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JRM now on GB News! - Rerepo

Although I spend much of the year outside the UK I still like to keep up to date with what's going on back in 'Blighty'.

We can watch BBC and Sky (using a VPN) but I prefer not to because of their strong left-wing pro-EU bias. TalkTV and GBNews on the other hand are a lifesaver. For those of you who are not familiar with GBNews you might like to know that the wonderful Jacob Rees-Mogg now has a show Monday-Thursday 8pm-9pm UK time. I actually had the pleasure of meeting Jacob back in 2018. We had a lovely chat and he really is the most eloquent, polite and formidably intelligent conversationalist. A true English gentleman (a dying breed, sadly). I've been an avid viewer of his shows and they are now essential viewing for me.

Sadly my friend Richard Tice (Reform UK) is no longer hosting a show on GBN. Richard and I go back a long way - he was three years below me at Uppingham. We both went into property in our own way, although Richard has be vastly more successful than I ! Richard's partner is the lovely Isobel Oakeshott, so I guess things have been rather tumultuous in their household this past few days!

Edited by Rerepo on 03/03/2023 at 08:34

JRM now on GB News! - Adampr

Is this a troll post?

JRM now on GB News! - Andrew-T

Is this a troll post?

Certainly sounds like one. The British electorate appears to be gradually realising that Brexit was not such a clever idea after all. IMHO JRM is an anachronistic twollock, and I am thankful there is only one of him in parliament.

JRM now on GB News! - gordonbennet

Whilst i agree JRM is a most eloquent orator and skilled politician, i lost my admiration for him and my hopes in him for any possible revival of a conservative party when he voted for May's final BRINO deal....JRM's Ratner moment, much like the attitude shown towards Andrew Bridgen is now regarded as Tice and Reform's Ratner moment among conservatives that have no representation and no one to vote for.

JRM was an excellent back bench MP, highly intelligently critical of failings of his own govt, Johnson cunningly hobbled him by promoting him to Cabinet, he lost his white charger and far as i can see can't seem to find or remount it, maybe in time he could end up as leader of the tory party (Lord knows they need a leader with some gravitas, not seen since MT), sadly i believe the tory party is long past even JRM saving it, compromised beyond redemption, much like the Opposition who failed entirely in its duty to oppose the govt during the farce of the last 3 years in particular, but will no doubt be elected as the red team of the Uniparty at the next GE, not as it makes a scrap of difference which side of the Uniparty sits which side of the house, incompetence and subservience to other countries alliances and oligarchs being the order of the day.

GB news i sometimes watched Youtube clips of, mainly Neil Oliver and Mark Steyn, sadly GB news became too worried or possibly subservient to the demands of Ofcom leading to Mark Steyn having to leave, i no longer bother with GB news clips now apart from Neil Oliver or if Godfrey Bloom happens to be invited to comment.

I had hopes for GB News, and yes it treads a path the legacy media have long since abandoned, but until it finds its courage regarding the Ofcom censorship office then i'm not sold on it.

The reason i watch Youtube clips only of the station is i gave up the TV licence for much the same reasonsas in your OP, blowed if i'm paying for unceasing systematic propaganda barrage from the state broadcaster, one which makes Pravda look independent.

Edited by gordonbennet on 03/03/2023 at 09:08

JRM now on GB News! - FP

When I read stuff about the supposed bias of the media in general and the BBC in particular I'm slightly bemused. The people claiming bias, it seems, are far from being un-biased themselves, and it's a notoriously difficult task objectively to determine bias.

According to a 2018 poll by BMG Research of 1,004 British adults, just 37% of people thought the BBC was impartial. 22% of respondents in the BMG study believed the BBC to favour left-wing views, while 18% perceived a bias towards the right.

I do know that in November 2022 the BBC received a large number of complaints ("large" being measured by the usual numbers who do this) about pro-Tory bias in response to a programme entitled "BBC News Special: Our New Prime Minister".

I don't for a moment believe the following statement from Dan Wootton in 2020, who was editor of The Sun at the time: “The whole unnecessary Proms scandal shows that the BBC is staffed top to bottom by Guardian-reading, quinoa munching, Brexit-hating lefties who despise what you and me stand for." That is so ridiculous as to amount to self-satire.

YouGov has been tracking perceptions of bias in the BBC. It's most recent scores (November 2022) show that, in response to the question "Is the BBC more favourable towards Labour/the left or the Conservatives/the right?" 32% didn't know; 27% thought the BBC was generally neutral; 12% thought it favoured the left; 7% thought it favoured the right.

When it come to perceptions of bias at the BBC, it seems it's not a one-way street.

JRM now on GB News! - mcb100
I do think that the government are occasionally given an easier ride by BBC interviewers than I’d like, but I’m unsure whether that’s down to any bias or unpreparedness I couldn’t say.
But they remain my default means of watching and listening to news and current affairs. It certainly doesn’t bother me enough to join in the cries to ‘defund the BBC’.
To not watch because you don’t agree with the corporation’s editorial stance and to instead watch GB News is nonsensical and redolent on someone who just wants to live in an echo chamber.

Edited by mcb100 on 03/03/2023 at 16:53

JRM now on GB News! - primus 1

This is the same guy who said people who aren’t privately educated have the intelligence of a potted plant…

JRM now on GB News! - gordonbennet

This is the same guy who said people who aren’t privately educated have the intelligence of a potted plant…

Don't believe JRM said that for one moment, he's not that crass nor insulting.

Edited by gordonbennet on 03/03/2023 at 19:07

JRM now on GB News! - alan1302

This is the same guy who said people who aren’t privately educated have the intelligence of a potted plant…

Don't believe JRM said that for one moment, he's not that crass nor insulting.

Here is what was said:

State school pupils are 'potted plants', says Tory | The Independent | The Independent

JRM now on GB News! - gordonbennet

So, as expected a misleading (putting it mildly) headline from a newspaper, what JRM said was nothing at all to do with privately educated pupils, but to do with the tory party not being daft enough to by-pass potential candidates that had been to OxBridge, arguably at the time the finest educated graduates in the country, mainly for reasons of David Cameron's (self confessed heir to Blair) obsession with quotas and box ticking.

I gave up on newspapers over 30 years ago, newspapers are supposed like the BBC via its charter to provide unbiased news coverage, allowing the reader to make their own mind up from facts.

JRM now on GB News! - Andrew-T

I gave up on newspapers over 30 years ago, newspapers are supposed like the BBC via its charter to provide unbiased news coverage, allowing the reader to make their own mind up from facts.

I assume that you are not accusing the press of publishing falsehoods, merely that each paper or channel is being selective in the 'facts' it publishes. So it follows that you don't like the selections they make - or you have personal reasons for preferring different facts to suit your own leanings. Each to his own 'bias'. :-)

JRM now on GB News! - Engineer Andy

I gave up on newspapers over 30 years ago, newspapers are supposed like the BBC via its charter to provide unbiased news coverage, allowing the reader to make their own mind up from facts.

I assume that you are not accusing the press of publishing falsehoods, merely that each paper or channel is being selective in the 'facts' it publishes. So it follows that you don't like the selections they make - or you have personal reasons for preferring different facts to suit your own leanings. Each to his own 'bias'. :-)

I presume that you'll now be calling Gordon 'Far Right', some ist or phobe because he doesn't subscribe to your thinking and is on the right-hand side of the political aisle like myself (I wholeheartedly agree with his comments, BTW). Just like you accused me of before but the other way around, despite your comments being Left wing.

What a bunch of steaming hypocrites as well as deniers that the legacy media regularly tell lies.

JRM now on GB News! - gordonbennet

I presume that you'll now be calling Gordon 'Far Right', some ist or phobe because he doesn't subscribe to your thinking and is on the right-hand side of the political aisle like myself

Already been accused of being a 'ist here Andy a while ago, not by Andrew.

I don't get into it with those on the left, they have a habit of accusing their opponent of what they themselves do, it often becomes personal with name calling (Brexit, Medical Experiments, anyone not going along called 'ists'phobes conspiracy theorists various other things, as you've been on the receiving end of multiple times) there's a couple here i've found its best to just ignore.

As for far right, the new insult now the 'ist default jibe no longer carries any weight, to be honest i'm not sure what i am, i'm a natural small c conservative who like millions of others have been without representation for decades, i wasn't a Thatcherite but respected the woman...i would like to a return to real old British politics where the conservative party conserve things via small govt and low taxes and steadfast borders and the labour party represent the true working classes instead of despising them...if we did return to those days i'd be a natural labour supporter, ironically one the curent labour party despise most of all, a working class patriot who can't abide football.

Whilst many are happy that the tory party no longer have the first clue about conservatism and are happy with blairite govt whether it wears the blue or red rosettes, what they fail to realise is that there is a massive political vacuum across the country and people like Richard Tice arn't going to fill it (that Andrew Bridgen Ratner moment told us all where he stood) , they really should look at the broader picture because a different type of political movement entirely could well gain traction when people realise they might be the only alternative to save whats left of the country.

JRM now on GB News! - Engineer Andy

I presume that you'll now be calling Gordon 'Far Right', some ist or phobe because he doesn't subscribe to your thinking and is on the right-hand side of the political aisle like myself

Already been accused of being a 'ist here Andy a while ago, not by Andrew.

I don't get into it with those on the left, they have a habit of accusing their opponent of what they themselves do, it often becomes personal with name calling (Brexit, Medical Experiments, anyone not going along called 'ists'phobes conspiracy theorists various other things, as you've been on the receiving end of multiple times) there's a couple here i've found its best to just ignore.

As for far right, the new insult now the 'ist default jibe no longer carries any weight, to be honest i'm not sure what i am, i'm a natural small c conservative who like millions of others have been without representation for decades, i wasn't a Thatcherite but respected the woman...i would like to a return to real old British politics where the conservative party conserve things via small govt and low taxes and steadfast borders and the labour party represent the true working classes instead of despising them...if we did return to those days i'd be a natural labour supporter, ironically one the curent labour party despise most of all, a working class patriot who can't abide football.

Whilst many are happy that the tory party no longer have the first clue about conservatism and are happy with blairite govt whether it wears the blue or red rosettes, what they fail to realise is that there is a massive political vacuum across the country and people like Richard Tice arn't going to fill it (that Andrew Bridgen Ratner moment told us all where he stood) , they really should look at the broader picture because a different type of political movement entirely could well gain traction when people realise they might be the only alternative to save whats left of the country.

Absolutely. I've been very disappointed with Tice as Refrom Party leader, and especially his (IMHO) cowardly comments towards Bidgen - very similar to the 'pile-ons' I and others on the political Right face regularly for espousing views that were essentially 'mainstream conservative' 20-30 years ago.

What's amazing is that the biggest proponents of what I hoped would be the challenger to the mainstream parties are mostly 'Red Wall' conservatives - often former Labour supporters, who are socially conservative, honourable and speak plainly - Lee Anderson MP being the obvious example.

JRM himself appears to have capitulated, and rather like the Telegraph (sponsored by The Gates Foundation) with its now faux volte-face on the pandemic response publishing the 'Hanc0ck files', it seems to me like either managed opposition or weak-willed people not willing to risk much for what's right (correct, morally) when a few crumbs of power, fame and/or wealth are dangled in front of them.

Even Farage has defended the 'safe 'n' effective' jabs despite Big Pharma having a long history of criminality and corruption regarding their products, including 'vaccines'.

Unfortunately, I think, like yourself, that the 'opposition' to the Establishment parties will have to come from a truly grassroots movement of the dsaffected, not the metropolitan middle class lot who'd rather live in a posh cell than be free and fend for themselves.

Sadly, I suspect that things will have to get a lot worse before enough ordinary people fully wake up to such realities, as has happened many times before when human beings have made collossal mistakes.

JRM now on GB News! - FP

"Farage has defended the 'safe 'n' effective' jabs despite Big Pharma having a long history of criminality and corruption regarding their products, including 'vaccines'."

- Whether it's true or not that "Big Pharma" have been corrupt, that doesn't have any relevance as to whether covid vaccines are safe. Unless of course you wish to indulge in one of your "funny, that" thought processes.

"... the metropolitan middle class lot who'd rather live in a posh cell than be free..."

- I'm probably one of those, in your mind at least. However, I'm not "metropolitan" and it seems you do love to pigeon-hole/stereotype others. It's mildly amusing that you paint yourself as someone who is free and lives in the real world, when we're all in the grip of various prejudices and misapprehensions. However, most people, fortunately, are not caught in a net of bizarre beliefs about the governments of world (or is it "the deep state"?) being in collusion to oppress their citizens and other weird ideas.

JRM now on GB News! - Engineer Andy

"Farage has defended the 'safe 'n' effective' jabs despite Big Pharma having a long history of criminality and corruption regarding their products, including 'vaccines'."

- Whether it's true or not that "Big Pharma" have been corrupt, that doesn't have any relevance as to whether covid vaccines are safe. Unless of course you wish to indulge in one of your "funny, that" thought processes.

Yeah, nuffin' to see here, please disprse:

youtu.be/pdFl__NlOpA

"... the metropolitan middle class lot who'd rather live in a posh cell than be free..."

- I'm probably one of those, in your mind at least. However, I'm not "metropolitan" and it seems you do love to pigeon-hole/stereotype others. It's mildly amusing that you paint yourself as someone who is free and lives in the real world, when we're all in the grip of various prejudices and misapprehensions. However, most people, fortunately, are not caught in a net of bizarre beliefs about the governments of world (or is it "the deep state"?) being in collusion to oppress their citizens and other weird ideas.

See previous response.

JRM now on GB News! - Andrew-T

<< I presume that you'll now be calling Gordon 'Far Right', >>

Oh, for God's sake. You are the only contributor on here who cannot resist labelling everyone else with an imagined position on the political spectrum. I would never try to label GB. Yourself, perhaps ....

JRM now on GB News! - alan1302

So, as expected a misleading (putting it mildly) headline from a newspaper, what JRM said was nothing at all to do with privately educated pupils, but to do with the tory party not being daft enough to by-pass potential candidates that had been to OxBridge, arguably at the time the finest educated graduates in the country, mainly for reasons of David Cameron's (self confessed heir to Blair) obsession with quotas and box ticking.

I gave up on newspapers over 30 years ago, newspapers are supposed like the BBC via its charter to provide unbiased news coverage, allowing the reader to make their own mind up from facts.

Who are the 'potted plants' that he is refiring to?

JRM now on GB News! - Engineer Andy

This is the same guy who said people who aren’t privately educated have the intelligence of a potted plant…

Don't believe JRM said that for one moment, he's not that crass nor insulting.

Here is what was said:

State school pupils are 'potted plants', says Tory | The Independent | The Independent

Talk about massaging the truth. And from the 'Independent'...

Pants definitely ablaze there, from them and you.

JRM now on GB News! - Andrew-T

<< Talk about massaging the truth. And from the 'Independent'...>>

Having visited that link, I was thinking of asking what 'truth' had been massaged, and whether EA believes there is only one absolute truth (which he presumably has access to) and all other versions must have been massaged and should be disbelieved.

On second thoughts, no, I won't ask.

JRM now on GB News! - sammy1

Perhaps if the majority of our MPs earned an average wage instead of the extraordinary wealth and perks that most seem to have then perhaps the welfare of the ordinary folk would be better served. For some being MP is just a part time job well it is really with all the down time they have. Failure just not exist, you move on to fail again in another cushy role or not spend time in one long enough to do any harm. There have been more ministers in this present government than I have hot dinners. As for the lords well you have really arrived. There is enough hot air generated to solve the energy crisis almost as much as on here and yes I am am guilty as charged!

JRM now on GB News! - Adampr

They get paid about £85k a year. Very nice indeed, but not astronomical. That Jared whatsit in Sheffield didn't event get paid enough to fund his massive coke habit.

JRM now on GB News! - Andrew-T

They get paid about £85k a year. Very nice indeed, but not astronomical.

And I think they have to find some staff and office costs out of that ?

JRM now on GB News! - Adampr

They get paid about £85k a year. Very nice indeed, but not astronomical.

And I think they have to find some staff and office costs out of that ?

I think, and I can't be bothered to find out right now, that all staff and office costs come out of expenses. Which is why their expenses can be so high.

JRM now on GB News! - Brit_in_Germany

Kahn gets paid 150K, as a comparison.

JRM now on GB News! - primus 1

Thank goodness jrm isn’t in any position to make the rules, he believes that paid holidays shouldn’t be a right, that the Victorian era had the most benevolent employers and I think he suggested we bring back workhouses…

JRM now on GB News! - Terry W

£85k for an MP - in the UK ~4% have an income greater than this - about 2m people. It is a "comfortable" level of income, but far from large.

Some may be living off accumulated wealth - but it is the sort of income associated with middle and higher ranking professionals (lawyers, accountants, architects etc), directors and owners of small companies, senior NHS doctors etc.

IMHO we need to pay MPs sufficient to ensure that the best people are attracted, not make relatively low pay a barrier to service.

There may be a sound argument for paying significantly more - although too much may attract the wrong people motivated by financial reward alone.

JRM now on GB News! - Andrew-T

IMHO we need to pay MPs sufficient to ensure that the best people are attracted, not make relatively low pay a barrier to service.

I have never seen the logic in the idea that offering a bigger salary will attract the 'best' people - it may certainly attract the greediest. The same logic might suggest that paying more will persuade some who would otherwise not want the job. All it can do is position the job of MP on a scale to compete with management posts considered to require similar aptitude (and we all know what the public thinks of those ...).

A lot of people - nurses are an example - work for relatively poor pay because they want to do that work.

JRM now on GB News! - Terry W

For those motivated only by a sense of service to the community, social position or power, money may make little difference. For most, however £££ are a material consideration.

Paying too little means that able folk who in the private sector of comfortably capable of earning £100k+ may not pursue a career in politics.

Most politicians would command at least middle or senior management levels in the private sector - to get elected they need communication skills, a reasonable intellect, energy, self confidence, ambition etc. Their current pay of £85k is at the bottom end of a market level.

Nursing - I am not suggesting that nurses are well paid generally - but note that the pay scales of the most senior Band 8c-9 nursing staff (consultant and director level typically go from £67-110k.

JRM now on GB News! - Metropolis.

I almost never visit the general discussion part of the forum, mostly because it doesn't appear on the app. But whilst I am here - Agree totally about GB news. It is so refreshing after all these years of lefty remainer media at Sky, BBC, ITV, 4, CNN etc. doing their level best to try and convince us that the UK becoming an independent country outside of the United States of Europe was/is a bad idea.

I do like JRM, but it is a pity he and so many others voted for a deal that separates Northern Ireland from the rest of the country. The whole Northern Ireland border issue was such a red herring. The EU was only interested in using it as a stick to beat us with and all politicians seemed to forget the pro-British part of NI. We were not going to build a border, the Irish Republic would not have built a border, the EU certainly weren't going to step in and build a border, it wasn't going to happen. A total non issue but our gullible politicians fell for it. Should have left and then negotiated a trade deal, if we wanted one, as an independent country. No deal? No problem.

Now Rishi has come back congratulating himself on negotiating a poor deal to trade within the UK. Maybe some day we will wake up and realise we are independent now and don't need to ask the overlords in Brussels for permission.

With all that said, I am still absolutely delighted we won the referendum, largest democratic excercise in our history. They told us the sky would fall in but we stepped once more unto the breach. Probably the best night, politically, of my entire life with such a swing in emotiions from the seeming defeat, which I found hard to believe having met so many leave voters, to a resounding victory.

Happy Brexit everyone!

Edited by Metropolis. on 21/04/2023 at 23:22

JRM now on GB News! - Adampr

I almost never visit the general discussion part of the forum, mostly because it doesn't appear on the app. But whilst I am here - Agree totally about GB news. It is so refreshing after all these years of lefty remainer media at Sky, BBC, ITV, 4, CNN etc. doing their level best to try and convince us that the UK becoming an independent country outside of the United States of Europe was/is a bad idea.

I do like JRM, but it is a pity he and so many others voted for a deal that separates Northern Ireland from the rest of the country. The whole Northern Ireland border issue was such a red herring. The EU was only interested in using it as a stick to beat us with and all politicians seemed to forget the pro-British part of NI. We were not going to build a border, the Irish Republic would not have built a border, the EU certainly weren't going to step in and build a border, it wasn't going to happen. A total non issue but our gullible politicians fell for it. Should have left and then negotiated a trade deal, if we wanted one, as an independent country. No deal? No problem.

Now Rishi has come back congratulating himself on negotiating a poor deal to trade within the UK. Maybe some day we will wake up and realise we are independent now and don't need to ask the overlords in Brussels for permission.

With all that said, I am still absolutely delighted we won the referendum, largest democratic excercise in our history. They told us the sky would fall in but we stepped once more unto the breach. Probably the best night, politically, of my entire life with such a swing in emotiions from the seeming defeat, which I found hard to believe having met so many leave voters, to a resounding victory.

Happy Brexit everyone!

What app?

JRM now on GB News! - Metropolis.
The Honest John app
JRM now on GB News! - Adampr
The Honest John app

What Honest John app?! I didn't know there was an app. I can't find it, could you tell me where it is please?

JRM now on GB News! - Xileno

There used to be an app for the Real MPG part of the site. I'm not aware of a general app. There is the option to switch between phone and desktop display, that's about it.

JRM now on GB News! - Metropolis.
Here is the app

apps.apple.com/gb/app/honestjohn-motoring-advice/i...2

You can see the forum on it, I only use it for that
JRM now on GB News! - Adampr
Here is the app apps.apple.com/gb/app/honestjohn-motoring-advice/i...2 You can see the forum on it, I only use it for that

Thanks for that. Only on iPhone, which is why I couldn't see it. I was hoping to avoid constantly logging in, but it seems not!

JRM now on GB News! - Metropolis.

Super cool you know Richard Tice, I will be voting for his party if they stand in my area. His party, and those that came before it, are the only things that seem to hold the Conservative Party's feet to the fire and keep them Conservative. Wouldn't have Brexit without UKIP! I believe most Conservative voters (and especially members) are more closely aligned to Reform UK, unlike the legions of so-called one-nation Conservatives that make up the MPs.

JRM now on GB News! - Terry W

I am a Tory - an admission a bit like a session at AA!. Will I be one at the next election - possibly not.

From my perspective:

  • NI was a problem waiting to happen deliberately kicked into the long grass by the Brexiteers
  • personal travel freedoms in EU now limited
  • small businesses have gone to the wall over the increased paperwork
  • trade deals - we have signed only three trade deals (Australia, New Zealand, Singapore) two of which have yet to come into force.

I struggle to think of a single positive thus far, and none on the horizon, although it is difficult to separate the impacts of Brexit from the pandemic and Ukraine war.

Brexit failed to quantify how success or failure would be judged - eg: comparative growth in GDP, employment levels, attracting high tech businesses etc. The UK public were sold a pup by Boris based on selective truths and the unsubstantiated.

BTW - I don't blame Brexiteers for the referendum outcome - the remain campaign was ineffectual.

JRM now on GB News! - skidpan

an admission a bit like a session at AA!.

At lest the AA has a purpose and helps some people.

Brexit was never going to do that, its only purpose was to get Boris into Downing Street.

JRM now on GB News! - misar

BTW - I don't blame Brexiteers for the referendum outcome - the remain campaign was ineffectual.

The remain campaign told the truth and were branded as doom mongers and liars by leave and their press overlords. The BBC dared to fact check the leave campaign lies and their staff were branded a bunch of leftie remainers.

JRM now on GB News! - Crickleymal

Where's the wet my pants laughing emoji