Have to say as well, this BBC correspondent doing the commentary is really, really good. Clear, concise, knowledgeable, calm and also a perfect voice for it with excellent diction.
The decisions not to have cameras on the launcher and telescope....
The deployment would be awesome in 4K. If it works.....
It's something SpaceX now do excellently (although not at first).
It was another example of their evolved approach - culminating in the 4K cameras on the fairings which captured some startlingly beautiful coronal effects.
The moment you have peeled the potatoes, peeled and cored the parsnips, parboiled them, smothered them in butter and put them in roasting tray, and then go to put them in the oven...
..to find the tray you've selected is just half an inch too large...
About thirty years ago, my parents had a new oven fitted. It came with a range of trays, one of which was ideal for the turkey that Christmas. As dad was getting it out partway through cooking, the tray bent in the middle, depositing all the hot fat and oil straight onto his foot.
To this day he's proud he didn't drop the turkey, and fortunately the slippers he was wearing saved him from the worst. His foot still has scars to this day.
So, one thing you don't want with Christmas dinner: roast foot!
We've cooked a goose only once. I knew it was a fatty bird but we weren't prepared for how fatty. In getting it out of the oven, my husband spilt fat everywhere ruining a good pair of shoes. When I went to help, I started slidding around in the spilt fat and the two of us ended up clinging on to the kitchen units like something out of a comedy sketch. That put me off cooking goose. (Although I did enjoy smoked goose at The Gay Hussar. Aah, those times!)
Back to the crossword: 1 Down: Reaganonics? Anagram of Cameron plus is and ag = against. 20 Across Usage New York is in US Times = Ages 21 Down Sun up?
What works really well for goose is to get one of those deep sided, heavy duty foil, throw away dishes they sell for cooking turkey. Put the goose in that, and put it on the massive tray that comes with the oven - the one that is the size of the oven. The tray supports the foil, which would bend otherwise.
The heavy duty foil thing is 3 inches or more deep, which can hold the fat until you ladle it out.
The moment you have peeled the potatoes, peeled and cored the parsnips, parboiled them, smothered them in butter and put them in roasting tray, and then go to put them in the oven...
..to find the tray you've selected is just half an inch too large...
About thirty years ago, my parents had a new oven fitted. It came with a range of trays, one of which was ideal for the turkey that Christmas. As dad was getting it out partway through cooking, the tray bent in the middle, depositing all the hot fat and oil straight onto his foot.
To this day he's proud he didn't drop the turkey, and fortunately the slippers he was wearing saved him from the worst. His foot still has scars to this day.
So, one thing you don't want with Christmas dinner: roast foot!
We've cooked a goose only once. I knew it was a fatty bird but we weren't prepared for how fatty. In getting it out of the oven, my husband spilt fat everywhere ruining a good pair of shoes. When I went to help, I started slidding around in the spilt fat and the two of us ended up clinging on to the kitchen units like something out of a comedy sketch. That put me off cooking goose. (Although I did enjoy smoked goose at The Gay Hussar. Aah, those times!)
Back to the crossword: 1 Down: Reaganonics? Anagram of Cameron plus is and ag = against. 20 Across Usage New York is in US Times = Ages 21 Down Sun up?
What works really well for goose is to get one of those deep sided, heavy duty foil, throw away dishes they sell for cooking turkey. Put the goose in that, and put it on the massive tray that comes with the oven - the one that is the size of the oven. The tray supports the foil, which would bend otherwise.
The heavy duty foil thing is 3 inches or more deep, which can hold the fat until you ladle it out.
Another way is to boil the goose or duck for 10-20 minutes first in order to render much of the fat, then to drain and roast afterwards.
12 BUDGET article eclipsed by European Court’s first libel action (7,4)
FINANCE BILL - A (indefinite article) eclipsed or covered by Finn (European), then C (Court’s first) and “e bill”, (anagram of libel, indicated by action). FIN (A) N + C + E BILL
Budget or The Budget is the UK government’s annual (statement of the) Finance Bill.
18 Dancer Blair addressed familiarly, is A TRUMP SUPPORTER (5,5)
ROGER STONE - “Rogers” (Ginger, famous film dancer with Fred Astaire ) + “Tone” (Tony Blair, when addressed familiarly).
Roger Stone is a Republican lobbyist and notable supporter of Donald Trump who was convicted of 7 felony counts resulting from the Mueller Investigation in 2019 but subsequently pardoned by Trump.
15 Lady caught out visiting church WHERE SON OF THE MANSE LIVED (9)
KIRKCALDY - anagram (indicated by out) of Lady c (caught) next to kirk (church). KIRK + CALDY
Kirkcaldy is where Gordon Brown was brought up and where he was an MP. He is known as “the son of the manse” because his father was a Church of Scotland minister and the family lived in a manse.
The moment you have peeled the potatoes, peeled and cored the parsnips, parboiled them, smothered them in butter and put them in roasting tray, and then go to put them in the oven...
..to find the tray you've selected is just half an inch too large...
About thirty years ago, my parents had a new oven fitted. It came with a range of trays, one of which was ideal for the turkey that Christmas. As dad was getting it out partway through cooking, the tray bent in the middle, depositing all the hot fat and oil straight onto his foot.
To this day he's proud he didn't drop the turkey, and fortunately the slippers he was wearing saved him from the worst. His foot still has scars to this day.
So, one thing you don't want with Christmas dinner: roast foot!
We've cooked a goose only once. I knew it was a fatty bird but we weren't prepared for how fatty. In getting it out of the oven, my husband spilt fat everywhere ruining a good pair of shoes. When I went to help, I started slidding around in the spilt fat and the two of us ended up clinging on to the kitchen units like something out of a comedy sketch. That put me off cooking goose. (Although I did enjoy smoked goose at The Gay Hussar. Aah, those times!)
Back to the crossword: 1 Down: Reaganonics? Anagram of Cameron plus is and ag = against. 20 Across Usage New York is in US Times = Ages 21 Down Sun up?
What works really well for goose is to get one of those deep sided, heavy duty foil, throw away dishes they sell for cooking turkey. Put the goose in that, and put it on the massive tray that comes with the oven - the one that is the size of the oven. The tray supports the foil, which would bend otherwise.
The heavy duty foil thing is 3 inches or more deep, which can hold the fat until you ladle it out.
Another way is to boil the goose or duck for 10-20 minutes first in order to render much of the fat, then to drain and roast afterwards.
The problem you get is that the modern habit of "inflating" turkeys etc with brine means that gallons of liquid keeps on pouring out through the cooking. Unless you source your bird from a proper butcher, which is seriously expensive, usually.
A major Tory donor who backed Boris Johnson before the last election has openly questioned whether he should survive as Conservative leader, as another poll confirmed a clear poll lead for Labour.
John Caudwell, the billionaire founder of Phones4U who handed the Tories £500,000 before the last election, said he had been hugely disappointed by “the mistakes and faux pas” made by No 10 and said he did not know if Johnson could or should lead the party into the next election.
With Tory MPs openly speculating about who might replace Johnson, Caudwell said he had been particularly alarmed by Johnson’s initial attempt to protect former cabinet minister Owen Paterson from punishment after he was found to have lobbied ministers.
“What really concerns me is this sleaze issue and him not standing firmly enough against what’s gone on,” he told the Observer. “I was unbelievably disappointed when I heard him almost defending and ... trying to find an out for Owen Paterson. [However,] I like him as a charismatic leader. It’s a very, very positive thing to have somebody who feels down to earth, so I like Boris from that point of view.”
“I’m not sure he can survive this, and I’m not even sure he should survive it.”
The moment you have peeled the potatoes, peeled and cored the parsnips, parboiled them, smothered them in butter and put them in roasting tray, and then go to put them in the oven...
..to find the tray you've selected is just half an inch too large...
About thirty years ago, my parents had a new oven fitted. It came with a range of trays, one of which was ideal for the turkey that Christmas. As dad was getting it out partway through cooking, the tray bent in the middle, depositing all the hot fat and oil straight onto his foot.
To this day he's proud he didn't drop the turkey, and fortunately the slippers he was wearing saved him from the worst. His foot still has scars to this day.
So, one thing you don't want with Christmas dinner: roast foot!
That would terrify me. Diabetic people are very vulnerable to foot injuries, and the difficulty of healing thereof.
Only ever had one, and that was a fairly mild shoe rubbing which ended up as an ulcer with a need for a minor op. Since I had an epidural I got to watch. V. interesting.
Ouch. TBF it's not something that ever occurred to me. What exactly is the problem with diabetes and foot injuries? Is it the same for Type 1 and Type 2?
Diabetes worsens blood circulation and makes feet less sensitive. So problems with cuts and bruises on the feet may go unnoticed and feet are typically the most vulnerable part of the body to circulation issues which makes healing from wounds etc. take longer.
Good summary.
Peripheray neuropathy - loss of feel and circulation, which means that stuff like standing on a nail or foot injury such as boiling water gets missed, and daily foot care is critical. So people with D are at higher risk due to walking barefoot on a beach or in water or at home.
With age or inflexibility loss of ability to self-care can have an impact,
Made worse by slow healing. which is also a diabetic thing.
Applies to type 1 and 2, especially Type 1.
Longer term complications are loss of feel, and then potentially amputation.
More of a risk by iiving alone as happens more now, esp. with aging.
Simple things like better db control or learning yoga make a difference.
NHS getting much better at this. Part of the agenda to manage healthcare costs.
There's a lot underneath about motivation and self-care.
One excellent strategy is to marry a medic .
Also things perhaps such as house sharing as one ages.
Merry Christmas everyone. Watched the Queen's speech earlier and it felt very much like a handing over of the baton. Hoping though she has a good few more of them left.
New or continuous cough. High temperature. Loss of smell or taste. Still up as 3 main symptoms on NHS website. They really aren't at all.
Problem is - If they put up 'runny nose, headache, sore throat, however mild get a PCR test'; well that is probably about 75% of the country at this time of year.
New or continuous cough. High temperature. Loss of smell or taste. Still up as 3 main symptoms on NHS website. They really aren't at all.
Problem is - If they put up 'runny nose, headache, sore throat, however mild get a PCR test'; well that is probably about 75% of the country at this time of year.
Yes. However, those are the prevailing symptoms. 57 minutes without a comment. Is this a daytime record?
Labour has opened up an eight-point lead over the Tories after a punishing few weeks for Boris Johnson, a poll commissioned by The Sunday Times reveals today.
Nearly 25,000 people were asked about their voting intentions, and the results give the first detailed insight into the public’s perception of Johnson’s handling of the sleaze scandals engulfing his party.
The findings of a constituency-by-constituency poll conducted on December 1-21 suggested Sir Keir Starmer, the Labour leader, would have won a general election with a 26-seat majority. Johnson would have lost his seat of Uxbridge & South Ruislip, the first sitting prime minister to have been ejected from parliament.
Five other cabinet ministers, including Alok Sharma, the Cop26 president, and George Eustice, the environment secretary, would also have lost their seats, according to the survey by Focaldata.
The poll was taken over a three-week period in which Johnson suffered a damaging backbench rebellion, a by-election defeat in a seat the Tories had held for nearly 200 years, revelations of illicit parties held in Downing Street last Christmas and a surge in Omicron cases.
Labour would have made its biggest gains in the red wall seats that propelled Johnson to power in 2019. Starmer would have been expected to take back all 50 seats in the north of England, the Midlands and Wales that voted Labour in 2015 and Conservative in 2019, according to the poll.
Labour would have made its biggest gains in the red wall seats that propelled Johnson to power in 2019. Starmer would have been expected to take back all 50 seats in the north of England, the Midlands and Wales that voted Labour in 2015 and Conservative in 2019, according to the poll.
Without a single gain in Scotland, this is extraordinary.
While some Conservatives will be shocked by the findings, many will think it could have been much worse and will be surprised Starmer has not fared better in “disastrous December”.
Eh? This is Labour's best performance since 2005, two years after losing in a landslide, such a turnaround would put Starmer as one of the most successful leaders in history.
Of course, just a poll, very early days of course!
Labour would have made its biggest gains in the red wall seats that propelled Johnson to power in 2019. Starmer would have been expected to take back all 50 seats in the north of England, the Midlands and Wales that voted Labour in 2015 and Conservative in 2019, according to the poll.
Without a single gain in Scotland, this is extraordinary.
And the idea the SNP would be useful is destroyed
Michael Howard and Ed Miliband both had these sorts of shares. It didn’t last.
What’s more striking to my mind is how quickly things have turned around - less than two months. Normally it’s a much more gradual process.
Equally, it suggests things could turn back very fast too.
Labour would have made its biggest gains in the red wall seats that propelled Johnson to power in 2019. Starmer would have been expected to take back all 50 seats in the north of England, the Midlands and Wales that voted Labour in 2015 and Conservative in 2019, according to the poll.
Without a single gain in Scotland, this is extraordinary.
And the idea the SNP would be useful is destroyed
Michael Howard and Ed Miliband both had these sorts of shares. It didn’t last.
What’s more striking to my mind is how quickly things have turned around - less than two months. Normally it’s a much more gradual process.
Equally, it suggests things could turn back very fast too.
Very fair point.
Labour must solidify this progress - but 40% is a good base to maintain and they still have Green votes to squeeze
Labour would have made its biggest gains in the red wall seats that propelled Johnson to power in 2019. Starmer would have been expected to take back all 50 seats in the north of England, the Midlands and Wales that voted Labour in 2015 and Conservative in 2019, according to the poll.
Without a single gain in Scotland, this is extraordinary.
Labour would have made its biggest gains in the red wall seats that propelled Johnson to power in 2019. Starmer would have been expected to take back all 50 seats in the north of England, the Midlands and Wales that voted Labour in 2015 and Conservative in 2019, according to the poll.
Without a single gain in Scotland, this is extraordinary.
And the idea the SNP would be useful is destroyed
Labour gain Basingstoke??
Still a Con seat based on this MRP.
Aaron Bell loses his seat as does the Red Wall Tories.
Labour would have made its biggest gains in the red wall seats that propelled Johnson to power in 2019. Starmer would have been expected to take back all 50 seats in the north of England, the Midlands and Wales that voted Labour in 2015 and Conservative in 2019, according to the poll.
Without a single gain in Scotland, this is extraordinary.
And the idea the SNP would be useful is destroyed
Labour gain Basingstoke??
Still a Con seat based on this MRP.
Aaron Bell loses his seat as does the Red Wall Tories.
On that poll @CorrectHorseBattery should definitely put a couple of quid on Basingstoke going Labour. Value bet.
Labour would have made its biggest gains in the red wall seats that propelled Johnson to power in 2019. Starmer would have been expected to take back all 50 seats in the north of England, the Midlands and Wales that voted Labour in 2015 and Conservative in 2019, according to the poll.
Without a single gain in Scotland, this is extraordinary.
And the idea the SNP would be useful is destroyed
Michael Howard and Ed Miliband both had these sorts of shares. It didn’t last.
What’s more striking to my mind is how quickly things have turned around - less than two months. Normally it’s a much more gradual process.
Equally, it suggests things could turn back very fast too.
Radio 1 yesterday said their no 5 single was a song about Boris with so many rude words in it a bleeped version was just not feasible. He has engaged da yoof, and not in a good way
Labour would have made its biggest gains in the red wall seats that propelled Johnson to power in 2019. Starmer would have been expected to take back all 50 seats in the north of England, the Midlands and Wales that voted Labour in 2015 and Conservative in 2019, according to the poll.
Without a single gain in Scotland, this is extraordinary.
And the idea the SNP would be useful is destroyed
Michael Howard and Ed Miliband both had these sorts of shares. It didn’t last.
What’s more striking to my mind is how quickly things have turned around - less than two months. Normally it’s a much more gradual process.
Equally, it suggests things could turn back very fast too.
Radio 1 yesterday said their no 5 single was a song about Boris with so many rude words in it a bleeped version was just not feasible. He has engaged da yoof, and not in a good way
He will solidify that if he fudges around with student fees.
Labour would have made its biggest gains in the red wall seats that propelled Johnson to power in 2019. Starmer would have been expected to take back all 50 seats in the north of England, the Midlands and Wales that voted Labour in 2015 and Conservative in 2019, according to the poll.
Without a single gain in Scotland, this is extraordinary.
And the idea the SNP would be useful is destroyed
Michael Howard and Ed Miliband both had these sorts of shares. It didn’t last.
What’s more striking to my mind is how quickly things have turned around - less than two months. Normally it’s a much more gradual process.
Equally, it suggests things could turn back very fast too.
Radio 1 yesterday said their no 5 single was a song about Boris with so many rude words in it a bleeped version was just not feasible. He has engaged da yoof, and not in a good way
He will solidify that if he fudges around with student fees.
By virtue of my low office, as Vice Vicar & Metropolitan of the Pseudo Orthodox Quasi Church of Almost Holy Bukovina (POQCAHB) We wish all PBers, deserving and undeserving alike (as if you know which from which!) a most Merry Christmas!
Though sadly, due to your hereditary heresy and robust paganism, your calendar has become so corrupted as to make you believe that TODAY is Christmas Day.
Humbug!
According to the True Calendar of God as calculated and observed by the POQCAHB since the days of the Venerable Crap'oslavl the Incontinent (or perhaps it was the other way around?) the true date of Christmas, according to the satanic-euro-popish calendar) is June 31.
By virtue of my low office, as Vice Vicar & Metropolitan of the Pseudo Orthodox Quasi Church of Almost Holy Bukovina (POQCAHB) We wish all PBers, deserving and undeserving alike (as if you know which from which!) a most Merry Christmas!
Though sadly, due to your hereditary heresy and robust paganism, your calendar has become so corrupted as to make you believe that TODAY is Christmas Day.
Humbug!
According to the True Calendar of God as calculated and observed by the POQCAHB since the days of the Venerable Crap'oslavl the Incontinent (or perhaps it was the other way around?) the true date of Christmas, according to the satanic-euro-popish calendar) is June 31.
Wait for it!
Christmas and New year's Day should both be on the solstice.
Labour would have made its biggest gains in the red wall seats that propelled Johnson to power in 2019. Starmer would have been expected to take back all 50 seats in the north of England, the Midlands and Wales that voted Labour in 2015 and Conservative in 2019, according to the poll.
Without a single gain in Scotland, this is extraordinary.
And the idea the SNP would be useful is destroyed
Nah, if Labour didn't have a single gain in Scotland and only gained seats against the Tories, then the latter would be on 229 not 237. I haven't checked out the details of the poll, yet, but it seems to imply at least eight Labour gains from the SNP. Probably the six seats they lost in 2019, and maybe somewhere like Airdrie and Shotts and/or Glasgow East.
Labour would have made its biggest gains in the red wall seats that propelled Johnson to power in 2019. Starmer would have been expected to take back all 50 seats in the north of England, the Midlands and Wales that voted Labour in 2015 and Conservative in 2019, according to the poll.
Without a single gain in Scotland, this is extraordinary.
And the idea the SNP would be useful is destroyed
Michael Howard and Ed Miliband both had these sorts of shares. It didn’t last.
What’s more striking to my mind is how quickly things have turned around - less than two months. Normally it’s a much more gradual process.
Equally, it suggests things could turn back very fast too.
A good point.
However we are yet to see the backlash from the economic train-wreck heading our way. The current state of affairs was a bonus I could not have predicted pre- Owen Paterson.
Still, some hang 'em and flog 'em narratives from Priti and picking some fights with the EU and China and normal service should be resumed.
To be honest I am extremely sceptical this would be repeated, I think a Labour majority is out of the question
I would be staggered if Labour got more than 300 seats at the next election TBH (although 300 would be an excellent result), it 's a pretty dubious looking MRP TBH as it has Westmorland and Lonsdale as a Tory gain and has Labour regaining seats like Middlesbrough S and east Cleveland, Burton, Erewash, Telford, Dover, Stevenage, Grimsby, Bassetlaw, Waveney, Monmouth, Thurrock and Rochford and Southend E which all seem crazy.
I can see some serious unwind back (mainly in the North) to 2015/17 but not this.
New or continuous cough. High temperature. Loss of smell or taste. Still up as 3 main symptoms on NHS website. They really aren't at all.
Problem is - If they put up 'runny nose, headache, sore throat, however mild get a PCR test'; well that is probably about 75% of the country at this time of year.
Yes. However, those are the prevailing symptoms. 57 minutes without a comment. Is this a daytime record?
I feel like I am stating something incredibly obvious. But the testing system, and associated rules, are absurd to the point of being meaningless. One set of people are motivated to take tests: so, people who are employed and would rather have a day or two off work whilst they await test results. Another set of people have every incentive to avoid taking Covid tests - so, the self employed, or people who need to get out and about to get things done.
Even if no one ever admits to this being the truth, it is obvious to me that it is the case. Now we have got to the point where the official COVID symptoms are, it seems, not really correct; yet the impact on the economy of changing them, and the associated disruption, are such that they cannot be changed, because the effect of making a runny nose a covid symptom that justifies 'self isolating' and booking a test means that a large proportion of the country will be off work at anyone one time whilst they await their PCR test results.
The situation is a farce. The government keep it running, presumably so it can get data from the PCR tests about COVID. This is a bureaucratic monster that needs to be slayed.
Labour would have made its biggest gains in the red wall seats that propelled Johnson to power in 2019. Starmer would have been expected to take back all 50 seats in the north of England, the Midlands and Wales that voted Labour in 2015 and Conservative in 2019, according to the poll.
Without a single gain in Scotland, this is extraordinary.
And the idea the SNP would be useful is destroyed
Nah, if Labour didn't have a single gain in Scotland and only gained seats against the Tories, then the latter would be on 229 not 237. I haven't checked out the details of the poll, yet, but it seems to imply at least eight Labour gains from the SNP. Probably the six seats they lost in 2019, and maybe somewhere like Airdrie and Shotts and/or Glasgow East.
It's a weird MRP though as East Lothian stays SNP (ignoring the ALBA defection) but has Inverclyde going back to Labour despite a large majority in 2019. The other Glasgow/N Lanarkshire seats I can just about believe as they were either ultra marginal or won by Labour in 2017.
Labour would have made its biggest gains in the red wall seats that propelled Johnson to power in 2019. Starmer would have been expected to take back all 50 seats in the north of England, the Midlands and Wales that voted Labour in 2015 and Conservative in 2019, according to the poll.
Without a single gain in Scotland, this is extraordinary.
And the idea the SNP would be useful is destroyed
Nah, if Labour didn't have a single gain in Scotland and only gained seats against the Tories, then the latter would be on 229 not 237. I haven't checked out the details of the poll, yet, but it seems to imply at least eight Labour gains from the SNP. Probably the six seats they lost in 2019, and maybe somewhere like Airdrie and Shotts and/or Glasgow East.
*looks at poll* SNP - 48 SLAB - 11 SCON and SLD wipe out. Lab gain Glasgow South West, but SLDs lose Orkney and Shetland? Can't see it.
Labour would have made its biggest gains in the red wall seats that propelled Johnson to power in 2019. Starmer would have been expected to take back all 50 seats in the north of England, the Midlands and Wales that voted Labour in 2015 and Conservative in 2019, according to the poll.
Without a single gain in Scotland, this is extraordinary.
And the idea the SNP would be useful is destroyed
Nah, if Labour didn't have a single gain in Scotland and only gained seats against the Tories, then the latter would be on 229 not 237. I haven't checked out the details of the poll, yet, but it seems to imply at least eight Labour gains from the SNP. Probably the six seats they lost in 2019, and maybe somewhere like Airdrie and Shotts and/or Glasgow East.
*looks at poll* SNP - 48 SLAB - 11 SCON and SLD wipe out. Lab gain Glasgow South West, but SLDs lose Orkney and Shetland? Can't see it.
To be fair they won six seats in 2017? I can't see 11 though
Labour would have made its biggest gains in the red wall seats that propelled Johnson to power in 2019. Starmer would have been expected to take back all 50 seats in the north of England, the Midlands and Wales that voted Labour in 2015 and Conservative in 2019, according to the poll.
Without a single gain in Scotland, this is extraordinary.
And the idea the SNP would be useful is destroyed
Nah, if Labour didn't have a single gain in Scotland and only gained seats against the Tories, then the latter would be on 229 not 237. I haven't checked out the details of the poll, yet, but it seems to imply at least eight Labour gains from the SNP. Probably the six seats they lost in 2019, and maybe somewhere like Airdrie and Shotts and/or Glasgow East.
It's a weird MRP though as East Lothian stays SNP (ignoring the ALBA defection) but has Inverclyde going back to Labour despite a large majority in 2019. The other Glasgow/N Lanarkshire seats I can just about believe as they were either ultra marginal or won by Labour in 2017.
MRP doesn't have a great record in Scotland TBH.
Yeah, SLDs lose Orkney and Shetland as well... doesn't look that plausible really.
To be honest I am extremely sceptical this would be repeated, I think a Labour majority is out of the question
I would be staggered if Labour got more than 300 seats at the next election TBH (although 300 would be an excellent result), it 's a pretty dubious looking MRP TBH as it has Westmorland and Lonsdale as a Tory gain and has Labour regaining seats like Middlesbrough S and east Cleveland, Burton, Erewash, Telford, Dover, Stevenage, Grimsby, Bassetlaw, Waveney, Monmouth, Thurrock and Rochford and Southend E which all seem crazy.
I can see some serious unwind back (mainly in the North) to 2015/17 but not this.
New or continuous cough. High temperature. Loss of smell or taste. Still up as 3 main symptoms on NHS website. They really aren't at all.
Problem is - If they put up 'runny nose, headache, sore throat, however mild get a PCR test'; well that is probably about 75% of the country at this time of year.
Yes. However, those are the prevailing symptoms. 57 minutes without a comment. Is this a daytime record?
I feel like I am stating something incredibly obvious. But the testing system, and associated rules, are absurd to the point of being meaningless. One set of people are motivated to take tests: so, people who are employed and would rather have a day or two off work whilst they await test results. Another set of people have every incentive to avoid taking Covid tests - so, the self employed, or people who need to get out and about to get things done.
Even if no one ever admits to this being the truth, it is obvious to me that it is the case. Now we have got to the point where the official COVID symptoms are, it seems, not really correct; yet the impact on the economy of changing them, and the associated disruption, are such that they cannot be changed, because the effect of making a runny nose a covid symptom that justifies 'self isolating' and booking a test means that a large proportion of the country will be off work at anyone one time whilst they await their PCR test results.
The situation is a farce. The government keep it running, presumably so it can get data from the PCR tests about COVID. This is a bureaucratic monster that needs to be slayed.
You're assuming that most people don't care about public health, and are only motivated by whether they can game the system so that either they don't need to work even if they're healthy or they can mix with crowds even if they're infectious. It's obvious to you that people are like that, and obvious to me that they're not. After all, anyone who is that cynical can pull a sickie anyway - up to 3 days, most employers don't check up.
What does I think happen commonly is that people don't bother to report negative LFT results. As a result, we don't have accurate figures for the proportion of tests that are positive.
Labour would have made its biggest gains in the red wall seats that propelled Johnson to power in 2019. Starmer would have been expected to take back all 50 seats in the north of England, the Midlands and Wales that voted Labour in 2015 and Conservative in 2019, according to the poll.
Regaining the 2015-2019 seats sounds very credible on current polling (which however obviously may not last). Doing as well as Corbyn in 2015 doesn't sound an impossible goal, and doing a bit better isn't too hard to imagine. What the MRP approach does is give a better idea of current tactical voting intention, though I'm surprised to see no LibDem net gains on that basis.
Labour would have made its biggest gains in the red wall seats that propelled Johnson to power in 2019. Starmer would have been expected to take back all 50 seats in the north of England, the Midlands and Wales that voted Labour in 2015 and Conservative in 2019, according to the poll.
Regaining the 2015-2019 seats sounds very credible on current polling (which however obviously may not last). Doing as well as Corbyn in 2015 doesn't sound an impossible goal, and doing a bit better isn't too hard to imagine. What the MRP approach does is give a better idea of current tactical voting intention, though I'm surprised to see no LibDem net gains on that basis.
Labour would have made its biggest gains in the red wall seats that propelled Johnson to power in 2019. Starmer would have been expected to take back all 50 seats in the north of England, the Midlands and Wales that voted Labour in 2015 and Conservative in 2019, according to the poll.
Without a single gain in Scotland, this is extraordinary.
And the idea the SNP would be useful is destroyed
No, this poll has the SNP down from 4% in 2019 to 3% now and several gains from the SNP by Labour in Central Scotland. Though it is also pre boundary changes which would likely see the Tories narrow the gap compared to what this poll suggests even if Starmer would still be PM
Labour would have made its biggest gains in the red wall seats that propelled Johnson to power in 2019. Starmer would have been expected to take back all 50 seats in the north of England, the Midlands and Wales that voted Labour in 2015 and Conservative in 2019, according to the poll.
Without a single gain in Scotland, this is extraordinary.
And the idea the SNP would be useful is destroyed
No, this poll has the SNP down from 4% in 2019 to 3% now and several gains from.the SNP by Labour in Central Scotland. Though it is also pre boundary changes which would likely see the Tories narrow the gap compared to what this poll suggests even if Starmer would still be PM
Labour would have made its biggest gains in the red wall seats that propelled Johnson to power in 2019. Starmer would have been expected to take back all 50 seats in the north of England, the Midlands and Wales that voted Labour in 2015 and Conservative in 2019, according to the poll.
Regaining the 2015-2019 seats sounds very credible on current polling (which however obviously may not last). Doing as well as Corbyn in 2015 doesn't sound an impossible goal, and doing a bit better isn't too hard to imagine. What the MRP approach does is give a better idea of current tactical voting intention, though I'm surprised to see no LibDem net gains on that basis.
That is a good point. I don't see Labour anywhere near government without an unravelling of former Remainer Tory seats to the LDs.
I can't believe how Johnsonian hubris has allowed us to arrive at where we are today. I was expecting cross-over in the spring when the energy price hike and the effects of 6% plus inflation hit bank accounts.
New or continuous cough. High temperature. Loss of smell or taste. Still up as 3 main symptoms on NHS website. They really aren't at all.
Problem is - If they put up 'runny nose, headache, sore throat, however mild get a PCR test'; well that is probably about 75% of the country at this time of year.
Yes. However, those are the prevailing symptoms. 57 minutes without a comment. Is this a daytime record?
I feel like I am stating something incredibly obvious. But the testing system, and associated rules, are absurd to the point of being meaningless. One set of people are motivated to take tests: so, people who are employed and would rather have a day or two off work whilst they await test results. Another set of people have every incentive to avoid taking Covid tests - so, the self employed, or people who need to get out and about to get things done.
Even if no one ever admits to this being the truth, it is obvious to me that it is the case. Now we have got to the point where the official COVID symptoms are, it seems, not really correct; yet the impact on the economy of changing them, and the associated disruption, are such that they cannot be changed, because the effect of making a runny nose a covid symptom that justifies 'self isolating' and booking a test means that a large proportion of the country will be off work at anyone one time whilst they await their PCR test results.
The situation is a farce. The government keep it running, presumably so it can get data from the PCR tests about COVID. This is a bureaucratic monster that needs to be slayed.
You're assuming that most people don't care about public health, and are only motivated by whether they can game the system so that either they don't need to work even if they're healthy or they can mix with crowds even if they're infectious. It's obvious to you that people are like that, and obvious to me that they're not. After all, anyone who is that cynical can pull a sickie anyway - up to 3 days, most employers don't check up.
What does I think happen commonly is that people don't bother to report negative LFT results. As a result, we don't have accurate figures for the proportion of tests that are positive.
It is more complex than that. My point is that the system motivates one set of people to take an interest in public health, the other are essentially forced by their circumstances to disregard it. To me that is obvious. I am not making generalisations about people, certainly not that they don't care about public health. Some will be very concerned about it, others far less so.
But even if you are correct and that most people are actually acting in the interests of public health irrespective of how they are incentivised by the system, it is still absurd. That is because the official symptoms are no longer correct; as the symptoms of both the delta variant and the latest one are not the 3 main NHS symptoms that justify taking a PCR test.
Comments
The heavy duty foil thing is 3 inches or more deep, which can hold the fat until you ladle it out.
It gets even more confusing when they cast actors who resemble each other and I get the characters mixed up.
Remember to Eat, Drink and be Merry.
Hillary Clinton
@HillaryClinton
·
13m
Merry Christmas! Christmas tree
https://twitter.com/HillaryClinton/status/1474735133500583945?s=20
@SpeakerPelosi
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49m
From my family to yours, we wish you a healthy and Merry Christmas! #MerryChristmasChristmas tree
https://twitter.com/SpeakerPelosi/status/1474727947059830785?s=20
Still up as 3 main symptoms on NHS website.
They really aren't at all.
https://www.theguardian.com/sport/2021/dec/25/ray-illingworth-former-england-cricket-captain-and-coach-dies-aged-89
Catch you all on the other side.
REAGANOMICS - anagram (indicated by conflicted) of “Cameron is” over or around “a g” (good).
RE (AG) ANOMICS.
Reaganomics described the policy or policies, particularly economic, of conservative US President, Ronald Reagan.
USAGES - US (where to find New York) + ages (Times)
SUN-UP - cryptic definition.
Ratify means endorse, has six letters and fits the grid. As for the rest of the clue, who knows, rat = tar backwards?
8 clues left. Across 11, 13, 16, 18, 22. Down 12, 15, 19.
Suitable = Fit
Suitable backwards = tif
Man holding suitable backwards = ra(tif)y
11 ENDORSE man holding suitable backing (6)
RATIFY - “Ray” (man) holding or around “tif” (fit reversed). RA (TIF) Y.
18 Roger Stone
Kirk = church
Caldy - c for caught and lady out of order.
= constituency of Mr Brown, famously son of a Kirk of Scotland minister (Scots describe it as 'son of the manse').
FINANCE BILL - A (indefinite article) eclipsed or covered by Finn (European), then C (Court’s first) and “e bill”, (anagram of libel, indicated by action). FIN (A) N + C + E BILL
Budget or The Budget is the UK government’s annual (statement of the) Finance Bill.
ROGER STONE - “Rogers” (Ginger, famous film dancer with Fred Astaire ) + “Tone” (Tony Blair, when addressed familiarly).
Roger Stone is a Republican lobbyist and notable supporter of Donald Trump who was convicted of 7 felony counts resulting from the Mueller Investigation in 2019 but subsequently pardoned by Trump.
KIRKCALDY - anagram (indicated by out) of Lady c (caught) next to kirk (church).
KIRK + CALDY
Kirkcaldy is where Gordon Brown was brought up and where he was an MP. He is known as “the son of the manse” because his father was a Church of Scotland minister and the family lived in a manse.
remains here (as in eg cremains)
and
laments = mourns minus first couple of letters
Me: Negative
Wor Lass: Positive. Repeat test: Positive
Oh well, no Christmas dinner with the rest of the family.
Way too drunk now for the cryptic crossword, but thanks to @stjohn @MikeSmithson and the PB team, and all PBers. Merry Christmas!
URNS - (mo)urns (laments) with the first couple of letters leaving.
Anagram ('broadcast') of did + a + fag
GADDAFI - anagram (indicated by broadcast) of “did” and “a fag”
Can’t do 22 though
POLICY WONK - Covering, “Icy” (Cold) + “W” (War’s origin) + “on” (working) with
“Polk” (11th US President, James Knox Polk) makes [POL (ICY W ON) K]
And I am stuck on 22
Declared could be running.
Deed could be act.
Don’t get the rest though.
Declared meaning running for office or running in a sporting event, such as a horse race.
Many thanks, St John.
Very enjoyable as ever.
Thanks again to everyone who had a go at solving this and especially to the stalwarts who regularly contribute to this annual event.
Particular thanks to Mike and the PB community for indulging me once again. Merry Xmas and a Happy New Year.
That's all folks!
She is asymptomatic, so hopefully will stay that way. We are both boosted.
PCR test arranged for Boxing Day morning.
She visited a cafe with a friend on Tuesday, so that may well have been Ground Zero.
John Caudwell, the billionaire founder of Phones4U who handed the Tories £500,000 before the last election, said he had been hugely disappointed by “the mistakes and faux pas” made by No 10 and said he did not know if Johnson could or should lead the party into the next election.
With Tory MPs openly speculating about who might replace Johnson, Caudwell said he had been particularly alarmed by Johnson’s initial attempt to protect former cabinet minister Owen Paterson from punishment after he was found to have lobbied ministers.
“What really concerns me is this sleaze issue and him not standing firmly enough against what’s gone on,” he told the Observer. “I was unbelievably disappointed when I heard him almost defending and ... trying to find an out for Owen Paterson. [However,] I like him as a charismatic leader. It’s a very, very positive thing to have somebody who feels down to earth, so I like Boris from that point of view.”
“I’m not sure he can survive this, and I’m not even sure he should survive it.”
Peripheray neuropathy - loss of feel and circulation, which means that stuff like standing on a nail or foot injury such as boiling water gets missed, and daily foot care is critical. So people with D are at higher risk due to walking barefoot on a beach or in water or at home.
With age or inflexibility loss of ability to self-care can have an impact,
Made worse by slow healing. which is also a diabetic thing.
Applies to type 1 and 2, especially Type 1.
Longer term complications are loss of feel, and then potentially amputation.
More of a risk by iiving alone as happens more now, esp. with aging.
Simple things like better db control or learning yoga make a difference.
NHS getting much better at this. Part of the agenda to manage healthcare costs.
There's a lot underneath about motivation and self-care.
One excellent strategy is to marry a medic .
Also things perhaps such as house sharing as one ages.
Or are you allowed booze in Dubai as long as you're not plastered in public?
Spotted this week's @OpiniumResearch figures in an @ObserverUK article (changes with two weeks ago):
Vote intention
Con: 32% (-)
Lab: 39% (-2)
Approval
Johnson: -31 (+4)
Starmer: +4 (+6) - highest since April
Best PM
Johnson: 24% (+2)
Starmer: 30% (+1)
Starmer seeing positive approval now
https://twitter.com/JMagosh/status/1474779663239200770
57 minutes without a comment. Is this a daytime record?
Hope everyone has had a lovely day!
Labour has opened up an eight-point lead over the Tories after a punishing few weeks for Boris Johnson, a poll commissioned by The Sunday Times reveals today.
Nearly 25,000 people were asked about their voting intentions, and the results give the first detailed insight into the public’s perception of Johnson’s handling of the sleaze scandals engulfing his party.
The findings of a constituency-by-constituency poll conducted on December 1-21 suggested Sir Keir Starmer, the Labour leader, would have won a general election with a 26-seat majority. Johnson would have lost his seat of Uxbridge & South Ruislip, the first sitting prime minister to have been ejected from parliament.
Five other cabinet ministers, including Alok Sharma, the Cop26 president, and George Eustice, the environment secretary, would also have lost their seats, according to the survey by Focaldata.
The poll was taken over a three-week period in which Johnson suffered a damaging backbench rebellion, a by-election defeat in a seat the Tories had held for nearly 200 years, revelations of illicit parties held in Downing Street last Christmas and a surge in Omicron cases.
https://www.thetimes.co.uk/article/starmer-opens-up-eight-point-lead-as-partygate-takes-toll-on-tories-lzftkmw57
This MRP poll translates in terms of seats
Lab 338
Con 237
LD 11
Labour would have made its biggest gains in the red wall seats that propelled Johnson to power in 2019. Starmer would have been expected to take back all 50 seats in the north of England, the Midlands and Wales that voted Labour in 2015 and Conservative in 2019, according to the poll.
And the idea the SNP would be useful is destroyed
Eh? This is Labour's best performance since 2005, two years after losing in a landslide, such a turnaround would put Starmer as one of the most successful leaders in history.
Of course, just a poll, very early days of course!
What’s more striking to my mind is how quickly things have turned around - less than two months. Normally it’s a much more gradual process.
Equally, it suggests things could turn back very fast too.
I've been enjoying Christmas with family today so not commenting, Not sure how much help I would have been with the cross word anyway, LOL.
Labour must solidify this progress - but 40% is a good base to maintain and they still have Green votes to squeeze
https://twitter.com/scottygb/status/1474797758712365062
Aaron Bell loses his seat as does the Red Wall Tories.
Though sadly, due to your hereditary heresy and robust paganism, your calendar has become so corrupted as to make you believe that TODAY is Christmas Day.
Humbug!
According to the True Calendar of God as calculated and observed by the POQCAHB since the days of the Venerable Crap'oslavl the Incontinent (or perhaps it was the other way around?) the true date of Christmas, according to the satanic-euro-popish calendar) is June 31.
Wait for it!
Presumably they were going to include the Ray Illingworth story, dropped it, and got in a muddle.
I haven't checked out the details of the poll, yet, but it seems to imply at least eight Labour gains from the SNP. Probably the six seats they lost in 2019, and maybe somewhere like Airdrie and Shotts and/or Glasgow East.
However we are yet to see the backlash from the economic train-wreck heading our way. The current state of affairs was a bonus I could not have predicted pre- Owen Paterson.
Still, some hang 'em and flog 'em narratives from Priti and picking some fights with the EU and China and normal service should be resumed.
I can see some serious unwind back (mainly in the North) to 2015/17 but not this.
https://www.thetimes.co.uk/article/starmer-opens-up-eight-point-lead-as-partygate-takes-toll-on-tories-lzftkmw57
Even if no one ever admits to this being the truth, it is obvious to me that it is the case. Now we have got to the point where the official COVID symptoms are, it seems, not really correct; yet the impact on the economy of changing them, and the associated disruption, are such that they cannot be changed, because the effect of making a runny nose a covid symptom that justifies 'self isolating' and booking a test means that a large proportion of the country will be off work at anyone one time whilst they await their PCR test results.
The situation is a farce. The government keep it running, presumably so it can get data from the PCR tests about COVID. This is a bureaucratic monster that needs to be slayed.
MRP doesn't have a great record in Scotland TBH.
SNP - 48
SLAB - 11
SCON and SLD wipe out.
Lab gain Glasgow South West, but SLDs lose Orkney and Shetland? Can't see it.
First family Xmas dinner for two years; been cooking all day.
https://twitter.com/Biomaven/status/1474597724762816512
Equally, I would be surprised if Labour retook Burton or NuL. Their vote in Staffs has been going one way for two decades - out the door.
What does I think happen commonly is that people don't bother to report negative LFT results. As a result, we don't have accurate figures for the proportion of tests that are positive.
https://twitter.com/BritainElects/status/1474808797138931715?s=20
I can't believe how Johnsonian hubris has allowed us to arrive at where we are today. I was expecting cross-over in the spring when the energy price hike and the effects of 6% plus inflation hit bank accounts.
Absolute bonkers unbelievable with obvious wrongness.
But even if you are correct and that most people are actually acting in the interests of public health irrespective of how they are incentivised by the system, it is still absurd. That is because the official symptoms are no longer correct; as the symptoms of both the delta variant and the latest one are not the 3 main NHS symptoms that justify taking a PCR test.