UK British News Megathread - aka CWCissey's news thread

https://news.sky.com/story/row-over-new-greggs-vegan-sausage-rolls-heats-up-11597679

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.

View image on Twitter


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.

 

[Product Placement]

They didn't even get Farage in when he's roughly tied for second place in the polls. It's all just rearranging deck chairs on the Titanic anyway but without Farage it's more like keeping the chairs where they are and arguing if they should be set to recline 30 degrees or 35.

Unfortunately I think the whole Russia thing has taken the wind out of their sails over the last week. The media are playing the exact same game with Farage as they did with antisemitism for Corbyn - find the one wedge issue and only ask about that, and whatever the answer is becomes the next story and the cycle repeats. Farage should have known better though, he should have given short and simple answers that in no uncertain terms laid the blame on Russia for the invasion. He was never going to look good with this rigmarole of " The invasion happened because of NATO/the EU, no I'm not saying that Russia isn't to blame, but it was caused by eastwards expansion". That and the candidate for Salisbury of all places praising Putin, jesus christ.

Doesn't matter where he is in the polls, Reform at best will have the 5th most seats come election with how first-past-the-post voting work. If they had him, they would need the leaders of SNP and Lib Dems (would be nice to see Ed Davey in a debate rather than him sending his deputy leader Daisy Cooper again).

It's why he wasn't in the Question Time thing, while Labour, Tories, Lib Dem and SNP were. And why when they added a new Question Time thing to the line up for this Friday, they also had to add the Green Party to it along with Reform because in terms of number of seats they will get they are much closer to the Greens than the big parties.

 

[3deadniggers]

Maybe the questions shouldn't be "What about Ukraine?" but "WHAT THE FUCK IS GOING ON HERE AND HOW DO WE FIX IT!?"

The later seems rather more important considering how close we're getting to collapse while the borders are invaded daily.

 

[Amin Yasister]

Just heard that following that debate last night (that I didn't watch because I knew it would be total bollocks), 56% (of those that expressed a preference) said Starmer came out on top and 44% said they thought Sunak did.

56% FFS. Starmer should have destroyed Sunak.

Has he been taking tactical advice from Gareth Southgate?

Maybe the questions shouldn't be "What about Ukraine?" but "WHAT THE FUCK IS GOING ON HERE AND HOW DO WE FIX IT!?"

The later seems rather more important considering how close we're getting to collapse while the borders are invaded daily.

Totally agree. WTF have wars in Ukraine/Russia and Israel/Gaza got to do with us?

Do you think any of these countries give a fuck about the state the UK is in, or are considering trying to help?

 

[adam_moche]

Totally agree. WTF have wars in Ukraine/Russia and Israel/Gaza got to do with us?

Do you think any of these countries give a fuck about the state the UK is in, or are considering trying to help?

The point of being British is to make the world as miserable as the Brits are. God is punishing you for not actively making the rest of the world worse. You need to start more wars.

 

[Coolio55]

The point of being British is to make the world as miserable as the Brits are. God is punishing you for not actively making the rest of the world worse. You need to start more wars.

Why did we even buy all these missiles if we haven't had a single war at the gay bar?
Smh.

 

[Cougar Pump]

I am genuinely rooting for reform to take it all by storm because that would be an actual shakeup for the two main parties and also the funniest possible thing to happen. Imagine deer-in-headlights Nigel Farage on the morning after realizing he needs to govern. That would be hilarious.
Although, I guess I'm far enough away from the impacts of this I can find it funny without any real consequences to myself. But really... would it be worse than either of the two main parties getting/staying in? I guess it could always be worse...

 

[isalaide]

It's also not clear why it's obvious that post-Soviet Ukraine is part of Russia's sphere of influence and should be left alone, but post-Soviet Poland is A.O.K. and can be Westernized...

It's Germany's turn to own Poland for a while. In a few decades it will be Russia's turn to own it again. But Russia definitely owns the Ukraine.

 

[teriyakiburns]

But really... would it be worse than either of the two main parties getting/staying in? I guess it could always be worse...

The one thing I've learned over my life is that it can always be worse. Doesn't matter how badly you've been beaten down, there's always another shithead waiting to put the boot in.

But at least it would be different.

 

[6MillionCoofs]

It looks like it's a bit of a reach - it's an extrapolation by one academic based on one genetic marker. There's no archaeological evidence for it.


It's a daft argument because the last eastward expansion of NATO was in 2004. Yet all the politicos start moralfagging about it, nobody ever refutes it on factual grounds.

You mean like Merkel sying their promise to not mess with Russia was entirely so they could build up Ukraine to do so later…

It’s not that they haven’t wanted to expand, it’s just that hadn’t done so yet.

Usually because wiser heads prevailed and decided not to atagonise the bear too much.

 

[Fungible penis]

 

[Chaos Theorist]

I am genuinely rooting for reform to take it all by storm because that would be an actual shakeup for the two main parties and also the funniest possible thing to happen. Imagine deer-in-headlights Nigel Farage on the morning after realizing he needs to govern. That would be hilarious.
Although, I guess I'm far enough away from the impacts of this I can find it funny without any real consequences to myself. But really... would it be worse than either of the two main parties getting/staying in? I guess it could always be worse...

Farage will be a MP maybe leader of the opposition but not PM

 

[FedPostalService]

I have a tinfoil hat theory, so hit me with all the retard stickers for this post:

Farage is some sort of old establishment puppet. Not the new neo-liberal rainbow media polycule that is currently running the country, but what is left of the Old School Tie network.

Hear me out. Every time the Tories were straying from their path, Farage started a vanity party, got a load of funding from Tory grandees, then threatened them just enough for them to course correct slightly, then only stood in Labour strongholds to do as little damage to the Conservatives as possible.

This time the Conservatives are so lost they’ve deployed him to burn the party to the ground so they can rebuild it from the ashes.

Next election Reform will wind down and the Conservatives will arise like some sort of slightly based phoenix from the flames.

I know it sounds retarded but it’s my conspiracy theory and I don’t care what you think.

 

[Chaos Theorist]

I have a tinfoil hat theory, so hit me with all the retard stickers for this post:

Farage is some sort of old establishment puppet. Not the new neo-liberal rainbow media polycule that is currently running the country, but what is left of the Old School Tie network.

Hear me out. Every time the Tories were straying from their path, Farage started a vanity party, got a load of funding from Tory grandees, then threatened them just enough for them to course correct slightly, then only stood in Labour strongholds to do as little damage to the Conservatives as possible.

This time the Conservatives are so lost they’ve deployed him to burn the party to the ground so they can rebuild it from the ashes.

Next election Reform will wind down and the Conservatives will arise like some sort of slightly based phoenix from the flames.

I know it sounds retarded but it’s my conspiracy theory and I don’t care what you think.

I genuinely think the Tories are done for a decade at least and are back to the dark years of Duncan-Smith and Howard unless they merge with Reform and have Farage as leader and go for broke

 

[gamer2014]

So that will be the ConForm party?

 

[FedPostalService]

I genuinely think the Tories are done for a decade at least and are back to the dark years of Duncan-Smith and Howard unless they merge with Reform and have Farage as leader and go for broke

Farage is a clown shoe, they had a clown shoe in Boris so I’d think it would be strange if they put on another one.

His retarded russophilia means they won’t put him in charge of things.

He‘s to start the fire, not put it out.

 

[Chaos Theorist]

Farage is a clown shoe, they had a clown shoe in Boris so I’d think it would be strange if they put on another one.

His retarded russophilia means they won’t put him in charge of things.

He‘s to start the fire, not put it out.

Farage is far shrewdier than Boris

 

[3deadniggers]

I genuinely think the Tories are done for a decade at least and are back to the dark years of Duncan-Smith and Howard unless they merge with Reform and have Farage as leader and go for broke

Oh no. Not the tories! I hope we can get such a strong opposition party back soon to counter labour!

 

[FedPostalService]

Farage is far shrewdier than Boris

But he’s also playing a character. That’s what killed Boris, he didn’t know when to drop the character and let his actual self take charge of the situation.

It’s a pantomime for boomers which won’t win an election.

 

[gamer2014]

Labour candidate for clacton "reassigned to West Midlands"

https://www.independent.co.uk/news/...on-farage-reform-jovan-election-b2569726.html

Labour appears to have given up the fight against Nigel Farage’s bid to become the MP for Clacton.

The party has reportedly ‘seconded’ its candidate from the seaside constituency in Essex to campaign in the West Midlands, suggesting Labour has conceded defeat to the Reform UK leader before polling day.

It comes after the Labour candidate for the seat, Jovan Owusu-Nepaul, went viral on social media, being dubbed “the best dressed candidate in living memory”. He was also named by anti-Brexit campaign group Best for Britain as the candidate in the strongest position to stop Mr Farage’s bid to become an MP for the first time.

Click here for our live coverage of the general election campaign.

Jovan Owusu-Nepaul made headlines for his fashion sense as he took on Nigel Farage
Jovan Owusu-Nepaul made headlines for his fashion sense as he took on Nigel Farage (Martin Suker)
But a campaign source told The Guardian Labour officials were “furious with him getting more retweets than Keir Starmer”, believing him to be distracting from the Labour leader’s campaign.

And, in a letter to Labour’s general secretary David Evans and seen by the newspaper, Mr Owusu-Nepaul’s election agent Martin Suker said: “Jovan was told [by an official] to never come back to Clacton, and yesterday, was instructed to move to the West Midlands region.”

Mr Owusu-Nepaul has yet to comment on the claims.

Mr Suker said Reform “stands for everything the Labour Party stands against” and he was “struggling to come to terms that it appears the party doesn’t even want to be seen to be putting up a fight”.

Clacton was won in 2019 by Tory Giles Watling with a 24,702 majority, but it is widely expected Mr Farage is to win the seat on 4 July.

But Best for Britain chief Naomi Smith said that previous votes in the area showed that there had been strong Labour support in Harwich, part of the Clacton seat, which “was suppressed by Brexit”.

She said: “Our analysis shows that if the Greens and Lib Dems vote Labour then Labour can come through the middle and win Clacton.”

As recently as 10 days ago, Mr Jovan wrote on social media platform X: “We can stop Farage.”

It is understood Clacton was never a target seat for Labour, meaning it was seen as unwinnable and not one the party would devote resources to. Mr Owusu-Nepaul and Labour have been contacted for comment.

A Labour party spokesperson told The Guardian: “We are working hard to deliver as many Labour MPs as possible in the general election and our campaigners are bringing our message of change to people across the country.”

If Labour really wanted to win in Clacton, they should have gotten an old East End geezer to represent little Dagenham.

 

[3deadniggers]

Starmer married Victoria Alexander in 2007.[197][198] Formerly a solicitor, Lady Starmer works in NHS occupational health in Camden.[5][199]

The couple have two children, a boy born in 2008 and a girl born in 2010.[197][200] Starmer is an atheist; he chose to take a "solemn affirmation" (rather than an oath) of allegiance to the monarch.[201] Starmer has said while he does not believe in God, but believes in the power of faith to bring people together.[202] The family occasionally attend a liberal synagogue,[203] and he stated in a 2022 interview that his children are being brought up to know the Jewish faith and background of their maternal grandparents.[204]

Starmer is a pescatarian and his wife is a vegetarian. They raised their children as vegetarians until they were 10 years old, at which point they were given the option of eating meat.[205] In an interview during the 2024 general election, Starmer revealed the thing he feared the most about potentially becoming prime minister is the impact it would have on his children, due to their "difficult ages" and how it would have been easier if they were younger or older.[206]

So our choices are a Paki who's about to run to the toilet or a vegetarian Jew.. Can't see why Farage is popular with those two in contention.