Howdy, Stranger!

It looks like you're new here. Sign in or register to get started.

Options

Even the Telegraph is getting impatient to see the benefits of Brexit – politicalbetting.com

24

Comments

  • Options
    rcs1000rcs1000 Posts: 53,987
    IanB2 said:

    rcs1000 said:

    Leon said:

    It doesn't seem that implausible to me that some form of intelligence might want to see without being seen too clearly. This could apply to anyone and anything.

    One of the more plausible subsets of the "it's aliens" theory is that it isn't actually alien beings we are sort-of witnessing, but autonomous alien drones, sent out to observe other life around the galaxy, or even the universe, and then send the data back home

    That overcomes all the time/distance problems. This advanced civilisation could be 80,000 light years away, but they sent these probes 80,000 years ago. It also explains some of the G-forces observed, which would crush most conceivable organic life, as we understand it

    The drones may contain AI of course, which adds another layer

    Oh, that's massively more plausible than actual sentient beings.

    By far the most likely alien scenario is that automated drones were sent to the 10,000 most likely places for intelligent life to develop to watch and report back.

    We could well have drones from tens of different civilizations watching us and reporting back.
    YouTube back home must be buzzing.
    Actually, they watch "Real Neanderthals of Planet Earth" and laugh at our stupidity. They share hilarious "human videos" like we do with cat videos on their version of TikTok.
  • Options
    IanB2IanB2 Posts: 47,280
    HYUFD said:

    HYUFD said:

    IanB2 said:

    HYUFD said:

    That linked Telegraph piece also uses the hated (by me) form, one year anniversary:-
    The big prize remains an agreement with America but as the one-year anniversary of Joe Biden’s inauguration approaches, a transatlantic tie-up remains as far beyond our reach as ever.
    https://www.telegraph.co.uk/business/2022/01/04/time-running-prove-brexit-not-historic-failure/ (£££)

    No it doesn't, Leave voters voted to regain sovereignty, end free movement and leave the CFP. All achieved. Very few of them voted for a trade deal with the USA
    They did, however, do so on the back of promises of “all the same benefits”, “frictionless trade” and “no border in the Irish Sea”, not to mention lots of extra dosh for the NHS achieved without having to shove up NI to pay for it. Plus a better deal for our farmers and fishermen.
    We now have a trade deal with the EU. Extra money is going into the NHS. Fishermen can keep more of their catch now we have left the CFP.

    Plus you would be the first to complain about cheap, mass produced, chemical filled US meat arriving here after a US trade deal and hitting our farmers
    Its the "trade deal" with the EU which is causing the upset. Largely the status quo ante but with reams of expensive red tape and delays.
    The only alternative would be to back in the single market with free movement and/or in a customs union and unable to do any new trade deals at all. Hardly what Leavers voted for in either case
    Another for the “But where’s the downside?” classic collection of HY postings, which one day will be published as a Christmas present for grandfathers.
  • Options
    MattWMattW Posts: 18,530
    rcs1000 said:

    Scott_xP said:

    Macron’s covid strategy; piss off the unvaccinated. (It’s a quote)

    Id love to see the vaccinated/ voter intention correlation on this

    https://twitter.com/mariatad/status/1478472234889093128
    https://twitter.com/nicolasberrod/status/1478456757970251778

    That's far from a stupid policy.
    He's getting his abusive tone way off, though - no longer citizens.

    Emmanuel Macron strongly hardens the tone vis-à-vis anti-vaccines: "The immense moral fault of the antivax: they come to undermine what is the solidity of a nation. When my freedom comes to threaten that of others, I become an irresponsible person. An irresponsible person is no longer a citizen. "
  • Options
    DavidLDavidL Posts: 51,282
    Leon said:

    DavidL said:

    dixiedean said:

    Leon said:

    It doesn't seem that implausible to me that some form of intelligence might want to see without being seen too clearly. This could apply to anyone and anything.

    One of the more plausible subsets of the "it's aliens" theory is that it isn't actually alien beings we are sort-of witnessing, but autonomous alien drones, sent out to observe other life around the galaxy, or even the universe, and then send the data back home

    That overcomes all the time/distance problems. This advanced civilisation could be 80,000 light years away, but they sent these probes 80,000 years ago. It also explains some of the G-forces observed, which would crush most conceivable organic life, as we understand it

    The drones may contain AI of course, which adds another layer

    Maybe they're here because they heard what a terrific idea Brexit was?
    At the time they left mankind had not even come down from the trees to go on to the plains so it seems unlikely. If there are aliens here they have found some way to overcome the speed of light limitation. Nothing else is really possible.
    No: autonomous drones, as I say. Overcomes the speed of light issue
    No it doesn’t. and any report they send home would take 80k years to get there. If they are here they must have a better way. I completely accept that better way may be much more suitable for drones than living creatures though. If they went through a wormhole, for example, machines might survive things that no living creature could.
  • Options

    Scott_xP said:

    algarkirk said:

    Politically the most interesting question (we may wait some time) is the Labour approach to the matter. At what point does this silence become so deafening that SKS has to respond?

    The Labour response is simple.

    "Brexit, as delivered by BoZo and chums, is shit."
    Starmer needs a policy on brexit, not some silly comment

    I am really interested in how Labour address this important issue
    They already have the policy: "Make Brexit Work".

    They can list all of the stupid, then we get how we make them less stupid. As an example there's a simple way to get rid of the reams of red tape throttling us...
    Then explain the proposals in words voters can understand, not soundbites
  • Options
    GallowgateGallowgate Posts: 19,079
    Labour need:

    MAKE
    BREXIT
    WORK
  • Options
    rottenboroughrottenborough Posts: 58,216
    edited January 2022
    James Melville
    @JamesMelville
    ·
    1h
    SAGE modelling projected up to 6,000 daily Covid deaths in January without any further lockdown restrictions. Today, the official number of total Covid deaths in the UK was 48.

    ===

    The public inquiry, when it ever happens, must look into modelling, SAGE, scientists speaking in a personal capacity, lack of outside testing of models, lack of real world data input etc etc etc.

    How long can we go on governing like this?
  • Options
    Scott_xPScott_xP Posts: 32,946
    Johnson, campaigning for Leave, said “fuel bills will be lower” because we could cut VAT on fuel...

    Now he’s PM he admits it’s a bad idea (rich benefit most); & Labour, wanting to appease Leavers, offers to cut VAT on fuel


    https://twitter.com/JohnRentoul/status/1478483207406473219
  • Options
    algarkirkalgarkirk Posts: 10,534

    Scott_xP said:

    algarkirk said:

    Politically the most interesting question (we may wait some time) is the Labour approach to the matter. At what point does this silence become so deafening that SKS has to respond?

    The Labour response is simple.

    "Brexit, as delivered by BoZo and chums, is shit."
    Starmer needs a policy on brexit, not some silly comment

    I am really interested in how Labour address this important issue
    They already have the policy: "Make Brexit Work".

    They can list all of the stupid, then we get how we make them less stupid. As an example there's a simple way to get rid of the reams of red tape throttling us...
    'Make Brexit work' is not a policy position, except that it commits to not rejoining. There are no parties saying 'Let's stay out but ensure it doesn't work'.

  • Options
    FrankBoothFrankBooth Posts: 9,046
    IanB2 said:

    DavidL said:

    DavidL said:

    Anyone who claims that they can identify any economic effect of Brexit for good or ill at the present time is delusional. We have gone through storm Arwen and have worse to come and we are arguing about a gentle offshore breeze. It’s absurd.

    What does the mountain of red tape throttling our trade have to do with Arwen? And aren't you Tories the people who spent decades working to remove said red tape?
    Our trade is being throttled by most of our major customers being in recession or, at best, partial recovery and by disruption of supplies from China and the Far East.

    These have been massive effects and I predict that there is a lot more disruption to come. It is not paperwork, such as that required by our non EU markets both before and after we left that is causing the decline.

    Our economy also grew quite strongly this year, faster than any of the larger economies in Europe. Do I claim that is a benefit of Brexit? Will I claim it when we continue to outgrow the EU average next year? Nope. There are far more important factors at play.
    Err…that was because it fell further in the first place (or, more likely, both the larger downswing and larger recovery were because of the way we do the measuring)

    A startling statistic - since the Brexit vote, the Uk stock market is up about 5% and the US stock market up about 105%
    The FTSE was valued at 6930 on the eve of the millenium. It is now at 7505 after today's rise.

    Now if it's as simple as I assume that is an 8% rise in 22 years.
  • Options
    RobDRobD Posts: 58,967

    James Melville
    @JamesMelville
    ·
    1h
    SAGE modelling projected up to 6,000 daily Covid deaths in January without any further lockdown restrictions. Today, the official number of total Covid deaths in the UK was 48.

    ===

    The public inquiry, when it ever happens, must look into modelling, SAGE, scientists speaking in a personal capacity, lack of outside testing of models, lack of real world data input etc etc etc.

    How long can we go on governing like this?

    January ain't over yet.
  • Options
    GallowgateGallowgate Posts: 19,079
    algarkirk said:

    Scott_xP said:

    algarkirk said:

    Politically the most interesting question (we may wait some time) is the Labour approach to the matter. At what point does this silence become so deafening that SKS has to respond?

    The Labour response is simple.

    "Brexit, as delivered by BoZo and chums, is shit."
    Starmer needs a policy on brexit, not some silly comment

    I am really interested in how Labour address this important issue
    They already have the policy: "Make Brexit Work".

    They can list all of the stupid, then we get how we make them less stupid. As an example there's a simple way to get rid of the reams of red tape throttling us...
    'Make Brexit work' is not a policy position, except that it commits to not rejoining. There are no parties saying 'Let's stay out but ensure it doesn't work'.

    They can simply promise everything. Worked for Boris.
  • Options
    HYUFD said:

    Scott_xP said:

    Starmer needs a policy on brexit, not some silly comment

    BoZo policy was "Get It Done"

    And Starmer's point is that is not working out too well.
    And then what is his answer

    I want to see a better relationship with the EU but until Labour lay out a policy the situation is stalemate
    Labour's policy will be rejoin a Customs Union with the EU as the vast majority of Labour MPs voted for in the last Parliament
    Then say so
  • Options
    DavidLDavidL Posts: 51,282

    DavidL said:

    DavidL said:

    Anyone who claims that they can identify any economic effect of Brexit for good or ill at the present time is delusional. We have gone through storm Arwen and have worse to come and we are arguing about a gentle offshore breeze. It’s absurd.

    What does the mountain of red tape throttling our trade have to do with Arwen? And aren't you Tories the people who spent decades working to remove said red tape?
    Our trade is being throttled by most of our major customers being in recession or, at best, partial recovery and by disruption of supplies from China and the Far East.

    These have been massive effects and I predict that there is a lot more disruption to come. It is not paperwork, such as that required by our non EU markets both before and after we left that is causing the decline.

    Our economy also grew quite strongly this year, faster than any of the larger economies in Europe. Do I claim that is a benefit of Brexit? Will I claim it when we continue to outgrow the EU average next year? Nope. There are far more important factors at play.
    "It is not paperwork". You are a lawyer. I am an importer/exporter. I can assure you that it is paperwork. You might be willing to dismiss it as an issue, sadly that doesn't dismiss it as an issue, I wish it did...
    Surely, the fundamental difference between you and @DavidL is that, as an importer/exporter, paperwork reduces your profits, whereas, as a lawyer, paperwork (the more the better) increases DavidL’s profits.
    If you think that I became an advocate because I either like or indeed am any good at paperwork you haven’t read many of my posts ( no reason why you should of course).
  • Options
    algarkirk said:

    Scott_xP said:

    algarkirk said:

    Politically the most interesting question (we may wait some time) is the Labour approach to the matter. At what point does this silence become so deafening that SKS has to respond?

    The Labour response is simple.

    "Brexit, as delivered by BoZo and chums, is shit."
    Starmer needs a policy on brexit, not some silly comment

    I am really interested in how Labour address this important issue
    They already have the policy: "Make Brexit Work".

    They can list all of the stupid, then we get how we make them less stupid. As an example there's a simple way to get rid of the reams of red tape throttling us...
    'Make Brexit work' is not a policy position, except that it commits to not rejoining. There are no parties saying 'Let's stay out but ensure it doesn't work'.

    The Tories are in practice
  • Options
    GallowgateGallowgate Posts: 19,079

    HYUFD said:

    Scott_xP said:

    Starmer needs a policy on brexit, not some silly comment

    BoZo policy was "Get It Done"

    And Starmer's point is that is not working out too well.
    And then what is his answer

    I want to see a better relationship with the EU but until Labour lay out a policy the situation is stalemate
    Labour's policy will be rejoin a Customs Union with the EU as the vast majority of Labour MPs voted for in the last Parliament
    Then say so
    Nah. Hive off NI to some special status and then join EFTA. No Customs Union. Job done.
  • Options
    Scott_xPScott_xP Posts: 32,946

    Then explain the proposals in words voters can understand, not soundbites

    What was "Get Brexit Done" ??
  • Options
    algarkirkalgarkirk Posts: 10,534

    IanB2 said:

    DavidL said:

    DavidL said:

    Anyone who claims that they can identify any economic effect of Brexit for good or ill at the present time is delusional. We have gone through storm Arwen and have worse to come and we are arguing about a gentle offshore breeze. It’s absurd.

    What does the mountain of red tape throttling our trade have to do with Arwen? And aren't you Tories the people who spent decades working to remove said red tape?
    Our trade is being throttled by most of our major customers being in recession or, at best, partial recovery and by disruption of supplies from China and the Far East.

    These have been massive effects and I predict that there is a lot more disruption to come. It is not paperwork, such as that required by our non EU markets both before and after we left that is causing the decline.

    Our economy also grew quite strongly this year, faster than any of the larger economies in Europe. Do I claim that is a benefit of Brexit? Will I claim it when we continue to outgrow the EU average next year? Nope. There are far more important factors at play.
    Err…that was because it fell further in the first place (or, more likely, both the larger downswing and larger recovery were because of the way we do the measuring)

    A startling statistic - since the Brexit vote, the Uk stock market is up about 5% and the US stock market up about 105%
    The FTSE was valued at 6930 on the eve of the millenium. It is now at 7505 after today's rise.

    Now if it's as simple as I assume that is an 8% rise in 22 years.
    Pre Brexit the FTSE 100 had spent virtually the whole of 2000-2020 at levels lower than 1999 highs. The index tells you nothing about the merits.

  • Options

    Labour need:

    MAKE
    BREXIT
    WORK

    How
  • Options

    Scott_xP said:

    algarkirk said:

    Politically the most interesting question (we may wait some time) is the Labour approach to the matter. At what point does this silence become so deafening that SKS has to respond?

    The Labour response is simple.

    "Brexit, as delivered by BoZo and chums, is shit."
    Starmer needs a policy on brexit, not some silly comment

    I am really interested in how Labour address this important issue
    They already have the policy: "Make Brexit Work".

    They can list all of the stupid, then we get how we make them less stupid. As an example there's a simple way to get rid of the reams of red tape throttling us...
    Then explain the proposals in words voters can understand, not soundbites
    Cut red tape, make things cheaper. You get more stuff to buy and pay less.
  • Options
    rottenboroughrottenborough Posts: 58,216
    RobD said:

    James Melville
    @JamesMelville
    ·
    1h
    SAGE modelling projected up to 6,000 daily Covid deaths in January without any further lockdown restrictions. Today, the official number of total Covid deaths in the UK was 48.

    ===

    The public inquiry, when it ever happens, must look into modelling, SAGE, scientists speaking in a personal capacity, lack of outside testing of models, lack of real world data input etc etc etc.

    How long can we go on governing like this?

    January ain't over yet.
    True that.
  • Options
    LeonLeon Posts: 47,165
    DavidL said:

    Leon said:

    DavidL said:

    dixiedean said:

    Leon said:

    It doesn't seem that implausible to me that some form of intelligence might want to see without being seen too clearly. This could apply to anyone and anything.

    One of the more plausible subsets of the "it's aliens" theory is that it isn't actually alien beings we are sort-of witnessing, but autonomous alien drones, sent out to observe other life around the galaxy, or even the universe, and then send the data back home

    That overcomes all the time/distance problems. This advanced civilisation could be 80,000 light years away, but they sent these probes 80,000 years ago. It also explains some of the G-forces observed, which would crush most conceivable organic life, as we understand it

    The drones may contain AI of course, which adds another layer

    Maybe they're here because they heard what a terrific idea Brexit was?
    At the time they left mankind had not even come down from the trees to go on to the plains so it seems unlikely. If there are aliens here they have found some way to overcome the speed of light limitation. Nothing else is really possible.
    No: autonomous drones, as I say. Overcomes the speed of light issue
    No it doesn’t. and any report they send home would take 80k years to get there. If they are here they must have a better way. I completely accept that better way may be much more suitable for drones than living creatures though. If they went through a wormhole, for example, machines might survive things that no living creature could.
    Er, what?

    There are billions and billions of planets that might harbour life. On some of them there might be civilisations that have endured 500,000 years. 100 million years. If they have proper AI they might be immortal and invulnerable. Sending out a probe to report back in 200,000 years would mean nothing

    You lack imagination
  • Options

    HYUFD said:

    Scott_xP said:

    Starmer needs a policy on brexit, not some silly comment

    BoZo policy was "Get It Done"

    And Starmer's point is that is not working out too well.
    And then what is his answer

    I want to see a better relationship with the EU but until Labour lay out a policy the situation is stalemate
    Labour's policy will be rejoin a Customs Union with the EU as the vast majority of Labour MPs voted for in the last Parliament
    Then say so
    Nah. Hive off NI to some special status and then join EFTA. No Customs Union. Job done.
    Fine, then let Labour announce that
  • Options
    kyf_100kyf_100 Posts: 3,945
    Leon said:

    dixiedean said:

    Leon said:

    It doesn't seem that implausible to me that some form of intelligence might want to see without being seen too clearly. This could apply to anyone and anything.

    One of the more plausible subsets of the "it's aliens" theory is that it isn't actually alien beings we are sort-of witnessing, but autonomous alien drones, sent out to observe other life around the galaxy, or even the universe, and then send the data back home

    That overcomes all the time/distance problems. This advanced civilisation could be 80,000 light years away, but they sent these probes 80,000 years ago. It also explains some of the G-forces observed, which would crush most conceivable organic life, as we understand it

    The drones may contain AI of course, which adds another layer

    If they had that kind of tech, why would they ever be anything other than AI? They could send out millions all over the galaxy and wait to see if owt interesting was found to be worth settling, invading, civilising, annihilating. Or whatever.
    Like Europe did from the 15 the Century onwards.
    Yes, quite

    Like Noah sending out that dove to find land. Like Portuguese caravels heading down the African coast. Like basically any exploratory civilisation that has ever existed. This is how it is done

    Send out expendable "life forms" into the unknown. Wait and see if they come back, or at least send back a letter
    Another possible answer to the fermi paradox is that, as we develop advanced enough machines, we decide to spend our time exploring the virtual worlds we create rather than the real universe.

    Think about it, if space travel is hugely near to impossible, takes hundreds of years and then when you get to your destination, it's just some other boring brown dwarf star with a few rotating asteroids.... wouldn't you choose/prefer to plug into the procedurally generated "fake" universe game where you can explore in minutes, and when you arrive at your destination, you actually end up somewhere interesting.

    Maybe ultra intelligent life is just sitting at home on the couch, playing a really advanced version of No Mans Sky.
  • Options
    moonshinemoonshine Posts: 5,244
    rcs1000 said:

    moonshine said:

    Leon said:

    moonshine said:

    moonshine said:

    TOPPING said:

    moonshine said:

    TOPPING said:

    Leon said:

    I see we are back to hysterical conspiracy theories about Xian on here.

    Jesus wept. It’s the Olympics. Move on FFS.

    Look, I know that you are shitting yourself, like Topping and Ian, but I can't help the fact a genuine mystery is unfolding in Xi'an. Which is probably Omicron, but possibly not

    And it's not like this isn't a major news story (whatever the cause) - if they have Omicron and they can't control it - or they need to lockdown large chunks of China to do so - that is going to have serious consequences for the global economy, as supply chains fail, again. So we can't really "move on"
    Two possible scenarios:

    1) The several people trying to reply rationally and calmly to one person's hysterical outpourings are shitting themselves; or
    2) The one person responsible for said hysterical outpouring is shitting himself.

    Tough call. Or are we all projecting.
    You lot always miss the bigger picture. Let’s take the benign version. This is just omicron. That China is taking these steps in Xian indicates they may very likely be prepared to announce a nationwide lockdown before Chinese New Year, given we all probably agree it’s a bugger to contain it once it’s out there.

    What we know of the underlying virulence of omicron says that this might all be unjustified but it’s tricky to say for sure given we haven’t seen it properly in action in a country with no immunity and little in the way of western approved vaccines.

    A Chinese nationwide lockdown most likely causes a global recession this year.

    There are less benign versions of this story than a global recession this year, whether you want to hear them or not.

    Sure, VHF is endemic in Shanxi. But only strains that spread from rodents to humans.
    We shall have to wait and see. But yes I hold my hand up as I for one didn't at first buy into the whole aliens thing and I am ashamed of that.
    Well we still don’t know enough about UAP to equate them with aliens, however much some of us might think the evidence points that way. What almost all of you refused to take on board, now underlined by the new Congressional legislation passed last week (Gillibrand Amendment to the National Defense Authorisation Act), is that the organs of power in the US are taking UAPs very seriously indeed. Even as you lot laugh it all off.
    I think they're taking it seriously because it's a tactical ruse of their own making. We're going to see lots of extraordinary stories as the USA desperately tries to cling on to its world dominance. They're not going to drift into genteel insignificance the way that Britain did.
    That’s quite the conspiracy theory, given the breadth of politicians and military officials across both time and the left-right spectrum that would need to be involved. Could be you’re right of course. Or could be that when such a range of credible figures say there is observed ultra tech in the skies and oceans that’s not theirs and “needs advances in science to identify”, that we should take what they say at face value.

    I don’t follow US politics as closely as some here but can’t be often that an initiative that is apparently opposed by the Executive, passes both houses in such an overwhelming bipartisan fashion.
    I’m much more sympathetic to your position than many on here, as you know, however your argument here doesn’t quite stand. Because ANY explanation for UAP is going to sound outlandish, will give off conspiracy theory vibes, and will encounter Normalcy Bias

    To name the most prominent:

    1. The entire US military has been suffering multiple simultaneous technical glitches and mass hallucinations for decades and no one in power in America realises this

    2. The elite in America have gone collectively and weirdly mad in exactly the same way, across the political spectrum, as they face the superiority of China, or something

    3. The Chinese have developed incredible 30,000mph aircraft, which also go underwater, and they’ve managed to keep this quiet since 1950

    4. We are being visited and observed by non-human technology

    Which is more, or less, likely? They are all extremely difficult to swallow
    No they aren't. The US is constantly trying these sorts of silly stunts - during the Arab Spring protests there are 'signs and wonders' on film, such as the four horsemen of the apocalypse appearing during one of the protests, and (affaicr) the Holy Spirit appearing as a dove above a Church in Egypt. All extremely unsubtle holographic projections. This is just more of the same. Unless you think an advanced race of aliens has travelled thousands of lightyears (or whatever it is) to appear as some blobs of light giving US sailors a turn.
    I think you would be well served in doing some further research on exactly what has been observed, by which instruments / eye witnesses and also when. You’ve moved on from the last thread of a grand conspiracy involving most of the US political elites, to one where they’ve all been hoodwinked over decades by someone re-enacting the plot of Spiderman Far From Home.
    I do find it curious that at a time when we've gone from literally no-one carrying cameras around with them, to a situation where more than four billion people carry cameras, and almost everything that happens is captured on a smartphone, that we're not seeing more videos from individuals.

    Almost all the stuff we've seen has come from the US military. Which is weird, because there's only a few hundred thousand of them.
    It’s not just the US military but other militaries. For decades whenever citizens shared their own photos, it got brushed aside as fake, “we need something credible!”.

    So now there’s multi million dollar multiple spectrum military imaging, backed up by radar telemetry and multiple eye witnesses (including top gun instructors). And if senior US officials (up to Cabinet and Gang of 8 level) are to be believed, corroborating sonar and satellite imagery.

    And your refrain is; nah where are all the iPhones videos!

    The Galileo Project should settle a few things. Citizen science to replicate the US satellite imaging capability.
  • Options
    FoxyFoxy Posts: 44,629

    Scott_xP said:

    Starmer needs a policy on brexit, not some silly comment

    BoZo policy was "Get It Done"

    And Starmer's point is that is not working out too well.
    And then what is his answer

    I want to see a better relationship with the EU but until Labour lay out a policy the situation is stalemate
    I think dynamic alignment on standards, particularly on agricultural and food basically solves both the Irish Sea and Channel border issues.
  • Options

    Labour need:

    MAKE
    BREXIT
    WORK

    How
    Doesn't matter how
    I remember Boris's Oven-Ready Deal. A ready meal with oven gloves and a microwave. That the person who negotiated said deal then spent months attacking it and demanded that it be renegotiated proves that Labour must have a detailed and specific plan to be credible.
  • Options
    GallowgateGallowgate Posts: 19,079

    HYUFD said:

    Scott_xP said:

    Starmer needs a policy on brexit, not some silly comment

    BoZo policy was "Get It Done"

    And Starmer's point is that is not working out too well.
    And then what is his answer

    I want to see a better relationship with the EU but until Labour lay out a policy the situation is stalemate
    Labour's policy will be rejoin a Customs Union with the EU as the vast majority of Labour MPs voted for in the last Parliament
    Then say so
    Nah. Hive off NI to some special status and then join EFTA. No Customs Union. Job done.
    Fine, then let Labour announce that
    Why bother? Promising everything to everyone is better electorally.
  • Options

    Labour need:

    MAKE
    BREXIT
    WORK

    How
    Doesn't matter how
    I think you find it does
  • Options
    HYUFDHYUFD Posts: 117,000

    HYUFD said:

    Scott_xP said:

    Starmer needs a policy on brexit, not some silly comment

    BoZo policy was "Get It Done"

    And Starmer's point is that is not working out too well.
    And then what is his answer

    I want to see a better relationship with the EU but until Labour lay out a policy the situation is stalemate
    Labour's policy will be rejoin a Customs Union with the EU as the vast majority of Labour MPs voted for in the last Parliament
    Then say so
    Nah. Hive off NI to some special status and then join EFTA. No Customs Union. Job done.

    HYUFD said:

    Scott_xP said:

    Starmer needs a policy on brexit, not some silly comment

    BoZo policy was "Get It Done"

    And Starmer's point is that is not working out too well.
    And then what is his answer

    I want to see a better relationship with the EU but until Labour lay out a policy the situation is stalemate
    Labour's policy will be rejoin a Customs Union with the EU as the vast majority of Labour MPs voted for in the last Parliament
    Then say so
    Nah. Hive off NI to some special status and then join EFTA. No Customs Union. Job done.
    No, as EFTA means free movement and the redwall then goes back to the Tories. So Starmer will only go for a customs union
  • Options
    IshmaelZIshmaelZ Posts: 21,830

    James Melville
    @JamesMelville
    ·
    1h
    SAGE modelling projected up to 6,000 daily Covid deaths in January without any further lockdown restrictions. Today, the official number of total Covid deaths in the UK was 48.

    ===

    The public inquiry, when it ever happens, must look into modelling, SAGE, scientists speaking in a personal capacity, lack of outside testing of models, lack of real world data input etc etc etc.

    How long can we go on governing like this?

    *double checks date*

    It's the 4th
  • Options
    dixiedeandixiedean Posts: 27,965
    algarkirk said:

    Scott_xP said:

    algarkirk said:

    Politically the most interesting question (we may wait some time) is the Labour approach to the matter. At what point does this silence become so deafening that SKS has to respond?

    The Labour response is simple.

    "Brexit, as delivered by BoZo and chums, is shit."
    Starmer needs a policy on brexit, not some silly comment

    I am really interested in how Labour address this important issue
    Yes. As of now I can't think of anything SKS/Labour has said which involves policy over matters of actual choices between rational alternatives. A preference for prosperity, opportunity, good housing, security, education, apple pie etc won't do, as no-one opposes these.

    It worked OK for the Brexit vote, mind.
  • Options
    Scott_xPScott_xP Posts: 32,946

    If only you were this curious when Boris Johnson kept on repeating 'Get Brexit Done!' and we wouldn't be in this mess.

    Especially since having "got it done" they have spent all their time trying to "get it undone"
  • Options
    GallowgateGallowgate Posts: 19,079
    HYUFD said:

    HYUFD said:

    Scott_xP said:

    Starmer needs a policy on brexit, not some silly comment

    BoZo policy was "Get It Done"

    And Starmer's point is that is not working out too well.
    And then what is his answer

    I want to see a better relationship with the EU but until Labour lay out a policy the situation is stalemate
    Labour's policy will be rejoin a Customs Union with the EU as the vast majority of Labour MPs voted for in the last Parliament
    Then say so
    Nah. Hive off NI to some special status and then join EFTA. No Customs Union. Job done.

    HYUFD said:

    Scott_xP said:

    Starmer needs a policy on brexit, not some silly comment

    BoZo policy was "Get It Done"

    And Starmer's point is that is not working out too well.
    And then what is his answer

    I want to see a better relationship with the EU but until Labour lay out a policy the situation is stalemate
    Labour's policy will be rejoin a Customs Union with the EU as the vast majority of Labour MPs voted for in the last Parliament
    Then say so
    Nah. Hive off NI to some special status and then join EFTA. No Customs Union. Job done.
    No, as EFTA means free movement and the redwall then goes back to the Tories. So Starmer will only go for a customs union
    Free movement is fine.
  • Options
    MexicanpeteMexicanpete Posts: 25,178
    Scott_xP said:

    HYUFD said:

    Fishermen can keep more of their catch

    They can't fucking sell it, which is rather the point of being a fisherman...
    Technically HY is correct. If the fishermen were allowed to sell their catch there would be no limit as to what they can sell.

    Doesn't that absolutely sum Brexit up for you? It does for me. One step forward, 27 steps back!
  • Options
    Northern_AlNorthern_Al Posts: 7,540

    Scott_xP said:

    Starmer needs a policy on brexit, not some silly comment

    BoZo policy was "Get It Done"

    And Starmer's point is that is not working out too well.
    And then what is his answer

    I want to see a better relationship with the EU but until Labour lay out a policy the situation is stalemate
    But that is Starmer's policy - Make Brexit Work by having a better relationship with the EU, to undo the Frost-like macho hostility and be proper friends with our EU allies again. Then we can move on to easing trading restrictions and seeing what else can be done to, er, Make Brexit Work. In time that may involve a customs union or whatever. But in the medium term, the Labour pledge for the next election is that it will make a better job of the Brexit we have than the Tories are.
  • Options
    GallowgateGallowgate Posts: 19,079

    Labour need:

    MAKE
    BREXIT
    WORK

    How
    Doesn't matter how
    I think you find it does
    The evidence suggests that it doesn't.
  • Options
    HYUFDHYUFD Posts: 117,000

    HYUFD said:

    HYUFD said:

    Scott_xP said:

    Starmer needs a policy on brexit, not some silly comment

    BoZo policy was "Get It Done"

    And Starmer's point is that is not working out too well.
    And then what is his answer

    I want to see a better relationship with the EU but until Labour lay out a policy the situation is stalemate
    Labour's policy will be rejoin a Customs Union with the EU as the vast majority of Labour MPs voted for in the last Parliament
    Then say so
    Nah. Hive off NI to some special status and then join EFTA. No Customs Union. Job done.

    HYUFD said:

    Scott_xP said:

    Starmer needs a policy on brexit, not some silly comment

    BoZo policy was "Get It Done"

    And Starmer's point is that is not working out too well.
    And then what is his answer

    I want to see a better relationship with the EU but until Labour lay out a policy the situation is stalemate
    Labour's policy will be rejoin a Customs Union with the EU as the vast majority of Labour MPs voted for in the last Parliament
    Then say so
    Nah. Hive off NI to some special status and then join EFTA. No Customs Union. Job done.
    No, as EFTA means free movement and the redwall then goes back to the Tories. So Starmer will only go for a customs union
    Free movement is fine.
    As a Labour policy for ensuring Boris is re elected absolutely, go for it!
  • Options
    Scott_xPScott_xP Posts: 32,946

    Technically HY is correct. If the fishermen were allowed to sell their catch there would be no limit as to what they can sell.

    Doesn't that absolutely sum Brexit up for you? It does for me. One step forward, 27 steps back!

    HY thinks they are allowed to sell it.

    My point was they don't have the customers.

    The catch rots on the quayside.
  • Options

    Labour need:

    MAKE
    BREXIT
    WORK

    How
    If only you were this curious when Boris Johnson kept on repeating 'Get Brexit Done!' and we wouldn't be in this mess.
    I can honestly say I really do not think I would have made any difference, but it is an issue and it is fair to ask how each party intends taking brexit forward

    I am genuinely interested and not political point scoring
  • Options

    HYUFD said:

    HYUFD said:

    Scott_xP said:

    Starmer needs a policy on brexit, not some silly comment

    BoZo policy was "Get It Done"

    And Starmer's point is that is not working out too well.
    And then what is his answer

    I want to see a better relationship with the EU but until Labour lay out a policy the situation is stalemate
    Labour's policy will be rejoin a Customs Union with the EU as the vast majority of Labour MPs voted for in the last Parliament
    Then say so
    Nah. Hive off NI to some special status and then join EFTA. No Customs Union. Job done.

    HYUFD said:

    Scott_xP said:

    Starmer needs a policy on brexit, not some silly comment

    BoZo policy was "Get It Done"

    And Starmer's point is that is not working out too well.
    And then what is his answer

    I want to see a better relationship with the EU but until Labour lay out a policy the situation is stalemate
    Labour's policy will be rejoin a Customs Union with the EU as the vast majority of Labour MPs voted for in the last Parliament
    Then say so
    Nah. Hive off NI to some special status and then join EFTA. No Customs Union. Job done.
    No, as EFTA means free movement and the redwall then goes back to the Tories. So Starmer will only go for a customs union
    Free movement is fine.
    And it doesn't mean free movement either...
  • Options
    Luckyguy1983Luckyguy1983 Posts: 25,419
    Leon said:

    DavidL said:

    Leon said:

    DavidL said:

    dixiedean said:

    Leon said:

    It doesn't seem that implausible to me that some form of intelligence might want to see without being seen too clearly. This could apply to anyone and anything.

    One of the more plausible subsets of the "it's aliens" theory is that it isn't actually alien beings we are sort-of witnessing, but autonomous alien drones, sent out to observe other life around the galaxy, or even the universe, and then send the data back home

    That overcomes all the time/distance problems. This advanced civilisation could be 80,000 light years away, but they sent these probes 80,000 years ago. It also explains some of the G-forces observed, which would crush most conceivable organic life, as we understand it

    The drones may contain AI of course, which adds another layer

    Maybe they're here because they heard what a terrific idea Brexit was?
    At the time they left mankind had not even come down from the trees to go on to the plains so it seems unlikely. If there are aliens here they have found some way to overcome the speed of light limitation. Nothing else is really possible.
    No: autonomous drones, as I say. Overcomes the speed of light issue
    No it doesn’t. and any report they send home would take 80k years to get there. If they are here they must have a better way. I completely accept that better way may be much more suitable for drones than living creatures though. If they went through a wormhole, for example, machines might survive things that no living creature could.
    Er, what?

    There are billions and billions of planets that might harbour life. On some of them there might be civilisations that have endured 500,000 years. 100 million years. If they have proper AI they might be immortal and invulnerable. Sending out a probe to report back in 200,000 years would mean nothing

    You lack imagination
    Use your brain. If the USA was really shitting itself over aliens, there wouldn't be a chorus line of the people you've identified squawking about it would there? They would cover it up. The over-choreographed hype is all the evidence you need.
  • Options
    GallowgateGallowgate Posts: 19,079
    edited January 2022
    HYUFD said:

    HYUFD said:

    HYUFD said:

    Scott_xP said:

    Starmer needs a policy on brexit, not some silly comment

    BoZo policy was "Get It Done"

    And Starmer's point is that is not working out too well.
    And then what is his answer

    I want to see a better relationship with the EU but until Labour lay out a policy the situation is stalemate
    Labour's policy will be rejoin a Customs Union with the EU as the vast majority of Labour MPs voted for in the last Parliament
    Then say so
    Nah. Hive off NI to some special status and then join EFTA. No Customs Union. Job done.

    HYUFD said:

    Scott_xP said:

    Starmer needs a policy on brexit, not some silly comment

    BoZo policy was "Get It Done"

    And Starmer's point is that is not working out too well.
    And then what is his answer

    I want to see a better relationship with the EU but until Labour lay out a policy the situation is stalemate
    Labour's policy will be rejoin a Customs Union with the EU as the vast majority of Labour MPs voted for in the last Parliament
    Then say so
    Nah. Hive off NI to some special status and then join EFTA. No Customs Union. Job done.
    No, as EFTA means free movement and the redwall then goes back to the Tories. So Starmer will only go for a customs union
    Free movement is fine.
    As a Labour policy for ensuring Boris is re elected absolutely, go for it!
    Nah. Labour can promise free movement but also strict immigration. A world of opportunity awaits us in EFTA, outside of the EU.
  • Options
    rottenboroughrottenborough Posts: 58,216
    IshmaelZ said:

    James Melville
    @JamesMelville
    ·
    1h
    SAGE modelling projected up to 6,000 daily Covid deaths in January without any further lockdown restrictions. Today, the official number of total Covid deaths in the UK was 48.

    ===

    The public inquiry, when it ever happens, must look into modelling, SAGE, scientists speaking in a personal capacity, lack of outside testing of models, lack of real world data input etc etc etc.

    How long can we go on governing like this?

    *double checks date*

    It's the 4th
    Fair. Let's come back to this on say the 30th Jan.
  • Options
    rcs1000 said:

    Scott_xP said:

    Macron’s covid strategy; piss off the unvaccinated. (It’s a quote)

    Id love to see the vaccinated/ voter intention correlation on this

    https://twitter.com/mariatad/status/1478472234889093128
    https://twitter.com/nicolasberrod/status/1478456757970251778

    That's far from a stupid policy.
    But its not the policy they're implementing:

    Wearing masks even outdoors will be mandatory in Paris starting on Friday, French authorities have announced, as the country struggles to come to grips with an Omicron surge.

    https://www.france24.com/en/europe/20211230-paris-mandates-wearing-masks-even-outdoors-starting-friday
  • Options
    GallowgateGallowgate Posts: 19,079

    rcs1000 said:

    Scott_xP said:

    Macron’s covid strategy; piss off the unvaccinated. (It’s a quote)

    Id love to see the vaccinated/ voter intention correlation on this

    https://twitter.com/mariatad/status/1478472234889093128
    https://twitter.com/nicolasberrod/status/1478456757970251778

    That's far from a stupid policy.
    But its not the policy they're implementing:

    Wearing masks even outdoors will be mandatory in Paris starting on Friday, French authorities have announced, as the country struggles to come to grips with an Omicron surge.

    https://www.france24.com/en/europe/20211230-paris-mandates-wearing-masks-even-outdoors-starting-friday
    It looks like every country has these same whoppers. They're probably also pouring dettol all over their shopping trollies.
  • Options
    RobDRobD Posts: 58,967

    IshmaelZ said:

    James Melville
    @JamesMelville
    ·
    1h
    SAGE modelling projected up to 6,000 daily Covid deaths in January without any further lockdown restrictions. Today, the official number of total Covid deaths in the UK was 48.

    ===

    The public inquiry, when it ever happens, must look into modelling, SAGE, scientists speaking in a personal capacity, lack of outside testing of models, lack of real world data input etc etc etc.

    How long can we go on governing like this?

    *double checks date*

    It's the 4th
    Fair. Let's come back to this on say the 30th Jan.
    Yeah, I find it very unlikely that the peak will be anywhere near that, but the tweet implies that SAGE have already been proven wrong. It's just dumb.
  • Options
    algarkirk said:

    IanB2 said:

    DavidL said:

    DavidL said:

    Anyone who claims that they can identify any economic effect of Brexit for good or ill at the present time is delusional. We have gone through storm Arwen and have worse to come and we are arguing about a gentle offshore breeze. It’s absurd.

    What does the mountain of red tape throttling our trade have to do with Arwen? And aren't you Tories the people who spent decades working to remove said red tape?
    Our trade is being throttled by most of our major customers being in recession or, at best, partial recovery and by disruption of supplies from China and the Far East.

    These have been massive effects and I predict that there is a lot more disruption to come. It is not paperwork, such as that required by our non EU markets both before and after we left that is causing the decline.

    Our economy also grew quite strongly this year, faster than any of the larger economies in Europe. Do I claim that is a benefit of Brexit? Will I claim it when we continue to outgrow the EU average next year? Nope. There are far more important factors at play.
    Err…that was because it fell further in the first place (or, more likely, both the larger downswing and larger recovery were because of the way we do the measuring)

    A startling statistic - since the Brexit vote, the Uk stock market is up about 5% and the US stock market up about 105%
    The FTSE was valued at 6930 on the eve of the millenium. It is now at 7505 after today's rise.

    Now if it's as simple as I assume that is an 8% rise in 22 years.
    Pre Brexit the FTSE 100 had spent virtually the whole of 2000-2020 at levels lower than 1999 highs. The index tells you nothing about the merits.

    Or the pension values.

    Now perhaps I'm fortunate but my pension pots have dramatically increased in value during the last five years.

    The 2000-2010 period was pretty crap though.
  • Options
    FrankBoothFrankBooth Posts: 9,046
    algarkirk said:

    IanB2 said:

    DavidL said:

    DavidL said:

    Anyone who claims that they can identify any economic effect of Brexit for good or ill at the present time is delusional. We have gone through storm Arwen and have worse to come and we are arguing about a gentle offshore breeze. It’s absurd.

    What does the mountain of red tape throttling our trade have to do with Arwen? And aren't you Tories the people who spent decades working to remove said red tape?
    Our trade is being throttled by most of our major customers being in recession or, at best, partial recovery and by disruption of supplies from China and the Far East.

    These have been massive effects and I predict that there is a lot more disruption to come. It is not paperwork, such as that required by our non EU markets both before and after we left that is causing the decline.

    Our economy also grew quite strongly this year, faster than any of the larger economies in Europe. Do I claim that is a benefit of Brexit? Will I claim it when we continue to outgrow the EU average next year? Nope. There are far more important factors at play.
    Err…that was because it fell further in the first place (or, more likely, both the larger downswing and larger recovery were because of the way we do the measuring)

    A startling statistic - since the Brexit vote, the Uk stock market is up about 5% and the US stock market up about 105%
    The FTSE was valued at 6930 on the eve of the millenium. It is now at 7505 after today's rise.

    Now if it's as simple as I assume that is an 8% rise in 22 years.
    Pre Brexit the FTSE 100 had spent virtually the whole of 2000-2020 at levels lower than 1999 highs. The index tells you nothing about the merits.

    I'm not really thinking about Brexit but it is certainly interesting that it's barely risen in 22 years.
  • Options
    FoxyFoxy Posts: 44,629

    IanB2 said:

    DavidL said:

    DavidL said:

    Anyone who claims that they can identify any economic effect of Brexit for good or ill at the present time is delusional. We have gone through storm Arwen and have worse to come and we are arguing about a gentle offshore breeze. It’s absurd.

    What does the mountain of red tape throttling our trade have to do with Arwen? And aren't you Tories the people who spent decades working to remove said red tape?
    Our trade is being throttled by most of our major customers being in recession or, at best, partial recovery and by disruption of supplies from China and the Far East.

    These have been massive effects and I predict that there is a lot more disruption to come. It is not paperwork, such as that required by our non EU markets both before and after we left that is causing the decline.

    Our economy also grew quite strongly this year, faster than any of the larger economies in Europe. Do I claim that is a benefit of Brexit? Will I claim it when we continue to outgrow the EU average next year? Nope. There are far more important factors at play.
    Err…that was because it fell further in the first place (or, more likely, both the larger downswing and larger recovery were because of the way we do the measuring)

    A startling statistic - since the Brexit vote, the Uk stock market is up about 5% and the US stock market up about 105%
    The FTSE was valued at 6930 on the eve of the millenium. It is now at 7505 after today's rise.

    Now if it's as simple as I assume that is an 8% rise in 22 years.
    It isn't as simple as that. If you look at total return including dividends reinvested then the FTSE 100 has returned about 7.5% per annum over the last 25 years.
  • Options
    LeonLeon Posts: 47,165
    Now that we have all accepted that we are being VISTED BY ALIEN PROBES FROM ACROSS THE GALAXY can we get back to the more interesting question of WTF is happening in Xi'an?

    I am fascinated by the flamethrowers


    https://twitter.com/songpinganq/status/1478276645631193095?s=20


    "xi'an city
    What the hell?
    Chinese stormtroopers not only using fog sprayners but also flamethrowers to sanitize the entire city now!
    Ridiculous! Absurd!
    2022/1/4"


    https://twitter.com/ChinaStreetTalk/status/1478411906062901260?s=20


    I simply do not believe the Twitter counter-narrative that these are "malfunctioning disinfectant sprayers"

    1. We've never seen this before yet we've seen endless vids of Chinese disinfector sprayers
    2. There are multiple vids of this, why don't they fix them?
    3. The men doing the spraying don't react like their sprayers have gone wrong
    4. Conclusively, they carry on squirting flame like it is normal: personally, if my disinfector sprayer suddenly started shooting out wild flames because of a malfunction, I would stop and go to my superior, but they just calmly carry on: shooting out flames


    That means this is a new technique for sterilising things/places. Naked flames. But what kind of virus/bug/variant is destroyed by actual flames but not normal disinfectant or whatever it is?

    Is there a virologist or germologist on PB who might elucidate? Is it possible the Chinese have simply found a quick and brilliant new way of eliminating Covid-19?
  • Options
    moonshinemoonshine Posts: 5,244
    Leon said:

    DavidL said:

    Leon said:

    DavidL said:

    dixiedean said:

    Leon said:

    It doesn't seem that implausible to me that some form of intelligence might want to see without being seen too clearly. This could apply to anyone and anything.

    One of the more plausible subsets of the "it's aliens" theory is that it isn't actually alien beings we are sort-of witnessing, but autonomous alien drones, sent out to observe other life around the galaxy, or even the universe, and then send the data back home

    That overcomes all the time/distance problems. This advanced civilisation could be 80,000 light years away, but they sent these probes 80,000 years ago. It also explains some of the G-forces observed, which would crush most conceivable organic life, as we understand it

    The drones may contain AI of course, which adds another layer

    Maybe they're here because they heard what a terrific idea Brexit was?
    At the time they left mankind had not even come down from the trees to go on to the plains so it seems unlikely. If there are aliens here they have found some way to overcome the speed of light limitation. Nothing else is really possible.
    No: autonomous drones, as I say. Overcomes the speed of light issue
    No it doesn’t. and any report they send home would take 80k years to get there. If they are here they must have a better way. I completely accept that better way may be much more suitable for drones than living creatures though. If they went through a wormhole, for example, machines might survive things that no living creature could.
    Er, what?

    There are billions and billions of planets that might harbour life. On some of them there might be civilisations that have endured 500,000 years. 100 million years. If they have proper AI they might be immortal and invulnerable. Sending out a probe to report back in 200,000 years would mean nothing

    You lack imagination
    Doesn’t take 200,000 years to report back home if home is Earth. UAPs may be of non human earthly origin. There’s been a long time before us for Intelligience to have developed. And it would be a fun game to seed Intelligience afresh and observe what happens.

    Or they make use of science currently beyond our reach. Long distance communication by quantum entanglement, or faster than light travel by manipulating spacetime (which we have observed can expand faster than light). Or something else entirely. Dimension hopping perhaps, if you’re a string theorist. Or something even stranger.

    Or it’s Kissinger making holograms over the pacific because he’s engaged in a 50-year plot to troll China.
  • Options
    HYUFDHYUFD Posts: 117,000
    edited January 2022

    HYUFD said:

    HYUFD said:

    HYUFD said:

    Scott_xP said:

    Starmer needs a policy on brexit, not some silly comment

    BoZo policy was "Get It Done"

    And Starmer's point is that is not working out too well.
    And then what is his answer

    I want to see a better relationship with the EU but until Labour lay out a policy the situation is stalemate
    Labour's policy will be rejoin a Customs Union with the EU as the vast majority of Labour MPs voted for in the last Parliament
    Then say so
    Nah. Hive off NI to some special status and then join EFTA. No Customs Union. Job done.

    HYUFD said:

    Scott_xP said:

    Starmer needs a policy on brexit, not some silly comment

    BoZo policy was "Get It Done"

    And Starmer's point is that is not working out too well.
    And then what is his answer

    I want to see a better relationship with the EU but until Labour lay out a policy the situation is stalemate
    Labour's policy will be rejoin a Customs Union with the EU as the vast majority of Labour MPs voted for in the last Parliament
    Then say so
    Nah. Hive off NI to some special status and then join EFTA. No Customs Union. Job done.
    No, as EFTA means free movement and the redwall then goes back to the Tories. So Starmer will only go for a customs union
    Free movement is fine.
    As a Labour policy for ensuring Boris is re elected absolutely, go for it!
    Nah. Labour can promise free movement but also strict immigration. A world of opportunity awaits us in EFTA, outside of the EU.
    You cannot have free movement and strict immigration, that is logically impossible. Labour's policy would then be to replace the government's points system for EU and non EU migrants with free movement to the UK from the whole EEA again.

    The redwall would go back to the Tories in 5 minutes
  • Options
    moonshinemoonshine Posts: 5,244
    Leon said:

    Now that we have all accepted that we are being VISTED BY ALIEN PROBES FROM ACROSS THE GALAXY can we get back to the more interesting question of WTF is happening in Xi'an?

    I am fascinated by the flamethrowers


    https://twitter.com/songpinganq/status/1478276645631193095?s=20


    "xi'an city
    What the hell?
    Chinese stormtroopers not only using fog sprayners but also flamethrowers to sanitize the entire city now!
    Ridiculous! Absurd!
    2022/1/4"


    https://twitter.com/ChinaStreetTalk/status/1478411906062901260?s=20


    I simply do not believe the Twitter counter-narrative that these are "malfunctioning disinfectant sprayers"

    1. We've never seen this before yet we've seen endless vids of Chinese disinfector sprayers
    2. There are multiple vids of this, why don't they fix them?
    3. The men doing the spraying don't react like their sprayers have gone wrong
    4. Conclusively, they carry on squirting flame like it is normal: personally, if my disinfector sprayer suddenly started shooting out wild flames because of a malfunction, I would stop and go to my superior, but they just calmly carry on: shooting out flames


    That means this is a new technique for sterilising things/places. Naked flames. But what kind of virus/bug/variant is destroyed by actual flames but not normal disinfectant or whatever it is?

    Is there a virologist or germologist on PB who might elucidate? Is it possible the Chinese have simply found a quick and brilliant new way of eliminating Covid-19?

    The fogging is reminiscent of how Asian countries tackle mosquitoes. Of which I guess there will be none in xian in Jan. So fleas and rats?
  • Options

    algarkirk said:

    IanB2 said:

    DavidL said:

    DavidL said:

    Anyone who claims that they can identify any economic effect of Brexit for good or ill at the present time is delusional. We have gone through storm Arwen and have worse to come and we are arguing about a gentle offshore breeze. It’s absurd.

    What does the mountain of red tape throttling our trade have to do with Arwen? And aren't you Tories the people who spent decades working to remove said red tape?
    Our trade is being throttled by most of our major customers being in recession or, at best, partial recovery and by disruption of supplies from China and the Far East.

    These have been massive effects and I predict that there is a lot more disruption to come. It is not paperwork, such as that required by our non EU markets both before and after we left that is causing the decline.

    Our economy also grew quite strongly this year, faster than any of the larger economies in Europe. Do I claim that is a benefit of Brexit? Will I claim it when we continue to outgrow the EU average next year? Nope. There are far more important factors at play.
    Err…that was because it fell further in the first place (or, more likely, both the larger downswing and larger recovery were because of the way we do the measuring)

    A startling statistic - since the Brexit vote, the Uk stock market is up about 5% and the US stock market up about 105%
    The FTSE was valued at 6930 on the eve of the millenium. It is now at 7505 after today's rise.

    Now if it's as simple as I assume that is an 8% rise in 22 years.
    Pre Brexit the FTSE 100 had spent virtually the whole of 2000-2020 at levels lower than 1999 highs. The index tells you nothing about the merits.

    I'm not really thinking about Brexit but it is certainly interesting that it's barely risen in 22 years.
    The 1990s saw very big increases in share prices.
    The 2000s saw a big fall, a rise and then another fall.
    The 2010s saw a slow rise.
  • Options
    HYUFDHYUFD Posts: 117,000
    Scott_xP said:

    Technically HY is correct. If the fishermen were allowed to sell their catch there would be no limit as to what they can sell.

    Doesn't that absolutely sum Brexit up for you? It does for me. One step forward, 27 steps back!

    HY thinks they are allowed to sell it.

    My point was they don't have the customers.

    The catch rots on the quayside.
    No it doesn't, certainly not for British consumers who have more British fish to eat
  • Options
    moonshinemoonshine Posts: 5,244
    Foxy said:

    IanB2 said:

    DavidL said:

    DavidL said:

    Anyone who claims that they can identify any economic effect of Brexit for good or ill at the present time is delusional. We have gone through storm Arwen and have worse to come and we are arguing about a gentle offshore breeze. It’s absurd.

    What does the mountain of red tape throttling our trade have to do with Arwen? And aren't you Tories the people who spent decades working to remove said red tape?
    Our trade is being throttled by most of our major customers being in recession or, at best, partial recovery and by disruption of supplies from China and the Far East.

    These have been massive effects and I predict that there is a lot more disruption to come. It is not paperwork, such as that required by our non EU markets both before and after we left that is causing the decline.

    Our economy also grew quite strongly this year, faster than any of the larger economies in Europe. Do I claim that is a benefit of Brexit? Will I claim it when we continue to outgrow the EU average next year? Nope. There are far more important factors at play.
    Err…that was because it fell further in the first place (or, more likely, both the larger downswing and larger recovery were because of the way we do the measuring)

    A startling statistic - since the Brexit vote, the Uk stock market is up about 5% and the US stock market up about 105%
    The FTSE was valued at 6930 on the eve of the millenium. It is now at 7505 after today's rise.

    Now if it's as simple as I assume that is an 8% rise in 22 years.
    It isn't as simple as that. If you look at total return including dividends reinvested then the FTSE 100 has returned about 7.5% per annum over the last 25 years.
    Yes meanwhile US capital values have artificially inflated by (debt fuelled) stock buybacks in lieu of dividend payments, which attract tax to the shareholder, and the corporation when cash is repatriated. Need to look at total return for apples to apples.
  • Options
    IanB2IanB2 Posts: 47,280
    algarkirk said:

    Scott_xP said:

    algarkirk said:

    Politically the most interesting question (we may wait some time) is the Labour approach to the matter. At what point does this silence become so deafening that SKS has to respond?

    The Labour response is simple.

    "Brexit, as delivered by BoZo and chums, is shit."
    Starmer needs a policy on brexit, not some silly comment

    I am really interested in how Labour address this important issue
    They already have the policy: "Make Brexit Work".

    They can list all of the stupid, then we get how we make them less stupid. As an example there's a simple way to get rid of the reams of red tape throttling us...
    'Make Brexit work' is not a policy position, except that it commits to not rejoining. There are no parties saying 'Let's stay out but ensure it doesn't work'.

    Just one party doing it….?
  • Options
    dixiedeandixiedean Posts: 27,965
    Leon said:

    DavidL said:

    Leon said:

    DavidL said:

    dixiedean said:

    Leon said:

    It doesn't seem that implausible to me that some form of intelligence might want to see without being seen too clearly. This could apply to anyone and anything.

    One of the more plausible subsets of the "it's aliens" theory is that it isn't actually alien beings we are sort-of witnessing, but autonomous alien drones, sent out to observe other life around the galaxy, or even the universe, and then send the data back home

    That overcomes all the time/distance problems. This advanced civilisation could be 80,000 light years away, but they sent these probes 80,000 years ago. It also explains some of the G-forces observed, which would crush most conceivable organic life, as we understand it

    The drones may contain AI of course, which adds another layer

    Maybe they're here because they heard what a terrific idea Brexit was?
    At the time they left mankind had not even come down from the trees to go on to the plains so it seems unlikely. If there are aliens here they have found some way to overcome the speed of light limitation. Nothing else is really possible.
    No: autonomous drones, as I say. Overcomes the speed of light issue
    No it doesn’t. and any report they send home would take 80k years to get there. If they are here they must have a better way. I completely accept that better way may be much more suitable for drones than living creatures though. If they went through a wormhole, for example, machines might survive things that no living creature could.
    Er, what?

    There are billions and billions of planets that might harbour life. On some of them there might be civilisations that have endured 500,000 years. 100 million years. If they have proper AI they might be immortal and invulnerable. Sending out a probe to report back in 200,000 years would mean nothing

    You lack imagination
    Yep. Captain Cook sailed off and didn't come back for three years. And that was just on Earth.
    A question.
    If we had similar tech which could only report back in say 10 000 years (and there's no reason to assume they don't have tech to make that quicker), which could be sent out in many myriads of directions, would we do it?
    I reckon we would.
    Because that's pretty much what we do already on an admittedly tiny scale. It's what the Voyager programme was.
    It's what the first fishermen who left sight of land did too.
  • Options
    EabhalEabhal Posts: 5,904
    moonshine said:

    Leon said:

    DavidL said:

    Leon said:

    DavidL said:

    dixiedean said:

    Leon said:

    It doesn't seem that implausible to me that some form of intelligence might want to see without being seen too clearly. This could apply to anyone and anything.

    One of the more plausible subsets of the "it's aliens" theory is that it isn't actually alien beings we are sort-of witnessing, but autonomous alien drones, sent out to observe other life around the galaxy, or even the universe, and then send the data back home

    That overcomes all the time/distance problems. This advanced civilisation could be 80,000 light years away, but they sent these probes 80,000 years ago. It also explains some of the G-forces observed, which would crush most conceivable organic life, as we understand it

    The drones may contain AI of course, which adds another layer

    Maybe they're here because they heard what a terrific idea Brexit was?
    At the time they left mankind had not even come down from the trees to go on to the plains so it seems unlikely. If there are aliens here they have found some way to overcome the speed of light limitation. Nothing else is really possible.
    No: autonomous drones, as I say. Overcomes the speed of light issue
    No it doesn’t. and any report they send home would take 80k years to get there. If they are here they must have a better way. I completely accept that better way may be much more suitable for drones than living creatures though. If they went through a wormhole, for example, machines might survive things that no living creature could.
    Er, what?

    There are billions and billions of planets that might harbour life. On some of them there might be civilisations that have endured 500,000 years. 100 million years. If they have proper AI they might be immortal and invulnerable. Sending out a probe to report back in 200,000 years would mean nothing

    You lack imagination
    Doesn’t take 200,000 years to report back home if home is Earth. UAPs may be of non human earthly origin. There’s been a long time before us for Intelligience to have developed. And it would be a fun game to seed Intelligience afresh and observe what happens.

    Or they make use of science currently beyond our reach. Long distance communication by quantum entanglement, or faster than light travel by manipulating spacetime (which we have observed can expand faster than light). Or something else entirely. Dimension hopping perhaps, if you’re a string theorist. Or something even stranger.

    Or it’s Kissinger making holograms over the pacific because he’s engaged in a 50-year plot to troll China.
    Isn't this just going to be a cool type of electronic warfare that a skunkworks-type outfit (possibly without approval of US gov) are playing with in Nevada etc, and screwing with normal military activities.

    That's what happened back in the cold war with aircraft and everyone thought it was aliens.
  • Options
    LeonLeon Posts: 47,165

    Leon said:

    DavidL said:

    Leon said:

    DavidL said:

    dixiedean said:

    Leon said:

    It doesn't seem that implausible to me that some form of intelligence might want to see without being seen too clearly. This could apply to anyone and anything.

    One of the more plausible subsets of the "it's aliens" theory is that it isn't actually alien beings we are sort-of witnessing, but autonomous alien drones, sent out to observe other life around the galaxy, or even the universe, and then send the data back home

    That overcomes all the time/distance problems. This advanced civilisation could be 80,000 light years away, but they sent these probes 80,000 years ago. It also explains some of the G-forces observed, which would crush most conceivable organic life, as we understand it

    The drones may contain AI of course, which adds another layer

    Maybe they're here because they heard what a terrific idea Brexit was?
    At the time they left mankind had not even come down from the trees to go on to the plains so it seems unlikely. If there are aliens here they have found some way to overcome the speed of light limitation. Nothing else is really possible.
    No: autonomous drones, as I say. Overcomes the speed of light issue
    No it doesn’t. and any report they send home would take 80k years to get there. If they are here they must have a better way. I completely accept that better way may be much more suitable for drones than living creatures though. If they went through a wormhole, for example, machines might survive things that no living creature could.
    Er, what?

    There are billions and billions of planets that might harbour life. On some of them there might be civilisations that have endured 500,000 years. 100 million years. If they have proper AI they might be immortal and invulnerable. Sending out a probe to report back in 200,000 years would mean nothing

    You lack imagination
    Use your brain. If the USA was really shitting itself over aliens, there wouldn't be a chorus line of the people you've identified squawking about it would there? They would cover it up. The over-choreographed hype is all the evidence you need.
    Actually, I think if these were aliens/alien tech, we might see pretty much what we are seeing. A slow admission by the authorities that - embarrassingly - they can't be sure what is in American skies, and they can't explain it either. A total reluctance by many to even countenance this mad idea. And this back-and-forth would go on for some time

    I don't know if it IS aliens. But I don't know that it isn't, either
  • Options
    Interesting French poll:

    https://twitter.com/EuropeElects/status/1478430234194194436

    Virtually a 4 way toss-up to face Macron for the runoff although it could be an outlier for Mélenchon.
  • Options
    HYUFD said:

    HYUFD said:

    Scott_xP said:

    Starmer needs a policy on brexit, not some silly comment

    BoZo policy was "Get It Done"

    And Starmer's point is that is not working out too well.
    And then what is his answer

    I want to see a better relationship with the EU but until Labour lay out a policy the situation is stalemate
    Labour's policy will be rejoin a Customs Union with the EU as the vast majority of Labour MPs voted for in the last Parliament
    Then say so
    Nah. Hive off NI to some special status and then join EFTA. No Customs Union. Job done.

    HYUFD said:

    Scott_xP said:

    Starmer needs a policy on brexit, not some silly comment

    BoZo policy was "Get It Done"

    And Starmer's point is that is not working out too well.
    And then what is his answer

    I want to see a better relationship with the EU but until Labour lay out a policy the situation is stalemate
    Labour's policy will be rejoin a Customs Union with the EU as the vast majority of Labour MPs voted for in the last Parliament
    Then say so
    Nah. Hive off NI to some special status and then join EFTA. No Customs Union. Job done.
    No, as EFTA means free movement and the redwall then goes back to the Tories. So Starmer will only go for a customs union
    I'd be (pleasantly) surprised if Starmer even goes that far- at the next election, anyway.

    There's a lot of pain that can be removed within the TCA model- basically by the UK calming down a bit. Quietly accepting the realpolitik that the UK and EU's democratic mandates are of equal quality but there are more of them than there are of us, so it's easier all round (and the UK gains more) by the UK shadowing EU rules. It will annoy the "Bonfire of the Regulations" types, but they've forced a load of extra red tape on businesses, so I'm not that sympathetic.

    And the TCA is designed to be renegotiated every five years anyway- which may come as a nasty surprise to the "Just Make It Go Away" part of the Get Brexit Done coalition.
  • Options

    rcs1000 said:

    Scott_xP said:

    Macron’s covid strategy; piss off the unvaccinated. (It’s a quote)

    Id love to see the vaccinated/ voter intention correlation on this

    https://twitter.com/mariatad/status/1478472234889093128
    https://twitter.com/nicolasberrod/status/1478456757970251778

    That's far from a stupid policy.
    But its not the policy they're implementing:

    Wearing masks even outdoors will be mandatory in Paris starting on Friday, French authorities have announced, as the country struggles to come to grips with an Omicron surge.

    https://www.france24.com/en/europe/20211230-paris-mandates-wearing-masks-even-outdoors-starting-friday
    It looks like every country has these same whoppers. They're probably also pouring dettol all over their shopping trollies.
    Why people and governments are still obsessing about hand sanitizing is beyond me.

    Encouraging better ventilation would be far more useful.
  • Options
    EabhalEabhal Posts: 5,904
    dixiedean said:

    Leon said:

    DavidL said:

    Leon said:

    DavidL said:

    dixiedean said:

    Leon said:

    It doesn't seem that implausible to me that some form of intelligence might want to see without being seen too clearly. This could apply to anyone and anything.

    One of the more plausible subsets of the "it's aliens" theory is that it isn't actually alien beings we are sort-of witnessing, but autonomous alien drones, sent out to observe other life around the galaxy, or even the universe, and then send the data back home

    That overcomes all the time/distance problems. This advanced civilisation could be 80,000 light years away, but they sent these probes 80,000 years ago. It also explains some of the G-forces observed, which would crush most conceivable organic life, as we understand it

    The drones may contain AI of course, which adds another layer

    Maybe they're here because they heard what a terrific idea Brexit was?
    At the time they left mankind had not even come down from the trees to go on to the plains so it seems unlikely. If there are aliens here they have found some way to overcome the speed of light limitation. Nothing else is really possible.
    No: autonomous drones, as I say. Overcomes the speed of light issue
    No it doesn’t. and any report they send home would take 80k years to get there. If they are here they must have a better way. I completely accept that better way may be much more suitable for drones than living creatures though. If they went through a wormhole, for example, machines might survive things that no living creature could.
    Er, what?

    There are billions and billions of planets that might harbour life. On some of them there might be civilisations that have endured 500,000 years. 100 million years. If they have proper AI they might be immortal and invulnerable. Sending out a probe to report back in 200,000 years would mean nothing

    You lack imagination
    Yep. Captain Cook sailed off and didn't come back for three years. And that was just on Earth.
    A question.
    If we had similar tech which could only report back in say 10 000 years (and there's no reason to assume they don't have tech to make that quicker), which could be sent out in many myriads of directions, would we do it?
    I reckon we would.
    Because that's pretty much what we do already on an admittedly tiny scale. It's what the Voyager programme was.
    It's what the first fishermen who left sight of land did too.
    The courage to make those migrations across the Pacific for the first time. Quite astonishing.
  • Options
    Leon said:

    Now that we have all accepted that we are being VISTED BY ALIEN PROBES FROM ACROSS THE GALAXY can we get back to the more interesting question of WTF is happening in Xi'an?

    I am fascinated by the flamethrowers


    https://twitter.com/songpinganq/status/1478276645631193095?s=20


    "xi'an city
    What the hell?
    Chinese stormtroopers not only using fog sprayners but also flamethrowers to sanitize the entire city now!
    Ridiculous! Absurd!
    2022/1/4"


    https://twitter.com/ChinaStreetTalk/status/1478411906062901260?s=20


    I simply do not believe the Twitter counter-narrative that these are "malfunctioning disinfectant sprayers"

    1. We've never seen this before yet we've seen endless vids of Chinese disinfector sprayers
    2. There are multiple vids of this, why don't they fix them?
    3. The men doing the spraying don't react like their sprayers have gone wrong
    4. Conclusively, they carry on squirting flame like it is normal: personally, if my disinfector sprayer suddenly started shooting out wild flames because of a malfunction, I would stop and go to my superior, but they just calmly carry on: shooting out flames


    That means this is a new technique for sterilising things/places. Naked flames. But what kind of virus/bug/variant is destroyed by actual flames but not normal disinfectant or whatever it is?

    Is there a virologist or germologist on PB who might elucidate? Is it possible the Chinese have simply found a quick and brilliant new way of eliminating Covid-19?

    They're hunting the alien probes from across the galaxy!!!!
  • Options
    LeonLeon Posts: 47,165
    moonshine said:

    Leon said:

    Now that we have all accepted that we are being VISTED BY ALIEN PROBES FROM ACROSS THE GALAXY can we get back to the more interesting question of WTF is happening in Xi'an?

    I am fascinated by the flamethrowers


    https://twitter.com/songpinganq/status/1478276645631193095?s=20


    "xi'an city
    What the hell?
    Chinese stormtroopers not only using fog sprayners but also flamethrowers to sanitize the entire city now!
    Ridiculous! Absurd!
    2022/1/4"


    https://twitter.com/ChinaStreetTalk/status/1478411906062901260?s=20


    I simply do not believe the Twitter counter-narrative that these are "malfunctioning disinfectant sprayers"

    1. We've never seen this before yet we've seen endless vids of Chinese disinfector sprayers
    2. There are multiple vids of this, why don't they fix them?
    3. The men doing the spraying don't react like their sprayers have gone wrong
    4. Conclusively, they carry on squirting flame like it is normal: personally, if my disinfector sprayer suddenly started shooting out wild flames because of a malfunction, I would stop and go to my superior, but they just calmly carry on: shooting out flames


    That means this is a new technique for sterilising things/places. Naked flames. But what kind of virus/bug/variant is destroyed by actual flames but not normal disinfectant or whatever it is?

    Is there a virologist or germologist on PB who might elucidate? Is it possible the Chinese have simply found a quick and brilliant new way of eliminating Covid-19?

    The fogging is reminiscent of how Asian countries tackle mosquitoes. Of which I guess there will be none in xian in Jan. So fleas and rats?
    That's quite a plausible answer. Adds credence to the idea they have some V H Fever - spread by rodents -along with Covid?

    Perhaps they have a particularly virulent V H Fever season, in some way due to Covid and lockdowns?

    Remember this:

    "Sydney braces for rat ‘plague’ after Covid-19 forces hungry rodents to turn to cannibalism"

    https://www.theguardian.com/australia-news/2020/may/28/sydney-braces-for-rat-plague-after-covid-19-forces-hungry-rodents-to-turn-to-cannibalism
  • Options
    dixiedeandixiedean Posts: 27,965
    HYUFD said:

    Scott_xP said:

    Technically HY is correct. If the fishermen were allowed to sell their catch there would be no limit as to what they can sell.

    Doesn't that absolutely sum Brexit up for you? It does for me. One step forward, 27 steps back!

    HY thinks they are allowed to sell it.

    My point was they don't have the customers.

    The catch rots on the quayside.
    No it doesn't, certainly not for British consumers who have more British fish to eat
    And any left over would make a fine hot broth.
  • Options
    IshmaelZIshmaelZ Posts: 21,830

    Leon said:

    DavidL said:

    Leon said:

    DavidL said:

    dixiedean said:

    Leon said:

    It doesn't seem that implausible to me that some form of intelligence might want to see without being seen too clearly. This could apply to anyone and anything.

    One of the more plausible subsets of the "it's aliens" theory is that it isn't actually alien beings we are sort-of witnessing, but autonomous alien drones, sent out to observe other life around the galaxy, or even the universe, and then send the data back home

    That overcomes all the time/distance problems. This advanced civilisation could be 80,000 light years away, but they sent these probes 80,000 years ago. It also explains some of the G-forces observed, which would crush most conceivable organic life, as we understand it

    The drones may contain AI of course, which adds another layer

    Maybe they're here because they heard what a terrific idea Brexit was?
    At the time they left mankind had not even come down from the trees to go on to the plains so it seems unlikely. If there are aliens here they have found some way to overcome the speed of light limitation. Nothing else is really possible.
    No: autonomous drones, as I say. Overcomes the speed of light issue
    No it doesn’t. and any report they send home would take 80k years to get there. If they are here they must have a better way. I completely accept that better way may be much more suitable for drones than living creatures though. If they went through a wormhole, for example, machines might survive things that no living creature could.
    Er, what?

    There are billions and billions of planets that might harbour life. On some of them there might be civilisations that have endured 500,000 years. 100 million years. If they have proper AI they might be immortal and invulnerable. Sending out a probe to report back in 200,000 years would mean nothing

    You lack imagination
    Use your brain. If the USA was really shitting itself over aliens, there wouldn't be a chorus line of the people you've identified squawking about it would there? They would cover it up. The over-choreographed hype is all the evidence you need.
    They have been covering it up. For decades. They have now decided that that's pointless.
  • Options
    FairlieredFairliered Posts: 3,988

    algarkirk said:

    IanB2 said:

    DavidL said:

    DavidL said:

    Anyone who claims that they can identify any economic effect of Brexit for good or ill at the present time is delusional. We have gone through storm Arwen and have worse to come and we are arguing about a gentle offshore breeze. It’s absurd.

    What does the mountain of red tape throttling our trade have to do with Arwen? And aren't you Tories the people who spent decades working to remove said red tape?
    Our trade is being throttled by most of our major customers being in recession or, at best, partial recovery and by disruption of supplies from China and the Far East.

    These have been massive effects and I predict that there is a lot more disruption to come. It is not paperwork, such as that required by our non EU markets both before and after we left that is causing the decline.

    Our economy also grew quite strongly this year, faster than any of the larger economies in Europe. Do I claim that is a benefit of Brexit? Will I claim it when we continue to outgrow the EU average next year? Nope. There are far more important factors at play.
    Err…that was because it fell further in the first place (or, more likely, both the larger downswing and larger recovery were because of the way we do the measuring)

    A startling statistic - since the Brexit vote, the Uk stock market is up about 5% and the US stock market up about 105%
    The FTSE was valued at 6930 on the eve of the millenium. It is now at 7505 after today's rise.

    Now if it's as simple as I assume that is an 8% rise in 22 years.
    Pre Brexit the FTSE 100 had spent virtually the whole of 2000-2020 at levels lower than 1999 highs. The index tells you nothing about the merits.

    Or the pension values.

    Now perhaps I'm fortunate but my pension pots have dramatically increased in value during the last five years.

    The 2000-2010 period was pretty crap though.
    I’m guessing that most of your pot is not invested in UK equities. My pot has done very well. Only about 5% invested in UK equities.
  • Options
    IanB2IanB2 Posts: 47,280
    moonshine said:

    Leon said:

    DavidL said:

    Leon said:

    DavidL said:

    dixiedean said:

    Leon said:

    It doesn't seem that implausible to me that some form of intelligence might want to see without being seen too clearly. This could apply to anyone and anything.

    One of the more plausible subsets of the "it's aliens" theory is that it isn't actually alien beings we are sort-of witnessing, but autonomous alien drones, sent out to observe other life around the galaxy, or even the universe, and then send the data back home

    That overcomes all the time/distance problems. This advanced civilisation could be 80,000 light years away, but they sent these probes 80,000 years ago. It also explains some of the G-forces observed, which would crush most conceivable organic life, as we understand it

    The drones may contain AI of course, which adds another layer

    Maybe they're here because they heard what a terrific idea Brexit was?
    At the time they left mankind had not even come down from the trees to go on to the plains so it seems unlikely. If there are aliens here they have found some way to overcome the speed of light limitation. Nothing else is really possible.
    No: autonomous drones, as I say. Overcomes the speed of light issue
    No it doesn’t. and any report they send home would take 80k years to get there. If they are here they must have a better way. I completely accept that better way may be much more suitable for drones than living creatures though. If they went through a wormhole, for example, machines might survive things that no living creature could.
    Er, what?

    There are billions and billions of planets that might harbour life. On some of them there might be civilisations that have endured 500,000 years. 100 million years. If they have proper AI they might be immortal and invulnerable. Sending out a probe to report back in 200,000 years would mean nothing

    You lack imagination
    Doesn’t take 200,000 years to report back home if home is Earth. UAPs may be of non human earthly origin. There’s been a long time before us for Intelligience to have developed. And it would be a fun game to seed Intelligience afresh and observe what happens.

    Or they make use of science currently beyond our reach. Long distance communication by quantum entanglement, or faster than light travel by manipulating spacetime (which we have observed can expand faster than light). Or something else entirely. Dimension hopping perhaps, if you’re a string theorist. Or something even stranger.

    Or it’s Kissinger making holograms over the pacific because he’s engaged in a 50-year plot to troll China.
    Maybe that time travelling idea wasn’t so dumb? The coming US civil war leads to a global and eventually nuclear war that almost wipes out the species; after a few centuries of Mad Max and a few more of astounding technological progress, the descendents of the survivors have come back to research how to avoid the same thing happening again….
  • Options
    MexicanpeteMexicanpete Posts: 25,178
    HYUFD said:

    Scott_xP said:

    Technically HY is correct. If the fishermen were allowed to sell their catch there would be no limit as to what they can sell.

    Doesn't that absolutely sum Brexit up for you? It does for me. One step forward, 27 steps back!

    HY thinks they are allowed to sell it.

    My point was they don't have the customers.

    The catch rots on the quayside.
    No it doesn't, certainly not for British consumers who have more British fish to eat
    28-27 =1

    Of course they can sell more.
  • Options
    moonshinemoonshine Posts: 5,244
    Leon said:

    Leon said:

    DavidL said:

    Leon said:

    DavidL said:

    dixiedean said:

    Leon said:

    It doesn't seem that implausible to me that some form of intelligence might want to see without being seen too clearly. This could apply to anyone and anything.

    One of the more plausible subsets of the "it's aliens" theory is that it isn't actually alien beings we are sort-of witnessing, but autonomous alien drones, sent out to observe other life around the galaxy, or even the universe, and then send the data back home

    That overcomes all the time/distance problems. This advanced civilisation could be 80,000 light years away, but they sent these probes 80,000 years ago. It also explains some of the G-forces observed, which would crush most conceivable organic life, as we understand it

    The drones may contain AI of course, which adds another layer

    Maybe they're here because they heard what a terrific idea Brexit was?
    At the time they left mankind had not even come down from the trees to go on to the plains so it seems unlikely. If there are aliens here they have found some way to overcome the speed of light limitation. Nothing else is really possible.
    No: autonomous drones, as I say. Overcomes the speed of light issue
    No it doesn’t. and any report they send home would take 80k years to get there. If they are here they must have a better way. I completely accept that better way may be much more suitable for drones than living creatures though. If they went through a wormhole, for example, machines might survive things that no living creature could.
    Er, what?

    There are billions and billions of planets that might harbour life. On some of them there might be civilisations that have endured 500,000 years. 100 million years. If they have proper AI they might be immortal and invulnerable. Sending out a probe to report back in 200,000 years would mean nothing

    You lack imagination
    Use your brain. If the USA was really shitting itself over aliens, there wouldn't be a chorus line of the people you've identified squawking about it would there? They would cover it up. The over-choreographed hype is all the evidence you need.
    Actually, I think if these were aliens/alien tech, we might see pretty much what we are seeing. A slow admission by the authorities that - embarrassingly - they can't be sure what is in American skies, and they can't explain it either. A total reluctance by many to even countenance this mad idea. And this back-and-forth would go on for some time

    I don't know if it IS aliens. But I don't know that it isn't, either
    The clincher for me was that presser when Biden was asked about Obama’s comments. Biden does not want to go there and he stormed off stage.

    But the military / govt is losing its monopoly over space so it’s out of his hands. Let’s see what happens with a combination of a) James Webb space telescope, b) citizen science getting affordable access to satellite launches, c) corporatisation of human space flight.

  • Options
    rottenboroughrottenborough Posts: 58,216
    Leon said:

    moonshine said:

    Leon said:

    Now that we have all accepted that we are being VISTED BY ALIEN PROBES FROM ACROSS THE GALAXY can we get back to the more interesting question of WTF is happening in Xi'an?

    I am fascinated by the flamethrowers


    https://twitter.com/songpinganq/status/1478276645631193095?s=20


    "xi'an city
    What the hell?
    Chinese stormtroopers not only using fog sprayners but also flamethrowers to sanitize the entire city now!
    Ridiculous! Absurd!
    2022/1/4"


    https://twitter.com/ChinaStreetTalk/status/1478411906062901260?s=20


    I simply do not believe the Twitter counter-narrative that these are "malfunctioning disinfectant sprayers"

    1. We've never seen this before yet we've seen endless vids of Chinese disinfector sprayers
    2. There are multiple vids of this, why don't they fix them?
    3. The men doing the spraying don't react like their sprayers have gone wrong
    4. Conclusively, they carry on squirting flame like it is normal: personally, if my disinfector sprayer suddenly started shooting out wild flames because of a malfunction, I would stop and go to my superior, but they just calmly carry on: shooting out flames


    That means this is a new technique for sterilising things/places. Naked flames. But what kind of virus/bug/variant is destroyed by actual flames but not normal disinfectant or whatever it is?

    Is there a virologist or germologist on PB who might elucidate? Is it possible the Chinese have simply found a quick and brilliant new way of eliminating Covid-19?

    The fogging is reminiscent of how Asian countries tackle mosquitoes. Of which I guess there will be none in xian in Jan. So fleas and rats?
    That's quite a plausible answer. Adds credence to the idea they have some V H Fever - spread by rodents -along with Covid?

    Perhaps they have a particularly virulent V H Fever season, in some way due to Covid and lockdowns?

    Remember this:

    "Sydney braces for rat ‘plague’ after Covid-19 forces hungry rodents to turn to cannibalism"

    https://www.theguardian.com/australia-news/2020/may/28/sydney-braces-for-rat-plague-after-covid-19-forces-hungry-rodents-to-turn-to-cannibalism
    All looks like total theatre to me.
  • Options
    CarnyxCarnyx Posts: 39,729
    HYUFD said:

    Scott_xP said:

    Technically HY is correct. If the fishermen were allowed to sell their catch there would be no limit as to what they can sell.

    Doesn't that absolutely sum Brexit up for you? It does for me. One step forward, 27 steps back!

    HY thinks they are allowed to sell it.

    My point was they don't have the customers.

    The catch rots on the quayside.
    No it doesn't, certainly not for British consumers who have more British fish to eat
    Which means a price crash for the fisherfolk. Anyway there are fish and fish, and (like British wheat for bread) much of the fish is the Wrong Kind for the British consumer.
  • Options
    LeonLeon Posts: 47,165
    IshmaelZ said:

    Leon said:

    DavidL said:

    Leon said:

    DavidL said:

    dixiedean said:

    Leon said:

    It doesn't seem that implausible to me that some form of intelligence might want to see without being seen too clearly. This could apply to anyone and anything.

    One of the more plausible subsets of the "it's aliens" theory is that it isn't actually alien beings we are sort-of witnessing, but autonomous alien drones, sent out to observe other life around the galaxy, or even the universe, and then send the data back home

    That overcomes all the time/distance problems. This advanced civilisation could be 80,000 light years away, but they sent these probes 80,000 years ago. It also explains some of the G-forces observed, which would crush most conceivable organic life, as we understand it

    The drones may contain AI of course, which adds another layer

    Maybe they're here because they heard what a terrific idea Brexit was?
    At the time they left mankind had not even come down from the trees to go on to the plains so it seems unlikely. If there are aliens here they have found some way to overcome the speed of light limitation. Nothing else is really possible.
    No: autonomous drones, as I say. Overcomes the speed of light issue
    No it doesn’t. and any report they send home would take 80k years to get there. If they are here they must have a better way. I completely accept that better way may be much more suitable for drones than living creatures though. If they went through a wormhole, for example, machines might survive things that no living creature could.
    Er, what?

    There are billions and billions of planets that might harbour life. On some of them there might be civilisations that have endured 500,000 years. 100 million years. If they have proper AI they might be immortal and invulnerable. Sending out a probe to report back in 200,000 years would mean nothing

    You lack imagination
    Use your brain. If the USA was really shitting itself over aliens, there wouldn't be a chorus line of the people you've identified squawking about it would there? They would cover it up. The over-choreographed hype is all the evidence you need.
    They have been covering it up. For decades. They have now decided that that's pointless.
    They might ALSO see an advantage in leaking this now, as it unsettles China, as China rises to supremacy. Beijing must be wondering "WTF is this? Do they really believe this? Or is this super brilliant American tech?"

    So several explanations can be simultaneously "true"

    We really do live in interesting times
  • Options
    There's been a change in the pattern of highest covid deaths per individual US state:

    https://www.worldometers.info/coronavirus/country/us/

    In 2020 it was those in the north-east with the highest death rate in particular New York and New Jersey.

    Now the highest ten are:

    1) Mississippi
    2) Arizona
    3) Alabama
    4) New Jersey
    5) Louisiana
    6) New York
    7) Arkansas
    8) Tennessee
    9) West Virginia
    10) Georgia

    Comparing death rates pre and post vaccine availability per state would be interesting.
  • Options
    Scott_xPScott_xP Posts: 32,946
    HYUFD said:

    No it doesn't, certainly not for British consumers who have more British fish to eat

    They are not eating it.

    UK fish consumption has fallen since the vote.
  • Options
    dixiedeandixiedean Posts: 27,965

    Interesting French poll:

    https://twitter.com/EuropeElects/status/1478430234194194436

    Virtually a 4 way toss-up to face Macron for the runoff although it could be an outlier for Mélenchon.

    If, say, the Left coalesced around Melenchon, and a 3 way split Right led to the 2 M's in a runoff, then the reverse ferreting would be a veritable stampede.
    Vive Emmanuel! Defender of liberte. And all that is right and proper!
    Won't happen, but would be a right laugh.
  • Options
    FoxyFoxy Posts: 44,629
    edited January 2022

    James Melville
    @JamesMelville
    ·
    1h
    SAGE modelling projected up to 6,000 daily Covid deaths in January without any further lockdown restrictions. Today, the official number of total Covid deaths in the UK was 48.

    ===

    The public inquiry, when it ever happens, must look into modelling, SAGE, scientists speaking in a personal capacity, lack of outside testing of models, lack of real world data input etc etc etc.

    How long can we go on governing like this?

    Yes, but that is quite a misleading figure in the headline. SAGE predicted between 600 and 6000 deaths per day at the peak.

    https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/spi-m-o-consensus-statement-on-covid-19-15-december-2021/spi-m-o-consensus-statement-on-covid-19-15-december-2021

    The publication was written before there was decent evidence of the reduced mortality of Omicron or that vaccines would mitigate it. Fortunately it seems so, but that wasn't obvious when the evidence was being drawn up.

    I suspect that deaths will peak lower than their lower end, but not by a great deal.
  • Options
    LeonLeon Posts: 47,165

    Leon said:

    moonshine said:

    Leon said:

    Now that we have all accepted that we are being VISTED BY ALIEN PROBES FROM ACROSS THE GALAXY can we get back to the more interesting question of WTF is happening in Xi'an?

    I am fascinated by the flamethrowers


    https://twitter.com/songpinganq/status/1478276645631193095?s=20


    "xi'an city
    What the hell?
    Chinese stormtroopers not only using fog sprayners but also flamethrowers to sanitize the entire city now!
    Ridiculous! Absurd!
    2022/1/4"


    https://twitter.com/ChinaStreetTalk/status/1478411906062901260?s=20


    I simply do not believe the Twitter counter-narrative that these are "malfunctioning disinfectant sprayers"

    1. We've never seen this before yet we've seen endless vids of Chinese disinfector sprayers
    2. There are multiple vids of this, why don't they fix them?
    3. The men doing the spraying don't react like their sprayers have gone wrong
    4. Conclusively, they carry on squirting flame like it is normal: personally, if my disinfector sprayer suddenly started shooting out wild flames because of a malfunction, I would stop and go to my superior, but they just calmly carry on: shooting out flames


    That means this is a new technique for sterilising things/places. Naked flames. But what kind of virus/bug/variant is destroyed by actual flames but not normal disinfectant or whatever it is?

    Is there a virologist or germologist on PB who might elucidate? Is it possible the Chinese have simply found a quick and brilliant new way of eliminating Covid-19?

    The fogging is reminiscent of how Asian countries tackle mosquitoes. Of which I guess there will be none in xian in Jan. So fleas and rats?
    That's quite a plausible answer. Adds credence to the idea they have some V H Fever - spread by rodents -along with Covid?

    Perhaps they have a particularly virulent V H Fever season, in some way due to Covid and lockdowns?

    Remember this:

    "Sydney braces for rat ‘plague’ after Covid-19 forces hungry rodents to turn to cannibalism"

    https://www.theguardian.com/australia-news/2020/may/28/sydney-braces-for-rat-plague-after-covid-19-forces-hungry-rodents-to-turn-to-cannibalism
    All looks like total theatre to me.
    Yes, that's another Twitter explanation. This is to impress Chinese people/foreigners with how brilliantly and rigorously China is handling things, tho it actually means nothing, the flames are for show

    However if that is the case wouldn't the videos be better? Or is this a triple bluff and the videos are furtive and distant so they look real?

    Jesus. We live in a hall of mirrors
  • Options
    CarnyxCarnyx Posts: 39,729
    edited January 2022
    Scott_xP said:

    HYUFD said:

    No it doesn't, certainly not for British consumers who have more British fish to eat

    They are not eating it.

    UK fish consumption has fallen since the vote.
    I do my best to compensate, but I'm neither a Brexiter nor a pinnipede. As things are, if I eat any more seafood I'd start worrying. Also as I need to eat more lamb to support the farmers.
  • Options
    rcs1000rcs1000 Posts: 53,987
    kyf_100 said:

    Leon said:

    dixiedean said:

    Leon said:

    It doesn't seem that implausible to me that some form of intelligence might want to see without being seen too clearly. This could apply to anyone and anything.

    One of the more plausible subsets of the "it's aliens" theory is that it isn't actually alien beings we are sort-of witnessing, but autonomous alien drones, sent out to observe other life around the galaxy, or even the universe, and then send the data back home

    That overcomes all the time/distance problems. This advanced civilisation could be 80,000 light years away, but they sent these probes 80,000 years ago. It also explains some of the G-forces observed, which would crush most conceivable organic life, as we understand it

    The drones may contain AI of course, which adds another layer

    If they had that kind of tech, why would they ever be anything other than AI? They could send out millions all over the galaxy and wait to see if owt interesting was found to be worth settling, invading, civilising, annihilating. Or whatever.
    Like Europe did from the 15 the Century onwards.
    Yes, quite

    Like Noah sending out that dove to find land. Like Portuguese caravels heading down the African coast. Like basically any exploratory civilisation that has ever existed. This is how it is done

    Send out expendable "life forms" into the unknown. Wait and see if they come back, or at least send back a letter
    Another possible answer to the fermi paradox is that, as we develop advanced enough machines, we decide to spend our time exploring the virtual worlds we create rather than the real universe.

    Think about it, if space travel is hugely near to impossible, takes hundreds of years and then when you get to your destination, it's just some other boring brown dwarf star with a few rotating asteroids.... wouldn't you choose/prefer to plug into the procedurally generated "fake" universe game where you can explore in minutes, and when you arrive at your destination, you actually end up somewhere interesting.

    Maybe ultra intelligent life is just sitting at home on the couch, playing a really advanced version of No Mans Sky.
    So, you're saying Roblox is the pinnacle of human civilization?
  • Options
    On topic.

    Brexit has been a failure to both metropolitan posho Leavers and metropolitan posho Remainers.

    The metropolitan posho Leavers wanted 'Singapore on Thames' and didn't get it.

    The metropolitan posho Remainers wanted mass unemployment for working class northerners and didn't get it.

    For the proles its been, depending on the individual, somewhere between neutral to beneficial.
  • Options
    moonshinemoonshine Posts: 5,244
    Leon said:

    IshmaelZ said:

    Leon said:

    DavidL said:

    Leon said:

    DavidL said:

    dixiedean said:

    Leon said:

    It doesn't seem that implausible to me that some form of intelligence might want to see without being seen too clearly. This could apply to anyone and anything.

    One of the more plausible subsets of the "it's aliens" theory is that it isn't actually alien beings we are sort-of witnessing, but autonomous alien drones, sent out to observe other life around the galaxy, or even the universe, and then send the data back home

    That overcomes all the time/distance problems. This advanced civilisation could be 80,000 light years away, but they sent these probes 80,000 years ago. It also explains some of the G-forces observed, which would crush most conceivable organic life, as we understand it

    The drones may contain AI of course, which adds another layer

    Maybe they're here because they heard what a terrific idea Brexit was?
    At the time they left mankind had not even come down from the trees to go on to the plains so it seems unlikely. If there are aliens here they have found some way to overcome the speed of light limitation. Nothing else is really possible.
    No: autonomous drones, as I say. Overcomes the speed of light issue
    No it doesn’t. and any report they send home would take 80k years to get there. If they are here they must have a better way. I completely accept that better way may be much more suitable for drones than living creatures though. If they went through a wormhole, for example, machines might survive things that no living creature could.
    Er, what?

    There are billions and billions of planets that might harbour life. On some of them there might be civilisations that have endured 500,000 years. 100 million years. If they have proper AI they might be immortal and invulnerable. Sending out a probe to report back in 200,000 years would mean nothing

    You lack imagination
    Use your brain. If the USA was really shitting itself over aliens, there wouldn't be a chorus line of the people you've identified squawking about it would there? They would cover it up. The over-choreographed hype is all the evidence you need.
    They have been covering it up. For decades. They have now decided that that's pointless.
    They might ALSO see an advantage in leaking this now, as it unsettles China, as China rises to supremacy. Beijing must be wondering "WTF is this? Do they really believe this? Or is this super brilliant American tech?"

    So several explanations can be simultaneously "true"

    We really do live in interesting times
    China is also talking about this and is apparently using neural nets to help monitor. Russia has released govt reports years ago being very blunt indeed but no one takes any notice because it’s Russia. I’m quite convinced people will look back with incredulity that we were ever in ignorance/denial of what has been staring us in the face. “Those quaint people of yesteryear”.

    This said, if there has been some sort of coverup I understand why. People just don’t wanna know.
  • Options
    dixiedeandixiedean Posts: 27,965
    edited January 2022
    Said it before. But pretty much everything China does these days, is a sign of weakness not strength.
    This lockdown is another. Along with dramatic "amateur" footage. No coincidence it's happened as Evergrande went tits up.
    Guess which one we, and they, are discussing?
  • Options
    rottenboroughrottenborough Posts: 58,216
    Foxy said:

    James Melville
    @JamesMelville
    ·
    1h
    SAGE modelling projected up to 6,000 daily Covid deaths in January without any further lockdown restrictions. Today, the official number of total Covid deaths in the UK was 48.

    ===

    The public inquiry, when it ever happens, must look into modelling, SAGE, scientists speaking in a personal capacity, lack of outside testing of models, lack of real world data input etc etc etc.

    How long can we go on governing like this?

    Yes, but that is quite a misleading figure in the headline. SAGE predicted between 600 and 6000 deaths per day at the peak.

    https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/spi-m-o-consensus-statement-on-covid-19-15-december-2021/spi-m-o-consensus-statement-on-covid-19-15-december-2021

    The publication was written before there was decent evidence of the reduced mortality of Omicron or that vaccines would mitigate it. Fortunately it seems so, but that wasn't obvious when the evidence was being drawn up.

    I suspect that deaths will peak lower than their lower end, but not by a great deal.
    But that's the problem. These models are drawn up without inputs that would give less scary outcomes e.g. as you say vax might mitigate.

    It seems to me they are are always a ton of worse case scenarios even though they are presented as simply a range of possible outcomes.

  • Options
    IanB2IanB2 Posts: 47,280

    On topic.

    Brexit has been a failure to both metropolitan posho Leavers and metropolitan posho Remainers.

    The metropolitan posho Leavers wanted 'Singapore on Thames' and didn't get it.

    The metropolitan posho Remainers wanted mass unemployment for working class northerners and didn't get it.

    For the proles its been, depending on the individual, somewhere between neutral to beneficial.

    I’ll let you go tell them….
  • Options
    BigRichBigRich Posts: 3,489
    Dr John Campell is saying there are over 1 million US cases reported today.

    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Zk_t4qTfAfw

    but I don't see that on wouldmeater:

    https://www.worldometers.info/coronavirus/country/us/

    anybody know where he is getting it form?
  • Options
    MrEdMrEd Posts: 5,578
    Completely off topic for those accountants out there or anyone else who knows.

    I am completing a self-assessment form for my wife and it's the first year as self-employed. However, when I click on self-employed on the online site, it will not let me continue without listing my wife's business name, which she doesn't have one because she is acting as a sole trader, not a limited company. Anyone have any ideas what I need to do?
  • Options
    moonshinemoonshine Posts: 5,244
    Leon said:

    moonshine said:

    Leon said:

    Now that we have all accepted that we are being VISTED BY ALIEN PROBES FROM ACROSS THE GALAXY can we get back to the more interesting question of WTF is happening in Xi'an?

    I am fascinated by the flamethrowers


    https://twitter.com/songpinganq/status/1478276645631193095?s=20


    "xi'an city
    What the hell?
    Chinese stormtroopers not only using fog sprayners but also flamethrowers to sanitize the entire city now!
    Ridiculous! Absurd!
    2022/1/4"


    https://twitter.com/ChinaStreetTalk/status/1478411906062901260?s=20


    I simply do not believe the Twitter counter-narrative that these are "malfunctioning disinfectant sprayers"

    1. We've never seen this before yet we've seen endless vids of Chinese disinfector sprayers
    2. There are multiple vids of this, why don't they fix them?
    3. The men doing the spraying don't react like their sprayers have gone wrong
    4. Conclusively, they carry on squirting flame like it is normal: personally, if my disinfector sprayer suddenly started shooting out wild flames because of a malfunction, I would stop and go to my superior, but they just calmly carry on: shooting out flames


    That means this is a new technique for sterilising things/places. Naked flames. But what kind of virus/bug/variant is destroyed by actual flames but not normal disinfectant or whatever it is?

    Is there a virologist or germologist on PB who might elucidate? Is it possible the Chinese have simply found a quick and brilliant new way of eliminating Covid-19?

    The fogging is reminiscent of how Asian countries tackle mosquitoes. Of which I guess there will be none in xian in Jan. So fleas and rats?
    That's quite a plausible answer. Adds credence to the idea they have some V H Fever - spread by rodents -along with Covid?

    Perhaps they have a particularly virulent V H Fever season, in some way due to Covid and lockdowns?

    Remember this:

    "Sydney braces for rat ‘plague’ after Covid-19 forces hungry rodents to turn to cannibalism"

    https://www.theguardian.com/australia-news/2020/may/28/sydney-braces-for-rat-plague-after-covid-19-forces-hungry-rodents-to-turn-to-cannibalism
    If we get to say Apr or May without any VHF somewhere it shouldn’t be, we can put it down to autocratic eccentricity.
  • Options
    FoxyFoxy Posts: 44,629

    algarkirk said:

    IanB2 said:

    DavidL said:

    DavidL said:

    Anyone who claims that they can identify any economic effect of Brexit for good or ill at the present time is delusional. We have gone through storm Arwen and have worse to come and we are arguing about a gentle offshore breeze. It’s absurd.

    What does the mountain of red tape throttling our trade have to do with Arwen? And aren't you Tories the people who spent decades working to remove said red tape?
    Our trade is being throttled by most of our major customers being in recession or, at best, partial recovery and by disruption of supplies from China and the Far East.

    These have been massive effects and I predict that there is a lot more disruption to come. It is not paperwork, such as that required by our non EU markets both before and after we left that is causing the decline.

    Our economy also grew quite strongly this year, faster than any of the larger economies in Europe. Do I claim that is a benefit of Brexit? Will I claim it when we continue to outgrow the EU average next year? Nope. There are far more important factors at play.
    Err…that was because it fell further in the first place (or, more likely, both the larger downswing and larger recovery were because of the way we do the measuring)

    A startling statistic - since the Brexit vote, the Uk stock market is up about 5% and the US stock market up about 105%
    The FTSE was valued at 6930 on the eve of the millenium. It is now at 7505 after today's rise.

    Now if it's as simple as I assume that is an 8% rise in 22 years.
    Pre Brexit the FTSE 100 had spent virtually the whole of 2000-2020 at levels lower than 1999 highs. The index tells you nothing about the merits.

    Or the pension values.

    Now perhaps I'm fortunate but my pension pots have dramatically increased in value during the last five years.

    The 2000-2010 period was pretty crap though.
    I’m guessing that most of your pot is not invested in UK equities. My pot has done very well. Only about 5% invested in UK equities.
    I put £60 000 into equities in 2010, and it is now worth £154 000. All in UK registered equities, with dividends reinvested. I think that a pretty good return.

    I run a separate account for overseas equities, which has performed a little better, particularly the US tech stocks, but it isn't a massive difference.
  • Options
    HYUFDHYUFD Posts: 117,000
    edited January 2022
    dixiedean said:

    Interesting French poll:

    https://twitter.com/EuropeElects/status/1478430234194194436

    Virtually a 4 way toss-up to face Macron for the runoff although it could be an outlier for Mélenchon.

    If, say, the Left coalesced around Melenchon, and a 3 way split Right led to the 2 M's in a runoff, then the reverse ferreting would be a veritable stampede.
    Vive Emmanuel! Defender of liberte. And all that is right and proper!
    Won't happen, but would be a right laugh.
    Pecresse and Zemmour voters would likely vote for Macron over Melenchon but lots of Le Pen voters would vote for Melenchon over Macron.

    If Melenchon mainly takes votes from Macron though you could equally end up with a Pecresse v Le Pen or Zemmour runoff
  • Options
    rcs1000rcs1000 Posts: 53,987
    edited January 2022
    moonshine said:

    rcs1000 said:

    moonshine said:

    Leon said:

    moonshine said:

    moonshine said:

    TOPPING said:

    moonshine said:

    TOPPING said:

    Leon said:

    I see we are back to hysterical conspiracy theories about Xian on here.

    Jesus wept. It’s the Olympics. Move on FFS.

    Look, I know that you are shitting yourself, like Topping and Ian, but I can't help the fact a genuine mystery is unfolding in Xi'an. Which is probably Omicron, but possibly not

    And it's not like this isn't a major news story (whatever the cause) - if they have Omicron and they can't control it - or they need to lockdown large chunks of China to do so - that is going to have serious consequences for the global economy, as supply chains fail, again. So we can't really "move on"
    Two possible scenarios:

    1) The several people trying to reply rationally and calmly to one person's hysterical outpourings are shitting themselves; or
    2) The one person responsible for said hysterical outpouring is shitting himself.

    Tough call. Or are we all projecting.
    You lot always miss the bigger picture. Let’s take the benign version. This is just omicron. That China is taking these steps in Xian indicates they may very likely be prepared to announce a nationwide lockdown before Chinese New Year, given we all probably agree it’s a bugger to contain it once it’s out there.

    What we know of the underlying virulence of omicron says that this might all be unjustified but it’s tricky to say for sure given we haven’t seen it properly in action in a country with no immunity and little in the way of western approved vaccines.

    A Chinese nationwide lockdown most likely causes a global recession this year.

    There are less benign versions of this story than a global recession this year, whether you want to hear them or not.

    Sure, VHF is endemic in Shanxi. But only strains that spread from rodents to humans.
    We shall have to wait and see. But yes I hold my hand up as I for one didn't at first buy into the whole aliens thing and I am ashamed of that.
    Well we still don’t know enough about UAP to equate them with aliens, however much some of us might think the evidence points that way. What almost all of you refused to take on board, now underlined by the new Congressional legislation passed last week (Gillibrand Amendment to the National Defense Authorisation Act), is that the organs of power in the US are taking UAPs very seriously indeed. Even as you lot laugh it all off.
    I think they're taking it seriously because it's a tactical ruse of their own making. We're going to see lots of extraordinary stories as the USA desperately tries to cling on to its world dominance. They're not going to drift into genteel insignificance the way that Britain did.
    That’s quite the conspiracy theory, given the breadth of politicians and military officials across both time and the left-right spectrum that would need to be involved. Could be you’re right of course. Or could be that when such a range of credible figures say there is observed ultra tech in the skies and oceans that’s not theirs and “needs advances in science to identify”, that we should take what they say at face value.

    I don’t follow US politics as closely as some here but can’t be often that an initiative that is apparently opposed by the Executive, passes both houses in such an overwhelming bipartisan fashion.
    I’m much more sympathetic to your position than many on here, as you know, however your argument here doesn’t quite stand. Because ANY explanation for UAP is going to sound outlandish, will give off conspiracy theory vibes, and will encounter Normalcy Bias

    To name the most prominent:

    1. The entire US military has been suffering multiple simultaneous technical glitches and mass hallucinations for decades and no one in power in America realises this

    2. The elite in America have gone collectively and weirdly mad in exactly the same way, across the political spectrum, as they face the superiority of China, or something

    3. The Chinese have developed incredible 30,000mph aircraft, which also go underwater, and they’ve managed to keep this quiet since 1950

    4. We are being visited and observed by non-human technology

    Which is more, or less, likely? They are all extremely difficult to swallow
    No they aren't. The US is constantly trying these sorts of silly stunts - during the Arab Spring protests there are 'signs and wonders' on film, such as the four horsemen of the apocalypse appearing during one of the protests, and (affaicr) the Holy Spirit appearing as a dove above a Church in Egypt. All extremely unsubtle holographic projections. This is just more of the same. Unless you think an advanced race of aliens has travelled thousands of lightyears (or whatever it is) to appear as some blobs of light giving US sailors a turn.
    I think you would be well served in doing some further research on exactly what has been observed, by which instruments / eye witnesses and also when. You’ve moved on from the last thread of a grand conspiracy involving most of the US political elites, to one where they’ve all been hoodwinked over decades by someone re-enacting the plot of Spiderman Far From Home.
    I do find it curious that at a time when we've gone from literally no-one carrying cameras around with them, to a situation where more than four billion people carry cameras, and almost everything that happens is captured on a smartphone, that we're not seeing more videos from individuals.

    Almost all the stuff we've seen has come from the US military. Which is weird, because there's only a few hundred thousand of them.
    It’s not just the US military but other militaries. For decades whenever citizens shared their own photos, it got brushed aside as fake, “we need something credible!”.

    So now there’s multi million dollar multiple spectrum military imaging, backed up by radar telemetry and multiple eye witnesses (including top gun instructors). And if senior US officials (up to Cabinet and Gang of 8 level) are to be believed, corroborating sonar and satellite imagery.

    And your refrain is; nah where are all the iPhones videos!

    The Galileo Project should settle a few things. Citizen science to replicate the US satellite imaging capability.
    Is there intelligent life out there?

    Almost certainly.

    Is some trace of it here on earth?

    It's a possibility, but the universe is a very big place.

    Is it likelier to be sentient beings or AI drones?

    Obviously the latter: it's multiple orders of magnitude more likely to be un-...aliened..
    craft.

    Are the pictures from the US military evidence of alien life?

    Not really. The utter vastness of space is far, far better evidence for intelligent life than a few green blobs on US military sensors.

    Why haven't the millions of CCTV cameras recording 24 hours a day or the bullions of people with smartphones seen anything convincing?

    Realistically, because if things from alien civilizations are here, then they're going to be evading detection and absorbing information.

    How does that fit with wild gyrations from aliens on US military videos?

    It doesn't.
  • Options
    RobDRobD Posts: 58,967
    BigRich said:

    Dr John Campell is saying there are over 1 million US cases reported today.

    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Zk_t4qTfAfw

    but I don't see that on wouldmeater:

    https://www.worldometers.info/coronavirus/country/us/

    anybody know where he is getting it form?

    https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2022-01-04/u-s-sets-new-global-daily-record-of-over-1-million-virus-cases

    Looks like partially a reporting issue though.
  • Options
    dixiedean said:

    Said it before. But pretty much everything China does these days, is a sign of weakness not strength.
    This lockdown is another. Along with dramatic "amateur" footage. No coincidence it's happened as Evergrande went tits up.
    Guess which one we, and they, are discussing?

    If China's economy is going to blow up then people will feel the effects whether they discuss it or not.

    Now, perhaps, not discussing it might allow time for certain people to get their money out :wink:
  • Options
    moonshinemoonshine Posts: 5,244
    dixiedean said:

    Said it before. But pretty much everything China does these days, is a sign of weakness not strength.
    This lockdown is another. Along with dramatic "amateur" footage. No coincidence it's happened as Evergrande went tits up.
    Guess which one we, and they, are discussing?

    A perceptive post
This discussion has been closed.