Does anyone know why what is now the Department for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities was briefly given the title "Ministry" when it was the Ministry for Housing, Communities and Local Government? I understand that the MoD and MoJ are called "Ministries" rather than "Departments" to prevent confusion with their American counterparts, but I don't see that applying in this case.
Housing has always been a ministry. Agriculture was too before it became the Environment Dept.
But you could say the same about Transport, hence cars still have MoT tests, not DfT tests. Both the old Ministries of Housing and Transport were merged into the old Department of the Environment in the 70s, but when Transport was re-established a few years later it was as a "department" not a "ministry". I don't think there was any department/ministry/office with "housing" in its name again until the MHCLG in 2018, after a gap of around half a century, so I don't think it's terribly likely that they styled it "Ministry" just because a long time back there had been a Ministry of Housing.
Seems a better gig for Nandy. Her northern credentials were wasted on Foreign Affairs.
I cannot see what anyone finds impressive about her. Seems a complete lightweight to me.
She's not a North London hand wringer. So that's a good start.
Is there something in particular that you don't like about north Londoners, or is it just old-fashioned northern prejudice?
I want Labour to be fronted by politicians who can connect with working people up and down the country. Attending dinner parties in Islington where you can demonstrate your wokeness is not the way to achieve this.
Have you ever been to Islington?
Look, I'm using shorthand. This type of wank can occur in other parts of London. And even in other parts of the country.
As King's Cross station is in Islington then yes, I've been there.
You're not really getting the proper Islo vibe at Kings Cross station.
Are you sure? It's changed a hell of a lot since the first days of the Deltics. The yuppies were already invading in 1990 or so when I went to meet my editor at a publishing firm on York Way - a street formerly about as pleasant as no man's land at Third Wipers - and found a modern office block with ther canal basin as the scenit feature for the office windows. And the changes since have been massive. Even the station is not what it was, and that is an understatement.
Had a lot of muggings outside the station, still lots of homelessness and some of the worst in the UK, from what I recall
Indeed, in 1990-ish you mean? I was always glad to get back into the station and on the train north before darkness fell.
Think until the very late 90s it was still very bad, it's been re-developed hugely in the last few years and is a lot better and safer.
But sadly the homelessness has certainly exploded under the Tories
Kings Cross was one of these areas that took a disproportionately long time to shake off its bad reputation.
Seems a better gig for Nandy. Her northern credentials were wasted on Foreign Affairs.
I cannot see what anyone finds impressive about her. Seems a complete lightweight to me.
She's not a North London hand wringer. So that's a good start.
Is there something in particular that you don't like about north Londoners, or is it just old-fashioned northern prejudice?
I want Labour to be fronted by politicians who can connect with working people up and down the country. Attending dinner parties in Islington where you can demonstrate your wokeness is not the way to achieve this.
Have you ever been to Islington?
Look, I'm using shorthand. This type of wank can occur in other parts of London. And even in other parts of the country.
As King's Cross station is in Islington then yes, I've been there.
You're not really getting the proper Islo vibe at Kings Cross station.
Yes, you even have to pop across to St.Pancras if you want a decent glass of champagne.
JohnO and myself have had several PB Tory lunches at the champagne bar in St Pancras.
Nothing is too good for the working man and their elected representatives.
London doesn't have any real problems evidently, we all drink champagne and earn £4 million a year, no working class people here, no poverty or problems.
The hypocrisy is genuinely astounding
Who are you addressing this to? I've no sense of the context.
I was in London at the weekend. It may have its problems but it also drips with wealth in a way you rarely encounter anywhere else.
"Rishi Sunak, who has for ideological reasons been keeping the purse strings as tight as he can, would be the obvious choice if the Conservatives are pleasing themselves."
when you consider that we are at a moment of maximum borrowing, maximum debt, maximum expenditure and maximum taxation.
This is beginning to look like a serious Shadow Cabinet.
Yep.
Sir K has just made himself look a very serious player.
None of them are stand out though. Cooper overrated IMHO. Lammey’s a fool. Reeves is solid although dull. I like Ashworth, and Nandy should do a good job (she was overpromoted before).
But the actual Cabinet isn’t much better - Sunak, Wallace, Saj are all decent. Truss is ok although I don’t see why people get excited about her. Most of the rest I don’t know who they are or wish I didn’t…
Well he’s losing on the measure to a PM that’s in a hole. I had a billion pounds at 8/1 with a mate that Sir Keir would win Best PM this week w R&W too, bah
You're a troll. And not a very good one!
All the best with your illness
Not clever Sam. Whatever the disagreements we all have amongst ourselves on here there are certain things that just aren't acceptable. Not many perhaps but that is definitely one of them.
"Rishi Sunak, who has for ideological reasons been keeping the purse strings as tight as he can, would be the obvious choice if the Conservatives are pleasing themselves."
when you consider that we are at a moment of maximum borrowing, maximum debt, maximum expenditure and maximum taxation.
He does imply later in his excellent piece, that Sunak's window may be closing.
Seems a better gig for Nandy. Her northern credentials were wasted on Foreign Affairs.
I cannot see what anyone finds impressive about her. Seems a complete lightweight to me.
She's not a North London hand wringer. So that's a good start.
Is there something in particular that you don't like about north Londoners, or is it just old-fashioned northern prejudice?
I want Labour to be fronted by politicians who can connect with working people up and down the country. Attending dinner parties in Islington where you can demonstrate your wokeness is not the way to achieve this.
Have you ever been to Islington?
Look, I'm using shorthand. This type of wank can occur in other parts of London. And even in other parts of the country.
As King's Cross station is in Islington then yes, I've been there.
You're not really getting the proper Islo vibe at Kings Cross station.
Yes, you even have to pop across to St.Pancras if you want a decent glass of champagne.
JohnO and myself have had several PB Tory lunches at the champagne bar in St Pancras.
Nothing is too good for the working man and their elected representatives.
I just go to St Pancras for the trainspotting
It’s about the only train station I know that’s actually a pleasure to spend time in.
Cooper at Home, Reeves at CoE, Nandy at Levelling - this is an all-guns blazing team who will put Cabinet under real pressure.
Whether any voters notice is another matter, but definitely right direction from Sir K.
Yep. It's both a strong team, and it's getting the right people in the right job, which Starmer didn't do at first. I commented at the time that I thought Foreign Office was the wrong post for Nandy - I wanted her as Shadow Home Secretary. But the levelling up job is even better: she understands Wigan, and the hundreds of similar places across the country (not just in the North) as well as anyone.
It does seem a strong team, but when I think about it, is that because it’s full of old PB favs? It’s not far off the team that only got 30% at the 2015 GE - Blairite/Brownite Remainers. But maybe that’s coming back into fashion
WRT the header; the issue may be that the presence of reform suppresses the conservative vote, and the labour party somehow get through. I think a labour win is a very long shot; longer than the 8/1 on offer from the bookies.
Poor Emily Thornberry, shadow Home Secretary this afternoon to out of the shadow cabinet by the evening.
Edit - She's shadow AG but still out of the cabinet I think.
Apparently, as part of Starmer's determination to slay the anti-patriotic accusation, Thornberry is now not just shadow AG but also Minister for Flags, though that isn't (yet) a SC role.
Given the success Britain has had with a longer wait for 2nd dose, and that the trials on boosters used a 6 month gap, it's not that obvious to me, as someone with an extremely low covid risk, that getting a booster any earlier than 6 months is particularly desirable. Is there any evidence that it still works as a genuine 3rd shot of 3 regime this way, or is it just a panic move which heralds quarterly jabs until the panic is over?
Given the success Britain has had with a longer wait for 2nd dose, and that the trials on boosters used a 6 month gap, it's not that obvious to me, as someone with an extremely low covid risk, that getting a booster any earlier than 6 months is particularly desirable. Is there any evidence that it still works as a genuine 3rd shot of 3 regime this way, or is it just a panic move which heralds quarterly jabs until the panic is over?
It was explained at the briefing - in general, a longer interval is better, BUT, stronger immunity ahead of a winter wave on balance is worth it.
Well he’s losing on the measure to a PM that’s in a hole. I had a billion pounds at 8/1 with a mate that Sir Keir would win Best PM this week w R&W too, bah
You're a troll. And not a very good one!
All the best with your illness
Not clever Sam. Whatever the disagreements we all have amongst ourselves on here there are certain things that just aren't acceptable. Not many perhaps but that is definitely one of them.
I’ve had close friends die from mental illness, and had my moments myself, but why should I be dug out by someone who makes stuff up, claims to be depressed, then gets a free hit when he starts ripping into me? For all I know he’s making it all up or is another poster pretending
Given the success Britain has had with a longer wait for 2nd dose, and that the trials on boosters used a 6 month gap, it's not that obvious to me, as someone with an extremely low covid risk, that getting a booster any earlier than 6 months is particularly desirable. Is there any evidence that it still works as a genuine 3rd shot of 3 regime this way, or is it just a panic move which heralds quarterly jabs until the panic is over?
It was explained at the briefing - in general, a longer interval is better, BUT, stronger immunity ahead of a winter wave on balance is worth it.
OK, so if it's a pure population level, save the NHS style argument, then as someone with a statistically tiny chance of going near a hospital I'll probably give it a month or 2 and get the better long term protection thanks.
The shadow cabinet seems like the conclusion of Starmers purge of the hard left; so that is why there are so many familiar faces. The problem Starmer has got is that the Corbynite influx of MPs are still sitting on the backbenches and form a large part of the PLP. Unless Starmer can keep up his recent good polling, I would guess that a leadership challenge is not far away.
Given the success Britain has had with a longer wait for 2nd dose, and that the trials on boosters used a 6 month gap, it's not that obvious to me, as someone with an extremely low covid risk, that getting a booster any earlier than 6 months is particularly desirable. Is there any evidence that it still works as a genuine 3rd shot of 3 regime this way, or is it just a panic move which heralds quarterly jabs until the panic is over?
I was thinking exactly the same thing. I've been jabbed twice and I've had it. I would have thought in terms of maximising my protection and that of those I might come into contact with, I'm better off waiting a month. Not least because infections are on their way down right now, and might not be in January or February.
Seems a better gig for Nandy. Her northern credentials were wasted on Foreign Affairs.
I cannot see what anyone finds impressive about her. Seems a complete lightweight to me.
She's not a North London hand wringer. So that's a good start.
Is there something in particular that you don't like about north Londoners, or is it just old-fashioned northern prejudice?
I want Labour to be fronted by politicians who can connect with working people up and down the country. Attending dinner parties in Islington where you can demonstrate your wokeness is not the way to achieve this.
Have you ever been to Islington?
Look, I'm using shorthand. This type of wank can occur in other parts of London. And even in other parts of the country.
As King's Cross station is in Islington then yes, I've been there.
You're not really getting the proper Islo vibe at Kings Cross station.
Yes, you even have to pop across to St.Pancras if you want a decent glass of champagne.
JohnO and myself have had several PB Tory lunches at the champagne bar in St Pancras.
Nothing is too good for the working man and their elected representatives.
I just go to St Pancras for the trainspotting
It’s about the only train station I know that’s actually a pleasure to spend time in.
I was about to make a list of others but then realised there really aren’t many. Several are pleasant to pass through these days, even London Bridge, but not to linger. Either here or on the continent. Some American grand stations are pretty decent places to sit around in, probably because they’re treated as period artefacts more than important transport hubs.
Somehow the public has been conned into the idea that Boris Johnson, of Eton is somehow more working class than the son of a toolmaker and a nurse, who worked off his own back to become one of the most powerful and successful lawyers in the UK
Possibly because the latter spent years acting like he hated the working class scum and what they voted for and worked to overturn it?
I suspect Johnson would be as tongue tied and uncomfortable as Starmer were he to be caught up at the bar of a dodgy pub with Terry Tattoo and his pit bull wife.
London doesn't have any real problems evidently, we all drink champagne and earn £4 million a year, no working class people here, no poverty or problems.
The hypocrisy is genuinely astounding
Who are you addressing this to? I've no sense of the context.
I was in London at the weekend. It may have its problems but it also drips with wealth in a way you rarely encounter anywhere else.
Cooper at Home, Reeves at CoE, Nandy at Levelling - this is an all-guns blazing team who will put Cabinet under real pressure.
Whether any voters notice is another matter, but definitely right direction from Sir K.
Yep. It's both a strong team, and it's getting the right people in the right job, which Starmer didn't do at first. I commented at the time that I thought Foreign Office was the wrong post for Nandy - I wanted her as Shadow Home Secretary. But the levelling up job is even better: she understands Wigan, and the hundreds of similar places across the country (not just in the North) as well as anyone.
It does seem a strong team, but when I think about it, is that because it’s full of old PB favs? It’s not far off the team that only got 30% at the 2015 GE - Blairite/Brownite Remainers. But maybe that’s coming back into fashion
The party they are facing is very different to the Tories of 2015. That one had some talent at the top. Today's is a government of spivs.
The shadow cabinet seems like the conclusion of Starmers purge of the hard left; so that is why there are so many familiar faces. The problem Starmer has got is that the Corbynite influx of MPs are still sitting on the backbenches and form a large part of the PLP. Unless Starmer can keep up his recent good polling, I would guess that a leadership challenge is not far away.
The Corybnite influx of MPs form a small, not a large, part of the PLP. Why do you think the PLP kept trying to depose Corbyn?
Will go down like a lead balloon for some on here!!
(In all seriousness, this looks interesting: Of recent hospitalizations, 87 percent have been unvaccinated, 13 percent have been vaccinated," said the Institute's public health specialist, Waasila Jassat.)
TimT - My apologies for the slow reply. I don't doubt that Google may have done good working on mapping diseases. But I was criticizing them for not doing what some would call "charity" work for the local community -- which has treated them very well. That's fairly common among businesses here.
And I think that's related to their refusal to follow local custom and display our national and state flags. They don't feel they are a part of the community, the state, or even the nation that has made them so rich.
Some call Google a "cult"; I wouldn't go that far, but I can understand why some do.
(A quick Google search on "Google + cult" yielded 222 million hits.)
Well he’s losing on the measure to a PM that’s in a hole. I had a billion pounds at 8/1 with a mate that Sir Keir would win Best PM this week w R&W too, bah
You're a troll. And not a very good one!
All the best with your illness
Not clever Sam. Whatever the disagreements we all have amongst ourselves on here there are certain things that just aren't acceptable. Not many perhaps but that is definitely one of them.
I’ve had close friends die from mental illness, and had my moments myself, but why should I be dug out by someone who makes stuff up, claims to be depressed, then gets a free hit when he starts ripping into me? For all I know he’s making it all up or is another poster pretending
Honest, mate, I can see all that, but just leaaave it aaaaht. not wurf it. Ignore.
FFS the Christmas Party I got all excited about..... has just been cancelled.
OMICRON
I wonder how much this is happening across the country, and the world. Sad sad sad
We had an email today with voting buttons to say whether we are still comfortable attending the office Christmas party. Omicron could at least have had the decency to wait until January.
This is beginning to look like a serious Shadow Cabinet.
Yep.
Sir K has just made himself look a very serious player.
None of them are stand out though. Cooper overrated IMHO. Lammey’s a fool. Reeves is solid although dull. I like Ashworth, and Nandy should do a good job (she was overpromoted before).
But the actual Cabinet isn’t much better - Sunak, Wallace, Saj are all decent. Truss is ok although I don’t see why people get excited about her. Most of the rest I don’t know who they are or wish I didn’t…
It's not a Shadow Cabinet to give one nightmares, is it? You don't look at the big hitters and think "they're not remotely up to it, don't insult me by putting them forward to run the country". Decent turnaround in less than two years.
And doing it while Labour are nosing ahead in the polls is a smart move by Starmer.
Cooper at Home, Reeves at CoE, Nandy at Levelling - this is an all-guns blazing team who will put Cabinet under real pressure.
Whether any voters notice is another matter, but definitely right direction from Sir K.
Yep. It's both a strong team, and it's getting the right people in the right job, which Starmer didn't do at first. I commented at the time that I thought Foreign Office was the wrong post for Nandy - I wanted her as Shadow Home Secretary. But the levelling up job is even better: she understands Wigan, and the hundreds of similar places across the country (not just in the North) as well as anyone.
It does seem a strong team, but when I think about it, is that because it’s full of old PB favs? It’s not far off the team that only got 30% at the 2015 GE - Blairite/Brownite Remainers. But maybe that’s coming back into fashion
The party they are facing is very different to the Tories of 2015. That one had some talent at the top. Today's is a government of spivs.
The ones that have left the building always seem better in retrospect though don’t they? Always the way
FFS the Christmas Party I got all excited about..... has just been cancelled.
OMICRON
I wonder how much this is happening across the country, and the world. Sad sad sad
We had an email today with voting buttons to say whether we are still comfortable attending the office Christmas party. Omicron could at least have had the decency to wait until January.
Why have a vote? Presumably those that are uncomfortable are at liberty to decline to attend?
The shadow cabinet seems like the conclusion of Starmers purge of the hard left; so that is why there are so many familiar faces. The problem Starmer has got is that the Corbynite influx of MPs are still sitting on the backbenches and form a large part of the PLP. Unless Starmer can keep up his recent good polling, I would guess that a leadership challenge is not far away.
The Corybnite influx of MPs form a small, not a large, part of the PLP. Why do you think the PLP kept trying to depose Corbyn?
But we are several years on from the attempts to depose Corbyn. Many of the MP's involved have quit politics. The last people who were alligned to Corbyn (Cat Smith?) have left the shadow cabinet and Rayner seems to be isolated as deputy leader. I don't know as much as you about the detailed views of MPs, but I think the possibility of a challenge from the left is something to watch out for.
On the general question of helping poorer nations fight disease: So far, George W. Bush's https://www.state.gov/pepfar/ program has saved more than 20 million lives, most of them in sub-Saharan Africa. I think that has been in the long-term American national interest, because by controlling AIDS there, it has made it less likely that a new version will come back to plague us, and the rest of the world.
(I am not sure the Guardian or the BBC have given Bush the credit he deserves for this bipartisan achievement.)
Ms Nandy takes a new role scrutinising Levelling Up Secretary Michael Gove.
Poor Lisa, having to scrutinise Gove. That isn't a job anybody would want. Good luck to her.
Is her first policy to put all the asylum seekers she wants to let in in wealthy areas?
Sounds like a good idea. However, I don't really want to get into an asylum seekers debate because I find the attitudes of several people on here towards asylum seekers utterly depressing, at best, and shall keep my counsel.
This is beginning to look like a serious Shadow Cabinet.
Yep.
Sir K has just made himself look a very serious player.
None of them are stand out though. Cooper overrated IMHO. Lammey’s a fool. Reeves is solid although dull. I like Ashworth, and Nandy should do a good job (she was overpromoted before).
But the actual Cabinet isn’t much better - Sunak, Wallace, Saj are all decent. Truss is ok although I don’t see why people get excited about her. Most of the rest I don’t know who they are or wish I didn’t…
I can't imagine what Lammey (sic) thinks of you, or your spelling. He's no fool though.
Well he’s losing on the measure to a PM that’s in a hole. I had a billion pounds at 8/1 with a mate that Sir Keir would win Best PM this week w R&W too, bah
You're a troll. And not a very good one!
All the best with your illness
Not clever Sam. Whatever the disagreements we all have amongst ourselves on here there are certain things that just aren't acceptable. Not many perhaps but that is definitely one of them.
I’ve had close friends die from mental illness, and had my moments myself, but why should I be dug out by someone who makes stuff up, claims to be depressed, then gets a free hit when he starts ripping into me? For all I know he’s making it all up or is another poster pretending
Honest, mate, I can see all that, but just leaaave it aaaaht. not wurf it. Ignore.
I can see iSam's point as well. We all feel sorry for Correct Horse Wotsit, and hope he gets well, but that doesn't give him free rein to dish out abuse and yet whine when he gets it back. Doesn't work like that
Otherwise we could all pretend to be bipolar alcoholics and demand protection from the tiniest scintilla of criticism
Ms Nandy takes a new role scrutinising Levelling Up Secretary Michael Gove.
Poor Lisa, having to scrutinise Gove. That isn't a job anybody would want. Good luck to her.
Is her first policy to put all the asylum seekers she wants to let in in wealthy areas?
Sounds like a good idea. However, I don't really want to get into an asylum seekers debate because I find the attitudes of several people on here towards asylum seekers utterly depressing, at best, and shall keep my counsel.
I’ve long thought asylum seekers, and most immigrants from poor countries generally, should be housed in the most expensive postcodes - it’s the only way the elite would get a grip on immigration. But pitting the British poor against the foreign poor keeps oils the engine of corporate capitalism
I've just been accused of making up my mental health problems, quite honestly I was having a very good start to the week after seeing the counsellor and now this has happened
Given the success Britain has had with a longer wait for 2nd dose, and that the trials on boosters used a 6 month gap, it's not that obvious to me, as someone with an extremely low covid risk, that getting a booster any earlier than 6 months is particularly desirable. Is there any evidence that it still works as a genuine 3rd shot of 3 regime this way, or is it just a panic move which heralds quarterly jabs until the panic is over?
Lord alone knows. There are no current plans for fourth doses, save for a fairly small cohort of immunocompromised people (my husband received a letter about this today.) But we shall see what transpires in due course.
I already booked my booster recently for the full six month interval (Dec 29th,) and I think I'll probably stick with it now. I would actually like one sooner, but unless they're about to provide a flood of walk-in slots I think I'm best off sticking with my appointment. It's Sod's Law that I'd be made to cancel the slot to book another one, and then find that there were absolutely none left and end up having to wait until the back end of January or something daft like that.
FFS the Christmas Party I got all excited about..... has just been cancelled.
OMICRON
I wonder how much this is happening across the country, and the world. Sad sad sad
Why has it been cancelled due to omnicron? Under what piece of policy or guidance has it been cancelled?
Generalised fear, nothing specific
To quote:
"I am so sorry to say that with news around the new covid variant we have decided not to go ahead with the festivities at the Ivy.
"As much as we would love to, whilst the effects of the new variant are still unclear, we thought it unwise to go ahead."
I guess I can understand their caution. If it turns out Omicron the Wild has a 90% CFR and they kill all their invitees..... but still.
Depressing and bleak
The language you use in these posts is designed to be darkly comic, but it’s actually just extremely aggravating and annoying.
We already know that it doesn’t have that lethality, as you well know, and you are just being silly posting such nonsense on the internet for cheap ‘laughs’.
Given the success Britain has had with a longer wait for 2nd dose, and that the trials on boosters used a 6 month gap, it's not that obvious to me, as someone with an extremely low covid risk, that getting a booster any earlier than 6 months is particularly desirable. Is there any evidence that it still works as a genuine 3rd shot of 3 regime this way, or is it just a panic move which heralds quarterly jabs until the panic is over?
I was thinking exactly the same thing. I've been jabbed twice and I've had it. I would have thought in terms of maximising my protection and that of those I might come into contact with, I'm better off waiting a month. Not least because infections are on their way down right now, and might not be in January or February.
With the uncertainty over Omicron I have decided that more immunity now is better than superior immunity later.
The good news for SKS is Diane Abbott touring the studios denouncing him. Even Peter Mandelson at his most dawkish couldn't have orchestrated up that piece of genius
"Could The Bakerloo line be shut? Fears Sadiq Khan may close 115-year-old Tube route to save cash... just weeks after designers were told to start planning £3.1bn extension
Transport for London is seeking to close a £1.9billion funding gap and last week warned of impending cuts That could include the closure of an entire service, and the Bakerloo Line is reported to be under threat Bakerloo Line first opened in 1906 and was initially named the Baker Street and Waterloo Railway"
Well he’s losing on the measure to a PM that’s in a hole. I had a billion pounds at 8/1 with a mate that Sir Keir would win Best PM this week w R&W too, bah
You're a troll. And not a very good one!
All the best with your illness
Not clever Sam. Whatever the disagreements we all have amongst ourselves on here there are certain things that just aren't acceptable. Not many perhaps but that is definitely one of them.
I’ve had close friends die from mental illness, and had my moments myself, but why should I be dug out by someone who makes stuff up, claims to be depressed, then gets a free hit when he starts ripping into me? For all I know he’s making it all up or is another poster pretending
Fuck you Sam. I used to have a lot of time for you and we share a lot of similar views but right now you are behaving like a prick.
I've just been accused of making up my mental health problems, quite honestly I was having a very good start to the week after seeing the counsellor and now this has happened
No you haven’t - I said ‘for all I know he’s making it all up’; that’s not an accusation, it’s a reason for my not holding back any more when you troll me
Well he’s losing on the measure to a PM that’s in a hole. I had a billion pounds at 8/1 with a mate that Sir Keir would win Best PM this week w R&W too, bah
You're a troll. And not a very good one!
All the best with your illness
Not clever Sam. Whatever the disagreements we all have amongst ourselves on here there are certain things that just aren't acceptable. Not many perhaps but that is definitely one of them.
I’ve had close friends die from mental illness, and had my moments myself, but why should I be dug out by someone who makes stuff up, claims to be depressed, then gets a free hit when he starts ripping into me? For all I know he’s making it all up or is another poster pretending
Fuck you Sam. I used to have a lot of time for you and we share a lot of similar views but right now you are behaving like a prick.
I've just been accused of making up my mental health problems, quite honestly I was having a very good start to the week after seeing the counsellor and now this has happened
I don't think anyone thinks you are doing that , but equally, I am very confident that if you just ignore one specific poster, and he ignores you, everything will be fine.
FFS the Christmas Party I got all excited about..... has just been cancelled.
OMICRON
I wonder how much this is happening across the country, and the world. Sad sad sad
Why has it been cancelled due to omnicron? Under what piece of policy or guidance has it been cancelled?
Generalised fear, nothing specific
To quote:
"I am so sorry to say that with news around the new covid variant we have decided not to go ahead with the festivities at the Ivy.
"As much as we would love to, whilst the effects of the new variant are still unclear, we thought it unwise to go ahead."
I guess I can understand their caution. If it turns out Omicron the Wild has a 90% CFR and they kill all their invitees..... but still.
Depressing and bleak
The language you use in these posts is designed to be darkly comic, but it’s actually just extremely aggravating and annoying.
We already know that it doesn’t have that lethality, as you well know, and you are just being silly posting such nonsense on the internet for cheap ‘laughs’.
Normally, I enjoy most of your posts.
Wait, you’re actually upset by my saying “Omicron the Wild”?? And clearly hyperbolising its CFR?
Have you considered that you’re being a tiny bit lame and snowflakey?
Given the success Britain has had with a longer wait for 2nd dose, and that the trials on boosters used a 6 month gap, it's not that obvious to me, as someone with an extremely low covid risk, that getting a booster any earlier than 6 months is particularly desirable. Is there any evidence that it still works as a genuine 3rd shot of 3 regime this way, or is it just a panic move which heralds quarterly jabs until the panic is over?
I was thinking exactly the same thing. I've been jabbed twice and I've had it. I would have thought in terms of maximising my protection and that of those I might come into contact with, I'm better off waiting a month. Not least because infections are on their way down right now, and might not be in January or February.
With the uncertainty over Omicron I have decided that more immunity now is better than superior immunity later.
Yep, this is the same reasoning that meant I took up my Pfizer with a 21 day gap as offered to me by my surgery. Which means I am having my booster on wednesday with a 6 month gap, a long way ahead of most other people my age.
Well he’s losing on the measure to a PM that’s in a hole. I had a billion pounds at 8/1 with a mate that Sir Keir would win Best PM this week w R&W too, bah
You're a troll. And not a very good one!
All the best with your illness
Not clever Sam. Whatever the disagreements we all have amongst ourselves on here there are certain things that just aren't acceptable. Not many perhaps but that is definitely one of them.
I’ve had close friends die from mental illness, and had my moments myself, but why should I be dug out by someone who makes stuff up, claims to be depressed, then gets a free hit when he starts ripping into me? For all I know he’s making it all up or is another poster pretending
Honest, mate, I can see all that, but just leaaave it aaaaht. not wurf it. Ignore.
I can see iSam's point as well. We all feel sorry for Correct Horse Wotsit, and hope he gets well, but that doesn't give him free rein to dish out abuse and yet whine when he gets it back. Doesn't work like that
Otherwise we could all pretend to be bipolar alcoholics and demand protection from the tiniest scintilla of criticism
You of all people should know there are degrees of acceptable and unacceptable behaviour on here. Attacking people for their views or what they say is one thing. Picking on their personal mental or health issues is quite another. CHB called Sam a troll. To reply by referencing personal issues is way over the top. And for the record people have done it to you in the past and I and others have said exactly the same thing then.
FFS the Christmas Party I got all excited about..... has just been cancelled.
OMICRON
I wonder how much this is happening across the country, and the world. Sad sad sad
Why has it been cancelled due to omnicron? Under what piece of policy or guidance has it been cancelled?
Generalised fear, nothing specific
To quote:
"I am so sorry to say that with news around the new covid variant we have decided not to go ahead with the festivities at the Ivy.
"As much as we would love to, whilst the effects of the new variant are still unclear, we thought it unwise to go ahead."
I guess I can understand their caution. If it turns out Omicron the Wild has a 90% CFR and they kill all their invitees..... but still.
Depressing and bleak
The language you use in these posts is designed to be darkly comic, but it’s actually just extremely aggravating and annoying.
We already know that it doesn’t have that lethality, as you well know, and you are just being silly posting such nonsense on the internet for cheap ‘laughs’.
Normally, I enjoy most of your posts.
Wait, you’re actually upset by my saying “Omicron the Wild”?? And clearly hyperbolising its CFR?
Have you considered that you’re being a tiny bit lame and snowflakey?
I find it aggravating - the endless doom porn you punt on here is tiresome. Try doing something else for a change.
I've just been accused of making up my mental health problems, quite honestly I was having a very good start to the week after seeing the counsellor and now this has happened
You have our sincere sympathies, but if you abuse and antagonise other commenters, you will eventually get the same back. It’s human nature. Consider refraining from provocative comments and all will be well
FFS the Christmas Party I got all excited about..... has just been cancelled.
OMICRON
I wonder how much this is happening across the country, and the world. Sad sad sad
Why has it been cancelled due to omnicron? Under what piece of policy or guidance has it been cancelled?
Generalised fear, nothing specific
To quote:
"I am so sorry to say that with news around the new covid variant we have decided not to go ahead with the festivities at the Ivy.
"As much as we would love to, whilst the effects of the new variant are still unclear, we thought it unwise to go ahead."
I guess I can understand their caution. If it turns out Omicron the Wild has a 90% CFR and they kill all their invitees..... but still.
Depressing and bleak
I don't understand their caution at all, unless whoever's organising it is harbouring genuine concerns about being sued if something goes wrong.
I mean honestly - if the world wets itself every time this virus mutates then we might just as well lock ourselves up in our homes, drink ourselves to death and be done with it.
Certainly our works do isn't getting scrubbed unless the wretched Government actually forces restaurants to close at some point in the next two-and-a-half weeks. And that, mercifully, appears highly unlikely. They're not that scared of this thing if their principal response to it consists of useless pieces of floral print cotton or blue paper strapped across people's faces.
Well he’s losing on the measure to a PM that’s in a hole. I had a billion pounds at 8/1 with a mate that Sir Keir would win Best PM this week w R&W too, bah
You're a troll. And not a very good one!
All the best with your illness
Not clever Sam. Whatever the disagreements we all have amongst ourselves on here there are certain things that just aren't acceptable. Not many perhaps but that is definitely one of them.
I’ve had close friends die from mental illness, and had my moments myself, but why should I be dug out by someone who makes stuff up, claims to be depressed, then gets a free hit when he starts ripping into me? For all I know he’s making it all up or is another poster pretending
Honest, mate, I can see all that, but just leaaave it aaaaht. not wurf it. Ignore.
I can see iSam's point as well. We all feel sorry for Correct Horse Wotsit, and hope he gets well, but that doesn't give him free rein to dish out abuse and yet whine when he gets it back. Doesn't work like that
Otherwise we could all pretend to be bipolar alcoholics and demand protection from the tiniest scintilla of criticism
You of all people should know there are degrees of acceptable and unacceptable behaviour on here. Attacking people for their views or what they say is one thing. Picking on their personal mental or health issues is quite another. CHB called Sam a troll. To reply by referencing personal issues is way over the top. And for the record people have done it to you in the past and I and others have said exactly the same thing then.
Whatever, yawn
As a more general observation - rereading the thread - there seems an unusual amount of petty bickering and offence-taking by many, even those who are generally more robust. I suspect we are all fucking rattled by Omicron, and truly fearful - if we are honest. This prickly PB atmosphere is a by product
Everyone I have spoken to in the last couple of days is scared. Everyone
I still can't book a booster jab through the website and I haven't got time to be ringing my GP FFS. I'm 6+ months from my 2nd jab now. What a shambles.
I still can't book a booster jab through the website and I haven't got time to be ringing my GP FFS. I'm 6+ months from my 2nd jab now. What a shambles.
You should definitely try calling if you want it and can't book it.
FFS the Christmas Party I got all excited about..... has just been cancelled.
OMICRON
I wonder how much this is happening across the country, and the world. Sad sad sad
Why has it been cancelled due to omnicron? Under what piece of policy or guidance has it been cancelled?
Generalised fear, nothing specific
To quote:
"I am so sorry to say that with news around the new covid variant we have decided not to go ahead with the festivities at the Ivy.
"As much as we would love to, whilst the effects of the new variant are still unclear, we thought it unwise to go ahead."
I guess I can understand their caution. If it turns out Omicron the Wild has a 90% CFR and they kill all their invitees..... but still.
Depressing and bleak
I don't understand their caution at all, unless whoever's organising it is harbouring genuine concerns about being sued if something goes wrong.
I mean honestly - if the world wets itself every time this virus mutates then we might just as well lock ourselves up in our homes, drink ourselves to death and be done with it.
Certainly our works do isn't getting scrubbed unless the wretched Government actually forces restaurants to close at some point in the next two-and-a-half weeks. And that, mercifully, appears highly unlikely. They're not that scared of this thing if their principal response to it consists of useless pieces of floral print cotton or blue paper strapped across people's faces.
Yes, that’s my position, too. And they could at least have asked the invitees our opinion, as happened to TimS
At this rate there won’t be any Xmas parties for the next 30 years, as Covid variants inevitably spring up every November
I still can't book a booster jab through the website and I haven't got time to be ringing my GP FFS. I'm 6+ months from my 2nd jab now. What a shambles.
You should definitely try calling if you want it and can't book it.
Like I said, I haven't got time to be sitting on hold for hours.
Somehow the public has been conned into the idea that Boris Johnson, of Eton is somehow more working class than the son of a toolmaker and a nurse, who worked off his own back to become one of the most powerful and successful lawyers in the UK
Now come on Horse. Stan Johnson made two of the biggest and best tools around - Boris and his brother Jo.
It seems like Starmer is using a position of relative strength (ahead in most polls) to make the Shadow Cabinet more recognisable and more serious.
I think that is very astute: he has quite probably had these changes in mind for months, but thought if he made them while well behind in the polls they'd look like a sign of weakness
I still can't book a booster jab through the website and I haven't got time to be ringing my GP FFS. I'm 6+ months from my 2nd jab now. What a shambles.
You should definitely try calling if you want it and can't book it.
Like I said, I haven't got time to be sitting on hold for hours.
Ouch, is it that bad? I'd not feel bad about doing it while at work, and just having the phone on speaker until I hear someone talking.
FFS the Christmas Party I got all excited about..... has just been cancelled.
OMICRON
I wonder how much this is happening across the country, and the world. Sad sad sad
Why has it been cancelled due to omnicron? Under what piece of policy or guidance has it been cancelled?
Generalised fear, nothing specific
To quote:
"I am so sorry to say that with news around the new covid variant we have decided not to go ahead with the festivities at the Ivy.
"As much as we would love to, whilst the effects of the new variant are still unclear, we thought it unwise to go ahead."
I guess I can understand their caution. If it turns out Omicron the Wild has a 90% CFR and they kill all their invitees..... but still.
Depressing and bleak
I don't understand their caution at all, unless whoever's organising it is harbouring genuine concerns about being sued if something goes wrong.
I mean honestly - if the world wets itself every time this virus mutates then we might just as well lock ourselves up in our homes, drink ourselves to death and be done with it.
Certainly our works do isn't getting scrubbed unless the wretched Government actually forces restaurants to close at some point in the next two-and-a-half weeks. And that, mercifully, appears highly unlikely. They're not that scared of this thing if their principal response to it consists of useless pieces of floral print cotton or blue paper strapped across people's faces.
Yes, that’s my position, too. And they could at least have asked the invitees our opinion, as happened to TimS
At this rate there won’t be any Xmas parties for the next 30 years, as Covid variants inevitably spring up every November
There'll be christmas parties next year as new variants become "one of those things". Probably an annual profits for big pharma booster campaign too
Well he’s losing on the measure to a PM that’s in a hole. I had a billion pounds at 8/1 with a mate that Sir Keir would win Best PM this week w R&W too, bah
You're a troll. And not a very good one!
All the best with your illness
Not clever Sam. Whatever the disagreements we all have amongst ourselves on here there are certain things that just aren't acceptable. Not many perhaps but that is definitely one of them.
I’ve had close friends die from mental illness, and had my moments myself, but why should I be dug out by someone who makes stuff up, claims to be depressed, then gets a free hit when he starts ripping into me? For all I know he’s making it all up or is another poster pretending
Honest, mate, I can see all that, but just leaaave it aaaaht. not wurf it. Ignore.
I can see iSam's point as well. We all feel sorry for Correct Horse Wotsit, and hope he gets well, but that doesn't give him free rein to dish out abuse and yet whine when he gets it back. Doesn't work like that
Otherwise we could all pretend to be bipolar alcoholics and demand protection from the tiniest scintilla of criticism
You of all people should know there are degrees of acceptable and unacceptable behaviour on here. Attacking people for their views or what they say is one thing. Picking on their personal mental or health issues is quite another. CHB called Sam a troll. To reply by referencing personal issues is way over the top. And for the record people have done it to you in the past and I and others have said exactly the same thing then.
Whatever, yawn
As a more general observation - rereading the thread - there seems an unusual amount of petty bickering and offence-taking by many, even those who are generally more robust. I suspect we are all fucking rattled by Omicron, and truly fearful - if we are honest. This prickly PB atmosphere is a by product
Everyone I have spoken to in the last couple of days is scared. Everyone
Undoubtedly you are referring to me there. And you are right - up to a point. I am deeply fearful of restrictions returning, and people cancelling Christmas parties unilaterally doesn’t help. And nor does a normally rational and interesting guy endlessly posting doom porn on the internet.
I still can't book a booster jab through the website and I haven't got time to be ringing my GP FFS. I'm 6+ months from my 2nd jab now. What a shambles.
You should definitely try calling if you want it and can't book it.
Like I said, I haven't got time to be sitting on hold for hours.
Ouch, is it that bad? I'd not feel bad about doing it while at work, and just having the phone on speaker until I hear someone talking.
Booked my booster at 2am last night, just in case. Though I won't actually be jabbed for four weeks!
Seems a better gig for Nandy. Her northern credentials were wasted on Foreign Affairs.
I cannot see what anyone finds impressive about her. Seems a complete lightweight to me.
She's not a North London hand wringer. So that's a good start.
Is there something in particular that you don't like about north Londoners, or is it just old-fashioned northern prejudice?
I want Labour to be fronted by politicians who can connect with working people up and down the country. Attending dinner parties in Islington where you can demonstrate your wokeness is not the way to achieve this.
Have you ever been to Islington?
Look, I'm using shorthand. This type of wank can occur in other parts of London. And even in other parts of the country.
As King's Cross station is in Islington then yes, I've been there.
You're not really getting the proper Islo vibe at Kings Cross station.
Yes, you even have to pop across to St.Pancras if you want a decent glass of champagne.
JohnO and myself have had several PB Tory lunches at the champagne bar in St Pancras.
Nothing is too good for the working man and their elected representatives.
Is that the one in the south-western corner, which was formerly the ticket offices, with the little carvings of railway locomotives around the top of the wall? Is it recommended?
Seems a better gig for Nandy. Her northern credentials were wasted on Foreign Affairs.
I cannot see what anyone finds impressive about her. Seems a complete lightweight to me.
She's not a North London hand wringer. So that's a good start.
Is there something in particular that you don't like about north Londoners, or is it just old-fashioned northern prejudice?
I want Labour to be fronted by politicians who can connect with working people up and down the country. Attending dinner parties in Islington where you can demonstrate your wokeness is not the way to achieve this.
Have you ever been to Islington?
Look, I'm using shorthand. This type of wank can occur in other parts of London. And even in other parts of the country.
As King's Cross station is in Islington then yes, I've been there.
You're not really getting the proper Islo vibe at Kings Cross station.
Yes, you even have to pop across to St.Pancras if you want a decent glass of champagne.
JohnO and myself have had several PB Tory lunches at the champagne bar in St Pancras.
Nothing is too good for the working man and their elected representatives.
Is that the one in the south-western corner, which was formerly the ticket offices, with the little carvings of railway locomotives around the top of the wall? Is it recommended?
The champagne bar is alongside the Eurostar platforms, just south of the Midland platforms.
It seems like Starmer is using a position of relative strength (ahead in most polls) to make the Shadow Cabinet more recognisable and more serious.
I think that is very astute: he has quite probably had these changes in mind for months, but thought if he made them while well behind in the polls they'd look like a sign of weakness
Somehow the public has been conned into the idea that Boris Johnson, of Eton is somehow more working class than the son of a toolmaker and a nurse, who worked off his own back to become one of the most powerful and successful lawyers in the UK
Own bat, not back. DPP doesn't mean you are any good as a lawyer. I have despised him ever since he used his position to "raise his profile" by giving a press conference saying he was going to prosecute Trousers Huhne - something which clearly had the potential to prejudice potential jurors. Not as much as I despise Johnson for dropping NZ-R in it, but almost as much
Still got a fuckload of snow here but it seems to be thawing, am listening to a torrent pouring off the roof and hoping it won't crash through the conservatory roof if it all slips at once.
Comments
https://alastair-meeks.medium.com/next-1c587c0a44f8
contains one extraordinary remark:
"Rishi Sunak, who has for ideological reasons been keeping the purse strings as tight as he can, would be the obvious choice if the Conservatives are pleasing themselves."
when you consider that we are at a moment of maximum borrowing, maximum debt, maximum expenditure and maximum taxation.
If you're terrified of the big bad Omicron then go hide behind the sofa. Don't cancel everyone else's fun.
But the actual Cabinet isn’t much better - Sunak, Wallace, Saj are all decent. Truss is ok although I don’t see why people get excited about her. Most of the rest I don’t know who they are or wish I didn’t…
https://www.newsweek.com/most-omicron-cases-south-africa-have-mild-symptoms-covid-shot-appears-help-doctor-1654057
Edit - She's shadow AG but still out of the cabinet I think.
I think a labour win is a very long shot; longer than the 8/1 on offer from the bookies.
(In all seriousness, this looks interesting: Of recent hospitalizations, 87 percent have been unvaccinated, 13 percent have been vaccinated," said the Institute's public health specialist, Waasila Jassat.)
And I think that's related to their refusal to follow local custom and display our national and state flags. They don't feel they are a part of the community, the state, or even the nation that has made them so rich.
Some call Google a "cult"; I wouldn't go that far, but I can understand why some do.
(A quick Google search on "Google + cult" yielded 222 million hits.)
One the one hand I think Lammy has the potential to do well, but Foreign Affairs feels like a really hard job to make a mark in.
It's a bit like, "How to kill someone's career without saying that you're killing their career."
OMICRON
I wonder how much this is happening across the country, and the world. Sad sad sad
Ms Nandy takes a new role scrutinising Levelling Up Secretary Michael Gove.
Poor Lisa, having to scrutinise Gove. That isn't a job anybody would want. Good luck to her.
And doing it while Labour are nosing ahead in the polls is a smart move by Starmer.
(I am not sure the Guardian or the BBC have given Bush the credit he deserves for this bipartisan achievement.)
To quote:
"I am so sorry to say that with news around the new covid variant we have decided not to go ahead with the festivities at the Ivy.
"As much as we would love to, whilst the effects of the new variant are still unclear, we thought it unwise to go ahead."
I guess I can understand their caution. If it turns out Omicron the Wild has a 90% CFR and they kill all their invitees..... but still.
Depressing and bleak
Otherwise we could all pretend to be bipolar alcoholics and demand protection from the tiniest scintilla of criticism
I already booked my booster recently for the full six month interval (Dec 29th,) and I think I'll probably stick with it now. I would actually like one sooner, but unless they're about to provide a flood of walk-in slots I think I'm best off sticking with my appointment. It's Sod's Law that I'd be made to cancel the slot to book another one, and then find that there were absolutely none left and end up having to wait until the back end of January or something daft like that.
We already know that it doesn’t have that lethality, as you well know, and you are just being silly posting such nonsense on the internet for cheap ‘laughs’.
Normally, I enjoy most of your posts.
Transport for London is seeking to close a £1.9billion funding gap and last week warned of impending cuts
That could include the closure of an entire service, and the Bakerloo Line is reported to be under threat
Bakerloo Line first opened in 1906 and was initially named the Baker Street and Waterloo Railway"
https://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-10254463/Could-Bakerloo-line-SHUT-Fears-Sadiq-Khan-close-115-year-old-Tube-route-save-cash.html
Have you considered that you’re being a tiny bit lame and snowflakey?
Not sure where Mike got the 6/4 on Reform to get over 5%. Maybe Smarkets? If so, now around evens.
The bet I like, buried in Ladbrokes Specials is a three-way between:
LDs 11/10
Reform 2/1
Green 11/4
I'd love a big stake on Reform at that price but unfortunately Ladbrokes have set my stake limit so low they have in effect banned me.
https://www.theguardian.com/world/2021/nov/29/angela-merkel-punk-pick-for-leaving-ceremony-raises-eyebrows
You have our sincere sympathies, but if you abuse and antagonise other commenters, you will eventually get the same back. It’s human nature. Consider refraining from provocative comments and all will be well
I mean honestly - if the world wets itself every time this virus mutates then we might just as well lock ourselves up in our homes, drink ourselves to death and be done with it.
Certainly our works do isn't getting scrubbed unless the wretched Government actually forces restaurants to close at some point in the next two-and-a-half weeks. And that, mercifully, appears highly unlikely. They're not that scared of this thing if their principal response to it consists of useless pieces of floral print cotton or blue paper strapped across people's faces.
As a more general observation - rereading the thread - there seems an unusual amount of petty bickering and offence-taking by many, even those who are generally more robust. I suspect we are all fucking rattled by Omicron, and truly fearful - if we are honest. This prickly PB atmosphere is a by product
Everyone I have spoken to in the last couple of days is scared. Everyone
Yes, that’s my position, too. And they could at least have asked the invitees our opinion, as happened to TimS
At this rate there won’t be any Xmas parties for the next 30 years, as Covid variants inevitably spring up every November
I was meant to be going to Eastnor Castle on Friday for a get together. Cancelled
Very melancholy
To cheer myself up I have bought an iPad Pro 12.9 with the magic keyboard. Sensational. They’ve (finally) managed to reinvent the iPad. Or very near
And hope you are well @IshmaelZ
A chastened Rayner cut a solitary figure today, and didn't she sound like a refugee from the Hacienda club.