National Intelligence! Oxymoron shenanigans, I’ve called it.

It is, they have hooves.

Codswallop

some years back I was the ‘Head’ of systems stuff at a national telco that provided the national telco infra. Part of my job was to manage the national systems upgrades. I had the stop/go decision to deploy, and indeed pushed the ‘enter’ button to do it. I was a complete PowerPoint Manager and had no clue what I was doing, it was total Accidental Empires, and I should not have been there. Luckily I got away with it for a few years. It was horrifically stressful and not the way to mitigate national risk. I feel for the CrowdStrike engineers. I wonder if the latest embargo on Russian oil sales is in anyway connected?

Thank you so much for your reply, it’s greatly appreciated, and has removed enough fog of doubt to propel me to register to vote.

Regarding a dedicated overseas MP, this grows in attraction. Having support and representation would be beneficial for me, but I equally believe that feeding back the experiences of us overseas would enrich and inform the UK parliament. I have participated in a fair few trade missions, inter-institutional and cultural/soft-power events, especially under the remit of expanding British business overseas. The UK is still held in the highest regard, and with good reason. The policy of our institutions and government to publish their data, procedures and processes is of immeasurable help. If you’re a medical doctor in a foreign country wanting to draft hospital wide procedures, the first stop is the NHS (and then copy-paste). If you’re developing processes for the adoption of industry digitalisation, the UK institutions are amongst the finest (copy-paste). These should be enriching, or at least empowering, the UK, but are missed at High Commissioner/Ambassador level.

In this globalised world, and we have form in this, having one overseas MP to stand on their hind legs in the House of Commons and act as a conduit seems like a sensible investment.

Time to give some thought to action it.

I’m stuck in this dilemma. I’ve lived abroad for seventeen years. Strangely, it makes me much more aware that I am English, also British, but undeniably English. It also makes me incredibly grateful to be English - it’s about the least worst country on the planet. I could bang on about doing ‘stuff’ for the UK overseas (intergovernmental and trade stuff), and that how my foreign wife’s career would take a huge hit if we moved back to the UK (she’s a senior medical doctor, but would be made to start from the lowliest grade should we return). But that’s contextual and circumstantial. I’ve been painfully deliberating the principles for years, and fully appreciate the ‘not here, no vote’ sentiment. But, I am English and under the governance of the UK gov. I look to the year 1647, the Putney Debates, during the civil wars. The debates considered the rights of people (men) under governance. Colonel Thomas Rainsborough stated, “I think it clear, that every Man that is to live under a Government ought first by his own Consent to put himself under that Government.” I am under the UK government, so doesn’t that give me the right to vote? I want to vote now because I hate the tories. How much? A lot. I think a dedicated overseas MP is a great idea. We are global now, and it could feed useful information back into parliamentary debate. I’d appreciate any comments, constructive or abusive, they all contribute. Thanks.

Come and see the kernel inherent in my system.

Swearing. I live in South East Asia, where swearing is taboo. Visiting my homeland of the UK, it takes a few days to get back my expletive laden fluency. The first few days are painful, as everyone thinks I’m being pretentiously posh. Upon returning to Asia, typically i offend a few people until my language is restrained. Sadly, Southeast Asians don’t appreciate how expressive, cathartic and fun swearing is, it’s a fucking shame.

When i got mine, my nephews and nieces concatenated uncle and dr, even years later they refer to me as druncle

For me, Handel: Mozart is reputed to have said of him, “Handel understands affect better than any of us. When he chooses, he strikes like a thunder bolt.”[159] To Beethoven he was “the master of us all… the greatest composer that ever lived. I would uncover my head and kneel before his tomb.”[159]

I go there quite a lot, and this is not my experience at all, i have awesome food there. A wise old sage told me many years ago to only eat vegetarian there, as bad meat can make you very ill, while bad veggies just give you the craps. I continue to eat both, and only get bad guts as often as i do when pigging out on kebabs in London or the States.

Good luck for Friday! Hopefully you can post an update next week, so we know you’re with us. This may interest you; my wife used to be an anaesthetist, and during long, boring procedures would give the patient a facial - blackhead removal etc. It’s considered unethical, but she delighted in them waking up looking great.

Thank you! May yours be peaceful, prosperous and as long as you fancy

Same for me. I don’t sweat the small stuff anymore, and fairly much everything is small stuff now.

So unless they can shoot with impunity, they won’t fulfill their oath to serve and protect the public. Feels like we’re being held hostage.

Good bot!

Well, this is nice, hello