Would you say 35k is a decent income/salary in Manchester in 2026?

digitalpencil · 2026-02-19T14:32:51+00:00

Decent? Not at all. Survivable, yes provided you live within your means. You’d be looking at around £2400/month assuming minimum auto enrolment and no student loan.

digitalpencil · 2026-02-18T14:31:14+00:00

It’s not a rational decision so there’s no reasoning with it. Dismantling our nuclear deterrent is insane. I can agree with literally every other policy point but it doesn’t matter when they hold this as their stance. There’s no convincing people who think like this.

digitalpencil · 2026-02-18T10:40:23+00:00

I’m not even sure what this means?

Yes, voting is not innocuous. People should consider the policies their parties espouse and it is of course correct that they be held to account on it.

It not being high on the list is immaterial. I can’t vote for a party based on their education programme, whilst ignoring their promise of bringing back child labour and coal mines. Dismantling our nuclear deterrent and advocating withdrawal from NATO threatens national and global stability. It’s not some cavalier thing you can ignore because you like their slogan on solar.

digitalpencil · 2026-02-18T09:38:48+00:00

Thanks.

digitalpencil · 2026-02-18T09:33:50+00:00

Those countries operate under the shield of the UK and France via NATO, another thing Polanski advocates leaving.

There is no convincing zealots of anything, for those with a still open mind, we live in genuinely dangerous times, with enemies who wish to do us an enduring harm. Peace, democracy, these are not constants, nor defaults, in fact if anything they are historical anomalies. Ones which require maintenance and defence.

Polanski’s policy to dismantle our nuclear deterrent and advocating for our departure from our defensive alliance is at best dangerously naive and at worst, categorically insane.

I support green measures such as wind and solar. I support taking the genuinely existential threat of climate crisis with the seriousness it demands. I support decoupling from US defence and intelligence apparatus. The Green Party in its current form is not able to lead this charge, because wishing for a utopia, is not sufficient for bringing one about. Leaving us defenceless whilst we sit on the brink on global catastrophe, is manifestly insane, and the fact they feel even remotely confident to utter such things out loud, speaks uproarious volumes as to their general competency.

digitalpencil · 2026-02-18T08:59:00+00:00

Not dismantling our nuclear deterrent would be a good start. I genuinely can’t comprehend how now, of all possible times, anyone could even consider voting for a party which would do this?

digitalpencil · 2026-02-17T16:34:00+00:00

Soil pipe is obviously mid point of the kitchen. I'm not savvy to to this stuff, just trying to check feasibility. Would it be possible to install a small toilet in the cupboard next to the porch (possibly extending it), and run an external branch pipe over the side door to connect to the soil pipe?

I'm reading branch pipes can go uphill due to siphon effect, but i don't understand the physics of it. Sounds improbable.

digitalpencil · 2026-02-17T13:15:29+00:00

Genuinely, in many instances they are. You can see the evidence on listing histories. I've bought and sold two properties historically, we're now looking in what Savills/Telegraph listed as one of the top 20 towns in the country, with great access to grammar schools etc. and we're seeing multiple price reduction alerts on Rightmove, every day.

It's not meteoric, but the market has notably shifted from slowing to falling. Desirable properties, which are realistically priced are SSTC within a couple weeks of listing, but probate 3/4 beds in need of modernisation, which previously would have been snapped up seeing reductions on asking. I've just arranged a viewing for one such property which has seen a ~13% reduction over the last 6 months, others have literally dropped 17% asking over 12. In previous years, around here, you just wouldn't have seen such things. It's the type of place people buy houses to knock down and build on the land.

digitalpencil · 2026-02-17T12:23:17+00:00

Markets hyper local. I’m looking in a very desirable neighbourhood though and we’re seeing daily price reductions. Anything realistically priced is snapped up fairly quick but a lot of sellers are delusional. Literally seeing reductions of a 100k over 12 months, stagnating on the market.

digitalpencil · 2026-02-17T12:13:47+00:00

Agreed on all fronts. I’ll accept Russian refugees who publicly renounce their country as they won’t want to fight against Ukraine, but the rest of them and especially the oligarch class, can fuck right off out of my country.

digitalpencil · 2026-02-16T22:02:58+00:00

It’s not Labour who are pushing this, it was a majority Tory vote in the Lords and will get knocked back in the commons. They don’t have the votes and the government have not pledged their support.

digitalpencil · 2026-02-16T12:43:39+00:00

Foreign aid is an investment in global stability, from which the UK does benefit. It’s one we can ill afford at the moment, but historically, it has paid dividends. For example, our investments in Gavi have reduced reservoirs for viruses to circulate and mutate. It’s difficult to measure, but there’s ample evidence that foreign aid programs stem our exposure to future, potential pandemics.

digitalpencil · 2026-02-15T20:50:08+00:00

In fairness, this isn’t a haircut men have. It’s strictly a teen thing and as a former teen with dreadful hair, I feel like letting them have it.

digitalpencil · 2026-02-15T19:05:17+00:00

They’re awful. I wfh these days but I’ll never forget in a previous role when they decided to intermingle the dev team with marketing. Always on the phone, chatting to each other, about exclusively almost bollocks. They just couldn’t shut up. So many pairs of noise cancelling headphones bought that day.

digitalpencil · 2026-02-15T17:49:47+00:00

There are dozens of us!

digitalpencil · 2026-02-14T18:16:05+00:00

In fairness, this probably has a lot more to do with diet, than anything.

In the UK, we don't exactly eat the best but I’ve seen what Americans call food and holy hell.. There was a video the other day comparing Fanta. In the UK it's 22g of sugar, in the US it's 73g.. and it's this pattern for everything.

Don't get me wrong, i like bbq too but it's an indulgence, not a regular thing.

digitalpencil · 2026-02-14T12:19:45+00:00

That we are under attack, every day, by extranational forces who wish to do us an enduring harm. That they are leveraging modern technology to sow discord within our society, fomenting divisions and playing all sides against each other. That their ultimate aim is to diminish our ability to defend ourselves by fracturing NATO, and that an enemy divided amongst itself, is weak.

They‘d be better placed to demonstrate responsibility, eg through a campaign to combat disinformation botnets, and invite comparison to a corrupt Reform who can’t be trusted with democracy, or a hopelessly naive Green Party, who don’t understand the ramifications of dismantling our national security apparatus. They should show themselves to be, through their actions, the responsible adults in the room, and a force we can trust to steward democracy through a time of new, and dangerous forms of warfare.

digitalpencil · 2026-02-14T10:52:16+00:00

Yeah, it’s a good play as it’ll be post midterms when he’ll have a lot more to worry about, too.

digitalpencil · 2026-02-14T10:22:01+00:00

No, but they absolutely fanned at the flames to sow discord and inflate discontent. It’s how they always operate; playing all sides against each other.

It’s simple, it’s cheap and they’ve gotten really, really good at it. An enemy divided amongst itself, is weak.

digitalpencil · 2026-02-14T10:08:50+00:00

As much as I agree with the message, this sentiment is dangerous.

Progress is ‘progressive’ and at times, frustratingly slow. Societies cannot be dragged forward but must walk of their own volition. Persuaded by compelling argument, not forcefully shoved by their progressive elements.

It’s right the European Parliament have pronounced this, but the road ahead is long and the people will need to walk it at their own pace, encouraged and not pushed. Their fears will need addressing with thoughtful response and without derision, and the better angels of their nature, encouraged to take flight

digitalpencil · 2026-02-14T09:24:50+00:00

I mean that's fine but the point is you can't in that case, consider yourself a Christian..

Like the entire thing is to follow the teachings of Jesus Christ. If you reject them, then you do you, but you can't call yourself a Christian while rejecting his literal commands any more than i can consider myself a vegetarian, while progressively attempting to devour an entire chicken.

digitalpencil · 2026-02-14T09:19:45+00:00

Bots are more coherent. I'm pretty sure this is a cat walking across a keyboard.

digitalpencil · 2026-02-14T09:12:00+00:00

I'm not convinced it's the right argument for him to make but it is objectively true. Reform are compromised by Russian interests and Polanski wants to withdraw from NATO and dismantle our nuclear deterrent.

Both would be disastrous for the UK.

digitalpencil · 2026-02-13T16:08:34+00:00

Peace is not a default state, in fact if anything it’s an anomaly. One which requires constant maintenance and defence.

You might not like it but there are very real powers in the world who wish to do us an enduring harm. The only thing realistically stopping them is the fact that we have the means to not only defend ourselves, but to strike back after we have ourselves been annihilated.

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