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My search to try to find a value North Shropshire bet – politicalbetting.com

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  • MattWMattW Posts: 18,080
    edited December 2021
    Cyclefree said:

    HYUFD said:

    IanB2 said:

    HYUFD said:

    Private schools in Scotland set to lose lucrative tax break from next year

    Independent schools will soon lose their ability to claim charity relief on non-domestic business rates.

    Private schools will lose a lucrative tax break next year after confirmation by the SNP/Green Government.

    Fettes College, which educated former Labour Prime Minister Tony Blair, charges over £36,000 a year for boarding.

    Gordonstoun, the alma mater of Princes Charles, rakes in over £40,000 a year to board senior pupils.

    Posh Merchiston Castle school in Edinburgh also charges over £30,000 for some of their pupils.

    https://www.dailyrecord.co.uk/news/politics/private-schools-scotland-set-lose-25686958

    Which just means they will have to offer fewer scholarships and bursaries and become even more exclusive only to children of the rich. Yet another own goal by Sturgeon
    Nonsense. They are already exclusive and it is a clear waste of taxpayers' money, unjustifiable when so many other businesses pay in full.
    No, absolutely justifiable and expanding opportunity and access to some of the best schools in the country benefiting us all in the long run. Of course leftwingers like you hate it as you hate choice in education but who cares, as a conservative I obviously don't and in England at least there will be no following of the SNP line by this Conservative government
    “Benefiting us all”

    Lol
    Should we be levying NNDR on Oxfam charity stores? Or British Heart Foundation ones? Or local Hospice ones?

    They only benefit some people too.
    Judging by the behaviour in some charities they should be paying extra tax not getting any sort of advantage. Some of their staff should be having interviews with the police, frankly.
    Many Oxfam shops are full blown businesses with some market domination - such as the specialist bookshop and wedding outlets. So imo yes.

    But the bigger thing is perhaps the effective corporation tax exemption when a business is owned by a charity and donates the profits.

    There's room for reform on Indy Schools, but it needs to be thought through not kneejerk ideology, which is what we get here.
  • So in the space of 3 posts, its good, bad and indifferent news from SA....

    Moderately good news for the UK at least, I think. The two-dose protection against severe illness is still fairly good (although falling off for older cohorts), and we know that a third dose will boost that protection very substantially.
    On individual level, Triple jabbed and not extremely vulnerable plus reduction in severity is good news.

    The unvaxxed better get ready, because they will have covid in the next few weeks....better pray to your god its not too bad.
  • PulpstarPulpstar Posts: 75,841
    Chris said:

    Have we covered this? Some excellent preliminary data from South Africa on the real-world impact of Omicron by vaccination status:

    https://twitter.com/miamalan/status/1470684351151157252

    So protection of two doses against hospitalisation down to only 60-70% in older age groups versus 93% for the Delta wave? That makes the Omicron wave more severe than the Delta wave, not less, yes?
    Depends how quickly we can get the boosters out........
  • HYUFD said:

    IanB2 said:

    HYUFD said:

    Private schools in Scotland set to lose lucrative tax break from next year

    Independent schools will soon lose their ability to claim charity relief on non-domestic business rates.

    Private schools will lose a lucrative tax break next year after confirmation by the SNP/Green Government.

    Fettes College, which educated former Labour Prime Minister Tony Blair, charges over £36,000 a year for boarding.

    Gordonstoun, the alma mater of Princes Charles, rakes in over £40,000 a year to board senior pupils.

    Posh Merchiston Castle school in Edinburgh also charges over £30,000 for some of their pupils.

    https://www.dailyrecord.co.uk/news/politics/private-schools-scotland-set-lose-25686958

    Which just means they will have to offer fewer scholarships and bursaries and become even more exclusive only to children of the rich. Yet another own goal by Sturgeon
    Nonsense. They are already exclusive and it is a clear waste of taxpayers' money, unjustifiable when so many other businesses pay in full.
    No, absolutely justifiable and expanding opportunity and access to some of the best schools in the country benefiting us all in the long run. Of course leftwingers like you hate it as you hate choice in education but who cares, as a conservative I obviously don't and in England at least there will be no following of the SNP line by this Conservative government
    “Benefiting us all”

    Lol
    Should we be levying NNDR on Oxfam charity stores? Or British Heart Foundation ones? Or local Hospice ones?

    They only benefit some people too.
    I don’t really care about the tax status of private schools, I just find HYUFD’s claim that they “benefit us all” hilarious.
    By filling the government benches with callous incompetents whose main goal seems to be enriching themselves and their pals, I think the claim that they harm us all would be easier to sustain.
  • Cyclefree said:

    HYUFD said:

    IanB2 said:

    HYUFD said:

    Private schools in Scotland set to lose lucrative tax break from next year

    Independent schools will soon lose their ability to claim charity relief on non-domestic business rates.

    Private schools will lose a lucrative tax break next year after confirmation by the SNP/Green Government.

    Fettes College, which educated former Labour Prime Minister Tony Blair, charges over £36,000 a year for boarding.

    Gordonstoun, the alma mater of Princes Charles, rakes in over £40,000 a year to board senior pupils.

    Posh Merchiston Castle school in Edinburgh also charges over £30,000 for some of their pupils.

    https://www.dailyrecord.co.uk/news/politics/private-schools-scotland-set-lose-25686958

    Which just means they will have to offer fewer scholarships and bursaries and become even more exclusive only to children of the rich. Yet another own goal by Sturgeon
    Nonsense. They are already exclusive and it is a clear waste of taxpayers' money, unjustifiable when so many other businesses pay in full.
    No, absolutely justifiable and expanding opportunity and access to some of the best schools in the country benefiting us all in the long run. Of course leftwingers like you hate it as you hate choice in education but who cares, as a conservative I obviously don't and in England at least there will be no following of the SNP line by this Conservative government
    “Benefiting us all”

    Lol
    Should we be levying NNDR on Oxfam charity stores? Or British Heart Foundation ones? Or local Hospice ones?

    They only benefit some people too.
    Judging by the behaviour in some charities they should be paying extra tax not getting any sort of advantage. Some of their staff should be having interviews with the police, frankly.
    I think one problem in the charity sector (and it applies to the Police, religion and others too) is they start to fall for their own mythologies.

    They believe that what they are doing is "worthy" because of their cause, so that makes everything they do worthy and anyone who criticises them or wants to hold them to account is a heretic.
  • Chris said:

    Have we covered this? Some excellent preliminary data from South Africa on the real-world impact of Omicron by vaccination status:

    https://twitter.com/miamalan/status/1470684351151157252

    So protection of two doses against hospitalisation down to only 60-70% in older age groups versus 93% for the Delta wave? That makes the Omicron wave more severe than the Delta wave, not less, yes?
    I'm unsure quite what they mean when they say Omicron is 29% less severe than Delta. They might mean you get 29% fewer hospitalisations amongst the unjabbed. We need to get a better understanding of that figure.
  • HYUFDHYUFD Posts: 116,708
    edited December 2021

    HYUFD said:

    IanB2 said:

    HYUFD said:

    Private schools in Scotland set to lose lucrative tax break from next year

    Independent schools will soon lose their ability to claim charity relief on non-domestic business rates.

    Private schools will lose a lucrative tax break next year after confirmation by the SNP/Green Government.

    Fettes College, which educated former Labour Prime Minister Tony Blair, charges over £36,000 a year for boarding.

    Gordonstoun, the alma mater of Princes Charles, rakes in over £40,000 a year to board senior pupils.

    Posh Merchiston Castle school in Edinburgh also charges over £30,000 for some of their pupils.

    https://www.dailyrecord.co.uk/news/politics/private-schools-scotland-set-lose-25686958

    Which just means they will have to offer fewer scholarships and bursaries and become even more exclusive only to children of the rich. Yet another own goal by Sturgeon
    Nonsense. They are already exclusive and it is a clear waste of taxpayers' money, unjustifiable when so many other businesses pay in full.
    No, absolutely justifiable and expanding opportunity and access to some of the best schools in the country benefiting us all in the long run. Of course leftwingers like you hate it as you hate choice in education but who cares, as a conservative I obviously don't and in England at least there will be no following of the SNP line by this Conservative government
    “Benefiting us all”

    Lol
    Should we be levying NNDR on Oxfam charity stores? Or British Heart Foundation ones? Or local Hospice ones?

    They only benefit some people too.
    I don’t really care about the tax status of private schools, I just find HYUFD’s claim that they “benefit us all” hilarious.
    I am a Conservative, I ideologically believe in choice and its benefits.

    You are leftwing, you ideologically do not believe in choice
  • AnabobazinaAnabobazina Posts: 19,598

    Key finding from that SA study:

    1. 2 doses of Pfizer’s jab makes vaccinated people 70% less likely to get hospitalised vs. unvaccinated people

    2. This is lower than 93% protection the jab gave in SA’s Delta wave (93%)

    3. Less protection for older cohorts (but maybe because they were jabbed earlier)

    Still much better than the early mood music – 70% is still very significant protection from just two jabs. File under: good news (I would say).
  • CharlesCharles Posts: 35,758
    Cyclefree said:

    Charles said:

    Cyclefree said:

    I heard Thought for the Day this morning for the first time in ages.

    What a load of banal piffle and cliches. Not one interesting thought at all. Not even remotely. Utter twaddle. You'd get more sense if you picked words randomly out of a dictionary.

    Why does Radio 4 persist with it?

    Because the law requires a certain amount of religion in prime time
    It's not religion. I could take that. There might be some interest in that. It's garbage.
    I forget the precise criteria, but the BBC relaxes them so it didn’t have to be denominational. Now it’s just pap
  • SelebianSelebian Posts: 7,243
    edited December 2021
    Chris said:

    Have we covered this? Some excellent preliminary data from South Africa on the real-world impact of Omicron by vaccination status:

    https://twitter.com/miamalan/status/1470684351151157252

    So protection of two doses against hospitalisation down to only 60-70% in older age groups versus 93% for the Delta wave? That makes the Omicron wave more severe than the Delta wave, not less, yes?
    You need to read down the thread:
    https://twitter.com/miamalan/status/1470684384219041792

    (same preliminary) data suggest 29% reduction in risk of hospitalisation with omicron infection compared to previous variants. There may of course be reasons for that other than inherent severity.
  • PulpstarPulpstar Posts: 75,841
    edited December 2021

    Chris said:

    Have we covered this? Some excellent preliminary data from South Africa on the real-world impact of Omicron by vaccination status:

    https://twitter.com/miamalan/status/1470684351151157252

    So protection of two doses against hospitalisation down to only 60-70% in older age groups versus 93% for the Delta wave? That makes the Omicron wave more severe than the Delta wave, not less, yes?
    I'm unsure quite what they mean when they say Omicron is 29% less severe than Delta. They might mean you get 29% fewer hospitalisations amongst the unjabbed. We need to get a better understanding of that figure.
    SA has a different age; vaccination & prior infection profile to the UK too. We can look there for ideas but noone truly KNOWS how it will end up here.
    The one thing we do know is that each booster well err boosts immunity. So it's mainly about banging them out as quickly as possible.
  • ChrisChris Posts: 11,008

    Chris said:

    Have we covered this? Some excellent preliminary data from South Africa on the real-world impact of Omicron by vaccination status:

    https://twitter.com/miamalan/status/1470684351151157252

    So protection of two doses against hospitalisation down to only 60-70% in older age groups versus 93% for the Delta wave? That makes the Omicron wave more severe than the Delta wave, not less, yes?
    I'm unsure quite what they mean when they say Omicron is 29% less severe than Delta. They might mean you get 29% fewer hospitalisations amongst the unjabbed. We need to get a better understanding of that figure.
    Yes, it's possible for it to be less severe intrinsically (for a given vaccination status) but to be more severe on average because it is infecting more vaccinated people and there is significant immune escape for severe disease as well as infection.
  • GallowgateGallowgate Posts: 19,072
    HYUFD said:

    HYUFD said:

    Private schools in Scotland set to lose lucrative tax break from next year

    Independent schools will soon lose their ability to claim charity relief on non-domestic business rates.

    Private schools will lose a lucrative tax break next year after confirmation by the SNP/Green Government.

    Fettes College, which educated former Labour Prime Minister Tony Blair, charges over £36,000 a year for boarding.

    Gordonstoun, the alma mater of Princes Charles, rakes in over £40,000 a year to board senior pupils.

    Posh Merchiston Castle school in Edinburgh also charges over £30,000 for some of their pupils.

    https://www.dailyrecord.co.uk/news/politics/private-schools-scotland-set-lose-25686958

    Which just means they will have to offer fewer scholarships and bursaries and become even more exclusive only to children of the rich. Yet another own goal by Sturgeon
    Och well, we'll just have to live without the quality of the likes of Prince Andrew and Tony Blair in our public life (or a bit less of it at any rate).
    Most of our top doctors, surgeons and lawyers also went to private schools. A large proportion of the rest went to grammar schools
    Statistics please?
  • IanB2IanB2 Posts: 47,080

    So in the space of 3 posts, its good, bad and indifferent news from SA....

    Moderately good news for the UK at least, I think. The two-dose protection against severe illness is still fairly good (although falling off for older cohorts), and we know that a third dose will boost that protection very substantially.
    Yes, the South African data talks about "vaccine effectiveness" which is based on the previous two-dose regime. The falloff in effectiveness is significant for older people and through time - three to four months after the second dose, effectiveness is estimated at less than half of what it was shortly afterwards. That this dropping away is most noticeable in the elderly and vulnerable (due to weaker immune systems) is the main source of concern.

    For obvs reasons there isn't data on the effectiveness of a booster, but doubtless this data underpins the governmental panic.
  • Chris said:

    Chris said:

    Have we covered this? Some excellent preliminary data from South Africa on the real-world impact of Omicron by vaccination status:

    https://twitter.com/miamalan/status/1470684351151157252

    So protection of two doses against hospitalisation down to only 60-70% in older age groups versus 93% for the Delta wave? That makes the Omicron wave more severe than the Delta wave, not less, yes?
    I'm unsure quite what they mean when they say Omicron is 29% less severe than Delta. They might mean you get 29% fewer hospitalisations amongst the unjabbed. We need to get a better understanding of that figure.
    Yes, it's possible for it to be less severe intrinsically (for a given vaccination status) but to be more severe on average because it is infecting more vaccinated people and there is significant immune escape for severe disease as well as infection.
    Yes, very true.
  • HYUFD said:

    IanB2 said:

    HYUFD said:

    Private schools in Scotland set to lose lucrative tax break from next year

    Independent schools will soon lose their ability to claim charity relief on non-domestic business rates.

    Private schools will lose a lucrative tax break next year after confirmation by the SNP/Green Government.

    Fettes College, which educated former Labour Prime Minister Tony Blair, charges over £36,000 a year for boarding.

    Gordonstoun, the alma mater of Princes Charles, rakes in over £40,000 a year to board senior pupils.

    Posh Merchiston Castle school in Edinburgh also charges over £30,000 for some of their pupils.

    https://www.dailyrecord.co.uk/news/politics/private-schools-scotland-set-lose-25686958

    Which just means they will have to offer fewer scholarships and bursaries and become even more exclusive only to children of the rich. Yet another own goal by Sturgeon
    Nonsense. They are already exclusive and it is a clear waste of taxpayers' money, unjustifiable when so many other businesses pay in full.
    No, absolutely justifiable and expanding opportunity and access to some of the best schools in the country benefiting us all in the long run. Of course leftwingers like you hate it as you hate choice in education but who cares, as a conservative I obviously don't and in England at least there will be no following of the SNP line by this Conservative government
    “Benefiting us all”

    Lol
    Should we be levying NNDR on Oxfam charity stores? Or British Heart Foundation ones? Or local Hospice ones?

    They only benefit some people too.
    If Oxfam started diverting most of their funds to sending hampers from Fortnum and Mason to the 1% and only a tiny fraction on helping the world's poor then yes.
  • GallowgateGallowgate Posts: 19,072
    edited December 2021
    HYUFD said:

    HYUFD said:

    IanB2 said:

    HYUFD said:

    Private schools in Scotland set to lose lucrative tax break from next year

    Independent schools will soon lose their ability to claim charity relief on non-domestic business rates.

    Private schools will lose a lucrative tax break next year after confirmation by the SNP/Green Government.

    Fettes College, which educated former Labour Prime Minister Tony Blair, charges over £36,000 a year for boarding.

    Gordonstoun, the alma mater of Princes Charles, rakes in over £40,000 a year to board senior pupils.

    Posh Merchiston Castle school in Edinburgh also charges over £30,000 for some of their pupils.

    https://www.dailyrecord.co.uk/news/politics/private-schools-scotland-set-lose-25686958

    Which just means they will have to offer fewer scholarships and bursaries and become even more exclusive only to children of the rich. Yet another own goal by Sturgeon
    Nonsense. They are already exclusive and it is a clear waste of taxpayers' money, unjustifiable when so many other businesses pay in full.
    No, absolutely justifiable and expanding opportunity and access to some of the best schools in the country benefiting us all in the long run. Of course leftwingers like you hate it as you hate choice in education but who cares, as a conservative I obviously don't and in England at least there will be no following of the SNP line by this Conservative government
    “Benefiting us all”

    Lol
    Should we be levying NNDR on Oxfam charity stores? Or British Heart Foundation ones? Or local Hospice ones?

    They only benefit some people too.
    I don’t really care about the tax status of private schools, I just find HYUFD’s claim that they “benefit us all” hilarious.
    I am a Conservative, I ideologically believe in choice and its benefits.

    You are leftwing, you ideologically do not believe in choice
    Don’t tell me what I believe.

    Regardless, your belief in “choice and its benefits”, whatever that means, has nothing to do with the tax status of private schools.
  • AnabobazinaAnabobazina Posts: 19,598
    The South African study Richard posted above looks extremely significant to my eye. The study group was 211,000 people, of which 86,500 had the two-dose Pfizer regimen.

    It appears to be both a) a very substantial piece of research and b) good news.
  • ChrisChris Posts: 11,008
    Selebian said:

    Chris said:

    Have we covered this? Some excellent preliminary data from South Africa on the real-world impact of Omicron by vaccination status:

    https://twitter.com/miamalan/status/1470684351151157252

    So protection of two doses against hospitalisation down to only 60-70% in older age groups versus 93% for the Delta wave? That makes the Omicron wave more severe than the Delta wave, not less, yes?
    You need to read down the thread:
    https://twitter.com/miamalan/status/1470684384219041792

    (same preliminary) data suggest 29% reduction in risk of hospitalisation with omicron infection compared to previous variants. There may of course be reasons for that other than inherent severity.
    Unfortunately it's not the intrinsic severity that we have to worry about, but the effective severity taking into account who will be infected.
  • South Korea reports 94 new coronavirus deaths, the biggest one-day increase on record, and 5,567 new cases
  • MaxPBMaxPB Posts: 37,603

    Key finding from that SA study:

    1. 2 doses of Pfizer’s jab makes vaccinated people 70% less likely to get hospitalised vs. unvaccinated people

    2. This is lower than 93% protection the jab gave in SA’s Delta wave (93%)

    3. Less protection for older cohorts (but maybe because they were jabbed earlier)

    It also hospitalises at a rate 30% less than other variants which could be why there's been no major surge despite waning efficacy.

    I wonder what our stats will show for triple doses people, wouldn't be surprised if it was in the high 90s for a reduction in hospitalisations.
  • GallowgateGallowgate Posts: 19,072
    Ironically it’s the left-wing youth who believe in choice the most @HYUFD. Choice of identity, choice of gender, choice of style & self expression, choice of dreams.
  • CarnyxCarnyx Posts: 39,112
    MattW said:
    Ratrher odd not to have a torpedo launch system on board the ships mentioned - I've seen it on a FREMM frigate or on older RN shops and it's just three small tubes on a mount on each side of the ship.

    I suppose the MoD ought to be grateful they didn't call them hedgehogs ...
  • HYUFDHYUFD Posts: 116,708
    edited December 2021

    HYUFD said:

    HYUFD said:

    Private schools in Scotland set to lose lucrative tax break from next year

    Independent schools will soon lose their ability to claim charity relief on non-domestic business rates.

    Private schools will lose a lucrative tax break next year after confirmation by the SNP/Green Government.

    Fettes College, which educated former Labour Prime Minister Tony Blair, charges over £36,000 a year for boarding.

    Gordonstoun, the alma mater of Princes Charles, rakes in over £40,000 a year to board senior pupils.

    Posh Merchiston Castle school in Edinburgh also charges over £30,000 for some of their pupils.

    https://www.dailyrecord.co.uk/news/politics/private-schools-scotland-set-lose-25686958

    Which just means they will have to offer fewer scholarships and bursaries and become even more exclusive only to children of the rich. Yet another own goal by Sturgeon
    Och well, we'll just have to live without the quality of the likes of Prince Andrew and Tony Blair in our public life (or a bit less of it at any rate).
    Most of our top doctors, surgeons and lawyers also went to private schools. A large proportion of the rest went to grammar schools
    Statistics please?
    74% of judges, 71% of top barristers, 61% of top medics and 51% of top solicitors went to private schools.

    By contrast only 50% of the Cabinet went to private schools, even with a Tory Cabinet


    https://www.suttontrust.com/our-research/leading-people-2016-education-background/

    Overall amongst Britain's elite (adding sports and pop stars and business and public sector leaders and journalists too) only 40% went to comprehensive schools, 39% went to private schools and 20% went to grammar schools

    https://www.suttontrust.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/01/Elitist-Britain-2019-Summary-Report.pdf
  • kamskikamski Posts: 4,199
    Charles said:

    Cyclefree said:

    Charles said:

    Cyclefree said:

    I heard Thought for the Day this morning for the first time in ages.

    What a load of banal piffle and cliches. Not one interesting thought at all. Not even remotely. Utter twaddle. You'd get more sense if you picked words randomly out of a dictionary.

    Why does Radio 4 persist with it?

    Because the law requires a certain amount of religion in prime time
    It's not religion. I could take that. There might be some interest in that. It's garbage.
    I forget the precise criteria, but the BBC relaxes them so it didn’t have to be denominational. Now it’s just pap
    Yes, I seem to remember it being more full-on religious many years ago. It was utterly nauseating. Haven't heard it for a while.
  • Last call for entries:Competition closing at noon.

    What will be the maximum number of booster jabs reported for the U.K. on any day up to and including December 31st? Nearest estimate wins.

    Entries will be compiled and reported upon as daily, booster data is released.
  • IanB2IanB2 Posts: 47,080

    Chris said:

    Have we covered this? Some excellent preliminary data from South Africa on the real-world impact of Omicron by vaccination status:

    https://twitter.com/miamalan/status/1470684351151157252

    So protection of two doses against hospitalisation down to only 60-70% in older age groups versus 93% for the Delta wave? That makes the Omicron wave more severe than the Delta wave, not less, yes?
    I'm unsure quite what they mean when they say Omicron is 29% less severe than Delta. They might mean you get 29% fewer hospitalisations amongst the unjabbed. We need to get a better understanding of that figure.
    A lower percentage of hospitalisations out of a greater base number of infections, seems to be the bottom line.

    But the 29% estimate comes heavily caveated and appears little more than a guess, so expressing it as a precise percentage is perhaps misleading.
  • Of course we should remember that the South African figures relate to mainly Pfizer initial doses. It's possible that two AZ doses without a booster gives less protection than they are finding. There are some indications that that might be the case from the lab tests.
  • GallowgateGallowgate Posts: 19,072
    HYUFD said:

    HYUFD said:

    HYUFD said:

    Private schools in Scotland set to lose lucrative tax break from next year

    Independent schools will soon lose their ability to claim charity relief on non-domestic business rates.

    Private schools will lose a lucrative tax break next year after confirmation by the SNP/Green Government.

    Fettes College, which educated former Labour Prime Minister Tony Blair, charges over £36,000 a year for boarding.

    Gordonstoun, the alma mater of Princes Charles, rakes in over £40,000 a year to board senior pupils.

    Posh Merchiston Castle school in Edinburgh also charges over £30,000 for some of their pupils.

    https://www.dailyrecord.co.uk/news/politics/private-schools-scotland-set-lose-25686958

    Which just means they will have to offer fewer scholarships and bursaries and become even more exclusive only to children of the rich. Yet another own goal by Sturgeon
    Och well, we'll just have to live without the quality of the likes of Prince Andrew and Tony Blair in our public life (or a bit less of it at any rate).
    Most of our top doctors, surgeons and lawyers also went to private schools. A large proportion of the rest went to grammar schools
    Statistics please?
    74% of judges, 71% of top barristers, 61% of top medics and 51% of top solicitors went to private schools.

    By contrast only 50% of the Cabinet went to private schools, even with a Tory Cabinet


    https://www.suttontrust.com/our-research/leading-people-2016-education-background/
    2016 a bit out of date. Anything more recent? My assumption is that these percentages will reduce over time.
  • FrancisUrquhartFrancisUrquhart Posts: 76,274
    edited December 2021
    BBC News - Covid: New social mixing guidelines likely in Scotland
    https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-scotland-scotland-politics-59649986

    Sounds like they are bringing back some variant of rule of 6.
  • EabhalEabhal Posts: 5,781

    Eabhal said:

    Fed up with middle aged/older people ringing up Radio Scotland:

    "I was at the pub and a bunch of students came in. Given how many young people have Covid, I really wish they would stay at home"

    "On a packed train to the football. Made me feel really vulnerable".

    If people are worried enough to call in and complain, I'd gently suggest they take the initiative and stay at home themselves.

    Young people have given too much already. See the SG report out today on mental health.

    +1

    (By the way, saw your comment on “safer people”. Fairy nuff. Replace with “Sober people are less likely to die a distressing, long-drawn-out death.” That better?)
    Sorry bout that. Was just a bit frustrated that fun almost always come from close human contact, and restrictions of whatever form prevent it to an extent.

    Sex, dating, clubs, pubs, board games, team sports, visiting grandparents, weddings, office Christmas parties, pottery classes, going to school/uni. This is life, and should never be diluted lightly.

    "Preventative lockdown", in the face of the unknown, is rational at a government level. But we can't live like this forever, twitching at the first sign of a variant.
  • Last call for entries:Competition closing at noon.

    What will be the maximum number of booster jabs reported for the U.K. on any day up to and including December 31st? Nearest estimate wins.

    Entries will be compiled and reported upon as daily, booster data is released.

    896,322
  • AnabobazinaAnabobazina Posts: 19,598

    So in the space of 3 posts, its good, bad and indifferent news from SA....

    Moderately good news for the UK at least, I think. The two-dose protection against severe illness is still fairly good (although falling off for older cohorts), and we know that a third dose will boost that protection very substantially.
    Indeed, and most (nearly all) of the oldest cohorts will have been boosted already in the UK. Which is key.
  • MaxPBMaxPB Posts: 37,603

    Of course we should remember that the South African figures relate to mainly Pfizer initial doses. It's possible that two AZ doses without a booster gives less protection than they are finding. There are some indications that that might be the case from the lab tests.

    Wasn't our data showing a similar number? 63% for 2x AZ and 68% for 2x Pfizer after 6 months of waning efficacy.

    Really hoping we get some hard numbers on three dose efficacy against hospitalisation in the next few days, I suspect it will be rather high.
  • CarnyxCarnyx Posts: 39,112
    HYUFD said:

    HYUFD said:

    HYUFD said:

    Private schools in Scotland set to lose lucrative tax break from next year

    Independent schools will soon lose their ability to claim charity relief on non-domestic business rates.

    Private schools will lose a lucrative tax break next year after confirmation by the SNP/Green Government.

    Fettes College, which educated former Labour Prime Minister Tony Blair, charges over £36,000 a year for boarding.

    Gordonstoun, the alma mater of Princes Charles, rakes in over £40,000 a year to board senior pupils.

    Posh Merchiston Castle school in Edinburgh also charges over £30,000 for some of their pupils.

    https://www.dailyrecord.co.uk/news/politics/private-schools-scotland-set-lose-25686958

    Which just means they will have to offer fewer scholarships and bursaries and become even more exclusive only to children of the rich. Yet another own goal by Sturgeon
    Och well, we'll just have to live without the quality of the likes of Prince Andrew and Tony Blair in our public life (or a bit less of it at any rate).
    Most of our top doctors, surgeons and lawyers also went to private schools. A large proportion of the rest went to grammar schools
    Statistics please?
    74% of judges, 71% of top barristers, 61% of top medics and 51% of top solicitors went to private schools.

    By contrast only 50% of the Cabinet went to private schools, even with a Tory Cabinet


    https://www.suttontrust.com/our-research/leading-people-2016-education-background/
    But historically it was always the wealthier families who could exploit their wealth to get their children into such careers. So you've not allowed for that confounding factor (i.e. it is because Daddy is loaded that Son or Daughter both went to Greyfriars and ended up as an advocate).
  • IanB2IanB2 Posts: 47,080

    Last call for entries:Competition closing at noon.

    What will be the maximum number of booster jabs reported for the U.K. on any day up to and including December 31st? Nearest estimate wins.

    Entries will be compiled and reported upon as daily, booster data is released.

    They'll fiddle the figures to make sure it looks to be achieved, as they did for the test numbers during the first wave, so it'll be over a million. It'll need to be a little bit clear, but they can't stretch it by that much so I'd go for 1,075,000
  • IanB2IanB2 Posts: 47,080
    Carnyx said:

    HYUFD said:

    HYUFD said:

    HYUFD said:

    Private schools in Scotland set to lose lucrative tax break from next year

    Independent schools will soon lose their ability to claim charity relief on non-domestic business rates.

    Private schools will lose a lucrative tax break next year after confirmation by the SNP/Green Government.

    Fettes College, which educated former Labour Prime Minister Tony Blair, charges over £36,000 a year for boarding.

    Gordonstoun, the alma mater of Princes Charles, rakes in over £40,000 a year to board senior pupils.

    Posh Merchiston Castle school in Edinburgh also charges over £30,000 for some of their pupils.

    https://www.dailyrecord.co.uk/news/politics/private-schools-scotland-set-lose-25686958

    Which just means they will have to offer fewer scholarships and bursaries and become even more exclusive only to children of the rich. Yet another own goal by Sturgeon
    Och well, we'll just have to live without the quality of the likes of Prince Andrew and Tony Blair in our public life (or a bit less of it at any rate).
    Most of our top doctors, surgeons and lawyers also went to private schools. A large proportion of the rest went to grammar schools
    Statistics please?
    74% of judges, 71% of top barristers, 61% of top medics and 51% of top solicitors went to private schools.

    By contrast only 50% of the Cabinet went to private schools, even with a Tory Cabinet


    https://www.suttontrust.com/our-research/leading-people-2016-education-background/
    But historically it was always the wealthier families who could exploit their wealth to get their children into such careers. So you've not allowed for that confounding factor (i.e. it is because Daddy is loaded that Son or Daughter both went to Greyfriars and ended up as an advocate).
    And HY is making a wild assumption, for which there is no evidence, that the saving in rates all gets directed to fund a small number of scholarships, rather than acting as a subsidy for fees across the board.
  • MaxPBMaxPB Posts: 37,603

    Last call for entries:Competition closing at noon.

    What will be the maximum number of booster jabs reported for the U.K. on any day up to and including December 31st? Nearest estimate wins.

    Entries will be compiled and reported upon as daily, booster data is released.

    1,097,642
  • ChrisChris Posts: 11,008
    IanB2 said:

    Chris said:

    Have we covered this? Some excellent preliminary data from South Africa on the real-world impact of Omicron by vaccination status:

    https://twitter.com/miamalan/status/1470684351151157252

    So protection of two doses against hospitalisation down to only 60-70% in older age groups versus 93% for the Delta wave? That makes the Omicron wave more severe than the Delta wave, not less, yes?
    I'm unsure quite what they mean when they say Omicron is 29% less severe than Delta. They might mean you get 29% fewer hospitalisations amongst the unjabbed. We need to get a better understanding of that figure.
    A lower percentage of hospitalisations out of a greater base number of infections, seems to be the bottom line.

    But the 29% estimate comes heavily caveated and appears little more than a guess, so expressing it as a precise percentage is perhaps misleading.
    It's possible that we should expect a lower percentage of hospitalisations among unvaccinated, a higher percentage among doubly jabbed, and for the boosted we are back to guesswork.

    The problem will still be the huge number of infections.
  • CharlesCharles Posts: 35,758
    Cyclefree said:

    Nigelb said:

    Cyclefree said:
    Excellent commentary.
    Many won't look further than the 'war on woke'
    headlines. The reality seems to be a determined effort to erode rights that Raab doesn't like.
    Especially when coupled with other pieces of legislation.

    I fear that it deliberately sets out to fail. Ultimately, the rights derive from the Convention so when these steps don't allow the government to do what it wants without any checks the next step will be to argue that withdrawal from the ECHR is necessary.

    This is a government that simply does not understand that checks and balances are essential to a democracy not a roadblock to it.
    The issue is when checks are abused for political purposes.

    Take judicial review: in the form originally intended it makes absolute sense and is very important.

    But when combined with the idiotic development over the last 30 years of requiring ministers to do all sorts of assessments and reports plus well funded campaign groups using judicial review to try and thwart democratic decisions it becomes an abuse of process.

    How many judicial reviews into Heathrow expansion have there been, for example?
  • HYUFD said:

    IanB2 said:

    HYUFD said:

    Private schools in Scotland set to lose lucrative tax break from next year

    Independent schools will soon lose their ability to claim charity relief on non-domestic business rates.

    Private schools will lose a lucrative tax break next year after confirmation by the SNP/Green Government.

    Fettes College, which educated former Labour Prime Minister Tony Blair, charges over £36,000 a year for boarding.

    Gordonstoun, the alma mater of Princes Charles, rakes in over £40,000 a year to board senior pupils.

    Posh Merchiston Castle school in Edinburgh also charges over £30,000 for some of their pupils.

    https://www.dailyrecord.co.uk/news/politics/private-schools-scotland-set-lose-25686958

    Which just means they will have to offer fewer scholarships and bursaries and become even more exclusive only to children of the rich. Yet another own goal by Sturgeon
    Nonsense. They are already exclusive and it is a clear waste of taxpayers' money, unjustifiable when so many other businesses pay in full.
    No, absolutely justifiable and expanding opportunity and access to some of the best schools in the country benefiting us all in the long run. Of course leftwingers like you hate it as you hate choice in education but who cares, as a conservative I obviously don't and in England at least there will be no following of the SNP line by this Conservative government
    “Benefiting us all”

    Lol
    Should we be levying NNDR on Oxfam charity stores? Or British Heart Foundation ones? Or local Hospice ones?

    They only benefit some people too.
    If Oxfam started diverting most of their funds to sending hampers from Fortnum and Mason to the 1% and only a tiny fraction on helping the world's poor then yes.
    Except they don't.

    The comparison is that the Oxfam stores are being stocked with Fortnum and Mason hampers which the patrons of the store are buying, which is what generates the funds for helping the world's poor etc

    Charitable money isn't being diverted to the 1%, the patrons are paying for what they get with money then going to charity, just as anyone who buys something from the Oxfam store gets whatever they've bought.
  • PulpstarPulpstar Posts: 75,841

    Last call for entries:Competition closing at noon.

    What will be the maximum number of booster jabs reported for the U.K. on any day up to and including December 31st? Nearest estimate wins.

    Entries will be compiled and reported upon as daily, booster data is released.

    1 million
    Previous entries - Confirmed daily case peak 200,000 Jan 14th (Way back)
    Today's Omicron confirmed cases 2,207 for a total of 6,920.
  • eekeek Posts: 24,797
    MattW said:

    Cyclefree said:

    HYUFD said:

    IanB2 said:

    HYUFD said:

    Private schools in Scotland set to lose lucrative tax break from next year

    Independent schools will soon lose their ability to claim charity relief on non-domestic business rates.

    Private schools will lose a lucrative tax break next year after confirmation by the SNP/Green Government.

    Fettes College, which educated former Labour Prime Minister Tony Blair, charges over £36,000 a year for boarding.

    Gordonstoun, the alma mater of Princes Charles, rakes in over £40,000 a year to board senior pupils.

    Posh Merchiston Castle school in Edinburgh also charges over £30,000 for some of their pupils.

    https://www.dailyrecord.co.uk/news/politics/private-schools-scotland-set-lose-25686958

    Which just means they will have to offer fewer scholarships and bursaries and become even more exclusive only to children of the rich. Yet another own goal by Sturgeon
    Nonsense. They are already exclusive and it is a clear waste of taxpayers' money, unjustifiable when so many other businesses pay in full.
    No, absolutely justifiable and expanding opportunity and access to some of the best schools in the country benefiting us all in the long run. Of course leftwingers like you hate it as you hate choice in education but who cares, as a conservative I obviously don't and in England at least there will be no following of the SNP line by this Conservative government
    “Benefiting us all”

    Lol
    Should we be levying NNDR on Oxfam charity stores? Or British Heart Foundation ones? Or local Hospice ones?

    They only benefit some people too.
    Judging by the behaviour in some charities they should be paying extra tax not getting any sort of advantage. Some of their staff should be having interviews with the police, frankly.
    Many Oxfam shops are full blown businesses with some market domination - such as the specialist bookshop and wedding outlets. So imo yes.

    But the bigger thing is perhaps the effective corporation tax exemption when a business is owned by a charity and donates the profits.

    There's room for reform on Indy Schools, but it needs to be thought through not kneejerk ideology, which is what we get here.
    It's not a kneejerk ideology it's 1 item from a complete review of NNDR in Scotland. A quid pro quo is that nurseries (including private sector ones) who used to pay NNDR are now exempt.

    It simply demonstrates that anomalies in the system have been identified and fixed.
  • AnabobazinaAnabobazina Posts: 19,598
    Pulpstar said:

    Chris said:

    Have we covered this? Some excellent preliminary data from South Africa on the real-world impact of Omicron by vaccination status:

    https://twitter.com/miamalan/status/1470684351151157252

    So protection of two doses against hospitalisation down to only 60-70% in older age groups versus 93% for the Delta wave? That makes the Omicron wave more severe than the Delta wave, not less, yes?
    Depends how quickly we can get the boosters out........
    Much of the reduction in efficacy comes among the oldest cohorts. They will already – for the most part – have been boostered... suggests we might just be ahead of this...

    VE 2x Pfizer vs Omicron

    18-29: 92%
    30-39: 75%
    40-49: 82%
    50-59: 74%
    60-69: 67%
    70-79: 59%
  • CarnyxCarnyx Posts: 39,112

    BBC News - Covid: New social mixing guidelines likely in Scotland
    https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-scotland-scotland-politics-59649986

    Sounds like they are bringing back some variant of rule of 6.

    Partly in response to independent behavioral changes by individuals, it seems. People, or at least a fair number of them, are already changing their conduct.

    'Julie Ashworth, who chairs Edinburgh branch of the Institute of Directors, said the Scottish government should set out clear and definitive measures in response to Omicron rather than attempting to introduce "lockdown by stealth".

    She added: "What is happening is customers are filling in the gaps in terms of guidance.

    "It means that all businesses across all sectors are impacted by that, particularly hospitality, travel, retail and smaller businesses - customers are staying away and being cautious.

    "What we're seeing because of that lack of clarity is that both trade and customer sentiment is being hurt."'
  • CyclefreeCyclefree Posts: 25,074

    Last call for entries:Competition closing at noon.

    What will be the maximum number of booster jabs reported for the U.K. on any day up to and including December 31st? Nearest estimate wins.

    Entries will be compiled and reported upon as daily, booster data is released.

    896,322
    A second one from me.

    723,527.
  • HYUFDHYUFD Posts: 116,708
    edited December 2021

    HYUFD said:

    HYUFD said:

    HYUFD said:

    Private schools in Scotland set to lose lucrative tax break from next year

    Independent schools will soon lose their ability to claim charity relief on non-domestic business rates.

    Private schools will lose a lucrative tax break next year after confirmation by the SNP/Green Government.

    Fettes College, which educated former Labour Prime Minister Tony Blair, charges over £36,000 a year for boarding.

    Gordonstoun, the alma mater of Princes Charles, rakes in over £40,000 a year to board senior pupils.

    Posh Merchiston Castle school in Edinburgh also charges over £30,000 for some of their pupils.

    https://www.dailyrecord.co.uk/news/politics/private-schools-scotland-set-lose-25686958

    Which just means they will have to offer fewer scholarships and bursaries and become even more exclusive only to children of the rich. Yet another own goal by Sturgeon
    Och well, we'll just have to live without the quality of the likes of Prince Andrew and Tony Blair in our public life (or a bit less of it at any rate).
    Most of our top doctors, surgeons and lawyers also went to private schools. A large proportion of the rest went to grammar schools
    Statistics please?
    74% of judges, 71% of top barristers, 61% of top medics and 51% of top solicitors went to private schools.

    By contrast only 50% of the Cabinet went to private schools, even with a Tory Cabinet


    https://www.suttontrust.com/our-research/leading-people-2016-education-background/
    2016 a bit out of date. Anything more recent? My assumption is that these percentages will reduce over time.
    Overall amongst Britain's elite (even adding sports and pop stars and top actors, senior armed forces officers and business and public sector leaders and journalists too) only 40% went to comprehensive schools, 39% went to private schools and 20% went to grammar schools

    https://www.suttontrust.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/01/Elitist-Britain-2019-Summary-Report.pdf
  • GallowgateGallowgate Posts: 19,072
    HYUFD said:

    HYUFD said:

    HYUFD said:

    HYUFD said:

    Private schools in Scotland set to lose lucrative tax break from next year

    Independent schools will soon lose their ability to claim charity relief on non-domestic business rates.

    Private schools will lose a lucrative tax break next year after confirmation by the SNP/Green Government.

    Fettes College, which educated former Labour Prime Minister Tony Blair, charges over £36,000 a year for boarding.

    Gordonstoun, the alma mater of Princes Charles, rakes in over £40,000 a year to board senior pupils.

    Posh Merchiston Castle school in Edinburgh also charges over £30,000 for some of their pupils.

    https://www.dailyrecord.co.uk/news/politics/private-schools-scotland-set-lose-25686958

    Which just means they will have to offer fewer scholarships and bursaries and become even more exclusive only to children of the rich. Yet another own goal by Sturgeon
    Och well, we'll just have to live without the quality of the likes of Prince Andrew and Tony Blair in our public life (or a bit less of it at any rate).
    Most of our top doctors, surgeons and lawyers also went to private schools. A large proportion of the rest went to grammar schools
    Statistics please?
    74% of judges, 71% of top barristers, 61% of top medics and 51% of top solicitors went to private schools.

    By contrast only 50% of the Cabinet went to private schools, even with a Tory Cabinet


    https://www.suttontrust.com/our-research/leading-people-2016-education-background/
    2016 a bit out of date. Anything more recent? My assumption is that these percentages will reduce over time.
    Overall amongst Britain's elite (adding sports and pop stars and business and public sector leaders and journalists too) only 40% went to comprehensive schools, 39% went to private schools and 20% went to grammar schools

    https://www.suttontrust.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/01/Elitist-Britain-2019-Summary-Report.pdf
    So I was right, thank you.
  • FairlieredFairliered Posts: 3,865

    Maffew said:

    Pulpstar said:

    Should NHS number be entered like

    485 777 3546

    or 4857773546 ?

    I used the latter.

    I hope that's not your actual NHS number...
    My NHS Number is of the form DDMMYYNNNN. If that's the case for everyone then the number given is not a valid number.
    Mine is, as far as I can see, completely random numbers so they don't have to be birthday related.
    My NHS number neither contains my date of birth nor, sadly, does it contain a locomotive number I can share a picture of.
    NHS numbers and number formats have their own wikipedia page. There does not seem to be any scope for NHS numbers starting with birthdays or any dates.
    https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/NHS_number
    Ah, so the Scottish system is different. Glad to see that it includes a check digit. Don't mention on twitter that it includes a gender digit.

    https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/National_Health_Service_Central_Register_(Scotland)
    In the Scottish system, all the digits are to indicate the different possible genders.
  • If Scotland and Wales bring in rule of 6, what will Boris do?
  • CarnyxCarnyx Posts: 39,112
    edited December 2021
    IanB2 said:

    Carnyx said:

    HYUFD said:

    HYUFD said:

    HYUFD said:

    Private schools in Scotland set to lose lucrative tax break from next year

    Independent schools will soon lose their ability to claim charity relief on non-domestic business rates.

    Private schools will lose a lucrative tax break next year after confirmation by the SNP/Green Government.

    Fettes College, which educated former Labour Prime Minister Tony Blair, charges over £36,000 a year for boarding.

    Gordonstoun, the alma mater of Princes Charles, rakes in over £40,000 a year to board senior pupils.

    Posh Merchiston Castle school in Edinburgh also charges over £30,000 for some of their pupils.

    https://www.dailyrecord.co.uk/news/politics/private-schools-scotland-set-lose-25686958

    Which just means they will have to offer fewer scholarships and bursaries and become even more exclusive only to children of the rich. Yet another own goal by Sturgeon
    Och well, we'll just have to live without the quality of the likes of Prince Andrew and Tony Blair in our public life (or a bit less of it at any rate).
    Most of our top doctors, surgeons and lawyers also went to private schools. A large proportion of the rest went to grammar schools
    Statistics please?
    74% of judges, 71% of top barristers, 61% of top medics and 51% of top solicitors went to private schools.

    By contrast only 50% of the Cabinet went to private schools, even with a Tory Cabinet


    https://www.suttontrust.com/our-research/leading-people-2016-education-background/
    But historically it was always the wealthier families who could exploit their wealth to get their children into such careers. So you've not allowed for that confounding factor (i.e. it is because Daddy is loaded that Son or Daughter both went to Greyfriars and ended up as an advocate).
    And HY is making a wild assumption, for which there is no evidence, that the saving in rates all gets directed to fund a small number of scholarships, rather than acting as a subsidy for fees across the board.
    There has also been a long-running debate about the hijacking of truly charitable foundations by the Victorian paying Public School* model. Obviously this doesn't apply to new foundations such as say Gordonstoun or Stowe but it has caused some adverse comment over, IIRC, Eton and Heriot's - though I have not been following that debate.

    *sensu more anglico
  • Mr. Gate, that belief can lead to ugly places, alas.

    Men competing in MMA against women, for example. Someone being, or claiming, to be trans doesn't alter their chromosomes.
  • GallowgateGallowgate Posts: 19,072

    Mr. Gate, that belief can lead to ugly places, alas.

    Men competing in MMA against women, for example. Someone being, or claiming, to be trans doesn't alter their chromosomes.

    That’s a different debate
  • ClippPClippP Posts: 1,665
    HYUFD said:

    HYUFD said:

    Private schools in Scotland set to lose lucrative tax break from next year

    Independent schools will soon lose their ability to claim charity relief on non-domestic business rates.

    Private schools will lose a lucrative tax break next year after confirmation by the SNP/Green Government.

    Fettes College, which educated former Labour Prime Minister Tony Blair, charges over £36,000 a year for boarding.

    Gordonstoun, the alma mater of Princes Charles, rakes in over £40,000 a year to board senior pupils.

    Posh Merchiston Castle school in Edinburgh also charges over £30,000 for some of their pupils.

    https://www.dailyrecord.co.uk/news/politics/private-schools-scotland-set-lose-25686958

    Which just means they will have to offer fewer scholarships and bursaries and become even more exclusive only to children of the rich. Yet another own goal by Sturgeon
    Och well, we'll just have to live without the quality of the likes of Prince Andrew and Tony Blair in our public life (or a bit less of it at any rate).
    Most of our top doctors, surgeons and lawyers also went to private schools. A large proportion of the rest went to grammar schools
    Of course, young HY. That is why their parents sent them to these "charity schools" - so that they would mix with the right people, establish the right connections and end up in the highest paid jobs.

    They may have ended up as "our top doctors, surgeons and lawyers", as you say, but that does not mean that they are any good. In fact, given the state the country is in and most of our public services it suggests to me that it is quite the opposite.
  • NigelbNigelb Posts: 61,557
    edited December 2021
    HYUFD said:

    HYUFD said:

    IanB2 said:

    HYUFD said:

    Private schools in Scotland set to lose lucrative tax break from next year

    Independent schools will soon lose their ability to claim charity relief on non-domestic business rates.

    Private schools will lose a lucrative tax break next year after confirmation by the SNP/Green Government.

    Fettes College, which educated former Labour Prime Minister Tony Blair, charges over £36,000 a year for boarding.

    Gordonstoun, the alma mater of Princes Charles, rakes in over £40,000 a year to board senior pupils.

    Posh Merchiston Castle school in Edinburgh also charges over £30,000 for some of their pupils.

    https://www.dailyrecord.co.uk/news/politics/private-schools-scotland-set-lose-25686958

    Which just means they will have to offer fewer scholarships and bursaries and become even more exclusive only to children of the rich. Yet another own goal by Sturgeon
    Nonsense. They are already exclusive and it is a clear waste of taxpayers' money, unjustifiable when so many other businesses pay in full.
    No, absolutely justifiable and expanding opportunity and access to some of the best schools in the country benefiting us all in the long run. Of course leftwingers like you hate it as you hate choice in education but who cares, as a conservative I obviously don't and in England at least there will be no following of the SNP line by this Conservative government
    “Benefiting us all”

    Lol
    Should we be levying NNDR on Oxfam charity stores? Or British Heart Foundation ones? Or local Hospice ones?

    They only benefit some people too.
    I don’t really care about the tax status of private schools, I just find HYUFD’s claim that they “benefit us all” hilarious.
    I am a Conservative, I ideologically believe in choice and its benefits.

    You are leftwing, you ideologically do not believe in choice
    You are ideologically a Tory loyalist, so you believe any old pap depending on who's in charge.
  • HYUFD said:

    HYUFD said:

    Private schools in Scotland set to lose lucrative tax break from next year

    Independent schools will soon lose their ability to claim charity relief on non-domestic business rates.

    Private schools will lose a lucrative tax break next year after confirmation by the SNP/Green Government.

    Fettes College, which educated former Labour Prime Minister Tony Blair, charges over £36,000 a year for boarding.

    Gordonstoun, the alma mater of Princes Charles, rakes in over £40,000 a year to board senior pupils.

    Posh Merchiston Castle school in Edinburgh also charges over £30,000 for some of their pupils.

    https://www.dailyrecord.co.uk/news/politics/private-schools-scotland-set-lose-25686958

    Which just means they will have to offer fewer scholarships and bursaries and become even more exclusive only to children of the rich. Yet another own goal by Sturgeon
    Och well, we'll just have to live without the quality of the likes of Prince Andrew and Tony Blair in our public life (or a bit less of it at any rate).
    Most of our top doctors, surgeons and lawyers also went to private schools. A large proportion of the rest went to grammar schools
    Is that 'our' of the English variety?

    Things are a bit different here. Ironically privately educated leading politicians tend to be from the Labour side of the fence, including the current leader.

    This guy went to a bog standard comprehensive less than 20 miles from where I live.

    'A Nobel Prize-winning scientist says his success is down to being Scottish and knowing how to get to a punchline.
    Prof David MacMillan, who is from North Lanarkshire, told the BBC that growing up in Scotland meant he learned how to convey ideas quickly.
    The professor said he was "very, very proud" of his "working class" upbringing in New Stevenston.'

    https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-scotland-58828279





  • NigelbNigelb Posts: 61,557
    Cyclefree said:

    Last call for entries:Competition closing at noon.

    What will be the maximum number of booster jabs reported for the U.K. on any day up to and including December 31st? Nearest estimate wins.

    Entries will be compiled and reported upon as daily, booster data is released.

    896,322
    A second one from me.

    723,527.
    925,001
  • CarnyxCarnyx Posts: 39,112
    This thread has been expelled from Greyfriars and will no longer compete wiuth the children of the upper crust
  • This thread has been shut down after Javid has claimed everybody has covid....
  • MattWMattW Posts: 18,080

    Last call for entries:Competition closing at noon.

    What will be the maximum number of booster jabs reported for the U.K. on any day up to and including December 31st? Nearest estimate wins.

    Entries will be compiled and reported upon as daily, booster data is released.

    Let's start with yesterday's number that is out later today.

    I say 650k, as it seemed quite a jump.

    My guess for highest number is 986k.
  • MaxPB said:

    Of course we should remember that the South African figures relate to mainly Pfizer initial doses. It's possible that two AZ doses without a booster gives less protection than they are finding. There are some indications that that might be the case from the lab tests.

    Wasn't our data showing a similar number? 63% for 2x AZ and 68% for 2x Pfizer after 6 months of waning efficacy.

    Really hoping we get some hard numbers on three dose efficacy against hospitalisation in the next few days, I suspect it will be rather high.
    It will probably a bit more than a few days to get enough data to form a view. We're only just starting to see the first Omicron hospitalisations now. But yes, three-dose protection should be very good indeed. It better be!
  • HYUFDHYUFD Posts: 116,708
    edited December 2021
    ClippP said:

    HYUFD said:

    HYUFD said:

    Private schools in Scotland set to lose lucrative tax break from next year

    Independent schools will soon lose their ability to claim charity relief on non-domestic business rates.

    Private schools will lose a lucrative tax break next year after confirmation by the SNP/Green Government.

    Fettes College, which educated former Labour Prime Minister Tony Blair, charges over £36,000 a year for boarding.

    Gordonstoun, the alma mater of Princes Charles, rakes in over £40,000 a year to board senior pupils.

    Posh Merchiston Castle school in Edinburgh also charges over £30,000 for some of their pupils.

    https://www.dailyrecord.co.uk/news/politics/private-schools-scotland-set-lose-25686958

    Which just means they will have to offer fewer scholarships and bursaries and become even more exclusive only to children of the rich. Yet another own goal by Sturgeon
    Och well, we'll just have to live without the quality of the likes of Prince Andrew and Tony Blair in our public life (or a bit less of it at any rate).
    Most of our top doctors, surgeons and lawyers also went to private schools. A large proportion of the rest went to grammar schools
    Of course, young HY. That is why their parents sent them to these "charity schools" - so that they would mix with the right people, establish the right connections and end up in the highest paid jobs.

    They may have ended up as "our top doctors, surgeons and lawyers", as you say, but that does not mean that they are any good. In fact, given the state the country is in and most of our public services it suggests to me that it is quite the opposite.
    The highest percentage of private school educated professionals are found amongst the judiciary and at at the Bar and amongst medics, all of whom still perform to a pretty high standard internationally
  • PulpstarPulpstar Posts: 75,841

    Pulpstar said:

    Chris said:

    Have we covered this? Some excellent preliminary data from South Africa on the real-world impact of Omicron by vaccination status:

    https://twitter.com/miamalan/status/1470684351151157252

    So protection of two doses against hospitalisation down to only 60-70% in older age groups versus 93% for the Delta wave? That makes the Omicron wave more severe than the Delta wave, not less, yes?
    Depends how quickly we can get the boosters out........
    Much of the reduction in efficacy comes among the oldest cohorts. They will already – for the most part – have been boostered... suggests we might just be ahead of this...

    VE 2x Pfizer vs Omicron

    18-29: 92%
    30-39: 75%
    40-49: 82%
    50-59: 74%
    60-69: 67%
    70-79: 59%
    Our projected CFR lends itself lowish due to the stratification of booster uptake in the over 70s (All over 80% of population) vs 2nd dose in the 18 - 29s (Sub 60%).
  • eekeek Posts: 24,797
    edited December 2021
    Charles said:

    Cyclefree said:

    Nigelb said:

    Cyclefree said:
    Excellent commentary.
    Many won't look further than the 'war on woke'
    headlines. The reality seems to be a determined effort to erode rights that Raab doesn't like.
    Especially when coupled with other pieces of legislation.

    I fear that it deliberately sets out to fail. Ultimately, the rights derive from the Convention so when these steps don't allow the government to do what it wants without any checks the next step will be to argue that withdrawal from the ECHR is necessary.

    This is a government that simply does not understand that checks and balances are essential to a democracy not a roadblock to it.
    The issue is when checks are abused for political purposes.

    Take judicial review: in the form originally intended it makes absolute sense and is very important.

    But when combined with the idiotic development over the last 30 years of requiring ministers to do all sorts of assessments and reports plus well funded campaign groups using judicial review to try and thwart democratic decisions it becomes an abuse of process.

    How many judicial reviews into Heathrow expansion have there been, for example?
    If you don't want judicial reviews into planning applications just ban their use within planning.

    The government isn't doing that it's picking areas of law not providing examples to justify themselves and using issues in other (completely irrelevant) areas to justify it.
  • MattWMattW Posts: 18,080
    MaxPB said:

    Of course we should remember that the South African figures relate to mainly Pfizer initial doses. It's possible that two AZ doses without a booster gives less protection than they are finding. There are some indications that that might be the case from the lab tests.

    Wasn't our data showing a similar number? 63% for 2x AZ and 68% for 2x Pfizer after 6 months of waning efficacy.

    Really hoping we get some hard numbers on three dose efficacy against hospitalisation in the next few days, I suspect it will be rather high.
    Today programme Beeboid tried to get 'AZ less effective shown by latest research' past their interviewee this morning, and got their Christmas nuts roasted for being simplistic.
  • HYUFDHYUFD Posts: 116,708
    edited December 2021

    HYUFD said:

    HYUFD said:

    HYUFD said:

    HYUFD said:

    Private schools in Scotland set to lose lucrative tax break from next year

    Independent schools will soon lose their ability to claim charity relief on non-domestic business rates.

    Private schools will lose a lucrative tax break next year after confirmation by the SNP/Green Government.

    Fettes College, which educated former Labour Prime Minister Tony Blair, charges over £36,000 a year for boarding.

    Gordonstoun, the alma mater of Princes Charles, rakes in over £40,000 a year to board senior pupils.

    Posh Merchiston Castle school in Edinburgh also charges over £30,000 for some of their pupils.

    https://www.dailyrecord.co.uk/news/politics/private-schools-scotland-set-lose-25686958

    Which just means they will have to offer fewer scholarships and bursaries and become even more exclusive only to children of the rich. Yet another own goal by Sturgeon
    Och well, we'll just have to live without the quality of the likes of Prince Andrew and Tony Blair in our public life (or a bit less of it at any rate).
    Most of our top doctors, surgeons and lawyers also went to private schools. A large proportion of the rest went to grammar schools
    Statistics please?
    74% of judges, 71% of top barristers, 61% of top medics and 51% of top solicitors went to private schools.

    By contrast only 50% of the Cabinet went to private schools, even with a Tory Cabinet


    https://www.suttontrust.com/our-research/leading-people-2016-education-background/
    2016 a bit out of date. Anything more recent? My assumption is that these percentages will reduce over time.
    Overall amongst Britain's elite (adding sports and pop stars and business and public sector leaders and journalists too) only 40% went to comprehensive schools, 39% went to private schools and 20% went to grammar schools

    https://www.suttontrust.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/01/Elitist-Britain-2019-Summary-Report.pdf
    So I was right, thank you.
    Not really no, 65% of judges still went to private schools for example in that report.

    It just expanded beyond lawyers and medics and the Cabinet to look at a broader elite including business leaders, celebrities, local government ceos etc
  • HYUFD said:

    HYUFD said:

    Private schools in Scotland set to lose lucrative tax break from next year

    Independent schools will soon lose their ability to claim charity relief on non-domestic business rates.

    Private schools will lose a lucrative tax break next year after confirmation by the SNP/Green Government.

    Fettes College, which educated former Labour Prime Minister Tony Blair, charges over £36,000 a year for boarding.

    Gordonstoun, the alma mater of Princes Charles, rakes in over £40,000 a year to board senior pupils.

    Posh Merchiston Castle school in Edinburgh also charges over £30,000 for some of their pupils.

    https://www.dailyrecord.co.uk/news/politics/private-schools-scotland-set-lose-25686958

    Which just means they will have to offer fewer scholarships and bursaries and become even more exclusive only to children of the rich. Yet another own goal by Sturgeon
    Och well, we'll just have to live without the quality of the likes of Prince Andrew and Tony Blair in our public life (or a bit less of it at any rate).
    Most of our top doctors, surgeons and lawyers also went to private schools. A large proportion of the rest went to grammar schools
    How on earth do the Nordic countries cope? They of course have no top doctors, surgeons or lawyers. What a bunch of basket cases.
  • CyclefreeCyclefree Posts: 25,074
    Charles said:

    Cyclefree said:

    Nigelb said:

    Cyclefree said:
    Excellent commentary.
    Many won't look further than the 'war on woke'
    headlines. The reality seems to be a determined effort to erode rights that Raab doesn't like.
    Especially when coupled with other pieces of legislation.

    I fear that it deliberately sets out to fail. Ultimately, the rights derive from the Convention so when these steps don't allow the government to do what it wants without any checks the next step will be to argue that withdrawal from the ECHR is necessary.

    This is a government that simply does not understand that checks and balances are essential to a democracy not a roadblock to it.
    The issue is when checks are abused for political purposes.

    Take judicial review: in the form originally intended it makes absolute sense and is very important.

    But when combined with the idiotic development over the last 30 years of requiring ministers to do all sorts of assessments and reports plus well funded campaign groups using judicial review to try and thwart democratic decisions it becomes an abuse of process.

    How many judicial reviews into Heathrow expansion have there been, for example?
    That is not an abuse of the process. That is Ministers having to face scrutiny and justify their decisions

    See here - https://www7.politicalbetting.com/index.php/archives/2020/02/16/wholl-be-the-judge-legitimately-elected-governments-are-not-excused-the-obligation-to-comply-with-the-law/

  • Mr. Gate, it's part of the same debate: what happens when biology and personal identity (or claimed identity) differ? Which takes precedence?

    At the moment we have an insane, indefensible position or just shrugging, as if wearing a dress undoes 20 years and more of testosterone. Which utterly undermines women's sport.
  • CarnyxCarnyx Posts: 39,112
    HYUFD said:

    ClippP said:

    HYUFD said:

    HYUFD said:

    Private schools in Scotland set to lose lucrative tax break from next year

    Independent schools will soon lose their ability to claim charity relief on non-domestic business rates.

    Private schools will lose a lucrative tax break next year after confirmation by the SNP/Green Government.

    Fettes College, which educated former Labour Prime Minister Tony Blair, charges over £36,000 a year for boarding.

    Gordonstoun, the alma mater of Princes Charles, rakes in over £40,000 a year to board senior pupils.

    Posh Merchiston Castle school in Edinburgh also charges over £30,000 for some of their pupils.

    https://www.dailyrecord.co.uk/news/politics/private-schools-scotland-set-lose-25686958

    Which just means they will have to offer fewer scholarships and bursaries and become even more exclusive only to children of the rich. Yet another own goal by Sturgeon
    Och well, we'll just have to live without the quality of the likes of Prince Andrew and Tony Blair in our public life (or a bit less of it at any rate).
    Most of our top doctors, surgeons and lawyers also went to private schools. A large proportion of the rest went to grammar schools
    Of course, young HY. That is why their parents sent them to these "charity schools" - so that they would mix with the right people, establish the right connections and end up in the highest paid jobs.

    They may have ended up as "our top doctors, surgeons and lawyers", as you say, but that does not mean that they are any good. In fact, given the state the country is in and most of our public services it suggests to me that it is quite the opposite.
    The highest percentage of private school educated professionals are found amongst the judiciary and at at the Bar and amongst medics, all of whom still perform to a pretty high standard internationally
    With the longest training which needs most private family funding. So proves nothing.
  • HYUFD said:

    HYUFD said:

    HYUFD said:

    HYUFD said:

    HYUFD said:

    Private schools in Scotland set to lose lucrative tax break from next year

    Independent schools will soon lose their ability to claim charity relief on non-domestic business rates.

    Private schools will lose a lucrative tax break next year after confirmation by the SNP/Green Government.

    Fettes College, which educated former Labour Prime Minister Tony Blair, charges over £36,000 a year for boarding.

    Gordonstoun, the alma mater of Princes Charles, rakes in over £40,000 a year to board senior pupils.

    Posh Merchiston Castle school in Edinburgh also charges over £30,000 for some of their pupils.

    https://www.dailyrecord.co.uk/news/politics/private-schools-scotland-set-lose-25686958

    Which just means they will have to offer fewer scholarships and bursaries and become even more exclusive only to children of the rich. Yet another own goal by Sturgeon
    Och well, we'll just have to live without the quality of the likes of Prince Andrew and Tony Blair in our public life (or a bit less of it at any rate).
    Most of our top doctors, surgeons and lawyers also went to private schools. A large proportion of the rest went to grammar schools
    Statistics please?
    74% of judges, 71% of top barristers, 61% of top medics and 51% of top solicitors went to private schools.

    By contrast only 50% of the Cabinet went to private schools, even with a Tory Cabinet


    https://www.suttontrust.com/our-research/leading-people-2016-education-background/
    2016 a bit out of date. Anything more recent? My assumption is that these percentages will reduce over time.
    Overall amongst Britain's elite (adding sports and pop stars and business and public sector leaders and journalists too) only 40% went to comprehensive schools, 39% went to private schools and 20% went to grammar schools

    https://www.suttontrust.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/01/Elitist-Britain-2019-Summary-Report.pdf
    So I was right, thank you.
    Not really no, 65% of judges still went to private schools for example in that report.

    It just expanded beyond lawyers and medics and the Cabinet to look at a broader elite including business leaders, celebrities, local government ceos etc
    Old Boys' network.
  • kamskikamski Posts: 4,199
    MaxPB said:

    Key finding from that SA study:

    1. 2 doses of Pfizer’s jab makes vaccinated people 70% less likely to get hospitalised vs. unvaccinated people

    2. This is lower than 93% protection the jab gave in SA’s Delta wave (93%)

    3. Less protection for older cohorts (but maybe because they were jabbed earlier)

    It also hospitalises at a rate 30% less than other variants which could be why there's been no major surge despite waning efficacy.

    I wonder what our stats will show for triple doses people, wouldn't be surprised if it was in the high 90s for a reduction in hospitalisations.
    It seems to be suggesting 30% lower rate of hospitalisations for unvaccinated with Omicron compared to the Delta wave - but does this take into account the higher number of unvaccinated people with immunity from previous infection this time around?
  • GallowgateGallowgate Posts: 19,072
    eek said:

    Charles said:

    Cyclefree said:

    Nigelb said:

    Cyclefree said:
    Excellent commentary.
    Many won't look further than the 'war on woke'
    headlines. The reality seems to be a determined effort to erode rights that Raab doesn't like.
    Especially when coupled with other pieces of legislation.

    I fear that it deliberately sets out to fail. Ultimately, the rights derive from the Convention so when these steps don't allow the government to do what it wants without any checks the next step will be to argue that withdrawal from the ECHR is necessary.

    This is a government that simply does not understand that checks and balances are essential to a democracy not a roadblock to it.
    The issue is when checks are abused for political purposes.

    Take judicial review: in the form originally intended it makes absolute sense and is very important.

    But when combined with the idiotic development over the last 30 years of requiring ministers to do all sorts of assessments and reports plus well funded campaign groups using judicial review to try and thwart democratic decisions it becomes an abuse of process.

    How many judicial reviews into Heathrow expansion have there been, for example?
    If you don't want judicial reviews into planning applications just ban their use within planning.

    The government isn't doing that it's picking areas of law not providing examples to justify themselves and using issues in other (completely irrelevant) areas to justify it.
    Judicial review is vital to planning though. If we’re going to have a planning system, there needs to be judicial oversight of public bodies exercising their powers illegally, irrationally or with procedural impropriety.
  • AnabobazinaAnabobazina Posts: 19,598
    Pulpstar said:

    Pulpstar said:

    Chris said:

    Have we covered this? Some excellent preliminary data from South Africa on the real-world impact of Omicron by vaccination status:

    https://twitter.com/miamalan/status/1470684351151157252

    So protection of two doses against hospitalisation down to only 60-70% in older age groups versus 93% for the Delta wave? That makes the Omicron wave more severe than the Delta wave, not less, yes?
    Depends how quickly we can get the boosters out........
    Much of the reduction in efficacy comes among the oldest cohorts. They will already – for the most part – have been boostered... suggests we might just be ahead of this...

    VE 2x Pfizer vs Omicron

    18-29: 92%
    30-39: 75%
    40-49: 82%
    50-59: 74%
    60-69: 67%
    70-79: 59%
    Our projected CFR lends itself lowish due to the stratification of booster uptake in the over 70s (All over 80% of population) vs 2nd dose in the 18 - 29s (Sub 60%).
    Yes, that's my reading of the situation too. I realise that being confident on covid is unwise, but from the raw numbers it does look like we might be ahead of it because the oldies are already heavily boosted. The risk is now around the sheer number of infections: implies shielding for the unvaxxed and infirm, not for everyone.
  • GallowgateGallowgate Posts: 19,072
    HYUFD said:

    HYUFD said:

    HYUFD said:

    HYUFD said:

    HYUFD said:

    Private schools in Scotland set to lose lucrative tax break from next year

    Independent schools will soon lose their ability to claim charity relief on non-domestic business rates.

    Private schools will lose a lucrative tax break next year after confirmation by the SNP/Green Government.

    Fettes College, which educated former Labour Prime Minister Tony Blair, charges over £36,000 a year for boarding.

    Gordonstoun, the alma mater of Princes Charles, rakes in over £40,000 a year to board senior pupils.

    Posh Merchiston Castle school in Edinburgh also charges over £30,000 for some of their pupils.

    https://www.dailyrecord.co.uk/news/politics/private-schools-scotland-set-lose-25686958

    Which just means they will have to offer fewer scholarships and bursaries and become even more exclusive only to children of the rich. Yet another own goal by Sturgeon
    Och well, we'll just have to live without the quality of the likes of Prince Andrew and Tony Blair in our public life (or a bit less of it at any rate).
    Most of our top doctors, surgeons and lawyers also went to private schools. A large proportion of the rest went to grammar schools
    Statistics please?
    74% of judges, 71% of top barristers, 61% of top medics and 51% of top solicitors went to private schools.

    By contrast only 50% of the Cabinet went to private schools, even with a Tory Cabinet


    https://www.suttontrust.com/our-research/leading-people-2016-education-background/
    2016 a bit out of date. Anything more recent? My assumption is that these percentages will reduce over time.
    Overall amongst Britain's elite (adding sports and pop stars and business and public sector leaders and journalists too) only 40% went to comprehensive schools, 39% went to private schools and 20% went to grammar schools

    https://www.suttontrust.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/01/Elitist-Britain-2019-Summary-Report.pdf
    So I was right, thank you.
    Not really no, 65% of judges still went to private schools for example in that report.

    It just expanded beyond lawyers and medics and the Cabinet to look at a broader elite including business leaders, celebrities, local government ceos etc
    So from 2016 to 2019 the percentage of judges educated privately has dropped from 74% to 65%. Staggering drop in just 3 years.
  • eekeek Posts: 24,797
    HYUFD said:

    HYUFD said:

    HYUFD said:

    HYUFD said:

    HYUFD said:

    Private schools in Scotland set to lose lucrative tax break from next year

    Independent schools will soon lose their ability to claim charity relief on non-domestic business rates.

    Private schools will lose a lucrative tax break next year after confirmation by the SNP/Green Government.

    Fettes College, which educated former Labour Prime Minister Tony Blair, charges over £36,000 a year for boarding.

    Gordonstoun, the alma mater of Princes Charles, rakes in over £40,000 a year to board senior pupils.

    Posh Merchiston Castle school in Edinburgh also charges over £30,000 for some of their pupils.

    https://www.dailyrecord.co.uk/news/politics/private-schools-scotland-set-lose-25686958

    Which just means they will have to offer fewer scholarships and bursaries and become even more exclusive only to children of the rich. Yet another own goal by Sturgeon
    Och well, we'll just have to live without the quality of the likes of Prince Andrew and Tony Blair in our public life (or a bit less of it at any rate).
    Most of our top doctors, surgeons and lawyers also went to private schools. A large proportion of the rest went to grammar schools
    Statistics please?
    74% of judges, 71% of top barristers, 61% of top medics and 51% of top solicitors went to private schools.

    By contrast only 50% of the Cabinet went to private schools, even with a Tory Cabinet


    https://www.suttontrust.com/our-research/leading-people-2016-education-background/
    2016 a bit out of date. Anything more recent? My assumption is that these percentages will reduce over time.
    Overall amongst Britain's elite (adding sports and pop stars and business and public sector leaders and journalists too) only 40% went to comprehensive schools, 39% went to private schools and 20% went to grammar schools

    https://www.suttontrust.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/01/Elitist-Britain-2019-Summary-Report.pdf
    So I was right, thank you.
    Not really no, 65% of judges still went to private schools for example in that report.

    It just expanded beyond lawyers and medics and the Cabinet to look at a broader elite including business leaders, celebrities, local government ceos etc
    Let me get this right

    You see the biggest problem with private schools (that they provide an unfair advantage in some sectors of the economy) as a justification for their existence rather than a justification for their removal?

  • NigelbNigelb Posts: 61,557
    Dura_Ace said:

    Can somebody who owns a briefcase explain what this means to a complete financial illiterate (me).

    https://techcrunch.com/2021/12/13/harley-davidsons-ev-motorcycle-unit-livewire-to-go-public-via-spac/

    I don't own a briefcase.
    But SPACs - special purpose acquisiton companies - are basically a bundle of cash in a publicly listed entity (in this case about $400m).
    https://www.sec.gov/corpfin/disclosure-special-purpose-acquisition-companies

    Just another way of floating something, garbage or not, on the stock exchange, by way of the SPAC acquiring the private entity.
  • RattersRatters Posts: 756

    Last call for entries:Competition closing at noon.

    What will be the maximum number of booster jabs reported for the U.K. on any day up to and including December 31st? Nearest estimate wins.

    Entries will be compiled and reported upon as daily, booster data is released.

    Our single day peak in March last year was 844,285, but we can knock-off around 50k as we're still giving first and second doses.

    I'll go for 50% higher than that. So a nice round 1,191,428.
  • geoffwgeoffw Posts: 8,092

    Last call for entries:Competition closing at noon.

    What will be the maximum number of booster jabs reported for the U.K. on any day up to and including December 31st? Nearest estimate wins.

    Entries will be compiled and reported upon as daily, booster data is released.

    987,654

  • HYUFDHYUFD Posts: 116,708

    HYUFD said:

    HYUFD said:

    Private schools in Scotland set to lose lucrative tax break from next year

    Independent schools will soon lose their ability to claim charity relief on non-domestic business rates.

    Private schools will lose a lucrative tax break next year after confirmation by the SNP/Green Government.

    Fettes College, which educated former Labour Prime Minister Tony Blair, charges over £36,000 a year for boarding.

    Gordonstoun, the alma mater of Princes Charles, rakes in over £40,000 a year to board senior pupils.

    Posh Merchiston Castle school in Edinburgh also charges over £30,000 for some of their pupils.

    https://www.dailyrecord.co.uk/news/politics/private-schools-scotland-set-lose-25686958

    Which just means they will have to offer fewer scholarships and bursaries and become even more exclusive only to children of the rich. Yet another own goal by Sturgeon
    Och well, we'll just have to live without the quality of the likes of Prince Andrew and Tony Blair in our public life (or a bit less of it at any rate).
    Most of our top doctors, surgeons and lawyers also went to private schools. A large proportion of the rest went to grammar schools
    How on earth do the Nordic countries cope? They of course have no top doctors, surgeons or lawyers. What a bunch of basket cases.
    How many big international legal cases are heard in Scandinavia rather than London? How many Scandinavian Nobel prize winners for medicine are there compared to British?
  • MattWMattW Posts: 18,080
    Carnyx said:

    MattW said:
    Ratrher odd not to have a torpedo launch system on board the ships mentioned - I've seen it on a FREMM frigate or on older RN shops and it's just three small tubes on a mount on each side of the ship.

    I suppose the MoD ought to be grateful they didn't call them hedgehogs ...
    I think it's a decent report. QUite how they made an 80 page report into a 330Mb download though...

    But one thing not addressed afaics is risk to littoral infrastructure such as offshore windfarms, which are new and critical, and what happens when the Chinese distant water fishing fleet turns up.
  • moonshinemoonshine Posts: 5,226
    Www.ft.com

    Ft has been hacked
  • HYUFDHYUFD Posts: 116,708
    edited December 2021
    eek said:

    HYUFD said:

    HYUFD said:

    HYUFD said:

    HYUFD said:

    HYUFD said:

    Private schools in Scotland set to lose lucrative tax break from next year

    Independent schools will soon lose their ability to claim charity relief on non-domestic business rates.

    Private schools will lose a lucrative tax break next year after confirmation by the SNP/Green Government.

    Fettes College, which educated former Labour Prime Minister Tony Blair, charges over £36,000 a year for boarding.

    Gordonstoun, the alma mater of Princes Charles, rakes in over £40,000 a year to board senior pupils.

    Posh Merchiston Castle school in Edinburgh also charges over £30,000 for some of their pupils.

    https://www.dailyrecord.co.uk/news/politics/private-schools-scotland-set-lose-25686958

    Which just means they will have to offer fewer scholarships and bursaries and become even more exclusive only to children of the rich. Yet another own goal by Sturgeon
    Och well, we'll just have to live without the quality of the likes of Prince Andrew and Tony Blair in our public life (or a bit less of it at any rate).
    Most of our top doctors, surgeons and lawyers also went to private schools. A large proportion of the rest went to grammar schools
    Statistics please?
    74% of judges, 71% of top barristers, 61% of top medics and 51% of top solicitors went to private schools.

    By contrast only 50% of the Cabinet went to private schools, even with a Tory Cabinet


    https://www.suttontrust.com/our-research/leading-people-2016-education-background/
    2016 a bit out of date. Anything more recent? My assumption is that these percentages will reduce over time.
    Overall amongst Britain's elite (adding sports and pop stars and business and public sector leaders and journalists too) only 40% went to comprehensive schools, 39% went to private schools and 20% went to grammar schools

    https://www.suttontrust.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/01/Elitist-Britain-2019-Summary-Report.pdf
    So I was right, thank you.
    Not really no, 65% of judges still went to private schools for example in that report.

    It just expanded beyond lawyers and medics and the Cabinet to look at a broader elite including business leaders, celebrities, local government ceos etc
    Let me get this right

    You see the biggest problem with private schools (that they provide an unfair advantage in some sectors of the economy) as a justification for their existence rather than a justification for their removal?

    I believe in choice and excellence in education yes. Even Sweden now has free schools outside of state control
  • GallowgateGallowgate Posts: 19,072
    HYUFD said:

    HYUFD said:

    HYUFD said:

    Private schools in Scotland set to lose lucrative tax break from next year

    Independent schools will soon lose their ability to claim charity relief on non-domestic business rates.

    Private schools will lose a lucrative tax break next year after confirmation by the SNP/Green Government.

    Fettes College, which educated former Labour Prime Minister Tony Blair, charges over £36,000 a year for boarding.

    Gordonstoun, the alma mater of Princes Charles, rakes in over £40,000 a year to board senior pupils.

    Posh Merchiston Castle school in Edinburgh also charges over £30,000 for some of their pupils.

    https://www.dailyrecord.co.uk/news/politics/private-schools-scotland-set-lose-25686958

    Which just means they will have to offer fewer scholarships and bursaries and become even more exclusive only to children of the rich. Yet another own goal by Sturgeon
    Och well, we'll just have to live without the quality of the likes of Prince Andrew and Tony Blair in our public life (or a bit less of it at any rate).
    Most of our top doctors, surgeons and lawyers also went to private schools. A large proportion of the rest went to grammar schools
    How on earth do the Nordic countries cope? They of course have no top doctors, surgeons or lawyers. What a bunch of basket cases.
    How many big international legal cases are heard in Scandinavia rather than London? How many Scandinavian Nobel prize winners for medicine are there compared to British?
    That has nothing to do with “private schools” and everything to do with the English legal system.
  • CyclefreeCyclefree Posts: 25,074

    Mr. Gate, it's part of the same debate: what happens when biology and personal identity (or claimed identity) differ? Which takes precedence?

    At the moment we have an insane, indefensible position or just shrugging, as if wearing a dress undoes 20 years and more of testosterone. Which utterly undermines women's sport.

    Are we really going to have to argue - again - which takes precedence as between facts and beliefs?

    Really?

    Can we not fast forward and behave as if the Enlightenment has happened rather than revert to the time of Galileo and the Church?

    Eppur si muove
  • EabhalEabhal Posts: 5,781
    A fun report by Scottish parliament researchers (SPICe) on the Scottish rate of income tax.

    Looking forward to @malcolmg 's explosive reaction.

    https://digitalpublications.parliament.scot/ResearchBriefings/Report/2021/8/12/a6cb9582-0b7e-11ea-9528-000d3a23af40#ab7d244c-0b7e-11ea-9538-000d3a23af40.dita
  • El_CapitanoEl_Capitano Posts: 3,870

    Last call for entries:Competition closing at noon.

    What will be the maximum number of booster jabs reported for the U.K. on any day up to and including December 31st? Nearest estimate wins.

    Entries will be compiled and reported upon as daily, booster data is released.

    118,999,881,999,119,725

    3
  • EabhalEabhal Posts: 5,781
    @Simon_Peach 825,000
  • kamskikamski Posts: 4,199
    HYUFD said:

    HYUFD said:

    HYUFD said:

    Private schools in Scotland set to lose lucrative tax break from next year

    Independent schools will soon lose their ability to claim charity relief on non-domestic business rates.

    Private schools will lose a lucrative tax break next year after confirmation by the SNP/Green Government.

    Fettes College, which educated former Labour Prime Minister Tony Blair, charges over £36,000 a year for boarding.

    Gordonstoun, the alma mater of Princes Charles, rakes in over £40,000 a year to board senior pupils.

    Posh Merchiston Castle school in Edinburgh also charges over £30,000 for some of their pupils.

    https://www.dailyrecord.co.uk/news/politics/private-schools-scotland-set-lose-25686958

    Which just means they will have to offer fewer scholarships and bursaries and become even more exclusive only to children of the rich. Yet another own goal by Sturgeon
    Och well, we'll just have to live without the quality of the likes of Prince Andrew and Tony Blair in our public life (or a bit less of it at any rate).
    Most of our top doctors, surgeons and lawyers also went to private schools. A large proportion of the rest went to grammar schools
    How on earth do the Nordic countries cope? They of course have no top doctors, surgeons or lawyers. What a bunch of basket cases.
    How many big international legal cases are heard in Scandinavia rather than London? How many Scandinavian Nobel prize winners for medicine are there compared to British?
    Nobel prizes for Medicine: I make it slightly higher per capita for Scandinavia on a simple count
  • Dura_AceDura_Ace Posts: 12,880
    Carnyx said:

    MattW said:
    Ratrher odd not to have a torpedo launch system on board the ships mentioned - I've seen it on a FREMM frigate or on older RN shops and it's just three small tubes on a mount on each side of the ship.

    It's a way to reduce the crewing requirements of the ships. In theory they maintain ASW weapon capability with the helicopter. In practice the helicopter might be broken or doing something else or the ship will be out of limits for aviation - this happens A LOT in the North Atlantic. So if Russian subs could just steer clear of that area, that would be great, thanks.
  • Northern_AlNorthern_Al Posts: 7,457

    Last call for entries:Competition closing at noon.

    What will be the maximum number of booster jabs reported for the U.K. on any day up to and including December 31st? Nearest estimate wins.

    Entries will be compiled and reported upon as daily, booster data is released.

    963,451.
  • dixiedean said:

    dixiedean said:

    Leon said:

    WHITEHALL officials have drawn up plans to restrict numbers in pubs and restaurants and even close them down in the coming weeks. There are growing fears of further resections after Christmas as Omicron is expected to peak in January, with New Year parties in grave doubt.

    https://www.thesun.co.uk/health/17031393/pubs-restaurants-closed-entry-limits-omicron/

    That’s proper lockdown. Gosh. Who could have predicted THAT??
    A re-post for Sean, in case you missed it earlier this evening:

    Breaking, from press conference in Oslo:

    Norway is to enforce a total ban on the sale of alcohol in pubs, bars and restaurants for at least the next 4 weeks.
    Wait.
    They're banning alcohol in pubs and bars, but allowing them to stay open?
    Why exactly?
    Sorry, I thought it was obvious.

    Intoxicated people lose their inhibitions (case study: Sean). Lost inhibition means not respecting social distancing, or worse (snogging, sex).

    Sober people are safer people.
    I know.
    But why would you go to a bar without alcohol? Is this just a way to avoid compensation by not having ordered them closed?
    Jeepers creepers. Are you so deep in the arms of the marketing men that the possibility of a night out without intoxicating liquor is beyond your comprehension??

    Meeting friends, eating, having a (soft) drink, laughing, socialising, living.

    Life goes on without alcohol you know.
    When you’re normally the designated driver, that’s a normal visit to the pub.
    Yepp. That’s often my fate these days. You get used to it. But you do tend to notice how boring drunk people can be. Puts you off alcohol sometimes.
    Well Scandinavia as a whole does have a pretty bad rating for alcohol related deaths and alcoholism in general so I am not surprised you have these views.
  • FairlieredFairliered Posts: 3,865
    HYUFD said:

    HYUFD said:

    Private schools in Scotland set to lose lucrative tax break from next year

    Independent schools will soon lose their ability to claim charity relief on non-domestic business rates.

    Private schools will lose a lucrative tax break next year after confirmation by the SNP/Green Government.

    Fettes College, which educated former Labour Prime Minister Tony Blair, charges over £36,000 a year for boarding.

    Gordonstoun, the alma mater of Princes Charles, rakes in over £40,000 a year to board senior pupils.

    Posh Merchiston Castle school in Edinburgh also charges over £30,000 for some of their pupils.

    https://www.dailyrecord.co.uk/news/politics/private-schools-scotland-set-lose-25686958

    Which just means they will have to offer fewer scholarships and bursaries and become even more exclusive only to children of the rich. Yet another own goal by Sturgeon
    The more exclusive these institutions become, the more vulnerable they become. Think about it.
    On the way to expanding the bog standard comprehensive for the majority as is the goal of the SNP and the leftwing of the Labour Party while restricting choice for the majority or bright children who might get a scholarship. The only escape route left for wealthy parents who can still send their children to the best state schools in the most expensive suburbs
    Alternatively, take all the money off wealthy parents, so that all children have an equal start. Proper levelling up!
  • NickPalmerNickPalmer Posts: 21,263
    I see Leo Beckett has just died (age 95). He was a lovely, gentle man. His partnership with Margaret was legendary - she would completely ignore considerations of building her PLP network in favour of quietly eating alone with him in the canteen, because she really just wanted to be with him. The public gets the impression that the Commons is full of a mixture of political obsessives and sex-mad opportunists, but their marriage was quietly touching to see.
  • FairlieredFairliered Posts: 3,865

    HYUFD said:

    HYUFD said:

    Private schools in Scotland set to lose lucrative tax break from next year

    Independent schools will soon lose their ability to claim charity relief on non-domestic business rates.

    Private schools will lose a lucrative tax break next year after confirmation by the SNP/Green Government.

    Fettes College, which educated former Labour Prime Minister Tony Blair, charges over £36,000 a year for boarding.

    Gordonstoun, the alma mater of Princes Charles, rakes in over £40,000 a year to board senior pupils.

    Posh Merchiston Castle school in Edinburgh also charges over £30,000 for some of their pupils.

    https://www.dailyrecord.co.uk/news/politics/private-schools-scotland-set-lose-25686958

    Which just means they will have to offer fewer scholarships and bursaries and become even more exclusive only to children of the rich. Yet another own goal by Sturgeon
    Och well, we'll just have to live without the quality of the likes of Prince Andrew and Tony Blair in our public life (or a bit less of it at any rate).
    Most of our top doctors, surgeons and lawyers also went to private schools. A large proportion of the rest went to grammar schools
    Statistics please?
    Wouldn’t it be good if all children had an equal chance to become top doctors, surgeons and lawyers?
  • HYUFDHYUFD Posts: 116,708

    HYUFD said:

    HYUFD said:

    Private schools in Scotland set to lose lucrative tax break from next year

    Independent schools will soon lose their ability to claim charity relief on non-domestic business rates.

    Private schools will lose a lucrative tax break next year after confirmation by the SNP/Green Government.

    Fettes College, which educated former Labour Prime Minister Tony Blair, charges over £36,000 a year for boarding.

    Gordonstoun, the alma mater of Princes Charles, rakes in over £40,000 a year to board senior pupils.

    Posh Merchiston Castle school in Edinburgh also charges over £30,000 for some of their pupils.

    https://www.dailyrecord.co.uk/news/politics/private-schools-scotland-set-lose-25686958

    Which just means they will have to offer fewer scholarships and bursaries and become even more exclusive only to children of the rich. Yet another own goal by Sturgeon
    Och well, we'll just have to live without the quality of the likes of Prince Andrew and Tony Blair in our public life (or a bit less of it at any rate).
    Most of our top doctors, surgeons and lawyers also went to private schools. A large proportion of the rest went to grammar schools
    Statistics please?
    Wouldn’t it be good if all children had an equal chance to become top doctors, surgeons and lawyers?
    Many more did who did not go to private schools when we had more grammar schools
  • HYUFDHYUFD Posts: 116,708

    HYUFD said:

    HYUFD said:

    Private schools in Scotland set to lose lucrative tax break from next year

    Independent schools will soon lose their ability to claim charity relief on non-domestic business rates.

    Private schools will lose a lucrative tax break next year after confirmation by the SNP/Green Government.

    Fettes College, which educated former Labour Prime Minister Tony Blair, charges over £36,000 a year for boarding.

    Gordonstoun, the alma mater of Princes Charles, rakes in over £40,000 a year to board senior pupils.

    Posh Merchiston Castle school in Edinburgh also charges over £30,000 for some of their pupils.

    https://www.dailyrecord.co.uk/news/politics/private-schools-scotland-set-lose-25686958

    Which just means they will have to offer fewer scholarships and bursaries and become even more exclusive only to children of the rich. Yet another own goal by Sturgeon
    The more exclusive these institutions become, the more vulnerable they become. Think about it.
    On the way to expanding the bog standard comprehensive for the majority as is the goal of the SNP and the leftwing of the Labour Party while restricting choice for the majority or bright children who might get a scholarship. The only escape route left for wealthy parents who can still send their children to the best state schools in the most expensive suburbs
    Alternatively, take all the money off wealthy parents, so that all children have an equal start. Proper levelling up!
    Also called communism
This discussion has been closed.