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Shropshire North should be a certain CON hold but…. – politicalbetting.com

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  • Surely the problem with Peloton is that you buy the bike and then you never buy one again, I get they try to work around that with subscriptions but it's not like a phone, or a car that you have to replace.

    It's a bike you sit on and ride - and people keep bikes for a long time
  • MoonRabbitMoonRabbit Posts: 12,415

    Guess Boris' Weight

    Again?

    Really?

    FFS.

    Because it defines the Emperor's New Clothes elements of Johnson's character.

    According to PT Johnson is a svelte athlete, which corresponds with his assertion that Johnson is Britain's greatest post-war Prime Minister.
    Hamsters make great cyclists. Hamsters look great on bikes.
  • kinabalukinabalu Posts: 38,851
    edited December 2021
    Carnyx said:

    kinabalu said:

    kinabalu said:

    For @CorrectHorseBattery as I got it on the last thread too late -

    I remember when @Philip_Thompson told us that Johnson wasn't fat but just really muscular.

    I never said that.

    I said I found it entirely believable he was 17.5 stone when @kinabalu was saying there was no way he was that heavy.
    That's not what you meant and we both know it
    What was actually said -

    "@kinabalu said:
    BoJo was NOT seventeen and a half stone (!) before the virus He's only 5 ft 8 inches tall. If he had weighed that much he would have looked like Mr Creosote.

    Is he spinning yet another self-serving yarn?"

    "@Philip_Thompson said:

    17 and a half stone isn't anywhere near as much as that!

    Besides he's quite athletic as well as being on the heavy side. Remember that muscle is heavier by volume than fat so two people of the same volume can weigh quite different amounts."
    15 May 2020

    https://vf.politicalbetting.com/discussion/comment/2856928/#Comment_2856928

    This was followed by 18 months of @kinabalu claiming Phil had said Boris was "mainly muscle"
    Great news you've unearthed the source material since it shows that - my horsing around aside - there is a solid basis to the scandal.

    It started with me casting doubt on Johnson's claim to have been 17.5 stone pre Covid. The suspicion (of mine) was he'd exaggerated this in order to exaggerate his weight loss due to his illness. To in turn exaggerate how serious it'd been for him.

    I still have this suspicion but this is not the point. The point is that Philip Thompson leapt in and opined that the MMM could easily have been that heavy despite being quite short and that the reason he wouldn't have looked like Danny DeVito is that he is of 'athletic build' with a 'high muscle to fat ratio'.

    So there we are. I dropped it ages ago but I make no apology for running with it for a while. It merited that. It was peak PT BJ adoration. A real moment in time.
    Sorry but you're talking absolute bollocks. I never said he has a 'high muscle to fat ratio', that's literally not in the quote. You're inventing your own words.

    I said he is 'athletic' as well as 'on the heavy side' and he is.

    17.5 stone is nothing that special for someone 5'8" its entirely believable and not remotely Mr Creosote.
    "He's quite athletic as well as being on the heavy side. Remember that muscle is heavier by volume than fat so two people of the same volume can weigh quite different amounts."

    That's the quote in its full and unadorned state.

    Do I seriously misrepresent it with "of athletic build with a high muscle to fat ratio"?

    I think not but I'm happy for the select band of those interested to make up their own mind.

    Whole thing is ancient history anyway. We have a by-election this week and what I'm wondering is, how much have you lumped on the 'nailed on' LibDems?
    Hmmmmm. Density of muscle tissue is about 1.1 tonne per cubic metre. Adipose tissue, 0.9. But for visual impact one wants the inverses, which are helpfully 0.9 and 1.1 cu m per tonne. The implication is that a Mr Johnson composed solely of muscle (except for, guessing, 50% for all the rest, skeleton, innards, blood, skin etc.) is going to have about a tenth of the volume of one composed solely of blubber. But that is volume so one wants the 2/3 root of that to get the area ie visual impact. And then knock half off as it only applies to half of him. Is something like a 3% smaller BJ going to make enough difference to resolve the argument either way?
    Ah well that's a different strand to the debate. When Philip says a man could be 5 foot 8 and 17.5 stone and yet not look fat due to being a muscly athletic type, is this in and of itself a viable assertion? That's what you're asking here. The answer would need some research.
  • MalmesburyMalmesbury Posts: 43,624
    Cyclefree said:

    Charles said:

    Farooq said:

    Farooq said:

    Really, really struggling to get excited about the umpteenth Lib Dem by election hype of my lifetime. Used to find these things scintillating, but bitter experience has taught me that they mean diddly squat in the great scheme of things.

    The Lib Dems need a mission, not this idiotic “We’re not as bad as them!” positioning.

    It's a little difficult for a smallish centrist party. They could decide to go all in on a particular policy platform and then find one of the two bigger parties steals their clothes, and in a few months' everyone's back saying "well what's the point of the Lib Dems, they're just saying the same thing as Con/Lab".
    Ukip and its descendants show that you can get somewhere with a message that other parties don't want to touch. In other words, you need to be unhinged to break in.
    But I don’t think the Lib Dems need a “message” (let alone an unhinged one). I think they need a mission. What do they want to do? I mean, really, really, really want to do? What is their passion? Their desire? Their lust? Their golden upland? Their Jerusalem?

    (Please don’t say local income tax, dog-poo-free pavements or proportional representation. I want to retain some faith in humanity by the end of the day.)
    Local income tax, dog-poo-free pavements and proportional representation.

    It's better for you now to lose any misplaced faith ;)
    I was going with local dog poo, proportional income tax and free representation…
    Or even local pavements and income tax for dogs.
    Tax dog poo, proportional dogs and free pavements?
  • JosiasJessopJosiasJessop Posts: 38,517
    Cyclefree said:

    MattW said:

    @Philip_Thompson said BoJo was quite athletic. Are you having a laugh

    Quite happy doing 14 miles on a bike iirc, apparently.
    I have ridden a (non stationary) bike about five times in 20 years, two of those were for 15-20 miles without difficulty, not sure that makes me a cyclist or quite athletic, I am neither.
    My little 'un only learnt to properly ride this year, and he can do ten miles, including a decent climb. In fact, we did one on Saturday. Great father-son bonding time.

    Although he has absolutely no road sense at junctions; which makes it a little more fraught than I'd like. I try to plan the routes to have as few junctions as possible, and along quiet roads...
    The routes were pretty flat, I don't like climbing! Flat quiet roads, no rain, no cars and moderate temperature and I would be keen to cycle more. Not going to happen in London though!
    I cycled for decades round London. Have the scars and knee ops to prove it. Despite all this, the sporting injuries and the time spent with sports physios, my physique is not quite as sporting as I would like. This is most unfair I feel.
    I've done at least one run every day this year, and am at 2,643 miles run. I am the same weight as I was last December. Technically overweight according to BMI. Although my thigh muscles are massive and my buttocks could crack walnuts. ;)

    Your body gets used to regular exercise, and it has less effect.
  • In more sporting controversy, CL draw is void as they drew the wrong teams out.
  • Cyclefree said:

    Cyclefree said:

    Scott_xP said:

    Keir Starmer will make an address to the nation at 7pm, responding to the Prime Minister’s statement last night.
    https://twitter.com/PaulBrandITV/status/1470347875083341831

    What's he going to say...get a jab? That he will vote for vaccine passports, but he doesn't want them, but only two months ago vaccine passports didn't go far enough and we needed vaccine passport+++, where everybody took a LFT before every pub visit?
    If I were writing Starmer's statement, I'd make it statesmanlike and focused on dealing with the pandemic, almost as though he were PM. I'd slip in a few barbs making it clear that the fact that we are saddled with a mendacious clown in No 10, who doesn't follow his own rules, isn't a reason to ignore the advice or flout the regulations. Pretty much the message that Labour, and in particular Wes Streeting, has been putting out, with the framing that Boris is an irrelevance.
    Very sensible advice. But why does Starmer get a broadcast at all? Are we going to get one from Ed Davey as well? What is the point?
    It's a tradition since forever that the PM has the right to commandeer time on the BBC for a statement, but if he does then the LOTO gets an equal slot the next day. The alternative for the PM is to make a statement for journalists and take his chances at getting on the news (as he always will), but that has much more potential to go wrong if the journalist asks an awkward question and the PM stutters in reply.
    Ah, thanks. Had no idea. Have never seen any of the replies. Didn't see Boris's one yesterday and will give Keir a miss too.

    I'm sure you'll all fill me in.
    We could probably write the reviews now......
  • FrancisUrquhartFrancisUrquhart Posts: 76,274
    edited December 2021

    The most incredible thing about Peleton, they lost money during the pandemic.....apparently they kept advertising to such a crazy extent, such their customer acquisition costs were so high they never making it back.

    Lost 16% market cap last week because they authorised Sex and the City to use their name but did not enquire about the plot. It was to kill off Mr Big with a heart attack.
    The management sounds like they are totally incompetent. Apparently their profit margin on each bike is hardly anything, so they need the subscriptions. The advertising spend they did during the pandemic, they literally kept doubling down, to the extent where they needed to be converting new customers like they had never done before and for them to become members for lengths like they have never achieved......
    It sounded to me like a fad for the rich to show how much money they have, which is not a bad business model if you can keep the fad going forever like the luxury brands.

    From an exercise and motivation point of view can get the same for 10% of the cost elsewhere.
    I get it as a niche product. If you really really into spin classes, it is worth it, especially if you have kids etc, that means fitting in the gym is a pain. But their advertising spend was comparable to those trying to flog you coke cola or shampoo i.e. everybody who can afford a few pounds every week on that.

    Now, I like a good spin class and am fortunate that I could afford it, but even I wasn't really that tempted, as I like a wider range of exercise classes. I went with the static bike / Zwift setup in the end.
  • MoonRabbitMoonRabbit Posts: 12,415
    stodge said:

    On topic. Totally agree with Mike Smithson - the current price for Libdems in Salop North is not value. 😞

    But the 3-1 I got on last month certainly is! 😃

    There’s two subsets I am now considering. Firstly, every Conservative voter in Salop North must surely now be pinging around their brain cells, both of them, if they themselves can actually give their party a better leader and put their party in a better place by killing off Boris. To quote directory from Shakespeare, Salop North is the dagger Boris sees before him. Second subset is PBers who live in the constituency very much considering voting for the conservatives knowing they won’t hear the last of it if I win my bet having been told by them it’s a loser 😝

    Paddy Power is 4/9 LDs 11/8 Conservatives.

    I've not been there and don't know anyone in any of the campaigns so playing in such a market is silly.

    That said, 11/8 and 7/4 a party which won 63% of the vote last time and has a majority of 23,000 over the second place party and 30,000 over the third place party which is now 4/9 looks incredible value.

    That said, although the LDs need a 26.5% swing to take the seat, that's not exceptional. It ranks between Orpington (1962) and Hodge Hill (2004). The latter saw Liam Byrne scrape home by 460 votes and saw the LDs reduce the gap over them from 56 points to just two.
    Outside or nut nut, dilyn and Boris, who on earth is voting Boris this week?

    I’m going to win, I’m going to win big 😆
  • I am 6' 1" and 57 years old. I have managed to shift around five stone in the last 18 months. It has involved a complete change of lifestyle and a load more exercise to lose the weight and to keep it off. If Johnson is trying he has my sympathy as at our age it is incredibly tough to do. If you are PM, bone idle and the father of young kids I suspect it is next to impossible.
  • AnabobazinaAnabobazina Posts: 19,618
    Stocky said:

    PT said muscle weighs more than fat hence Johnson’s weight is believable. The implication there is that Johnson is highly/very muscular as opposed to fat.

    I can totally see how @kinabalu got to his point.

    The whole thing about Johnson being muscular at all and not just overweight is the laughable thing and makes @Philip_Thompson look ridiculous.

    #borisripped
    I must have missed this the first time: why does anyone care how much Bozza weighs? How did this bizarre debate begin?
  • PT said muscle weighs more than fat hence Johnson’s weight is believable. The implication there is that Johnson is highly/very muscular as opposed to fat.

    I can totally see how @kinabalu got to his point.

    The whole thing about Johnson being muscular at all and not just overweight is the laughable thing and makes @Philip_Thompson look ridiculous.

    Philip Thompson is ridiculous, or at least his posts on here generally are. He was the leading fanboy of Johnson on here for a very long time. He said this morning that Johnson is one of the *best* PMs in his lifetime (39 years old). Not his favourite, character, but *best*! Ridiculous is too kind.
    Mainly because the others have been so shit.

    Thatcher has been the only good PM of my lifetime.

    Boris rates better than May, Brown, Blair and Major but more due to the latter's failures than his successes.
    That is a ridiculous analysis, but also contradictory of your complete deification of the fat/muscular(delete as approp) Johnson on this forum. You would have more credibility if you simply said: "I, Philip Thompson, very frequent of this parish) got it wrong on Johnson"; he is a calamity/shit/useless/incompetent (again delete as approp)
    He dealt with the biggest issues of the day Europe and Covid very well. Infinitely better than May was handling Europe and probably better than any of those prior ones besides Thatcher would have handled Covid too.

    He's lost his mojo and should go because of the way he's now gone native, raising taxes, imposing restrictions, not because of anything prior.
  • DavidLDavidL Posts: 50,772

    I am 6' 1" and 57 years old. I have managed to shift around five stone in the last 18 months. It has involved a complete change of lifestyle and a load more exercise to lose the weight and to keep it off. If Johnson is trying he has my sympathy as at our age it is incredibly tough to do. If you are PM, bone idle and the father of young kids I suspect it is next to impossible.

    And seriously busy doesn't help either. In the summer I was finding averaging 15k steps a day on the fit bit easy but over the last month I can't even do 10k as there is just no time. And I suspect the PM is even busier than me.
  • Scott_xPScott_xP Posts: 32,739
    BBC understands people given a Pfizer or Moderna vaccine will no longer have to be monitored for 15 minutes after their booster jab. Advice on the removal of the 15 minute observation period in England is currently being finalised, and is expected to be agreed by ministers.
    https://twitter.com/jim_reed/status/1470372828797194241

    I was told to wait, but nobody was watching
  • kinabalukinabalu Posts: 38,851

    Guess Boris' Weight

    Again?

    Really?

    FFS.

    It wasn't me. All I was doing was defending myself against trumped-up perjury charges. I came here today to talk about F1 and Omicorn and Shropshire.
  • MaxPBMaxPB Posts: 37,603
    Really hope that the government keeps the queues open for vaccination despite the inevitable moaning from the NHS about too many people turning up. It is the best way to get capacity utilisation up to 100%.

    If we are doing away with the 15 minute waiting time (and that makes sense at this stage with no reported cases of anaphylaxis) the target does come into realms of possibility, 8am-8pm walk in centres plus appointments with no waiting room size capacity constraints could mean we see 1.5m doses per day. I just hope the last mile delivery of doses is able to keep up.
  • Cyclefree said:

    MattW said:

    @Philip_Thompson said BoJo was quite athletic. Are you having a laugh

    Quite happy doing 14 miles on a bike iirc, apparently.
    I have ridden a (non stationary) bike about five times in 20 years, two of those were for 15-20 miles without difficulty, not sure that makes me a cyclist or quite athletic, I am neither.
    My little 'un only learnt to properly ride this year, and he can do ten miles, including a decent climb. In fact, we did one on Saturday. Great father-son bonding time.

    Although he has absolutely no road sense at junctions; which makes it a little more fraught than I'd like. I try to plan the routes to have as few junctions as possible, and along quiet roads...
    The routes were pretty flat, I don't like climbing! Flat quiet roads, no rain, no cars and moderate temperature and I would be keen to cycle more. Not going to happen in London though!
    I cycled for decades round London. Have the scars and knee ops to prove it. Despite all this, the sporting injuries and the time spent with sports physios, my physique is not quite as sporting as I would like. This is most unfair I feel.
    I've done at least one run every day this year, and am at 2,643 miles run. I am the same weight as I was last December. Technically overweight according to BMI. Although my thigh muscles are massive and my buttocks could crack walnuts. ;)

    Your body gets used to regular exercise, and it has less effect.
    True you'll be the same weight but I bet you have more muscle mass, less fat, and thus a somewhat slightly slimmer outline than a couch potato of the same weight.

    Or to put it another way, you could be heavier than someone of the same outline.

    Which was my point. @kinabalu didn't think Boris was fat enough to be 17.5 stone given his outline. I did.
  • Stocky said:

    PT said muscle weighs more than fat hence Johnson’s weight is believable. The implication there is that Johnson is highly/very muscular as opposed to fat.

    I can totally see how @kinabalu got to his point.

    The whole thing about Johnson being muscular at all and not just overweight is the laughable thing and makes @Philip_Thompson look ridiculous.

    #borisripped
    I must have missed this the first time: why does anyone care how much Bozza weighs? How did this bizarre debate begin?
    Two elite PB protagonists unwilling to back down, going mano a mano, it is that ongoing conversation that is interesting not his weight, which is obvious and boring.
  • JosiasJessopJosiasJessop Posts: 38,517

    I didn't say Johnson doesn't cycle, I said he wasn't a cyclist. The context of this is clearly that he's athletic, when he evidently isn't.

    (Snip)

    This is ridiculous. What makes someone a 'cyclist'? What level of lycra-clad shitbaggery do I need to fulfil to become a 'cyclist'?

    I hate it when these terms are used to create clubs, to exclude others. If you ride a bike, you are a cyclist. If you drive a car, you are a driver. If you go for a leisurely walk, you are a walker.

    I once got told I was not a 'proper' walker because I don't walk fast enough; despite having walked nearly 20,000 miles in the UK. Someone had set their idea of what a 'walker' is, and excluded anyone who did not meet his definition - which, of course, he passed.
    Again, the implication is clearly that he's athletic, when he's not.

    I'm happy to have a discussion around whether he qualifies as a cyclist but that really is irrelevant in terms of whether he's healthy and athletic or not. He is not to any impartial observer.
    There should be no conversation about whether he is a cyclist or not. He cycles, therefore he is a cyclist.

    As for him being athletic: I'd argue he isn't. Then again, if I had that job I sure as heck would not be athletic. Too many dinners to attend; too little time to exercise; too many security considerations to do the types of exercise I like.
  • CarlottaVanceCarlottaVance Posts: 59,540
    edited December 2021
    The Mirror,
    The Guardian,
    the FT


    Boris Johnson’s vision for the country remains murky, and soundbites alone are rarely enough to ensure invested support. A Prime Minister bereft of ideology has, by nature, no ideological allies. No core group to support him through thick and thin for the good of the cause, for there is no cause.

    Margaret Thatcher always had her ‘no turning back group’ – MPs who she inspired through her clear vision for the country. Through her ideological conviction. Boris has no such group of supporters.....

    Margaret Thatcher set out her principles, which led to policy, which led to outcomes. Boris appears to be attempting to do the opposite.


    Mail:

    https://www.mailplus.co.uk/edition/comment/135102/boris-johnson-must-find-an-ideology-fast-vote
  • MexicanpeteMexicanpete Posts: 24,586
    RobD said:

    kinabalu said:

    For @CorrectHorseBattery as I got it on the last thread too late -

    I remember when @Philip_Thompson told us that Johnson wasn't fat but just really muscular.

    I never said that.

    I said I found it entirely believable he was 17.5 stone when @kinabalu was saying there was no way he was that heavy.
    That's not what you meant and we both know it
    What was actually said -

    "@kinabalu said:
    BoJo was NOT seventeen and a half stone (!) before the virus He's only 5 ft 8 inches tall. If he had weighed that much he would have looked like Mr Creosote.

    Is he spinning yet another self-serving yarn?"

    "@Philip_Thompson said:

    17 and a half stone isn't anywhere near as much as that!

    Besides he's quite athletic as well as being on the heavy side. Remember that muscle is heavier by volume than fat so two people of the same volume can weigh quite different amounts."
    15 May 2020

    https://vf.politicalbetting.com/discussion/comment/2856928/#Comment_2856928

    This was followed by 18 months of @kinabalu claiming Phil had said Boris was "mainly muscle"
    Great news you've unearthed the source material since it shows that - my horsing around aside - there is a solid basis to the scandal.

    It started with me casting doubt on Johnson's claim to have been 17.5 stone pre Covid. The suspicion (of mine) was he'd exaggerated this in order to exaggerate his weight loss due to his illness. To in turn exaggerate how serious it'd been for him.

    I still have this suspicion but this is not the point. The point is that Philip Thompson leapt in and opined that the MMM could easily have been that heavy despite being quite short and that the reason he wouldn't have looked like Danny DeVito is that he is of 'athletic build' with a 'high muscle to fat ratio'.

    So there we are. I dropped it ages ago but I make no apology for running with it for a while. It merited that. It was peak PT BJ adoration. A real moment in time.
    Sorry but you're talking absolute bollocks. I never said he has a 'high muscle to fat ratio', that's literally not in the quote. You're inventing your own words.

    I said he is 'athletic' as well as 'on the heavy side' and he is.

    17.5 stone is nothing that special for someone 5'8" its entirely believable and not remotely Mr Creosote.

    If you're 5' 8" and 17.5 stone, you are morbidly obese and running huge risks with your health - from diabetes, through cancer to heart failure. Johnson no doubt believes he is indestructible. Maybe he is, but he's six stones overweight - at least. And you can see from his pudgy face that he is carrying a lot of fat as opposed to being all muscled up.

    Yes, I am the same height and age- a little older-as Johnson and around 13 stone. I look more like a backrow forward than an outside-half. If Johnson is 17.5 stones he is not the racing snake that Phil would have us believe.

    As for the notion Johnson is a cyclist, I occasionally run for the train but that doesn't make me a sprinter.
    Does that analogy even work? He clearly does it for recreation/leisure, and not just out of necessity.
    You are splitting hairs, but even if it doesn't work, it still casts doubt on PT's tacit assetion that Johnson could have given Lance Armstrong a run for his money when he was at the height of his full ill-defined glory.
  • IshmaelZIshmaelZ Posts: 21,830
    kinabalu said:

    Guess Boris' Weight

    Again?

    Really?

    FFS.

    It wasn't me. All I was doing was defending myself against trumped-up perjury charges. I came here today to talk about F1 and Omicorn and Shropshire.
    But then the VSC came out.
  • https://twitter.com/PippaCrerar/status/1470387309212221446

    Philip will be along to explain to us why lying is actually good
  • FarooqFarooq Posts: 10,775

    https://twitter.com/PippaCrerar/status/1470387309212221446

    Philip will be along to explain to us why lying is actually good

    Philip leads by example
  • MalmesburyMalmesbury Posts: 43,624

    I didn't say Johnson doesn't cycle, I said he wasn't a cyclist. The context of this is clearly that he's athletic, when he evidently isn't.

    (Snip)

    This is ridiculous. What makes someone a 'cyclist'? What level of lycra-clad shitbaggery do I need to fulfil to become a 'cyclist'?

    I hate it when these terms are used to create clubs, to exclude others. If you ride a bike, you are a cyclist. If you drive a car, you are a driver. If you go for a leisurely walk, you are a walker.

    I once got told I was not a 'proper' walker because I don't walk fast enough; despite having walked nearly 20,000 miles in the UK. Someone had set their idea of what a 'walker' is, and excluded anyone who did not meet his definition - which, of course, he passed.
    Again, the implication is clearly that he's athletic, when he's not.

    I'm happy to have a discussion around whether he qualifies as a cyclist but that really is irrelevant in terms of whether he's healthy and athletic or not. He is not to any impartial observer.
    There should be no conversation about whether he is a cyclist or not. He cycles, therefore he is a cyclist.

    As for him being athletic: I'd argue he isn't. Then again, if I had that job I sure as heck would not be athletic. Too many dinners to attend; too little time to exercise; too many security considerations to do the types of exercise I like.
    For some reason this reminds me of when Bush II was in the White House.

    His gym work, running and cycling was extensive and commented on. Apparently it was bad for the President to waste so much time on this. Indicative of how shit he was as a President etc.

    Obama as President had a similar routine. The same commentators were all in favour. Without missing a beat....
  • BenpointerBenpointer Posts: 31,281

    stodge said:

    On topic. Totally agree with Mike Smithson - the current price for Libdems in Salop North is not value. 😞

    But the 3-1 I got on last month certainly is! 😃

    There’s two subsets I am now considering. Firstly, every Conservative voter in Salop North must surely now be pinging around their brain cells, both of them, if they themselves can actually give their party a better leader and put their party in a better place by killing off Boris. To quote directory from Shakespeare, Salop North is the dagger Boris sees before him. Second subset is PBers who live in the constituency very much considering voting for the conservatives knowing they won’t hear the last of it if I win my bet having been told by them it’s a loser 😝

    Paddy Power is 4/9 LDs 11/8 Conservatives.

    I've not been there and don't know anyone in any of the campaigns so playing in such a market is silly.

    That said, 11/8 and 7/4 a party which won 63% of the vote last time and has a majority of 23,000 over the second place party and 30,000 over the third place party which is now 4/9 looks incredible value.

    That said, although the LDs need a 26.5% swing to take the seat, that's not exceptional. It ranks between Orpington (1962) and Hodge Hill (2004). The latter saw Liam Byrne scrape home by 460 votes and saw the LDs reduce the gap over them from 56 points to just two.
    Outside or nut nut, dilyn and Boris, who on earth is voting Boris this week?

    I’m going to win, I’m going to win big 😆
    HYUFD and Philip T?
  • CyclefreeCyclefree Posts: 25,074

    Cyclefree said:

    MattW said:

    @Philip_Thompson said BoJo was quite athletic. Are you having a laugh

    Quite happy doing 14 miles on a bike iirc, apparently.
    I have ridden a (non stationary) bike about five times in 20 years, two of those were for 15-20 miles without difficulty, not sure that makes me a cyclist or quite athletic, I am neither.
    My little 'un only learnt to properly ride this year, and he can do ten miles, including a decent climb. In fact, we did one on Saturday. Great father-son bonding time.

    Although he has absolutely no road sense at junctions; which makes it a little more fraught than I'd like. I try to plan the routes to have as few junctions as possible, and along quiet roads...
    The routes were pretty flat, I don't like climbing! Flat quiet roads, no rain, no cars and moderate temperature and I would be keen to cycle more. Not going to happen in London though!
    I cycled for decades round London. Have the scars and knee ops to prove it. Despite all this, the sporting injuries and the time spent with sports physios, my physique is not quite as sporting as I would like. This is most unfair I feel.
    I've done at least one run every day this year, and am at 2,643 miles run. I am the same weight as I was last December. Technically overweight according to BMI. Although my thigh muscles are massive and my buttocks could crack walnuts. ;)

    Your body gets used to regular exercise, and it has less effect.
    Slightly TMI there I feel .......
  • Scott_xP said:

    BBC understands people given a Pfizer or Moderna vaccine will no longer have to be monitored for 15 minutes after their booster jab. Advice on the removal of the 15 minute observation period in England is currently being finalised, and is expected to be agreed by ministers.
    https://twitter.com/jim_reed/status/1470372828797194241

    I was told to wait, but nobody was watching

    Me too. I looked at the decrepit bunch of old has-beens in the waiting room and legged it.
  • https://twitter.com/PippaCrerar/status/1470387309212221446

    Philip will be along to explain to us why lying is actually good

    Lying is what politicians do. It isn't good.
    Farooq said:

    https://twitter.com/PippaCrerar/status/1470387309212221446

    Philip will be along to explain to us why lying is actually good

    Philip leads by example
    Indeed I've never lied here. If you want to slander me, then please say a lie I've said. Having a different opinion to you isn't a lie.
  • TOPPINGTOPPING Posts: 40,950

    I am 6' 1" and 57 years old. I have managed to shift around five stone in the last 18 months. It has involved a complete change of lifestyle and a load more exercise to lose the weight and to keep it off. If Johnson is trying he has my sympathy as at our age it is incredibly tough to do. If you are PM, bone idle and the father of young kids I suspect it is next to impossible.

    Bloody hell five stone that's amazing. I think that type of weight shift for Johnson might kill him. People should be careful with such weight loss.

    Hope you're enjoying your new found sveltness.
  • BenpointerBenpointer Posts: 31,281

    Freedom loving Tory MPs who value liberty above all else are disgusted about people having to take covid tests before going to big events, but have no problem in supporting the state's right to take away someone's UK citizenship without telling them and banning peaceful protest. It's almost as if they are hypocritical shysters who care about their freedom to do as they want but do not give a monkey's bollock for anyone else's.

    You've met them then?
    I had a strange one just yesterday - someone declared that my wanting Begum put on trial for war crimes was "nasty and disgusting".

    The context was that I didn't think her citizenship should have been removed. But that she should be tried for the crimes she committed.
    I entirely agree. Begum is a British citizen accused of crimes. So lets try her, not wash our hands of her.
    Try her and lock her up for life if that is the handed sentence. We’re a nation proud of criminal justice, we do not wash our hands of our criminals
    It is interesting that I've had the same response from several people in the legal/human rights line - prosecuting non-state actors under war crimes law is apparently "immoral"

    Despite the laws in question being quite specific about classifying non-state actors, the crimes they can be charged with, and how they should be treated.

    Mention that the Hague conventions was drawn up with a large amount of participation by British officers who'd served in Afghanistan and was specifically concerned with issue regarding Francs-tireurs that came out of the 1870 war.... well that causes them to get really upset.

    Why is this?

    My point is that if you protect people such a Begum from the consequences of their actions, then bad ideas will be found as how to punish them.....
    That sounds complicated. She is clearly a traitor.
    Someone (effectively) abolished treason.

    In one such discussion, someone was going on about the Human Right to chose allegiance - which they interpreted as the right to go a fight against your own country if you feel like it.

    I asked if, in that case, if I was OK starting the first Rondas Campesinas in West London and "rm -rf" the... inconvenient?
    That last sentence makes zero sense to me.
  • Dura_AceDura_Ace Posts: 12,880
    edited December 2021

    Surely the problem with Peloton is that you buy the bike and then you never buy one again, I get they try to work around that with subscriptions but it's not like a phone, or a car that you have to replace.

    It's a bike you sit on and ride - and people keep bikes for a long time

    Peleton bikes are junk. Anybody who can drop serious Watts bombs will trash the bottom bracket in them in no time.
  • FarooqFarooq Posts: 10,775

    https://twitter.com/PippaCrerar/status/1470387309212221446

    Philip will be along to explain to us why lying is actually good

    Lying is what politicians do. It isn't good.
    Farooq said:

    https://twitter.com/PippaCrerar/status/1470387309212221446

    Philip will be along to explain to us why lying is actually good

    Philip leads by example
    Indeed I've never lied here. If you want to slander me, then please say a lie I've said. Having a different opinion to you isn't a lie.
    It's not slander; I've detailed your lies in the previous conversation.
    You are a liar who lies, and you got upset when I detailed them. Nothing more to say.
  • In more sporting controversy, CL draw is void as they drew the wrong teams out.

    It's not unprecented. Back in the days when the FA Cup draw was done live on tv somebody read a 6 as a 9 and when the real 9 was picked....oops.

    Those of us familiar with the FA will know that this is about par for the course. In fact I should say they have got worse.
  • OldKingColeOldKingCole Posts: 31,718
    edited December 2021

    Scott_xP said:

    BBC understands people given a Pfizer or Moderna vaccine will no longer have to be monitored for 15 minutes after their booster jab. Advice on the removal of the 15 minute observation period in England is currently being finalised, and is expected to be agreed by ministers.
    https://twitter.com/jim_reed/status/1470372828797194241

    I was told to wait, but nobody was watching

    Me too. I looked at the decrepit bunch of old has-beens in the waiting room and legged it.
    The trouble is that everyone's sitting there in masks so it's difficult to start a conversation. Even about the weather.
    At our booster someone was keeping an overall eye on 30 or so people. Much more 'disciplined' at doses 1 & 2

  • MoonRabbitMoonRabbit Posts: 12,415

    The Mirror,
    The Guardian,
    the FT


    Boris Johnson’s vision for the country remains murky, and soundbites alone are rarely enough to ensure invested support. A Prime Minister bereft of ideology has, by nature, no ideological allies. No core group to support him through thick and thin for the good of the cause, for there is no cause.

    Margaret Thatcher always had her ‘no turning back group’ – MPs who she inspired through her clear vision for the country. Through her ideological conviction. Boris has no such group of supporters.....

    Margaret Thatcher set out her principles, which led to policy, which led to outcomes. Boris appears to be attempting to do the opposite.


    Mail:

    https://www.mailplus.co.uk/edition/comment/135102/boris-johnson-must-find-an-ideology-fast-vote

    If you think back to his set piece speeches, like this years party conference speech, to some extent his address to CBI, this was his opportunity, the sort of opportunity important for politicians to take, to set out their unique stall, provide direction and leadership, draw praetorian guard to them.
  • AnabobazinaAnabobazina Posts: 19,618

    Stocky said:

    PT said muscle weighs more than fat hence Johnson’s weight is believable. The implication there is that Johnson is highly/very muscular as opposed to fat.

    I can totally see how @kinabalu got to his point.

    The whole thing about Johnson being muscular at all and not just overweight is the laughable thing and makes @Philip_Thompson look ridiculous.

    #borisripped
    I must have missed this the first time: why does anyone care how much Bozza weighs? How did this bizarre debate begin?
    Two elite PB protagonists unwilling to back down, going mano a mano, it is that ongoing conversation that is interesting not his weight, which is obvious and boring.
    Yes, it's a thrilling ride.

    FWIW my guess is 18st 3lbs, which at his height (at the short side of 5ft 8in) is pretty darned hefty.

    Do I win a prize?

    Should I have even entered??
  • CorrectHorseBatteryCorrectHorseBattery Posts: 21,436
    edited December 2021
    Johnson is a superb election campaigner.

    But he is a dreadful PM and clearly has no ideas, or policies, or anything he wants to achieve.

    Giving him a large majority has meant what? He could have done all of this on a majority of 1
  • AnabobazinaAnabobazina Posts: 19,618
    Dura_Ace said:

    Surely the problem with Peloton is that you buy the bike and then you never buy one again, I get they try to work around that with subscriptions but it's not like a phone, or a car that you have to replace.

    It's a bike you sit on and ride - and people keep bikes for a long time

    Peleton bikes are junk. Anybody who can drop serious Watts bombs will trash the bottom bracket in them in no time.
    Why not just go for a bike ride? I have never understood the appeal of biking in your own living room.
  • Farooq said:

    https://twitter.com/PippaCrerar/status/1470387309212221446

    Philip will be along to explain to us why lying is actually good

    Lying is what politicians do. It isn't good.
    Farooq said:

    https://twitter.com/PippaCrerar/status/1470387309212221446

    Philip will be along to explain to us why lying is actually good

    Philip leads by example
    Indeed I've never lied here. If you want to slander me, then please say a lie I've said. Having a different opinion to you isn't a lie.
    It's not slander; I've detailed your lies in the previous conversation.
    You are a liar who lies, and you got upset when I detailed them. Nothing more to say.
    You lied. You claimed I said "masks don't work" when I actually said "mask mandates don't work".

    Then you dug in and quoted me saying "mask mandates don't work" and claimed that as proof of me saying "masks don't work". Its not, its proof of me saying "mask mandates don't work".

    If you want to change or omit the words someone says, then put words they didn't say in quotation marks, then you are the one who is dishonest. If you have to change what someone said to mock or insult them, then you've already lost the argument - and your credibility.
  • kinabalukinabalu Posts: 38,851
    TOPPING said:

    kinabalu said:

    kinabalu said:

    For @CorrectHorseBattery as I got it on the last thread too late -

    I remember when @Philip_Thompson told us that Johnson wasn't fat but just really muscular.

    I never said that.

    I said I found it entirely believable he was 17.5 stone when @kinabalu was saying there was no way he was that heavy.
    That's not what you meant and we both know it
    What was actually said -

    "@kinabalu said:
    BoJo was NOT seventeen and a half stone (!) before the virus He's only 5 ft 8 inches tall. If he had weighed that much he would have looked like Mr Creosote.

    Is he spinning yet another self-serving yarn?"

    "@Philip_Thompson said:

    17 and a half stone isn't anywhere near as much as that!

    Besides he's quite athletic as well as being on the heavy side. Remember that muscle is heavier by volume than fat so two people of the same volume can weigh quite different amounts."
    15 May 2020

    https://vf.politicalbetting.com/discussion/comment/2856928/#Comment_2856928

    This was followed by 18 months of @kinabalu claiming Phil had said Boris was "mainly muscle"
    Great news you've unearthed the source material since it shows that - my horsing around aside - there is a solid basis to the scandal.

    It started with me casting doubt on Johnson's claim to have been 17.5 stone pre Covid. The suspicion (of mine) was he'd exaggerated this in order to exaggerate his weight loss due to his illness. To in turn exaggerate how serious it'd been for him.

    I still have this suspicion but this is not the point. The point is that Philip Thompson leapt in and opined that the MMM could easily have been that heavy despite being quite short and that the reason he wouldn't have looked like Danny DeVito is that he is of 'athletic build' with a 'high muscle to fat ratio'.

    So there we are. I dropped it ages ago but I make no apology for running with it for a while. It merited that. It was peak PT BJ adoration. A real moment in time.
    Sorry but you're talking absolute bollocks. I never said he has a 'high muscle to fat ratio', that's literally not in the quote. You're inventing your own words.

    I said he is 'athletic' as well as 'on the heavy side' and he is.

    17.5 stone is nothing that special for someone 5'8" its entirely believable and not remotely Mr Creosote.
    "He's quite athletic as well as being on the heavy side. Remember that muscle is heavier by volume than fat so two people of the same volume can weigh quite different amounts."

    That's your notorious quote in its full and unadorned state.

    Do I seriously misrepresent it with "of athletic build with a high muscle to fat ratio"?

    I think not but I'm happy for the select band of those interested to make up their own mind.

    Whole thing is ancient history anyway. We have a by-election this week and what I'm wondering is, how much have you lumped on the 'nailed on' LibDems?
    Don't put stuff in quotes unless it is a quote.
    Yep. Seconded. Shouldn't happen. Let's all try to be better.
  • TOPPING said:

    I am 6' 1" and 57 years old. I have managed to shift around five stone in the last 18 months. It has involved a complete change of lifestyle and a load more exercise to lose the weight and to keep it off. If Johnson is trying he has my sympathy as at our age it is incredibly tough to do. If you are PM, bone idle and the father of young kids I suspect it is next to impossible.

    Bloody hell five stone that's amazing. I think that type of weight shift for Johnson might kill him. People should be careful with such weight loss.

    Hope you're enjoying your new found sveltness.

    Being properly physically fit for the first time in decades is absolutely fantastic!

    Good for you, well done - pop the champagne :)
  • maaarshmaaarsh Posts: 3,391

    Johnson is a superb election campaigner.

    But he is a dreadful PM and clearly has no ideas, or policies, or anything he wants to achieve.

    Giving him a large majority has meant what? He could have done all of this on a majority of 1

    Unfortunately we couldn't give him a majority of 1 without risking your lunatic getting in.
  • Wait I am an elite PB protagonist, what an honour
  • maaarsh said:

    Johnson is a superb election campaigner.

    But he is a dreadful PM and clearly has no ideas, or policies, or anything he wants to achieve.

    Giving him a large majority has meant what? He could have done all of this on a majority of 1

    Unfortunately we couldn't give him a majority of 1 without risking your lunatic getting in.
    What a shameful act we put Corbyn up
  • Just been in for booster jab. Why @NicolaSturgeon. @HumzaYousaf am I being asked by a nurse about my ethnicity? One question survey, am I white Scottish or white British? No other questions. This is blatant political data collection and wholly inappropriate in a hospital setting!!

    https://twitter.com/PerthScot/status/1470330756266401792?s=20
  • MoonRabbitMoonRabbit Posts: 12,415
    Cyclefree said:

    Nigelb said:

    Cyclefree said:

    MattW said:

    @Philip_Thompson said BoJo was quite athletic. Are you having a laugh

    Quite happy doing 14 miles on a bike iirc, apparently.
    I have ridden a (non stationary) bike about five times in 20 years, two of those were for 15-20 miles without difficulty, not sure that makes me a cyclist or quite athletic, I am neither.
    My little 'un only learnt to properly ride this year, and he can do ten miles, including a decent climb. In fact, we did one on Saturday. Great father-son bonding time.

    Although he has absolutely no road sense at junctions; which makes it a little more fraught than I'd like. I try to plan the routes to have as few junctions as possible, and along quiet roads...
    The routes were pretty flat, I don't like climbing! Flat quiet roads, no rain, no cars and moderate temperature and I would be keen to cycle more. Not going to happen in London though!
    I cycled for decades round London. Have the scars and knee ops to prove it. Despite all this, the sporting injuries and the time spent with sports physios, my physique is not quite as sporting as I would like. This is most unfair I feel.
    Falstaff: Banish plump Jack, and banish all the world.
    Prince Henry: I do, I will.
    Hamlet: "Oh that this too too solid flesh would melt"
    King Duddlewit Act iv- away clabb profane o-er time to spank fartin wench on rich constituency and fill with murd.

    🙋‍♀️
  • TOPPINGTOPPING Posts: 40,950
    Dura_Ace said:

    Surely the problem with Peloton is that you buy the bike and then you never buy one again, I get they try to work around that with subscriptions but it's not like a phone, or a car that you have to replace.

    It's a bike you sit on and ride - and people keep bikes for a long time

    Peleton bikes are junk. Anybody who can drop serious Watts bombs will trash the bottom bracket in them in no time.
    Comes nowhere near an Apollo Highway and you know it.
  • Hi @TOPPING I hope you are well.
  • AnabobazinaAnabobazina Posts: 19,618

    In more sporting controversy, CL draw is void as they drew the wrong teams out.

    It's not unprecented. Back in the days when the FA Cup draw was done live on tv somebody read a 6 as a 9 and when the real 9 was picked....oops.

    Those of us familiar with the FA will know that this is about par for the course. In fact I should say they have got worse.
    Didn't Rod Stewart once pick the Scottish Cup draw when absolutely smashed?
  • Scott_xPScott_xP Posts: 32,739
    Oh dear Jenny Harries, oh dear Professor Dingbat and oh dear Isabel Oakeshott who wrote the piece.

    Operation Rampdown: Codename revealed in Government papers to dismantle key Covid measures next year


    https://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-10198985/Operation-Rampdown-Codename-revealed-Government-papers-dismantle-key-Covid-measures-year.html
  • TOPPINGTOPPING Posts: 40,950
    kinabalu said:

    TOPPING said:

    kinabalu said:

    kinabalu said:

    For @CorrectHorseBattery as I got it on the last thread too late -

    I remember when @Philip_Thompson told us that Johnson wasn't fat but just really muscular.

    I never said that.

    I said I found it entirely believable he was 17.5 stone when @kinabalu was saying there was no way he was that heavy.
    That's not what you meant and we both know it
    What was actually said -

    "@kinabalu said:
    BoJo was NOT seventeen and a half stone (!) before the virus He's only 5 ft 8 inches tall. If he had weighed that much he would have looked like Mr Creosote.

    Is he spinning yet another self-serving yarn?"

    "@Philip_Thompson said:

    17 and a half stone isn't anywhere near as much as that!

    Besides he's quite athletic as well as being on the heavy side. Remember that muscle is heavier by volume than fat so two people of the same volume can weigh quite different amounts."
    15 May 2020

    https://vf.politicalbetting.com/discussion/comment/2856928/#Comment_2856928

    This was followed by 18 months of @kinabalu claiming Phil had said Boris was "mainly muscle"
    Great news you've unearthed the source material since it shows that - my horsing around aside - there is a solid basis to the scandal.

    It started with me casting doubt on Johnson's claim to have been 17.5 stone pre Covid. The suspicion (of mine) was he'd exaggerated this in order to exaggerate his weight loss due to his illness. To in turn exaggerate how serious it'd been for him.

    I still have this suspicion but this is not the point. The point is that Philip Thompson leapt in and opined that the MMM could easily have been that heavy despite being quite short and that the reason he wouldn't have looked like Danny DeVito is that he is of 'athletic build' with a 'high muscle to fat ratio'.

    So there we are. I dropped it ages ago but I make no apology for running with it for a while. It merited that. It was peak PT BJ adoration. A real moment in time.
    Sorry but you're talking absolute bollocks. I never said he has a 'high muscle to fat ratio', that's literally not in the quote. You're inventing your own words.

    I said he is 'athletic' as well as 'on the heavy side' and he is.

    17.5 stone is nothing that special for someone 5'8" its entirely believable and not remotely Mr Creosote.
    "He's quite athletic as well as being on the heavy side. Remember that muscle is heavier by volume than fat so two people of the same volume can weigh quite different amounts."

    That's your notorious quote in its full and unadorned state.

    Do I seriously misrepresent it with "of athletic build with a high muscle to fat ratio"?

    I think not but I'm happy for the select band of those interested to make up their own mind.

    Whole thing is ancient history anyway. We have a by-election this week and what I'm wondering is, how much have you lumped on the 'nailed on' LibDems?
    Don't put stuff in quotes unless it is a quote.
    Yep. Seconded. Shouldn't happen. Let's all try to be like TOPPING.
    Agree. It's a tough ask though.
  • OldKingColeOldKingCole Posts: 31,718

    Dura_Ace said:

    Surely the problem with Peloton is that you buy the bike and then you never buy one again, I get they try to work around that with subscriptions but it's not like a phone, or a car that you have to replace.

    It's a bike you sit on and ride - and people keep bikes for a long time

    Peleton bikes are junk. Anybody who can drop serious Watts bombs will trash the bottom bracket in them in no time.
    Why not just go for a bike ride? I have never understood the appeal of biking in your own living room.
    AIUI there's a sort of imitation sat nav on the front of the thing and you can pretend you're riding through Paris or Bangkok and waving at the girls.
    Or doing something insane, like cycling from Calais to Rome.

    Or something like that.
  • TOPPINGTOPPING Posts: 40,950

    Hi @TOPPING I hope you are well.

    Very well thanks - hope you are also.
  • TOPPING said:

    kinabalu said:

    TOPPING said:

    kinabalu said:

    kinabalu said:

    For @CorrectHorseBattery as I got it on the last thread too late -

    I remember when @Philip_Thompson told us that Johnson wasn't fat but just really muscular.

    I never said that.

    I said I found it entirely believable he was 17.5 stone when @kinabalu was saying there was no way he was that heavy.
    That's not what you meant and we both know it
    What was actually said -

    "@kinabalu said:
    BoJo was NOT seventeen and a half stone (!) before the virus He's only 5 ft 8 inches tall. If he had weighed that much he would have looked like Mr Creosote.

    Is he spinning yet another self-serving yarn?"

    "@Philip_Thompson said:

    17 and a half stone isn't anywhere near as much as that!

    Besides he's quite athletic as well as being on the heavy side. Remember that muscle is heavier by volume than fat so two people of the same volume can weigh quite different amounts."
    15 May 2020

    https://vf.politicalbetting.com/discussion/comment/2856928/#Comment_2856928

    This was followed by 18 months of @kinabalu claiming Phil had said Boris was "mainly muscle"
    Great news you've unearthed the source material since it shows that - my horsing around aside - there is a solid basis to the scandal.

    It started with me casting doubt on Johnson's claim to have been 17.5 stone pre Covid. The suspicion (of mine) was he'd exaggerated this in order to exaggerate his weight loss due to his illness. To in turn exaggerate how serious it'd been for him.

    I still have this suspicion but this is not the point. The point is that Philip Thompson leapt in and opined that the MMM could easily have been that heavy despite being quite short and that the reason he wouldn't have looked like Danny DeVito is that he is of 'athletic build' with a 'high muscle to fat ratio'.

    So there we are. I dropped it ages ago but I make no apology for running with it for a while. It merited that. It was peak PT BJ adoration. A real moment in time.
    Sorry but you're talking absolute bollocks. I never said he has a 'high muscle to fat ratio', that's literally not in the quote. You're inventing your own words.

    I said he is 'athletic' as well as 'on the heavy side' and he is.

    17.5 stone is nothing that special for someone 5'8" its entirely believable and not remotely Mr Creosote.
    "He's quite athletic as well as being on the heavy side. Remember that muscle is heavier by volume than fat so two people of the same volume can weigh quite different amounts."

    That's your notorious quote in its full and unadorned state.

    Do I seriously misrepresent it with "of athletic build with a high muscle to fat ratio"?

    I think not but I'm happy for the select band of those interested to make up their own mind.

    Whole thing is ancient history anyway. We have a by-election this week and what I'm wondering is, how much have you lumped on the 'nailed on' LibDems?
    Don't put stuff in quotes unless it is a quote.
    Yep. Seconded. Shouldn't happen. Let's all try to be like TOPPING.
    Agree. It's a tough ask though.
    You're top!
  • SandyRentoolSandyRentool Posts: 20,401
    WFH anecdote:

    Around a dozen in our team meeting this morning. Only one in the office.
  • OldKingColeOldKingCole Posts: 31,718
    edited December 2021
    Good news. Son 2 has found 2 packs of LFTests. In Boots, Southampton I think.
  • Dura_Ace said:

    Surely the problem with Peloton is that you buy the bike and then you never buy one again, I get they try to work around that with subscriptions but it's not like a phone, or a car that you have to replace.

    It's a bike you sit on and ride - and people keep bikes for a long time

    Peleton bikes are junk. Anybody who can drop serious Watts bombs will trash the bottom bracket in them in no time.
    Why not just go for a bike ride? I have never understood the appeal of biking in your own living room.
    AIUI there's a sort of imitation sat nav on the front of the thing and you can pretend you're riding through Paris or Bangkok and waving at the girls.
    Or doing something insane, like cycling from Calais to Rome.

    Or something like that.
    They charge extra for one that ups the resistance
  • AnabobazinaAnabobazina Posts: 19,618

    Dura_Ace said:

    Surely the problem with Peloton is that you buy the bike and then you never buy one again, I get they try to work around that with subscriptions but it's not like a phone, or a car that you have to replace.

    It's a bike you sit on and ride - and people keep bikes for a long time

    Peleton bikes are junk. Anybody who can drop serious Watts bombs will trash the bottom bracket in them in no time.
    Why not just go for a bike ride? I have never understood the appeal of biking in your own living room.
    AIUI there's a sort of imitation sat nav on the front of the thing and you can pretend you're riding through Paris or Bangkok and waving at the girls.
    Or doing something insane, like cycling from Calais to Rome.

    Or something like that.
    Sounds erm... weird. When there are real streets and real countryside to be had. But, some people seem to want to actively increase the amount of screens in their lives, for some unknown reason.
  • GallowgateGallowgate Posts: 19,072

    Dura_Ace said:

    Surely the problem with Peloton is that you buy the bike and then you never buy one again, I get they try to work around that with subscriptions but it's not like a phone, or a car that you have to replace.

    It's a bike you sit on and ride - and people keep bikes for a long time

    Peleton bikes are junk. Anybody who can drop serious Watts bombs will trash the bottom bracket in them in no time.
    Why not just go for a bike ride? I have never understood the appeal of biking in your own living room.
    If it’s cold, wet, icey, or you want to watch Netflix at the same time
  • maaarshmaaarsh Posts: 3,391
    For what it's worth, just checking in with relatives in New York and they're hearing absolutely nothing about Omicron over there. Maybe our scientists are back to being world leading, or maybe we're engaging in a politically motivated distraction panic.
  • eekeek Posts: 24,797

    Just been in for booster jab. Why @NicolaSturgeon. @HumzaYousaf am I being asked by a nurse about my ethnicity? One question survey, am I white Scottish or white British? No other questions. This is blatant political data collection and wholly inappropriate in a hospital setting!!

    https://twitter.com/PerthScot/status/1470330756266401792?s=20

    surely it's better to explicitly ask for the data rather than collecting it inaccurately via stealth.
  • Dura_Ace said:

    Surely the problem with Peloton is that you buy the bike and then you never buy one again, I get they try to work around that with subscriptions but it's not like a phone, or a car that you have to replace.

    It's a bike you sit on and ride - and people keep bikes for a long time

    Peleton bikes are junk. Anybody who can drop serious Watts bombs will trash the bottom bracket in them in no time.
    Why not just go for a bike ride? I have never understood the appeal of biking in your own living room.
    AIUI there's a sort of imitation sat nav on the front of the thing and you can pretend you're riding through Paris or Bangkok and waving at the girls.
    Or doing something insane, like cycling from Calais to Rome.

    Or something like that.
    Zwift is great. I have put in 1000kms over the pandemic.
  • CookieCookie Posts: 11,184
    Scott_xP said:

    Oh dear Jenny Harries, oh dear Professor Dingbat and oh dear Isabel Oakeshott who wrote the piece.

    Operation Rampdown: Codename revealed in Government papers to dismantle key Covid measures next year


    https://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-10198985/Operation-Rampdown-Codename-revealed-Government-papers-dismantle-key-Covid-measures-year.html

    Finally some indication that someone views this situation as temporary. First good news I've had all day. I've been seriously gloomy today at what now appears to be the Labour line that they would never have demasked (or indeed allowed any other sort of freedoms) in the first place over summer - the subtext of which is that if it were down to them then this is it, forever.
  • maaarshmaaarsh Posts: 3,391

    WFH anecdote:

    Around a dozen in our team meeting this morning. Only one in the office.

    Can confirm this anecdote, 5 times a day for last 18 months.
  • OldKingColeOldKingCole Posts: 31,718

    Dura_Ace said:

    Surely the problem with Peloton is that you buy the bike and then you never buy one again, I get they try to work around that with subscriptions but it's not like a phone, or a car that you have to replace.

    It's a bike you sit on and ride - and people keep bikes for a long time

    Peleton bikes are junk. Anybody who can drop serious Watts bombs will trash the bottom bracket in them in no time.
    Why not just go for a bike ride? I have never understood the appeal of biking in your own living room.
    AIUI there's a sort of imitation sat nav on the front of the thing and you can pretend you're riding through Paris or Bangkok and waving at the girls.
    Or doing something insane, like cycling from Calais to Rome.

    Or something like that.
    They charge extra for one that ups the resistance
    Not, I am reliably informed, something you have to worry about with some at least of the girls in Bangkok.
  • Dura_Ace said:

    Surely the problem with Peloton is that you buy the bike and then you never buy one again, I get they try to work around that with subscriptions but it's not like a phone, or a car that you have to replace.

    It's a bike you sit on and ride - and people keep bikes for a long time

    Peleton bikes are junk. Anybody who can drop serious Watts bombs will trash the bottom bracket in them in no time.
    Why not just go for a bike ride? I have never understood the appeal of biking in your own living room.
    AIUI there's a sort of imitation sat nav on the front of the thing and you can pretend you're riding through Paris or Bangkok and waving at the girls.
    Or doing something insane, like cycling from Calais to Rome.

    Or something like that.
    They charge extra for one that ups the resistance
    Not, I am reliably informed, something you have to worry about with some at least of the girls in Bangkok.
    You naughty boy
  • Apparently Seb Coe, who's the same height, weighs eight and a half stone.
  • Philip_ThompsonPhilip_Thompson Posts: 65,826
    edited December 2021
    maaarsh said:

    For what it's worth, just checking in with relatives in New York and they're hearing absolutely nothing about Omicron over there. Maybe our scientists are back to being world leading, or maybe we're engaging in a politically motivated distraction panic.

    I doubt it's politically motivated.

    Instead I think our scientists, media and politicians have lost all sense of reality, responsibility and reasonable risk awareness. Covid has become the be all and end all.

    It's like in films when someone is hyperventilating, we need someone to metaphorically slap them in the face and say "get a grip".

    The problem we have is the media and opposition are even worse than the government. When the only voices of sanity is coming from people like Steve Baker, we have a problem!
  • kinabalukinabalu Posts: 38,851
    TOPPING said:

    kinabalu said:

    TOPPING said:

    kinabalu said:

    kinabalu said:

    For @CorrectHorseBattery as I got it on the last thread too late -

    I remember when @Philip_Thompson told us that Johnson wasn't fat but just really muscular.

    I never said that.

    I said I found it entirely believable he was 17.5 stone when @kinabalu was saying there was no way he was that heavy.
    That's not what you meant and we both know it
    What was actually said -

    "@kinabalu said:
    BoJo was NOT seventeen and a half stone (!) before the virus He's only 5 ft 8 inches tall. If he had weighed that much he would have looked like Mr Creosote.

    Is he spinning yet another self-serving yarn?"

    "@Philip_Thompson said:

    17 and a half stone isn't anywhere near as much as that!

    Besides he's quite athletic as well as being on the heavy side. Remember that muscle is heavier by volume than fat so two people of the same volume can weigh quite different amounts."
    15 May 2020

    https://vf.politicalbetting.com/discussion/comment/2856928/#Comment_2856928

    This was followed by 18 months of @kinabalu claiming Phil had said Boris was "mainly muscle"
    Great news you've unearthed the source material since it shows that - my horsing around aside - there is a solid basis to the scandal.

    It started with me casting doubt on Johnson's claim to have been 17.5 stone pre Covid. The suspicion (of mine) was he'd exaggerated this in order to exaggerate his weight loss due to his illness. To in turn exaggerate how serious it'd been for him.

    I still have this suspicion but this is not the point. The point is that Philip Thompson leapt in and opined that the MMM could easily have been that heavy despite being quite short and that the reason he wouldn't have looked like Danny DeVito is that he is of 'athletic build' with a 'high muscle to fat ratio'.

    So there we are. I dropped it ages ago but I make no apology for running with it for a while. It merited that. It was peak PT BJ adoration. A real moment in time.
    Sorry but you're talking absolute bollocks. I never said he has a 'high muscle to fat ratio', that's literally not in the quote. You're inventing your own words.

    I said he is 'athletic' as well as 'on the heavy side' and he is.

    17.5 stone is nothing that special for someone 5'8" its entirely believable and not remotely Mr Creosote.
    "He's quite athletic as well as being on the heavy side. Remember that muscle is heavier by volume than fat so two people of the same volume can weigh quite different amounts."

    That's your notorious quote in its full and unadorned state.

    Do I seriously misrepresent it with "of athletic build with a high muscle to fat ratio"?

    I think not but I'm happy for the select band of those interested to make up their own mind.

    Whole thing is ancient history anyway. We have a by-election this week and what I'm wondering is, how much have you lumped on the 'nailed on' LibDems?
    Don't put stuff in quotes unless it is a quote.
    Yep. Seconded. Shouldn't happen. Let's all try to be like TOPPING.
    Agree. It's a tough ask though.

    Still, the main thing is not to rewrite someone's post just in order to do a smartarse reply. Because that'd be the total end of site integrity.
    You know, despite our differences, you and I are bang on the same wavelength sometimes. It's a little bit spooky. :smile:
  • SelebianSelebian Posts: 7,257

    Good news. Son 2 has found 2 packs of LFTests. In Boots, Southampton I think.

    For anyone struggling, migh be worth trying a uni if there's one nearby.

    My employer has been handing them out like crazy, multiple places to pick them up on campus and a few weeks ago they appeared in our departmental tea room. No questions asked about staff/student status on collecting from any of the collection points either (they're identical too and packaged just like the gov.uk ordered ones, so I'm assuming they're the same source and not costing the university anything, but the university presumably has a fair stash and, with more people working from home likely lessened demaned for on campus collection).
  • The most incredible thing about Peleton, they lost money during the pandemic.....apparently they kept advertising to such a crazy extent, such their customer acquisition costs were so high they never making it back.

    Lost 16% market cap last week because they authorised Sex and the City to use their name but did not enquire about the plot. It was to kill off Mr Big with a heart attack.
    The management sounds like they are totally incompetent.

    Apparently their profit margin on each bike is hardly anything, so they need the subscriptions. The advertising spend they did during the pandemic, they literally kept doubling down, to the extent where they needed to be converting new customers at rates they have never achieved before and for them to become members for lengths like they have never managed, for a niche product that costs £2k to start and then £40 / month...so its not like you are flogging stuff in a pound shop. The number of people in the world who can even afford their product is seriously capped.
    And then they reduced the price of their product, which must have seriously pissed off those who had recently purchased at the full price.
  • TOPPINGTOPPING Posts: 40,950
    kinabalu said:

    TOPPING said:

    kinabalu said:

    TOPPING said:

    kinabalu said:

    kinabalu said:

    For @CorrectHorseBattery as I got it on the last thread too late -

    I remember when @Philip_Thompson told us that Johnson wasn't fat but just really muscular.

    I never said that.

    I said I found it entirely believable he was 17.5 stone when @kinabalu was saying there was no way he was that heavy.
    That's not what you meant and we both know it
    What was actually said -

    "@kinabalu said:
    BoJo was NOT seventeen and a half stone (!) before the virus He's only 5 ft 8 inches tall. If he had weighed that much he would have looked like Mr Creosote.

    Is he spinning yet another self-serving yarn?"

    "@Philip_Thompson said:

    17 and a half stone isn't anywhere near as much as that!

    Besides he's quite athletic as well as being on the heavy side. Remember that muscle is heavier by volume than fat so two people of the same volume can weigh quite different amounts."
    15 May 2020

    https://vf.politicalbetting.com/discussion/comment/2856928/#Comment_2856928

    This was followed by 18 months of @kinabalu claiming Phil had said Boris was "mainly muscle"
    Great news you've unearthed the source material since it shows that - my horsing around aside - there is a solid basis to the scandal.

    It started with me casting doubt on Johnson's claim to have been 17.5 stone pre Covid. The suspicion (of mine) was he'd exaggerated this in order to exaggerate his weight loss due to his illness. To in turn exaggerate how serious it'd been for him.

    I still have this suspicion but this is not the point. The point is that Philip Thompson leapt in and opined that the MMM could easily have been that heavy despite being quite short and that the reason he wouldn't have looked like Danny DeVito is that he is of 'athletic build' with a 'high muscle to fat ratio'.

    So there we are. I dropped it ages ago but I make no apology for running with it for a while. It merited that. It was peak PT BJ adoration. A real moment in time.
    Sorry but you're talking absolute bollocks. I never said he has a 'high muscle to fat ratio', that's literally not in the quote. You're inventing your own words.

    I said he is 'athletic' as well as 'on the heavy side' and he is.

    17.5 stone is nothing that special for someone 5'8" its entirely believable and not remotely Mr Creosote.
    "He's quite athletic as well as being on the heavy side. Remember that muscle is heavier by volume than fat so two people of the same volume can weigh quite different amounts."

    That's your notorious quote in its full and unadorned state.

    Do I seriously misrepresent it with "of athletic build with a high muscle to fat ratio"?

    I think not but I'm happy for the select band of those interested to make up their own mind.

    Whole thing is ancient history anyway. We have a by-election this week and what I'm wondering is, how much have you lumped on the 'nailed on' LibDems?
    Don't put stuff in quotes unless it is a quote.
    Yep. Seconded. Shouldn't happen. Let's all try to be like TOPPING.
    Agree. It's a tough ask though.

    Still, the main thing is not to rewrite someone's post just in order to do a smartarse reply. Because that'd be the total end of site integrity.
    You know, despite our differences, you and I are bang on the same wavelength sometimes. It's a little bit spooky. :smile:
    I am very flattered.
  • MalmesburyMalmesbury Posts: 43,624

    Freedom loving Tory MPs who value liberty above all else are disgusted about people having to take covid tests before going to big events, but have no problem in supporting the state's right to take away someone's UK citizenship without telling them and banning peaceful protest. It's almost as if they are hypocritical shysters who care about their freedom to do as they want but do not give a monkey's bollock for anyone else's.

    You've met them then?
    I had a strange one just yesterday - someone declared that my wanting Begum put on trial for war crimes was "nasty and disgusting".

    The context was that I didn't think her citizenship should have been removed. But that she should be tried for the crimes she committed.
    I entirely agree. Begum is a British citizen accused of crimes. So lets try her, not wash our hands of her.
    Try her and lock her up for life if that is the handed sentence. We’re a nation proud of criminal justice, we do not wash our hands of our criminals
    It is interesting that I've had the same response from several people in the legal/human rights line - prosecuting non-state actors under war crimes law is apparently "immoral"

    Despite the laws in question being quite specific about classifying non-state actors, the crimes they can be charged with, and how they should be treated.

    Mention that the Hague conventions was drawn up with a large amount of participation by British officers who'd served in Afghanistan and was specifically concerned with issue regarding Francs-tireurs that came out of the 1870 war.... well that causes them to get really upset.

    Why is this?

    My point is that if you protect people such a Begum from the consequences of their actions, then bad ideas will be found as how to punish them.....
    That sounds complicated. She is clearly a traitor.
    Someone (effectively) abolished treason.

    In one such discussion, someone was going on about the Human Right to chose allegiance - which they interpreted as the right to go a fight against your own country if you feel like it.

    I asked if, in that case, if I was OK starting the first Rondas Campesinas in West London and "rm -rf" the... inconvenient?
    That last sentence makes zero sense to me.
    I was asking if variable geometry loyalty is the thing, then can I start my own death squad*?

    *With funky cultural roots.
  • SandraMcSandraMc Posts: 582
    Cyclefree said:

    MattW said:

    @Philip_Thompson said BoJo was quite athletic. Are you having a laugh

    Quite happy doing 14 miles on a bike iirc, apparently.
    I have ridden a (non stationary) bike about five times in 20 years, two of those were for 15-20 miles without difficulty, not sure that makes me a cyclist or quite athletic, I am neither.
    My little 'un only learnt to properly ride this year, and he can do ten miles, including a decent climb. In fact, we did one on Saturday. Great father-son bonding time.

    Although he has absolutely no road sense at junctions; which makes it a little more fraught than I'd like. I try to plan the routes to have as few junctions as possible, and along quiet roads...
    The routes were pretty flat, I don't like climbing! Flat quiet roads, no rain, no cars and moderate temperature and I would be keen to cycle more. Not going to happen in London though!
    I cycled for decades round London. Have the scars and knee ops to prove it. Despite all this, the sporting injuries and the time spent with sports physios, my physique is not quite as sporting as I would like. This is most unfair I feel.
    When I worked in London, on three separate occasions someone I worked with announced that in future they were going to cycle to work. We had weeks of them bragging about how fit they were and the money they were saving before in each case they had a crash which put them off (one case of cracked ribs, one broken arm and one concussion and shock).
  • moonshinemoonshine Posts: 5,226
    maaarsh said:

    For what it's worth, just checking in with relatives in New York and they're hearing absolutely nothing about Omicron over there. Maybe our scientists are back to being world leading, or maybe we're engaging in a politically motivated distraction panic.

    The absence of coverage in the US by itself doesn’t mean much, given how far behind the curve they were on wave 1 and everything since. But… what the bedwetters should have to explain is why there is minimal media coverage of Omicron in the supposed ground zero of South Africa.

    Denmark is covering the story (though not at the top of bulletins) and they’ve reduced the gap between dose 2 and 3 to to 3 months as well. But their PM isn’t going on prime time telly comparing it to a war effort.

    It would all be deeply puzzling, were it not blindingly obvious why the British government has formed the narrative that it has.
  • FarooqFarooq Posts: 10,775

    Farooq said:

    https://twitter.com/PippaCrerar/status/1470387309212221446

    Philip will be along to explain to us why lying is actually good

    Lying is what politicians do. It isn't good.
    Farooq said:

    https://twitter.com/PippaCrerar/status/1470387309212221446

    Philip will be along to explain to us why lying is actually good

    Philip leads by example
    Indeed I've never lied here. If you want to slander me, then please say a lie I've said. Having a different opinion to you isn't a lie.
    It's not slander; I've detailed your lies in the previous conversation.
    You are a liar who lies, and you got upset when I detailed them. Nothing more to say.
    You lied. You claimed I said "masks don't work" when I actually said "mask mandates don't work".

    Then you dug in and quoted me saying "mask mandates don't work" and claimed that as proof of me saying "masks don't work". Its not, its proof of me saying "mask mandates don't work".

    If you want to change or omit the words someone says, then put words they didn't say in quotation marks, then you are the one who is dishonest. If you have to change what someone said to mock or insult them, then you've already lost the argument - and your credibility.
    you're still lying
  • Dura_Ace said:

    Surely the problem with Peloton is that you buy the bike and then you never buy one again, I get they try to work around that with subscriptions but it's not like a phone, or a car that you have to replace.

    It's a bike you sit on and ride - and people keep bikes for a long time

    Peleton bikes are junk. Anybody who can drop serious Watts bombs will trash the bottom bracket in them in no time.
    Why not just go for a bike ride? I have never understood the appeal of biking in your own living room.
    Weather and cars.
  • MexicanpeteMexicanpete Posts: 24,586

    maaarsh said:

    Johnson is a superb election campaigner.

    But he is a dreadful PM and clearly has no ideas, or policies, or anything he wants to achieve.

    Giving him a large majority has meant what? He could have done all of this on a majority of 1

    Unfortunately we couldn't give him a majority of 1 without risking your lunatic getting in.
    What a shameful act we put Corbyn up
    Given the choice between a wings-clipped Corbyn minority or a Johnson majority, I'd take Jezza.
  • SelebianSelebian Posts: 7,257
    Booster news - two booked (wife's and mine) at same time on Saturday.

    Only slight wrinkle is that it's ten miles away rather than the vaccination centre in town where we had jabs one and two. I assume that was fully booked, but it wasn't shown at all, even for later appointments (could it be closed - more centralisation/bigger centres to speed things up? Tricky for anyone without a car though...) It was open last weekend. Not a complaint, just an observation.
  • 380,359 booster vaccinations in United Kingdom exc Wales yesterday (273,070 the previous Sunday)

    England 333,866
    Scotland 38,343
    NI 8,150


    https://twitter.com/HugoGye/status/1470394040671780878?s=20
  • Farooq said:

    Farooq said:

    https://twitter.com/PippaCrerar/status/1470387309212221446

    Philip will be along to explain to us why lying is actually good

    Lying is what politicians do. It isn't good.
    Farooq said:

    https://twitter.com/PippaCrerar/status/1470387309212221446

    Philip will be along to explain to us why lying is actually good

    Philip leads by example
    Indeed I've never lied here. If you want to slander me, then please say a lie I've said. Having a different opinion to you isn't a lie.
    It's not slander; I've detailed your lies in the previous conversation.
    You are a liar who lies, and you got upset when I detailed them. Nothing more to say.
    You lied. You claimed I said "masks don't work" when I actually said "mask mandates don't work".

    Then you dug in and quoted me saying "mask mandates don't work" and claimed that as proof of me saying "masks don't work". Its not, its proof of me saying "mask mandates don't work".

    If you want to change or omit the words someone says, then put words they didn't say in quotation marks, then you are the one who is dishonest. If you have to change what someone said to mock or insult them, then you've already lost the argument - and your credibility.
    you're still lying
    You are. I said mask mandates, you claimed I said masks then literally quoted me saying mask mandates.

    You have no integrity it seems. You could have admitted you had made a mistake, not understanding the distinction between the two, but you didn't.
  • LostPasswordLostPassword Posts: 14,772
    edited December 2021

    Recently back from my PCR test which was significantly busier than last week's PCR test at the same site on the same day / time. Still personally feeling fine and enjoying personal lockdown with hope of a brief release before it goes national.

    Someone mentioned above that Covid appears to be everywhere. My train travel on Saturday (Inverurie - York and back having had to can the London trip whilst en-route) was impacted by Covid. Lack of staff on trains causing issues. On work issues DHL are having a mare at the moment with Covid hitting multiple depots staff. And we have various football teams starting to fall.

    Given that (a) we were all vaccinated against it and (b) haven't caught it despite 40k cases per day for months, my guess is that the strain that has hit my household is Omega. Mrs RP is vaxxed but its still absolutely clobbered her. Roasting hot alternating with freezing cold. Hacking cough alternating with "its like breathing glue". Raging headaches that no pills hit the sides of. Vivid nightmares alternated with no energy but can't sleep.

    OK so she isn't in hospital (and lets hope it stays that way). But as with my 10 year-old daughter last week I have never seen her this ill.

    I hope your wife recovers soon and you manage to dodge it.

    I guess no-one is ever told what variant they have if their positive PCR sample is sequenced.
  • FarooqFarooq Posts: 10,775

    Farooq said:

    Farooq said:

    https://twitter.com/PippaCrerar/status/1470387309212221446

    Philip will be along to explain to us why lying is actually good

    Lying is what politicians do. It isn't good.
    Farooq said:

    https://twitter.com/PippaCrerar/status/1470387309212221446

    Philip will be along to explain to us why lying is actually good

    Philip leads by example
    Indeed I've never lied here. If you want to slander me, then please say a lie I've said. Having a different opinion to you isn't a lie.
    It's not slander; I've detailed your lies in the previous conversation.
    You are a liar who lies, and you got upset when I detailed them. Nothing more to say.
    You lied. You claimed I said "masks don't work" when I actually said "mask mandates don't work".

    Then you dug in and quoted me saying "mask mandates don't work" and claimed that as proof of me saying "masks don't work". Its not, its proof of me saying "mask mandates don't work".

    If you want to change or omit the words someone says, then put words they didn't say in quotation marks, then you are the one who is dishonest. If you have to change what someone said to mock or insult them, then you've already lost the argument - and your credibility.
    you're still lying
    You are. I said mask mandates, you claimed I said masks then literally quoted me saying mask mandates.

    You have no integrity it seems. You could have admitted you had made a mistake, not understanding the distinction between the two, but you didn't.
    lies lies lies. liar philip is lying still
  • CookieCookie Posts: 11,184

    maaarsh said:

    Johnson is a superb election campaigner.

    But he is a dreadful PM and clearly has no ideas, or policies, or anything he wants to achieve.

    Giving him a large majority has meant what? He could have done all of this on a majority of 1

    Unfortunately we couldn't give him a majority of 1 without risking your lunatic getting in.
    What a shameful act we put Corbyn up
    Given the choice between a wings-clipped Corbyn minority or a Johnson majority, I'd take Jezza.
    Not me - because his wings would only be clipped by the whims of the SNP, who have no interest in the long-term future of the UK.
  • JosiasJessopJosiasJessop Posts: 38,517

    Dura_Ace said:

    Surely the problem with Peloton is that you buy the bike and then you never buy one again, I get they try to work around that with subscriptions but it's not like a phone, or a car that you have to replace.

    It's a bike you sit on and ride - and people keep bikes for a long time

    Peleton bikes are junk. Anybody who can drop serious Watts bombs will trash the bottom bracket in them in no time.
    Why not just go for a bike ride? I have never understood the appeal of biking in your own living room.
    AIUI there's a sort of imitation sat nav on the front of the thing and you can pretend you're riding through Paris or Bangkok and waving at the girls.
    Or doing something insane, like cycling from Calais to Rome.

    Or something like that.
    Sounds erm... weird. When there are real streets and real countryside to be had. But, some people seem to want to actively increase the amount of screens in their lives, for some unknown reason.
    We don't really have space for a treadmill or bike (and I'm tight), but sometimes running or cycling outside can be a bit of a hassle. I wake up early, and at this time of year a run can mean putting my headtorch on, a reflective jacket and a flashing armband, driving to my run, running, driving back, showering, and then going on PB. ;)

    I can see the appeal of just chucking on some tracksuit bottoms, going into the spare room and doing ten K on a treadmill whilst watching something on Prime. It probably saves 45-60 minutes - and is much safer.

    Also, I know someone with a bike who apparently does ten minutes on it between her meetings whilst WFH; slow or fast depending on how she feels after the previous meeting. She swears by it; says it calms her down and clears her mind.

    Each to their own.
  • 380,359 booster vaccinations in United Kingdom exc Wales yesterday (273,070 the previous Sunday)

    England 333,866
    Scotland 38,343
    NI 8,150


    https://twitter.com/HugoGye/status/1470394040671780878?s=20

    Going to have to 4x that.....
  • maaarsh said:

    For what it's worth, just checking in with relatives in New York and they're hearing absolutely nothing about Omicron over there. Maybe our scientists are back to being world leading, or maybe we're engaging in a politically motivated distraction panic.

    Cases in NY are at the highest all year now.
  • More than 110,000 people booked their booster jab before 9am this morning – incredible numbers.

    We are seeing record demand for bookings as we ramp up our booster programme to protect the nation against the Omicron variant.
    https://twitter.com/sajidjavid/status/1470396285349937159?s=20
  • moonshinemoonshine Posts: 5,226
    Farooq said:

    Farooq said:

    Farooq said:

    https://twitter.com/PippaCrerar/status/1470387309212221446

    Philip will be along to explain to us why lying is actually good

    Lying is what politicians do. It isn't good.
    Farooq said:

    https://twitter.com/PippaCrerar/status/1470387309212221446

    Philip will be along to explain to us why lying is actually good

    Philip leads by example
    Indeed I've never lied here. If you want to slander me, then please say a lie I've said. Having a different opinion to you isn't a lie.
    It's not slander; I've detailed your lies in the previous conversation.
    You are a liar who lies, and you got upset when I detailed them. Nothing more to say.
    You lied. You claimed I said "masks don't work" when I actually said "mask mandates don't work".

    Then you dug in and quoted me saying "mask mandates don't work" and claimed that as proof of me saying "masks don't work". Its not, its proof of me saying "mask mandates don't work".

    If you want to change or omit the words someone says, then put words they didn't say in quotation marks, then you are the one who is dishonest. If you have to change what someone said to mock or insult them, then you've already lost the argument - and your credibility.
    you're still lying
    You are. I said mask mandates, you claimed I said masks then literally quoted me saying mask mandates.

    You have no integrity it seems. You could have admitted you had made a mistake, not understanding the distinction between the two, but you didn't.
    lies lies lies. liar philip is lying still
    Your unparliamentary language is quite unbecoming, particularly given PT has been very clear to differentiate between “masks” and “mask mandates”.
  • JosiasJessopJosiasJessop Posts: 38,517
    Cyclefree said:

    Cyclefree said:

    MattW said:

    @Philip_Thompson said BoJo was quite athletic. Are you having a laugh

    Quite happy doing 14 miles on a bike iirc, apparently.
    I have ridden a (non stationary) bike about five times in 20 years, two of those were for 15-20 miles without difficulty, not sure that makes me a cyclist or quite athletic, I am neither.
    My little 'un only learnt to properly ride this year, and he can do ten miles, including a decent climb. In fact, we did one on Saturday. Great father-son bonding time.

    Although he has absolutely no road sense at junctions; which makes it a little more fraught than I'd like. I try to plan the routes to have as few junctions as possible, and along quiet roads...
    The routes were pretty flat, I don't like climbing! Flat quiet roads, no rain, no cars and moderate temperature and I would be keen to cycle more. Not going to happen in London though!
    I cycled for decades round London. Have the scars and knee ops to prove it. Despite all this, the sporting injuries and the time spent with sports physios, my physique is not quite as sporting as I would like. This is most unfair I feel.
    I've done at least one run every day this year, and am at 2,643 miles run. I am the same weight as I was last December. Technically overweight according to BMI. Although my thigh muscles are massive and my buttocks could crack walnuts. ;)

    Your body gets used to regular exercise, and it has less effect.
    Slightly TMI there I feel .......
    Something Mrs J says about them. A quote from Absolutely Fabulous, I believe ...
  • The most incredible thing about Peleton, they lost money during the pandemic.....apparently they kept advertising to such a crazy extent, such their customer acquisition costs were so high they never making it back.

    Lost 16% market cap last week because they authorised Sex and the City to use their name but did not enquire about the plot. It was to kill off Mr Big with a heart attack.
    The management sounds like they are totally incompetent.

    Apparently their profit margin on each bike is hardly anything, so they need the subscriptions. The advertising spend they did during the pandemic, they literally kept doubling down, to the extent where they needed to be converting new customers at rates they have never achieved before and for them to become members for lengths like they have never managed, for a niche product that costs £2k to start and then £40 / month...so its not like you are flogging stuff in a pound shop. The number of people in the world who can even afford their product is seriously capped.
    And then they reduced the price of their product, which must have seriously pissed off those who had recently purchased at the full price.

    The real value in Peloton as a business is the data it owns. As long as that is being stored and managed properly, it is going to be fine.

  • kinabalukinabalu Posts: 38,851

    Farooq said:

    Farooq said:

    https://twitter.com/PippaCrerar/status/1470387309212221446

    Philip will be along to explain to us why lying is actually good

    Lying is what politicians do. It isn't good.
    Farooq said:

    https://twitter.com/PippaCrerar/status/1470387309212221446

    Philip will be along to explain to us why lying is actually good

    Philip leads by example
    Indeed I've never lied here. If you want to slander me, then please say a lie I've said. Having a different opinion to you isn't a lie.
    It's not slander; I've detailed your lies in the previous conversation.
    You are a liar who lies, and you got upset when I detailed them. Nothing more to say.
    You lied. You claimed I said "masks don't work" when I actually said "mask mandates don't work".

    Then you dug in and quoted me saying "mask mandates don't work" and claimed that as proof of me saying "masks don't work". Its not, its proof of me saying "mask mandates don't work".

    If you want to change or omit the words someone says, then put words they didn't say in quotation marks, then you are the one who is dishonest. If you have to change what someone said to mock or insult them, then you've already lost the argument - and your credibility.
    you're still lying
    You are. I said mask mandates, you claimed I said masks then literally quoted me saying mask mandates.

    You have no integrity it seems. You could have admitted you had made a mistake, not understanding the distinction between the two, but you didn't.
    Philip, if you could just take a second out to take care of me and my query -

    How much have you lumped on those 'nailed on' LibDems for Shropshire ???
  • FrancisUrquhartFrancisUrquhart Posts: 76,274
    edited December 2021

    Dura_Ace said:

    Surely the problem with Peloton is that you buy the bike and then you never buy one again, I get they try to work around that with subscriptions but it's not like a phone, or a car that you have to replace.

    It's a bike you sit on and ride - and people keep bikes for a long time

    Peleton bikes are junk. Anybody who can drop serious Watts bombs will trash the bottom bracket in them in no time.
    Why not just go for a bike ride? I have never understood the appeal of biking in your own living room.
    AIUI there's a sort of imitation sat nav on the front of the thing and you can pretend you're riding through Paris or Bangkok and waving at the girls.
    Or doing something insane, like cycling from Calais to Rome.

    Or something like that.
    Sounds erm... weird. When there are real streets and real countryside to be had. But, some people seem to want to actively increase the amount of screens in their lives, for some unknown reason.
    Because excluding Robert we don't live in California and in the winter especially if you work 9-5 its dark outside of those hours. Zwift is great, and you can use it with a normal bike on hooked into a trainer, so you can do the virtual thing and still take your bike out in the real world on the 5 days of the year when it is nice.
  • EndillionEndillion Posts: 4,960
    Farooq said:

    Farooq said:

    Farooq said:

    https://twitter.com/PippaCrerar/status/1470387309212221446

    Philip will be along to explain to us why lying is actually good

    Lying is what politicians do. It isn't good.
    Farooq said:

    https://twitter.com/PippaCrerar/status/1470387309212221446

    Philip will be along to explain to us why lying is actually good

    Philip leads by example
    Indeed I've never lied here. If you want to slander me, then please say a lie I've said. Having a different opinion to you isn't a lie.
    It's not slander; I've detailed your lies in the previous conversation.
    You are a liar who lies, and you got upset when I detailed them. Nothing more to say.
    You lied. You claimed I said "masks don't work" when I actually said "mask mandates don't work".

    Then you dug in and quoted me saying "mask mandates don't work" and claimed that as proof of me saying "masks don't work". Its not, its proof of me saying "mask mandates don't work".

    If you want to change or omit the words someone says, then put words they didn't say in quotation marks, then you are the one who is dishonest. If you have to change what someone said to mock or insult them, then you've already lost the argument - and your credibility.
    you're still lying
    You are. I said mask mandates, you claimed I said masks then literally quoted me saying mask mandates.

    You have no integrity it seems. You could have admitted you had made a mistake, not understanding the distinction between the two, but you didn't.
    lies lies lies. liar philip is lying still
    I do wonder if the quality of debate on the internet would be improved by adopting the rules on unparliamentary language in force in the House of Commons.
  • PulpstarPulpstar Posts: 75,842

    WFH anecdote:

    Around a dozen in our team meeting this morning. Only one in the office.

    WFH anecdote 2 - IT issues with my setup. IT looking into it, need to use the Works photocopier and printer anyway so in office rest of today :p .

    Couldn't book other half for love nor money on NHS system earlier.
  • MaxPBMaxPB Posts: 37,603
    Apparently the lorry driver shortage is now being changed from critical to just severe, in line with loads of other European countries. As if by magic, the market pushed up salaries and an extra 40k drivers were recruited for domestic deliveries.

    I'm sure I remember being told this would never happen and that we'd all end up having to kill and cook the nearest rat or squirrel this Christmas but happily the economics of supply and demand are as sound as ever. There's reports that driver wages are still rising because there's some shortages and that companies are finally investing in better hub/spoke infrastructure for their supply chains rather than relying on some unfortunate guy driving 27 hours from Italy and then 27h back to Italy.
  • MexicanpeteMexicanpete Posts: 24,586
    Cookie said:

    maaarsh said:

    Johnson is a superb election campaigner.

    But he is a dreadful PM and clearly has no ideas, or policies, or anything he wants to achieve.

    Giving him a large majority has meant what? He could have done all of this on a majority of 1

    Unfortunately we couldn't give him a majority of 1 without risking your lunatic getting in.
    What a shameful act we put Corbyn up
    Given the choice between a wings-clipped Corbyn minority or a Johnson majority, I'd take Jezza.
    Not me - because his wings would only be clipped by the whims of the SNP, who have no interest in the long-term future of the UK.
    I don't for one moment suggest it would be optimal, but Government is not exactly running like a Swiss watch as we speak.
This discussion has been closed.