Latest news with #Ange
The Age
11-07-2025
- The Age
If someone like Erin Patterson could do this, how well do we really know anyone?
The Vienna hostel room was heaving with gals when I showed up in 1991. Mostly blonde, all eyeing off the newcomer. And, it turned out, all from Melbourne. Being barely into adulthood meant where we went to school was still a valid navigation signpost in the getting-to-know-you process. Turned out these girls went to the same bayside place where my brother's then-girlfriend (now a mum of two AFL young guns – love you, Ange) had gone. I told them her name. There were two, then three beats of silence. 'Wait. Is your brother Craig Halfpenny?' said one, speaking for all. 'But … he's so good looking.' Sure, I was trekking around Europe in practical shoes and a bad fringe. I'd eaten a lot of Milka chocolate on trains. But I was hardly Quasimodo. Had good ankles and small ears. Yet how I saw myself was clearly out of whack with the new homies. Apologies if I've told that story before, but its disconnect between how we see others – or what we let others see – came back to me with the death of Peter Russell-Clarke late last week. This masthead ran a prominent obituary; social media was awash with tributes to the man who made 'Where's the cheese?' a catchcry for anyone who grew up in Australia the 1970s and '80s. He was as famous for his outbursts and use of colourful language as he was his recipes. I met Russell-Clarke only once, for a magazine interview over lunch at his place, but it was enough to convince me he was a vile man. With a short fuse. Who bullied his wife in front of me. When you experience the outbursts close up, they're not all that funny. I left terrified of this household-name dairy spruiker. Another Melbourne radio and TV star coerced a friend into sex after they met at a media dinner. She felt humiliated, confused. His obits talked endlessly about what a great family man he was.
Sydney Morning Herald
11-07-2025
- Sydney Morning Herald
If someone like Erin Patterson could do this, how well do we really know anyone?
The Vienna hostel room was heaving with gals when I showed up in 1991. Mostly blonde, all eyeing off the newcomer. And, it turned out, all from Melbourne. Being barely into adulthood meant where we went to school was still a valid navigation signpost in the getting-to-know-you process. Turned out these girls went to the same bayside place where my brother's then-girlfriend (now a mum of two AFL young guns – love you, Ange) had gone. I told them her name. There were two, then three beats of silence. 'Wait. Is your brother Craig Halfpenny?' said one, speaking for all. 'But … he's so good looking.' Sure, I was trekking around Europe in practical shoes and a bad fringe. I'd eaten a lot of Milka chocolate on trains. But I was hardly Quasimodo. Had good ankles and small ears. Yet how I saw myself was clearly out of whack with the new homies. Apologies if I've told that story before, but its disconnect between how we see others – or what we let others see – came back to me with the death of Peter Russell-Clarke late last week. This masthead ran a prominent obituary; social media was awash with tributes to the man who made 'Where's the cheese?' a catchcry for anyone who grew up in Australia the 1970s and '80s. He was as famous for his outbursts and use of colourful language as he was his recipes. I met Russell-Clarke only once, for a magazine interview over lunch at his place, but it was enough to convince me he was a vile man. With a short fuse. Who bullied his wife in front of me. When you experience the outbursts close up, they're not all that funny. I left terrified of this household-name dairy spruiker. Another Melbourne radio and TV star coerced a friend into sex after they met at a media dinner. She felt humiliated, confused. His obits talked endlessly about what a great family man he was.
CTV News
10-07-2025
- Entertainment
- CTV News
Metrolinx apologizes for ‘inappropriately' using AI to respond to customer complaint about GO Transit service from Rogers Stadium
Metrolinx says it was inappropriate to use artificial intelligence to respond to a customer complaint about GO Transit service from Rogers Stadium following Coldplay's concert on Monday. The Crown company announced last week three additional southbound GO trains on the Barrie line from Downsview Park GO, where the new 50,000 seat venue is located, to Toronto's Union Station to get concertgoers into the city after the sold-out show. However, as an X user named Ange pointed out in a tweet directed at GO on Tuesday, the last northbound train leaves Downsview at 11:13 p.m. 'We had to leave early the show was still going and (we had to) run and run and just made it on,' they wrote. In response, GO Transit wrote in a since-deleted tweet: 'Sounds like Ange had a dramatic dash to catch that last northbound GO train at 11:13 p.m. That's cutting it close!' The tweet went on to say that GO Transit's schedules can vary depending on the line and day, but that it is 'always smart to check the latest train times before heading out — especially after events downtown.' Rogers Stadium is located in North York. GO Transit then offered to help Ange look up train times and backup options before telling them: 'You go visit our website' for more options. In a statement to CTV News Toronto, Metrolinx said that while all its social media accounts are run exclusively by Metrolinx employees, the GO Transit account is supported by a contract centre vendor to respond to customer queries and, 'in this case,' a reply was 'inappropriately drafted by our vendor using AI.' 'We recognize that we did not meet our customer support standards, and we have provided clear direction to our vendor that AI cannot be used under any circumstances. We apologize for any confusion this might have caused our customers,' a spokesperson said in an email. GO Transit response was 'condescending': Ontario MPP Ajax MPP Rob Cerjanec took a screenshot of the GO Transit tweet before it was wiped from the internet and in a statement to CTV News, he called the AI-generated response 'condescending.' 'Good customer service requires empathy and understanding of the concern being raised so that improvements can be made and trust is built. That's what the public expects of government and public agencies like Metrolinx and GO Transit,' he wrote in an email Thursday. 'If concert goers are being told to take transit and that there's going to be extra trains, those trains should leave in all directions after the concert is done. I think this is a lesson for Metrolinx and GO Transit that they need to adjust their schedules so people can actually get to and from this venue, which is pretty hard to get to,' he added. Rogers Stadium's rocky start Rogers Stadium has been met with mixed reviews since it opened last month. While some concertgoers have had nothing but good things to say about the temporary outdoor concert space, located at the site of the former Downsview Airport Lands, others have complained about long waits to exit, swaying grandstands, and difficulty getting to the site. One of those critics includes Coldplay frontman Chris Martin, who jabbed the venue on the first two nights of the British band's four-night, sold-out residency. 'Thank you for being here, anyway, and especially thank you for travelling on the strange quest that you had to travel on to get to this very bizarre stadium, a million miles from earth,' Martin said Tuesday night after calling the venue a 'weird stadium in the middle of nowhere' on Monday. Live Nation Canada, which operates the concert space, made adjustments to the venue ahead of Coldplay's concerts and after complaints first surfaced following its inaugural concert. K-pop group Blackpink will take the stage in the city's north end later this month. Chris Brown, Oasis, System of a Down, and Hozier, are all set to perform at Rogers Stadium later this summer.
The Guardian
25-06-2025
- Politics
- The Guardian
A week off from PMQs can't save Starmer from awkward questions over welfare bill
There are worse days for a prime minister to be otherwise engaged at a Nato summit and miss his weekly midday clash with the leader of the opposition in the Commons. In fact, Keir Starmer will have been thrilled with the timing. OK, he may have to swallow his pride and indulge in the by now obligatory Sunbed God idolatry to which every Nato leader has now signed up. But at least he didn't have to face the embarrassment of a 120-and-growing rebellion by his own backbenchers over reforms to the welfare bill. Weirdly, cutting benefits to people unable to wash themselves wasn't the reason why many Labour MPs went into politics. So, for the second week running, Starmer's duties were transferred to the more than capable hands of Angela Rayner. Though she may feel that the prime minister must now owe her a favour or three given the circumstances. Ange might have known exactly what was coming at her but that didn't mean she had to enjoy it, even if she could allow herself one of her favourite pleasures of taking the piss out of the Tories. Although it is a bit like stealing sweets from children given the current state of the Conservative party. Starmer's absence meant that Kemi Badenoch was also obliged to send out a deputy. This might be called sub-optimal for the Tory leader, because her replacements – even Chris Philp – invariably outperform her. Largely because they are at least capable of sticking to one subject and talking in full sentences. Though this is a low bar. Kemi did promise that she would improve at PMQs week on week, but I'm not sure she meant by not showing up. She says it best when she says nothing at all. This week, following the unwritten rule of Anyone But Robert Jenrick, the shadow chancellor, Mel Stride, was given his chance at the dispatch box. This in itself was slightly problematic. Not because the Melster is a bit of a plodder at heart – no one would ever dream of asking him to multi-task – but because having someone with a little insider knowledge is the equivalent to shooting yourself in the foot. Stride may not be aware of the irony of a former work and pensions secretary moaning about years of spiralling benefits bills, but everyone else in the chamber certainly was. It's hard to take the Melster seriously at the best of times. Even more so when he's trying to be serious and speak with the air of authority. Long before the end, he sounded like someone who was merely going through the motions and knew he was unlikely to get another call-up any time soon. Then again, Angela didn't sound as if her heart was totally in it, either. She's professional enough to parrot the party line more or less convincingly, but the Ange of a few years ago would have been one of the first to man the barricades against the welfare bill. We weren't quite in gritted teeth territory, but not far off. Still, things could have been worse. She could have been the work and pensions secretary. Liz Kendall looked the picture of misery as she sat silently on the Labour frontbench. Lost in a private hell. Occasionally looking anxiously at her phone. Presumably checking to see if her shrink had replied to her WhatsApp for an urgent appointment. The resulting session was all a bit under-powered. Anaemic. Two deputies who would rather have been elsewhere going through the motions. The Melster tried to stick to his questions. Why was the government rushing through with the bill, when the Tories would have cut the welfare budget by far more? Uh, hello? Wasn't this the same Mel who was in charge when the welfare budget rose to record levels? Mel shook his head. He was certain it had been another Mel who had done that. The thought of there being two Melsters running around in ever-decreasing circles in Westminster would be one of Dante's nightmares. Rayner just held the line. The welfare reforms were necessary. The second reading would go ahead next Tuesday. She said that because she could hardly say otherwise. But no one took her seriously. The chances of the government not pulling the bill if it's odds on it will lose are nil. Better to lose face than to risk totally undermining the prime minister's authority. But no need to rush into things. Leave it as late as possible to minimise the damage. If it were done when 'tis done, then 'twere well it were done as late as possible. Still, the good news for Ange was that no Labour backbenchers had it in for her over welfare. Why shoot the messenger? Over in The Hague, Keir looked totally knackered as he gave his end of Nato press conference. The past year has not been kind to him. He has aged a decade in just 12 months. His eyes have deadened and he appears not to have had a good night's sleep in weeks. Power commands its price and Starmer was paying for it as he tried to talk up the summit. His role in it. That it was totally normal for Donald Trump to have come into it questioning Article 5 and accusing the Pentagon of fake news for suggesting the American bombing raid may only have set back the Iranian nuclear programme by a few months. For Keir there was only unfriendly fire from the British media. Was he concerned that there was no mention of Russia in the final communique? Was this an Agent Orange thing? Not at all, Keir said. Just an oversight. Nato was more committed to Ukraine than ever. It was the dialectics at work. The less they said about Russia, the more serious they were. The rest of the questions were on the welfare bill. Nato was so last week. What was he going to do? Was he effectively on the way out already? Was his authority shot? No. But he was. Out on his feet. Keir could do with a few days off. A chance to regather his thoughts. But he wasn't going to get it. Not till August. For now the show must go on. Tuesday could look after itself.
Spectator
25-06-2025
- Politics
- Spectator
Keir Starmer is geopolitical anti-viagra
Sir Keir Starmer was in The Hague. I know, I know, you'd have thought they would have done Blair first. Sorry to get your hopes up, but the Prime Minister was in fact there for the Nato summit. He was doubtless bringing to bear all the soft power which the government had bought by paying to give away the Chagos. Ha ha. You heard it here first, Keir Starmer: Geopolitical Anti-Viagra. Anyway, all this meant that the Deputy PM was in the hot seat again. The first question that Big Ange faced wasn't a question at all but the by now standard self-respect-immolation by a backbench Labour MP, the ceaselessly embarrassing Mike Tapp. He went on a rant about the Tory record on crime with all the dignity of a loose suitcase crashing down an escalator at Luton airport. Sir Lindsay Hoyle cut him short and told Ange she didn't really need to answer on account of it not actually being a question. For how long will Labour backbenchers be happy to commit these acts of craven embarrassment every week? They don't seem to get much in return. We then came to Mel Stride. Possibly due to her own insecurities, the Leader of the Opposition is still committed to the random rotation model of deputation. Presumably hapless shadow cabinet members have to assemble in her office and draw straws. This week the loser – sorry winner – was the shadow chancellor. I have to confess I did not have particularly high hopes for the man who claimed he had 'Melmentum' at the Tory leadership contest last year. But he started with two decent jokes suggesting that he and the Deputy PM had more in common than people might think; they both, he said, disagreed viscerally with the Chancellor. He added that a number of people behind her wanted the arrangement whereby she replaced the PM to be permanent. Even Ange permitted herself a hopeful smile at the latter. Sir Mel pushed his opponent on whether there would be a vote in the House next Tuesday on benefit cuts. Ange assured him there would, although the shadow chancellor pointed out that we'd heard that one before. Indeed; the government is less in the business of U-turns and is now engaged in a sort of perma-doughnut, like joy-riding teenagers attempting to destroy a neighbour's lawn. The main thrust of Ange's answers was: 'Yeah but no but the Tories'. They had stood idly by, which was something she could never do. This was the Good Samaritan meets Vicky Pollard. Whether it was tax rises or the welfare bill, she listed how the Tories had done the same thing – but somehow worse – to the economy. Next to her sat the Chancellor, looking like a petrified marsupial. At one point she managed a grit of the teeth and a shake of the head but the general impression remained. She was a Lego opossum, a wombat with rigor mortis. After Sir Mel's slightly blustery but ultimately futile attempt to get an answer from the Deputy Prime Minister it was the turn of others. But the Ginger Sphinx of Ashton-under-Lyme was not budging. Daisy Cooper of the Lib Dems got a riddle of an answer on the carer allowance and multiple MPs found ways to convert questions on topics as diverse as homelessness, nursery places and council funding structures into point-scoring against the Tories. At least someone's living somewhere rent-free. That said, I dread to think what the other tenants inside Big Ange's head are like. Sureena Brackenridge, an exceptionally shouty woman who is mystifyingly the MP for Wolverhampton North-East gave a high-decibel rant about free school meals, which once again seemed to be saying how wonderful the government was. It was Brian Blessed meets Jasper Carrott meets that woman who reads the news out in North Korea. There were still a few moments of fun to be had. At one point Hilary Benn's phone went off, revealing that his ringtone is the repeated chime of a suburban doorbell – think Hyacinth Bucket. Sadly unequal to the challenge of turning it off, The Honourable Hilary sprinted out of the chamber, dinging as he went. Andrew Snowden gave a pretty damning litany of the specific failings of the Government front bench. Would she encourage the PM himself to be shown the door in the upcoming reshuffle? Unsurprisingly, Ange enjoyed this question. Given his spirited delivery 'perhaps next week he can have a go?' Ange continued: 'The leader of the opposition said she was going to get better week on week- she already has in the last two weeks!' Even the Tories laughed at this. The faintly unsettling gangland lock-in vibe was back. There was a final moment of camp flirtation with Ange's previous sparring partner, Sir Oliver 'Olive' Dowden. 'I am so pleased to be asking her a question again' he gushed. ' I hope he's got his factor 50 on out there, he knows how tough it can be for us gingers' she purred. I was put in mind of Mr Humphries asking Mrs Slocombe about the state of her pussy on Are You Being Served?. Talking of 70s throwbacks, the final question was from Jeremy Corbyn, who now sits so far into the corner of the opposition backbenches that he might as well yell his queries from a barge in the Thames. Next week, global crises all being equal, we will be back to the Nasal Knight. I suspect most of the House of Commons – his own side especially – will be hoping that his Hague detention could last just one week longer.
