Election Year or Fear!

[macstheman]

Still the phone snatchers are being kept gainfully employed, something like 40,000 a year relieved from their brain-dead owners.
Free enterprise with no Capital Gains tax!

[Ram Pant]

Speaking of elections, as the title does...

The Dutch election of October 29th is at this stage...

The seat allocations left, right and centre indicate that creating a majority coalition is almost impossible unless 1 or 2 parties make some huge concessions that would see them lose favour with their voters.

2 of the largesg, D66 and CDA were put together and came up with a document that would be the basis of a coalition. They are now working further. Now with the VVD also involved. Between them, the 3 parties they have 66 of to 150 seats.

The logical 4th party is GL/PvdA with 20 seats, a party that is pretty much what Labour used to be. Pre election VVD was struglling in the polls until their leader decided to rule out being in a coalition with GL/PvdA. That saw them go from 12 in the polls to 22 on the election. Their leader dare not go back on that promise.

The other contender is JA21 with 9 seats, very much a party of the right although not as far right as Wilders PVV. With them on board, the coalition would have 75 seats. One short of an overall majority. Too far right for the D66, the largest party, who haven't completely ruled out JA 21 but say it would be very hard to reach agreement...

Here's the rub though, in the upper house, the proosed minority coalition desperatelt needs the GL/PvdA seats there.

The idea is to persuade one of JA21 or GL... to back the coalition, gaining some concessions, without actually being in government.

The plans will be publsihed Jan 30th at the latest.

[swaledale]

Still the phone snatchers are being kept gainfully employed, something like 40,000 a year relieved from their brain-dead owners.
Free enterprise with no Capital Gains tax!

I read somewhere, that the makers Iphone et al, could activate a security fetaure which would make any stolen phone worthless, but won't supposedly becuase the replacement sales for stolen phones earns significant revenue.

[swaledale]

i'd suggest that the bad outweighs the good many times over - creating a generation of self obsessed zombies who cannot do anything without a phone to hand to record such amazing events as seeing a pair of shoes or eating breakfast so as to share such heroics with everyone else who, rather curiously, seem fascinated by it. Technology that can turn non entities into "influencers" as a profession (contributing even less to society than an illegal migrant) should be outlawed.

Thats an interesting POV, though one might perhaps find that immigrants or indeed asylum seekers often hold jobs that contribute to society, even though the latter aren't supposed to work.

As for jobs that contribute nothing to society, there are many of those, influencers are I agree an odd job, but hasn't there always been people dumb enough to believe what people tell them, snake oil salesmen have been around for mos tof human history!

There are any number of middle men/women whose only role in life seems to be take 10 or more % off the top of any transaction, think Michelle Mone for example.Indeed I'd ahve to confess that often s a consultant I'd question why peple paid me to rpovide solutions to problems they could quie easily have solved themselves and at 25% less cost!!

[swaledale]

Now that’s an interesting comment, especially coming from the only poster to have resorted to calling one poster with opposing views a clown and two others ****s - that suggests a degree of upset on your part, whether fuelled by an inability to put a decent argument together or as GP suggested something more liquid we’ll have to guess

Mm and you are the one that plaintively says to RA, that you feel he is demeaning towards you, merely, on the face of it becuase he has a different POV to yours or as often occurs, he provides the fcts to disprove your post?


Its absolutely true that I express my frustration and generally have contempt for people who express an opinion for which there is no factual evidence and then either refuse to engage or get pedantic over where the facts came from or the spelling and grammar of my response, rather than be able to address the issue.

As for getting upset by dumb posters who claim a broad point of view, accuse me of being bigoted and narrow minded and then frequently quote common phrases pumped out by certain media and commentators in their posts? Your having a larf!

What is clear, is that you in particular, despite your claims to the contrary hate having your narrow experience and anecdotal understanding of the real world challenged.

RA tends to suffer fools, not gladly but is rather restrained in his responses, I on the otherhand lose patience with pedantic, petty minded people and people who just repeat nonsense gleaned from dubious sources. Far from being upset, I'm generally amused.

I would also point out, that on a number of occasions I have stated my agreement in full or in part with what other posters, including you and GP have posted. I could count on the fingers of one hand the times you have done that.

So whether you petulance, reluctance to explain bizarre statements and tendency to disappear when shown to be wrong is down to being upset, or just embrassment, we'll have to guess.

[Andy_Faber]

I read somewhere, that the makers Iphone et al, could activate a security fetaure which would make any stolen phone worthless, but won't supposedly becuase the replacement sales for stolen phones earns significant revenue.

Do your research before you offer such snippets Swale.

Any UK phone owner who uses a UK network provider and has their IMEI (phone ID) registered (so all first owners and any subsequent owners who re-register) can request that their mobiles are 'blacklisted' by the network provider so that it can't be used on any UK network for phone or text and can't be used on the 4G or 5G network for data, although data useage (including voice calls over data platforms like Watsapp) cannot be disabled. Blacklisting can't be 'defeated' by backstreet mobile shops. Blacklisting also applies (less reliably) to networks run by affiliates elsewhere in the world, although its not comprehensive there, the less comprehensive the more likely that stolen phones end up there.

I know this because I have such a phone which was blacklisted as part of a 'wrong address delivery' scam and which the network provider didn't want back

So networks may incidentally be advantaged by phone theft but don't obstruct the disabling of phones.

Spend less time attacking posters who don't agree with you and more time getting your facts right

[swaledale]

Do your research before you offer such snippets Swale.

Any UK phone owner who uses a UK network provider and has their IMEI (phone ID) registered (so all first owners and any subsequent owners who re-register) can request that their mobiles are 'blacklisted' by the network provider so that it can't be used on any UK network for phone or text and can't be used on the 4G or 5G network for data, although data useage (including voice calls over data platforms like Watsapp) cannot be disabled. Blacklisting can't be 'defeated' by backstreet mobile shops. Blacklisting also applies (less reliably) to networks run by affiliates elsewhere in the world, although its not comprehensive there, the less comprehensive the more likely that stolen phones end up there.

I know this because I have such a phone which was blacklisted as part of a 'wrong address delivery' scam and which the network provider didn't want back

So networks may incidentally be advantaged by phone theft but don't obstruct the disabling of phones.

Spend less time attacking posters who don't agree with you and more time getting your facts right

First, just becuase someobody, whether thats me or anothe rperson, demonstrates that something you post is untrue, an exaggeration or not backed up with factual evidence, that isn't an attack, or demeaning your opinion it just means your statement is wrong or unproven. I get that you dislike having your opinions, prejudices and narrow world view challenged, but thats what happens when you spout nonsense, get over it!

Secondly yes there is the ability to have an IMEI number black listed and the various security measures to prevent access to data and yes one can wipe ones data remotely. I know this becuase my Wife's phone was stolen in Paris last year. The thieves or more likely the recipients then used the medical details to phone me and say they had handed it into an Apple Store, complete with photo of same, but said Apple required the passcode!! I did not give any info other than to adise the phone had been reported stolen! I next got a text from Egypt asking for more details, which obviously I ignored. What tends to hapen to such phones is they are either stripped for spare parts or despite the black listing, can be registered on foreign networks, which you do mention.

However, this is from the BBC in November 2025.

The problem of mobile phone thefts is particularly prevalent in London where, in 2024, 80,000 smartphones were reported as stolen - up from 64,000 in 2023.

The Metroplitan Police has estimated 78% of stolen devices were later connected to overseas networks.

Stolen devices are blocked from being used in the UK by phone networks by using the phone's unique identifying number - known as an IMEI - but this is not the case globally.

Onwurah argued that "robust technical measures" such as blocking stolen phones taken overseas from accessing cloud services could make devices "far less valuable".

She also pointed to comments by Mobile UK, the trade association of the UK's mobile network operators, who said blocking IMEI in other countries was a "necessary step to dismantle the business model of organised crime".

However, she said when giving evidence, Apple, Google and Samsung had avoided saying why they would not implement the technology.

"Their repeated pivots to answering questions about data security rather than devices, and insistence that the phones were broken down and sold for parts, without any evidence to support this assertion, was telling," she said.

"Technology to deter phone theft is available, and we have yet to hear a convincing reason why, with co-operation on all sides, the available solutions shouldn't be used to disincentivise phone theft and disrupt the market in stolen devices."

Onwurah asked the home secretary if she would push the tech giants to implement cloud-based blocking and also pressed the minister to provide a data for the next phone theft summit.

Addressing Apple representative Gary Davis later in the same committee hearing, Conservative MP Kit Malthouse said: "The concern is that, actually, it feels to a lot of people like you are dragging your feet and that sitting behind this is a very strong commercial incentive.

"The fact that £50m-worth of phones are stolen in London every year means that, if that stopped, £50m of sales would be depressed."

"You are able to detect all sorts of clever things about my behaviour, my face and my fingerprint; yet, for what seems to most people like a relatively simple solution to an endemic and significant problem of crime in London and other capital cities, you are saying that you have been at it for 12 years and made no progress."

Davis said the accusation was "a little unfair" and rejected the claim that "we somehow benefit from our users suffering the traumatic event of having their phone stolen".

He added that the company had invested in designing protections for phones including stolen device protection and a 'find my iPhone' tool.

In written evidence to the committee,, external Apple said it had concerns about the "wider privacy and security implications" of blocking stolen devices from accessing its services but added that it was "now considering how IMEI-blocking could be enacted".

So perhaps, before you jump in to make a snide attack, eagerly convinced that you are right and desperate to have a go at me and show me I'm wrong, you might do a bit of your own research, rather than rely solely on your own anecdotal experience.

On and I said phone makers, not networks, just for accuracy like.

Because as I said in my post, I was sure I had read somewhere and so it turns out I had! Funny that isn't it?

[SithHappens]

See Tommy Robinson kicking off again at being barred from a pub https://x.com/i/trending/2005816478839517480

He has been celebrating the movement to ban labour mps from pubs but starts crying when someone doesn't want him in theirs

[ramAnag]

Spend less time attacking posters who don't agree with you and more time getting your facts right[/QUOTE]

Is that your New Year’s resolution then, AF? Very fitting. Good luck with it.

[Ram Pant]

Surely, if stealing phones in, for instance, London was made nonsensical because the phone couldn't be sold and used abroad, YES, it would stop 50M quids worth of sales in London BUT there would be a corresponding sales increase in far away places because they wouldn't be able to use stolen phones.

[Geoff Parkstone]

Surely, if stealing phones in, for instance, London was made nonsensical because the phone couldn't be sold and used abroad, YES, it would stop 50M quids worth of sales in London BUT there would be a corresponding sales increase in far away places because they wouldn't be able to use stolen phones.

But in many of those places if the consumer couldn't buy a knocked off iPhone for 50 quid, they wouldn't buy / couldnt afford to buy a brand new one for 1000+ but would simply buy something affordable like a good old Nokia 3310. A stronger argument for Apple etc "letting" them be stolen is that the victim would simply buy another one him/herself from either the insurance claim money or blag another off doting parents.

[Ram Pant]

But in many of those places if the consumer couldn't buy a knocked off iPhone for 50 quid, they wouldn't buy / couldnt afford to buy a brand new one for 1000+ but would simply buy something affordable like a good old Nokia 3310. A stronger argument for Apple etc "letting" them be stolen is that the victim would simply buy another one him/herself from either the insurance claim money or blag another off doting parents.

Don't you just love capitalism? Nowt wrong in making a few bob, IMO, as long as the workers het paid a fair wage, have decemt working conditions and their earnings enable them to enjoy a good standard of living.

[swaledale]

Surely, if stealing phones in, for instance, London was made nonsensical because the phone couldn't be sold and used abroad, YES, it would stop 50M quids worth of sales in London BUT there would be a corresponding sales increase in far away places because they wouldn't be able to use stolen phones.

Ironically, apparently one of the biggest market for stolen iphones is China, where they make the damn things!!

I guess a stolen phone is much cheaper than a brand new one, which would be unaffordable to most of the customers for the stolen ones.

[ramAnag]

Ironically, apparently one of the biggest market for stolen iphones is China, where they make the damn things!!

I guess a stolen phone is much cheaper than a brand new one, which would be unaffordable to most of the customers for the stolen ones.

Don’t pretend to fully understand it, Swale, but I think it has a lot to do with western phones being able to get round Chinese internet restrictions and the growing market for spare parts.

[SithHappens]

FIFA looking a bit silly for awarding that peace prize this morning.