Develop a "star wars" defence shield to cover Europe and the continental USA with satellites, drones and networked AI and be in a position to shoot down their missiles with interceptors/phalanxes etc. That's needed first. It needs to be bloody good.
How possible is it to build a system that could take out >95% of ~400 nuclear missiles?
I'd like to see the scientific and engineering colossi of the west make a fucking wifi printer that works first.
I am calling that quote from FT completely wrong and bit rubbish for financial paper on basis it must be more like a flat tax than progressive tax? Do you see my point? I feel so sorry for people struggling, pricesly becuase I think thst quote is wrong. we are not all blessed the same with ability to withstand bills going up. ☹️
“The impact of more expensive fuel sources is compounded in rural parts of the country, which often have an older population, lower wages, poorer public transport links and an ageing housing stock.”
I think we have some posters “off grid”? We’re you talking about heating oil MarqueeMark?
One for politicians to note with elections coming.
Another thing not in the papers much, generational businesses under threat because their business needs to turn on the gas.
Yes, we have heating oil. Also a few Calor bottles for the house oven/annex heating and water. Calor likely to go through the roof by April, the oil supplier can't tell me what the price will be until the day before delivery. However many noughts that has after it, will need some (although Ash Die-back means plenty of wood to heat the rooms (until clean air laws means we can't burn that either).....
We have heating oil delivered in rural Lincolnshire. By pure good fortune we had almost run out and so bought 1200 litres a few days before everything kicked off. Prices were already rising but we paid £850 for 1200 litres. Currently all deliveries are quoted as between £1700 and £1800 for 1000 litres. About 18 months ago we were paying less than £400 for 1000 litres. So it is a greater than 4 fold increase in cost in 18 months.
We are okay thankfully as we have fires and wood burners in almost every room and a ready supply of wood from our own trees. I am certainly looking to get a wood fired boiler installed soon.
Rishi will not suspend the NI increase for several reasons, not least NHS and social care needs more money and this increase becomes a separate tax next year on pay slips affirming the extra funding
It is not as unpopular as some think with yesterday's yougov having 43% in favour, 45% against
It also creates a problem for Starmer going forward as he has opposed it and has not put forward a long term alternative
I understand Rishi is to announce a wartime budget whatever that means ,but as far as your strategic review of energy supply is concerned Boris has said he will announce a new transitional energy policy with Kwarteng before the end of the month and expect to see granting of more domestic licences for production of our own oil and gas, onshore wind farms, and maybe Cambo oil field
I am not expecting fracking to get the green light but do not ruie it out
I predict an angry response from the green lobby but we have to accept it is idiotic to close off these areas of domestic self reliance to obtain them from importing not just from Russia but elsewhere
Labour may well face quite a dilemma as this is a big change from their net zero aspiration
This is one of the many challenges facing the country post this war, even if the war has concluded
Apart from the usual partisan party political games, there's a lot of this that makes sense.
And then I go out to see 155.9p per litre unleaded at my local Tesco's and diesel at an eyewatering 162.9p per litre with queues of cars six or seven deep. Like all addicts, the dealer can raise his prices yet we keep coming back for more. At what point and in what way do we start doing the real work (that means hard, unpopular and potentially election losing so the Conservatives won't do it) and start looking at weaning ourselves off the petroleum fix.
That means looking or re-evaluating other transport forms such as rail, bus and the like. That also means re-evaluating the suburban lifestyle which doesn't mean it's all wrong - it means getting back to local shops providing local services and away from huge out-of-town shopping centres unless these are fully served by local buses. It means looking at how we work, how we live and how we interact in ways which reduce both our energy consumption and our dependence on oil/petrol.
If Rishi has any political sense he will suspend the NI increase. He then needs an an emergency budget in a few weeks. Government should announce full scale review of economic situation for an Autumn budget. In light of changed world an across government strategic review that will include energy supply and defence. That is is what is needed and is also good politics.
Rishi will not suspend the NI increase for several reasons, not least NHS and social care needs more money and this increase becomes a separate tax next year on pay slips affirming the extra funding
It is not as unpopular as some think with yesterday's yougov having 43% in favour, 45% against
It also creates a problem for Starmer going forward as he has opposed it and has not put forward a long term alternative
I understand Rishi is to announce a wartime budget whatever that means ,but as far as your strategic review of energy supply is concerned Boris has said he will announce a new transitional energy policy with Kwarteng before the end of the month and expect to see granting of more domestic licences for production of our own oil and gas, onshore wind farms, and maybe Cambo oil field
I am not expecting fracking to get the green light but do not ruie it out
I predict an angry response from the green lobby but we have to accept it is idiotic to close off these areas of domestic self reliance to obtain them from importing not just from Russia but elsewhere
Labour may well face quite a dilemma as this is a big change from their net zero aspiration
This is one of the many challenges facing the country post this war, even if the war has concluded
Rishi and Boris as opposed to Starmer and Kwarteng? Why not Sunak, Johnson, Keir and Kwasi?
It is not a problem for Starmer as that response is due to the artificial framing of the question. Labour will frame it differently, not denying that a funding increase is necessary but pointing out that a simple increase in the rate of NI is just about the worst way to raise taxes.
It is a progressive tax and one labour would have supported previously
Really interesting article - you wonder if the Russians really will try assaulting (rather than blockading) Kyiv. As the article notes it would be stupid to do so but that doesn’t mean it won’t happen.
This is interesting given they likely had some sort of authorisation ?
Just watched Russia’s main political talk show with notorious propagandist Soloviev (Mar 9). Couldn’t believe my ears. Two hardcore pro-Putin guests - Shaknazarov and Bagdasarov - acknowledged the impact of sanctions, military failures, and called for an end to the invasion. https://twitter.com/MaximAlyukov/status/1502337993012658177
The thread seems like it's laying the groundwork for a Russian climbdown. I suspect that we'll go back to the status quo ante bellum minus some of the Russian reserves being diverted to rebuilding Ukraine. Putin is realising how badly he miscalculated.
Yes, they don't appear to be calling for withdrawal, but for declaring victory by solidifying the grip on the Donbas, and settling for Ukrainian neutrality without further advances. Which is pretty much what most of us have been suggesting is the outline of a plausible settlement, and they could probably have got without a war, so it'd certainly count as a deserved disaster for Putin.
At the same time, though, the military do seem to be making some progress now, and the air strikes are reaching out further into the west. The Ukrainian successes have an anecdotal flavour, while they're losing ground a few km a day. It's hard to read.
This guy publishes quite a good situation map each day. Quite good level of detail too, down to individual units being identified:
In summary it looks as if the Russian encirclement of Kyiv has stalled, and even been reversed in places, with significant Ukranian counterattacks to the east of the city. The Russians don't seem to have made progress on other bits of the northern front.
On the Southern front there are seems more Russian gains on the Donbas area, and an attempt to consolidate south of the Dneiper, with Mariopol being besieged rather than assaulted. The attack from land and sea on Odesa still hasn't materialised. Clearly logistics remain a major problem everywhere. Food is running out in Kherson for civilians as well as occupation troops.
I think the Russian war aims have been reduced to expanding in the Donbas and controlling the Kherson Oblast and Azov Coast. That is something they could paint as victory, but a ceasefire on that basis is not likely to be acceptable to Ukraine.
I’m not sure where Nick is getting his view from that the Russians are slowly winning this. You highlighted the piece from Jomini whose analysis is that the Russians are not really getting anywhere and that seems to be backed up by most other views. Russian equipment losses are running at over 3x Ukrainian according to Oryx.
Who honestly knows. @viewcode alerted us a while ago to this guys youtube commentry, which at face value seems very convincing.
Also there is Konstantin Kisin of Triggernometry. He concluded on Wednesday that the situation is basically hopeless and Ukraine should pretty much stop fighting; as Russia will just resort to using increasingly powerful bombs to pulverise Ukraine, in the face of difficulties with the ground war.
Of course these are just youtube talking heads. But the overriding analysis is that Russia is gradually moving towards an encirclement of and siege of Kiev by way of brutal, heavy bombardment.
Remember Ukraine is a big country and we are only 16 days in.
What matters is that Russia has overwhelming military force.
What is your actual evidence for this, though? Beyond claims about the theoretical strength of Russian conventional forces?
If you’re talking about their nuclear capability then sure, although quite how relevant that is for taking and holding Ukraine is debatable. But in terms of the practical strength of the conventional forces available to them on Ukraine, why are you convinced?
The siege of Mariupol is rather compelling evidence. If the Ukrainians had the capability they would surely have launched a major attempt to lift the siege.
Similarly, the Russians have been able to advance on Kyiv from two directions, and the advance from the east has been over a considerable distance given reported problems with Russian logistics. Again, given the evidence being presented of poor morale, poor communications, deficient tactics, etc, the only explanation for such an advance is overwhelming strength.
It might be that, over time, Ukraine is able to inflict losses that erode this strength, but it does not do any good to deny the evidence of overall Russian military superiority over the Ukrainians at present.
Certainly the Russians have the advantage in heavy weaponry, which is why the Ukranians are avoiding set piece battles and waging partisan type attritional warfare, and dug in positions around cities.
The decisive question is how long each side can sustain the fight. For the Ukranians it is existential, so like the Soviets in 1941 they will fight on. The Russians meanwhile have limited capacity to replace losses and are being economically strangled so need a shorter war.
A lot of Ukrainian cities will be a wasteland afterwards, but it likely will become stalemate in the months ahead, and ultimately Russian defeat.
My educated guesswork says Russia will get something it can present as a “win”. Either a neutralised (and flattened) Ukraine plus bits of the country absorbed into Russia OR a new Russia-friendly regime in Kyiv. Russia is too big and this war is too existential for Putin. They HAVE to win so they will
But the “victory” will be illusory. Russia will bleed out economically and Ukraine will become a new Afghanistan yet worse
60% chance of this?
20% chance Ukraine wins, Putin goes
15% chance of a long Korea type stalemate, Ukraine eventually divided
4% chance nuclear/chemical or other apocalypse drags in the world and maybe kills us all
1% chance the aliens intervene and stop it
Your last two options have far too high a probability assigned. Biden has a cool head and won’t get dragged in. And the aliens aren’t gonna stop shit, not like they’ve done anything to stop human wars up to now.
The last two are, of course, a bit of a joke. The aliens will probably just laugh and a strategic nuclear exchange is most unlikely (0.1%? Still enough to jangle the nerves)
But there is a higher chance of the war spreading across Europe/MENA and becoming quite apocalyptic. Cf Serbia, Syria
5%?
History doesn’t repeat but it does rhyme. High food and energy prices is going to have consequences somewhere. Arab Spring 2.0 or something else?
Syria and Libya in particular, Putin seems to be leaving a bit of a vacuum. Probably we’ll be hearing a lot about ISIS again before the end of the year. What a mess.
I met an old friend yesterday, for a drink. Haven’t seen him since covid kicked off
He has gone from total skepticism to complete conviction that we are being visited by aliens
He’s an interesting case because he’s eccentric, and sometimes prone to mad beliefs - so I should dismiss his views? And yet he is also highly intelligent and has the kind of open mind that sometimes sees things no one else can. So I might believe him?
At the moment I’m in a more skeptical mood. A mixture of America post plague madness and a conspiracy to freak the Chinese seems more likely than alien probes/craft
But I’m not ruling out Martians entirely
You would do yourself a favour if you stopped going to these weird cult meetings.
Was meeting you the point at which he changed his opinion?
Develop a "star wars" defence shield to cover Europe and the continental USA with satellites, drones and networked AI and be in a position to shoot down their missiles with interceptors/phalanxes etc. That's needed first. It needs to be bloody good.
How possible is it to build a system that could take out >95% of ~400 nuclear missiles?
I'd like to see the scientific and engineering colossi of the west make a fucking wifi printer that works first.
Not sure why the 'of the west' is in there - I think that goal is beyond anyone on the planet.
I am not saying we shouldn't be spending more on conventional weapons but those who claimed that big bad Russia was a threat to the whole of western Europe including us are looking increasingly silly as the Russian army gets its arse kicked in Ukraine and seems to be relying upon hiring mercenaries to keep up the fight.
The reality we are seeing is that when NATO equipped troops meet Russian equipped troops it is a blood bath (just as we saw more than a decade ago in Iraq). When Russian airpower is used against NATO equipped anti-aircraft forces they lose unsustainable levels of planes and helicopters.
Develop a "star wars" defence shield to cover Europe and the continental USA with satellites, drones and networked AI and be in a position to shoot down their missiles with interceptors/phalanxes etc. That's needed first. It needs to be bloody good.
How possible is it to build a system that could take out >95% of ~400 nuclear missiles?
I'd like to see the scientific and engineering colossi of the west make a fucking wifi printer that works first.
When you say 'a fucking WiFi printer' do you mean one that only prints porn?
Is the implication that yours has a Mary Whitehouse view on the subject?
@ChristopherJM NEW: Russia will consider foreign shipments of weapons to Ukraine as “legitimate targets” for the Russian armed forces to attack, state-run RIA Novosti reports, citing Deputy Foreign Minister Sergei Ryabkov.
Develop a "star wars" defence shield to cover Europe and the continental USA with satellites, drones and networked AI and be in a position to shoot down their missiles with interceptors/phalanxes etc. That's needed first. It needs to be bloody good.
How possible is it to build a system that could take out >95% of ~400 nuclear missiles?
I'd like to see the scientific and engineering colossi of the west make a fucking wifi printer that works first.
Not sure why the 'of the west' is in there - I think that goal is beyond anyone on the planet.
Mine works OK. Well, I do need to reset it every six months but otherwise it does actually print wirelessly.
That said, I do usually have it TP linked as it's much quicker.
Rishi will not suspend the NI increase for several reasons, not least NHS and social care needs more money and this increase becomes a separate tax next year on pay slips affirming the extra funding
It is not as unpopular as some think with yesterday's yougov having 43% in favour, 45% against
It also creates a problem for Starmer going forward as he has opposed it and has not put forward a long term alternative
I understand Rishi is to announce a wartime budget whatever that means ,but as far as your strategic review of energy supply is concerned Boris has said he will announce a new transitional energy policy with Kwarteng before the end of the month and expect to see granting of more domestic licences for production of our own oil and gas, onshore wind farms, and maybe Cambo oil field
I am not expecting fracking to get the green light but do not ruie it out
I predict an angry response from the green lobby but we have to accept it is idiotic to close off these areas of domestic self reliance to obtain them from importing not just from Russia but elsewhere
Labour may well face quite a dilemma as this is a big change from their net zero aspiration
This is one of the many challenges facing the country post this war, even if the war has concluded
Apart from the usual partisan party political games, there's a lot of this that makes sense.
And then I go out to see 155.9p per litre unleaded at my local Tesco's and diesel at an eyewatering 162.9p per litre with queues of cars six or seven deep. Like all addicts, the dealer can raise his prices yet we keep coming back for more. At what point and in what way do we start doing the real work (that means hard, unpopular and potentially election losing so the Conservatives won't do it) and start looking at weaning ourselves off the petroleum fix.
That means looking or re-evaluating other transport forms such as rail, bus and the like. That also means re-evaluating the suburban lifestyle which doesn't mean it's all wrong - it means getting back to local shops providing local services and away from huge out-of-town shopping centres unless these are fully served by local buses. It means looking at how we work, how we live and how we interact in ways which reduce both our energy consumption and our dependence on oil/petrol.
You add to the debate and just demonstrate how devilish difficult this is and very long term when the public will demand quick fixes that are just not there
I followed a Tesla into Asda this morning and to be honest it looks and is very expensive which raises the other issue, climate change is not a problem for the wealthy who no doubt parade their green credentials whenever they can, but it is a real problem for most others and threatens to impoverish so many if we just accept all the green policies without a long transitional period, maybe 20 plus years
If Rishi has any political sense he will suspend the NI increase. He then needs an an emergency budget in a few weeks. Government should announce full scale review of economic situation for an Autumn budget. In light of changed world an across government strategic review that will include energy supply and defence. That is is what is needed and is also good politics.
Rishi will not suspend the NI increase for several reasons, not least NHS and social care needs more money and this increase becomes a separate tax next year on pay slips affirming the extra funding
It is not as unpopular as some think with yesterday's yougov having 43% in favour, 45% against
It also creates a problem for Starmer going forward as he has opposed it and has not put forward a long term alternative
I understand Rishi is to announce a wartime budget whatever that means ,but as far as your strategic review of energy supply is concerned Boris has said he will announce a new transitional energy policy with Kwarteng before the end of the month and expect to see granting of more domestic licences for production of our own oil and gas, onshore wind farms, and maybe Cambo oil field
I am not expecting fracking to get the green light but do not ruie it out
I predict an angry response from the green lobby but we have to accept it is idiotic to close off these areas of domestic self reliance to obtain them from importing not just from Russia but elsewhere
Labour may well face quite a dilemma as this is a big change from their net zero aspiration
This is one of the many challenges facing the country post this war, even if the war has concluded
If more onshore wind farms survives contact with lobbying then that would be an interesting signal, as it would be indicative of a government response along the lines of, "Oh shit! What do we do now?" rather than one which seeks to use the crisis for short-term political advantage.
As a Green I would always press for more to be done in terms of renewable energy - where's the tidal lagoons? - but drilling for more North Sea oil as a temporary expedient becomes more believable, and grudgingly acceptable, if it's genuinely accompanied by choices, such as more onshore wind farms, which will be equally unpalatable for others with a different view to me.
I don't see the point of more onshore wind in general, as we are close to the point where offshore will be the same price or less expensive, and the environmental downside of onshore is much greater.
Develop a "star wars" defence shield to cover Europe and the continental USA with satellites, drones and networked AI and be in a position to shoot down their missiles with interceptors/phalanxes etc. That's needed first. It needs to be bloody good.
How possible is it to build a system that could take out >95% of ~400 nuclear missiles?
Probably very. We know where they launch from. We very likely know what the targets are. They have a flight time of 8-15 minutes. They are extremely hot and emit a very clear target to lock onto for that time. Nowadays we have far more sophisticated satellite networks and AI than we did in the 1980s, when this was first mooted, and many more interceptors capable of super hypersonic flight.
So yes, it is possible. I suspect the main obstacles are budgetary and political, not technological. But, if you have a nutcase, you need to prepare to defend against the nutcase.
The problem is that MIRVs and ultra long range SLBMs have made protection very difficult.
With multiple warheads, you are looking at 10+ warheads per missile. With ultra long range submarine launch missiles, you can launch from anywhere and take the *long route*. This is because, while ballistic missiles have to fly the great circle route between two points, you can go 2 directions along the great circle. So you end up looking at having to defend virtually 360 degrees.
If we can ever get free-election lasers to work at high powers (essentially 60% efficient at converting electricity into laser light) then maybe.....
This is interesting given they likely had some sort of authorisation ?
Just watched Russia’s main political talk show with notorious propagandist Soloviev (Mar 9). Couldn’t believe my ears. Two hardcore pro-Putin guests - Shaknazarov and Bagdasarov - acknowledged the impact of sanctions, military failures, and called for an end to the invasion. https://twitter.com/MaximAlyukov/status/1502337993012658177
The thread seems like it's laying the groundwork for a Russian climbdown. I suspect that we'll go back to the status quo ante bellum minus some of the Russian reserves being diverted to rebuilding Ukraine. Putin is realising how badly he miscalculated.
This is interesting given they likely had some sort of authorisation ?
Just watched Russia’s main political talk show with notorious propagandist Soloviev (Mar 9). Couldn’t believe my ears. Two hardcore pro-Putin guests - Shaknazarov and Bagdasarov - acknowledged the impact of sanctions, military failures, and called for an end to the invasion. https://twitter.com/MaximAlyukov/status/1502337993012658177
The thread seems like it's laying the groundwork for a Russian climbdown. I suspect that we'll go back to the status quo ante bellum minus some of the Russian reserves being diverted to rebuilding Ukraine. Putin is realising how badly he miscalculated.
A handy guide to the stages of any project.
1. Enthusiasm
2. Disillusionment
3. Panic
4. Search for the guilty
5. Punishment of the innocent
6. Praise and honour for the non-participants.
That's my favourite project plan. LOL...
Sounds more like the abject performance of Susan Acland Hood at the DfE.
The tories are going to have to pivot to an explicitly anti-environmental position to head off Farage's latest auto-da-fe. He can make them do any mad shit he wants by threatening to siphon off some off their piss reeking OAP core vote. That's now been established.
Stock had a crowd of 100 or more anonymous masked & hooded demonstrators turn up on the University Open Day to intimate her, and call for her sacking.
"Forced out" or "Intimidated out" is quite a reasonable interpretation, I'd suggest.
It's not something that a 50 year old female academic should have to face, just for disagreeing with someone's opinion and expressing that disagreement publicly.
What about 40 year old or 30 year old female academics?
Emma Barnett has conducted a series of interviews with figures in this 'debate' on Woman's Hour, most recently Maya Forstater and Stock a few weeks ago. Barnett is pretty good at picking away at inconvenient truths for all the interviewees, particularly since I suspect her sympathies tend to be more in one direction.
I listened to the Stock interview while driving on the M8 and may have missed some of the nuance because I was duelling with an arsehole in a white van trying to undertake me, but the gist of it seemed to be that gender self identification was a 'fiction' compared to the necessary and immutable truth of sex, and people who had their feelings hurt by this were snowflakes (I paraphrase). Otoh Barnett pointed out to her that she had left her employer by choice and said university had made statements supporting her, Stock said she had 'felt' unsupported and under threat. Apparently some feelings are more important than others.
I'd say that a lot of the players in this (on both sides) have got high on their own supply of unfamiliar attention, and find it difficult to take that much offered piece of advice to step away from the keyboard.
Sweden planning to cater for over 210,000 Ukrainian refugees by the summer.
That's in the same ball park as Ireland's planning, relative to their respective populations. On an even basis across the EU it equates to 9 million Ukrainian refugees. If the UK were to take a similar number of refugees we would be looking at 1.3 million.
Very clear that HMG is desperate to avoid taking even one-tenth of that number.
Yes, you need to analyse the contribution of the various states in proportion to their populations. Sweden is only 10 million people.
We have been incredibly generous to refugees from many, many conflicts. Chile, Somalia, Iran, Iraq, former Yugoslavia, Afghanistan and Syria spring to mind, but hundreds of others too.
Why is Sweden so generous?
Lots of empty space
Don’t be daft. We house refugees in existing cities and towns. They are hardly a significant additional land-use category.
We probably know 10% of what is actually happening in Ukraine. And the info we do get may well be skewed towards positive news for the Ukrainian side. However, I don't think it's unreasonable to conclude that things are not going as Putin had anticipated they would - on the frontline and more widely.
You can easily make the case that the Ukranians are winning a lot of tactical victories but are still strategically losing the war. It is hard to see Mariupol holding out much longer. They will need to surrender or see large parts of the civilian population starve to death. Kyiv is more and more isolated. More western cities are now being hit. But if the attrition rate of the Russians is even close to what is being reported they cannot sustain this much longer. Having been personally very pessimistic when this started it is starting to look as if the supply of western arms means that Ukraine may well hold on to that point.
The other shock for me has been the unanimity and scope of the sanctions. The Russian economy is being put back more than 30 years. I suspect China has been shocked by this too and an attack on Taiwan looks ever more expensive.
The tories are going to have to pivot to an explicitly anti-environmental position to head off Farage's latest auto-da-fe. He can make them do any mad shit he wants by threatening to siphon off some off their piss reeking OAP core vote. That's now been established.
What a horrible description of the elderly
Someday you may be elderly and lets hope people around you have more respect
"Kamala Harris has been criticised for giggling when asked if the US should take more Ukrainian refugees. The vice-president, who is on a three-day trip to Poland and Romania, laughed when asked the question at a press conference in Warsaw alongside Andrzej Duda, the president of Poland. She looked at Mr Duda as if he should respond first, then smirked: “A friend in need is a friend indeed.” Victoria Spartz, a Ukrainian-born Republican politician, criticised Ms Harris, saying it was “a very serious situation requiring action” and is “not a laughing matter”. George Papadopoulos, Donald Trump’s former campaign aide, added: “Discussing refugees is no laughing matter. Why she laughs at this is deranged.” Ms Harris has previously been criticised for laughing at odd moments during press conferences on serious issues."
It is, I think, a nervous laugh. - I don’t blame her for it. It certainly isn’t ‘deranged’. The optics are utterly awful, though.
I really don’t think she’s good enough a leader to be the Democrat’s presidential candidate, and gives them a real problem whether or not Biden runs again.
I had such high hopes and excitement for her.
“ she’s not good enough a leader to be the Democrat’s presidential candidate “
You are right Nigel, she would be loser if gets the nomination. 😕
Yes, I was an enthusiast earlier on, too, and would have been delighted had she grown rather than diminished in stature.
Stock had a crowd of 100 or more anonymous masked & hooded demonstrators turn up on the University Open Day to intimate her, and call for her sacking.
"Forced out" or "Intimidated out" is quite a reasonable interpretation, I'd suggest.
It's not something that a 50 year old female academic should have to face, just for disagreeing with someone's opinion and expressing that disagreement publicly.
What about 40 year old or 30 year old female academics?
Emma Barnett has conducted a series of interviews with figures in this 'debate' on Woman's Hour, most recently Maya Forstater and Stock a few weeks ago. Barnett is pretty good at picking away at inconvenient truths for all the interviewees, particularly since I suspect her sympathies tend to be more in one direction.
I listened to the Stock interview while driving on the M8 and may have missed some of the nuance because I was duelling with an arsehole in a white van trying to undertake me, but the gist of it seemed to be that gender self identification was a 'fiction' compared to the necessary and immutable truth of sex, and people who had their feelings hurt by this were snowflakes (I paraphrase). Otoh Barnett pointed out to her that she had left her employer by choice and said university had made statements supporting her, Stock said she had 'felt' unsupported and under threat. Apparently some feelings are more important than others.
I'd say that a lot of the players in this (on both sides) have got high on their own supply of unfamiliar attention, and find it difficult to take that much offered piece of advice to step away from the keyboard.
"duelling with an arsehole" doesn't even sound like a euphemism!
@ChristopherJM NEW: Russia will consider foreign shipments of weapons to Ukraine as “legitimate targets” for the Russian armed forces to attack, state-run RIA Novosti reports, citing Deputy Foreign Minister Sergei Ryabkov.
This is interesting given they likely had some sort of authorisation ?
Just watched Russia’s main political talk show with notorious propagandist Soloviev (Mar 9). Couldn’t believe my ears. Two hardcore pro-Putin guests - Shaknazarov and Bagdasarov - acknowledged the impact of sanctions, military failures, and called for an end to the invasion. https://twitter.com/MaximAlyukov/status/1502337993012658177
The thread seems like it's laying the groundwork for a Russian climbdown. I suspect that we'll go back to the status quo ante bellum minus some of the Russian reserves being diverted to rebuilding Ukraine. Putin is realising how badly he miscalculated.
A handy guide to the stages of any project.
1. Enthusiasm
2. Disillusionment
3. Panic
4. Search for the guilty
5. Punishment of the innocent
6. Praise and honour for the non-participants.
I'd suggest putting 'delusion' between three and four, as the initial panic leads to someone trying, in vain, to impose the view that actually it is all going pretty well.
This is interesting given they likely had some sort of authorisation ?
Just watched Russia’s main political talk show with notorious propagandist Soloviev (Mar 9). Couldn’t believe my ears. Two hardcore pro-Putin guests - Shaknazarov and Bagdasarov - acknowledged the impact of sanctions, military failures, and called for an end to the invasion. https://twitter.com/MaximAlyukov/status/1502337993012658177
The thread seems like it's laying the groundwork for a Russian climbdown. I suspect that we'll go back to the status quo ante bellum minus some of the Russian reserves being diverted to rebuilding Ukraine. Putin is realising how badly he miscalculated.
A handy guide to the stages of any project.
1. Enthusiasm
2. Disillusionment
3. Panic
4. Search for the guilty
5. Punishment of the innocent
6. Praise and honour for the non-participants.
That's my favourite project plan. LOL...
Sounds more like the abject performance of Susan Acland Hood at the DfE.
Apparently it's old favourite in the MoD - I first came across it in a book by DK Brown, where he was discussing the entertaining* story of HMS Captain.
Looks like Putin is at 4-5.....
*Entertaining, if you weren't crew or family of crew on the maiden voyage.
The tories are going to have to pivot to an explicitly anti-environmental position to head off Farage's latest auto-da-fe. He can make them do any mad shit he wants by threatening to siphon off some off their piss reeking OAP core vote. That's now been established.
What a horrible description of the elderly
Someday you may be elderly and lets hope people around you have more respect
That language may have been, well, Dura Ace, but given the voting trends of recent decades it is a pretty solid case that retaining an older voter bloc is pretty critical, for the Tories more than anyone. And Farage definitely did drive large parts of Tory policy out of their fear of his leeching a portion of their support.
Whether this positioning will be as successful for him I doubt, but 'break the Tory grip on the older vote' is pretty sound as a strategy, and expecting the Tories to respond in turn makes sense.
The tories are going to have to pivot to an explicitly anti-environmental position to head off Farage's latest auto-da-fe. He can make them do any mad shit he wants by threatening to siphon off some off their piss reeking OAP core vote. That's now been established.
What a horrible description of the elderly
Someday you may be elderly and lets hope people around you have more respect
@ChristopherJM NEW: Russia will consider foreign shipments of weapons to Ukraine as “legitimate targets” for the Russian armed forces to attack, state-run RIA Novosti reports, citing Deputy Foreign Minister Sergei Ryabkov.
Rishi will not suspend the NI increase for several reasons, not least NHS and social care needs more money and this increase becomes a separate tax next year on pay slips affirming the extra funding
It is not as unpopular as some think with yesterday's yougov having 43% in favour, 45% against
It also creates a problem for Starmer going forward as he has opposed it and has not put forward a long term alternative
I understand Rishi is to announce a wartime budget whatever that means ,but as far as your strategic review of energy supply is concerned Boris has said he will announce a new transitional energy policy with Kwarteng before the end of the month and expect to see granting of more domestic licences for production of our own oil and gas, onshore wind farms, and maybe Cambo oil field
I am not expecting fracking to get the green light but do not ruie it out
I predict an angry response from the green lobby but we have to accept it is idiotic to close off these areas of domestic self reliance to obtain them from importing not just from Russia but elsewhere
Labour may well face quite a dilemma as this is a big change from their net zero aspiration
This is one of the many challenges facing the country post this war, even if the war has concluded
Apart from the usual partisan party political games, there's a lot of this that makes sense.
And then I go out to see 155.9p per litre unleaded at my local Tesco's and diesel at an eyewatering 162.9p per litre with queues of cars six or seven deep. Like all addicts, the dealer can raise his prices yet we keep coming back for more. At what point and in what way do we start doing the real work (that means hard, unpopular and potentially election losing so the Conservatives won't do it) and start looking at weaning ourselves off the petroleum fix.
That means looking or re-evaluating other transport forms such as rail, bus and the like. That also means re-evaluating the suburban lifestyle which doesn't mean it's all wrong - it means getting back to local shops providing local services and away from huge out-of-town shopping centres unless these are fully served by local buses. It means looking at how we work, how we live and how we interact in ways which reduce both our energy consumption and our dependence on oil/petrol.
You add to the debate and just demonstrate how devilish difficult this is and very long term when the public will demand quick fixes that are just not there
I followed a Tesla into Asda this morning and to be honest it looks and is very expensive which raises the other issue, climate change is not a problem for the wealthy who no doubt parade their green credentials whenever they can, but it is a real problem for most others and threatens to impoverish so many if we just accept all the green policies without a long transitional period, maybe 20 plus years
The suffering of others is a feature not a bug for the self-righteous.
If it ain't hurting it ain't working is the mentality.
If Rishi has any political sense he will suspend the NI increase. He then needs an an emergency budget in a few weeks. Government should announce full scale review of economic situation for an Autumn budget. In light of changed world an across government strategic review that will include energy supply and defence. That is is what is needed and is also good politics.
Rishi will not suspend the NI increase for several reasons, not least NHS and social care needs more money and this increase becomes a separate tax next year on pay slips affirming the extra funding
It is not as unpopular as some think with yesterday's yougov having 43% in favour, 45% against
It also creates a problem for Starmer going forward as he has opposed it and has not put forward a long term alternative
I understand Rishi is to announce a wartime budget whatever that means ,but as far as your strategic review of energy supply is concerned Boris has said he will announce a new transitional energy policy with Kwarteng before the end of the month and expect to see granting of more domestic licences for production of our own oil and gas, onshore wind farms, and maybe Cambo oil field
I am not expecting fracking to get the green light but do not ruie it out
I predict an angry response from the green lobby but we have to accept it is idiotic to close off these areas of domestic self reliance to obtain them from importing not just from Russia but elsewhere
Labour may well face quite a dilemma as this is a big change from their net zero aspiration
This is one of the many challenges facing the country post this war, even if the war has concluded
Rishi and Boris as opposed to Starmer and Kwarteng? Why not Sunak, Johnson, Keir and Kwasi?
It is not a problem for Starmer as that response is due to the artificial framing of the question. Labour will frame it differently, not denying that a funding increase is necessary but pointing out that a simple increase in the rate of NI is just about the worst way to raise taxes.
It is a progressive tax and one labour would have supported previously
OK, I disagree with both of those points, let's just agree to differ.
Rest of South Con 43% Lab 33% LD 14% Grn 5% Ref 2%
Midlands Con 42% Lab 39% LD 10% Gen 5% Ref 3%
North Lab 55% Con 30% LD 6% Grn 5% Ref 1%
Wales Lab 39% Con 32% PC 13% LD 7% Gen 5% Ref 2%
Scotland SNP 48% Lab 20% Con 17% LD 11% Grn 3% Ref -
(Sample Size: 2,003; Fieldwork: 8- 11 March 2022)
The Red Wall is almost certainly lost for the Tories now.
I think you’re right. The North of England has been truly atrocious for the Tories for too long, and too deep, now. But it is the English Midlands that interest me. And here it’s still very tight, across all pollsters.
YouGov are the only one I really put much faith in when it comes to geographical breaks, and their most recent findings are even worse than that Deltapoll for Northern Tory MPs:
London Lab 55% Con 26% LD 11% Grn 6% Ref 1%
Rest of South Con 41% Lab 31% LD 13% Grn 8% Ref 5%
Midlands/Wales Lab 39% Con 35% Grn 7% LD 7% Ref 6% PC 3%
North Lab 49% Con 28% Grn 9% LD 7% Ref 3%
Scotland SNP 44% Con 22% Lab 21% Grn 6% LD 5% Ref 1%
(YG; Sample Size: 1,700; Fieldwork: 8- 9 March 2022)
The Midlands is Labour's toughest challenge by far. What's interesting is that Labour does not seem to have worked this out yet.
Labour can form a government without winning the Midlands if they win London, Wales and the North by more than they did in 2019 and the Midlands is closer.
However they would need SNP confidence and supply to make Starmer PM.
Labour can likely only win a majority if they have a significant lead in the Midlands too
Well, that may come.
One thing I do notice here in Staffordshire - and I have no idea whether it's typical of the Midlands' former industrial areas, but it strikes me as a curious inversion of the national norm - is that Labour's voters and activists are mostly very elderly ex-union types. The candidate they put up here in 2019 was 77 years old. They couldn't find anyone younger. Watching them leafleting in Cannock town centre was like watching an OAPs' association.
Tory voters are mostly quite a bit younger and work in the lighter industrial firms. They are not bothered about pensions, or savings. Or unions or very often politics in general. What they want is enough money in their pay packets to cover their bills, including nice shiny toys like new iPhones.
So clobbering them with an NI rise is actually a very silly idea, especially as those bills go up substantially.
Does that mean Labour can recover? Not necessarily. See about the hollowed out activist base again. But the Tories shouldn't be in any way complacent.
Don't know if it's typical or just a fluke of Staffs' peculiar circumstances. So treat with caution.
Though of course the Midlands also had the biggest Leave vote in the country in 2016 which is also still a factor.
Of course from next year the NI rise will be replaced by the health and social care levy
Is rebadging the charge really going to make much difference? It will still be money that Mr, Mrs, Miss and Mx Voter won't have in their pockets to spend.
Indeed, but to a degree rebadging things does work. Bedroom Tax, Death Tax etc.
The tories are going to have to pivot to an explicitly anti-environmental position to head off Farage's latest auto-da-fe. He can make them do any mad shit he wants by threatening to siphon off some off their piss reeking OAP core vote. That's now been established.
What a horrible description of the elderly
Someday you may be elderly and lets hope people around you have more respect
Zip it grandad.
Lack of respect for the elderly indicates a very unpleasant side to any individual
The tories are going to have to pivot to an explicitly anti-environmental position to head off Farage's latest auto-da-fe. He can make them do any mad shit he wants by threatening to siphon off some off their piss reeking OAP core vote. That's now been established.
What a horrible description of the elderly
Someday you may be elderly and lets hope people around you have more respect
That language may have been, well, Dura Ace, but given the voting trends of recent decades it is a pretty solid case that retaining an older voter bloc is pretty critical, for the Tories more than anyone. And Farage definitely did drive large parts of Tory policy out of their fear of his leeching a portion of their support.
Whether this positioning will be as successful for him I doubt, but 'break the Tory grip on the older vote' is pretty sound as a strategy, and expecting the Tories to respond in turn makes sense.
I think it will work because Farage knows to make it work. Environmental issues are very rapidly becoming the Mariupol of the culture war both here and in the US.
@ChristopherJM NEW: Russia will consider foreign shipments of weapons to Ukraine as “legitimate targets” for the Russian armed forces to attack, state-run RIA Novosti reports, citing Deputy Foreign Minister Sergei Ryabkov.
The tories are going to have to pivot to an explicitly anti-environmental position to head off Farage's latest auto-da-fe. He can make them do any mad shit he wants by threatening to siphon off some off their piss reeking OAP core vote. That's now been established.
What a horrible description of the elderly
Someday you may be elderly and lets hope people around you have more respect
That language may have been, well, Dura Ace, but given the voting trends of recent decades it is a pretty solid case that retaining an older voter bloc is pretty critical, for the Tories more than anyone. And Farage definitely did drive large parts of Tory policy out of their fear of his leeching a portion of their support.
Whether this positioning will be as successful for him I doubt, but 'break the Tory grip on the older vote' is pretty sound as a strategy, and expecting the Tories to respond in turn makes sense.
I am not disagreeing with the point just the horrible description of the elderly which is unnecessary
The tories are going to have to pivot to an explicitly anti-environmental position to head off Farage's latest auto-da-fe. He can make them do any mad shit he wants by threatening to siphon off some off their piss reeking OAP core vote. That's now been established.
What a horrible description of the elderly
Someday you may be elderly and lets hope people around you have more respect
Zip it grandad.
Lack of respect for the elderly indicates a very unpleasant side to any individual
The tories are going to have to pivot to an explicitly anti-environmental position to head off Farage's latest auto-da-fe. He can make them do any mad shit he wants by threatening to siphon off some off their piss reeking OAP core vote. That's now been established.
What a horrible description of the elderly
Someday you may be elderly and lets hope people around you have more respect
Zip it grandad.
Lack of respect for the elderly indicates a very unpleasant side to any individual
Hmm. I don't see why 'for the elderly' needs to be in there rather than just lack of respect. Suggests there are categories of people who are more worthy of respect than others merely for a characteristic that does not imbue any particular additional quality. Can we not judge people on their individual merits?
The tories are going to have to pivot to an explicitly anti-environmental position to head off Farage's latest auto-da-fe. He can make them do any mad shit he wants by threatening to siphon off some off their piss reeking OAP core vote. That's now been established.
What a horrible description of the elderly
Someday you may be elderly and lets hope people around you have more respect
Zip it grandad.
Lack of respect for the elderly indicates a very unpleasant side to any individual
Respect has to be earned.
I have no further comments to make other than I do not see the need to use 'piss reeking'
This is interesting given they likely had some sort of authorisation ?
Just watched Russia’s main political talk show with notorious propagandist Soloviev (Mar 9). Couldn’t believe my ears. Two hardcore pro-Putin guests - Shaknazarov and Bagdasarov - acknowledged the impact of sanctions, military failures, and called for an end to the invasion. https://twitter.com/MaximAlyukov/status/1502337993012658177
The thread seems like it's laying the groundwork for a Russian climbdown. I suspect that we'll go back to the status quo ante bellum minus some of the Russian reserves being diverted to rebuilding Ukraine. Putin is realising how badly he miscalculated.
A handy guide to the stages of any project.
1. Enthusiasm
2. Disillusionment
3. Panic
4. Search for the guilty
5. Punishment of the innocent
6. Praise and honour for the non-participants.
I'd suggest putting 'delusion' between three and four, as the initial panic leads to someone trying, in vain, to impose the view that actually it is all going pretty well.
The tories are going to have to pivot to an explicitly anti-environmental position to head off Farage's latest auto-da-fe. He can make them do any mad shit he wants by threatening to siphon off some off their piss reeking OAP core vote. That's now been established.
What a horrible description of the elderly
Someday you may be elderly and lets hope people around you have more respect
Zip it grandad.
Lack of respect for the elderly indicates a very unpleasant side to any individual
Respect has to be earned.
I find it's nice to show people some respect even when I first meet them. I don't wait until they've "earned" it.
The tories are going to have to pivot to an explicitly anti-environmental position to head off Farage's latest auto-da-fe. He can make them do any mad shit he wants by threatening to siphon off some off their piss reeking OAP core vote. That's now been established.
What a horrible description of the elderly
Someday you may be elderly and lets hope people around you have more respect
Zip it grandad.
Lack of respect for the elderly indicates a very unpleasant side to any individual
Respect has to be earned.
You are Jean Vilain, and I claim my kilo of plutonium.
"Respect is everything. Without respect, we are just people. Common, shitty people."
We Need to Wean Ourselves of Foreign Fuels! How? By ditching the Green Crap which is aiming to wean us off fossil fuels. Thereby making petrol and energy cheaper so that we can continue to use exactly the same amount.
If Rishi has any political sense he will suspend the NI increase. He then needs an an emergency budget in a few weeks. Government should announce full scale review of economic situation for an Autumn budget. In light of changed world an across government strategic review that will include energy supply and defence. That is is what is needed and is also good politics.
Rishi will not suspend the NI increase for several reasons, not least NHS and social care needs more money and this increase becomes a separate tax next year on pay slips affirming the extra funding
It is not as unpopular as some think with yesterday's yougov having 43% in favour, 45% against
It also creates a problem for Starmer going forward as he has opposed it and has not put forward a long term alternative
I understand Rishi is to announce a wartime budget whatever that means ,but as far as your strategic review of energy supply is concerned Boris has said he will announce a new transitional energy policy with Kwarteng before the end of the month and expect to see granting of more domestic licences for production of our own oil and gas, onshore wind farms, and maybe Cambo oil field
I am not expecting fracking to get the green light but do not ruie it out
I predict an angry response from the green lobby but we have to accept it is idiotic to close off these areas of domestic self reliance to obtain them from importing not just from Russia but elsewhere
Labour may well face quite a dilemma as this is a big change from their net zero aspiration
This is one of the many challenges facing the country post this war, even if the war has concluded
Rishi and Boris as opposed to Starmer and Kwarteng? Why not Sunak, Johnson, Keir and Kwasi?
It is not a problem for Starmer as that response is due to the artificial framing of the question. Labour will frame it differently, not denying that a funding increase is necessary but pointing out that a simple increase in the rate of NI is just about the worst way to raise taxes.
It is a progressive tax and one labour would have supported previously
OK, I disagree with both of those points, let's just agree to differ.
In September last year labour did not rule out supporting a NI increase
Develop a "star wars" defence shield to cover Europe and the continental USA with satellites, drones and networked AI and be in a position to shoot down their missiles with interceptors/phalanxes etc. That's needed first. It needs to be bloody good.
How possible is it to build a system that could take out >95% of ~400 nuclear missiles?
I'd like to see the scientific and engineering colossi of the west make a fucking wifi printer that works first.
There's the rub - China will probably beat us to it.
The tories are going to have to pivot to an explicitly anti-environmental position to head off Farage's latest auto-da-fe. He can make them do any mad shit he wants by threatening to siphon off some off their piss reeking OAP core vote. That's now been established.
What a horrible description of the elderly
Someday you may be elderly and lets hope people around you have more respect
Zip it grandad.
Lack of respect for the elderly indicates a very unpleasant side to any individual
Respect has to be earned.
I have no further comments to make other than I do not see the need to use 'piss reeking'
Don't be such a snowflake, you regularly cheerlead for a party led by a man who, inter alia, calls muslim women 'letterboxes' and called black people 'piccaninnies' and yet you get outraged by piss reeking.
Develop a "star wars" defence shield to cover Europe and the continental USA with satellites, drones and networked AI and be in a position to shoot down their missiles with interceptors/phalanxes etc. That's needed first. It needs to be bloody good.
How possible is it to build a system that could take out >95% of ~400 nuclear missiles?
I'd like to see the scientific and engineering colossi of the west make a fucking wifi printer that works first.
There's the rub - China will probably beat us to it.
The game changer here will be getting high power free-electron lasers to work. When you are at the point of being able to create 100 megawatt *continuous* beams - everything dies. At 60% efficient conversion from electricity to light, no less.....
This is interesting given they likely had some sort of authorisation ?
Just watched Russia’s main political talk show with notorious propagandist Soloviev (Mar 9). Couldn’t believe my ears. Two hardcore pro-Putin guests - Shaknazarov and Bagdasarov - acknowledged the impact of sanctions, military failures, and called for an end to the invasion. https://twitter.com/MaximAlyukov/status/1502337993012658177
The thread seems like it's laying the groundwork for a Russian climbdown. I suspect that we'll go back to the status quo ante bellum minus some of the Russian reserves being diverted to rebuilding Ukraine. Putin is realising how badly he miscalculated.
A handy guide to the stages of any project.
1. Enthusiasm
2. Disillusionment
3. Panic
4. Search for the guilty
5. Punishment of the innocent
6. Praise and honour for the non-participants.
I'd suggest putting 'delusion' between three and four, as the initial panic leads to someone trying, in vain, to impose the view that actually it is all going pretty well.
"Remain Calm. All is well!"
An Animal House reference per day is a welcome development on PB.
We Need to Wean Ourselves of Foreign Fuels! How? By ditching the Green Crap which is aiming to wean us off fossil fuels. Thereby making petrol and energy cheaper so that we can continue to use exactly the same amount.
Notice on the back of van.
Fuck the tools, no fuel is stored in this vehicle overnight.
Stock had a crowd of 100 or more anonymous masked & hooded demonstrators turn up on the University Open Day to intimate her, and call for her sacking.
"Forced out" or "Intimidated out" is quite a reasonable interpretation, I'd suggest.
It's not something that a 50 year old female academic should have to face, just for disagreeing with someone's opinion and expressing that disagreement publicly.
What about 40 year old or 30 year old female academics?
Emma Barnett has conducted a series of interviews with figures in this 'debate' on Woman's Hour, most recently Maya Forstater and Stock a few weeks ago. Barnett is pretty good at picking away at inconvenient truths for all the interviewees, particularly since I suspect her sympathies tend to be more in one direction.
I listened to the Stock interview while driving on the M8 and may have missed some of the nuance because I was duelling with an arsehole in a white van trying to undertake me, but the gist of it seemed to be that gender self identification was a 'fiction' compared to the necessary and immutable truth of sex, and people who had their feelings hurt by this were snowflakes (I paraphrase). Otoh Barnett pointed out to her that she had left her employer by choice and said university had made statements supporting her, Stock said she had 'felt' unsupported and under threat. Apparently some feelings are more important than others.
I'd say that a lot of the players in this (on both sides) have got high on their own supply of unfamiliar attention, and find it difficult to take that much offered piece of advice to step away from the keyboard.
Nah rubbish. Those arguing for the biological basis for sex are not threatening the transgender community. Indeed many of them are people who have stood solidly behind minorities in that past and continue to do so. They are in no way being abusive towards the transgender community, they are simply putting forward a rational argument on a specific detail. They are certainly not trying to deprive them of a living or drive them out of their jobs.
Those attacking Stock for her views are doing all these things up to and including the threat of physical violence. To the extent that the police warned her to stay away from the University campus and advised her to get bodyguards.
Equating the two as you try to do is dishonest in the extreme.
This is interesting given they likely had some sort of authorisation ?
Just watched Russia’s main political talk show with notorious propagandist Soloviev (Mar 9). Couldn’t believe my ears. Two hardcore pro-Putin guests - Shaknazarov and Bagdasarov - acknowledged the impact of sanctions, military failures, and called for an end to the invasion. https://twitter.com/MaximAlyukov/status/1502337993012658177
The thread seems like it's laying the groundwork for a Russian climbdown. I suspect that we'll go back to the status quo ante bellum minus some of the Russian reserves being diverted to rebuilding Ukraine. Putin is realising how badly he miscalculated.
A handy guide to the stages of any project.
1. Enthusiasm
2. Disillusionment
3. Panic
4. Search for the guilty
5. Punishment of the innocent
6. Praise and honour for the non-participants.
I'd suggest putting 'delusion' between three and four, as the initial panic leads to someone trying, in vain, to impose the view that actually it is all going pretty well.
"Remain Calm. All is well!"
An Animal House reference per day is a welcome development on PB.
I tried to re-work the horse-in-office scene as a Putin-and-the-generals thing, but I don't have the talent. I think the concept has promise, though.
We Need to Wean Ourselves of Foreign Fuels! How? By ditching the Green Crap which is aiming to wean us off fossil fuels. Thereby making petrol and energy cheaper so that we can continue to use exactly the same amount.
You are missing the point
We will need oil and gas for years to come and the more we produce ourselves during the transition period the more secure our energy supply is and we do not import the same oil and gas we can produce, from Russia and elsewhere
It is a simple proposition that should receive widespread popular support post this war
The tories are going to have to pivot to an explicitly anti-environmental position to head off Farage's latest auto-da-fe. He can make them do any mad shit he wants by threatening to siphon off some off their piss reeking OAP core vote. That's now been established.
What a horrible description of the elderly
Someday you may be elderly and lets hope people around you have more respect
Zip it grandad.
Lack of respect for the elderly indicates a very unpleasant side to any individual
Respect has to be earned.
I find it's nice to show people some respect even when I first meet them. I don't wait until they've "earned" it.
Presuming it to start out, sure. But on extended acquaintence, earning it is necessary, it doesn't need to change how you act though.
Sometimes a call for respect is a call for deference. And demanding it is likely to have opposite effect.
@ChristopherJM NEW: Russia will consider foreign shipments of weapons to Ukraine as “legitimate targets” for the Russian armed forces to attack, state-run RIA Novosti reports, citing Deputy Foreign Minister Sergei Ryabkov.
Who to believe? Ukraine has motive to present themselves as defiant, but no motive to annoy potential allies and mediators so why would they mislead?
From BBC Israeli officials have denied media reports Israel asked Ukraine to "surrender" to Russian demands during talks.
Israel has been involved in efforts to try to end the war in Ukraine. Its Prime Minister Naftali Bennett travelled to Moscow for face-to-face talks with President Putin last Saturday, and also spoke to Ukraine's President Zelensky by phone.
Media reports had suggested Bennett tried to push Ukraine to heed Russian conditions to end the war.
But a senior Israeli official has called the report "patently false".
"Bennett has at no point told Zelensky how to act, nor does he have any intention to," the official told Reuters news agency.
In fact, "Israel is suggesting that Russia should assess events more adequately" an adviser to the head of the Ukrainian presidential office, Mykhaylo Podolyak, has tweeted.
We Need to Wean Ourselves of Foreign Fuels! How? By ditching the Green Crap which is aiming to wean us off fossil fuels. Thereby making petrol and energy cheaper so that we can continue to use exactly the same amount.
You are missing the point
We will need oil and gas for years to come and the more we produce ourselves during the transition period the more secure our energy supply is and we do not import the same oil and gas we can produce, from Russia and elsewhere
It is a simple proposition that should receive widespread popular support post this war
Yep. It’s the same with the nonsense over the Cumbrian coal mine.
I have no idea if it’s deliberate, but the Green twats have been very useful to Putin.
I don't wish to alarm anybody, but we've moved closer to WWIII.
Russia has warned the United States that Western shipments of weapons to Ukraine could become “legitimate targets” if they continue, raising the risk of a possible escalation of the conflict.
Sergei Ryabkov, Russia's deputy foreign minister, told state television that Moscow had warned “about the consequences of the thoughtless transfer to Ukraine of weapons like man-portable air defence systems, anti-tank missiles and so on”.
“We warned the United States that the orchestrated pumping of weapons from a number of countries is not just a dangerous move, it is a move that turns these convoys into legitimate targets,” he said.
Why are you all so weird? I start with everyone I meet at 100% respect.
And then I start to deduct points.
Anyone with funny ears, or whose breathing can be heard from more than a metre away is below 20% within the first couple of seconds. If they're wearing a tie I halve their score. Aftershave puts you in negative figures. If they're sat in a BMW, holding a golf club, texting on a phone with the keypad tones switched on, handing out a leaflet, needlessly blocking a supermarket aisle with a trolley, or I can see their gums in any way whatsoever, they are added to the list for future extermination.
I don't wish to alarm anybody, but we've moved closer to WWIII.
Russia has warned the United States that Western shipments of weapons to Ukraine could become “legitimate targets” if they continue, raising the risk of a possible escalation of the conflict.
Sergei Ryabkov, Russia's deputy foreign minister, told state television that Moscow had warned “about the consequences of the thoughtless transfer to Ukraine of weapons like man-portable air defence systems, anti-tank missiles and so on”.
“We warned the United States that the orchestrated pumping of weapons from a number of countries is not just a dangerous move, it is a move that turns these convoys into legitimate targets,” he said.
Would the shipment of weapons from inside Russia also therefore be a legitimate target?
We Need to Wean Ourselves of Foreign Fuels! How? By ditching the Green Crap which is aiming to wean us off fossil fuels. Thereby making petrol and energy cheaper so that we can continue to use exactly the same amount.
You are missing the point
We will need oil and gas for years to come and the more we produce ourselves during the transition period the more secure our energy supply is and we do not import the same oil and gas we can produce, from Russia and elsewhere
It is a simple proposition that should receive widespread popular support post this war
Would the UK government have to (be able to?) introduce some sort of 'We get first dibs' on the oil and gas production? Otherwise I'd imagine the companies would be selling it to countries in a more desperate situation who were willing to pay over the odds.
(I have almost no idea how the international oil/gas industry works. So just wondering really.)
Stock had a crowd of 100 or more anonymous masked & hooded demonstrators turn up on the University Open Day to intimate her, and call for her sacking.
"Forced out" or "Intimidated out" is quite a reasonable interpretation, I'd suggest.
It's not something that a 50 year old female academic should have to face, just for disagreeing with someone's opinion and expressing that disagreement publicly.
What about 40 year old or 30 year old female academics?
Emma Barnett has conducted a series of interviews with figures in this 'debate' on Woman's Hour, most recently Maya Forstater and Stock a few weeks ago. Barnett is pretty good at picking away at inconvenient truths for all the interviewees, particularly since I suspect her sympathies tend to be more in one direction.
I listened to the Stock interview while driving on the M8 and may have missed some of the nuance because I was duelling with an arsehole in a white van trying to undertake me, but the gist of it seemed to be that gender self identification was a 'fiction' compared to the necessary and immutable truth of sex, and people who had their feelings hurt by this were snowflakes (I paraphrase). Otoh Barnett pointed out to her that she had left her employer by choice and said university had made statements supporting her, Stock said she had 'felt' unsupported and under threat. Apparently some feelings are more important than others.
I'd say that a lot of the players in this (on both sides) have got high on their own supply of unfamiliar attention, and find it difficult to take that much offered piece of advice to step away from the keyboard.
Nah rubbish. Those arguing for the biological basis for sex are not threatening the transgender community. Indeed many of them are people who have stood solidly behind minorities in that past and continue to do so. They are in no way being abusive towards the transgender community, they are simply putting forward a rational argument on a specific detail. They are certainly not trying to deprive them of a living or drive them out of their jobs.
Those attacking Stock for her views are doing all these things up to and including the threat of physical violence. To the extent that the police warned her to stay away from the University campus and advised her to get bodyguards.
Equating the two as you try to do is dishonest in the extreme.
Well, thanks for clarifying my take on an interview to which I listened. What was your take on the interview? I assume you did listen to it and aren't just barging in with your view, because that sort of behaviour from you would be totally surprising to me.
We Need to Wean Ourselves of Foreign Fuels! How? By ditching the Green Crap which is aiming to wean us off fossil fuels. Thereby making petrol and energy cheaper so that we can continue to use exactly the same amount.
You are missing the point
We will need oil and gas for years to come and the more we produce ourselves during the transition period the more secure our energy supply is and we do not import the same oil and gas we can produce, from Russia and elsewhere
It is a simple proposition that should receive widespread popular support post this war
Yep. It’s the same with the nonsense over the Cumbrian coal mine.
I have no idea if it’s deliberate, but the Green twats have been very useful to Putin.
If Rishi has any political sense he will suspend the NI increase. He then needs an an emergency budget in a few weeks. Government should announce full scale review of economic situation for an Autumn budget. In light of changed world an across government strategic review that will include energy supply and defence. That is is what is needed and is also good politics.
Rishi will not suspend the NI increase for several reasons, not least NHS and social care needs more money and this increase becomes a separate tax next year on pay slips affirming the extra funding
It is not as unpopular as some think with yesterday's yougov having 43% in favour, 45% against
It also creates a problem for Starmer going forward as he has opposed it and has not put forward a long term alternative
I understand Rishi is to announce a wartime budget whatever that means ,but as far as your strategic review of energy supply is concerned Boris has said he will announce a new transitional energy policy with Kwarteng before the end of the month and expect to see granting of more domestic licences for production of our own oil and gas, onshore wind farms, and maybe Cambo oil field
I am not expecting fracking to get the green light but do not ruie it out
I predict an angry response from the green lobby but we have to accept it is idiotic to close off these areas of domestic self reliance to obtain them from importing not just from Russia but elsewhere
Labour may well face quite a dilemma as this is a big change from their net zero aspiration
This is one of the many challenges facing the country post this war, even if the war has concluded
It’s going to be depressing because no one is going to bother with nuance. It’ll all be “how can you issue new licences when you claim to want to hit net zero” vs. “thank God no more green crap” with no space for the moderate “we need to hit net zero, but get there sustainably and without arming Russia”.
We Need to Wean Ourselves of Foreign Fuels! How? By ditching the Green Crap which is aiming to wean us off fossil fuels. Thereby making petrol and energy cheaper so that we can continue to use exactly the same amount.
@ChristopherJM NEW: Russia will consider foreign shipments of weapons to Ukraine as “legitimate targets” for the Russian armed forces to attack, state-run RIA Novosti reports, citing Deputy Foreign Minister Sergei Ryabkov.
We Need to Wean Ourselves of Foreign Fuels! How? By ditching the Green Crap which is aiming to wean us off fossil fuels. Thereby making petrol and energy cheaper so that we can continue to use exactly the same amount.
You are missing the point
We will need oil and gas for years to come and the more we produce ourselves during the transition period the more secure our energy supply is and we do not import the same oil and gas we can produce, from Russia and elsewhere
It is a simple proposition that should receive widespread popular support post this war
Yep. It’s the same with the nonsense over the Cumbrian coal mine.
I have no idea if it’s deliberate, but the Green twats have been very useful to Putin.
You voted Leave.
That really is the political betting equivalent of “your mum”.
Stock had a crowd of 100 or more anonymous masked & hooded demonstrators turn up on the University Open Day to intimate her, and call for her sacking.
"Forced out" or "Intimidated out" is quite a reasonable interpretation, I'd suggest.
It's not something that a 50 year old female academic should have to face, just for disagreeing with someone's opinion and expressing that disagreement publicly.
What about 40 year old or 30 year old female academics?
Emma Barnett has conducted a series of interviews with figures in this 'debate' on Woman's Hour, most recently Maya Forstater and Stock a few weeks ago. Barnett is pretty good at picking away at inconvenient truths for all the interviewees, particularly since I suspect her sympathies tend to be more in one direction.
I listened to the Stock interview while driving on the M8 and may have missed some of the nuance because I was duelling with an arsehole in a white van trying to undertake me, but the gist of it seemed to be that gender self identification was a 'fiction' compared to the necessary and immutable truth of sex, and people who had their feelings hurt by this were snowflakes (I paraphrase). Otoh Barnett pointed out to her that she had left her employer by choice and said university had made statements supporting her, Stock said she had 'felt' unsupported and under threat. Apparently some feelings are more important than others.
I'd say that a lot of the players in this (on both sides) have got high on their own supply of unfamiliar attention, and find it difficult to take that much offered piece of advice to step away from the keyboard.
Nah rubbish. Those arguing for the biological basis for sex are not threatening the transgender community. Indeed many of them are people who have stood solidly behind minorities in that past and continue to do so. They are in no way being abusive towards the transgender community, they are simply putting forward a rational argument on a specific detail. They are certainly not trying to deprive them of a living or drive them out of their jobs.
Those attacking Stock for her views are doing all these things up to and including the threat of physical violence. To the extent that the police warned her to stay away from the University campus and advised her to get bodyguards.
Equating the two as you try to do is dishonest in the extreme.
Well, thanks for clarifying my take on an interview to which I listened. What was your take on the interview? I assume you did listen to it and aren't just barging in with your view, because that sort of behaviour from you would be totally surprising to me.
I was arguing with the fuckwitted idiocy of your comment, not the interview which I am sure, in your normal fashion, you have fundamentally misrepresented to suit your own extremist views.
This is interesting given they likely had some sort of authorisation ?
Just watched Russia’s main political talk show with notorious propagandist Soloviev (Mar 9). Couldn’t believe my ears. Two hardcore pro-Putin guests - Shaknazarov and Bagdasarov - acknowledged the impact of sanctions, military failures, and called for an end to the invasion. https://twitter.com/MaximAlyukov/status/1502337993012658177
The thread seems like it's laying the groundwork for a Russian climbdown. I suspect that we'll go back to the status quo ante bellum minus some of the Russian reserves being diverted to rebuilding Ukraine. Putin is realising how badly he miscalculated.
A handy guide to the stages of any project.
1. Enthusiasm
2. Disillusionment
3. Panic
4. Search for the guilty
5. Punishment of the innocent
6. Praise and honour for the non-participants.
I'd suggest putting 'delusion' between three and four, as the initial panic leads to someone trying, in vain, to impose the view that actually it is all going pretty well.
"Remain Calm. All is well!"
An Animal House reference per day is a welcome development on PB.
I tried to re-work the horse-in-office scene as a Putin-and-the-generals thing, but I don't have the talent. I think the concept has promise, though.
For Putin surely. "You fucked up. You trusted us."
We Need to Wean Ourselves of Foreign Fuels! How? By ditching the Green Crap which is aiming to wean us off fossil fuels. Thereby making petrol and energy cheaper so that we can continue to use exactly the same amount.
You are missing the point
We will need oil and gas for years to come and the more we produce ourselves during the transition period the more secure our energy supply is and we do not import the same oil and gas we can produce, from Russia and elsewhere
It is a simple proposition that should receive widespread popular support post this war
Would the UK government have to (be able to?) introduce some sort of 'We get first dibs' on the oil and gas production? Otherwise I'd imagine the companies would be selling it to countries in a more desperate situation who were willing to pay over the odds.
(I have almost no idea how the international oil/gas industry works. So just wondering really.)
There is plenty of precedent for banning *export* of oil and gas. In reality, because of issues of location of production, different grades of oil etc, you'd probably have allow some export.
Stock had a crowd of 100 or more anonymous masked & hooded demonstrators turn up on the University Open Day to intimate her, and call for her sacking.
"Forced out" or "Intimidated out" is quite a reasonable interpretation, I'd suggest.
It's not something that a 50 year old female academic should have to face, just for disagreeing with someone's opinion and expressing that disagreement publicly.
What about 40 year old or 30 year old female academics?
Emma Barnett has conducted a series of interviews with figures in this 'debate' on Woman's Hour, most recently Maya Forstater and Stock a few weeks ago. Barnett is pretty good at picking away at inconvenient truths for all the interviewees, particularly since I suspect her sympathies tend to be more in one direction.
I listened to the Stock interview while driving on the M8 and may have missed some of the nuance because I was duelling with an arsehole in a white van trying to undertake me, but the gist of it seemed to be that gender self identification was a 'fiction' compared to the necessary and immutable truth of sex, and people who had their feelings hurt by this were snowflakes (I paraphrase). Otoh Barnett pointed out to her that she had left her employer by choice and said university had made statements supporting her, Stock said she had 'felt' unsupported and under threat. Apparently some feelings are more important than others.
I'd say that a lot of the players in this (on both sides) have got high on their own supply of unfamiliar attention, and find it difficult to take that much offered piece of advice to step away from the keyboard.
Nah rubbish. Those arguing for the biological basis for sex are not threatening the transgender community. Indeed many of them are people who have stood solidly behind minorities in that past and continue to do so. They are in no way being abusive towards the transgender community, they are simply putting forward a rational argument on a specific detail. They are certainly not trying to deprive them of a living or drive them out of their jobs.
Those attacking Stock for her views are doing all these things up to and including the threat of physical violence. To the extent that the police warned her to stay away from the University campus and advised her to get bodyguards.
Equating the two as you try to do is dishonest in the extreme.
Well, thanks for clarifying my take on an interview to which I listened. What was your take on the interview? I assume you did listen to it and aren't just barging in with your view, because that sort of behaviour from you would be totally surprising to me.
I was arguing with the fuckwitted idiocy of your comment, not the interview which I am sure, in your normal fashion, you have fundamentally misrepresented to suit your own extremist views.
We Need to Wean Ourselves of Foreign Fuels! How? By ditching the Green Crap which is aiming to wean us off fossil fuels. Thereby making petrol and energy cheaper so that we can continue to use exactly the same amount.
You are missing the point
We will need oil and gas for years to come and the more we produce ourselves during the transition period the more secure our energy supply is and we do not import the same oil and gas we can produce, from Russia and elsewhere
It is a simple proposition that should receive widespread popular support post this war
Yep. It’s the same with the nonsense over the Cumbrian coal mine.
I have no idea if it’s deliberate, but the Green twats have been very useful to Putin.
You voted Leave.
That really is the political betting equivalent of “your mum”.
Not really. It's meant to remind you that some of us can be in favour of things that also happen to benefit Putin, and we need to keep in mind that "usefulness to Putin" is not the only standard by which to judge things.
"Kamala Harris has been criticised for giggling when asked if the US should take more Ukrainian refugees. The vice-president, who is on a three-day trip to Poland and Romania, laughed when asked the question at a press conference in Warsaw alongside Andrzej Duda, the president of Poland. She looked at Mr Duda as if he should respond first, then smirked: “A friend in need is a friend indeed.” Victoria Spartz, a Ukrainian-born Republican politician, criticised Ms Harris, saying it was “a very serious situation requiring action” and is “not a laughing matter”. George Papadopoulos, Donald Trump’s former campaign aide, added: “Discussing refugees is no laughing matter. Why she laughs at this is deranged.” Ms Harris has previously been criticised for laughing at odd moments during press conferences on serious issues."
It is, I think, a nervous laugh. - I don’t blame her for it. It certainly isn’t ‘deranged’. The optics are utterly awful, though.
I really don’t think she’s good enough a leader to be the Democrat’s presidential candidate, and gives them a real problem whether or not Biden runs again.
I had such high hopes and excitement for her.
“ she’s not good enough a leader to be the Democrat’s presidential candidate “
You are right Nigel, she would be loser if gets the nomination. 😕
Yes, I was an enthusiast earlier on, too, and would have been delighted had she grown rather than diminished in stature.
Me too. I've even got some stranded* assets wrt her winning 2024 president election Fortunately not much as I sold a chunk at her (now, quite astonishing) peak at around 20% chance.
*well, let's be honest - lost, most likely. Only hope of cashing those out for profit or winning is if she's imcumbent before 2024. And I'd rather take the loss than have her in charge of the current situation (although equally I'd rather take the loss several times than have Trump in charge!)
@ChristopherJM NEW: Russia will consider foreign shipments of weapons to Ukraine as “legitimate targets” for the Russian armed forces to attack, state-run RIA Novosti reports, citing Deputy Foreign Minister Sergei Ryabkov.
That is surely the quickest way to ensure NATO decide to impose a No Fly Zone.
I think this is now the likeliest way to an escalation.
It gets very dangerous if Putin changes their ROE accordingly, because his junior commanders haven’t demonstrated any initiative. Shoot at NATO inside Poland, and….
We Need to Wean Ourselves of Foreign Fuels! How? By ditching the Green Crap which is aiming to wean us off fossil fuels. Thereby making petrol and energy cheaper so that we can continue to use exactly the same amount.
You are missing the point
We will need oil and gas for years to come and the more we produce ourselves during the transition period the more secure our energy supply is and we do not import the same oil and gas we can produce, from Russia and elsewhere
It is a simple proposition that should receive widespread popular support post this war
With respect I'm not at all. Any plan which focuses only on increasing supply whilst doing nothing to address demand is simply magical thinking.
We Need to Wean Ourselves of Foreign Fuels! How? By ditching the Green Crap which is aiming to wean us off fossil fuels. Thereby making petrol and energy cheaper so that we can continue to use exactly the same amount.
You are missing the point
We will need oil and gas for years to come and the more we produce ourselves during the transition period the more secure our energy supply is and we do not import the same oil and gas we can produce, from Russia and elsewhere
It is a simple proposition that should receive widespread popular support post this war
Yep. It’s the same with the nonsense over the Cumbrian coal mine.
I have no idea if it’s deliberate, but the Green twats have been very useful to Putin.
You voted Leave.
That really is the political betting equivalent of “your mum”.
Not really. It's meant to remind you that some of us can be in favour of things that also happen to benefit Putin, and we need to keep in mind that "usefulness to Putin" is not the only standard by which to judge things.
Also: your mum.
Do you really think Russia wouldn’t have invaded Ukraine without Brexit?
We Need to Wean Ourselves of Foreign Fuels! How? By ditching the Green Crap which is aiming to wean us off fossil fuels. Thereby making petrol and energy cheaper so that we can continue to use exactly the same amount.
You are missing the point
We will need oil and gas for years to come and the more we produce ourselves during the transition period the more secure our energy supply is and we do not import the same oil and gas we can produce, from Russia and elsewhere
It is a simple proposition that should receive widespread popular support post this war
Yep. It’s the same with the nonsense over the Cumbrian coal mine.
I have no idea if it’s deliberate, but the Green twats have been very useful to Putin.
You voted Leave.
That really is the political betting equivalent of “your mum”.
It’s also now clear that any benefits Putin hoped to accrue from Brexit haven’t happened. And what’s despite the EU pushing us to the point I was more or less thinking “sod it, why should we defend Europe”.
I don't wish to alarm anybody, but we've moved closer to WWIII.
Russia has warned the United States that Western shipments of weapons to Ukraine could become “legitimate targets” if they continue, raising the risk of a possible escalation of the conflict.
Sergei Ryabkov, Russia's deputy foreign minister, told state television that Moscow had warned “about the consequences of the thoughtless transfer to Ukraine of weapons like man-portable air defence systems, anti-tank missiles and so on”.
“We warned the United States that the orchestrated pumping of weapons from a number of countries is not just a dangerous move, it is a move that turns these convoys into legitimate targets,” he said.
WW III looks distinctly unnecessary now that England have remembered how to bat.
We Need to Wean Ourselves of Foreign Fuels! How? By ditching the Green Crap which is aiming to wean us off fossil fuels. Thereby making petrol and energy cheaper so that we can continue to use exactly the same amount.
You are missing the point
We will need oil and gas for years to come and the more we produce ourselves during the transition period the more secure our energy supply is and we do not import the same oil and gas we can produce, from Russia and elsewhere
It is a simple proposition that should receive widespread popular support post this war
With respect I'm not at all. Any plan which focuses only on increasing supply whilst doing nothing to address demand is simply magical thinking.
Those complaining about UKG not supporting Cambo also needs to bear in mind it will take significant time to develop the field into one that is producing. Not sure what sort of timescale that is, though - 5 years? 10?
We Need to Wean Ourselves of Foreign Fuels! How? By ditching the Green Crap which is aiming to wean us off fossil fuels. Thereby making petrol and energy cheaper so that we can continue to use exactly the same amount.
You are missing the point
We will need oil and gas for years to come and the more we produce ourselves during the transition period the more secure our energy supply is and we do not import the same oil and gas we can produce, from Russia and elsewhere
It is a simple proposition that should receive widespread popular support post this war
Yep. It’s the same with the nonsense over the Cumbrian coal mine.
I have no idea if it’s deliberate, but the Green twats have been very useful to Putin.
You voted Leave.
That really is the political betting equivalent of “your mum”.
Not really. It's meant to remind you that some of us can be in favour of things that also happen to benefit Putin, and we need to keep in mind that "usefulness to Putin" is not the only standard by which to judge things.
Also: your mum.
Do you really think Russia wouldn’t have invaded Ukraine without Brexit?
Remember, Crimea was annexed in 2014.
And we started training troops in Ukraine (as well as fitting them out with the kit that they have used to such good effect) in 2015 but, whatever.
If Rishi has any political sense he will suspend the NI increase. He then needs an an emergency budget in a few weeks. Government should announce full scale review of economic situation for an Autumn budget. In light of changed world an across government strategic review that will include energy supply and defence. That is is what is needed and is also good politics.
Rishi will not suspend the NI increase for several reasons, not least NHS and social care needs more money and this increase becomes a separate tax next year on pay slips affirming the extra funding
It is not as unpopular as some think with yesterday's yougov having 43% in favour, 45% against
It also creates a problem for Starmer going forward as he has opposed it and has not put forward a long term alternative
I understand Rishi is to announce a wartime budget whatever that means ,but as far as your strategic review of energy supply is concerned Boris has said he will announce a new transitional energy policy with Kwarteng before the end of the month and expect to see granting of more domestic licences for production of our own oil and gas, onshore wind farms, and maybe Cambo oil field
I am not expecting fracking to get the green light but do not ruie it out
I predict an angry response from the green lobby but we have to accept it is idiotic to close off these areas of domestic self reliance to obtain them from importing not just from Russia but elsewhere
Labour may well face quite a dilemma as this is a big change from their net zero aspiration
This is one of the many challenges facing the country post this war, even if the war has concluded
It’s going to be depressing because no one is going to bother with nuance. It’ll all be “how can you issue new licences when you claim to want to hit net zero” vs. “thank God no more green crap” with no space for the moderate “we need to hit net zero, but get there sustainably and without arming Russia”.
We Need to Wean Ourselves of Foreign Fuels! How? By ditching the Green Crap which is aiming to wean us off fossil fuels. Thereby making petrol and energy cheaper so that we can continue to use exactly the same amount.
Didn’t take long.
You need to turn your irony meter on. The mere fact that you are the second poster who couldn't spot it shows how the simple stark fact that we need to use less fossil fuels is simply unthinkable to many. It is an addiction as @LostPassword noted.
We Need to Wean Ourselves of Foreign Fuels! How? By ditching the Green Crap which is aiming to wean us off fossil fuels. Thereby making petrol and energy cheaper so that we can continue to use exactly the same amount.
You are missing the point
We will need oil and gas for years to come and the more we produce ourselves during the transition period the more secure our energy supply is and we do not import the same oil and gas we can produce, from Russia and elsewhere
It is a simple proposition that should receive widespread popular support post this war
Yep. It’s the same with the nonsense over the Cumbrian coal mine.
I have no idea if it’s deliberate, but the Green twats have been very useful to Putin.
You voted Leave.
That really is the political betting equivalent of “your mum”.
Not really. It's meant to remind you that some of us can be in favour of things that also happen to benefit Putin, and we need to keep in mind that "usefulness to Putin" is not the only standard by which to judge things.
Also: your mum.
Do you really think Russia wouldn’t have invaded Ukraine without Brexit?
Remember, Crimea was annexed in 2014.
No, I do not think that. I'm saying Putin believed the breakup of the EU to be in his interests and has actively supported Western politicians who advocate for that. Hence supporting leaving the EU is "useful" to Putin. That doesn't make it wrong.
At the end of the contest in a packed arena, there’s a tie, broken by the interpretation score with Norway just sneaking it from Canada, with the UK in third.
We Need to Wean Ourselves of Foreign Fuels! How? By ditching the Green Crap which is aiming to wean us off fossil fuels. Thereby making petrol and energy cheaper so that we can continue to use exactly the same amount.
You are missing the point
We will need oil and gas for years to come and the more we produce ourselves during the transition period the more secure our energy supply is and we do not import the same oil and gas we can produce, from Russia and elsewhere
It is a simple proposition that should receive widespread popular support post this war
With respect I'm not at all. Any plan which focuses only on increasing supply whilst doing nothing to address demand is simply magical thinking.
Those complaining about UKG not supporting Cambo also needs to bear in mind it will take significant time to develop the field into one that is producing. Not sure what sort of timescale that is, though - 5 years? 10?
I haven't even heard if HMG has got the green light from Nicola and the EssEnnPee so the situation could be moot anyway.
This is interesting given they likely had some sort of authorisation ?
Just watched Russia’s main political talk show with notorious propagandist Soloviev (Mar 9). Couldn’t believe my ears. Two hardcore pro-Putin guests - Shaknazarov and Bagdasarov - acknowledged the impact of sanctions, military failures, and called for an end to the invasion. https://twitter.com/MaximAlyukov/status/1502337993012658177
The thread seems like it's laying the groundwork for a Russian climbdown. I suspect that we'll go back to the status quo ante bellum minus some of the Russian reserves being diverted to rebuilding Ukraine. Putin is realising how badly he miscalculated.
A handy guide to the stages of any project.
1. Enthusiasm
2. Disillusionment
3. Panic
4. Search for the guilty
5. Punishment of the innocent
6. Praise and honour for the non-participants.
I'd suggest putting 'delusion' between three and four, as the initial panic leads to someone trying, in vain, to impose the view that actually it is all going pretty well.
"Remain Calm. All is well!"
An Animal House reference per day is a welcome development on PB.
I tried to re-work the horse-in-office scene as a Putin-and-the-generals thing, but I don't have the talent. I think the concept has promise, though.
For Putin surely. "You fucked up. You trusted us."
We Need to Wean Ourselves of Foreign Fuels! How? By ditching the Green Crap which is aiming to wean us off fossil fuels. Thereby making petrol and energy cheaper so that we can continue to use exactly the same amount.
You are missing the point
We will need oil and gas for years to come and the more we produce ourselves during the transition period the more secure our energy supply is and we do not import the same oil and gas we can produce, from Russia and elsewhere
It is a simple proposition that should receive widespread popular support post this war
Yep. It’s the same with the nonsense over the Cumbrian coal mine.
I have no idea if it’s deliberate, but the Green twats have been very useful to Putin.
You voted Leave.
That really is the political betting equivalent of “your mum”.
It’s also now clear that any benefits Putin hoped to accrue from Brexit haven’t happened. And what’s despite the EU pushing us to the point I was more or less thinking “sod it, why should we defend Europe”.
It's pretty clear that the sum total of all Putin's policies in the past decade or so have been pretty bad. He clearly did underestimate the West, including the UK and the EU, and probably overestimated the damage done by Brexit. Whisper it, but Putin is basically not that good at what he does.
We Need to Wean Ourselves of Foreign Fuels! How? By ditching the Green Crap which is aiming to wean us off fossil fuels. Thereby making petrol and energy cheaper so that we can continue to use exactly the same amount.
You are missing the point
We will need oil and gas for years to come and the more we produce ourselves during the transition period the more secure our energy supply is and we do not import the same oil and gas we can produce, from Russia and elsewhere
It is a simple proposition that should receive widespread popular support post this war
With respect I'm not at all. Any plan which focuses only on increasing supply whilst doing nothing to address demand is simply magical thinking.
Those complaining about UKG not supporting Cambo also needs to bear in mind it will take significant time to develop the field into one that is producing. Not sure what sort of timescale that is, though - 5 years? 10?
Same with nuclear. Supply increases are years away. Demand reductions don't have to be. But no one seems to want that
I don't wish to alarm anybody, but we've moved closer to WWIII.
Russia has warned the United States that Western shipments of weapons to Ukraine could become “legitimate targets” if they continue, raising the risk of a possible escalation of the conflict.
Sergei Ryabkov, Russia's deputy foreign minister, told state television that Moscow had warned “about the consequences of the thoughtless transfer to Ukraine of weapons like man-portable air defence systems, anti-tank missiles and so on”.
“We warned the United States that the orchestrated pumping of weapons from a number of countries is not just a dangerous move, it is a move that turns these convoys into legitimate targets,” he said.
WW III looks distinctly unnecessary now that England have remembered how to bat.
If Rishi has any political sense he will suspend the NI increase. He then needs an an emergency budget in a few weeks. Government should announce full scale review of economic situation for an Autumn budget. In light of changed world an across government strategic review that will include energy supply and defence. That is is what is needed and is also good politics.
Rishi will not suspend the NI increase for several reasons, not least NHS and social care needs more money and this increase becomes a separate tax next year on pay slips affirming the extra funding
It is not as unpopular as some think with yesterday's yougov having 43% in favour, 45% against
It also creates a problem for Starmer going forward as he has opposed it and has not put forward a long term alternative
I understand Rishi is to announce a wartime budget whatever that means ,but as far as your strategic review of energy supply is concerned Boris has said he will announce a new transitional energy policy with Kwarteng before the end of the month and expect to see granting of more domestic licences for production of our own oil and gas, onshore wind farms, and maybe Cambo oil field
I am not expecting fracking to get the green light but do not ruie it out
I predict an angry response from the green lobby but we have to accept it is idiotic to close off these areas of domestic self reliance to obtain them from importing not just from Russia but elsewhere
Labour may well face quite a dilemma as this is a big change from their net zero aspiration
This is one of the many challenges facing the country post this war, even if the war has concluded
It’s going to be depressing because no one is going to bother with nuance. It’ll all be “how can you issue new licences when you claim to want to hit net zero” vs. “thank God no more green crap” with no space for the moderate “we need to hit net zero, but get there sustainably and without arming Russia”.
We Need to Wean Ourselves of Foreign Fuels! How? By ditching the Green Crap which is aiming to wean us off fossil fuels. Thereby making petrol and energy cheaper so that we can continue to use exactly the same amount.
Didn’t take long.
You need to turn your irony meter on. The mere fact that you are the second poster who couldn't spot it shows how the simple stark fact that we need to use less fossil fuels is simply unthinkable to many. It is an addiction as @LostPassword noted.
Nah, we’ve basically cracked global warming at 2-2.5%. Probably don’t even need to meet the aspirations in Glasgow because big technological shifts are coming.
We Need to Wean Ourselves of Foreign Fuels! How? By ditching the Green Crap which is aiming to wean us off fossil fuels. Thereby making petrol and energy cheaper so that we can continue to use exactly the same amount.
You are missing the point
We will need oil and gas for years to come and the more we produce ourselves during the transition period the more secure our energy supply is and we do not import the same oil and gas we can produce, from Russia and elsewhere
It is a simple proposition that should receive widespread popular support post this war
With respect I'm not at all. Any plan which focuses only on increasing supply whilst doing nothing to address demand is simply magical thinking.
We Need to Wean Ourselves of Foreign Fuels! How? By ditching the Green Crap which is aiming to wean us off fossil fuels. Thereby making petrol and energy cheaper so that we can continue to use exactly the same amount.
You are missing the point
We will need oil and gas for years to come and the more we produce ourselves during the transition period the more secure our energy supply is and we do not import the same oil and gas we can produce, from Russia and elsewhere
It is a simple proposition that should receive widespread popular support post this war
With respect I'm not at all. Any plan which focuses only on increasing supply whilst doing nothing to address demand is simply magical thinking.
Those complaining about UKG not supporting Cambo also needs to bear in mind it will take significant time to develop the field into one that is producing. Not sure what sort of timescale that is, though - 5 years? 10?
I haven't even heard if HMG has got the green light from Nicola and the EssEnnPee so the situation could be moot anyway.
Much of the exploration work has already been done on Cambo but still you wouldprobably be looking at 3-5 years before it is producing.
The bigger problem is that the UK Government is still putting the blocks on near field developments and exploration into existing platforms which could be up and producing in less than a year.
Comments
We are okay thankfully as we have fires and wood burners in almost every room and a ready supply of wood from our own trees. I am certainly looking to get a wood fired boiler installed soon.
And then I go out to see 155.9p per litre unleaded at my local Tesco's and diesel at an eyewatering 162.9p per litre with queues of cars six or seven deep. Like all addicts, the dealer can raise his prices yet we keep coming back for more. At what point and in what way do we start doing the real work (that means hard, unpopular and potentially election losing so the Conservatives won't do it) and start looking at weaning ourselves off the petroleum fix.
That means looking or re-evaluating other transport forms such as rail, bus and the like. That also means re-evaluating the suburban lifestyle which doesn't mean it's all wrong - it means getting back to local shops providing local services and away from huge out-of-town shopping centres unless these are fully served by local buses. It means looking at how we work, how we live and how we interact in ways which reduce both our energy consumption and our dependence on oil/petrol.
The reality we are seeing is that when NATO equipped troops meet Russian equipped troops it is a blood bath (just as we saw more than a decade ago in Iraq). When Russian airpower is used against NATO equipped anti-aircraft forces they lose unsustainable levels of planes and helicopters.
Is the implication that yours has a Mary Whitehouse view on the subject?
NEW: Russia will consider foreign shipments of weapons to Ukraine as “legitimate targets” for the Russian armed forces to attack, state-run RIA Novosti reports, citing Deputy Foreign Minister Sergei Ryabkov.
https://twitter.com/ChristopherJM/status/1502608363456237570
That said, I do usually have it TP linked as it's much quicker.
I followed a Tesla into Asda this morning and to be honest it looks and is very expensive which raises the other issue, climate change is not a problem for the wealthy who no doubt parade their green credentials whenever they can, but it is a real problem for most others and threatens to impoverish so many if we just accept all the green policies without a long transitional period, maybe 20 plus years
The https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sprint_(missile) is still insanely capable by modern standards - 5 second to *Mach 10*
The problem is that MIRVs and ultra long range SLBMs have made protection very difficult.
With multiple warheads, you are looking at 10+ warheads per missile. With ultra long range submarine launch missiles, you can launch from anywhere and take the *long route*. This is because, while ballistic missiles have to fly the great circle route between two points, you can go 2 directions along the great circle. So you end up looking at having to defend virtually 360 degrees.
If we can ever get free-election lasers to work at high powers (essentially 60% efficient at converting electricity into laser light) then maybe.....
Emma Barnett has conducted a series of interviews with figures in this 'debate' on Woman's Hour, most recently Maya Forstater and Stock a few weeks ago. Barnett is pretty good at picking away at inconvenient truths for all the interviewees, particularly since I suspect her sympathies tend to be more in one direction.
I listened to the Stock interview while driving on the M8 and may have missed some of the nuance because I was duelling with an arsehole in a white van trying to undertake me, but the gist of it seemed to be that gender self identification was a 'fiction' compared to the necessary and immutable truth of sex, and people who had their feelings hurt by this were snowflakes (I paraphrase). Otoh Barnett pointed out to her that she had left her employer by choice and said university had made statements supporting her, Stock said she had 'felt' unsupported and under threat. Apparently some feelings are more important than others.
I'd say that a lot of the players in this (on both sides) have got high on their own supply of unfamiliar attention, and find it difficult to take that much offered piece of advice to step away from the keyboard.
The other shock for me has been the unanimity and scope of the sanctions. The Russian economy is being put back more than 30 years. I suspect China has been shocked by this too and an attack on Taiwan looks ever more expensive.
Someday you may be elderly and lets hope people around you have more respect
Looks like Putin is at 4-5.....
*Entertaining, if you weren't crew or family of crew on the maiden voyage.
https://www.heritage.org/missile-defense/commentary/russias-small-nukes-are-big-problem
Whether this positioning will be as successful for him I doubt, but 'break the Tory grip on the older vote' is pretty sound as a strategy, and expecting the Tories to respond in turn makes sense.
If it ain't hurting it ain't working is the mentality.
"Respect is everything. Without respect, we are just people. Common, shitty people."
How?
By ditching the Green Crap which is aiming to wean us off fossil fuels.
Thereby making petrol and energy cheaper so that we can continue to use exactly the same amount.
https://labourlist.org/2021/09/labour-not-ruling-out-supporting-social-care-national-insurance-rise/
Fuck the tools, no fuel is stored in this vehicle overnight.
Those attacking Stock for her views are doing all these things up to and including the threat of physical violence. To the extent that the police warned her to stay away from the University campus and advised her to get bodyguards.
Equating the two as you try to do is dishonest in the extreme.
We will need oil and gas for years to come and the more we produce ourselves during the transition period the more secure our energy supply is and we do not import the same oil and gas we can produce, from Russia and elsewhere
It is a simple proposition that should receive widespread popular support post this war
Sometimes a call for respect is a call for deference. And demanding it is likely to have opposite effect.
From BBC
Israeli officials have denied media reports Israel asked Ukraine to "surrender" to Russian demands during talks.
Israel has been involved in efforts to try to end the war in Ukraine. Its Prime Minister Naftali Bennett travelled to Moscow for face-to-face talks with President Putin last Saturday, and also spoke to Ukraine's President Zelensky by phone.
Media reports had suggested Bennett tried to push Ukraine to heed Russian conditions to end the war.
But a senior Israeli official has called the report "patently false".
"Bennett has at no point told Zelensky how to act, nor does he have any intention to," the official told Reuters news agency.
In fact, "Israel is suggesting that Russia should assess events more adequately" an adviser to the head of the Ukrainian presidential office, Mykhaylo Podolyak, has tweeted.
I have no idea if it’s deliberate, but the Green twats have been very useful to Putin.
Russia has warned the United States that Western shipments of weapons to Ukraine could become “legitimate targets” if they continue, raising the risk of a possible escalation of the conflict.
Sergei Ryabkov, Russia's deputy foreign minister, told state television that Moscow had warned “about the consequences of the thoughtless transfer to Ukraine of weapons like man-portable air defence systems, anti-tank missiles and so on”.
“We warned the United States that the orchestrated pumping of weapons from a number of countries is not just a dangerous move, it is a move that turns these convoys into legitimate targets,” he said.
It was a shocking and dangerous tackle by him
And then I start to deduct points.
Anyone with funny ears, or whose breathing can be heard from more than a metre away is below 20% within the first couple of seconds. If they're wearing a tie I halve their score. Aftershave puts you in negative figures. If they're sat in a BMW, holding a golf club, texting on a phone with the keypad tones switched on, handing out a leaflet, needlessly blocking a supermarket aisle with a trolley, or I can see their gums in any way whatsoever, they are added to the list for future extermination.
(I have almost no idea how the international oil/gas industry works. So just wondering really.)
Well, thanks for clarifying my take on an interview to which I listened.
What was your take on the interview? I assume you did listen to it and aren't just barging in with your view, because that sort of behaviour from you would be totally surprising to me.
"You fucked up. You trusted us."
Also: your mum.
*well, let's be honest - lost, most likely. Only hope of cashing those out for profit or winning is if she's imcumbent before 2024. And I'd rather take the loss than have her in charge of the current situation (although equally I'd rather take the loss several times than have Trump in charge!)
Any plan which focuses only on increasing supply whilst doing nothing to address demand is simply magical thinking.
Remember, Crimea was annexed in 2014.
The mere fact that you are the second poster who couldn't spot it shows how the simple stark fact that we need to use less fossil fuels is simply unthinkable to many.
It is an addiction as @LostPassword noted.
I'm saying Putin believed the breakup of the EU to be in his interests and has actively supported Western politicians who advocate for that. Hence supporting leaving the EU is "useful" to Putin. That doesn't make it wrong.
https://streamable.com/2j6z7c
Demand reductions don't have to be. But no one seems to want that
The bigger problem is that the UK Government is still putting the blocks on near field developments and exploration into existing platforms which could be up and producing in less than a year.