the Brexiteers.

SoD

[David Duff]

Don't hold your breath, SoD, the Proddies are no more likely to get into bed with the Fenians than the Jocks will be.

[Loz]

Yeah, but with them all "ooot" of Blighty and in the EU, and good old England in the EEA / Norgie model, we get: -

- 2x huge begging bowls removed from under our noses
- The ability to cut free trade deals with the ex-colonials, while the SCINI do not (and the EU is unable to on their behalf, and they can't do it themselves under EU regs)
- Continued access to the single market (I might switch sides at this point and demand immigration quotas, to be judged by me alone - long-legged, pert breasted, razor-cheek-boned, inky-blinky-darlinkies serving me lattes is one thing, but celtic chavs sponging off England's benefits system is quite another!)
- London's surplus more than enough to keep the English hinterland country bumpkins in the cider and benefits stupor to which they've grown accustomed

SoD

[Loz]

And remember, a third of Sweaties who express a preference are Left Footers: -

https://www.google.cz/search?q=scotland+percentage+catholic&sourceid=ie7&rls=com.microsoft:en-GB:IE-Address&ie=&oe=&gfe_rd=cr&ei=BU6XV9rhEeqk8wflxIX4BA

SoD