Whipple said she was unable to hand out a whole-life sentence because Hussein was under 21. She said the usual minimum term would be 37 years for crimes of this severity, but that she had reduced it because of Hussein’s age – he had only turned 18 three weeks before committing the crime – and his autism spectrum disorder diagnosis, which she said could “make you a person who could struggle in prison more than others”.
She decided, however, not to consider evidence of an undiagnosed personality disorder or psychopathy identified in a psychiatric report as a mitigating factor, or to delay sentencing while these were further examined, because Hussein had refused to comply with the evaluation.
The murders were evil but the murderer clearly nutty as a fruitcake (as described in DSM3). I do think we could save a lot of time and money by removing from the courts any role in deciding whether criminals are sane, and instead short-circuiting them to Broadmoor. It would better serve humanity but also justice.
The talk of enjoying taking the train when it costs much more and takes much longer than flying, makes me realise we've got a fair few Sheldon Coopers on this site.
Better views (it’s normally cloudy at 35,000ft in my experience), more leg room, wider seats, less noisy, much lower chance of having your luggage end up in Cairo by mistake, no long queues at security…
There are lots of reasons for preferring trains to planes. Particularly when journey times are comparable. I have on occasion taken a trip by train just for the journey, rather than the destination. I can’t see myself doing that on a commercial flight.
Talking of which, the Cairo Luxor sleeper train is a definite adventure. Still not as good as the Caledonian. But fun
And the old one from Paris to the Riviera, that was special. Not sure if it even runs anymore, now the TGV has unromantically shortened the journey
Whipple said she was unable to hand out a whole-life sentence because Hussein was under 21. She said the usual minimum term would be 37 years for crimes of this severity, but that she had reduced it because of Hussein’s age – he had only turned 18 three weeks before committing the crime – and his autism spectrum disorder diagnosis, which she said could “make you a person who could struggle in prison more than others”.
She decided, however, not to consider evidence of an undiagnosed personality disorder or psychopathy identified in a psychiatric report as a mitigating factor, or to delay sentencing while these were further examined, because Hussein had refused to comply with the evaluation.
The murders were evil but the murderer clearly nutty as a fruitcake (as described in DSM3). I do think we could save a lot of time and money by removing from the courts any role in deciding whether criminals are sane, and instead short-circuiting them to Broadmoor.
I'd be fine with that. But in those cases, life must mean life even if it's in a high security hospital rather than a prison.
The talk of enjoying taking the train when it costs much more and takes much longer than flying, makes me realise we've got a fair few Sheldon Coopers on this site.
Better views (it’s normally cloudy at 35,000ft in my experience), more leg room, wider seats, less noisy, much lower chance of having your luggage end up in Cairo by mistake, no long queues at security…
There are lots of reasons for preferring trains to planes. Particularly when journey times are comparable. I have on occasion taken a trip by train just for the journey, rather than the destination. I can’t see myself doing that on a commercial flight.
Ah the old joke at the check in desk. "I'm travelling to Glasgow, but I'd like my luggage to go to Cairo please:. "I'm sorry sir, we can't do that.". "Whyever not, that's what you did last time..."
The talk of enjoying taking the train when it costs much more and takes much longer than flying, makes me realise we've got a fair few Sheldon Coopers on this site.
Again, it doesn’t take “much longer than flying” on the routes we’ve been discussing. Why persist in this mythology?
I'm totally with you on this one. Flying is horrendous. Airport terminals are gross, full of commercial tat and rubbish food. The pain of spending all that time queuing to show papers and then hanging about waiting to get on; then watching morons struggle to put their luggage in the racks; then queuing again to get off and for luggage etc. Meanwhile staying seated with no room to stretch out (for us plebs). No pleasure at all.
By contrast, London - Montpellier by rail is an absolute pleasure, especially the TGV bit. Watching the changing countryside fly past, strolling up and down the train, plenty of legroom, a table to play cards on, and a bar. From city centre to city centre, arriving bright and fresh. Great. There's more to life than time and money.
The talk of enjoying taking the train when it costs much more and takes much longer than flying, makes me realise we've got a fair few Sheldon Coopers on this site.
Better views (it’s normally cloudy at 35,000ft in my experience), more leg room, wider seats, less noisy, much lower chance of having your luggage end up in Cairo by mistake, no long queues at security…
There are lots of reasons for preferring trains to planes. Particularly when journey times are comparable. I have on occasion taken a trip by train just for the journey, rather than the destination. I can’t see myself doing that on a commercial flight.
Talking of which, the Cairo Luxor sleeper train is a definite adventure. Still not as good as the Caledonian. But fun
And the old one from Paris to the Riviera, that was special. Not sure if it even runs anymore, now the TGV has unromantically shortened the journey
The talk of enjoying taking the train when it costs much more and takes much longer than flying, makes me realise we've got a fair few Sheldon Coopers on this site.
Again, it doesn’t take “much longer than flying” on the routes we’ve been discussing. Why persist in this mythology?
I'm totally with you on this one. Flying is horrendous. Airport terminals are gross, full of commercial tat and rubbish food. The pain of spending all that time queuing to show papers and then hanging about waiting to get on; then watching morons struggle to put their luggage in the racks; then queuing again to get off and for luggage etc. Meanwhile staying seated with no room to stretch out (for us plebs). No pleasure at all.
By contrast, London - Montpellier by rail is an absolute pleasure, especially the TGV bit. Watching the changing countryside fly past, strolling up and down the train, plenty of legroom, a table to play cards on, and a bar. From city centre to city centre, arriving bright and fresh. Great. There's more to life than time and money.
Is that direct? Or changing at Lille? Or what?
You can change in Lille, or in Paris. Neither are a big deal, though Lille a bit quicker.
The talk of enjoying taking the train when it costs much more and takes much longer than flying, makes me realise we've got a fair few Sheldon Coopers on this site.
Better views (it’s normally cloudy at 35,000ft in my experience), more leg room, wider seats, less noisy, much lower chance of having your luggage end up in Cairo by mistake, no long queues at security…
There are lots of reasons for preferring trains to planes. Particularly when journey times are comparable. I have on occasion taken a trip by train just for the journey, rather than the destination. I can’t see myself doing that on a commercial flight.
Talking of which, the Cairo Luxor sleeper train is a definite adventure. Still not as good as the Caledonian. But fun
And the old one from Paris to the Riviera, that was special. Not sure if it even runs anymore, now the TGV has unromantically shortened the journey
Mombasa to Nairobi is good.
When the young Winston Churchill did this trip, he got someone to weld a wrought iron bench to the front of the locomotive so that he could sit there with a rifle and shoot game; the train would then stop to retrieve the kills. All of that with no authority to do any of it, other than being an English sahib of the officer class.
The talk of enjoying taking the train when it costs much more and takes much longer than flying, makes me realise we've got a fair few Sheldon Coopers on this site.
Better views (it’s normally cloudy at 35,000ft in my experience), more leg room, wider seats, less noisy, much lower chance of having your luggage end up in Cairo by mistake, no long queues at security…
There are lots of reasons for preferring trains to planes. Particularly when journey times are comparable. I have on occasion taken a trip by train just for the journey, rather than the destination. I can’t see myself doing that on a commercial flight.
Talking of which, the Cairo Luxor sleeper train is a definite adventure. Still not as good as the Caledonian. But fun
And the old one from Paris to the Riviera, that was special. Not sure if it even runs anymore, now the TGV has unromantically shortened the journey
Mombasa to Nairobi is good.
When the young Winston Churchill did this trip, he got someone to weld a wrought iron bench to the front of the locomotive so that he could sit there with a rifle and shoot game; the train would then stop to retrieve the kills. All of that with no authority to do any of it, other than being an English sahib of the officer class.
I’ve been on a train in Greece where the driver got off to pick fruit. To be fair he didn’t stop the train…
The talk of enjoying taking the train when it costs much more and takes much longer than flying, makes me realise we've got a fair few Sheldon Coopers on this site.
Better views (it’s normally cloudy at 35,000ft in my experience), more leg room, wider seats, less noisy, much lower chance of having your luggage end up in Cairo by mistake, no long queues at security…
There are lots of reasons for preferring trains to planes. Particularly when journey times are comparable. I have on occasion taken a trip by train just for the journey, rather than the destination. I can’t see myself doing that on a commercial flight.
Talking of which, the Cairo Luxor sleeper train is a definite adventure. Still not as good as the Caledonian. But fun
And the old one from Paris to the Riviera, that was special. Not sure if it even runs anymore, now the TGV has unromantically shortened the journey
Mombasa to Nairobi is good.
When the young Winston Churchill did this trip, he got someone to weld a wrought iron bench to the front of the locomotive so that he could sit there with a rifle and shoot game; the train would then stop to retrieve the kills. All of that with no authority to do any of it, other than being an English sahib of the officer class.
The talk of enjoying taking the train when it costs much more and takes much longer than flying, makes me realise we've got a fair few Sheldon Coopers on this site.
Before Covid I did a lot of travelling between Edinburgh and London and taking the train was simply less hassle. After travelling to Kings Cross I'd get to my train and I'd then get to sit down for four and a bit hours and read, knit and watch Netflix, etc with food and drink I'd brought with me.
If I was flying then I'd have to be a lot more disciplined and organised with my packing, I might have to check a bag in after arriving at the airport, then go through security (where I'd have to risk losing my knitting needles or scissors depending on the latest iteration of the security rules, or put my knitting in my checked bag), then hang around for a while, buy some food after not being allowed to bring any through security, board the plane, comply with bizarre rules on what devices I was allowed to use while the plane took off, then wait for my checked bag again at the other end after disembarking.
You don't need to be a train fetishist to prefer the train journey.
The talk of enjoying taking the train when it costs much more and takes much longer than flying, makes me realise we've got a fair few Sheldon Coopers on this site.
Better views (it’s normally cloudy at 35,000ft in my experience), more leg room, wider seats, less noisy, much lower chance of having your luggage end up in Cairo by mistake, no long queues at security…
There are lots of reasons for preferring trains to planes. Particularly when journey times are comparable. I have on occasion taken a trip by train just for the journey, rather than the destination. I can’t see myself doing that on a commercial flight.
Talking of which, the Cairo Luxor sleeper train is a definite adventure. Still not as good as the Caledonian. But fun
And the old one from Paris to the Riviera, that was special. Not sure if it even runs anymore, now the TGV has unromantically shortened the journey
Mombasa to Nairobi is good.
When the young Winston Churchill did this trip, he got someone to weld a wrought iron bench to the front of the locomotive so that he could sit there with a rifle and shoot game; the train would then stop to retrieve the kills. All of that with no authority to do any of it, other than being an English sahib of the officer class.
What a wretched man
He was a man of his time, and should be judged as such.
The talk of enjoying taking the train when it costs much more and takes much longer than flying, makes me realise we've got a fair few Sheldon Coopers on this site.
Better views (it’s normally cloudy at 35,000ft in my experience), more leg room, wider seats, less noisy, much lower chance of having your luggage end up in Cairo by mistake, no long queues at security…
There are lots of reasons for preferring trains to planes. Particularly when journey times are comparable. I have on occasion taken a trip by train just for the journey, rather than the destination. I can’t see myself doing that on a commercial flight.
Talking of which, the Cairo Luxor sleeper train is a definite adventure. Still not as good as the Caledonian. But fun
And the old one from Paris to the Riviera, that was special. Not sure if it even runs anymore, now the TGV has unromantically shortened the journey
The is a (deservedly) less well known Agatha Christie novel set on it: The Mystery of the Blue Train.
That’s it. Le train bleu
I went on a much reduced version of it in the late 1980s. Now it has gone entirely? Shame. It was a gas. From the grisaille of Paris to the glitter of the Côte d’Azur, in one night
The talk of enjoying taking the train when it costs much more and takes much longer than flying, makes me realise we've got a fair few Sheldon Coopers on this site.
Better views (it’s normally cloudy at 35,000ft in my experience), more leg room, wider seats, less noisy, much lower chance of having your luggage end up in Cairo by mistake, no long queues at security…
There are lots of reasons for preferring trains to planes. Particularly when journey times are comparable. I have on occasion taken a trip by train just for the journey, rather than the destination. I can’t see myself doing that on a commercial flight.
Talking of which, the Cairo Luxor sleeper train is a definite adventure. Still not as good as the Caledonian. But fun
And the old one from Paris to the Riviera, that was special. Not sure if it even runs anymore, now the TGV has unromantically shortened the journey
I got the train from Paris to Nice a few years ago. It's wonderful - fast to the south, but then slows down gradually as you head east so that you can enjoy the Riviera as it unfolds. It's still running, as far as I know.
The talk of enjoying taking the train when it costs much more and takes much longer than flying, makes me realise we've got a fair few Sheldon Coopers on this site.
Better views (it’s normally cloudy at 35,000ft in my experience), more leg room, wider seats, less noisy, much lower chance of having your luggage end up in Cairo by mistake, no long queues at security…
There are lots of reasons for preferring trains to planes. Particularly when journey times are comparable. I have on occasion taken a trip by train just for the journey, rather than the destination. I can’t see myself doing that on a commercial flight.
Talking of which, the Cairo Luxor sleeper train is a definite adventure. Still not as good as the Caledonian. But fun
And the old one from Paris to the Riviera, that was special. Not sure if it even runs anymore, now the TGV has unromantically shortened the journey
The is a (deservedly) less well known Agatha Christie novel set on it: The Mystery of the Blue Train.
That’s it. Le train bleu
I went on a much reduced version of it in the late 1980s. Now it has gone entirely? Shame. It was a gas. From the grisaille of Paris to the glitter of the Côte d’Azur, in one night
Major incident in Hawick declared following sustained rainfall with estimates the River Teviot will peak above 3 metres possibly resulting in significant property damage and risk to public safety
The talk of enjoying taking the train when it costs much more and takes much longer than flying, makes me realise we've got a fair few Sheldon Coopers on this site.
Better views (it’s normally cloudy at 35,000ft in my experience), more leg room, wider seats, less noisy, much lower chance of having your luggage end up in Cairo by mistake, no long queues at security…
There are lots of reasons for preferring trains to planes. Particularly when journey times are comparable. I have on occasion taken a trip by train just for the journey, rather than the destination. I can’t see myself doing that on a commercial flight.
Talking of which, the Cairo Luxor sleeper train is a definite adventure. Still not as good as the Caledonian. But fun
And the old one from Paris to the Riviera, that was special. Not sure if it even runs anymore, now the TGV has unromantically shortened the journey
Mombasa to Nairobi is good.
When the young Winston Churchill did this trip, he got someone to weld a wrought iron bench to the front of the locomotive so that he could sit there with a rifle and shoot game; the train would then stop to retrieve the kills. All of that with no authority to do any of it, other than being an English sahib of the officer class.
What a wretched man
He was a man of his time, and should be judged as such.
Well, antipathy to animal cruelty is older than that. The RSPCA was around for half a century before Churchill was born.
The talk of enjoying taking the train when it costs much more and takes much longer than flying, makes me realise we've got a fair few Sheldon Coopers on this site.
Before Covid I did a lot of travelling between Edinburgh and London and taking the train was simply less hassle. After travelling to Kings Cross I'd get to my train and I'd then get to sit down for four and a bit hours and read, knit and watch Netflix, etc with food and drink I'd brought with me.
If I was flying then I'd have to be a lot more disciplined and organised with my packing, I might have to check a bag in after arriving at the airport, then go through security (where I'd have to risk losing my knitting needles or scissors depending on the latest iteration of the security rules, or put my knitting in my checked bag), then hang around for a while, buy some food after not being allowed to bring any through security, board the plane, comply with bizarre rules on what devices I was allowed to use while the plane took off, then wait for my checked bag again at the other end after disembarking.
You don't need to be a train fetishist to prefer the train journey.
I fly a fair bit with work. Even for long-haul, I have long since stopped taking anything on the plane bar my phone and a book, which I shove in my jacket pocket. As you say, the ludicrous, ever changing rules aren’t worth the faff. If I need anything to eat or drink, I order it from the stewardess. I always check my luggage as several business suits don’t fit in a hold bag.
Speaking of HS2, has anyone else been to Euston recently? I was there last week and it's currently the grottiest railway station I think I've ever been to: eclipsing anything in Asia. The loos are absolutely disgusting.
I only hope this is because of HS2 development? Does anyone know? The fact that it doesn't really link properly to King's Cross-St Pancras is also one of the more bizarre aspects of HS2.
The original Euston fell victim to post-war planning vandalism.
Luckily the second best station facade (Huddersfield) has been protected. Network Rail have just produced plans for upgrades which however will not affect the Grade 1 listed building.
Personally (you know me!) I don't see the attraction of catching a train just to sleep on it!
I prefer to take in the sights along the route during the daytime (if possible, natch).
While I was a student did the Inter-rail (sp?) thing round much of Europe with a couple of friends. Sleeping on the train was free, while staying overnight meant paying for a youth hostel or similar. I managed to get to Istanbul by train before having to sleep not on a train.
Personally (you know me!) I don't see the attraction of catching a train just to sleep on it!
I prefer to take in the sights along the route during the daytime (if possible, natch).
You should try the ‘Love Train’ - if it still runs - a sleeper between Moscow and Leningrad/Petersburg
It was very popular with swooning young Soviet lovers, trapped in cramped apartments with parents. They would take the train just so they could have sex in some kind of privacy
The talk of enjoying taking the train when it costs much more and takes much longer than flying, makes me realise we've got a fair few Sheldon Coopers on this site.
Better views (it’s normally cloudy at 35,000ft in my experience), more leg room, wider seats, less noisy, much lower chance of having your luggage end up in Cairo by mistake, no long queues at security…
There are lots of reasons for preferring trains to planes. Particularly when journey times are comparable. I have on occasion taken a trip by train just for the journey, rather than the destination. I can’t see myself doing that on a commercial flight.
Talking of which, the Cairo Luxor sleeper train is a definite adventure. Still not as good as the Caledonian. But fun
And the old one from Paris to the Riviera, that was special. Not sure if it even runs anymore, now the TGV has unromantically shortened the journey
Mombasa to Nairobi is good.
When the young Winston Churchill did this trip, he got someone to weld a wrought iron bench to the front of the locomotive so that he could sit there with a rifle and shoot game; the train would then stop to retrieve the kills. All of that with no authority to do any of it, other than being an English sahib of the officer class.
What a wretched man
He was a man of his time, and should be judged as such.
Well, antipathy to animal cruelty is older than that. The RSPCA was around for half a century before Churchill was born.
Competently shooting game with a view to its being eaten isn't cruelty
Personally (you know me!) I don't see the attraction of catching a train just to sleep on it!
I prefer to take in the sights along the route during the daytime (if possible, natch).
You should try the ‘Love Train’ - if it still runs - a sleeper between Moscow and Leningrad/Petersburg
It was very popular with swooning young Soviet lovers, trapped in cramped apartments with parents. They would take the train just so they could have sex in some kind of privacy
I’ve been on that train, though it was Leningrad to Moscow when I did it. School trip though, so probably less sex than your description.
The talk of enjoying taking the train when it costs much more and takes much longer than flying, makes me realise we've got a fair few Sheldon Coopers on this site.
Before Covid I did a lot of travelling between Edinburgh and London and taking the train was simply less hassle. After travelling to Kings Cross I'd get to my train and I'd then get to sit down for four and a bit hours and read, knit and watch Netflix, etc with food and drink I'd brought with me.
If I was flying then I'd have to be a lot more disciplined and organised with my packing, I might have to check a bag in after arriving at the airport, then go through security (where I'd have to risk losing my knitting needles or scissors depending on the latest iteration of the security rules, or put my knitting in my checked bag), then hang around for a while, buy some food after not being allowed to bring any through security, board the plane, comply with bizarre rules on what devices I was allowed to use while the plane took off, then wait for my checked bag again at the other end after disembarking.
You don't need to be a train fetishist to prefer the train journey.
Why do they say ‘now sit back and enjoy your flight’?
Unless you are in Business or better it is never ‘enjoyable’. It is something to be tolerated, and something you want finished ASAP
Whereas a train CAN be actively enjoyable. The way the countryside flickers past. At the right speed it induces a creative mood in the brain. I’ve noticed you don’t get this meditative vibe on the TGV/Eurostar/Shinkansen etc. They go TOO fast
The talk of enjoying taking the train when it costs much more and takes much longer than flying, makes me realise we've got a fair few Sheldon Coopers on this site.
Before Covid I did a lot of travelling between Edinburgh and London and taking the train was simply less hassle. After travelling to Kings Cross I'd get to my train and I'd then get to sit down for four and a bit hours and read, knit and watch Netflix, etc with food and drink I'd brought with me.
If I was flying then I'd have to be a lot more disciplined and organised with my packing, I might have to check a bag in after arriving at the airport, then go through security (where I'd have to risk losing my knitting needles or scissors depending on the latest iteration of the security rules, or put my knitting in my checked bag), then hang around for a while, buy some food after not being allowed to bring any through security, board the plane, comply with bizarre rules on what devices I was allowed to use while the plane took off, then wait for my checked bag again at the other end after disembarking.
You don't need to be a train fetishist to prefer the train journey.
Bloody Eastern Europeans coming to London and shoving out the natives.
West Ham United are in advanced talks to sell a 27 per cent stake in the club to Czech billionaire Daniel Kretinsky.
The deal, which could be announced within days, would value West Ham at more than £600 million and could be the precursor to an eventual full takeover which would end the ownership of David Sullivan and David Gold who bought the club in 2010.
The pair have been looking for investment partners for several years and only wanted to sell a minority stake, initially at least. The offer values the club at significantly more than the two bids – albeit attempts to buy West Ham outright – received from PAI Capital, a group headed by London-based Azerbaijani businessman Nasib Piriyev.
Kretinsky, known as the “Czech sphinx” for his low profile and inscrutable nature after making a series of shrewd investments, has been in talks with West Ham for some time.
He is Royal Mail’s biggest shareholder, owning 15 per cent of the company and making paper profits worth hundreds of millions of pounds after the its stock surged in the last year.
Kretinsky’s firm Vesa Equity Investments owns 10 per cent of Sainsbury’s, having recently increased its stake by buying more than £300m worth of shares from Qatar’s sovereign wealth fund.
At 46, Kretinsky is one of a new breed of Eastern Europe industrialists and his fortune is said to be worth more than £3 billion. A corporate lawyer, he has turned to the west where he has also bought magazine titles including the French edition of Elle and radio stations. He is also the largest shareholder in France’s Le Monde newspaper.
The talk of enjoying taking the train when it costs much more and takes much longer than flying, makes me realise we've got a fair few Sheldon Coopers on this site.
Better views (it’s normally cloudy at 35,000ft in my experience), more leg room, wider seats, less noisy, much lower chance of having your luggage end up in Cairo by mistake, no long queues at security…
There are lots of reasons for preferring trains to planes. Particularly when journey times are comparable. I have on occasion taken a trip by train just for the journey, rather than the destination. I can’t see myself doing that on a commercial flight.
Talking of which, the Cairo Luxor sleeper train is a definite adventure. Still not as good as the Caledonian. But fun
And the old one from Paris to the Riviera, that was special. Not sure if it even runs anymore, now the TGV has unromantically shortened the journey
Mombasa to Nairobi is good.
When the young Winston Churchill did this trip, he got someone to weld a wrought iron bench to the front of the locomotive so that he could sit there with a rifle and shoot game; the train would then stop to retrieve the kills. All of that with no authority to do any of it, other than being an English sahib of the officer class.
What a wretched man
He was a man of his time, and should be judged as such.
Well, antipathy to animal cruelty is older than that. The RSPCA was around for half a century before Churchill was born.
Competently shooting game with a view to its being eaten isn't cruelty
Personally (you know me!) I don't see the attraction of catching a train just to sleep on it!
I prefer to take in the sights along the route during the daytime (if possible, natch).
You should try the ‘Love Train’ - if it still runs - a sleeper between Moscow and Leningrad/Petersburg
It was very popular with swooning young Soviet lovers, trapped in cramped apartments with parents. They would take the train just so they could have sex in some kind of privacy
I’ve been on that train, though it was Leningrad to Moscow when I did it. School trip though, so probably less sex than your description.
And we have travelled Moscow to Leningrad when it was Leningrad and was the first time we experienced 24 hours daylight arriving in daylight at 11.00 pm
The talk of enjoying taking the train when it costs much more and takes much longer than flying, makes me realise we've got a fair few Sheldon Coopers on this site.
Google in the doghouse along with Facebook. "Ok so, I just read through all 173 pages of the unredacted Google antitrust filing and I have to say that either Google is screwed or society is screwed, we'll find out which. Unordered list of fun things I learned:" https://twitter.com/fasterthanlime/status/1452053938195341314
The talk of enjoying taking the train when it costs much more and takes much longer than flying, makes me realise we've got a fair few Sheldon Coopers on this site.
Better views (it’s normally cloudy at 35,000ft in my experience), more leg room, wider seats, less noisy, much lower chance of having your luggage end up in Cairo by mistake, no long queues at security…
There are lots of reasons for preferring trains to planes. Particularly when journey times are comparable. I have on occasion taken a trip by train just for the journey, rather than the destination. I can’t see myself doing that on a commercial flight.
Talking of which, the Cairo Luxor sleeper train is a definite adventure. Still not as good as the Caledonian. But fun
And the old one from Paris to the Riviera, that was special. Not sure if it even runs anymore, now the TGV has unromantically shortened the journey
Mombasa to Nairobi is good.
When the young Winston Churchill did this trip, he got someone to weld a wrought iron bench to the front of the locomotive so that he could sit there with a rifle and shoot game; the train would then stop to retrieve the kills. All of that with no authority to do any of it, other than being an English sahib of the officer class.
What a wretched man
He was a man of his time, and should be judged as such.
Well, antipathy to animal cruelty is older than that. The RSPCA was around for half a century before Churchill was born.
Competently shooting game with a view to its being eaten isn't cruelty
And shooting rhinos for fun, is.
Not necessarily, back in those days thinks and elephants needed seriously controlling to protect crops. For the natives to eat with a view to not dying of starvation.
The talk of enjoying taking the train when it costs much more and takes much longer than flying, makes me realise we've got a fair few Sheldon Coopers on this site.
Better views (it’s normally cloudy at 35,000ft in my experience), more leg room, wider seats, less noisy, much lower chance of having your luggage end up in Cairo by mistake, no long queues at security…
There are lots of reasons for preferring trains to planes. Particularly when journey times are comparable. I have on occasion taken a trip by train just for the journey, rather than the destination. I can’t see myself doing that on a commercial flight.
Talking of which, the Cairo Luxor sleeper train is a definite adventure. Still not as good as the Caledonian. But fun
And the old one from Paris to the Riviera, that was special. Not sure if it even runs anymore, now the TGV has unromantically shortened the journey
Mombasa to Nairobi is good.
When the young Winston Churchill did this trip, he got someone to weld a wrought iron bench to the front of the locomotive so that he could sit there with a rifle and shoot game; the train would then stop to retrieve the kills. All of that with no authority to do any of it, other than being an English sahib of the officer class.
What a wretched man
He was a man of his time, and should be judged as such.
Well, antipathy to animal cruelty is older than that. The RSPCA was around for half a century before Churchill was born.
Competently shooting game with a view to its being eaten isn't cruelty
And shooting rhinos for fun, is.
Not necessarily, back in those days thinks and elephants needed seriously controlling to protect crops. For the natives to eat with a view to not dying of starvation.
The talk of enjoying taking the train when it costs much more and takes much longer than flying, makes me realise we've got a fair few Sheldon Coopers on this site.
Again, it doesn’t take “much longer than flying” on the routes we’ve been discussing. Why persist in this mythology?
We were talking about examples like Manchester to Paris. That's a 90 minute flight.
How do you get from Manchester to Paris without spending much longer than 90 minutes? It'd take at least twice as long even direct.
Again, show me your working. Including faffing around at the airports, getting to/from city centres... but we've been through this, over and again now!
The talk of enjoying taking the train when it costs much more and takes much longer than flying, makes me realise we've got a fair few Sheldon Coopers on this site.
Better views (it’s normally cloudy at 35,000ft in my experience), more leg room, wider seats, less noisy, much lower chance of having your luggage end up in Cairo by mistake, no long queues at security…
There are lots of reasons for preferring trains to planes. Particularly when journey times are comparable. I have on occasion taken a trip by train just for the journey, rather than the destination. I can’t see myself doing that on a commercial flight.
Talking of which, the Cairo Luxor sleeper train is a definite adventure. Still not as good as the Caledonian. But fun
And the old one from Paris to the Riviera, that was special. Not sure if it even runs anymore, now the TGV has unromantically shortened the journey
Mombasa to Nairobi is good.
When the young Winston Churchill did this trip, he got someone to weld a wrought iron bench to the front of the locomotive so that he could sit there with a rifle and shoot game; the train would then stop to retrieve the kills. All of that with no authority to do any of it, other than being an English sahib of the officer class.
What a wretched man
He was a man of his time, and should be judged as such.
Well, antipathy to animal cruelty is older than that. The RSPCA was around for half a century before Churchill was born.
Competently shooting game with a view to its being eaten isn't cruelty
And shooting rhinos for fun, is.
Not necessarily, back in those days thinks and elephants needed seriously controlling to protect crops. For the natives to eat with a view to not dying of starvation.
Yes, Churchill has a well-deserved reputation for fighting against starvation. No, wait. The other.
He shot animals because it pleased him. You know it, I know you know it, and you know I know you know it. Stop this sorry dancing. He was was a man who not just took pleasure out of, but made a public show of, killing animals.
Glasgow - Oban does much of what you need, frankly, without the sleeper part.
Plus then you can have a glass of Old Mull after you take the Callie Mac over.
Remembering toast and boiled egg in the midst of Rannoch Muir in the dining car of the old time sleeper to Mallaig in the good old days. And the train back which was more than long enough for everyone and you could open the windows for the smell of the parcel of kippers I had bought for Mum and Dad.
Google in the doghouse along with Facebook. "Ok so, I just read through all 173 pages of the unredacted Google antitrust filing and I have to say that either Google is screwed or society is screwed, we'll find out which. Unordered list of fun things I learned:" https://twitter.com/fasterthanlime/status/1452053938195341314
Astonishing.
From that filing...
""google has a secret deal with facebook called "Jedi Blue" that they knew was so illegal that it has a whole section describing how they'll cover for each other if anyone finds out - google appears to have a team called gTrade that is wholly dedicated to ad market manipulation""
The talk of enjoying taking the train when it costs much more and takes much longer than flying, makes me realise we've got a fair few Sheldon Coopers on this site.
Better views (it’s normally cloudy at 35,000ft in my experience), more leg room, wider seats, less noisy, much lower chance of having your luggage end up in Cairo by mistake, no long queues at security…
There are lots of reasons for preferring trains to planes. Particularly when journey times are comparable. I have on occasion taken a trip by train just for the journey, rather than the destination. I can’t see myself doing that on a commercial flight.
Talking of which, the Cairo Luxor sleeper train is a definite adventure. Still not as good as the Caledonian. But fun
And the old one from Paris to the Riviera, that was special. Not sure if it even runs anymore, now the TGV has unromantically shortened the journey
Mombasa to Nairobi is good.
When the young Winston Churchill did this trip, he got someone to weld a wrought iron bench to the front of the locomotive so that he could sit there with a rifle and shoot game; the train would then stop to retrieve the kills. All of that with no authority to do any of it, other than being an English sahib of the officer class.
What a wretched man
He was a man of his time, and should be judged as such.
Well, antipathy to animal cruelty is older than that. The RSPCA was around for half a century before Churchill was born.
Competently shooting game with a view to its being eaten isn't cruelty
And shooting rhinos for fun, is.
Not necessarily, back in those days thinks and elephants needed seriously controlling to protect crops. For the natives to eat with a view to not dying of starvation.
Yes, Churchill has a well-deserved reputation for fighting against starvation. No, wait. The other.
He shot animals because it pleased him. You know it, I know you know it, and you know I know you know it. Stop this sorry dancing. He was was a man who not just took pleasure out of, but made a public show of, killing animals.
Yes well so did everybody else, and the point stands: killing an animal which needs killing in the most painless way achievable is not cruelty.
The talk of enjoying taking the train when it costs much more and takes much longer than flying, makes me realise we've got a fair few Sheldon Coopers on this site.
Better views (it’s normally cloudy at 35,000ft in my experience), more leg room, wider seats, less noisy, much lower chance of having your luggage end up in Cairo by mistake, no long queues at security…
There are lots of reasons for preferring trains to planes. Particularly when journey times are comparable. I have on occasion taken a trip by train just for the journey, rather than the destination. I can’t see myself doing that on a commercial flight.
Talking of which, the Cairo Luxor sleeper train is a definite adventure. Still not as good as the Caledonian. But fun
And the old one from Paris to the Riviera, that was special. Not sure if it even runs anymore, now the TGV has unromantically shortened the journey
Mombasa to Nairobi is good.
When the young Winston Churchill did this trip, he got someone to weld a wrought iron bench to the front of the locomotive so that he could sit there with a rifle and shoot game; the train would then stop to retrieve the kills. All of that with no authority to do any of it, other than being an English sahib of the officer class.
What a wretched man
He was a man of his time, and should be judged as such.
As the greatest Briton who evvah lived, surely he's a man for all the ages?
After spending [REDACTED] I took the train from London to Aberdeen - and Nick Clegg was on the same train! (getting off near Sheffield presumably)
I was sitting a few seats away from Nigel fucking Farage some years back between London Victoria and West Dulwich. He alighted there, presumably, to give a talk at the nearby school.
The talk of enjoying taking the train when it costs much more and takes much longer than flying, makes me realise we've got a fair few Sheldon Coopers on this site.
Better views (it’s normally cloudy at 35,000ft in my experience), more leg room, wider seats, less noisy, much lower chance of having your luggage end up in Cairo by mistake, no long queues at security…
There are lots of reasons for preferring trains to planes. Particularly when journey times are comparable. I have on occasion taken a trip by train just for the journey, rather than the destination. I can’t see myself doing that on a commercial flight.
Talking of which, the Cairo Luxor sleeper train is a definite adventure. Still not as good as the Caledonian. But fun
And the old one from Paris to the Riviera, that was special. Not sure if it even runs anymore, now the TGV has unromantically shortened the journey
Mombasa to Nairobi is good.
When the young Winston Churchill did this trip, he got someone to weld a wrought iron bench to the front of the locomotive so that he could sit there with a rifle and shoot game; the train would then stop to retrieve the kills. All of that with no authority to do any of it, other than being an English sahib of the officer class.
What a wretched man
He was a man of his time, and should be judged as such.
Well, antipathy to animal cruelty is older than that. The RSPCA was around for half a century before Churchill was born.
Competently shooting game with a view to its being eaten isn't cruelty
And shooting rhinos for fun, is.
Not necessarily, back in those days thinks and elephants needed seriously controlling to protect crops. For the natives to eat with a view to not dying of starvation.
Yes, Churchill has a well-deserved reputation for fighting against starvation. No, wait. The other.
He shot animals because it pleased him. You know it, I know you know it, and you know I know you know it. Stop this sorry dancing. He was was a man who not just took pleasure out of, but made a public show of, killing animals.
The talk of enjoying taking the train when it costs much more and takes much longer than flying, makes me realise we've got a fair few Sheldon Coopers on this site.
Better views (it’s normally cloudy at 35,000ft in my experience), more leg room, wider seats, less noisy, much lower chance of having your luggage end up in Cairo by mistake, no long queues at security…
There are lots of reasons for preferring trains to planes. Particularly when journey times are comparable. I have on occasion taken a trip by train just for the journey, rather than the destination. I can’t see myself doing that on a commercial flight.
Talking of which, the Cairo Luxor sleeper train is a definite adventure. Still not as good as the Caledonian. But fun
And the old one from Paris to the Riviera, that was special. Not sure if it even runs anymore, now the TGV has unromantically shortened the journey
Mombasa to Nairobi is good.
When the young Winston Churchill did this trip, he got someone to weld a wrought iron bench to the front of the locomotive so that he could sit there with a rifle and shoot game; the train would then stop to retrieve the kills. All of that with no authority to do any of it, other than being an English sahib of the officer class.
What a wretched man
He was a man of his time, and should be judged as such.
As the greatest Briton who evvah lived, surely he's a man for all the ages?
In addition to historical figures, like us today, being complicated, I think we need to stop thinking of great as always a synonym for good. People do do so, but i prefer to think of it in terms of being impactful. Even Harry Potter was told people could do great and terrible things.
After spending [REDACTED] I took the train from London to Aberdeen - and Nick Clegg was on the same train! (getting off near Sheffield presumably)
I was sitting a few seats away from Nigel fucking Farage some years back between London Victoria and West Dulwich. He alighted there, presumably, to give a talk at the nearby school.
The talk of enjoying taking the train when it costs much more and takes much longer than flying, makes me realise we've got a fair few Sheldon Coopers on this site.
Better views (it’s normally cloudy at 35,000ft in my experience), more leg room, wider seats, less noisy, much lower chance of having your luggage end up in Cairo by mistake, no long queues at security…
There are lots of reasons for preferring trains to planes. Particularly when journey times are comparable. I have on occasion taken a trip by train just for the journey, rather than the destination. I can’t see myself doing that on a commercial flight.
Talking of which, the Cairo Luxor sleeper train is a definite adventure. Still not as good as the Caledonian. But fun
And the old one from Paris to the Riviera, that was special. Not sure if it even runs anymore, now the TGV has unromantically shortened the journey
Mombasa to Nairobi is good.
When the young Winston Churchill did this trip, he got someone to weld a wrought iron bench to the front of the locomotive so that he could sit there with a rifle and shoot game; the train would then stop to retrieve the kills. All of that with no authority to do any of it, other than being an English sahib of the officer class.
What a wretched man
He was a man of his time, and should be judged as such.
Well, antipathy to animal cruelty is older than that. The RSPCA was around for half a century before Churchill was born.
Competently shooting game with a view to its being eaten isn't cruelty
And shooting rhinos for fun, is.
Not necessarily, back in those days thinks and elephants needed seriously controlling to protect crops. For the natives to eat with a view to not dying of starvation.
Yes, Churchill has a well-deserved reputation for fighting against starvation. No, wait. The other.
He shot animals because it pleased him. You know it, I know you know it, and you know I know you know it. Stop this sorry dancing. He was was a man who not just took pleasure out of, but made a public show of, killing animals.
Yes well so did everybody else, and the point stands: killing an animal which needs killing in the most painless way achievable is not cruelty.
I wondered for a moment if the loco story was a confusion with Teddy Roosevelt who definitely rode on the loco smokebox end on the railway from Mombasa to Nairobi, but more likely it was a done thing - sort of premium extra first class. So perhaps almost anyone who was anyone did it?
Anyhoo, I've resigned my membership of Yorkshire County Cricket Club.
What a fiasco.
Azeem Rafiq has accused Yorkshire of protecting their staff after the county said it will take no disciplinary action against any of its employees, players or executives following an independent report on allegations of racism.
The former Yorkshire player reacted angrily in the wake of the club’s announcement on Thursday their internal investigation had concluded “there is no conduct or action taken by any of its employees, players or executives that warrants disciplinary action”.
Writing on Twitter, Rafiq said: “Wow just when you think this club couldn’t get more embarrassing you find a way. Still awaiting the FULL report. Thanks for mentioning the people that have provided your PROTECTION & given green light to RACISM.”
Yorkshire released a summarised version of their report on 10 September, apologising and accepting Rafiq had been a victim of “racial harassment and bullying” in his two spells at the club between 2008 and 2018.
A spokesperson for Rafiq said: “We note the statement released by Yorkshire County Cricket Club today. As ever, we will take time to fully respond. However, we do also note that the club has come to the conclusion that no employees, players or executives will face disciplinary action. This is despite Yorkshire County Cricket Club’s admission that Azeem was the victim of racial harassment and bullying. This is despite Yorkshire County Cricket Club’s admission that it failed to follow its own policy and investigate allegations of racism as recently as 2018.
“It is inconceivable that there are no current employees who should not have been disciplined for their conduct. Yorkshire’s failures continue to mount up and it is time that board members – for once – do the decent thing and resign.”
The talk of enjoying taking the train when it costs much more and takes much longer than flying, makes me realise we've got a fair few Sheldon Coopers on this site.
Better views (it’s normally cloudy at 35,000ft in my experience), more leg room, wider seats, less noisy, much lower chance of having your luggage end up in Cairo by mistake, no long queues at security…
There are lots of reasons for preferring trains to planes. Particularly when journey times are comparable. I have on occasion taken a trip by train just for the journey, rather than the destination. I can’t see myself doing that on a commercial flight.
Talking of which, the Cairo Luxor sleeper train is a definite adventure. Still not as good as the Caledonian. But fun
And the old one from Paris to the Riviera, that was special. Not sure if it even runs anymore, now the TGV has unromantically shortened the journey
Mombasa to Nairobi is good.
When the young Winston Churchill did this trip, he got someone to weld a wrought iron bench to the front of the locomotive so that he could sit there with a rifle and shoot game; the train would then stop to retrieve the kills. All of that with no authority to do any of it, other than being an English sahib of the officer class.
What a wretched man
He was a man of his time, and should be judged as such.
Well, antipathy to animal cruelty is older than that. The RSPCA was around for half a century before Churchill was born.
Competently shooting game with a view to its being eaten isn't cruelty
And shooting rhinos for fun, is.
Not necessarily, back in those days thinks and elephants needed seriously controlling to protect crops. For the natives to eat with a view to not dying of starvation.
Yes, Churchill has a well-deserved reputation for fighting against starvation. No, wait. The other.
He shot animals because it pleased him. You know it, I know you know it, and you know I know you know it. Stop this sorry dancing. He was was a man who not just took pleasure out of, but made a public show of, killing animals.
So what? Lots of people shoot game.
Lots of people disapprove of shooting game too.
If it's not to be judged by modern standards theres no need to quibble over his motives.
The talk of enjoying taking the train when it costs much more and takes much longer than flying, makes me realise we've got a fair few Sheldon Coopers on this site.
Better views (it’s normally cloudy at 35,000ft in my experience), more leg room, wider seats, less noisy, much lower chance of having your luggage end up in Cairo by mistake, no long queues at security…
There are lots of reasons for preferring trains to planes. Particularly when journey times are comparable. I have on occasion taken a trip by train just for the journey, rather than the destination. I can’t see myself doing that on a commercial flight.
Talking of which, the Cairo Luxor sleeper train is a definite adventure. Still not as good as the Caledonian. But fun
And the old one from Paris to the Riviera, that was special. Not sure if it even runs anymore, now the TGV has unromantically shortened the journey
Mombasa to Nairobi is good.
When the young Winston Churchill did this trip, he got someone to weld a wrought iron bench to the front of the locomotive so that he could sit there with a rifle and shoot game; the train would then stop to retrieve the kills. All of that with no authority to do any of it, other than being an English sahib of the officer class.
What a wretched man
He was a man of his time, and should be judged as such.
Well, antipathy to animal cruelty is older than that. The RSPCA was around for half a century before Churchill was born.
Competently shooting game with a view to its being eaten isn't cruelty
And shooting rhinos for fun, is.
Not necessarily, back in those days thinks and elephants needed seriously controlling to protect crops. For the natives to eat with a view to not dying of starvation.
Basically a whole load of free food and booze for seven days, a boat trip to see seals, trips round castles, and - shudder - one night of ‘traditional entertainment’ on the train. That has to be bagpipes and highland dancing. Which is traditionally done on a luxury train, as any true Scotsman knows
Anyway that’s it. How much is that if you take it apart? £3k per head? £4k?
They are charging £12,500 per head - and it is all sold out
Basically a whole load of free food and booze for seven days, a boat trip to see seals, trips round castles, and - shudder - one night of ‘traditional entertainment’ on the train. That has to be bagpipes and highland dancing. Which is traditionally done on a luxury train, as any true Scotsman knows
Anyway that’s it. How much is that if you take it apart? £3k per head? £4k?
They are charging £12,500 per head - and it is all sold out
American tourists have lots of money and limited holiday time to spend it all?
Basically a whole load of free food and booze for seven days, a boat trip to see seals, trips round castles, and - shudder - one night of ‘traditional entertainment’ on the train. That has to be bagpipes and highland dancing. Which is traditionally done on a luxury train, as any true Scotsman knows
Anyway that’s it. How much is that if you take it apart? £3k per head? £4k?
They are charging £12,500 per head - and it is all sold out
American tourists have lots of money and limited holiday time to spend it all?
Possibly. They must be very confident covid will be over, if so
Twelve and a half fucking grand!
You could hire a Bentley and a driver and go from 5 star hotel to 5 star hotel - and have much more fun and flexibility - and pay half that, with shitloads of champagne and premium scotch
I do like a train, as we have established, but I don’t like them THAT much
Basically a whole load of free food and booze for seven days, a boat trip to see seals, trips round castles, and - shudder - one night of ‘traditional entertainment’ on the train. That has to be bagpipes and highland dancing. Which is traditionally done on a luxury train, as any true Scotsman knows
Anyway that’s it. How much is that if you take it apart? £3k per head? £4k?
They are charging £12,500 per head - and it is all sold out
I thought “traditional entertainment” on a sleeper train means someone gets stabbed twelve times and you get a famous detective to work out who did it.
It is amazing - everywhere you go there are hiring signs or signs asking for patience due to short staffing. Or places simply close temporarily until a shift can be adequately staffed. I never know when the local Starbucks will be open for more than Drive-Thru'
Basically a whole load of free food and booze for seven days, a boat trip to see seals, trips round castles, and - shudder - one night of ‘traditional entertainment’ on the train. That has to be bagpipes and highland dancing. Which is traditionally done on a luxury train, as any true Scotsman knows
Anyway that’s it. How much is that if you take it apart? £3k per head? £4k?
They are charging £12,500 per head - and it is all sold out
I thought “traditional entertainment” on a sleeper train means someone gets stabbed twelve times and you get a famous detective to work out who did it.
Maybe it’s a drunken hooker from Glasgae who wobbles down the train corridor offering to suck you off if you buy her another bottle of Bucky?
Basically a whole load of free food and booze for seven days, a boat trip to see seals, trips round castles, and - shudder - one night of ‘traditional entertainment’ on the train. That has to be bagpipes and highland dancing. Which is traditionally done on a luxury train, as any true Scotsman knows
Anyway that’s it. How much is that if you take it apart? £3k per head? £4k?
They are charging £12,500 per head - and it is all sold out
American tourists have lots of money and limited holiday time to spend it all?
Possibly. They must be very confident covid will be over, if so
Twelve and a half fucking grand!
You could hire a Bentley and a driver and go from 5 star hotel to 5 star hotel - and have much more fun and flexibility - and pay half that, with shitloads of champagne and premium scotch
I do like a train, as we have established, but I don’t like them THAT much
Basically a whole load of free food and booze for seven days, a boat trip to see seals, trips round castles, and - shudder - one night of ‘traditional entertainment’ on the train. That has to be bagpipes and highland dancing. Which is traditionally done on a luxury train, as any true Scotsman knows
Anyway that’s it. How much is that if you take it apart? £3k per head? £4k?
They are charging £12,500 per head - and it is all sold out
But you get to enjoy two Class 66s for haulage. Surely that is the biggest draw?
Basically a whole load of free food and booze for seven days, a boat trip to see seals, trips round castles, and - shudder - one night of ‘traditional entertainment’ on the train. That has to be bagpipes and highland dancing. Which is traditionally done on a luxury train, as any true Scotsman knows
Anyway that’s it. How much is that if you take it apart? £3k per head? £4k?
They are charging £12,500 per head - and it is all sold out
I thought “traditional entertainment” on a sleeper train means someone gets stabbed twelve times and you get a famous detective to work out who did it.
Basically a whole load of free food and booze for seven days, a boat trip to see seals, trips round castles, and - shudder - one night of ‘traditional entertainment’ on the train. That has to be bagpipes and highland dancing. Which is traditionally done on a luxury train, as any true Scotsman knows
Anyway that’s it. How much is that if you take it apart? £3k per head? £4k?
They are charging £12,500 per head - and it is all sold out
American tourists have lots of money and limited holiday time to spend it all?
Possibly. They must be very confident covid will be over, if so
Twelve and a half fucking grand!
You could hire a Bentley and a driver and go from 5 star hotel to 5 star hotel - and have much more fun and flexibility - and pay half that, with shitloads of champagne and premium scotch
I do like a train, as we have established, but I don’t like them THAT much
I smell a travel article coming on. Now. Who to write it.
Trouble is Reeves seems to make a very good shadow chancellor. Like Brown in the 1990s. We have this tendency in politics and business to promote people out of jobs they are very good at, and sometimes that's not the right answer. Labour needs someone convincing on the economic and public finances.
She is also quite serious and downbeat (again like Brown). Not a shiny smiley optimist. Given that's also Keir's problem, ideally they would have a fun loving, cheery optimistic leader supported by the clunking fist of an all-destroying shadow CoE.
I agree with pretty much all that. Brown's leadership ambitions were his eventual downfall. Reeves should stay where she is and give substance to Labour's economic ambitions.
It's similar for the Tories, with people talking up the chances of Sunak, and to a lesser extent Truss, as next leader. Just because they're perceived as good in their current jobs doesn't mean that they'd make good leaders. In Truss's case, I think it's highly unlikely.
It's a bit like promoting the most brilliant teachers to be head teachers. It's often a disaster. Different skill sets and all that.
Or scientists or engineers or doctors or lawyers into executive leadership. The problem is we pay executives more, when we should pay the best scientists etc... the same to keep them in the jobs where they contribute the most value.
Basically a whole load of free food and booze for seven days, a boat trip to see seals, trips round castles, and - shudder - one night of ‘traditional entertainment’ on the train. That has to be bagpipes and highland dancing. Which is traditionally done on a luxury train, as any true Scotsman knows
Anyway that’s it. How much is that if you take it apart? £3k per head? £4k?
They are charging £12,500 per head - and it is all sold out
But you get to enjoy two Class 66s for haulage. Surely that is the biggest draw?
There are Class 70 locos, but until recently no Class 69s (these are former Class 56s).
I did the Caledonian sleeper last summer with the family. When we booked it was pre-Covid so we'd anticipated that dining car, late whiskies etc. As it was we were stuck in our small sleeper compartment all night and having to don masks to wander shiftily to the toilet cubicle. Yes the scenery was nice coming in towards Fort William but it was raining, so overall the trip wasn't much fun. Exciting for the children though. Would like to try it again when the dining car reopens.
My favourite train journey used to be the one at the end of half term, returning home from Hereford with an overnight bag on the slow regional train via Birmingham, seemingly always on a golden sunny late afternoon as the carriages trundled past Ledbury, Great Malvern and onwards. Not spectacular, but always very relaxing, and I was going home.
Basically a whole load of free food and booze for seven days, a boat trip to see seals, trips round castles, and - shudder - one night of ‘traditional entertainment’ on the train. That has to be bagpipes and highland dancing. Which is traditionally done on a luxury train, as any true Scotsman knows
Anyway that’s it. How much is that if you take it apart? £3k per head? £4k?
They are charging £12,500 per head - and it is all sold out
I thought “traditional entertainment” on a sleeper train means someone gets stabbed twelve times and you get a famous detective to work out who did it.
I did the Caledonian sleeper last summer with the family. When we booked it was pre-Covid so we'd anticipated that dining car, late whiskies etc. As it was we were stuck in our small sleeper compartment all night and having to don masks to wander shiftily to the toilet cubicle. Yes the scenery was nice coming in towards Fort William but it was raining, so overall the trip wasn't much fun. Exciting for the children though. Would like to try it again when the dining car reopens.
My favourite train journey used to be the one at the end of half term, returning home from Hereford with an overnight bag on the slow regional train via Birmingham, seemingly always on a golden sunny late afternoon as the carriages trundled past Ledbury, Great Malvern and onwards. Not spectacular, but always very relaxing, and I was going home.
Not spectacular?! It's a splendid little ride toward - and through - the Malvern Hills. OK, it gets industrial after that - or it used to be in the 1970s.
Basically a whole load of free food and booze for seven days, a boat trip to see seals, trips round castles, and - shudder - one night of ‘traditional entertainment’ on the train. That has to be bagpipes and highland dancing. Which is traditionally done on a luxury train, as any true Scotsman knows
Anyway that’s it. How much is that if you take it apart? £3k per head? £4k?
They are charging £12,500 per head - and it is all sold out
I thought “traditional entertainment” on a sleeper train means someone gets stabbed twelve times and you get a famous detective to work out who did it.
Trouble is Reeves seems to make a very good shadow chancellor. Like Brown in the 1990s. We have this tendency in politics and business to promote people out of jobs they are very good at, and sometimes that's not the right answer. Labour needs someone convincing on the economic and public finances.
She is also quite serious and downbeat (again like Brown). Not a shiny smiley optimist. Given that's also Keir's problem, ideally they would have a fun loving, cheery optimistic leader supported by the clunking fist of an all-destroying shadow CoE.
I agree with pretty much all that. Brown's leadership ambitions were his eventual downfall. Reeves should stay where she is and give substance to Labour's economic ambitions.
It's similar for the Tories, with people talking up the chances of Sunak, and to a lesser extent Truss, as next leader. Just because they're perceived as good in their current jobs doesn't mean that they'd make good leaders. In Truss's case, I think it's highly unlikely.
It's a bit like promoting the most brilliant teachers to be head teachers. It's often a disaster. Different skill sets and all that.
Or scientists or engineers or doctors or lawyers into executive leadership. The problem is we pay executives more, when we should pay the best scientists etc... the same to keep them in the jobs where they contribute the most value.
Being a headteacher is a thankless task, particularly at primary school level. I’m always amazed that any teacher wants to be more than a head of department (and that only so they can pick which classes they teach). If teachers could earn more and stay as teachers then I’m not sure anyone sane would want the job.
I did the Caledonian sleeper last summer with the family. When we booked it was pre-Covid so we'd anticipated that dining car, late whiskies etc. As it was we were stuck in our small sleeper compartment all night and having to don masks to wander shiftily to the toilet cubicle. Yes the scenery was nice coming in towards Fort William but it was raining, so overall the trip wasn't much fun. Exciting for the children though. Would like to try it again when the dining car reopens.
My favourite train journey used to be the one at the end of half term, returning home from Hereford with an overnight bag on the slow regional train via Birmingham, seemingly always on a golden sunny late afternoon as the carriages trundled past Ledbury, Great Malvern and onwards. Not spectacular, but always very relaxing, and I was going home.
I know those Hereford trains! And I know exactly what you mean
I’m sure the train slowed down as it got further west, and it was always sunny and the countryside was golden
Adlestrop
BY EDWARD THOMAS
Yes. I remember Adlestrop— The name, because one afternoon Of heat the express-train drew up there Unwontedly. It was late June.
The steam hissed. Someone cleared his throat. No one left and no one came On the bare platform. What I saw Was Adlestrop—only the name
And willows, willow-herb, and grass, And meadowsweet, and haycocks dry, No whit less still and lonely fair Than the high cloudlets in the sky.
And for that minute a blackbird sang Close by, and round him, mistier, Farther and farther, all the birds Of Oxfordshire and Gloucestershire.
After spending [REDACTED] I took the train from London to Aberdeen - and Nick Clegg was on the same train! (getting off near Sheffield presumably)
I was sitting a few seats away from Nigel fucking Farage some years back between London Victoria and West Dulwich. He alighted there, presumably, to give a talk at the nearby school.
I was on the same bus as Roy Hattersley in Birmingham in the 90s.
I saw Michael Foot at Newcastle station back in the 80s.
Wor Lass used the next door trap to Margaret Beckett in the Ladies at Derby station.
Using the trains in this country is a lot like sex with an ex.
Fun at the start but then you really do regret your decisions about 10 minutes in.
And then you look up halfway through and find Jeremy Corbyn's sat on the floor. It's happened to us all.
Dating a Corbynite is fun.
As an aside, there was a cad, an absolute bounder, who was once making the beast with two backs in a hotel room at 2am, accidentally hit the remote control that was still on the bed and the TV came on.
BBC1 simulcasting with BBC News 24, and as said bounder was about to hit the jackpot there on the TV was footage of Peter Mandelson.
I know the tram line to the Trafford Centre opened the day before the first lockdown in March last year, but how about the new tram services to Blackpool North station and Wolverhampton station?
I did the Caledonian sleeper last summer with the family. When we booked it was pre-Covid so we'd anticipated that dining car, late whiskies etc. As it was we were stuck in our small sleeper compartment all night and having to don masks to wander shiftily to the toilet cubicle. Yes the scenery was nice coming in towards Fort William but it was raining, so overall the trip wasn't much fun. Exciting for the children though. Would like to try it again when the dining car reopens.
My favourite train journey used to be the one at the end of half term, returning home from Hereford with an overnight bag on the slow regional train via Birmingham, seemingly always on a golden sunny late afternoon as the carriages trundled past Ledbury, Great Malvern and onwards. Not spectacular, but always very relaxing, and I was going home.
I did the Caledonian sleeper last summer with the family. When we booked it was pre-Covid so we'd anticipated that dining car, late whiskies etc. As it was we were stuck in our small sleeper compartment all night and having to don masks to wander shiftily to the toilet cubicle. Yes the scenery was nice coming in towards Fort William but it was raining, so overall the trip wasn't much fun. Exciting for the children though. Would like to try it again when the dining car reopens.
My favourite train journey used to be the one at the end of half term, returning home from Hereford with an overnight bag on the slow regional train via Birmingham, seemingly always on a golden sunny late afternoon as the carriages trundled past Ledbury, Great Malvern and onwards. Not spectacular, but always very relaxing, and I was going home.
Not spectacular?! It's a splendid little ride toward - and through - the Malvern Hills. OK, it gets industrial after that - or it used to be in the 1970s.
I'd call it pretty. Spectacular would require big spiky mountains, or plunging ravines. But yes I agree, a lovely ride.
Using the trains in this country is a lot like sex with an ex.
Fun at the start but then you really do regret your decisions about 10 minutes in.
And then you look up halfway through and find Jeremy Corbyn's sat on the floor. It's happened to us all.
Dating a Corbynite is fun.
As an aside, there was a cad, an absolute bounder, who was once making the beast with two backs in a hotel room at 2am, accidentally hit the remote control that was still on the bed and the TV came on.
BBC1 simulcasting with BBC News 24, and as said bounder was about to hit the jackpot there on the TV was footage of Peter Mandelson.
I still haven't recovered.
Oh, Mandy Well, you came And you gave without taking But I sent you away Oh, Mandy Well, you kissed me And stopped me from shaking And I need you today Oh, Mandy
I did the Caledonian sleeper last summer with the family. When we booked it was pre-Covid so we'd anticipated that dining car, late whiskies etc. As it was we were stuck in our small sleeper compartment all night and having to don masks to wander shiftily to the toilet cubicle. Yes the scenery was nice coming in towards Fort William but it was raining, so overall the trip wasn't much fun. Exciting for the children though. Would like to try it again when the dining car reopens.
My favourite train journey used to be the one at the end of half term, returning home from Hereford with an overnight bag on the slow regional train via Birmingham, seemingly always on a golden sunny late afternoon as the carriages trundled past Ledbury, Great Malvern and onwards. Not spectacular, but always very relaxing, and I was going home.
I did the Caledonian sleeper last summer with the family. When we booked it was pre-Covid so we'd anticipated that dining car, late whiskies etc. As it was we were stuck in our small sleeper compartment all night and having to don masks to wander shiftily to the toilet cubicle. Yes the scenery was nice coming in towards Fort William but it was raining, so overall the trip wasn't much fun. Exciting for the children though. Would like to try it again when the dining car reopens.
My favourite train journey used to be the one at the end of half term, returning home from Hereford with an overnight bag on the slow regional train via Birmingham, seemingly always on a golden sunny late afternoon as the carriages trundled past Ledbury, Great Malvern and onwards. Not spectacular, but always very relaxing, and I was going home.
Not spectacular?! It's a splendid little ride toward - and through - the Malvern Hills. OK, it gets industrial after that - or it used to be in the 1970s.
I'd call it pretty. Spectacular would require big spiky mountains, or plunging ravines. But yes I agree, a lovely ride.
TBF the train ride is a bit low for the really good views over Severn Vale to Cotswold Edge and its outlier hills, but then it does go through that tunnel!
Must admit I'm surprised to see the @Anabobazina meme from yesterday getting the OGH treatment.
What meme was this?
Rachel Reeves playing a blinder.
As a Corbynite you might expect me to disagree, but I think she's good, and also that others of my ilk are sufficiently fed up with the Tory lead that they'd be open to her if Starmer fell by the wayside.
After spending [REDACTED] I took the train from London to Aberdeen - and Nick Clegg was on the same train! (getting off near Sheffield presumably)
I was sitting a few seats away from Nigel fucking Farage some years back between London Victoria and West Dulwich. He alighted there, presumably, to give a talk at the nearby school.
I was on the same bus as Roy Hattersley in Birmingham in the 90s.
I saw Michael Foot at Newcastle station back in the 80s.
Wor Lass used the next door trap to Margaret Beckett in the Ladies at Derby station.
#Politiciansonpublictransport
Had Gordon Brown at the back of the plane to Edinburgh a few years back. Shortly after he'd lost to Cameron. Didn't do much smiling.
Sat opposite Frances Maude on the tube. I know that's lame but it counts.
Also knocked Boris Johnson off his bike by accident while crossing Shaftsbury Avenue, back before he was Mayor of London and was just an amusing journalist.
Comments
And the old one from Paris to the Riviera, that was special. Not sure if it even runs anymore, now the TGV has unromantically shortened the journey
The is a (deservedly) less well known Agatha Christie novel set on it: The Mystery of the Blue Train.
When the young Winston Churchill did this trip, he got someone to weld a wrought iron bench to the front of the locomotive so that he could sit there with a rifle and shoot game; the train would then stop to retrieve the kills. All of that with no authority to do any of it, other than being an English sahib of the officer class.
Before Covid I did a lot of travelling between Edinburgh and London and taking the train was simply less hassle. After travelling to Kings Cross I'd get to my train and I'd then get to sit down for four and a bit hours and read, knit and watch Netflix, etc with food and drink I'd brought with me.
If I was flying then I'd have to be a lot more disciplined and organised with my packing, I might have to check a bag in after arriving at the airport, then go through security (where I'd have to risk losing my knitting needles or scissors depending on the latest iteration of the security rules, or put my knitting in my checked bag), then hang around for a while, buy some food after not being allowed to bring any through security, board the plane, comply with bizarre rules on what devices I was allowed to use while the plane took off, then wait for my checked bag again at the other end after disembarking.
You don't need to be a train fetishist to prefer the train journey.
I went on a much reduced version of it in the late 1980s. Now it has gone entirely? Shame. It was a gas. From the grisaille of Paris to the glitter of the Côte d’Azur, in one night
Possibly your sort of thing?
I prefer to take in the sights along the route during the daytime (if possible, natch).
Major incident in Hawick declared following sustained rainfall with estimates the River Teviot will peak above 3 metres possibly resulting in significant property damage and risk to public safety
It was very popular with swooning young Soviet lovers, trapped in cramped apartments with parents. They would take the train just so they could have sex in some kind of privacy
The city's richest and whitest district wants to secede
BY OLIVER WISEMAN"
https://unherd.com/2021/10/atlantas-elites-have-had-enough/
http://www.users.globalnet.co.uk/~pardos/StoryFour.html
Unless you are in Business or better it is never ‘enjoyable’. It is something to be tolerated, and something you want finished ASAP
Whereas a train CAN be actively enjoyable. The way the countryside flickers past. At the right speed it induces a creative mood in the brain. I’ve noticed you don’t get this meditative vibe on the TGV/Eurostar/Shinkansen etc. They go TOO fast
Notable journeys we took
Calais to Chambery (car train)
Moscow to St Petersburg
Adelaide to Alice Springs
Johannesburg to Cape Town
Plus then you can have a glass of Old Mull after you take the Callie Mac over.
How does one set up a new city in the USA?
How do you get from Manchester to Paris without spending much longer than 90 minutes? It'd take at least twice as long even direct.
Here's my train anecdote-
After spending [REDACTED] I took the train from London to Aberdeen - and Nick Clegg was on the same train! (getting off near Sheffield presumably)
"Ok so, I just read through all 173 pages of the unredacted Google antitrust filing and I have to say that either Google is screwed or society is screwed, we'll find out which.
Unordered list of fun things I learned:"
https://twitter.com/fasterthanlime/status/1452053938195341314
No, wait. The other.
He shot animals because it pleased him. You know it, I know you know it, and you know I know you know it. Stop this sorry dancing. He was was a man who not just took pleasure out of, but made a public show of, killing animals.
From that filing...
""google has a secret deal with facebook called "Jedi Blue" that they knew was so illegal that it has a whole section describing how they'll cover for each other if anyone finds out - google appears to have a team called gTrade that is wholly dedicated to ad market manipulation""
https://www.google.co.uk/books/edition/African_Game_Trails/UD0qympZqV8C?hl=en&gbpv=1&dq=roosevelt+train+locomotive+africa&pg=PA16&printsec=frontcover
What a fiasco.
Azeem Rafiq has accused Yorkshire of protecting their staff after the county said it will take no disciplinary action against any of its employees, players or executives following an independent report on allegations of racism.
The former Yorkshire player reacted angrily in the wake of the club’s announcement on Thursday their internal investigation had concluded “there is no conduct or action taken by any of its employees, players or executives that warrants disciplinary action”.
Writing on Twitter, Rafiq said: “Wow just when you think this club couldn’t get more embarrassing you find a way. Still awaiting the FULL report. Thanks for mentioning the people that have provided your PROTECTION & given green light to RACISM.”
Yorkshire released a summarised version of their report on 10 September, apologising and accepting Rafiq had been a victim of “racial harassment and bullying” in his two spells at the club between 2008 and 2018.
A spokesperson for Rafiq said: “We note the statement released by Yorkshire County Cricket Club today. As ever, we will take time to fully respond. However, we do also note that the club has come to the conclusion that no employees, players or executives will face disciplinary action. This is despite Yorkshire County Cricket Club’s admission that Azeem was the victim of racial harassment and bullying. This is despite Yorkshire County Cricket Club’s admission that it failed to follow its own policy and investigate allegations of racism as recently as 2018.
“It is inconceivable that there are no current employees who should not have been disciplined for their conduct. Yorkshire’s failures continue to mount up and it is time that board members – for once – do the decent thing and resign.”
https://www.theguardian.com/sport/2021/oct/28/yorkshire-says-no-staff-at-club-will-face-action-over-azeem-rafiq
If it's not to be judged by modern standards theres no need to quibble over his motives.
Here’s what you get in your week’s holiday
https://www.belmond.com/trains/europe/scotland/belmond-royal-scotsman/journeys/grand-western-scenic-wonders?packageCode=SGNORTHR
Basically a whole load of free food and booze for seven days, a boat trip to see seals, trips round castles, and - shudder - one night of ‘traditional entertainment’ on the train. That has to be bagpipes and highland dancing. Which is traditionally done on a luxury train, as any true Scotsman knows
Anyway that’s it. How much is that if you take it apart? £3k per head? £4k?
They are charging £12,500 per head - and it is all sold out
Twelve and a half fucking grand!
You could hire a Bentley and a driver and go from 5 star hotel to 5 star hotel - and have much more fun and flexibility - and pay half that, with shitloads of champagne and premium scotch
I do like a train, as we have established, but I don’t like them THAT much
a) most PBers like trains
b) Phillip Thompson hates trains
My favourite train journey used to be the one at the end of half term, returning home from Hereford with an overnight bag on the slow regional train via Birmingham, seemingly always on a golden sunny late afternoon as the carriages trundled past Ledbury, Great Malvern and onwards. Not spectacular, but always very relaxing, and I was going home.
Fun at the start but then you really do regret your decisions about 10 minutes in.
It's happened to us all.
I’m sure the train slowed down as it got further west, and it was always sunny and the countryside was golden
Adlestrop
BY EDWARD THOMAS
Yes. I remember Adlestrop—
The name, because one afternoon
Of heat the express-train drew up there
Unwontedly. It was late June.
The steam hissed. Someone cleared his throat.
No one left and no one came
On the bare platform. What I saw
Was Adlestrop—only the name
And willows, willow-herb, and grass,
And meadowsweet, and haycocks dry,
No whit less still and lonely fair
Than the high cloudlets in the sky.
And for that minute a blackbird sang
Close by, and round him, mistier,
Farther and farther, all the birds
Of Oxfordshire and Gloucestershire.
I saw Michael Foot at Newcastle station back in the 80s.
Wor Lass used the next door trap to Margaret Beckett in the Ladies at Derby station.
#Politiciansonpublictransport
As an aside, there was a cad, an absolute bounder, who was once making the beast with two backs in a hotel room at 2am, accidentally hit the remote control that was still on the bed and the TV came on.
BBC1 simulcasting with BBC News 24, and as said bounder was about to hit the jackpot there on the TV was footage of Peter Mandelson.
I still haven't recovered.
Edit: beaten to it
Well, you came
And you gave without taking
But I sent you away
Oh, Mandy
Well, you kissed me
And stopped me from shaking
And I need you today
Oh, Mandy
Disquiet in Tory circles that CCHQ say they will only consider candidates to replace James Brokenshire who got in touch BEFORE his funeral last week.
Many hopefuls held off out of respect before a hat in the ring - but party chiefs say they were "inundated" before funeral.
Grim:
https://twitter.com/MrHarryCole/status/1453760128897986567
Sat opposite Frances Maude on the tube. I know that's lame but it counts.
Also knocked Boris Johnson off his bike by accident while crossing Shaftsbury Avenue, back before he was Mayor of London and was just an amusing journalist.