News: JCVI recommends against commencing a second booster campaign at this time. Priority remains completing the first one, which still provides good protection for the vulnerable.
Fourth jabs recommended for the immunocompromised only for the time being.
So far there's little evidence we need a second booster so soon after the first.
A highly pro-vax friend said to me the other day ‘I don’t want another fucking jab’
People are resistant and don’t want to be pin-cushions for the rest of time. This might become an issue, and maybe HMG is taking this into account
News: JCVI recommends against commencing a second booster campaign at this time. Priority remains completing the first one, which still provides good protection for the vulnerable.
Fourth jabs recommended for the immunocompromised only for the time being.
So far there's little evidence we need a second booster so soon after the first.
A highly pro-vax friend said to me the other day ‘I don’t want another fucking jab’
People are resistant and don’t want to be pin-cushions for the rest of time. This might become an issue, and maybe HMG is taking this into account
There is no resistance to the annual flu jab.
That made me wonder about seasonal flu vaccine uptake numbers. Prior to COVID, it was around 70-80% uptake for flu jabs. Apparently that has gone up to 91% in the wake of COVID.
It does not seem as though the population at large is resistant to yet more, regular jabs.
I’m absolutely pro-vax. Stick that pin in me baby. But I know where my friend is coming from
If told, “you will need two new jabs every year, until you keel over” I’d feel a bit queasy. What exactly are they pumping into me? Probably irrational, but if I feel that way, others will. Like my friend (who has an anti-vax wife which drives him nuts, ironically)
Omicron is milder, if not yet mild, and the evolutionary run of play isn't going to reverse the upper respiratory, fast breeder reasons why Omicron is mild. Multiple vaccinations, having it a few times, immunity will ultimately render this a common cold for sure. We'll see what COVID is doing to people in a year or two but, yes, I've already mused on here as to when I want to find the vaccination off ramp and nothing has changed.
I'm not getting repeated lifelong vaccination for a common cold, that's for sure.
Am I the only one thinking not so fast on B Erdington?
Do the local Labour activists think that a very low turnout March by-election works in their favour, or are they better trying to run it in May alongside the locals? Was 50%/40% last time out, with Brexit Party third.
My gut feel on this is that, unlike the last couple of by-elections, the Tories will go in hard on this one. Not too long to get from London, a Brexit seat and a reasonable candidate. If they lose, they will probably blame low turnout.
The Tories didn't go hard in NS or OB+S? I find that difficult to believe. And if they didn't, then why the heck not?
I'll copy and paste the answer I gave to HYFUD so apologies:
Because I don't think given Boris' position he can afford to accept this is another loss, especially in a seat that is so Leave. I'm not saying the Tories will win, I am saying I think they will put up more of an effort than some recent by-elections. And it is not that far to travel to Birmingham from London, probably easier to get to than going to Old Bexley.
Why not? He is PM of a government that has been in power for 12 years, current polls show a swing to Labour since 2019 and Labour got over 50% there even in 2019.
Trust me, the Tories will do no more than a token effort in a seat that will almost certainly be a comfortable Labour hold and focus on the local elections coming up.
I went to Old Bexley, even if Erdington was closer too I am not going to go out of my way to go to a non Tory held seat for a midterm by election when we have local elections coming up
Am I the only one thinking not so fast on B Erdington?
Do the local Labour activists think that a very low turnout March by-election works in their favour, or are they better trying to run it in May alongside the locals? Was 50%/40% last time out, with Brexit Party third.
My gut feel on this is that, unlike the last couple of by-elections, the Tories will go in hard on this one. Not too long to get from London, a Brexit seat and a reasonable candidate. If they lose, they will probably blame low turnout.
The Tories didn't go hard in NS or OB+S? I find that difficult to believe. And if they didn't, then why the heck not?
I'll copy and paste the answer I gave to HYFUD so apologies:
Because I don't think given Boris' position he can afford to accept this is another loss, especially in a seat that is so Leave. I'm not saying the Tories will win, I am saying I think they will put up more of an effort than some recent by-elections. And it is not that far to travel to Birmingham from London, probably easier to get to than going to Old Bexley.
What? How is a Labour hold of a Labour seat, a loss for the tories?
News: JCVI recommends against commencing a second booster campaign at this time. Priority remains completing the first one, which still provides good protection for the vulnerable.
Fourth jabs recommended for the immunocompromised only for the time being.
So far there's little evidence we need a second booster so soon after the first.
A highly pro-vax friend said to me the other day ‘I don’t want another fucking jab’
People are resistant and don’t want to be pin-cushions for the rest of time. This might become an issue, and maybe HMG is taking this into account
News: JCVI recommends against commencing a second booster campaign at this time. Priority remains completing the first one, which still provides good protection for the vulnerable.
Fourth jabs recommended for the immunocompromised only for the time being.
So far there's little evidence we need a second booster so soon after the first.
A highly pro-vax friend said to me the other day ‘I don’t want another fucking jab’
People are resistant and don’t want to be pin-cushions for the rest of time. This might become an issue, and maybe HMG is taking this into account
There is no resistance to the annual flu jab.
That made me wonder about seasonal flu vaccine uptake numbers. Prior to COVID, it was around 70-80% uptake for flu jabs. Apparently that has gone up to 91% in the wake of COVID.
It does not seem as though the population at large is resistant to yet more, regular jabs.
I’m absolutely pro-vax. Stick that pin in me baby. But I know where my friend is coming from
If told, “you will need two new jabs every year, until you keel over” I’d feel a bit queasy. What exactly are they pumping into me? Probably irrational, but if I feel that way, others will. Like my friend (who has an anti-vax wife which drives him nuts, ironically)
Omicron is milder, if not yet mild, and the evolutionary run of play isn't going to reverse the upper respiratory, fast breeder reasons why Omicron is mild. Multiple vaccinations, having it a few times, immunity will ultimately render this a common cold for sure. We'll see what COVID is doing to people in a year or two but, yes, I've already mused on here as to when I want to find the vaccination off ramp and nothing has changed.
I'm not getting repeated lifelong vaccination for a common cold, that's for sure.
What level of qualifications do you have that allow you to make that assertion. I've seen Professors of Epidemiology refuse to make statements anywhere near as definitive as yours.
Am I the only one thinking not so fast on B Erdington?
Do the local Labour activists think that a very low turnout March by-election works in their favour, or are they better trying to run it in May alongside the locals? Was 50%/40% last time out, with Brexit Party third.
My gut feel on this is that, unlike the last couple of by-elections, the Tories will go in hard on this one. Not too long to get from London, a Brexit seat and a reasonable candidate. If they lose, they will probably blame low turnout.
Why would the Tories go hard in a seat they have never held and where Labour got over 50% of the vote even in 2019?
Because I don't think given Boris' position he can afford to accept this is another loss, especially in a seat that is so Leave. I'm not saying the Tories will win, I am saying I think they will put up more of an effort than some recent by-elections. And it is not that far to travel to Birmingham from London, probably easier to get to than going to Old Bexley.
Worth bearing in mind that Andy Street, the Conservative West Midlands Mayor, is a very credible and popular figure. May help them here. The Tories undoubtedly benefited from Ben Houchen's (Tees Valley Mayor) reputation when fighting the Hartlepool by-election.
News: JCVI recommends against commencing a second booster campaign at this time. Priority remains completing the first one, which still provides good protection for the vulnerable.
Fourth jabs recommended for the immunocompromised only for the time being.
So far there's little evidence we need a second booster so soon after the first.
A highly pro-vax friend said to me the other day ‘I don’t want another fucking jab’
People are resistant and don’t want to be pin-cushions for the rest of time. This might become an issue, and maybe HMG is taking this into account
News: JCVI recommends against commencing a second booster campaign at this time. Priority remains completing the first one, which still provides good protection for the vulnerable.
Fourth jabs recommended for the immunocompromised only for the time being.
So far there's little evidence we need a second booster so soon after the first.
A highly pro-vax friend said to me the other day ‘I don’t want another fucking jab’
People are resistant and don’t want to be pin-cushions for the rest of time. This might become an issue, and maybe HMG is taking this into account
There is no resistance to the annual flu jab.
That made me wonder about seasonal flu vaccine uptake numbers. Prior to COVID, it was around 70-80% uptake for flu jabs. Apparently that has gone up to 91% in the wake of COVID.
It does not seem as though the population at large is resistant to yet more, regular jabs.
I’m absolutely pro-vax. Stick that pin in me baby. But I know where my friend is coming from
If told, “you will need two new jabs every year, until you keel over” I’d feel a bit queasy. What exactly are they pumping into me? Probably irrational, but if I feel that way, others will. Like my friend (who has an anti-vax wife which drives him nuts, ironically)
Omicron is milder, if not yet mild, and the evolutionary run of play isn't going to reverse the upper respiratory, fast breeder reasons why Omicron is mild. Multiple vaccinations, having it a few times, immunity will ultimately render this a common cold for sure. We'll see what COVID is doing to people in a year or two but, yes, I've already mused on here as to when I want to find the vaccination off ramp and nothing has changed.
I'm not getting repeated lifelong vaccination for a common cold, that's for sure.
What level of qualifications do you have that allow you to make that assertion. I've seen Professors of Epidemiology refuse to make statements anywhere near as definitive as yours.
As I said, Orgel's Second Rule: evolution is even cleverer than @Pro_Rata
Am I the only one thinking not so fast on B Erdington?
Do the local Labour activists think that a very low turnout March by-election works in their favour, or are they better trying to run it in May alongside the locals? Was 50%/40% last time out, with Brexit Party third.
My gut feel on this is that, unlike the last couple of by-elections, the Tories will go in hard on this one. Not too long to get from London, a Brexit seat and a reasonable candidate. If they lose, they will probably blame low turnout.
Why would the Tories go hard in a seat they have never held and where Labour got over 50% of the vote even in 2019?
Because I don't think given Boris' position he can afford to accept this is another loss, especially in a seat that is so Leave. I'm not saying the Tories will win, I am saying I think they will put up more of an effort than some recent by-elections. And it is not that far to travel to Birmingham from London, probably easier to get to than going to Old Bexley.
Looks like an easy Labour hold to me by up to 20% unless the Tories can reestablish a national poll lead of up to 10%. Some Tory strength at a local level but the 2019 result shows that the Tory vote is maxed out in the seat. HYUFD is correct.
Watch the moment an unvaccinated hospital consultant challenges Health Secretary Sajid Javid over the government's policy of compulsory COVID jabs for NHS staff.
Rather worried about this consultants lack of knowledge of the science....if he sticks with this stance, I think he will be finding the only place willing to employ him will be in the developing world.
Saw that on London news. There was an awkward silence from the other members of staff when Javid initially brought it up. Personally, I wouldn't be mandating that NHS or care home staff are jabbed (certainly not existing staff). But that doctor came across as a complete knob.
Am I the only one thinking not so fast on B Erdington?
Do the local Labour activists think that a very low turnout March by-election works in their favour, or are they better trying to run it in May alongside the locals? Was 50%/40% last time out, with Brexit Party third.
My gut feel on this is that, unlike the last couple of by-elections, the Tories will go in hard on this one. Not too long to get from London, a Brexit seat and a reasonable candidate. If they lose, they will probably blame low turnout.
The Tories didn't go hard in NS or OB+S? I find that difficult to believe. And if they didn't, then why the heck not?
I'll copy and paste the answer I gave to HYFUD so apologies:
Because I don't think given Boris' position he can afford to accept this is another loss, especially in a seat that is so Leave. I'm not saying the Tories will win, I am saying I think they will put up more of an effort than some recent by-elections. And it is not that far to travel to Birmingham from London, probably easier to get to than going to Old Bexley.
It is not "another loss" for Johnson. It is a seat the Conservatives should not be expected to win.
Oh, and you need to brush up on your geography of the UK.
Am I the only one thinking not so fast on B Erdington?
Do the local Labour activists think that a very low turnout March by-election works in their favour, or are they better trying to run it in May alongside the locals? Was 50%/40% last time out, with Brexit Party third.
My gut feel on this is that, unlike the last couple of by-elections, the Tories will go in hard on this one. Not too long to get from London, a Brexit seat and a reasonable candidate. If they lose, they will probably blame low turnout.
The Tories didn't go hard in NS or OB+S? I find that difficult to believe. And if they didn't, then why the heck not?
I'll copy and paste the answer I gave to HYFUD so apologies:
Because I don't think given Boris' position he can afford to accept this is another loss, especially in a seat that is so Leave. I'm not saying the Tories will win, I am saying I think they will put up more of an effort than some recent by-elections. And it is not that far to travel to Birmingham from London, probably easier to get to than going to Old Bexley.
Why not? He is PM of a government that has been in power for 12 years, current polls show a swing to Labour since 2019 and Labour got over 50% there even in 2019.
Trust me, the Tories will do no more than a token effort in a seat that will almost certainly be a comfortable Labour hold and focus on the local elections coming up.
I went to Old Bexley, even if Erdington was closer too I am not going to go out of my way to go to a non Tory held seat for a midterm by election when we have local elections coming up
No HYUFD campaigning = Labour comfortable hold. You heard it here first.
Watch the moment an unvaccinated hospital consultant challenges Health Secretary Sajid Javid over the government's policy of compulsory COVID jabs for NHS staff.
Rather worried about this consultants lack of knowledge of the science....if he sticks with this stance, I think he will be finding the only place willing to employ him will be in the developing world.
Interested to know what that consultant thinks about unvaccinated patients coming into the hospital due to covid.
News: JCVI recommends against commencing a second booster campaign at this time. Priority remains completing the first one, which still provides good protection for the vulnerable.
Fourth jabs recommended for the immunocompromised only for the time being.
So far there's little evidence we need a second booster so soon after the first.
A highly pro-vax friend said to me the other day ‘I don’t want another fucking jab’
People are resistant and don’t want to be pin-cushions for the rest of time. This might become an issue, and maybe HMG is taking this into account
News: JCVI recommends against commencing a second booster campaign at this time. Priority remains completing the first one, which still provides good protection for the vulnerable.
Fourth jabs recommended for the immunocompromised only for the time being.
So far there's little evidence we need a second booster so soon after the first.
A highly pro-vax friend said to me the other day ‘I don’t want another fucking jab’
People are resistant and don’t want to be pin-cushions for the rest of time. This might become an issue, and maybe HMG is taking this into account
There is no resistance to the annual flu jab.
That made me wonder about seasonal flu vaccine uptake numbers. Prior to COVID, it was around 70-80% uptake for flu jabs. Apparently that has gone up to 91% in the wake of COVID.
It does not seem as though the population at large is resistant to yet more, regular jabs.
I’m absolutely pro-vax. Stick that pin in me baby. But I know where my friend is coming from
If told, “you will need two new jabs every year, until you keel over” I’d feel a bit queasy. What exactly are they pumping into me? Probably irrational, but if I feel that way, others will. Like my friend (who has an anti-vax wife which drives him nuts, ironically)
I am generally against taking medications wherever possible, and am particularly resistant to medicines that are for anything other than addressing an acute issue. No long term drug regimes for me (f&ck statins). But I am totally relaxed about 2+ vaccinations a year if that is going to fend off nasty infectious diseases.
Hmmm... I'm thinking of my father-in-law, about to celebrate his 90th birthday - he's been on an ACE inhibitor for many years.
His father however died aged 56 from the complications of untreated hypertension.
What laughable bollocks that is. The Capitol riots - an attempted coup. The 2017 parliament - the democratically elected government
What is it about Brexit that makes some people think that it uniquely has to bind the hands of future parliaments? Even now there is no legal reason at all why the 2024 parliament couldn't overthow Brexit and rejoin.
Because THERWILLOFTHERPEOPLE is why
Not an argument I get behind, I hasten to add, but that's the theory
It's not just that, though. There's also a vibe that TWotP in 2016 trumps TWotP in years to come.
And that sort of makes sense emotionally, none of us want to contemplate a significant event being written off as a mistake in the future. There's also a practical point that any possible Brejoin will tie the UK much more tightly into the Eurosystem, and we're not ready to think about that. (There would be grim comedy in that. Maybe Marshall and Renwick could do it justice.)
But if enough British people of the future decide they want to send Brexit back to its maker, they will and it will be their right to do so.
The alternative is a national mood that goes "We don't like this, but there's nothing we will do about it." That doesn't sound healthy at all.
News: JCVI recommends against commencing a second booster campaign at this time. Priority remains completing the first one, which still provides good protection for the vulnerable.
Fourth jabs recommended for the immunocompromised only for the time being.
So far there's little evidence we need a second booster so soon after the first.
A highly pro-vax friend said to me the other day ‘I don’t want another fucking jab’
People are resistant and don’t want to be pin-cushions for the rest of time. This might become an issue, and maybe HMG is taking this into account
There is no resistance to the annual flu jab.
True, and yet anecdotally I think Leon is right. My brother won't get the third jab as he seems to regard the necessity of having it as an indication there's been zero progress and we're right where we were a year ago.
I suppose wall to wall coverage may be a two edge sword. Makes some get it, but others get fed up and decide its a waste of time, although it is interesting that it's boosted the flu jabs which indicates the former.
News: JCVI recommends against commencing a second booster campaign at this time. Priority remains completing the first one, which still provides good protection for the vulnerable.
Fourth jabs recommended for the immunocompromised only for the time being.
So far there's little evidence we need a second booster so soon after the first.
A highly pro-vax friend said to me the other day ‘I don’t want another fucking jab’
People are resistant and don’t want to be pin-cushions for the rest of time. This might become an issue, and maybe HMG is taking this into account
News: JCVI recommends against commencing a second booster campaign at this time. Priority remains completing the first one, which still provides good protection for the vulnerable.
Fourth jabs recommended for the immunocompromised only for the time being.
So far there's little evidence we need a second booster so soon after the first.
A highly pro-vax friend said to me the other day ‘I don’t want another fucking jab’
People are resistant and don’t want to be pin-cushions for the rest of time. This might become an issue, and maybe HMG is taking this into account
There is no resistance to the annual flu jab.
That made me wonder about seasonal flu vaccine uptake numbers. Prior to COVID, it was around 70-80% uptake for flu jabs. Apparently that has gone up to 91% in the wake of COVID.
It does not seem as though the population at large is resistant to yet more, regular jabs.
I’m absolutely pro-vax. Stick that pin in me baby. But I know where my friend is coming from
If told, “you will need two new jabs every year, until you keel over” I’d feel a bit queasy. What exactly are they pumping into me? Probably irrational, but if I feel that way, others will. Like my friend (who has an anti-vax wife which drives him nuts, ironically)
Omicron is milder, if not yet mild, and the evolutionary run of play isn't going to reverse the upper respiratory, fast breeder reasons why Omicron is mild. Multiple vaccinations, having it a few times, immunity will ultimately render this a common cold for sure. We'll see what COVID is doing to people in a year or two but, yes, I've already mused on here as to when I want to find the vaccination off ramp and nothing has changed.
I'm not getting repeated lifelong vaccination for a common cold, that's for sure.
What level of qualifications do you have that allow you to make that assertion. I've seen Professors of Epidemiology refuse to make statements anywhere near as definitive as yours.
Seems to me that there’s been a lot of misuse of the words “mild”/“milder”. Flu is a deadly virus. It kills thousands of people in the U.K. every year. But to most people it is considered “mild”. But anyone dares to call omicron “mild” and they get a barrage of abuse. Because “it still kills people you know…”
What laughable bollocks that is. The Capitol riots - an attempted coup. The 2017 parliament - the democratically elected government
What is it about Brexit that makes some people think that it uniquely has to bind the hands of future parliaments? Even now there is no legal reason at all why the 2024 parliament couldn't overthow Brexit and rejoin.
Because THERWILLOFTHERPEOPLE is why
Not an argument I get behind, I hasten to add, but that's the theory
It's not just that, though. There's also a vibe that TWotP in 2016 trumps TWotP in years to come.
And that sort of makes sense emotionally, none of us want to contemplate a significant event being written off as a mistake in the future. There's also a practical point that any possible Brejoin will tie the UK much more tightly into the Eurosystem, and we're not ready to think about that. (There would be grim comedy in that. Maybe Marshall and Renwick could do it justice.)
But if enough British people of the future decide they want to send Brexit back to its maker, they will and it will be their right to do so.
The alternative is a national mood that goes "We don't like this, but there's nothing we will do about it." That doesn't sound healthy at all.
Though many advocates of Rejoin also believe in a variant of Constitutionalism - that various moral and legal issues are a matter of Equality, Human Rights & similar.
And hence are above all human attempts to change it. The citizenry are only allowed to gaze in aw upon the new Twelve Tables.
Today's Dutch positive test number has been released: 34,954, up about 40% on yesterday and the largest on record.
The seven day average case rate measurement is now up about 80% relative to the recent low point on December 28th, well ahead of where it was when the hard lockdown started on the 19th, and comparable to the levels seen at the peak of the Delta wave at the end of November/start of December.
We're at the end of the era of mass restrictions, although some politicians and scientists still need more time to come to terms with this. If even lockdowns don't work against Omicron then there's no point to the rest of it, either.
If this Government try to survive with Suella's anti-woke judicial interference or Priti's earlier, hanging and flogging narrative in order to harvest RedWall votes we won't be too far behind.
May I say a word about Drakeford, who gets an awful lot of flak on here, which may or may not be justified?
What's struck me is that throughout the pandemic Drakeford has been as steady as a rock, utterly boring, and utterly consistent in his messaging. You may not agree with it, but his mantra has always been 'public health first'. He may have got it wrong recently, but he hasn't deviated from his message, and that may be appreciated by more people (in Wales) than we think.
It's quite a contrast with the 'shopping trolley' in England; we're never quite sure which side of the aisle he's going to be on from one day to the next.
May I say a word about Drakeford, who gets an awful lot of flak on here, which may or may not be justified?
What's struck me is that throughout the pandemic Drakeford has been as steady as a rock, utterly boring, and utterly consistent in his messaging. You may not agree with it, but his mantra has always been 'public health first'. He may have got it wrong recently, but he hasn't deviated from his message, and that may be appreciated by more people (in Wales) than we think.
It's quite a contrast with the 'shopping trolley' in England; we're never quite sure which side of the aisle he's going to be on from one day to the next.
I think that’s just perception. Regs have changed frequently in all parts of the UK.
May I say a word about Drakeford, who gets an awful lot of flak on here, which may or may not be justified?
What's struck me is that throughout the pandemic Drakeford has been as steady as a rock, utterly boring, and utterly consistent in his messaging. You may not agree with it, but his mantra has always been 'public health first'. He may have got it wrong recently, but he hasn't deviated from his message, and that may be appreciated by more people (in Wales) than we think.
It's quite a contrast with the 'shopping trolley' in England; we're never quite sure which side of the aisle he's going to be on from one day to the next.
I think that’s just perception. Regs have changed frequently in all parts of the UK.
Yes they have, but that's not what I said..... It's more about the rhetoric than the regulations.
News: JCVI recommends against commencing a second booster campaign at this time. Priority remains completing the first one, which still provides good protection for the vulnerable.
Fourth jabs recommended for the immunocompromised only for the time being.
So far there's little evidence we need a second booster so soon after the first.
A highly pro-vax friend said to me the other day ‘I don’t want another fucking jab’
People are resistant and don’t want to be pin-cushions for the rest of time. This might become an issue, and maybe HMG is taking this into account
News: JCVI recommends against commencing a second booster campaign at this time. Priority remains completing the first one, which still provides good protection for the vulnerable.
Fourth jabs recommended for the immunocompromised only for the time being.
So far there's little evidence we need a second booster so soon after the first.
A highly pro-vax friend said to me the other day ‘I don’t want another fucking jab’
People are resistant and don’t want to be pin-cushions for the rest of time. This might become an issue, and maybe HMG is taking this into account
There is no resistance to the annual flu jab.
That made me wonder about seasonal flu vaccine uptake numbers. Prior to COVID, it was around 70-80% uptake for flu jabs. Apparently that has gone up to 91% in the wake of COVID.
It does not seem as though the population at large is resistant to yet more, regular jabs.
I’m absolutely pro-vax. Stick that pin in me baby. But I know where my friend is coming from
If told, “you will need two new jabs every year, until you keel over” I’d feel a bit queasy. What exactly are they pumping into me? Probably irrational, but if I feel that way, others will. Like my friend (who has an anti-vax wife which drives him nuts, ironically)
Omicron is milder, if not yet mild, and the evolutionary run of play isn't going to reverse the upper respiratory, fast breeder reasons why Omicron is mild. Multiple vaccinations, having it a few times, immunity will ultimately render this a common cold for sure. We'll see what COVID is doing to people in a year or two but, yes, I've already mused on here as to when I want to find the vaccination off ramp and nothing has changed.
I'm not getting repeated lifelong vaccination for a common cold, that's for sure.
What level of qualifications do you have that allow you to make that assertion. I've seen Professors of Epidemiology refuse to make statements anywhere near as definitive as yours.
It's an entirely personal view of the broader run of things, one which, if I had a professional reputation to stake on it, I would be a lot more nuanced about expressing.
Yes, I do have a long stale science doctorate, in an unrelated field, but again I'm saying that as a literal answer, not one you should set any stall by.
So, for the purposes of this, please just regard me as a PB punter who looks things up and comes to conclusions.
And my thinking is that, although variants may come that are a little milder or more severe than Omicron, that the fundamental shift to being upper respiratory, which is likely a major driver of Omicron being milder as well, carries such evolutionary speed advantage that it will not now be outcompeted by lower respiratory variants. And I'm personally pretty confident of that one, having previous predicted something like Omicron as the next variant step. But it is a punter's confidence rather than anything more academic.
May I say a word about Drakeford, who gets an awful lot of flak on here, which may or may not be justified?
What's struck me is that throughout the pandemic Drakeford has been as steady as a rock, utterly boring, and utterly consistent in his messaging. You may not agree with it, but his mantra has always been 'public health first'. He may have got it wrong recently, but he hasn't deviated from his message, and that may be appreciated by more people (in Wales) than we think.
It's quite a contrast with the 'shopping trolley' in England; we're never quite sure which side of the aisle he's going to be on from one day to the next.
I think that’s just perception. Regs have changed frequently in all parts of the UK.
Some of the welsh regs have been ludicrous. Supermarkets with aisles taped off? The nonsense of the circuit breaker? And now park run cancelled...
I’m probably late to the party here. But did it ever get discussed here what the envelopes to all the living presidents were about at George Bush Senior’s funeral? Not including Carter, apparently he didn’t get one!
Jeb’s face when he sees his brother’s is a picture.
What laughable bollocks that is. The Capitol riots - an attempted coup. The 2017 parliament - the democratically elected government
What is it about Brexit that makes some people think that it uniquely has to bind the hands of future parliaments? Even now there is no legal reason at all why the 2024 parliament couldn't overthow Brexit and rejoin.
Because THERWILLOFTHERPEOPLE is why
Not an argument I get behind, I hasten to add, but that's the theory
It's not just that, though. There's also a vibe that TWotP in 2016 trumps TWotP in years to come.
And that sort of makes sense emotionally, none of us want to contemplate a significant event being written off as a mistake in the future. There's also a practical point that any possible Brejoin will tie the UK much more tightly into the Eurosystem, and we're not ready to think about that. (There would be grim comedy in that. Maybe Marshall and Renwick could do it justice.)
But if enough British people of the future decide they want to send Brexit back to its maker, they will and it will be their right to do so.
The alternative is a national mood that goes "We don't like this, but there's nothing we will do about it." That doesn't sound healthy at all.
There's a significant difference between trying to overturn the 2016 result before we left, and trying to reverse it after we left...
I’m probably late to the party here. But did it ever get discussed here what the envelopes to all the living presidents were about at George Bush Senior’s funeral? Not including Carter, apparently he didn’t get one!
Jeb’s face when he sees his brother’s is a picture.
England is a “global outlier” in the fight against the Omicron wave of coronavirus because of its anti-restrictions stance, Wales’s First Minister Mark Drakeford has said.
He isn't very bright is he....if you are going to make some shit up, you as well make it hard to check.
Outlier in a purely good way. Drakeford should be taking notes.
The way that the four nations have had different sets of Covid - for purely internal political point-scoring - should have been squashed at the very outset.
How, though? There's too much benefit to the Scottish and Welsh administrations to pander to Anglophobic sentiment.
Even with a symmetric devolution settlement, a federal UK government would have struggled to get consistency between the four nations' governments.
Also. Is it really that important? USA, Canada, Germany have had devolved COVID responses. Not sure why it is so viscerally vital the UK has to have a single approach.
It isn't, though OTOH nor is the UK exactly alone in seeing spats between the centre and the component parts over Covid policy.
England is a “global outlier” in the fight against the Omicron wave of coronavirus because of its anti-restrictions stance, Wales’s First Minister Mark Drakeford has said.
He isn't very bright is he....if you are going to make some shit up, you as well make it hard to check.
Outlier in a purely good way. Drakeford should be taking notes.
The way that the four nations have had different sets of Covid - for purely internal political point-scoring - should have been squashed at the very outset.
How, though? There's too much benefit to the Scottish and Welsh administrations to pander to Anglophobic sentiment.
Even with a symmetric devolution settlement, a federal UK government would have struggled to get consistency between the four nations' governments.
Not Anglophobic: just feeling they can do it better, and/or more suited to their own areas. It's a common mistake to confuse racism with not wanting to toe the London line.
True.
OTOH, It'd be interesting to know how often the SNP administration, Welsh Labour or the English Tories have conceded that something was done better elsewhere than it was under their own aegis.
One of the advantages of devolution was, we were told, that the component parts of the UK could act as a laboratory, in which various things were done differently and best practice in one nation could inform better policy in the others. Does this happen? Ever?
Prescriptions. The Scots realised that the admin costs of means testing accounted for much of the difference between means testing and free prescriptions, and the rest was pretty much covered once one added also the costs of not giving people the medicine they needed but couldn't afford as they were over the border [it happens all right as I know from English friends with chronic conditions] ... followed by Wales.
ditto bus passes for the elderly.
Smoking in pubs, public places etc. huge outcry by Tories etc. But followed by England. Not sure about Wales.
Alcohol minimum pricing. Followed by Wales.
Different voting systems. Obviously still not understood by some on PB.
Fracking suspension (de facto ban). Followed by England (effectively UKG because of the different levels pertaining). But that shows one shouldn't confuse what the UKG do as a state government (eg vaccines) with what they do as a de facto English domestic gmt.
Sometimes much the same timing - same sex marriage about the same as E and S.
But sometimes the Scots were slower. Civil partnerships for non same sex later in Scotland (not sure why).
But other issues relate to the removal of the dead hand of the centre. For instance the Scots being able to vote on their own legal system without having it changed (or not changed) bt Westminster irrespective of their wills. The abolition of feudal law in Scotland was a major improvement.
I’m probably late to the party here. But did it ever get discussed here what the envelopes to all the living presidents were about at George Bush Senior’s funeral? Not including Carter, apparently he didn’t get one!
Jeb’s face when he sees his brother’s is a picture.
May I say a word about Drakeford, who gets an awful lot of flak on here, which may or may not be justified?
What's struck me is that throughout the pandemic Drakeford has been as steady as a rock, utterly boring, and utterly consistent in his messaging. You may not agree with it, but his mantra has always been 'public health first'. He may have got it wrong recently, but he hasn't deviated from his message, and that may be appreciated by more people (in Wales) than we think.
It's quite a contrast with the 'shopping trolley' in England; we're never quite sure which side of the aisle he's going to be on from one day to the next.
Johnson would have done exactly what Scotland and Wales have done were he not hamstrung by the Cabinet and/or the CRG.
It may work out OK for Johnson through more luck than judgement. My assumption throughout has been any further restrictions would have been applied to relieve the NHS in England. He is not winning that race at the moment despite what the fanbois say. There is still time I suppose for Michael Masi and the safety car to lead him to victory.
Riding one's luck doesn't seem to be the best way to manage a pandemic.
I’m probably late to the party here. But did it ever get discussed here what the envelopes to all the living presidents were about at George Bush Senior’s funeral? Not including Carter, apparently he didn’t get one!
Jeb’s face when he sees his brother’s is a picture.
Something that can be read in 2 seconds but that provokes a gut punch reaction. Of course they may have all got something different.
See we haven't stopped getting sucked into conspiracies then.
Well it’s not a conspiracy that they were all given envelopes. It’s in the video. Probably they were from Trump, given it’s a serving secret service member that passed it to W. What weird shit would he have written in it! Could also have been an instruction from George Senior I suppose.
Did someone mention Beardsley. Perfect to bring up in this discussion (I think that’s the right (phrase). I ❤️Aubrey’s work. Everything he done really. In so few brushstrokes he doesn’t just so capture sauciness, he created magical worlds to live in. I don’t use G word often, but he was a true genius. Dead at 26 😢
“Lysistrata was first produced in 411 BC, when the Peloponnesian War had been devastating Greece for 20 years.Lysistrata assembles women from all of Greece, and they agree that they will not have sex until the men make peace.” That’s your plot for the next Carry On film!
May I say a word about Drakeford, who gets an awful lot of flak on here, which may or may not be justified?
What's struck me is that throughout the pandemic Drakeford has been as steady as a rock, utterly boring, and utterly consistent in his messaging. You may not agree with it, but his mantra has always been 'public health first'. He may have got it wrong recently, but he hasn't deviated from his message, and that may be appreciated by more people (in Wales) than we think.
It's quite a contrast with the 'shopping trolley' in England; we're never quite sure which side of the aisle he's going to be on from one day to the next.
Johnson would have done exactly what Scotland and Wales have done were he not hamstrung by the Cabinet and/or the CRG.
It may work out OK for Johnson through more luck than judgement. My assumption throughout has been any further restrictions would have been applied to relieve the NHS in England. He is not winning that race at the moment despite what the fanbois say. There is still time I suppose for Michael Masi and the safety car to lead him to victory.
Riding one's luck doesn't seem to be the best way to manage a pandemic.
The big issue at the moment though is whether restrictions actually make any difference against Omicron. See reference to Netherlands above. And whether Govts increasingly need to be looking towards the other side of the pandemic approach - isolation of the "sick"(infected) in particular to relieve pressures.
People have got so used to the idea that (a sliding scale of) restrictions (demand) is the key to combatting Covid, that they have forgotten that there are other options available to increase supply.
Did someone mention Beardsley. Perfect to bring up in this discussion (I think that’s the right (phrase). I ❤️Aubrey’s work. Everything he done really. In so few brushstrokes he doesn’t just so capture sauciness, he created magical worlds to live in. I don’t use G word often, but he was a true genius. Dead at 26 😢
“Lysistrata was first produced in 411 BC, when the Peloponnesian War had been devastating Greece for 20 years.Lysistrata assembles women from all of Greece, and they agree that they will not have sex until the men make peace.” That’s your plot for the next Carry On film!
I’m probably late to the party here. But did it ever get discussed here what the envelopes to all the living presidents were about at George Bush Senior’s funeral? Not including Carter, apparently he didn’t get one!
Jeb’s face when he sees his brother’s is a picture.
Something that can be read in 2 seconds but that provokes a gut punch reaction. Of course they may have all got something different.
See we haven't stopped getting sucked into conspiracies then.
Well it’s not a conspiracy that they were all given envelopes. It’s in the video. Probably they were from Trump, given it’s a serving secret service member that passed it to W. What weird shit would he have written in it! Could also have been an instruction from George Senior I suppose.
So JUST because they all HAPPENED to receive SIMILAR LOOKING envelopes you've weaved this TIN FOIL FANTASY about it being deliberate!
May I say a word about Drakeford, who gets an awful lot of flak on here, which may or may not be justified?
What's struck me is that throughout the pandemic Drakeford has been as steady as a rock, utterly boring, and utterly consistent in his messaging. You may not agree with it, but his mantra has always been 'public health first'. He may have got it wrong recently, but he hasn't deviated from his message, and that may be appreciated by more people (in Wales) than we think.
It's quite a contrast with the 'shopping trolley' in England; we're never quite sure which side of the aisle he's going to be on from one day to the next.
I think that’s just perception. Regs have changed frequently in all parts of the UK.
Some of the welsh regs have been ludicrous. Supermarkets with aisles taped off? The nonsense of the circuit breaker? And now park run cancelled...
The circuit breaker being the perfect example. Implemented last year because of a lot of headlines about how it was being recommended by SAGE (and rejected by UK Govt) as a way of preventing longer lockdowns earlier, Wales effectively "let the virus rip" as the UK Govt (having rejected the circuit breaker idea) was reluctantly forced into lockdowns pre Xmas and after. Which of course Wales had to then subsequently do as well.
Watch the moment an unvaccinated hospital consultant challenges Health Secretary Sajid Javid over the government's policy of compulsory COVID jabs for NHS staff.
Rather worried about this consultants lack of knowledge of the science....if he sticks with this stance, I think he will be finding the only place willing to employ him will be in the developing world.
Rather worried that anyone faced with such nonsense doesn't automatically ask: "Why are you focused solely on antibodies and infections? Why don't you consider the science of T-cells and reduced morbidity? Do you doubt the science on that? If so, on what basis and where is the peer-reviewed evidence to back up your skepticism? If not, why don't you take a remedial course in immunology? You're a physician, FFS!!!"
May I say a word about Drakeford, who gets an awful lot of flak on here, which may or may not be justified?
What's struck me is that throughout the pandemic Drakeford has been as steady as a rock, utterly boring, and utterly consistent in his messaging. You may not agree with it, but his mantra has always been 'public health first'. He may have got it wrong recently, but he hasn't deviated from his message, and that may be appreciated by more people (in Wales) than we think.
It's quite a contrast with the 'shopping trolley' in England; we're never quite sure which side of the aisle he's going to be on from one day to the next.
I think that’s just perception. Regs have changed frequently in all parts of the UK.
Some of the welsh regs have been ludicrous. Supermarkets with aisles taped off? The nonsense of the circuit breaker? And now park run cancelled...
The circuit breaker being the perfect example. Implemented last year because of a lot of headlines about how it was being recommended by SAGE (and rejected by UK Govt) as a way of preventing longer lockdowns earlier, Wales effectively "let the virus rip" as the UK Govt (having rejected the circuit breaker idea) was reluctantly forced into lockdowns pre Xmas and after. Which of course Wales had to then subsequently do as well.
Wales implemented it far too late. SAGE wanted a circuit breaker in September. By the time it was late October it was way past the point where a short sharp hard lockdown could do anything.
May I say a word about Drakeford, who gets an awful lot of flak on here, which may or may not be justified?
What's struck me is that throughout the pandemic Drakeford has been as steady as a rock, utterly boring, and utterly consistent in his messaging. You may not agree with it, but his mantra has always been 'public health first'. He may have got it wrong recently, but he hasn't deviated from his message, and that may be appreciated by more people (in Wales) than we think.
It's quite a contrast with the 'shopping trolley' in England; we're never quite sure which side of the aisle he's going to be on from one day to the next.
Johnson would have done exactly what Scotland and Wales have done were he not hamstrung by the Cabinet and/or the CRG.
And it's as well that he was. The scepticism of the cabinet about restrictions was justified.
Though FWIW Scotland and Wales would also very likely have done a lot more if they themselves weren't hamstrung by the wonky devolution settlement. Drakeford at least would probably have mandated a hard lockdown in an attempt to contain Omicron if the Welsh Government possessed the necessary fiscal levers to pay for it.
Turns out that everyone was, in different ways, constrained by their circumstances.
May I say a word about Drakeford, who gets an awful lot of flak on here, which may or may not be justified?
What's struck me is that throughout the pandemic Drakeford has been as steady as a rock, utterly boring, and utterly consistent in his messaging. You may not agree with it, but his mantra has always been 'public health first'. He may have got it wrong recently, but he hasn't deviated from his message, and that may be appreciated by more people (in Wales) than we think.
It's quite a contrast with the 'shopping trolley' in England; we're never quite sure which side of the aisle he's going to be on from one day to the next.
Drakeford (who truth to tell is pretty average) is made to look stellar because of two things.
First, there is no independent Welsh media to scrutinise the actions of the Welsh Government (unlike e.g., Scotland).
Second, the Welsh Tories are the poorest and most incompetent opposition in the whole of the UK.
If Dillon was not so badly needed at No 10 -- he is clearly the real brains of that organisation -- then he could be sent back to South Wales to run the Welsh Tories.
I’m probably late to the party here. But did it ever get discussed here what the envelopes to all the living presidents were about at George Bush Senior’s funeral? Not including Carter, apparently he didn’t get one!
Jeb’s face when he sees his brother’s is a picture.
Something that can be read in 2 seconds but that provokes a gut punch reaction. Of course they may have all got something different.
See we haven't stopped getting sucked into conspiracies then.
Well it’s not a conspiracy that they were all given envelopes. It’s in the video. Probably they were from Trump, given it’s a serving secret service member that passed it to W. What weird shit would he have written in it! Could also have been an instruction from George Senior I suppose.
So JUST because they all HAPPENED to receive SIMILAR LOOKING envelopes you've weaved this TIN FOIL FANTASY about it being deliberate!
Kjh is so out of touch with reality he/she shouts CONSPIRACY at anything that moves. He/she is really quite bonkers.
It can’t have been anything too top secret. Poor old Joe Biden drops his on the floor without realising he was holding it.
Watch the moment an unvaccinated hospital consultant challenges Health Secretary Sajid Javid over the government's policy of compulsory COVID jabs for NHS staff.
Rather worried about this consultants lack of knowledge of the science....if he sticks with this stance, I think he will be finding the only place willing to employ him will be in the developing world.
Rather worried that anyone faced with such nonsense doesn't automatically ask: "Why are you focused solely on antibodies and infections? Why don't you consider the science of T-cells and reduced morbidity? Do you doubt the science on that? If so, on what basis and where is the peer-reviewed evidence to back up your skepticism? If not, why don't you take a remedial course in immunology? You're a physician, FFS!!!"
Couldn't Saj just have said "well, you're fired."?
News: JCVI recommends against commencing a second booster campaign at this time. Priority remains completing the first one, which still provides good protection for the vulnerable.
Fourth jabs recommended for the immunocompromised only for the time being.
So far there's little evidence we need a second booster so soon after the first.
A highly pro-vax friend said to me the other day ‘I don’t want another fucking jab’
People are resistant and don’t want to be pin-cushions for the rest of time. This might become an issue, and maybe HMG is taking this into account
News: JCVI recommends against commencing a second booster campaign at this time. Priority remains completing the first one, which still provides good protection for the vulnerable.
Fourth jabs recommended for the immunocompromised only for the time being.
So far there's little evidence we need a second booster so soon after the first.
A highly pro-vax friend said to me the other day ‘I don’t want another fucking jab’
People are resistant and don’t want to be pin-cushions for the rest of time. This might become an issue, and maybe HMG is taking this into account
There is no resistance to the annual flu jab.
That made me wonder about seasonal flu vaccine uptake numbers. Prior to COVID, it was around 70-80% uptake for flu jabs. Apparently that has gone up to 91% in the wake of COVID.
It does not seem as though the population at large is resistant to yet more, regular jabs.
I’m absolutely pro-vax. Stick that pin in me baby. But I know where my friend is coming from
If told, “you will need two new jabs every year, until you keel over” I’d feel a bit queasy. What exactly are they pumping into me? Probably irrational, but if I feel that way, others will. Like my friend (who has an anti-vax wife which drives him nuts, ironically)
I am generally against taking medications wherever possible, and am particularly resistant to medicines that are for anything other than addressing an acute issue. No long term drug regimes for me (f&ck statins). But I am totally relaxed about 2+ vaccinations a year if that is going to fend off nasty infectious diseases.
Hmmm... I'm thinking of my father-in-law, about to celebrate his 90th birthday - he's been on an ACE inhibitor for many years.
His father however died aged 56 from the complications of untreated hypertension.
Just an observation.
I think if I had a life-threatening chronic condition, such as severe diabetes, I would accept the medication. However, I would constantly be looking for advances in medical treatments to find another way as soon as it became available.
I am fortunate that my chronic conditions are just arthritis and joint pain.
Did someone mention Beardsley. Perfect to bring up in this discussion (I think that’s the right (phrase). I ❤️Aubrey’s work. Everything he done really. In so few brushstrokes he doesn’t just so capture sauciness, he created magical worlds to live in. I don’t use G word often, but he was a true genius. Dead at 26 😢
“Lysistrata was first produced in 411 BC, when the Peloponnesian War had been devastating Greece for 20 years.Lysistrata assembles women from all of Greece, and they agree that they will not have sex until the men make peace.” That’s your plot for the next Carry On film!
May I say a word about Drakeford, who gets an awful lot of flak on here, which may or may not be justified?
What's struck me is that throughout the pandemic Drakeford has been as steady as a rock, utterly boring, and utterly consistent in his messaging. You may not agree with it, but his mantra has always been 'public health first'. He may have got it wrong recently, but he hasn't deviated from his message, and that may be appreciated by more people (in Wales) than we think.
It's quite a contrast with the 'shopping trolley' in England; we're never quite sure which side of the aisle he's going to be on from one day to the next.
I think that’s just perception. Regs have changed frequently in all parts of the UK.
Some of the welsh regs have been ludicrous. Supermarkets with aisles taped off? The nonsense of the circuit breaker? And now park run cancelled...
The circuit breaker being the perfect example. Implemented last year because of a lot of headlines about how it was being recommended by SAGE (and rejected by UK Govt) as a way of preventing longer lockdowns earlier, Wales effectively "let the virus rip" as the UK Govt (having rejected the circuit breaker idea) was reluctantly forced into lockdowns pre Xmas and after. Which of course Wales had to then subsequently do as well.
Wales implemented it far too late. SAGE wanted a circuit breaker in September. By the time it was late October it was way past the point where a short sharp hard lockdown could do anything.
The concept is a nonsense. It’s not a breaker, it’s just a delayer. As happened. As would always happen.
I’m probably late to the party here. But did it ever get discussed here what the envelopes to all the living presidents were about at George Bush Senior’s funeral? Not including Carter, apparently he didn’t get one!
Jeb’s face when he sees his brother’s is a picture.
Something that can be read in 2 seconds but that provokes a gut punch reaction. Of course they may have all got something different.
See we haven't stopped getting sucked into conspiracies then.
Well it’s not a conspiracy that they were all given envelopes. It’s in the video. Probably they were from Trump, given it’s a serving secret service member that passed it to W. What weird shit would he have written in it! Could also have been an instruction from George Senior I suppose.
So JUST because they all HAPPENED to receive SIMILAR LOOKING envelopes you've weaved this TIN FOIL FANTASY about it being deliberate!
All because of a deficiency of vitamin D and unpasteurised butter, prolly
May I say a word about Drakeford, who gets an awful lot of flak on here, which may or may not be justified?
What's struck me is that throughout the pandemic Drakeford has been as steady as a rock, utterly boring, and utterly consistent in his messaging. You may not agree with it, but his mantra has always been 'public health first'. He may have got it wrong recently, but he hasn't deviated from his message, and that may be appreciated by more people (in Wales) than we think.
It's quite a contrast with the 'shopping trolley' in England; we're never quite sure which side of the aisle he's going to be on from one day to the next.
I think that’s just perception. Regs have changed frequently in all parts of the UK.
Yes they have, but that's not what I said..... It's more about the rhetoric than the regulations.
I see your point. Drakeford may be a rabid teetotaller who is turning into a wizened old lady but he has stuck to what he believes to be appropriate even when it might not be, or is unpopular.
Johnson employing Kate Bingham was sublime, everything else has been on a wing and a prayer. Sometimes it works, often it doesn't.
The "restrictions against Omicron" ship has well and truly sailed. As to whether the levels of restriction in Wales and Scotland (and elsewhere) are justifiable, I'll leave that to others.
I suspect we'll move to an annual covid vaccination and an annual flu vaccination which might or might not be administered together - this will certainly be the advice for the 60+ age group and for others who are vulnerable.
I realise some like @Leon's friend will have a good whinge about "more jabs" but for many with health problems the needle (whether in or out) will be a close friend.
Did someone mention Beardsley. Perfect to bring up in this discussion (I think that’s the right (phrase). I ❤️Aubrey’s work. Everything he done really. In so few brushstrokes he doesn’t just so capture sauciness, he created magical worlds to live in. I don’t use G word often, but he was a true genius. Dead at 26 😢
“Lysistrata was first produced in 411 BC, when the Peloponnesian War had been devastating Greece for 20 years.Lysistrata assembles women from all of Greece, and they agree that they will not have sex until the men make peace.” That’s your plot for the next Carry On film!
Seattle Times ($) King County Prosecutor Dan Satterberg says he will not seek reelection
SSI - this is a surprise but not shocking, as Satterberg has served as prosecuting attorney since 2007. It does mean what's likely to be a spirited, highly contested race to replace him. With possible contenders including > Leesa Manion, long-time Deputy Prosecutor and Chief of Staff, and Asian American > Rod Dembowski, member of King County Council from northeast Seattle & nearby burbs > Jim Ferrell, mayor of Federal Way in south King County > plus number of others, including maybe a semi-serious Republican?
With respect to last comment, note that King Co Prosecuting Attorney's office has been in hands of men elected as Republicans since 1948. This phrasing is deliberate, because while Dan Satterberg was originally elected and re-elected as a Republican, he switched parties in 2016 following nomination of You-Know-Who.
Further note that PA is the only remaining partisan office in King County government. And the last time a Republican was elected countywide was in 2012 - and it was Dan, who enjoyed substantial Democratic support, esp. from lawyers.
Since then, the balance in King Co has shifted even farther, to the point that it's hard to see how a Republican can get elected, or even make it through the top-two primary to the general election ballot.
Even though Seattle just elected a Republican as City Attorney last year! But that was a VERY special circumstance (her opponent wanted to abolish the city jail) AND the race was non-partisan, with no party labels on the ballot. If she'd run as a Republican, she'd have lost.
My guess for starters, is that the Chief of Staff has the best shot PROVIDED she can raise some money. There are 1.4 million active registered voters, so reaching them across as sprawling county in a high-profile contested election is NOT an inexpensive proposition.
Though money is NOT everything. Eight years ago, an open-seat, non-partisan race for KC Director of Elections featured a well-connected Dem legislator versus a long-serving administrator in the election office. The politico raised and spent a bundle, the professional next to nothing. Yet she beat him like a gong - and her best areas were the most Democratic!
May I say a word about Drakeford, who gets an awful lot of flak on here, which may or may not be justified?
What's struck me is that throughout the pandemic Drakeford has been as steady as a rock, utterly boring, and utterly consistent in his messaging. You may not agree with it, but his mantra has always been 'public health first'. He may have got it wrong recently, but he hasn't deviated from his message, and that may be appreciated by more people (in Wales) than we think.
It's quite a contrast with the 'shopping trolley' in England; we're never quite sure which side of the aisle he's going to be on from one day to the next.
I think that’s just perception. Regs have changed frequently in all parts of the UK.
Some of the welsh regs have been ludicrous. Supermarkets with aisles taped off? The nonsense of the circuit breaker? And now park run cancelled...
The circuit breaker being the perfect example. Implemented last year because of a lot of headlines about how it was being recommended by SAGE (and rejected by UK Govt) as a way of preventing longer lockdowns earlier, Wales effectively "let the virus rip" as the UK Govt (having rejected the circuit breaker idea) was reluctantly forced into lockdowns pre Xmas and after. Which of course Wales had to then subsequently do as well.
Wales implemented it far too late. SAGE wanted a circuit breaker in September. By the time it was late October it was way past the point where a short sharp hard lockdown could do anything.
But that's the point. For all his talk about "putting public health first", compared with "reckless Johnson refusing to protect the population of England" he committed to a policy knowing that Johnson had rejected it. And then refused/delayed to change tack because to do so would undermine the supposed benefits that his "pre-emptive" circuit breaker was supposed to have delivered.
Did someone mention Beardsley. Perfect to bring up in this discussion (I think that’s the right (phrase). I ❤️Aubrey’s work. Everything he done really. In so few brushstrokes he doesn’t just so capture sauciness, he created magical worlds to live in. I don’t use G word often, but he was a true genius. Dead at 26 😢
“Lysistrata was first produced in 411 BC, when the Peloponnesian War had been devastating Greece for 20 years.Lysistrata assembles women from all of Greece, and they agree that they will not have sex until the men make peace.” That’s your plot for the next Carry On film!
The "restrictions against Omicron" ship has well and truly sailed. As to whether the levels of restriction in Wales and Scotland (and elsewhere) are justifiable, I'll leave that to others.
I suspect we'll move to an annual covid vaccination and an annual flu vaccination which might or might not be administered together - this will certainly be the advice for the 60+ age group and for others who are vulnerable.
I realise some like @Leon's friend will have a good whinge about "more jabs" but for many with health problems the needle (whether in or out) will be a close friend.
Don’t know about anyone else but I’d lap up an $80 mrna needle twice a year if it stopped me getting the common cold. I’ve been fucked with this one a week now.
The business, PPE Medpro, was fast-tracked by the government through its “VIP lane” for politically connected firms following the referral by Mone.
Within weeks of the company’s incorporation on 12 May 2020, PPE Medpro was awarded contracts worth £203m to supply millions of masks and gowns.
The Guardian revealed on Thursday that leaked files appear to suggest that Mone and her husband, the Isle of Man-based financier Douglas Barrowman, were secretly involved in PPE Medpro, despite both consistently denying any “role or function” in the company….
Did someone mention Beardsley. Perfect to bring up in this discussion (I think that’s the right (phrase). I ❤️Aubrey’s work. Everything he done really. In so few brushstrokes he doesn’t just so capture sauciness, he created magical worlds to live in. I don’t use G word often, but he was a true genius. Dead at 26 😢
“Lysistrata was first produced in 411 BC, when the Peloponnesian War had been devastating Greece for 20 years.Lysistrata assembles women from all of Greece, and they agree that they will not have sex until the men make peace.” That’s your plot for the next Carry On film!
Did someone mention Beardsley. Perfect to bring up in this discussion (I think that’s the right (phrase). I ❤️Aubrey’s work. Everything he done really. In so few brushstrokes he doesn’t just so capture sauciness, he created magical worlds to live in. I don’t use G word often, but he was a true genius. Dead at 26 😢
“Lysistrata was first produced in 411 BC, when the Peloponnesian War had been devastating Greece for 20 years.Lysistrata assembles women from all of Greece, and they agree that they will not have sex until the men make peace.” That’s your plot for the next Carry On film!
Did someone mention Beardsley. Perfect to bring up in this discussion (I think that’s the right (phrase). I ❤️Aubrey’s work. Everything he done really. In so few brushstrokes he doesn’t just so capture sauciness, he created magical worlds to live in. I don’t use G word often, but he was a true genius. Dead at 26 😢
“Lysistrata was first produced in 411 BC, when the Peloponnesian War had been devastating Greece for 20 years.Lysistrata assembles women from all of Greece, and they agree that they will not have sex until the men make peace.” That’s your plot for the next Carry On film!
If this Government try to survive with Suella's anti-woke judicial interference or Priti's earlier, hanging and flogging narrative in order to harvest RedWall votes we won't be too far behind.
Yes - that is a big part of the governments survival strategy. In practical terms, it just leads to a large prison population, held in squalid and decreasingly safe conditions, and which becomes the next governments problem to deal with. Its just lazy government by people who can't really be arsed.
Did someone mention Beardsley. Perfect to bring up in this discussion (I think that’s the right (phrase). I ❤️Aubrey’s work. Everything he done really. In so few brushstrokes he doesn’t just so capture sauciness, he created magical worlds to live in. I don’t use G word often, but he was a true genius. Dead at 26 😢
“Lysistrata was first produced in 411 BC, when the Peloponnesian War had been devastating Greece for 20 years.Lysistrata assembles women from all of Greece, and they agree that they will not have sex until the men make peace.” That’s your plot for the next Carry On film!
May I say a word about Drakeford, who gets an awful lot of flak on here, which may or may not be justified?
What's struck me is that throughout the pandemic Drakeford has been as steady as a rock, utterly boring, and utterly consistent in his messaging. You may not agree with it, but his mantra has always been 'public health first'. He may have got it wrong recently, but he hasn't deviated from his message, and that may be appreciated by more people (in Wales) than we think.
It's quite a contrast with the 'shopping trolley' in England; we're never quite sure which side of the aisle he's going to be on from one day to the next.
I think that’s just perception. Regs have changed frequently in all parts of the UK.
Some of the welsh regs have been ludicrous. Supermarkets with aisles taped off? The nonsense of the circuit breaker? And now park run cancelled...
The circuit breaker being the perfect example. Implemented last year because of a lot of headlines about how it was being recommended by SAGE (and rejected by UK Govt) as a way of preventing longer lockdowns earlier, Wales effectively "let the virus rip" as the UK Govt (having rejected the circuit breaker idea) was reluctantly forced into lockdowns pre Xmas and after. Which of course Wales had to then subsequently do as well.
Wales implemented it far too late. SAGE wanted a circuit breaker in September. By the time it was late October it was way past the point where a short sharp hard lockdown could do anything.
The concept is a nonsense. It’s not a breaker, it’s just a delayer. As happened. As would always happen.
To be fair, if implemented China style it can be a breaker! It may be absolutely inhuman, but at least there is some logic behind their approach.
Did someone mention Beardsley. Perfect to bring up in this discussion (I think that’s the right (phrase). I ❤️Aubrey’s work. Everything he done really. In so few brushstrokes he doesn’t just so capture sauciness, he created magical worlds to live in. I don’t use G word often, but he was a true genius. Dead at 26 😢
“Lysistrata was first produced in 411 BC, when the Peloponnesian War had been devastating Greece for 20 years.Lysistrata assembles women from all of Greece, and they agree that they will not have sex until the men make peace.” That’s your plot for the next Carry On film!
What laughable bollocks that is. The Capitol riots - an attempted coup. The 2017 parliament - the democratically elected government
What is it about Brexit that makes some people think that it uniquely has to bind the hands of future parliaments? Even now there is no legal reason at all why the 2024 parliament couldn't overthow Brexit and rejoin.
It would be a democratic outrage. Not illegal but outrageous.
MPs are elected as representatives. However the electorate instructed them they wished to leave the EU. To rejoin without a referendum would be to ignore that instruction
May I say a word about Drakeford, who gets an awful lot of flak on here, which may or may not be justified?
What's struck me is that throughout the pandemic Drakeford has been as steady as a rock, utterly boring, and utterly consistent in his messaging. You may not agree with it, but his mantra has always been 'public health first'. He may have got it wrong recently, but he hasn't deviated from his message, and that may be appreciated by more people (in Wales) than we think.
It's quite a contrast with the 'shopping trolley' in England; we're never quite sure which side of the aisle he's going to be on from one day to the next.
Its easy to be 'public health first' when you expect someone else to provide the money and raise the taxes.
Did someone mention Beardsley. Perfect to bring up in this discussion (I think that’s the right (phrase). I ❤️Aubrey’s work. Everything he done really. In so few brushstrokes he doesn’t just so capture sauciness, he created magical worlds to live in. I don’t use G word often, but he was a true genius. Dead at 26 😢
“Lysistrata was first produced in 411 BC, when the Peloponnesian War had been devastating Greece for 20 years.Lysistrata assembles women from all of Greece, and they agree that they will not have sex until the men make peace.” That’s your plot for the next Carry On film!
England is a “global outlier” in the fight against the Omicron wave of coronavirus because of its anti-restrictions stance, Wales’s First Minister Mark Drakeford has said.
He isn't very bright is he....if you are going to make some shit up, you as well make it hard to check.
Outlier in a purely good way. Drakeford should be taking notes.
The way that the four nations have had different sets of Covid - for purely internal political point-scoring - should have been squashed at the very outset.
How, though? There's too much benefit to the Scottish and Welsh administrations to pander to Anglophobic sentiment.
Even with a symmetric devolution settlement, a federal UK government would have struggled to get consistency between the four nations' governments.
Also. Is it really that important? USA, Canada, Germany have had devolved COVID responses. Not sure why it is so viscerally vital the UK has to have a single approach.
It isn't, though OTOH nor is the UK exactly alone in seeing spats between the centre and the component parts over Covid policy.
England is a “global outlier” in the fight against the Omicron wave of coronavirus because of its anti-restrictions stance, Wales’s First Minister Mark Drakeford has said.
He isn't very bright is he....if you are going to make some shit up, you as well make it hard to check.
Outlier in a purely good way. Drakeford should be taking notes.
The way that the four nations have had different sets of Covid - for purely internal political point-scoring - should have been squashed at the very outset.
How, though? There's too much benefit to the Scottish and Welsh administrations to pander to Anglophobic sentiment.
Even with a symmetric devolution settlement, a federal UK government would have struggled to get consistency between the four nations' governments.
Not Anglophobic: just feeling they can do it better, and/or more suited to their own areas. It's a common mistake to confuse racism with not wanting to toe the London line.
True.
OTOH, It'd be interesting to know how often the SNP administration, Welsh Labour or the English Tories have conceded that something was done better elsewhere than it was under their own aegis.
One of the advantages of devolution was, we were told, that the component parts of the UK could act as a laboratory, in which various things were done differently and best practice in one nation could inform better policy in the others. Does this happen? Ever?
Prescriptions. The Scots realised that the admin costs of means testing accounted for much of the difference between means testing and free prescriptions, and the rest was pretty much covered once one added also the costs of not giving people the medicine they needed but couldn't afford as they were over the border [it happens all right as I know from English friends with chronic conditions] ... followed by Wales.
ditto bus passes for the elderly.
Smoking in pubs, public places etc. huge outcry by Tories etc. But followed by England. Not sure about Wales.
Alcohol minimum pricing. Followed by Wales.
Different voting systems. Obviously still not understood by some on PB.
Fracking suspension (de facto ban). Followed by England (effectively UKG because of the different levels pertaining). But that shows one shouldn't confuse what the UKG do as a state government (eg vaccines) with what they do as a de facto English domestic gmt.
Sometimes much the same timing - same sex marriage about the same as E and S.
But sometimes the Scots were slower. Civil partnerships for non same sex later in Scotland (not sure why).
But other issues relate to the removal of the dead hand of the centre. For instance the Scots being able to vote on their own legal system without having it changed (or not changed) bt Westminster irrespective of their wills. The abolition of feudal law in Scotland was a major improvement.
Will Scotland be the first country in the UK to limit trial by jury? And will the rest of the UK follow suit?
May I say a word about Drakeford, who gets an awful lot of flak on here, which may or may not be justified?
What's struck me is that throughout the pandemic Drakeford has been as steady as a rock, utterly boring, and utterly consistent in his messaging. You may not agree with it, but his mantra has always been 'public health first'. He may have got it wrong recently, but he hasn't deviated from his message, and that may be appreciated by more people (in Wales) than we think.
It's quite a contrast with the 'shopping trolley' in England; we're never quite sure which side of the aisle he's going to be on from one day to the next.
I think that’s just perception. Regs have changed frequently in all parts of the UK.
Some of the welsh regs have been ludicrous. Supermarkets with aisles taped off? The nonsense of the circuit breaker? And now park run cancelled...
The circuit breaker being the perfect example. Implemented last year because of a lot of headlines about how it was being recommended by SAGE (and rejected by UK Govt) as a way of preventing longer lockdowns earlier, Wales effectively "let the virus rip" as the UK Govt (having rejected the circuit breaker idea) was reluctantly forced into lockdowns pre Xmas and after. Which of course Wales had to then subsequently do as well.
Wales implemented it far too late. SAGE wanted a circuit breaker in September. By the time it was late October it was way past the point where a short sharp hard lockdown could do anything.
The concept is a nonsense. It’s not a breaker, it’s just a delayer. As happened. As would always happen.
To be fair, if implemented China style it can be a breaker! It may be absolutely inhuman, but at least there is some logic behind their approach.
No circuit breaker has worked anywhere - it takes more infection cycles that will occur in 2 weeks to get the cases down, significantly.
I’m probably late to the party here. But did it ever get discussed here what the envelopes to all the living presidents were about at George Bush Senior’s funeral? Not including Carter, apparently he didn’t get one!
Jeb’s face when he sees his brother’s is a picture.
Did someone mention Beardsley. Perfect to bring up in this discussion (I think that’s the right (phrase). I ❤️Aubrey’s work. Everything he done really. In so few brushstrokes he doesn’t just so capture sauciness, he created magical worlds to live in. I don’t use G word often, but he was a true genius. Dead at 26 😢
“Lysistrata was first produced in 411 BC, when the Peloponnesian War had been devastating Greece for 20 years.Lysistrata assembles women from all of Greece, and they agree that they will not have sex until the men make peace.” That’s your plot for the next Carry On film!
May I say a word about Drakeford, who gets an awful lot of flak on here, which may or may not be justified?
What's struck me is that throughout the pandemic Drakeford has been as steady as a rock, utterly boring, and utterly consistent in his messaging. You may not agree with it, but his mantra has always been 'public health first'. He may have got it wrong recently, but he hasn't deviated from his message, and that may be appreciated by more people (in Wales) than we think.
It's quite a contrast with the 'shopping trolley' in England; we're never quite sure which side of the aisle he's going to be on from one day to the next.
Its easy to be 'public health first' when you expect someone else to provide the money and raise the taxes.
A lot of truth to this; however, once again, the fact that the devolved governments are administrative heavyweights but fiscal pygmies is entirely the fault of Westminster.
England is a “global outlier” in the fight against the Omicron wave of coronavirus because of its anti-restrictions stance, Wales’s First Minister Mark Drakeford has said.
He isn't very bright is he....if you are going to make some shit up, you as well make it hard to check.
Outlier in a purely good way. Drakeford should be taking notes.
The way that the four nations have had different sets of Covid - for purely internal political point-scoring - should have been squashed at the very outset.
How, though? There's too much benefit to the Scottish and Welsh administrations to pander to Anglophobic sentiment.
Even with a symmetric devolution settlement, a federal UK government would have struggled to get consistency between the four nations' governments.
Also. Is it really that important? USA, Canada, Germany have had devolved COVID responses. Not sure why it is so viscerally vital the UK has to have a single approach.
It isn't, though OTOH nor is the UK exactly alone in seeing spats between the centre and the component parts over Covid policy.
England is a “global outlier” in the fight against the Omicron wave of coronavirus because of its anti-restrictions stance, Wales’s First Minister Mark Drakeford has said.
He isn't very bright is he....if you are going to make some shit up, you as well make it hard to check.
Outlier in a purely good way. Drakeford should be taking notes.
The way that the four nations have had different sets of Covid - for purely internal political point-scoring - should have been squashed at the very outset.
How, though? There's too much benefit to the Scottish and Welsh administrations to pander to Anglophobic sentiment.
Even with a symmetric devolution settlement, a federal UK government would have struggled to get consistency between the four nations' governments.
Not Anglophobic: just feeling they can do it better, and/or more suited to their own areas. It's a common mistake to confuse racism with not wanting to toe the London line.
True.
OTOH, It'd be interesting to know how often the SNP administration, Welsh Labour or the English Tories have conceded that something was done better elsewhere than it was under their own aegis.
One of the advantages of devolution was, we were told, that the component parts of the UK could act as a laboratory, in which various things were done differently and best practice in one nation could inform better policy in the others. Does this happen? Ever?
Prescriptions. The Scots realised that the admin costs of means testing accounted for much of the difference between means testing and free prescriptions, and the rest was pretty much covered once one added also the costs of not giving people the medicine they needed but couldn't afford as they were over the border [it happens all right as I know from English friends with chronic conditions] ... followed by Wales.
Is the real issue/purpose behind prescription charges actually the cost of prescriptions, or the cost of drugs? So focussing on the direct cost saving of removing the administration of means testing is slightly missing the point?
The business, PPE Medpro, was fast-tracked by the government through its “VIP lane” for politically connected firms following the referral by Mone.
Within weeks of the company’s incorporation on 12 May 2020, PPE Medpro was awarded contracts worth £203m to supply millions of masks and gowns.
The Guardian revealed on Thursday that leaked files appear to suggest that Mone and her husband, the Isle of Man-based financier Douglas Barrowman, were secretly involved in PPE Medpro, despite both consistently denying any “role or function” in the company….
Another Re-Mone-r outrage!
BTW, isn't calling someone an "Isle of Man-based financier" libel ipso facto?
May I say a word about Drakeford, who gets an awful lot of flak on here, which may or may not be justified?
What's struck me is that throughout the pandemic Drakeford has been as steady as a rock, utterly boring, and utterly consistent in his messaging. You may not agree with it, but his mantra has always been 'public health first'. He may have got it wrong recently, but he hasn't deviated from his message, and that may be appreciated by more people (in Wales) than we think.
It's quite a contrast with the 'shopping trolley' in England; we're never quite sure which side of the aisle he's going to be on from one day to the next.
Its easy to be 'public health first' when you expect someone else to provide the money and raise the taxes.
England is a “global outlier” in the fight against the Omicron wave of coronavirus because of its anti-restrictions stance, Wales’s First Minister Mark Drakeford has said.
He isn't very bright is he....if you are going to make some shit up, you as well make it hard to check.
Outlier in a purely good way. Drakeford should be taking notes.
The way that the four nations have had different sets of Covid - for purely internal political point-scoring - should have been squashed at the very outset.
How, though? There's too much benefit to the Scottish and Welsh administrations to pander to Anglophobic sentiment.
Even with a symmetric devolution settlement, a federal UK government would have struggled to get consistency between the four nations' governments.
Also. Is it really that important? USA, Canada, Germany have had devolved COVID responses. Not sure why it is so viscerally vital the UK has to have a single approach.
It isn't, though OTOH nor is the UK exactly alone in seeing spats between the centre and the component parts over Covid policy.
England is a “global outlier” in the fight against the Omicron wave of coronavirus because of its anti-restrictions stance, Wales’s First Minister Mark Drakeford has said.
He isn't very bright is he....if you are going to make some shit up, you as well make it hard to check.
Outlier in a purely good way. Drakeford should be taking notes.
The way that the four nations have had different sets of Covid - for purely internal political point-scoring - should have been squashed at the very outset.
How, though? There's too much benefit to the Scottish and Welsh administrations to pander to Anglophobic sentiment.
Even with a symmetric devolution settlement, a federal UK government would have struggled to get consistency between the four nations' governments.
Not Anglophobic: just feeling they can do it better, and/or more suited to their own areas. It's a common mistake to confuse racism with not wanting to toe the London line.
True.
OTOH, It'd be interesting to know how often the SNP administration, Welsh Labour or the English Tories have conceded that something was done better elsewhere than it was under their own aegis.
One of the advantages of devolution was, we were told, that the component parts of the UK could act as a laboratory, in which various things were done differently and best practice in one nation could inform better policy in the others. Does this happen? Ever?
Prescriptions. The Scots realised that the admin costs of means testing accounted for much of the difference between means testing and free prescriptions, and the rest was pretty much covered once one added also the costs of not giving people the medicine they needed but couldn't afford as they were over the border [it happens all right as I know from English friends with chronic conditions] ... followed by Wales.
Is the real issue/purpose behind prescription charges actually the cost of prescriptions, or the cost of drugs? So focussing on the direct cost saving of removing the administration of means testing is slightly missing the point?
Drugs vary hugely in price, so the flat fee masks a lot. I think it is useful in part to stop patients pointlessly stockpiling as paying concentrates the mind. Of course that doesn’t work for those who are exempt, and this can lead to huge stockpiles of now useless medication, particularly among the elderly.
Did someone mention Beardsley. Perfect to bring up in this discussion (I think that’s the right (phrase). I ❤️Aubrey’s work. Everything he done really. In so few brushstrokes he doesn’t just so capture sauciness, he created magical worlds to live in. I don’t use G word often, but he was a true genius. Dead at 26 😢
“Lysistrata was first produced in 411 BC, when the Peloponnesian War had been devastating Greece for 20 years.Lysistrata assembles women from all of Greece, and they agree that they will not have sex until the men make peace.” That’s your plot for the next Carry On film!
I’m probably late to the party here. But did it ever get discussed here what the envelopes to all the living presidents were about at George Bush Senior’s funeral? Not including Carter, apparently he didn’t get one!
Jeb’s face when he sees his brother’s is a picture.
Something that can be read in 2 seconds but that provokes a gut punch reaction. Of course they may have all got something different.
See we haven't stopped getting sucked into conspiracies then.
Well it’s not a conspiracy that they were all given envelopes. It’s in the video. Probably they were from Trump, given it’s a serving secret service member that passed it to W. What weird shit would he have written in it! Could also have been an instruction from George Senior I suppose.
So JUST because they all HAPPENED to receive SIMILAR LOOKING envelopes you've weaved this TIN FOIL FANTASY about it being deliberate!
Kjh is so out of touch with reality he/she shouts CONSPIRACY at anything that moves. He/she is really quite bonkers.
It can’t have been anything too top secret. Poor old Joe Biden drops his on the floor without realising he was holding it.
Lol. It is only you (occasionally Leon, but mainly only you) that gets called out and by everyone not just me and it is me that is out of touch with reality? Talk about out of touch; you are in a league of your own. I mean did you not get that since my post several others have called you out as a nutter or do you not see the fun they are making of you. UFOs, COVID conspiracies, now seeing perfectly innocent stuff at a funerals as some wild stuff. You truly are completely nuts.
Not my cup of tea, but it certainly seems to have made Remainers REALLY angry, almost as if being compared to Trumpites is their worst nightmare, and the author had that in mind
May I say a word about Drakeford, who gets an awful lot of flak on here, which may or may not be justified?
What's struck me is that throughout the pandemic Drakeford has been as steady as a rock, utterly boring, and utterly consistent in his messaging. You may not agree with it, but his mantra has always been 'public health first'. He may have got it wrong recently, but he hasn't deviated from his message, and that may be appreciated by more people (in Wales) than we think.
It's quite a contrast with the 'shopping trolley' in England; we're never quite sure which side of the aisle he's going to be on from one day to the next.
Its easy to be 'public health first' when you expect someone else to provide the money and raise the taxes.
Are we not taxed in Wales?
Welsh govt has very limited tax raising powers. If Welsh Govt policy leads to increased unemployment then the costs are largely met from Westminster and (if met from taxation) it is from taxes raised in Westminster. Welsh taxpayers will pay along with anyone else, but who gets the blame from increases in Westminster taxes?
The point is that if the Welsh government implements economically destructive policies (lets ignore Covid and speak generally) then they may bear a political price if people link the policy to the economic disruption, but if the UK Govt steps in (out of choice or necessity) to limit the impact, and raises taxes to do so, then the blame for raising the taxes will likely fall on Westminster.
I think it pretty irresponsible for Sky News to make the doctor there headline story. I know the media always love to make a politician look awkward after speaking to a member of the public, but we don't need any highlighting of anti-vaxxer talk and having a doctor do it just gives even more ammo for the antivaxxers.
It pushes the falsehood if you have ever had COVID no need to get vaccinated. When actually, had COVID, get jabbed, and you are f##king super human levels of protection.
It is all about how to prepare for Covid in your household and how to stop others in it contracting it too. Compare with us where if someone gets it we are now almost entirely relaxed about others in the household getting it too.
In terms of cases they are closing in on us. In mindset they are 18 months behind.
I’m probably late to the party here. But did it ever get discussed here what the envelopes to all the living presidents were about at George Bush Senior’s funeral? Not including Carter, apparently he didn’t get one!
Jeb’s face when he sees his brother’s is a picture.
Something that can be read in 2 seconds but that provokes a gut punch reaction. Of course they may have all got something different.
See we haven't stopped getting sucked into conspiracies then.
Well it’s not a conspiracy that they were all given envelopes. It’s in the video. Probably they were from Trump, given it’s a serving secret service member that passed it to W. What weird shit would he have written in it! Could also have been an instruction from George Senior I suppose.
So JUST because they all HAPPENED to receive SIMILAR LOOKING envelopes you've weaved this TIN FOIL FANTASY about it being deliberate!
Kjh is so out of touch with reality he/she shouts CONSPIRACY at anything that moves. He/she is really quite bonkers.
It can’t have been anything too top secret. Poor old Joe Biden drops his on the floor without realising he was holding it.
Lol. It is only you (occasionally Leon, but mainly only you) that gets called out and by everyone not just me and it is me that is out of touch with reality? Talk about out of touch; you are in a league of your own. I mean did you not get that since my post several others have called you out as a nutter or do you not see the fun they are making of you. UFOs, COVID conspiracies, now seeing perfectly innocent stuff at a funerals as some wild stuff. You truly are completely nuts.
Sorry but you are monumentally wrong about this. Your witless mantra of "Conspiracy theory" in the face of the evidence that covid was a lab escape, is conclusive proof that you lack the capacity for independent analytical thought.
May I say a word about Drakeford, who gets an awful lot of flak on here, which may or may not be justified?
What's struck me is that throughout the pandemic Drakeford has been as steady as a rock, utterly boring, and utterly consistent in his messaging. You may not agree with it, but his mantra has always been 'public health first'. He may have got it wrong recently, but he hasn't deviated from his message, and that may be appreciated by more people (in Wales) than we think.
It's quite a contrast with the 'shopping trolley' in England; we're never quite sure which side of the aisle he's going to be on from one day to the next.
Its easy to be 'public health first' when you expect someone else to provide the money and raise the taxes.
Are we not taxed in Wales?
I seem to remember Sunak announcing an increase in national insurance not Drakeford.
Not my cup of tea, but it certainly seems to have made Remainers REALLY angry, almost as if being compared to Trumpites is their worst nightmare, and the author had that in mind
Hmm
Ancient history was never my strong point, but when did Remainers forcefully invade the HoC?
May I say a word about Drakeford, who gets an awful lot of flak on here, which may or may not be justified?
What's struck me is that throughout the pandemic Drakeford has been as steady as a rock, utterly boring, and utterly consistent in his messaging. You may not agree with it, but his mantra has always been 'public health first'. He may have got it wrong recently, but he hasn't deviated from his message, and that may be appreciated by more people (in Wales) than we think.
It's quite a contrast with the 'shopping trolley' in England; we're never quite sure which side of the aisle he's going to be on from one day to the next.
Its easy to be 'public health first' when you expect someone else to provide the money and raise the taxes.
A lot of truth to this; however, once again, the fact that the devolved governments are administrative heavyweights but fiscal pygmies is entirely the fault of Westminster.
Surely it is the fault of the politicians that devised the system of devolution, not the current government or 'westminster' . Perhaps this will come to be regarded as the worst legacy of new labour.
Watch the moment an unvaccinated hospital consultant challenges Health Secretary Sajid Javid over the government's policy of compulsory COVID jabs for NHS staff.
Rather worried about this consultants lack of knowledge of the science....if he sticks with this stance, I think he will be finding the only place willing to employ him will be in the developing world.
Rather worried that anyone faced with such nonsense doesn't automatically ask: "Why are you focused solely on antibodies and infections? Why don't you consider the science of T-cells and reduced morbidity? Do you doubt the science on that? If so, on what basis and where is the peer-reviewed evidence to back up your skepticism? If not, why don't you take a remedial course in immunology? You're a physician, FFS!!!"
Because you are probably faced with a fanatic and it’s bad for politicians to get get into arguments on TV
It is all about how to prepare for Covid in your household and how to stop others in it contracting it too. Compare with us where if someone gets it we are now almost entirely relaxed about others in the household getting it too.
In terms of cases they are closing in on us. In mindset they are 18 months behind.
The business, PPE Medpro, was fast-tracked by the government through its “VIP lane” for politically connected firms following the referral by Mone.
Within weeks of the company’s incorporation on 12 May 2020, PPE Medpro was awarded contracts worth £203m to supply millions of masks and gowns.
The Guardian revealed on Thursday that leaked files appear to suggest that Mone and her husband, the Isle of Man-based financier Douglas Barrowman, were secretly involved in PPE Medpro, despite both consistently denying any “role or function” in the company….
Another Re-Mone-r outrage!
BTW, isn't calling someone an "Isle of Man-based financier" libel ipso facto?
What can you say? Tories are gonna dip their noses in the trough, like leopards have got spots.
I’m probably late to the party here. But did it ever get discussed here what the envelopes to all the living presidents were about at George Bush Senior’s funeral? Not including Carter, apparently he didn’t get one!
Jeb’s face when he sees his brother’s is a picture.
Something that can be read in 2 seconds but that provokes a gut punch reaction. Of course they may have all got something different.
See we haven't stopped getting sucked into conspiracies then.
Well it’s not a conspiracy that they were all given envelopes. It’s in the video. Probably they were from Trump, given it’s a serving secret service member that passed it to W. What weird shit would he have written in it! Could also have been an instruction from George Senior I suppose.
So JUST because they all HAPPENED to receive SIMILAR LOOKING envelopes you've weaved this TIN FOIL FANTASY about it being deliberate!
Kjh is so out of touch with reality he/she shouts CONSPIRACY at anything that moves. He/she is really quite bonkers.
It can’t have been anything too top secret. Poor old Joe Biden drops his on the floor without realising he was holding it.
Lol. It is only you (occasionally Leon, but mainly only you) that gets called out and by everyone not just me and it is me that is out of touch with reality? Talk about out of touch; you are in a league of your own. I mean did you not get that since my post several others have called you out as a nutter or do you not see the fun they are making of you. UFOs, COVID conspiracies, now seeing perfectly innocent stuff at a funerals as some wild stuff. You truly are completely nuts.
Tee hee. Are you still calling rationale debate about the origin of sarscov2 a conspiracy still? Catch up.
Are you really so triggered by me posting an amusing video of all the presidents and their wives at a presidents funeral getting given an envelope looking like they’d trodden in a dog doodoo and shooting the shit at what it might have said? Trump does weird stuff, wouldn’t you like to know what he wrote to them all that was so socially awkward? (Assuming it was he).
Did someone mention Beardsley. Perfect to bring up in this discussion (I think that’s the right (phrase). I ❤️Aubrey’s work. Everything he done really. In so few brushstrokes he doesn’t just so capture sauciness, he created magical worlds to live in. I don’t use G word often, but he was a true genius. Dead at 26 😢
“Lysistrata was first produced in 411 BC, when the Peloponnesian War had been devastating Greece for 20 years.Lysistrata assembles women from all of Greece, and they agree that they will not have sex until the men make peace.” That’s your plot for the next Carry On film!
Did someone mention Beardsley. Perfect to bring up in this discussion (I think that’s the right (phrase). I ❤️Aubrey’s work. Everything he done really. In so few brushstrokes he doesn’t just so capture sauciness, he created magical worlds to live in. I don’t use G word often, but he was a true genius. Dead at 26 😢
“Lysistrata was first produced in 411 BC, when the Peloponnesian War had been devastating Greece for 20 years.Lysistrata assembles women from all of Greece, and they agree that they will not have sex until the men make peace.” That’s your plot for the next Carry On film!
Comments
Trust me, the Tories will do no more than a token effort in a seat that will almost certainly be a comfortable Labour hold and focus on the local elections coming up.
I went to Old Bexley, even if Erdington was closer too I am not going to go out of my way to go to a non Tory held seat for a midterm by election when we have local elections coming up
Lab hold with inc maj nailed on.
Oh, and you need to brush up on your geography of the UK.
https://twitter.com/tedcruz/status/1479272140625092614?t=rdUwAF5pDKwTANPIuhTR6w&s=19
His father however died aged 56 from the complications of untreated hypertension.
Just an observation.
And that sort of makes sense emotionally, none of us want to contemplate a significant event being written off as a mistake in the future. There's also a practical point that any possible Brejoin will tie the UK much more tightly into the Eurosystem, and we're not ready to think about that. (There would be grim comedy in that. Maybe Marshall and Renwick could do it justice.)
But if enough British people of the future decide they want to send Brexit back to its maker, they will and it will be their right to do so.
The alternative is a national mood that goes "We don't like this, but there's nothing we will do about it." That doesn't sound healthy at all.
And hence are above all human attempts to change it. The citizenry are only allowed to gaze in aw upon the new Twelve Tables.
The seven day average case rate measurement is now up about 80% relative to the recent low point on December 28th, well ahead of where it was when the hard lockdown started on the 19th, and comparable to the levels seen at the peak of the Delta wave at the end of November/start of December.
We're at the end of the era of mass restrictions, although some politicians and scientists still need more time to come to terms with this. If even lockdowns don't work against Omicron then there's no point to the rest of it, either.
If this Government try to survive with Suella's anti-woke judicial interference or Priti's earlier, hanging and flogging narrative in order to harvest RedWall votes we won't be too far behind.
What's struck me is that throughout the pandemic Drakeford has been as steady as a rock, utterly boring, and utterly consistent in his messaging. You may not agree with it, but his mantra has always been 'public health first'. He may have got it wrong recently, but he hasn't deviated from his message, and that may be appreciated by more people (in Wales) than we think.
It's quite a contrast with the 'shopping trolley' in England; we're never quite sure which side of the aisle he's going to be on from one day to the next.
https://edition.cnn.com/2022/01/07/china/china-xian-outbreak-analysis-mic-intl-hnk/index.html
Maybe more for earning freebies & brownie points in US, than for winning arguments or votes in the UK.
Yes, I do have a long stale science doctorate, in an unrelated field, but again I'm saying that as a literal answer, not one you should set any stall by.
So, for the purposes of this, please just regard me as a PB punter who looks things up and comes to conclusions.
And my thinking is that, although variants may come that are a little milder or more severe than Omicron, that the fundamental shift to being upper respiratory, which is likely a major driver of Omicron being milder as well, carries such evolutionary speed advantage that it will not now be outcompeted by lower respiratory variants. And I'm personally pretty confident of that one, having previous predicted something like Omicron as the next variant step. But it is a punter's confidence rather than anything more academic.
Jeb’s face when he sees his brother’s is a picture.
https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=cHYbphiulKc&feature=youtu.be
Something that can be read in 2 seconds but that provokes a gut punch reaction. Of course they may have all got something different.
ditto bus passes for the elderly.
Smoking in pubs, public places etc. huge outcry by Tories etc. But followed by England. Not sure about Wales.
Alcohol minimum pricing. Followed by Wales.
Different voting systems. Obviously still not understood by some on PB.
Fracking suspension (de facto ban). Followed by England (effectively UKG because of the different levels pertaining). But that shows one shouldn't confuse what the UKG do as a state government (eg vaccines) with what they do as a de facto English domestic gmt.
Sometimes much the same timing - same sex marriage about the same as E and S.
But sometimes the Scots were slower. Civil partnerships for non same sex later in Scotland (not sure why).
But other issues relate to the removal of the dead hand of the centre. For instance the Scots being able to vote on their own legal system without having it changed (or not changed) bt Westminster irrespective of their wills. The abolition of feudal law in Scotland was a major improvement.
It may work out OK for Johnson through more luck than judgement. My assumption throughout
has been any further restrictions would have been applied to relieve the NHS in England. He is not winning that race at the moment despite what the fanbois say. There is still time I suppose for Michael Masi and the safety car to lead him to victory.
Riding one's luck doesn't seem to be the best way to manage a pandemic.
“Lysistrata was first produced in 411 BC, when the Peloponnesian War had been devastating Greece for 20 years.Lysistrata assembles women from all of Greece, and they agree that they will not have sex until the men make peace.” That’s your plot for the next Carry On film!
https://victorianweb.org/art/illustration/beardsley/57.html
We love Carry On PB don’t we?
People have got so used to the idea that (a sliding scale of) restrictions (demand) is the key to combatting Covid, that they have forgotten that there are other options available to increase supply.
Though FWIW Scotland and Wales would also very likely have done a lot more if they themselves weren't hamstrung by the wonky devolution settlement. Drakeford at least would probably have mandated a hard lockdown in an attempt to contain Omicron if the Welsh Government possessed the necessary fiscal levers to pay for it.
Turns out that everyone was, in different ways, constrained by their circumstances.
First, there is no independent Welsh media to scrutinise the actions of the Welsh Government (unlike e.g., Scotland).
Second, the Welsh Tories are the poorest and most incompetent opposition in the whole of the UK.
If Dillon was not so badly needed at No 10 -- he is clearly the real brains of that organisation -- then he could be sent back to South Wales to run the Welsh Tories.
It can’t have been anything too top secret. Poor old Joe Biden drops his on the floor without realising he was holding it.
I am fortunate that my chronic conditions are just arthritis and joint pain.
I love me a nutter on nutter showdown
Johnson employing Kate Bingham was sublime, everything else has been on a wing and a prayer. Sometimes it works, often it doesn't.
The "restrictions against Omicron" ship has well and truly sailed. As to whether the levels of restriction in Wales and Scotland (and elsewhere) are justifiable, I'll leave that to others.
I suspect we'll move to an annual covid vaccination and an annual flu vaccination which might or might not be administered together - this will certainly be the advice for the 60+ age group and for others who are vulnerable.
I realise some like @Leon's friend will have a good whinge about "more jabs" but for many with health problems the needle (whether in or out) will be a close friend.
SSI - this is a surprise but not shocking, as Satterberg has served as prosecuting attorney since 2007. It does mean what's likely to be a spirited, highly contested race to replace him. With possible contenders including
> Leesa Manion, long-time Deputy Prosecutor and Chief of Staff, and Asian American
> Rod Dembowski, member of King County Council from northeast Seattle & nearby burbs
> Jim Ferrell, mayor of Federal Way in south King County
> plus number of others, including maybe a semi-serious Republican?
With respect to last comment, note that King Co Prosecuting Attorney's office has been in hands of men elected as Republicans since 1948. This phrasing is deliberate, because while Dan Satterberg was originally elected and re-elected as a Republican, he switched parties in 2016 following nomination of You-Know-Who.
Further note that PA is the only remaining partisan office in King County government. And the last time a Republican was elected countywide was in 2012 - and it was Dan, who enjoyed substantial Democratic support, esp. from lawyers.
Since then, the balance in King Co has shifted even farther, to the point that it's hard to see how a Republican can get elected, or even make it through the top-two primary to the general election ballot.
Even though Seattle just elected a Republican as City Attorney last year! But that was a VERY special circumstance (her opponent wanted to abolish the city jail) AND the race was non-partisan, with no party labels on the ballot. If she'd run as a Republican, she'd have lost.
My guess for starters, is that the Chief of Staff has the best shot PROVIDED she can raise some money. There are 1.4 million active registered voters, so reaching them across as sprawling county in a high-profile contested election is NOT an inexpensive proposition.
Though money is NOT everything. Eight years ago, an open-seat, non-partisan race for KC Director of Elections featured a well-connected Dem legislator versus a long-serving administrator in the election office. The politico raised and spent a bundle, the professional next to nothing. Yet she beat him like a gong - and her best areas were the most Democratic!
https://www.theguardian.com/politics/2022/jan/07/michelle-mone-referred-company-for-ppe-contracts-five-days-before-it-was-incorporated
…. The Conservative peer Michelle Mone referred a business to the Cabinet Office for potential multimillion pound PPE contracts before it had even been incorporated as a company, it has emerged.
The business, PPE Medpro, was fast-tracked by the government through its “VIP lane” for politically connected firms following the referral by Mone.
Within weeks of the company’s incorporation on 12 May 2020, PPE Medpro was awarded contracts worth £203m to supply millions of masks and gowns.
The Guardian revealed on Thursday that leaked files appear to suggest that Mone and her husband, the Isle of Man-based financier Douglas Barrowman, were secretly involved in PPE Medpro, despite both consistently denying any “role or function” in the company….
stable
MPs are elected as representatives. However the electorate instructed them they wished to leave the EU. To rejoin without a referendum would be to ignore that instruction
This is in no way funny
And Jimmy didn't get one, because he's really is a space alien?
Problem with the last, is that #45 did get one? Seeing as how he's obviously from . . . wait for it . . . Uranus . . .
BTW, isn't calling someone an "Isle of Man-based financier" libel ipso facto?
“Augusta, for sure.”
Arf arf arf arf
https://data.spectator.co.uk/category/sage-scenarios
Predicted English hospitalisations 8,691
Actual English hospitalisations 2,139
Hmm
The point is that if the Welsh government implements economically destructive policies (lets ignore Covid and speak generally) then they may bear a political price if people link the policy to the economic disruption, but if the UK Govt steps in (out of choice or necessity) to limit the impact, and raises taxes to do so, then the blame for raising the taxes will likely fall on Westminster.
It pushes the falsehood if you have ever had COVID no need to get vaccinated. When actually, had COVID, get jabbed, and you are f##king super human levels of protection.
https://www.abc.net.au/news/2022-01-08/how-to-prepare-for-a-household-covid-19-infection/100742322
It is all about how to prepare for Covid in your household and how to stop others in it contracting it too. Compare with us where if someone gets it we are now almost entirely relaxed about others in the household getting it too.
In terms of cases they are closing in on us. In mindset they are 18 months behind.
Don't feel bad about this.
Are you really so triggered by me posting an amusing video of all the presidents and their wives at a presidents funeral getting given an envelope looking like they’d trodden in a dog doodoo and shooting the shit at what it might have said? Trump does weird stuff, wouldn’t you like to know what he wrote to them all that was so socially awkward? (Assuming it was he).
What a humourless and incurious oaf you are.