Senior Elysée source tells me: “There is a kind of alarmism in Washington and London which we cannot understand. We see no immediate likelihood of Russian military action. We simply want our interpretation to be taken into account before a common western approach is agreed.”
Are they not aware of Russia massing on Ukraine border?
Reading between the lines, French are actually accusing us of bigging the thing up.
The Russians are actually massing on the border in a serious way are they?
Yes, they are. Multiple reports from journalists from a number of countries of units from all over Russia massing in the area. Complete with photos from the ground, commercial satellite pictures etc.
It’s painting a hideous picture then, political promises of standing shoulder to shoulder, of European and NATO forces piled up in countries and waters and airspace all around Ukraine, and just watching Putin go in and do his thing - like 1945 all over again 😕
Unlike in 1945, the Ukrainians have some real backing form the states around them and from abroad.
That’s true, we are airlifting in a few useful things to help them. I concede that. Will you concede though to be unlike 1945 it needs the outcome not to be same as 1945?
To be like 1945, it would need to end up with the entire Ukraine inside Russia with the entire leadership dead, and most of the "intelligentsia" as well.
You are setting falsely high targets to be proved wrong Malmsy 🙂
I accept these terms - despite shoulder to shoulder allies having enough equipment in the region to re fight and win the Martian Invasion in War of the Worlds, we simply watch Putin own all Ukraines current borders and install puppet regime, to achieve 1945 all over again.
Personally, I'm hoping for no nuclear explosions. Me being an optimist and all.
Then you must find your own avatar as freaky as Dicksons undoubtedly is.
But I accept your surrender in these negotiations and pleased we have a deal.
I *like* nuclear explosions. Just not er... free range ones
More like Project Orion....
Whyever did we drop the idea of propelling spaceships by dropping nuclear bombs out the back? It's clearly cool hell.
It took a lot more nukes than you'd think for it to work. Like, dropping one out every 10 seconds for a week or something
I see Ishmael still in the undergrowth fighting a war that’s been over for 20 years.
What is it going to take to receive your surrender?
Pointing the fun end of Project Orion ship at him?
It is so funny Z is refusing to admit the Boris coup has failed. 😂
I’m busy tomorrow taking up the Pope’s call for an international day of "prayer for peace" so that dialogue defuses the Ukraine crisis. Hopefully that works, admittedly spoiling your fun but nevermind.
It’s technically the 26th, but I’m going shopping then so need to get it out the way tomorrow. 🙋♀️
Nadine Dorries @NadineDorries Whether it’s a major music festival, sporting event or concert, it's important that people pay a fair price to see the events they love. Please remain vigilant when considering to buy from ticket touts. Guidance is available if you are unsure: http://fanfairalliance.org/faqs/
You tune into PB and see this. Political satire is dead.
Nadine Dorries @NadineDorries Whether it’s a major music festival, sporting event or concert, it's important that people pay a fair price to see the events they love. Please remain vigilant when considering to buy from ticket touts. Guidance is available if you are unsure: http://fanfairalliance.org/faqs/
Nadine must be shitting herself about Johnson getting ousted. No-one but The Clown would put such a numpty in a government job. Anyone know what her majority is? I'd be tempted to go and canvass for any party that has a chance of dislodging her.
For all the "didn't he do well!" comments on BJ and vaccines / the boosters is there any evidence that he is this visionary leader of people who can cut through the noise and chaos and get straight to not only the solution but how we do so at record speed?
We know that Mancock was the cabinet minister banging the cabinet table for vaccines in the early days. So the vaccine programme as an idea can't be attributed to Boris, nor can the actual amazing work done in developing it. He *authorised* it. Having been badgered by his Health Secretary and the actual scientists. "Oh cripes, ok then" is more his style than "I HAVE A VISION" leadership.
Same with boosters. He pulled the trigger on a seemingly impossible December booster program and thanks to herculean work by medics and volunteers we just about got away with it.
That's not true, the story of vaccines is Patrick Vallance and Dom approaching the PM telling him to take vaccine procurement away from the DoH and specifically Hancock because they/he was liable to fuck it up. Boris personally contacted Dame Kate Bingham and convinced her to take on the role as head of a new vaccine procurement body which would answer directly to him and Patrick Vallance, not the DoH.
Hancock got the meme that he watched a movie and bought all the vaccines but it's not true. It was Kate Bingham and team who did the purchasing and she was put in place by Boris but advised by Dom and Patrick Vallance.
Appreciate the correction of the record. My point remains - it was not the PM who like a titan stood there and said "we will need vaccines, get on with it". So when he personally gets the credit I just giggle a little.
I think listening to the advice and getting the DoH out of the picture was a good move, he could have done nothing and let Hancock fuck it up and land us with not enough of the right vaccines or bought loads of vaccines that didn't stand and chance of being approved because of cheapness (CureVac) because that's what the DoH would probably have done. It contrasts with what Starmer would have done in the same place as well. There's simply no chance that the current Labour party would allow a pharmaceuticals VC expert near the national vaccine procurement programme, this, IMO is where the plaudits are deserved, though that's not specific to Boris, rather a difference in outlook from Labour (though probably not Blair).
I'm not entirely sure a Labour government (I exclude Corbyn) wouldn't have ended up doing much the same, given that the expertise was in the private sector, and there was no real capacity for such accelerated programs in the public sector. No way of really knowing.
Hmm, I fear there would have been too much ideological resistance to allowing a VC person to lead the programme and we would probably have been in the EU procurement programme which we know didn't work out well for the first (and critical) 6 months of the rollout.
No real way of knowing - and I don't fancy setting up the whole experiment again to find out.
Where I think it is clear that Boris was demonstrably worse is on Winter 2020/21, which of course is when the bulk of deaths occurred (and when we knew vaccines were tantalisingly close).
Only if you're a lockdown lover.
Lockdowns are not a "precautionary principle" they are an evil that should be resisted until the last possible moment, only once it has been proven beyond all reasonable doubt to be necessary. Considering the NHS didn't collapse in winter 2020/21 it looks like that was timed as late as possible, so it was called right to me.
The one thing I would say was wrong was having kids go in to school for the one day, then locking the country down that night, because it was the first working day back to make the decision: They should in my opinion have got the relevant people to work over the weekend and make that call on the weekend instead of the Monday.
If that means disrupting your weekend or holiday by a day then do that.
If you leave lockdowns to the last minute, they end up having to be (much) longer. If they are so evil, should you not act in a way so as to minimise the total amount of time in lockdown? That means going early so you can come out sooner, even if occasionally you end up with a short, unnecessary lockdown.
No, absolutely categorically not.
That's like saying like Judge Dredd the Police should extrajudicially kill those they think are guilty of murder without a trial, even if you kill a few innocents, because then you're going to stop more murders.
An unnecessary lockdown is an utter failure and to have a lockdown the case has to be proven beyond all reasonable doubt. If that means in the very rare occasions it actually becomes necessary that it has to last a bit longer, then so be it.
Much as I enjoy the satire of Judge Dredd, that's a silly comparison. The real police do act to stop crimes taking place. They have to make judgements about when to do that. Likewise, public health actions require judgements to be made.
A lockdown is undoubtedly a very serious step and it's not a choice that should be taken lightly, but if you resist them until the last possible moment, you cause more morbidity, more mortality and more time in lockdown.
And have done the right thing.
If you don't resist them until the last possible minute you go in and out of lockdown like a yo-yo unnecessarily. Potentially preventing a bit of morbidity is not an excuse to strip away people's fundamental human rights unnecessarily.
I like how I spoke of morbidity and mortality, but you turned that into "a bit of morbidity"! You see, I'm unaware of anything that strips away someone's fundamental human rights more than mortality.
There is no right to not die of natural causes.
Why do we spend lots of money on a national Breast Screening Programme? Why do we spend lots of money on flu vaccinations? Why do we spend lots of money on cervical cancer vaccinations? Why do we spend lots of money on treating people with diabetes, dementia, heart disease, colon cancer, etc. etc. etc.? Why do we have an NHS!?
Why do we have extensive legislative structures to ensure we eat unadulterated food, we live and work in safe buildings, the air we breath is not too polluted, transport is safe...
Government for centuries... nay, millennia... has had a role to protect citizens. We take that for granted when it comes to protecting us from cholera, dysentery etc. (both through vaccinations but more so through providing clean water and effective sewers). Yet because COVID-19 is a newer disease, suddenly protecting people from disease is not what government should do...???
Not without counting the cost. We have an NHS to protect us (not for us to protect it) and NICE and the concept of the QALY exist for a reason - even if they were junked along with the pandemic preparedness plan the minute we had a pandemic.
I am glad we agree that it is, in fact, the Government's job to help delay death from natural causes, but, yes, of course, what measures we take should be guided by cost-effectiveness.
Lockdowns were, as far as we know, never subject to a cost-benefit analysis. And I think it's pretty obvious why.
I think Government members and civil servants thought hard about introducing lockdowns, and their thinking included weighing up costs and benefits. Whether they did formal analyses... I can see there may not have been time, particularly for the first one.
We're seeing a lot of research on all aspects of COVID-19, and I'm sure that will continue. There will be many analyses done that will help inform future choices.
Fair enough - little time in March 2020. But thereafter, months and months to consider what the cost of lockdown was. With plenty of real world data to demonstrate the negatives. I can forgive March 2020. It was wrong, but understandable. But after that, no.
- Cases level. Still due to the younger unvaccinated group having higher incidence.
- In hospital. Down. - MV Beds Down. - Admissions. Down. A lot. - Deaths flat. with a possible hint of starting to fall?
This one is surely just a function of 28 day incidence going down? In just over a week the two crisis peaks will have passed the 28 day mark meaning incidental admissions will fall quite a lot. This week's report into primary care will be interesting because last week it showed incidental up and non-incidentals falling, the funnel for non-incidentals is negative and positive for incidentals so the daily admissions must be well over half incidental at this stage, I'd make a finger in the air guess that ~60-70% of dashboard admissions were incidental over the last two weeks but that proportion will drop as incidence has dropped quite a lot.
One thing that's been bothering me - who paid for the Downing Street suitcases of booze? A weekly whip round among the staff? BJ put his hands in his pocket (unlikely). The taxpayer?
Is it wrong to distrust Boris to the extent that they will use the Russia-Ukraine situation to save his own skin, even if that risks British interests?
Nobody has ever distrusted Boris Johnson too much.
"People arriving in England from abroad will no longer have to take Covid tests if they are fully vaccinated, the government has confirmed.
The changes will be introduced from 4am on 11 February "in time for the half term break", said Transport Secretary Grant Shapps."
It’s excellent news for central London, which NEEDS those tourists back
What we really need is a Mayor who can let go of the pandemic as well though. Sadiq seems singularly determined to remind everyone about it and advertise to the world that London is a plague city despite the fact that it isn't really. Lots of media and assorted lefties also need to stop talking the nation down internationally or making bogus comparisons and using idiotic terms like "plague island". It's really dented the confidence of some Europeans from coming to the UK. The conversation I had with my Italian colleague still rings in my ears, loads of them really do believe that people were dying in the streets of London unable to get healthcare, that hasn't been helped by the blue ticks on twitter trying to pretend it is.
I also think we need to wind down the daily COVID dashboard as well, maybe by the end of March. Two years seems fair.
Perhaps Boris can resign and become Mayor of London again. I would happily vote for him. It was probably his ideal job
I mean, he was necessary to win the Brexit referendum and probably the only guy/girl who could have won that majority to force Brett through, but now that’s done, he seems done. Mission Accomplished. What is his ambition now?
If Boris goes back to being Mayor then Sadiq can move to his ideal job which is probably film censor in Rabat
Oh man, I'd take Boris back in an instant. The job of the Mayor is to advertise London on a global scale, whether that's to tech startups, to financial services companies, tourists or top global chefs looking for new restaurant sites. Sadiq is completely incapable of doing any of this. The running of the city happens automatically anyway, it really was the perfect job for Boris.
Yup
Basically, to “run” - or rather promote - a big young global partying vibrant have-fun-and-make-money please-come-here world city like London, you need to be a hedonist. Literally. Boris and Ken were both that, in very different ways
Sadiq is a small minded teetotaller puritan. He’s got the exactly wrong skill set for the job, which is one reason, I think, he is so bad at it. He doesn’t like it. Doesn’t sit well
OTOH I have friends in Tooting who say Khan was an excellent constituency MP. Diligent and caring. Good at the small stuff. He should go back to the small stuff, where he’d probably be happier - and get more things done
..yea and that Muslim stuff, like being teetotal. Makes people feel, well, you know, uncomfortable?
As I suspected Shapps has not removed the pain-in-the-arse "Passenger Locator Form". I thought when I did one recently "I bet the government won't get rid of these fecking things!"
Annoyed to be proved right. If they don't need restrictions they do not need passenger locator forms.
They said it's going to be simpler. We'll see, but I didn't find it a problem when I came back in September.
"People arriving in England from abroad will no longer have to take Covid tests if they are fully vaccinated, the government has confirmed.
The changes will be introduced from 4am on 11 February "in time for the half term break", said Transport Secretary Grant Shapps."
It’s excellent news for central London, which NEEDS those tourists back
What we really need is a Mayor who can let go of the pandemic as well though. Sadiq seems singularly determined to remind everyone about it and advertise to the world that London is a plague city despite the fact that it isn't really. Lots of media and assorted lefties also need to stop talking the nation down internationally or making bogus comparisons and using idiotic terms like "plague island". It's really dented the confidence of some Europeans from coming to the UK. The conversation I had with my Italian colleague still rings in my ears, loads of them really do believe that people were dying in the streets of London unable to get healthcare, that hasn't been helped by the blue ticks on twitter trying to pretend it is.
I also think we need to wind down the daily COVID dashboard as well, maybe by the end of March. Two years seems fair.
Perhaps Boris can resign and become Mayor of London again. I would happily vote for him. It was probably his ideal job
I mean, he was necessary to win the Brexit referendum and probably the only guy/girl who could have won that majority to force Brett through, but now that’s done, he seems done. Mission Accomplished. What is his ambition now?
If Boris goes back to being Mayor then Sadiq can move to his ideal job which is probably film censor in Rabat
Oh man, I'd take Boris back in an instant. The job of the Mayor is to advertise London on a global scale, whether that's to tech startups, to financial services companies, tourists or top global chefs looking for new restaurant sites. Sadiq is completely incapable of doing any of this. The running of the city happens automatically anyway, it really was the perfect job for Boris.
Yup
Basically, to “run” - or rather promote - a big young global partying vibrant have-fun-and-make-money please-come-here world city like London, you need to be a hedonist. Literally. Boris and Ken were both that, in very different ways
Sadiq is a small minded teetotaller puritan. He’s got the exactly wrong skill set for the job, which is one reason, I think, he is so bad at it. He doesn’t like it. Doesn’t sit well
OTOH I have friends in Tooting who say Khan was an excellent constituency MP. Diligent and caring. Good at the small stuff. He should go back to the small stuff, where he’d probably be happier - and get more things done
..yea and that Muslim stuff, like being teetotal. Makes people feel, well, you know, uncomfortable?
And it wasn't teetotaller Khan who banned having a tinnie on the tube either.
Bad bad move. You always interview. Always. And if someone doesn't want to be interviewed in something they claim to be as important as this you view what they tell you with a hugely sceptical eye.
He can't be forced to an interview. But the consequences of him refusing to do so for the investigation should be spelt out.
Frankly I'd be inclined to discount very clearly in the report - in the executive summary - anything he says unless it is clearly corroborated elsewhere by reliable evidence. I would also list out all the unanswered questions and issues I was not able to address as a result of this witness being unwilling to be interviewed.
Please Cyclefree, that is unladylike. remember the adage:
Men should only weep in war, women should only swear in bed
Nadine Dorries @NadineDorries Whether it’s a major music festival, sporting event or concert, it's important that people pay a fair price to see the events they love. Please remain vigilant when considering to buy from ticket touts. Guidance is available if you are unsure: http://fanfairalliance.org/faqs/
You tune into PB and see this. Political satire is dead.
I only posted it because it appeared in my twitter feed as a retweet with that comment - whether it's a question of pick a topic to use the photo or pick a photo for the tweet the choice is an "interesting" one.
Labour really are useless. A full 7 percentage points in front and barely ahead on seats. Utterly useless.
Wouldn't happen in the real world, of course.
You mean .. uniform national swing is a false narrative. I slavishly follow HY's analysis, and it looks plausible to me.
I think 300 seats is the absolute best Labour can do at the next election but I think a 5% lead over the Tories, something like Con 34% Lab 39% could produce that even on the new boundaries.
Is it wrong to distrust Boris to the extent that they will use the Russia-Ukraine situation to save his own skin, even if that risks British interests?
No 10 have been spinning the Churchillian narrative for 48 hours now.
And I think you know the answer to your question. Just think of a five letter word, beginning in "B".
Nadine Dorries @NadineDorries Whether it’s a major music festival, sporting event or concert, it's important that people pay a fair price to see the events they love. Please remain vigilant when considering to buy from ticket touts. Guidance is available if you are unsure: http://fanfairalliance.org/faqs/
Nadine must be shitting herself about Johnson getting ousted. No-one but The Clown would put such a numpty in a government job. Anyone know what her majority is? I'd be tempted to go and canvass for any party that has a chance of dislodging her.
"People arriving in England from abroad will no longer have to take Covid tests if they are fully vaccinated, the government has confirmed.
The changes will be introduced from 4am on 11 February "in time for the half term break", said Transport Secretary Grant Shapps."
It’s excellent news for central London, which NEEDS those tourists back
What we really need is a Mayor who can let go of the pandemic as well though. Sadiq seems singularly determined to remind everyone about it and advertise to the world that London is a plague city despite the fact that it isn't really. Lots of media and assorted lefties also need to stop talking the nation down internationally or making bogus comparisons and using idiotic terms like "plague island". It's really dented the confidence of some Europeans from coming to the UK. The conversation I had with my Italian colleague still rings in my ears, loads of them really do believe that people were dying in the streets of London unable to get healthcare, that hasn't been helped by the blue ticks on twitter trying to pretend it is.
I also think we need to wind down the daily COVID dashboard as well, maybe by the end of March. Two years seems fair.
Perhaps Boris can resign and become Mayor of London again. I would happily vote for him. It was probably his ideal job
I mean, he was necessary to win the Brexit referendum and probably the only guy/girl who could have won that majority to force Brett through, but now that’s done, he seems done. Mission Accomplished. What is his ambition now?
If Boris goes back to being Mayor then Sadiq can move to his ideal job which is probably film censor in Rabat
Oh man, I'd take Boris back in an instant. The job of the Mayor is to advertise London on a global scale, whether that's to tech startups, to financial services companies, tourists or top global chefs looking for new restaurant sites. Sadiq is completely incapable of doing any of this. The running of the city happens automatically anyway, it really was the perfect job for Boris.
Yup
Basically, to “run” - or rather promote - a big young global partying vibrant have-fun-and-make-money please-come-here world city like London, you need to be a hedonist. Literally. Boris and Ken were both that, in very different ways
Sadiq is a small minded teetotaller puritan. He’s got the exactly wrong skill set for the job, which is one reason, I think, he is so bad at it. He doesn’t like it. Doesn’t sit well
OTOH I have friends in Tooting who say Khan was an excellent constituency MP. Diligent and caring. Good at the small stuff. He should go back to the small stuff, where he’d probably be happier - and get more things done
..yea and that Muslim stuff, like being teetotal. Makes people feel, well, you know, uncomfortable?
Rishi is teetotal and not Muslim, I know plenty of Muslims who aren't teetotal. Small minded, teetotaller puritans come in all shapes and sizes, someone I worked previously with fit that category and was an older English man, I also know a fair number of Americans who fit that category too!
Donald Trump is teetotal and definitely small minded, that's two out of three.
EU foreign ministers are planning to condemn "Russia's continued aggressive actions and threats against Ukraine", while calling for de-escalation at Monday's (24 January) meeting in Brussels.
Can anybody understand or explain the EU's foreign policy approach on is eastern borders? It seems to lack all coherence.
Is the EU hopelessly split or hopelessly united? The spin changes so often one becomes dizzy.
The EU is suffering from Germany procrastination and the fact it does not have a coordinated defence mechanism
Furthermore, now more than ever it is missing the UK with the UK leading with the US in providing military and technical help and NATO increasing ships and aircraft into Eastern Europe
The Ukraine ambassador to the UK was extremely bitter towards Germany on yesterday's media
Germany was neutered by the 4 occupying powers (Soviet empire, British empire, French empire and American empire).
You cannot neuter a political entity and then complain when it cannot act in an aggressive fashion.
(Well, Tories can. Obviously. Maybe you’re a “Real” Tory after all Big G.)
Germany had no problem supplying military equipment and training to... Russia.
After Russia had invaded and annexed part of Ukraine. And was continuing to fight a war there.
Germany's policy is up to Germany, its none of our business. If they have become Russia-ambivalent or Russia apologist, that's up to them.
What we should here in Britain should do is stop pretending the West is what it was and that Germany is a reliable ally, when it may not be. We have to adjust our policy approach. Very regrettable in the circumstances, but perhaps necessary.
Which makes sense. Unfortunately national governments tend to do what they think is in the best short-term interests of their country, (and/or themselves/their mates personally/their party/the interests they represent). Not sure why Germany in particular should be expected to be any different.
It's often repeated on here that Germany supplied military equipment to Russia after Russia had annexed the Crimea in 2014, but is this actually true? My understanding is that German arms exports to Russia have been blocked since then.
Dated 2011. The Russian annexation of Crimea was 2014. I seem to remember that order wasn't fully completed because exports were blocked in 2014.
So, did Germany actually export any arms to Russia after they annexed Crimea in 2014?
Russian troops invaded Georgia in 2008. They were in Moldova by 1992 (arguably 1990).
Yes, of course, and I have campaigned against German arms exports since I have been in Germany.
My question is whether it is accurate that Germany has exported to Russia since Crimea? I have read it a few times on here, but can't find anything to support it.
They continued work on the training centre and supporting it until after very strong pressure from the US, after Crimea....
I'd like to take your word for it, but any source for what actually happened?
At least we seem to have gone from
Germany allowed arms exports to Russia after Crimea
to
A German company would have finished their contract if they hadn't been stopped by the German government.
Which does sound a bit like they didn't allow arms exports after Crimea.
But I am genuinely curious if someone has a source that says they did actually continue exporting arms.
"People arriving in England from abroad will no longer have to take Covid tests if they are fully vaccinated, the government has confirmed.
The changes will be introduced from 4am on 11 February "in time for the half term break", said Transport Secretary Grant Shapps."
It’s excellent news for central London, which NEEDS those tourists back
What we really need is a Mayor who can let go of the pandemic as well though. Sadiq seems singularly determined to remind everyone about it and advertise to the world that London is a plague city despite the fact that it isn't really. Lots of media and assorted lefties also need to stop talking the nation down internationally or making bogus comparisons and using idiotic terms like "plague island". It's really dented the confidence of some Europeans from coming to the UK. The conversation I had with my Italian colleague still rings in my ears, loads of them really do believe that people were dying in the streets of London unable to get healthcare, that hasn't been helped by the blue ticks on twitter trying to pretend it is.
I also think we need to wind down the daily COVID dashboard as well, maybe by the end of March. Two years seems fair.
Perhaps Boris can resign and become Mayor of London again. I would happily vote for him. It was probably his ideal job
I mean, he was necessary to win the Brexit referendum and probably the only guy/girl who could have won that majority to force Brett through, but now that’s done, he seems done. Mission Accomplished. What is his ambition now?
If Boris goes back to being Mayor then Sadiq can move to his ideal job which is probably film censor in Rabat
Oh man, I'd take Boris back in an instant. The job of the Mayor is to advertise London on a global scale, whether that's to tech startups, to financial services companies, tourists or top global chefs looking for new restaurant sites. Sadiq is completely incapable of doing any of this. The running of the city happens automatically anyway, it really was the perfect job for Boris.
Yup
Basically, to “run” - or rather promote - a big young global partying vibrant have-fun-and-make-money please-come-here world city like London, you need to be a hedonist. Literally. Boris and Ken were both that, in very different ways
Sadiq is a small minded teetotaller puritan. He’s got the exactly wrong skill set for the job, which is one reason, I think, he is so bad at it. He doesn’t like it. Doesn’t sit well
OTOH I have friends in Tooting who say Khan was an excellent constituency MP. Diligent and caring. Good at the small stuff. He should go back to the small stuff, where he’d probably be happier - and get more things done
..yea and that Muslim stuff, like being teetotal. Makes people feel, well, you know, uncomfortable?
And it wasn't teetotaller Khan who banned having a tinnie on the tube either.
Possibly the best thing Boris did as Mayor. Sure, plenty of people now ignore it - but it improved the tube massively overnight.
Labour really are useless. A full 7 percentage points in front and barely ahead on seats. Utterly useless.
Wouldn't happen in the real world, of course.
You mean .. uniform national swing is a false narrative. I slavishly follow HY's analysis, and it looks plausible to me.
I think 300 seats is the absolute best Labour can do at the next election but I think a 5% lead over the Tories, something like Con 34% Lab 39% could produce that even on the new boundaries.
A fair analysis. Without Scotland there is no majority.
Boris needs to be PM for another 39 days to beat Percval, and 136 days to beat Brown. Surely the latter is a bare minimum.
On Bond, Rege-Jean Page was one suave gentleman, but people seem to like grizzled Bonds.
I think the recent Bond films have been particularly good earners, since Skyfall made almost twice what QoS did, which seem slike they'd want to make them come out more regularly, but even without Covid they have been quite slow.
Quantum of Solace was a truly dreadful movie, though: a charisma-less baddy combined with a incomprehensible plot.
I really liked that one.
Hang on: the villain in QoS was the least scary across the whole Bond franchise. Dominic Greene eating an apple.
Woooohhhh... scary.
You're totally right. I suppose I am judging QOS as a thriller with some Bond elements, and NTTD as a Bond film, which isn't fair. QOS is a weak Bond film I suppose. NTTD is a weak Bond film and just a weak film in general imo.
As someone else mentioned, the black 007 character's portrayal was unfortunate. We saw her chucking a prisoner off a gantry into some boiling acid (or whatever) because he goaded her with racist taunts. It was clearly meant to be some sort of anti-racist statement, but instead came over as deeply racist.
"People arriving in England from abroad will no longer have to take Covid tests if they are fully vaccinated, the government has confirmed.
The changes will be introduced from 4am on 11 February "in time for the half term break", said Transport Secretary Grant Shapps."
It’s excellent news for central London, which NEEDS those tourists back
What we really need is a Mayor who can let go of the pandemic as well though. Sadiq seems singularly determined to remind everyone about it and advertise to the world that London is a plague city despite the fact that it isn't really. Lots of media and assorted lefties also need to stop talking the nation down internationally or making bogus comparisons and using idiotic terms like "plague island". It's really dented the confidence of some Europeans from coming to the UK. The conversation I had with my Italian colleague still rings in my ears, loads of them really do believe that people were dying in the streets of London unable to get healthcare, that hasn't been helped by the blue ticks on twitter trying to pretend it is.
I also think we need to wind down the daily COVID dashboard as well, maybe by the end of March. Two years seems fair.
Perhaps Boris can resign and become Mayor of London again. I would happily vote for him. It was probably his ideal job
I mean, he was necessary to win the Brexit referendum and probably the only guy/girl who could have won that majority to force Brett through, but now that’s done, he seems done. Mission Accomplished. What is his ambition now?
If Boris goes back to being Mayor then Sadiq can move to his ideal job which is probably film censor in Rabat
Oh man, I'd take Boris back in an instant. The job of the Mayor is to advertise London on a global scale, whether that's to tech startups, to financial services companies, tourists or top global chefs looking for new restaurant sites. Sadiq is completely incapable of doing any of this. The running of the city happens automatically anyway, it really was the perfect job for Boris.
Yup
Basically, to “run” - or rather promote - a big young global partying vibrant have-fun-and-make-money please-come-here world city like London, you need to be a hedonist. Literally. Boris and Ken were both that, in very different ways
Sadiq is a small minded teetotaller puritan. He’s got the exactly wrong skill set for the job, which is one reason, I think, he is so bad at it. He doesn’t like it. Doesn’t sit well
OTOH I have friends in Tooting who say Khan was an excellent constituency MP. Diligent and caring. Good at the small stuff. He should go back to the small stuff, where he’d probably be happier - and get more things done
..yea and that Muslim stuff, like being teetotal. Makes people feel, well, you know, uncomfortable?
Rishi is teetotal and not Muslim, I know plenty of Muslims who aren't teetotal. Small minded, teetotaller puritans come in all shapes and sizes, someone I worked previously with fit that category and was an older English man, I also know a fair number of Americans who fit that category too!
Yea, but when you attack someone who is a Muslim and is teetotal it is a bit, well perhaps, suspect? A bit like attacking someone for not being one of the lads and enjoying a bacon sandwich when they are Jewish.
Nadine Dorries @NadineDorries Whether it’s a major music festival, sporting event or concert, it's important that people pay a fair price to see the events they love. Please remain vigilant when considering to buy from ticket touts. Guidance is available if you are unsure: http://fanfairalliance.org/faqs/
Nadine must be shitting herself about Johnson getting ousted. No-one but The Clown would put such a numpty in a government job. Anyone know what her majority is?
Safe as houses - 20+k majority, among safest 10% of seats for the Tories.
"People arriving in England from abroad will no longer have to take Covid tests if they are fully vaccinated, the government has confirmed.
The changes will be introduced from 4am on 11 February "in time for the half term break", said Transport Secretary Grant Shapps."
It’s excellent news for central London, which NEEDS those tourists back
What we really need is a Mayor who can let go of the pandemic as well though. Sadiq seems singularly determined to remind everyone about it and advertise to the world that London is a plague city despite the fact that it isn't really. Lots of media and assorted lefties also need to stop talking the nation down internationally or making bogus comparisons and using idiotic terms like "plague island". It's really dented the confidence of some Europeans from coming to the UK. The conversation I had with my Italian colleague still rings in my ears, loads of them really do believe that people were dying in the streets of London unable to get healthcare, that hasn't been helped by the blue ticks on twitter trying to pretend it is.
I also think we need to wind down the daily COVID dashboard as well, maybe by the end of March. Two years seems fair.
Perhaps Boris can resign and become Mayor of London again. I would happily vote for him. It was probably his ideal job
I mean, he was necessary to win the Brexit referendum and probably the only guy/girl who could have won that majority to force Brett through, but now that’s done, he seems done. Mission Accomplished. What is his ambition now?
If Boris goes back to being Mayor then Sadiq can move to his ideal job which is probably film censor in Rabat
Oh man, I'd take Boris back in an instant. The job of the Mayor is to advertise London on a global scale, whether that's to tech startups, to financial services companies, tourists or top global chefs looking for new restaurant sites. Sadiq is completely incapable of doing any of this. The running of the city happens automatically anyway, it really was the perfect job for Boris.
Yup
Basically, to “run” - or rather promote - a big young global partying vibrant have-fun-and-make-money please-come-here world city like London, you need to be a hedonist. Literally. Boris and Ken were both that, in very different ways
Sadiq is a small minded teetotaller puritan. He’s got the exactly wrong skill set for the job, which is one reason, I think, he is so bad at it. He doesn’t like it. Doesn’t sit well
OTOH I have friends in Tooting who say Khan was an excellent constituency MP. Diligent and caring. Good at the small stuff. He should go back to the small stuff, where he’d probably be happier - and get more things done
..yea and that Muslim stuff, like being teetotal. Makes people feel, well, you know, uncomfortable?
Rishi is teetotal and not Muslim, I know plenty of Muslims who aren't teetotal. Small minded, teetotaller puritans come in all shapes and sizes, someone I worked previously with fit that category and was an older English man, I also know a fair number of Americans who fit that category too!
Donald Trump is teetotal and definitely small minded, that's two out of three.
"People arriving in England from abroad will no longer have to take Covid tests if they are fully vaccinated, the government has confirmed.
The changes will be introduced from 4am on 11 February "in time for the half term break", said Transport Secretary Grant Shapps."
It’s excellent news for central London, which NEEDS those tourists back
What we really need is a Mayor who can let go of the pandemic as well though. Sadiq seems singularly determined to remind everyone about it and advertise to the world that London is a plague city despite the fact that it isn't really. Lots of media and assorted lefties also need to stop talking the nation down internationally or making bogus comparisons and using idiotic terms like "plague island". It's really dented the confidence of some Europeans from coming to the UK. The conversation I had with my Italian colleague still rings in my ears, loads of them really do believe that people were dying in the streets of London unable to get healthcare, that hasn't been helped by the blue ticks on twitter trying to pretend it is.
I also think we need to wind down the daily COVID dashboard as well, maybe by the end of March. Two years seems fair.
Perhaps Boris can resign and become Mayor of London again. I would happily vote for him. It was probably his ideal job
I mean, he was necessary to win the Brexit referendum and probably the only guy/girl who could have won that majority to force Brett through, but now that’s done, he seems done. Mission Accomplished. What is his ambition now?
If Boris goes back to being Mayor then Sadiq can move to his ideal job which is probably film censor in Rabat
Oh man, I'd take Boris back in an instant. The job of the Mayor is to advertise London on a global scale, whether that's to tech startups, to financial services companies, tourists or top global chefs looking for new restaurant sites. Sadiq is completely incapable of doing any of this. The running of the city happens automatically anyway, it really was the perfect job for Boris.
Yup
Basically, to “run” - or rather promote - a big young global partying vibrant have-fun-and-make-money please-come-here world city like London, you need to be a hedonist. Literally. Boris and Ken were both that, in very different ways
Sadiq is a small minded teetotaller puritan. He’s got the exactly wrong skill set for the job, which is one reason, I think, he is so bad at it. He doesn’t like it. Doesn’t sit well
OTOH I have friends in Tooting who say Khan was an excellent constituency MP. Diligent and caring. Good at the small stuff. He should go back to the small stuff, where he’d probably be happier - and get more things done
..yea and that Muslim stuff, like being teetotal. Makes people feel, well, you know, uncomfortable?
Rishi is teetotal and not Muslim, I know plenty of Muslims who aren't teetotal. Small minded, teetotaller puritans come in all shapes and sizes, someone I worked previously with fit that category and was an older English man, I also know a fair number of Americans who fit that category too!
Yea, but when you attack someone who is a Muslim and is teetotal it is a bit, well perhaps, suspect? A bit like attacking someone for not being one of the lads and enjoying a bacon sandwich when they are Jewish.
Not really, drinking, small mindedness and puritanism are all choices. He's in all three of those categories too, and not because he's a Muslim either.
"People arriving in England from abroad will no longer have to take Covid tests if they are fully vaccinated, the government has confirmed.
The changes will be introduced from 4am on 11 February "in time for the half term break", said Transport Secretary Grant Shapps."
It’s excellent news for central London, which NEEDS those tourists back
What we really need is a Mayor who can let go of the pandemic as well though. Sadiq seems singularly determined to remind everyone about it and advertise to the world that London is a plague city despite the fact that it isn't really. Lots of media and assorted lefties also need to stop talking the nation down internationally or making bogus comparisons and using idiotic terms like "plague island". It's really dented the confidence of some Europeans from coming to the UK. The conversation I had with my Italian colleague still rings in my ears, loads of them really do believe that people were dying in the streets of London unable to get healthcare, that hasn't been helped by the blue ticks on twitter trying to pretend it is.
I also think we need to wind down the daily COVID dashboard as well, maybe by the end of March. Two years seems fair.
Perhaps Boris can resign and become Mayor of London again. I would happily vote for him. It was probably his ideal job
I mean, he was necessary to win the Brexit referendum and probably the only guy/girl who could have won that majority to force Brett through, but now that’s done, he seems done. Mission Accomplished. What is his ambition now?
If Boris goes back to being Mayor then Sadiq can move to his ideal job which is probably film censor in Rabat
Oh man, I'd take Boris back in an instant. The job of the Mayor is to advertise London on a global scale, whether that's to tech startups, to financial services companies, tourists or top global chefs looking for new restaurant sites. Sadiq is completely incapable of doing any of this. The running of the city happens automatically anyway, it really was the perfect job for Boris.
Yup
Basically, to “run” - or rather promote - a big young global partying vibrant have-fun-and-make-money please-come-here world city like London, you need to be a hedonist. Literally. Boris and Ken were both that, in very different ways
Sadiq is a small minded teetotaller puritan. He’s got the exactly wrong skill set for the job, which is one reason, I think, he is so bad at it. He doesn’t like it. Doesn’t sit well
OTOH I have friends in Tooting who say Khan was an excellent constituency MP. Diligent and caring. Good at the small stuff. He should go back to the small stuff, where he’d probably be happier - and get more things done
..yea and that Muslim stuff, like being teetotal. Makes people feel, well, you know, uncomfortable?
And it wasn't teetotaller Khan who banned having a tinnie on the tube either.
Possibly the best thing Boris did as Mayor. Sure, plenty of people now ignore it - but it improved the tube massively overnight.
Still, seems a bit puritan. You can only imagine the comments if Khan had introduced it.
Nadine Dorries @NadineDorries Whether it’s a major music festival, sporting event or concert, it's important that people pay a fair price to see the events they love. Please remain vigilant when considering to buy from ticket touts. Guidance is available if you are unsure: http://fanfairalliance.org/faqs/
Nadine must be shitting herself about Johnson getting ousted. No-one but The Clown would put such a numpty in a government job. Anyone know what her majority is? I'd be tempted to go and canvass for any party that has a chance of dislodging her.
Nadine Dorries @NadineDorries Whether it’s a major music festival, sporting event or concert, it's important that people pay a fair price to see the events they love. Please remain vigilant when considering to buy from ticket touts. Guidance is available if you are unsure: http://fanfairalliance.org/faqs/
Nadine must be shitting herself about Johnson getting ousted. No-one but The Clown would put such a numpty in a government job. Anyone know what her majority is?
Safe as houses - 20+k majority, among safest 10% of seats for the Tories.
"People arriving in England from abroad will no longer have to take Covid tests if they are fully vaccinated, the government has confirmed.
The changes will be introduced from 4am on 11 February "in time for the half term break", said Transport Secretary Grant Shapps."
It’s excellent news for central London, which NEEDS those tourists back
What we really need is a Mayor who can let go of the pandemic as well though. Sadiq seems singularly determined to remind everyone about it and advertise to the world that London is a plague city despite the fact that it isn't really. Lots of media and assorted lefties also need to stop talking the nation down internationally or making bogus comparisons and using idiotic terms like "plague island". It's really dented the confidence of some Europeans from coming to the UK. The conversation I had with my Italian colleague still rings in my ears, loads of them really do believe that people were dying in the streets of London unable to get healthcare, that hasn't been helped by the blue ticks on twitter trying to pretend it is.
I also think we need to wind down the daily COVID dashboard as well, maybe by the end of March. Two years seems fair.
Perhaps Boris can resign and become Mayor of London again. I would happily vote for him. It was probably his ideal job
I mean, he was necessary to win the Brexit referendum and probably the only guy/girl who could have won that majority to force Brett through, but now that’s done, he seems done. Mission Accomplished. What is his ambition now?
If Boris goes back to being Mayor then Sadiq can move to his ideal job which is probably film censor in Rabat
Oh man, I'd take Boris back in an instant. The job of the Mayor is to advertise London on a global scale, whether that's to tech startups, to financial services companies, tourists or top global chefs looking for new restaurant sites. Sadiq is completely incapable of doing any of this. The running of the city happens automatically anyway, it really was the perfect job for Boris.
Yup
Basically, to “run” - or rather promote - a big young global partying vibrant have-fun-and-make-money please-come-here world city like London, you need to be a hedonist. Literally. Boris and Ken were both that, in very different ways
Sadiq is a small minded teetotaller puritan. He’s got the exactly wrong skill set for the job, which is one reason, I think, he is so bad at it. He doesn’t like it. Doesn’t sit well
OTOH I have friends in Tooting who say Khan was an excellent constituency MP. Diligent and caring. Good at the small stuff. He should go back to the small stuff, where he’d probably be happier - and get more things done
..yea and that Muslim stuff, like being teetotal. Makes people feel, well, you know, uncomfortable?
Owl sighted in a storm that can only be heard by a few (3,7)
"People arriving in England from abroad will no longer have to take Covid tests if they are fully vaccinated, the government has confirmed.
The changes will be introduced from 4am on 11 February "in time for the half term break", said Transport Secretary Grant Shapps."
It’s excellent news for central London, which NEEDS those tourists back
What we really need is a Mayor who can let go of the pandemic as well though. Sadiq seems singularly determined to remind everyone about it and advertise to the world that London is a plague city despite the fact that it isn't really. Lots of media and assorted lefties also need to stop talking the nation down internationally or making bogus comparisons and using idiotic terms like "plague island". It's really dented the confidence of some Europeans from coming to the UK. The conversation I had with my Italian colleague still rings in my ears, loads of them really do believe that people were dying in the streets of London unable to get healthcare, that hasn't been helped by the blue ticks on twitter trying to pretend it is.
I also think we need to wind down the daily COVID dashboard as well, maybe by the end of March. Two years seems fair.
Perhaps Boris can resign and become Mayor of London again. I would happily vote for him. It was probably his ideal job
I mean, he was necessary to win the Brexit referendum and probably the only guy/girl who could have won that majority to force Brett through, but now that’s done, he seems done. Mission Accomplished. What is his ambition now?
If Boris goes back to being Mayor then Sadiq can move to his ideal job which is probably film censor in Rabat
Oh man, I'd take Boris back in an instant. The job of the Mayor is to advertise London on a global scale, whether that's to tech startups, to financial services companies, tourists or top global chefs looking for new restaurant sites. Sadiq is completely incapable of doing any of this. The running of the city happens automatically anyway, it really was the perfect job for Boris.
Yup
Basically, to “run” - or rather promote - a big young global partying vibrant have-fun-and-make-money please-come-here world city like London, you need to be a hedonist. Literally. Boris and Ken were both that, in very different ways
Sadiq is a small minded teetotaller puritan. He’s got the exactly wrong skill set for the job, which is one reason, I think, he is so bad at it. He doesn’t like it. Doesn’t sit well
OTOH I have friends in Tooting who say Khan was an excellent constituency MP. Diligent and caring. Good at the small stuff. He should go back to the small stuff, where he’d probably be happier - and get more things done
..yea and that Muslim stuff, like being teetotal. Makes people feel, well, you know, uncomfortable?
Rishi is teetotal and not Muslim, I know plenty of Muslims who aren't teetotal. Small minded, teetotaller puritans come in all shapes and sizes, someone I worked previously with fit that category and was an older English man, I also know a fair number of Americans who fit that category too!
Yea, but when you attack someone who is a Muslim and is teetotal it is a bit, well perhaps, suspect? A bit like attacking someone for not being one of the lads and enjoying a bacon sandwich when they are Jewish.
I think being teetotal is a bit too common a thing to lead to suspicion it is used as a codeword without something else to back it up - like Goldsmith's attempts to portray Khan as friendly to extremist.
Nadine Dorries @NadineDorries Whether it’s a major music festival, sporting event or concert, it's important that people pay a fair price to see the events they love. Please remain vigilant when considering to buy from ticket touts. Guidance is available if you are unsure: http://fanfairalliance.org/faqs/
Nadine must be shitting herself about Johnson getting ousted. No-one but The Clown would put such a numpty in a government job. Anyone know what her majority is?
Safe as houses - 20+k majority, among safest 10% of seats for the Tories.
"People arriving in England from abroad will no longer have to take Covid tests if they are fully vaccinated, the government has confirmed.
The changes will be introduced from 4am on 11 February "in time for the half term break", said Transport Secretary Grant Shapps."
It’s excellent news for central London, which NEEDS those tourists back
What we really need is a Mayor who can let go of the pandemic as well though. Sadiq seems singularly determined to remind everyone about it and advertise to the world that London is a plague city despite the fact that it isn't really. Lots of media and assorted lefties also need to stop talking the nation down internationally or making bogus comparisons and using idiotic terms like "plague island". It's really dented the confidence of some Europeans from coming to the UK. The conversation I had with my Italian colleague still rings in my ears, loads of them really do believe that people were dying in the streets of London unable to get healthcare, that hasn't been helped by the blue ticks on twitter trying to pretend it is.
I also think we need to wind down the daily COVID dashboard as well, maybe by the end of March. Two years seems fair.
Perhaps Boris can resign and become Mayor of London again. I would happily vote for him. It was probably his ideal job
I mean, he was necessary to win the Brexit referendum and probably the only guy/girl who could have won that majority to force Brett through, but now that’s done, he seems done. Mission Accomplished. What is his ambition now?
If Boris goes back to being Mayor then Sadiq can move to his ideal job which is probably film censor in Rabat
Oh man, I'd take Boris back in an instant. The job of the Mayor is to advertise London on a global scale, whether that's to tech startups, to financial services companies, tourists or top global chefs looking for new restaurant sites. Sadiq is completely incapable of doing any of this. The running of the city happens automatically anyway, it really was the perfect job for Boris.
Yup
Basically, to “run” - or rather promote - a big young global partying vibrant have-fun-and-make-money please-come-here world city like London, you need to be a hedonist. Literally. Boris and Ken were both that, in very different ways
Sadiq is a small minded teetotaller puritan. He’s got the exactly wrong skill set for the job, which is one reason, I think, he is so bad at it. He doesn’t like it. Doesn’t sit well
OTOH I have friends in Tooting who say Khan was an excellent constituency MP. Diligent and caring. Good at the small stuff. He should go back to the small stuff, where he’d probably be happier - and get more things done
LOL. Most of Johnson's "big stuff" in London came to nothing and simply wasted everyone's time and lots of our money.
Is it wrong to distrust Boris to the extent that they will use the Russia-Ukraine situation to save his own skin, even if that risks British interests?
Nobody has ever distrusted Boris Johnson too much.
"People arriving in England from abroad will no longer have to take Covid tests if they are fully vaccinated, the government has confirmed.
The changes will be introduced from 4am on 11 February "in time for the half term break", said Transport Secretary Grant Shapps."
It’s excellent news for central London, which NEEDS those tourists back
What we really need is a Mayor who can let go of the pandemic as well though. Sadiq seems singularly determined to remind everyone about it and advertise to the world that London is a plague city despite the fact that it isn't really. Lots of media and assorted lefties also need to stop talking the nation down internationally or making bogus comparisons and using idiotic terms like "plague island". It's really dented the confidence of some Europeans from coming to the UK. The conversation I had with my Italian colleague still rings in my ears, loads of them really do believe that people were dying in the streets of London unable to get healthcare, that hasn't been helped by the blue ticks on twitter trying to pretend it is.
I also think we need to wind down the daily COVID dashboard as well, maybe by the end of March. Two years seems fair.
Perhaps Boris can resign and become Mayor of London again. I would happily vote for him. It was probably his ideal job
I mean, he was necessary to win the Brexit referendum and probably the only guy/girl who could have won that majority to force Brett through, but now that’s done, he seems done. Mission Accomplished. What is his ambition now?
If Boris goes back to being Mayor then Sadiq can move to his ideal job which is probably film censor in Rabat
Oh man, I'd take Boris back in an instant. The job of the Mayor is to advertise London on a global scale, whether that's to tech startups, to financial services companies, tourists or top global chefs looking for new restaurant sites. Sadiq is completely incapable of doing any of this. The running of the city happens automatically anyway, it really was the perfect job for Boris.
Yup
Basically, to “run” - or rather promote - a big young global partying vibrant have-fun-and-make-money please-come-here world city like London, you need to be a hedonist. Literally. Boris and Ken were both that, in very different ways
Sadiq is a small minded teetotaller puritan. He’s got the exactly wrong skill set for the job, which is one reason, I think, he is so bad at it. He doesn’t like it. Doesn’t sit well
OTOH I have friends in Tooting who say Khan was an excellent constituency MP. Diligent and caring. Good at the small stuff. He should go back to the small stuff, where he’d probably be happier - and get more things done
..yea and that Muslim stuff, like being teetotal. Makes people feel, well, you know, uncomfortable?
Fair enough. Feel uncomfortable. Knock yourself out
"People arriving in England from abroad will no longer have to take Covid tests if they are fully vaccinated, the government has confirmed.
The changes will be introduced from 4am on 11 February "in time for the half term break", said Transport Secretary Grant Shapps."
It’s excellent news for central London, which NEEDS those tourists back
What we really need is a Mayor who can let go of the pandemic as well though. Sadiq seems singularly determined to remind everyone about it and advertise to the world that London is a plague city despite the fact that it isn't really. Lots of media and assorted lefties also need to stop talking the nation down internationally or making bogus comparisons and using idiotic terms like "plague island". It's really dented the confidence of some Europeans from coming to the UK. The conversation I had with my Italian colleague still rings in my ears, loads of them really do believe that people were dying in the streets of London unable to get healthcare, that hasn't been helped by the blue ticks on twitter trying to pretend it is.
I also think we need to wind down the daily COVID dashboard as well, maybe by the end of March. Two years seems fair.
Perhaps Boris can resign and become Mayor of London again. I would happily vote for him. It was probably his ideal job
I mean, he was necessary to win the Brexit referendum and probably the only guy/girl who could have won that majority to force Brett through, but now that’s done, he seems done. Mission Accomplished. What is his ambition now?
If Boris goes back to being Mayor then Sadiq can move to his ideal job which is probably film censor in Rabat
Oh man, I'd take Boris back in an instant. The job of the Mayor is to advertise London on a global scale, whether that's to tech startups, to financial services companies, tourists or top global chefs looking for new restaurant sites. Sadiq is completely incapable of doing any of this. The running of the city happens automatically anyway, it really was the perfect job for Boris.
Yup
Basically, to “run” - or rather promote - a big young global partying vibrant have-fun-and-make-money please-come-here world city like London, you need to be a hedonist. Literally. Boris and Ken were both that, in very different ways
Sadiq is a small minded teetotaller puritan. He’s got the exactly wrong skill set for the job, which is one reason, I think, he is so bad at it. He doesn’t like it. Doesn’t sit well
OTOH I have friends in Tooting who say Khan was an excellent constituency MP. Diligent and caring. Good at the small stuff. He should go back to the small stuff, where he’d probably be happier - and get more things done
..yea and that Muslim stuff, like being teetotal. Makes people feel, well, you know, uncomfortable?
Rishi is teetotal and not Muslim, I know plenty of Muslims who aren't teetotal. Small minded, teetotaller puritans come in all shapes and sizes, someone I worked previously with fit that category and was an older English man, I also know a fair number of Americans who fit that category too!
Yea, but when you attack someone who is a Muslim and is teetotal it is a bit, well perhaps, suspect? A bit like attacking someone for not being one of the lads and enjoying a bacon sandwich when they are Jewish.
I think being teetotal is a bit too common a thing to lead to suspicion it is used as a codeword without something else to back it up - like Goldsmith's attempts to portray Khan as friendly to extremist.
The use of the word "puritan" also hints at religious motivations.
"People arriving in England from abroad will no longer have to take Covid tests if they are fully vaccinated, the government has confirmed.
The changes will be introduced from 4am on 11 February "in time for the half term break", said Transport Secretary Grant Shapps."
It’s excellent news for central London, which NEEDS those tourists back
What we really need is a Mayor who can let go of the pandemic as well though. Sadiq seems singularly determined to remind everyone about it and advertise to the world that London is a plague city despite the fact that it isn't really. Lots of media and assorted lefties also need to stop talking the nation down internationally or making bogus comparisons and using idiotic terms like "plague island". It's really dented the confidence of some Europeans from coming to the UK. The conversation I had with my Italian colleague still rings in my ears, loads of them really do believe that people were dying in the streets of London unable to get healthcare, that hasn't been helped by the blue ticks on twitter trying to pretend it is.
I also think we need to wind down the daily COVID dashboard as well, maybe by the end of March. Two years seems fair.
Perhaps Boris can resign and become Mayor of London again. I would happily vote for him. It was probably his ideal job
I mean, he was necessary to win the Brexit referendum and probably the only guy/girl who could have won that majority to force Brett through, but now that’s done, he seems done. Mission Accomplished. What is his ambition now?
If Boris goes back to being Mayor then Sadiq can move to his ideal job which is probably film censor in Rabat
Oh man, I'd take Boris back in an instant. The job of the Mayor is to advertise London on a global scale, whether that's to tech startups, to financial services companies, tourists or top global chefs looking for new restaurant sites. Sadiq is completely incapable of doing any of this. The running of the city happens automatically anyway, it really was the perfect job for Boris.
Yup
Basically, to “run” - or rather promote - a big young global partying vibrant have-fun-and-make-money please-come-here world city like London, you need to be a hedonist. Literally. Boris and Ken were both that, in very different ways
Sadiq is a small minded teetotaller puritan. He’s got the exactly wrong skill set for the job, which is one reason, I think, he is so bad at it. He doesn’t like it. Doesn’t sit well
OTOH I have friends in Tooting who say Khan was an excellent constituency MP. Diligent and caring. Good at the small stuff. He should go back to the small stuff, where he’d probably be happier - and get more things done
..yea and that Muslim stuff, like being teetotal. Makes people feel, well, you know, uncomfortable?
Fair enough. Feel uncomfortable. Knock yourself out
No need to sound so surly. Your work is done. Well done.
"People arriving in England from abroad will no longer have to take Covid tests if they are fully vaccinated, the government has confirmed.
The changes will be introduced from 4am on 11 February "in time for the half term break", said Transport Secretary Grant Shapps."
It’s excellent news for central London, which NEEDS those tourists back
What we really need is a Mayor who can let go of the pandemic as well though. Sadiq seems singularly determined to remind everyone about it and advertise to the world that London is a plague city despite the fact that it isn't really. Lots of media and assorted lefties also need to stop talking the nation down internationally or making bogus comparisons and using idiotic terms like "plague island". It's really dented the confidence of some Europeans from coming to the UK. The conversation I had with my Italian colleague still rings in my ears, loads of them really do believe that people were dying in the streets of London unable to get healthcare, that hasn't been helped by the blue ticks on twitter trying to pretend it is.
I also think we need to wind down the daily COVID dashboard as well, maybe by the end of March. Two years seems fair.
Perhaps Boris can resign and become Mayor of London again. I would happily vote for him. It was probably his ideal job
I mean, he was necessary to win the Brexit referendum and probably the only guy/girl who could have won that majority to force Brett through, but now that’s done, he seems done. Mission Accomplished. What is his ambition now?
If Boris goes back to being Mayor then Sadiq can move to his ideal job which is probably film censor in Rabat
Oh man, I'd take Boris back in an instant. The job of the Mayor is to advertise London on a global scale, whether that's to tech startups, to financial services companies, tourists or top global chefs looking for new restaurant sites. Sadiq is completely incapable of doing any of this. The running of the city happens automatically anyway, it really was the perfect job for Boris.
Yup
Basically, to “run” - or rather promote - a big young global partying vibrant have-fun-and-make-money please-come-here world city like London, you need to be a hedonist. Literally. Boris and Ken were both that, in very different ways
Sadiq is a small minded teetotaller puritan. He’s got the exactly wrong skill set for the job, which is one reason, I think, he is so bad at it. He doesn’t like it. Doesn’t sit well
OTOH I have friends in Tooting who say Khan was an excellent constituency MP. Diligent and caring. Good at the small stuff. He should go back to the small stuff, where he’d probably be happier - and get more things done
..yea and that Muslim stuff, like being teetotal. Makes people feel, well, you know, uncomfortable?
Rishi is teetotal and not Muslim, I know plenty of Muslims who aren't teetotal. Small minded, teetotaller puritans come in all shapes and sizes, someone I worked previously with fit that category and was an older English man, I also know a fair number of Americans who fit that category too!
Yea, but when you attack someone who is a Muslim and is teetotal it is a bit, well perhaps, suspect? A bit like attacking someone for not being one of the lads and enjoying a bacon sandwich when they are Jewish.
I think being teetotal is a bit too common a thing to lead to suspicion it is used as a codeword without something else to back it up - like Goldsmith's attempts to portray Khan as friendly to extremist.
The use of the word "puritan" also hints at religious motivations.
Puritan was always an insult. If it is meant to evoke religiosity then that's even further away from being a muslim.
It doesn't seem likely Khan never faces attacks for such a reason, but for being a teetotal puritan? It just seems a bit weak, as a teetotaller.
"People arriving in England from abroad will no longer have to take Covid tests if they are fully vaccinated, the government has confirmed.
The changes will be introduced from 4am on 11 February "in time for the half term break", said Transport Secretary Grant Shapps."
It’s excellent news for central London, which NEEDS those tourists back
What we really need is a Mayor who can let go of the pandemic as well though. Sadiq seems singularly determined to remind everyone about it and advertise to the world that London is a plague city despite the fact that it isn't really. Lots of media and assorted lefties also need to stop talking the nation down internationally or making bogus comparisons and using idiotic terms like "plague island". It's really dented the confidence of some Europeans from coming to the UK. The conversation I had with my Italian colleague still rings in my ears, loads of them really do believe that people were dying in the streets of London unable to get healthcare, that hasn't been helped by the blue ticks on twitter trying to pretend it is.
I also think we need to wind down the daily COVID dashboard as well, maybe by the end of March. Two years seems fair.
Perhaps Boris can resign and become Mayor of London again. I would happily vote for him. It was probably his ideal job
I mean, he was necessary to win the Brexit referendum and probably the only guy/girl who could have won that majority to force Brett through, but now that’s done, he seems done. Mission Accomplished. What is his ambition now?
If Boris goes back to being Mayor then Sadiq can move to his ideal job which is probably film censor in Rabat
Oh man, I'd take Boris back in an instant. The job of the Mayor is to advertise London on a global scale, whether that's to tech startups, to financial services companies, tourists or top global chefs looking for new restaurant sites. Sadiq is completely incapable of doing any of this. The running of the city happens automatically anyway, it really was the perfect job for Boris.
Yup
Basically, to “run” - or rather promote - a big young global partying vibrant have-fun-and-make-money please-come-here world city like London, you need to be a hedonist. Literally. Boris and Ken were both that, in very different ways
Sadiq is a small minded teetotaller puritan. He’s got the exactly wrong skill set for the job, which is one reason, I think, he is so bad at it. He doesn’t like it. Doesn’t sit well
OTOH I have friends in Tooting who say Khan was an excellent constituency MP. Diligent and caring. Good at the small stuff. He should go back to the small stuff, where he’d probably be happier - and get more things done
LOL. Most of Johnson's "big stuff" in London came to nothing and simply wasted everyone's time and lots of our money.
One of the interesting thing about the fixed-term limits to the mayoralty (London, in this case), is that it shows how little power a mayor has to change things in their period in power.
Take the Olympics. Delivered under Johnson, but got under Livingstone. Who takes most of the credit for its success? Johnson, obviously, but much of the groundwork (literally) was under his predecessor.
Eight years, and particularly four years, is little time to change things for the better as most impactful projects take much longer to come to fruition. All a mayor can do is influence the direction of policy travel.
Nadine Dorries @NadineDorries Whether it’s a major music festival, sporting event or concert, it's important that people pay a fair price to see the events they love. Please remain vigilant when considering to buy from ticket touts. Guidance is available if you are unsure: http://fanfairalliance.org/faqs/
Nadine must be shitting herself about Johnson getting ousted. No-one but The Clown would put such a numpty in a government job. Anyone know what her majority is?
Safe as houses - 20+k majority, among safest 10% of seats for the Tories.
The Russia Ukraine crisis is now leading the media and increasingly so
1) The Sue Gray report is presented to the HOC by Boris and lots of sounds of fury but his mps fail to send in the letters. Boris stands firm against Russia, Rishi announces the suspension of the NI rise, abolishes vat on energy and implements a generous grant scheme to all standard rate taxpayer households, Gove announces the levelling up schemes and Boris carries on praying for some respite in May
Or
2) He is gone by the end of the week
If I was betting on that I think 1 is favourite
Apart frrom "Tory Minister resigns in Covid fraud". which happens to be leading the news but I am surprised. This sort of thing is so commonplace with this government It's odd that they bother to report it
I have no idea which news you are watching but it is Russia Ukraine and right now a live NATO conference
It did briefly flash up on the BBC website.
The entire bounce back loans debarcle was entirely known about and could be seen coming down the line a year ago. I regularly frequent AccountingWeb/AnyAnswers forum (a riviting read for accountants and non-accountants alike.... okay, I jest; its as dry as anything) and every accountant on there was reporting that they felt for sure they had to file SARs (Suspicious Activity Reports, rather than Subject Access Requests) for a good number of their clients who'd taken the maximum bounceback loan of £50k, whizzed it up the wall on a new motor for themselves then filed DS01 a week later to strike their company off.
I doubt even half of bounceback loans will ever be repaid.
Agnew's account of his struggles to get it taken seriously are damning.
https://www.theguardian.com/politics/live/2022/jan/24/uk-politics-boris-johnson-conservatives-labour-nusrat-ghani ...The oversight by both BEIS [the Department for Business, Enterprise and Industry Strategy] and the British Business Bank of the panel lenders of BBLs has been nothing less than woeful. They have been assisted by the Treasury, who appear to have no knowledge or little interest in the consequences of fraud to our economy or our society... etc.
The fact that he's (apparently) close to Gove and Truss might account for the timing of this, but he does seem to have resigned for good reason, out of sheer frustration with the government.
I suspect this might be Rishi dished. ...Agnew said, at the start of the pandemic, BEIS had just two counter-fraud officials on its staff, neither of whom were experienced in this area. They refused to enagage with the counter-fraud team at the Cabinet Office reporting to Agnew, Agnrew said.
Schoolboy errors were made, for example allowing over a thousand companies to receive bounceback loans that were not even trading when Covid struck ...
I’ve been arguing with Treasury and Bay’s officials for nearly two years to get them to lift their game. I’ve been mostly unsuccessful.
Agnew said he was particulary worried about how banks had been able to claim back 100% of some Covid loans that were written off. He said three out of the seven main lenders were responsible for 87% of the loans paid out to firms that are now dissolved. And two of the seven lenders were responsible for 81% of loans to firms set up after the pandemic started, he said.
Agnew said, if only the British Business Bank would “wake up”, there was still time to take action on duplicate loans paid out. He went on:
Despite pressing BEIS and BBB for over a year, there is still no single dashboard of management data to scrutinise lender performance. It is inexcusable.
We’ve already paid out nearly £1bn pounds to banks claiming the state guarantee . The percentage of these losses estimated to be from fraud rather than credit failure is 26%. I accept this as only an earlier approximation but a very worrying one.
Agnew said he had at least four differences of opinion with Treasury officials on what the government shoud be doing.
He said there was a failure by Treasury and BEIS officials to understand the “complete disjunction” between the amount of criminal activity in this area, probably hundreds of thousands of cases, and the capacity of the enforcement agencies trying to stop it. For example, Natis, the National Investigation Service, can handle just 200 cases a year, he said....
BEIS is Kwasi iirc. Where does he stand on the succession? Agnew's line that stands out is "no single dashboard" which sounds very Cummingsesque.
Bad bad move. You always interview. Always. And if someone doesn't want to be interviewed in something they claim to be as important as this you view what they tell you with a hugely sceptical eye.
He can't be forced to an interview. But the consequences of him refusing to do so for the investigation should be spelt out.
Frankly I'd be inclined to discount very clearly in the report - in the executive summary - anything he says unless it is clearly corroborated elsewhere by reliable evidence. I would also list out all the unanswered questions and issues I was not able to address as a result of this witness being unwilling to be interviewed.
Please Cyclefree, that is unladylike. remember the adage:
Men should only weep in war, women should only swear in bed
Fuck off you patronising man!
If you think that was bad, you should see what the disgusting letch was writing - under his own name - a decade ago. Pure, unadulterated filth.
I thought Mary Whitehouse died a few decades ago. Odd to think her spirit lives on in Sweden, of all places...
And it was filth adulterated by very bad writing in any case.
Do you have a link? This was before my time but it all sounds very intriguing
For those who cannot remember 20 years ago, a more innocent age:
"It is time, time… Now. Yes. She is so small and compact and yet she has all the necessary features… Shall I compare thee to a Sony Walkman. She is his own Toshiba, his dinky little JVC, his sweet Aiwa… Aiwa, aiwa aiwa aiwa aiwa aiwa aiwa aiwa aiwa aiwa aiwaaaaaaaaahhhhhhhhh"
Biden calling UVDL, Macron, German and Italy leaders tonight over Russia threat to Ukraine
And for the avoidance of doubt Boris will also be in the call
I expect in the next couple of days Boris to stand at the dispatch box all Churchillian and the the letters will melt away
Is he a lucky general so to speak
Will you melt?
Not me but I do expect this story could have a big influence over conservative mps
They will disgrace themselves if they do so, Johnson doesn't deserve his political survival, for what he has overseen.
We also need a grown up to manage the Russian crisis. Johnson spitting out hard man sound bites to get a vote here and there is not Churchillian statesmanship.
Nadine Dorries @NadineDorries Whether it’s a major music festival, sporting event or concert, it's important that people pay a fair price to see the events they love. Please remain vigilant when considering to buy from ticket touts. Guidance is available if you are unsure: http://fanfairalliance.org/faqs/
Nadine must be shitting herself about Johnson getting ousted. No-one but The Clown would put such a numpty in a government job. Anyone know what her majority is?
Safe as houses - 20+k majority, among safest 10% of seats for the Tories.
Biden calling UVDL, Macron, German and Italy leaders tonight over Russia threat to Ukraine
And for the avoidance of doubt Boris will also be in the call
I expect in the next couple of days Boris to stand at the dispatch box all Churchillian and the the letters will melt away
Is he a lucky general so to speak
Will you melt?
Not me but I do expect this story could have a big influence over conservative mps
They will disgrace themselves if they do so, Johnson doesn't deserve his political survival, for what he has overseen.
We also need a grown up to manage the Russian crisis. Johnson spitting out hard man sound bites to get a vote here and there is not Churchillian statesmanship.
Suspect Putin did not expect an apparently weakened US President to so clearly signal support for Ukraine and Europe in general, bringing together such a cast list. Easy mistake to make, suspect few people did. A reminder that such unity is still possible.
"People arriving in England from abroad will no longer have to take Covid tests if they are fully vaccinated, the government has confirmed.
The changes will be introduced from 4am on 11 February "in time for the half term break", said Transport Secretary Grant Shapps."
It’s excellent news for central London, which NEEDS those tourists back
What we really need is a Mayor who can let go of the pandemic as well though. Sadiq seems singularly determined to remind everyone about it and advertise to the world that London is a plague city despite the fact that it isn't really. Lots of media and assorted lefties also need to stop talking the nation down internationally or making bogus comparisons and using idiotic terms like "plague island". It's really dented the confidence of some Europeans from coming to the UK. The conversation I had with my Italian colleague still rings in my ears, loads of them really do believe that people were dying in the streets of London unable to get healthcare, that hasn't been helped by the blue ticks on twitter trying to pretend it is.
I also think we need to wind down the daily COVID dashboard as well, maybe by the end of March. Two years seems fair.
Perhaps Boris can resign and become Mayor of London again. I would happily vote for him. It was probably his ideal job
I mean, he was necessary to win the Brexit referendum and probably the only guy/girl who could have won that majority to force Brett through, but now that’s done, he seems done. Mission Accomplished. What is his ambition now?
If Boris goes back to being Mayor then Sadiq can move to his ideal job which is probably film censor in Rabat
Oh man, I'd take Boris back in an instant. The job of the Mayor is to advertise London on a global scale, whether that's to tech startups, to financial services companies, tourists or top global chefs looking for new restaurant sites. Sadiq is completely incapable of doing any of this. The running of the city happens automatically anyway, it really was the perfect job for Boris.
Yup
Basically, to “run” - or rather promote - a big young global partying vibrant have-fun-and-make-money please-come-here world city like London, you need to be a hedonist. Literally. Boris and Ken were both that, in very different ways
Sadiq is a small minded teetotaller puritan. He’s got the exactly wrong skill set for the job, which is one reason, I think, he is so bad at it. He doesn’t like it. Doesn’t sit well
OTOH I have friends in Tooting who say Khan was an excellent constituency MP. Diligent and caring. Good at the small stuff. He should go back to the small stuff, where he’d probably be happier - and get more things done
..yea and that Muslim stuff, like being teetotal. Makes people feel, well, you know, uncomfortable?
And it wasn't teetotaller Khan who banned having a tinnie on the tube either.
Possibly the best thing Boris did as Mayor. Sure, plenty of people now ignore it - but it improved the tube massively overnight.
Did it? I never noticed a booze problem on the tube (Christmas excepted, perhaps) but perhaps it depended which line you took.
Suspect Putin did not expect an apparently weakened US President to so clearly signal support for Ukraine and Europe in general, bringing together such a cast list. Easy mistake to make, suspect few people did. A reminder that such unity is still possible.
The list of famous teetotal leaders is not that encouraging:
Donald Trump Ayatollah Khomeini George Dubya Bush Sadiq Khan The Taliban guy Joe Biden Genghis Khan Adolf Hitler
Lesson, always elect a leader that like a drink, at least occasionally
Leon : Well, I'm no stranger to the land of scoff. Perhaps you'd like to explain to me why it is that every major battle in history has been won by the side with the shortest haircut.
Kryten : Oh, surely not, sir!
Leon : Think about it! Why did the US cavalry beat the Indian nation? Short back and sides versus girly-hippie locks. The Cavaliers and the Roundheads, 1-0 to the pudding-basins. Vietnam, crew-cuts both sides, no score draw.
Bad bad move. You always interview. Always. And if someone doesn't want to be interviewed in something they claim to be as important as this you view what they tell you with a hugely sceptical eye.
He can't be forced to an interview. But the consequences of him refusing to do so for the investigation should be spelt out.
Frankly I'd be inclined to discount very clearly in the report - in the executive summary - anything he says unless it is clearly corroborated elsewhere by reliable evidence. I would also list out all the unanswered questions and issues I was not able to address as a result of this witness being unwilling to be interviewed.
Please Cyclefree, that is unladylike. remember the adage:
Men should only weep in war, women should only swear in bed
Fuck off you patronising man!
If you think that was bad, you should see what the disgusting letch was writing - under his own name - a decade ago. Pure, unadulterated filth.
I thought Mary Whitehouse died a few decades ago. Odd to think her spirit lives on in Sweden, of all places...
She was the lady who wrote that comedy sketch show in the early ‘90s, wasn’t she? A teenage me thought it was rather lovely. Milky milky.
Someone I knew at uni offered me a free ticket to see the MWE on tour back around 1992. I didn't go.
One of my life regrets, given how they split up soon afterwards.
Interestingly, I see an alternative title for the show was the 'William Rees-Mogg Experience'.
Shows how long that awful family has been a prominent feature of our society.
"People arriving in England from abroad will no longer have to take Covid tests if they are fully vaccinated, the government has confirmed.
The changes will be introduced from 4am on 11 February "in time for the half term break", said Transport Secretary Grant Shapps."
It’s excellent news for central London, which NEEDS those tourists back
What we really need is a Mayor who can let go of the pandemic as well though. Sadiq seems singularly determined to remind everyone about it and advertise to the world that London is a plague city despite the fact that it isn't really. Lots of media and assorted lefties also need to stop talking the nation down internationally or making bogus comparisons and using idiotic terms like "plague island". It's really dented the confidence of some Europeans from coming to the UK. The conversation I had with my Italian colleague still rings in my ears, loads of them really do believe that people were dying in the streets of London unable to get healthcare, that hasn't been helped by the blue ticks on twitter trying to pretend it is.
I also think we need to wind down the daily COVID dashboard as well, maybe by the end of March. Two years seems fair.
Perhaps Boris can resign and become Mayor of London again. I would happily vote for him. It was probably his ideal job
I mean, he was necessary to win the Brexit referendum and probably the only guy/girl who could have won that majority to force Brett through, but now that’s done, he seems done. Mission Accomplished. What is his ambition now?
If Boris goes back to being Mayor then Sadiq can move to his ideal job which is probably film censor in Rabat
Oh man, I'd take Boris back in an instant. The job of the Mayor is to advertise London on a global scale, whether that's to tech startups, to financial services companies, tourists or top global chefs looking for new restaurant sites. Sadiq is completely incapable of doing any of this. The running of the city happens automatically anyway, it really was the perfect job for Boris.
Yup
Basically, to “run” - or rather promote - a big young global partying vibrant have-fun-and-make-money please-come-here world city like London, you need to be a hedonist. Literally. Boris and Ken were both that, in very different ways
Sadiq is a small minded teetotaller puritan. He’s got the exactly wrong skill set for the job, which is one reason, I think, he is so bad at it. He doesn’t like it. Doesn’t sit well
OTOH I have friends in Tooting who say Khan was an excellent constituency MP. Diligent and caring. Good at the small stuff. He should go back to the small stuff, where he’d probably be happier - and get more things done
..yea and that Muslim stuff, like being teetotal. Makes people feel, well, you know, uncomfortable?
And it wasn't teetotaller Khan who banned having a tinnie on the tube either.
Possibly the best thing Boris did as Mayor. Sure, plenty of people now ignore it - but it improved the tube massively overnight.
Did it? I never noticed a booze problem on the tube (Christmas excepted, perhaps) but perhaps it depended which line you took.
One of the best things Boris did as Mayor was to get rid of the 'Winterval' nonsense. Apparently he went apeshit when he was shown the Mayor's official card with the wokish substitute for Christmas on it.
The Russia Ukraine crisis is now leading the media and increasingly so
1) The Sue Gray report is presented to the HOC by Boris and lots of sounds of fury but his mps fail to send in the letters. Boris stands firm against Russia, Rishi announces the suspension of the NI rise, abolishes vat on energy and implements a generous grant scheme to all standard rate taxpayer households, Gove announces the levelling up schemes and Boris carries on praying for some respite in May
Or
2) He is gone by the end of the week
If I was betting on that I think 1 is favourite
Apart frrom "Tory Minister resigns in Covid fraud". which happens to be leading the news but I am surprised. This sort of thing is so commonplace with this government It's odd that they bother to report it
I have no idea which news you are watching but it is Russia Ukraine and right now a live NATO conference
It did briefly flash up on the BBC website.
The entire bounce back loans debarcle was entirely known about and could be seen coming down the line a year ago. I regularly frequent AccountingWeb/AnyAnswers forum (a riviting read for accountants and non-accountants alike.... okay, I jest; its as dry as anything) and every accountant on there was reporting that they felt for sure they had to file SARs (Suspicious Activity Reports, rather than Subject Access Requests) for a good number of their clients who'd taken the maximum bounceback loan of £50k, whizzed it up the wall on a new motor for themselves then filed DS01 a week later to strike their company off.
I doubt even half of bounceback loans will ever be repaid.
Agnew's account of his struggles to get it taken seriously are damning.
https://www.theguardian.com/politics/live/2022/jan/24/uk-politics-boris-johnson-conservatives-labour-nusrat-ghani ...The oversight by both BEIS [the Department for Business, Enterprise and Industry Strategy] and the British Business Bank of the panel lenders of BBLs has been nothing less than woeful. They have been assisted by the Treasury, who appear to have no knowledge or little interest in the consequences of fraud to our economy or our society... etc.
The fact that he's (apparently) close to Gove and Truss might account for the timing of this, but he does seem to have resigned for good reason, out of sheer frustration with the government.
I suspect this might be Rishi dished. ...Agnew said, at the start of the pandemic, BEIS had just two counter-fraud officials on its staff, neither of whom were experienced in this area. They refused to enagage with the counter-fraud team at the Cabinet Office reporting to Agnew, Agnrew said.
Schoolboy errors were made, for example allowing over a thousand companies to receive bounceback loans that were not even trading when Covid struck ...
I’ve been arguing with Treasury and Bay’s officials for nearly two years to get them to lift their game. I’ve been mostly unsuccessful.
Agnew said he was particulary worried about how banks had been able to claim back 100% of some Covid loans that were written off. He said three out of the seven main lenders were responsible for 87% of the loans paid out to firms that are now dissolved. And two of the seven lenders were responsible for 81% of loans to firms set up after the pandemic started, he said.
Agnew said, if only the British Business Bank would “wake up”, there was still time to take action on duplicate loans paid out. He went on:
Despite pressing BEIS and BBB for over a year, there is still no single dashboard of management data to scrutinise lender performance. It is inexcusable.
We’ve already paid out nearly £1bn pounds to banks claiming the state guarantee . The percentage of these losses estimated to be from fraud rather than credit failure is 26%. I accept this as only an earlier approximation but a very worrying one.
Agnew said he had at least four differences of opinion with Treasury officials on what the government shoud be doing.
He said there was a failure by Treasury and BEIS officials to understand the “complete disjunction” between the amount of criminal activity in this area, probably hundreds of thousands of cases, and the capacity of the enforcement agencies trying to stop it. For example, Natis, the National Investigation Service, can handle just 200 cases a year, he said....
BEIS is Kwasi iirc. Where does he stand on the succession? Agnew's line that stands out is "no single dashboard" which sounds very Cummingsesque.
Hang on - if he was in charge of this area why didn't he have enough power and resources to generate the reports he needed... I find it a bit strange that he couldn't grab someone for a week or so and generate something...
EU foreign policy chief @JosepBorrellF suggests US & UK withdrawal of staff from Ukraine was unnecessary
“Having listened to Sec Blinken, I don’t think there's a need for us to do any kind of precautionary measure from point of view of our staff & their permanence in Ukraine"
Little known fact: he was a connoisseur of Rhône blends, vintage Malmsey and new Balkan whites, was an early enthusiast for English fizz, and kept an exceptional cellar in Qom
If Boris Johnson can conjure up the Spirit of Winston Churchill in his (or rather their) darkest hour(s), to deploy the flash points of the Russia - Ukraine crisis in diverting Parliament and the Great British Public from the fleshpots of Westminster Village & Downing Street Wine Garden, would be both apt & ironic.
Apt because in May 1940 in the Norway debate, Churchill won the admiration and support of the House of Commons (nearly all of the opposition, and nearly half of Tories & other "National" MPs.
All while DEFENDING Chamberlain & the government re: Norway debacle - which he as First Lord of the Admiralty had direct ministerial responsibility.
Ironic of course because the MPs who trooped through the division lobby "against" Churchill that fateful night (plus Tories who abstained on purpose in support of parliamentary VONC versus Chamberlain govt, were more than willing to overlook WSC's role in the immediate crisis.
Why? Because they believed he was THE man for the job at that time of extreme peril - that Winston Churchill as Prime Minster was the best thing, not for party or preferment, but (dare I say) for God and country.
Biden calling UVDL, Macron, German and Italy leaders tonight over Russia threat to Ukraine
And for the avoidance of doubt Boris will also be in the call
I expect in the next couple of days Boris to stand at the dispatch box all Churchillian and the the letters will melt away
Is he a lucky general so to speak
Will you melt?
Not me but I do expect this story could have a big influence over conservative mps
They will disgrace themselves if they do so, Johnson doesn't deserve his political survival, for what he has overseen.
We also need a grown up to manage the Russian crisis. Johnson spitting out hard man sound bites to get a vote here and there is not Churchillian statesmanship.
Politics hey
What has happened to your support for Sunak? One of the grown-ups I had in mind. You've gone full Johnson fanboi tonight. Now is not the time for a clown, particularly one who is deluded enough to think he is Churchill.
It seems like the longer Russia wait, the more support flows to Ukraine. At this time I'm not sure it would make a substantive difference, but it sort of begs the question of whether the Russians are really here for the show as much as anything.
I've been struggling to understand why people have been telegraphing Russia invading Ukraine at the end of January since about, approximately, mid-November? If you're seriously planning to invade a country don't you want some sort of element of surprise?
Maybe I'm grasping at straws out of hope here but...
Biden calling UVDL, Macron, German and Italy leaders tonight over Russia threat to Ukraine
And for the avoidance of doubt Boris will also be in the call
I expect in the next couple of days Boris to stand at the dispatch box all Churchillian and the the letters will melt away
Is he a lucky general so to speak
Will you melt?
Not me but I do expect this story could have a big influence over conservative mps
They will disgrace themselves if they do so, Johnson doesn't deserve his political survival, for what he has overseen.
We also need a grown up to manage the Russian crisis. Johnson spitting out hard man sound bites to get a vote here and there is not Churchillian statesmanship.
Politics hey
What has happened to your support for Sunak? One of the grown-ups I had in mind. You've gone full Johnson fanboi tonight. Now is not the time for a clown, particularly one who is deluded enough to think he is Churchill.
Nonsense . I have not wavered from Rishi but can see a scenario playing out where Boris may survive for now
Ooh, sounds like Brandon woke up. US troops on their way to Eastern Europe, but not Ukraine yet. US “Rivet Joint” intelligence-gathering planes are flying in Ukraine though, close to the Russian border trying to work out what’s going on.
Bad bad move. You always interview. Always. And if someone doesn't want to be interviewed in something they claim to be as important as this you view what they tell you with a hugely sceptical eye.
He can't be forced to an interview. But the consequences of him refusing to do so for the investigation should be spelt out.
Frankly I'd be inclined to discount very clearly in the report - in the executive summary - anything he says unless it is clearly corroborated elsewhere by reliable evidence. I would also list out all the unanswered questions and issues I was not able to address as a result of this witness being unwilling to be interviewed.
Please Cyclefree, that is unladylike. remember the adage:
Men should only weep in war, women should only swear in bed
Fuck off you patronising man!
If you think that was bad, you should see what the disgusting letch was writing - under his own name - a decade ago. Pure, unadulterated filth.
I thought Mary Whitehouse died a few decades ago. Odd to think her spirit lives on in Sweden, of all places...
She was the lady who wrote that comedy sketch show in the early ‘90s, wasn’t she? A teenage me thought it was rather lovely. Milky milky.
She had Channel 4 put red blobs on the screen at the start of any films with rude bits from the mid-1980s as I recall. Very helpful to my housemates and myself when deciding what to watch on TV of a Friday evening. If in doubt we picked the ones with the red blobs.
She was always going on about the National Viewers' and Listeners' Alliance (?) but when one asked how many members it had apart from her husband to back her in this moral crusade, she would never answer, or am I being unfair?
She represented views which had been moderately mainstream 25 years previously but which by the 80s seemed antediluvian. She frequently referred to Christianity in a way which seemed archaic at the time but in her mind I am sure Christianity still seemed a mainstream position. She was not a monster. Dominic Sandbrook writes interestingly about her in his 20th century history series.
The advantage of Mary Whitehouse was that she kept broadcasters aware of excessive violence, whish is unfortunately now all too trendy, very rarely challenged, and an easy route to ratings. The disadvantage was her ridiculous views on sexuality in mainstream broadcasting.
Yes, for a while it seemed like every new crime drama would kick off with a young woman being brutally murdered. I got sick of it and went on strike. Seemed to work because there's a bit more diversity now. You get plenty of men and children also being brutally murdered.
The Dennis Nilsen documentary starts tonight on BBC2. He was the serial killer caught by Dynorod iirc, in another non-triumph for the constabulary. (David Tennant was excellent as Nilsen in Des.)
The list of famous teetotal leaders is not that encouraging:
Donald Trump Ayatollah Khomeini George Dubya Bush Sadiq Khan The Taliban guy Joe Biden Genghis Khan Adolf Hitler
Lesson, always elect a leader that like a drink, at least occasionally
Dubya was a drunk but dried out in the 80s for be fair
I have the horrible feeling that if he’d carried on drinking, he’d have been happier and more relaxed and probably would not have invaded Iraq. He’d have thought Fuck it, gimme a beer
Quite seriously. Of such tiny personality changes great history is sometimes made
Nadine Dorries @NadineDorries Whether it’s a major music festival, sporting event or concert, it's important that people pay a fair price to see the events they love. Please remain vigilant when considering to buy from ticket touts. Guidance is available if you are unsure: http://fanfairalliance.org/faqs/
Nadine must be shitting herself about Johnson getting ousted. No-one but The Clown would put such a numpty in a government job. Anyone know what her majority is? I'd be tempted to go and canvass for any party that has a chance of dislodging her.
It seems like the longer Russia wait, the more support flows to Ukraine. At this time I'm not sure it would make a substantive difference, but it sort of begs the question of whether the Russians are really here for the show as much as anything.
I've been struggling to understand why people have been telegraphing Russia invading Ukraine at the end of January since about, approximately, mid-November? If you're seriously planning to invade a country don't you want some sort of element of surprise?
Maybe I'm grasping at straws out of hope here but...
He’s not got long, 4-6 weeks before the annual ‘thaw’ that makes the border region somewhat difficult to get tanks across. The international supplies heading for Ukraine are only going to get bigger.
Fingers crossed they all keep talking, and eventually everyone stands down for the summer.
Paul Brand @PaulBrandITV · 2m EXCLUSIVE: Boris Johnson had a birthday party during lockdown in June 2020 despite rules forbidding social gatherings indoors, ITV News has learnt.
Up to 30 staff celebrated in the cabinet room where Carrie Johnson surprised him with a cake, we're told.
It seems like the longer Russia wait, the more support flows to Ukraine. At this time I'm not sure it would make a substantive difference, but it sort of begs the question of whether the Russians are really here for the show as much as anything.
I've been struggling to understand why people have been telegraphing Russia invading Ukraine at the end of January since about, approximately, mid-November? If you're seriously planning to invade a country don't you want some sort of element of surprise?
Maybe I'm grasping at straws out of hope here but...
That's what I've wondered too. It's not his usual pattern, which has tended to involve rather a lot of surprise. So what does that mean?
- That they're bluffing - That this is a feint, and they're about to do something unexpected - That they have blundered?
Paul Brand @PaulBrandITV · 2m EXCLUSIVE: Boris Johnson had a birthday party during lockdown in June 2020 despite rules forbidding social gatherings indoors, ITV News has learnt.
Up to 30 staff celebrated in the cabinet room where Carrie Johnson surprised him with a cake, we're told.
It was a work birthday do, obviously.
Cummings is raiding the library again. He knows the story will always stall without new revelations, particularly now Russia is moving towards the agenda.
Bad poll for his project ? No problem, here's his solution an hour afterward, and hey presto, the first revelation in several days.
I've finally decided what my soubriquet for our PM is. The "Fat Owl of the Remove". Here's a description of the character from Wikipedia.
"On many levels, Bunter's character is deeply unattractive. He is the living embodiment of several of the seven deadly sins: pride, envy, avarice, sloth and, most especially, greed and gluttony.[6] Added to these, Bunter is also nosy, deceitful and obtuse. However these traits are softened by Bunter's cheery optimism, his comically transparent untruthfulness and his reliable ineptitude when attempting to conceal his antics from his schoolfellows and schoolmasters."
Meanwhile, in "ursine toilet habit" news, Watford have sacked another manager.
It was noticeable that at our FA Cup match it was the Leicester fans singing his name.
He is a good manager to take over a club that has all the elements, but not clicking, completely wrong for a club on the slide or a relegation battle. Despite how it ended he will always get a good reception in Leicester.
Paul Brand @PaulBrandITV · 2m EXCLUSIVE: Boris Johnson had a birthday party during lockdown in June 2020 despite rules forbidding social gatherings indoors, ITV News has learnt.
Up to 30 staff celebrated in the cabinet room where Carrie Johnson surprised him with a cake, we're told.
Should add even Zerohedge are going with this photo alongside the story
Paul Brand @PaulBrandITV · 2m EXCLUSIVE: Boris Johnson had a birthday party during lockdown in June 2020 despite rules forbidding social gatherings indoors, ITV News has learnt.
Up to 30 staff celebrated in the cabinet room where Carrie Johnson surprised him with a cake, we're told.
Why the heck would he not have come clean with that if that is true? It was bound to come up.
Paul Brand @PaulBrandITV · 2m EXCLUSIVE: Boris Johnson had a birthday party during lockdown in June 2020 despite rules forbidding social gatherings indoors, ITV News has learnt.
Up to 30 staff celebrated in the cabinet room where Carrie Johnson surprised him with a cake, we're told.
Paul Brand @PaulBrandITV · 5m ITV News has learnt that Lulu Lytle - who was redecorating the Prime Minister's flat at the time - also came down to the party.
It lasted for 20-30 mins we're told, Later that night ITV News understands family friends also celebrated upstairs in the PM's flat.
So it's not a works party if someone from elsewhere is there.
Paul Brand @PaulBrandITV The week before the party, the PM told us all: "meeting inside other people's homes - that remains against the law".
The Queen had rearranged her birthday, as had millions more. For some, it would be their last.
Comments
I’m busy tomorrow taking up the Pope’s call for an international day of "prayer for peace" so that dialogue defuses the Ukraine crisis. Hopefully that works, admittedly spoiling your fun but nevermind.
It’s technically the 26th, but I’m going shopping then so need to get it out the way tomorrow. 🙋♀️
I can forgive March 2020. It was wrong, but understandable. But after that, no.
And I think you know the answer to your question. Just think of a five letter word, beginning in "B".
Donald Trump is teetotal and definitely small minded, that's two out of three.
Germany allowed arms exports to Russia after Crimea
to
A German company would have finished their contract if they hadn't been stopped by the German government.
Which does sound a bit like they didn't allow arms exports after Crimea.
But I am genuinely curious if someone has a source that says they did actually continue exporting arms.
And for the avoidance of doubt Boris will also be in the call
I expect in the next couple of days Boris to stand at the dispatch box all Churchillian and the the letters will melt away
Is he a lucky general so to speak
As someone else mentioned, the black 007 character's portrayal was unfortunate. We saw her chucking a prisoner off a gantry into some boiling acid (or whatever) because he goaded her with racist taunts. It was clearly meant to be some sort of anti-racist statement, but instead came over as deeply racist.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mid_Bedfordshire_(UK_Parliament_constituency)
Hallelujah!
P S. I suspect it will be a Peppa Pig version of Churchillian, but benefit of the doubt eh?
They did that in my Camden gym in December....
This is not some farcical boast, I'm just amazed some gyms are still distancing. Where is this?
https://twitter.com/GazpromEN/status/1485625157137965059/
https://www.dw.com/en/who-is-nord-streams-matthias-warnig-putins-friend-from-east-germany/a-56328159
https://sweardle.com/
Problem Solved.
Calvinist, joyless Scotland sure is back, bigtime
It doesn't seem likely Khan never faces attacks for such a reason, but for being a teetotal puritan? It just seems a bit weak, as a teetotaller.
Doc says no running till April. APRIL!
Take the Olympics. Delivered under Johnson, but got under Livingstone. Who takes most of the credit for its success? Johnson, obviously, but much of the groundwork (literally) was under his predecessor.
Eight years, and particularly four years, is little time to change things for the better as most impactful projects take much longer to come to fruition. All a mayor can do is influence the direction of policy travel.
"It is time, time… Now. Yes. She is so small and compact and yet she has all the necessary features… Shall I compare thee to a Sony Walkman. She is his own Toshiba, his dinky little JVC, his sweet Aiwa… Aiwa, aiwa aiwa aiwa aiwa aiwa aiwa aiwa aiwa aiwa aiwaaaaaaaaahhhhhhhhh"
We also need a grown up to manage the Russian crisis. Johnson spitting out hard man sound bites to get a vote here and there is not Churchillian statesmanship.
Imagine being one of those overlooked.
Donald Trump
Ayatollah Khomeini
George Dubya Bush
Sadiq Khan
The Taliban guy
Joe Biden
Genghis Khan
Adolf Hitler
Lesson, always elect a leader that like a drink, at least occasionally
https://twitter.com/davidheniguk/status/1485670423765438475?s=21
Kryten : Oh, surely not, sir!
Leon : Think about it! Why did the US cavalry beat the Indian nation? Short back and sides versus girly-hippie locks. The Cavaliers and the Roundheads, 1-0 to the pudding-basins. Vietnam, crew-cuts both sides, no score draw.
One of my life regrets, given how they split up soon afterwards.
Interestingly, I see an alternative title for the show was the 'William Rees-Mogg Experience'.
Shows how long that awful family has been a prominent feature of our society.
Also confirmed the UK is on the front foot in supporting the Ukraine
“Having listened to Sec Blinken, I don’t think there's a need for us to do any kind of precautionary measure from point of view of our staff & their permanence in Ukraine"
https://twitter.com/beaking_news/status/1485670364172759046?s=21
Little known fact: he was a connoisseur of Rhône blends, vintage Malmsey and new Balkan whites, was an early enthusiast for English fizz, and kept an exceptional cellar in Qom
Apt because in May 1940 in the Norway debate, Churchill won the admiration and support of the House of Commons (nearly all of the opposition, and nearly half of Tories & other "National" MPs.
All while DEFENDING Chamberlain & the government re: Norway debacle - which he as First Lord of the Admiralty had direct ministerial responsibility.
Ironic of course because the MPs who trooped through the division lobby "against" Churchill that fateful night (plus Tories who abstained on purpose in support of parliamentary VONC versus Chamberlain govt, were more than willing to overlook WSC's role in the immediate crisis.
Why? Because they believed he was THE man for the job at that time of extreme peril - that Winston Churchill as Prime Minster was the best thing, not for party or preferment, but (dare I say) for God and country.
I've been struggling to understand why people have been telegraphing Russia invading Ukraine at the end of January since about, approximately, mid-November? If you're seriously planning to invade a country don't you want some sort of element of surprise?
Maybe I'm grasping at straws out of hope here but...
.
I have not wavered from Rishi but can see a scenario playing out where Boris may survive for now
Quite seriously. Of such tiny personality changes great history is sometimes made
Fingers crossed they all keep talking, and eventually everyone stands down for the summer.
Paul Brand
@PaulBrandITV
·
2m
EXCLUSIVE: Boris Johnson had a birthday party during lockdown in June 2020 despite rules forbidding social gatherings indoors, ITV News has learnt.
Up to 30 staff celebrated in the cabinet room where Carrie Johnson surprised him with a cake, we're told.
- That they're bluffing
- That this is a feint, and they're about to do something unexpected
- That they have blundered?
Cummings is raiding the library again. He knows the story will always stall without new revelations, particularly now Russia is moving towards the agenda.
Bad poll for his project ? No problem, here's his solution an hour afterward, and hey presto, the first revelation in several days.
"On many levels, Bunter's character is deeply unattractive. He is the living embodiment of several of the seven deadly sins: pride, envy, avarice, sloth and, most especially, greed and gluttony.[6] Added to these, Bunter is also nosy, deceitful and obtuse. However these traits are softened by Bunter's cheery optimism, his comically transparent untruthfulness and his reliable ineptitude when attempting to conceal his antics from his schoolfellows and schoolmasters."
He is a good manager to take over a club that has all the elements, but not clicking, completely wrong for a club on the slide or a relegation battle. Despite how it ended he will always get a good reception in Leicester.
George Bush Senior
Bill Clinton
Barack Obama
America’s last three sober presidents:
Dubya Bush
Donald Trump
Joe Biden
FFS make sure they like a glass
Johnson vs. Starmer (24 Jan):
Johnson leads in:
Knows how to get things done (34% to 33%)
Johnson and Starmer are tied in:
Stands up for the UK's interests (35% to 35%)
Starmer leads in all other leadership characteristics on which we poll.
https://redfieldandwiltonstrategies.com/latest-gb-voting-intention-24-january-2022/…
https://twitter.com/RedfieldWilton/status/1485676284768395266?s=20
Paul Brand
@PaulBrandITV
·
5m
ITV News has learnt that Lulu Lytle - who was redecorating the Prime Minister's flat at the time - also came down to the party.
It lasted for 20-30 mins we're told, Later that night ITV News understands family friends also celebrated upstairs in the PM's flat.
So it's not a works party if someone from elsewhere is there.
Paul Brand
@PaulBrandITV
The week before the party, the PM told us all: "meeting inside other people's homes - that remains against the law".
The Queen had rearranged her birthday, as had millions more. For some, it would be their last.