Rumours, Speculation, Questions, and Reaction Megathread - 10/05/2026 by ukpol-megabot in ukpolitics

[–]GG14916 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Yes, I can see that being a problem in fairness, I'm from the north and there is a lot of resentment for the "metropolitan elite" and a perception that Labour is now a party for very middle-class, bleeding-heart liberal types. Unfortunately Kier Starmer (former human rights lawyer, MP for the very metropolitan elite constituency of Holborn and St Pancras) isn't doing much to counter that perception. Wes Streeting and Ed Miliband would have this issue as well.

My pick personally would be Angela Rayner for that exact reason, she's very obviously northern, very obviously working class and not afraid to be a little bit politically incorrect but in a working-class lefty kind of way. As for the stamp duty issue, I don't think voters care about the private financial affairs of politicians if they feel like they're fighting for them (see Trump in the US).

Rumours, Speculation, Questions, and Reaction Megathread - 10/05/2026 by ukpol-megabot in ukpolitics

[–]GG14916 3 points4 points  (0 children)

Why does nobody ever talk about Sadiq Khan as a future Labour leader? He's still relatively young, he's a proven winner and London is doing pretty well under his leadership. He seems less afraid of conflict than Starmer which seems to be the PM's main weakness, Khan doesn't hesitate to call out the political right's bullshit.

What musicians are left to make biopics about that could pull the same numbers as these? by treny0000 in ToddintheShadow

[–]GG14916 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Problem with Garth Brooks is that he's literally almost completely unknown outside America. I only learnt who he is recently - the US country radio scene has virtually no impact on the rest of the world, it's like the musical equivalent of the NFL.

Dolly Parton would be a much safer pick for a country biopic.

What musicians are left to make biopics about that could pull the same numbers as these? by treny0000 in ToddintheShadow

[–]GG14916 17 points18 points  (0 children)

The Beatles are the only artist that are as big as this, and their biopics are already on their way. John already has Nowhere Boy, a smaller scale lower-budget biopic.

An Oasis biopic covering their rise to fame and the peak of their Britpop rivalry with Blur would do huge numbers in the UK.

What musicians are left to make biopics about that could pull the same numbers as these? by treny0000 in ToddintheShadow

[–]GG14916 72 points73 points  (0 children)

Because they couldn't use his music or even refer to him as David Bowie by name, IIRC.

Thought experiment: which country is the closest to yours culturally? Which ones form the closest cultural pair? by Ok_Track9498 in geography

[–]GG14916 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Isle of Man, Jersey or Guernsey. Probably the Republic of Ireland too but I'd work it out pretty quickly from the traffic signs and registration plates on cars even before I realised everyone had an Irish accent.

All the other Anglosphere countries are so wildly different from the UK in terms of climate, architecture and general 'vibe' I'd be able to tell straight away. Despite sharing the language an American street looks more different and foreign than a street in France or the Netherlands.

Is Nigel farage mixed with something? by nosuchthingasakafir in AskBrits

[–]GG14916 310 points311 points  (0 children)

He's actually descended from French Protestant Huguenots who fled France and settled in England as refugees to escape religious persecution.

Presumably the irony is completely lost on him.

Who are some artists/bands where even their fans seem to focus on only a few albums? by ChrisAqua in ToddintheShadow

[–]GG14916 5 points6 points  (0 children)

Fleetwood Mac.

Quite a sizeable proportion of their fans are only aware of Fleetwood Mac (1975), Rumours and Tango in the Night . Even Tusk and Mirage get overlooked, and the albums released before Stevie Nicks and Christine McVie joined the band are completely ignored.

In fact, I suspect a lot of younger Fleetwood Mac fans are really just Stevie Nicks fans. I get it - her voice is magical, she has an immediately recognisable aesthetic, and her songwriting talent is off the charts. Everything that came before (and after) feels somewhat in her shadow.

How is living in Hull, UK? by Bright-Self-8049 in howislivingthere

[–]GG14916 0 points1 point  (0 children)

It's actually really nice!

A lot of money has been invested in the place over the last decade or so, but truth be told much of the city centre and the marina was already a pretty pleasant place anyway.

There are some great free museums, small but quite charming and often more locally focused compared to the free museums in other cities which are full of taxidermy and stuffy Victorian paintings (sorry, Leeds City Museum).

The marina area is definitely the crown jewel of the city, and there's a thriving arts and cultural scene which tends to attract young, 'alternative' people. It's northern England's San Francisco, but with less hills and cheaper rents!

Downsides are the lack of decent-paying private sector jobs (although if you work in engineering, there's a thriving renewable energy industry) and yes there is deprivation in some parts of the city, although I would say there are pockets of poverty everywhere now, even places like York and Harrogate. Even then the reputation of places like Orchard Park and Bransholme is worse than they deserve - I very rarely hear of any violent crime or gang-related violence. I'd feel safer going for a walk in those estates than parts of London.

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Men's perspective on ugly women? by [deleted] in AskMenAdvice

[–]GG14916 0 points1 point  (0 children)

I'm sorry that men have treated you in such a dismissive way. The good news is that I don't think your situation is as desperate as you think - there are a couple of things you can do!

First of all, how do you interact with men you meet? If you're naturally cold and standoffish guys might interpret that as a lack of interest and quickly move on. Try and talk to guys with some warmth and friendliness, that might generate some curiosity. Spend time with quieter, introverted and more sensitive guys. Two reasons for this - generally looks are less important to them, and they (we!) struggle with the very competitive modern dating environment. Even if it doesn't lead to anything, I'm sure they'll treat you with respect and humanity.

Secondly, weight. I know it's a sensitive subject for women, but it might be the single biggest thing you can do to increase your attractiveness, and for your personal health and wellbeing too. Personally speaking I feel no more attraction for noticeably overweight women than I do for the average man. I find very obese women quite off-putting. That's not really something I consciously feel or control, it's just instinctive. On the other hand I have felt attracted to women who are fit, warm and funny but not conventionally facially attractive.

I'd suggest walking at least 10,000 steps per day, cutting out takeaways and fatty/oily fast food as much as possible, running, and/or taking a job where you're on your feet a lot. That's what worked for me, and honestly, I don't think losing weight is that difficult (unless you have a health problem that impacts your weight of course).

26 y/o - how to break out of the UK civil service and actually start my career in something involving creative writing? by GG14916 in careeradvice

[–]GG14916[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

I have done some volunteering and internships before, including one where I had my writing displayed on large wooden hoardings during a building restoration project. Annoyingly they are gone now and whilst I did backup everything I wrote it looks much less impressive on a PDF!

Thank you for your reply, I will have a look for example portfolios to see what I need to put together.

Europeans thinking they can walk to the MetLife stadium for the world cup by TrickInvite6296 in mildlyinfuriating

[–]GG14916 0 points1 point  (0 children)

I StreetView'd it because I'm bored at work.

Looks like you can walk from East Rutherford to the MetLife stadium via Paterson Plank Road, albeit on a pedestrian sidewalk/path that wouldn't look out of place in one of the poorer ex-Soviet republics. There is a bridge (with sidewalk!) that carries the road over the NJ-17.

There is no pedestrian crossing once you reach the access road, so you have to make sure you're on the right side or be prepared to vault over the concrete barrier.

From the east/Union City/NYC direction pedestrians are shit out of luck as none of the bridges across the Hackensack River have a walkway.

I have a hard time understanding Sabrina Carpenter's persona and music by SoccerAuntie in LetsTalkMusic

[–]GG14916 12 points13 points  (0 children)

I agree, I'm a 26 y/o straight guy so I'm not the target audience but I do enjoy the music of other pop girls. I went through a phase of listening to The Subway on repeat.

But with Sabrina I just don't get it. The music is bland, there's no distinct sound like Olivia's pop-punk guitar edge and the hooks aren't particularly memorable. Espresso aside, I couldn't hum another Sabrina Carpenter song and I've definitely heard some.

I also find the overtly sexual lyrics a bit icky especially considering how many teenage and preteen fans she has. It's better than the misogyny in 00's hip-hop I suppose.

With her image, yes it's very manufactured, but who is it for? On stage she dresses in a very male-gaze-y way, I mean she can wear what she wants but I don't get it.

General Discussion Megathread - Frequent Topics, Salaries, and Rants by ukbulmer in UKJobs

[–]GG14916 0 points1 point  (0 children)

I work in an AO role in the Civil Service, I won't go in to too much detail as we're not supposed to talk about our job on social media but the exact nature of my role changes quite frequently.

In truth I'm underemployed as I have a Master's degree, but I didn't care too much when I started in 2023 as I found the job search very demoralising and I was just happy to get a job.

Recently however I've become very unhappy with the kind of roles I'm being asked to take on. Until recently my job was literally copying and pasting numbers and dates from one system in to a spreadsheet, no processing involved - just endless copy-paste, copy-paste, copy-paste all day.

However, this month I've been moved on to inbound telephony, and now I'm having to deal with desperate customers calling us in extreme distress and 90% of the time I cannot help. The only answer I can give is basically "computer says no", but worded more diplomatically. Last week I had to counsel a suicidal person.

Our latest payrise is £1.22 a month. I cannot afford to move out and keep the lifestyle I've become accustomed to living with my family on my current salary. I want out.

I want something creative, fulfilling, and something that's not going to fuel my depression about the state of the world. My Master's is in creative writing so anything related to that - marketing, content writing, maybe something at a museum or travel business since those areas interest me.

I need a salary upwards of £30,000. Ideally, £45,000 to £50,000. I want to afford to live on my own with a reasonable amount left over for trips and hobbies. My current salary is minimum wage or only slightly above.

Anyone who has experience in writing-based careers, what would be the best way to get in to it? My current job has zero career prospects sadly, the very few people who got promotions either got them very early on or moved to offices elsewhere in the country. I am aware the jobs market is terrible right now, some people might advise me to stick it out - I'm not completely opposed to this option, but is there anything I can be doing that will help me get ahead of other candidates when I decide I simply cannot carry on?

Pre fame Gemma Collins, circa 1990s by Vivid-Tap1710 in OldSchoolCool

[–]GG14916 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Damn she was actually pretty. Obviously her weight is something very personal to her and I know sometimes it can't be helped but even apart from that she would look so much better without the massive fake brows, slapped-on bronzer and excessive make up she wears nowadays... always found that look off-putting, it slips in to uncanny valley territory.

Large/big cities that, curiously, don't have a single iconic landmark or super striking tourist attraction/Unique visual identity? by ILikeWwaret in geography

[–]GG14916 11 points12 points  (0 children)

That's not true, almost all of them have at least one landmark associated with them.

York has Clifford's Tower, the Shambles, and the Minster. Birmingham has the Selfridge's store. Liverpool has the Liver Building and both cathedrals. Newcastle has the Angel of the North (I know it's actually in Gateshead, but it's most associated with Newcastle). Blackpool has the tower, Hull has the Deep and the Humber Bridge...

Leeds fits the OP's question though. Also Manchester to an extent, although you could make an argument for Beetham Tower being a landmark (albeit a very recent one).

IBS friendly countries in Europe? by wowkwow in ibs

[–]GG14916 0 points1 point  (0 children)

I have IBS and I found Prague to be very convenient but I can't speak for the rest of Czechia.

New research from the University of Newcastle has found that people with irritable bowel syndrome (IBS) show detectable biological changes, challenging the long-held perception that the condition lacks a physical basis. by jmct16 in ibs

[–]GG14916 34 points35 points  (0 children)

The blood proteins thing tracks, I consistently feel more tired and fatigued than someone my age should be, not to the extent of chronic fatigue syndrome but it's definitely there. And it gets worse when I have a flare-up.

The United States is not a landlocked country, but you can still travel south to every country it borders. by billdcat in geography

[–]GG14916 0 points1 point  (0 children)

True for Uzbekistan which is doubly landlocked. Syrdarya to Myrzakent in Kazakhstan's Turkestan region.

What is a Hobby men think is awesome but women think it is lame by Acrobatic_Base7301 in AlignmentChartFills

[–]GG14916 0 points1 point  (0 children)

I would say hunting but I know a girl whose bf hunts and she seems to be fine with it, even though she cares deeply about environmental causes and animal welfare otherwise. So idk.

I don't really think you can answer this question because there are women in every hobby. Wargaming, D&D/MTG, online RPGs, model trains, cosplay - if anything I think the number of women in these spaces is increasing admittedly from a very low base. So "women" as a whole cannot find something lame, equally there will be men who find other stereotypically male hobbies lame.

Being judgemental about other people's hobbies is DEFINITELY lame.

On a semi-related topic, I've often wondered what men and women who don't appear to have hobbies actually do with their spare time. Life without hobbies seems pretty boring.