BRFR Cake Stop 'breaking news' miscellany

[BoldonLad]

Is there *anything* they do well? I genuinely can't think of one of their projects that hasn't been a shitstorm in one way or another.

I was an IT contractor on a Crapita Government contract around 25 years ago. The task, was to keep a legacy system (itself about 20 years old, at that time), functioning until it could be replaced. It was a shoot storm, and Crapita lived up to their name. The only thing I could say in their defence, is the original situation they took over was in itself a disaster.

 

[briantrumpet]

I was an IT contractor on a Crapita Government contract around 25 years ago. The task, was to keep a legacy system (itself about 20 years old, at that time), functioning until it could be replaced. It was a shoot storm, and Crapita lived up to their name. The only thing I could say in their defence, is the original situation they took over was in itself a disaster.

IIRC, they completely ballsed up recruitment for the Army too.

 

[Pblakeney]

Phew, I'm glad there's somewhere.

View attachment 14899

Is that Aberdeen?
Not where I'd invest given the decline of the O&G industry.

 

[BoldonLad]

IIRC, they completely ballsed up recruitment for the Army too.

Like yourself, I am not aware of any “success” stories. But, I suppose “success” is not Newsworthy. I would not really want to defend them, but, my point really was that sometimes “success” has to be measured in terms of reducing the volume of shoot, not necessarily totally eliminating it. 😂

 

[Psamathe]

Well Adolpho Hernandez has a salary package of between £1.61million and £2.76 million a year, and many of their senior execs earn very good salaries plus they made £113.5m in profit in 2025, up from £84.6m - so there is something that they do well...

Currently 232 UK Government contracts worth £7.7bn.

Maybe the question is are they doing something well or are our Government doing something very badly.

 

[BoldonLad]

Currently 232 UK Government contracts worth £7.7bn.

Maybe the question is are they doing something well or are our Government doing something very badly.

The latter, and not just with Crapita

In latest PE there is yet another example of costly failure. MHRA/ Accenture. .

 

[midlandsgrimpeur]

Police are investigating whether a crash on the Clyde Tunnel slip road was caused by the driver mistaking a graffiti mural 'tunnel' for the real thing.

https://www.glasgowtimes.co.uk/news...-crash-driver-mistake-graffiti-eyes-entrance/

View attachment 14891

Police have released a photofit of the suspect graffiti artist.

View attachment 14892

To cap it off, an ACME bomb then dropped out of nowhere blowing the van up.

 

[briantrumpet]

The media is doing a decent job of finding out and publishing embarrassing stuff about Polanski's past, including now seemingly false claims about being about being a Red Cross spokesman. Now how about being equally dogged about Farage? Why so incurious and forgetful about such a long and incendiary list?

Brexit
Racism
Russian bribes
Christofascist Trump links
Clacton house purchase
Multiple jobs
Tice’s tax
£5mn undeclared bung
Crypto

 

[secretsqirrel]

The media is doing a decent job of finding out and publishing embarrassing stuff about Polanski's past, including now seemingly false claims about being about being a Red Cross spokesman. Now how about being equally dogged about Farage? Why so incurious and forgetful about such a long and incendiary list?

Brexit
Racism
Russian bribes
Christofascist Trump links
Clacton house purchase
Multiple jobs
Tice’s tax
£5mn undeclared bung
Crypto

Polanski is giving Starmer a break from being public enemy no.1.

 

[briantrumpet]

I cast my vote by mail a few days ago, and subsequently found a tactical voting website suggesting I'd made the best choice to guard against Reform. Phew.

 

[briantrumpet]

Polanski is giving Starmer a break from being public enemy no.1.

At the same time, it's worth noting how the RW cartoonists are caricaturing Polanski... if you go back to WW2, you'd see similar tropes from the likes of the Daily Mail in particular. The hooked nose is not accidental.

 

[Beebo]

Where will the plague ship be allow to disembark. Or should they stay at sea until they are all dead?
https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/live/cy592qeq071t

 

[First Aspect]

At the same time, it's worth noting how the RW cartoonists are caricaturing Polanski... if you go back to WW2, you'd see similar tropes from the likes of the Daily Mail in particular. The hooked nose is not accidental.

View attachment 14911

https://www.google.com/search?clien...HXiPFX8QtKgLegQIEhAB&biw=384&bih=721&dpr=2.81



https://www.google.com/search?q=car...MC4xLjkuM8gHYIAIAA&sclient=mobile-gws-wiz-img


https://www.google.com/search?q=car...cwLjEuNC4zyAc7gAgA&sclient=mobile-gws-wiz-img

 

[PurplePenguin]

Why do tennis players feel like they are not getting enough prize money? Ticket prices for Wimbledon are now pretty exorbitant. It would make sense if they complained about that.

 

[briantrumpet]

https://www.google.com/search?clien...HXiPFX8QtKgLegQIEhAB&biw=384&bih=721&dpr=2.81



https://www.google.com/search?q=cartoon+depictions+of+farage&client=ms-android-ee-uk-revc&hs=djAV&sca_esv=b0d980e6c6d3f50b&udm=2&biw=384&bih=721&sxsrf=ANbL-n65j_mOKCtGLEf7Tarevm6JcJD96Q:1778058058990&ei=SgP7aaCMPIm3hbIPtOrM6Ac&oq=cartoon+depictions+of+farage&gs_lp=EhJtb2JpbGUtZ3dzLXdpei1pbWciHGNhcnRvb24gZGVwaWN0aW9ucyBvZiBmYXJhZ2UyCBAAGIAEGKIEMggQABiiBBiJBTIIEAAYogQYiQUyCBAAGIAEGKIEMggQABiABBiiBEjkJ1C6CFjqH3AAeACQAQCYAcUBoAH5CqoBAzkuNbgBA8gBAPgBAZgCDaAC-grCAgQQIRgVwgIFEAAYgATCAgQQABgemAMAiAYBkgcFNy41LjGgB5cqsgcFNy41LjG4B_oKwgcHMC4xLjkuM8gHYIAIAA&sclient=mobile-gws-wiz-img


https://www.google.com/search?q=cartoons+of+boris+johnson&client=ms-android-ee-uk-revc&hs=J4pp&sca_esv=b0d980e6c6d3f50b&udm=2&biw=384&bih=721&sxsrf=ANbL-n4UOGjkQk_vMg4oElak9aBCmiB7XA:1778058179917&ei=wwP7aa3ZN8iahbIP7NrAuAU&oq=cartoon+depictions+of+boris&gs_lp=EhJtb2JpbGUtZ3dzLXdpei1pbWciG2NhcnRvb24gZGVwaWN0aW9ucyBvZiBib3JpcyoCCAAyCBAAGKIEGIkFMggQABiiBBiJBTIIEAAYgAQYogRI-CdQ1ApYwx5wAHgAkAEAmAGsAqABiA6qAQc2LjIuMy4xuAEByAEA-AEBmAIIoAKGCcICBRAAGIAEwgIEEAAYHpgDAIgGAZIHBzQuMi4xLjGgB8YfsgcHNC4yLjEuMbgHhgnCBwcwLjEuNC4zyAc7gAgA&sclient=mobile-gws-wiz-img

And?

I'm all for vicious caricatures/cartoons, but certain tropes have dark histories, and cartoonists must (or should) know and avoid them, unless they positively want to link into those dark histories, whether that's antisemitic (hooked noses, etc), refugees as vermin (IIRC, Matt has done that one in the Telegraph), etc.

I loved the viciousness of Scarfe: you could immediately see who his targets were, but as far as I know he never used lazy and incendiary tropes.