UK British News Megathread - aka CWCissey's news thread

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

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.

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.

 

[Overly Serious]

Gambling addicts are trading money to feel good like any other vice. It's arguably the most efficient and least damaging addiction if you abide by limitations and don't become financially dependent on hypothetical winnings that you could win if you lose a lot of money in return. People need to set a limit and be content with their losses. The bloke was probably awake all night trying to get back a small initial loss but then ballooned it into half a grand. I typically shun measures to police self-harming behaviour because some people are incapable of policing themselves. I don't consider gambling a virtue and like a lot of vices it's harmful if you don't practice moderation, but I think in lieu of trying to protect people from themselves you probably just need a bottom-up approach.

For me, one of the most relevant metrics is how much harm you do on others in enacting the protective measures. Porn is very destructive, imo, but there seems few ways to control it that don't involve giving the government massively invasive powers. Not sure about online gambling. I feel intuitively it would be less difficult to combat but there'd be some of the same risks. By contrast, banning say heroin has very low side-harms on other people. I don't think it requires any greater policing powers than any other crime particularly and is not routine enough online that traditional warrants and such can't handle that aspect.

Good post about Reform, etc. My general theme is that the behaviour of parties depends at least as much on how much pressure the public can apply to them as it does any stated goals of the party. Distilling that my feeling is that with Reform its support base may be giving up too much ability to apply pressure. But we will see. As I understand it, the rules of Reform were amended a little while back such that if 50% of the membership vote for it, Farage can be removed from leadership. There may be some loopholes in that, I don't know - I imagine they kick out Farage opponents from membership if they want. Still, we'll see what we see - you make good points.

The difficulty with Reform UK is that we have to appeal to as broad a church as possible - there are many who think we are too harsh/strict but also some who think we are too soft and should be more like Britain First, BNP etc.

I understand that. However, there's something of a feedback loop with the Overton window. A lot which was almost unspeakable a few years ago has now started appearing in the MSM. If Reform want to accomplish what Reform supporters want, you can't dilute it too much. Try to go very broad and the Tories might actually see a resurgence by becoming the more hardline party. That'd be something. We might get into a bit of a purity spiral between Tories and Reform to see which of them can convince the public the most that they're most nationalist. Reform have a big starting advantage there in the Tories having been in power and failures in recent memory. But still, would be something to see.

Don't take may caution as opposition... though I know you don't.

Let's not forget that real life is not Kiwi Farms - here we have a hive mind of clever, intelligent and decent people

I actually agree with this but it still makes me laugh good and hard. Oh what the world has come to!

Surprised nobody has mentioned this

Researchers have discovered the earliest known instance of human-created fire, which took place in the east of England 400,000 years ago.

The English just doing English things of inventing everything, including fire. You're welcome, world.

No surprise to me that earliest fire discovered is in Britain. Can't have sausage roll with out fire. I bet "Greggs" is actually just an evolution of the name "Grog's", first discoverer of fire and the sausage roll.

 

[HairyBadger]

The problem...

The problem is I moved.

I shutdown my IT / Software business in the UK and moved to Eastern Europe. 2 of 6 other staff came with me.

 

[Tom Nook's Gloryhole]

The weirdest thing is that despite Gen Z drinking less and smoking less... they REALLY start looking like shit once they hit their early 20s. I know this is going to sound noncey as fuck, but I can't understand how many of my colleagues who are in their late 30s have significantly bettter skin than the average Gen Z. I was working with a 19 year old who looked in her late 20s and had a 45 year old colleague who you'd never guess was older than 25.

Is it that they didn't experience the 90s so have literally never experienced a nice England in their entire lifetimes? Is it genetics? Or is it just confirmation bias because ugly people have always existed? Or are we starting to see a harrowing reality that skincare and makeup products are seriously damaging adolescent skin?

 

[>IMPLYING]

The problem is I moved.

I shutdown my IT / Software business in the UK and moved to Eastern Europe. 2 of 6 other staff came with me.

You're an immigrant.

 

[Sheep King]

No surprise to me that earliest fire discovered is in Britain. Can't have sausage roll with out fire. I bet "Greggs" is actually just an evolution of the name "Grog's", first discoverer of fire and the sausage roll.

"Luv me fire, 'ate Neanderthals (not racist just don't like em)" - Grog, discoverer of fire, common law and the sausage roll (the three cornerstones of civilization)

 

[Duane Dibbley]

Is it that they didn't experience the 90s so have literally never experienced a nice England in their entire lifetimes?

We spent out childhoods riding bikes, making dens and lecking out until the street lights came on. Getting grounded and being forced inside was the worst punishment imaginable, a hiding and kicked out the door was preferable!

Nowadays, people sit too close to the TV letting their eyes go square while been baked in electromagnetic radiation, never building up a resistance to damaging energy like we did using the suns natural rays.

It's well known what damage artificial light causes to old books, artefacts and fossils, it stands to reason it would knack the skin as well.

 

[A-Logato]

Is it that they didn't experience the 90s so have literally never experienced a nice England in their entire lifetimes? Is it genetics? Or is it just confirmation bias because ugly people have always existed? Or are we starting to see a harrowing reality that skincare and makeup products are seriously damaging adolescent skin?

Stress and goy slop has made Zoomers age like shit

 

[Samir Al Hajeed]

All the hypotheses as to why Gen Z is drinking less and nobody's brought up that Yookay Gen Z is about 30% muslims, who obviously don't drink (they prefer to rape instead). Same goes for all the statistics like "people are getting shorter", "IQ is dropping", etc.

 

[UselessRubberKeyboard]

Stress and goy slop has made Zoomers age like shit

Too busy sat wanking in front of a screen. No vitamin D from sunlight, shitty Uber Eats delivered take away diet ruining them from the inside out, and shitty influencer-pushed cosmetic slop ruining them from the outside in.

At least hiking is a current social media enforced hobby, though I think that may well be confined to ‘Merca. Not many people want to go hiking around Liverpool or Glasgow, and train tickets to beautiful areas cost a fortune. Can sit at home and watch a YouTube video about it though, that’s the same thing, right?

There’s also the extreme lack of challenging thought that must have a negative effect on young people. They’re not expected to read the classic novels, they’re not exposed to poetry, classic plays, classical or British folk music, or any of our traditional handicrafts. Everything is dumbed down for them. Their brains are wasting away. There’s very little to confront their views and demand they at least try to put themselves in others’ shoes or situations. This isolates them from other people and our shared history and culture.

It’s a starvation of the mind, body and soul.

 

[Made In Wales]

Too busy sat wanking in front of a screen. No vitamin D from sunlight, shitty Uber Eats delivered take away diet ruining them from the inside out, and shitty influencer-pushed cosmetic slop ruining them from the outside in.

At least hiking is a current social media enforced hobby, though I think that may well be confined to ‘Merca. Not many people want to go hiking around Liverpool or Glasgow, and train tickets to beautiful areas cost a fortune. Can sit at home and watch a YouTube video about it though, that’s the same thing, right?

There’s also the extreme lack of challenging thought that must have a negative effect on young people. They’re not expected to read the classic novels, they’re not exposed to poetry, classic plays, classical or British folk music, or any of our traditional handicrafts. Everything is dumbed down for them. Their brains are wasting away. There’s very little to confront their views and demand they at least try to put themselves in others’ shoes or situations. This isolates them from other people and our shared history and culture.

It’s a starvation of the mind, body and soul.

Do you remember the board game called 'Game Of Life' - well, for them, it's the 'Game Of No Life':

White Person move:

'You get a birthday gift from Aunty Doris... but because you didn't declare it to Rachel Reeves you now go to Prison to get arse-raped for life.'

'You breathed in oxygen,,, that a Black person should have been gifted, and now you must be crucified for the safety of society.'

 

[Goose the Redeemer]

muslims, who obviously don't drink

allah has many blind spots

 

[UselessRubberKeyboard]

allah has many blind spots

Pedos often do.

 

[FedPostalService]

My hope is that Nigel would end Uber, Just Eat, Deliveroo etc. on day one.

It's quite possible for people to cook - even a bowl of soup in the microwave with some sliced bread is achievable and costs less and tastes better than Just Queef and co.

It not just them. DPD deliveries used to be a white hut in a uniform. Now it’s some form of brown in regular clothes and two days late.

 

[Spud]

don't give the UK government your tax money.

Allow me to kick you while feeling you're down. Your taxes don't fund the government, you're taxed to combat inflation. Government gets the money by borrowing it from the central bank who'll print the amount requested. Saddling you with not only being responsible for their poor financial decisions but also having your spending power destroyed by their rampant printing.

 

[Clem Fandango]

Allow me to kick you while feeling you're down. Your taxes don't fund the government, you're taxed to combat inflation. Government gets the money by borrowing it from the central bank who'll print the amount requested. Saddling you with not only being responsible for their poor financial decisions but also having your spending power destroyed by their rampant printing.

I think I remember Josh saying something similar on MATI, but I still don't get it. Do they literally bin the tax money? If so, what's the difference between simultaneously taking that money out of the economy and then printing the same amount back into the economy?

 

[Otterly]

despite Gen Z drinking less and smoking less... they REALLY start looking like shit once they hit their early 20s.

I was at a gig a few weeks ago where I’d say the age range was mainly 45-65 (ageing but very good rockers…) anyway, not only was the crowd entirely white, as in i didn’t see anyone not white all night, the people in that age bracket all looked good. Generally ok weight, and the women (I’d say maybe 10% of the crowd was women) all looked pretty well preserved. In a healthy way. Thick hair, slim, dressed fairly well, minimal but nice makeup. They were all having a drink too so it’s not that. Plenty were smoking outside.
My brothers both went to see oasis and said the same thing - all white crowd, well behaved albeit somewhat tipsy, and the women ‘all looked ten years younger than the girls at work.’
My twenty-something female colleagues ALL have receding hairlines. Maybe one has escaped it. I have no idea what it is, but anyone under 35 seems to age like milk. The men look soft, like children, and the girls look twenty years older than they are. It’s really weird. We drank like fish, I never smoked but a lot did, plenty of us did drugs and raved all night, and we weren’t that covered in sunscreen (although I was because I’m very pale.) what’s causing the crazy ageing?

 

[Heinrich Maneuver]

what’s causing the crazy ageing?

For women i'd wager it's all the procedures and skin care- no way can any of that be good for your skin long term. I'm also pretty eager to blame the pill/mini pill for anything as well because we really have no fucking clue about female hormones. I also subscribe to the Roald Dahl idea that your inside thoughts show on your face and given most young women have some form of neuroses... well.
Men do look incredibly soft as well I'm glad I'm not the only one noticing it, when you see photos of the 18-20 year olds who fought ww2 you think 'jesus christ he looks 35' (even before they shipped out). Lack of sunlight and daily exercise perhaps? Low T? Who knows.

Reform has won it's first by-election in Scotland, taking Whitburn and Blackburn (West Lothian, next to Edinburgh) from Labour; expect some Labour policy to win back the jocks if they feel threatened. ETA: Farage has said this was a seat they did not expect to win.
UK also is 'preparing to go to war' jfc. It's comical yet tragic watching European countries, who have long discarded their native male populations, suddenly scramble to find cannon fodder. I don't care for all the pro or anti Russia shit, I simply don't give a fuck about what happens on the other side of Europe, we simply aren't meant to as a species. Wars just breed more refugees to deal with and lets corpos drive the prices up. This also feels like the last hurrah of dying political parties trying to stir up 'good nationalism' instead of the nasty icky scary racist nationalism and 'far right' they are facing.

 

[Spud]

Do they literally bin the tax money?

Yes, they destroy it.

If so, what's the difference between simultaneously taking that money out of the economy and then printing the same amount back into the economy?

I don't know honestly, I asked AI and got this, though it just sounds like an "economist" on TV vomiting words that don't really answer anything.

Spoiler: Grok response

Taxes are a fiscal tool used by governments to reduce inflationary pressures by withdrawing money from the economy, which decreases aggregate demand (e.g., less disposable income for spending). This can help cool overheating if demand-pull inflation is at play. Printing money (more precisely, expanding the money supply via central bank actions like quantitative easing or open market operations) does the opposite: it injects liquidity back into the system, potentially stimulating demand and risking higher inflation if not matched by economic output growth.If these two actions happen simultaneously in equal amounts—taxes removing $X while the central bank adds $X—the net effect on the broad money supply (like M2) would theoretically be zero, assuming no other variables change. In that sense, it's like a wash: the deflationary impact of taxation is offset by the expansionary impact of money creation. The economy's overall circulating currency remains unchanged, so the anti-inflationary goal of taxation alone wouldn't be achieved.However, there are key differences in practice that prevent it from being truly neutral:

Distributional effects: Taxes typically withdraw money from specific groups (e.g., higher-income earners via progressive income taxes or consumers via sales taxes), reducing their spending power. Newly created money, on the other hand, often enters the economy through financial channels—like the central bank buying government bonds or assets from banks and investors. This tends to benefit financial institutions, asset holders, or bond sellers first (often wealthier entities), who may save or invest rather than spend immediately. The result is a subtle redistribution of wealth from taxpayers to the initial recipients of the new money, which could alter consumption patterns, asset prices (e.g., boosting stocks or real estate), and inequality without necessarily changing aggregate inflation.

Behavioral and incentive impacts: Higher taxes can discourage work, investment, or consumption due to reduced after-tax returns, potentially slowing economic activity beyond just the money withdrawal. Money printing, by contrast, lowers interest rates and encourages borrowing/investment, which could stimulate growth in credit-sensitive sectors like housing or business expansion. Even if amounts match, these opposing incentives might lead to uneven sectoral effects—e.g., dampening consumer spending while boosting financial markets.

Timing, velocity, and expectations: Money doesn't flow uniformly. Tax collection is often gradual (e.g., payroll withholding), while money creation can be rapid. The "velocity" of money (how quickly it circulates) might differ: withdrawn tax dollars come from active spenders, while injected funds might sit in reserves or low-velocity investments. Additionally, such policies signal to markets—tax hikes might convey fiscal discipline (reducing inflation expectations), while printing could raise fears of future inflation, affecting bond yields or currency value.
Institutional separation: Governments handle taxes (fiscal policy), while independent central banks manage money supply (monetary policy). Coordination isn't always perfect, and printing to offset taxes could undermine central bank credibility or lead to "fiscal dominance" where monetary policy subsidizes government actions, risking longer-term inflation if it becomes habitual.

In historical contexts, like post-2008 quantitative easing alongside fiscal austerity in some countries, similar dynamics played out without exact dollar-for-dollar matching, often leading to asset inflation rather than broad price inflation. If output capacity (supply side) isn't expanding, this balance could still tip toward mild inflation; if it is, the effects might be absorbed without price spikes. Overall, while aggregate money supply stays flat, the real-world differences stem from who loses/gains the money and how it influences behavior and markets.

TDLR, fuck you pleb. Don't ask questions.

God I hate taxes.

 

[Mister Fister]

For women i'd wager it's all the procedures and skin care- no way can any of that be good for your skin long term. I'm also pretty eager to blame the pill/mini pill for anything as well because we really have no fucking clue about female hormones. I also subscribe to the Roald Dahl idea that your inside thoughts show on your face and given most young women have some form of neuroses... well.
Men do look incredibly soft as well I'm glad I'm not the only one noticing it, when you see photos of the 18-20 year olds who fought ww2 you think 'jesus christ he looks 35' (even before they shipped out). Lack of sunlight and daily exercise perhaps? Low T? Who knows.

Reform has won it's first by-election in Scotland, taking Whitburn and Blackburn (West Lothian, next to Edinburgh) from Labour; expect some Labour policy to win back the jocks if they feel threatened.
UK also is 'preparing to go to war' jfc. It's comical yet tragic watching European countries, who have long discarded their native male populations, suddenly scramble to find cannon fodder. I don't care for all the pro or anti Russia shit, I simply don't give a fuck about what happens on the other side of Europe, we simply aren't meant to as a species. Wars just breed more refugees to deal with and lets corpos drive the prices up. This also feels like the last hurrah of dying political parties trying to stir up 'good nationalism' instead of the nasty icky scary racist nationalism and 'far right' they are facing.

This is why I find the military training of the native men hilarious. Didn't they learn that gangs in the US send the smarter ones to get trained at boot camp then desert back to the gangs?

 

[Made In Wales]

For women i'd wager it's all the procedures and skin care- no way can any of that be good for your skin long term. I'm also pretty eager to blame the pill/mini pill for anything as well because we really have no fucking clue about female hormones. I also subscribe to the Roald Dahl idea that your inside thoughts show on your face and given most young women have some form of neuroses... well.
Men do look incredibly soft as well I'm glad I'm not the only one noticing it, when you see photos of the 18-20 year olds who fought ww2 you think 'jesus christ he looks 35' (even before they shipped out). Lack of sunlight and daily exercise perhaps? Low T? Who knows.

Reform has won it's first by-election in Scotland, taking Whitburn and Blackburn (West Lothian, next to Edinburgh) from Labour; expect some Labour policy to win back the jocks if they feel threatened. ETA: Farage has said this was a seat they did not expect to win.
UK also is 'preparing to go to war' jfc. It's comical yet tragic watching European countries, who have long discarded their native male populations, suddenly scramble to find cannon fodder. I don't care for all the pro or anti Russia shit, I simply don't give a fuck about what happens on the other side of Europe, we simply aren't meant to as a species. Wars just breed more refugees to deal with and lets corpos drive the prices up. This also feels like the last hurrah of dying political parties trying to stir up 'good nationalism' instead of the nasty icky scary racist nationalism and 'far right' they are facing.

A fantastic win for Reform UK which shows that we are now breaking through north of the border.

As for the war, Starmer is apparently pushing for us to go to war in Spring of next year - he's trying to copy what Margaret Thatcher did in 1981 when her ratings weren't too good and there was pressure to oust her.. by going to war with Russia and winning, he thinks that will be his 'Falklands' moment and he'll turn his failing popularity around.

Except that defeating Putin will not be as easy as our 1982 victory against the Argentinians - and even then with 15% interest rates it was the banks who ultimately decided to say yes and allow the war to be financed. Our banks now cannot finance any war, certainly not one against Russia.

He needs a distract from all the bad news and his party falling apart - by declaring war, he can browbeat the party into supporting him but he'll then also face a major backlash from all facets of the general public who will refuse to fight for him.

It will all begin to unravel in the New Year - yes, I am aware that people will gift me rainbows and say 'nothing ever happens' but I am not alone in seeing where this is going to end up... even former Starmer backers are now adamant that the next GE will take place before 2029 and that if Starmer refuses to stand down or face a leadership challenge within the next few months that change will come a lot sooner than expected - everybody from Owen Jones to GB News is now expecting the implosion to come early next year as the effect from Reeves' budget start to kick in. Starmer cannot keep threatening his party with 'conform, shut up, know your place or I'll go to the Palace' - sooner or later the challenge will be 'well bloody well do it then.'

There's talk that Burnham and Rayner will be banned from standing as PPC's and Rayner will face de-selection in Ashton-under-Lyne next year (possibly another win for Reform UK) and Labour may face a Commons Standards probe in January.

That's also before we remember that on January 12th the GE petition will be debated in Parliament.

Don't worry too much about Putin - we've more to fear from Starmer. Putin has many ways of taking Starmer and co. down without affecting the people, it's just a case of him wanting to do so.