Labour rules out backing an Independent cross-party candidate in North Shropshire a la Martin Bell in Tatton 1997 and will instead stand a Labour candidate
Proof if it were needed that Starmer likes to play by the rules that are stacked against him. He has no political nous, he has no killer instinct.
Imagine, Mr Starmer, every night on the ItV, BBC and Sky News bulletins, corresponds would be following around an "anti- Conservative- sleaze" candidate. How much would that sort of advertising on billboards cost?
BJO is right, Mr Starmer you are a fool.
There is still a possibility he might win the by-election. Which would be worth much more than a gerrymandered, undemocratic election win.
I really don't like these stitch-ups where one party stands aside for another. I can just about hold my nose in the Amess case, but this would be too much given the guy who has resigned is not standing again.
At the 2019 GE, I had a choice from just three uninspiring candidates due to the Green-LD stitch-up in my constituency.
This morning at 1 I woke up with all the symptoms of Covid. Fever, digestive trouble, muscle fatigue/spasms, and a cough.
I did an LFT and it came back negative.
I got in touch with my boss and she ordered me to get a PCR on the grounds that LFTs usually do not pick up on symptomatic cases.
Which, given they are also pretty useless for asymptomatic cases, makes me wonder just what the fecking point of them is.
I am doubting what your boss says TBH.
Depends on how well they are taken I suspect.
A friend last week had symptoms such as yours, took a LFT and the result was a very quick indication of a positive. It was very clear.
Possibly. What I can tell you, purely anecdotally, is that last week a colleague of mine had five LFTs come back negative but her symptoms eventually led her to get a PCR which came back positive.
So I suspect that's where it's coming from.
Not necessarily. My daughter had several negative LFTs, which is why I was a little complacent, and then a positive one - followed a day later by my testing positive.
It would be a cruel irony or at least quite amusing if Boris' undoing was his blind loyalty to one of his MPs.
On the contrary. Paterson was the shield for his own wrongdoings.
5 live political correspondent this morning has said that this error came about because there was great sympathy for Owen Paterson within the party and it was this that wrongfooted the PM and others. He went on to say that some think this was to try to divert any investigation from Boris, but he said that far too many people are putting 2 and 2 together and getting 5
He went on to say labour have rejected standing aside in the by election as it is not Paterson they would be fighting and therefore they will not agree to a single candidate and will put forward their candidate
It's amazing how Labourites saw Cummings as being shifty and untrustworthy whilst in government, and now, once he is anti the government, whatever he says has to be taken as gospel.
Nope he's still Shifty and Untrustworthy, but regardless of whether he was pro or anti Government some of the points he makes are valid.
Actually looking back at 2020 and the Barnard Castle affair you can see there that Boris isn't great at politics.
There he should have asked Cummings to resign so that Boris could refuse his resignation on importance grounds while on Wednesday he should have allowed Paterson to go while using it as an excuse to attack the process.
Boris just doesn't seem able to think of ways of getting what he wants while keeping people on board so he just blasts through instead.
I think one of the problems Boris has is that he is all tactics, not strategy. He may have a broad aim (become PM), but he does this by a series of reactive tactics, rather than an overwhelming controlling strategy. ("Okay, I'll become an MP. Hang on, this isn't much fun. Cripes! I could be Mayor of London! Oh bugger, I'm in no position to become PM. I'll become an MP again. Oh, which way should I vote on the Brexit referendum? urrm, I'll write two pieces." etc, etc.)
He has been remarkably successful in this (sadly, IMV), but being PM requires a strategy and vision. He is just bumbling along, reacting to events. The mess this week could easily have been avoided if he had either a hard-nosed strategy or an overarching morality. He has neither.
In a way he's a little like Gordon Brown: he desired to become PM, and then when he gets it, he doesn't seem to know what he wants to do with it. In his case he has Covid as an excuse (rightly, this has consumed the government's attention), but I still don't really see what Boris's vision for the country is aside from vacuous platitudes.
I suppose there's 'levelling up', but that's not exactly education, education, education.
Levelling up came, aiui, from Dominic Cummings. This might explain why, with Cummings gone, it is reduced to pork-barrel and blackmail tactics to keep red wall MPs dancing to Number 10's tune.
Let's wait and see. The interesting bit will come when Treasury workers discover the lifestyle you get when on a decent wage but live in the North East.
10,000 care workers are going to have to find other work
or that care workers should be doing everything they can to ensure they don't increase the chance / risk of spreading Covid from one patient to another....
If there is a story it will be about a lack of care workers and when people look in detail I think they will decide they are intentionally unemployed so shouldn't be getting welfare.
It is the lack of care workers I'm referring to. Big issue.
Plus, introducing a vaccination requirement for new employee's contracts is one thing, but introducing a contract change retrospectively without the consent of all parties?
And the fact that the legislation covers not just care workers but also anyone who enters a care home. As I understand it this means that someone who is not vaccinated (whether by choice, medical reason or because they have already had Covid and recovered) will not be able to visit their loved ones.
You don't need to get consent of parties if there's been a change in the law, all parties already agree to obey the law at all times anyway.
When smoking was banned in pubs, do you think that existing staff should have been allowed to continue to smoke without stepping outside?
If anyone wants to visit loved ones they can get vaccinated, rather than putting everybody else's loved ones at risk.
PS there's an exemption already for those who are unable to get vaccinated for medical reasons.
Good point re legality;
No one's putting anyone's health a risk - everyone is tested before entering, vaccinated or not, and has to wait thirty minutes before entry.
Lateral flow tests are very fallible and have a very high false negative rate.
I thought they had just been found to be much more accurate than previously believed.
My understanding is they have an extremely low false positive rate.
The false negative rate is different.
I know someone who took two tests on the same day - the lateral flow said negative, the PCR test [taken same day] result that came back two days later said positive.
Yep anecdotally I have heard many similar stories.
I was referring to the headline but hadn't read the detail:
In my experience they have been very accurate. The only instance where they did not work was my 8yo son who never tested positive on a LFT but was positive twice on PCR. He had no symptoms at all. I suspect he must have had a very weak infection and possibly was not even infectious.
Looking at the way covid infection infections are increasing in Belgium, Hungary, Czechia etc I wonder if the UK has been very fortunate in the timing of having Delta pass through the country.
That is receiving it in the spring, then having transmission accelerated by the July football ie when the vulnerable groups were double vaccinated, having a full six months before winter started and then being able to a large number of boosters into the vulnerable groups before it did so.
Or, just like last year, autumn weather reaches the UK first, and continental Europe about a month later.
It would be a cruel irony or at least quite amusing if Boris' undoing was his blind loyalty to one of his MPs.
On the contrary. Paterson was the shield for his own wrongdoings.
5 live political correspondent this morning has said that this error came about because there was great sympathy for Owen Paterson within the party and it was this that wrongfooted the PM and others. He went on to say that some think this was to try to divert any investigation from Boris, but he said that far too many people are putting 2 and 2 together and getting 5
He went on to say labour have rejected standing aside in the by election as it is not Paterson they would be fighting and therefore they will not agree to a single candidate and will put forward their candidate
It's amazing how Labourites saw Cummings as being shifty and untrustworthy whilst in government, and now, once he is anti the government, whatever he says has to be taken as gospel.
I don't think anyone who thought Cummings was a bad 'un 15 months ago thinks he is a good 'un now. However if Cummings makes a statement that confirms what we already thought about Johnson, are we supposed to change our view because our suspicions have been confirmed by a charlatan?
Surely that is "useless data" - Cummings is either trustworthy or not.
Bit like the legal principle that if someone is proven to have lied under oath, everything they say....
Not sure that's a "legal principle" per se. Sure, it would destroy a witnesses credibility, and a judge or jury would likely ignore everything they say, but they are not obliged to.
We already know that Frost and Johnson do not have good economic or political judgement. UK exports are in freefall, and A16 will be the final nail in the coffin of British industry. A UK/EU trade freeze will destroy confidence in Stirling even more than the stooge Bank of England has done with their failure to raise rates. This will be Black Wednesday in reverse, with only blood sweat and tears on offer to patch up the damage.
If the Tories continue like this, then I can see serious unrest coming as inflation rockets and the economy stops.
Mogg’s opposite number, Shadow Commons Leader Thangam Debbonaire, built herself into a blizzard of fury. She was loving every second, hopping about excitedly at the dispatch box. ‘Shameful!’ she bellowed.
Actually, I've been quite impressed with Thangam Debbonaire since she became Shadow Leader; articulate and on the ball. I wouldn't expect the Mail to agree. But I think JRM is rather wary of her these days as he recognises she's a formidable opponent.
Labour rules out backing an Independent cross-party candidate in North Shropshire a la Martin Bell in Tatton 1997 and will instead stand a Labour candidate
Proof if it were needed that Starmer likes to play by the rules that are stacked against him. He has no political nous, he has no killer instinct.
Imagine, Mr Starmer, every night on the ItV, BBC and Sky News bulletins, corresponds would be following around an "anti- Conservative- sleaze" candidate. How much would that sort of advertising on billboards cost?
BJO is right, Mr Starmer you are a fool.
It's the first sentence that really strikes home for me. I think he has political nous (he won the leadership very easily) and he acted ruthlessly against Corbyn/others on the left.
But ultimately I can't decide how Starmer should be judged. If Lab start getting small poll leads, does that mean he's doing well? How long should he get before its time to try someone else?
At some point, the argument that coronavirus is a weird situation and we should be patient and ignore polls, runs thin. A new leader would need time to get going and establish themselves before fighting a general election. Labour really do need to win next time.
Labour rules out backing an Independent cross-party candidate in North Shropshire a la Martin Bell in Tatton 1997 and will instead stand a Labour candidate
Proof if it were needed that Starmer likes to play by the rules that are stacked against him. He has no political nous, he has no killer instinct.
Imagine, Mr Starmer, every night on the ItV, BBC and Sky News bulletins, corresponds would be following around an "anti- Conservative- sleaze" candidate. How much would that sort of advertising on billboards cost?
BJO is right, Mr Starmer you are a fool.
TBF finding a latter day Martin Bell the whole opposition could get behind is no easy task. Who would you suggest? I think Man U need Marcus Rashford more than Parliament does, at least for the rest of this season. Anyone else?
O/t, perhaps but. IIRC someone here remarked that there was a BBC directive to staff not to 'blame Brexit'. If I'm not correct, I'm sure I'll be told! However there was a story on Breakfast, or whatever it's called, today about a shortage of taxi drivers, and the journalists were tying themselves in knots trying to explain why half of drivers have not returned 'since the pandemic', without mentioning that, so far as I could see anyway, a while a reasonable percentage were East Europeans, who have, presumably, 'gone home."
After yesterday's booster jab, Wor Lass has a very sore arm and a headache.
I was consulting with a solicitor yesterday with significant co-morbidities. He told me that the booster jab put him in bed for a week. My mother in law was the same but we blamed the fact that she had to stand in a queue outside for over an hour for that.
Why are you consulting with a solicitor on medical issues? As one myself I can reliably say we're useless at it.
We weren't. We were discussing an unholy mess of a case but part of his explanation for why so little had been done was this. He does receive dialysis twice a week so he is certainly vulnerable.
Rana Naved-ul-Hasan has confirmed to ESPNcricinfo that he heard Michael Vaughan making racially insensitive comments to a group of Asian players at Yorkshire.
Rana, who was the club's overseas player at the time, was alongside Azeem Rafiq at Trent Bridge in 2009 when Vaughan is alleged to have said: "There's too many of you lot, we need to do something about it."
Rana and Azeem were among four players of Asian heritage in the Yorkshire team at the time.
Labour rules out backing an Independent cross-party candidate in North Shropshire a la Martin Bell in Tatton 1997 and will instead stand a Labour candidate
Proof if it were needed that Starmer likes to play by the rules that are stacked against him. He has no political nous, he has no killer instinct.
Imagine, Mr Starmer, every night on the ItV, BBC and Sky News bulletins, corresponds would be following around an "anti- Conservative- sleaze" candidate. How much would that sort of advertising on billboards cost?
BJO is right, Mr Starmer you are a fool.
TBF finding a latter day Martin Bell the whole opposition could get behind is no easy task. Who would you suggest? I think Man U need Marcus Rashford more than Parliament does, at least for the rest of this season. Anyone else?
One of three things is true 1. No obvious candidate who wants the gig to unify behind 2. No agreement between the parties to actually do this 3. Starmer faced his own rebellion from the Labour or Death abolutists if he did this thing
Isn’t not playing by the rules priced in by Boris supporters? I suspect the bubble wrapped around him will not burst. Those that support him and the Tories will contrive a way to explain it all away. Look at Trump.
I'm not sure about that, when it comes to old networks of power. There are historical class issues in Britain that mean the Red Wall will be made much more furious by Johnson apparently fixing things up with his friends at the Garrick, as compared to the appeal of the cavalier, devil-may-care Trumpian and billionaire lifestyle that many Americans still aspire to in a somewhat different culture.
Will they know what the 'Garrick' is? I'd never heard of the fucking place. Although now I know, it should be firebombed with all possible alacrity.
They will hear about it. We've already had wave after wave of negative reporting about gas boilers where its all cost on YOU to save the environment. Now we have the PM lecturing the world - 1 minute to midnight. Must act NOW. Forget the cost we must do SOMETHING. Who then gets in a private plane to have a pair of Supercharged Range Rovers whisk him to central London to have Chateaubriand in The Garrick.
Never heard of The Garrick you Red Wall plebs? You'd love it. Men only. Rich white men only.
Even Richard Littlejohn is eviscerating the PM over the hypocrisy of this.
Absolutely but hasn't that OE, Bullingdon, privileged ship sailed? Where else would people expect Boris to have dinner with Charles Moore (whose writings I despise btw)? Huddled round a corner table at Pizza Express?
Boris having dinner at the Garrick with posh climate change deniers isn't a surprise to anyone. As Littlejohn puts it - its the hypocrisy that sticks in the craw. Its saying YOU MUST ACT NOW and then personally doing the complete opposite. One rule for us, another for him. Do as I say you plebs not as I do.
Boris the political act has done an amazing job at making him look like a good chap, one of us. He isn't and never has been, and now and then the persona slips. The danger for him is that people get enough of a look behind the curtain and tear it down. This is the worst crisis he has been in and its entirely his own making.
I agree, especially with your last paragraph, but Paterson has resigned and this morning the news has moved onto Yorkshire CC and back to COP26
I expect an effect in the polls but this debacle has upset a lot of conservative mps with 250 of them compromised
There must be a growing concern within the party over Boris, and I expect the chief whip will come under pressure to resign as he could have prevented this
I would be very pleased to see Boris replaced with Rishi, but I do not expect it to happen for some time but Boris, if he wants to carry on, needs to take this as a serious lesson in how not to behave
If he was capable of learning lessons about how not to behave, he would have done so at a much younger age.
I do have some sympathy for Boris re Paterson as I suspect he was bounced into doing something by Leadsom's gang of fools.
More worrying for Boris is another holiday embarrassment and the plane journey from Glasgow.
Both of which show he doesn't learn from mistakes.
It was Charles Moore who bounced him into it, Moore being friends with Paterson for over 40 years and used the tragedy of Paterson's wife suicide to garner Boris's sympathy, much as Paterson had done himself
I do not think we should be commenting on Paterson's wife's suicide, as we do not know the actual details and the effect on the family, but Boris was weak and let down by the chief whip together with Rees Mogg and Leadsom
This is a huge moment for the conservative party and lessons have to be learnt quickly, though I expect many conservative mps are losing faith in Boris
It’s truly sad how badly Boris was let down by Charles Moore, Rees Mogg, Leadsom, the Chief Whip and indeed Owen Paterson.
If only Boris were to realise he is being led astray!
10,000 care workers are going to have to find other work
or that care workers should be doing everything they can to ensure they don't increase the chance / risk of spreading Covid from one patient to another....
If there is a story it will be about a lack of care workers and when people look in detail I think they will decide they are intentionally unemployed so shouldn't be getting welfare.
It is the lack of care workers I'm referring to. Big issue.
Plus, introducing a vaccination requirement for new employee's contracts is one thing, but introducing a contract change retrospectively without the consent of all parties?
And the fact that the legislation covers not just care workers but also anyone who enters a care home. As I understand it this means that someone who is not vaccinated (whether by choice, medical reason or because they have already had Covid and recovered) will not be able to visit their loved ones.
You don't need to get consent of parties if there's been a change in the law, all parties already agree to obey the law at all times anyway.
When smoking was banned in pubs, do you think that existing staff should have been allowed to continue to smoke without stepping outside?
If anyone wants to visit loved ones they can get vaccinated, rather than putting everybody else's loved ones at risk.
PS there's an exemption already for those who are unable to get vaccinated for medical reasons.
Good point re legality;
No one's putting anyone's health a risk - everyone is tested before entering, vaccinated or not, and has to wait thirty minutes before entry.
Lateral flow tests are very fallible and have a very high false negative rate.
I thought they had just been found to be much more accurate than previously believed.
My understanding is they have an extremely low false positive rate.
The false negative rate is different.
I know someone who took two tests on the same day - the lateral flow said negative, the PCR test [taken same day] result that came back two days later said positive.
Yep anecdotally I have heard many similar stories.
I was referring to the headline but hadn't read the detail:
In my experience they have been very accurate. The only instance where they did not work was my 8yo son who never tested positive on a LFT but was positive twice on PCR. He had no symptoms at all. I suspect he must have had a very weak infection and possibly was not even infectious.
In all likelihood. There is now a great deal of evidence that LFTs pick up infectious individuals with 95%+ accuracy, and false positives are exceedingly rare.
What they do not pick up very well is non infectious low grade infections, whereas PCR does.
Labour rules out backing an Independent cross-party candidate in North Shropshire a la Martin Bell in Tatton 1997 and will instead stand a Labour candidate
Proof if it were needed that Starmer likes to play by the rules that are stacked against him. He has no political nous, he has no killer instinct.
Imagine, Mr Starmer, every night on the ItV, BBC and Sky News bulletins, corresponds would be following around an "anti- Conservative- sleaze" candidate. How much would that sort of advertising on billboards cost?
BJO is right, Mr Starmer you are a fool.
It's the first sentence that really strikes home for me. I think he has political nous (he won the leadership very easily) and he acted ruthlessly against Corbyn/others on the left.
But ultimately I can't decide how Starmer should be judged. If Lab start getting small poll leads, does that mean he's doing well? How long should he get before its time to try someone else?
At some point, the argument that coronavirus is a weird situation and we should be patient and ignore polls, runs thin. A new leader would need time to get going and establish themselves before fighting a general election. Labour really do need to win next time.
Starmer's a lawyer. His instincts are to play by the rules, whether or not that's a good idea.
Isn’t not playing by the rules priced in by Boris supporters? I suspect the bubble wrapped around him will not burst. Those that support him and the Tories will contrive a way to explain it all away. Look at Trump.
I'm not sure about that, when it comes to old networks of power. There are historical class issues in Britain that mean the Red Wall will be made much more furious by Johnson apparently fixing things up with his friends at the Garrick, as compared to the appeal of the cavalier, devil-may-care Trumpian and billionaire lifestyle that many Americans still aspire to in a somewhat different culture.
Will they know what the 'Garrick' is? I'd never heard of the fucking place. Although now I know, it should be firebombed with all possible alacrity.
They will hear about it. We've already had wave after wave of negative reporting about gas boilers where its all cost on YOU to save the environment. Now we have the PM lecturing the world - 1 minute to midnight. Must act NOW. Forget the cost we must do SOMETHING. Who then gets in a private plane to have a pair of Supercharged Range Rovers whisk him to central London to have Chateaubriand in The Garrick.
Never heard of The Garrick you Red Wall plebs? You'd love it. Men only. Rich white men only.
Even Richard Littlejohn is eviscerating the PM over the hypocrisy of this.
Absolutely but hasn't that OE, Bullingdon, privileged ship sailed? Where else would people expect Boris to have dinner with Charles Moore (whose writings I despise btw)? Huddled round a corner table at Pizza Express?
Boris having dinner at the Garrick with posh climate change deniers isn't a surprise to anyone. As Littlejohn puts it - its the hypocrisy that sticks in the craw. Its saying YOU MUST ACT NOW and then personally doing the complete opposite. One rule for us, another for him. Do as I say you plebs not as I do.
Boris the political act has done an amazing job at making him look like a good chap, one of us. He isn't and never has been, and now and then the persona slips. The danger for him is that people get enough of a look behind the curtain and tear it down. This is the worst crisis he has been in and its entirely his own making.
I agree, especially with your last paragraph, but Paterson has resigned and this morning the news has moved onto Yorkshire CC and back to COP26
I expect an effect in the polls but this debacle has upset a lot of conservative mps with 250 of them compromised
There must be a growing concern within the party over Boris, and I expect the chief whip will come under pressure to resign as he could have prevented this
I would be very pleased to see Boris replaced with Rishi, but I do not expect it to happen for some time but Boris, if he wants to carry on, needs to take this as a serious lesson in how not to behave
If he was capable of learning lessons about how not to behave, he would have done so at a much younger age.
I do have some sympathy for Boris re Paterson as I suspect he was bounced into doing something by Leadsom's gang of fools.
More worrying for Boris is another holiday embarrassment and the plane journey from Glasgow.
Both of which show he doesn't learn from mistakes.
It was Charles Moore who bounced him into it, Moore being friends with Paterson for over 40 years and used the tragedy of Paterson's wife suicide to garner Boris's sympathy, much as Paterson had done himself
I do not think we should be commenting on Paterson's wife's suicide, as we do not know the actual details and the effect on the family, but Boris was weak and let down by the chief whip together with Rees Mogg and Leadsom
This is a huge moment for the conservative party and lessons have to be learnt quickly, though I expect many conservative mps are losing faith in Boris
I have huge sympathy for Paterson . What he went through following the death of his wife I would not wish on my worst enemy. But he breached the rules. The two issues are separate, wholly separate, and should remain so (save, possibly, for mitigation of sentence but even then I am uneasy).
I agree and that is the error HMG made
Well there are 3 issues by the looks of it
Paterson's sentence Owen Paterson's wife's suicide (which really shouldn't be an issue). Boris's (or someone's) desperate need to fix the Parliamentary Discipline process immediately. What is so bad (not necessarily in public knowledge) and so urgent that meant there was no choice but to use the worst possible case (Paterson) as the example to trigger reform of the process.
That last one is something we haven't picked up on yet - why is it so urgent that the Parliamentary Discipline mechanism needs to be reinvented today. What is so bad or so pressing that it couldn't it be left a while?
Rana Naved-ul-Hasan has confirmed to ESPNcricinfo that he heard Michael Vaughan making racially insensitive comments to a group of Asian players at Yorkshire.
Rana, who was the club's overseas player at the time, was alongside Azeem Rafiq at Trent Bridge in 2009 when Vaughan is alleged to have said: "There's too many of you lot, we need to do something about it."
Rana and Azeem were among four players of Asian heritage in the Yorkshire team at the time.
Rana Naved-ul-Hasan has confirmed to ESPNcricinfo that he heard Michael Vaughan making racially insensitive comments to a group of Asian players at Yorkshire.
Rana, who was the club's overseas player at the time, was alongside Azeem Rafiq at Trent Bridge in 2009 when Vaughan is alleged to have said: "There's too many of you lot, we need to do something about it."
Rana and Azeem were among four players of Asian heritage in the Yorkshire team at the time.
It would be a cruel irony or at least quite amusing if Boris' undoing was his blind loyalty to one of his MPs.
On the contrary. Paterson was the shield for his own wrongdoings.
5 live political correspondent this morning has said that this error came about because there was great sympathy for Owen Paterson within the party and it was this that wrongfooted the PM and others. He went on to say that some think this was to try to divert any investigation from Boris, but he said that far too many people are putting 2 and 2 together and getting 5
He went on to say labour have rejected standing aside in the by election as it is not Paterson they would be fighting and therefore they will not agree to a single candidate and will put forward their candidate
It's amazing how Labourites saw Cummings as being shifty and untrustworthy whilst in government, and now, once he is anti the government, whatever he says has to be taken as gospel.
I don't think anyone who thought Cummings was a bad 'un 15 months ago thinks he is a good 'un now. However if Cummings makes a statement that confirms what we already thought about Johnson, are we supposed to change our view because our suspicions have been confirmed by a charlatan?
Surely that is "useless data" - Cummings is either trustworthy or not.
Bit like the legal principle that if someone is proven to have lied under oath, everything they say....
Of course not. At worst he at least follows the stopped-clock principle.
It would be a cruel irony or at least quite amusing if Boris' undoing was his blind loyalty to one of his MPs.
On the contrary. Paterson was the shield for his own wrongdoings.
5 live political correspondent this morning has said that this error came about because there was great sympathy for Owen Paterson within the party and it was this that wrongfooted the PM and others. He went on to say that some think this was to try to divert any investigation from Boris, but he said that far too many people are putting 2 and 2 together and getting 5
He went on to say labour have rejected standing aside in the by election as it is not Paterson they would be fighting and therefore they will not agree to a single candidate and will put forward their candidate
It's amazing how Labourites saw Cummings as being shifty and untrustworthy whilst in government, and now, once he is anti the government, whatever he says has to be taken as gospel.
I don't think anyone who thought Cummings was a bad 'un 15 months ago thinks he is a good 'un now. However if Cummings makes a statement that confirms what we already thought about Johnson, are we supposed to change our view because our suspicions have been confirmed by a charlatan?
Surely that is "useless data" - Cummings is either trustworthy or not.
Bit like the legal principle that if someone is proven to have lied under oath, everything they say....
All politics is self interested and everything everyone says in public political life says is self serving in some way. Even most political journalism is tainted in the same way.
Which does not mean there is no truth to be had, but that, like dealing with evidence in court from habitual liars, great care needs to be taken and corroboration sought.
BTW it seems to me that, for all his evident flaws, Boris does have a strategy. It has two prongs, one to keep himself and the Tories in power as long as possible - but that's how politics works anyway. (SKS needs to work on that one).
Second, he is in practice (goodness knows what his principles are) a One Nation Tory who seeks support from most but not all of the Tory base of the post war years + support from a big chunk the post-heavy industry private sector world of workers + support from pensioners + detoxifying the Tories image on the NHS (a Sisyphean task) + tax and spend while saying he isn't + glorifying the flag and UK and having a go at the EU Johnny Foreigner.
That is why he is ahead when he should be 20 points behind. But when the wheels come off there needs to be another electable party, and there isn't.
Labour rules out backing an Independent cross-party candidate in North Shropshire a la Martin Bell in Tatton 1997 and will instead stand a Labour candidate
Proof if it were needed that Starmer likes to play by the rules that are stacked against him. He has no political nous, he has no killer instinct.
Imagine, Mr Starmer, every night on the ItV, BBC and Sky News bulletins, corresponds would be following around an "anti- Conservative- sleaze" candidate. How much would that sort of advertising on billboards cost?
BJO is right, Mr Starmer you are a fool.
TBF finding a latter day Martin Bell the whole opposition could get behind is no easy task. Who would you suggest? I think Man U need Marcus Rashford more than Parliament does, at least for the rest of this season. Anyone else?
Olivia Colman
Nigella Lawson for Tory traditionalists or for a bit of reform and banter we could have Gordon Ramsey.
Isn’t not playing by the rules priced in by Boris supporters? I suspect the bubble wrapped around him will not burst. Those that support him and the Tories will contrive a way to explain it all away. Look at Trump.
I'm not sure about that, when it comes to old networks of power. There are historical class issues in Britain that mean the Red Wall will be made much more furious by Johnson apparently fixing things up with his friends at the Garrick, as compared to the appeal of the cavalier, devil-may-care Trumpian and billionaire lifestyle that many Americans still aspire to in a somewhat different culture.
Will they know what the 'Garrick' is? I'd never heard of the fucking place. Although now I know, it should be firebombed with all possible alacrity.
They will hear about it. We've already had wave after wave of negative reporting about gas boilers where its all cost on YOU to save the environment. Now we have the PM lecturing the world - 1 minute to midnight. Must act NOW. Forget the cost we must do SOMETHING. Who then gets in a private plane to have a pair of Supercharged Range Rovers whisk him to central London to have Chateaubriand in The Garrick.
Never heard of The Garrick you Red Wall plebs? You'd love it. Men only. Rich white men only.
Even Richard Littlejohn is eviscerating the PM over the hypocrisy of this.
Absolutely but hasn't that OE, Bullingdon, privileged ship sailed? Where else would people expect Boris to have dinner with Charles Moore (whose writings I despise btw)? Huddled round a corner table at Pizza Express?
Boris having dinner at the Garrick with posh climate change deniers isn't a surprise to anyone. As Littlejohn puts it - its the hypocrisy that sticks in the craw. Its saying YOU MUST ACT NOW and then personally doing the complete opposite. One rule for us, another for him. Do as I say you plebs not as I do.
Boris the political act has done an amazing job at making him look like a good chap, one of us. He isn't and never has been, and now and then the persona slips. The danger for him is that people get enough of a look behind the curtain and tear it down. This is the worst crisis he has been in and its entirely his own making.
I agree, especially with your last paragraph, but Paterson has resigned and this morning the news has moved onto Yorkshire CC and back to COP26
I expect an effect in the polls but this debacle has upset a lot of conservative mps with 250 of them compromised
There must be a growing concern within the party over Boris, and I expect the chief whip will come under pressure to resign as he could have prevented this
I would be very pleased to see Boris replaced with Rishi, but I do not expect it to happen for some time but Boris, if he wants to carry on, needs to take this as a serious lesson in how not to behave
If he was capable of learning lessons about how not to behave, he would have done so at a much younger age.
I do have some sympathy for Boris re Paterson as I suspect he was bounced into doing something by Leadsom's gang of fools.
More worrying for Boris is another holiday embarrassment and the plane journey from Glasgow.
Both of which show he doesn't learn from mistakes.
It was Charles Moore who bounced him into it, Moore being friends with Paterson for over 40 years and used the tragedy of Paterson's wife suicide to garner Boris's sympathy, much as Paterson had done himself
I do not think we should be commenting on Paterson's wife's suicide, as we do not know the actual details and the effect on the family, but Boris was weak and let down by the chief whip together with Rees Mogg and Leadsom
This is a huge moment for the conservative party and lessons have to be learnt quickly, though I expect many conservative mps are losing faith in Boris
I have huge sympathy for Paterson . What he went through following the death of his wife I would not wish on my worst enemy. But he breached the rules. The two issues are separate, wholly separate, and should remain so (save, possibly, for mitigation of sentence but even then I am uneasy).
I agree and that is the error HMG made
Well there are 3 issues by the looks of it
Paterson's sentence Owen Paterson's wife's suicide (which really shouldn't be an issue). Boris's (or someone's) desperate need to fix the Parliamentary Discipline process immediately. What is so bad (not necessarily in public knowledge) and so urgent that meant there was no choice but to use the worst possible case (Paterson) as the example to trigger reform of the process.
What is so bad and urgent? The Electoral Commission report about to drop The Independent Standards Commission investigation to follow it
Like with the radioactive smoke emanating from the Chernobyl reactor we know there has been an explosion. Unfortunately for Boris his usual wafting hasn't shifted it away and they are insisting on finding the melted-down debris at the heart of it.
The final roll of the dice will be war with the EU. Expect a sudden crisis which forces the triggering of Article 16 and lots of "Britain's backs against the wall" WWII bluster.
Rana Naved-ul-Hasan has confirmed to ESPNcricinfo that he heard Michael Vaughan making racially insensitive comments to a group of Asian players at Yorkshire.
Rana, who was the club's overseas player at the time, was alongside Azeem Rafiq at Trent Bridge in 2009 when Vaughan is alleged to have said: "There's too many of you lot, we need to do something about it."
Rana and Azeem were among four players of Asian heritage in the Yorkshire team at the time.
After yesterday's booster jab, Wor Lass has a very sore arm and a headache.
I was consulting with a solicitor yesterday with significant co-morbidities. He told me that the booster jab put him in bed for a week. My mother in law was the same but we blamed the fact that she had to stand in a queue outside for over an hour for that.
Why are you consulting with a solicitor on medical issues? As one myself I can reliably say we're useless at it.
We weren't. We were discussing an unholy mess of a case but part of his explanation for why so little had been done was this. He does receive dialysis twice a week so he is certainly vulnerable.
Aha! Yes - the kind of dressing down from counsel we all fear...
Isn’t not playing by the rules priced in by Boris supporters? I suspect the bubble wrapped around him will not burst. Those that support him and the Tories will contrive a way to explain it all away. Look at Trump.
I'm not sure about that, when it comes to old networks of power. There are historical class issues in Britain that mean the Red Wall will be made much more furious by Johnson apparently fixing things up with his friends at the Garrick, as compared to the appeal of the cavalier, devil-may-care Trumpian and billionaire lifestyle that many Americans still aspire to in a somewhat different culture.
Will they know what the 'Garrick' is? I'd never heard of the fucking place. Although now I know, it should be firebombed with all possible alacrity.
They will hear about it. We've already had wave after wave of negative reporting about gas boilers where its all cost on YOU to save the environment. Now we have the PM lecturing the world - 1 minute to midnight. Must act NOW. Forget the cost we must do SOMETHING. Who then gets in a private plane to have a pair of Supercharged Range Rovers whisk him to central London to have Chateaubriand in The Garrick.
Never heard of The Garrick you Red Wall plebs? You'd love it. Men only. Rich white men only.
Even Richard Littlejohn is eviscerating the PM over the hypocrisy of this.
Absolutely but hasn't that OE, Bullingdon, privileged ship sailed? Where else would people expect Boris to have dinner with Charles Moore (whose writings I despise btw)? Huddled round a corner table at Pizza Express?
Boris having dinner at the Garrick with posh climate change deniers isn't a surprise to anyone. As Littlejohn puts it - its the hypocrisy that sticks in the craw. Its saying YOU MUST ACT NOW and then personally doing the complete opposite. One rule for us, another for him. Do as I say you plebs not as I do.
Boris the political act has done an amazing job at making him look like a good chap, one of us. He isn't and never has been, and now and then the persona slips. The danger for him is that people get enough of a look behind the curtain and tear it down. This is the worst crisis he has been in and its entirely his own making.
I agree, especially with your last paragraph, but Paterson has resigned and this morning the news has moved onto Yorkshire CC and back to COP26
I expect an effect in the polls but this debacle has upset a lot of conservative mps with 250 of them compromised
There must be a growing concern within the party over Boris, and I expect the chief whip will come under pressure to resign as he could have prevented this
I would be very pleased to see Boris replaced with Rishi, but I do not expect it to happen for some time but Boris, if he wants to carry on, needs to take this as a serious lesson in how not to behave
If he was capable of learning lessons about how not to behave, he would have done so at a much younger age.
I do have some sympathy for Boris re Paterson as I suspect he was bounced into doing something by Leadsom's gang of fools.
More worrying for Boris is another holiday embarrassment and the plane journey from Glasgow.
Both of which show he doesn't learn from mistakes.
But he has learned from his mistakes; he has learned that people let him get away with them.
Until one day they don't, obvs.
I wonder if this is a difference between Boris, and perhaps politicians in general, compared to the average person.
Allowing someone to 'get away with it' is often conditional that they learn from the mistake and don't repeat it.
Whereas Boris, and perhaps politicians in general, think that if you can get away with it once you can every time.
They are then baffled when the backlash for further transgressions is so much harder than it would have been for the initial mistake.
Following a fall earlier this year my nan is against her and my grandad's wishes in a care home. Care workers have a choice whether to be vaccinated or not. She has no choice but to be there.
Throughout the pandemic my nan wouldn't let anyone into her home apart from essential people whom she'd keep a distance from, until after the vaccines were rolled out. Now she's compelled to be in a home with people who are potentially unvaccinated putting her life at risk?
If care workers don't give enough of a shit about the people they're caring for that they will get vaccinated to protect them, then I don't think they should be in the care sector.
I realise that we are dealing with probabilities here but vaccinated people can still pass the virus on. I know you don't like unvaccinated people - are you letting this feeling overrule logic? Just sayin'.
I think you have hit on something here. The situation has changed from when these rules were first thought of. At that time it was thought that vaccine would grant immunity. It doesn't. As an alternative it was thought that it significantly reduced the risk of the virus being passed on because you would have a lower viral load. I do not think, with Delta, that there is any compelling evidence of that. What the vaccines do is reduce the risk to the person vaccinated and all sensible people should be vaccinated as a result.
But can we actually say that you being vaccinated makes someone else safer? I am not sure. Maybe. Those who are not vaccinated are, I think, still more likely to become infected and therefore more likely, statistically, to infect others. Whether that risk is both robust and material needs looked at again.
I don't recall seeing this 'vaccine does not reduce transmission' thing before, but perhaps I stopped paying attention. I thought the question was settled that it does reduce transmission.
Here:
Alpha: Transmission reduced by 73%. Delta: Transmission reduced by 63%.
We estimated vaccine effectiveness against onward transmission by comparing secondary attack rates among household members between vaccinated and unvaccinated index cases, based on source and contact tracing data collected when Delta variant was dominant. Effectiveness of full vaccination of the index against transmission to fully vaccinated household contacts was 40% (95% confidence interval (CI) 20-54%), which is in addition to the direct protection of vaccination of contacts against infection. Effectiveness of full vaccination of the index against transmission to unvaccinated household contacts was 63% (95%CI 46-75%). We previously reported effectiveness of 73% (95%CI 65-79%) against transmission to unvaccinated household contacts for the Alpha variant. https://www.medrxiv.org/content/10.1101/2021.10.14.21264959v1
Looking at the way covid infection infections are increasing in Belgium, Hungary, Czechia etc I wonder if the UK has been very fortunate in the timing of having Delta pass through the country.
That is receiving it in the spring, then having transmission accelerated by the July football ie when the vulnerable groups were double vaccinated, having a full six months before winter started and then being able to a large number of boosters into the vulnerable groups before it did so.
Absolutely agreed.
But what's interesting is that while the original spread of Delta which was halted by lockdown was unfortunate as it just happened to evolve here (despite us having lower case rates incidentally when it did than France etc) - what is truly remarkable is that the summer lifting of restrictions and allowing Delta to spread over the summer was a quite deliberate and openly stated policy.
It was quite openly said that there would be an exit wave and it was better to have that wave now in the summer, than in the winter.
Yet that thought doesn't seem to have occurred to the scientists and politicians across the continent. Instead we've had months of the antiCovid or FBPE zealots etc in this country pointing to lower case rates in Europe than here thanks to Europe's ongoing restrictions we haven't got as an example of this countries failure rather than this countries success.
I really worry that our neighbours have squandered the opportunity to boost the vaccines with acquired natural immunity in the summer and now they're going to have to do so in the winter and that'll be much, much worse.
We already know that Frost and Johnson do not have good economic or political judgement. UK exports are in freefall, and A16 will be the final nail in the coffin of British industry. A UK/EU trade freeze will destroy confidence in Stirling even more than the stooge Bank of England has done with their failure to raise rates. This will be Black Wednesday in reverse, with only blood sweat and tears on offer to patch up the damage.
If the Tories continue like this, then I can see serious unrest coming as inflation rockets and the economy stops.
If the 'UK exports are in freefall' why has the UK trade balance improved so much ?
Labour rules out backing an Independent cross-party candidate in North Shropshire a la Martin Bell in Tatton 1997 and will instead stand a Labour candidate
Proof if it were needed that Starmer likes to play by the rules that are stacked against him. He has no political nous, he has no killer instinct.
Imagine, Mr Starmer, every night on the ItV, BBC and Sky News bulletins, corresponds would be following around an "anti- Conservative- sleaze" candidate. How much would that sort of advertising on billboards cost?
BJO is right, Mr Starmer you are a fool.
TBF finding a latter day Martin Bell the whole opposition could get behind is no easy task. Who would you suggest? I think Man U need Marcus Rashford more than Parliament does, at least for the rest of this season. Anyone else?
Olivia Colman
"Ms Colman, calling on behalf of the Labour, Lib Dem and Green parties. We've had a meeting. I know your Oscar winning career is currently approaching the stratosphere, and you could literally walk into any role you wanted, but I have an offer you simply CAN'T refuse..."
Isn’t not playing by the rules priced in by Boris supporters? I suspect the bubble wrapped around him will not burst. Those that support him and the Tories will contrive a way to explain it all away. Look at Trump.
I'm not sure about that, when it comes to old networks of power. There are historical class issues in Britain that mean the Red Wall will be made much more furious by Johnson apparently fixing things up with his friends at the Garrick, as compared to the appeal of the cavalier, devil-may-care Trumpian and billionaire lifestyle that many Americans still aspire to in a somewhat different culture.
Will they know what the 'Garrick' is? I'd never heard of the fucking place. Although now I know, it should be firebombed with all possible alacrity.
They will hear about it. We've already had wave after wave of negative reporting about gas boilers where its all cost on YOU to save the environment. Now we have the PM lecturing the world - 1 minute to midnight. Must act NOW. Forget the cost we must do SOMETHING. Who then gets in a private plane to have a pair of Supercharged Range Rovers whisk him to central London to have Chateaubriand in The Garrick.
Never heard of The Garrick you Red Wall plebs? You'd love it. Men only. Rich white men only.
Even Richard Littlejohn is eviscerating the PM over the hypocrisy of this.
Absolutely but hasn't that OE, Bullingdon, privileged ship sailed? Where else would people expect Boris to have dinner with Charles Moore (whose writings I despise btw)? Huddled round a corner table at Pizza Express?
Boris having dinner at the Garrick with posh climate change deniers isn't a surprise to anyone. As Littlejohn puts it - its the hypocrisy that sticks in the craw. Its saying YOU MUST ACT NOW and then personally doing the complete opposite. One rule for us, another for him. Do as I say you plebs not as I do.
Boris the political act has done an amazing job at making him look like a good chap, one of us. He isn't and never has been, and now and then the persona slips. The danger for him is that people get enough of a look behind the curtain and tear it down. This is the worst crisis he has been in and its entirely his own making.
I agree, especially with your last paragraph, but Paterson has resigned and this morning the news has moved onto Yorkshire CC and back to COP26
I expect an effect in the polls but this debacle has upset a lot of conservative mps with 250 of them compromised
There must be a growing concern within the party over Boris, and I expect the chief whip will come under pressure to resign as he could have prevented this
I would be very pleased to see Boris replaced with Rishi, but I do not expect it to happen for some time but Boris, if he wants to carry on, needs to take this as a serious lesson in how not to behave
If he was capable of learning lessons about how not to behave, he would have done so at a much younger age.
I do have some sympathy for Boris re Paterson as I suspect he was bounced into doing something by Leadsom's gang of fools.
More worrying for Boris is another holiday embarrassment and the plane journey from Glasgow.
Both of which show he doesn't learn from mistakes.
It was Charles Moore who bounced him into it, Moore being friends with Paterson for over 40 years and used the tragedy of Paterson's wife suicide to garner Boris's sympathy, much as Paterson had done himself
I do not think we should be commenting on Paterson's wife's suicide, as we do not know the actual details and the effect on the family, but Boris was weak and let down by the chief whip together with Rees Mogg and Leadsom
This is a huge moment for the conservative party and lessons have to be learnt quickly, though I expect many conservative mps are losing faith in Boris
It’s truly sad how badly Boris was let down by Charles Moore, Rees Mogg, Leadsom, the Chief Whip and indeed Owen Paterson.
If only Boris were to realise he is being led astray!
They all made the basic mistake of failing to understand
Isn’t not playing by the rules priced in by Boris supporters? I suspect the bubble wrapped around him will not burst. Those that support him and the Tories will contrive a way to explain it all away. Look at Trump.
I'm not sure about that, when it comes to old networks of power. There are historical class issues in Britain that mean the Red Wall will be made much more furious by Johnson apparently fixing things up with his friends at the Garrick, as compared to the appeal of the cavalier, devil-may-care Trumpian and billionaire lifestyle that many Americans still aspire to in a somewhat different culture.
Will they know what the 'Garrick' is? I'd never heard of the fucking place. Although now I know, it should be firebombed with all possible alacrity.
They will hear about it. We've already had wave after wave of negative reporting about gas boilers where its all cost on YOU to save the environment. Now we have the PM lecturing the world - 1 minute to midnight. Must act NOW. Forget the cost we must do SOMETHING. Who then gets in a private plane to have a pair of Supercharged Range Rovers whisk him to central London to have Chateaubriand in The Garrick.
Never heard of The Garrick you Red Wall plebs? You'd love it. Men only. Rich white men only.
Even Richard Littlejohn is eviscerating the PM over the hypocrisy of this.
Absolutely but hasn't that OE, Bullingdon, privileged ship sailed? Where else would people expect Boris to have dinner with Charles Moore (whose writings I despise btw)? Huddled round a corner table at Pizza Express?
Boris having dinner at the Garrick with posh climate change deniers isn't a surprise to anyone. As Littlejohn puts it - its the hypocrisy that sticks in the craw. Its saying YOU MUST ACT NOW and then personally doing the complete opposite. One rule for us, another for him. Do as I say you plebs not as I do.
Boris the political act has done an amazing job at making him look like a good chap, one of us. He isn't and never has been, and now and then the persona slips. The danger for him is that people get enough of a look behind the curtain and tear it down. This is the worst crisis he has been in and its entirely his own making.
I agree, especially with your last paragraph, but Paterson has resigned and this morning the news has moved onto Yorkshire CC and back to COP26
I expect an effect in the polls but this debacle has upset a lot of conservative mps with 250 of them compromised
There must be a growing concern within the party over Boris, and I expect the chief whip will come under pressure to resign as he could have prevented this
I would be very pleased to see Boris replaced with Rishi, but I do not expect it to happen for some time but Boris, if he wants to carry on, needs to take this as a serious lesson in how not to behave
If he was capable of learning lessons about how not to behave, he would have done so at a much younger age.
I do have some sympathy for Boris re Paterson as I suspect he was bounced into doing something by Leadsom's gang of fools.
More worrying for Boris is another holiday embarrassment and the plane journey from Glasgow.
Both of which show he doesn't learn from mistakes.
It was Charles Moore who bounced him into it, Moore being friends with Paterson for over 40 years and used the tragedy of Paterson's wife suicide to garner Boris's sympathy, much as Paterson had done himself
I do not think we should be commenting on Paterson's wife's suicide, as we do not know the actual details and the effect on the family, but Boris was weak and let down by the chief whip together with Rees Mogg and Leadsom
This is a huge moment for the conservative party and lessons have to be learnt quickly, though I expect many conservative mps are losing faith in Boris
I have huge sympathy for Paterson . What he went through following the death of his wife I would not wish on my worst enemy. But he breached the rules. The two issues are separate, wholly separate, and should remain so (save, possibly, for mitigation of sentence but even then I am uneasy).
Exactly. I cannot quite believe people are still trying to reargue his case for him, especially as though none of that case was considered and rebutted as part of the process - its acting like no one considered it. Many review processes wouldn't overturn a decision if the process was followed correctly, and they did consider those points, and the procedural complaints too.
He knows he breached the rules. That he resigned is the key indication, since as has been pointed out he may not have been recalled, and almost certainly would have won, if he just said his heart was in the right place, especially as he would get personsl sympathy and party backing.
Instead he jumps claiming he couldn't get justice when in fact his constituents could and probably would have endorsed him and given him justice in that way.
All he's achieved is make his actions before look even worse.
Isn’t not playing by the rules priced in by Boris supporters? I suspect the bubble wrapped around him will not burst. Those that support him and the Tories will contrive a way to explain it all away. Look at Trump.
I'm not sure about that, when it comes to old networks of power. There are historical class issues in Britain that mean the Red Wall will be made much more furious by Johnson apparently fixing things up with his friends at the Garrick, as compared to the appeal of the cavalier, devil-may-care Trumpian and billionaire lifestyle that many Americans still aspire to in a somewhat different culture.
Will they know what the 'Garrick' is? I'd never heard of the fucking place. Although now I know, it should be firebombed with all possible alacrity.
They will hear about it. We've already had wave after wave of negative reporting about gas boilers where its all cost on YOU to save the environment. Now we have the PM lecturing the world - 1 minute to midnight. Must act NOW. Forget the cost we must do SOMETHING. Who then gets in a private plane to have a pair of Supercharged Range Rovers whisk him to central London to have Chateaubriand in The Garrick.
Never heard of The Garrick you Red Wall plebs? You'd love it. Men only. Rich white men only.
Even Richard Littlejohn is eviscerating the PM over the hypocrisy of this.
Absolutely but hasn't that OE, Bullingdon, privileged ship sailed? Where else would people expect Boris to have dinner with Charles Moore (whose writings I despise btw)? Huddled round a corner table at Pizza Express?
Boris having dinner at the Garrick with posh climate change deniers isn't a surprise to anyone. As Littlejohn puts it - its the hypocrisy that sticks in the craw. Its saying YOU MUST ACT NOW and then personally doing the complete opposite. One rule for us, another for him. Do as I say you plebs not as I do.
Boris the political act has done an amazing job at making him look like a good chap, one of us. He isn't and never has been, and now and then the persona slips. The danger for him is that people get enough of a look behind the curtain and tear it down. This is the worst crisis he has been in and its entirely his own making.
I agree, especially with your last paragraph, but Paterson has resigned and this morning the news has moved onto Yorkshire CC and back to COP26
I expect an effect in the polls but this debacle has upset a lot of conservative mps with 250 of them compromised
There must be a growing concern within the party over Boris, and I expect the chief whip will come under pressure to resign as he could have prevented this
I would be very pleased to see Boris replaced with Rishi, but I do not expect it to happen for some time but Boris, if he wants to carry on, needs to take this as a serious lesson in how not to behave
If he was capable of learning lessons about how not to behave, he would have done so at a much younger age.
I do have some sympathy for Boris re Paterson as I suspect he was bounced into doing something by Leadsom's gang of fools.
More worrying for Boris is another holiday embarrassment and the plane journey from Glasgow.
Both of which show he doesn't learn from mistakes.
But he has learned from his mistakes; he has learned that people let him get away with them.
Until one day they don't, obvs.
I wonder if this is a difference between Boris, and perhaps politicians in general, compared to the average person.
Allowing someone to 'get away with it' is often conditional that they learn from the mistake and don't repeat it.
Whereas Boris, and perhaps politicians in general, think that if you can get away with it once you can every time.
They are then baffled when the backlash for further transgressions is so much harder than it would have been for the initial mistake.
His homework was late at school, he got bad reports, his essays were late as a student, his articles were late as a journalist, several employers have caught him lying to them, and he arranged to have someone beaten up. He's treated every woman he's known appallingly (the latest one excepted, until). He's lied to voters, repeatedly, and broken a string of political promises. And has got away with it all.
Labour rules out backing an Independent cross-party candidate in North Shropshire a la Martin Bell in Tatton 1997 and will instead stand a Labour candidate
Proof if it were needed that Starmer likes to play by the rules that are stacked against him. He has no political nous, he has no killer instinct.
Imagine, Mr Starmer, every night on the ItV, BBC and Sky News bulletins, corresponds would be following around an "anti- Conservative- sleaze" candidate. How much would that sort of advertising on billboards cost?
BJO is right, Mr Starmer you are a fool.
TBF finding a latter day Martin Bell the whole opposition could get behind is no easy task. Who would you suggest? I think Man U need Marcus Rashford more than Parliament does, at least for the rest of this season. Anyone else?
One of three things is true 1. No obvious candidate who wants the gig to unify behind 2. No agreement between the parties to actually do this 3. Starmer faced his own rebellion from the Labour or Death abolutists if he did this thing
A fourth thing is true. There can be no confidence that a Cleanse the Stables candidate would win. And for Labour's interests it is better to back your candidate who is bound too lose, though might do better than expected, than back a candidate who then looks a wally when some squeaky clean, motherhood and apple pie infant school teacher remix of Mother Theresa and St Francis cleans up for the Tories.
Rana Naved-ul-Hasan has confirmed to ESPNcricinfo that he heard Michael Vaughan making racially insensitive comments to a group of Asian players at Yorkshire.
Rana, who was the club's overseas player at the time, was alongside Azeem Rafiq at Trent Bridge in 2009 when Vaughan is alleged to have said: "There's too many of you lot, we need to do something about it."
Rana and Azeem were among four players of Asian heritage in the Yorkshire team at the time.
Labour rules out backing an Independent cross-party candidate in North Shropshire a la Martin Bell in Tatton 1997 and will instead stand a Labour candidate
Proof if it were needed that Starmer likes to play by the rules that are stacked against him. He has no political nous, he has no killer instinct.
Imagine, Mr Starmer, every night on the ItV, BBC and Sky News bulletins, corresponds would be following around an "anti- Conservative- sleaze" candidate. How much would that sort of advertising on billboards cost?
BJO is right, Mr Starmer you are a fool.
TBF finding a latter day Martin Bell the whole opposition could get behind is no easy task. Who would you suggest? I think Man U need Marcus Rashford more than Parliament does, at least for the rest of this season. Anyone else?
Olivia Colman
Nigella Lawson for Tory traditionalists or for a bit of reform and banter we could have Gordon Ramsey.
Nigella has cross-party appeal, but I don't think she'd want to get involved.
Rana Naved-ul-Hasan has confirmed to ESPNcricinfo that he heard Michael Vaughan making racially insensitive comments to a group of Asian players at Yorkshire.
Rana, who was the club's overseas player at the time, was alongside Azeem Rafiq at Trent Bridge in 2009 when Vaughan is alleged to have said: "There's too many of you lot, we need to do something about it."
Rana and Azeem were among four players of Asian heritage in the Yorkshire team at the time.
Labour rules out backing an Independent cross-party candidate in North Shropshire a la Martin Bell in Tatton 1997 and will instead stand a Labour candidate
Proof if it were needed that Starmer likes to play by the rules that are stacked against him. He has no political nous, he has no killer instinct.
Imagine, Mr Starmer, every night on the ItV, BBC and Sky News bulletins, corresponds would be following around an "anti- Conservative- sleaze" candidate. How much would that sort of advertising on billboards cost?
BJO is right, Mr Starmer you are a fool.
TBF finding a latter day Martin Bell the whole opposition could get behind is no easy task. Who would you suggest? I think Man U need Marcus Rashford more than Parliament does, at least for the rest of this season. Anyone else?
Rory the Tory as proposed by Rochdale yesterday should fit the bill so long as he signs a pre-nup to say he won't cross the floor for at least a week.
It is a no lose situation for Starmer, but then it seems he would rather lose anyway. I say this as someone sympathetic to Starmer. Although even accounting for his isolation he has been more than eclipsed by the Labour ladies this week.
I don't agree with Deedes's rhetoric here. Calling Westminster a sewer is no different from Rayner calling Tories "scum" and where did that lead in a church hall in Southend?
Most MPs are decent and hardworking and on behalf of their constituents.
Yes, its unwarranted and sensationalising. One MP has just been convicted, another is corrupt, and many more made a poor decision to defend the corrupt one, but that makes a tiny percentage actually terrible and the rest is unfortunate politics. Sewer talk is appealing, no doubt, it causes me momentary amusement to my regret, but its not fair on the place.
This morning at 1 I woke up with all the symptoms of Covid. Fever, digestive trouble, muscle fatigue/spasms, and a cough.
I did an LFT and it came back negative.
I got in touch with my boss and she ordered me to get a PCR on the grounds that LFTs usually do not pick up on symptomatic cases.
Which, given they are also pretty useless for asymptomatic cases, makes me wonder just what the fecking point of them is.
Your boss is wrong.
The distinction in the case of LFTs is between infectious and not very infectious cases. Asymptomatic and asymptomatic cases can fall into either category.
60.2% of the vote I make it from a fair way second. Edit: The ward elected 2Con 1LD in May. Putting up the Tory who didn't win last time once again was perhaps not wise.
The West Sussex result is equally impressive. In many places the Lib Dems are very well entrenched locally, which is why I always take the Green vs Lib Dem poll ratings with a grain of salt.
The great irony is it the Greens and not the LibDems who would be the major winners from PR.
And, you know, the country, what with non-adversarial politics, proper mediation of political ideas and policy, and an executive that is permanently accountable to parliament.
https://twitter.com/Mij_Europe/status/1456520123116818438 Suspect part of BoJo/Frost calculation is 1) belief EU won't be able to build consensus on suspension (Pol/Hu, new Ger Govt, Fr elex etc). 2) If EU can, it wont hold through next yr. 3) That EU wont introduce checks N-S or between Ire/Fr & so is stuck between rock & hard place...
https://twitter.com/Mij_Europe/status/1456520124224114725 ... BOTH unable to institute controls/checks or meaningfully retaliate. Meanwhile, UKG will change facts on ground that support its view there's no risk to Single Market & MaxFac/Malthouse was always the way to go.. ! (Yes, Malthouse is back) 7/
Yes this was always true. The vague, meaningless threats of 'retaliation' are utter bullshit because the EU don't have a choice. The UK can determine the facts on the ground, the EU can't, so deal with reality as it is.
Labour rules out backing an Independent cross-party candidate in North Shropshire a la Martin Bell in Tatton 1997 and will instead stand a Labour candidate
Proof if it were needed that Starmer likes to play by the rules that are stacked against him. He has no political nous, he has no killer instinct.
Imagine, Mr Starmer, every night on the ItV, BBC and Sky News bulletins, corresponds would be following around an "anti- Conservative- sleaze" candidate. How much would that sort of advertising on billboards cost?
BJO is right, Mr Starmer you are a fool.
There is still a possibility he might win the by-election. Which would be worth much more than a gerrymandered, undemocratic election win.
I really don't like these stitch-ups where one party stands aside for another. I can just about hold my nose in the Amess case, but this would be too much given the guy who has resigned is not standing again.
At the 2019 GE, I had a choice from just three uninspiring candidates due to the Green-LD stitch-up in my constituency.
I prefer as wide a selection as possible but equally I'm not a fan of calling that a stitch up. We dont have some right to have the candidates we want, if a party doesnt choose to stand that's their business.
Labour rules out backing an Independent cross-party candidate in North Shropshire a la Martin Bell in Tatton 1997 and will instead stand a Labour candidate
Proof if it were needed that Starmer likes to play by the rules that are stacked against him. He has no political nous, he has no killer instinct.
Imagine, Mr Starmer, every night on the ItV, BBC and Sky News bulletins, corresponds would be following around an "anti- Conservative- sleaze" candidate. How much would that sort of advertising on billboards cost?
BJO is right, Mr Starmer you are a fool.
TBF finding a latter day Martin Bell the whole opposition could get behind is no easy task. Who would you suggest? I think Man U need Marcus Rashford more than Parliament does, at least for the rest of this season. Anyone else?
Olivia Colman
Nigella Lawson for Tory traditionalists or for a bit of reform and banter we could have Gordon Ramsey.
Nigella has cross-party appeal, but I don't think she'd want to get involved.
Gareth Southgate.
Tempting, but he's probably a bit busy now.
Who suggested Martin Lewis The Moneysaving Expert? He'd be good if he wanted the role, but I suspect he's got more sense.
This morning at 1 I woke up with all the symptoms of Covid. Fever, digestive trouble, muscle fatigue/spasms, and a cough.
I did an LFT and it came back negative.
I got in touch with my boss and she ordered me to get a PCR on the grounds that LFTs usually do not pick up on symptomatic cases.
Which, given they are also pretty useless for asymptomatic cases, makes me wonder just what the fecking point of them is.
Your boss is wrong.
The distinction in the case of LFTs is between infectious and not very infectious cases. Asymptomatic and asymptomatic cases can fall into either category.
It’s truly sad how badly Boris was let down by Charles Moore, Rees Mogg, Leadsom, the Chief Whip and indeed Owen Paterson.
If only Boris were to realise he is being led astray!
@RobDotHutton Asked for comment Boris Johnson said: “We had hoped that [insert scapegoat] would have been reasonable about [unrealistic request] meaning [unlikely consequence]. Alas, as a result of [inevitable consequence] I have no choice to [do inevitable thing but too late to be effective]” https://twitter.com/AliAliAfro/status/1456552030659620865
60.2% of the vote I make it from a fair way second. Edit: The ward elected 2Con 1LD in May. Putting up the Tory who didn't win last time once again was perhaps not wise.
The West Sussex result is equally impressive. In many places the Lib Dems are very well entrenched locally, which is why I always take the Green vs Lib Dem poll ratings with a grain of salt.
The great irony is it the Greens and not the LibDems who would be the major winners from PR.
And, you know, the country, what with non-adversarial politics, proper mediation of political ideas and policy, and an executive that is permanently accountable to parliament.
I'm in favour but I'm not sure I'd include non adversarial in the list of improvements.
Labour rules out backing an Independent cross-party candidate in North Shropshire a la Martin Bell in Tatton 1997 and will instead stand a Labour candidate
Proof if it were needed that Starmer likes to play by the rules that are stacked against him. He has no political nous, he has no killer instinct.
Imagine, Mr Starmer, every night on the ItV, BBC and Sky News bulletins, corresponds would be following around an "anti- Conservative- sleaze" candidate. How much would that sort of advertising on billboards cost?
BJO is right, Mr Starmer you are a fool.
TBF finding a latter day Martin Bell the whole opposition could get behind is no easy task. Who would you suggest? I think Man U need Marcus Rashford more than Parliament does, at least for the rest of this season. Anyone else?
Olivia Colman
"Ms Colman, calling on behalf of the Labour, Lib Dem and Green parties. We've had a meeting. I know your Oscar winning career is currently approaching the stratosphere, and you could literally walk into any role you wanted, but I have an offer you simply CAN'T refuse..."
How about David Mitchell then? I would drown a bagful of kittens to see him on either side of the dispatch box at PMQs.
Isn’t not playing by the rules priced in by Boris supporters? I suspect the bubble wrapped around him will not burst. Those that support him and the Tories will contrive a way to explain it all away. Look at Trump.
I'm not sure about that, when it comes to old networks of power. There are historical class issues in Britain that mean the Red Wall will be made much more furious by Johnson apparently fixing things up with his friends at the Garrick, as compared to the appeal of the cavalier, devil-may-care Trumpian and billionaire lifestyle that many Americans still aspire to in a somewhat different culture.
Will they know what the 'Garrick' is? I'd never heard of the fucking place. Although now I know, it should be firebombed with all possible alacrity.
They will hear about it. We've already had wave after wave of negative reporting about gas boilers where its all cost on YOU to save the environment. Now we have the PM lecturing the world - 1 minute to midnight. Must act NOW. Forget the cost we must do SOMETHING. Who then gets in a private plane to have a pair of Supercharged Range Rovers whisk him to central London to have Chateaubriand in The Garrick.
Never heard of The Garrick you Red Wall plebs? You'd love it. Men only. Rich white men only.
Even Richard Littlejohn is eviscerating the PM over the hypocrisy of this.
Absolutely but hasn't that OE, Bullingdon, privileged ship sailed? Where else would people expect Boris to have dinner with Charles Moore (whose writings I despise btw)? Huddled round a corner table at Pizza Express?
Boris having dinner at the Garrick with posh climate change deniers isn't a surprise to anyone. As Littlejohn puts it - its the hypocrisy that sticks in the craw. Its saying YOU MUST ACT NOW and then personally doing the complete opposite. One rule for us, another for him. Do as I say you plebs not as I do.
Boris the political act has done an amazing job at making him look like a good chap, one of us. He isn't and never has been, and now and then the persona slips. The danger for him is that people get enough of a look behind the curtain and tear it down. This is the worst crisis he has been in and its entirely his own making.
I agree, especially with your last paragraph, but Paterson has resigned and this morning the news has moved onto Yorkshire CC and back to COP26
I expect an effect in the polls but this debacle has upset a lot of conservative mps with 250 of them compromised
There must be a growing concern within the party over Boris, and I expect the chief whip will come under pressure to resign as he could have prevented this
I would be very pleased to see Boris replaced with Rishi, but I do not expect it to happen for some time but Boris, if he wants to carry on, needs to take this as a serious lesson in how not to behave
If he was capable of learning lessons about how not to behave, he would have done so at a much younger age.
I do have some sympathy for Boris re Paterson as I suspect he was bounced into doing something by Leadsom's gang of fools.
More worrying for Boris is another holiday embarrassment and the plane journey from Glasgow.
Both of which show he doesn't learn from mistakes.
But he has learned from his mistakes; he has learned that people let him get away with them.
Until one day they don't, obvs.
I wonder if this is a difference between Boris, and perhaps politicians in general, compared to the average person.
Allowing someone to 'get away with it' is often conditional that they learn from the mistake and don't repeat it.
Whereas Boris, and perhaps politicians in general, think that if you can get away with it once you can every time.
They are then baffled when the backlash for further transgressions is so much harder than it would have been for the initial mistake.
His homework was late at school, he got bad reports, his essays were late as a student, his articles were late as a journalist, several employers have caught him lying to them, and he arranged to have someone beaten up. He's treated every woman he's known appallingly (the latest one excepted, until). He's lied to voters, repeatedly, and broken a string of political promises. And has got away with it all.
Boris has spent his entire life shafting his fellow poshos - that earns him admiration from the proles.
Aside from the Charles II comparisons there's also a bit of Harry Flashman in Boris.
Isn’t not playing by the rules priced in by Boris supporters? I suspect the bubble wrapped around him will not burst. Those that support him and the Tories will contrive a way to explain it all away. Look at Trump.
I'm not sure about that, when it comes to old networks of power. There are historical class issues in Britain that mean the Red Wall will be made much more furious by Johnson apparently fixing things up with his friends at the Garrick, as compared to the appeal of the cavalier, devil-may-care Trumpian and billionaire lifestyle that many Americans still aspire to in a somewhat different culture.
Will they know what the 'Garrick' is? I'd never heard of the fucking place. Although now I know, it should be firebombed with all possible alacrity.
They will hear about it. We've already had wave after wave of negative reporting about gas boilers where its all cost on YOU to save the environment. Now we have the PM lecturing the world - 1 minute to midnight. Must act NOW. Forget the cost we must do SOMETHING. Who then gets in a private plane to have a pair of Supercharged Range Rovers whisk him to central London to have Chateaubriand in The Garrick.
Never heard of The Garrick you Red Wall plebs? You'd love it. Men only. Rich white men only.
Even Richard Littlejohn is eviscerating the PM over the hypocrisy of this.
Absolutely but hasn't that OE, Bullingdon, privileged ship sailed? Where else would people expect Boris to have dinner with Charles Moore (whose writings I despise btw)? Huddled round a corner table at Pizza Express?
Boris having dinner at the Garrick with posh climate change deniers isn't a surprise to anyone. As Littlejohn puts it - its the hypocrisy that sticks in the craw. Its saying YOU MUST ACT NOW and then personally doing the complete opposite. One rule for us, another for him. Do as I say you plebs not as I do.
Boris the political act has done an amazing job at making him look like a good chap, one of us. He isn't and never has been, and now and then the persona slips. The danger for him is that people get enough of a look behind the curtain and tear it down. This is the worst crisis he has been in and its entirely his own making.
I agree, especially with your last paragraph, but Paterson has resigned and this morning the news has moved onto Yorkshire CC and back to COP26
I expect an effect in the polls but this debacle has upset a lot of conservative mps with 250 of them compromised
There must be a growing concern within the party over Boris, and I expect the chief whip will come under pressure to resign as he could have prevented this
I would be very pleased to see Boris replaced with Rishi, but I do not expect it to happen for some time but Boris, if he wants to carry on, needs to take this as a serious lesson in how not to behave
If he was capable of learning lessons about how not to behave, he would have done so at a much younger age.
I do have some sympathy for Boris re Paterson as I suspect he was bounced into doing something by Leadsom's gang of fools.
More worrying for Boris is another holiday embarrassment and the plane journey from Glasgow.
Both of which show he doesn't learn from mistakes.
It was Charles Moore who bounced him into it, Moore being friends with Paterson for over 40 years and used the tragedy of Paterson's wife suicide to garner Boris's sympathy, much as Paterson had done himself
I do not think we should be commenting on Paterson's wife's suicide, as we do not know the actual details and the effect on the family, but Boris was weak and let down by the chief whip together with Rees Mogg and Leadsom
This is a huge moment for the conservative party and lessons have to be learnt quickly, though I expect many conservative mps are losing faith in Boris
I have huge sympathy for Paterson . What he went through following the death of his wife I would not wish on my worst enemy. But he breached the rules. The two issues are separate, wholly separate, and should remain so (save, possibly, for mitigation of sentence but even then I am uneasy).
I think this is absolutely right. The case as far as guilt is concerned should be judged on its merits not on its consequences to the accused and their families. I am sure there are cases every day up and down the country which have adverse effects on the entirely innocent families of the accused. A jury or magistrate should be looking only at the actions that were taken and whether or not they were inside or outside the rules/law.
After yesterday's booster jab, Wor Lass has a very sore arm and a headache.
I was consulting with a solicitor yesterday with significant co-morbidities. He told me that the booster jab put him in bed for a week. My mother in law was the same but we blamed the fact that she had to stand in a queue outside for over an hour for that.
Why are you consulting with a solicitor on medical issues? As one myself I can reliably say we're useless at it.
We weren't. We were discussing an unholy mess of a case but part of his explanation for why so little had been done was this. He does receive dialysis twice a week so he is certainly vulnerable.
My booster has been a roller coaster. My first AZ gave me very mild flu symptoms for a day and a sore arm. My 2nd nothing at all, but my Pfizer booster has been weird. Firstly just a sore arm, next day started feeling a bit odd and then mild flu like symptoms. Started feeling better, then poleaxed by flu like symptoms in the afternoon, evening and all night. Have woken up feeling better but completely drained. I did wonder during the night whether it was covid and not just the vaccine.
Labour rules out backing an Independent cross-party candidate in North Shropshire a la Martin Bell in Tatton 1997 and will instead stand a Labour candidate
Proof if it were needed that Starmer likes to play by the rules that are stacked against him. He has no political nous, he has no killer instinct.
Imagine, Mr Starmer, every night on the ItV, BBC and Sky News bulletins, corresponds would be following around an "anti- Conservative- sleaze" candidate. How much would that sort of advertising on billboards cost?
BJO is right, Mr Starmer you are a fool.
TBF finding a latter day Martin Bell the whole opposition could get behind is no easy task. Who would you suggest? I think Man U need Marcus Rashford more than Parliament does, at least for the rest of this season. Anyone else?
Olivia Colman
"Ms Colman, calling on behalf of the Labour, Lib Dem and Green parties. We've had a meeting. I know your Oscar winning career is currently approaching the stratosphere, and you could literally walk into any role you wanted, but I have an offer you simply CAN'T refuse..."
How about David Mitchell then? I would drown a bagful of kittens to see him on either side of the dispatch box at PMQs.
I have him in the Covid Dead Pool and still want to win.
Labour rules out backing an Independent cross-party candidate in North Shropshire a la Martin Bell in Tatton 1997 and will instead stand a Labour candidate
Proof if it were needed that Starmer likes to play by the rules that are stacked against him. He has no political nous, he has no killer instinct.
Imagine, Mr Starmer, every night on the ItV, BBC and Sky News bulletins, corresponds would be following around an "anti- Conservative- sleaze" candidate. How much would that sort of advertising on billboards cost?
BJO is right, Mr Starmer you are a fool.
TBF finding a latter day Martin Bell the whole opposition could get behind is no easy task. Who would you suggest? I think Man U need Marcus Rashford more than Parliament does, at least for the rest of this season. Anyone else?
Olivia Colman
"Ms Colman, calling on behalf of the Labour, Lib Dem and Green parties. We've had a meeting. I know your Oscar winning career is currently approaching the stratosphere, and you could literally walk into any role you wanted, but I have an offer you simply CAN'T refuse..."
How about David Mitchell then? I would drown a bagful of kittens to see him on either side of the dispatch box at PMQs.
Good to see the Con lead slashed even if it's just one poll and will likely rebound a bit. BoJo's power - and his ability to abuse it - comes ultimately from those who voted for him in Dec 19. Unless a chunk of them see the light we're stuck with the guy. Doesn't matter how hubristic he gets, how much he takes the piss, how much "Tory Sleaze" flourishes in the culture he fosters, unless he loses support from the voters he'll be our PM for the foreseeable. What a thought. Just imagine the damage. So c'mon you voters! Step up to the plate! I'm starting to think they just might too although there's not a quiver in the betting. Cons most seats is still around the 1.5 mark but I've stopped nibbling at it in light of this latest scandal. I'm happy to be long of them at my running average 1.75 - their structural position is strong - but 1.5 no longer feels like the value bet it did just a few days ago. I'm in reassessment mode. I'm going into the tunnel.
Labour rules out backing an Independent cross-party candidate in North Shropshire a la Martin Bell in Tatton 1997 and will instead stand a Labour candidate
Proof if it were needed that Starmer likes to play by the rules that are stacked against him. He has no political nous, he has no killer instinct.
Imagine, Mr Starmer, every night on the ItV, BBC and Sky News bulletins, corresponds would be following around an "anti- Conservative- sleaze" candidate. How much would that sort of advertising on billboards cost?
BJO is right, Mr Starmer you are a fool.
TBF finding a latter day Martin Bell the whole opposition could get behind is no easy task. Who would you suggest? I think Man U need Marcus Rashford more than Parliament does, at least for the rest of this season. Anyone else?
Olivia Colman
"Ms Colman, calling on behalf of the Labour, Lib Dem and Green parties. We've had a meeting. I know your Oscar winning career is currently approaching the stratosphere, and you could literally walk into any role you wanted, but I have an offer you simply CAN'T refuse..."
Good point. She'd be better as first elected head of state, I think. Sufficiently big role and she has some experience....
Labour rules out backing an Independent cross-party candidate in North Shropshire a la Martin Bell in Tatton 1997 and will instead stand a Labour candidate
Proof if it were needed that Starmer likes to play by the rules that are stacked against him. He has no political nous, he has no killer instinct.
Imagine, Mr Starmer, every night on the ItV, BBC and Sky News bulletins, corresponds would be following around an "anti- Conservative- sleaze" candidate. How much would that sort of advertising on billboards cost?
BJO is right, Mr Starmer you are a fool.
TBF finding a latter day Martin Bell the whole opposition could get behind is no easy task. Who would you suggest? I think Man U need Marcus Rashford more than Parliament does, at least for the rest of this season. Anyone else?
Olivia Colman
"Ms Colman, calling on behalf of the Labour, Lib Dem and Green parties. We've had a meeting. I know your Oscar winning career is currently approaching the stratosphere, and you could literally walk into any role you wanted, but I have an offer you simply CAN'T refuse..."
How about David Mitchell then? I would drown a bagful of kittens to see him on either side of the dispatch box at PMQs.
Mitchell as Con leader and Webb as CoE, half way through a debate trying to save a disgraced colleague, Mitchell turns to Webb and says "hang on, are we the baddies?"
Labour rules out backing an Independent cross-party candidate in North Shropshire a la Martin Bell in Tatton 1997 and will instead stand a Labour candidate
Proof if it were needed that Starmer likes to play by the rules that are stacked against him. He has no political nous, he has no killer instinct.
Imagine, Mr Starmer, every night on the ItV, BBC and Sky News bulletins, corresponds would be following around an "anti- Conservative- sleaze" candidate. How much would that sort of advertising on billboards cost?
BJO is right, Mr Starmer you are a fool.
TBF finding a latter day Martin Bell the whole opposition could get behind is no easy task. Who would you suggest? I think Man U need Marcus Rashford more than Parliament does, at least for the rest of this season. Anyone else?
Olivia Colman
Nigella Lawson for Tory traditionalists or for a bit of reform and banter we could have Gordon Ramsey.
Nigella has cross-party appeal, but I don't think she'd want to get involved.
Gareth Southgate.
Tempting, but he's probably a bit busy now.
Who suggested Martin Lewis The Moneysaving Expert? He'd be good if he wanted the role, but I suspect he's got more sense.
Finding every money-saving/making technicality open to an MP might not be a good look
Labour rules out backing an Independent cross-party candidate in North Shropshire a la Martin Bell in Tatton 1997 and will instead stand a Labour candidate
Proof if it were needed that Starmer likes to play by the rules that are stacked against him. He has no political nous, he has no killer instinct.
Imagine, Mr Starmer, every night on the ItV, BBC and Sky News bulletins, corresponds would be following around an "anti- Conservative- sleaze" candidate. How much would that sort of advertising on billboards cost?
BJO is right, Mr Starmer you are a fool.
TBF finding a latter day Martin Bell the whole opposition could get behind is no easy task. Who would you suggest? I think Man U need Marcus Rashford more than Parliament does, at least for the rest of this season. Anyone else?
Olivia Colman
Nigella Lawson for Tory traditionalists or for a bit of reform and banter we could have Gordon Ramsey.
Nigella has cross-party appeal, but I don't think she'd want to get involved.
Gareth Southgate.
Tempting, but he's probably a bit busy now.
Who suggested Martin Lewis The Moneysaving Expert? He'd be good if he wanted the role, but I suspect he's got more sense.
Finding every money-saving/making technicality open to an MP might not be a good look
Labour rules out backing an Independent cross-party candidate in North Shropshire a la Martin Bell in Tatton 1997 and will instead stand a Labour candidate
Proof if it were needed that Starmer likes to play by the rules that are stacked against him. He has no political nous, he has no killer instinct.
Imagine, Mr Starmer, every night on the ItV, BBC and Sky News bulletins, corresponds would be following around an "anti- Conservative- sleaze" candidate. How much would that sort of advertising on billboards cost?
BJO is right, Mr Starmer you are a fool.
TBF finding a latter day Martin Bell the whole opposition could get behind is no easy task. Who would you suggest? I think Man U need Marcus Rashford more than Parliament does, at least for the rest of this season. Anyone else?
Olivia Colman
Nigella Lawson for Tory traditionalists or for a bit of reform and banter we could have Gordon Ramsey.
Nigella has cross-party appeal, but I don't think she'd want to get involved.
Gareth Southgate.
Tempting, but he's probably a bit busy now.
Who suggested Martin Lewis The Moneysaving Expert? He'd be good if he wanted the role, but I suspect he's got more sense.
Finding every money-saving/making technicality open to an MP might not be a good look
And he, just ATM, some egg on his face due to advising all and sundry to take the cheapest electricity and gas on offer. Many of those who did have now had to be shifted to more durable suppliers.
Labour rules out backing an Independent cross-party candidate in North Shropshire a la Martin Bell in Tatton 1997 and will instead stand a Labour candidate
Proof if it were needed that Starmer likes to play by the rules that are stacked against him. He has no political nous, he has no killer instinct.
Imagine, Mr Starmer, every night on the ItV, BBC and Sky News bulletins, corresponds would be following around an "anti- Conservative- sleaze" candidate. How much would that sort of advertising on billboards cost?
BJO is right, Mr Starmer you are a fool.
TBF finding a latter day Martin Bell the whole opposition could get behind is no easy task. Who would you suggest? I think Man U need Marcus Rashford more than Parliament does, at least for the rest of this season. Anyone else?
Olivia Colman
Nigella Lawson for Tory traditionalists or for a bit of reform and banter we could have Gordon Ramsey.
Nigella has cross-party appeal, but I don't think she'd want to get involved.
Gareth Southgate.
Tempting, but he's probably a bit busy now.
Who suggested Martin Lewis The Moneysaving Expert? He'd be good if he wanted the role, but I suspect he's got more sense.
If yesterday someone had suggested Michael Vaughan, I would have thought that a good suggestion.....we don't actually know much of what these celebs believe.
Following a fall earlier this year my nan is against her and my grandad's wishes in a care home. Care workers have a choice whether to be vaccinated or not. She has no choice but to be there.
Throughout the pandemic my nan wouldn't let anyone into her home apart from essential people whom she'd keep a distance from, until after the vaccines were rolled out. Now she's compelled to be in a home with people who are potentially unvaccinated putting her life at risk?
If care workers don't give enough of a shit about the people they're caring for that they will get vaccinated to protect them, then I don't think they should be in the care sector.
I realise that we are dealing with probabilities here but vaccinated people can still pass the virus on. I know you don't like unvaccinated people - are you letting this feeling overrule logic? Just sayin'.
I think you have hit on something here. The situation has changed from when these rules were first thought of. At that time it was thought that vaccine would grant immunity. It doesn't. As an alternative it was thought that it significantly reduced the risk of the virus being passed on because you would have a lower viral load. I do not think, with Delta, that there is any compelling evidence of that. What the vaccines do is reduce the risk to the person vaccinated and all sensible people should be vaccinated as a result.
But can we actually say that you being vaccinated makes someone else safer? I am not sure. Maybe. Those who are not vaccinated are, I think, still more likely to become infected and therefore more likely, statistically, to infect others. Whether that risk is both robust and material needs looked at again.
Someone posted some stats the other day (yesterday?) showing reduced transmission for vaxxed people. Would be interested in the detail of that because your understanding is the same as mine - that being vaxxed doesn't significantly reduce the transmission rate (save for viral load, same as someone with the virus but asymptomatic).
It matters a lot in the care homes debate because if it doesn't reduce transmission then the only thing that matters is testing before coming to work for the staff.
Congratulations, your fix (daily lateral flow tests) has just added £10 a day to all care home costs per worker... And it wouldn't work because those tests can generate false results and usually only really work a day or 2 after people have started to shred covid (i.e. started spreading it to other people).
Vaccinations are really the only way to solve the problem you wish to solve, everything else is just window dressing.
And I will ask the same question now for a third time. There was talk of a Judicial Review in September, where is it? As I suspect that was all talk and no care home is actually trying to get one.
I'll be pissed if the judicial review does come off or the government reverse ferret, given I've just managed to lay 'no' on the smarkets covid restrictions at 5 and shift my profit mostly to 'yes' from being fairly even for 'yes' and 'no'. Still, if it looks like no might be a winner I'm sure there will be a clarification that having to do a Covid test before travel settles the market for yes
After yesterday's booster jab, Wor Lass has a very sore arm and a headache.
I was consulting with a solicitor yesterday with significant co-morbidities. He told me that the booster jab put him in bed for a week. My mother in law was the same but we blamed the fact that she had to stand in a queue outside for over an hour for that.
Why are you consulting with a solicitor on medical issues? As one myself I can reliably say we're useless at it.
We weren't. We were discussing an unholy mess of a case but part of his explanation for why so little had been done was this. He does receive dialysis twice a week so he is certainly vulnerable.
My booster has been a roller coaster. My first AZ gave me very mild flu symptoms for a day and a sore arm. My 2nd nothing at all, but my Pfizer booster has been weird. Firstly just a sore arm, next day started feeling a bit odd and then mild flu like symptoms. Started feeling better, then poleaxed by flu like symptoms in the afternoon, evening and all night. Have woken up feeling better but completely drained. I did wonder during the night whether it was covid and not just the vaccine.
That sounds like the expected behaviour (maybe the timing's a little bit weird but YMMV I guess), it's your immune system going RAWR
Labour rules out backing an Independent cross-party candidate in North Shropshire a la Martin Bell in Tatton 1997 and will instead stand a Labour candidate
Proof if it were needed that Starmer likes to play by the rules that are stacked against him. He has no political nous, he has no killer instinct.
Imagine, Mr Starmer, every night on the ItV, BBC and Sky News bulletins, corresponds would be following around an "anti- Conservative- sleaze" candidate. How much would that sort of advertising on billboards cost?
BJO is right, Mr Starmer you are a fool.
TBF finding a latter day Martin Bell the whole opposition could get behind is no easy task. Who would you suggest? I think Man U need Marcus Rashford more than Parliament does, at least for the rest of this season. Anyone else?
Olivia Colman
Nigella Lawson for Tory traditionalists or for a bit of reform and banter we could have Gordon Ramsey.
Nigella has cross-party appeal, but I don't think she'd want to get involved.
Gareth Southgate.
Tempting, but he's probably a bit busy now.
Who suggested Martin Lewis The Moneysaving Expert? He'd be good if he wanted the role, but I suspect he's got more sense.
Finding every money-saving/making technicality open to an MP might not be a good look
It's like the Eurovision song contest. No-one any good and with a reputation to uphold wants to be in it in case they lose.
Labour rules out backing an Independent cross-party candidate in North Shropshire a la Martin Bell in Tatton 1997 and will instead stand a Labour candidate
Proof if it were needed that Starmer likes to play by the rules that are stacked against him. He has no political nous, he has no killer instinct.
Imagine, Mr Starmer, every night on the ItV, BBC and Sky News bulletins, corresponds would be following around an "anti- Conservative- sleaze" candidate. How much would that sort of advertising on billboards cost?
BJO is right, Mr Starmer you are a fool.
TBF finding a latter day Martin Bell the whole opposition could get behind is no easy task. Who would you suggest? I think Man U need Marcus Rashford more than Parliament does, at least for the rest of this season. Anyone else?
Olivia Colman
Nigella Lawson for Tory traditionalists or for a bit of reform and banter we could have Gordon Ramsey.
Nigella has cross-party appeal, but I don't think she'd want to get involved.
Gareth Southgate.
Tempting, but he's probably a bit busy now.
Who suggested Martin Lewis The Moneysaving Expert? He'd be good if he wanted the role, but I suspect he's got more sense.
Finding every money-saving/making technicality open to an MP might not be a good look
Top hat-trick of successive posts!
Heh, must be quiet on here this morning... I'd better do some work now
Labour rules out backing an Independent cross-party candidate in North Shropshire a la Martin Bell in Tatton 1997 and will instead stand a Labour candidate
Proof if it were needed that Starmer likes to play by the rules that are stacked against him. He has no political nous, he has no killer instinct.
Imagine, Mr Starmer, every night on the ItV, BBC and Sky News bulletins, corresponds would be following around an "anti- Conservative- sleaze" candidate. How much would that sort of advertising on billboards cost?
BJO is right, Mr Starmer you are a fool.
TBF finding a latter day Martin Bell the whole opposition could get behind is no easy task. Who would you suggest? I think Man U need Marcus Rashford more than Parliament does, at least for the rest of this season. Anyone else?
Olivia Colman
"Ms Colman, calling on behalf of the Labour, Lib Dem and Green parties. We've had a meeting. I know your Oscar winning career is currently approaching the stratosphere, and you could literally walk into any role you wanted, but I have an offer you simply CAN'T refuse..."
How about David Mitchell then? I would drown a bagful of kittens to see him on either side of the dispatch box at PMQs.
Mitchell as Con leader and Webb as CoE, half way through a debate trying to save a disgraced colleague, Mitchell turns to Webb and says "hang on, are we the baddies?"
Webb’s a big leftie, so he could be a runner. You could trawl through This Week archives to find a suitable candidate - there were plenty of anti Boris, anti Brexit media types on there in its last few years arguing their case. Webb was one, that’s why i mention him
Labour rules out backing an Independent cross-party candidate in North Shropshire a la Martin Bell in Tatton 1997 and will instead stand a Labour candidate
Proof if it were needed that Starmer likes to play by the rules that are stacked against him. He has no political nous, he has no killer instinct.
Imagine, Mr Starmer, every night on the ItV, BBC and Sky News bulletins, corresponds would be following around an "anti- Conservative- sleaze" candidate. How much would that sort of advertising on billboards cost?
BJO is right, Mr Starmer you are a fool.
TBF finding a latter day Martin Bell the whole opposition could get behind is no easy task. Who would you suggest? I think Man U need Marcus Rashford more than Parliament does, at least for the rest of this season. Anyone else?
Olivia Colman
Nigella Lawson for Tory traditionalists or for a bit of reform and banter we could have Gordon Ramsey.
Nigella has cross-party appeal, but I don't think she'd want to get involved.
Gareth Southgate.
Tempting, but he's probably a bit busy now.
Who suggested Martin Lewis The Moneysaving Expert? He'd be good if he wanted the role, but I suspect he's got more sense.
Finding every money-saving/making technicality open to an MP might not be a good look
And he, just ATM, some egg on his face due to advising all and sundry to take the cheapest electricity and gas on offer. Many of those who did have now had to be shifted to more durable suppliers.
True, to an extent. I haven't done the maths, but I suspect that anyone who has been following his advice for more than a month or two before the great energy company extinction event will still be well ahead over having stayed on one of the big suppliers' SVTs.
I'm one of those now on an eye-watering tariff for the winter, but that's easily covered by savings over the last 6-7 years.
The Tories will field a clean-skin. Voters don’t like stitch-ups and gimmickry. This sleaze story can’t be relied upon to continue into any by-election.
The Tories will field a clean-skin. Voters don’t like stitch-ups and gimmickry. This sleaze story can’t be relied upon to continue into any by-election.
Keir is right to steer clear.
Hmmm. Sir Keir Steerclear.
Partially agree. There are merits to the idea, but if the white suit isn't up against Paterson himself it'll feel a little like trying to blame an innocent candidate for the actions of the previous MP.
Isn’t not playing by the rules priced in by Boris supporters? I suspect the bubble wrapped around him will not burst. Those that support him and the Tories will contrive a way to explain it all away. Look at Trump.
I'm not sure about that, when it comes to old networks of power. There are historical class issues in Britain that mean the Red Wall will be made much more furious by Johnson apparently fixing things up with his friends at the Garrick, as compared to the appeal of the cavalier, devil-may-care Trumpian and billionaire lifestyle that many Americans still aspire to in a somewhat different culture.
Will they know what the 'Garrick' is? I'd never heard of the fucking place. Although now I know, it should be firebombed with all possible alacrity.
They will hear about it. We've already had wave after wave of negative reporting about gas boilers where its all cost on YOU to save the environment. Now we have the PM lecturing the world - 1 minute to midnight. Must act NOW. Forget the cost we must do SOMETHING. Who then gets in a private plane to have a pair of Supercharged Range Rovers whisk him to central London to have Chateaubriand in The Garrick.
Never heard of The Garrick you Red Wall plebs? You'd love it. Men only. Rich white men only.
Even Richard Littlejohn is eviscerating the PM over the hypocrisy of this.
Absolutely but hasn't that OE, Bullingdon, privileged ship sailed? Where else would people expect Boris to have dinner with Charles Moore (whose writings I despise btw)? Huddled round a corner table at Pizza Express?
Boris having dinner at the Garrick with posh climate change deniers isn't a surprise to anyone. As Littlejohn puts it - its the hypocrisy that sticks in the craw. Its saying YOU MUST ACT NOW and then personally doing the complete opposite. One rule for us, another for him. Do as I say you plebs not as I do.
Boris the political act has done an amazing job at making him look like a good chap, one of us. He isn't and never has been, and now and then the persona slips. The danger for him is that people get enough of a look behind the curtain and tear it down. This is the worst crisis he has been in and its entirely his own making.
I agree, especially with your last paragraph, but Paterson has resigned and this morning the news has moved onto Yorkshire CC and back to COP26
I expect an effect in the polls but this debacle has upset a lot of conservative mps with 250 of them compromised
There must be a growing concern within the party over Boris, and I expect the chief whip will come under pressure to resign as he could have prevented this
I would be very pleased to see Boris replaced with Rishi, but I do not expect it to happen for some time but Boris, if he wants to carry on, needs to take this as a serious lesson in how not to behave
If he was capable of learning lessons about how not to behave, he would have done so at a much younger age.
I do have some sympathy for Boris re Paterson as I suspect he was bounced into doing something by Leadsom's gang of fools.
More worrying for Boris is another holiday embarrassment and the plane journey from Glasgow.
Both of which show he doesn't learn from mistakes.
It was Charles Moore who bounced him into it, Moore being friends with Paterson for over 40 years and used the tragedy of Paterson's wife suicide to garner Boris's sympathy, much as Paterson had done himself
I do not think we should be commenting on Paterson's wife's suicide, as we do not know the actual details and the effect on the family, but Boris was weak and let down by the chief whip together with Rees Mogg and Leadsom
This is a huge moment for the conservative party and lessons have to be learnt quickly, though I expect many conservative mps are losing faith in Boris
I have huge sympathy for Paterson . What he went through following the death of his wife I would not wish on my worst enemy. But he breached the rules. The two issues are separate, wholly separate, and should remain so (save, possibly, for mitigation of sentence but even then I am uneasy).
I think this is absolutely right. The case as far as guilt is concerned should be judged on its merits not on its consequences to the accused and their families. I am sure there are cases every day up and down the country which have adverse effects on the entirely innocent families of the accused. A jury or magistrate should be looking only at the actions that were taken and whether or not they were inside or outside the rules/law.
I hesitate to write this but...the moral hazard of letting someone off the hook because one of their loved ones took their own life, possibly as a result of an investigation into the relevant issue, is surely obvious to everyone? That sounds harsh and, as I say, I have sympathy for Paterson and hesitated to write it. But it is ravingly obvious surely?
Labour rules out backing an Independent cross-party candidate in North Shropshire a la Martin Bell in Tatton 1997 and will instead stand a Labour candidate
Proof if it were needed that Starmer likes to play by the rules that are stacked against him. He has no political nous, he has no killer instinct.
Imagine, Mr Starmer, every night on the ItV, BBC and Sky News bulletins, corresponds would be following around an "anti- Conservative- sleaze" candidate. How much would that sort of advertising on billboards cost?
BJO is right, Mr Starmer you are a fool.
TBF finding a latter day Martin Bell the whole opposition could get behind is no easy task. Who would you suggest? I think Man U need Marcus Rashford more than Parliament does, at least for the rest of this season. Anyone else?
Olivia Colman
Nigella Lawson for Tory traditionalists or for a bit of reform and banter we could have Gordon Ramsey.
Nigella has cross-party appeal, but I don't think she'd want to get involved.
Gareth Southgate.
Tempting, but he's probably a bit busy now.
Who suggested Martin Lewis The Moneysaving Expert? He'd be good if he wanted the role, but I suspect he's got more sense.
Finding every money-saving/making technicality open to an MP might not be a good look
Top hat-trick of successive posts!
Heh, must be quiet on here this morning... I'd better do some work now
A rare Friday with serious work to do, wish I'd taken it off for Diwali now!
The Tories will field a clean-skin. Voters don’t like stitch-ups and gimmickry. This sleaze story can’t be relied upon to continue into any by-election.
Keir is right to steer clear.
Hmmm. Sir Keir Steerclear.
Partially agree. There are merits to the idea, but if the white suit isn't up against Paterson himself it'll feel a little like trying to blame an innocent candidate for the actions of the previous MP.
Yes, but my assumption is the O-Patz won’t stand. If he does, then all bets are off.
Labour rules out backing an Independent cross-party candidate in North Shropshire a la Martin Bell in Tatton 1997 and will instead stand a Labour candidate
Proof if it were needed that Starmer likes to play by the rules that are stacked against him. He has no political nous, he has no killer instinct.
Imagine, Mr Starmer, every night on the ItV, BBC and Sky News bulletins, corresponds would be following around an "anti- Conservative- sleaze" candidate. How much would that sort of advertising on billboards cost?
BJO is right, Mr Starmer you are a fool.
TBF finding a latter day Martin Bell the whole opposition could get behind is no easy task. Who would you suggest? I think Man U need Marcus Rashford more than Parliament does, at least for the rest of this season. Anyone else?
Olivia Colman
Nigella Lawson for Tory traditionalists or for a bit of reform and banter we could have Gordon Ramsey.
Nigella has cross-party appeal, but I don't think she'd want to get involved.
Gareth Southgate.
Tempting, but he's probably a bit busy now.
Who suggested Martin Lewis The Moneysaving Expert? He'd be good if he wanted the role, but I suspect he's got more sense.
If yesterday someone had suggested Michael Vaughan, I would have thought that a good suggestion.....we don't actually know much of what these celebs believe.
Michael Vaughan is a complete idiot, that was known before yesterday (I have no idea if he's telling the truth regarding the YCCC stuff).
Martin Lewis is very clearly not an idiot. What I'm much less clear about is how he thinks "the system" should be rather than how he thinks people should behave in "the system" as it is. It would be interesting to find out.
Labour rules out backing an Independent cross-party candidate in North Shropshire a la Martin Bell in Tatton 1997 and will instead stand a Labour candidate
Proof if it were needed that Starmer likes to play by the rules that are stacked against him. He has no political nous, he has no killer instinct.
Imagine, Mr Starmer, every night on the ItV, BBC and Sky News bulletins, corresponds would be following around an "anti- Conservative- sleaze" candidate. How much would that sort of advertising on billboards cost?
BJO is right, Mr Starmer you are a fool.
TBF finding a latter day Martin Bell the whole opposition could get behind is no easy task. Who would you suggest? I think Man U need Marcus Rashford more than Parliament does, at least for the rest of this season. Anyone else?
Olivia Colman
Nigella Lawson for Tory traditionalists or for a bit of reform and banter we could have Gordon Ramsey.
Nigella has cross-party appeal, but I don't think she'd want to get involved.
Gareth Southgate.
Tempting, but he's probably a bit busy now.
Who suggested Martin Lewis The Moneysaving Expert? He'd be good if he wanted the role, but I suspect he's got more sense.
Finding every money-saving/making technicality open to an MP might not be a good look
And he, just ATM, some egg on his face due to advising all and sundry to take the cheapest electricity and gas on offer. Many of those who did have now had to be shifted to more durable suppliers.
True, to an extent. I haven't done the maths, but I suspect that anyone who has been following his advice for more than a month or two before the great energy company extinction event will still be well ahead over having stayed on one of the big suppliers' SVTs.
I'm one of those now on an eye-watering tariff for the winter, but that's easily covered by savings over the last 6-7 years.
I've always taken the cheapest E.ON option on a one- or two-year basis and I think that one way and another I'm probably not a great deal worse off, if at all.
Rana Naved-ul-Hasan has confirmed to ESPNcricinfo that he heard Michael Vaughan making racially insensitive comments to a group of Asian players at Yorkshire.
Rana, who was the club's overseas player at the time, was alongside Azeem Rafiq at Trent Bridge in 2009 when Vaughan is alleged to have said: "There's too many of you lot, we need to do something about it."
Rana and Azeem were among four players of Asian heritage in the Yorkshire team at the time.
The Tories will field a clean-skin. Voters don’t like stitch-ups and gimmickry. This sleaze story can’t be relied upon to continue into any by-election.
Keir is right to steer clear.
Hmmm. Sir Keir Steerclear.
Partially agree. There are merits to the idea, but if the white suit isn't up against Paterson himself it'll feel a little like trying to blame an innocent candidate for the actions of the previous MP.
Yes, but my assumption is the O-Patz won’t stand. If he does, then all bets are off.
He said he's getting right of politics, although he'll find some other branch of public service. I wouldn't be surprised, and would quite understand, if he's a very bitter man ATM.
The Tories will field a clean-skin. Voters don’t like stitch-ups and gimmickry. This sleaze story can’t be relied upon to continue into any by-election.
Keir is right to steer clear.
Hmmm. Sir Keir Steerclear.
Partially agree. There are merits to the idea, but if the white suit isn't up against Paterson himself it'll feel a little like trying to blame an innocent candidate for the actions of the previous MP.
Yes, but my assumption is the O-Patz won’t stand. If he does, then all bets are off.
Paterson has made clear he won't stand and is stepping back from politics completely following discussions with his family.
Most likely the Tory candidate will be a local councillor or farmer
Labour rules out backing an Independent cross-party candidate in North Shropshire a la Martin Bell in Tatton 1997 and will instead stand a Labour candidate
Proof if it were needed that Starmer likes to play by the rules that are stacked against him. He has no political nous, he has no killer instinct.
Imagine, Mr Starmer, every night on the ItV, BBC and Sky News bulletins, corresponds would be following around an "anti- Conservative- sleaze" candidate. How much would that sort of advertising on billboards cost?
BJO is right, Mr Starmer you are a fool.
TBF finding a latter day Martin Bell the whole opposition could get behind is no easy task. Who would you suggest? I think Man U need Marcus Rashford more than Parliament does, at least for the rest of this season. Anyone else?
Olivia Colman
"Ms Colman, calling on behalf of the Labour, Lib Dem and Green parties. We've had a meeting. I know your Oscar winning career is currently approaching the stratosphere, and you could literally walk into any role you wanted, but I have an offer you simply CAN'T refuse..."
How about David Mitchell then? I would drown a bagful of kittens to see him on either side of the dispatch box at PMQs.
Just put the whole of Peep Show in charge of everything. Mark as PM, Jeremy as Chancellor, Sophie at the Home Office, Johnson as Business Secretary and Super Hans in charge of Health. The woman who Mark sleeps with and whose dog he and Jeremy subsequently eat would be good for Defence. Dobbie could handle Education. Every Cabinet meeting opens with a Rainbow Rhythms style dance session. They couldn't be any worse than the current shitshow.
Does this indicate problems for the Govt in a forthcoming by-election?
No.
The by-elections - at present - do not represent a strategy opportunity for the Opposition(s).
All three are too Tory, too Brexity.
Leicester East may also be on the cards if Webbe is recalled which would likely be a Labour hold with an increased majority even if Old Bexley and Sidcup and Shropshire North are comfortable Tory holds
Labour rules out backing an Independent cross-party candidate in North Shropshire a la Martin Bell in Tatton 1997 and will instead stand a Labour candidate
Proof if it were needed that Starmer likes to play by the rules that are stacked against him. He has no political nous, he has no killer instinct.
Imagine, Mr Starmer, every night on the ItV, BBC and Sky News bulletins, corresponds would be following around an "anti- Conservative- sleaze" candidate. How much would that sort of advertising on billboards cost?
BJO is right, Mr Starmer you are a fool.
TBF finding a latter day Martin Bell the whole opposition could get behind is no easy task. Who would you suggest? I think Man U need Marcus Rashford more than Parliament does, at least for the rest of this season. Anyone else?
Olivia Colman
Nigella Lawson for Tory traditionalists or for a bit of reform and banter we could have Gordon Ramsey.
Nigella has cross-party appeal, but I don't think she'd want to get involved.
Gareth Southgate.
Tempting, but he's probably a bit busy now.
Who suggested Martin Lewis The Moneysaving Expert? He'd be good if he wanted the role, but I suspect he's got more sense.
If yesterday someone had suggested Michael Vaughan, I would have thought that a good suggestion.....we don't actually know much of what these celebs believe.
Michael Vaughan is a complete idiot, that was known before yesterday (I have no idea if he's telling the truth regarding the YCCC stuff).
Martin Lewis is very clearly not an idiot. What I'm much less clear about is how he thinks "the system" should be rather than how he thinks people should behave in "the system" as it is. It would be interesting to find out.
Lewis would be useful in parliament for things like his forensic analysis of student loans and the damage pretending it is a loans system rather than a graduate tax (ok almost a graduate tax) causes to social mobility. I would not be surprised if all the parties had already sounded him out for interest as a future candidate before the last GE.
Interesting. It appears to be mutations to the nucleocapsid protein that makes Delta so much more infectious. https://www.science.org/doi/10.1126/science.abl6184 Efforts to determine why new SARS-CoV-2 variants demonstrate improved fitness have been limited to analyzing mutations in the spike (S) protein using S-pseudotyped particles. Here we show that SARS-CoV-2 virus-like particles (SC2-VLPs) can package and deliver exogenous transcripts, enabling analysis of mutations within all structural proteins and at multiple steps in the viral life cycle. In SC2-VLPs, four nucleocapsid (N) mutations found universally in more-transmissible variants independently increased mRNA delivery and expression by ~10-fold, and in a reverse genetics model, S202R and R203M each produced >50-fold more virus. SC2-VLPs provide a platform for rapid testing of viral variants outside a biosafety level 3 setting and demonstrate N mutations and particle assembly to be mechanisms that could explain the increased spread of variants, including Delta (R203M).
I don’t think anyone predicted this, which shows how little we still know of the detailed mechanics of viral replication.
(Note most of this work was done with virus like particles which can’t replicate, so the experimental method itself was pretty safe.)
Labour rules out backing an Independent cross-party candidate in North Shropshire a la Martin Bell in Tatton 1997 and will instead stand a Labour candidate
Proof if it were needed that Starmer likes to play by the rules that are stacked against him. He has no political nous, he has no killer instinct.
Imagine, Mr Starmer, every night on the ItV, BBC and Sky News bulletins, corresponds would be following around an "anti- Conservative- sleaze" candidate. How much would that sort of advertising on billboards cost?
BJO is right, Mr Starmer you are a fool.
TBF finding a latter day Martin Bell the whole opposition could get behind is no easy task. Who would you suggest? I think Man U need Marcus Rashford more than Parliament does, at least for the rest of this season. Anyone else?
Olivia Colman
"Ms Colman, calling on behalf of the Labour, Lib Dem and Green parties. We've had a meeting. I know your Oscar winning career is currently approaching the stratosphere, and you could literally walk into any role you wanted, but I have an offer you simply CAN'T refuse..."
How about David Mitchell then? I would drown a bagful of kittens to see him on either side of the dispatch box at PMQs.
I have him in the Covid Dead Pool and still want to win.
Meant to ask, did anyone have Colin Powell? It was Covid complications that did for him I think.
Comments
I really don't like these stitch-ups where one party stands aside for another. I can just about hold my nose in the Amess case, but this would be too much given the guy who has resigned is not standing again.
At the 2019 GE, I had a choice from just three uninspiring candidates due to the Green-LD stitch-up in my constituency.
My daughter had several negative LFTs, which is why I was a little complacent, and then a positive one - followed a day later by my testing positive.
House prices are a remarkable cap on lifestyles.
We already know that Frost and Johnson do not have good economic or political judgement. UK exports are in freefall, and A16 will be the final nail in the coffin of British industry. A UK/EU trade freeze will destroy confidence in Stirling even more than the stooge Bank of England has done with their failure to raise rates. This will be Black Wednesday in reverse, with only blood sweat and tears on offer to patch up the damage.
If the Tories continue like this, then I can see serious unrest coming as inflation rockets and the economy stops.
But ultimately I can't decide how Starmer should be judged. If Lab start getting small poll leads, does that mean he's doing well? How long should he get before its time to try someone else?
At some point, the argument that coronavirus is a weird situation and we should be patient and ignore polls, runs thin. A new leader would need time to get going and establish themselves before fighting a general election. Labour really do need to win next time.
However there was a story on Breakfast, or whatever it's called, today about a shortage of taxi drivers, and the journalists were tying themselves in knots trying to explain why half of drivers have not returned 'since the pandemic', without mentioning that, so far as I could see anyway, a while a reasonable percentage were East Europeans, who have, presumably, 'gone home."
Rana Naved-ul-Hasan has confirmed to ESPNcricinfo that he heard Michael Vaughan making racially insensitive comments to a group of Asian players at Yorkshire.
Rana, who was the club's overseas player at the time, was alongside Azeem Rafiq at Trent Bridge in 2009 when Vaughan is alleged to have said: "There's too many of you lot, we need to do something about it."
Rana and Azeem were among four players of Asian heritage in the Yorkshire team at the time.
https://www.espncricinfo.com/story/former-yorkshire-player-rana-naved-ul-hasan-says-he-heard-vaughan-s-racist-comments-1287618?platform=amp
1. No obvious candidate who wants the gig to unify behind
2. No agreement between the parties to actually do this
3. Starmer faced his own rebellion from the Labour or Death abolutists if he did this thing
If only Boris were to realise he is being led astray!
There is now a great deal of evidence that LFTs pick up infectious individuals with 95%+ accuracy, and false positives are exceedingly rare.
What they do not pick up very well is non infectious low grade infections, whereas PCR does.
Paterson's sentence
Owen Paterson's wife's suicide (which really shouldn't be an issue).
Boris's (or someone's) desperate need to fix the Parliamentary Discipline process immediately. What is so bad (not necessarily in public knowledge) and so urgent that meant there was no choice but to use the worst possible case (Paterson) as the example to trigger reform of the process.
That last one is something we haven't picked up on yet - why is it so urgent that the Parliamentary Discipline mechanism needs to be reinvented today. What is so bad or so pressing that it couldn't it be left a while?
https://twitter.com/mischawatson/status/1456370426817490949?s=21
Which does not mean there is no truth to be had, but that, like dealing with evidence in court from habitual liars, great care needs to be taken and corroboration sought.
BTW it seems to me that, for all his evident flaws, Boris does have a strategy. It has two prongs, one to keep himself and the Tories in power as long as possible - but that's how politics works anyway. (SKS needs to work on that one).
Second, he is in practice (goodness knows what his principles are) a One Nation Tory who seeks support from most but not all of the Tory base of the post war years + support from a big chunk the post-heavy industry private sector world of workers + support from pensioners + detoxifying the Tories image on the NHS (a Sisyphean task) + tax and spend while saying he isn't + glorifying the flag and UK and having a go at the EU Johnny Foreigner.
That is why he is ahead when he should be 20 points behind. But when the wheels come off there needs to be another electable party, and there isn't.
Con: 36% (-3 from 27-28 Oct)
Lab: 35% (+2)
Green: 9% (-1)
Lib Dem: 8% (n/c)
SNP: 5% (n/c)
Reform UK: 5% (+2)
https://yougov.co.uk/topics/politics/articles-reports/2021/11/04/voting-intention-con-36-lab-35-3-4-nov?utm_source=twitter+&utm_medium=website_article&utm_campaign=voting_intention https://twitter.com/YouGov/status/1456553377081475079/photo/1
The Electoral Commission report about to drop
The Independent Standards Commission investigation to follow it
Like with the radioactive smoke emanating from the Chernobyl reactor we know there has been an explosion. Unfortunately for Boris his usual wafting hasn't shifted it away and they are insisting on finding the melted-down debris at the heart of it.
The final roll of the dice will be war with the EU. Expect a sudden crisis which forces the triggering of Article 16 and lots of "Britain's backs against the wall" WWII bluster.
Always though Vaughan was a numpty but slightly shocked that he's a wrong 'un.
Allowing someone to 'get away with it' is often conditional that they learn from the mistake and don't repeat it.
Whereas Boris, and perhaps politicians in general, think that if you can get away with it once you can every time.
They are then baffled when the backlash for further transgressions is so much harder than it would have been for the initial mistake.
Here:
Alpha: Transmission reduced by 73%.
Delta: Transmission reduced by 63%.
We estimated vaccine effectiveness against onward transmission by comparing secondary attack rates among household members between vaccinated and unvaccinated index cases, based on source and contact tracing data collected when Delta variant was dominant. Effectiveness of full vaccination of the index against transmission to fully vaccinated household contacts was 40% (95% confidence interval (CI) 20-54%), which is in addition to the direct protection of vaccination of contacts against infection. Effectiveness of full vaccination of the index against transmission to unvaccinated household contacts was 63% (95%CI 46-75%). We previously reported effectiveness of 73% (95%CI 65-79%) against transmission to unvaccinated household contacts for the Alpha variant.
https://www.medrxiv.org/content/10.1101/2021.10.14.21264959v1
But what's interesting is that while the original spread of Delta which was halted by lockdown was unfortunate as it just happened to evolve here (despite us having lower case rates incidentally when it did than France etc) - what is truly remarkable is that the summer lifting of restrictions and allowing Delta to spread over the summer was a quite deliberate and openly stated policy.
It was quite openly said that there would be an exit wave and it was better to have that wave now in the summer, than in the winter.
Yet that thought doesn't seem to have occurred to the scientists and politicians across the continent. Instead we've had months of the antiCovid or FBPE zealots etc in this country pointing to lower case rates in Europe than here thanks to Europe's ongoing restrictions we haven't got as an example of this countries failure rather than this countries success.
I really worry that our neighbours have squandered the opportunity to boost the vaccines with acquired natural immunity in the summer and now they're going to have to do so in the winter and that'll be much, much worse.
There is no sentiment in business
He knows he breached the rules. That he resigned is the key indication, since as has been pointed out he may not have been recalled, and almost certainly would have won, if he just said his heart was in the right place, especially as he would get personsl sympathy and party backing.
Instead he jumps claiming he couldn't get justice when in fact his constituents could and probably would have endorsed him and given him justice in that way.
All he's achieved is make his actions before look even worse.
Not irony, just after Manchester terrorist attack.
Shame, one of my favourite players and my favourite England captain.
Gareth Southgate.
The EU have shown bad faith not agreeing to a Trusted Trader scheme etc and the UK holds all the cards so we may as well use them.
It is a no lose situation for Starmer, but then it seems he would rather lose anyway. I say this as someone sympathetic to Starmer. Although even accounting for his isolation he has been more than eclipsed by the Labour ladies this week.
Asymptomatic and asymptomatic cases can fall into either category.
Suspect part of BoJo/Frost calculation is 1) belief EU won't be able to build consensus on suspension (Pol/Hu, new Ger Govt, Fr elex etc). 2) If EU can, it wont hold through next yr. 3) That EU wont introduce checks N-S or between Ire/Fr & so is stuck between rock & hard place...
https://twitter.com/Mij_Europe/status/1456520124224114725
... BOTH unable to institute controls/checks or meaningfully retaliate. Meanwhile, UKG will change facts on ground that support its view there's no risk to Single Market & MaxFac/Malthouse was always the way to go.. ! (Yes, Malthouse is back) 7/
Yes this was always true. The vague, meaningless threats of 'retaliation' are utter bullshit because the EU don't have a choice. The UK can determine the facts on the ground, the EU can't, so deal with reality as it is.
Who suggested Martin Lewis The Moneysaving Expert? He'd be good if he wanted the role, but I suspect he's got more sense.
“We had hoped that [insert scapegoat] would have been reasonable about [unrealistic request] meaning [unlikely consequence].
Alas, as a result of [inevitable consequence] I have no choice to [do inevitable thing but too late to be effective]”
https://twitter.com/AliAliAfro/status/1456552030659620865
Aside from the Charles II comparisons there's also a bit of Harry Flashman in Boris.
It isn't comparable to the Hamilton / Bell scenario when Mr Dodgy was still the Tory candidate.
Let's hope we get a by-election in Leicester too.
It’s very good.
https://docs.cdn.yougov.com/kt0t33j4pz/TheTimes_VI_211104_W.pdf
I'm one of those now on an eye-watering tariff for the winter, but that's easily covered by savings over the last 6-7 years.
The Tories will field a clean-skin.
Voters don’t like stitch-ups and gimmickry.
This sleaze story can’t be relied upon to continue into any by-election.
Keir is right to steer clear.
Hmmm. Sir Keir Steerclear.
As a teacher our yd is a very likely candidate for the first wave
The by-elections - at present - do not represent a strategy opportunity for the Opposition(s).
All three are too Tory, too Brexity.
Martin Lewis is very clearly not an idiot. What I'm much less clear about is how he thinks "the system" should be rather than how he thinks people should behave in "the system" as it is. It would be interesting to find out.
Yes, all very disappointing.
I wouldn't be surprised, and would quite understand, if he's a very bitter man ATM.
Most likely the Tory candidate will be a local councillor or farmer
They couldn't be any worse than the current shitshow.
It appears to be mutations to the nucleocapsid protein that makes Delta so much more infectious.
https://www.science.org/doi/10.1126/science.abl6184
Efforts to determine why new SARS-CoV-2 variants demonstrate improved fitness have been limited to analyzing mutations in the spike (S) protein using S-pseudotyped particles. Here we show that SARS-CoV-2 virus-like particles (SC2-VLPs) can package and deliver exogenous transcripts, enabling analysis of mutations within all structural proteins and at multiple steps in the viral life cycle. In SC2-VLPs, four nucleocapsid (N) mutations found universally in more-transmissible variants independently increased mRNA delivery and expression by ~10-fold, and in a reverse genetics model, S202R and R203M each produced >50-fold more virus. SC2-VLPs provide a platform for rapid testing of viral variants outside a biosafety level 3 setting and demonstrate N mutations and particle assembly to be mechanisms that could explain the increased spread of variants, including Delta (R203M).
I don’t think anyone predicted this, which shows how little we still know of the detailed mechanics of viral replication.
(Note most of this work was done with virus like particles which can’t replicate, so the experimental method itself was pretty safe.)
* PM 'pissed off' and at own-goal - asking aides how he has been put in this position
* Knives out for chief whip - MPs & some in No 10 say he has to go
* Allies of chief whip hit back at 'spineless' No 10
https://www.thetimes.co.uk/article/unrepentant-owen-paterson-snatched-defeat-from-the-jaws-of-victory-n5t0g9hw6