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The French election looking even more likely to be a 2017 re-run – politicalbetting.com

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  • kle4kle4 Posts: 96,083
    tlg86 said:

    Nigelb said:

    https://twitter.com/Hromadske/status/1506236417902526465
    In Hostomel (Kyiv Oblast), the Russian occupiers burned a stable with horses — most of the animals were killed.

    According to the owner, Russian troops first threatened to shoot the horses, but then burned the stable with them

    Being Russian is going to be shit for the next 100 years.
    Why change a tradition?
  • TazTaz Posts: 14,383
    MattW said:

    Leon said:

    Taz said:

    Leon said:

    Anti-Woke Culture Wars are working in the USA

    Ramp them up over here, Boris

    “Democrats working to save their slim majority in the House in November’s elections have been sounding alarm bells lately over research showing that Republican attacks on culture-war issues are working, particularly with center-left, Hispanic and independent voters.”

    NYT ($$)

    How about concentrating on the real issues, rather than a phony war.

    Inflation, cost of living crisis, energy security, levelling up, growing the economy and not weaponising division ?
    “Not weaponising division”? Are you mad??
    Weaponising Brexit doesn't count, natch...
    Does Macron weaponising refugees count? :smile:
    Depends what side of the debate you sit.
  • CarnyxCarnyx Posts: 42,829
    edited March 2022

    Dura_Ace said:

    Interesting if true:

    https://www.instagram.com/p/CbZuJV-MTZO/

    The first Russian soldier to hand over a fully-working T-80 tank to the Ukrainians. He will get $10k after the war, and can apply for Ukrainian citizenship.

    I wonder if he killed the other two crew.
    Golly, I’ve not been keeping up, can an MBT get away with only 3 crew? I recall at least one of the Russian tanks has automatic loading for the main gun, the T80 I guess.

    Been reading a bit about French tank design between the wars and they tended to go for one man turrets (ie the commander had to do a helluva lot) because of the manpower shortage after WWI.
    Yes. In one of them (the Char B family) the main gun was fixed in the hull, no traverse, so the driver did the aiming and firing as well as the driving (admittedly with a continuously variable oil-hydraulic transmission if memory serves, though I might be wrong on that point). One other chap loaded the main gun in between. I think the fourth just sat around and handed the commander ammunition when the commander wasn't too busy aiming and firing his own turret cannon [edit], commanding and keeping on top of situational awareness. Not the most balanced workforce ever. Can't recall who operated the radio ...

  • kle4kle4 Posts: 96,083
    Dura_Ace said:

    Scott_xP said:

    No10 confirms that, despite Boris Johnson being "desperate" to go to Ukraine, the country's president Volodymyr Zelensky has not invited him to do as much

    https://twitter.com/REWearmouth/status/1506240721673768964

    It's really up to Biden, if he doesn’t want the FLSoJ stirring things up in Kyiv search of a laugh then Johnson's not going.
    Dont be silly. The USA is in the driving seat for most things but a PM making a visit isnt one of them, theres no reason Biden would give a shit. It's just a dumb idea on it's own merits.
  • TheuniondivvieTheuniondivvie Posts: 41,956
    Carnyx said:

    Dura_Ace said:

    Interesting if true:

    https://www.instagram.com/p/CbZuJV-MTZO/

    The first Russian soldier to hand over a fully-working T-80 tank to the Ukrainians. He will get $10k after the war, and can apply for Ukrainian citizenship.

    I wonder if he killed the other two crew.
    Golly, I’ve not been keeping up, can an MBT get away with only 3 crew? I recall at least one of the Russian tanks has automatic loading for the main gun, the T80 I guess.

    Been reading a bit about French tank design between the wars and they tended to go for one man turrets (ie the commander had to do a helluva lot) because of the manpower shortage after WWI.
    Yes. In one of them (the Char B family) the main gun was fixed in the hull, no traverse, so the driver did the aiming and firing as well as the driving (admittedly with a continuously variable oil-hydraulic transmission if memory serves, though I might be wrong on that point). One other chap loaded the main gun in between. I think the fourth just sat around and handed the commander ammunition when the commander wasn't too busy aiming and firing his own turret cannon [edit], commanding and keeping on top of situational awareness. Not the most balanced workforce ever. Can't recall who operated the radio ...

    Le multitasking
  • Wales' first minister is not ruling out keeping the country's remaining Covid restrictions beyond their expiry date of next Monday.

    https://www.bbc.com/news/uk-wales-politics-60834936

    He can do what he likes but by the evidence around this area nobody is listening anymore

    Indeed I would suggest that is across the UK
  • kamskikamski Posts: 5,190
    Fishing said:

    Dura_Ace said:

    BigRich said:

    Nigelb said:

    “The Russian military rape women, the dead are just being dumped,” evacuee from Russian-occupied city says
    https://euromaidanpress.com/2022/03/21/the-russian-military-rape-women-the-dead-are-just-being-dumped-evacuee-from-russian-occupied-city-says/

    I'v seen a few reports of that in the last few days, using rape as a weapon of war is very very sad. Is possible that this is mostly the Mercenary company Vargner Group who have a history of this and are now fighting in the City of Mariupol where most of these reports are coming from. But it doesn't really matter who is doing it its just Wrong so very very Wrong.
    While every occupying army ever has done it few can match the proclivity of the Russians in this area.
    I did not hear of e.g. the British Army using it as a weapon of war in occupying Germany during the fifties and sixties.
    The British army occupied Germany (and was at war) during the sixties?
  • FrancisUrquhartFrancisUrquhart Posts: 81,991

    Wales' first minister is not ruling out keeping the country's remaining Covid restrictions beyond their expiry date of next Monday.

    https://www.bbc.com/news/uk-wales-politics-60834936

    He can do what he likes but by the evidence around this area nobody is listening anymore

    Indeed I would suggest that is across the UK
    Have you managed to get your spring booster booked in?
  • CarnyxCarnyx Posts: 42,829
    edited March 2022
    kamski said:

    Fishing said:

    Dura_Ace said:

    BigRich said:

    Nigelb said:

    “The Russian military rape women, the dead are just being dumped,” evacuee from Russian-occupied city says
    https://euromaidanpress.com/2022/03/21/the-russian-military-rape-women-the-dead-are-just-being-dumped-evacuee-from-russian-occupied-city-says/

    I'v seen a few reports of that in the last few days, using rape as a weapon of war is very very sad. Is possible that this is mostly the Mercenary company Vargner Group who have a history of this and are now fighting in the City of Mariupol where most of these reports are coming from. But it doesn't really matter who is doing it its just Wrong so very very Wrong.
    While every occupying army ever has done it few can match the proclivity of the Russians in this area.
    I did not hear of e.g. the British Army using it as a weapon of war in occupying Germany during the fifties and sixties.
    The British army occupied Germany (and was at war) during the sixties?
    Haven't you seen the discourse here, and in UK politics in the last ten years? Lots of people think we are still at war with the French, never mind the Germans.

    Edit: to be fair, the British squaddie's favourite enemy was the regiment down the road, in the pubs of Aldershot, or the ferries to UK on a weekend.
  • LostPasswordLostPassword Posts: 18,355
    biggles said:

    Scott_xP said:

    If anything the last few weeks have shown that it really doesn't matter how contemptible your politicians are when the country they are leading still holds such political and military power. Sad but true.

    Maybe

    The PM would have been invited to the EU summit on Thursday if BoZo wasn't such a dick.

    Maybe that matters. Maybe not.
    I don’t get the concern over this one. We’re not in the EU so why would we want to bother with their summit? Nothing of military consequence in Europe can be discussed without us in the room, so this just makes the NATO meeting more important, which is surely what we want?
    I could believe Cummings advising Johnson to make this comment precisely for the reason of not being invited to the EU Council. It would be impossible for Johnson to refuse the invitation, but he surely doesn't want the EU to be the forum for making these decisions.

    That's why instead Britain has put effort into bilateral and multilateral relationships outside the EU, like the UK-Poland-Ukraine agreement.

    I could see Johnson agreeing to a US/UK/EU format of talks, where the EU is one party out of three, but going along to the EU Council where the UK and US will be two voices among thirty - that's not the format Johnson would want.

    Very short-sighted of the EU to allow themselves to be riled by Johnson in this way.
  • turbotubbsturbotubbs Posts: 17,405

    Wales' first minister is not ruling out keeping the country's remaining Covid restrictions beyond their expiry date of next Monday.

    https://www.bbc.com/news/uk-wales-politics-60834936

    As long as it is justified by the impact of the disease, and not just on high cases, then you can make a case. If its purely because there is a lot of covid about, then they absolutely should not keep the restrictions.

    There is little evidence that the remaining restrictions in say Scotland are making any difference anyway.
  • Big_G_NorthWalesBig_G_NorthWales Posts: 63,032
    edited March 2022

    Wales' first minister is not ruling out keeping the country's remaining Covid restrictions beyond their expiry date of next Monday.

    https://www.bbc.com/news/uk-wales-politics-60834936

    He can do what he likes but by the evidence around this area nobody is listening anymore

    Indeed I would suggest that is across the UK
    Have you managed to get your spring booster booked in?
    Awaiting to hear from our surgery but all our family apart from ourselves have had covid this year including our son-in-laws elderly and infirm parents in care and it just seemed like a bad cold and they all recovered in a week or so
  • LostPasswordLostPassword Posts: 18,355
    FF43 said:

    Nigelb said:

    Pointed comment on that Brexit/Ukraine comparison.

    https://twitter.com/ProfTimBale/status/1506214760718680070
    As Putin’s invasion loomed, President Zelensky didn’t write two statements – one announcing surrender, the other declaring that Ukraine would fight – to see which would be best for his career...

    Another one I like:

    Zelenskiy was a former clown transformed into one of the great politicians of our age. Johnson is a politician become a clown.
    Johnson has always played the fool. He hasn't changed since he was a young journalist aspiring to be an MP.

    The difference is that Johnson is like one of those actors who is only capable of playing the one role, and always plays that role in every performance. Zelenskyy clearly has a greater range and adaptability - and he's still only 44. Who knows what he might do next once he stops being President of Ukraine?
  • CarnyxCarnyx Posts: 42,829

    Carnyx said:

    Dura_Ace said:

    Interesting if true:

    https://www.instagram.com/p/CbZuJV-MTZO/

    The first Russian soldier to hand over a fully-working T-80 tank to the Ukrainians. He will get $10k after the war, and can apply for Ukrainian citizenship.

    I wonder if he killed the other two crew.
    Golly, I’ve not been keeping up, can an MBT get away with only 3 crew? I recall at least one of the Russian tanks has automatic loading for the main gun, the T80 I guess.

    Been reading a bit about French tank design between the wars and they tended to go for one man turrets (ie the commander had to do a helluva lot) because of the manpower shortage after WWI.
    Yes. In one of them (the Char B family) the main gun was fixed in the hull, no traverse, so the driver did the aiming and firing as well as the driving (admittedly with a continuously variable oil-hydraulic transmission if memory serves, though I might be wrong on that point). One other chap loaded the main gun in between. I think the fourth just sat around and handed the commander ammunition when the commander wasn't too busy aiming and firing his own turret cannon [edit], commanding and keeping on top of situational awareness. Not the most balanced workforce ever. Can't recall who operated the radio ...

    Le multitasking
    BTW, that Maxim which someone used to pimp his wheels on the previous thread - where/when was that photo taken? Somalia?

    It's an old Sov one, the variant with the water filler cap replaced by a tractor cap so you can cram in snow when the cooling water begins to boil away.
  • FrancisUrquhartFrancisUrquhart Posts: 81,991

    Wales' first minister is not ruling out keeping the country's remaining Covid restrictions beyond their expiry date of next Monday.

    https://www.bbc.com/news/uk-wales-politics-60834936

    He can do what he likes but by the evidence around this area nobody is listening anymore

    Indeed I would suggest that is across the UK
    Have you managed to get your spring booster booked in?
    Awaiting to hear from our surgery but all our family apart from ourselves have had covid this year including our son-in-laws elderly and infirm parents in care and it just seemed like a bad cold and they all recovered in a week or so
    FYI, I got my father booked in (Sunday night) using the online booking system before any contact from the GP. Obviously being in Wales, things can sometimes be different.
  • NickPalmerNickPalmer Posts: 21,523
    kjh said:

    Leon said:

    Anti-Woke Culture Wars are working in the USA

    Ramp them up over here, Boris

    “Democrats working to save their slim majority in the House in November’s elections have been sounding alarm bells lately over research showing that Republican attacks on culture-war issues are working, particularly with center-left, Hispanic and independent voters.”

    NYT ($$)

    No doubt they are. It is quite a common tactic to set up a bogyman and then attack it.
    Quite hard to make them work against Starmer, who is very obviously uninterested in rising to baits about culture war - "Whatever, what are the Tories doing about the cost of living?" is a perfectly serviceable response to question about statues and gender and all such stuff. The Tories will look seriously out of touch if they rabbit on about Wokism while letting inflation head for double figures.
  • kle4kle4 Posts: 96,083

    FF43 said:

    Nigelb said:

    Pointed comment on that Brexit/Ukraine comparison.

    https://twitter.com/ProfTimBale/status/1506214760718680070
    As Putin’s invasion loomed, President Zelensky didn’t write two statements – one announcing surrender, the other declaring that Ukraine would fight – to see which would be best for his career...

    Another one I like:

    Zelenskiy was a former clown transformed into one of the great politicians of our age. Johnson is a politician become a clown.
    Johnson has always played the fool. He hasn't changed since he was a young journalist aspiring to be an MP.

    The difference is that Johnson is like one of those actors who is only capable of playing the one role, and always plays that role in every performance. Zelenskyy clearly has a greater range and adaptability - and he's still only 44. Who knows what he might do next once he stops being President of Ukraine?
    Back to acting. Think of the dramatic roles available
  • Wales' first minister is not ruling out keeping the country's remaining Covid restrictions beyond their expiry date of next Monday.

    https://www.bbc.com/news/uk-wales-politics-60834936

    He can do what he likes but by the evidence around this area nobody is listening anymore

    Indeed I would suggest that is across the UK
    Have you managed to get your spring booster booked in?
    Awaiting to hear from our surgery but all our family apart from ourselves have had covid this year including our son-in-laws elderly and infirm parents in care and it just seemed like a bad cold and they all recovered in a week or so
    FYI, I got my father booked in (Sunday night) using the online booking system before any contact from the GP. Obviously being in Wales, things can sometimes be different.
    Thanks and I expect we will hear soon

    To be fair at our age we do not go out to socialise and are very content in our home with family popping in

    Indeed we have had regular feelings of guilt that we have so much while this evil monster Putin is murdererously slaughtering so many innocents
  • NickPalmerNickPalmer Posts: 21,523

    Wales' first minister is not ruling out keeping the country's remaining Covid restrictions beyond their expiry date of next Monday.

    https://www.bbc.com/news/uk-wales-politics-60834936

    He can do what he likes but by the evidence around this area nobody is listening anymore

    Indeed I would suggest that is across the UK
    Not round here. Masks still universal in supermarkets and everyone I know is curbing social activity and taking LFTs before every meeting. Restaurants are busy, but with staff masked and spacing between seats. Various major events are still being postponed. The perception is that it's getting worse again as we all know people who've got it and mostly report it's quite nasty - not really that people think they'll die, but that they'll have an unpleasant two weeks, so just not worth it for the sake of shopping without a mask. As always it';s a cost-benefit thing - if people really want to do something they will and take any reasonable risk, but if they're not that bothered then they won't.
  • FF43FF43 Posts: 17,208

    biggles said:

    Scott_xP said:

    If anything the last few weeks have shown that it really doesn't matter how contemptible your politicians are when the country they are leading still holds such political and military power. Sad but true.

    Maybe

    The PM would have been invited to the EU summit on Thursday if BoZo wasn't such a dick.

    Maybe that matters. Maybe not.
    I don’t get the concern over this one. We’re not in the EU so why would we want to bother with their summit? Nothing of military consequence in Europe can be discussed without us in the room, so this just makes the NATO meeting more important, which is surely what we want?
    I could believe Cummings advising Johnson to make this comment precisely for the reason of not being invited to the EU Council. It would be impossible for Johnson to refuse the invitation, but he surely doesn't want the EU to be the forum for making these decisions.

    That's why instead Britain has put effort into bilateral and multilateral relationships outside the EU, like the UK-Poland-Ukraine agreement.

    I could see Johnson agreeing to a US/UK/EU format of talks, where the EU is one party out of three, but going along to the EU Council where the UK and US will be two voices among thirty - that's not the format Johnson would want.

    Very short-sighted of the EU to allow themselves to be riled by Johnson in this way.
    Problem with this analysis is that the EUCO is precisely the meeting where the decision will be made, ie the common position between the EU and the US. This then gets rolled out to the NATO and G7 meetings but no-one is likely to diverge much from that position.

    It doesn't make the UK completely irrelevant. It's a significant player in the G7 and as you say it's working on the bilaterals. NATO appears to have excluded itself from involvement this conflict but no doubt there are discussions going on about a subset of countries providing security guarantees to Ukraine and the security implications of that for NATO.

    I agree the EU should have invited the UK for reasons of protocol even though it doesn't make much difference in practice.
  • bondegezoubondegezou Posts: 11,052

    Wales' first minister is not ruling out keeping the country's remaining Covid restrictions beyond their expiry date of next Monday.

    https://www.bbc.com/news/uk-wales-politics-60834936

    He can do what he likes but by the evidence around this area nobody is listening anymore

    Indeed I would suggest that is across the UK
    Our data, https://osf.io/yfmxu/ (still only a preprint), suggests that people do very much attend to government rules.
  • Wales' first minister is not ruling out keeping the country's remaining Covid restrictions beyond their expiry date of next Monday.

    https://www.bbc.com/news/uk-wales-politics-60834936

    He can do what he likes but by the evidence around this area nobody is listening anymore

    Indeed I would suggest that is across the UK
    Not round here. Masks still universal in supermarkets and everyone I know is curbing social activity and taking LFTs before every meeting. Restaurants are busy, but with staff masked and spacing between seats. Various major events are still being postponed. The perception is that it's getting worse again as we all know people who've got it and mostly report it's quite nasty - not really that people think they'll die, but that they'll have an unpleasant two weeks, so just not worth it for the sake of shopping without a mask. As always it';s a cost-benefit thing - if people really want to do something they will and take any reasonable risk, but if they're not that bothered then they won't.
    Certainly mask wearing in the shopping and recreational areas has disappeared and noticeably much less in the shops as well
  • FrancisUrquhartFrancisUrquhart Posts: 81,991
    You don't get 3 guesses over which member....

    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7xvDHvHXA6A
    Excess deaths 'too high', says Independent Sage member
  • TheuniondivvieTheuniondivvie Posts: 41,956
    Carnyx said:

    Carnyx said:

    Dura_Ace said:

    Interesting if true:

    https://www.instagram.com/p/CbZuJV-MTZO/

    The first Russian soldier to hand over a fully-working T-80 tank to the Ukrainians. He will get $10k after the war, and can apply for Ukrainian citizenship.

    I wonder if he killed the other two crew.
    Golly, I’ve not been keeping up, can an MBT get away with only 3 crew? I recall at least one of the Russian tanks has automatic loading for the main gun, the T80 I guess.

    Been reading a bit about French tank design between the wars and they tended to go for one man turrets (ie the commander had to do a helluva lot) because of the manpower shortage after WWI.
    Yes. In one of them (the Char B family) the main gun was fixed in the hull, no traverse, so the driver did the aiming and firing as well as the driving (admittedly with a continuously variable oil-hydraulic transmission if memory serves, though I might be wrong on that point). One other chap loaded the main gun in between. I think the fourth just sat around and handed the commander ammunition when the commander wasn't too busy aiming and firing his own turret cannon [edit], commanding and keeping on top of situational awareness. Not the most balanced workforce ever. Can't recall who operated the radio ...

    Le multitasking
    BTW, that Maxim which someone used to pimp his wheels on the previous thread - where/when was that photo taken? Somalia?

    It's an old Sov one, the variant with the water filler cap replaced by a tractor cap so you can cram in snow when the cooling water begins to boil away.
    The original caption said in use by militants in Ukraine (war in Donbass). I believe there are quite a few about eg

    https://www.thedrive.com/the-war-zone/32098/ukrainian-troops-are-still-using-this-pre-world-war-i-era-maxim-machine-gun-in-combat
  • kinabalukinabalu Posts: 42,134
    kle4 said:

    Dura_Ace said:

    Scott_xP said:

    No10 confirms that, despite Boris Johnson being "desperate" to go to Ukraine, the country's president Volodymyr Zelensky has not invited him to do as much

    https://twitter.com/REWearmouth/status/1506240721673768964

    It's really up to Biden, if he doesn’t want the FLSoJ stirring things up in Kyiv search of a laugh then Johnson's not going.
    Dont be silly. The USA is in the driving seat for most things but a PM making a visit isnt one of them, theres no reason Biden would give a shit. It's just a dumb idea on it's own merits.
    I don't want to see him gurning around in Ukraine. He should stay here and concentrate on his phone calls and red boxes. Only time we need to see him is when he goes to the House of Commons.
  • You don't get 3 guesses over which member....

    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7xvDHvHXA6A
    Excess deaths 'too high', says Independent Sage member

    And the go to 'expert ' for the media
  • DecrepiterJohnLDecrepiterJohnL Posts: 27,892

    Yes, the French election defies the best efforts of punters to make it interesting. It's seemingly as sewn up as a North Korean plebiscite.

    Totally off-topic, my bank (First Direct) is introducing new security in online transactions, and will ask me to enter my email address, not because they want to know but so they judge whether it's genuine based on how I type it in. How does this work? Dependent on speed, or tendency to make typos, or what?

    The only similar behavioural typing thing I've heard of is payday lenders, who apparently judge how much interest to charge you partly on how you move the bar on the online chart when you're exploring what you might get. If you go straight for the maximum amount, they interpret that as being higher risk and charge you more than if you experiment with different levels before trying the maximum. I don't actually like the idea but I can see the logic.

    It sounds stupid and you should check it is not a scam. If genuine, probably the test is for human typing rather than a hacker's bot slapping the whole thing in at once. Trouble is, your browser probably will slap it in all at once.
  • StillWatersStillWaters Posts: 8,243
    Scott_xP said:

    Boris Johnson “cut short” last week’s Middle East-Saudi trip to return for his wife’s birthday party reports the Spectator and Sunday Times

    👀

    https://www.spectator.co.uk/article/boris-attends-another-party https://twitter.com/SamCoatesSky/status/1506209989173686273/photo/1

    Have you never scheduled a business trip around personal commitments?
  • bondegezoubondegezou Posts: 11,052

    Wales' first minister is not ruling out keeping the country's remaining Covid restrictions beyond their expiry date of next Monday.

    https://www.bbc.com/news/uk-wales-politics-60834936

    He can do what he likes but by the evidence around this area nobody is listening anymore

    Indeed I would suggest that is across the UK
    Have you managed to get your spring booster booked in?
    Awaiting to hear from our surgery but all our family apart from ourselves have had covid this year including our son-in-laws elderly and infirm parents in care and it just seemed like a bad cold and they all recovered in a week or so
    Should we base medical recommendations on what happened to one family or use the vast amount of data collected from across the whole population? I had thought it was more sensible to use the national data, but, you know, Big G’s family were fine, so who needs epidemiology?
  • turbotubbsturbotubbs Posts: 17,405

    Wales' first minister is not ruling out keeping the country's remaining Covid restrictions beyond their expiry date of next Monday.

    https://www.bbc.com/news/uk-wales-politics-60834936

    He can do what he likes but by the evidence around this area nobody is listening anymore

    Indeed I would suggest that is across the UK
    Not round here. Masks still universal in supermarkets and everyone I know is curbing social activity and taking LFTs before every meeting. Restaurants are busy, but with staff masked and spacing between seats. Various major events are still being postponed. The perception is that it's getting worse again as we all know people who've got it and mostly report it's quite nasty - not really that people think they'll die, but that they'll have an unpleasant two weeks, so just not worth it for the sake of shopping without a mask. As always it';s a cost-benefit thing - if people really want to do something they will and take any reasonable risk, but if they're not that bothered then they won't.
    Certainly mask wearing in the shopping and recreational areas has disappeared and noticeably much less in the shops as well
    I find mask wearing 'universal' a bit hard to credit Nick. Even in leafy Warminster's Waitrose we are down to about 20% max wearing a mask. Are you living in a town of 80 year olds with no immune system?
  • kle4kle4 Posts: 96,083
    edited March 2022

    Scott_xP said:

    Boris Johnson “cut short” last week’s Middle East-Saudi trip to return for his wife’s birthday party reports the Spectator and Sunday Times

    👀

    https://www.spectator.co.uk/article/boris-attends-another-party https://twitter.com/SamCoatesSky/status/1506209989173686273/photo/1

    Have you never scheduled a business trip around personal commitments?
    I wouldn't if I was Prime Minister of the United Kingdom.

    But frankly it didn't seem to do any harm, since there wasn't much going to be achieved it seems.
  • turbotubbsturbotubbs Posts: 17,405

    You don't get 3 guesses over which member....

    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7xvDHvHXA6A
    Excess deaths 'too high', says Independent Sage member

    Pagel, then Gurdassani, then Reicher.

    Also - I thought they were currently below the 5 year average?
  • Morris_DancerMorris_Dancer Posts: 61,787
    edited March 2022
    Went to the local supermarket this morning. Saw one mask-wearer out of about a dozen people.

    Glad the bloody things aren't needed* any longer.

    Edited extra bit: *mandated would be a better word.
  • DecrepiterJohnLDecrepiterJohnL Posts: 27,892

    Wales' first minister is not ruling out keeping the country's remaining Covid restrictions beyond their expiry date of next Monday.

    https://www.bbc.com/news/uk-wales-politics-60834936

    He can do what he likes but by the evidence around this area nobody is listening anymore

    Indeed I would suggest that is across the UK
    Not round here. Masks still universal in supermarkets and everyone I know is curbing social activity and taking LFTs before every meeting. Restaurants are busy, but with staff masked and spacing between seats. Various major events are still being postponed. The perception is that it's getting worse again as we all know people who've got it and mostly report it's quite nasty - not really that people think they'll die, but that they'll have an unpleasant two weeks, so just not worth it for the sake of shopping without a mask. As always it';s a cost-benefit thing - if people really want to do something they will and take any reasonable risk, but if they're not that bothered then they won't.
    Certainly mask wearing in the shopping and recreational areas has disappeared and noticeably much less in the shops as well
    Just back from Sainsbury's where mask-wearing was around the two thirds mark.
  • Thought this might be of interest:

    'Historic England puts aerial photos of nation’s past online'

    https://www.theguardian.com/culture/2022/mar/22/historic-england-puts-aerial-photos-of-nations-past-online

    No link in the article, unhelpfully, so go here: https://historicengland.org.uk/images-books/archive/collections/aerial-photos/
  • LostPasswordLostPassword Posts: 18,355
    edited March 2022

    Wales' first minister is not ruling out keeping the country's remaining Covid restrictions beyond their expiry date of next Monday.

    https://www.bbc.com/news/uk-wales-politics-60834936

    He can do what he likes but by the evidence around this area nobody is listening anymore

    Indeed I would suggest that is across the UK
    Not in Edinburgh. Masks still mandated here and still abided by as much as they ever have been. Indeed the local pharmacy now employs someone at peak periods to enforce their rule of no more than three people inside the store at a time, but doesn't ever have to tell anyone to put a mask on.

    Feels like a lot of wasted effort to me, but perhaps the illusion of control is reassuring for others.
  • MattWMattW Posts: 23,148
    Dura_Ace said:

    Interesting if true:

    https://www.instagram.com/p/CbZuJV-MTZO/

    The first Russian soldier to hand over a fully-working T-80 tank to the Ukrainians. He will get $10k after the war, and can apply for Ukrainian citizenship.

    Give it a week and the price will be down to a bottle of vodka and a pot noodle....
    Jonathan "Simple Sword of Truth" Aitken paid $5m for a T-80 when he was Minister of Defence Procurement.
    There's a time value to tanks, as well as money.
  • MarqueeMarkMarqueeMark Posts: 52,561

    You don't get 3 guesses over which member....

    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7xvDHvHXA6A
    Excess deaths 'too high', says Independent Sage member

    At least Ukraine has largely robbed them of the oxygen of publicity....
  • Wales' first minister is not ruling out keeping the country's remaining Covid restrictions beyond their expiry date of next Monday.

    https://www.bbc.com/news/uk-wales-politics-60834936

    He can do what he likes but by the evidence around this area nobody is listening anymore

    Indeed I would suggest that is across the UK
    Have you managed to get your spring booster booked in?
    Awaiting to hear from our surgery but all our family apart from ourselves have had covid this year including our son-in-laws elderly and infirm parents in care and it just seemed like a bad cold and they all recovered in a week or so
    Should we base medical recommendations on what happened to one family or use the vast amount of data collected from across the whole population? I had thought it was more sensible to use the national data, but, you know, Big G’s family were fine, so who needs epidemiology?
    My family have lots of whats app groups and while it is known cases are rising there seems no appetite to go down the more restrictions route

    And you can dismiss my family, but this is a widely held view in the country

    Mind you if you want to continue that is a matter of your choice as it should be
  • MarqueeMarkMarqueeMark Posts: 52,561

    Scott_xP said:

    Boris Johnson “cut short” last week’s Middle East-Saudi trip to return for his wife’s birthday party reports the Spectator and Sunday Times

    👀

    https://www.spectator.co.uk/article/boris-attends-another-party https://twitter.com/SamCoatesSky/status/1506209989173686273/photo/1

    Have you never scheduled a business trip around personal commitments?
    "Going home to see the wife" is a euphemism for "I'm getting nowhere with these talks, may as well go home...."
  • FrancisUrquhartFrancisUrquhart Posts: 81,991

    You don't get 3 guesses over which member....

    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7xvDHvHXA6A
    Excess deaths 'too high', says Independent Sage member

    At least Ukraine has largely robbed them of the oxygen of publicity....
    It would be nice if it didn't take the potential of the outbreak of WWIII for their end of the world is nigh stuff not to be getting publicity.
  • LeonLeon Posts: 55,277
    FF43 said:

    TimS said:

    Taz said:

    Leon said:

    Anti-Woke Culture Wars are working in the USA

    Ramp them up over here, Boris

    “Democrats working to save their slim majority in the House in November’s elections have been sounding alarm bells lately over research showing that Republican attacks on culture-war issues are working, particularly with center-left, Hispanic and independent voters.”

    NYT ($$)

    How about concentrating on the real issues, rather than a phony war.

    Inflation, cost of living crisis, energy security, levelling up, growing the economy and not weaponising division ?
    Most of those are either caused by government actions or, at best, are global tides that Johnson can do no more about than Canute did.

    They bang on about Culture Wars because that's pretty much all they've got.
    Let's be honest the identitarian left and right both love nothing more than a bit of culture war. It's a nice playground game that helps them to get outraged under controlled conditions, is distracting from real tricky political issues and leaves them with a feeling of virtue. It's the wars of religion de nos jours.

    I would hazard a guess based on social media that perhaps 15-20% of the population really indulge in culture warring, with roughly a 50:50 split between those outraged by "far right bigotry" and those equally offended by "left wing woke nonsense". Perhaps another 40-50% of the population have a mild leaning towards one side or the other, the Anglican church of these particular wars of religion (I'd put myself in that camp), and the rest don't even know it's happening.
    Wokeism does bother me. It's not benign. It aims to disrespect people those they accuse of being Woke, to be offensive and to other their targets. To the extent it's successful, it undermines civic society.
    If you could write that in English it would help?
  • NickPalmerNickPalmer Posts: 21,523



    I find mask wearing 'universal' a bit hard to credit Nick. Even in leafy Warminster's Waitrose we are down to about 20% max wearing a mask. Are you living in a town of 80 year olds with no immune system?

    No, I'm in Godalming, Surrey, and mostly shop in Sainsbury. Average age of shoppers about 40-50, I suppose. You occasionally do see someone without a mask and the shop no longer asks for it, but it's certainly over 90%.

    It was always a high-mask area as I remember when we debated this last year. As it's all voluntary, I don't think it need bother anyone, but if it became mandatory in shops again, people round here would mostly shrug. It's totally different to night clubs etc., where I can see that wearing a mask would spoil the fun unless it's, um, specialised. Almost nobody buys groceries for fun.
  • CookieCookie Posts: 13,792

    Wales' first minister is not ruling out keeping the country's remaining Covid restrictions beyond their expiry date of next Monday.

    https://www.bbc.com/news/uk-wales-politics-60834936

    He can do what he likes but by the evidence around this area nobody is listening anymore

    Indeed I would suggest that is across the UK
    Not round here. Masks still universal in supermarkets and everyone I know is curbing social activity and taking LFTs before every meeting. Restaurants are busy, but with staff masked and spacing between seats. Various major events are still being postponed. The perception is that it's getting worse again as we all know people who've got it and mostly report it's quite nasty - not really that people think they'll die, but that they'll have an unpleasant two weeks, so just not worth it for the sake of shopping without a mask. As always it';s a cost-benefit thing - if people really want to do something they will and take any reasonable risk, but if they're not that bothered then they won't.
    Certainly mask wearing in the shopping and recreational areas has disappeared and noticeably much less in the shops as well
    I find mask wearing 'universal' a bit hard to credit Nick. Even in leafy Warminster's Waitrose we are down to about 20% max wearing a mask. Are you living in a town of 80 year olds with no immune system?
    Also find Nick's reporting of people voluntarily curbing social activity surprising. Certainly not the case in my bit of middle-aged suburban GM.
    My mum and dad (both in their 70s) and wife currently have it; one daughter has just had the all clear and gone back to school. All have been a bit poorly but had they been that ill in 2019 would have put it down to a bad cold. And we didn't curb social activity because there was a bad cold going around.
  • Wales' first minister is not ruling out keeping the country's remaining Covid restrictions beyond their expiry date of next Monday.

    https://www.bbc.com/news/uk-wales-politics-60834936

    He can do what he likes but by the evidence around this area nobody is listening anymore

    Indeed I would suggest that is across the UK
    Not in Edinburgh. Masks still mandated here and still abided by as much as they ever have been. Indeed the local pharmacy now employs someone at peak periods to enforce their rule of no more than three people inside the store at a time, but doesn't ever have to tell anyone to put a mask on.

    Feels like a lot of wasted effort to me, but perhaps the illusion of control is reassuring for others.
    I can understand it in a pharmacy or health environment
  • ApplicantApplicant Posts: 3,379
    .

    Wales' first minister is not ruling out keeping the country's remaining Covid restrictions beyond their expiry date of next Monday.

    https://www.bbc.com/news/uk-wales-politics-60834936

    He can do what he likes but by the evidence around this area nobody is listening anymore

    Indeed I would suggest that is across the UK
    Our data, https://osf.io/yfmxu/ (still only a preprint), suggests that people do very much attend to government rules.
    They do?

    Or they say they do?
  • StillWatersStillWaters Posts: 8,243
    Applicant said:

    Scott_xP said:

    Seriously, people should be concerned about this 👇

    I've read a lot of criticism of the UK in the European press over decades, but there was always a basic respect, even fondness - nothing like the quasi unanimous contempt with which this man is now viewed all over the continent

    https://twitter.com/AlexTaylorNews/status/1505964667608391683
    https://twitter.com/AlexTaylorNews/status/1505958746673102848

    Seriously they shouldn't.

    If anything the last few weeks have shown that it really doesn't matter how contemptible your politicians are when the country they are leading still holds such political and military power. Sad but true. And I say that as someone who detests Johnson.
    Whatever happened to "actions speak louder than words"?
    I have no words to describe the tedium induced by @Scott_P actions…
  • Gary_BurtonGary_Burton Posts: 737

    Wales' first minister is not ruling out keeping the country's remaining Covid restrictions beyond their expiry date of next Monday.

    https://www.bbc.com/news/uk-wales-politics-60834936

    He can do what he likes but by the evidence around this area nobody is listening anymore

    Indeed I would suggest that is across the UK
    Not in Edinburgh. Masks still mandated here and still abided by as much as they ever have been. Indeed the local pharmacy now employs someone at peak periods to enforce their rule of no more than three people inside the store at a time, but doesn't ever have to tell anyone to put a mask on.

    Feels like a lot of wasted effort to me, but perhaps the illusion of control is reassuring for others.
    It's very silly and time to move on TBH. Seems far more relaxed in Northern Ireland . The difference with Scotland is palpable. I went to Belfast just over a week ago and perhaps a majority wearing masks on buses but hardly anybody wearing them in shops or food outlets.
  • FrancisUrquhartFrancisUrquhart Posts: 81,991
    edited March 2022
    WTF.....daddy what do you do for a job.....I don't fancy being on their trainee programme.

    Veritasium - Making Antivenom From The World's Deadliest Snakes
    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7ziWrneMYss
  • ApplicantApplicant Posts: 3,379
    edited March 2022

    You don't get 3 guesses over which member....

    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7xvDHvHXA6A
    Excess deaths 'too high', says Independent Sage member

    Is it the co-author of @bondegezou's paper?

  • TazTaz Posts: 14,383

    You don't get 3 guesses over which member....

    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7xvDHvHXA6A
    Excess deaths 'too high', says Independent Sage member

    Still desperate to cling onto any relevance and her fleeting 15 minutes of fame

    It never ceases to amaze me, given how wrong diet sage have been at many times in the pandemic, how they still get given this level of prominence by media outlets.
  • LeonLeon Posts: 55,277

    Wales' first minister is not ruling out keeping the country's remaining Covid restrictions beyond their expiry date of next Monday.

    https://www.bbc.com/news/uk-wales-politics-60834936

    He can do what he likes but by the evidence around this area nobody is listening anymore

    Indeed I would suggest that is across the UK
    Not round here. Masks still universal in supermarkets and everyone I know is curbing social activity and taking LFTs before every meeting. Restaurants are busy, but with staff masked and spacing between seats. Various major events are still being postponed. The perception is that it's getting worse again as we all know people who've got it and mostly report it's quite nasty - not really that people think they'll die, but that they'll have an unpleasant two weeks, so just not worth it for the sake of shopping without a mask. As always it';s a cost-benefit thing - if people really want to do something they will and take any reasonable risk, but if they're not that bothered then they won't.
    I find this incredible

    Covid has nearly disappeared from London life. Mask wearing is down to about 15-20%. Sometimes it is 0%.

    Probably the last conspicuous bit of Covid panto are the big clear plastic divides in shops, at tills, and so on. They are surely useless, but probably quite a faff to remove, so many still have them
  • FrancisUrquhartFrancisUrquhart Posts: 81,991
    edited March 2022
    Leon said:

    Wales' first minister is not ruling out keeping the country's remaining Covid restrictions beyond their expiry date of next Monday.

    https://www.bbc.com/news/uk-wales-politics-60834936

    He can do what he likes but by the evidence around this area nobody is listening anymore

    Indeed I would suggest that is across the UK
    Not round here. Masks still universal in supermarkets and everyone I know is curbing social activity and taking LFTs before every meeting. Restaurants are busy, but with staff masked and spacing between seats. Various major events are still being postponed. The perception is that it's getting worse again as we all know people who've got it and mostly report it's quite nasty - not really that people think they'll die, but that they'll have an unpleasant two weeks, so just not worth it for the sake of shopping without a mask. As always it';s a cost-benefit thing - if people really want to do something they will and take any reasonable risk, but if they're not that bothered then they won't.
    I find this incredible

    Covid has nearly disappeared from London life. Mask wearing is down to about 15-20%. Sometimes it is 0%.

    Probably the last conspicuous bit of Covid panto are the big clear plastic divides in shops, at tills, and so on. They are surely useless, but probably quite a faff to remove, so many still have them
    There has been some evidence those plastic screens might even well make things worse, because they block the circulation of fresh air.
  • LostPasswordLostPassword Posts: 18,355

    Wales' first minister is not ruling out keeping the country's remaining Covid restrictions beyond their expiry date of next Monday.

    https://www.bbc.com/news/uk-wales-politics-60834936

    He can do what he likes but by the evidence around this area nobody is listening anymore

    Indeed I would suggest that is across the UK
    Not round here. Masks still universal in supermarkets and everyone I know is curbing social activity and taking LFTs before every meeting. Restaurants are busy, but with staff masked and spacing between seats. Various major events are still being postponed. The perception is that it's getting worse again as we all know people who've got it and mostly report it's quite nasty - not really that people think they'll die, but that they'll have an unpleasant two weeks, so just not worth it for the sake of shopping without a mask. As always it';s a cost-benefit thing - if people really want to do something they will and take any reasonable risk, but if they're not that bothered then they won't.
    My daughter has it and gave me a fright by reporting that: "It literally feels like my lungs are blocked up it's really weird"

    So I panicked and bought her a pulse oximeter online which said her O2 was at 97% - so that's okay.
  • tlg86tlg86 Posts: 26,175
    So tempted to drive over to Godalming. I know it's metaphorically a million miles from Woking, but what Nick says is very different 10 miles away.
  • TazTaz Posts: 14,383
    Cookie said:

    Wales' first minister is not ruling out keeping the country's remaining Covid restrictions beyond their expiry date of next Monday.

    https://www.bbc.com/news/uk-wales-politics-60834936

    He can do what he likes but by the evidence around this area nobody is listening anymore

    Indeed I would suggest that is across the UK
    Not round here. Masks still universal in supermarkets and everyone I know is curbing social activity and taking LFTs before every meeting. Restaurants are busy, but with staff masked and spacing between seats. Various major events are still being postponed. The perception is that it's getting worse again as we all know people who've got it and mostly report it's quite nasty - not really that people think they'll die, but that they'll have an unpleasant two weeks, so just not worth it for the sake of shopping without a mask. As always it';s a cost-benefit thing - if people really want to do something they will and take any reasonable risk, but if they're not that bothered then they won't.
    Certainly mask wearing in the shopping and recreational areas has disappeared and noticeably much less in the shops as well
    I find mask wearing 'universal' a bit hard to credit Nick. Even in leafy Warminster's Waitrose we are down to about 20% max wearing a mask. Are you living in a town of 80 year olds with no immune system?
    Also find Nick's reporting of people voluntarily curbing social activity surprising. Certainly not the case in my bit of middle-aged suburban GM.
    My mum and dad (both in their 70s) and wife currently have it; one daughter has just had the all clear and gone back to school. All have been a bit poorly but had they been that ill in 2019 would have put it down to a bad cold. And we didn't curb social activity because there was a bad cold going around.

    It certainly is not the case round here either.

    We were out in Durham on Saturday and it was thriving, really busy. People just carrying on like normal.
  • LeonLeon Posts: 55,277
    Talking of Covid precautions, I just heard that my 50-something stepmother has got Covid

    This is *ironic* as she is immuno-compromised and takes more precautions than anyone I know. Literally. She does not meet people indoors, she always wears a good mask (practically a diving helmet) she never goes to pubs/restaurants/theatres, and she has been doing this for two solid years

    And yet she has still caught Omicron BA2 (presumably)

    It is simply too infectious to be stopped
  • kle4kle4 Posts: 96,083

    Ukrainian Defence Minister being very complimentary about UK support.

    "The first to provide us with serious weapons....your role is special"

    And contrasts with "the passivity of other countries".

    I wonder who he means??

    https://twitter.com/timmyvoe/status/1505923717813129216

    Of course messaging is tailored, but I believe when Zelensky talked to the German parliament he did talk about their initial actions not being fast enough, so they don't just praise and praise to make supporters happy, they do try to build on the guilt some feel for not doing more by pointing out where we don't do enough (the no fly zone criticism applying to everyone of course).
  • LeonLeon Posts: 55,277

    Leon said:

    Wales' first minister is not ruling out keeping the country's remaining Covid restrictions beyond their expiry date of next Monday.

    https://www.bbc.com/news/uk-wales-politics-60834936

    He can do what he likes but by the evidence around this area nobody is listening anymore

    Indeed I would suggest that is across the UK
    Not round here. Masks still universal in supermarkets and everyone I know is curbing social activity and taking LFTs before every meeting. Restaurants are busy, but with staff masked and spacing between seats. Various major events are still being postponed. The perception is that it's getting worse again as we all know people who've got it and mostly report it's quite nasty - not really that people think they'll die, but that they'll have an unpleasant two weeks, so just not worth it for the sake of shopping without a mask. As always it';s a cost-benefit thing - if people really want to do something they will and take any reasonable risk, but if they're not that bothered then they won't.
    I find this incredible

    Covid has nearly disappeared from London life. Mask wearing is down to about 15-20%. Sometimes it is 0%.

    Probably the last conspicuous bit of Covid panto are the big clear plastic divides in shops, at tills, and so on. They are surely useless, but probably quite a faff to remove, so many still have them
    There has been some evidence those plastic screens might even well make things worse, because they block the circulation of fresh air.
    Yes. Get rid
  • kle4kle4 Posts: 96,083
    Farooq said:

    90% of comments I see about iSage are people complaining about them having the oxygen of publicity.

    Perhaps, but most people if they see stuff from at all will see it in the context of a news headline about 'experts', and even if that number is few it can have disproportionate impact.
  • TheuniondivvieTheuniondivvie Posts: 41,956
    I see #sendherback is trending on twitter. Seems to be prevalent in a particular dank little corner of my own polity, nice teeth and cared for nails seem to be great triggers of rage for these people.
  • LeonLeon Posts: 55,277
    Does anyone have any data on the Covid risks for the very old (85+) and the, er, immuno-compromised?

    Imagine they are both jabbed to the eyeballs
  • kle4kle4 Posts: 96,083
    Our support in Ukraine is interesting, as I don't believe we have a large Ukrainian population or descendents, so any historic support given was presumably very much about geo political goals than any cultural/domestic sympathy from a significant chunk of our country being catered to (by contrast there are apparently 1.4m Canadians of Ukrainian descent)
  • FishingFishing Posts: 5,036
    edited March 2022

    Ukrainian Defence Minister being very complimentary about UK support.

    "The first to provide us with serious weapons....your role is special"

    And contrasts with "the passivity of other countries".

    I wonder who he means??

    https://twitter.com/timmyvoe/status/1505923717813129216

    They don't seem to have got the message that we're irrelevant now we're not in the EU any more and that Boris is a clown who never does anything right.

    I will forward them some articles by Adonis, Mandelson and Heseltine.

    On second thoughts, they probably have enough problems.
  • TimSTimS Posts: 12,986
    No evidence of anyone taking extra precautions here in SE London. We are fully back to normal. I think most people are at the "get it over with" stage now. If masking or limiting social interaction slow down the spread then that simply means we all get Covid in May, when our vaccine immunity has waned further, instead of March and April. It's a timing difference.
  • TimSTimS Posts: 12,986
    Leon said:

    Does anyone have any data on the Covid risks for the very old (85+) and the, er, immuno-compromised?

    Imagine they are both jabbed to the eyeballs

    Latest I saw was 3% IFR for 85+, with Omicron and 3 jabs.
  • MarqueeMarkMarqueeMark Posts: 52,561
    Fishing said:

    Ukrainian Defence Minister being very complimentary about UK support.

    "The first to provide us with serious weapons....your role is special"

    And contrasts with "the passivity of other countries".

    I wonder who he means??

    https://twitter.com/timmyvoe/status/1505923717813129216

    They don't seem to have got the message that we're irrelevant now we're not in the EU any more.

    I will forward them some articles by Adonis, Mandelson and Heseltine.

    On second thoughts, they probably have enough problems.
    When they've won the war maybe, eh?
  • FrancisUrquhartFrancisUrquhart Posts: 81,991
    TimS said:

    Leon said:

    Does anyone have any data on the Covid risks for the very old (85+) and the, er, immuno-compromised?

    Imagine they are both jabbed to the eyeballs

    Latest I saw was 3% IFR for 85+, with Omicron and 3 jabs.
    Do you mean IFR? or do you mean CFR?
  • kle4kle4 Posts: 96,083

    I see #sendherback is trending on twitter. Seems to be prevalent in a particular dank little corner of my own polity, nice teeth and cared for nails seem to be great triggers of rage for these people.

    Clicking on it as a search term it seems to be mostly people criticising it (2 in 20 were seemingly genuinely using it before I stopped), so hopefully it is a grubby little corner indeed.

    But it does endorse the rule about not overpanicking about things trending, since if we're lucky a good proportion of those adding to it trending are condemning the thing trending.
  • TazTaz Posts: 14,383
    edited March 2022

    I see #sendherback is trending on twitter. Seems to be prevalent in a particular dank little corner of my own polity, nice teeth and cared for nails seem to be great triggers of rage for these people.

    How unpleasant. Twitter really can be a cesspit.

    I also notice #ungratefulcow is trending !!!!
  • TheuniondivvieTheuniondivvie Posts: 41,956
    I assume the FSB is occupied with other stuff at the moment but if they're looking in, if the PB Company of Gentlemen Freedom Fighters ever reaches the kill zones of Ukraine they now know that they just need to get their guys masked up and the GFFs will run screeching from the field.
  • Scott_xPScott_xP Posts: 35,990

    I see #sendherback is trending on twitter. Seems to be prevalent in a particular dank little corner of my own polity, nice teeth and cared for nails seem to be great triggers of rage for these people.

    🧵1/I have done an analysis of those responding to #NazaninZaghariRatcliffe's interview, specifically focusing on those calling her an 'ungrateful cow' for not showing enough deference or gratitude to the UK government. The Brexit partisanship on the topic is startling. Read on! https://twitter.com/marcowenjones/status/1506210844190859265/photo/1
  • MarqueeMarkMarqueeMark Posts: 52,561

    WTF.....daddy what do you do for a job.....I don't fancy being on their trainee programme.

    Veritasium - Making Antivenom From The World's Deadliest Snakes
    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7ziWrneMYss

    That's less going to Veritasium, more Dignitasium.....
  • LeonLeon Posts: 55,277
    TimS said:

    No evidence of anyone taking extra precautions here in SE London. We are fully back to normal. I think most people are at the "get it over with" stage now. If masking or limiting social interaction slow down the spread then that simply means we all get Covid in May, when our vaccine immunity has waned further, instead of March and April. It's a timing difference.

    And, judging by my family anecdata, literally EVERYONE is now getting it, even those entombed in lead chambers, 40 metres beneath the surface of the Faroe Islands

    So there ain't no stopping it, just accept that you will get a dose
  • kle4 said:

    Our support in Ukraine is interesting, as I don't believe we have a large Ukrainian population or descendents, so any historic support given was presumably very much about geo political goals than any cultural/domestic sympathy from a significant chunk of our country being catered to (by contrast there are apparently 1.4m Canadians of Ukrainian descent)

    .My Canadian daughter in law and family are all Ukraine descent
  • TheValiantTheValiant Posts: 1,874
    For the solicitors amongst PB, I assume this means sanctions aren't very effective?

    https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/business-60825983

    So Mr. Usmanov doesn't own the properties. Instead a Trust owns them, of which he is presumably the sole beneficiary (though probably not the Trustee) so that's completely different I assume to owning them personally.
  • Morris_DancerMorris_Dancer Posts: 61,787
    While Cameron has one famous quote about Twitter, another telling line of his was that Twitter is not Britain.

    And for that, we should be grateful.
  • PulpstarPulpstar Posts: 78,191
    Leon said:

    TimS said:

    No evidence of anyone taking extra precautions here in SE London. We are fully back to normal. I think most people are at the "get it over with" stage now. If masking or limiting social interaction slow down the spread then that simply means we all get Covid in May, when our vaccine immunity has waned further, instead of March and April. It's a timing difference.

    And, judging by my family anecdata, literally EVERYONE is now getting it, even those entombed in lead chambers, 40 metres beneath the surface of the Faroe Islands

    So there ain't no stopping it, just accept that you will get a dose
    Faroe Islands have the highest recorded case rate in the world. Just under 70 cases per 100 pop, but a fatality rate of only 0.08%.
  • Scott_xPScott_xP Posts: 35,990
    New @YouGov poll: almost two-thirds of Britons (63%) say the government is handling the economy badly
    https://twitter.com/REWearmouth/status/1506257531399720968
  • kle4kle4 Posts: 96,083
    edited March 2022
    Not a fan generally of hemicyclical arrangement, but I'm liking the Italian Parliament chamber compared to some others. Classy. From Zelensky's address.

  • NigelbNigelb Posts: 71,070
    Same old...
    https://mobile.twitter.com/PaulBrandITV/status/1506239276094165002
    NEW: Damning report by HMIC into corruption in Met Police finds the force is "not fit for purpose".

    - Cash, jewellery, drugs regularly 'go missing'. Access code for one store was scribbled on the door

    - Over 100 new recruits have previous convictions for crimes including theft


    Over 200 warrant cards missing, too.
  • LeonLeon Posts: 55,277

    While Cameron has one famous quote about Twitter, another telling line of his was that Twitter is not Britain.

    And for that, we should be grateful.

    Twitter is not just "not Britain" it "is Russia, and sometimes China"

    Many of the more incendiary remarks, on almost any US/UK political topic, are generated by computers or geeks in Novosibirsk, to accentuate western divisions on any hot topic - from Scottish Nationalism to January 6

    And they fire up both sides of any argument. It is so easy to do
  • kle4kle4 Posts: 96,083

    While Cameron has one famous quote about Twitter, another telling line of his was that Twitter is not Britain.

    And for that, we should be grateful.

    It's an even better one than his more famous one. Matt Singh from Number Cruncher has it as his twitter header (though it seems as though Cameron actually put it the other way around).
  • NigelbNigelb Posts: 71,070
    TimS said:

    Leon said:

    Does anyone have any data on the Covid risks for the very old (85+) and the, er, immuno-compromised?

    Imagine they are both jabbed to the eyeballs

    Latest I saw was 3% IFR for 85+, with Omicron and 3 jabs.
    Does that account for the recent antivirals ?
  • TimTTimT Posts: 6,468

    Carnyx said:

    Dura_Ace said:

    Interesting if true:

    https://www.instagram.com/p/CbZuJV-MTZO/

    The first Russian soldier to hand over a fully-working T-80 tank to the Ukrainians. He will get $10k after the war, and can apply for Ukrainian citizenship.

    I wonder if he killed the other two crew.
    Golly, I’ve not been keeping up, can an MBT get away with only 3 crew? I recall at least one of the Russian tanks has automatic loading for the main gun, the T80 I guess.

    Been reading a bit about French tank design between the wars and they tended to go for one man turrets (ie the commander had to do a helluva lot) because of the manpower shortage after WWI.
    Yes. In one of them (the Char B family) the main gun was fixed in the hull, no traverse, so the driver did the aiming and firing as well as the driving (admittedly with a continuously variable oil-hydraulic transmission if memory serves, though I might be wrong on that point). One other chap loaded the main gun in between. I think the fourth just sat around and handed the commander ammunition when the commander wasn't too busy aiming and firing his own turret cannon [edit], commanding and keeping on top of situational awareness. Not the most balanced workforce ever. Can't recall who operated the radio ...

    Le multitasking
    L'overload cognitif
  • TheuniondivvieTheuniondivvie Posts: 41,956
    kle4 said:

    I see #sendherback is trending on twitter. Seems to be prevalent in a particular dank little corner of my own polity, nice teeth and cared for nails seem to be great triggers of rage for these people.

    Clicking on it as a search term it seems to be mostly people criticising it (2 in 20 were seemingly genuinely using it before I stopped), so hopefully it is a grubby little corner indeed.

    But it does endorse the rule about not overpanicking about things trending, since if we're lucky a good proportion of those adding to it trending are condemning the thing trending.
    Let's just hope that BJ doen't 'accidentally' include it in a speech.

    'It read a lot better..'
  • NigelbNigelb Posts: 71,070
    Leon said:

    While Cameron has one famous quote about Twitter, another telling line of his was that Twitter is not Britain.

    And for that, we should be grateful.

    Twitter is not just "not Britain" it "is Russia, and sometimes China"

    Many of the more incendiary remarks, on almost any US/UK political topic, are generated by computers or geeks in Novosibirsk, to accentuate western divisions on any hot topic - from Scottish Nationalism to January 6

    And they fire up both sides of any argument. It is so easy to do
    We'd noticed. 😊
  • FishingFishing Posts: 5,036

    While Cameron has one famous quote about Twitter, another telling line of his was that Twitter is not Britain.

    And for that, we should be grateful.

    Twitter isn't Britain, it's extremist, filthy-minded Britain with too much time on its hands.

  • Scott_xPScott_xP Posts: 35,990
    12/ I will update keywords later but interesting to see who else is involved. Brexit campaign-funder and Putin apologist @Arron_banks has been joining the pile on casting aspersions on #NazaninZaghariRatcliffe - and getting a lot of engagement https://twitter.com/marcowenjones/status/1506217530607742978/photo/1
  • TimTTimT Posts: 6,468
    TimT said:

    Carnyx said:

    Dura_Ace said:

    Interesting if true:

    https://www.instagram.com/p/CbZuJV-MTZO/

    The first Russian soldier to hand over a fully-working T-80 tank to the Ukrainians. He will get $10k after the war, and can apply for Ukrainian citizenship.

    I wonder if he killed the other two crew.
    Golly, I’ve not been keeping up, can an MBT get away with only 3 crew? I recall at least one of the Russian tanks has automatic loading for the main gun, the T80 I guess.

    Been reading a bit about French tank design between the wars and they tended to go for one man turrets (ie the commander had to do a helluva lot) because of the manpower shortage after WWI.
    Yes. In one of them (the Char B family) the main gun was fixed in the hull, no traverse, so the driver did the aiming and firing as well as the driving (admittedly with a continuously variable oil-hydraulic transmission if memory serves, though I might be wrong on that point). One other chap loaded the main gun in between. I think the fourth just sat around and handed the commander ammunition when the commander wasn't too busy aiming and firing his own turret cannon [edit], commanding and keeping on top of situational awareness. Not the most balanced workforce ever. Can't recall who operated the radio ...

    Le multitasking
    L'overload cognitif
    Actually learnt a new phrase in French today: la surcharge cognitive
  • TOPPINGTOPPING Posts: 42,957

    Dura_Ace said:

    Interesting if true:

    https://www.instagram.com/p/CbZuJV-MTZO/

    The first Russian soldier to hand over a fully-working T-80 tank to the Ukrainians. He will get $10k after the war, and can apply for Ukrainian citizenship.

    I wonder if he killed the other two crew.
    Been reading a bit about French tank design between the wars
    I bet you are a wow at dinner parties.
  • Morris_DancerMorris_Dancer Posts: 61,787
    Mr. Farooq, it seems faintly bizarre to me that you're dismissing the importance of real people (as opposed to deliberate provoking sorts) and bots.

    Of course that matters. That's the whole point.
  • LeonLeon Posts: 55,277
    Farooq said:

    While Cameron has one famous quote about Twitter, another telling line of his was that Twitter is not Britain.

    And for that, we should be grateful.

    I think you're missing the point. Whether these are real people or bots, the overlap between Brexit/antiwoke and the (sadly predictable) misogyny and abuse is the thing. The people sending these tweets understand their audience to be receptive to this kind of hatred. These attitudes are correlated. That tells us something, it is useful information not to be lightly dismissed.

    It took me 3 seconds to find my first Russian bot


    His tweet:

    "Ungrateful cow , moo moo"

    His profile?

    https://twitter.com/DavidJo66933798

    "5 followers"

    "Joined in March 2022"

  • MattWMattW Posts: 23,148
    President Z continues to push the hot buttons. This, to Italy:


    President Zelensky speaking to the Italian Parliament:

    “The Russians destroying our fuel depots & from exporting wheat.

    It will lead to a food crisis in North Africa, sending thousands and thousands of migrants toward your shores unless this war is stopped.

    We need sanctions”
  • MalmesburyMalmesbury Posts: 50,249
    TimT said:

    TimT said:

    Carnyx said:

    Dura_Ace said:

    Interesting if true:

    https://www.instagram.com/p/CbZuJV-MTZO/

    The first Russian soldier to hand over a fully-working T-80 tank to the Ukrainians. He will get $10k after the war, and can apply for Ukrainian citizenship.

    I wonder if he killed the other two crew.
    Golly, I’ve not been keeping up, can an MBT get away with only 3 crew? I recall at least one of the Russian tanks has automatic loading for the main gun, the T80 I guess.

    Been reading a bit about French tank design between the wars and they tended to go for one man turrets (ie the commander had to do a helluva lot) because of the manpower shortage after WWI.
    Yes. In one of them (the Char B family) the main gun was fixed in the hull, no traverse, so the driver did the aiming and firing as well as the driving (admittedly with a continuously variable oil-hydraulic transmission if memory serves, though I might be wrong on that point). One other chap loaded the main gun in between. I think the fourth just sat around and handed the commander ammunition when the commander wasn't too busy aiming and firing his own turret cannon [edit], commanding and keeping on top of situational awareness. Not the most balanced workforce ever. Can't recall who operated the radio ...

    Le multitasking
    L'overload cognitif
    Actually learnt a new phrase in French today: la surcharge cognitive
    It's is hard to say which was more barking - British of French tank design between the wars.

    image

    vs

    image
  • Andy_CookeAndy_Cooke Posts: 5,001
    tlg86 said:

    Carnyx said:

    On ages of inheritance.

    From the ONS:
    "The age distribution of those receiving an inheritance is quite different from those receiving a gift or loan. Inheritances become more common as individuals age, with a peak in receipt among those aged 55 to 64 years. This is consistent with Gardiner (2017), who estimated, based on parents’ life expectancies, that the most common age at which today’s 20- to 35-year-olds in the UK will inherit is age 61 years (PDF, 482KB). "

    Thanks for the constructive and helpful contribution to the discussion (not being sarcastic).
    It does assume that inheritances only go to children rather than grandchildren. And, of course, the bank of mum and dad comes into its own at the point of inheritance.
    True. Reading the study, however, it looks as though two-thirds of all inheritance money flows directly from the late parent to the adult children.

    It's a mixed picture, though: more millennials will actually inherit more money than previous generations (due to rising house prices) - but, crucially, not until late in life (age 61, as said, being the most common age).

    "Even those who can expect to get a share of parental property wealth will get it far later than is optimal. Because of the challenges of releasing wealth from properties that are being lived in, it’s reasonable to expect that these assets will mainly be passed down in inheritances rather than gifts. Based on their parents’ life expectancies, we estimate that the most common age at which 20-35 year olds inherit will be 61. This means that wealth boosts will come not at the expensive child-rearing stage when a larger home is more necessary, but when they are approaching retirement."
  • TheuniondivvieTheuniondivvie Posts: 41,956
    TOPPING said:

    Dura_Ace said:

    Interesting if true:

    https://www.instagram.com/p/CbZuJV-MTZO/

    The first Russian soldier to hand over a fully-working T-80 tank to the Ukrainians. He will get $10k after the war, and can apply for Ukrainian citizenship.

    I wonder if he killed the other two crew.
    Been reading a bit about French tank design between the wars
    I bet you are a wow at dinner parties.
    Women have been known to faint dead way at my explanation of the magazine design of the Chauchat mg.
This discussion has been closed.