Five hours delay at a Turkish airport due to check-in meltdown. Not recommended
My Azerbaijan trip is finally on for the 14th. And I have the Ukrainians to thank for there being no threat of a Russian invasion there while I'm in-country. Although the Azeris might seek to do something against the Armenians while the Russians are distracted.
Enjoy. I’m tempted to cross the Iraqi border later this week. Maybe go to Erbil. Just to say “I’ve been to Iraq”
I have a friend working their *in special circumstances*. He has the most incredible job: hunting down art thieves and traffickers around the world. Stupidly glamorous and exciting. And well paid. Ex Territorial SAS
Long way East, when "I've been to Syria" is probably at least as cool as Iraq atm.
A friend of mine went solo to Diyarbakir and said being a lone western female there was by a long way the most frightening thing ever to happen to her. Just for info.
I can confirm, Diyarbakir at night is no place for a lone Westerner, let alone a lone Western female.
Really? I’ve been to a few Kurdish-Turkish cities and never felt threatened, ever (but I have not been to Diyarbakir)
Is Diyarbakir uniquely grim, for some reason?
Don't really know. I was there one night. We arrived after dark, the streets were deserted and we were warned not to leave the hotel. I have travelled to all sorts of places, and generally disregard grim warnings from Western officials. But this one just felt deserved.
Everyone we met looked grim, as did the entire town.
That was in 1994, and I believe the Turks had just completed one of their more crushing campaigns against Kurds and particularly small Kurdish villages.
Perhaps it is different now.
That’s quite a long time ago. Kurdistan is always restive but the violence comes and goes. Hmm
Let us know what it is like now. I'd be very interested if it is a bustling and friendly place.
It’s still on the FCO “essential travel only” list but they are famously cautious. I see Sweden has just lifted its advisory against travel there
Maybe I’ll go to cappadoccia instead. Never been there either.
Internal flights in Turkey are madly cheap right now. You can cross the entire county - and it’s big - for £40
Some prices are still absurdly cheap. I flew to Albania recently for less than £50 return and I'm looking at Poland in June and you can get flights for £20 each way.
It is a great time to travel, especially to unexpected places, as all the covid faff falls away
The entirety of covid red tape to get into Turkey is: 2 minutes filling in a health form online. That’s it
No tests no nothing no vaccine checks. Ditto on your return to the UK
Masks are quite common here (so far) but lots don’t wear them and no one seems to care. It’s like a less Nazi version of godalming, indeed I think the Turkish tourist board are now using that comparison as a selling point
Had a corking day at an event in town yesterday. Hundreds there. No masking (well okay I saw two masks all day, amid the multitude) then off to a busy bar then a busy restaurant. No masks on the Tube or bus. It’s like covid never happened in London - assume (outside Godalming) it’s like that in other towns and cities?
Unusual to see masks in Cannock and generally only among older people.
Love nick and a lot of time for him, but was it him who lied about his canvassing in 2019 to cheer himself up or something? Is he telling porkies about Godalming mask wearing too? Apologies @NickPalmer if I have that wrong, just can’t square your reports with almost everywhere else.
What’s the lying about canvassing reference? I don’t know anything about that.
His accounts of masking In Godalming are barely believable— but it is a very sleepy conservative sort of place. Has a Christian Science library. Anything is possible.
One of the labour posters kept saying how it was close on the doorsteps, when in reality it wasn’t, and they knew it. May not have been @NickPalmer.
Ah, okay. I simply cannot imagine being so partisan that I would make up stories but several PBers are, regrettably.
Re: masking. I have only worn one once, for 20 minutes, in the last two months. This was because I was invited to the doctor’s surgery for a general check up and the lady on the phone asked me to bring one. I found one buried in the cupboard.
Sadly our uni has kept them for busy environments and I’ve had a lot of lab classes in the last 5 weeks. Up to 6 hours a day. The uni is supposed to be reviewing at the holidays, but no one is sure if that is Easter (one week away) or summer (9 weeks at least). Very little proper logic has been applied. I note that Oxford has dropped all mask requirements.
I was at an awards dinner last night - hundreds of people, very busy space, lots of yelling to be heard, no masks.
This is my frustration with work. Everywhere else it’s over. But the uni can’t let it go. Madness.
Wordle: got in 4, 2 last letter options, guessed right Quordle: 4,6,7,8. Happy with efficiency of guesses, I've guessed some right junk in the past and .improving in that respect. Not made lower than 8 yet though. Nerdle: fFirst time I've ended with about 4 equivalent digits to randomly guess from. Did a tie break guess, but 5 the worst I've done in a month. Wardle: Homed in quickly after my usual coastal first guess. Got in 3. Can't believe I didn't notice the arrows for a few weeks. Worldle: Thought, that looks like the sort of country that occurs in a particular area of the world, and then circled that region until landing on the 5th guess. Hard, a bit, but at least it wasn't the bloody Kergeulen Islands again. Globle: The usual triangle of countries approach once close yielded it in 5. Average dropping slowly, hoping to get sub 6 soon.
Sweardle, lewdle and the rest: sorry, swear engine too limited and not dialecty enough - they don't know half my words, I don't know half theirs. Sacked them off weeks ago.
Wardle and worldle both in 1 today. Wordle in 3, nerdle in 5, same as you - could have been 3, could have been 6 cycling through the possibilities at the end. Quordle in 4, 5, 6, 9. Have you tried worgle? A 6 letter wordle, predating wordle2. Today's was a bugger - possibly just for April 1st, it doesn't normally pick such obscure words. I was prewarned it was obscure and quite proud to get it in 6. http://bronze-age.com/worgle/
Some of these games I can't tell if they're genuine any more or if this is a convoluted April 1 wind-up
Wordle: got in 4, 2 last letter options, guessed right Quordle: 4,6,7,8. Happy with efficiency of guesses, I've guessed some right junk in the past and .improving in that respect. Not made lower than 8 yet though. Nerdle: fFirst time I've ended with about 4 equivalent digits to randomly guess from. Did a tie break guess, but 5 the worst I've done in a month. Wardle: Homed in quickly after my usual coastal first guess. Got in 3. Can't believe I didn't notice the arrows for a few weeks. Worldle: Thought, that looks like the sort of country that occurs in a particular area of the world, and then circled that region until landing on the 5th guess. Hard, a bit, but at least it wasn't the bloody Kergeulen Islands again. Globle: The usual triangle of countries approach once close yielded it in 5. Average dropping slowly, hoping to get sub 6 soon.
Sweardle, lewdle and the rest: sorry, swear engine too limited and not dialecty enough - they don't know half my words, I don't know half theirs. Sacked them off weeks ago.
Wardle and worldle both in 1 today. Wordle in 3, nerdle in 5, same as you - could have been 3, could have been 6 cycling through the possibilities at the end. Quordle in 4, 5, 6, 9. Have you tried worgle? A 6 letter wordle, predating wordle2. Today's was a bugger - possibly just for April 1st, it doesn't normally pick such obscure words. I was prewarned it was obscure and quite proud to get it in 6. http://bronze-age.com/worgle/
Have you tried cryptic crosswords? One printed every day in pretty much every national newspaper. And far more engaging and interesting than a trial and error matrix.
Had a corking day at an event in town yesterday. Hundreds there. No masking (well okay I saw two masks all day, amid the multitude) then off to a busy bar then a busy restaurant. No masks on the Tube or bus. It’s like covid never happened in London - assume (outside Godalming) it’s like that in other towns and cities?
Unusual to see masks in Cannock and generally only among older people.
Love nick and a lot of time for him, but was it him who lied about his canvassing in 2019 to cheer himself up or something? Is he telling porkies about Godalming mask wearing too? Apologies @NickPalmer if I have that wrong, just can’t square your reports with almost everywhere else.
What’s the lying about canvassing reference? I don’t know anything about that.
His accounts of masking In Godalming are barely believable— but it is a very sleepy conservative sort of place. Has a Christian Science library. Anything is possible.
One of the labour posters kept saying how it was close on the doorsteps, when in reality it wasn’t, and they knew it. May not have been @NickPalmer.
Ah, okay. I simply cannot imagine being so partisan that I would make up stories but several PBers are, regrettably.
Re: masking. I have only worn one once, for 20 minutes, in the last two months. This was because I was invited to the doctor’s surgery for a general check up and the lady on the phone asked me to bring one. I found one buried in the cupboard.
Sadly our uni has kept them for busy environments and I’ve had a lot of lab classes in the last 5 weeks. Up to 6 hours a day. The uni is supposed to be reviewing at the holidays, but no one is sure if that is Easter (one week away) or summer (9 weeks at least). Very little proper logic has been applied. I note that Oxford has dropped all mask requirements.
I was at an awards dinner last night - hundreds of people, very busy space, lots of yelling to be heard, no masks.
This is my frustration with work. Everywhere else it’s over. But the uni can’t let it go. Madness.
You should ask the instigators whether they ever visit pubs, schools or shops, and if so why, given masking is rare/nonexistent in those settings?
Had a corking day at an event in town yesterday. Hundreds there. No masking (well okay I saw two masks all day, amid the multitude) then off to a busy bar then a busy restaurant. No masks on the Tube or bus. It’s like covid never happened in London - assume (outside Godalming) it’s like that in other towns and cities?
Unusual to see masks in Cannock and generally only among older people.
Love nick and a lot of time for him, but was it him who lied about his canvassing in 2019 to cheer himself up or something? Is he telling porkies about Godalming mask wearing too? Apologies @NickPalmer if I have that wrong, just can’t square your reports with almost everywhere else.
What’s the lying about canvassing reference? I don’t know anything about that.
His accounts of masking In Godalming are barely believable— but it is a very sleepy conservative sort of place. Has a Christian Science library. Anything is possible.
One of the labour posters kept saying how it was close on the doorsteps, when in reality it wasn’t, and they knew it. May not have been @NickPalmer.
Ah, okay. I simply cannot imagine being so partisan that I would make up stories but several PBers are, regrettably.
Re: masking. I have only worn one once, for 20 minutes, in the last two months. This was because I was invited to the doctor’s surgery for a general check up and the lady on the phone asked me to bring one. I found one buried in the cupboard.
Sadly our uni has kept them for busy environments and I’ve had a lot of lab classes in the last 5 weeks. Up to 6 hours a day. The uni is supposed to be reviewing at the holidays, but no one is sure if that is Easter (one week away) or summer (9 weeks at least). Very little proper logic has been applied. I note that Oxford has dropped all mask requirements.
I find it totally bizarre that some universities have retained them when they are no longer required (and rarely worn) in schools, shops, pubs, restaurants, buses, tubes or trains. It’s irrational: what exactly is the point?
Where I work appears to be threatening to keep 2m social distancing of desks and masks when moving about, even after Scotland's legal mask mandates expire. Joy.
I hope they are planning to review further and are just being cautious until the governments give up their caution, but I really don't trust them not to continue with their own over-caution.
It is completely irrational.
You see it on here: “I don’t always wear my mask but I might wear it on a train”. Why a train? And do you remove it to drink your coffee on said train? And if not how do you drink your coffee? And if you do remove it, why bother wearing it at all? And if you do wear it on the train, do you wear it in the pub? And when in the pub, how do drink your pint with a mask on?
I dare say the individual outcomes with sporadic masking versus no masking will be near identical.
Eh?
This is drivel, and I speak as someone who is generally pro-freedom.
Let us imagine that you expel 10 virus particles per breath when masked, and 100 per breath when unmasked.
If a virus carrier is on the train and has their masks on for half the journey, and off for half the journey, they will have still spread 45% less viral particles than would otherwise be the case. That reduction might be well worth it.
(FWIW, except in really crowded spaces like the tube, I wouldn't be wearing a mask. But the idea that half time wearing doesn't confer benefits as far as viral spread is ridiculous.)
Wordle: got in 4, 2 last letter options, guessed right Quordle: 4,6,7,8. Happy with efficiency of guesses, I've guessed some right junk in the past and .improving in that respect. Not made lower than 8 yet though. Nerdle: fFirst time I've ended with about 4 equivalent digits to randomly guess from. Did a tie break guess, but 5 the worst I've done in a month. Wardle: Homed in quickly after my usual coastal first guess. Got in 3. Can't believe I didn't notice the arrows for a few weeks. Worldle: Thought, that looks like the sort of country that occurs in a particular area of the world, and then circled that region until landing on the 5th guess. Hard, a bit, but at least it wasn't the bloody Kergeulen Islands again. Globle: The usual triangle of countries approach once close yielded it in 5. Average dropping slowly, hoping to get sub 6 soon.
Sweardle, lewdle and the rest: sorry, swear engine too limited and not dialecty enough - they don't know half my words, I don't know half theirs. Sacked them off weeks ago.
Wardle and worldle both in 1 today. Wordle in 3, nerdle in 5, same as you - could have been 3, could have been 6 cycling through the possibilities at the end. Quordle in 4, 5, 6, 9. Have you tried worgle? A 6 letter wordle, predating wordle2. Today's was a bugger - possibly just for April 1st, it doesn't normally pick such obscure words. I was prewarned it was obscure and quite proud to get it in 6. http://bronze-age.com/worgle/
Have you tried cryptic crosswords? One printed every day in pretty much every national newspaper. And far more engaging and interesting than a trial and error matrix.
The attraction of Wordle is, I think, that it takes a maximum of 10 minutes. It's a quick fix, appropriate to modern culture. Cryptic crosswords, which I also do, can take up much of the day.
Wordle: got in 4, 2 last letter options, guessed right Quordle: 4,6,7,8. Happy with efficiency of guesses, I've guessed some right junk in the past and .improving in that respect. Not made lower than 8 yet though. Nerdle: fFirst time I've ended with about 4 equivalent digits to randomly guess from. Did a tie break guess, but 5 the worst I've done in a month. Wardle: Homed in quickly after my usual coastal first guess. Got in 3. Can't believe I didn't notice the arrows for a few weeks. Worldle: Thought, that looks like the sort of country that occurs in a particular area of the world, and then circled that region until landing on the 5th guess. Hard, a bit, but at least it wasn't the bloody Kergeulen Islands again. Globle: The usual triangle of countries approach once close yielded it in 5. Average dropping slowly, hoping to get sub 6 soon.
Sweardle, lewdle and the rest: sorry, swear engine too limited and not dialecty enough - they don't know half my words, I don't know half theirs. Sacked them off weeks ago.
Wardle and worldle both in 1 today. Wordle in 3, nerdle in 5, same as you - could have been 3, could have been 6 cycling through the possibilities at the end. Quordle in 4, 5, 6, 9. Have you tried worgle? A 6 letter wordle, predating wordle2. Today's was a bugger - possibly just for April 1st, it doesn't normally pick such obscure words. I was prewarned it was obscure and quite proud to get it in 6. http://bronze-age.com/worgle/
Some of these games I can't tell if they're genuine any more or if this is a convoluted April 1 wind-up
Wordle: got in 4, 2 last letter options, guessed right Quordle: 4,6,7,8. Happy with efficiency of guesses, I've guessed some right junk in the past and .improving in that respect. Not made lower than 8 yet though. Nerdle: fFirst time I've ended with about 4 equivalent digits to randomly guess from. Did a tie break guess, but 5 the worst I've done in a month. Wardle: Homed in quickly after my usual coastal first guess. Got in 3. Can't believe I didn't notice the arrows for a few weeks. Worldle: Thought, that looks like the sort of country that occurs in a particular area of the world, and then circled that region until landing on the 5th guess. Hard, a bit, but at least it wasn't the bloody Kergeulen Islands again. Globle: The usual triangle of countries approach once close yielded it in 5. Average dropping slowly, hoping to get sub 6 soon.
Sweardle, lewdle and the rest: sorry, swear engine too limited and not dialecty enough - they don't know half my words, I don't know half theirs. Sacked them off weeks ago.
Wardle and worldle both in 1 today. Wordle in 3, nerdle in 5, same as you - could have been 3, could have been 6 cycling through the possibilities at the end. Quordle in 4, 5, 6, 9. Have you tried worgle? A 6 letter wordle, predating wordle2. Today's was a bugger - possibly just for April 1st, it doesn't normally pick such obscure words. I was prewarned it was obscure and quite proud to get it in 6. http://bronze-age.com/worgle/
Have you tried cryptic crosswords? One printed every day in pretty much every national newspaper. And far more engaging and interesting than a trial and error matrix.
Well they're not really trial and error matrices. Certainly not worldle or Wardle. Less interesting than cryptic crosswords, certainly, but sadly while I can memorise the shapes of British Council areas I cannot get my brain to do cryptic crosswords with any success. Too literal minded, perhaps.
Wordle: got in 4, 2 last letter options, guessed right Quordle: 4,6,7,8. Happy with efficiency of guesses, I've guessed some right junk in the past and .improving in that respect. Not made lower than 8 yet though. Nerdle: fFirst time I've ended with about 4 equivalent digits to randomly guess from. Did a tie break guess, but 5 the worst I've done in a month. Wardle: Homed in quickly after my usual coastal first guess. Got in 3. Can't believe I didn't notice the arrows for a few weeks. Worldle: Thought, that looks like the sort of country that occurs in a particular area of the world, and then circled that region until landing on the 5th guess. Hard, a bit, but at least it wasn't the bloody Kergeulen Islands again. Globle: The usual triangle of countries approach once close yielded it in 5. Average dropping slowly, hoping to get sub 6 soon.
Sweardle, lewdle and the rest: sorry, swear engine too limited and not dialecty enough - they don't know half my words, I don't know half theirs. Sacked them off weeks ago.
Wardle and worldle both in 1 today. Wordle in 3, nerdle in 5, same as you - could have been 3, could have been 6 cycling through the possibilities at the end. Quordle in 4, 5, 6, 9. Have you tried worgle? A 6 letter wordle, predating wordle2. Today's was a bugger - possibly just for April 1st, it doesn't normally pick such obscure words. I was prewarned it was obscure and quite proud to get it in 6. http://bronze-age.com/worgle/
Had a corking day at an event in town yesterday. Hundreds there. No masking (well okay I saw two masks all day, amid the multitude) then off to a busy bar then a busy restaurant. No masks on the Tube or bus. It’s like covid never happened in London - assume (outside Godalming) it’s like that in other towns and cities?
Unusual to see masks in Cannock and generally only among older people.
Love nick and a lot of time for him, but was it him who lied about his canvassing in 2019 to cheer himself up or something? Is he telling porkies about Godalming mask wearing too? Apologies @NickPalmer if I have that wrong, just can’t square your reports with almost everywhere else.
What’s the lying about canvassing reference? I don’t know anything about that.
His accounts of masking In Godalming are barely believable— but it is a very sleepy conservative sort of place. Has a Christian Science library. Anything is possible.
One of the labour posters kept saying how it was close on the doorsteps, when in reality it wasn’t, and they knew it. May not have been @NickPalmer.
Ah, okay. I simply cannot imagine being so partisan that I would make up stories but several PBers are, regrettably.
Re: masking. I have only worn one once, for 20 minutes, in the last two months. This was because I was invited to the doctor’s surgery for a general check up and the lady on the phone asked me to bring one. I found one buried in the cupboard.
Sadly our uni has kept them for busy environments and I’ve had a lot of lab classes in the last 5 weeks. Up to 6 hours a day. The uni is supposed to be reviewing at the holidays, but no one is sure if that is Easter (one week away) or summer (9 weeks at least). Very little proper logic has been applied. I note that Oxford has dropped all mask requirements.
I find it totally bizarre that some universities have retained them when they are no longer required (and rarely worn) in schools, shops, pubs, restaurants, buses, tubes or trains. It’s irrational: what exactly is the point?
Where I work appears to be threatening to keep 2m social distancing of desks and masks when moving about, even after Scotland's legal mask mandates expire. Joy.
I hope they are planning to review further and are just being cautious until the governments give up their caution, but I really don't trust them not to continue with their own over-caution.
It is completely irrational.
You see it on here: “I don’t always wear my mask but I might wear it on a train”. Why a train? And do you remove it to drink your coffee on said train? And if not how do you drink your coffee? And if you do remove it, why bother wearing it at all? And if you do wear it on the train, do you wear it in the pub? And when in the pub, how do drink your pint with a mask on?
I dare say the individual outcomes with sporadic masking versus no masking will be near identical.
Eh?
This is drivel, and I speak as someone who is generally pro-freedom.
Let us imagine that you expel 10 virus particles per breath when masked, and 100 per breath when unmasked.
If a virus carrier is on the train and has their masks on for half the journey, and off for half the journey, they will have still spread 45% less viral particles than would otherwise be the case. That reduction might be well worth it.
(FWIW, except in really crowded spaces like the tube, I wouldn't be wearing a mask. But the idea that half time wearing doesn't confer benefits as far as viral spread is ridiculous.)
Unless you wear a FFP3 mask all the time and/or lock yourself indoors your chances of catching Omicron at some point are near 100% aren’t they? So by masking on a train then taking it off to visit your local pub is a largely pointless exercise. It (at best) delays the inevitable unless you live a life of total isolation!
Had a corking day at an event in town yesterday. Hundreds there. No masking (well okay I saw two masks all day, amid the multitude) then off to a busy bar then a busy restaurant. No masks on the Tube or bus. It’s like covid never happened in London - assume (outside Godalming) it’s like that in other towns and cities?
Unusual to see masks in Cannock and generally only among older people.
Love nick and a lot of time for him, but was it him who lied about his canvassing in 2019 to cheer himself up or something? Is he telling porkies about Godalming mask wearing too? Apologies @NickPalmer if I have that wrong, just can’t square your reports with almost everywhere else.
What’s the lying about canvassing reference? I don’t know anything about that.
His accounts of masking In Godalming are barely believable— but it is a very sleepy conservative sort of place. Has a Christian Science library. Anything is possible.
One of the labour posters kept saying how it was close on the doorsteps, when in reality it wasn’t, and they knew it. May not have been @NickPalmer.
Ah, okay. I simply cannot imagine being so partisan that I would make up stories but several PBers are, regrettably.
Re: masking. I have only worn one once, for 20 minutes, in the last two months. This was because I was invited to the doctor’s surgery for a general check up and the lady on the phone asked me to bring one. I found one buried in the cupboard.
Sadly our uni has kept them for busy environments and I’ve had a lot of lab classes in the last 5 weeks. Up to 6 hours a day. The uni is supposed to be reviewing at the holidays, but no one is sure if that is Easter (one week away) or summer (9 weeks at least). Very little proper logic has been applied. I note that Oxford has dropped all mask requirements.
I was at an awards dinner last night - hundreds of people, very busy space, lots of yelling to be heard, no masks.
This is my frustration with work. Everywhere else it’s over. But the uni can’t let it go. Madness.
You should ask the instigators whether they ever visit pubs, schools or shops, and if so why, given masking is rare/nonexistent in those settings?
It’s not worth the hassle. The university ‘gold’ management team (when did that nonsense spread everywhere btw) have decided. As this is the VC, various pro-VCs etc I’d rather keep my head down... We still have the mask of Damocles hanging over graduations this spring and summer over mask requirements. Truly mad.
Had a corking day at an event in town yesterday. Hundreds there. No masking (well okay I saw two masks all day, amid the multitude) then off to a busy bar then a busy restaurant. No masks on the Tube or bus. It’s like covid never happened in London - assume (outside Godalming) it’s like that in other towns and cities?
Unusual to see masks in Cannock and generally only among older people.
Love nick and a lot of time for him, but was it him who lied about his canvassing in 2019 to cheer himself up or something? Is he telling porkies about Godalming mask wearing too? Apologies @NickPalmer if I have that wrong, just can’t square your reports with almost everywhere else.
What’s the lying about canvassing reference? I don’t know anything about that.
His accounts of masking In Godalming are barely believable— but it is a very sleepy conservative sort of place. Has a Christian Science library. Anything is possible.
One of the labour posters kept saying how it was close on the doorsteps, when in reality it wasn’t, and they knew it. May not have been @NickPalmer.
Ah, okay. I simply cannot imagine being so partisan that I would make up stories but several PBers are, regrettably.
Re: masking. I have only worn one once, for 20 minutes, in the last two months. This was because I was invited to the doctor’s surgery for a general check up and the lady on the phone asked me to bring one. I found one buried in the cupboard.
Sadly our uni has kept them for busy environments and I’ve had a lot of lab classes in the last 5 weeks. Up to 6 hours a day. The uni is supposed to be reviewing at the holidays, but no one is sure if that is Easter (one week away) or summer (9 weeks at least). Very little proper logic has been applied. I note that Oxford has dropped all mask requirements.
I find it totally bizarre that some universities have retained them when they are no longer required (and rarely worn) in schools, shops, pubs, restaurants, buses, tubes or trains. It’s irrational: what exactly is the point?
Where I work appears to be threatening to keep 2m social distancing of desks and masks when moving about, even after Scotland's legal mask mandates expire. Joy.
I hope they are planning to review further and are just being cautious until the governments give up their caution, but I really don't trust them not to continue with their own over-caution.
It is completely irrational.
You see it on here: “I don’t always wear my mask but I might wear it on a train”. Why a train? And do you remove it to drink your coffee on said train? And if not how do you drink your coffee? And if you do remove it, why bother wearing it at all? And if you do wear it on the train, do you wear it in the pub? And when in the pub, how do drink your pint with a mask on?
I dare say the individual outcomes with sporadic masking versus no masking will be near identical.
Eh?
This is drivel, and I speak as someone who is generally pro-freedom.
Let us imagine that you expel 10 virus particles per breath when masked, and 100 per breath when unmasked.
If a virus carrier is on the train and has their masks on for half the journey, and off for half the journey, they will have still spread 45% less viral particles than would otherwise be the case. That reduction might be well worth it.
(FWIW, except in really crowded spaces like the tube, I wouldn't be wearing a mask. But the idea that half time wearing doesn't confer benefits as far as viral spread is ridiculous.)
Unless you wear a FFP3 mask all the time and/or lock yourself indoors your chances of catching Omicron at some point are near 100% aren’t they? So by masking on a train then taking it off to visit your local pub is a largely pointless exercise. It (at best) delays the inevitable unless you live a life of total isolation!
Yes, but viral load may well be a factor in how Ill people get with covid.
I think pretty much everyone will get Omicron in time, but it doesn't give very good immunity to classic covid (and hence often infects the vaccinated or those with previous covid) even if it covers Omicron variants.
Had a corking day at an event in town yesterday. Hundreds there. No masking (well okay I saw two masks all day, amid the multitude) then off to a busy bar then a busy restaurant. No masks on the Tube or bus. It’s like covid never happened in London - assume (outside Godalming) it’s like that in other towns and cities?
Unusual to see masks in Cannock and generally only among older people.
Love nick and a lot of time for him, but was it him who lied about his canvassing in 2019 to cheer himself up or something? Is he telling porkies about Godalming mask wearing too? Apologies @NickPalmer if I have that wrong, just can’t square your reports with almost everywhere else.
What’s the lying about canvassing reference? I don’t know anything about that.
His accounts of masking In Godalming are barely believable— but it is a very sleepy conservative sort of place. Has a Christian Science library. Anything is possible.
One of the labour posters kept saying how it was close on the doorsteps, when in reality it wasn’t, and they knew it. May not have been @NickPalmer.
Ah, okay. I simply cannot imagine being so partisan that I would make up stories but several PBers are, regrettably.
Re: masking. I have only worn one once, for 20 minutes, in the last two months. This was because I was invited to the doctor’s surgery for a general check up and the lady on the phone asked me to bring one. I found one buried in the cupboard.
Sadly our uni has kept them for busy environments and I’ve had a lot of lab classes in the last 5 weeks. Up to 6 hours a day. The uni is supposed to be reviewing at the holidays, but no one is sure if that is Easter (one week away) or summer (9 weeks at least). Very little proper logic has been applied. I note that Oxford has dropped all mask requirements.
I was at an awards dinner last night - hundreds of people, very busy space, lots of yelling to be heard, no masks.
This is my frustration with work. Everywhere else it’s over. But the uni can’t let it go. Madness.
You should ask the instigators whether they ever visit pubs, schools or shops, and if so why, given masking is rare/nonexistent in those settings?
It’s not worth the hassle. The university ‘gold’ management team (when did that nonsense spread everywhere btw) have decided. As this is the VC, various pro-VCs etc I’d rather keep my head down... We still have the mask of Damocles hanging over graduations this spring and summer over mask requirements. Truly mad.
‘Gold management team’ is arguably worse than the masking. Ugh.
Five hours delay at a Turkish airport due to check-in meltdown. Not recommended
My Azerbaijan trip is finally on for the 14th. And I have the Ukrainians to thank for there being no threat of a Russian invasion there while I'm in-country. Although the Azeris might seek to do something against the Armenians while the Russians are distracted.
Enjoy. I’m tempted to cross the Iraqi border later this week. Maybe go to Erbil. Just to say “I’ve been to Iraq”
I have a friend working their *in special circumstances*. He has the most incredible job: hunting down art thieves and traffickers around the world. Stupidly glamorous and exciting. And well paid. Ex Territorial SAS
Long way East, when "I've been to Syria" is probably at least as cool as Iraq atm.
A friend of mine went solo to Diyarbakir and said being a lone western female there was by a long way the most frightening thing ever to happen to her. Just for info.
I can confirm, Diyarbakir at night is no place for a lone Westerner, let alone a lone Western female.
Really? I’ve been to a few Kurdish-Turkish cities and never felt threatened, ever (but I have not been to Diyarbakir)
Is Diyarbakir uniquely grim, for some reason?
Don't really know. I was there one night. We arrived after dark, the streets were deserted and we were warned not to leave the hotel. I have travelled to all sorts of places, and generally disregard grim warnings from Western officials. But this one just felt deserved.
Everyone we met looked grim, as did the entire town.
That was in 1994, and I believe the Turks had just completed one of their more crushing campaigns against Kurds and particularly small Kurdish villages.
Perhaps it is different now.
That’s quite a long time ago. Kurdistan is always restive but the violence comes and goes. Hmm
Let us know what it is like now. I'd be very interested if it is a bustling and friendly place.
It’s still on the FCO “essential travel only” list but they are famously cautious. I see Sweden has just lifted its advisory against travel there
Maybe I’ll go to cappadoccia instead. Never been there either.
Internal flights in Turkey are madly cheap right now. You can cross the entire county - and it’s big - for £40
Some prices are still absurdly cheap. I flew to Albania recently for less than £50 return and I'm looking at Poland in June and you can get flights for £20 each way.
It is a great time to travel, especially to unexpected places, as all the covid faff falls away
The entirety of covid red tape to get into Turkey is: 2 minutes filling in a health form online. That’s it
No tests no nothing no vaccine checks. Ditto on your return to the UK
Masks are quite common here (so far) but lots don’t wear them and no one seems to care. It’s like a less Nazi version of godalming, indeed I think the Turkish tourist board are now using that comparison as a selling point
Some of the places which are still closed are dirt cheap. Decent three star hotels in Kyoto for £20 a night. Forbidden fruit…
Wordle: got in 4, 2 last letter options, guessed right Quordle: 4,6,7,8. Happy with efficiency of guesses, I've guessed some right junk in the past and .improving in that respect. Not made lower than 8 yet though. Nerdle: fFirst time I've ended with about 4 equivalent digits to randomly guess from. Did a tie break guess, but 5 the worst I've done in a month. Wardle: Homed in quickly after my usual coastal first guess. Got in 3. Can't believe I didn't notice the arrows for a few weeks. Worldle: Thought, that looks like the sort of country that occurs in a particular area of the world, and then circled that region until landing on the 5th guess. Hard, a bit, but at least it wasn't the bloody Kergeulen Islands again. Globle: The usual triangle of countries approach once close yielded it in 5. Average dropping slowly, hoping to get sub 6 soon.
Sweardle, lewdle and the rest: sorry, swear engine too limited and not dialecty enough - they don't know half my words, I don't know half theirs. Sacked them off weeks ago.
Wardle and worldle both in 1 today. Wordle in 3, nerdle in 5, same as you - could have been 3, could have been 6 cycling through the possibilities at the end. Quordle in 4, 5, 6, 9. Have you tried worgle? A 6 letter wordle, predating wordle2. Today's was a bugger - possibly just for April 1st, it doesn't normally pick such obscure words. I was prewarned it was obscure and quite proud to get it in 6. http://bronze-age.com/worgle/
Have you tried cryptic crosswords? One printed every day in pretty much every national newspaper. And far more engaging and interesting than a trial and error matrix.
Cryptic crosswords, no thanks. I struggle enough with the inner workings of Mrs Rata's mind, I've no interest in the very individual mind workings of some randomer egotistical enough to think I am actually interested.
Of course, I'm sure @stjohn is the honourable exception, and is courteous enough to trouble us but once a year.
Had a corking day at an event in town yesterday. Hundreds there. No masking (well okay I saw two masks all day, amid the multitude) then off to a busy bar then a busy restaurant. No masks on the Tube or bus. It’s like covid never happened in London - assume (outside Godalming) it’s like that in other towns and cities?
Unusual to see masks in Cannock and generally only among older people.
Love nick and a lot of time for him, but was it him who lied about his canvassing in 2019 to cheer himself up or something? Is he telling porkies about Godalming mask wearing too? Apologies @NickPalmer if I have that wrong, just can’t square your reports with almost everywhere else.
What’s the lying about canvassing reference? I don’t know anything about that.
His accounts of masking In Godalming are barely believable— but it is a very sleepy conservative sort of place. Has a Christian Science library. Anything is possible.
One of the labour posters kept saying how it was close on the doorsteps, when in reality it wasn’t, and they knew it. May not have been @NickPalmer.
Ah, okay. I simply cannot imagine being so partisan that I would make up stories but several PBers are, regrettably.
Re: masking. I have only worn one once, for 20 minutes, in the last two months. This was because I was invited to the doctor’s surgery for a general check up and the lady on the phone asked me to bring one. I found one buried in the cupboard.
Sadly our uni has kept them for busy environments and I’ve had a lot of lab classes in the last 5 weeks. Up to 6 hours a day. The uni is supposed to be reviewing at the holidays, but no one is sure if that is Easter (one week away) or summer (9 weeks at least). Very little proper logic has been applied. I note that Oxford has dropped all mask requirements.
I find it totally bizarre that some universities have retained them when they are no longer required (and rarely worn) in schools, shops, pubs, restaurants, buses, tubes or trains. It’s irrational: what exactly is the point?
Where I work appears to be threatening to keep 2m social distancing of desks and masks when moving about, even after Scotland's legal mask mandates expire. Joy.
I hope they are planning to review further and are just being cautious until the governments give up their caution, but I really don't trust them not to continue with their own over-caution.
It is completely irrational.
You see it on here: “I don’t always wear my mask but I might wear it on a train”. Why a train? And do you remove it to drink your coffee on said train? And if not how do you drink your coffee? And if you do remove it, why bother wearing it at all? And if you do wear it on the train, do you wear it in the pub? And when in the pub, how do drink your pint with a mask on?
I dare say the individual outcomes with sporadic masking versus no masking will be near identical.
Eh?
This is drivel, and I speak as someone who is generally pro-freedom.
Let us imagine that you expel 10 virus particles per breath when masked, and 100 per breath when unmasked.
If a virus carrier is on the train and has their masks on for half the journey, and off for half the journey, they will have still spread 45% less viral particles than would otherwise be the case. That reduction might be well worth it.
(FWIW, except in really crowded spaces like the tube, I wouldn't be wearing a mask. But the idea that half time wearing doesn't confer benefits as far as viral spread is ridiculous.)
Unless you wear a FFP3 mask all the time and/or lock yourself indoors your chances of catching Omicron at some point are near 100% aren’t they? So by masking on a train then taking it off to visit your local pub is a largely pointless exercise. It (at best) delays the inevitable unless you live a life of total isolation!
Yes, but viral load may well be a factor in how Ill people get with covid.
I think pretty much everyone will get Omicron in time, but it doesn't give very good immunity to classic covid (and hence often infects the vaccinated or those with previous covid) even if it covers Omicron variants.
How exactly is ‘viral load’ higher in a busy train carriage than in a packed pub? Selective masking strikes me as irrational nonsense.
Five hours delay at a Turkish airport due to check-in meltdown. Not recommended
My Azerbaijan trip is finally on for the 14th. And I have the Ukrainians to thank for there being no threat of a Russian invasion there while I'm in-country. Although the Azeris might seek to do something against the Armenians while the Russians are distracted.
Enjoy. I’m tempted to cross the Iraqi border later this week. Maybe go to Erbil. Just to say “I’ve been to Iraq”
I have a friend working their *in special circumstances*. He has the most incredible job: hunting down art thieves and traffickers around the world. Stupidly glamorous and exciting. And well paid. Ex Territorial SAS
Long way East, when "I've been to Syria" is probably at least as cool as Iraq atm.
A friend of mine went solo to Diyarbakir and said being a lone western female there was by a long way the most frightening thing ever to happen to her. Just for info.
I can confirm, Diyarbakir at night is no place for a lone Westerner, let alone a lone Western female.
Really? I’ve been to a few Kurdish-Turkish cities and never felt threatened, ever (but I have not been to Diyarbakir)
Is Diyarbakir uniquely grim, for some reason?
Don't really know. I was there one night. We arrived after dark, the streets were deserted and we were warned not to leave the hotel. I have travelled to all sorts of places, and generally disregard grim warnings from Western officials. But this one just felt deserved.
Everyone we met looked grim, as did the entire town.
That was in 1994, and I believe the Turks had just completed one of their more crushing campaigns against Kurds and particularly small Kurdish villages.
Perhaps it is different now.
That’s quite a long time ago. Kurdistan is always restive but the violence comes and goes. Hmm
Let us know what it is like now. I'd be very interested if it is a bustling and friendly place.
It’s still on the FCO “essential travel only” list but they are famously cautious. I see Sweden has just lifted its advisory against travel there
Maybe I’ll go to cappadoccia instead. Never been there either.
Internal flights in Turkey are madly cheap right now. You can cross the entire county - and it’s big - for £40
Some prices are still absurdly cheap. I flew to Albania recently for less than £50 return and I'm looking at Poland in June and you can get flights for £20 each way.
It is a great time to travel, especially to unexpected places, as all the covid faff falls away
The entirety of covid red tape to get into Turkey is: 2 minutes filling in a health form online. That’s it
No tests no nothing no vaccine checks. Ditto on your return to the UK
Masks are quite common here (so far) but lots don’t wear them and no one seems to care. It’s like a less Nazi version of godalming, indeed I think the Turkish tourist board are now using that comparison as a selling point
Albania lifted Covid restrictions the week before I travelled which was nice of them. Saw hardly anyone wearing a mask, even when there was 12 of us in a 9-seater Furgon. Was asked to wear a mask in one museum.
Then went to a gig last weekend, at the Electric Ballroom in Camden. Saw just one couple wearing masks in what we would have seen as a superspreader event. Think that was my pandemic-is-over moment.
Wordle: got in 4, 2 last letter options, guessed right Quordle: 4,6,7,8. Happy with efficiency of guesses, I've guessed some right junk in the past and .improving in that respect. Not made lower than 8 yet though. Nerdle: fFirst time I've ended with about 4 equivalent digits to randomly guess from. Did a tie break guess, but 5 the worst I've done in a month. Wardle: Homed in quickly after my usual coastal first guess. Got in 3. Can't believe I didn't notice the arrows for a few weeks. Worldle: Thought, that looks like the sort of country that occurs in a particular area of the world, and then circled that region until landing on the 5th guess. Hard, a bit, but at least it wasn't the bloody Kergeulen Islands again. Globle: The usual triangle of countries approach once close yielded it in 5. Average dropping slowly, hoping to get sub 6 soon.
Sweardle, lewdle and the rest: sorry, swear engine too limited and not dialecty enough - they don't know half my words, I don't know half theirs. Sacked them off weeks ago.
Wardle and worldle both in 1 today. Wordle in 3, nerdle in 5, same as you - could have been 3, could have been 6 cycling through the possibilities at the end. Quordle in 4, 5, 6, 9. Have you tried worgle? A 6 letter wordle, predating wordle2. Today's was a bugger - possibly just for April 1st, it doesn't normally pick such obscure words. I was prewarned it was obscure and quite proud to get it in 6. http://bronze-age.com/worgle/
Have you tried cryptic crosswords? One printed every day in pretty much every national newspaper. And far more engaging and interesting than a trial and error matrix.
Well they're not really trial and error matrices. Certainly not worldle or Wardle. Less interesting than cryptic crosswords, certainly, but sadly while I can memorise the shapes of British Council areas I cannot get my brain to do cryptic crosswords with any success. Too literal minded, perhaps.
I’m no expert in cryptic, but know the basics. The key is always to spot the type of question, from the limited pool of types. For instance some will have anagrams, some double definitions, some feature the word spelled out with a phrase and so on. A good cryptic clue should be fully explained by the clue. Also different papers have different styles and different compilers will be more or less to your liking/way of thinking. When I regularly did the telegraph cryptic it got harder over the week, but the easiest day for me was Tuesday. Times also seem to get harder during the week. The more you do, the greater the chance of recognising a clue, or having seen something very similar before. Right now I’ve been too busy to regularly have a crack at the times, bu5bi go through phases, and the more you do, the easier it gets.
Had a corking day at an event in town yesterday. Hundreds there. No masking (well okay I saw two masks all day, amid the multitude) then off to a busy bar then a busy restaurant. No masks on the Tube or bus. It’s like covid never happened in London - assume (outside Godalming) it’s like that in other towns and cities?
Unusual to see masks in Cannock and generally only among older people.
Love nick and a lot of time for him, but was it him who lied about his canvassing in 2019 to cheer himself up or something? Is he telling porkies about Godalming mask wearing too? Apologies @NickPalmer if I have that wrong, just can’t square your reports with almost everywhere else.
What’s the lying about canvassing reference? I don’t know anything about that.
His accounts of masking In Godalming are barely believable— but it is a very sleepy conservative sort of place. Has a Christian Science library. Anything is possible.
One of the labour posters kept saying how it was close on the doorsteps, when in reality it wasn’t, and they knew it. May not have been @NickPalmer.
Ah, okay. I simply cannot imagine being so partisan that I would make up stories but several PBers are, regrettably.
Re: masking. I have only worn one once, for 20 minutes, in the last two months. This was because I was invited to the doctor’s surgery for a general check up and the lady on the phone asked me to bring one. I found one buried in the cupboard.
Sadly our uni has kept them for busy environments and I’ve had a lot of lab classes in the last 5 weeks. Up to 6 hours a day. The uni is supposed to be reviewing at the holidays, but no one is sure if that is Easter (one week away) or summer (9 weeks at least). Very little proper logic has been applied. I note that Oxford has dropped all mask requirements.
I was at an awards dinner last night - hundreds of people, very busy space, lots of yelling to be heard, no masks.
This is my frustration with work. Everywhere else it’s over. But the uni can’t let it go. Madness.
You should ask the instigators whether they ever visit pubs, schools or shops, and if so why, given masking is rare/nonexistent in those settings?
It’s not worth the hassle. The university ‘gold’ management team (when did that nonsense spread everywhere btw) have decided. As this is the VC, various pro-VCs etc I’d rather keep my head down... We still have the mask of Damocles hanging over graduations this spring and summer over mask requirements. Truly mad.
‘Gold management team’ is arguably worse than the masking. Ugh.
I think the police were among the first to use the dreadful concept, but it’s everywhere now. Most councils will have one, and I reckon a lot of schools too. Of course it’s just a rebadge of senior management team, but my how they love being gold commander...
Wordle: got in 4, 2 last letter options, guessed right Quordle: 4,6,7,8. Happy with efficiency of guesses, I've guessed some right junk in the past and .improving in that respect. Not made lower than 8 yet though. Nerdle: fFirst time I've ended with about 4 equivalent digits to randomly guess from. Did a tie break guess, but 5 the worst I've done in a month. Wardle: Homed in quickly after my usual coastal first guess. Got in 3. Can't believe I didn't notice the arrows for a few weeks. Worldle: Thought, that looks like the sort of country that occurs in a particular area of the world, and then circled that region until landing on the 5th guess. Hard, a bit, but at least it wasn't the bloody Kergeulen Islands again. Globle: The usual triangle of countries approach once close yielded it in 5. Average dropping slowly, hoping to get sub 6 soon.
Sweardle, lewdle and the rest: sorry, swear engine too limited and not dialecty enough - they don't know half my words, I don't know half theirs. Sacked them off weeks ago.
Wardle and worldle both in 1 today. Wordle in 3, nerdle in 5, same as you - could have been 3, could have been 6 cycling through the possibilities at the end. Quordle in 4, 5, 6, 9. Have you tried worgle? A 6 letter wordle, predating wordle2. Today's was a bugger - possibly just for April 1st, it doesn't normally pick such obscure words. I was prewarned it was obscure and quite proud to get it in 6. http://bronze-age.com/worgle/
Have you tried cryptic crosswords? One printed every day in pretty much every national newspaper. And far more engaging and interesting than a trial and error matrix.
Well they're not really trial and error matrices. Certainly not worldle or Wardle. Less interesting than cryptic crosswords, certainly, but sadly while I can memorise the shapes of British Council areas I cannot get my brain to do cryptic crosswords with any success. Too literal minded, perhaps.
I’m no expert in cryptic, but know the basics. The key is always to spot the type of question, from the limited pool of types. For instance some will have anagrams, some double definitions, some feature the word spelled out with a phrase and so on. A good cryptic clue should be fully explained by the clue. Also different papers have different styles and different compilers will be more or less to your liking/way of thinking. When I regularly did the telegraph cryptic it got harder over the week, but the easiest day for me was Tuesday. Times also seem to get harder during the week. The more you do, the greater the chance of recognising a clue, or having seen something very similar before. Right now I’ve been too busy to regularly have a crack at the times, bu5bi go through phases, and the more you do, the easier it gets.
I find the Times to be the hardest of the lot. I can rarely finish it. The Observer Everyman I can finish most weeks. The Telegraph I only ever do on holiday when it’s the only English paper available! It’s kinda muddle difficultly from my limited experience.
As you say, the trick is to learn the different types of clue: acrostic, anagram, double meaning, super-cryptic, etc…
Had a corking day at an event in town yesterday. Hundreds there. No masking (well okay I saw two masks all day, amid the multitude) then off to a busy bar then a busy restaurant. No masks on the Tube or bus. It’s like covid never happened in London - assume (outside Godalming) it’s like that in other towns and cities?
Unusual to see masks in Cannock and generally only among older people.
Love nick and a lot of time for him, but was it him who lied about his canvassing in 2019 to cheer himself up or something? Is he telling porkies about Godalming mask wearing too? Apologies @NickPalmer if I have that wrong, just can’t square your reports with almost everywhere else.
What’s the lying about canvassing reference? I don’t know anything about that.
His accounts of masking In Godalming are barely believable— but it is a very sleepy conservative sort of place. Has a Christian Science library. Anything is possible.
One of the labour posters kept saying how it was close on the doorsteps, when in reality it wasn’t, and they knew it. May not have been @NickPalmer.
Ah, okay. I simply cannot imagine being so partisan that I would make up stories but several PBers are, regrettably.
Re: masking. I have only worn one once, for 20 minutes, in the last two months. This was because I was invited to the doctor’s surgery for a general check up and the lady on the phone asked me to bring one. I found one buried in the cupboard.
Sadly our uni has kept them for busy environments and I’ve had a lot of lab classes in the last 5 weeks. Up to 6 hours a day. The uni is supposed to be reviewing at the holidays, but no one is sure if that is Easter (one week away) or summer (9 weeks at least). Very little proper logic has been applied. I note that Oxford has dropped all mask requirements.
I find it totally bizarre that some universities have retained them when they are no longer required (and rarely worn) in schools, shops, pubs, restaurants, buses, tubes or trains. It’s irrational: what exactly is the point?
Where I work appears to be threatening to keep 2m social distancing of desks and masks when moving about, even after Scotland's legal mask mandates expire. Joy.
I hope they are planning to review further and are just being cautious until the governments give up their caution, but I really don't trust them not to continue with their own over-caution.
It is completely irrational.
You see it on here: “I don’t always wear my mask but I might wear it on a train”. Why a train? And do you remove it to drink your coffee on said train? And if not how do you drink your coffee? And if you do remove it, why bother wearing it at all? And if you do wear it on the train, do you wear it in the pub? And when in the pub, how do drink your pint with a mask on?
I dare say the individual outcomes with sporadic masking versus no masking will be near identical.
Eh?
This is drivel, and I speak as someone who is generally pro-freedom.
Let us imagine that you expel 10 virus particles per breath when masked, and 100 per breath when unmasked.
If a virus carrier is on the train and has their masks on for half the journey, and off for half the journey, they will have still spread 45% less viral particles than would otherwise be the case. That reduction might be well worth it.
(FWIW, except in really crowded spaces like the tube, I wouldn't be wearing a mask. But the idea that half time wearing doesn't confer benefits as far as viral spread is ridiculous.)
Unless you wear a FFP3 mask all the time and/or lock yourself indoors your chances of catching Omicron at some point are near 100% aren’t they? So by masking on a train then taking it off to visit your local pub is a largely pointless exercise. It (at best) delays the inevitable unless you live a life of total isolation!
Yes, but viral load may well be a factor in how Ill people get with covid.
I think pretty much everyone will get Omicron in time, but it doesn't give very good immunity to classic covid (and hence often infects the vaccinated or those with previous covid) even if it covers Omicron variants.
How exactly is ‘viral load’ higher in a busy train carriage than in a packed pub? Selective masking strikes me as irrational nonsense.
No, as RCS explained 50% protection is 50% protection.
No. Fuck it. What did he really face? Some sleet, bit of a stiff breeze at times, weird penguins. Also nice views and outdoor hiking
I was up at 5 this morning and due to a combo of total fuck up by Turkish airlines and the remoteness of the destination I am still travelling.and have spent half the day queuing. And I am Still in an unmoving plane. And when it finally takes off and finally lands I then have a 2 drive across the Kurdish desert, commencing at 1am
Wordle: got in 4, 2 last letter options, guessed right Quordle: 4,6,7,8. Happy with efficiency of guesses, I've guessed some right junk in the past and .improving in that respect. Not made lower than 8 yet though. Nerdle: fFirst time I've ended with about 4 equivalent digits to randomly guess from. Did a tie break guess, but 5 the worst I've done in a month. Wardle: Homed in quickly after my usual coastal first guess. Got in 3. Can't believe I didn't notice the arrows for a few weeks. Worldle: Thought, that looks like the sort of country that occurs in a particular area of the world, and then circled that region until landing on the 5th guess. Hard, a bit, but at least it wasn't the bloody Kergeulen Islands again. Globle: The usual triangle of countries approach once close yielded it in 5. Average dropping slowly, hoping to get sub 6 soon.
Sweardle, lewdle and the rest: sorry, swear engine too limited and not dialecty enough - they don't know half my words, I don't know half theirs. Sacked them off weeks ago.
Wardle and worldle both in 1 today. Wordle in 3, nerdle in 5, same as you - could have been 3, could have been 6 cycling through the possibilities at the end. Quordle in 4, 5, 6, 9. Have you tried worgle? A 6 letter wordle, predating wordle2. Today's was a bugger - possibly just for April 1st, it doesn't normally pick such obscure words. I was prewarned it was obscure and quite proud to get it in 6. http://bronze-age.com/worgle/
Have you tried cryptic crosswords? One printed every day in pretty much every national newspaper. And far more engaging and interesting than a trial and error matrix.
Cryptic crosswords, no thanks. I struggle enough with the inner workings of Mrs Rata's mind, I've no interest in the very individual mind workings of some randomer egotistical enough to think I am actually interested.
... says the poster who thinks we might be so interested in their guesses at various trivia puzzles that they feel moved to report their results in great detail.
Had a corking day at an event in town yesterday. Hundreds there. No masking (well okay I saw two masks all day, amid the multitude) then off to a busy bar then a busy restaurant. No masks on the Tube or bus. It’s like covid never happened in London - assume (outside Godalming) it’s like that in other towns and cities?
Unusual to see masks in Cannock and generally only among older people.
Love nick and a lot of time for him, but was it him who lied about his canvassing in 2019 to cheer himself up or something? Is he telling porkies about Godalming mask wearing too? Apologies @NickPalmer if I have that wrong, just can’t square your reports with almost everywhere else.
What’s the lying about canvassing reference? I don’t know anything about that.
His accounts of masking In Godalming are barely believable— but it is a very sleepy conservative sort of place. Has a Christian Science library. Anything is possible.
One of the labour posters kept saying how it was close on the doorsteps, when in reality it wasn’t, and they knew it. May not have been @NickPalmer.
Ah, okay. I simply cannot imagine being so partisan that I would make up stories but several PBers are, regrettably.
Re: masking. I have only worn one once, for 20 minutes, in the last two months. This was because I was invited to the doctor’s surgery for a general check up and the lady on the phone asked me to bring one. I found one buried in the cupboard.
Sadly our uni has kept them for busy environments and I’ve had a lot of lab classes in the last 5 weeks. Up to 6 hours a day. The uni is supposed to be reviewing at the holidays, but no one is sure if that is Easter (one week away) or summer (9 weeks at least). Very little proper logic has been applied. I note that Oxford has dropped all mask requirements.
I was at an awards dinner last night - hundreds of people, very busy space, lots of yelling to be heard, no masks.
This is my frustration with work. Everywhere else it’s over. But the uni can’t let it go. Madness.
You should ask the instigators whether they ever visit pubs, schools or shops, and if so why, given masking is rare/nonexistent in those settings?
It’s not worth the hassle. The university ‘gold’ management team (when did that nonsense spread everywhere btw) have decided. As this is the VC, various pro-VCs etc I’d rather keep my head down... We still have the mask of Damocles hanging over graduations this spring and summer over mask requirements. Truly mad.
‘Gold management team’ is arguably worse than the masking. Ugh.
I think the police were among the first to use the dreadful concept, but it’s everywhere now. Most councils will have one, and I reckon a lot of schools too. Of course it’s just a rebadge of senior management team, but my how they love being gold commander...
This deserve more than a single like from me can give. You can practically see people preening about the recent Gold meeting etc
I also thought the graphic showed Labour on a smaller average now than under Corbyn last time, opposite to the “doing slightly better now” suggestion. Labour don’t even have as much voter enthusiasm for them today as under Corbyn 4 years ago? 😮
This ties in It seems with the consensus from the threads today, very much of the opinion it’s looking like Starmer coming out of this set of Locals as the Leader under pressure.
Boris has backed the winner in Ukraine crisis, and will be reaping the dividends from that for some time to come, just as my Dad told me yesterday. The penny has dropped for me now. 🤦♀️
Had a corking day at an event in town yesterday. Hundreds there. No masking (well okay I saw two masks all day, amid the multitude) then off to a busy bar then a busy restaurant. No masks on the Tube or bus. It’s like covid never happened in London - assume (outside Godalming) it’s like that in other towns and cities?
Unusual to see masks in Cannock and generally only among older people.
Love nick and a lot of time for him, but was it him who lied about his canvassing in 2019 to cheer himself up or something? Is he telling porkies about Godalming mask wearing too? Apologies @NickPalmer if I have that wrong, just can’t square your reports with almost everywhere else.
What’s the lying about canvassing reference? I don’t know anything about that.
His accounts of masking In Godalming are barely believable— but it is a very sleepy conservative sort of place. Has a Christian Science library. Anything is possible.
One of the labour posters kept saying how it was close on the doorsteps, when in reality it wasn’t, and they knew it. May not have been @NickPalmer.
Ah, okay. I simply cannot imagine being so partisan that I would make up stories but several PBers are, regrettably.
Re: masking. I have only worn one once, for 20 minutes, in the last two months. This was because I was invited to the doctor’s surgery for a general check up and the lady on the phone asked me to bring one. I found one buried in the cupboard.
Sadly our uni has kept them for busy environments and I’ve had a lot of lab classes in the last 5 weeks. Up to 6 hours a day. The uni is supposed to be reviewing at the holidays, but no one is sure if that is Easter (one week away) or summer (9 weeks at least). Very little proper logic has been applied. I note that Oxford has dropped all mask requirements.
I find it totally bizarre that some universities have retained them when they are no longer required (and rarely worn) in schools, shops, pubs, restaurants, buses, tubes or trains. It’s irrational: what exactly is the point?
Where I work appears to be threatening to keep 2m social distancing of desks and masks when moving about, even after Scotland's legal mask mandates expire. Joy.
I hope they are planning to review further and are just being cautious until the governments give up their caution, but I really don't trust them not to continue with their own over-caution.
It is completely irrational.
You see it on here: “I don’t always wear my mask but I might wear it on a train”. Why a train? And do you remove it to drink your coffee on said train? And if not how do you drink your coffee? And if you do remove it, why bother wearing it at all? And if you do wear it on the train, do you wear it in the pub? And when in the pub, how do drink your pint with a mask on?
I dare say the individual outcomes with sporadic masking versus no masking will be near identical.
Eh?
This is drivel, and I speak as someone who is generally pro-freedom.
Let us imagine that you expel 10 virus particles per breath when masked, and 100 per breath when unmasked.
If a virus carrier is on the train and has their masks on for half the journey, and off for half the journey, they will have still spread 45% less viral particles than would otherwise be the case. That reduction might be well worth it.
(FWIW, except in really crowded spaces like the tube, I wouldn't be wearing a mask. But the idea that half time wearing doesn't confer benefits as far as viral spread is ridiculous.)
Unless you wear a FFP3 mask all the time and/or lock yourself indoors your chances of catching Omicron at some point are near 100% aren’t they? So by masking on a train then taking it off to visit your local pub is a largely pointless exercise. It (at best) delays the inevitable unless you live a life of total isolation!
Yes, but viral load may well be a factor in how Ill people get with covid.
I think pretty much everyone will get Omicron in time, but it doesn't give very good immunity to classic covid (and hence often infects the vaccinated or those with previous covid) even if it covers Omicron variants.
How exactly is ‘viral load’ higher in a busy train carriage than in a packed pub? Selective masking strikes me as irrational nonsense.
No, as RCS explained 50% protection is 50% protection.
I think there is something in both arguments. For sure masks worn some of the time by some people will reduce viral load etc. But I think where I am coming from and @Anabobazina too is that 95% of the time there are no masks, so doing it for a short bit of your day seems pointless against the overall balance of the day.
Had a corking day at an event in town yesterday. Hundreds there. No masking (well okay I saw two masks all day, amid the multitude) then off to a busy bar then a busy restaurant. No masks on the Tube or bus. It’s like covid never happened in London - assume (outside Godalming) it’s like that in other towns and cities?
Unusual to see masks in Cannock and generally only among older people.
Love nick and a lot of time for him, but was it him who lied about his canvassing in 2019 to cheer himself up or something? Is he telling porkies about Godalming mask wearing too? Apologies @NickPalmer if I have that wrong, just can’t square your reports with almost everywhere else.
What’s the lying about canvassing reference? I don’t know anything about that.
His accounts of masking In Godalming are barely believable— but it is a very sleepy conservative sort of place. Has a Christian Science library. Anything is possible.
One of the labour posters kept saying how it was close on the doorsteps, when in reality it wasn’t, and they knew it. May not have been @NickPalmer.
Ah, okay. I simply cannot imagine being so partisan that I would make up stories but several PBers are, regrettably.
Re: masking. I have only worn one once, for 20 minutes, in the last two months. This was because I was invited to the doctor’s surgery for a general check up and the lady on the phone asked me to bring one. I found one buried in the cupboard.
Sadly our uni has kept them for busy environments and I’ve had a lot of lab classes in the last 5 weeks. Up to 6 hours a day. The uni is supposed to be reviewing at the holidays, but no one is sure if that is Easter (one week away) or summer (9 weeks at least). Very little proper logic has been applied. I note that Oxford has dropped all mask requirements.
I find it totally bizarre that some universities have retained them when they are no longer required (and rarely worn) in schools, shops, pubs, restaurants, buses, tubes or trains. It’s irrational: what exactly is the point?
Where I work appears to be threatening to keep 2m social distancing of desks and masks when moving about, even after Scotland's legal mask mandates expire. Joy.
I hope they are planning to review further and are just being cautious until the governments give up their caution, but I really don't trust them not to continue with their own over-caution.
It is completely irrational.
You see it on here: “I don’t always wear my mask but I might wear it on a train”. Why a train? And do you remove it to drink your coffee on said train? And if not how do you drink your coffee? And if you do remove it, why bother wearing it at all? And if you do wear it on the train, do you wear it in the pub? And when in the pub, how do drink your pint with a mask on?
I dare say the individual outcomes with sporadic masking versus no masking will be near identical.
Eh?
This is drivel, and I speak as someone who is generally pro-freedom.
Let us imagine that you expel 10 virus particles per breath when masked, and 100 per breath when unmasked.
If a virus carrier is on the train and has their masks on for half the journey, and off for half the journey, they will have still spread 45% less viral particles than would otherwise be the case. That reduction might be well worth it.
(FWIW, except in really crowded spaces like the tube, I wouldn't be wearing a mask. But the idea that half time wearing doesn't confer benefits as far as viral spread is ridiculous.)
Unless you wear a FFP3 mask all the time and/or lock yourself indoors your chances of catching Omicron at some point are near 100% aren’t they? So by masking on a train then taking it off to visit your local pub is a largely pointless exercise. It (at best) delays the inevitable unless you live a life of total isolation!
I'm not arguing with that, I am arguing with the idea that part time mask wearing does not confer a benefit in terms of slowing the spread of the disease.
Had a corking day at an event in town yesterday. Hundreds there. No masking (well okay I saw two masks all day, amid the multitude) then off to a busy bar then a busy restaurant. No masks on the Tube or bus. It’s like covid never happened in London - assume (outside Godalming) it’s like that in other towns and cities?
Unusual to see masks in Cannock and generally only among older people.
Love nick and a lot of time for him, but was it him who lied about his canvassing in 2019 to cheer himself up or something? Is he telling porkies about Godalming mask wearing too? Apologies @NickPalmer if I have that wrong, just can’t square your reports with almost everywhere else.
What’s the lying about canvassing reference? I don’t know anything about that.
His accounts of masking In Godalming are barely believable— but it is a very sleepy conservative sort of place. Has a Christian Science library. Anything is possible.
One of the labour posters kept saying how it was close on the doorsteps, when in reality it wasn’t, and they knew it. May not have been @NickPalmer.
Ah, okay. I simply cannot imagine being so partisan that I would make up stories but several PBers are, regrettably.
Re: masking. I have only worn one once, for 20 minutes, in the last two months. This was because I was invited to the doctor’s surgery for a general check up and the lady on the phone asked me to bring one. I found one buried in the cupboard.
Sadly our uni has kept them for busy environments and I’ve had a lot of lab classes in the last 5 weeks. Up to 6 hours a day. The uni is supposed to be reviewing at the holidays, but no one is sure if that is Easter (one week away) or summer (9 weeks at least). Very little proper logic has been applied. I note that Oxford has dropped all mask requirements.
I was at an awards dinner last night - hundreds of people, very busy space, lots of yelling to be heard, no masks.
This is my frustration with work. Everywhere else it’s over. But the uni can’t let it go. Madness.
The Gold Management Team will have heard that anti woke gammons don’t like wearing masks, therefore mask wearing must be good.
Had a corking day at an event in town yesterday. Hundreds there. No masking (well okay I saw two masks all day, amid the multitude) then off to a busy bar then a busy restaurant. No masks on the Tube or bus. It’s like covid never happened in London - assume (outside Godalming) it’s like that in other towns and cities?
Unusual to see masks in Cannock and generally only among older people.
Love nick and a lot of time for him, but was it him who lied about his canvassing in 2019 to cheer himself up or something? Is he telling porkies about Godalming mask wearing too? Apologies @NickPalmer if I have that wrong, just can’t square your reports with almost everywhere else.
What’s the lying about canvassing reference? I don’t know anything about that.
His accounts of masking In Godalming are barely believable— but it is a very sleepy conservative sort of place. Has a Christian Science library. Anything is possible.
One of the labour posters kept saying how it was close on the doorsteps, when in reality it wasn’t, and they knew it. May not have been @NickPalmer.
Ah, okay. I simply cannot imagine being so partisan that I would make up stories but several PBers are, regrettably.
Re: masking. I have only worn one once, for 20 minutes, in the last two months. This was because I was invited to the doctor’s surgery for a general check up and the lady on the phone asked me to bring one. I found one buried in the cupboard.
Sadly our uni has kept them for busy environments and I’ve had a lot of lab classes in the last 5 weeks. Up to 6 hours a day. The uni is supposed to be reviewing at the holidays, but no one is sure if that is Easter (one week away) or summer (9 weeks at least). Very little proper logic has been applied. I note that Oxford has dropped all mask requirements.
I find it totally bizarre that some universities have retained them when they are no longer required (and rarely worn) in schools, shops, pubs, restaurants, buses, tubes or trains. It’s irrational: what exactly is the point?
Where I work appears to be threatening to keep 2m social distancing of desks and masks when moving about, even after Scotland's legal mask mandates expire. Joy.
I hope they are planning to review further and are just being cautious until the governments give up their caution, but I really don't trust them not to continue with their own over-caution.
It is completely irrational.
You see it on here: “I don’t always wear my mask but I might wear it on a train”. Why a train? And do you remove it to drink your coffee on said train? And if not how do you drink your coffee? And if you do remove it, why bother wearing it at all? And if you do wear it on the train, do you wear it in the pub? And when in the pub, how do drink your pint with a mask on?
I dare say the individual outcomes with sporadic masking versus no masking will be near identical.
Eh?
This is drivel, and I speak as someone who is generally pro-freedom.
Let us imagine that you expel 10 virus particles per breath when masked, and 100 per breath when unmasked.
If a virus carrier is on the train and has their masks on for half the journey, and off for half the journey, they will have still spread 45% less viral particles than would otherwise be the case. That reduction might be well worth it.
(FWIW, except in really crowded spaces like the tube, I wouldn't be wearing a mask. But the idea that half time wearing doesn't confer benefits as far as viral spread is ridiculous.)
Unless you wear a FFP3 mask all the time and/or lock yourself indoors your chances of catching Omicron at some point are near 100% aren’t they? So by masking on a train then taking it off to visit your local pub is a largely pointless exercise. It (at best) delays the inevitable unless you live a life of total isolation!
I'm not arguing with that, I am arguing with the idea that part time mask wearing does not confer a benefit in terms of slowing the spread of the disease.
Quite. There are PBers who would argue that the best way of dealing with a cholera epidemic without vaccines or antibiotics is positively to stop washing one's hands after the loo, and before dinner.
I also thought the graphic showed Labour on a smaller average now than under Corbyn last time, opposite to the “doing slightly better now” suggestion. Labour don’t even have as much voter enthusiasm for them today as under Corbyn 4 years ago? 😮
This ties in It seems with the consensus from the threads today, very much of the opinion it’s looking like Starmer coming out of this set of Locals as the Leader under pressure.
Boris has backed the winner in Ukraine crisis, and will be reaping the dividends from that for some time to come, just as my Dad told me yesterday. The penny has dropped for me now. 🤦♀️
Yeah but, I don't remember Starmer backing Putin, but if he did it was a bad call.
Wordle: got in 4, 2 last letter options, guessed right Quordle: 4,6,7,8. Happy with efficiency of guesses, I've guessed some right junk in the past and .improving in that respect. Not made lower than 8 yet though. Nerdle: fFirst time I've ended with about 4 equivalent digits to randomly guess from. Did a tie break guess, but 5 the worst I've done in a month. Wardle: Homed in quickly after my usual coastal first guess. Got in 3. Can't believe I didn't notice the arrows for a few weeks. Worldle: Thought, that looks like the sort of country that occurs in a particular area of the world, and then circled that region until landing on the 5th guess. Hard, a bit, but at least it wasn't the bloody Kergeulen Islands again. Globle: The usual triangle of countries approach once close yielded it in 5. Average dropping slowly, hoping to get sub 6 soon.
Sweardle, lewdle and the rest: sorry, swear engine too limited and not dialecty enough - they don't know half my words, I don't know half theirs. Sacked them off weeks ago.
Wardle and worldle both in 1 today. Wordle in 3, nerdle in 5, same as you - could have been 3, could have been 6 cycling through the possibilities at the end. Quordle in 4, 5, 6, 9. Have you tried worgle? A 6 letter wordle, predating wordle2. Today's was a bugger - possibly just for April 1st, it doesn't normally pick such obscure words. I was prewarned it was obscure and quite proud to get it in 6. http://bronze-age.com/worgle/
Have you tried cryptic crosswords? One printed every day in pretty much every national newspaper. And far more engaging and interesting than a trial and error matrix.
Cryptic crosswords, no thanks. I struggle enough with the inner workings of Mrs Rata's mind, I've no interest in the very individual mind workings of some randomer egotistical enough to think I am actually interested.
... says the poster who thinks we might be so interested in their guesses at various trivia puzzles that they feel moved to report their results in great detail.
Zzzzzzz....
Burn. Point acknowledged.
At least until I next get overly absorbed in minutiae.
Had a corking day at an event in town yesterday. Hundreds there. No masking (well okay I saw two masks all day, amid the multitude) then off to a busy bar then a busy restaurant. No masks on the Tube or bus. It’s like covid never happened in London - assume (outside Godalming) it’s like that in other towns and cities?
Unusual to see masks in Cannock and generally only among older people.
Love nick and a lot of time for him, but was it him who lied about his canvassing in 2019 to cheer himself up or something? Is he telling porkies about Godalming mask wearing too? Apologies @NickPalmer if I have that wrong, just can’t square your reports with almost everywhere else.
What’s the lying about canvassing reference? I don’t know anything about that.
His accounts of masking In Godalming are barely believable— but it is a very sleepy conservative sort of place. Has a Christian Science library. Anything is possible.
One of the labour posters kept saying how it was close on the doorsteps, when in reality it wasn’t, and they knew it. May not have been @NickPalmer.
Ah, okay. I simply cannot imagine being so partisan that I would make up stories but several PBers are, regrettably.
Re: masking. I have only worn one once, for 20 minutes, in the last two months. This was because I was invited to the doctor’s surgery for a general check up and the lady on the phone asked me to bring one. I found one buried in the cupboard.
Sadly our uni has kept them for busy environments and I’ve had a lot of lab classes in the last 5 weeks. Up to 6 hours a day. The uni is supposed to be reviewing at the holidays, but no one is sure if that is Easter (one week away) or summer (9 weeks at least). Very little proper logic has been applied. I note that Oxford has dropped all mask requirements.
I find it totally bizarre that some universities have retained them when they are no longer required (and rarely worn) in schools, shops, pubs, restaurants, buses, tubes or trains. It’s irrational: what exactly is the point?
Where I work appears to be threatening to keep 2m social distancing of desks and masks when moving about, even after Scotland's legal mask mandates expire. Joy.
I hope they are planning to review further and are just being cautious until the governments give up their caution, but I really don't trust them not to continue with their own over-caution.
It is completely irrational.
You see it on here: “I don’t always wear my mask but I might wear it on a train”. Why a train? And do you remove it to drink your coffee on said train? And if not how do you drink your coffee? And if you do remove it, why bother wearing it at all? And if you do wear it on the train, do you wear it in the pub? And when in the pub, how do drink your pint with a mask on?
I dare say the individual outcomes with sporadic masking versus no masking will be near identical.
Eh?
This is drivel, and I speak as someone who is generally pro-freedom.
Let us imagine that you expel 10 virus particles per breath when masked, and 100 per breath when unmasked.
If a virus carrier is on the train and has their masks on for half the journey, and off for half the journey, they will have still spread 45% less viral particles than would otherwise be the case. That reduction might be well worth it.
(FWIW, except in really crowded spaces like the tube, I wouldn't be wearing a mask. But the idea that half time wearing doesn't confer benefits as far as viral spread is ridiculous.)
Unless you wear a FFP3 mask all the time and/or lock yourself indoors your chances of catching Omicron at some point are near 100% aren’t they? So by masking on a train then taking it off to visit your local pub is a largely pointless exercise. It (at best) delays the inevitable unless you live a life of total isolation!
I'm not arguing with that, I am arguing with the idea that part time mask wearing does not confer a benefit in terms of slowing the spread of the disease.
Quite. There are PBers who would argue that the best way of dealing with a cholera epidemic without vaccines or antibiotics is positively to stop washing one's hands after the loo, and before dinner.
That's a weird analogy. Masking up only a little bit of the time would be more akin to sticking your hands in shit all the time but only occasionally washing them. I mean, it'd still be true to say every little helps, but...
I also thought the graphic showed Labour on a smaller average now than under Corbyn last time, opposite to the “doing slightly better now” suggestion. Labour don’t even have as much voter enthusiasm for them today as under Corbyn 4 years ago? 😮
This ties in It seems with the consensus from the threads today, very much of the opinion it’s looking like Starmer coming out of this set of Locals as the Leader under pressure.
Boris has backed the winner in Ukraine crisis, and will be reaping the dividends from that for some time to come, just as my Dad told me yesterday. The penny has dropped for me now. 🤦♀️
Boris is the world's most flaccid micropenis. Russia on Ukraine action was the best world event that one could possibly imagine happening for him and he still can't get it up, sorry, a lead in the polls against Starmer. He is a fat lying bastard, any Ukr credit goes to Baldy Wallace, and the Tories are going to get utterly crucified in May. Trust me on this.
Wordle: got in 4, 2 last letter options, guessed right Quordle: 4,6,7,8. Happy with efficiency of guesses, I've guessed some right junk in the past and .improving in that respect. Not made lower than 8 yet though. Nerdle: fFirst time I've ended with about 4 equivalent digits to randomly guess from. Did a tie break guess, but 5 the worst I've done in a month. Wardle: Homed in quickly after my usual coastal first guess. Got in 3. Can't believe I didn't notice the arrows for a few weeks. Worldle: Thought, that looks like the sort of country that occurs in a particular area of the world, and then circled that region until landing on the 5th guess. Hard, a bit, but at least it wasn't the bloody Kergeulen Islands again. Globle: The usual triangle of countries approach once close yielded it in 5. Average dropping slowly, hoping to get sub 6 soon.
Sweardle, lewdle and the rest: sorry, swear engine too limited and not dialecty enough - they don't know half my words, I don't know half theirs. Sacked them off weeks ago.
Wardle and worldle both in 1 today. Wordle in 3, nerdle in 5, same as you - could have been 3, could have been 6 cycling through the possibilities at the end. Quordle in 4, 5, 6, 9. Have you tried worgle? A 6 letter wordle, predating wordle2. Today's was a bugger - possibly just for April 1st, it doesn't normally pick such obscure words. I was prewarned it was obscure and quite proud to get it in 6. http://bronze-age.com/worgle/
Have you tried cryptic crosswords? One printed every day in pretty much every national newspaper. And far more engaging and interesting than a trial and error matrix.
Well they're not really trial and error matrices. Certainly not worldle or Wardle. Less interesting than cryptic crosswords, certainly, but sadly while I can memorise the shapes of British Council areas I cannot get my brain to do cryptic crosswords with any success. Too literal minded, perhaps.
I’m no expert in cryptic, but know the basics. The key is always to spot the type of question, from the limited pool of types. For instance some will have anagrams, some double definitions, some feature the word spelled out with a phrase and so on. A good cryptic clue should be fully explained by the clue. Also different papers have different styles and different compilers will be more or less to your liking/way of thinking. When I regularly did the telegraph cryptic it got harder over the week, but the easiest day for me was Tuesday. Times also seem to get harder during the week. The more you do, the greater the chance of recognising a clue, or having seen something very similar before. Right now I’ve been too busy to regularly have a crack at the times, bu5bi go through phases, and the more you do, the easier it gets.
I find the Times to be the hardest of the lot. I can rarely finish it. The Observer Everyman I can finish most weeks. The Telegraph I only ever do on holiday when it’s the only English paper available! It’s kinda muddle difficultly from my limited experience.
As you say, the trick is to learn the different types of clue: acrostic, anagram, double meaning, super-cryptic, etc…
Really?
I used to commute Wandsworth Town to Bank, and do the Times in the time available every single day. No exceptions. Mind you trains were slow and I was young back then.
I also thought the graphic showed Labour on a smaller average now than under Corbyn last time, opposite to the “doing slightly better now” suggestion. Labour don’t even have as much voter enthusiasm for them today as under Corbyn 4 years ago? 😮
This ties in It seems with the consensus from the threads today, very much of the opinion it’s looking like Starmer coming out of this set of Locals as the Leader under pressure.
Boris has backed the winner in Ukraine crisis, and will be reaping the dividends from that for some time to come, just as my Dad told me yesterday. The penny has dropped for me now. 🤦♀️
Boris is the world's most flaccid micropenis. Russia on Ukraine action was the best world event that one could possibly imagine happening for him and he still can't get it up, sorry, a lead in the polls against Starmer. He is a fat lying bastard, any Ukr credit goes to Baldy Wallace, and the Tories are going to get utterly crucified in May. Trust me on this.
Thank goodness Johnson and Sunak have a handle on the economy. Imagine if that were to run out of control.
I also thought the graphic showed Labour on a smaller average now than under Corbyn last time, opposite to the “doing slightly better now” suggestion. Labour don’t even have as much voter enthusiasm for them today as under Corbyn 4 years ago? 😮
This ties in It seems with the consensus from the threads today, very much of the opinion it’s looking like Starmer coming out of this set of Locals as the Leader under pressure.
Boris has backed the winner in Ukraine crisis, and will be reaping the dividends from that for some time to come, just as my Dad told me yesterday. The penny has dropped for me now. 🤦♀️
Boris is the world's most flaccid micropenis. Russia on Ukraine action was the best world event that one could possibly imagine happening for him and he still can't get it up, sorry, a lead in the polls against Starmer. He is a fat lying bastard, any Ukr credit goes to Baldy Wallace, and the Tories are going to get utterly crucified in May. Trust me on this.
Thank goodness Johnson and Sunak have a handle on the economy. Imagine if that were to run out of control.
I also thought the graphic showed Labour on a smaller average now than under Corbyn last time, opposite to the “doing slightly better now” suggestion. Labour don’t even have as much voter enthusiasm for them today as under Corbyn 4 years ago? 😮
This ties in It seems with the consensus from the threads today, very much of the opinion it’s looking like Starmer coming out of this set of Locals as the Leader under pressure.
Boris has backed the winner in Ukraine crisis, and will be reaping the dividends from that for some time to come, just as my Dad told me yesterday. The penny has dropped for me now. 🤦♀️
Boris is the world's most flaccid micropenis. Russia on Ukraine action was the best world event that one could possibly imagine happening for him and he still can't get it up, sorry, a lead in the polls against Starmer. He is a fat lying bastard, any Ukr credit goes to Baldy Wallace, and the Tories are going to get utterly crucified in May. Trust me on this.
Let it go Z. Is my message to you. He really isn’t getting a bashing in May. No indicators point to it. You are right, last years jab bounce elections were peak Boris - even retaining a majority at next GE will be below peak Boris. And you are right, the laziest, shameless, and unlikeable PM we have had doesn’t deserve it. But he has got a bounce again this spring, the indicators we have at the moment point to Labour and Libdem successes, but modest, Tory losses, but modest do they not? Very much on topic, but disagreeing with Mike’s opinion in header - what indicators do we have it’s really going to be that bad for the Tories?
I also thought the graphic showed Labour on a smaller average now than under Corbyn last time, opposite to the “doing slightly better now” suggestion. Labour don’t even have as much voter enthusiasm for them today as under Corbyn 4 years ago? 😮
This ties in It seems with the consensus from the threads today, very much of the opinion it’s looking like Starmer coming out of this set of Locals as the Leader under pressure.
Boris has backed the winner in Ukraine crisis, and will be reaping the dividends from that for some time to come, just as my Dad told me yesterday. The penny has dropped for me now. 🤦♀️
Yeah but, I don't remember Starmer backing Putin, but if he did it was a bad call.
I’m with the posters who explain Starmer, and Davey, done their best with this, but there is little they can do about it from opposition benches, if those in power handle a crisis well and get a bounce from it.
I also thought the graphic showed Labour on a smaller average now than under Corbyn last time, opposite to the “doing slightly better now” suggestion. Labour don’t even have as much voter enthusiasm for them today as under Corbyn 4 years ago? 😮
This ties in It seems with the consensus from the threads today, very much of the opinion it’s looking like Starmer coming out of this set of Locals as the Leader under pressure.
Boris has backed the winner in Ukraine crisis, and will be reaping the dividends from that for some time to come, just as my Dad told me yesterday. The penny has dropped for me now. 🤦♀️
Boris is the world's most flaccid micropenis. Russia on Ukraine action was the best world event that one could possibly imagine happening for him and he still can't get it up, sorry, a lead in the polls against Starmer. He is a fat lying bastard, any Ukr credit goes to Baldy Wallace, and the Tories are going to get utterly crucified in May. Trust me on this.
Let it go Z. Is my message to you. He really isn’t getting a bashing in May. No indicators point to it. You are right, last years jab bounce elections were peak Boris - even retaining a majority at next GE will be below peak Boris. And you are right, the laziest, shameless, and unlikeable PM we have had doesn’t deserve it. But he has got a bounce again this spring, the indicators we have at the moment point to Labour and Libdem successes, but modest, Tory losses, but modest do they not? Very much on topic, but disagreeing with Mike’s opinion in header - what indicators do we have it’s really going to be that bad for the Tories?
Whatever. Bin communing with machine elves this PM and then on the Cotes du Rhone Villages. Time 4 beddd.
How exactly is ‘viral load’ higher in a busy train carriage than in a packed pub? Selective masking strikes me as irrational nonsense.
I think most people are doing trade-offs between pleasure and protection, don't you? They might feel on a train that they're sitting quietly anyway, might as well wear a mask and maybe reduce the viral intake. If someone goes to a packed pub, they expect to enjoy it, and then the mask will get in the way for both drinking and shouting to friends.
I do agree that not getting Covid at all is going to be difficult (I suppose about a third of my friends have had it so far), but as reinfection seems not uncommon, it's reasonable not to want to get it repreatedly, unless you're doing something that's only fun without a mask.
That doesn't mean that Putin *will* retreat by May 9. It means May 9 commemorating the end of the War with Germany is a benchmark. It's a deadline that exists in Putin's head and the heads of other Russians. Some sort of resolution must be achieved by that date
All of these factors mean that Russia can't win Z-war with conventional means. It simply can't achive a result that will be perceived as a victory by Putin's subjects via a conventional war. And Putin needs a victory by May 9 or he'll lose his face... ... contrary to the somewhat popular beliefs Russian leadership is not aiming to raise the stakes indefinitely. They still want a positive outcome for themselves. But if they don't win by late April, they may escalate - to get some victory by a symbolic deadline
Five hours delay at a Turkish airport due to check-in meltdown. Not recommended
My Azerbaijan trip is finally on for the 14th. And I have the Ukrainians to thank for there being no threat of a Russian invasion there while I'm in-country. Although the Azeris might seek to do something against the Armenians while the Russians are distracted.
Enjoy. I’m tempted to cross the Iraqi border later this week. Maybe go to Erbil. Just to say “I’ve been to Iraq”
I have a friend working their *in special circumstances*. He has the most incredible job: hunting down art thieves and traffickers around the world. Stupidly glamorous and exciting. And well paid. Ex Territorial SAS
Long way East, when "I've been to Syria" is probably at least as cool as Iraq atm.
A friend of mine went solo to Diyarbakir and said being a lone western female there was by a long way the most frightening thing ever to happen to her. Just for info.
I am going to Diyarbakir
I have already been to Syria
3 weeks all around the country, It was the most marvellous place. Aleppo was a jewel. Krak des Chevaliers. Palmyra!!!!
ISIS and the war have destroyed one of the greatest destinations on earth. So awful
ISIS was to Syria what thatcher was to working class northern communities.
Surely the most abjectly cretinous post in the history of the internet, if not of the age of human literacy?
I also thought the graphic showed Labour on a smaller average now than under Corbyn last time, opposite to the “doing slightly better now” suggestion. Labour don’t even have as much voter enthusiasm for them today as under Corbyn 4 years ago? 😮
This ties in It seems with the consensus from the threads today, very much of the opinion it’s looking like Starmer coming out of this set of Locals as the Leader under pressure.
Boris has backed the winner in Ukraine crisis, and will be reaping the dividends from that for some time to come, just as my Dad told me yesterday. The penny has dropped for me now. 🤦♀️
Yeah but, I don't remember Starmer backing Putin, but if he did it was a bad call.
I’m with the posters who explain Starmer, and Davey, done their best with this, but there is little they can do about it from opposition benches, if those in power handle a crisis well and get a bounce from it.
I doubt you are correct, there is no Falklands Factor.
Johnson can claim victory if Putin is removed, but no one but the witheringly stupid will believe he had any direct responsibility.
Meanwhile hitherto Conservative voters are weighing up whether to feed the children and default on the mortgage and the car lease repayment, or starve the children and pay the dual fuel bill.
Five hours delay at a Turkish airport due to check-in meltdown. Not recommended
My Azerbaijan trip is finally on for the 14th. And I have the Ukrainians to thank for there being no threat of a Russian invasion there while I'm in-country. Although the Azeris might seek to do something against the Armenians while the Russians are distracted.
Enjoy. I’m tempted to cross the Iraqi border later this week. Maybe go to Erbil. Just to say “I’ve been to Iraq”
I have a friend working their *in special circumstances*. He has the most incredible job: hunting down art thieves and traffickers around the world. Stupidly glamorous and exciting. And well paid. Ex Territorial SAS
Long way East, when "I've been to Syria" is probably at least as cool as Iraq atm.
A friend of mine went solo to Diyarbakir and said being a lone western female there was by a long way the most frightening thing ever to happen to her. Just for info.
I am going to Diyarbakir
I have already been to Syria
3 weeks all around the country, It was the most marvellous place. Aleppo was a jewel. Krak des Chevaliers. Palmyra!!!!
ISIS and the war have destroyed one of the greatest destinations on earth. So awful
ISIS was to Syria what thatcher was to working class northern communities.
Surely the most abjectly cretinous post in the history of the internet, if not of the age of human literacy?
I also thought the graphic showed Labour on a smaller average now than under Corbyn last time, opposite to the “doing slightly better now” suggestion. Labour don’t even have as much voter enthusiasm for them today as under Corbyn 4 years ago? 😮
This ties in It seems with the consensus from the threads today, very much of the opinion it’s looking like Starmer coming out of this set of Locals as the Leader under pressure.
Boris has backed the winner in Ukraine crisis, and will be reaping the dividends from that for some time to come, just as my Dad told me yesterday. The penny has dropped for me now. 🤦♀️
Yeah but, I don't remember Starmer backing Putin, but if he did it was a bad call.
I’m with the posters who explain Starmer, and Davey, done their best with this, but there is little they can do about it from opposition benches, if those in power handle a crisis well and get a bounce from it.
I doubt you are correct, there is no Falklands Factor.
Johnson can claim victory if Putin is removed, but no one but the witheringly stupid will believe he had any direct responsibility.
Meanwhile hitherto Conservative voters are weighing up whether to feed the children and default on the mortgage and the car lease repayment, or starve the children and pay the dual fuel bill.
Genuine question. If labour was in power what do you think they would different? Would they try to completely mitigate the rises in the cost of living? Lots of pigeons are coming home to roost. The pandemic needs paying for. Furlough wasn’t free money after all. Going green was always going to cost at some point. I don’t blame people for being angry. And of course they are going to be angry at those in charge. I’m just not sure it’s entirely their fault.
I also thought the graphic showed Labour on a smaller average now than under Corbyn last time, opposite to the “doing slightly better now” suggestion. Labour don’t even have as much voter enthusiasm for them today as under Corbyn 4 years ago? 😮
This ties in It seems with the consensus from the threads today, very much of the opinion it’s looking like Starmer coming out of this set of Locals as the Leader under pressure.
Boris has backed the winner in Ukraine crisis, and will be reaping the dividends from that for some time to come, just as my Dad told me yesterday. The penny has dropped for me now. 🤦♀️
Yeah but, I don't remember Starmer backing Putin, but if he did it was a bad call.
I’m with the posters who explain Starmer, and Davey, done their best with this, but there is little they can do about it from opposition benches, if those in power handle a crisis well and get a bounce from it.
I doubt you are correct, there is no Falklands Factor.
Johnson can claim victory if Putin is removed, but no one but the witheringly stupid will believe he had any direct responsibility.
Meanwhile hitherto Conservative voters are weighing up whether to feed the children and default on the mortgage and the car lease repayment, or starve the children and pay the dual fuel bill.
You are not properly engaging with this Pete.
Considering my analysis is right on this, and I am not alone, as all the Conservatives on this site seem quite confident about this set of elections now? moderate losses for Tory, only moderate gains for Labour, a degree of “loading votes” where Labour don’t need it whilst they still struggle in GE battleground like midlands - is there an argument, the May locals point to working majority for Conservatives in a June General Election - Why doesn’t Boris call that election?
In favour is,
Cash in on Getting Covid Done, Getting Brexit Done, and saving Ukraine whilst successes still fresh in voters minds.
Secure 5 years working majority before cost of living crisis next winter, and a stagflation recession next year or in 2024, eave them a long way to catch up in the polls in election 24/ Jan 25.
Big Dog Saved. Well and truly saved. After a GE win, 5 years working majority, he is safe for years, regardless what else is thrown at him or fall out from what already has been.
Labour not ready, Starmer not ready. Electorate still not sure about opposition leader, his party and its policies.
If the May locals point to Conservatives getting working majority in June election, and it looks like 23 and 24 could be tricky for them to hold an election in, we have to consider possibility there is a General Election within the next 3 months. Don’t we?
Had a corking day at an event in town yesterday. Hundreds there. No masking (well okay I saw two masks all day, amid the multitude) then off to a busy bar then a busy restaurant. No masks on the Tube or bus. It’s like covid never happened in London - assume (outside Godalming) it’s like that in other towns and cities?
Unusual to see masks in Cannock and generally only among older people.
Love nick and a lot of time for him, but was it him who lied about his canvassing in 2019 to cheer himself up or something? Is he telling porkies about Godalming mask wearing too? Apologies @NickPalmer if I have that wrong, just can’t square your reports with almost everywhere else.
What’s the lying about canvassing reference? I don’t know anything about that.
His accounts of masking In Godalming are barely believable— but it is a very sleepy conservative sort of place. Has a Christian Science library. Anything is possible.
One of the labour posters kept saying how it was close on the doorsteps, when in reality it wasn’t, and they knew it. May not have been @NickPalmer.
Ah, okay. I simply cannot imagine being so partisan that I would make up stories but several PBers are, regrettably.
Re: masking. I have only worn one once, for 20 minutes, in the last two months. This was because I was invited to the doctor’s surgery for a general check up and the lady on the phone asked me to bring one. I found one buried in the cupboard.
Sadly our uni has kept them for busy environments and I’ve had a lot of lab classes in the last 5 weeks. Up to 6 hours a day. The uni is supposed to be reviewing at the holidays, but no one is sure if that is Easter (one week away) or summer (9 weeks at least). Very little proper logic has been applied. I note that Oxford has dropped all mask requirements.
I find it totally bizarre that some universities have retained them when they are no longer required (and rarely worn) in schools, shops, pubs, restaurants, buses, tubes or trains. It’s irrational: what exactly is the point?
Where I work appears to be threatening to keep 2m social distancing of desks and masks when moving about, even after Scotland's legal mask mandates expire. Joy.
I hope they are planning to review further and are just being cautious until the governments give up their caution, but I really don't trust them not to continue with their own over-caution.
It is completely irrational.
You see it on here: “I don’t always wear my mask but I might wear it on a train”. Why a train? And do you remove it to drink your coffee on said train? And if not how do you drink your coffee? And if you do remove it, why bother wearing it at all? And if you do wear it on the train, do you wear it in the pub? And when in the pub, how do drink your pint with a mask on?
I dare say the individual outcomes with sporadic masking versus no masking will be near identical.
Eh?
This is drivel, and I speak as someone who is generally pro-freedom.
Let us imagine that you expel 10 virus particles per breath when masked, and 100 per breath when unmasked.
If a virus carrier is on the train and has their masks on for half the journey, and off for half the journey, they will have still spread 45% less viral particles than would otherwise be the case. That reduction might be well worth it.
(FWIW, except in really crowded spaces like the tube, I wouldn't be wearing a mask. But the idea that half time wearing doesn't confer benefits as far as viral spread is ridiculous.)
Unless you wear a FFP3 mask all the time and/or lock yourself indoors your chances of catching Omicron at some point are near 100% aren’t they? So by masking on a train then taking it off to visit your local pub is a largely pointless exercise. It (at best) delays the inevitable unless you live a life of total isolation!
Yes, but viral load may well be a factor in how Ill people get with covid.
I think pretty much everyone will get Omicron in time, but it doesn't give very good immunity to classic covid (and hence often infects the vaccinated or those with previous covid) even if it covers Omicron variants.
How exactly is ‘viral load’ higher in a busy train carriage than in a packed pub? Selective masking strikes me as irrational nonsense.
No, as RCS explained 50% protection is 50% protection.
No to what? Isn’t it rather like walking two miles through a storm with your umbrella up for the first mile then down for the second mile.
How exactly is ‘viral load’ higher in a busy train carriage than in a packed pub? Selective masking strikes me as irrational nonsense.
I think most people are doing trade-offs between pleasure and protection, don't you? They might feel on a train that they're sitting quietly anyway, might as well wear a mask and maybe reduce the viral intake. If someone goes to a packed pub, they expect to enjoy it, and then the mask will get in the way for both drinking and shouting to friends.
I do agree that not getting Covid at all is going to be difficult (I suppose about a third of my friends have had it so far), but as reinfection seems not uncommon, it's reasonable not to want to get it repreatedly, unless you're doing something that's only fun without a mask.
What's wrong with catching Covid? It is now less dangerous than flu. We never used to do much to protect ourselves from flu.
Had a corking day at an event in town yesterday. Hundreds there. No masking (well okay I saw two masks all day, amid the multitude) then off to a busy bar then a busy restaurant. No masks on the Tube or bus. It’s like covid never happened in London - assume (outside Godalming) it’s like that in other towns and cities?
Unusual to see masks in Cannock and generally only among older people.
Love nick and a lot of time for him, but was it him who lied about his canvassing in 2019 to cheer himself up or something? Is he telling porkies about Godalming mask wearing too? Apologies @NickPalmer if I have that wrong, just can’t square your reports with almost everywhere else.
What’s the lying about canvassing reference? I don’t know anything about that.
His accounts of masking In Godalming are barely believable— but it is a very sleepy conservative sort of place. Has a Christian Science library. Anything is possible.
One of the labour posters kept saying how it was close on the doorsteps, when in reality it wasn’t, and they knew it. May not have been @NickPalmer.
Ah, okay. I simply cannot imagine being so partisan that I would make up stories but several PBers are, regrettably.
Re: masking. I have only worn one once, for 20 minutes, in the last two months. This was because I was invited to the doctor’s surgery for a general check up and the lady on the phone asked me to bring one. I found one buried in the cupboard.
Sadly our uni has kept them for busy environments and I’ve had a lot of lab classes in the last 5 weeks. Up to 6 hours a day. The uni is supposed to be reviewing at the holidays, but no one is sure if that is Easter (one week away) or summer (9 weeks at least). Very little proper logic has been applied. I note that Oxford has dropped all mask requirements.
I find it totally bizarre that some universities have retained them when they are no longer required (and rarely worn) in schools, shops, pubs, restaurants, buses, tubes or trains. It’s irrational: what exactly is the point?
Where I work appears to be threatening to keep 2m social distancing of desks and masks when moving about, even after Scotland's legal mask mandates expire. Joy.
I hope they are planning to review further and are just being cautious until the governments give up their caution, but I really don't trust them not to continue with their own over-caution.
It is completely irrational.
You see it on here: “I don’t always wear my mask but I might wear it on a train”. Why a train? And do you remove it to drink your coffee on said train? And if not how do you drink your coffee? And if you do remove it, why bother wearing it at all? And if you do wear it on the train, do you wear it in the pub? And when in the pub, how do drink your pint with a mask on?
I dare say the individual outcomes with sporadic masking versus no masking will be near identical.
Eh?
This is drivel, and I speak as someone who is generally pro-freedom.
Let us imagine that you expel 10 virus particles per breath when masked, and 100 per breath when unmasked.
If a virus carrier is on the train and has their masks on for half the journey, and off for half the journey, they will have still spread 45% less viral particles than would otherwise be the case. That reduction might be well worth it.
(FWIW, except in really crowded spaces like the tube, I wouldn't be wearing a mask. But the idea that half time wearing doesn't confer benefits as far as viral spread is ridiculous.)
Unless you wear a FFP3 mask all the time and/or lock yourself indoors your chances of catching Omicron at some point are near 100% aren’t they? So by masking on a train then taking it off to visit your local pub is a largely pointless exercise. It (at best) delays the inevitable unless you live a life of total isolation!
I'm not arguing with that, I am arguing with the idea that part time mask wearing does not confer a benefit in terms of slowing the spread of the disease.
I didn’t argue it didn’t. I specifically said INDIVIDUAL outcomes. Nothing about general spread. From an individual risk standpoint, selective masking is seemingly irrational: what are you disagreeing with here? (Or did you just misread my OP)
I also thought the graphic showed Labour on a smaller average now than under Corbyn last time, opposite to the “doing slightly better now” suggestion. Labour don’t even have as much voter enthusiasm for them today as under Corbyn 4 years ago? 😮
This ties in It seems with the consensus from the threads today, very much of the opinion it’s looking like Starmer coming out of this set of Locals as the Leader under pressure.
Boris has backed the winner in Ukraine crisis, and will be reaping the dividends from that for some time to come, just as my Dad told me yesterday. The penny has dropped for me now. 🤦♀️
Yeah but, I don't remember Starmer backing Putin, but if he did it was a bad call.
I’m with the posters who explain Starmer, and Davey, done their best with this, but there is little they can do about it from opposition benches, if those in power handle a crisis well and get a bounce from it.
I doubt you are correct, there is no Falklands Factor.
Johnson can claim victory if Putin is removed, but no one but the witheringly stupid will believe he had any direct responsibility.
Meanwhile hitherto Conservative voters are weighing up whether to feed the children and default on the mortgage and the car lease repayment, or starve the children and pay the dual fuel bill.
You are not properly engaging with this Pete.
Considering my analysis is right on this, and I am not alone, as all the Conservatives on this site seem quite confident about this set of elections now? moderate losses for Tory, only moderate gains for Labour, a degree of “loading votes” where Labour don’t need it whilst they still struggle in GE battleground like midlands - is there an argument, the May locals point to working majority for Conservatives in a June General Election - Why doesn’t Boris call that election?
In favour is,
Cash in on Getting Covid Done, Getting Brexit Done, and saving Ukraine whilst successes still fresh in voters minds.
Secure 5 years working majority before cost of living crisis next winter, and a stagflation recession next year or in 2024, eave them a long way to catch up in the polls in election 24/ Jan 25.
Big Dog Saved. Well and truly saved. After a GE win, 5 years working majority, he is safe for years, regardless what else is thrown at him or fall out from what already has been.
Labour not ready, Starmer not ready. Electorate still not sure about opposition leader, his party and its policies.
If the May locals point to Conservatives getting working majority in June election, and it looks like 23 and 24 could be tricky for them to hold an election in, we have to consider possibility there is a General Election within the next 3 months. Don’t we?
I am one who thinks the Tories will do better in May than expected. But there is no way on God's Earth, unless summat really big happens (and no Ukraine victory isn't that), that they will point to a comfortable majority. The Theresa May gambit isn't happening. Not least cos she tried it. And the Midlands isn't the key. There are few marginals there. It's the North.
No. Fuck it. What did he really face? Some sleet, bit of a stiff breeze at times, weird penguins. Also nice views and outdoor hiking
I was up at 5 this morning and due to a combo of total fuck up by Turkish airlines and the remoteness of the destination I am still travelling.and have spent half the day queuing. And I am Still in an unmoving plane. And when it finally takes off and finally lands I then have a 2 drive across the Kurdish desert, commencing at 1am
Had a corking day at an event in town yesterday. Hundreds there. No masking (well okay I saw two masks all day, amid the multitude) then off to a busy bar then a busy restaurant. No masks on the Tube or bus. It’s like covid never happened in London - assume (outside Godalming) it’s like that in other towns and cities?
Unusual to see masks in Cannock and generally only among older people.
Love nick and a lot of time for him, but was it him who lied about his canvassing in 2019 to cheer himself up or something? Is he telling porkies about Godalming mask wearing too? Apologies @NickPalmer if I have that wrong, just can’t square your reports with almost everywhere else.
What’s the lying about canvassing reference? I don’t know anything about that.
His accounts of masking In Godalming are barely believable— but it is a very sleepy conservative sort of place. Has a Christian Science library. Anything is possible.
One of the labour posters kept saying how it was close on the doorsteps, when in reality it wasn’t, and they knew it. May not have been @NickPalmer.
Ah, okay. I simply cannot imagine being so partisan that I would make up stories but several PBers are, regrettably.
Re: masking. I have only worn one once, for 20 minutes, in the last two months. This was because I was invited to the doctor’s surgery for a general check up and the lady on the phone asked me to bring one. I found one buried in the cupboard.
Sadly our uni has kept them for busy environments and I’ve had a lot of lab classes in the last 5 weeks. Up to 6 hours a day. The uni is supposed to be reviewing at the holidays, but no one is sure if that is Easter (one week away) or summer (9 weeks at least). Very little proper logic has been applied. I note that Oxford has dropped all mask requirements.
I find it totally bizarre that some universities have retained them when they are no longer required (and rarely worn) in schools, shops, pubs, restaurants, buses, tubes or trains. It’s irrational: what exactly is the point?
Where I work appears to be threatening to keep 2m social distancing of desks and masks when moving about, even after Scotland's legal mask mandates expire. Joy.
I hope they are planning to review further and are just being cautious until the governments give up their caution, but I really don't trust them not to continue with their own over-caution.
It is completely irrational.
You see it on here: “I don’t always wear my mask but I might wear it on a train”. Why a train? And do you remove it to drink your coffee on said train? And if not how do you drink your coffee? And if you do remove it, why bother wearing it at all? And if you do wear it on the train, do you wear it in the pub? And when in the pub, how do drink your pint with a mask on?
I dare say the individual outcomes with sporadic masking versus no masking will be near identical.
Eh?
This is drivel, and I speak as someone who is generally pro-freedom.
Let us imagine that you expel 10 virus particles per breath when masked, and 100 per breath when unmasked.
If a virus carrier is on the train and has their masks on for half the journey, and off for half the journey, they will have still spread 45% less viral particles than would otherwise be the case. That reduction might be well worth it.
(FWIW, except in really crowded spaces like the tube, I wouldn't be wearing a mask. But the idea that half time wearing doesn't confer benefits as far as viral spread is ridiculous.)
Unless you wear a FFP3 mask all the time and/or lock yourself indoors your chances of catching Omicron at some point are near 100% aren’t they? So by masking on a train then taking it off to visit your local pub is a largely pointless exercise. It (at best) delays the inevitable unless you live a life of total isolation!
I'm not arguing with that, I am arguing with the idea that part time mask wearing does not confer a benefit in terms of slowing the spread of the disease.
Quite. There are PBers who would argue that the best way of dealing with a cholera epidemic without vaccines or antibiotics is positively to stop washing one's hands after the loo, and before dinner.
I also thought the graphic showed Labour on a smaller average now than under Corbyn last time, opposite to the “doing slightly better now” suggestion. Labour don’t even have as much voter enthusiasm for them today as under Corbyn 4 years ago? 😮
This ties in It seems with the consensus from the threads today, very much of the opinion it’s looking like Starmer coming out of this set of Locals as the Leader under pressure.
Boris has backed the winner in Ukraine crisis, and will be reaping the dividends from that for some time to come, just as my Dad told me yesterday. The penny has dropped for me now. 🤦♀️
Yeah but, I don't remember Starmer backing Putin, but if he did it was a bad call.
I’m with the posters who explain Starmer, and Davey, done their best with this, but there is little they can do about it from opposition benches, if those in power handle a crisis well and get a bounce from it.
I doubt you are correct, there is no Falklands Factor.
Johnson can claim victory if Putin is removed, but no one but the witheringly stupid will believe he had any direct responsibility.
Meanwhile hitherto Conservative voters are weighing up whether to feed the children and default on the mortgage and the car lease repayment, or starve the children and pay the dual fuel bill.
You are not properly engaging with this Pete.
Considering my analysis is right on this, and I am not alone, as all the Conservatives on this site seem quite confident about this set of elections now? moderate losses for Tory, only moderate gains for Labour, a degree of “loading votes” where Labour don’t need it whilst they still struggle in GE battleground like midlands - is there an argument, the May locals point to working majority for Conservatives in a June General Election - Why doesn’t Boris call that election?
In favour is,
Cash in on Getting Covid Done, Getting Brexit Done, and saving Ukraine whilst successes still fresh in voters minds.
Secure 5 years working majority before cost of living crisis next winter, and a stagflation recession next year or in 2024, eave them a long way to catch up in the polls in election 24/ Jan 25.
Big Dog Saved. Well and truly saved. After a GE win, 5 years working majority, he is safe for years, regardless what else is thrown at him or fall out from what already has been.
Labour not ready, Starmer not ready. Electorate still not sure about opposition leader, his party and its policies.
If the May locals point to Conservatives getting working majority in June election, and it looks like 23 and 24 could be tricky for them to hold an election in, we have to consider possibility there is a General Election within the next 3 months. Don’t we?
Check out my posts. I have previously said 2022 GE. Nonetheless good luck with that.
The best Labour can hope for at the next GE is a hung Parliament, that is not out of the question. The LDs rather than SNP could hold the balance of power.
The longer Johnson remains in power the more people twig that he is not in it for UK citizens but for Boris Johnson.
I also thought the graphic showed Labour on a smaller average now than under Corbyn last time, opposite to the “doing slightly better now” suggestion. Labour don’t even have as much voter enthusiasm for them today as under Corbyn 4 years ago? 😮
This ties in It seems with the consensus from the threads today, very much of the opinion it’s looking like Starmer coming out of this set of Locals as the Leader under pressure.
Boris has backed the winner in Ukraine crisis, and will be reaping the dividends from that for some time to come, just as my Dad told me yesterday. The penny has dropped for me now. 🤦♀️
Boris is the world's most flaccid micropenis. Russia on Ukraine action was the best world event that one could possibly imagine happening for him and he still can't get it up, sorry, a lead in the polls against Starmer. He is a fat lying bastard, any Ukr credit goes to Baldy Wallace, and the Tories are going to get utterly crucified in May. Trust me on this.
Thank goodness Johnson and Sunak have a handle on the economy. Imagine if that were to run out of control.
Yeah. Sound money and low taxation innit.
Yet again I disagree with both of you. As my Dad explained why he liked the budget yesterday, it wasn’t a “populist” budget, it was fiscally literate in an inflationary situation to sit on the money for when growth is threatened and recession looming. Splashing the cash at this inflationary juncture, as a Lab Lib coalition assure us they would have done last week, would have been popular, in the short term, but would have made the medium term and longer term future for those “you were trying to help” even worse, wouldn’t it - with the money blown and inflation worse, and not the ammo to fight looming stagflation.
It wasn’t “populist” hence Boris moaning about it. splurge at this moment makes it worse in long run, if it gets to stagflation, then spend some money you have saved, as stagflation is about demand not supply so you don’t tighten to deal with it but spend.
It actually seems quite solid now the initial moaning is over.
I see we are always stating on the Road of Expectations Management as far as the local elections next month are concerned.
I am told the LDs will be a dismal failure if they don't win Somerset and it will be a triumph for the Conservatives if they hold Kensington & Chelsea. That takes expectation management out for a nice lunch and then to a bar for several drinks.
As has already been flogged to death (though the message still hasn't sunk in with some) applying national poll ratings as an extrapolation for local election results is akin to lunacy. Yes, we know local election voters (a subset of GE voters) often vote on national lines but not always and we also know those who want to give the Government a kick consider the local Conservative councillors to be the appropriate testicular victims.
It's how politics works - it's a form of check and balance. The Conservative electoral recovery began on May 2nd 1997 at local level if not Parliamentary - Labour had a decent night in May 2010 even while losing its majority at Westminster.
If people choose to vent their frustration at increased energy bills by voting out their local Tory Councillor it's not fair on said Councillor who has zero control or influence over any of this but anger isn't often rational.
Do we measure success or failure on vote shares, number of councillors or numbers of councils? The answer is all of them, none of them or whichever works best for your side.
For those of us who enjoy a wager or a trade, there are of course opportunities aplenty.
No. Fuck it. What did he really face? Some sleet, bit of a stiff breeze at times, weird penguins. Also nice views and outdoor hiking
I was up at 5 this morning and due to a combo of total fuck up by Turkish airlines and the remoteness of the destination I am still travelling.and have spent half the day queuing. And I am Still in an unmoving plane. And when it finally takes off and finally lands I then have a 2 drive across the Kurdish desert, commencing at 1am
THIS is the Worst Journey in the World
But remember...
It's better to travel than to arrive.
I take it that no drinks are being served on @Leon 's plane.
Half witted civilian toffish wanker on expedition led by toffish RN half witted wanker. Norwegian proles had it easy because actually it is easy, if you know what you are doing.
The scientific justification for the Worst Journey was particularly hilarious.
Had a corking day at an event in town yesterday. Hundreds there. No masking (well okay I saw two masks all day, amid the multitude) then off to a busy bar then a busy restaurant. No masks on the Tube or bus. It’s like covid never happened in London - assume (outside Godalming) it’s like that in other towns and cities?
Unusual to see masks in Cannock and generally only among older people.
Love nick and a lot of time for him, but was it him who lied about his canvassing in 2019 to cheer himself up or something? Is he telling porkies about Godalming mask wearing too? Apologies @NickPalmer if I have that wrong, just can’t square your reports with almost everywhere else.
What’s the lying about canvassing reference? I don’t know anything about that.
His accounts of masking In Godalming are barely believable— but it is a very sleepy conservative sort of place. Has a Christian Science library. Anything is possible.
One of the labour posters kept saying how it was close on the doorsteps, when in reality it wasn’t, and they knew it. May not have been @NickPalmer.
Ah, okay. I simply cannot imagine being so partisan that I would make up stories but several PBers are, regrettably.
Re: masking. I have only worn one once, for 20 minutes, in the last two months. This was because I was invited to the doctor’s surgery for a general check up and the lady on the phone asked me to bring one. I found one buried in the cupboard.
Sadly our uni has kept them for busy environments and I’ve had a lot of lab classes in the last 5 weeks. Up to 6 hours a day. The uni is supposed to be reviewing at the holidays, but no one is sure if that is Easter (one week away) or summer (9 weeks at least). Very little proper logic has been applied. I note that Oxford has dropped all mask requirements.
I find it totally bizarre that some universities have retained them when they are no longer required (and rarely worn) in schools, shops, pubs, restaurants, buses, tubes or trains. It’s irrational: what exactly is the point?
Where I work appears to be threatening to keep 2m social distancing of desks and masks when moving about, even after Scotland's legal mask mandates expire. Joy.
I hope they are planning to review further and are just being cautious until the governments give up their caution, but I really don't trust them not to continue with their own over-caution.
It is completely irrational.
You see it on here: “I don’t always wear my mask but I might wear it on a train”. Why a train? And do you remove it to drink your coffee on said train? And if not how do you drink your coffee? And if you do remove it, why bother wearing it at all? And if you do wear it on the train, do you wear it in the pub? And when in the pub, how do drink your pint with a mask on?
I dare say the individual outcomes with sporadic masking versus no masking will be near identical.
Eh?
This is drivel, and I speak as someone who is generally pro-freedom.
Let us imagine that you expel 10 virus particles per breath when masked, and 100 per breath when unmasked.
If a virus carrier is on the train and has their masks on for half the journey, and off for half the journey, they will have still spread 45% less viral particles than would otherwise be the case. That reduction might be well worth it.
(FWIW, except in really crowded spaces like the tube, I wouldn't be wearing a mask. But the idea that half time wearing doesn't confer benefits as far as viral spread is ridiculous.)
Unless you wear a FFP3 mask all the time and/or lock yourself indoors your chances of catching Omicron at some point are near 100% aren’t they? So by masking on a train then taking it off to visit your local pub is a largely pointless exercise. It (at best) delays the inevitable unless you live a life of total isolation!
Yes, but viral load may well be a factor in how Ill people get with covid.
I think pretty much everyone will get Omicron in time, but it doesn't give very good immunity to classic covid (and hence often infects the vaccinated or those with previous covid) even if it covers Omicron variants.
How exactly is ‘viral load’ higher in a busy train carriage than in a packed pub? Selective masking strikes me as irrational nonsense.
No, as RCS explained 50% protection is 50% protection.
I think there is something in both arguments. For sure masks worn some of the time by some people will reduce viral load etc. But I think where I am coming from and @Anabobazina too is that 95% of the time there are no masks, so doing it for a short bit of your day seems pointless against the overall balance of the day.
Yes exactly. Pointless and completely irrational. Yet a few holdouts continue with selective masking. It’s odd behaviour.
No. Fuck it. What did he really face? Some sleet, bit of a stiff breeze at times, weird penguins. Also nice views and outdoor hiking
I was up at 5 this morning and due to a combo of total fuck up by Turkish airlines and the remoteness of the destination I am still travelling.and have spent half the day queuing. And I am Still in an unmoving plane. And when it finally takes off and finally lands I then have a 2 drive across the Kurdish desert, commencing at 1am
GHISLAINE MAXWELL DENIED NEW TRIAL OVER JUROR’S PAST SEX ABUSE
That seems a bit rubbish. If you select a jury on the basis that It's reelly important that you weren't abused as a child and then a juror after finding the D guilty as fuck says Yeah well I had the ass abused off me as a child, is how I relate to the victims here, how does that not be a miscarriage of justice?
No. Fuck it. What did he really face? Some sleet, bit of a stiff breeze at times, weird penguins. Also nice views and outdoor hiking
I was up at 5 this morning and due to a combo of total fuck up by Turkish airlines and the remoteness of the destination I am still travelling.and have spent half the day queuing. And I am Still in an unmoving plane. And when it finally takes off and finally lands I then have a 2 drive across the Kurdish desert, commencing at 1am
THIS is the Worst Journey in the World
But remember...
It's better to travel than to arrive.
I take it that no drinks are being served on @Leon 's plane.
I lapsed into such a deep sleep I never found out
This is unprecedented
I am now in Gaziantepe, with that 2 hour drive to come. Then IT IS DONE
How exactly is ‘viral load’ higher in a busy train carriage than in a packed pub? Selective masking strikes me as irrational nonsense.
I think most people are doing trade-offs between pleasure and protection, don't you? They might feel on a train that they're sitting quietly anyway, might as well wear a mask and maybe reduce the viral intake. If someone goes to a packed pub, they expect to enjoy it, and then the mask will get in the way for both drinking and shouting to friends.
I do agree that not getting Covid at all is going to be difficult (I suppose about a third of my friends have had it so far), but as reinfection seems not uncommon, it's reasonable not to want to get it repreatedly, unless you're doing something that's only fun without a mask.
We are assured that omicron II or whatever it’s called now is the most contagious strain ever, that if you walk into an enclosed space and someone has it, you will get it for sure. Given that, masking for a small part of your day - e.g. on the fabled train (why are trains victimised by the way? Is there something uniquely scary about them?) but not in the office, or the pub, or your children at school, or in shops, is irrational.
I see we are always stating on the Road of Expectations Management as far as the local elections next month are concerned.
I am told the LDs will be a dismal failure if they don't win Somerset and it will be a triumph for the Conservatives if they hold Kensington & Chelsea. That takes expectation management out for a nice lunch and then to a bar for several drinks.
As has already been flogged to death (though the message still hasn't sunk in with some) applying national poll ratings as an extrapolation for local election results is akin to lunacy. Yes, we know local election voters (a subset of GE voters) often vote on national lines but not always and we also know those who want to give the Government a kick consider the local Conservative councillors to be the appropriate testicular victims.
It's how politics works - it's a form of check and balance. The Conservative electoral recovery began on May 2nd 1997 at local level if not Parliamentary - Labour had a decent night in May 2010 even while losing its majority at Westminster.
If people choose to vent their frustration at increased energy bills by voting out their local Tory Councillor it's not fair on said Councillor who has zero control or influence over any of this but anger isn't often rational.
Do we measure success or failure on vote shares, number of councillors or numbers of councils? The answer is all of them, none of them or whichever works best for your side.
For those of us who enjoy a wager or a trade, there are of course opportunities aplenty.
“ For those of us who enjoy a wager or a trade, there are of course opportunities aplenty. “
Somerset is the new Super Council? How do we see that one going then? Are Lib Dems really in with a chance? I think not. Whenever you merge things together into effectively bigger constituencies it has to favour the Conservatives. Just like it does in the bigger constituencies PCC elections, and old EU elections.
Somerset for example, 3 councils merged? On a good night Lib Dems might have taken one of those 3 councils, Tory’s the other two - now in this format that same night that same vote is a Tory win.
I think that is the approach we need to take in betting on such places?
Other parts of the country are queuing up to create their own Super Councils too, which probably deserves another thread header of its own.
Half witted civilian toffish wanker on expedition led by toffish RN half witted wanker. Norwegian proles had it easy because actually it is easy, if you know what you are doing.
The scientific justification for the Worst Journey was particularly hilarious.
I seem to remember they did get one emperor penguin egg back to london. And then it was lost
Certainly it had a bathetic resolution. He was supposedly a broken man forever after
Had a corking day at an event in town yesterday. Hundreds there. No masking (well okay I saw two masks all day, amid the multitude) then off to a busy bar then a busy restaurant. No masks on the Tube or bus. It’s like covid never happened in London - assume (outside Godalming) it’s like that in other towns and cities?
Unusual to see masks in Cannock and generally only among older people.
Love nick and a lot of time for him, but was it him who lied about his canvassing in 2019 to cheer himself up or something? Is he telling porkies about Godalming mask wearing too? Apologies @NickPalmer if I have that wrong, just can’t square your reports with almost everywhere else.
What’s the lying about canvassing reference? I don’t know anything about that.
His accounts of masking In Godalming are barely believable— but it is a very sleepy conservative sort of place. Has a Christian Science library. Anything is possible.
One of the labour posters kept saying how it was close on the doorsteps, when in reality it wasn’t, and they knew it. May not have been @NickPalmer.
Ah, okay. I simply cannot imagine being so partisan that I would make up stories but several PBers are, regrettably.
Re: masking. I have only worn one once, for 20 minutes, in the last two months. This was because I was invited to the doctor’s surgery for a general check up and the lady on the phone asked me to bring one. I found one buried in the cupboard.
Sadly our uni has kept them for busy environments and I’ve had a lot of lab classes in the last 5 weeks. Up to 6 hours a day. The uni is supposed to be reviewing at the holidays, but no one is sure if that is Easter (one week away) or summer (9 weeks at least). Very little proper logic has been applied. I note that Oxford has dropped all mask requirements.
I was at an awards dinner last night - hundreds of people, very busy space, lots of yelling to be heard, no masks.
This is my frustration with work. Everywhere else it’s over. But the uni can’t let it go. Madness.
I also thought the graphic showed Labour on a smaller average now than under Corbyn last time, opposite to the “doing slightly better now” suggestion. Labour don’t even have as much voter enthusiasm for them today as under Corbyn 4 years ago? 😮
This ties in It seems with the consensus from the threads today, very much of the opinion it’s looking like Starmer coming out of this set of Locals as the Leader under pressure.
Boris has backed the winner in Ukraine crisis, and will be reaping the dividends from that for some time to come, just as my Dad told me yesterday. The penny has dropped for me now. 🤦♀️
Starter and Boris both benefit from there being no obviously better or more popular successor though. That's why I think OGH is right and the next election will be between the two current incumbents
I also thought the graphic showed Labour on a smaller average now than under Corbyn last time, opposite to the “doing slightly better now” suggestion. Labour don’t even have as much voter enthusiasm for them today as under Corbyn 4 years ago? 😮
This ties in It seems with the consensus from the threads today, very much of the opinion it’s looking like Starmer coming out of this set of Locals as the Leader under pressure.
Boris has backed the winner in Ukraine crisis, and will be reaping the dividends from that for some time to come, just as my Dad told me yesterday. The penny has dropped for me now. 🤦♀️
Yeah but, I don't remember Starmer backing Putin, but if he did it was a bad call.
I’m with the posters who explain Starmer, and Davey, done their best with this, but there is little they can do about it from opposition benches, if those in power handle a crisis well and get a bounce from it.
I doubt you are correct, there is no Falklands Factor.
Johnson can claim victory if Putin is removed, but no one but the witheringly stupid will believe he had any direct responsibility.
Meanwhile hitherto Conservative voters are weighing up whether to feed the children and default on the mortgage and the car lease repayment, or starve the children and pay the dual fuel bill.
You are not properly engaging with this Pete.
Considering my analysis is right on this, and I am not alone, as all the Conservatives on this site seem quite confident about this set of elections now? moderate losses for Tory, only moderate gains for Labour, a degree of “loading votes” where Labour don’t need it whilst they still struggle in GE battleground like midlands - is there an argument, the May locals point to working majority for Conservatives in a June General Election - Why doesn’t Boris call that election?
In favour is,
Cash in on Getting Covid Done, Getting Brexit Done, and saving Ukraine whilst successes still fresh in voters minds.
Secure 5 years working majority before cost of living crisis next winter, and a stagflation recession next year or in 2024, eave them a long way to catch up in the polls in election 24/ Jan 25.
Big Dog Saved. Well and truly saved. After a GE win, 5 years working majority, he is safe for years, regardless what else is thrown at him or fall out from what already has been.
Labour not ready, Starmer not ready. Electorate still not sure about opposition leader, his party and its policies.
If the May locals point to Conservatives getting working majority in June election, and it looks like 23 and 24 could be tricky for them to hold an election in, we have to consider possibility there is a General Election within the next 3 months. Don’t we?
I am one who thinks the Tories will do better in May than expected. But there is no way on God's Earth, unless summat really big happens (and no Ukraine victory isn't that), that they will point to a comfortable majority. The Theresa May gambit isn't happening. Not least cos she tried it. And the Midlands isn't the key. There are few marginals there. It's the North.
Theresa May wasn’t Boris? Each set of circumstances not very different?
What about the reasoning I gave, Big Dog Saved. Well and truly saved. After a GE win, 5 years working majority, he is safe for years, regardless what else is thrown at him or fall out from what already has been. Secure 5 years working majority before cost of living crisis next winter, and a stagflation recession next year or in 2024 leave them a long way to catch up in the polls in election 24
I also thought the graphic showed Labour on a smaller average now than under Corbyn last time, opposite to the “doing slightly better now” suggestion. Labour don’t even have as much voter enthusiasm for them today as under Corbyn 4 years ago? 😮
This ties in It seems with the consensus from the threads today, very much of the opinion it’s looking like Starmer coming out of this set of Locals as the Leader under pressure.
Boris has backed the winner in Ukraine crisis, and will be reaping the dividends from that for some time to come, just as my Dad told me yesterday. The penny has dropped for me now. 🤦♀️
Starter and Boris both benefit from there being no obviously better or more popular successor though. That's why I think OGH is right and the next election will be between the two current incumbents
Wes Streeting looks a better contender for the Reds. There are any number for the blues but Tugendhat, Wallace or Hunt come to mind.
I also thought the graphic showed Labour on a smaller average now than under Corbyn last time, opposite to the “doing slightly better now” suggestion. Labour don’t even have as much voter enthusiasm for them today as under Corbyn 4 years ago? 😮
This ties in It seems with the consensus from the threads today, very much of the opinion it’s looking like Starmer coming out of this set of Locals as the Leader under pressure.
Boris has backed the winner in Ukraine crisis, and will be reaping the dividends from that for some time to come, just as my Dad told me yesterday. The penny has dropped for me now. 🤦♀️
Yeah but, I don't remember Starmer backing Putin, but if he did it was a bad call.
I’m with the posters who explain Starmer, and Davey, done their best with this, but there is little they can do about it from opposition benches, if those in power handle a crisis well and get a bounce from it.
I doubt you are correct, there is no Falklands Factor.
Johnson can claim victory if Putin is removed, but no one but the witheringly stupid will believe he had any direct responsibility.
Meanwhile hitherto Conservative voters are weighing up whether to feed the children and default on the mortgage and the car lease repayment, or starve the children and pay the dual fuel bill.
You are not properly engaging with this Pete.
Considering my analysis is right on this, and I am not alone, as all the Conservatives on this site seem quite confident about this set of elections now? moderate losses for Tory, only moderate gains for Labour, a degree of “loading votes” where Labour don’t need it whilst they still struggle in GE battleground like midlands - is there an argument, the May locals point to working majority for Conservatives in a June General Election - Why doesn’t Boris call that election?
In favour is,
Cash in on Getting Covid Done, Getting Brexit Done, and saving Ukraine whilst successes still fresh in voters minds.
Secure 5 years working majority before cost of living crisis next winter, and a stagflation recession next year or in 2024, eave them a long way to catch up in the polls in election 24/ Jan 25.
Big Dog Saved. Well and truly saved. After a GE win, 5 years working majority, he is safe for years, regardless what else is thrown at him or fall out from what already has been.
Labour not ready, Starmer not ready. Electorate still not sure about opposition leader, his party and its policies.
If the May locals point to Conservatives getting working majority in June election, and it looks like 23 and 24 could be tricky for them to hold an election in, we have to consider possibility there is a General Election within the next 3 months. Don’t we?
Check out my posts. I have previously said 2022 GE. Nonetheless good luck with that.
The best Labour can hope for at the next GE is a hung Parliament, that is not out of the question. The LDs rather than SNP could hold the balance of power.
The longer Johnson remains in power the more people twig that he is not in it for UK citizens but for Boris Johnson.
Even if there had been a window for a "Brexit: tick, Covid: tick" election (and it would have been taking the electoral mickey), Paterson and Parties closed the smallish window when it could have happened with the Conservatives ahead. (Even on the new boundaries, Conservatives need to be about 2 points ahead of Labour to unambiguously win). Now, the government has little choice but to swim through the river of sewage and stagflation and hope to reach the other bank sometime in 2024.
The other thing to consider is that there are different sorts of hung parliament. Roughly, the sequence goes
Conservative working majority - Conservatives unworkable majority - Coalition of Chaos 1.1 (Conservatives cut a deal with DUP) - Coalition of Chaos 2.0 (SNP needed for the centre-left to outvote Con + DUP) - Stablish coalition (SNP can be ignored; centre-left outvotes Con + DUP even when the SNP sits on their kilts) - Labour unworkable majority
As long as the SNP have a blocking bloc, it's really hard to see Labour winning a majority. There are just too many seats blanked out. Even a stablish "ignore the jocks" coalition is a heck of an achievement. The fact it's even on the agenda, especially against Boring Old Starmer is a sign of how much of a horlicks Bozza is making of things.
Exciting that Tories think Boris might go early and do a Theresa. Smacks of hubris. Personally I Can’t see him chucking away 3 years and a 80 seat majority myself, but you can but hope.
I also thought the graphic showed Labour on a smaller average now than under Corbyn last time, opposite to the “doing slightly better now” suggestion. Labour don’t even have as much voter enthusiasm for them today as under Corbyn 4 years ago? 😮
This ties in It seems with the consensus from the threads today, very much of the opinion it’s looking like Starmer coming out of this set of Locals as the Leader under pressure.
Boris has backed the winner in Ukraine crisis, and will be reaping the dividends from that for some time to come, just as my Dad told me yesterday. The penny has dropped for me now. 🤦♀️
Starter and Boris both benefit from there being no obviously better or more popular successor though. That's why I think OGH is right and the next election will be between the two current incumbents
Wes Streeting looks a better contender for the Reds. There are any number for the blues but Tugendhat, Wallace or Hunt come to mind.
I also thought the graphic showed Labour on a smaller average now than under Corbyn last time, opposite to the “doing slightly better now” suggestion. Labour don’t even have as much voter enthusiasm for them today as under Corbyn 4 years ago? 😮
This ties in It seems with the consensus from the threads today, very much of the opinion it’s looking like Starmer coming out of this set of Locals as the Leader under pressure.
Boris has backed the winner in Ukraine crisis, and will be reaping the dividends from that for some time to come, just as my Dad told me yesterday. The penny has dropped for me now. 🤦♀️
Starter and Boris both benefit from there being no obviously better or more popular successor though. That's why I think OGH is right and the next election will be between the two current incumbents
Wes Streeting looks a better contender for the Reds. There are any number for the blues but Tugendhat, Wallace or Hunt come to mind.
A Reeves-Streeting dream ticket would be formidable.
I also thought the graphic showed Labour on a smaller average now than under Corbyn last time, opposite to the “doing slightly better now” suggestion. Labour don’t even have as much voter enthusiasm for them today as under Corbyn 4 years ago? 😮
This ties in It seems with the consensus from the threads today, very much of the opinion it’s looking like Starmer coming out of this set of Locals as the Leader under pressure.
Boris has backed the winner in Ukraine crisis, and will be reaping the dividends from that for some time to come, just as my Dad told me yesterday. The penny has dropped for me now. 🤦♀️
Yeah but, I don't remember Starmer backing Putin, but if he did it was a bad call.
I’m with the posters who explain Starmer, and Davey, done their best with this, but there is little they can do about it from opposition benches, if those in power handle a crisis well and get a bounce from it.
I doubt you are correct, there is no Falklands Factor.
Johnson can claim victory if Putin is removed, but no one but the witheringly stupid will believe he had any direct responsibility.
Meanwhile hitherto Conservative voters are weighing up whether to feed the children and default on the mortgage and the car lease repayment, or starve the children and pay the dual fuel bill.
You are not properly engaging with this Pete.
Considering my analysis is right on this, and I am not alone, as all the Conservatives on this site seem quite confident about this set of elections now? moderate losses for Tory, only moderate gains for Labour, a degree of “loading votes” where Labour don’t need it whilst they still struggle in GE battleground like midlands - is there an argument, the May locals point to working majority for Conservatives in a June General Election - Why doesn’t Boris call that election?
In favour is,
Cash in on Getting Covid Done, Getting Brexit Done, and saving Ukraine whilst successes still fresh in voters minds.
Secure 5 years working majority before cost of living crisis next winter, and a stagflation recession next year or in 2024, eave them a long way to catch up in the polls in election 24/ Jan 25.
Big Dog Saved. Well and truly saved. After a GE win, 5 years working majority, he is safe for years, regardless what else is thrown at him or fall out from what already has been.
Labour not ready, Starmer not ready. Electorate still not sure about opposition leader, his party and its policies.
If the May locals point to Conservatives getting working majority in June election, and it looks like 23 and 24 could be tricky for them to hold an election in, we have to consider possibility there is a General Election within the next 3 months. Don’t we?
I am one who thinks the Tories will do better in May than expected. But there is no way on God's Earth, unless summat really big happens (and no Ukraine victory isn't that), that they will point to a comfortable majority. The Theresa May gambit isn't happening. Not least cos she tried it. And the Midlands isn't the key. There are few marginals there. It's the North.
Theresa May wasn’t Boris? Each set of circumstances not very different?
What about the reasoning I gave, Big Dog Saved. Well and truly saved. After a GE win, 5 years working majority, he is safe for years, regardless what else is thrown at him or fall out from what already has been. Secure 5 years working majority before cost of living crisis next winter, and a stagflation recession next year or in 2024 leave them a long way to catch up in the polls in election 24
Your reasoning relies on the Council elections pointing to a working Tory majority. That isn't going to happen. Aside from the established fact that calling an Election for pure partisan advantage is looked on askance.
Exciting that Tories think Boris might go early and do a Theresa. Smacks of hubris. Personally I Can’t see him chucking away 3 years and a 80 seat majority myself, but you can but hope.
That doesn't mean that Putin *will* retreat by May 9. It means May 9 commemorating the end of the War with Germany is a benchmark. It's a deadline that exists in Putin's head and the heads of other Russians. Some sort of resolution must be achieved by that date
All of these factors mean that Russia can't win Z-war with conventional means. It simply can't achive a result that will be perceived as a victory by Putin's subjects via a conventional war. And Putin needs a victory by May 9 or he'll lose his face... ... contrary to the somewhat popular beliefs Russian leadership is not aiming to raise the stakes indefinitely. They still want a positive outcome for themselves. But if they don't win by late April, they may escalate - to get some victory by a symbolic deadline
There's quite a funny April Fool's deep fake of Putin declaring victory in the war and announcing that he has signed a deal with Ukraine to restore Donbas and Crimea to them as well as creating a recovery fund to pay for reconstruction.
How exactly is ‘viral load’ higher in a busy train carriage than in a packed pub? Selective masking strikes me as irrational nonsense.
I think most people are doing trade-offs between pleasure and protection, don't you? They might feel on a train that they're sitting quietly anyway, might as well wear a mask and maybe reduce the viral intake. If someone goes to a packed pub, they expect to enjoy it, and then the mask will get in the way for both drinking and shouting to friends.
I do agree that not getting Covid at all is going to be difficult (I suppose about a third of my friends have had it so far), but as reinfection seems not uncommon, it's reasonable not to want to get it repreatedly, unless you're doing something that's only fun without a mask.
We are assured that omicron II or whatever it’s called now is the most contagious strain ever, that if you walk into an enclosed space and someone has it, you will get it for sure. Given that, masking for a small part of your day - e.g. on the fabled train (why are trains victimised by the way? Is there something uniquely scary about them?) but not in the office, or the pub, or your children at school, or in shops, is irrational.
It’s little more than comfort blanketing.
Was thinking of visiting Kelmscott this weekend. The Society of Antiquaries of London have just spent £6m doing it up and I thought I might contribute a few quid to the cause. But their website asserts 'We recommend that you wear a face covering while in the manor house' so I'll find something pleasurable to do instead. These intrusive 'recommendations' are never going to go away, are they? It will be more than someone's job's worth to delete them. They'll remain forever, like rusty signs that proclaim 'new road layout ahead' long after the death of the last centenarian who could remember what the old road layout looked like.
Exciting that Tories think Boris might go early and do a Theresa. Smacks of hubris. Personally I Can’t see him chucking away 3 years and a 80 seat majority myself, but you can but hope.
Indeed. Bring it on.
The Tory offer ‘vote for us now, because we’ve trashed the economy and we’re worried you might notice’ is pretty unique.
Exciting that Tories think Boris might go early and do a Theresa. Smacks of hubris. Personally I Can’t see him chucking away 3 years and a 80 seat majority myself, but you can but hope.
Comments
This is drivel, and I speak as someone who is generally pro-freedom.
Let us imagine that you expel 10 virus particles per breath when masked, and 100 per breath when unmasked.
If a virus carrier is on the train and has their masks on for half the journey, and off for half the journey, they will have still spread 45% less viral particles than would otherwise be the case. That reduction might be well worth it.
(FWIW, except in really crowded spaces like the tube, I wouldn't be wearing a mask. But the idea that half time wearing doesn't confer benefits as far as viral spread is ridiculous.)
#whybother?
Less interesting than cryptic crosswords, certainly, but sadly while I can memorise the shapes of British Council areas I cannot get my brain to do cryptic crosswords with any success. Too literal minded, perhaps.
I think pretty much everyone will get Omicron in time, but it doesn't give very good immunity to classic covid (and hence often infects the vaccinated or those with previous covid) even if it covers Omicron variants.
Of course, I'm sure @stjohn is the honourable exception, and is courteous enough to trouble us but once a year.
Then went to a gig last weekend, at the Electric Ballroom in Camden. Saw just one couple wearing masks in what we would have seen as a superspreader event. Think that was my pandemic-is-over moment.
Also different papers have different styles and different compilers will be more or less to your liking/way of thinking. When I regularly did the telegraph cryptic it got harder over the week, but the easiest day for me was Tuesday. Times also seem to get harder during the week. The more you do, the greater the chance of recognising a clue, or having seen something very similar before.
Right now I’ve been too busy to regularly have a crack at the times, bu5bi go through phases, and the more you do, the easier it gets.
As you say, the trick is to learn the different types of clue: acrostic, anagram, double meaning, super-cryptic, etc…
Take your own chocolate.
Apsley Cherry-Garrard had it easy
I was up at 5 this morning and due to a combo of total fuck up by Turkish airlines and the remoteness of the destination I am still travelling.and have spent half the day queuing. And I am Still in an unmoving plane. And when it finally takes off and finally lands I then have a 2 drive across the Kurdish desert, commencing at 1am
THIS is the Worst Journey in the World
Zzzzzzz....
I also thought the graphic showed Labour on a smaller average now than under Corbyn last time, opposite to the “doing slightly better now” suggestion. Labour don’t even have as much voter enthusiasm for them today as under Corbyn 4 years ago? 😮
This ties in It seems with the consensus from the threads today, very much of the opinion it’s looking like Starmer coming out of this set of Locals as the Leader under pressure.
Boris has backed the winner in Ukraine crisis, and will be reaping the dividends from that for some time to come, just as my Dad told me yesterday. The penny has dropped for me now. 🤦♀️
At least until I next get overly absorbed in minutiae.
❗️Rail War: Belarusian partisans have committed at least 10 successful sabotages on the railway since the beginning of the war in Ukraine.
This infographic shows the main events of the rail war over the past month.
1/3 https://t.co/1Lfzjy5ScT
Same account has interesting videos of Russian troop and vehicle movements.
https://twitter.com/MotolkoHelp/status/1509872644275032090?t=l2hqNI0RaO3hHeLLuExlcQ&s=19
A lot of empty tank transporters, waiting to see what comes back from the 3000 vehicles that set off to Kyiv
https://twitter.com/kamilkazani/status/1509968646688632832
I used to commute Wandsworth Town to Bank, and do the Times in the time available every single day. No exceptions. Mind you trains were slow and I was young back then.
You are right, last years jab bounce elections were peak Boris - even retaining a majority at next GE will be below peak Boris. And you are right, the laziest, shameless, and unlikeable PM we have had doesn’t deserve it. But he has got a bounce again this spring, the indicators we have at the moment point to Labour and Libdem successes, but modest, Tory losses, but modest do they not? Very much on topic, but disagreeing with Mike’s opinion in header - what indicators do we have it’s really going to be that bad for the Tories?
I do agree that not getting Covid at all is going to be difficult (I suppose about a third of my friends have had it so far), but as reinfection seems not uncommon, it's reasonable not to want to get it repreatedly, unless you're doing something that's only fun without a mask.
One interesting point:
That doesn't mean that Putin *will* retreat by May 9. It means May 9 commemorating the end of the War with Germany is a benchmark. It's a deadline that exists in Putin's head and the heads of other Russians. Some sort of resolution must be achieved by that date
All of these factors mean that Russia can't win Z-war with conventional means. It simply can't achive a result that will be perceived as a victory by Putin's subjects via a conventional war. And Putin needs a victory by May 9 or he'll lose his face...
... contrary to the somewhat popular beliefs Russian leadership is not aiming to raise the stakes indefinitely. They still want a positive outcome for themselves. But if they don't win by late April, they may escalate - to get some victory by a symbolic deadline
Johnson can claim victory if Putin is removed, but no one but the witheringly stupid will believe he had any direct responsibility.
Meanwhile hitherto Conservative voters are weighing up whether to feed the children and default on the mortgage and the car lease repayment, or starve the children and pay the dual fuel bill.
Podcast with excellent commentary on the failings of Russia’s military tactics
Lots of pigeons are coming home to roost. The pandemic needs paying for. Furlough wasn’t free money after all. Going green was always going to cost at some point.
I don’t blame people for being angry. And of course they are going to be angry at those in charge. I’m just not sure it’s entirely their fault.
Considering my analysis is right on this, and I am not alone, as all the Conservatives on this site seem quite confident about this set of elections now? moderate losses for Tory, only moderate gains for Labour, a degree of “loading votes” where Labour don’t need it whilst they still struggle in GE battleground like midlands - is there an argument, the May locals point to working majority for Conservatives in a June General Election - Why doesn’t Boris call that election?
In favour is,
Cash in on Getting Covid Done, Getting Brexit Done, and saving Ukraine whilst successes still fresh in voters minds.
Secure 5 years working majority before cost of living crisis next winter, and a stagflation recession next year or in 2024, eave them a long way to catch up in the polls in election 24/ Jan 25.
Big Dog Saved. Well and truly saved. After a GE win, 5 years working majority, he is safe for years, regardless what else is thrown at him or fall out from what already has been.
Labour not ready, Starmer not ready. Electorate still not sure about opposition leader, his party and its policies.
If the May locals point to Conservatives getting working majority in June election, and it looks like 23 and 24 could be tricky for them to hold an election in, we have to consider possibility there is a General Election within the next 3 months. Don’t we?
“50% protection”
You still get wet.
But there is no way on God's Earth, unless summat really big happens (and no Ukraine victory isn't that), that they will point to a comfortable majority. The Theresa May gambit isn't happening. Not least cos she tried it.
And the Midlands isn't the key. There are few marginals there.
It's the North.
It's better to travel than to arrive.
The best Labour can hope for at the next GE is a hung Parliament, that is not out of the question. The LDs rather than SNP could hold the balance of power.
The longer Johnson remains in power the more people twig that he is not in it for UK citizens but for Boris Johnson.
It wasn’t “populist” hence Boris moaning about it. splurge at this moment makes it worse in long run, if it gets to stagflation, then spend some money you have saved, as stagflation is about demand not supply so you don’t tighten to deal with it but spend.
It actually seems quite solid now the initial moaning is over.
I see we are always stating on the Road of Expectations Management as far as the local elections next month are concerned.
I am told the LDs will be a dismal failure if they don't win Somerset and it will be a triumph for the Conservatives if they hold Kensington & Chelsea. That takes expectation management out for a nice lunch and then to a bar for several drinks.
As has already been flogged to death (though the message still hasn't sunk in with some) applying national poll ratings as an extrapolation for local election results is akin to lunacy. Yes, we know local election voters (a subset of GE voters) often vote on national lines but not always and we also know those who want to give the Government a kick consider the local Conservative councillors to be the appropriate testicular victims.
It's how politics works - it's a form of check and balance. The Conservative electoral recovery began on May 2nd 1997 at local level if not Parliamentary - Labour had a decent night in May 2010 even while losing its majority at Westminster.
If people choose to vent their frustration at increased energy bills by voting out their local Tory Councillor it's not fair on said Councillor who has zero control or influence over any of this but anger isn't often rational.
Do we measure success or failure on vote shares, number of councillors or numbers of councils? The answer is all of them, none of them or whichever works best for your side.
For those of us who enjoy a wager or a trade, there are of course opportunities aplenty.
The scientific justification for the Worst Journey was particularly hilarious.
This is unprecedented
I am now in Gaziantepe, with that 2 hour drive to come. Then IT IS DONE
It’s little more than comfort blanketing.
Somerset is the new Super Council? How do we see that one going then? Are Lib Dems really in with a chance? I think not. Whenever you merge things together into effectively bigger constituencies it has to favour the Conservatives. Just like it does in the bigger constituencies PCC elections, and old EU elections.
Somerset for example, 3 councils merged? On a good night Lib Dems might have taken one of those 3 councils, Tory’s the other two - now in this format that same night that same vote is a Tory win.
I think that is the approach we need to take in betting on such places?
Other parts of the country are queuing up to create their own Super Councils too, which probably deserves another thread header of its own.
Certainly it had a bathetic resolution. He was supposedly a broken man forever after
What about the reasoning I gave, Big Dog Saved. Well and truly saved. After a GE win, 5 years working majority, he is safe for years, regardless what else is thrown at him or fall out from what already has been. Secure 5 years working majority before cost of living crisis next winter, and a stagflation recession next year or in 2024 leave them a long way to catch up in the polls in election 24
Not a phrase I ever thought I’d use
The other thing to consider is that there are different sorts of hung parliament. Roughly, the sequence goes
Conservative working majority - Conservatives unworkable majority - Coalition of Chaos 1.1 (Conservatives cut a deal with DUP) - Coalition of Chaos 2.0 (SNP needed for the centre-left to outvote Con + DUP) - Stablish coalition (SNP can be ignored; centre-left outvotes Con + DUP even when the SNP sits on their kilts) - Labour unworkable majority
As long as the SNP have a blocking bloc, it's really hard to see Labour winning a majority. There are just too many seats blanked out. Even a stablish "ignore the jocks" coalition is a heck of an achievement. The fact it's even on the agenda, especially against Boring Old Starmer is a sign of how much of a horlicks Bozza is making of things.
Aside from the established fact that calling an Election for pure partisan advantage is looked on askance.