Mr. Thompson, Revelation*. A common error, but an error nonetheless.
Mr. Enjineeya, aye, instead of we have archbishops pontificating (ahem) about the genocide, and an energy policy that's ever so green but risks the lights going out if it isn't windy enough, or is too windy.
So you'd rather we continued with an energy policy that leaves us dependent on fossil fuels that will inevitably become ever scarcer and more expensive at well as devastating the planet?
Mr. Thompson, Revelation*. A common error, but an error nonetheless.
Mr. Enjineeya, aye, instead of we have archbishops pontificating (ahem) about the genocide, and an energy policy that's ever so green but risks the lights going out if it isn't windy enough, or is too windy.
So you'd rather we continued with an energy policy that leaves us dependent on fossil fuels that will inevitably become ever scarcer and more expensive at well as devastating the planet?
This is the issue. Energy scarcity will hurt people. It may even kill some. But your comment talks about 'devastating the planet', as if that is the only concern.
Like most things, it is a compromise. We can move towards a greener future, but we must continue putting people first. It is possible to move towards a greener future, improve the environment and maintain lifestyles, and increase prosperity. But you cannot do all of these if you prioritise one over the others.
Many years ago, I had a medical procedure (just a check) delayed so much the much-hated (by some...) Blair reform of allowing a private firm to step in was activated and I got to go to a much nicer place.
I'd still prefer to spend the evening without a camera in my posterior, though.
Good morning everyone. Brighter but cooler here. 4.3degC. What's all this about global warming?
One gets conflicted. Too many people on the planet; need to do something about the birthrate. But, but, but we're living beings, and living beings have a powerful urge both to reproduce themselves and to see one's genes carried on. Thus Mrs C is mildly jealous...... envious..... of those of her friends who have great-grandchildren! (We're long past the child and indeed grandchild ambitions!)
And some of our grandchildren live a long, long way away. Yes we can use a video link but it's not the same as Granny (or Grandpa) having a real hug!
Birthrate is a problem in different ways depending on the country. Too few babies being born in some 1st world countries, too many in the 3rd world. Even if we set climate change aside there is a real problem with resources - we are going to need to find some off-world or have a massive cull of human numbers.
Future generations are going to revere Elon Musk as a visionary who set the human race back onto the path towards its own salvation. And he knows it, hence doing as much crazy shit as possible.
On topic? No Labour leadership change until at least after the GE, so Burnham a decent bet.
The simplest solution to a high birthrate is the economic liberation of women through education. When given the option women overall have fewer children. World population is expected to peak this century and then decline.
The problem of climate change is a different one although overpopulation does drive other environmental damage. The birthrate needs multiplying by the percapita carbon footprint, so maybe 50 Malawian babies have the same footprint as one American.
In the UK and indeed most of the western world the population is already below replacement rate. Thus that will mean to more taxes being imposed on the working age population to fund the health and social care of the ageing population.
Indeed globally the population is only just above replacement level. Overpopulation is only a problem in a few areas of the developing world like Africa but then of course Africa has by far the lowest global carbon footprint anyway
Mr. Enjineeya, renewables, on the whole, are a great idea. Wind is uniquely foolish because it's inherently unpredictable.
I'd go for solar, hydroelectric, tidal (when it gets there), with plenty of nuclear, and retaining gas for cooking/heating.
But, as I wrote the other day, if you're really concerned about this then trembling at the tiny impact of UK action is a waste of time. Organise a boycott of China until they mend their ways. That *might* have the impact you seek. Assuming you want to reduce emissions of carbon dioxide.
Yes. Less than a decade ago, we still had politicians like Boris Johnson cracking jokes about windmills and Anne-Marie Trevelyan denying the existence of climate change as well as a host of right-wing commentators making fun of "loony left" proposals to deal with global warming. Now, thanks in large part to campaigners like Greta, those who dismiss the seriousness of climate change are very much in the minority.
"those who dismiss the seriousness of climate change are very much in the minority."
Éric Zemmour, Macron’s far-right rival, wins backing from Russia
“Then it is possible that we will see an alliance of Moscow, Paris and Berlin, which will confront the Anglo-Saxons led by the United States and Great Britain.”
This would seem to be the most likely outcome when the Western Alliance disintegrates.
Thus achieving a longstanding Russian foreign policy goal. It was clear back in 2016 that Brexit could well lead to this.
Dugin's Foundation of Geopolitics, the book which formed Putin's To Do list, is very explicit in this regard. The long term goal is the Finlandisation of Europe which starts with the severing of the UK from Europe and its reduction in status to a US vassal.
Éric Zemmour, Macron’s far-right rival, wins backing from Russia
“Then it is possible that we will see an alliance of Moscow, Paris and Berlin, which will confront the Anglo-Saxons led by the United States and Great Britain.”
This would seem to be the most likely outcome when the Western Alliance disintegrates.
Which would have been less likely without Brexit.
Nothing whatsoever to do with Brexit.
More the fact Zemmour and Putin are both ferociously anti Woke, which they see as largely a product of the Anglo Saxon world.
In any case Zemmour is a French nationalist and has no love for the EU and has made clear he has some sympathy with Brexit. However he is a Gaullist not an Anglo Saxon
Mr. Enjineeya, renewables, on the whole, are a great idea. Wind is uniquely foolish because it's inherently unpredictable.
I'd go for solar, hydroelectric, tidal (when it gets there), with plenty of nuclear, and retaining gas for cooking/heating.
But, as I wrote the other day, if you're really concerned about this then trembling at the tiny impact of UK action is a waste of time. Organise a boycott of China until they mend their ways. That *might* have the impact you seek. Assuming you want to reduce emissions of carbon dioxide.
Wind is a fantastic renewable resource but it obviously needs combined with efficient storage to cover less windy times. The latter contingency will also be useful for tidal etc. as well.
As predicted last week, first Daily Mail article counting the private jets - 52 in Glasgow yesterday, including four that flew from Glasgow to Prestwick empty to park, as GLA was full. Four planes for Biden, landing in Edinburgh and going in a 85-vehicle convoy to Glasgow.
Yes the crazy brigade of climate activists are saying we shouldn't fly, but as far as I'm aware Biden is not amongst them.
If as I believe (and I think you do too) the future is dependant upon switching to clean technology aviation and not abandoning aviation, then what is wrong with the US President and his entourage flying to a summit designed to help us get there?
Yes, it is typical denialism-lite. To not take what is going with climate change seriously because some attendees are less than perfect. Leaders always have camp followers.
Though I do think its a valid argument to use with the crazies who do follow these events, the Gretas of this world, who are adamant we're not doing enough and that we shouldn't be travelling and this needs to all happen overnight.
Ok, you first.
Sure, Greta can be annoyingly monomaniac on the subject of climate change, but consciousness raising and getting engagement with the topic is a very useful role. No one expects a teenager to have all the answers, including herself, but she has done a sterling job of raising publicity around the world.
Yes. Less than a decade ago, we still had politicians like Boris Johnson cracking jokes about windmills and Anne-Marie Trevelyan denying the existence of climate change as well as a host of right-wing commentators making fun of "loony left" proposals to deal with global warming. Now, thanks in large part to campaigners like Greta, those who dismiss the seriousness of climate change are very much in the minority.
There’s a kind of karmic justice that the type of person who regularly poops out the Trump/Johnson/Farage etc annoy all the right people chat is also invariably annoyed by Greta. The capacity of the ageing, white male to get in touch with his indignation and then demand that everyone else be in touch with it is a wonder of the modern age.
So we are saying that Andy Burnham is the new David Miliband?
I haven't seen him wielding any soft fruits, so no.
Isnt banana a vegetable?
The banana plant is a herb. I have no idea what defines a herb. The banana is the fruit of the herb. However frankly as far as day to day use is concerned I think people worrying about things like what rhubarb and tomatoes are have too much time on their hands, although I appreciate some get very worked up about it.
I only commented in response to what the previous poster hadsaid. It was meant to be lighthearted but I can see that some people get on.my case because they get worked up about it.
In case you thought I was, I wasn't having a go at you @SquareRoot . Bizarrely I think it is strange it's a herb and now I'm attempting to find out what defines a herb so I appreciate the post.
As I said, it is short for herbaceous perennial, meaning no woody stem. A herb is something you use in sub-nutritious quantities for flavouring or medicine, which nobody does with bananas.
Cheers. I looked it up and was going to add that to my post but was too late. The day to day use of the word herb is obviously different to the real definition as clearly rosemary doesn't meet the definition either, but most would call that a herb. As far as day to day life is concerned we are all happy to not be strict about definition but use the word that seems most appropriate for rhubarb, tomatoes, rosemary, bananas. Only people with too much time care really.
On topic, I agree with Mike that there is a substantial logistical hurdle for Burnham. But I think his poor performance in the elections against Corbyn was not really his fault. In the second contest in particular, the membership largely felt that Corbyn was being unfairly ambushed by his opponents in the PLP, and he simply blew all his opponents away. It's a similar pattern to the by-election (Winchester?) where the Tories forced a re-run and the LibDems converted a marginal win into a landslide. Voters of all persuasions don't like being asked "Are you sure about how you voted just now?" That's also why an immediate rerun of the Brexit vote would IMO have failed.
Burnham has one major asset - he answers the question "Do you have someone who is identifiably northern?" - and he's seen as feisty and vaguely left of centre without being bonkers. Those are all good starting points, making him a good chance to survive the first ballot and then pick up second prefs, so 22% is not a ridiculous price, though it should probably just be high teens. If we knew that the contest would be after the next election and he'd got back into Parliament, I'd make it 30-35%.
Éric Zemmour, Macron’s far-right rival, wins backing from Russia
“Then it is possible that we will see an alliance of Moscow, Paris and Berlin, which will confront the Anglo-Saxons led by the United States and Great Britain.”
This would seem to be the most likely outcome when the Western Alliance disintegrates.
Which would have been less likely without Brexit.
Nothing whatsoever to do with Brexit.
More the fact Zemmour and Putin are both ferociously anti Woke, which they see as largely a product of the Anglo Saxon world.
In any case Zemmour is a French nationalist and has no love for the EU and has made clear he has some sympathy with Brexit. However he is a Gaullist not an Anglo Saxon
Gaullists (aka Franks), Angles and Saxons. All products of the Teutonic forests.
On topic, I agree with Mike that there is a substantial logistical hurdle for Burnham. But I think his poor performance in the elections against Corbyn was not really his fault. In the second contest in particular, the membership largely felt that Corbyn was being unfairly ambushed by his opponents in the PLP, and he simply blew all his opponents away. It's a similar pattern to the by-election (Winchester?) where the Tories forced a re-run and the LibDems converted a marginal win into a landslide. Voters of all persuasions don't like being asked "Are you sure about how you voted just now?" That's also why an immediate rerun of the Brexit vote would IMO have failed.
Burnham has one major asset - he answers the question "Do you have someone who is identifiably northern?" - and he's seen as feisty and vaguely left of centre without being bonkers. Those are all good starting points, making him a good chance to survive the first ballot and then pick up second prefs, so 22% is not a ridiculous price, though it should probably just be high teens. If we knew that the contest would be after the next election and he'd got back into Parliament, I'd make it 30-35%.
Given that Labour are so awful at getting rid of under performing leaders this does not seem the worst bet in the world but the time money is tied up makes it less attractive.
As predicted last week, first Daily Mail article counting the private jets - 52 in Glasgow yesterday, including four that flew from Glasgow to Prestwick empty to park, as GLA was full. Four planes for Biden, landing in Edinburgh and going in a 85-vehicle convoy to Glasgow.
Yes the crazy brigade of climate activists are saying we shouldn't fly, but as far as I'm aware Biden is not amongst them.
If as I believe (and I think you do too) the future is dependant upon switching to clean technology aviation and not abandoning aviation, then what is wrong with the US President and his entourage flying to a summit designed to help us get there?
Yes, it is typical denialism-lite. To not take what is going with climate change seriously because some attendees are less than perfect. Leaders always have camp followers.
Though I do think its a valid argument to use with the crazies who do follow these events, the Gretas of this world, who are adamant we're not doing enough and that we shouldn't be travelling and this needs to all happen overnight.
Ok, you first.
Sure, Greta can be annoyingly monomaniac on the subject of climate change, but consciousness raising and getting engagement with the topic is a very useful role. No one expects a teenager to have all the answers, including herself, but she has done a sterling job of raising publicity around the world.
Yes. Less than a decade ago, we still had politicians like Boris Johnson cracking jokes about windmills and Anne-Marie Trevelyan denying the existence of climate change as well as a host of right-wing commentators making fun of "loony left" proposals to deal with global warming. Now, thanks in large part to campaigners like Greta, those who dismiss the seriousness of climate change are very much in the minority.
Boris personally took part in and was at the Paris accords years before anyone had ever heard of Greta.
I don't think you can judge anything on the metric of "Boris cracking jokes". Even as PM he cracks jokes about everything.
So you are saying that the answer is not blowing in the wind after all? Poor Bob.
Sky showing 56% of energy right now is from gas
I am not sure how we deal with it in the short term if the wind does not blow
The dash for gas has given us cheaper energy which is less dirty than coal but strategically it seems to have been a mistake. It is going to take a massive effort to wean ourselves off it, especially when electric vehicles are demanding so much more of the grid.
So we are saying that Andy Burnham is the new David Miliband?
I haven't seen him wielding any soft fruits, so no.
Isnt banana a vegetable?
The banana plant is a herb. I have no idea what defines a herb. The banana is the fruit of the herb. However frankly as far as day to day use is concerned I think people worrying about things like what rhubarb and tomatoes are have too much time on their hands, although I appreciate some get very worked up about it.
I only commented in response to what the previous poster hadsaid. It was meant to be lighthearted but I can see that some people get on.my case because they get worked up about it.
In case you thought I was, I wasn't having a go at you @SquareRoot . Bizarrely I think it is strange it's a herb and now I'm attempting to find out what defines a herb so I appreciate the post.
As I said, it is short for herbaceous perennial, meaning no woody stem. A herb is something you use in sub-nutritious quantities for flavouring or medicine, which nobody does with bananas.
Yes. Less than a decade ago, we still had politicians like Boris Johnson cracking jokes about windmills and Anne-Marie Trevelyan denying the existence of climate change as well as a host of right-wing commentators making fun of "loony left" proposals to deal with global warming. Now, thanks in large part to campaigners like Greta, those who dismiss the seriousness of climate change are very much in the minority.
"those who dismiss the seriousness of climate change are very much in the minority."
As predicted last week, first Daily Mail article counting the private jets - 52 in Glasgow yesterday, including four that flew from Glasgow to Prestwick empty to park, as GLA was full. Four planes for Biden, landing in Edinburgh and going in a 85-vehicle convoy to Glasgow.
Yes the crazy brigade of climate activists are saying we shouldn't fly, but as far as I'm aware Biden is not amongst them.
If as I believe (and I think you do too) the future is dependant upon switching to clean technology aviation and not abandoning aviation, then what is wrong with the US President and his entourage flying to a summit designed to help us get there?
Yes, it is typical denialism-lite. To not take what is going with climate change seriously because some attendees are less than perfect. Leaders always have camp followers.
Though I do think its a valid argument to use with the crazies who do follow these events, the Gretas of this world, who are adamant we're not doing enough and that we shouldn't be travelling and this needs to all happen overnight.
Ok, you first.
Sure, Greta can be annoyingly monomaniac on the subject of climate change, but consciousness raising and getting engagement with the topic is a very useful role. No one expects a teenager to have all the answers, including herself, but she has done a sterling job of raising publicity around the world.
Yes. Less than a decade ago, we still had politicians like Boris Johnson cracking jokes about windmills and Anne-Marie Trevelyan denying the existence of climate change as well as a host of right-wing commentators making fun of "loony left" proposals to deal with global warming. Now, thanks in large part to campaigners like Greta, those who dismiss the seriousness of climate change are very much in the minority.
Boris personally took part in and was at the Paris accords years before anyone had ever heard of Greta.
I don't think you can judge anything on the metric of "Boris cracking jokes". Even as PM he cracks jokes about everything.
The Benny Hill of the Tory party.
Benny Hill was a Francophile and notoriously tight with money so no...
On topic, I agree with Mike that there is a substantial logistical hurdle for Burnham. But I think his poor performance in the elections against Corbyn was not really his fault. In the second contest in particular, the membership largely felt that Corbyn was being unfairly ambushed by his opponents in the PLP, and he simply blew all his opponents away. It's a similar pattern to the by-election (Winchester?) where the Tories forced a re-run and the LibDems converted a marginal win into a landslide. Voters of all persuasions don't like being asked "Are you sure about how you voted just now?" That's also why an immediate rerun of the Brexit vote would IMO have failed.
Burnham has one major asset - he answers the question "Do you have someone who is identifiably northern?" - and he's seen as feisty and vaguely left of centre without being bonkers. Those are all good starting points, making him a good chance to survive the first ballot and then pick up second prefs, so 22% is not a ridiculous price, though it should probably just be high teens. If we knew that the contest would be after the next election and he'd got back into Parliament, I'd make it 30-35%.
In the second contest against Corbyn Burnham was not even the candidate, it was Owen Smith.
I agree though Burnham will not even stand for Parliament again until the next general election. If Starmer (or Reeves) fails to get a hung parliament and enough seats to form a government then Burnham would have a chance. Unlike them he was not in favour of a second EU referendum and thus has more chance of appealing to the Redwall while like them being more centrist than Corbyn was too.
If however Labour does form a government his main aim will be to try and get a Cabinet post again
Mr. L, tidal (and solar) is intermittent but highly predictable which makes management much easier.
Wind is far more random which makes it more difficult. And solar panels tend not to massacre wildlife.
Solar panels require a lot of sunlight to be price competitive with offshore wind. The UK isn't a country that can pursue solar for anything significant.
We have written to the Cabinet Secretary for the Constitution, External Affairs and Culture to ask whether the Scottish Government intends to introduce legislation to amend the definition of ‘sex’ in the 1920 Census Act before the 2022 census in Scotland.
Mr. L, tidal (and solar) is intermittent but highly predictable which makes management much easier.
Wind is far more random which makes it more difficult. And solar panels tend not to massacre wildlife.
Solar panels require a lot of sunlight to be price competitive with offshore wind. The UK isn't a country that can pursue solar for anything significant.
I think that, from a global perspective, the best use of British solar panels is to donate them to somewhere sunnier where they would do more good. That would reduce global CO2 far more than leaving them on British roofs.
Mr. L, tidal (and solar) is intermittent but highly predictable which makes management much easier.
Wind is far more random which makes it more difficult. And solar panels tend not to massacre wildlife.
Solar panels require a lot of sunlight to be price competitive with offshore wind. The UK isn't a country that can pursue solar for anything significant.
I think that, from a global perspective, the best use of British solar panels is to donate them to somewhere sunnier where they would do more good. That would reduce global CO2 far more than leaving them on British roofs.
Probably. The Morocco/UK interconnect for solar power looks ideal for such an initiative.
Mr. L, tidal (and solar) is intermittent but highly predictable which makes management much easier.
Wind is far more random which makes it more difficult. And solar panels tend not to massacre wildlife.
Wind energy forecasts are pretty good. The problem is that it's economic to store electricity to timeshift it from the night to the day (for nuclear) or the day to the night (for solar) but not from week-to-week or season to season as would be required for wind.
There are ways around that if we generate a massive excess of wind energy and use the excess to do useful things on windy days. Combining with tidal, nuclear and interconnecters will also help.
I'm guessing scones with clotted cream don't compare very well, alas.
I can also imagine that well treated dairy cows in non intensive farms in Scotland will have much larger greenhouse emissions than imported factory farm milk from Denmark.
On topic, I agree with Mike that there is a substantial logistical hurdle for Burnham. But I think his poor performance in the elections against Corbyn was not really his fault. In the second contest in particular, the membership largely felt that Corbyn was being unfairly ambushed by his opponents in the PLP, and he simply blew all his opponents away. It's a similar pattern to the by-election (Winchester?) where the Tories forced a re-run and the LibDems converted a marginal win into a landslide. Voters of all persuasions don't like being asked "Are you sure about how you voted just now?" That's also why an immediate rerun of the Brexit vote would IMO have failed.
Burnham has one major asset - he answers the question "Do you have someone who is identifiably northern?" - and he's seen as feisty and vaguely left of centre without being bonkers. Those are all good starting points, making him a good chance to survive the first ballot and then pick up second prefs, so 22% is not a ridiculous price, though it should probably just be high teens. If we knew that the contest would be after the next election and he'd got back into Parliament, I'd make it 30-35%.
I'm guessing scones with clotted cream don't compare very well, alas.
I can also imagine that well treated dairy cows in non intensive farms in Scotland will have much larger greenhouse emissions than imported factory farm milk from Denmark.
I'm not an expert on this, but the evidence I've seen is that less intensively farmed dairy cattle, that are fed mostly on grass, have better digestion that produces much less methane than intensively farmed dairy cattle fed on soya feed in sheds.
I know there is some work in Ireland on experimenting with varying the grass grown to see what effect that has. This is a massive issue in Ireland and hopefully they will make good progress on it.
On topic, I agree with Mike that there is a substantial logistical hurdle for Burnham. But I think his poor performance in the elections against Corbyn was not really his fault. In the second contest in particular, the membership largely felt that Corbyn was being unfairly ambushed by his opponents in the PLP, and he simply blew all his opponents away. It's a similar pattern to the by-election (Winchester?) where the Tories forced a re-run and the LibDems converted a marginal win into a landslide. Voters of all persuasions don't like being asked "Are you sure about how you voted just now?" That's also why an immediate rerun of the Brexit vote would IMO have failed.
Burnham has one major asset - he answers the question "Do you have someone who is identifiably northern?" - and he's seen as feisty and vaguely left of centre without being bonkers. Those are all good starting points, making him a good chance to survive the first ballot and then pick up second prefs, so 22% is not a ridiculous price, though it should probably just be high teens. If we knew that the contest would be after the next election and he'd got back into Parliament, I'd make it 30-35%.
I'd suggest it's a bit more than logistics, however. His previous leadership bid did highlight a lack of vision and inability to inspire, and although he has clearly developed as a politician since then, he still seems happier getting stuck into the sorts of nuts and bolts issues that come your way as a mayor than on the national big policy picture. Plus he's re-invented himself as Mr North, which might carry some advantage in some so-called red wall seats but means he'd have to re-invent himself again to broaden his appeal to seats in the rest of the country. I think OGH is right that the odds are too short right now.
Surgery cancelled for a 3rd time, as I was about to head down to theatre. No beds.
Sigh.
Brexit? Covid? or just too long with a Tory government?
It feels like an inappropriate time to tell you of my experience with the French health service but to say it's comparing Chelsea with Scunthorpe Town is an understatement.
Surgery cancelled for a 3rd time, as I was about to head down to theatre. No beds.
Sigh.
Brexit? Covid? or just too long with a Tory government?
It feels like an inappropriate time to tell you of my experience with the French health service but to say it's comparing Chelsea with Scunthorpe Town is an understatement.
Any attempt to change the NHS to the French model would be denounced as privatisation and a wish to introduce the US model.
Éric Zemmour, Macron’s far-right rival, wins backing from Russia
“Then it is possible that we will see an alliance of Moscow, Paris and Berlin, which will confront the Anglo-Saxons led by the United States and Great Britain.”
This would seem to be the most likely outcome when the Western Alliance disintegrates.
Which would have been less likely without Brexit.
Nothing whatsoever to do with Brexit.
More the fact Zemmour and Putin are both ferociously anti Woke, which they see as largely a product of the Anglo Saxon world.
In any case Zemmour is a French nationalist and has no love for the EU and has made clear he has some sympathy with Brexit. However he is a Gaullist not an Anglo Saxon
What's his non-Anglo Saxon-ness (his parents were Berber Jews from Algeria) got to with the fact that he's a follower of a movement named after Charles de Gaulle?
As predicted last week, first Daily Mail article counting the private jets - 52 in Glasgow yesterday, including four that flew from Glasgow to Prestwick empty to park, as GLA was full. Four planes for Biden, landing in Edinburgh and going in a 85-vehicle convoy to Glasgow.
Yes the crazy brigade of climate activists are saying we shouldn't fly, but as far as I'm aware Biden is not amongst them.
If as I believe (and I think you do too) the future is dependant upon switching to clean technology aviation and not abandoning aviation, then what is wrong with the US President and his entourage flying to a summit designed to help us get there?
Yes, it is typical denialism-lite. To not take what is going with climate change seriously because some attendees are less than perfect. Leaders always have camp followers.
Though I do think its a valid argument to use with the crazies who do follow these events, the Gretas of this world, who are adamant we're not doing enough and that we shouldn't be travelling and this needs to all happen overnight.
Ok, you first.
Sure, Greta can be annoyingly monomaniac on the subject of climate change, but consciousness raising and getting engagement with the topic is a very useful role. No one expects a teenager to have all the answers, including herself, but she has done a sterling job of raising publicity around the world.
Yes. Less than a decade ago, we still had politicians like Boris Johnson cracking jokes about windmills and Anne-Marie Trevelyan denying the existence of climate change as well as a host of right-wing commentators making fun of "loony left" proposals to deal with global warming. Now, thanks in large part to campaigners like Greta, those who dismiss the seriousness of climate change are very much in the minority.
That minority includes China.
Perhaps Greta might like to go to China.
A country which is planning to build another 43 coal fired power stations to go with the 1000+ it already has (over half of the entire world's):
As predicted last week, first Daily Mail article counting the private jets - 52 in Glasgow yesterday, including four that flew from Glasgow to Prestwick empty to park, as GLA was full. Four planes for Biden, landing in Edinburgh and going in a 85-vehicle convoy to Glasgow.
Yes the crazy brigade of climate activists are saying we shouldn't fly, but as far as I'm aware Biden is not amongst them.
If as I believe (and I think you do too) the future is dependant upon switching to clean technology aviation and not abandoning aviation, then what is wrong with the US President and his entourage flying to a summit designed to help us get there?
Yes, it is typical denialism-lite. To not take what is going with climate change seriously because some attendees are less than perfect. Leaders always have camp followers.
Though I do think its a valid argument to use with the crazies who do follow these events, the Gretas of this world, who are adamant we're not doing enough and that we shouldn't be travelling and this needs to all happen overnight.
Ok, you first.
Sure, Greta can be annoyingly monomaniac on the subject of climate change, but consciousness raising and getting engagement with the topic is a very useful role. No one expects a teenager to have all the answers, including herself, but she has done a sterling job of raising publicity around the world.
Yes. Less than a decade ago, we still had politicians like Boris Johnson cracking jokes about windmills and Anne-Marie Trevelyan denying the existence of climate change as well as a host of right-wing commentators making fun of "loony left" proposals to deal with global warming. Now, thanks in large part to campaigners like Greta, those who dismiss the seriousness of climate change are very much in the minority.
That minority includes China.
Perhaps Greta might like to go to China.
A country which is planning to build another 43 coal fired power stations to go with the 1000+ it already has (over half of the entire world's):
Éric Zemmour, Macron’s far-right rival, wins backing from Russia
“Then it is possible that we will see an alliance of Moscow, Paris and Berlin, which will confront the Anglo-Saxons led by the United States and Great Britain.”
This would seem to be the most likely outcome when the Western Alliance disintegrates.
Which would have been less likely without Brexit.
Nothing whatsoever to do with Brexit.
More the fact Zemmour and Putin are both ferociously anti Woke, which they see as largely a product of the Anglo Saxon world.
In any case Zemmour is a French nationalist and has no love for the EU and has made clear he has some sympathy with Brexit. However he is a Gaullist not an Anglo Saxon
Gaullists (aka Franks), Angles and Saxons. All products of the Teutonic forests.
Weird one, that. France was very like England in being a Romano-Celtic culture which saw a big influx of Teutonic tribes which become the ruling class. But the Franks adopted the culture of the existing population. The Angles and Saxons did not. I've never found a satisfactory explanation of this. My favourite theory I've seen is that actually the east of Britain was already substantially Germanicized in the Roman period. It makes a sort of sense - in those days, cultures clustered around littoral areas rather than landmasses. But it's far from watertight.
Surgery cancelled for a 3rd time, as I was about to head down to theatre. No beds.
Sigh.
Brexit? Covid? or just too long with a Tory government?
It feels like an inappropriate time to tell you of my experience with the French health service but to say it's comparing Chelsea with Scunthorpe Town is an understatement.
With the notable exception of the USA, every single Western nation has a better healthcare system than the NHS.
Surgery cancelled for a 3rd time, as I was about to head down to theatre. No beds.
Sigh.
Brexit? Covid? or just too long with a Tory government?
It feels like an inappropriate time to tell you of my experience with the French health service but to say it's comparing Chelsea with Scunthorpe Town is an understatement.
Any attempt to change the NHS to the French model would be denounced as privatisation and a wish to introduce the US model.
But it works and is amazing and costs very little. But that's my experience and compared to the six and seven hour waits in shocking conditions that exist at A&E here makes the UK look third world
On topic, I agree with Mike that there is a substantial logistical hurdle for Burnham. But I think his poor performance in the elections against Corbyn was not really his fault. In the second contest in particular, the membership largely felt that Corbyn was being unfairly ambushed by his opponents in the PLP, and he simply blew all his opponents away. It's a similar pattern to the by-election (Winchester?) where the Tories forced a re-run and the LibDems converted a marginal win into a landslide. Voters of all persuasions don't like being asked "Are you sure about how you voted just now?" That's also why an immediate rerun of the Brexit vote would IMO have failed.
Burnham has one major asset - he answers the question "Do you have someone who is identifiably northern?" - and he's seen as feisty and vaguely left of centre without being bonkers. Those are all good starting points, making him a good chance to survive the first ballot and then pick up second prefs, so 22% is not a ridiculous price, though it should probably just be high teens. If we knew that the contest would be after the next election and he'd got back into Parliament, I'd make it 30-35%.
I'd suggest it's a bit more than logistics, however. His previous leadership bid did highlight a lack of vision and inability to inspire, and although he has clearly developed as a politician since then, he still seems happier getting stuck into the sorts of nuts and bolts issues that come your way as a mayor than on the national big policy picture. Plus he's re-invented himself as Mr North, which might carry some advantage in some so-called red wall seats but means he'd have to re-invent himself again to broaden his appeal to seats in the rest of the country. I think OGH is right that the odds are too short right now.
Agree he is too short, but dont think him being King of the North is an impediment in London or other cities around the country. It may not play well in the southern shires but Labour don't win there regardless. Just like the north felt it was not being listened to, so do cities now, a strong performance as a metro mayor whether north or south is fine.
Éric Zemmour, Macron’s far-right rival, wins backing from Russia
“Then it is possible that we will see an alliance of Moscow, Paris and Berlin, which will confront the Anglo-Saxons led by the United States and Great Britain.”
This would seem to be the most likely outcome when the Western Alliance disintegrates.
Which would have been less likely without Brexit.
Nothing whatsoever to do with Brexit.
More the fact Zemmour and Putin are both ferociously anti Woke, which they see as largely a product of the Anglo Saxon world.
In any case Zemmour is a French nationalist and has no love for the EU and has made clear he has some sympathy with Brexit. However he is a Gaullist not an Anglo Saxon
What's his non-Anglo Saxon-ness (his parents were Berber Jews from Algeria) got to with the fact that he's a follower of a movement named after Charles de Gaulle?
De Gaulle was also famously keen on distancing France from the Anglo Saxon world
Surgery cancelled for a 3rd time, as I was about to head down to theatre. No beds.
Sigh.
Brexit? Covid? or just too long with a Tory government?
It feels like an inappropriate time to tell you of my experience with the French health service but to say it's comparing Chelsea with Scunthorpe Town is an understatement.
With the notable exception of the USA, every single Western nation has a better healthcare system than the NHS.
Its funny how the left love to compare us to Europe for almost everything like holiday day entitlements etc until the topic of the NHS comes up and then its just the NHS or America with nothing else allowed into the conversation.
Surgery cancelled for a 3rd time, as I was about to head down to theatre. No beds.
Sigh.
Brexit? Covid? or just too long with a Tory government?
It feels like an inappropriate time to tell you of my experience with the French health service but to say it's comparing Chelsea with Scunthorpe Town is an understatement.
With the notable exception of the USA, every single Western nation has a better healthcare system than the NHS.
Its funny how the left love to compare us to Europe for almost everything like holiday day entitlements etc until the topic of the NHS comes up and then its just the NHS or America with nothing else allowed into the conversation.
So you are a fervent cheerleader of Europe over us in this area. Good to hear.
Éric Zemmour, Macron’s far-right rival, wins backing from Russia
“Then it is possible that we will see an alliance of Moscow, Paris and Berlin, which will confront the Anglo-Saxons led by the United States and Great Britain.”
This would seem to be the most likely outcome when the Western Alliance disintegrates.
Which would have been less likely without Brexit.
Nothing whatsoever to do with Brexit.
More the fact Zemmour and Putin are both ferociously anti Woke, which they see as largely a product of the Anglo Saxon world.
In any case Zemmour is a French nationalist and has no love for the EU and has made clear he has some sympathy with Brexit. However he is a Gaullist not an Anglo Saxon
What's his non-Anglo Saxon-ness (his parents were Berber Jews from Algeria) got to with the fact that he's a follower of a movement named after Charles de Gaulle?
De Gaulle was also famously keen on distancing France from the Anglo Saxon world
Perhaps he was clairvoyant and could see Trump and Johnson on the horizon
Surgery cancelled for a 3rd time, as I was about to head down to theatre. No beds.
Sigh.
Brexit? Covid? or just too long with a Tory government?
It feels like an inappropriate time to tell you of my experience with the French health service but to say it's comparing Chelsea with Scunthorpe Town is an understatement.
Any attempt to change the NHS to the French model would be denounced as privatisation and a wish to introduce the US model.
But it works and is amazing and costs very little. But that's my experience and compared to the six and seven hour waits in shocking conditions that exist at A&E here makes the UK look third world
It's a) not a state-funded monolith, and b) not free at the point of use, I understand.
Not that I am wedded to either of these facets, of course. But politically moving away from either of these is very, very hard. Certainly agree that the French system seems to present a better quality of care. I don't know what the relative amount spent on it is.
Surgery cancelled for a 3rd time, as I was about to head down to theatre. No beds.
Sigh.
Brexit? Covid? or just too long with a Tory government?
It feels like an inappropriate time to tell you of my experience with the French health service but to say it's comparing Chelsea with Scunthorpe Town is an understatement.
Any attempt to change the NHS to the French model would be denounced as privatisation and a wish to introduce the US model.
But it works and is amazing and costs very little. But that's my experience and compared to the six and seven hour waits in shocking conditions that exist at A&E here makes the UK look third world
Well, if you use a 1950's style management structure, complete with time and motion chaps with clipboards, you get 1950s results.
When politicians talk of reform, the one thing they want to keep is the centralised control. Hence the management pyramid.
"What people seem to be forgetting is how poorly Burnham performed when he first ran for the post in the aftermath of the party”s GE2015 defeat and in the follow-up election when Corbyn was forced to defend his post."
Burnham actually stood for the Labour Leadership the first time in 2010, and the second time in 2015. Only in the latter election did he face Corbyn! It was Owen Smith alone who faced Corbyn in the "follow-up" in 2016!
In 2010, Burnham came a poor FOURTH in the first round, as follows:
David Miliband 37.8% Ed Miliband 34.3% Ed Balls 11.8% Andy Burnham 8.7% Diane Abbott 7.4%
In the second round, of course Ed Miliband defeated his brother by 50.7% to 49.3%, another very tight result like Quebec 1995, Welsh Referendum 1997, and EURef in 2016!
Then, in 2015, Burnham performed a little better, coming second place, though trailing Corbyn by over 40 points:
Jeremy Corbyn 59.5% Andy Burnham 19.0% Yvette Cooper 17.0% Liz Kendall 4.5%
And then, just for the sake of completeness, the 2016 contest was a straight fight between Corbyn and Owen Smith:
Surgery cancelled for a 3rd time, as I was about to head down to theatre. No beds.
Sigh.
Brexit? Covid? or just too long with a Tory government?
It feels like an inappropriate time to tell you of my experience with the French health service but to say it's comparing Chelsea with Scunthorpe Town is an understatement.
Any attempt to change the NHS to the French model would be denounced as privatisation and a wish to introduce the US model.
But it works and is amazing and costs very little. But that's my experience and compared to the six and seven hour waits in shocking conditions that exist at A&E here makes the UK look third world
I think France spends a bit more on health than the UK and his similar levels of life expectancy (higher French smoking being matched by higher British obesity).
IIRC the French health system does have many attractive features and I can believe it works better than the NHS does for various types of people.
Éric Zemmour, Macron’s far-right rival, wins backing from Russia
“Then it is possible that we will see an alliance of Moscow, Paris and Berlin, which will confront the Anglo-Saxons led by the United States and Great Britain.”
This would seem to be the most likely outcome when the Western Alliance disintegrates.
Which would have been less likely without Brexit.
Nothing whatsoever to do with Brexit.
More the fact Zemmour and Putin are both ferociously anti Woke, which they see as largely a product of the Anglo Saxon world.
In any case Zemmour is a French nationalist and has no love for the EU and has made clear he has some sympathy with Brexit. However he is a Gaullist not an Anglo Saxon
Gaullists (aka Franks), Angles and Saxons. All products of the Teutonic forests.
Weird one, that. France was very like England in being a Romano-Celtic culture which saw a big influx of Teutonic tribes which become the ruling class. But the Franks adopted the culture of the existing population. The Angles and Saxons did not. I've never found a satisfactory explanation of this. My favourite theory I've seen is that actually the east of Britain was already substantially Germanicized in the Roman period. It makes a sort of sense - in those days, cultures clustered around littoral areas rather than landmasses. But it's far from watertight.
Yes, that's the Oppenheimer stuff, and although his DNA work has apparently been discredited (there was a detailed discussion on it here a few months back), there is a lot of other circumstantial evidence in his book that makes a lot of sense. At the very least, contacts and interchange between the population of the south east and populations in modern day Holland and north Germany makes some sort of cultural sharing likely. It would help to explain the absence (or extreme scarcity) of celtic-derived place names and celtic stone monuments in the south east.
As predicted last week, first Daily Mail article counting the private jets - 52 in Glasgow yesterday, including four that flew from Glasgow to Prestwick empty to park, as GLA was full. Four planes for Biden, landing in Edinburgh and going in a 85-vehicle convoy to Glasgow.
Yes the crazy brigade of climate activists are saying we shouldn't fly, but as far as I'm aware Biden is not amongst them.
If as I believe (and I think you do too) the future is dependant upon switching to clean technology aviation and not abandoning aviation, then what is wrong with the US President and his entourage flying to a summit designed to help us get there?
Yes, it is typical denialism-lite. To not take what is going with climate change seriously because some attendees are less than perfect. Leaders always have camp followers.
Though I do think its a valid argument to use with the crazies who do follow these events, the Gretas of this world, who are adamant we're not doing enough and that we shouldn't be travelling and this needs to all happen overnight.
Ok, you first.
Sure, Greta can be annoyingly monomaniac on the subject of climate change, but consciousness raising and getting engagement with the topic is a very useful role. No one expects a teenager to have all the answers, including herself, but she has done a sterling job of raising publicity around the world.
Yes. Less than a decade ago, we still had politicians like Boris Johnson cracking jokes about windmills and Anne-Marie Trevelyan denying the existence of climate change as well as a host of right-wing commentators making fun of "loony left" proposals to deal with global warming. Now, thanks in large part to campaigners like Greta, those who dismiss the seriousness of climate change are very much in the minority.
That minority includes China.
Perhaps Greta might like to go to China.
A country which is planning to build another 43 coal fired power stations to go with the 1000+ it already has (over half of the entire world's):
“Yes, China is still categorized as a developing nation by WTO, they manufacture a lot of our products and so on. But that’s of course no excuse for ruining future and present living conditions. We can’t solve the climate crisis unless China drastically changes course,” she said.
Surgery cancelled for a 3rd time, as I was about to head down to theatre. No beds.
Sigh.
Brexit? Covid? or just too long with a Tory government?
It feels like an inappropriate time to tell you of my experience with the French health service but to say it's comparing Chelsea with Scunthorpe Town is an understatement.
Any attempt to change the NHS to the French model would be denounced as privatisation and a wish to introduce the US model.
But it works and is amazing and costs very little. But that's my experience and compared to the six and seven hour waits in shocking conditions that exist at A&E here makes the UK look third world
All that is true. It would still be political suicide for a Conservative government to try to switch to that model: the Labour PPBs would be all over them as would the newspapers.
A Labour government might be able to do it, but why would they want to?
As predicted last week, first Daily Mail article counting the private jets - 52 in Glasgow yesterday, including four that flew from Glasgow to Prestwick empty to park, as GLA was full. Four planes for Biden, landing in Edinburgh and going in a 85-vehicle convoy to Glasgow.
Yes the crazy brigade of climate activists are saying we shouldn't fly, but as far as I'm aware Biden is not amongst them.
If as I believe (and I think you do too) the future is dependant upon switching to clean technology aviation and not abandoning aviation, then what is wrong with the US President and his entourage flying to a summit designed to help us get there?
Yes, it is typical denialism-lite. To not take what is going with climate change seriously because some attendees are less than perfect. Leaders always have camp followers.
Though I do think its a valid argument to use with the crazies who do follow these events, the Gretas of this world, who are adamant we're not doing enough and that we shouldn't be travelling and this needs to all happen overnight.
Ok, you first.
Sure, Greta can be annoyingly monomaniac on the subject of climate change, but consciousness raising and getting engagement with the topic is a very useful role. No one expects a teenager to have all the answers, including herself, but she has done a sterling job of raising publicity around the world.
Yes. Less than a decade ago, we still had politicians like Boris Johnson cracking jokes about windmills and Anne-Marie Trevelyan denying the existence of climate change as well as a host of right-wing commentators making fun of "loony left" proposals to deal with global warming. Now, thanks in large part to campaigners like Greta, those who dismiss the seriousness of climate change are very much in the minority.
That minority includes China.
Perhaps Greta might like to go to China.
A country which is planning to build another 43 coal fired power stations to go with the 1000+ it already has (over half of the entire world's):
Likewise all the XR and Insulate types might like to go to the Chinese embassy for their next stunt.
I suspect they wont.
How is a net zero by 2060 pledge dismissing the seriousness of climate change? If Xi wanted to say Fuck it, I don't believe it, why wouldn't he say that?
So petrol requires 3x the energy of all electricity combined 😲
And all petrol is expected to be replaced with electricity?
Actually that seems like a very good thing with respect to wind variability. Given that cars have batteries and can be charged over a period of many hours (especially if cars are plugged in overnight) as that means that when the wind is variably blowing high then chargers can be programmed to automatically and cheaply recharge car batteries, while when wind is low then the chargers can be programmed to automatically switch off unless the car really needs recharging.
However that only works for homes with driveways that have their own chargers. It doesn't work for anyone who needs to recharge exclusively on-demand at a service station equivalent.
If we were to have joined up thinking the one thing we should really be encouraging is for as many new homes as possible to be semi-detached, with driveways and ideally chargers installed while the wiring is being done, or at least set for the capability to have chargers installed.
Surgery cancelled for a 3rd time, as I was about to head down to theatre. No beds.
Sigh.
Brexit? Covid? or just too long with a Tory government?
It feels like an inappropriate time to tell you of my experience with the French health service but to say it's comparing Chelsea with Scunthorpe Town is an understatement.
With the notable exception of the USA, every single Western nation has a better healthcare system than the NHS.
Its funny how the left love to compare us to Europe for almost everything like holiday day entitlements etc until the topic of the NHS comes up and then its just the NHS or America with nothing else allowed into the conversation.
So you are a fervent cheerleader of Europe over us in this area. Good to hear.
I'm not. I'm happy to look at the entire planet, consistently.
As predicted last week, first Daily Mail article counting the private jets - 52 in Glasgow yesterday, including four that flew from Glasgow to Prestwick empty to park, as GLA was full. Four planes for Biden, landing in Edinburgh and going in a 85-vehicle convoy to Glasgow.
Yes the crazy brigade of climate activists are saying we shouldn't fly, but as far as I'm aware Biden is not amongst them.
If as I believe (and I think you do too) the future is dependant upon switching to clean technology aviation and not abandoning aviation, then what is wrong with the US President and his entourage flying to a summit designed to help us get there?
Yes, it is typical denialism-lite. To not take what is going with climate change seriously because some attendees are less than perfect. Leaders always have camp followers.
Though I do think its a valid argument to use with the crazies who do follow these events, the Gretas of this world, who are adamant we're not doing enough and that we shouldn't be travelling and this needs to all happen overnight.
Ok, you first.
Sure, Greta can be annoyingly monomaniac on the subject of climate change, but consciousness raising and getting engagement with the topic is a very useful role. No one expects a teenager to have all the answers, including herself, but she has done a sterling job of raising publicity around the world.
Yes. Less than a decade ago, we still had politicians like Boris Johnson cracking jokes about windmills and Anne-Marie Trevelyan denying the existence of climate change as well as a host of right-wing commentators making fun of "loony left" proposals to deal with global warming. Now, thanks in large part to campaigners like Greta, those who dismiss the seriousness of climate change are very much in the minority.
That minority includes China.
Perhaps Greta might like to go to China.
A country which is planning to build another 43 coal fired power stations to go with the 1000+ it already has (over half of the entire world's):
Likewise all the XR and Insulate types might like to go to the Chinese embassy for their next stunt.
I suspect they wont.
That minority doesn't include China, really. From what I've read, China thinks climate change is a very serious issue. One may think that its progress on tackling it is too slow, but I see no evidence of climate change denialism. Given its stage of economic development and its population size, it's hardly surprising that it's behind most of the West in reducing emissions (although apparently China's emissions per person are around half of those in the USA).
I wouldn't be at all surprised if, 20 or so years down the line, Chinese technology makes a significant contribution to tackling global climate change.
Surgery cancelled for a 3rd time, as I was about to head down to theatre. No beds.
Sigh.
Brexit? Covid? or just too long with a Tory government?
It feels like an inappropriate time to tell you of my experience with the French health service but to say it's comparing Chelsea with Scunthorpe Town is an understatement.
With the notable exception of the USA, every single Western nation has a better healthcare system than the NHS.
Its funny how the left love to compare us to Europe for almost everything like holiday day entitlements etc until the topic of the NHS comes up and then its just the NHS or America with nothing else allowed into the conversation.
So you are a fervent cheerleader of Europe over us in this area. Good to hear.
I'm not. I'm happy to look at the entire planet, consistently.
That's great. But let's hear you say in this instance that Europe has better health services than us and that the US has a worse one.
So petrol requires 3x the energy of all electricity combined 😲
And all petrol is expected to be replaced with electricity?
Actually that seems like a very good thing with respect to wind variability. Given that cars have batteries and can be charged over a period of many hours (especially if cars are plugged in overnight) as that means that when the wind is variably blowing high then chargers can be programmed to automatically and cheaply recharge car batteries, while when wind is low then the chargers can be programmed to automatically switch off unless the car really needs recharging.
However that only works for homes with driveways that have their own chargers. It doesn't work for anyone who needs to recharge exclusively on-demand at a service station equivalent.
If we were to have joined up thinking the one thing we should really be encouraging is for as many new homes as possible to be semi-detached, with driveways and ideally chargers installed while the wiring is being done, or at least set for the capability to have chargers installed.
The service station high capacity chargers will be, increasingly, backed by storage. There are already negotiations about increasing the capacity of these beyond the simple requirement, to time shift power for the grid.
Surgery cancelled for a 3rd time, as I was about to head down to theatre. No beds.
Sigh.
Brexit? Covid? or just too long with a Tory government?
It feels like an inappropriate time to tell you of my experience with the French health service but to say it's comparing Chelsea with Scunthorpe Town is an understatement.
With the notable exception of the USA, every single Western nation has a better healthcare system than the NHS.
That's why we had to Brexit. People were starting to notice. A friend of mine has just had wait of 12 hours at A&E and there's nothing he could do. He even has medical insurance so it wasn't a question that money could have solved. You'll know from Dubai but strangely people here think what we have is the best in the world!
Éric Zemmour, Macron’s far-right rival, wins backing from Russia
“Then it is possible that we will see an alliance of Moscow, Paris and Berlin, which will confront the Anglo-Saxons led by the United States and Great Britain.”
This would seem to be the most likely outcome when the Western Alliance disintegrates.
Which would have been less likely without Brexit.
Nothing whatsoever to do with Brexit.
More the fact Zemmour and Putin are both ferociously anti Woke, which they see as largely a product of the Anglo Saxon world.
In any case Zemmour is a French nationalist and has no love for the EU and has made clear he has some sympathy with Brexit. However he is a Gaullist not an Anglo Saxon
Gaullists (aka Franks), Angles and Saxons. All products of the Teutonic forests.
Weird one, that. France was very like England in being a Romano-Celtic culture which saw a big influx of Teutonic tribes which become the ruling class. But the Franks adopted the culture of the existing population. The Angles and Saxons did not. I've never found a satisfactory explanation of this. My favourite theory I've seen is that actually the east of Britain was already substantially Germanicized in the Roman period. It makes a sort of sense - in those days, cultures clustered around littoral areas rather than landmasses. But it's far from watertight.
Yes, that's the Oppenheimer stuff, and although his DNA work has apparently been discredited (there was a detailed discussion on it here a few months back), there is a lot of other circumstantial evidence in his book that makes a lot of sense. At the very least, contacts and interchange between the population of the south east and populations in modern day Holland and north Germany makes some sort of cultural sharing likely. It would help to explain the absence (or extreme scarcity) of celtic-derived place names and celtic stone monuments in the south east.
Thanks, and the extent of this board's well-informedness continues to astound me.
So petrol requires 3x the energy of all electricity combined 😲
And all petrol is expected to be replaced with electricity?
Actually that seems like a very good thing with respect to wind variability. Given that cars have batteries and can be charged over a period of many hours (especially if cars are plugged in overnight) as that means that when the wind is variably blowing high then chargers can be programmed to automatically and cheaply recharge car batteries, while when wind is low then the chargers can be programmed to automatically switch off unless the car really needs recharging.
However that only works for homes with driveways that have their own chargers. It doesn't work for anyone who needs to recharge exclusively on-demand at a service station equivalent.
If we were to have joined up thinking the one thing we should really be encouraging is for as many new homes as possible to be semi-detached, with driveways and ideally chargers installed while the wiring is being done, or at least set for the capability to have chargers installed.
It goes beyond that. Octopus Energy, for example, already have pilot schemes that allow car batteries to be used to provide energy when demand is high. That is, you get paid for allowing your charged car battery to help power the grid at times of high demand.
On topic, I agree with Mike that there is a substantial logistical hurdle for Burnham. But I think his poor performance in the elections against Corbyn was not really his fault. In the second contest in particular, the membership largely felt that Corbyn was being unfairly ambushed by his opponents in the PLP, and he simply blew all his opponents away. It's a similar pattern to the by-election (Winchester?) where the Tories forced a re-run and the LibDems converted a marginal win into a landslide. Voters of all persuasions don't like being asked "Are you sure about how you voted just now?" That's also why an immediate rerun of the Brexit vote would IMO have failed.
Burnham has one major asset - he answers the question "Do you have someone who is identifiably northern?" - and he's seen as feisty and vaguely left of centre without being bonkers. Those are all good starting points, making him a good chance to survive the first ballot and then pick up second prefs, so 22% is not a ridiculous price, though it should probably just be high teens. If we knew that the contest would be after the next election and he'd got back into Parliament, I'd make it 30-35%.
In the second contest against Corbyn Burnham was not even the candidate, it was Owen Smith.
I agree though Burnham will not even stand for Parliament again until the next general election. If Starmer (or Reeves) fails to get a hung parliament and enough seats to form a government then Burnham would have a chance. Unlike them he was not in favour of a second EU referendum and thus has more chance of appealing to the Redwall while like them being more centrist than Corbyn was too.
If however Labour does form a government his main aim will be to try and get a Cabinet post again
Er, true re the second contest (and thanks to Sunil for making the same point). Your analysis looks persuasive.
Surgery cancelled for a 3rd time, as I was about to head down to theatre. No beds.
Sigh.
Brexit? Covid? or just too long with a Tory government?
It feels like an inappropriate time to tell you of my experience with the French health service but to say it's comparing Chelsea with Scunthorpe Town is an understatement.
With the notable exception of the USA, every single Western nation has a better healthcare system than the NHS.
That's why we had to Brexit. People were starting to notice. A friend of mine has just had wait of 12 hours at A&E and there's nothing he could do. He even has medical insurance so it wasn't a question that money could have solved. You'll know from Dubai but strangely people here think what we have is the best in the world!
It's harder to complain when it's free, and most others aren't.
Up until the point where they cut the wrong leg off, obvs. Then a politely worded complaint might be reasonable.
As predicted last week, first Daily Mail article counting the private jets - 52 in Glasgow yesterday, including four that flew from Glasgow to Prestwick empty to park, as GLA was full. Four planes for Biden, landing in Edinburgh and going in a 85-vehicle convoy to Glasgow.
Yes the crazy brigade of climate activists are saying we shouldn't fly, but as far as I'm aware Biden is not amongst them.
If as I believe (and I think you do too) the future is dependant upon switching to clean technology aviation and not abandoning aviation, then what is wrong with the US President and his entourage flying to a summit designed to help us get there?
Yes, it is typical denialism-lite. To not take what is going with climate change seriously because some attendees are less than perfect. Leaders always have camp followers.
Though I do think its a valid argument to use with the crazies who do follow these events, the Gretas of this world, who are adamant we're not doing enough and that we shouldn't be travelling and this needs to all happen overnight.
Ok, you first.
Sure, Greta can be annoyingly monomaniac on the subject of climate change, but consciousness raising and getting engagement with the topic is a very useful role. No one expects a teenager to have all the answers, including herself, but she has done a sterling job of raising publicity around the world.
Yes. Less than a decade ago, we still had politicians like Boris Johnson cracking jokes about windmills and Anne-Marie Trevelyan denying the existence of climate change as well as a host of right-wing commentators making fun of "loony left" proposals to deal with global warming. Now, thanks in large part to campaigners like Greta, those who dismiss the seriousness of climate change are very much in the minority.
That minority includes China.
Perhaps Greta might like to go to China.
A country which is planning to build another 43 coal fired power stations to go with the 1000+ it already has (over half of the entire world's):
Likewise all the XR and Insulate types might like to go to the Chinese embassy for their next stunt.
I suspect they wont.
How is a net zero by 2060 pledge dismissing the seriousness of climate change? If Xi wanted to say Fuck it, I don't believe it, why wouldn't he say that?
Perhaps because making a promise which he has no intention of keeping keeps gullible fools in the western world happy and focused on energy restrictions in their own countries.
Leading to the closure of western factories and steelworks and not those in China.
Surgery cancelled for a 3rd time, as I was about to head down to theatre. No beds.
Sigh.
Brexit? Covid? or just too long with a Tory government?
It feels like an inappropriate time to tell you of my experience with the French health service but to say it's comparing Chelsea with Scunthorpe Town is an understatement.
With the notable exception of the USA, every single Western nation has a better healthcare system than the NHS.
Its funny how the left love to compare us to Europe for almost everything like holiday day entitlements etc until the topic of the NHS comes up and then its just the NHS or America with nothing else allowed into the conversation.
But it's not just the left, is it? The Conservative party's rhetoric for quite some time now has been that the NHS is absolutely untouchable, and that rhetoric has only grown stronger through the pandemic.
Surgery cancelled for a 3rd time, as I was about to head down to theatre. No beds.
Sigh.
Brexit? Covid? or just too long with a Tory government?
It feels like an inappropriate time to tell you of my experience with the French health service but to say it's comparing Chelsea with Scunthorpe Town is an understatement.
Any attempt to change the NHS to the French model would be denounced as privatisation and a wish to introduce the US model.
But it works and is amazing and costs very little. But that's my experience and compared to the six and seven hour waits in shocking conditions that exist at A&E here makes the UK look third world
I think France spends a bit more on health than the UK and his similar levels of life expectancy (higher French smoking being matched by higher British obesity).
IIRC the French health system does have many attractive features and I can believe it works better than the NHS does for various types of people.
But also worse for various other types of people.
Does it? I haven't a clue so would love to know the pros and cons.
Surgery cancelled for a 3rd time, as I was about to head down to theatre. No beds.
Sigh.
Brexit? Covid? or just too long with a Tory government?
It feels like an inappropriate time to tell you of my experience with the French health service but to say it's comparing Chelsea with Scunthorpe Town is an understatement.
With the notable exception of the USA, every single Western nation has a better healthcare system than the NHS.
That's why we had to Brexit. People were starting to notice. A friend of mine has just had wait of 12 hours at A&E and there's nothing he could do. He even has medical insurance so it wasn't a question that money could have solved. You'll know from Dubai but strangely people here think what we have is the best in the world!
Surgery cancelled for a 3rd time, as I was about to head down to theatre. No beds.
Sigh.
Brexit? Covid? or just too long with a Tory government?
It feels like an inappropriate time to tell you of my experience with the French health service but to say it's comparing Chelsea with Scunthorpe Town is an understatement.
With the notable exception of the USA, every single Western nation has a better healthcare system than the NHS.
Its funny how the left love to compare us to Europe for almost everything like holiday day entitlements etc until the topic of the NHS comes up and then its just the NHS or America with nothing else allowed into the conversation.
But it's not just the left, is it? The Conservative party's rhetoric for quite some time now has been that the NHS is absolutely untouchable, and that rhetoric has only grown stronger through the pandemic.
That's because actual discussion on health services requires nuance, which is something which has been lacking from our politics for a very long time.
Surgery cancelled for a 3rd time, as I was about to head down to theatre. No beds.
Sigh.
Brexit? Covid? or just too long with a Tory government?
It feels like an inappropriate time to tell you of my experience with the French health service but to say it's comparing Chelsea with Scunthorpe Town is an understatement.
With the notable exception of the USA, every single Western nation has a better healthcare system than the NHS.
That's why we had to Brexit. People were starting to notice. A friend of mine has just had wait of 12 hours at A&E and there's nothing he could do. He even has medical insurance so it wasn't a question that money could have solved. You'll know from Dubai but strangely people here think what we have is the best in the world!
What we have is dogshit
Yep but it is a religion so no one can change it. And it has been that way for many decades. It is fundamentally flawed system.
Comments
TL;DR me good. Biden bad. He fell asleep. I should be president. Climate change hoax.
Back in the 1970s/80s Fisher Price had a wind up record player that played nursery rhyme tunes and some other pieces.
They re-created it in 2010 but in a more electronic version - however not is all that it appears
https://twitter.com/Foone/status/1454230585933631488
Like most things, it is a compromise. We can move towards a greener future, but we must continue putting people first. It is possible to move towards a greener future, improve the environment and maintain lifestyles, and increase prosperity. But you cannot do all of these if you prioritise one over the others.
Many years ago, I had a medical procedure (just a check) delayed so much the much-hated (by some...) Blair reform of allowing a private firm to step in was activated and I got to go to a much nicer place.
I'd still prefer to spend the evening without a camera in my posterior, though.
@Gallowgate Hopefully next time will be soon and won't be cancelled
Indeed globally the population is only just above replacement level. Overpopulation is only a problem in a few areas of the developing world like Africa but then of course Africa has by far the lowest global carbon footprint anyway
I'd go for solar, hydroelectric, tidal (when it gets there), with plenty of nuclear, and retaining gas for cooking/heating.
But, as I wrote the other day, if you're really concerned about this then trembling at the tiny impact of UK action is a waste of time. Organise a boycott of China until they mend their ways. That *might* have the impact you seek. Assuming you want to reduce emissions of carbon dioxide.
Are you sure?
Yes. https://yougov.co.uk/topics/politics/trackers/belief-in-climate-change
More the fact Zemmour and Putin are both ferociously anti Woke, which they see as largely a product of the Anglo Saxon world.
In any case Zemmour is a French nationalist and has no love for the EU and has made clear he has some sympathy with Brexit. However he is a Gaullist not an Anglo Saxon
Burnham has one major asset - he answers the question "Do you have someone who is identifiably northern?" - and he's seen as feisty and vaguely left of centre without being bonkers. Those are all good starting points, making him a good chance to survive the first ballot and then pick up second prefs, so 22% is not a ridiculous price, though it should probably just be high teens. If we knew that the contest would be after the next election and he'd got back into Parliament, I'd make it 30-35%.
I am not sure how we deal with it in the short term if the wind does not blow
Surely it must have been easier for them to just remake the old one without all the electronics, given they have the plans already?
Damn!
https://www.newstatesman.com/chart-of-the-day/2021/09/how-public-concern-over-climate-change-has-surged
And shows 5% to 30% increase in those who think it's a big deal.
This
https://www.ipsos.com/ipsos-mori/en-uk/public-concern-about-climate-change-and-pollution-doubles-near-record-level
says we have hit a level of concern last seen in 1989 (!) when we had a July heat wave
https://twitter.com/adamfleming/status/1455450357002342404?s=20
I wonder if they included the bacon?
https://twitter.com/evanishistory/status/1455441345284218880?s=21
The British fishing vessel held by France has been released
I am not sure about anyone else but good to see common sense breaking out and hopefully a settlement of this fishing dispute
I also hope the same sense will prevail over the NI protocol and we can also just move on
Wind is far more random which makes it more difficult. And solar panels tend not to massacre wildlife.
I agree though Burnham will not even stand for Parliament again until the next general election. If Starmer (or Reeves) fails to get a hung parliament and enough seats to form a government then Burnham would have a chance. Unlike them he was not in favour of a second EU referendum and thus has more chance of appealing to the Redwall while like them being more centrist than Corbyn was too.
If however Labour does form a government his main aim will be to try and get a Cabinet post again
We have written to the Cabinet Secretary for the Constitution, External Affairs and Culture to ask whether the Scottish Government intends to introduce legislation to amend the definition of ‘sex’ in the 1920 Census Act before the 2022 census in Scotland.
https://twitter.com/mbmpolicy/status/1455161222366650370?s=20
https://twitter.com/bbclaurak/status/1455280064434774039?s=21
Not in quantity, no, it's that he's got some severe tells that make the listener think, "Naaah, don't believe you".
I have no idea where the blame lies but the NHS is simply not fit for purpose. Hasn't been for years.
There are ways around that if we generate a massive excess of wind energy and use the excess to do useful things on windy days. Combining with tidal, nuclear and interconnecters will also help.
I'm guessing scones with clotted cream don't compare very well, alas.
I know there is some work in Ireland on experimenting with varying the grass grown to see what effect that has. This is a massive issue in Ireland and hopefully they will make good progress on it.
There was just one example of Burnham v. Corbyn, in 2015!
It feels like an inappropriate time to tell you of my experience with the French health service but to say it's comparing Chelsea with Scunthorpe Town is an understatement.
Perhaps Greta might like to go to China.
A country which is planning to build another 43 coal fired power stations to go with the 1000+ it already has (over half of the entire world's):
https://www.statista.com/statistics/859266/number-of-coal-power-plants-by-country/
Likewise all the XR and Insulate types might like to go to the Chinese embassy for their next stunt.
I suspect they wont.
Maybe she's only into white men?
France was very like England in being a Romano-Celtic culture which saw a big influx of Teutonic tribes which become the ruling class.
But the Franks adopted the culture of the existing population. The Angles and Saxons did not. I've never found a satisfactory explanation of this.
My favourite theory I've seen is that actually the east of Britain was already substantially Germanicized in the Roman period. It makes a sort of sense - in those days, cultures clustered around littoral areas rather than landmasses. But it's far from watertight.
Electricity accounts for just 17% of energy consumption.
See page 77...
https://assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/924591/DUKES_2020_MASTER.pdf
Not that I am wedded to either of these facets, of course. But politically moving away from either of these is very, very hard.
Certainly agree that the French system seems to present a better quality of care. I don't know what the relative amount spent on it is.
When politicians talk of reform, the one thing they want to keep is the centralised control. Hence the management pyramid.
@MikeSmithson
Why are you stating FAKE NEWS?
"What people seem to be forgetting is how poorly Burnham performed when he first ran for the post in the aftermath of the party”s GE2015 defeat and in the follow-up election when Corbyn was forced to defend his post."
Burnham actually stood for the Labour Leadership the first time in 2010, and the second time in 2015. Only in the latter election did he face Corbyn! It was Owen Smith alone who faced Corbyn in the "follow-up" in 2016!
In 2010, Burnham came a poor FOURTH in the first round, as follows:
David Miliband 37.8%
Ed Miliband 34.3%
Ed Balls 11.8%
Andy Burnham 8.7%
Diane Abbott 7.4%
In the second round, of course Ed Miliband defeated his brother by 50.7% to 49.3%, another very tight result like Quebec 1995, Welsh Referendum 1997, and EURef in 2016!
Then, in 2015, Burnham performed a little better, coming second place, though trailing Corbyn by over 40 points:
Jeremy Corbyn 59.5%
Andy Burnham 19.0%
Yvette Cooper 17.0%
Liz Kendall 4.5%
And then, just for the sake of completeness, the 2016 contest was a straight fight between Corbyn and Owen Smith:
Jeremy Corbyn 61.8%
Owen Smith 38.2%
IIRC the French health system does have many attractive features and I can believe it works better than the NHS does for various types of people.
But also worse for various other types of people.
https://www.independent.co.uk/climate-change/greta-thunberg-china-fat-shaming-b1851860.html
“Yes, China is still categorized as a developing nation by WTO, they manufacture a lot of our products and so on. But that’s of course no excuse for ruining future and present living conditions. We can’t solve the climate crisis unless China drastically changes course,” she said.
A Labour government might be able to do it, but why would they want to?
And all petrol is expected to be replaced with electricity?
Actually that seems like a very good thing with respect to wind variability. Given that cars have batteries and can be charged over a period of many hours (especially if cars are plugged in overnight) as that means that when the wind is variably blowing high then chargers can be programmed to automatically and cheaply recharge car batteries, while when wind is low then the chargers can be programmed to automatically switch off unless the car really needs recharging.
However that only works for homes with driveways that have their own chargers. It doesn't work for anyone who needs to recharge exclusively on-demand at a service station equivalent.
If we were to have joined up thinking the one thing we should really be encouraging is for as many new homes as possible to be semi-detached, with driveways and ideally chargers installed while the wiring is being done, or at least set for the capability to have chargers installed.
I wouldn't be at all surprised if, 20 or so years down the line, Chinese technology makes a significant contribution to tackling global climate change.
A more balanced view of the current situation and thinking in China can be found here:
https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-asia-china-57483492
Up until the point where they cut the wrong leg off, obvs. Then a politely worded complaint might be reasonable.
Leading to the closure of western factories and steelworks and not those in China.