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."

View image on Twitter


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.

 

[break these cuffs]

You know, as much as Theresa May screwed up Brexit and as glad as I am to see her leaving, I just can't bring myself to hate her or wish her any ill-will. She was a small-time minister, happily chugging along in her career when suddenly David Cameron throws a tantrum over Brexit and storms off. Theresa May stood up and took on that huge burden, knowing full-well that it wasn't going to be easy and that she would be despised by half the country regardless of whether she failed or succeeded. As it turns out, she wasn't up to the task and she's been torn apart by both sides and now she's tearfully leaving the office because she knows she's a failure, hated by millions.

So, yeah, I don't hate her. Thank you for your service, Mrs. May. I wish you all the best in the future. Sincerely.

Having sympathy for politicians Having sympathy for politicians who believe its their job to be the entire country's overbearing mother

 

[Ginger Piglet]

I bring updates on how the Porn Laws are going to work and speculation that they will be circumvented in no time at all.

First up, from the Sun:

FIREFOX internet browser could dodge the upcoming porn block using controversial encryption, according to reports.

The browsing platform, whose popularity has dropped recently, could make a comeback among users who want to surf X-rated sites freely.





A so-called "porn ban" is due to come into force in the UK on June 15.

From then, web users who want to access adult websites need to be verified - either through their passport details, bank card or by purchasing a "porn pass" from a shop.

But Firefox, developed by tech firm Mozilla, could roll out DNS encryption to keep users' browsing secret, Daily Star Online reports.

DNS or Domain Name System encryption hides the IP address that identifies which devices are accessing certain sites.

KEEPS BROWSING SECRET

It allows users more privacy - but critics argue the encryption makes it harder for the Government to find terrorists and paedophiles online.

The Internet Service Providers Association (ISPA) - representing firms including BT, Virgin, and Sky - also worries encryption could make parental controls ineffective.

There were rumours that Google Chrome, the UK's most popular browser, would introduce DNS encryption - but it has reportedly changed direction.

However, Firefox is looking less likely to back down, according to the Star's sources who attended a crunch meeting with the Government earlier this year.

SAFETY CONCERNS

The ISPA said it is "concerned" about Firefox's reported encryption plan.

A spokesperson said: “We remain concerned about the consequences these proposed changes will have for online safety and security, and it is therefore important that the Government sends a strong message to the browser manufacturers such as Mozilla that their encryption plans do not undermine current internet safety standards in the UK."

But Daniel Pryor of the right-leaning think-tank the Adam Smith Institute says any efforts to strengthen web users' right to privacy should be encouraged.

FREEDOMS DASHED

He said: "This Government is looking to lead the Western world in internet censorship, so shady meetings with internet providers are hardly surprising.

“Anyone can bypass the upcoming porn block and other content restrictions using a VPN or optional browser settings, but the Government is worried that rumoured changes to Chrome and Firefox could make it even easier.

“Millions of Brits want security and privacy when they go online—especially when the parent company of a porn age check provider has a long history of data breaches.

“Hopefully Google and Mozilla will stand by their customers rather than bending to Government pressure."

The Sun Online has contacted Mozilla for comment.

Secondly, this from Business Insider about how precisely the PortesCard (analogue porn loicense, as opposed to the dox-yourself-to-MindGeek-forever AgeID solution) will work. It seems that for £8.99 you can run it on multiple devices but parents can set a "lock" on the Portes app that immediately burns up any code entered into it to try and stop people from getting their big brothers to buy one for them. This actually seems more secure than AgeID because as long as you look 18 or over, the corner shop chappie will wave it through as if you were buying booze or fags, so you don't need to show any ID documents necessarily and thus there's no possibility of a record of that identification. Of course, no doubt the Portes app will have the possibility of scraping your device for data, but if you're using a desktop or laptop PC it seems that it's done in browser. If you have a private browsing session and stick in your loicense number that way, how much possibility will there be that Portes can track what you like and link it to personally identifiable information? IT Kiwis, any risk of this?

I'm still going to use a VPN regardless. Otherwise when I run for Parliament in 10 years' time I'll end up in the tabloids about how I like to look at Sarah Louise Young smearing herself with cake.

 

[byuu]

Firefox's planned DNS encryption is pretty awful and sends every DNS request to CloudFlare (here's more).

 

[Coolio55]

You could shell out for encryption or you could just use another DNS entirely.

Also from my understanding of DNS, the encryption here is basically worthless. Encryption seems to be stopping people seeing what you're SENDING to the nameservers but it's the nameservers that get all the juicy info that it sends to your ISP's records and it needs that info to do it's job properly.

Edit: nvm. it's free and a proxy of sorts. It's called "DNS over HTTPS". Basically what I've been suggesting this whole time. Protocols are confusing
also lol DNS level blocks suck and are easily bypassed. This is AOL level security.

 

[Pope Negro Joe the XIIIth]

As it turns out, she wasn't up to the task and she's been torn apart by both sides and now she's tearfully leaving the office because she knows she's a failure, hated by millions.

So, yeah, I don't hate her. Thank you for your service, Mrs. May. I wish you all the best in the future. Sincerely.

The task of what? Refusing to honor the people's vote for Brexit?

 

[Hellbound Hellhound]

She'll go down as the only modern era British PM to be worse than Neville Chamberlain

She certainly played her hand very badly, but I don't think we should forget that the hand she was dealt was terrible to begin with. Personally, I'm much more inclined to blame David Cameron for creating this mess, rather than Theresa May for failing to pick up the pieces.

 

[whatever I feel like]

The biggest amount of blame goes to Brown for not having a vote on the Lisbon Treaty*. If he'd had one it would have lost and the EU would have gone back to the table on their government reforms, including more of what the British wanted. Assuming they did that (or even if they had just stuck with the old system,) Remain would have probably made it over the line in any potential in/out referendum. But nope, he went along with everyone else and just punted it through parliament even though the public was clearly opposed.

As to May, her ability to get Brexit through went out of the window after the results of the last election, along with MPs being given a non-party line vote on it, and you will either need a legitimate out date from the EU or a new parliament to finally resolve this mess. Or, of course, another vote...


*Edit: Or was that Cameron? Either way, the diagnosis is the same.

 

[Wraith]

Oi, do you have a loicense for that browser?
How long before the gubment orders only gubment sponsored browsers, some with special code that turns your web cam on to monitor you while you're online and send screenshots to Scotland Yard?

 

[Luigi]

Imagine having to live in the UK

 

[AF 802]

Firefox's planned DNS encryption is pretty awful and sends every DNS request to CloudFlare (here's more).

Watch as Mozilla removes the TRR disable switch from the about : config because of UK laws.

 

[CrunkLord420]

<insert shilling for dnscrypt here>

 

[Drycantelope]

Imagine having to live in the UK

No one has to live in the UK, if they can't move they can just kill themselves.

 

[Slimy Time]

The biggest amount of blame goes to Brown for not having a vote on the Lisbon Treaty*. If he'd had one it would have lost and the EU would have gone back to the table on their government reforms, including more of what the British wanted. Assuming they did that (or even if they had just stuck with the old system,) Remain would have probably made it over the line in any potential in/out referendum. But nope, he went along with everyone else and just punted it through parliament even though the public was clearly opposed.

As to May, her ability to get Brexit through went out of the window after the results of the last election, along with MPs being given a non-party line vote on it, and you will either need a legitimate out date from the EU or a new parliament to finally resolve this mess. Or, of course, another vote...


*Edit: Or was that Cameron? Either way, the diagnosis is the same.

Treaty of Lisbon signed 2007, enforced 2009, so it would be the one-eyed Scottish idiot.

 

[EasyPeasy]

BoJo will probably drop dead before he gets elected and we will end up with another fucking remoaner.

 

[thismanlies]

The only reason why Google is taking this anti-censorship stance is because they have employees in Britain who need their spank material.

 

[DuckSucker]

No one has to live in the UK, if they can't move they can just kill themselves.

No you have to have a license for that, go to court and present why you want to do it.

 

[Slimy Time]

BoJo will probably drop dead before he gets elected and we will end up with another fucking remoaner.

One of them will definitely try to pull something to knock him off his position as leader. I would bet on Gove, given his track record.

 

[Drycantelope]

No you have to have a license for that, go to court and present why you want to do it.

You know I actually remember reading that in medieval england the penalty for attempting to commit suicide was death.

 

[Chalk Eater]

You know I actually remember reading that in medieval england the penalty for attempting to commit suicide was death.

Oi, you got your death loicense?

 

[Jewelsmakerguy]

I can't tell what's the more pathetic thing here, that Mozilla and Google are trying to make encrypting tools? Or that the UK are utterly incompetent at lawmaking?