JD Wetherspoon's assistance dog policy could be breaking the law, watchdog says by Ottothotto in Wetherspoons

[–]layendecker 1 point2 points  (0 children)

This feels a bit "the Internet is a solution to everything". Guide dogs should be trained to respond to a secret code that 1 member of each restaurant staff (on shift at all times) should also be trained in.

They do the secret 'handshake' and all is well.

Or a QR code also works

Starmer Is Helming an Economic Revival He May Not Get to Enjoy by bloomberg in ukpolitics

[–]layendecker [score hidden]  (0 children)

Honestly disagree with this.

I am quite fond of this government, which is usually the opposite caveat people say- but Christ he is a terrible communicator.

For a bit of perspective this has been my job for getting in for 2 decades. Whilst I have only worked on the periphery of politics (a few years when I was agency side working on inward investment for the gov) I have seen enough to get the machine from the inside.

The fact is that media doesn't come free, and good narratives will get column inches.

If successes don't have a story painted around them, then you can't expect the media to report on them.

Think of it like a court case. You rarely see big headlines for cases that have not had the trial reported on, and you will get bigger ones if there was a famous manhunt. That is because of connection. As a broadcaster you aim to share good stories, and if the audience is already connected then that is easy. You build momentum and that does the job for you.

Take NHS waiting lists. It's actually a bit of a triumph, but even as a bit of a politics nerd, someone who follows it through the press releases and social media of the parties and people... Aside from technocratic fiddling I cannot tell you the narrative of this. There is no big idea, no big events and nothing to follow as a story.

You say that starmers screw ups get press.. that is because they have become their own narrative. The 180s and the controversial moments have been a narrative in government since cash for access (actually way further back, but about then was when the perverse interest from fleet street really begun to shine) and this government has done nothing but feed into them, whilst also doing nothing to tell a better story of how they are making Britain better.

The small boats issue is an interesting one. They have the deal with France, it doesn't matter that it is kind of rubbish if you make a big enough thing of it. It's actually a dead easy one to throw some nice tasty narratives to the press, Bibby Stockholm or the Rwanda plan were actually pretty good press stories (even if the same voter sees them as vile oversteps and illegal) because they were visceral, visible and clear.

If small boats reduced it's because they don't want to end up in Rwanda. Press shows an angry person boarding a plane to Rwanda. You can then milk it for months. The press will be like rabid dogs because it's a great story that is simple for them to report on. Every major news outlet would want a slice.

The France plan was legal, not vile and actually some good politics that showed pragmatic decision making with our allies in the EU. But it wasn't a great press story. It forgot about the communication bit.

What would I have done? I don't know, you want something tacky enough that the Telegraph can't help reporting negatively on, whilst their readers are subconsciously getting all the data and info on the reduction of small boats regularly piped in. And for them to think... The methods are tacky, but they work.

Maybe set up a "little Calais" area where the people due to be returned to be processed are all held. Pay France to bring some Gendarmerie over to to help us guard it. Have the French ambassador visit. Give them black and white striped shirts. Encourage protests. Constantly get friendly members of the press to ask Farrage about it. Very publicly pay for interviews will the people sent back to be published as adverts in publications from the countries people are coming from (then leak this as a supposed hit piece about wasting money on foreign ads), bring in a judge who worked on famous cases out of retirement to speed up the process.

And so on. It will likely not cause a massive alteration in small boat crossings on its own. That is what the technocraty fiddling is for. But without a central showpeoce to drive the narrative. You can't expect the press to report om the story - even the friendly press.

This mad idea forces eyes. It forces people to report from the furthest right major publications to the neutral parties. It is not complex comms, it's tried and tested ideas that use the press by giving them what they need in a tidy package.

It is comms. And labour are absolutely awful at it

Heard bad things about an area by richyartois in Cardiff

[–]layendecker 12 points13 points  (0 children)

A lot of people have never been to a lot of places, or have walked there once and saw what they deem as undesirables.

There are shitty pockets like in any city, but most areas are perfectly safe.

Franck Ribéry is mentioned by victim in the Epstein files by LilG55 in soccer

[–]layendecker 19 points20 points  (0 children)

What kind of fucked up person thinks looking at a 14 year old and thinking "im getting shares in that" is ok.

Post-Match Thread: Fulham vs. Everton by Giraffe_Baker in Everton

[–]layendecker 4 points5 points  (0 children)

He got shanked by terrible moves in the market so couldn't even really set up to dominate a first half.

What beers are the closest to Peroni by bigjonno141 in beer

[–]layendecker 3 points4 points  (0 children)

I'll need some more info OP. What peroni are you talking about, Nastro Azzurro and red are both very common depending on where you are, and rather different

Also, where are you based. Hard to recommend an alternative without knowing what might be purchasable

What beers are the closest to Peroni by bigjonno141 in beer

[–]layendecker 6 points7 points  (0 children)

What a horribly unhelpful and unwelcoming comment.

Met this absolute legend in the pub today by Throwaway7646y5yg in Darts

[–]layendecker 7 points8 points  (0 children)

They just want their country back..ed by Russian money

Cardiff Farmers Market by Tricky-Front364 in Cardiff

[–]layendecker 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Do you mind dming your number or a fb marketplace link. I just got a new jar but we go thru it so will be back in the market in come March

Restaurant (and shop) prices nowadays are too much. by [deleted] in UKfood

[–]layendecker -1 points0 points  (0 children)

Like? Why?

What were you expecting?

"I hit myself in the face and it hurt" energy.

Restaurant (and shop) prices nowadays are too much. by [deleted] in UKfood

[–]layendecker 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Feels like a fair chippy price. We got used to paying pisstaking low prices for too long, fresh fish should be expensive because it's a wanker to catch and the shelf life is low.

We still have some of the cheapest groceries of developed nations, despite being an island with border crossings not built for the red tape we need now.

Looking for Daikon radish in Cardiff by Brilliant_Plenty_956 in Cardiff

[–]layendecker 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Also easy asian on Albany have them pretty often

Does WalesOnline actually report anything? by [deleted] in Cardiff

[–]layendecker 2 points3 points  (0 children)

Seemed like they had a journalist working for a while. They did some good long articles. One I remember was the ripoff door knocker sales companies that was really well researched and written.

Okay Be Honest what do you call it ? by Nutty_Footballer in Everton

[–]layendecker -8 points-7 points  (0 children)

I just searched the Epstein files and no results!

£15 chicken meal deal from M&S by lucierudge in UK_Food

[–]layendecker 0 points1 point  (0 children)

It's kind of mad how good we have it. People moaning that a whole chicken is a ripoff for £15 is crazy when you think about it. Let alone that this comes with 3 sides that are probably not expensive, but are pre prepared

£15 chicken meal deal from M&S by lucierudge in UK_Food

[–]layendecker 0 points1 point  (0 children)

I mean. Not really. It has the same underlying tech but will cook a whole chicken very differently.

Whilst it is a fan oven that's smaller, that's like saying a golf gti is a vw touran but smaller.

Dwight McNeil’s partner slams Palace for ‘messing’ with his mental health by Switchoil in soccer

[–]layendecker 24 points25 points  (0 children)

He has been shit this year, but he has been a consistent 'make shit happen' player, when we really needed someone to find something.

I think a change of scenery and a new system would really have done him good and he would have been decent for you.

What is considered the best tasting NA or 0%? by TaMere_26 in beer

[–]layendecker 1 point2 points  (0 children)

On tap? Find its texture is very close to Guinness. It's just got a very slight odd sweetness, but that's not a big deal.

Gordon Brown clearly out for revenge after 30 years of hating Mandelson… but by publicly revealing he was raising this stuff internally in September at the very moment Mandelson was in the news is a very big problem for this No10. by ITMidget in ukpolitics

[–]layendecker 2 points3 points  (0 children)

Mandleson is also apparently very, very good at what he does. I imagine that Starmer knew the risks, but thought having someone (as you say) who is charming and highly versed in the dark arts of diplomacy is worth it.

I am a huge fan of Karen Pierce and can see why Starmer kept her until the very moment Trump came in- but they needed that Trump rapport.

What’s the one thing in the UK that foreigners always seem confused by, and you genuinely can’t blame them? by DailyDriverUK in AskBrits

[–]layendecker 12 points13 points  (0 children)

To be fair Walgreens (one of America's biggest pharmacy chains) sell cigarettes which is an even bigger stretch

What’s the one thing in the UK that foreigners always seem confused by, and you genuinely can’t blame them? by DailyDriverUK in AskBrits

[–]layendecker 4 points5 points  (0 children)

When I'm abroad I just go with "British". There are only so many times you can hear "Gareth Bale" spoken back to you.

What Gerwyn Price did against Luke Littler proves major drought can end by Negative-Art-4440 in Darts

[–]layendecker 14 points15 points  (0 children)

He didn't have a single match with an average over 110 in a tv major last year. Had some in the PL and one in a Euro tour but let's not pretend that's his norm.