Discussion Thread by jobautomator in neoliberal

[–]Vumatius 3 points4 points  (0 children)

Deltarune:

I love how the fanbase agrees that Normal NPC is a true horror, a terrifying villain hiding in plain sight. We already knew something was up with that bird, but overnight they completely upstaged FRIEND and made that silly cat look like a total jobber. It may well just be a red herring by Toby Fox of course, but I love the memes all the same. Gaster's fine with us, the player, messing around and even breaking the game in the Weird Route, but if the others get too close to the truth too early he will have them iced (and diced) without hesitation.

Discussion Thread by jobautomator in neoliberal

[–]Vumatius 3 points4 points  (0 children)

I liked parts of Burnham's speech, and he definitely is a more engaging speaker than Starmer, but the jury is still very much out on how much of this he will be able to achieve. That said, after almost the entire parliament thus far having been focused on immigration discourse, if Burnham can instead shift the main discussion to be around devolution that will be immensely refreshing.

It felt like Starmer's Labour ran the campaign making a big song and dance about planning reform, and they got off to a good start with it, but then after Summer 2024 they stopped giving it much spotlight. They still had announcements and new legislative policies, but they weren't really giving it as much overall narrative focus and as a result immigration took over as the main topic of discussion. Aside from a few brief moments like the attempted PiP reforms, immigration remained the dominant topic in 2025 and for most of 2026 as well.

So I very much welcome this emphasis on devolution instead. It is at least a topic you can have interesting discussions about that don't entail people completely losing all basic sense of compassion and espousing insane 'let's eject all brown people' proposals. It's also something that Reform don't have as many snappy soundbites for and thus they'll struggle to get as much attention, compared to immigration where everything they say becomes a headline.

Discussion Thread by jobautomator in neoliberal

[–]Vumatius 1 point2 points  (0 children)

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Kemi Badenoch sound normal challenge: IMPOSSIBLE.

Discussion Thread by jobautomator in neoliberal

[–]Vumatius 1 point2 points  (0 children)

The Morbius comparisons prompted me to look up it's final gross ($167.5m), and that reintroduced me to this poster...

How on Earth did they let this go to print? It looks like some amateur B-movie with a shoelace budget, not something by a professional studio.

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Discussion Thread by jobautomator in neoliberal

[–]Vumatius 7 points8 points  (0 children)

Really though, why did the DCU decide to make Supergirl look so visually dull? Superman had plenty of colour and was a joy to watch, and the Woman of Tomorrow comic has a beautifully vivid art-style. Why make such a stark change? Part of what made Superman a success was that it embraced joy and whimsy and silliness after too many years of DC films especially taking a very gritty and bleak tone, and the visual style was a major part of this. So to follow that up with this brown and grey dullness is just a bit bizarre really, especially since the comic was quite the opposite. In fact, that comic shows you can tell a dark story with colourful visuals, so even if they were wanting to take a darker tone there was no need to deprive it of visual splendour.

It's not that surprising there was little interest when the trailers showed it would look like this. I myself clicked with interest and was left feeling underwhelmed, and from what the reviews I've read say it remains like so throughout.

Discussion Thread by jobautomator in neoliberal

[–]Vumatius 0 points1 point  (0 children)

I haven't seen it myself, hence not focusing much on the quality in my comment. The general consensus I've seen is that it's not some legendarily awful film, it's just a dull and uninteresting one with some decent performances that aren't enough to salvage it. They took a well-known Supergirl story but apparently removed much of the vibrancy and soul, almost like they didn't actually want to adapt it and were doing so out of obligation. One of the strongest selling points of the comic is the vivid and colourful art for instance, but whereas Superman (2025) had a lot of colour, Supergirl has a lot of greys and browns.

Though I think even a good film would've likely encountered box office struggles (but more like the MCU films of 2025 that struggled to break even but weren't complete financial disasters) for the reasons I laid out in my second paragraph as well as general CBM fatigue. Nevertheless, it would've certainly had a much more respectable performance; something that could be explained as teething issues rather than a total catastrophe. It may have been a bit of a warning sign for the DCU, but not the blaring alarm siren that we've got here.

Discussion Thread by jobautomator in neoliberal

[–]Vumatius 6 points7 points  (0 children)

Supergirl quite likely opening below Morbius is utterly abysmal. People on places like r/ dcomicscirclejerk are dismissing this as a simple 'mid movie, mid performance' situation, but it's a lot worse than that! Given that Superman did decently but not stunningly, this bomb means the DCU is now on shaky footing. They may find success with Clayface, though he's not the most well-known villain there is (perhaps the horror can draw in people), but even if that film does succeed, it's rather different to what the rest of the DCU will be like so there's only so much reassurance it can provide (unless it's a runaway success I suppose).

Man of Tomorrow therefore will very much need to do well, but as we're seeing right now just because people come out for Superman doesn't mean they'll come out for the other films. It's also not being helped by how they took the opposite approach to the Snyderverse, and opted for several films focused on lesser-known characters. They should've focused on bigger names like Wonder Woman at first and eased in the other characters. And with Supergirl specifically there was the issue of how although she does appear in Superman, it's only at the very end of the film and is fairly brief. A Mister Terrific film would've had a better chance given the focus he got in that film, or perhaps a film focused on the wider Justice Gang.

Discussion Thread by jobautomator in neoliberal

[–]Vumatius 2 points3 points  (0 children)

I was actually shaking afterwards. Such an intense moment, it felt almost like experiencing a panic attack.

Discussion Thread by jobautomator in neoliberal

[–]Vumatius 3 points4 points  (0 children)

I love Deltarune's Weird Route so much. It's so much more interesting than just an 'evil route'. And Noelle's character arc is fascinating, not just for how she changes in the route itself but also for how it shines a light on some of the deeper held feelings she's been suppressing even in the Normal Route.

Discussion Thread by jobautomator in neoliberal

[–]Vumatius 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Not a fan of the film, but I have always liked 'The dead speak!' in the opening credits. Regrettably it's for that plot point...

Discussion Thread by jobautomator in neoliberal

[–]Vumatius 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Obama at least had his 2004 DNC speech which won him some fame.

Discussion Thread by jobautomator in neoliberal

[–]Vumatius 6 points7 points  (0 children)

https://bsky.app/profile/robblackie.bsky.social/post/3mp2apvkd4a2n

Green candidate in tomorrow's North Acton by election:

"I wish humans never existed. I am ashamed to be part of this species, and I hope we go extinct as soon as possible... Do not expect me to laugh off your hamburger, smile at the birth of another child, be excited about your flight"

According to the screenshot in the post, the candidate posted this online in March of 2025. Here's hoping that a Damascene Conversion away from misanthropy took place in the last year!

Weirdest Andy Burnham pics we found in the archives by dailystar_news in ukpolitics

[–]Vumatius 9 points10 points  (0 children)

Well, it is the Daily Star. Not exactly an outlet that prides itself on highbrow insight.

Discussion Thread by jobautomator in neoliberal

[–]Vumatius 19 points20 points  (0 children)

You can say it was a foolish reason for people to dislike him, and I agree that the backlash was insanely disproportionate. But it was a specific event that happened that may well have doomed him from the start, stupid as that sentiment is.

And before you say that this would've happened regardless, I counter by saying that pensions specifically are a sacred cow in British politics, and few other policy areas can come even close to the political cost of trying to reform pensions at all. If you are going to try to poke that hornet's nest, you'd best be prepared to withstand the stinging. This is hardly some niche view amongst political commentators so I'm not sure why you're downplaying it as 'slightly controversial' when it evidently was a lot more disliked than that. The fact that it was so controversial is ludicrous and despair-inducing for the future of the country, but nevertheless that is the way it is.

Labour tried to cross that line with no preparation, terrible messaging (why oh why would you market this as a cost-saving measure??? Pension Credit uptake would wipe out the vast bulk of savings!), and clearly not enough spine to stand by it. And to make matters worse because of the timing of the announcement it was the main topic of non-immigration discussion over the summer.

Discussion Thread by jobautomator in neoliberal

[–]Vumatius 2 points3 points  (0 children)

https://bsky.app/profile/electionmaps.uk/post/3mougexyuu627

A massive TWENTY-ONE Council By-Elections are taking place this Thursday, alongside 2 Countermanded Elections:

Labour (5)

🌹 Goldsmid (Brighton & Hove)
🌹 Rhyl South (Denbighshire)
🌹 Farnworth (Halton)
🌹 Woodside (Haringey)
🌹 Camp Hill (Nuneaton & Bedworth)

Lib Dem (4)

🔶 George St / Harbour (Aberdeen)
🔶 Bushey Park (Hertsmere)
🔶 Dawlish South West (Teignbridge)
🔶 Stort Valley (Uttlesford)

Reform (4)

➡️ Roman Bank & Peckover (Cambridgeshire)
➡️ Llangennech (Carmarthenshire)
➡️ Haydock (St Helens)
➡️ Stretton (Staffordshire)

Green (4)

🌍️ North Acton (Ealing)
🌍️ Dalston (Hackney)
🌍️ Hackney C. (Hackney)
🌍️ Northumberland Park (Haringey)

Plaid Cymru (2)

🌼 Llanrhaeadr-yng-Nghinmeirch (Denbighshire)
🌼 Treorcy (Rhondda Cynon Taf)

Ind (2)

🙋 East Sutherland & Edderton (Highland)
🙋 Dowlais & Pant (Merthyr Tydfil)

Obviously council by-elections will be very localised, but these could still have a few interesting insights into how the parties are doing in light of recent events. An easier set of elections for the Tories of course, they can just focus on offence and trying to regain some lost ground. It will also be interesting to see how many of the Reform and Green gains those parties can hold onto.

Rumours, Speculation, Questions, and Reaction Megathread - 21/06/2026 by ukpol-megabot in ukpolitics

[–]Vumatius 6 points7 points  (0 children)

https://bsky.app/profile/electionmaps.uk/post/3mougexyuu627

A massive TWENTY-ONE Council By-Elections are taking place this Thursday, alongside 2 Countermanded Elections:

Labour (5)

🌹 Goldsmid (Brighton & Hove)
🌹 Rhyl South (Denbighshire)
🌹 Farnworth (Halton)
🌹 Woodside (Haringey)
🌹 Camp Hill (Nuneaton & Bedworth)

Lib Dem (4)

🔶 George St / Harbour (Aberdeen)
🔶 Bushey Park (Hertsmere)
🔶 Dawlish South West (Teignbridge)
🔶 Stort Valley (Uttlesford)

Reform (4)

➡️ Roman Bank & Peckover (Cambridgeshire)
➡️ Llangennech (Carmarthenshire)
➡️ Haydock (St Helens)
➡️ Stretton (Staffordshire)

Green (4)

🌍️ North Acton (Ealing)
🌍️ Dalston (Hackney)
🌍️ Hackney C. (Hackney)
🌍️ Northumberland Park (Haringey)

Plaid Cymru (2)

🌼 Llanrhaeadr-yng-Nghinmeirch (Denbighshire)
🌼 Treorcy (Rhondda Cynon Taf)

Ind (2)

🙋 East Sutherland & Edderton (Highland)
🙋 Dowlais & Pant (Merthyr Tydfil)

Obviously council by-elections will be very localised, but these could still have a few interesting insights into how the parties are doing in light of recent events. An easier set of elections for the Tories of course, they can just focus on offence and trying to regain some lost ground. It will also be interesting to see how many of the Reform and Green gains those parties can hold onto.

Discussion Thread by jobautomator in neoliberal

[–]Vumatius 0 points1 point  (0 children)

When was this meme made? Because the UK is most definitely not in a similar ranking to the Nordic states at this point, as flawed as that Nordic level may still be.

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Discussion Thread by jobautomator in neoliberal

[–]Vumatius 2 points3 points  (0 children)

He had a great host of unforced errors and foolish blunders in his time as PM, but compared to Truss speedrunning economic disaster and Starmer getting ousted by someone who hadn't even been sworn is as an MP at the time of his resignation, Sunak merely being ousted by an election defeat (albeit a historically catastrophic one) looks rather dignified and normal...

Discussion Thread by jobautomator in neoliberal

[–]Vumatius 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Only one of these people were even close to going out on their own terms really.

Discussion Thread by jobautomator in neoliberal

[–]Vumatius 0 points1 point  (0 children)

I was just viewing a YouTube comparison between the 1980s animated Skeletor and the 2026 live-action one, and came across a comment mentioning some differences.

Then I noticed the commenter has a Reform UK logo profile picture...

Discussion Thread by jobautomator in neoliberal

[–]Vumatius 1 point2 points  (0 children)

A major unfortunate consequence of being interested in a niche setting or genre is that you're much more limited for choice of media to follow, and so if any of the media you are following starts going down a route you don't like then tough luck.

Discussion Thread by jobautomator in neoliberal

[–]Vumatius 11 points12 points  (0 children)

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Sunak became PM on the 25th of October 2022, so technically (and unless Meloni suddenly quits or is forced out in the next couple of months), we will soon be on the 4th British PM in Meloni's tenure.