If I were trying to make a moral case about how refugees risk being displaced into the dark economy and exploited by traffickers, I probably wouldn't then introduce a £10,000 tariff to let them take up legal work and gain residency.

This is absolutely odious. Those who’ve been deemed to be vulnerable and at risk of death or torture, fleeing war torn countries are going to be placed in immediate debt. Repulsive.

Utterly grotesque and inhuman

Can't believe that an untimely pre-tournament injury hss deprived us of the sight of Rocky Bushiri knocking Jude Bellingham onto his arse on the world stage

Randy Bumbum. Is this anything

Not against a big shake-up of devolution in theory. Couple of cautionary principles - Scotland is not a region - London is quite good actually

She wanted to be in this war and argued that the only reason Keir Starmer didn't want to is that he was in hoc to British Muslims. Not a serious person.

I want Ange for the Scotland job. I also want a Netflix series and a long-running Broadway production. Nothing wrong with hoping for these things, it's fine to hope for things

listen, while it may admittedly be to varying degrees of political importance, I personally think we should abolish the monarchy AND avoid making shit up for clicks in journalism at the same time

‘Say yes and never do it’ Mel Brooks knew how to deal with the studios

Who's going to break the news to Chris Deerin and the New Statesman that Anas Sarwar is not, in fact, first minister?

12 quid for a glass of wine in here btw. Twelve pounds

taking the kids to a West End musical tonight and those crazy fucks better have AC in those big old theatres they have there

advice: put grapes in freezer and eat em

Fulfilling the purpose for which it was built almost 2000 years ago, football fans packed the Roman Theatre of Amman to watch the Jordan v Algeria World Cup match. What a sight. [kottke.org]

it has to be said that obsessively watching and calculating the permuations of the remaining games to find out if you're somehow scraping through by pure luck only to likely exit the tournament anyway is a particularly undignified way to go lol

fuckin hell lol

Don't mind this from Clarke. Don't mind it at all.

Rule Britannia at the football is not never not manky, but triumphantly bellowing about how Britons never ever shall be slaves, when your country systematically enslaved the people of the country you're playing against by the millions, is, well

I'm hoping that should Scotland qualify from third place then all of these folk will of course abstain from further commenting or spectating on principle.

Everyone paying attention has known this kind of thing has been commonplace for a long, long time. You either knew and were outraged, didn't know, or knew and pretended otherwise. The genocide made it harder to be either of the last two, but still the commitment to pretending never went away.

Scottish football fans saying we don't deserve to qualify if it's on 3 points in 3rd place, doesn't count etc, would all have fitted right in at the SFA in 1950s

Men in full leg denim jeans - it doesn't have to be this way. Free your knees!

There was a wee boy on my street asking passers-by if they wanted a water bomb, which was making me a bit nervous I was about to get splattered, but my neighbour confirmed if you say “yes” he just gently hands you a full unexploded water bomb.

I have become aware of an Online Beef between a recording artist called Halsey and a Youtube music critic called Anthony Fantano. I have considered the merits of each and concluded that both parties suck ass

In a chat with a short-term let landlord, I'm like can we rearrange to a time when it's safe to travel with kids and he's like: weather's fine. I go cool but Red warning advice is to rearrange trips, National Rail say don't travel, Avanti are pushing refunds, he's like: London is lovely in summer.

They’re calling it the least comprehensible achievement of all time.

Arguably should close at least parts of the Tube in 40° heat, along with a number of other workplaces. Local authorities should also trigger their SWEP programmes or hot-weather equivalent: www.spearlondon.org/our-services...

Kind of losing my mind with the near silence at someone being charged with five counts of terrorism-linked attempted murder, because the victims are Muslim.

While absolutely fair to point out the hypocrisy, I do wonder if we're at the point where demanding - even knowingly - that Musk, Robinson, Farage denounce e.g. this, or the attacks in Edinburgh simply plays along with the idea that there might be anything at all authentic about their concerns

– how would I say in French that I’m fed up with the behaviour of a founder member of The Smiths? – j’en ai marre? – no, Morrissey

Inevitably, the discourse this week will be preoccupied with a national leader accused of having no vision, of being cautious to fault, whose bland personality has made him an empty canvas on to which national angst is projected. But I for one would like to offer a qualified defence of Steve Clarke.

please, my grown-ups, they are very in charge

✅️ Abused support of would-be base by taking party power on basis of lies ✅️ Alienated remaining base attacking queer communities & protestors ✅️ Failed to act substantially on everyday cost of living ✅️ Emboldened his most natural haters allowing them to control the narrative on immigration and racism

in retrospect, being the Scrappy Doo Keir Starmer was one of the worst political gambits of the age

Funny to imagine the moment where it is impressed upon him in the clearest terms that you must not do this Wes, because, simply put, absolutely nobody likes you.

Boss, I'm afraid they didn't really like the "man in a suit with impressive titles who believes in nothing" in the end, but don't worry, we're preparing the "man in a North Face jacket with a Northern accent who believes in nothing" as we speak!

long game Anas Sarwar W

farewell then, to the grown-up-est of Grown-ups, truly, for the briefest burning while, you were In Charge

"This thing is bad and no-one likes it, but it annoys the far left and the far right so maybe it's good actually" - Lib Dem life guidance mantra

I was the "local legend" for dadding in my area, but then the app told me I got pipped by some guy called Raymond so now to win it back I need to spend 3 days acting like the dog dad in Bluey or find this Raymond and kick his ass

Betrayed, is it? youtu.be/F-Yru2Ridk0?...

whit

The flumes at the Commie pool were a massive fixture of my childhood, and surely loom large in the psyche and personal mythos of anyone my age from Edinburgh.

Genuinely can't understand Scotland fans fuming that we must start Shankland next time out. Did you watch the Haiti game? And he's first name on the team sheet against Brazil is he? Ok.

Keir Starmer obviously hates the actual business of being Prime Minister, is no good at it, and has no idea what exactly he wants to achieve with it socially. He's 63. Just bin it off, take a millions-a-year part-time consultancy gig, get a season ticket at Arsenal, and enjoy a piss-easy life!

Julian Nagelsmann is a right fanny eh? You can just tell.

Something that appears to have gone completely unremarked upon on this website is that there appears to have been an explicitly fascist rally near Glasgow Cathedral on Thursday night.

Sorry to be a woke opportunist or whatever but I'm afraid I do think it is completely reprehensible that a man can be awaiting trial for rape and captaining his country at a World Cup at the same time