Volodymyr Zelenskyy @ZelenskyyUa 1/2 All trade with Russia must be stopped! So that it can't sponsor the killing of our children. Ukrainians all over the world! Contact politicians, talk to journalists, put pressure on business to leave the Russian market. So that their dollars & euros aren’t paid for our blood
2/2 The price for this war against Ukraine should be extremely painful for Russia .🇺🇦
Volodymyr Zelenskyy @ZelenskyyUa 1/2 All trade with Russia must be stopped! So that it can't sponsor the killing of our children. Ukrainians all over the world! Contact politicians, talk to journalists, put pressure on business to leave the Russian market. So that their dollars & euros aren’t paid for our blood
2/2 The price for this war against Ukraine should be extremely painful for Russia .🇺🇦
I’ve read on here that Biden, Trump, Clinton, Johnson, Pelosi, Corbyn and even I think Sturgeon are suffering from dementia, strokes, or other brain-impairing illnesses.
It’s utter bullshit.
Biden: if that were your dad you'd be having a word with his GP. Harold Wilson and Ronald reagan we know for certain were demented in office. Others:
"Five percent of people ages 71 to 79, 24.2 percent of people 80 to 89, and 37.4 percent of those 90 years or older were estimated to have some type of dementia."
Hence there is not a single NATO boot on the ground in Ukraine nor is there a single NATO jet enforcing a no fly zone over Ukraine.
This is not the liberal interventionism of Clinton in Kosovo, Bush in Afghanistan and Iraq or even Obama in Libya and Syria.
It is pure Biden led realpolitik just as he showed with the realpolitik of his withdrawal from Afghanistan
None of the above involved the possibility of a direct armed confrontation with a nuclear power.
I suspect Obama and Clinton would have followed a similar course to Biden were they President now. As for Trump, harder to say - Dominic Sandbrook argued at the weekend were Trump now POTUS, US forces would be at Defcon 2 and ready to engage Russian forces - I'm less convinced.
I also wonder whether the sudden collapse in Afghanistan might have prompted Putin to begin planning the attack on the Ukraine in the expectation Washington and Europe would indulge in hand-wringing and nothing else?
Well Putin was right on that in military terms even if not economic.
Biden is the most isolationist President since Carter
Since Trump possibly!
Trump did plenty of bombings in Afghanistan and ordered the head of the Iranian army's Qud force to be killed with a drone
Was that the one who the holder of the world’s highest elected office said had "died like a dawg"?
She is usually articulate, and an extremely wily political operative. It looks like too much botox, but perhaps she's had a (mini-)stroke? Almost looks like that.
Either she drinks or she has some major cognitive problem (eg a stroke, as you say)
Doesn't look drunk, just looks and is very old. the fact that we can prop up 81 year olds to the extent they can purport to do a serious job, doesn't mean we should. Serious anti struldbrugg legislation needed (actually even struldbruggs were declared legally dead at 80).
So my wife at 82 should be dead in your musings
Just not Speaker of the United States House of Representatives.
I do not think she is in any danger of aspiring to that level, being with me for 60 years deserves a lifetime achievement award in itself !!!
Nancy Pelosi attended JFK's inauguration - almost certainly the last person alive who did. She may have met a few civil war windows there - they were always on the invitation list as a unifying gesture. It reminds me of how Bertrand Russell, an omnipresent figure in my youth, would recall his grandfather, Lord John Russell, architect of the 1832 Reform Act.
Did his daughter Caroline not attend?
Good question. She would have been 3 years and 2 months old. I'm not sure 'kids go free' was such a big thing back then, but there again the Kennedys were modernisers par excellence.
I’ve read on here that Biden, Trump, Clinton, Johnson, Pelosi, Corbyn and even I think Sturgeon are suffering from dementia, strokes, or other brain-impairing illnesses.
It’s utter bullshit.
Biden: if that were your dad you'd be having a word with his GP. Harold Wilson and Ronald reagan we know for certain were demented in office. Others:
"Five percent of people ages 71 to 79, 24.2 percent of people 80 to 89, and 37.4 percent of those 90 years or older were estimated to have some type of dementia."
She is usually articulate, and an extremely wily political operative. It looks like too much botox, but perhaps she's had a (mini-)stroke? Almost looks like that.
Either she drinks or she has some major cognitive problem (eg a stroke, as you say)
Doesn't look drunk, just looks and is very old. the fact that we can prop up 81 year olds to the extent they can purport to do a serious job, doesn't mean we should. Serious anti struldbrugg legislation needed (actually even struldbruggs were declared legally dead at 80).
So my wife at 82 should be dead in your musings
Just not Speaker of the United States House of Representatives.
I do not think she is in any danger of aspiring to that level, being with me for 60 years deserves a lifetime achievement award in itself !!!
Nancy Pelosi attended JFK's inauguration - almost certainly the last person alive who did. She may have met a few civil war windows there - they were always on the invitation list as a unifying gesture.
A very transparent gesture.
She was very rude. Just looked right through them.
Chris Bryant has just called for Aaron Banks to be sanctioned as a Russian “agent of influence”, and notes that Nigel Farage received over £500k from RT in 2018 alone.
We need to be careful with this stuff. I dislike both men but we can’t have a witch hunt for anyone who ever took any cash from a Russian. Working for Russia Today has always been morally wrong, but it was lawful. I’d we’re not careful this could all get a bit “reds under the bed”.
EU finally sanction Abramovich and Sky says the question rises that will the EU allow Chelsea to play in Europe
Thank **** Johnson didn't let the grass grow under Abramovitch's feet.
What specifically has he done in the past that would have warranted this action earlier?
According to the Guardian on 10th March "Roman Abramovich, one of the world’s richest men, was finally subjected to sanctions by the UK government after ministers accused him of having “clear connections” to Vladimir Putin’s regime and being among a group of businessmen who had “blood on their hands”...The move will heap further pressure on Putin two weeks after he ordered troops to invade Ukraine in a bloody war that has seen thousands killed or injured".
Yes, after the actions in Ukraine, but you seem to be suggesting he should have sanctioned years ago.
No I didn't. I was responding to BigG.'s "EU FINALLY sanction Abramovich" comment.
What was your comment regarding Johnson about then? Letting the grass grow suggests someone is being slow, implying that he should have done it earlier.
Abramovitch and his pals could have been sanctioned almost two weeks earlier. Two weeks gave them plenty of time to offshore and liquidate lots of assets. A few more days and Chelsea would have been in Saudi ownership.
The last bit isn’t true as the purchase would not have been able to go through that quickly - not only because of the annoying need for banks to do dd on source of funds etc but because the new owners would have had to have passed the PL fit and proper owner test which whilst a joke in results is not a quick process. After the uproar about the Saudi Newcastle takeover it would have likely taken even longer.
EU finally sanction Abramovich and Sky says the question rises that will the EU allow Chelsea to play in Europe
Thank **** Johnson didn't let the grass grow under Abramovitch's feet.
What specifically has he done in the past that would have warranted this action earlier?
According to the Guardian on 10th March "Roman Abramovich, one of the world’s richest men, was finally subjected to sanctions by the UK government after ministers accused him of having “clear connections” to Vladimir Putin’s regime and being among a group of businessmen who had “blood on their hands”...The move will heap further pressure on Putin two weeks after he ordered troops to invade Ukraine in a bloody war that has seen thousands killed or injured".
Yes, after the actions in Ukraine, but you seem to be suggesting he should have sanctioned years ago.
No I didn't. I was responding to BigG.'s "EU FINALLY sanction Abramovich" comment.
What was your comment regarding Johnson about then? Letting the grass grow suggests someone is being slow, implying that he should have done it earlier.
Abramovitch and his pals could have been sanctioned almost two weeks earlier. Two weeks gave them plenty of time to offshore and liquidate lots of assets. A few more days and Chelsea would have been in Saudi ownership.
Could they have? I think that's debatable. These things aren't done overnight, as we've seen from all sides issuing sanctions.
Chris Bryant has just called for Aaron Banks to be sanctioned as a Russian “agent of influence”, and notes that Nigel Farage received over £500k from RT in 2018 alone.
We need to be careful with this stuff. I dislike both men but we can’t have a witch hunt for anyone who ever took any cash from a Russian. Working for Russia Today has always been morally wrong, but it was lawful. I’d we’re not careful this could all get a bit “reds under the bed”.
I think we’ve been more than “careful” over the past few years.
I’ve read on here that Biden, Trump, Clinton, Johnson, Pelosi, Corbyn and even I think Sturgeon are suffering from dementia, strokes, or other brain-impairing illnesses.
It’s utter bullshit.
Biden: if that were your dad you'd be having a word with his GP. Harold Wilson and Ronald reagan we know for certain were demented in office. Others:
"Five percent of people ages 71 to 79, 24.2 percent of people 80 to 89, and 37.4 percent of those 90 years or older were estimated to have some type of dementia."
Those odds easily, easily justify a 70 (or 75 absolutely max) cut off for holding office. So you don't have to assess on a case by case basis.
There is a case for saying no President or Speaker of the House or PM should be under 40 or over 80 certainly.
That would ensure they had sufficient life experience and also would still have allowed the likes of Reagan to hold office before they really lost their marbles
I’ve read on here that Biden, Trump, Clinton, Johnson, Pelosi, Corbyn and even I think Sturgeon are suffering from dementia, strokes, or other brain-impairing illnesses.
It’s utter bullshit.
Biden: if that were your dad you'd be having a word with his GP. Harold Wilson and Ronald reagan we know for certain were demented in office. Others:
"Five percent of people ages 71 to 79, 24.2 percent of people 80 to 89, and 37.4 percent of those 90 years or older were estimated to have some type of dementia."
Those odds easily, easily justify a 70 (or 75 absolutely max) cut off for holding office. So you don't have to assess on a case by case basis.
I’m sure there is some cognitive decline as politicians age, and indeed are stressed by the demands of the job.
But every time I watch one of these videos - including the Pelosi one - I just see someone occasionally forgetting a word.
I do it myself.
Everyone has off-days, especially 70-somethings.
So assuming there are adequate numbers of under 70s, which there are, retire the 70 somethings as a precaution. There's a lower bound for US presidents, why no upper one?
Sweden today activated national service personnel: anybody who has done military training (national service or professional), irrespective of how long ago, is now under military command.
We have an unusual civic responsibility (the only other example seems to be Norway) where every Swedish citizen between 16 and 70, men and women, is part of Totalförsvaret (”Total Defence”). We all have to play our part in defending the state. There are three strands:
1. Military service, already activated (see above) 2. State war service, all public employees (state, regional and council) are obliged to serve the state in whatever capacity the government deems fit, not yet activated. 3. Civil war service, everyone else age 16-70 not included in the above two categories, not yet activated
I’ve read on here that Biden, Trump, Clinton, Johnson, Pelosi, Corbyn and even I think Sturgeon are suffering from dementia, strokes, or other brain-impairing illnesses.
It’s utter bullshit.
Biden: if that were your dad you'd be having a word with his GP. Harold Wilson and Ronald reagan we know for certain were demented in office. Others:
"Five percent of people ages 71 to 79, 24.2 percent of people 80 to 89, and 37.4 percent of those 90 years or older were estimated to have some type of dementia."
Those odds easily, easily justify a 70 (or 75 absolutely max) cut off for holding office. So you don't have to assess on a case by case basis.
I’m sure there is some cognitive decline as politicians age, and indeed are stressed by the demands of the job.
But every time I watch one of these videos - including the Pelosi one - I just see someone occasionally forgetting a word.
I do it myself.
Everyone has off-days, especially 70-somethings.
I’d like to see Big G or dare I say it Big G’s wife do a bloody press conference on a no fly zone for Ukraine.
That's true, but it takes very able people to do these jobs (well), and even more remarkable people to keep doing so at advanced ages. I'm not about to overreact to clips, but at a point concerns over fragility will become warranted.
Chris Bryant has just called for Aaron Banks to be sanctioned as a Russian “agent of influence”, and notes that Nigel Farage received over £500k from RT in 2018 alone.
We need to be careful with this stuff. I dislike both men but we can’t have a witch hunt for anyone who ever took any cash from a Russian. Working for Russia Today has always been morally wrong, but it was lawful. I’d we’re not careful this could all get a bit “reds under the bed”.
I think we’ve been more than “careful” over the past few years.
Agree, but there is a balance or you get the ludicrous “agent Corbyn” stuff or the silly suggestion Boris is in Putin’s pocket.
Sweden today activated national service personnel: anybody who has done military training (national service or professional), irrespective of how long ago, is now under military command.
We have an unusual civic responsibility (the only other example seems to be Norway) where every Swedish citizen between 16 and 70, men and women, is part of Totalförsvaret (”Total Defence”). We all have to play our part in defending the state. There are three strands:
1. Military service, already activated (see above) 2. State war service, all public employees (state, regional and council) are obliged to serve the state in whatever capacity the government deems fit, not yet activated. 3. Civil war service, everyone else age 16-70 not included in the above two categories, not yet activated
Sounds pretty authoritarian.
Have you herring-munching wife-swappers decided to join NATO yet?
I’ve read on here that Biden, Trump, Clinton, Johnson, Pelosi, Corbyn and even I think Sturgeon are suffering from dementia, strokes, or other brain-impairing illnesses.
It’s utter bullshit.
Biden: if that were your dad you'd be having a word with his GP. Harold Wilson and Ronald reagan we know for certain were demented in office. Others:
"Five percent of people ages 71 to 79, 24.2 percent of people 80 to 89, and 37.4 percent of those 90 years or older were estimated to have some type of dementia."
Those odds easily, easily justify a 70 (or 75 absolutely max) cut off for holding office. So you don't have to assess on a case by case basis.
I’m sure there is some cognitive decline as politicians age, and indeed are stressed by the demands of the job.
But every time I watch one of these videos - including the Pelosi one - I just see someone occasionally forgetting a word.
I do it myself.
Everyone has off-days, especially 70-somethings.
So assuming there are adequate numbers of under 70s, which there are, retire the 70 somethings as a precaution. There's a lower bound for US presidents, why no upper one?
What precaution, precisely, are we guarding against? A babbled press conference?
I’ve read on here that Biden, Trump, Clinton, Johnson, Pelosi, Corbyn and even I think Sturgeon are suffering from dementia, strokes, or other brain-impairing illnesses.
It’s utter bullshit.
Biden: if that were your dad you'd be having a word with his GP. Harold Wilson and Ronald reagan we know for certain were demented in office. Others:
"Five percent of people ages 71 to 79, 24.2 percent of people 80 to 89, and 37.4 percent of those 90 years or older were estimated to have some type of dementia."
Those odds easily, easily justify a 70 (or 75 absolutely max) cut off for holding office. So you don't have to assess on a case by case basis.
I’m sure there is some cognitive decline as politicians age, and indeed are stressed by the demands of the job.
But every time I watch one of these videos - including the Pelosi one - I just see someone occasionally forgetting a word.
I do it myself.
Everyone has off-days, especially 70-somethings.
I’d like to see Big G or dare I say it Big G’s wife do a bloody press conference on a no fly zone for Ukraine.
It's one thing having off days when you spend most of your time playing boules and contributing to a small political betting forum; another thing having off days when you're responsible for thousands of nuclear weapons and the world's largest economy.
Sweden today activated national service personnel: anybody who has done military training (national service or professional), irrespective of how long ago, is now under military command.
We have an unusual civic responsibility (the only other example seems to be Norway) where every Swedish citizen between 16 and 70, men and women, is part of Totalförsvaret (”Total Defence”). We all have to play our part in defending the state. There are three strands:
1. Military service, already activated (see above) 2. State war service, all public employees (state, regional and council) are obliged to serve the state in whatever capacity the government deems fit, not yet activated. 3. Civil war service, everyone else age 16-70 not included in the above two categories, not yet activated
To what end? Are they all off to drill? Is is a stunt/gesture or is there meaning? (Not meant to be a loaded question just interested as it will say someone about feelings there).
Pox cases on a big spike again. Nobody seems to care any more, but does show that all the BORIS ENDS COVID stuff was fanciful.
With Covid tearing a hole through schools across Aberdeenshire I am not at all surprised that Sturgeon has decided to extend the mask mandate. It won't stop it tearing through them but will help stop spreading it further.
Would you support mask mandates to stop norovirus, or influenza, spreading further beyond schools?
If not, what's the difference with Covid?
If it's an influenza as deadly as the Spanish Flu, then yes. And in fact mask mandates were put in place back then too.
Visegrád 24 @visegrad24 The Russian Army has replaced the Ukrainian flag in front of the main building of the Enerhodar City administration, with a Soviet flag.
EU finally sanction Abramovich and Sky says the question rises that will the EU allow Chelsea to play in Europe
Thank **** Johnson didn't let the grass grow under Abramovitch's feet.
What specifically has he done in the past that would have warranted this action earlier?
According to the Guardian on 10th March "Roman Abramovich, one of the world’s richest men, was finally subjected to sanctions by the UK government after ministers accused him of having “clear connections” to Vladimir Putin’s regime and being among a group of businessmen who had “blood on their hands”...The move will heap further pressure on Putin two weeks after he ordered troops to invade Ukraine in a bloody war that has seen thousands killed or injured".
Yes, after the actions in Ukraine, but you seem to be suggesting he should have sanctioned years ago.
No I didn't. I was responding to BigG.'s "EU FINALLY sanction Abramovich" comment.
What was your comment regarding Johnson about then? Letting the grass grow suggests someone is being slow, implying that he should have done it earlier.
Abramovitch and his pals could have been sanctioned almost two weeks earlier. Two weeks gave them plenty of time to offshore and liquidate lots of assets. A few more days and Chelsea would have been in Saudi ownership.
Could they have? I think that's debatable. These things aren't done overnight, as we've seen from all sides issuing sanctions.
There was the other matter of it being legal and outside the challenge of wealthy London lawyers
Chris Bryant has just called for Aaron Banks to be sanctioned as a Russian “agent of influence”, and notes that Nigel Farage received over £500k from RT in 2018 alone.
We need to be careful with this stuff. I dislike both men but we can’t have a witch hunt for anyone who ever took any cash from a Russian. Working for Russia Today has always been morally wrong, but it was lawful. I’d we’re not careful this could all get a bit “reds under the bed”.
I think we’ve been more than “careful” over the past few years.
Agree, but there is a balance or you get the ludicrous “agent Corbyn” stuff or the silly suggestion Boris is in Putin’s pocket.
It’s only in the last five years or so that such questions have become common. Around the same time that the Labour Party elected a raving Trot as leader, and the Conservatives (and Boris in particular) starting doing favours for Russian crooks.
I’ve read on here that Biden, Trump, Clinton, Johnson, Pelosi, Corbyn and even I think Sturgeon are suffering from dementia, strokes, or other brain-impairing illnesses.
It’s utter bullshit.
Biden: if that were your dad you'd be having a word with his GP. Harold Wilson and Ronald reagan we know for certain were demented in office. Others:
"Five percent of people ages 71 to 79, 24.2 percent of people 80 to 89, and 37.4 percent of those 90 years or older were estimated to have some type of dementia."
Those odds easily, easily justify a 70 (or 75 absolutely max) cut off for holding office. So you don't have to assess on a case by case basis.
Hard to tell with Biden because of his stutter. As someone with a stutter I often say words that I know aren't quite right simply because they're the only ones I can get out. He's of a generation who tries to hide a stutter at any costs and I think he might look better just working through it when it gets bad.
I’ve read on here that Biden, Trump, Clinton, Johnson, Pelosi, Corbyn and even I think Sturgeon are suffering from dementia, strokes, or other brain-impairing illnesses.
It’s utter bullshit.
Biden: if that were your dad you'd be having a word with his GP. Harold Wilson and Ronald reagan we know for certain were demented in office. Others:
"Five percent of people ages 71 to 79, 24.2 percent of people 80 to 89, and 37.4 percent of those 90 years or older were estimated to have some type of dementia."
Those odds easily, easily justify a 70 (or 75 absolutely max) cut off for holding office. So you don't have to assess on a case by case basis.
Harold Wilson's Wikipedia entry covering the 19 years after his retirement does not suggest serious dementia at the outset, although it blighted his later years. For example "He was appointed in 1976 to chair the Committee to Review the Functioning of Financial Institutions (the Wilson Committee) which reported in June 1980."
EU finally sanction Abramovich and Sky says the question rises that will the EU allow Chelsea to play in Europe
Thank **** Johnson didn't let the grass grow under Abramovitch's feet.
What specifically has he done in the past that would have warranted this action earlier?
According to the Guardian on 10th March "Roman Abramovich, one of the world’s richest men, was finally subjected to sanctions by the UK government after ministers accused him of having “clear connections” to Vladimir Putin’s regime and being among a group of businessmen who had “blood on their hands”...The move will heap further pressure on Putin two weeks after he ordered troops to invade Ukraine in a bloody war that has seen thousands killed or injured".
Yes, after the actions in Ukraine, but you seem to be suggesting he should have sanctioned years ago.
No I didn't. I was responding to BigG.'s "EU FINALLY sanction Abramovich" comment.
What was your comment regarding Johnson about then? Letting the grass grow suggests someone is being slow, implying that he should have done it earlier.
Abramovitch and his pals could have been sanctioned almost two weeks earlier. Two weeks gave them plenty of time to offshore and liquidate lots of assets. A few more days and Chelsea would have been in Saudi ownership.
Could they have? I think that's debatable. These things aren't done overnight, as we've seen from all sides issuing sanctions.
There was the other matter of it being legal and outside the challenge of wealthy London lawyers
This is true, but it is also true (as Gove likes to say) that the government has been dragged kicking and screaming into acting.
Chris Bryant has just called for Aaron Banks to be sanctioned as a Russian “agent of influence”, and notes that Nigel Farage received over £500k from RT in 2018 alone.
We need to be careful with this stuff. I dislike both men but we can’t have a witch hunt for anyone who ever took any cash from a Russian. Working for Russia Today has always been morally wrong, but it was lawful. I’d we’re not careful this could all get a bit “reds under the bed”.
On that note I'd like to point out that I never called for Salmond to be sanctioned.
I raised his RT work in the hope that the SNats here would finally admit; yep, a wrongun'.
But it's never happened. It shouldn't be a surprise when they wouldn't even disown him when he had to leave their party and set up a new one because he couldn't keep his hands off the women in his first party (they said that. In detail).
Why do the Nats here find him impossible to criticise? Is he like a god to them?
Sweden today activated national service personnel: anybody who has done military training (national service or professional), irrespective of how long ago, is now under military command.
We have an unusual civic responsibility (the only other example seems to be Norway) where every Swedish citizen between 16 and 70, men and women, is part of Totalförsvaret (”Total Defence”). We all have to play our part in defending the state. There are three strands:
1. Military service, already activated (see above) 2. State war service, all public employees (state, regional and council) are obliged to serve the state in whatever capacity the government deems fit, not yet activated. 3. Civil war service, everyone else age 16-70 not included in the above two categories, not yet activated
Sounds pretty authoritarian.
Have you herring-munching wife-swappers decided to join NATO yet?
Although most Swedes profess to be agnostic or atheist (the only other country with such a majority being Scotland), it is still a pretty judgemental Lutheran culture. Conforming is inbuilt in Swedish society. What you perceive to be authoritarian, Swedes consider to be safe and comforting.
We eat a lot of herring. Our sexual habits are probably more tame than your fantasy.
And No is the very clear answer to your final question.
Chris Bryant has just called for Aaron Banks to be sanctioned as a Russian “agent of influence”, and notes that Nigel Farage received over £500k from RT in 2018 alone.
We need to be careful with this stuff. I dislike both men but we can’t have a witch hunt for anyone who ever took any cash from a Russian. Working for Russia Today has always been morally wrong, but it was lawful. I’d we’re not careful this could all get a bit “reds under the bed”.
I think we’ve been more than “careful” over the past few years.
Agree, but there is a balance or you get the ludicrous “agent Corbyn” stuff or the silly suggestion Boris is in Putin’s pocket.
It’s only in the last five years or so that such questions have become common. Around the same time that the Labour Party elected a raving Trot as leader, and the Conservatives (and Boris in particular) starting doing favours for Russian crooks.
I don’t think that’s quite right. If you take a dim view of anyone with any Russian connection then people like Blair, Brown, and Mandelson come in to scope. In fact the only politicians who won’t are pre-Blair because of the Cold War. There was a time that trying to attract Russian cash was a sensible policy.
I’ve read on here that Biden, Trump, Clinton, Johnson, Pelosi, Corbyn and even I think Sturgeon are suffering from dementia, strokes, or other brain-impairing illnesses.
It’s utter bullshit.
Biden: if that were your dad you'd be having a word with his GP. Harold Wilson and Ronald reagan we know for certain were demented in office. Others:
"Five percent of people ages 71 to 79, 24.2 percent of people 80 to 89, and 37.4 percent of those 90 years or older were estimated to have some type of dementia."
Those odds easily, easily justify a 70 (or 75 absolutely max) cut off for holding office. So you don't have to assess on a case by case basis.
I’m sure there is some cognitive decline as politicians age, and indeed are stressed by the demands of the job.
But every time I watch one of these videos - including the Pelosi one - I just see someone occasionally forgetting a word.
I do it myself.
Everyone has off-days, especially 70-somethings.
So assuming there are adequate numbers of under 70s, which there are, retire the 70 somethings as a precaution. There's a lower bound for US presidents, why no upper one?
What precaution, precisely, are we guarding against? A babbled press conference?
Dementia. You are plainly in the happy position of never having known anyone with a serious case. i can promise you it goes way beyond babbling at conferences.
Chris Bryant has just called for Aaron Banks to be sanctioned as a Russian “agent of influence”, and notes that Nigel Farage received over £500k from RT in 2018 alone.
We need to be careful with this stuff. I dislike both men but we can’t have a witch hunt for anyone who ever took any cash from a Russian. Working for Russia Today has always been morally wrong, but it was lawful. I’d we’re not careful this could all get a bit “reds under the bed”.
I think we’ve been more than “careful” over the past few years.
Banks's wife was involved in the Hancock spy case, and he did once have personalised numberplate : X M15 SPY.
Chris Bryant has just called for Aaron Banks to be sanctioned as a Russian “agent of influence”, and notes that Nigel Farage received over £500k from RT in 2018 alone.
We need to be careful with this stuff. I dislike both men but we can’t have a witch hunt for anyone who ever took any cash from a Russian. Working for Russia Today has always been morally wrong, but it was lawful. I’d we’re not careful this could all get a bit “reds under the bed”.
On that note I'd like to point out that I never called for Salmond to be sanctioned.
I raised his RT work in the hope that the SNats here would finally admit; yep, a wrongun'.
But it's never happened. It shouldn't be a surprise when they wouldn't even disown him when he had to leave their party and set up a new one because he couldn't keep his hands off the women in his first party (they said that. In detail).
Why do the Nats here find him impossible to criticise? Is he like a god to them?
Chris Bryant has just called for Aaron Banks to be sanctioned as a Russian “agent of influence”, and notes that Nigel Farage received over £500k from RT in 2018 alone.
We need to be careful with this stuff. I dislike both men but we can’t have a witch hunt for anyone who ever took any cash from a Russian. Working for Russia Today has always been morally wrong, but it was lawful. I’d we’re not careful this could all get a bit “reds under the bed”.
I think we’ve been more than “careful” over the past few years.
Agree, but there is a balance or you get the ludicrous “agent Corbyn” stuff or the silly suggestion Boris is in Putin’s pocket.
It’s only in the last five years or so that such questions have become common. Around the same time that the Labour Party elected a raving Trot as leader, and the Conservatives (and Boris in particular) starting doing favours for Russian crooks.
I don’t think that’s quite right. If you take a dim view of anyone with any Russian connection then people like Blair, Brown, and Mandelson come in to scope. In fact the only politicians who won’t are pre-Blair because of the Cold War. There was a time that trying to attract Russian cash was a sensible policy.
I take a dim view of that, yes. Also posters that try to excuse it with partisan whataboutery.
Chris Bryant has just called for Aaron Banks to be sanctioned as a Russian “agent of influence”, and notes that Nigel Farage received over £500k from RT in 2018 alone.
We need to be careful with this stuff. I dislike both men but we can’t have a witch hunt for anyone who ever took any cash from a Russian. Working for Russia Today has always been morally wrong, but it was lawful. I’d we’re not careful this could all get a bit “reds under the bed”.
On that note I'd like to point out that I never called for Salmond to be sanctioned.
I raised his RT work in the hope that the SNats here would finally admit; yep, a wrongun'.
But it's never happened. It shouldn't be a surprise when they wouldn't even disown him when he had to leave their party and set up a new one because he couldn't keep his hands off the women in his first party (they said that. In detail).
Why do the Nats here find him impossible to criticise? Is he like a god to them?
Is he their Boris?
No..
He's their TRUMP
Doesn't make sense. He'd stopped being party leader and First Minister, so the comparison doesn't work.
Given their advanced ages, the idea that we should dismiss any concerns about the mental state of Pelosi, Trump and Biden as "total bullshit" is nuts.
Sure. some of the rumours about politicians in decline are partisan nonsense, but the videos of all three are concerning. The very recent videos of Pelosi in particular give the impression of someone with great difficulty expressing her thoughts
Biden looks a bit vague and forgetful, but he has that stammer. Trump is sui generis. He's always been a rambling maniac, but the rambles have got more meandering
All are too old for extreme high office. 75 should be the cut off date
Sweden today activated national service personnel: anybody who has done military training (national service or professional), irrespective of how long ago, is now under military command.
We have an unusual civic responsibility (the only other example seems to be Norway) where every Swedish citizen between 16 and 70, men and women, is part of Totalförsvaret (”Total Defence”). We all have to play our part in defending the state. There are three strands:
1. Military service, already activated (see above) 2. State war service, all public employees (state, regional and council) are obliged to serve the state in whatever capacity the government deems fit, not yet activated. 3. Civil war service, everyone else age 16-70 not included in the above two categories, not yet activated
To what end? Are they all off to drill? Is is a stunt/gesture or is there meaning? (Not meant to be a loaded question just interested as it will say someone about feelings there).
Swedes abhor stunts and gestures (hence their horror at Brexit, and Trump).
Yes, they are probably mostly off to drill (or at least the youngish ones I suspect). No harm in preparing for the worst and hoping for the best.
Public employees are likely steeling themselves for cancelled summer holidays…
I’ve read on here that Biden, Trump, Clinton, Johnson, Pelosi, Corbyn and even I think Sturgeon are suffering from dementia, strokes, or other brain-impairing illnesses.
It’s utter bullshit.
Biden: if that were your dad you'd be having a word with his GP. Harold Wilson and Ronald reagan we know for certain were demented in office. Others:
"Five percent of people ages 71 to 79, 24.2 percent of people 80 to 89, and 37.4 percent of those 90 years or older were estimated to have some type of dementia."
Those odds easily, easily justify a 70 (or 75 absolutely max) cut off for holding office. So you don't have to assess on a case by case basis.
I’m sure there is some cognitive decline as politicians age, and indeed are stressed by the demands of the job.
But every time I watch one of these videos - including the Pelosi one - I just see someone occasionally forgetting a word.
I do it myself.
Everyone has off-days, especially 70-somethings.
I’d like to see Big G or dare I say it Big G’s wife do a bloody press conference on a no fly zone for Ukraine.
I think my wife would affirm that she would be confident in my ability to do such a press conference in view of all the public speaking I have done in the past but she would resile herself
Mind you your comment is rather ageist if I may say
Sweden today activated national service personnel: anybody who has done military training (national service or professional), irrespective of how long ago, is now under military command.
We have an unusual civic responsibility (the only other example seems to be Norway) where every Swedish citizen between 16 and 70, men and women, is part of Totalförsvaret (”Total Defence”). We all have to play our part in defending the state. There are three strands:
1. Military service, already activated (see above) 2. State war service, all public employees (state, regional and council) are obliged to serve the state in whatever capacity the government deems fit, not yet activated. 3. Civil war service, everyone else age 16-70 not included in the above two categories, not yet activated
Sounds pretty authoritarian.
Have you herring-munching wife-swappers decided to join NATO yet?
Although most Swedes profess to be agnostic or atheist (the only other country with such a majority being Scotland), it is still a pretty judgemental Lutheran culture. Conforming is inbuilt in Swedish society. What you perceive to be authoritarian, Swedes consider to be safe and comforting.
We eat a lot of herring. Our sexual habits are probably more tame than your fantasy.
And No is the very clear answer to your final question.
Sweden today activated national service personnel: anybody who has done military training (national service or professional), irrespective of how long ago, is now under military command.
We have an unusual civic responsibility (the only other example seems to be Norway) where every Swedish citizen between 16 and 70, men and women, is part of Totalförsvaret (”Total Defence”). We all have to play our part in defending the state. There are three strands:
1. Military service, already activated (see above) 2. State war service, all public employees (state, regional and council) are obliged to serve the state in whatever capacity the government deems fit, not yet activated. 3. Civil war service, everyone else age 16-70 not included in the above two categories, not yet activated
Sounds pretty authoritarian.
Have you herring-munching wife-swappers decided to join NATO yet?
Although most Swedes profess to be agnostic or atheist (the only other country with such a majority being Scotland), it is still a pretty judgemental Lutheran culture. Conforming is inbuilt in Swedish society. What you perceive to be authoritarian, Swedes consider to be safe and comforting.
We eat a lot of herring. Our sexual habits are probably more tame than your fantasy.
And No is the very clear answer to your final question.
It sounds like not much has changed since Gustavus Adolphus. If you're not required for the Galicia campaign you can always try to get Swedish Pomerania back
Chris Bryant has just called for Aaron Banks to be sanctioned as a Russian “agent of influence”, and notes that Nigel Farage received over £500k from RT in 2018 alone.
We need to be careful with this stuff. I dislike both men but we can’t have a witch hunt for anyone who ever took any cash from a Russian. Working for Russia Today has always been morally wrong, but it was lawful. I’d we’re not careful this could all get a bit “reds under the bed”.
I think we’ve been more than “careful” over the past few years.
Banks's wife was involved in the Hancock spy case, and he did once have personalised numberplate : X M15 SPY.
Chris Bryant has just called for Aaron Banks to be sanctioned as a Russian “agent of influence”, and notes that Nigel Farage received over £500k from RT in 2018 alone.
We need to be careful with this stuff. I dislike both men but we can’t have a witch hunt for anyone who ever took any cash from a Russian. Working for Russia Today has always been morally wrong, but it was lawful. I’d we’re not careful this could all get a bit “reds under the bed”.
I think we’ve been more than “careful” over the past few years.
Agree, but there is a balance or you get the ludicrous “agent Corbyn” stuff or the silly suggestion Boris is in Putin’s pocket.
It’s only in the last five years or so that such questions have become common. Around the same time that the Labour Party elected a raving Trot as leader, and the Conservatives (and Boris in particular) starting doing favours for Russian crooks.
I don’t think that’s quite right. If you take a dim view of anyone with any Russian connection then people like Blair, Brown, and Mandelson come in to scope. In fact the only politicians who won’t are pre-Blair because of the Cold War. There was a time that trying to attract Russian cash was a sensible policy.
I take a dim view of that, yes. Also posters that try to excuse it with partisan whataboutery.
You’re accusing me of “whataboutery”? On what basis? Who of any of that bunch do you think I support? It’s a long list of politicians I dislike from Boris through to Blair.
I’ve read on here that Biden, Trump, Clinton, Johnson, Pelosi, Corbyn and even I think Sturgeon are suffering from dementia, strokes, or other brain-impairing illnesses.
It’s utter bullshit.
Biden: if that were your dad you'd be having a word with his GP. Harold Wilson and Ronald reagan we know for certain were demented in office. Others:
"Five percent of people ages 71 to 79, 24.2 percent of people 80 to 89, and 37.4 percent of those 90 years or older were estimated to have some type of dementia."
Those odds easily, easily justify a 70 (or 75 absolutely max) cut off for holding office. So you don't have to assess on a case by case basis.
I’m sure there is some cognitive decline as politicians age, and indeed are stressed by the demands of the job.
But every time I watch one of these videos - including the Pelosi one - I just see someone occasionally forgetting a word.
I do it myself.
Everyone has off-days, especially 70-somethings.
I’d like to see Big G or dare I say it Big G’s wife do a bloody press conference on a no fly zone for Ukraine.
I think my wife would affirm that she would be confident in my ability to do such a press conference in view of all the public speaking I have done in the past but she would resile herself
Mind you your comment is rather ageist if I may say
Ishmael is suggesting you be barred from public office as a dementia risk, and I’m arguing against it.
I’ve read on here that Biden, Trump, Clinton, Johnson, Pelosi, Corbyn and even I think Sturgeon are suffering from dementia, strokes, or other brain-impairing illnesses.
It’s utter bullshit.
Biden: if that were your dad you'd be having a word with his GP. Harold Wilson and Ronald reagan we know for certain were demented in office. Others:
"Five percent of people ages 71 to 79, 24.2 percent of people 80 to 89, and 37.4 percent of those 90 years or older were estimated to have some type of dementia."
Those odds easily, easily justify a 70 (or 75 absolutely max) cut off for holding office. So you don't have to assess on a case by case basis.
I’m sure there is some cognitive decline as politicians age, and indeed are stressed by the demands of the job.
But every time I watch one of these videos - including the Pelosi one - I just see someone occasionally forgetting a word.
I do it myself.
Everyone has off-days, especially 70-somethings.
So assuming there are adequate numbers of under 70s, which there are, retire the 70 somethings as a precaution. There's a lower bound for US presidents, why no upper one?
What precaution, precisely, are we guarding against? A babbled press conference?
Dementia. You are plainly in the happy position of never having known anyone with a serious case. i can promise you it goes way beyond babbling at conferences.
People with early dementia - and I've known a few - have techniques to disguise it. If they forget a crucial and obvious thing, they go off on a distracting tangent as they try to remember it
Pelosi does it in one of those videos, when she struggles to remember Zelensky's name, suddenly talks about "oh they time these meetings" - apropos of nothing; then she can't remember it anyway and she calls him "Kerensky", and winces with pain as she does it because she knows it is wrong
Chris Bryant has just called for Aaron Banks to be sanctioned as a Russian “agent of influence”, and notes that Nigel Farage received over £500k from RT in 2018 alone.
We need to be careful with this stuff. I dislike both men but we can’t have a witch hunt for anyone who ever took any cash from a Russian. Working for Russia Today has always been morally wrong, but it was lawful. I’d we’re not careful this could all get a bit “reds under the bed”.
On that note I'd like to point out that I never called for Salmond to be sanctioned.
I raised his RT work in the hope that the SNats here would finally admit; yep, a wrongun'.
But it's never happened. It shouldn't be a surprise when they wouldn't even disown him when he had to leave their party and set up a new one because he couldn't keep his hands off the women in his first party (they said that. In detail).
Why do the Nats here find him impossible to criticise? Is he like a god to them?
Is he their Boris?
No..
He's their TRUMP
Doesn't make sense. He'd stopped being party leader and First Minister, so the comparison doesn't work.
Sweden today activated national service personnel: anybody who has done military training (national service or professional), irrespective of how long ago, is now under military command.
We have an unusual civic responsibility (the only other example seems to be Norway) where every Swedish citizen between 16 and 70, men and women, is part of Totalförsvaret (”Total Defence”). We all have to play our part in defending the state. There are three strands:
1. Military service, already activated (see above) 2. State war service, all public employees (state, regional and council) are obliged to serve the state in whatever capacity the government deems fit, not yet activated. 3. Civil war service, everyone else age 16-70 not included in the above two categories, not yet activated
To what end? Are they all off to drill? Is is a stunt/gesture or is there meaning? (Not meant to be a loaded question just interested as it will say someone about feelings there).
Swedes abhor stunts and gestures (hence their horror at Brexit, and Trump).
Yes, they are probably mostly off to drill (or at least the youngish ones I suspect). No harm in preparing for the worst and hoping for the best.
Public employees are likely steeling themselves for cancelled summer holidays…
So is there a real sense of military threat? If so I’d really underestimated what this looks like a few hundred miles closer!
I’ve read on here that Biden, Trump, Clinton, Johnson, Pelosi, Corbyn and even I think Sturgeon are suffering from dementia, strokes, or other brain-impairing illnesses.
It’s utter bullshit.
Biden: if that were your dad you'd be having a word with his GP. Harold Wilson and Ronald reagan we know for certain were demented in office. Others:
"Five percent of people ages 71 to 79, 24.2 percent of people 80 to 89, and 37.4 percent of those 90 years or older were estimated to have some type of dementia."
Those odds easily, easily justify a 70 (or 75 absolutely max) cut off for holding office. So you don't have to assess on a case by case basis.
I’m sure there is some cognitive decline as politicians age, and indeed are stressed by the demands of the job.
But every time I watch one of these videos - including the Pelosi one - I just see someone occasionally forgetting a word.
I do it myself.
Everyone has off-days, especially 70-somethings.
I’d like to see Big G or dare I say it Big G’s wife do a bloody press conference on a no fly zone for Ukraine.
I think my wife would affirm that she would be confident in my ability to do such a press conference in view of all the public speaking I have done in the past but she would resile herself
Mind you your comment is rather ageist if I may say
Ishmael is suggesting you be barred from public office as a dementia risk, and I’m arguing against it.
But go ahead, clutch at your “ageist” pearls.
Why are you so rude
Most Kiwis I know are not the least bit inclined that way
EU finally sanction Abramovich and Sky says the question rises that will the EU allow Chelsea to play in Europe
Thank **** Johnson didn't let the grass grow under Abramovitch's feet.
What specifically has he done in the past that would have warranted this action earlier?
According to the Guardian on 10th March "Roman Abramovich, one of the world’s richest men, was finally subjected to sanctions by the UK government after ministers accused him of having “clear connections” to Vladimir Putin’s regime and being among a group of businessmen who had “blood on their hands”...The move will heap further pressure on Putin two weeks after he ordered troops to invade Ukraine in a bloody war that has seen thousands killed or injured".
Yes, after the actions in Ukraine, but you seem to be suggesting he should have sanctioned years ago.
No I didn't. I was responding to BigG.'s "EU FINALLY sanction Abramovich" comment.
What was your comment regarding Johnson about then? Letting the grass grow suggests someone is being slow, implying that he should have done it earlier.
Abramovitch and his pals could have been sanctioned almost two weeks earlier. Two weeks gave them plenty of time to offshore and liquidate lots of assets. A few more days and Chelsea would have been in Saudi ownership.
The last bit isn’t true as the purchase would not have been able to go through that quickly - not only because of the annoying need for banks to do dd on source of funds etc but because the new owners would have had to have passed the PL fit and proper owner test which whilst a joke in results is not a quick process. After the uproar about the Saudi Newcastle takeover it would have likely taken even longer.
A fair point re: DD and the fit and proper test. Nonetheless RA spent the ten days before sanction exploring ways to offload Chelsea including via a supporters trust, and as I recall it fell apart as he intended to retain titular ownership.
My point is, time was given for affairs to be put in order, and not just RA. Without hiding behind legal concerns, why?
I’ve read on here that Biden, Trump, Clinton, Johnson, Pelosi, Corbyn and even I think Sturgeon are suffering from dementia, strokes, or other brain-impairing illnesses.
It’s utter bullshit.
Biden: if that were your dad you'd be having a word with his GP. Harold Wilson and Ronald reagan we know for certain were demented in office. Others:
"Five percent of people ages 71 to 79, 24.2 percent of people 80 to 89, and 37.4 percent of those 90 years or older were estimated to have some type of dementia."
Those odds easily, easily justify a 70 (or 75 absolutely max) cut off for holding office. So you don't have to assess on a case by case basis.
I’m sure there is some cognitive decline as politicians age, and indeed are stressed by the demands of the job.
But every time I watch one of these videos - including the Pelosi one - I just see someone occasionally forgetting a word.
I do it myself.
Everyone has off-days, especially 70-somethings.
I’d like to see Big G or dare I say it Big G’s wife do a bloody press conference on a no fly zone for Ukraine.
I think my wife would affirm that she would be confident in my ability to do such a press conference in view of all the public speaking I have done in the past but she would resile herself
Mind you your comment is rather ageist if I may say
Ishmael is suggesting you be barred from public office as a dementia risk, and I’m arguing against it.
But go ahead, clutch at your “ageist” pearls.
Why are you so rude
Most Kiwis I know are not the least bit inclined that way
You troll for it, so you must enjoy it on some level.
I’ve read on here that Biden, Trump, Clinton, Johnson, Pelosi, Corbyn and even I think Sturgeon are suffering from dementia, strokes, or other brain-impairing illnesses.
It’s utter bullshit.
Biden: if that were your dad you'd be having a word with his GP. Harold Wilson and Ronald reagan we know for certain were demented in office. Others:
"Five percent of people ages 71 to 79, 24.2 percent of people 80 to 89, and 37.4 percent of those 90 years or older were estimated to have some type of dementia."
Those odds easily, easily justify a 70 (or 75 absolutely max) cut off for holding office. So you don't have to assess on a case by case basis.
I’m sure there is some cognitive decline as politicians age, and indeed are stressed by the demands of the job.
But every time I watch one of these videos - including the Pelosi one - I just see someone occasionally forgetting a word.
I do it myself.
Everyone has off-days, especially 70-somethings.
So assuming there are adequate numbers of under 70s, which there are, retire the 70 somethings as a precaution. There's a lower bound for US presidents, why no upper one?
What precaution, precisely, are we guarding against? A babbled press conference?
Dementia. You are plainly in the happy position of never having known anyone with a serious case. i can promise you it goes way beyond babbling at conferences.
People with early dementia - and I've known a few - have techniques to disguise it. If they forget a crucial and obvious thing, they go off on a distracting tangent as they try to remember it
Pelosi does it in one of those videos, when she struggles to remember Zelensky's name, suddenly talks about "oh they time these meetings" - apropos of nothing; then she can't remember it anyway and she calls him "Kerensky", and winces with pain as she does it because she knows it is wrong
It's there in plain sight, denying it is futile
I have a lot of experience with dementia and it is not something I would make light of in any circumstances
When a loved one dies not knowing who their nearest and dearest are, and you hold their hands, it is the most upsetting experience of ones life
I’ve read on here that Biden, Trump, Clinton, Johnson, Pelosi, Corbyn and even I think Sturgeon are suffering from dementia, strokes, or other brain-impairing illnesses.
It’s utter bullshit.
Biden: if that were your dad you'd be having a word with his GP. Harold Wilson and Ronald reagan we know for certain were demented in office. Others:
"Five percent of people ages 71 to 79, 24.2 percent of people 80 to 89, and 37.4 percent of those 90 years or older were estimated to have some type of dementia."
Those odds easily, easily justify a 70 (or 75 absolutely max) cut off for holding office. So you don't have to assess on a case by case basis.
I’m sure there is some cognitive decline as politicians age, and indeed are stressed by the demands of the job.
But every time I watch one of these videos - including the Pelosi one - I just see someone occasionally forgetting a word.
I do it myself.
Everyone has off-days, especially 70-somethings.
I’d like to see Big G or dare I say it Big G’s wife do a bloody press conference on a no fly zone for Ukraine.
I think my wife would affirm that she would be confident in my ability to do such a press conference in view of all the public speaking I have done in the past but she would resile herself
Mind you your comment is rather ageist if I may say
Ishmael is suggesting you be barred from public office as a dementia risk, and I’m arguing against it.
But go ahead, clutch at your “ageist” pearls.
Why are you so rude
Most Kiwis I know are not the least bit inclined that way
You troll for it, so you must enjoy it on some level.
Sweden today activated national service personnel: anybody who has done military training (national service or professional), irrespective of how long ago, is now under military command.
We have an unusual civic responsibility (the only other example seems to be Norway) where every Swedish citizen between 16 and 70, men and women, is part of Totalförsvaret (”Total Defence”). We all have to play our part in defending the state. There are three strands:
1. Military service, already activated (see above) 2. State war service, all public employees (state, regional and council) are obliged to serve the state in whatever capacity the government deems fit, not yet activated. 3. Civil war service, everyone else age 16-70 not included in the above two categories, not yet activated
Sounds pretty authoritarian.
Have you herring-munching wife-swappers decided to join NATO yet?
Although most Swedes profess to be agnostic or atheist (the only other country with such a majority being Scotland), it is still a pretty judgemental Lutheran culture. Conforming is inbuilt in Swedish society. What you perceive to be authoritarian, Swedes consider to be safe and comforting.
We eat a lot of herring. Our sexual habits are probably more tame than your fantasy.
And No is the very clear answer to your final question.
It sounds like not much has changed since Gustavus Adolphus. If you're not required for the Galicia campaign you can always try to get Swedish Pomerania back
Everything (or nearly everything) has changed since Lützen. Most modern Swedes look back at the Thirty Years’ War with distaste and disgust. Hard to imagine it was the same nation.
I’ve read on here that Biden, Trump, Clinton, Johnson, Pelosi, Corbyn and even I think Sturgeon are suffering from dementia, strokes, or other brain-impairing illnesses.
It’s utter bullshit.
Biden: if that were your dad you'd be having a word with his GP. Harold Wilson and Ronald reagan we know for certain were demented in office. Others:
"Five percent of people ages 71 to 79, 24.2 percent of people 80 to 89, and 37.4 percent of those 90 years or older were estimated to have some type of dementia."
Those odds easily, easily justify a 70 (or 75 absolutely max) cut off for holding office. So you don't have to assess on a case by case basis.
I’m sure there is some cognitive decline as politicians age, and indeed are stressed by the demands of the job.
But every time I watch one of these videos - including the Pelosi one - I just see someone occasionally forgetting a word.
I do it myself.
Everyone has off-days, especially 70-somethings.
So assuming there are adequate numbers of under 70s, which there are, retire the 70 somethings as a precaution. There's a lower bound for US presidents, why no upper one?
What precaution, precisely, are we guarding against? A babbled press conference?
Dementia. You are plainly in the happy position of never having known anyone with a serious case. i can promise you it goes way beyond babbling at conferences.
Absolutely - for the last two years of my father’s life he could go from being incredibly sharp and on the ball re politics or general life to a dribbling mess who insisted I was my brother. It could be a switch in the space of a day, over a few days or weeks.
It’s easy to put it down to just “getting old” but it can take a while to realise what’s really going on and so there is clearly a risk that someone can be elected where “mis-speaks” are laughed off to a real problem where the president is wearing one black brogue and one cherry red penny loafer to thinking he’s Peppa Pig during an essential briefing.
It’s a grim reality but the consequences are huge especially when it’s not your dad having an issue remembering why you are taking them for a hospital appointment but instead when they are supposed to be digesting intelligence briefs and maybe declaring war…..
Sweden today activated national service personnel: anybody who has done military training (national service or professional), irrespective of how long ago, is now under military command.
We have an unusual civic responsibility (the only other example seems to be Norway) where every Swedish citizen between 16 and 70, men and women, is part of Totalförsvaret (”Total Defence”). We all have to play our part in defending the state. There are three strands:
1. Military service, already activated (see above) 2. State war service, all public employees (state, regional and council) are obliged to serve the state in whatever capacity the government deems fit, not yet activated. 3. Civil war service, everyone else age 16-70 not included in the above two categories, not yet activated
Sounds pretty authoritarian.
Have you herring-munching wife-swappers decided to join NATO yet?
Although most Swedes profess to be agnostic or atheist (the only other country with such a majority being Scotland), it is still a pretty judgemental Lutheran culture. Conforming is inbuilt in Swedish society. What you perceive to be authoritarian, Swedes consider to be safe and comforting.
We eat a lot of herring. Our sexual habits are probably more tame than your fantasy.
And No is the very clear answer to your final question.
It sounds like not much has changed since Gustavus Adolphus. If you're not required for the Galicia campaign you can always try to get Swedish Pomerania back
Everything (or nearly everything) has changed since Lützen. Most modern Swedes look back at the Thirty Years’ War with distaste and disgust. Hard to imagine it was the same nation.
Totalförsvaret is about defence, not attack.
Vikings too! I know it's a long time ago, but it's really not so many generations back.
I have a friend from Zimbabwe - his grandmother was a Zulu - I just find the temporal closeness of many of these things astonishing.
I'd have said the same about arsehole dictators causing wars in Europe too until recently.
Chris Bryant has just called for Aaron Banks to be sanctioned as a Russian “agent of influence”, and notes that Nigel Farage received over £500k from RT in 2018 alone.
We need to be careful with this stuff. I dislike both men but we can’t have a witch hunt for anyone who ever took any cash from a Russian. Working for Russia Today has always been morally wrong, but it was lawful. I’d we’re not careful this could all get a bit “reds under the bed”.
On that note I'd like to point out that I never called for Salmond to be sanctioned.
I raised his RT work in the hope that the SNats here would finally admit; yep, a wrongun'.
But it's never happened. It shouldn't be a surprise when they wouldn't even disown him when he had to leave their party and set up a new one because he couldn't keep his hands off the women in his first party (they said that. In detail).
Why do the Nats here find him impossible to criticise? Is he like a god to them?
Is he their Boris?
Your obviously an inattentive dimwit because insofar as there are lots of 'SNats' on here, several of us including me have said his behaviour in office have disqualified him from holding it again (not that theres much chance of that); I certainly won't vote for Alba whatever the circumstances.
I'm amused by exactly the same people who multiply orgasmed when Salmond was accused of attempted rape & sexual assault, had big, fat,sad faces when he was cleared then pivoted to screeching about the injustice done to the 'best PM the UK never had' now busting a sphincter over his relationship with RT.
Save your efforts for peering out from the net curtains for the approach of Vlad's goons, sport.
I’ve read on here that Biden, Trump, Clinton, Johnson, Pelosi, Corbyn and even I think Sturgeon are suffering from dementia, strokes, or other brain-impairing illnesses.
It’s utter bullshit.
Biden: if that were your dad you'd be having a word with his GP. Harold Wilson and Ronald reagan we know for certain were demented in office. Others:
"Five percent of people ages 71 to 79, 24.2 percent of people 80 to 89, and 37.4 percent of those 90 years or older were estimated to have some type of dementia."
Those odds easily, easily justify a 70 (or 75 absolutely max) cut off for holding office. So you don't have to assess on a case by case basis.
I’m sure there is some cognitive decline as politicians age, and indeed are stressed by the demands of the job.
But every time I watch one of these videos - including the Pelosi one - I just see someone occasionally forgetting a word.
I do it myself.
Everyone has off-days, especially 70-somethings.
So assuming there are adequate numbers of under 70s, which there are, retire the 70 somethings as a precaution. There's a lower bound for US presidents, why no upper one?
What precaution, precisely, are we guarding against? A babbled press conference?
Dementia. You are plainly in the happy position of never having known anyone with a serious case. i can promise you it goes way beyond babbling at conferences.
Absolutely - for the last two years of my father’s life he could go from being incredibly sharp and on the ball re politics or general life to a dribbling mess who insisted I was my brother. It could be a switch in the space of a day, over a few days or weeks.
It’s easy to put it down to just “getting old” but it can take a while to realise what’s really going on and so there is clearly a risk that someone can be elected where “mis-speaks” are laughed off to a real problem where the president is wearing one black brogue and one cherry red penny loafer to thinking he’s Peppa Pig during an essential briefing.
It’s a grim reality but the consequences are huge especially when it’s not your dad having an issue remembering why you are taking them for a hospital appointment but instead when they are supposed to be digesting intelligence briefs and maybe declaring war…..
A friend lost her mother to dementia last week. She had been unable to recognise her daughter for the last couple of years, but her mothers husband reckoned it started 19 years before, just no one noticed but him.
I’ve read on here that Biden, Trump, Clinton, Johnson, Pelosi, Corbyn and even I think Sturgeon are suffering from dementia, strokes, or other brain-impairing illnesses.
It’s utter bullshit.
Biden: if that were your dad you'd be having a word with his GP. Harold Wilson and Ronald reagan we know for certain were demented in office. Others:
"Five percent of people ages 71 to 79, 24.2 percent of people 80 to 89, and 37.4 percent of those 90 years or older were estimated to have some type of dementia."
Those odds easily, easily justify a 70 (or 75 absolutely max) cut off for holding office. So you don't have to assess on a case by case basis.
I’m sure there is some cognitive decline as politicians age, and indeed are stressed by the demands of the job.
But every time I watch one of these videos - including the Pelosi one - I just see someone occasionally forgetting a word.
I do it myself.
Everyone has off-days, especially 70-somethings.
So assuming there are adequate numbers of under 70s, which there are, retire the 70 somethings as a precaution. There's a lower bound for US presidents, why no upper one?
What precaution, precisely, are we guarding against? A babbled press conference?
Dementia. You are plainly in the happy position of never having known anyone with a serious case. i can promise you it goes way beyond babbling at conferences.
Absolutely - for the last two years of my father’s life he could go from being incredibly sharp and on the ball re politics or general life to a dribbling mess who insisted I was my brother. It could be a switch in the space of a day, over a few days or weeks.
It’s easy to put it down to just “getting old” but it can take a while to realise what’s really going on and so there is clearly a risk that someone can be elected where “mis-speaks” are laughed off to a real problem where the president is wearing one black brogue and one cherry red penny loafer to thinking he’s Peppa Pig during an essential briefing.
It’s a grim reality but the consequences are huge especially when it’s not your dad having an issue remembering why you are taking them for a hospital appointment but instead when they are supposed to be digesting intelligence briefs and maybe declaring war…..
Yes. And the 25th Amendment is useless because it is always going to be politically charged, and asks Congress to make a decision which is really for a psychiatrist.
Chris Bryant has just called for Aaron Banks to be sanctioned as a Russian “agent of influence”, and notes that Nigel Farage received over £500k from RT in 2018 alone.
We need to be careful with this stuff. I dislike both men but we can’t have a witch hunt for anyone who ever took any cash from a Russian. Working for Russia Today has always been morally wrong, but it was lawful. I’d we’re not careful this could all get a bit “reds under the bed”.
On that note I'd like to point out that I never called for Salmond to be sanctioned.
I raised his RT work in the hope that the SNats here would finally admit; yep, a wrongun'.
But it's never happened. It shouldn't be a surprise when they wouldn't even disown him when he had to leave their party and set up a new one because he couldn't keep his hands off the women in his first party (they said that. In detail).
Why do the Nats here find him impossible to criticise? Is he like a god to them?
Is he their Boris?
Your obviously an inattentive dimwit because insofar as there are lots of 'SNats' on here, several of us including me have said his behaviour in office have disqualified him from holding it again (not that theres much chance of that); I certainly won't vote for Alba whatever the circumstances.
I'm amused by exactly the same people who multiply orgasmed when Salmond was accused of attempted rape & sexual assault, had big, fat,sad faces when he was cleared then pivoted to screeching about the injustice done to the 'best PM the UK never had' now busting a sphincter over his relationship with RT.
Save your efforts for peering out from the net curtains for the approach of Vlad's goons, sport.
Can you refer me to a post of yours criticising Salmond that I inattentively ignored?
I'd love to retract my statement in your direction if you've made one, single critical post regarding his RT employment.
Obviously ol' Malc would first have to acknowledge his RT employment.
I’ve read on here that Biden, Trump, Clinton, Johnson, Pelosi, Corbyn and even I think Sturgeon are suffering from dementia, strokes, or other brain-impairing illnesses.
It’s utter bullshit.
Biden: if that were your dad you'd be having a word with his GP. Harold Wilson and Ronald reagan we know for certain were demented in office. Others:
"Five percent of people ages 71 to 79, 24.2 percent of people 80 to 89, and 37.4 percent of those 90 years or older were estimated to have some type of dementia."
Those odds easily, easily justify a 70 (or 75 absolutely max) cut off for holding office. So you don't have to assess on a case by case basis.
I’m sure there is some cognitive decline as politicians age, and indeed are stressed by the demands of the job.
But every time I watch one of these videos - including the Pelosi one - I just see someone occasionally forgetting a word.
I do it myself.
Everyone has off-days, especially 70-somethings.
So assuming there are adequate numbers of under 70s, which there are, retire the 70 somethings as a precaution. There's a lower bound for US presidents, why no upper one?
What precaution, precisely, are we guarding against? A babbled press conference?
Dementia. You are plainly in the happy position of never having known anyone with a serious case. i can promise you it goes way beyond babbling at conferences.
Absolutely - for the last two years of my father’s life he could go from being incredibly sharp and on the ball re politics or general life to a dribbling mess who insisted I was my brother. It could be a switch in the space of a day, over a few days or weeks.
It’s easy to put it down to just “getting old” but it can take a while to realise what’s really going on and so there is clearly a risk that someone can be elected where “mis-speaks” are laughed off to a real problem where the president is wearing one black brogue and one cherry red penny loafer to thinking he’s Peppa Pig during an essential briefing.
It’s a grim reality but the consequences are huge especially when it’s not your dad having an issue remembering why you are taking them for a hospital appointment but instead when they are supposed to be digesting intelligence briefs and maybe declaring war…..
Yes. And the 25th Amendment is useless because it is always going to be politically charged, and asks Congress to make a decision which is really for a psychiatrist.
Almost needs an amendment for an independent doctor like the Head Injury Assessment situation in rugby…. Although you would end up with a Supreme Court type argument over which doctors get appointed to assess.
I’ve read on here that Biden, Trump, Clinton, Johnson, Pelosi, Corbyn and even I think Sturgeon are suffering from dementia, strokes, or other brain-impairing illnesses.
It’s utter bullshit.
Biden: if that were your dad you'd be having a word with his GP. Harold Wilson and Ronald reagan we know for certain were demented in office. Others:
"Five percent of people ages 71 to 79, 24.2 percent of people 80 to 89, and 37.4 percent of those 90 years or older were estimated to have some type of dementia."
Those odds easily, easily justify a 70 (or 75 absolutely max) cut off for holding office. So you don't have to assess on a case by case basis.
I’m sure there is some cognitive decline as politicians age, and indeed are stressed by the demands of the job.
But every time I watch one of these videos - including the Pelosi one - I just see someone occasionally forgetting a word.
I do it myself.
Everyone has off-days, especially 70-somethings.
I’d like to see Big G or dare I say it Big G’s wife do a bloody press conference on a no fly zone for Ukraine.
I think my wife would affirm that she would be confident in my ability to do such a press conference in view of all the public speaking I have done in the past but she would resile herself
Mind you your comment is rather ageist if I may say
Ishmael is suggesting you be barred from public office as a dementia risk, and I’m arguing against it.
But go ahead, clutch at your “ageist” pearls.
Why are you so rude
Most Kiwis I know are not the least bit inclined that way
You troll for it, so you must enjoy it on some level.
Chris Bryant has just called for Aaron Banks to be sanctioned as a Russian “agent of influence”, and notes that Nigel Farage received over £500k from RT in 2018 alone.
We need to be careful with this stuff. I dislike both men but we can’t have a witch hunt for anyone who ever took any cash from a Russian. Working for Russia Today has always been morally wrong, but it was lawful. I’d we’re not careful this could all get a bit “reds under the bed”.
I think we’ve been more than “careful” over the past few years.
Agree, but there is a balance or you get the ludicrous “agent Corbyn” stuff or the silly suggestion Boris is in Putin’s pocket.
It’s only in the last five years or so that such questions have become common. Around the same time that the Labour Party elected a raving Trot as leader, and the Conservatives (and Boris in particular) starting doing favours for Russian crooks.
I don’t think that’s quite right. If you take a dim view of anyone with any Russian connection then people like Blair, Brown, and Mandelson come in to scope. In fact the only politicians who won’t are pre-Blair because of the Cold War. There was a time that trying to attract Russian cash was a sensible policy.
I take a dim view of that, yes. Also posters that try to excuse it with partisan whataboutery.
There is a very large gulf between taking a dim view, and sanctioning as a Russian agent. The latter is not to be done on personal feelings.
Sweden today activated national service personnel: anybody who has done military training (national service or professional), irrespective of how long ago, is now under military command.
We have an unusual civic responsibility (the only other example seems to be Norway) where every Swedish citizen between 16 and 70, men and women, is part of Totalförsvaret (”Total Defence”). We all have to play our part in defending the state. There are three strands:
1. Military service, already activated (see above) 2. State war service, all public employees (state, regional and council) are obliged to serve the state in whatever capacity the government deems fit, not yet activated. 3. Civil war service, everyone else age 16-70 not included in the above two categories, not yet activated
Sounds pretty authoritarian.
Have you herring-munching wife-swappers decided to join NATO yet?
Although most Swedes profess to be agnostic or atheist (the only other country with such a majority being Scotland), it is still a pretty judgemental Lutheran culture. Conforming is inbuilt in Swedish society. What you perceive to be authoritarian, Swedes consider to be safe and comforting.
We eat a lot of herring. Our sexual habits are probably more tame than your fantasy.
And No is the very clear answer to your final question.
56% of Swedes identity as Lutheran and China is much more atheist than even Scotland as is North Korea
Chris Bryant has just called for Aaron Banks to be sanctioned as a Russian “agent of influence”, and notes that Nigel Farage received over £500k from RT in 2018 alone.
We need to be careful with this stuff. I dislike both men but we can’t have a witch hunt for anyone who ever took any cash from a Russian. Working for Russia Today has always been morally wrong, but it was lawful. I’d we’re not careful this could all get a bit “reds under the bed”.
On that note I'd like to point out that I never called for Salmond to be sanctioned.
I raised his RT work in the hope that the SNats here would finally admit; yep, a wrongun'.
But it's never happened. It shouldn't be a surprise when they wouldn't even disown him when he had to leave their party and set up a new one because he couldn't keep his hands off the women in his first party (they said that. In detail).
Why do the Nats here find him impossible to criticise? Is he like a god to them?
Is he their Boris?
Your obviously an inattentive dimwit because insofar as there are lots of 'SNats' on here, several of us including me have said his behaviour in office have disqualified him from holding it again (not that theres much chance of that); I certainly won't vote for Alba whatever the circumstances.
I'm amused by exactly the same people who multiply orgasmed when Salmond was accused of attempted rape & sexual assault, had big, fat,sad faces when he was cleared then pivoted to screeching about the injustice done to the 'best PM the UK never had' now busting a sphincter over his relationship with RT.
Save your efforts for peering out from the net curtains for the approach of Vlad's goons, sport.
Can you refer me to a post of yours criticising Salmond that I inattentively ignored?
I'd love to retract my statement in your direction if you've made one, single critical post regarding his RT employment.
Obviously ol' Malc would first have to acknowledge his RT employment.
I couldn't give a toss if you retract your statement or not. How are your efforts driving aid to Ukraine going? You might be better employed getting that going rather than sermonising on here.
Sweden today activated national service personnel: anybody who has done military training (national service or professional), irrespective of how long ago, is now under military command.
We have an unusual civic responsibility (the only other example seems to be Norway) where every Swedish citizen between 16 and 70, men and women, is part of Totalförsvaret (”Total Defence”). We all have to play our part in defending the state. There are three strands:
1. Military service, already activated (see above) 2. State war service, all public employees (state, regional and council) are obliged to serve the state in whatever capacity the government deems fit, not yet activated. 3. Civil war service, everyone else age 16-70 not included in the above two categories, not yet activated
Sounds pretty authoritarian.
Have you herring-munching wife-swappers decided to join NATO yet?
Although most Swedes profess to be agnostic or atheist (the only other country with such a majority being Scotland), it is still a pretty judgemental Lutheran culture. Conforming is inbuilt in Swedish society. What you perceive to be authoritarian, Swedes consider to be safe and comforting.
We eat a lot of herring. Our sexual habits are probably more tame than your fantasy.
And No is the very clear answer to your final question.
It sounds like not much has changed since Gustavus Adolphus. If you're not required for the Galicia campaign you can always try to get Swedish Pomerania back
Everything (or nearly everything) has changed since Lützen. Most modern Swedes look back at the Thirty Years’ War with distaste and disgust. Hard to imagine it was the same nation.
I’ve read on here that Biden, Trump, Clinton, Johnson, Pelosi, Corbyn and even I think Sturgeon are suffering from dementia, strokes, or other brain-impairing illnesses.
It’s utter bullshit.
Biden: if that were your dad you'd be having a word with his GP. Harold Wilson and Ronald reagan we know for certain were demented in office. Others:
"Five percent of people ages 71 to 79, 24.2 percent of people 80 to 89, and 37.4 percent of those 90 years or older were estimated to have some type of dementia."
Those odds easily, easily justify a 70 (or 75 absolutely max) cut off for holding office. So you don't have to assess on a case by case basis.
I’m sure there is some cognitive decline as politicians age, and indeed are stressed by the demands of the job.
But every time I watch one of these videos - including the Pelosi one - I just see someone occasionally forgetting a word.
I do it myself.
Everyone has off-days, especially 70-somethings.
So assuming there are adequate numbers of under 70s, which there are, retire the 70 somethings as a precaution. There's a lower bound for US presidents, why no upper one?
What precaution, precisely, are we guarding against? A babbled press conference?
Dementia. You are plainly in the happy position of never having known anyone with a serious case. i can promise you it goes way beyond babbling at conferences.
Absolutely - for the last two years of my father’s life he could go from being incredibly sharp and on the ball re politics or general life to a dribbling mess who insisted I was my brother. It could be a switch in the space of a day, over a few days or weeks.
It’s easy to put it down to just “getting old” but it can take a while to realise what’s really going on and so there is clearly a risk that someone can be elected where “mis-speaks” are laughed off to a real problem where the president is wearing one black brogue and one cherry red penny loafer to thinking he’s Peppa Pig during an essential briefing.
It’s a grim reality but the consequences are huge especially when it’s not your dad having an issue remembering why you are taking them for a hospital appointment but instead when they are supposed to be digesting intelligence briefs and maybe declaring war…..
A friend lost her mother to dementia last week. She had been unable to recognise her daughter for the last couple of years, but her mothers husband reckoned it started 19 years before, just no one noticed but him.
By contrast. I noticed.first with my Dad. He always was a little forgetful, eccentric and had a fiery temper. Mum saw him everyday, and the change was imperceptible to her. But seeing it two or three times.a year, the decline became obvious to me. Took some convincing.of my Mum and brother, mind. They were certain it was Dad being extra Dad like.
I’ve read on here that Biden, Trump, Clinton, Johnson, Pelosi, Corbyn and even I think Sturgeon are suffering from dementia, strokes, or other brain-impairing illnesses.
It’s utter bullshit.
Biden: if that were your dad you'd be having a word with his GP. Harold Wilson and Ronald reagan we know for certain were demented in office. Others:
"Five percent of people ages 71 to 79, 24.2 percent of people 80 to 89, and 37.4 percent of those 90 years or older were estimated to have some type of dementia."
Those odds easily, easily justify a 70 (or 75 absolutely max) cut off for holding office. So you don't have to assess on a case by case basis.
I’m sure there is some cognitive decline as politicians age, and indeed are stressed by the demands of the job.
But every time I watch one of these videos - including the Pelosi one - I just see someone occasionally forgetting a word.
I do it myself.
Everyone has off-days, especially 70-somethings.
So assuming there are adequate numbers of under 70s, which there are, retire the 70 somethings as a precaution. There's a lower bound for US presidents, why no upper one?
What precaution, precisely, are we guarding against? A babbled press conference?
Dementia. You are plainly in the happy position of never having known anyone with a serious case. i can promise you it goes way beyond babbling at conferences.
Absolutely - for the last two years of my father’s life he could go from being incredibly sharp and on the ball re politics or general life to a dribbling mess who insisted I was my brother. It could be a switch in the space of a day, over a few days or weeks.
It’s easy to put it down to just “getting old” but it can take a while to realise what’s really going on and so there is clearly a risk that someone can be elected where “mis-speaks” are laughed off to a real problem where the president is wearing one black brogue and one cherry red penny loafer to thinking he’s Peppa Pig during an essential briefing.
It’s a grim reality but the consequences are huge especially when it’s not your dad having an issue remembering why you are taking them for a hospital appointment but instead when they are supposed to be digesting intelligence briefs and maybe declaring war…..
A friend lost her mother to dementia last week. She had been unable to recognise her daughter for the last couple of years, but her mothers husband reckoned it started 19 years before, just no one noticed but him.
My mother in law has it. Sometimes she's in a vaguely reasonable mood even though she doesn't really know who anyone is but most of the time it is terrible. "I want to be dead" is all to frequent, as is being surprisingly rough, even with her husband of nearly 70 years. We've had to hide all the knives.
What can you do? I'm quite sure if we went back 20 years she'd quite readily have told us to head for Switzerland but that isn't an option now.
The NHS seems to shrug and treat it as a social care problem and not an illness. And care homes however hard they try aren't really a suitable place to dump people, particularly in a pandemic when visiting is heavily limited.
Utter nightmare for all concerned. Cancer, however bad, has nothing on this.
We desperately need to do more research on it as the population gets older. My money is on it being virus or pathogen triggered, but who knows...
Sweden today activated national service personnel: anybody who has done military training (national service or professional), irrespective of how long ago, is now under military command.
We have an unusual civic responsibility (the only other example seems to be Norway) where every Swedish citizen between 16 and 70, men and women, is part of Totalförsvaret (”Total Defence”). We all have to play our part in defending the state. There are three strands:
1. Military service, already activated (see above) 2. State war service, all public employees (state, regional and council) are obliged to serve the state in whatever capacity the government deems fit, not yet activated. 3. Civil war service, everyone else age 16-70 not included in the above two categories, not yet activated
Sounds pretty authoritarian.
Have you herring-munching wife-swappers decided to join NATO yet?
Although most Swedes profess to be agnostic or atheist (the only other country with such a majority being Scotland), it is still a pretty judgemental Lutheran culture. Conforming is inbuilt in Swedish society. What you perceive to be authoritarian, Swedes consider to be safe and comforting.
We eat a lot of herring. Our sexual habits are probably more tame than your fantasy.
And No is the very clear answer to your final question.
56% of Swedes identity as Lutheran and China is much more atheist than even Scotland as is North Korea
The Chinese aren't particularly atheist. They may well say they are. Their religions were never particularly organised and top-down as ours. But religious based "superstition", or folk beliefs, and private devotions are common.
I’ve read on here that Biden, Trump, Clinton, Johnson, Pelosi, Corbyn and even I think Sturgeon are suffering from dementia, strokes, or other brain-impairing illnesses.
It’s utter bullshit.
Biden: if that were your dad you'd be having a word with his GP. Harold Wilson and Ronald reagan we know for certain were demented in office. Others:
"Five percent of people ages 71 to 79, 24.2 percent of people 80 to 89, and 37.4 percent of those 90 years or older were estimated to have some type of dementia."
Those odds easily, easily justify a 70 (or 75 absolutely max) cut off for holding office. So you don't have to assess on a case by case basis.
I’m sure there is some cognitive decline as politicians age, and indeed are stressed by the demands of the job.
But every time I watch one of these videos - including the Pelosi one - I just see someone occasionally forgetting a word.
I do it myself.
Everyone has off-days, especially 70-somethings.
So assuming there are adequate numbers of under 70s, which there are, retire the 70 somethings as a precaution. There's a lower bound for US presidents, why no upper one?
What precaution, precisely, are we guarding against? A babbled press conference?
Dementia. You are plainly in the happy position of never having known anyone with a serious case. i can promise you it goes way beyond babbling at conferences.
Absolutely - for the last two years of my father’s life he could go from being incredibly sharp and on the ball re politics or general life to a dribbling mess who insisted I was my brother. It could be a switch in the space of a day, over a few days or weeks.
It’s easy to put it down to just “getting old” but it can take a while to realise what’s really going on and so there is clearly a risk that someone can be elected where “mis-speaks” are laughed off to a real problem where the president is wearing one black brogue and one cherry red penny loafer to thinking he’s Peppa Pig during an essential briefing.
It’s a grim reality but the consequences are huge especially when it’s not your dad having an issue remembering why you are taking them for a hospital appointment but instead when they are supposed to be digesting intelligence briefs and maybe declaring war…..
A friend lost her mother to dementia last week. She had been unable to recognise her daughter for the last couple of years, but her mothers husband reckoned it started 19 years before, just no one noticed but him.
My mother in law has it. Sometimes she's in a vaguely reasonable mood even though she doesn't really know who anyone is but most of the time it is terrible. "I want to be dead" is all to frequent, as is being surprisingly rough, even with her husband of nearly 70 years. We've had to hide all the knives.
What can you do? I'm quite sure if we went back 20 years she'd quite readily have told us to head for Switzerland but that isn't an option now.
The NHS seems to shrug and treat it as a social care problem and not an illness. And care homes however hard they try aren't really a suitable place to dump people, particularly in a pandemic when visiting is heavily limited.
Utter nightmare for all concerned. Cancer, however bad, has nothing on this.
We desperately need to do more research on it as the population gets older. My money is on it being virus or pathogen triggered, but who knows...
The rural English used to have “smothering parties”. Where a whole village would come round, get wildly drunk, then briskly suffocate the elderly demented person under blankets. Job done. No questions asked
Arguably more merciful than what we do today. Keep people alive for years, in grave mental pain
I’ve read on here that Biden, Trump, Clinton, Johnson, Pelosi, Corbyn and even I think Sturgeon are suffering from dementia, strokes, or other brain-impairing illnesses.
It’s utter bullshit.
Biden: if that were your dad you'd be having a word with his GP. Harold Wilson and Ronald reagan we know for certain were demented in office. Others:
"Five percent of people ages 71 to 79, 24.2 percent of people 80 to 89, and 37.4 percent of those 90 years or older were estimated to have some type of dementia."
Those odds easily, easily justify a 70 (or 75 absolutely max) cut off for holding office. So you don't have to assess on a case by case basis.
I’m sure there is some cognitive decline as politicians age, and indeed are stressed by the demands of the job.
But every time I watch one of these videos - including the Pelosi one - I just see someone occasionally forgetting a word.
I do it myself.
Everyone has off-days, especially 70-somethings.
So assuming there are adequate numbers of under 70s, which there are, retire the 70 somethings as a precaution. There's a lower bound for US presidents, why no upper one?
What precaution, precisely, are we guarding against? A babbled press conference?
Dementia. You are plainly in the happy position of never having known anyone with a serious case. i can promise you it goes way beyond babbling at conferences.
Absolutely - for the last two years of my father’s life he could go from being incredibly sharp and on the ball re politics or general life to a dribbling mess who insisted I was my brother. It could be a switch in the space of a day, over a few days or weeks.
It’s easy to put it down to just “getting old” but it can take a while to realise what’s really going on and so there is clearly a risk that someone can be elected where “mis-speaks” are laughed off to a real problem where the president is wearing one black brogue and one cherry red penny loafer to thinking he’s Peppa Pig during an essential briefing.
It’s a grim reality but the consequences are huge especially when it’s not your dad having an issue remembering why you are taking them for a hospital appointment but instead when they are supposed to be digesting intelligence briefs and maybe declaring war…..
A friend lost her mother to dementia last week. She had been unable to recognise her daughter for the last couple of years, but her mothers husband reckoned it started 19 years before, just no one noticed but him.
My mother in law has it. Sometimes she's in a vaguely reasonable mood even though she doesn't really know who anyone is but most of the time it is terrible. "I want to be dead" is all to frequent, as is being surprisingly rough, even with her husband of nearly 70 years. We've had to hide all the knives.
What can you do? I'm quite sure if we went back 20 years she'd quite readily have told us to head for Switzerland but that isn't an option now.
The NHS seems to shrug and treat it as a social care problem and not an illness. And care homes however hard they try aren't really a suitable place to dump people, particularly in a pandemic when visiting is heavily limited.
Utter nightmare for all concerned. Cancer, however bad, has nothing on this.
We desperately need to do more research on it as the population gets older. My money is on it being virus or pathogen triggered, but who knows...
My Grandfather died of cancer. My Grandmother rotted with dementia. Having seen both, I know which I would prefer...
Chris Bryant has just called for Aaron Banks to be sanctioned as a Russian “agent of influence”, and notes that Nigel Farage received over £500k from RT in 2018 alone.
We need to be careful with this stuff. I dislike both men but we can’t have a witch hunt for anyone who ever took any cash from a Russian. Working for Russia Today has always been morally wrong, but it was lawful. I’d we’re not careful this could all get a bit “reds under the bed”.
On that note I'd like to point out that I never called for Salmond to be sanctioned.
I raised his RT work in the hope that the SNats here would finally admit; yep, a wrongun'.
But it's never happened. It shouldn't be a surprise when they wouldn't even disown him when he had to leave their party and set up a new one because he couldn't keep his hands off the women in his first party (they said that. In detail).
Why do the Nats here find him impossible to criticise? Is he like a god to them?
Is he their Boris?
Your obviously an inattentive dimwit because insofar as there are lots of 'SNats' on here, several of us including me have said his behaviour in office have disqualified him from holding it again (not that theres much chance of that); I certainly won't vote for Alba whatever the circumstances.
I'm amused by exactly the same people who multiply orgasmed when Salmond was accused of attempted rape & sexual assault, had big, fat,sad faces when he was cleared then pivoted to screeching about the injustice done to the 'best PM the UK never had' now busting a sphincter over his relationship with RT.
Save your efforts for peering out from the net curtains for the approach of Vlad's goons, sport.
Can you refer me to a post of yours criticising Salmond that I inattentively ignored?
I'd love to retract my statement in your direction if you've made one, single critical post regarding his RT employment.
Obviously ol' Malc would first have to acknowledge his RT employment.
I couldn't give a toss if you retract your statement or not. How are your efforts driving aid to Ukraine going? You might be better employed getting that going rather than sermonising on here.
I'm waiting for a tranche of redundancy money from my old employer before I spend it on an intensive driving course. I could borrow money to do it, if you'll lend?
If you want to help get me off here you could donate. I haven't yet set up a page for donations, it'd seem a bit previous like my earlier willingness to cook on the front line now does.
But if you want to donate, I'll take yours and any other's declaration here like a PB bet.
Sweden today activated national service personnel: anybody who has done military training (national service or professional), irrespective of how long ago, is now under military command.
We have an unusual civic responsibility (the only other example seems to be Norway) where every Swedish citizen between 16 and 70, men and women, is part of Totalförsvaret (”Total Defence”). We all have to play our part in defending the state. There are three strands:
1. Military service, already activated (see above) 2. State war service, all public employees (state, regional and council) are obliged to serve the state in whatever capacity the government deems fit, not yet activated. 3. Civil war service, everyone else age 16-70 not included in the above two categories, not yet activated
Sounds pretty authoritarian.
Have you herring-munching wife-swappers decided to join NATO yet?
Although most Swedes profess to be agnostic or atheist (the only other country with such a majority being Scotland), it is still a pretty judgemental Lutheran culture. Conforming is inbuilt in Swedish society. What you perceive to be authoritarian, Swedes consider to be safe and comforting.
We eat a lot of herring. Our sexual habits are probably more tame than your fantasy.
And No is the very clear answer to your final question.
56% of Swedes identity as Lutheran and China is much more atheist than even Scotland as is North Korea
The Chinese aren't particularly atheist. They may well say they are. Their religions were never particularly organised and top-down as ours. But religious based "superstition", or folk beliefs, and private devotions are common.
China has by far the most atheists in the world.
Almost 50% of Chinese are convinced atheists, not even agnostic
The Communist government discourages organised religion as a challenge to loyalty to the party and certainly organised religion without a government licence.
Folk religion and Shinto etc is stronger in Japan than China in some surveys though unless it includes belief in a God as with the Abrahamic religions is effectively atheism anyway
Sweden today activated national service personnel: anybody who has done military training (national service or professional), irrespective of how long ago, is now under military command.
We have an unusual civic responsibility (the only other example seems to be Norway) where every Swedish citizen between 16 and 70, men and women, is part of Totalförsvaret (”Total Defence”). We all have to play our part in defending the state. There are three strands:
1. Military service, already activated (see above) 2. State war service, all public employees (state, regional and council) are obliged to serve the state in whatever capacity the government deems fit, not yet activated. 3. Civil war service, everyone else age 16-70 not included in the above two categories, not yet activated
Sounds pretty authoritarian.
Have you herring-munching wife-swappers decided to join NATO yet?
Although most Swedes profess to be agnostic or atheist (the only other country with such a majority being Scotland), it is still a pretty judgemental Lutheran culture. Conforming is inbuilt in Swedish society. What you perceive to be authoritarian, Swedes consider to be safe and comforting.
We eat a lot of herring. Our sexual habits are probably more tame than your fantasy.
And No is the very clear answer to your final question.
56% of Swedes identity as Lutheran and China is much more atheist than even Scotland as is North Korea
The Chinese aren't particularly atheist. They may well say they are. Their religions were never particularly organised and top-down as ours. But religious based "superstition", or folk beliefs, and private devotions are common.
China has by far the most atheists in the world.
Almost 50% of Chinese are convinced atheists, not even agnostic
The Communist government discourages organised religion as a challenge to loyalty to the party and certainly organised religion without a government licence.
Folk religion and Taoism etc is stronger in Japan than China
I'm in Albania. They are mostly allegedly Muslims but they clearly don't give a f***. Despite the call the prayer you hear from time they seem to like their pork, wine and raki.
Watching the C4 doc on the Jeremy Kyle show having never watched the programme but connected to earlier conversations I’m not sure exactly which punishment suits him:
The smothering party, early onset dementia, cancer, Nigel Foremain’s Leprechaun beating or just parachuted into Russian troop areas of Mariupol painted in Azov Battalion insignia.
Sweden today activated national service personnel: anybody who has done military training (national service or professional), irrespective of how long ago, is now under military command.
We have an unusual civic responsibility (the only other example seems to be Norway) where every Swedish citizen between 16 and 70, men and women, is part of Totalförsvaret (”Total Defence”). We all have to play our part in defending the state. There are three strands:
1. Military service, already activated (see above) 2. State war service, all public employees (state, regional and council) are obliged to serve the state in whatever capacity the government deems fit, not yet activated. 3. Civil war service, everyone else age 16-70 not included in the above two categories, not yet activated
Sounds pretty authoritarian.
Have you herring-munching wife-swappers decided to join NATO yet?
Although most Swedes profess to be agnostic or atheist (the only other country with such a majority being Scotland), it is still a pretty judgemental Lutheran culture. Conforming is inbuilt in Swedish society. What you perceive to be authoritarian, Swedes consider to be safe and comforting.
We eat a lot of herring. Our sexual habits are probably more tame than your fantasy.
And No is the very clear answer to your final question.
56% of Swedes identity as Lutheran and China is much more atheist than even Scotland as is North Korea
The Chinese aren't particularly atheist. They may well say they are. Their religions were never particularly organised and top-down as ours. But religious based "superstition", or folk beliefs, and private devotions are common.
China has by far the most atheists in the world.
Almost 50% of Chinese are convinced atheists, not even agnostic…
…. also the most trustworthy opinion poll statistics.
I’ve read on here that Biden, Trump, Clinton, Johnson, Pelosi, Corbyn and even I think Sturgeon are suffering from dementia, strokes, or other brain-impairing illnesses.
It’s utter bullshit.
Biden: if that were your dad you'd be having a word with his GP. Harold Wilson and Ronald reagan we know for certain were demented in office. Others:
"Five percent of people ages 71 to 79, 24.2 percent of people 80 to 89, and 37.4 percent of those 90 years or older were estimated to have some type of dementia."
Those odds easily, easily justify a 70 (or 75 absolutely max) cut off for holding office. So you don't have to assess on a case by case basis.
I’m sure there is some cognitive decline as politicians age, and indeed are stressed by the demands of the job.
But every time I watch one of these videos - including the Pelosi one - I just see someone occasionally forgetting a word.
I do it myself.
Everyone has off-days, especially 70-somethings.
So assuming there are adequate numbers of under 70s, which there are, retire the 70 somethings as a precaution. There's a lower bound for US presidents, why no upper one?
What precaution, precisely, are we guarding against? A babbled press conference?
Dementia. You are plainly in the happy position of never having known anyone with a serious case. i can promise you it goes way beyond babbling at conferences.
Absolutely - for the last two years of my father’s life he could go from being incredibly sharp and on the ball re politics or general life to a dribbling mess who insisted I was my brother. It could be a switch in the space of a day, over a few days or weeks.
It’s easy to put it down to just “getting old” but it can take a while to realise what’s really going on and so there is clearly a risk that someone can be elected where “mis-speaks” are laughed off to a real problem where the president is wearing one black brogue and one cherry red penny loafer to thinking he’s Peppa Pig during an essential briefing.
It’s a grim reality but the consequences are huge especially when it’s not your dad having an issue remembering why you are taking them for a hospital appointment but instead when they are supposed to be digesting intelligence briefs and maybe declaring war…..
A friend lost her mother to dementia last week. She had been unable to recognise her daughter for the last couple of years, but her mothers husband reckoned it started 19 years before, just no one noticed but him.
My mother in law has it. Sometimes she's in a vaguely reasonable mood even though she doesn't really know who anyone is but most of the time it is terrible. "I want to be dead" is all to frequent, as is being surprisingly rough, even with her husband of nearly 70 years. We've had to hide all the knives.
What can you do? I'm quite sure if we went back 20 years she'd quite readily have told us to head for Switzerland but that isn't an option now.
The NHS seems to shrug and treat it as a social care problem and not an illness. And care homes however hard they try aren't really a suitable place to dump people, particularly in a pandemic when visiting is heavily limited.
Utter nightmare for all concerned. Cancer, however bad, has nothing on this.
We desperately need to do more research on it as the population gets older. My money is on it being virus or pathogen triggered, but who knows...
The rural English used to have “smothering parties”. Where a whole village would come round, get wildly drunk, then briskly suffocate the elderly demented person under blankets. Job done. No questions asked
Arguably more merciful than what we do today. Keep people alive for years, in grave mental pain
I tell myself I will take Seneca's way out... open my veins in a warm bath. Will drink a bottle of something outrageously expensive first.
Chris Bryant has just called for Aaron Banks to be sanctioned as a Russian “agent of influence”, and notes that Nigel Farage received over £500k from RT in 2018 alone.
We need to be careful with this stuff. I dislike both men but we can’t have a witch hunt for anyone who ever took any cash from a Russian. Working for Russia Today has always been morally wrong, but it was lawful. I’d we’re not careful this could all get a bit “reds under the bed”.
On that note I'd like to point out that I never called for Salmond to be sanctioned.
I raised his RT work in the hope that the SNats here would finally admit; yep, a wrongun'.
But it's never happened. It shouldn't be a surprise when they wouldn't even disown him when he had to leave their party and set up a new one because he couldn't keep his hands off the women in his first party (they said that. In detail).
Why do the Nats here find him impossible to criticise? Is he like a god to them?
Is he their Boris?
Your obviously an inattentive dimwit because insofar as there are lots of 'SNats' on here, several of us including me have said his behaviour in office have disqualified him from holding it again (not that theres much chance of that); I certainly won't vote for Alba whatever the circumstances.
I'm amused by exactly the same people who multiply orgasmed when Salmond was accused of attempted rape & sexual assault, had big, fat,sad faces when he was cleared then pivoted to screeching about the injustice done to the 'best PM the UK never had' now busting a sphincter over his relationship with RT.
Save your efforts for peering out from the net curtains for the approach of Vlad's goons, sport.
Can you refer me to a post of yours criticising Salmond that I inattentively ignored?
I'd love to retract my statement in your direction if you've made one, single critical post regarding his RT employment.
Obviously ol' Malc would first have to acknowledge his RT employment.
I couldn't give a toss if you retract your statement or not. How are your efforts driving aid to Ukraine going? You might be better employed getting that going rather than sermonising on here.
I'm waiting for a tranche of redundancy money from my old employer before I spend it on an intensive driving course. I could borrow money to do it, if you'll lend?
If you want to help get me off here you could donate. I haven't yet set up a page for donations, it'd seem a bit previous like my earlier willingness to cook on the front line now does.
But if you want to donate, I'll take yours and any other's declaration here like a PB bet.
I prefer my Don Quixotes a bit less steeped in hysteria and self righteousness.
Sweden today activated national service personnel: anybody who has done military training (national service or professional), irrespective of how long ago, is now under military command.
We have an unusual civic responsibility (the only other example seems to be Norway) where every Swedish citizen between 16 and 70, men and women, is part of Totalförsvaret (”Total Defence”). We all have to play our part in defending the state. There are three strands:
1. Military service, already activated (see above) 2. State war service, all public employees (state, regional and council) are obliged to serve the state in whatever capacity the government deems fit, not yet activated. 3. Civil war service, everyone else age 16-70 not included in the above two categories, not yet activated
Sounds pretty authoritarian.
Have you herring-munching wife-swappers decided to join NATO yet?
Although most Swedes profess to be agnostic or atheist (the only other country with such a majority being Scotland), it is still a pretty judgemental Lutheran culture. Conforming is inbuilt in Swedish society. What you perceive to be authoritarian, Swedes consider to be safe and comforting.
We eat a lot of herring. Our sexual habits are probably more tame than your fantasy.
And No is the very clear answer to your final question.
56% of Swedes identity as Lutheran and China is much more atheist than even Scotland as is North Korea
The Chinese aren't particularly atheist. They may well say they are. Their religions were never particularly organised and top-down as ours. But religious based "superstition", or folk beliefs, and private devotions are common.
China has by far the most atheists in the world.
Almost 50% of Chinese are convinced atheists, not even agnostic
The Communist government discourages organised religion as a challenge to loyalty to the party and certainly organised religion without a government licence.
Folk religion and Taoism etc is stronger in Japan than China
I'm in Albania. They are mostly allegedly Muslims but they clearly don't give a f***. Despite the call the prayer you hear from time they seem to like their pork, wine and raki.
50% of Albanians say religion is important to them however, compared to just 9% of Chinese who say religion is important to them
Sweden today activated national service personnel: anybody who has done military training (national service or professional), irrespective of how long ago, is now under military command.
We have an unusual civic responsibility (the only other example seems to be Norway) where every Swedish citizen between 16 and 70, men and women, is part of Totalförsvaret (”Total Defence”). We all have to play our part in defending the state. There are three strands:
1. Military service, already activated (see above) 2. State war service, all public employees (state, regional and council) are obliged to serve the state in whatever capacity the government deems fit, not yet activated. 3. Civil war service, everyone else age 16-70 not included in the above two categories, not yet activated
Sounds pretty authoritarian.
Have you herring-munching wife-swappers decided to join NATO yet?
Although most Swedes profess to be agnostic or atheist (the only other country with such a majority being Scotland), it is still a pretty judgemental Lutheran culture. Conforming is inbuilt in Swedish society. What you perceive to be authoritarian, Swedes consider to be safe and comforting.
We eat a lot of herring. Our sexual habits are probably more tame than your fantasy.
And No is the very clear answer to your final question.
That seems to be wrong about Scotland. They are 37% no religion
Watching the C4 doc on the Jeremy Kyle show having never watched the programme but connected to earlier conversations I’m not sure exactly which punishment suits him:
The smothering party, early onset dementia, cancer, Nigel Foremain’s Leprechaun beating or just parachuted into Russian troop areas of Mariupol painted in Azov Battalion insignia.
What a c***
I’ve seen the first part. What a poor human being he was, I hope he’s improved since the show has been off the air.
I’ve read on here that Biden, Trump, Clinton, Johnson, Pelosi, Corbyn and even I think Sturgeon are suffering from dementia, strokes, or other brain-impairing illnesses.
It’s utter bullshit.
Biden: if that were your dad you'd be having a word with his GP. Harold Wilson and Ronald reagan we know for certain were demented in office. Others:
"Five percent of people ages 71 to 79, 24.2 percent of people 80 to 89, and 37.4 percent of those 90 years or older were estimated to have some type of dementia."
Those odds easily, easily justify a 70 (or 75 absolutely max) cut off for holding office. So you don't have to assess on a case by case basis.
And TIAs are a lot more common than most people realize. No-one in my family saw the signs of my mum's TIA. I only did as I could see the difference in her walking more clearly for visiting less frequently.
We don't know the medical status of people just by looking at them on video, for sure. But the possibility of elderly politicians having dementia or suffering strokes, TIA or other neurological conditions is far from bullshit
From yesterday, I note I was laughed at by some for suggesting China's goal was to deprecate the dollar as the world's reserve currency, I see from today's Wall Street Journal that Saudi Arabia is in talks to start pricing its oil in yuan.
I repeat what I said yesterday - dumb people wage war with tanks, smart people wage war with economics.
Sweden today activated national service personnel: anybody who has done military training (national service or professional), irrespective of how long ago, is now under military command.
We have an unusual civic responsibility (the only other example seems to be Norway) where every Swedish citizen between 16 and 70, men and women, is part of Totalförsvaret (”Total Defence”). We all have to play our part in defending the state. There are three strands:
1. Military service, already activated (see above) 2. State war service, all public employees (state, regional and council) are obliged to serve the state in whatever capacity the government deems fit, not yet activated. 3. Civil war service, everyone else age 16-70 not included in the above two categories, not yet activated
Sounds pretty authoritarian.
Have you herring-munching wife-swappers decided to join NATO yet?
Although most Swedes profess to be agnostic or atheist (the only other country with such a majority being Scotland), it is still a pretty judgemental Lutheran culture. Conforming is inbuilt in Swedish society. What you perceive to be authoritarian, Swedes consider to be safe and comforting.
We eat a lot of herring. Our sexual habits are probably more tame than your fantasy.
And No is the very clear answer to your final question.
56% of Swedes identity as Lutheran and China is much more atheist than even Scotland as is North Korea
The Chinese aren't particularly atheist. They may well say they are. Their religions were never particularly organised and top-down as ours. But religious based "superstition", or folk beliefs, and private devotions are common.
China has by far the most atheists in the world.
Almost 50% of Chinese are convinced atheists, not even agnostic
The Communist government discourages organised religion as a challenge to loyalty to the party and certainly organised religion without a government licence.
Folk religion and Shinto etc is stronger in Japan than China in some surveys though unless it includes belief in a God as with the Abrahamic religions is effectively atheism anyway
Sweden today activated national service personnel: anybody who has done military training (national service or professional), irrespective of how long ago, is now under military command.
We have an unusual civic responsibility (the only other example seems to be Norway) where every Swedish citizen between 16 and 70, men and women, is part of Totalförsvaret (”Total Defence”). We all have to play our part in defending the state. There are three strands:
1. Military service, already activated (see above) 2. State war service, all public employees (state, regional and council) are obliged to serve the state in whatever capacity the government deems fit, not yet activated. 3. Civil war service, everyone else age 16-70 not included in the above two categories, not yet activated
Sounds pretty authoritarian.
Have you herring-munching wife-swappers decided to join NATO yet?
Although most Swedes profess to be agnostic or atheist (the only other country with such a majority being Scotland), it is still a pretty judgemental Lutheran culture. Conforming is inbuilt in Swedish society. What you perceive to be authoritarian, Swedes consider to be safe and comforting.
We eat a lot of herring. Our sexual habits are probably more tame than your fantasy.
And No is the very clear answer to your final question.
56% of Swedes identity as Lutheran and China is much more atheist than even Scotland as is North Korea
The Chinese aren't particularly atheist. They may well say they are. Their religions were never particularly organised and top-down as ours. But religious based "superstition", or folk beliefs, and private devotions are common.
China has by far the most atheists in the world.
Almost 50% of Chinese are convinced atheists, not even agnostic
The Communist government discourages organised religion as a challenge to loyalty to the party and certainly organised religion without a government licence.
Folk religion and Taoism etc is stronger in Japan than China
I'm in Albania. They are mostly allegedly Muslims but they clearly don't give a f***. Despite the call the prayer you hear from time they seem to like their pork, wine and raki.
50% of Albanians say religion is important to them however, compared to just 9% of Chinese who say religion is important to them
Comments
And he might have a point.
Blair having won the biggest majorities of any Labour leader ever in 1997 and 2001 could not really be left out
But not all trade is as obvious as vodka, and not every trading partner the UK.
Is there any evidence that masking halts spread of the highly infective Omicron?
Hong Kong suggests not.
"Five percent of people ages 71 to 79, 24.2 percent of people 80 to 89, and 37.4 percent of those 90 years or older were estimated to have some type of dementia."
https://www.nih.gov/news-events/news-releases/one-seven-americans-age-71-older-has-some-type-dementia-nih-funded-study-estimates
Those odds easily, easily justify a 70 (or 75 absolutely max) cut off for holding office. So you don't have to assess on a case by case basis.
But every time I watch one of these videos - including the Pelosi one - I just see someone occasionally forgetting a word.
I do it myself.
Everyone has off-days, especially 70-somethings.
I’d like to see Big G or dare I say it Big G’s wife do a bloody press conference on a no fly zone for Ukraine.
Indeed no Tory leader since Baldwin has won as big a majority as Blair got then either
That would ensure they had sufficient life experience and also would still have allowed the likes of Reagan to hold office before they really lost their marbles
We have an unusual civic responsibility (the only other example seems to be Norway) where every Swedish citizen between 16 and 70, men and women, is part of Totalförsvaret (”Total Defence”). We all have to play our part in defending the state. There are three strands:
1. Military service, already activated (see above)
2. State war service, all public employees (state, regional and council) are obliged to serve the state in whatever capacity the government deems fit, not yet activated.
3. Civil war service, everyone else age 16-70 not included in the above two categories, not yet activated
It’s a pain in the arse, stifles social contact, and likely contributes to mental health issues.
Not everyone is Enrico Dandolo
Have you herring-munching wife-swappers decided to join NATO yet?
Pretty much the default Boris MO.
I raised his RT work in the hope that the SNats here would finally admit; yep, a wrongun'.
But it's never happened. It shouldn't be a surprise when they wouldn't even disown him when he had to leave their party and set up a new one because he couldn't keep his hands off the women in his first party (they said that. In detail).
Why do the Nats here find him impossible to criticise? Is he like a god to them?
Is he their Boris?
We eat a lot of herring. Our sexual habits are probably more tame than your fantasy.
And No is the very clear answer to your final question.
https://www.spectator.co.uk/article/x-mi5-spy-do-mr-and-mrs-banks-have-something-to-tell-us-
He's their TRUMP
Also posters that try to excuse it with partisan whataboutery.
Sure. some of the rumours about politicians in decline are partisan nonsense, but the videos of all three are concerning. The very recent videos of Pelosi in particular give the impression of someone with great difficulty expressing her thoughts
Biden looks a bit vague and forgetful, but he has that stammer. Trump is sui generis. He's always been a rambling maniac, but the rambles have got more meandering
All are too old for extreme high office. 75 should be the cut off date
Yes, they are probably mostly off to drill (or at least the youngish ones I suspect). No harm in preparing for the worst and hoping for the best.
Public employees are likely steeling themselves for cancelled summer holidays…
Mind you your comment is rather ageist if I may say
If we want to defend liberal democracy in Ukraine, our best strategy is to repair the damage we have done at home.
Boris through to Blair.
But go ahead, clutch at your “ageist” pearls.
Pelosi does it in one of those videos, when she struggles to remember Zelensky's name, suddenly talks about "oh they time these meetings" - apropos of nothing; then she can't remember it anyway and she calls him "Kerensky", and winces with pain as she does it because she knows it is wrong
It's there in plain sight, denying it is futile
Most Kiwis I know are not the least bit inclined that way
My point is, time was given for affairs to be put in order, and not just RA. Without hiding behind legal concerns, why?
When a loved one dies not knowing who their nearest and dearest are, and you hold their hands, it is the most upsetting experience of ones life
Totalförsvaret is about defence, not attack.
It’s easy to put it down to just “getting old” but it can take a while to realise what’s really going on and so there is clearly a risk that someone can be elected where “mis-speaks” are laughed off to a real problem where the president is wearing one black brogue and one cherry red penny loafer to thinking he’s Peppa Pig during an essential briefing.
It’s a grim reality but the consequences are huge especially when it’s not your dad having an issue remembering why you are taking them for a hospital appointment but instead when they are supposed to be digesting intelligence briefs and maybe declaring war…..
They're actually still holding Parliament in Ukraine.
We can't allow these people to lose.
Anastasia Radina
@AnastasiaRadina
Had a busy plenary in the UA Parliament today. Thankful to my colleagues for a full presense. We will prevail.
https://twitter.com/AnastasiaRadina/status/1503728387541639171
I have a friend from Zimbabwe - his grandmother was a Zulu - I just find the temporal closeness of many of these things astonishing.
I'd have said the same about arsehole dictators causing wars in Europe too until recently.
I'm amused by exactly the same people who multiply orgasmed when Salmond was accused of attempted rape & sexual assault, had big, fat,sad faces when he was cleared then pivoted to screeching about the injustice done to the 'best PM the UK never had' now busting a sphincter over his relationship with RT.
Save your efforts for peering out from the net curtains for the approach of Vlad's goons, sport.
I'd love to retract my statement in your direction if you've made one, single critical post regarding his RT employment.
Obviously ol' Malc would first have to acknowledge his RT employment.
https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Religion_in_Sweden
How are your efforts driving aid to Ukraine going? You might be better employed getting that going rather than sermonising on here.
Illia Ponomarenko 🇺🇦
@IAPonomarenko
The video reportedly shows a Russian tank firing a round against a single civilian just trying to leave danger zone on foot and openly indicating his non-combatant status.
Mariupol.
https://twitter.com/IAPonomarenko/status/1503818024549326851
Mum saw him everyday, and the change was imperceptible to her. But seeing it two or three times.a year, the decline became obvious to me.
Took some convincing.of my Mum and brother, mind.
They were certain it was Dad being extra Dad like.
What can you do? I'm quite sure if we went back 20 years she'd quite readily have told us to head for Switzerland but that isn't an option now.
The NHS seems to shrug and treat it as a social care problem and not an illness. And care homes however hard they try aren't really a suitable place to dump people, particularly in a pandemic when visiting is heavily limited.
Utter nightmare for all concerned. Cancer, however bad, has nothing on this.
We desperately need to do more research on it as the population gets older. My money is on it being virus or pathogen triggered, but who knows...
Their religions were never particularly organised and top-down as ours. But religious based "superstition", or folk beliefs, and private devotions are common.
The Met just gets worse.
Racism cited as factor in police strip search of girl, 15, at London school
https://www.theguardian.com/uk-news/2022/mar/15/black-girl-racism-police-strip-search-london-school-hackney
Arguably more merciful than what we do today. Keep people alive for years, in grave mental pain
If you want to help get me off here you could donate. I haven't yet set up a page for donations, it'd seem a bit previous like my earlier willingness to cook on the front line now does.
But if you want to donate, I'll take yours and any other's declaration here like a PB bet.
Why not ministers?
Almost 50% of Chinese are convinced atheists, not even agnostic
https://www.independent.co.uk/news/uk/atheists-countries-list-six-world-most-convinced-a6946291.html
The Communist government discourages organised religion as a challenge to loyalty to the party and certainly organised religion without a government licence.
Folk religion and Shinto etc is stronger in Japan than China in some surveys though unless it includes belief in a God as with the Abrahamic religions is effectively atheism anyway
The smothering party, early onset dementia, cancer, Nigel Foremain’s Leprechaun beating or just parachuted into Russian troop areas of Mariupol painted in Azov Battalion insignia.
What a c***
https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Importance_of_religion_by_country
https://www.scotlandscensus.gov.uk/census-results/at-a-glance/religion/
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Religion_in_the_United_Kingdom
Higher than 25% for E & W but only about 30th in world rankings
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_countries_by_irreligion#:~:text=Relative to its own populations,Japan (64-65%).
We don't know the medical status of people just by looking at them on video, for sure. But the possibility of elderly politicians having dementia or suffering strokes, TIA or other neurological conditions is far from bullshit
“Sauron” was a derogatory name given to the Dark Lord by the Elves. It meant “Foul stench.”
Or, to put it another way: “Stinker”.
So Slinker vs Stinker was Smeagol-persona vs Sauron-persona.
I repeat what I said yesterday - dumb people wage war with tanks, smart people wage war with economics.
https://twitter.com/WSJ/status/1503755436461371405