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https://news.sky.com/story/row-over-new-greggs-vegan-sausage-rolls-heats-up-11597679 (https://archive.ph/5Ba6o)

A heated row has broken out over a move by Britain's largest bakery chain to launch a vegan sausage roll.

The pastry, which is filled with a meat substitute and encased in 96 pastry layers, is available in 950 Greggs stores across the country.

It was promised after 20,000 people signed a petition calling for the snack to be launched to accommodate plant-based diet eaters.


But the vegan sausage roll's launch has been greeted by a mixed reaction: Some consumers welcomed it, while others voiced their objections.

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spread happiness@p4leandp1nk
https://twitter.com/p4leandp1nk/status/1080767496569974785

#VEGANsausageroll thanks Greggs
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7
10:07 AM - Jan 3, 2019
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Cook and food poverty campaigner Jack Monroe declared she was "frantically googling to see what time my nearest opens tomorrow morning because I will be outside".

While TV writer Brydie Lee-Kennedy called herself "very pro the Greggs vegan sausage roll because anything that wrenches veganism back from the 'clean eating' wellness folk is a good thing".

One Twitter user wrote that finding vegan sausage rolls missing from a store in Corby had "ruined my morning".

Another said: "My son is allergic to dairy products which means I can't really go to Greggs when he's with me. Now I can. Thank you vegans."

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pg often@pgofton
https://twitter.com/pgofton/status/1080772793774624768

The hype got me like #Greggs #Veganuary

42
10:28 AM - Jan 3, 2019
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TV presenter Piers Morgan led the charge of those outraged by the new roll.

"Nobody was waiting for a vegan bloody sausage, you PC-ravaged clowns," he wrote on Twitter.

Mr Morgan later complained at receiving "howling abuse from vegans", adding: "I get it, you're all hangry. I would be too if I only ate plants and gruel."

Another Twitter user said: "I really struggle to believe that 20,000 vegans are that desperate to eat in a Greggs."

"You don't paint a mustach (sic) on the Mona Lisa and you don't mess with the perfect sausage roll," one quipped.

Journalist Nooruddean Choudry suggested Greggs introduce a halal steak bake to "crank the fume levels right up to 11".

The bakery chain told concerned customers that "change is good" and that there would "always be a classic sausage roll".

It comes on the same day McDonald's launched its first vegetarian "Happy Meal", designed for children.

The new dish comes with a "veggie wrap", instead of the usual chicken or beef option.
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It should be noted that Piers Morgan and Greggs share the same PR firm, so I'm thinking this is some serious faux outrage and South Park KKK gambiting here.
 
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FedPostalService said:
Those old school working class guys you dealt are being drummed out of the union movement. It’s danger haired gender blobs all the way down now.
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The old school guys had more power than they realised. My dad was involved - not for unions but for local political stuff, and he retired years back. He always said he felt like he spent most of that time (all unpaid, he had a job as well) banging his head against a wall trying to fix things for people locally. But now that a few years have passed and things have gone badly downhill, he says he can see the good he did (and he did do good locally, he wasn’t a politician, just a regular working man who got involved with stuff.) he also says he realises now how much power is local, and how the idiocy that’s pushed nowadays wouldn’t have stood a chance when he and his ilk were there too.
It’s really important to get involved locally - even just a few people who are sensible can make a difference
 
Snekposter said:
You could probably nuke all of Scotland and the survivors would thank you for making the place nicer to live in.
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If I remember what a friend told me correctly, Govanhill was getting to be quite a nice place to live but the residents started voting Tory, so the council started dumping all the Romanian gypsies there to force any Tory voter to move.
 
FedPostalService said:
If I remember what a friend told me correctly, Govanhill was getting to be quite a nice place to live but the residents started voting Tory, so the council started dumping all the Romanian gypsies there to force any Tory voter to move.
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Your friend is correct. It was an absolute pit, then it was getting gentrified, and then they dumped a load of Roma there who have been found sex trafficking children and even babies. And now it’s a pit again.
Our rulers hate us
 
Has anyone been following the ASDA tribunal hearing about equal pay? It's really concerning and could have potentially disastrous implications for businesses and employment moving forward.

Essentially it boils down to the idea of a job grading/banding system and goes back to around 2008. Warehouse staff are paid more than retail staff. Warehouse staff are predominately male, while retail staff are predominately female. The argument that is getting made is not about "equal pay for equal work" (male and female warehouse staff are paid the same) but "equal pay for work of equal value" (i.e. "retail staff are just as valuable as warehouse staff") and that paying the female-dominated job less than the male-dominated job is therefore sexism.

I've written before about how this impacted Birmingham Council and how job grading creates inescapable bureaucratic limitations, but basically if this gets upheld at tribunal it will force private sector to mirror public sector structures... so you can't offer additional pay or perks for jobs you're finding it hard to recruit for (or where you can't hold onto good employees), and likely will limit performance-linked pay. Furthermore it could even create stupid situations where e.g. you can't offer office grunts paid overtime to deal with a surge in demand because the "equal value" receptionist is unable to do paid overtime and so you're "discriminating". To an extent this is already a bit in play at very large corporations, but this may well set the tone for SMEs around the UK.
 
I'm really starting to lean towards just upping sticks and leaving the UK. The downwards spiral just keeps accelerating and the only thing that was really keeping me here has now got to the point where it's worse than some 3rd world options I've used in the past. The question is where though, most other Anglosphere countries are also somewhere on that downwards spiral too. Maybe take a risk on an upward moving shithole country? I dunno.
 
AssignedEva said:
Essentially it boils down to the idea of a job grading/banding system and goes back to around 2008. Warehouse staff are paid more than retail staff. Warehouse staff are predominately male, while retail staff are predominately female. The argument that is getting made is not about "equal pay for equal work" (male and female warehouse staff are paid the same) but "equal pay for work of equal value" (i.e. "retail staff are just as valuable as warehouse staff") and that paying the female-dominated job less than the male-dominated job is therefore sexism.
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If you're thinking that this is ridiculous, and that no Government would ever have legislated for this, that's because it's one of the gifts from our friends in the EU. Another example is how you're not allowed to discriminate against part-time staff, because part-time staff are more likely to be female. It's daft.

Employment tribunals can't set a precedent, for what it's worth, though obviously it'd have a chilling effect.
 
I am fortunate where my spouse is American so I can flee whenever really but my plan is finish my doctorate and for us to go to a good state. Unfortnately being just a nurse does not cut it for a H1-B hense why I am working on my GP liscense and upping sticks. Honestly the advice I would give learn a transferrable skill like electrics or plumbing or even building and then run. It's why I got my nursing loisense because during Covid I wanted more agency. Also look at external threats to said career paths but I feel for you, I have to unfortnately bunker down here for most of the term but as soon as everything is complete I am running.

Starmer is trying to push a tax system similar to what US expats have but honestly if you can get citizenship just revoke your British one then. The USA is not great but its a damn lot better than this. The new employment laws possibilty are horrifying, work should be based on merit. Part timers are the most disengaged workforce but they are useful for companies for certain tasks. All this will do though will force employers to hire full time workers which will have nasty side effects like affecting birth rates but also a stagnant market and more hostile work enivironments due to fear of getting sued.

Looks like Heir Starmer is looking to remove single persons council tax too, get fucked old people and single-mothers but will this be his "Poll Tax".
 
Man arrested for murder after 3 people found dead

An 18-year-old man has been arrested on suspicion of murder after three people died in a tower block.

Bedfordshire Police responded to concerns about the welfare of some residents and discovered three injured people in a flat in the Marsh Farm area of Luton at about 05:30 BST.

All three people were pronounced dead at the 15-storey Leabank building and following searches police found a weapon.

Det Supt Rob Hall said: "As part of our investigation, we have recovered a firearm from Bramingham Road and inquiries will be ongoing in relation this."
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What percentage of Luton is white?


45.2 per cent

The white ethnic group makes up 45.2 per cent of the population of Luton meaning there is a non-white majority in the town. The next largest ethnic group is Asian which increased from 60,952 in 2011 to 83,325 in 2021. The Asian group makes up 37 per cent of the population of Luton.
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The 2021 census showed that the population of Luton now has a non-white majority with 54.8 per cent of the population being non-white.
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Like Luton as a whole, but to an even greater extent, Marsh Farm is home to a large non-white population of nearly 30% (compared to about 28% in Luton and 9% in England).
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Interesting that the racial demographic stats contradict one-another.
Anyway, this is a case of the problem fixing itself.
 
Chaotic Pizzaparty said:
I am fortunate where my spouse is American so I can flee whenever really but my plan is finish my doctorate and for us to go to a good state. Unfortnately being just a nurse does not cut it for a H1-B hense why I am working on my GP liscense and upping sticks. Honestly the advice I would give learn a transferrable skill like electrics or plumbing or even building and then run. It's why I got my nursing loisense because during Covid I wanted more agency. Also look at external threats to said career paths but I feel for you, I have to unfortnately bunker down here for most of the term but as soon as everything is complete I am running.
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Yeah I have options both in and outside of the anglosphere via work and family connections for places to move to, but everywhere looks pretty rough right now.

The tax situation is a large part of what is finally forcing me to make a decision too, I'm earning a six figure sum per year and getting taxed out the arse as is, I don't imagine that'll be any better after next month.

I'd rather stay but it's not just myself I have to look out for at this point. The thought of my child going through the English school system as it is now is not something I'm happy about, and that's ignoring all the other shit that is getting worse and worse here.
 
No, I totally understand once I am done I'd be at lower 6 figure but in reality it means you are 60k maximum before cost of living etc and yes that is OK but when you are saving for a mortgage etc, its not worth it. Also if I was in the state my spouse is in, I'd be getting quadrople that and the option to pretty much live anywhere extremely comfortably. What is funnier I'd be working 4 days, so I get a day to myself. The government is wondering why professionals and people connected to other countries are leaving. Hell I know one couple who tried to get their son who has an Irish passport to move back to Ireland.

Odd question to fellow bongs is it me or has chicken got a lot more expensive lately but also there is a notable dip in quality? For the last few weeks in my batch cooking I have been posioned and it is following my same routine of up to 4 days etc even same recipes.
 
News roundup.

Number of trans people overestimated. Number of people who don't speak English remains ludicrous

The number of transgender people living in the UK may have been overestimated by the 2021 census, the Office for National Statistics (ONS) has confirmed.
Following the survey in England and Wales, it was reported that around one in 200 people aged over 16 self-identified as a different gender to their sex at birth.
However, a review found that people who do not speak fluent English may have misunderstood the wording of the relevant question and mistakenly answered that they consider themselves to be trans.
The ONS had previously defended its methodology, despite some academics raising concerns over its accuracy.
People who filled out the 2021 census in England and Wales were asked: "Is the gender you identify with the same as your sex registered at birth?"
According to the ONS, 262,000 people - around 0.5% of the population - answered "no".
But on Wednesday, Mary Gregory - a deputy director at the ONS - said some people may have misunderstood the question.
Writing on the ONS's website, she said there was "potential bias" in how the question was answered "by those who responded that they had lower levels of English proficiency, some of whom may have mistakenly given an answer suggesting they were trans".
The number of people who answered the question mistakenly is thought to be "relatively small", she added, but enough to paint an inaccurate picture in areas "where there are higher levels of non-English speakers".
Michael Biggs, a professor of sociology at Oxford University, publicly questioned the statistics in April.

Writing in the British Sociological Society journal, he noted a surprisingly high proportion of people recorded as identifying as trans did not speak English (or Welsh in Wales) as a first language.
While only 10% of people said they did not speak English as their main language on the census, it appeared they made up 29% of the total number of transgender people, Prof Biggs said.
For example, the London Borough of Newham had the highest proportion of people who identified as transgender (1.51%). The area also has one of the highest rates of non-English speakers - 35%, compared to 9% nationally.
The Office for Statistics Regulation has downgraded the data from "accredited official statistics" to "official statistics in development" to reflect the possible flaws.
The regulator said other statistics produced by the 2021 census are still considered to be fully accurate.
The ONS had previously said its estimates on the transgender population were in line with “international comparators”.
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Green Party's attempt to check its disciplinary procedures are legal might be closing the door after the horse has bolted.


The Green Party of England and Wales have been ordered to pay £90,000 to cover the costs of their former deputy leader, who won a discrimination case against them.
Shahrar Ali had already been awarded £9,100 in damages in February, after the court ruled the Greens had unlawfully discriminated against him during a row over his gender-critical beliefs.
Today's ruling raises questions about the Greens' financial stability after auditors warned the case left "uncertainty" about the party’s ability to operate normally.
A spokesperson for the party, who had their best-ever election this year with four MPs, said ruling "will have no detrimental impact on our work in the future".
https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-politics-68250071
The Green Party declined to reveal the full cost of legal proceedings.
The party's latest full accounts, external show £280,000 was set aside for potential legal bills.
The party removed Ali as its spokesman for policing and domestic safety in February 2022 for breaching the party's Spokespeople Code of Conduct.
The court ruled Ali's removal as "procedurally unfair" because the Green Party identified no code breaches at his dismissal.
Judge Stephen Hellman said he could not rule out the possibility that this unfairness had been due Ali's gender critical beliefs.
But the judgement found political parties can remove spokespeople for holding "beliefs that were inconsistent with party policy", if done through fair procedures.
Judge Hellman ruled that the Greens must cover 60% of Ali's costs - with £72,000 due to his legal team within 28 days and the remainder to follow a cost review.
Speaking outside the court, Ali said Green Party leaders are "in total denial about the significance of this landmark case and its implications for party governance".
"But you cannot be in denial about the expense of breaking the law or risk of bankruptcy in continuing to fall afoul of it," Ali said.
"To the 60,000-strong membership: I urge you to take charge of the destiny of this party – now."
The BBC understands several other Green Party activists who hold similar views are planning legal action against the party off the back of Ali's case.
The party's accounts suggest multiple cases could put strain on its finances.
Facing an £80,000 cash shortfall entering an election year, the party increased membership fees from £3.33 to £5 a month last September.
Since then, the party's finances have improved to the point it had a £95,000 cash surplus in April.
A Green Party spokesperson said the party was "pleased the case is at an end".
A statement said: "We have accounted for the full costs of the cases. Its outcome will have no detrimental impact on our work in the future.
"We continue to build on the brilliant local and national election results over the last year securing real change for the country."
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Sadiq thinks the criminals being released early should also be housed as a higher priority than other people
Prisoners should be allowed to jump the housing queue as part of efforts to cut crime, Sadiq Khan has said.
The Mayor of London said that despite there being “a big shortage of housing in London”, some prisoners ought to “jump in the queue to get housing to avoid them reoffending again”.
On Tuesday, about 1,750 prisoners were freed under the Government’s early release scheme, which sees offenders freed 40 per cent of the way through their sentence rather than halfway.
The comments come amid huge pressure on housing in the capital and an escalating homelessness crisis. In London, one in 50 are currently homeless.
A lack of housing is one of the main reasons that those released from prison are recalled or go on to reoffend.
Prisoners released into homelessness are significantly more likely to breach their licence conditions because of missed appointments and breaking curfews. They are also more likely to succumb to a drug or alcohol addiction.
Claiming benefits and securing work is also more difficult without a permanent address, in turn raising their likelihood of returning to crime.

Martin Jones, the chief inspector of probation, said offenders freed under the Government scheme were “almost bound” oto be sent back to jail “within days or weeks” because “things will go wrong in the community” and they would breach the terms of their licence.
The chief inspector said the main risk was that freed prisoners would end up homeless and fall back into crime as a result, despite a pledge by the Ministry of Justice to ensure all 1,750 will have guaranteed accommodation for 12 weeks.
Mr Khan, speaking at The Times’s Crime and Justice Commission, which focuses on the prisons crisis, said: “For us, the big challenge is there is no housing in London, a big shortage of housing in London.”
He said they ought to be “an honest conversation with our constituents about the reasons why people who have offended and come out of prison may need to jump in the queue to get housing to avoid them reoffending again”.
Asked whether newly released prisoners should “jump the queue”, he said: “A certain percentage. Yeah, it’s the honest conversation we’ve got to have with people across our respective cities and stuff to explain the reason we’re doing this.”

On Tuesday, Shabana Mahmood, the justice secretary, told MPs hotels would be used to house prisoners if they could not find enough temporary accommodation.
Jack Creighton, 54, who said he had been “in and out of prison” for “petty offences”, was released from HMP Wandsworth on Tuesday. He criticised the early release scheme as “rushed” and said the authorities were “ticking boxes”.
Speaking to The Telegraph outside the prison, he said: “I’m going to be sleeping on a park bench tonight and then I’ll no doubt start drinking and then I’ll come back. It [the early release scheme] works for the right people if they’ve got accommodation – but if I was in charge, I wouldn’t let homeless people out.
“It’s kind of rushed. They’re [the prison officials] glad because there’s too many inmates in there. But they’re just ticking boxes. It’s like the blind leading the blind.”
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Irony strikes!
Policing Minister Dame Diana Johnson had her purse stolen from the hotel where she gave a speech at a conference for senior police officers on Tuesday.
Thieves struck while Dame Diana was giving a speech blaming the Conservatives for an “epidemic of antisocial behaviour, theft and shoplifting,” at the annual Police Superintendents' Association (PSA) conference at a hotel in Kenilworth.
A member of Home Office staff also had belongings taken. A 56-year-old man from Coventry has been arrested on suspicion of burglary and released on bail in connection to the incident, Warwickshire Police said.
The Home Office said no security risks had been identified.
https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/articles/clyg108y3ewo
Dame Diana used her speech to attack the Conservative Party's legacy and outline the government’s plans to boost neighbourhood policing.
Labour's mission "is to restore respect for the rule of law on British streets, including restoring respect for the police, which has sadly been eroded over many years," she said.
"Too many town centres and high streets across the country have been gripped by an epidemic of anti-social behaviour, theft and shoplifting, which is corroding our communities and cannot be allowed to continue," she added.
Dame Diana announced the government has "agreed initial funding to support the College of Policing in rolling out a specialist new training programme for neighbourhood officers".
President of the Police Superintendents' Association (PSA) Nick Smart told the conference police have been left at the centre of a storm not of their making due to the early release of hundreds of prisoners.
He complained that inmates are being set free without proper release plans and that the police would be left to deal with the consequences.
Warwickshire Police confirmed it was investigating reports of a burglary at the Kenilworth hotel that hosted the PSA conference.
A police spokesperson said: "The theft occurred some time between 11.00 BST-13.15 on Tuesday.
"Inquiries are ongoing. A 56-year-old man from Coventry has been arrested on suspicion of burglary and has since been released on bail while enquiries continue.”
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Chaotic Pizzaparty said:
Looks like Heir Starmer is looking to remove single persons council tax too, get fucked old people and single-mothers but will this be his "Poll Tax".
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A majority of single mothers are on benefits, which will include housing benefits, and therefore they pay nothing into the system.

What about the normal, single working man and woman? They pay tax, are less of a strain on council services (schools, social services, rubbish collections, etc., etc.) and are seen as cash cows for life, just because they choose to love alone. Or have been divorced.
 
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