However, Painter added, the person who breached the court’s confidences should face professional consequences if identified.
“If a justice intentionally did it, I think that justice could be impeached and removed from office,” he said. “If a clerk did it, they could be dismissed and there might be implications at the bar.”...
Would be hilarious if it turns out to be Alito - though if it were him, the inquiry would likely be perfunctory and fail to reach a conclusion.
Imo definitely leaked by supporters of The scrapping of wade v row in June, either over excited oneupmanship, or calculated in making Junes change a fait accompli and yesterdays news.
Does Biden actually have the power to appoint two additional judges? If so all the pressure will pile on Biden to do that to stop it, and Biden becomes the fall guy wether roe v wade is saved or is dumped.
Congress can't do so unilaterally - it has no power of appointment.
And a bill to introduce term limits is a waste of time, as you'd have to change the Constitution (or impeach each justice at the end of your imposed term limit, which would be equally impractical).
However, Painter added, the person who breached the court’s confidences should face professional consequences if identified.
“If a justice intentionally did it, I think that justice could be impeached and removed from office,” he said. “If a clerk did it, they could be dismissed and there might be implications at the bar.”...
Would be hilarious if it turns out to be Alito - though if it were him, the inquiry would likely be perfunctory and fail to reach a conclusion.
Imo definitely leaked by supporters of The scrapping of wade v row in June, either over excited oneupmanship, or calculated in making Junes change a fait accompli and yesterdays news.
Does Biden actually have the power to appoint two additional judges? If so all the pressure will pile on Biden to do that to stop it, and Biden becomes the fall guy wether roe v wade is saved or is dumped.
Not unilaterally, the power is with Congress. I suspect there are enough Democtratic Senators who realise how foolish it would be to do so, given that the political pendulum will inevitably swing again.
It would only be foolish to do so if they expected the Republicans to play fair if the Democrats play fair first.....and it would be foolish to expect that!
Packing the Supreme Court guarantees only one thing - that the GOP will do the same next time they have the power.
I don't disagree but see the logic as:
Pack the Supreme Court = Dems sometimes have control of Supreme Court Don't pack the Supreme Court = Dems won't have control of Supreme Court for at least the next 20-30 years
Biden is making a mistake trying to play fair when the game is already dirty. It results in voters thinking he does not get anything done, which is true. If he played dirty he could get things done, and voters then would have a choice to make.
The Court is only now with a Conservative majority as GOP Presidents picked conservative judges generally as Democrats picked liberal judges.
Had RBG stood down in Obama's term there would likely still not be a clear Conservative majority on the SC
The Court has a Conservative majority partly through luck (when places came up) and partly through an over-representation of low population rural states in the Senate. Then we add on top the dirty tricks played by the Republicans, blocking Merrick Garland for months, but rapidly voting through Barrett. They also pushed through Kavanaugh despite the sexual assault allegations.
"When places came up" isn't entirely luck, as discussed here at some length yesterday.
Wait - so we are using historic competitions now? So we can stop just referring to the Premier League era as if football didn't exist in 1993?
We not only can, but should. While we're at it let's start calling it 'League Division 1' again. And also rename the Champions League 'the European Cup'. The old names were both better and more accurate.
A pet hate of mine is things changing their names.
Like PB posters, you mean?
Ha - well two obvious examples there - one changed for understandable reasons, the other because doing so is part of the whole persona. And a few less well known examples. I don't mind that. I'm mainly thinking of sports teams, stadiums, brands, etc - where the implication is that the public should be pleased and excited about the name changes.
Stadium naming rights is particularly annoying, especially to people who aspire to the 92 Club - at the lower levels I'm never quite sure if the team has moved or just got a sponsor. Is the Wham Stadium the same as the Crown Ground? Is the Technique Stadium the same as Saltergate? (I looked it up. Yes and no respectively).
It's a nice little earner for the first sponsor of a new stadium though. The McAlpine will always be the McAlpine, and the Reebok will always be the Reebok. Similarly, I'm pretty sure the Emirates will always be the Emirates to most people (even if it will always be Asburton Grove to me).
And why on earth did they rename the Olympic Stadium to something so bloody dull?
Yes, fair enough, sell your naming rights once - but that is what it shall be called ever after. The MacAlpine and the Reebok are the two which spring to mind for me too.
Similarly the fifth tier of English football shall forever be the Vauxhall Conference. (If it had a previous sponsor, it was before my time.) A mixed blessing - there name is out there forever, but forever associated with a fifth-tier product.
It's always been just "the Conference" to me, except in the chant "we're on our way", where it doesn't scan nearly as well. The National League is in a different sport in a different country, and "National League North" and "National League South" are just silly.
The Alliance Premier League, you mean? (still being won annually by Altrincham, for sure).
And Northern, Southern Premier and Isthmian is what I resort to when thinking, which league is that? And so on.
Alty have done pretty well this season given the makeup of the league, and they're going full time for next season which can only help them.
I think it's been a struggle for a while not to be full time at Conference level - I think Hyde managed 2 seasons before succumbing when they were up around 2010 ish.
The Conference has served its purpose now there is automatic promotion and relegation. It is a full time fifth division in all but name. It isn't really non league at all. Most of the clubs, many of the grounds and attendances aren't either.
The top 6 Conference teams all have average attendances higher than 19 teams in League Two and seven teams in League One.
And, again, at most two of them can go up. It's crazy.
Read somewhere that there were 57 no less non league teams averaging four figures this year. The situation is only going to worsen. Most get relegated due to inept or corrupt ownership. Then they sort themselves out usually. Or reform as Phoenix clubs. And are still viable concerns. Oldham and Scunthorpe are perfectly capable of doing so. Macclesfield and Bury will be back in a while.
Wait - so we are using historic competitions now? So we can stop just referring to the Premier League era as if football didn't exist in 1993?
We not only can, but should. While we're at it let's start calling it 'League Division 1' again. And also rename the Champions League 'the European Cup'. The old names were both better and more accurate.
A pet hate of mine is things changing their names.
Like PB posters, you mean?
Ha - well two obvious examples there - one changed for understandable reasons, the other because doing so is part of the whole persona. And a few less well known examples. I don't mind that. I'm mainly thinking of sports teams, stadiums, brands, etc - where the implication is that the public should be pleased and excited about the name changes.
Stadium naming rights is particularly annoying, especially to people who aspire to the 92 Club - at the lower levels I'm never quite sure if the team has moved or just got a sponsor. Is the Wham Stadium the same as the Crown Ground? Is the Technique Stadium the same as Saltergate? (I looked it up. Yes and no respectively).
It's a nice little earner for the first sponsor of a new stadium though. The McAlpine will always be the McAlpine, and the Reebok will always be the Reebok. Similarly, I'm pretty sure the Emirates will always be the Emirates to most people (even if it will always be Asburton Grove to me).
And why on earth did they rename the Olympic Stadium to something so bloody dull?
Yes, fair enough, sell your naming rights once - but that is what it shall be called ever after. The MacAlpine and the Reebok are the two which spring to mind for me too.
Similarly the fifth tier of English football shall forever be the Vauxhall Conference. (If it had a previous sponsor, it was before my time.) A mixed blessing - there name is out there forever, but forever associated with a fifth-tier product.
It's always been just "the Conference" to me, except in the chant "we're on our way", where it doesn't scan nearly as well. The National League is in a different sport in a different country, and "National League North" and "National League South" are just silly.
The Alliance Premier League, you mean? (still being won annually by Altrincham, for sure).
And Northern, Southern Premier and Isthmian is what I resort to when thinking, which league is that? And so on.
Alty have done pretty well this season given the makeup of the league, and they're going full time for next season which can only help them.
I think it's been a struggle for a while not to be full time at Conference level - I think Hyde managed 2 seasons before succumbing when they were up around 2010 ish.
Aye. Especially with the money involved now - there's at least four clubs with relatively big money (including one with relatively obscenely big money) in the division, and only two of them (at most) can go up.
Which needs fixing. No one has ever gone straight back down after coming up from the Conference. And no one has gone straight back up in a fair while. There's a logjam of entirely viable league one and two clubs in all but name in the top seven.
The problem is, how do you get League Two clubs to vote for extra promotion and relegation places? There aren't yet enough viable full-time clubs in the Conference to swallow it whole and make it League Three, and I'm not sure there would be the support for regional divisions.
It would be good to have three or four up/down from League 2 to National League but the EFL clubs simply won't vote for it as they are scared of the increased chance of relegation.
Regionalisation below Championship would make sense too but again it's not going to happen.
However, Painter added, the person who breached the court’s confidences should face professional consequences if identified.
“If a justice intentionally did it, I think that justice could be impeached and removed from office,” he said. “If a clerk did it, they could be dismissed and there might be implications at the bar.”...
Would be hilarious if it turns out to be Alito - though if it were him, the inquiry would likely be perfunctory and fail to reach a conclusion.
Imo definitely leaked by supporters of The scrapping of wade v row in June, either over excited oneupmanship, or calculated in making Junes change a fait accompli and yesterdays news.
Does Biden actually have the power to appoint two additional judges? If so all the pressure will pile on Biden to do that to stop it, and Biden becomes the fall guy wether roe v wade is saved or is dumped.
Nigelb probably right, Senate too tight to get it passed. Nigelb possibly wrong if GOP senators visited WH indicating they are not on side of Roe v Wade overturned, which a handful may feel from their own gut politics.
Should we presume all the GOP senators are on board with abortion becoming illegal? Without trawling through each ones position on it, at least a handful may be for the status quo? Especially if RCS is right in claiming 70% of voters in favour of status quo?
That's about as likely as Tory backbenchers finding the spine to depose Johnson before the local elections.
However, Painter added, the person who breached the court’s confidences should face professional consequences if identified.
“If a justice intentionally did it, I think that justice could be impeached and removed from office,” he said. “If a clerk did it, they could be dismissed and there might be implications at the bar.”...
Would be hilarious if it turns out to be Alito - though if it were him, the inquiry would likely be perfunctory and fail to reach a conclusion.
Imo definitely leaked by supporters of The scrapping of wade v row in June, either over excited oneupmanship, or calculated in making Junes change a fait accompli and yesterdays news.
Does Biden actually have the power to appoint two additional judges? If so all the pressure will pile on Biden to do that to stop it, and Biden becomes the fall guy wether roe v wade is saved or is dumped.
Nigelb probably right, Senate too tight to get it passed. Nigelb possibly wrong if GOP senators visited WH indicating they are not on side of Roe v Wade overturned, which a handful may feel from their own gut politics.
Should we presume all the GOP senators are on board with abortion becoming illegal? Without trawling through each ones position on it, at least a handful may be for the status quo? Especially if RCS is right in claiming 70% of voters in favour of status quo?
That's about as likely as Tory backbenchers finding the spine to depose Johnson before the local elections.
Yeah I agree, getting a bit speculative all this.
But I did like the post where Biden has to think outside the box, and go in hard where they don’t like it up em. Your posts just pour cold water over every suggestion!
The record Conference gate was set this year by (unsurprisingly) Notts County. In excess of 10,000 as I recall. That is probably higher than the record attendance for dozens of League 1 and 2 clubs.
Wait - so we are using historic competitions now? So we can stop just referring to the Premier League era as if football didn't exist in 1993?
We not only can, but should. While we're at it let's start calling it 'League Division 1' again. And also rename the Champions League 'the European Cup'. The old names were both better and more accurate.
A pet hate of mine is things changing their names.
Like PB posters, you mean?
Ha - well two obvious examples there - one changed for understandable reasons, the other because doing so is part of the whole persona. And a few less well known examples. I don't mind that. I'm mainly thinking of sports teams, stadiums, brands, etc - where the implication is that the public should be pleased and excited about the name changes.
Stadium naming rights is particularly annoying, especially to people who aspire to the 92 Club - at the lower levels I'm never quite sure if the team has moved or just got a sponsor. Is the Wham Stadium the same as the Crown Ground? Is the Technique Stadium the same as Saltergate? (I looked it up. Yes and no respectively).
It's a nice little earner for the first sponsor of a new stadium though. The McAlpine will always be the McAlpine, and the Reebok will always be the Reebok. Similarly, I'm pretty sure the Emirates will always be the Emirates to most people (even if it will always be Asburton Grove to me).
And why on earth did they rename the Olympic Stadium to something so bloody dull?
Yes, fair enough, sell your naming rights once - but that is what it shall be called ever after. The MacAlpine and the Reebok are the two which spring to mind for me too.
Similarly the fifth tier of English football shall forever be the Vauxhall Conference. (If it had a previous sponsor, it was before my time.) A mixed blessing - there name is out there forever, but forever associated with a fifth-tier product.
It's always been just "the Conference" to me, except in the chant "we're on our way", where it doesn't scan nearly as well. The National League is in a different sport in a different country, and "National League North" and "National League South" are just silly.
The Alliance Premier League, you mean? (still being won annually by Altrincham, for sure).
And Northern, Southern Premier and Isthmian is what I resort to when thinking, which league is that? And so on.
Alty have done pretty well this season given the makeup of the league, and they're going full time for next season which can only help them.
I think it's been a struggle for a while not to be full time at Conference level - I think Hyde managed 2 seasons before succumbing when they were up around 2010 ish.
The Conference has served its purpose now there is automatic promotion and relegation. It is a full time fifth division in all but name. It isn't really non league at all. Most of the clubs, many of the grounds and attendances aren't either.
The top 6 Conference teams all have average attendances higher than 19 teams in League Two and seven teams in League One.
And, again, at most two of them can go up. It's crazy.
Read somewhere that there were 57 no less non league teams averaging four figures this year. The situation is only going to worsen. Most get relegated due to inept or corrupt ownership. Then they sort themselves out usually. Or reform as Phoenix clubs. And are still viable concerns. Oldham and Scunthorpe are perfectly capable of doing so. Macclesfield and Bury will be back in a while.
I count 49, but it's still a heck of a lot:
22 of 23 in the Conference 12 of 22 in Conference North 8 of 21 in Conference South 3 in the Northern Premier 1 in the Isthmian Premier and 3 at Step 4
However, Painter added, the person who breached the court’s confidences should face professional consequences if identified.
“If a justice intentionally did it, I think that justice could be impeached and removed from office,” he said. “If a clerk did it, they could be dismissed and there might be implications at the bar.”...
Would be hilarious if it turns out to be Alito - though if it were him, the inquiry would likely be perfunctory and fail to reach a conclusion.
Imo definitely leaked by supporters of The scrapping of wade v row in June, either over excited oneupmanship, or calculated in making Junes change a fait accompli and yesterdays news.
Does Biden actually have the power to appoint two additional judges? If so all the pressure will pile on Biden to do that to stop it, and Biden becomes the fall guy wether roe v wade is saved or is dumped.
Nigelb probably right, Senate too tight to get it passed. Nigelb possibly wrong if GOP senators visited WH indicating they are not on side of Roe v Wade overturned, which a handful may feel from their own gut politics.
Should we presume all the GOP senators are on board with abortion becoming illegal? Without trawling through each ones position on it, at least a handful may be for the status quo? Especially if RCS is right in claiming 70% of voters in favour of status quo?
I don't think any Republican Senators would go along with court-packing, but, yes, there are a few Republican Senators who are pro-choice: Susan Collins (Maine, who hangs on even though the state usually votes Dem), Shelley Moore Capito (West Virginia) and Lisa Murkowski (Alaska, practically in constant revolt with her party, with frequent rumours she'll cross the floor). So, 3/8 female Republican Senators are pro-choice versus 0/42 men.
Wait - so we are using historic competitions now? So we can stop just referring to the Premier League era as if football didn't exist in 1993?
We not only can, but should. While we're at it let's start calling it 'League Division 1' again. And also rename the Champions League 'the European Cup'. The old names were both better and more accurate.
A pet hate of mine is things changing their names.
Like PB posters, you mean?
Ha - well two obvious examples there - one changed for understandable reasons, the other because doing so is part of the whole persona. And a few less well known examples. I don't mind that. I'm mainly thinking of sports teams, stadiums, brands, etc - where the implication is that the public should be pleased and excited about the name changes.
Stadium naming rights is particularly annoying, especially to people who aspire to the 92 Club - at the lower levels I'm never quite sure if the team has moved or just got a sponsor. Is the Wham Stadium the same as the Crown Ground? Is the Technique Stadium the same as Saltergate? (I looked it up. Yes and no respectively).
It's a nice little earner for the first sponsor of a new stadium though. The McAlpine will always be the McAlpine, and the Reebok will always be the Reebok. Similarly, I'm pretty sure the Emirates will always be the Emirates to most people (even if it will always be Asburton Grove to me).
And why on earth did they rename the Olympic Stadium to something so bloody dull?
Yes, fair enough, sell your naming rights once - but that is what it shall be called ever after. The MacAlpine and the Reebok are the two which spring to mind for me too.
Similarly the fifth tier of English football shall forever be the Vauxhall Conference. (If it had a previous sponsor, it was before my time.) A mixed blessing - there name is out there forever, but forever associated with a fifth-tier product.
It's always been just "the Conference" to me, except in the chant "we're on our way", where it doesn't scan nearly as well. The National League is in a different sport in a different country, and "National League North" and "National League South" are just silly.
The Alliance Premier League, you mean? (still being won annually by Altrincham, for sure).
And Northern, Southern Premier and Isthmian is what I resort to when thinking, which league is that? And so on.
Alty have done pretty well this season given the makeup of the league, and they're going full time for next season which can only help them.
I think it's been a struggle for a while not to be full time at Conference level - I think Hyde managed 2 seasons before succumbing when they were up around 2010 ish.
The Conference has served its purpose now there is automatic promotion and relegation. It is a full time fifth division in all but name. It isn't really non league at all. Most of the clubs, many of the grounds and attendances aren't either.
The top 6 Conference teams all have average attendances higher than 19 teams in League Two and seven teams in League One.
And, again, at most two of them can go up. It's crazy.
They shouldn't have got themselves relegated to the Conference in the first place. Six of the top seven are "league teams". Well they were in my days on the terraces.
And the team 6th in National League North and set for the play off fun.
Interesting thread from an American former DoD insider:
Essentially the Boris Johnson-lead UK government is acting to politically destroy the "De-escalation faction" in senior positions of the US, French & German governments one advanced military capability at a time.
I guess the counterpoint to that is if you make the Conference, League 3 there is only then a remote chance of the current 92 ever dropping out of the league - they’d have a whole new division underneath as a safety cushion.
Wait - so we are using historic competitions now? So we can stop just referring to the Premier League era as if football didn't exist in 1993?
We not only can, but should. While we're at it let's start calling it 'League Division 1' again. And also rename the Champions League 'the European Cup'. The old names were both better and more accurate.
A pet hate of mine is things changing their names.
Like PB posters, you mean?
Ha - well two obvious examples there - one changed for understandable reasons, the other because doing so is part of the whole persona. And a few less well known examples. I don't mind that. I'm mainly thinking of sports teams, stadiums, brands, etc - where the implication is that the public should be pleased and excited about the name changes.
Stadium naming rights is particularly annoying, especially to people who aspire to the 92 Club - at the lower levels I'm never quite sure if the team has moved or just got a sponsor. Is the Wham Stadium the same as the Crown Ground? Is the Technique Stadium the same as Saltergate? (I looked it up. Yes and no respectively).
It's a nice little earner for the first sponsor of a new stadium though. The McAlpine will always be the McAlpine, and the Reebok will always be the Reebok. Similarly, I'm pretty sure the Emirates will always be the Emirates to most people (even if it will always be Asburton Grove to me).
And why on earth did they rename the Olympic Stadium to something so bloody dull?
Yes, fair enough, sell your naming rights once - but that is what it shall be called ever after. The MacAlpine and the Reebok are the two which spring to mind for me too.
Similarly the fifth tier of English football shall forever be the Vauxhall Conference. (If it had a previous sponsor, it was before my time.) A mixed blessing - there name is out there forever, but forever associated with a fifth-tier product.
It's always been just "the Conference" to me, except in the chant "we're on our way", where it doesn't scan nearly as well. The National League is in a different sport in a different country, and "National League North" and "National League South" are just silly.
The Alliance Premier League, you mean? (still being won annually by Altrincham, for sure).
And Northern, Southern Premier and Isthmian is what I resort to when thinking, which league is that? And so on.
Alty have done pretty well this season given the makeup of the league, and they're going full time for next season which can only help them.
I think it's been a struggle for a while not to be full time at Conference level - I think Hyde managed 2 seasons before succumbing when they were up around 2010 ish.
Aye. Especially with the money involved now - there's at least four clubs with relatively big money (including one with relatively obscenely big money) in the division, and only two of them (at most) can go up.
Which needs fixing. No one has ever gone straight back down after coming up from the Conference. And no one has gone straight back up in a fair while. There's a logjam of entirely viable league one and two clubs in all but name in the top seven.
The problem is, how do you get League Two clubs to vote for extra promotion and relegation places? There aren't yet enough viable full-time clubs in the Conference to swallow it whole and make it League Three, and I'm not sure there would be the support for regional divisions.
It would be good to have three or four up/down from League 2 to National League but the EFL clubs simply won't vote for it as they are scared of the increased chance of relegation.
Regionalisation below Championship would make sense too but again it's not going to happen.
The problem with regionalisation is that even Conference teams have plenty of fans who have moved to the other end of the country - I can't justify driving 5 hours for any but the most important game, the away grounds that are within a couple of hours are a godsend.
I can think of only a few people I despise more than Piers Morgan. Maybe Trump, Putin Farage, Johnson. Oh, hang on they are all linked in one way or other.
However, Painter added, the person who breached the court’s confidences should face professional consequences if identified.
“If a justice intentionally did it, I think that justice could be impeached and removed from office,” he said. “If a clerk did it, they could be dismissed and there might be implications at the bar.”...
Would be hilarious if it turns out to be Alito - though if it were him, the inquiry would likely be perfunctory and fail to reach a conclusion.
Imo definitely leaked by supporters of The scrapping of wade v row in June, either over excited oneupmanship, or calculated in making Junes change a fait accompli and yesterdays news.
Does Biden actually have the power to appoint two additional judges? If so all the pressure will pile on Biden to do that to stop it, and Biden becomes the fall guy wether roe v wade is saved or is dumped.
Nigelb probably right, Senate too tight to get it passed. Nigelb possibly wrong if GOP senators visited WH indicating they are not on side of Roe v Wade overturned, which a handful may feel from their own gut politics.
Should we presume all the GOP senators are on board with abortion becoming illegal? Without trawling through each ones position on it, at least a handful may be for the status quo? Especially if RCS is right in claiming 70% of voters in favour of status quo?
I don't think any Republican Senators would go along with court-packing, but, yes, there are a few Republican Senators who are pro-choice: Susan Collins (Maine, who hangs on even though the state usually votes Dem), Shelley Moore Capito (West Virginia) and Lisa Murkowski (Alaska, practically in constant revolt with her party, with frequent rumours she'll cross the floor). So, 3/8 female Republican Senators are pro-choice versus 0/42 men.
Wait - so we are using historic competitions now? So we can stop just referring to the Premier League era as if football didn't exist in 1993?
We not only can, but should. While we're at it let's start calling it 'League Division 1' again. And also rename the Champions League 'the European Cup'. The old names were both better and more accurate.
A pet hate of mine is things changing their names.
Like PB posters, you mean?
Ha - well two obvious examples there - one changed for understandable reasons, the other because doing so is part of the whole persona. And a few less well known examples. I don't mind that. I'm mainly thinking of sports teams, stadiums, brands, etc - where the implication is that the public should be pleased and excited about the name changes.
Stadium naming rights is particularly annoying, especially to people who aspire to the 92 Club - at the lower levels I'm never quite sure if the team has moved or just got a sponsor. Is the Wham Stadium the same as the Crown Ground? Is the Technique Stadium the same as Saltergate? (I looked it up. Yes and no respectively).
It's a nice little earner for the first sponsor of a new stadium though. The McAlpine will always be the McAlpine, and the Reebok will always be the Reebok. Similarly, I'm pretty sure the Emirates will always be the Emirates to most people (even if it will always be Asburton Grove to me).
And why on earth did they rename the Olympic Stadium to something so bloody dull?
Yes, fair enough, sell your naming rights once - but that is what it shall be called ever after. The MacAlpine and the Reebok are the two which spring to mind for me too.
Similarly the fifth tier of English football shall forever be the Vauxhall Conference. (If it had a previous sponsor, it was before my time.) A mixed blessing - there name is out there forever, but forever associated with a fifth-tier product.
It's always been just "the Conference" to me, except in the chant "we're on our way", where it doesn't scan nearly as well. The National League is in a different sport in a different country, and "National League North" and "National League South" are just silly.
The Alliance Premier League, you mean? (still being won annually by Altrincham, for sure).
And Northern, Southern Premier and Isthmian is what I resort to when thinking, which league is that? And so on.
Alty have done pretty well this season given the makeup of the league, and they're going full time for next season which can only help them.
I think it's been a struggle for a while not to be full time at Conference level - I think Hyde managed 2 seasons before succumbing when they were up around 2010 ish.
Aye. Especially with the money involved now - there's at least four clubs with relatively big money (including one with relatively obscenely big money) in the division, and only two of them (at most) can go up.
Which needs fixing. No one has ever gone straight back down after coming up from the Conference. And no one has gone straight back up in a fair while. There's a logjam of entirely viable league one and two clubs in all but name in the top seven.
The problem is, how do you get League Two clubs to vote for extra promotion and relegation places? There aren't yet enough viable full-time clubs in the Conference to swallow it whole and make it League Three, and I'm not sure there would be the support for regional divisions.
It would be good to have three or four up/down from League 2 to National League but the EFL clubs simply won't vote for it as they are scared of the increased chance of relegation.
Regionalisation below Championship would make sense too but again it's not going to happen.
'Twas ever thus. When the old Third Division North and South were abolished in 1958, the proposal was to have a national third division. With 4 relegations. And then a Fourth Division North and South with two up from each. Admitting a whole division load of ambitious clubs from non league. The clubs voted in favour of the third division. And against the fourth divisions. Hence the 4 up 4 down between third and fourth level anomaly which persists to this very day.
The record Conference gate was set this year by (unsurprisingly) Notts County. In excess of 10,000 as I recall. That is probably higher than the record attendance for dozens of League 1 and 2 clubs.
Over 12k, and Wrexham and Stockport have both had 10k plus attendances (and higher averages for the full season, with both expected to get at least one more 10k plus gate before the end of the season).
Wait - so we are using historic competitions now? So we can stop just referring to the Premier League era as if football didn't exist in 1993?
We not only can, but should. While we're at it let's start calling it 'League Division 1' again. And also rename the Champions League 'the European Cup'. The old names were both better and more accurate.
A pet hate of mine is things changing their names.
Like PB posters, you mean?
Ha - well two obvious examples there - one changed for understandable reasons, the other because doing so is part of the whole persona. And a few less well known examples. I don't mind that. I'm mainly thinking of sports teams, stadiums, brands, etc - where the implication is that the public should be pleased and excited about the name changes.
Stadium naming rights is particularly annoying, especially to people who aspire to the 92 Club - at the lower levels I'm never quite sure if the team has moved or just got a sponsor. Is the Wham Stadium the same as the Crown Ground? Is the Technique Stadium the same as Saltergate? (I looked it up. Yes and no respectively).
It's a nice little earner for the first sponsor of a new stadium though. The McAlpine will always be the McAlpine, and the Reebok will always be the Reebok. Similarly, I'm pretty sure the Emirates will always be the Emirates to most people (even if it will always be Asburton Grove to me).
And why on earth did they rename the Olympic Stadium to something so bloody dull?
Yes, fair enough, sell your naming rights once - but that is what it shall be called ever after. The MacAlpine and the Reebok are the two which spring to mind for me too.
Similarly the fifth tier of English football shall forever be the Vauxhall Conference. (If it had a previous sponsor, it was before my time.) A mixed blessing - there name is out there forever, but forever associated with a fifth-tier product.
It's always been just "the Conference" to me, except in the chant "we're on our way", where it doesn't scan nearly as well. The National League is in a different sport in a different country, and "National League North" and "National League South" are just silly.
The Alliance Premier League, you mean? (still being won annually by Altrincham, for sure).
And Northern, Southern Premier and Isthmian is what I resort to when thinking, which league is that? And so on.
Alty have done pretty well this season given the makeup of the league, and they're going full time for next season which can only help them.
I think it's been a struggle for a while not to be full time at Conference level - I think Hyde managed 2 seasons before succumbing when they were up around 2010 ish.
Aye. Especially with the money involved now - there's at least four clubs with relatively big money (including one with relatively obscenely big money) in the division, and only two of them (at most) can go up.
Which needs fixing. No one has ever gone straight back down after coming up from the Conference. And no one has gone straight back up in a fair while. There's a logjam of entirely viable league one and two clubs in all but name in the top seven.
The problem is, how do you get League Two clubs to vote for extra promotion and relegation places? There aren't yet enough viable full-time clubs in the Conference to swallow it whole and make it League Three, and I'm not sure there would be the support for regional divisions.
It would be good to have three or four up/down from League 2 to National League but the EFL clubs simply won't vote for it as they are scared of the increased chance of relegation.
Regionalisation below Championship would make sense too but again it's not going to happen.
'Twas ever thus. When the old Third Division North and South were abolished in 1958, the proposal was to have a national third division. With 4 relegations. And then a Fourth Division North and South with two up from each. Admitting a whole division load of ambitious clubs from non league. The clubs voted in favour of the third division. And against the fourth divisions. Hence the 4 up 4 down between third and fourth level anomaly which persists to this very day.
Ha! I've always wondered as to why it was four up/down between the third and fourth tiers.
I reckon the top three divisions should be national and then it should be regional thereafter.
The funny thing is, the fifth tier gets more TV exposure than the third and fourth tiers.
I absolutely see @NickPalmer's point about motorway service stations and wholeheartedly agree. How fantastic to be anonymous and autonomous and do what you want in his case reading a book what bliss.
And given @OnlyLivingBoy's not inaccurate description of the places it is an activity stripped of all the artifice of usual eating/drinking places. No chance of Siena Miller/Henry Cavill coming to sit at your table and you having to show what a catch you are; no chance of anyone disturbing you; just doing your thing.
As to the cleanliness I disagree - the loos are often super clean and serviceable....
The variability in condition is enormous. The loos are sometimes clean, and sometimes utterly vile.
And almost always right at the far end, so that you have to pass all of the retailers, coffer franchises and gaming arcades before you can relieve yourself.
However, Painter added, the person who breached the court’s confidences should face professional consequences if identified.
“If a justice intentionally did it, I think that justice could be impeached and removed from office,” he said. “If a clerk did it, they could be dismissed and there might be implications at the bar.”...
Would be hilarious if it turns out to be Alito - though if it were him, the inquiry would likely be perfunctory and fail to reach a conclusion.
Imo definitely leaked by supporters of The scrapping of wade v row in June, either over excited oneupmanship, or calculated in making Junes change a fait accompli and yesterdays news.
Does Biden actually have the power to appoint two additional judges? If so all the pressure will pile on Biden to do that to stop it, and Biden becomes the fall guy wether roe v wade is saved or is dumped.
Nigelb probably right, Senate too tight to get it passed. Nigelb possibly wrong if GOP senators visited WH indicating they are not on side of Roe v Wade overturned, which a handful may feel from their own gut politics.
Should we presume all the GOP senators are on board with abortion becoming illegal? Without trawling through each ones position on it, at least a handful may be for the status quo? Especially if RCS is right in claiming 70% of voters in favour of status quo?
I don't think any Republican Senators would go along with court-packing, but, yes, there are a few Republican Senators who are pro-choice: Susan Collins (Maine, who hangs on even though the state usually votes Dem), Shelley Moore Capito (West Virginia) and Lisa Murkowski (Alaska, practically in constant revolt with her party, with frequent rumours she'll cross the floor). So, 3/8 female Republican Senators are pro-choice versus 0/42 men.
Is that all? Just three? 😔
What would be interesting is *any* Republicans crossed the floor - a lot of Biden's legislation is held hostage to the "moderate" Dems in the Senate
Wait - so we are using historic competitions now? So we can stop just referring to the Premier League era as if football didn't exist in 1993?
We not only can, but should. While we're at it let's start calling it 'League Division 1' again. And also rename the Champions League 'the European Cup'. The old names were both better and more accurate.
A pet hate of mine is things changing their names.
Like PB posters, you mean?
Ha - well two obvious examples there - one changed for understandable reasons, the other because doing so is part of the whole persona. And a few less well known examples. I don't mind that. I'm mainly thinking of sports teams, stadiums, brands, etc - where the implication is that the public should be pleased and excited about the name changes.
Stadium naming rights is particularly annoying, especially to people who aspire to the 92 Club - at the lower levels I'm never quite sure if the team has moved or just got a sponsor. Is the Wham Stadium the same as the Crown Ground? Is the Technique Stadium the same as Saltergate? (I looked it up. Yes and no respectively).
It's a nice little earner for the first sponsor of a new stadium though. The McAlpine will always be the McAlpine, and the Reebok will always be the Reebok. Similarly, I'm pretty sure the Emirates will always be the Emirates to most people (even if it will always be Asburton Grove to me).
And why on earth did they rename the Olympic Stadium to something so bloody dull?
Yes, fair enough, sell your naming rights once - but that is what it shall be called ever after. The MacAlpine and the Reebok are the two which spring to mind for me too.
Similarly the fifth tier of English football shall forever be the Vauxhall Conference. (If it had a previous sponsor, it was before my time.) A mixed blessing - there name is out there forever, but forever associated with a fifth-tier product.
It's always been just "the Conference" to me, except in the chant "we're on our way", where it doesn't scan nearly as well. The National League is in a different sport in a different country, and "National League North" and "National League South" are just silly.
The Alliance Premier League, you mean? (still being won annually by Altrincham, for sure).
And Northern, Southern Premier and Isthmian is what I resort to when thinking, which league is that? And so on.
Alty have done pretty well this season given the makeup of the league, and they're going full time for next season which can only help them.
I think it's been a struggle for a while not to be full time at Conference level - I think Hyde managed 2 seasons before succumbing when they were up around 2010 ish.
The Conference has served its purpose now there is automatic promotion and relegation. It is a full time fifth division in all but name. It isn't really non league at all. Most of the clubs, many of the grounds and attendances aren't either.
The top 6 Conference teams all have average attendances higher than 19 teams in League Two and seven teams in League One.
And, again, at most two of them can go up. It's crazy.
Read somewhere that there were 57 no less non league teams averaging four figures this year. The situation is only going to worsen. Most get relegated due to inept or corrupt ownership. Then they sort themselves out usually. Or reform as Phoenix clubs. And are still viable concerns. Oldham and Scunthorpe are perfectly capable of doing so. Macclesfield and Bury will be back in a while.
I count 49, but it's still a heck of a lot:
22 of 23 in the Conference 12 of 22 in Conference North 8 of 21 in Conference South 3 in the Northern Premier 1 in the Isthmian Premier and 3 at Step 4
Wait - so we are using historic competitions now? So we can stop just referring to the Premier League era as if football didn't exist in 1993?
We not only can, but should. While we're at it let's start calling it 'League Division 1' again. And also rename the Champions League 'the European Cup'. The old names were both better and more accurate.
A pet hate of mine is things changing their names.
Like PB posters, you mean?
Ha - well two obvious examples there - one changed for understandable reasons, the other because doing so is part of the whole persona. And a few less well known examples. I don't mind that. I'm mainly thinking of sports teams, stadiums, brands, etc - where the implication is that the public should be pleased and excited about the name changes.
Stadium naming rights is particularly annoying, especially to people who aspire to the 92 Club - at the lower levels I'm never quite sure if the team has moved or just got a sponsor. Is the Wham Stadium the same as the Crown Ground? Is the Technique Stadium the same as Saltergate? (I looked it up. Yes and no respectively).
It's a nice little earner for the first sponsor of a new stadium though. The McAlpine will always be the McAlpine, and the Reebok will always be the Reebok. Similarly, I'm pretty sure the Emirates will always be the Emirates to most people (even if it will always be Asburton Grove to me).
And why on earth did they rename the Olympic Stadium to something so bloody dull?
Yes, fair enough, sell your naming rights once - but that is what it shall be called ever after. The MacAlpine and the Reebok are the two which spring to mind for me too.
Similarly the fifth tier of English football shall forever be the Vauxhall Conference. (If it had a previous sponsor, it was before my time.) A mixed blessing - there name is out there forever, but forever associated with a fifth-tier product.
It's always been just "the Conference" to me, except in the chant "we're on our way", where it doesn't scan nearly as well. The National League is in a different sport in a different country, and "National League North" and "National League South" are just silly.
The Alliance Premier League, you mean? (still being won annually by Altrincham, for sure).
And Northern, Southern Premier and Isthmian is what I resort to when thinking, which league is that? And so on.
Alty have done pretty well this season given the makeup of the league, and they're going full time for next season which can only help them.
I think it's been a struggle for a while not to be full time at Conference level - I think Hyde managed 2 seasons before succumbing when they were up around 2010 ish.
The Conference has served its purpose now there is automatic promotion and relegation. It is a full time fifth division in all but name. It isn't really non league at all. Most of the clubs, many of the grounds and attendances aren't either.
The top 6 Conference teams all have average attendances higher than 19 teams in League Two and seven teams in League One.
And, again, at most two of them can go up. It's crazy.
Read somewhere that there were 57 no less non league teams averaging four figures this year. The situation is only going to worsen. Most get relegated due to inept or corrupt ownership. Then they sort themselves out usually. Or reform as Phoenix clubs. And are still viable concerns. Oldham and Scunthorpe are perfectly capable of doing so. Macclesfield and Bury will be back in a while.
I count 49, but it's still a heck of a lot:
22 of 23 in the Conference 12 of 22 in Conference North 8 of 21 in Conference South 3 in the Northern Premier 1 in the Isthmian Premier and 3 at Step 4
Surely from a point of view of club viability, 57 non-league clubs averaging 4 figure attendances is a good thing?
My curiousity piqued, I've just looked up the stats. Stockport, as I would expect, averaging a very healthy 6000+, which isn't far off what they used to get in Division 2, or whatever the second tier was called then. But they're not the highest non-league - Wrexham getting a dizzying 8,000+, which must be as well as they've ever done. People like to see a team winning, but still. Wrexham is not a big place. Well done Wrexham - must be doing something right. Wrexham's attendances actually only about 10% or so off Bournemouth's, who despite winning promotion appear to have the lowest average attendance in the second tier. And West Ham the third-most attended club!? That never used to be the case. I was slightly sceptical they could fill a much bigger stadium, but they must have had a lot of latent support.
Wait - so we are using historic competitions now? So we can stop just referring to the Premier League era as if football didn't exist in 1993?
We not only can, but should. While we're at it let's start calling it 'League Division 1' again. And also rename the Champions League 'the European Cup'. The old names were both better and more accurate.
A pet hate of mine is things changing their names.
Like PB posters, you mean?
Ha - well two obvious examples there - one changed for understandable reasons, the other because doing so is part of the whole persona. And a few less well known examples. I don't mind that. I'm mainly thinking of sports teams, stadiums, brands, etc - where the implication is that the public should be pleased and excited about the name changes.
Stadium naming rights is particularly annoying, especially to people who aspire to the 92 Club - at the lower levels I'm never quite sure if the team has moved or just got a sponsor. Is the Wham Stadium the same as the Crown Ground? Is the Technique Stadium the same as Saltergate? (I looked it up. Yes and no respectively).
It's a nice little earner for the first sponsor of a new stadium though. The McAlpine will always be the McAlpine, and the Reebok will always be the Reebok. Similarly, I'm pretty sure the Emirates will always be the Emirates to most people (even if it will always be Asburton Grove to me).
And why on earth did they rename the Olympic Stadium to something so bloody dull?
Yes, fair enough, sell your naming rights once - but that is what it shall be called ever after. The MacAlpine and the Reebok are the two which spring to mind for me too.
Similarly the fifth tier of English football shall forever be the Vauxhall Conference. (If it had a previous sponsor, it was before my time.) A mixed blessing - there name is out there forever, but forever associated with a fifth-tier product.
It's always been just "the Conference" to me, except in the chant "we're on our way", where it doesn't scan nearly as well. The National League is in a different sport in a different country, and "National League North" and "National League South" are just silly.
The Alliance Premier League, you mean? (still being won annually by Altrincham, for sure).
And Northern, Southern Premier and Isthmian is what I resort to when thinking, which league is that? And so on.
Alty have done pretty well this season given the makeup of the league, and they're going full time for next season which can only help them.
I think it's been a struggle for a while not to be full time at Conference level - I think Hyde managed 2 seasons before succumbing when they were up around 2010 ish.
The Conference has served its purpose now there is automatic promotion and relegation. It is a full time fifth division in all but name. It isn't really non league at all. Most of the clubs, many of the grounds and attendances aren't either.
The top 6 Conference teams all have average attendances higher than 19 teams in League Two and seven teams in League One.
And, again, at most two of them can go up. It's crazy.
Read somewhere that there were 57 no less non league teams averaging four figures this year. The situation is only going to worsen. Most get relegated due to inept or corrupt ownership. Then they sort themselves out usually. Or reform as Phoenix clubs. And are still viable concerns. Oldham and Scunthorpe are perfectly capable of doing so. Macclesfield and Bury will be back in a while.
I count 49, but it's still a heck of a lot:
22 of 23 in the Conference 12 of 22 in Conference North 8 of 21 in Conference South 3 in the Northern Premier 1 in the Isthmian Premier and 3 at Step 4
Add Macclesfield at Step 5. And Bury and FC Isle of Man at Step 6. I did read this some months ago, so it's possible some have dropped out. I notice Ilkeston ended up at 998 for example.
Wait - so we are using historic competitions now? So we can stop just referring to the Premier League era as if football didn't exist in 1993?
We not only can, but should. While we're at it let's start calling it 'League Division 1' again. And also rename the Champions League 'the European Cup'. The old names were both better and more accurate.
A pet hate of mine is things changing their names.
Like PB posters, you mean?
Ha - well two obvious examples there - one changed for understandable reasons, the other because doing so is part of the whole persona. And a few less well known examples. I don't mind that. I'm mainly thinking of sports teams, stadiums, brands, etc - where the implication is that the public should be pleased and excited about the name changes.
Stadium naming rights is particularly annoying, especially to people who aspire to the 92 Club - at the lower levels I'm never quite sure if the team has moved or just got a sponsor. Is the Wham Stadium the same as the Crown Ground? Is the Technique Stadium the same as Saltergate? (I looked it up. Yes and no respectively).
It's a nice little earner for the first sponsor of a new stadium though. The McAlpine will always be the McAlpine, and the Reebok will always be the Reebok. Similarly, I'm pretty sure the Emirates will always be the Emirates to most people (even if it will always be Asburton Grove to me).
And why on earth did they rename the Olympic Stadium to something so bloody dull?
Yes, fair enough, sell your naming rights once - but that is what it shall be called ever after. The MacAlpine and the Reebok are the two which spring to mind for me too.
Similarly the fifth tier of English football shall forever be the Vauxhall Conference. (If it had a previous sponsor, it was before my time.) A mixed blessing - there name is out there forever, but forever associated with a fifth-tier product.
It's always been just "the Conference" to me, except in the chant "we're on our way", where it doesn't scan nearly as well. The National League is in a different sport in a different country, and "National League North" and "National League South" are just silly.
The Alliance Premier League, you mean? (still being won annually by Altrincham, for sure).
And Northern, Southern Premier and Isthmian is what I resort to when thinking, which league is that? And so on.
Alty have done pretty well this season given the makeup of the league, and they're going full time for next season which can only help them.
I think it's been a struggle for a while not to be full time at Conference level - I think Hyde managed 2 seasons before succumbing when they were up around 2010 ish.
Aye. Especially with the money involved now - there's at least four clubs with relatively big money (including one with relatively obscenely big money) in the division, and only two of them (at most) can go up.
Which needs fixing. No one has ever gone straight back down after coming up from the Conference. And no one has gone straight back up in a fair while. There's a logjam of entirely viable league one and two clubs in all but name in the top seven.
The problem is, how do you get League Two clubs to vote for extra promotion and relegation places? There aren't yet enough viable full-time clubs in the Conference to swallow it whole and make it League Three, and I'm not sure there would be the support for regional divisions.
It would be good to have three or four up/down from League 2 to National League but the EFL clubs simply won't vote for it as they are scared of the increased chance of relegation.
Regionalisation below Championship would make sense too but again it's not going to happen.
'Twas ever thus. When the old Third Division North and South were abolished in 1958, the proposal was to have a national third division. With 4 relegations. And then a Fourth Division North and South with two up from each. Admitting a whole division load of ambitious clubs from non league. The clubs voted in favour of the third division. And against the fourth divisions. Hence the 4 up 4 down between third and fourth level anomaly which persists to this very day.
Ha! I've always wondered as to why it was four up/down between the third and fourth tiers.
I reckon the top three divisions should be national and then it should be regional thereafter.
The funny thing is, the fifth tier gets more TV exposure than the third and fourth tiers.
BT have done a really good job with it, some really creative scheduling even to the extent of taking advantage of when they can show games at 3pm. TBH if I were the FL I'd split the TV rights, Sky can keep the Championship and I'd get a bid from BT on L1 and L2.
Wait - so we are using historic competitions now? So we can stop just referring to the Premier League era as if football didn't exist in 1993?
We not only can, but should. While we're at it let's start calling it 'League Division 1' again. And also rename the Champions League 'the European Cup'. The old names were both better and more accurate.
A pet hate of mine is things changing their names.
Like PB posters, you mean?
Ha - well two obvious examples there - one changed for understandable reasons, the other because doing so is part of the whole persona. And a few less well known examples. I don't mind that. I'm mainly thinking of sports teams, stadiums, brands, etc - where the implication is that the public should be pleased and excited about the name changes.
Stadium naming rights is particularly annoying, especially to people who aspire to the 92 Club - at the lower levels I'm never quite sure if the team has moved or just got a sponsor. Is the Wham Stadium the same as the Crown Ground? Is the Technique Stadium the same as Saltergate? (I looked it up. Yes and no respectively).
It's a nice little earner for the first sponsor of a new stadium though. The McAlpine will always be the McAlpine, and the Reebok will always be the Reebok. Similarly, I'm pretty sure the Emirates will always be the Emirates to most people (even if it will always be Asburton Grove to me).
And why on earth did they rename the Olympic Stadium to something so bloody dull?
Yes, fair enough, sell your naming rights once - but that is what it shall be called ever after. The MacAlpine and the Reebok are the two which spring to mind for me too.
Similarly the fifth tier of English football shall forever be the Vauxhall Conference. (If it had a previous sponsor, it was before my time.) A mixed blessing - there name is out there forever, but forever associated with a fifth-tier product.
It's always been just "the Conference" to me, except in the chant "we're on our way", where it doesn't scan nearly as well. The National League is in a different sport in a different country, and "National League North" and "National League South" are just silly.
The Alliance Premier League, you mean? (still being won annually by Altrincham, for sure).
And Northern, Southern Premier and Isthmian is what I resort to when thinking, which league is that? And so on.
Alty have done pretty well this season given the makeup of the league, and they're going full time for next season which can only help them.
I think it's been a struggle for a while not to be full time at Conference level - I think Hyde managed 2 seasons before succumbing when they were up around 2010 ish.
The Conference has served its purpose now there is automatic promotion and relegation. It is a full time fifth division in all but name. It isn't really non league at all. Most of the clubs, many of the grounds and attendances aren't either.
The top 6 Conference teams all have average attendances higher than 19 teams in League Two and seven teams in League One.
And, again, at most two of them can go up. It's crazy.
They shouldn't have got themselves relegated to the Conference in the first place. Six of the top seven are "league teams". Well they were in my days on the terraces.
And the team 6th in National League North and set for the play off fun.
However, Painter added, the person who breached the court’s confidences should face professional consequences if identified.
“If a justice intentionally did it, I think that justice could be impeached and removed from office,” he said. “If a clerk did it, they could be dismissed and there might be implications at the bar.”...
Would be hilarious if it turns out to be Alito - though if it were him, the inquiry would likely be perfunctory and fail to reach a conclusion.
Imo definitely leaked by supporters of The scrapping of wade v row in June, either over excited oneupmanship, or calculated in making Junes change a fait accompli and yesterdays news.
Does Biden actually have the power to appoint two additional judges? If so all the pressure will pile on Biden to do that to stop it, and Biden becomes the fall guy wether roe v wade is saved or is dumped.
Congress can't do so unilaterally - it has no power of appointment.
And a bill to introduce term limits is a waste of time, as you'd have to change the Constitution (or impeach each justice at the end of your imposed term limit, which would be equally impractical).
Congress can unilaterally increase the size of the Supreme Court. It is then up to the President to nominate people to fill the newly created places, with ratification required by the Senate.
I absolutely see @NickPalmer's point about motorway service stations and wholeheartedly agree. How fantastic to be anonymous and autonomous and do what you want in his case reading a book what bliss.
And given @OnlyLivingBoy's not inaccurate description of the places it is an activity stripped of all the artifice of usual eating/drinking places. No chance of Siena Miller/Henry Cavill coming to sit at your table and you having to show what a catch you are; no chance of anyone disturbing you; just doing your thing.
As to the cleanliness I disagree - the loos are often super clean and serviceable....
The variability in condition is enormous. The loos are sometimes clean, and sometimes utterly vile.
But they always smell disgusting. Presumably it's just the sheer volume of shit that passes through them. There's also a high probability of encountering racist graffiti, which is always a thoroughly depressing experience.
Surely from a point of view of club viability, 57 non-league clubs averaging 4 figure attendances is a good thing?
My curiousity piqued, I've just looked up the stats. Stockport, as I would expect, averaging a very healthy 6000+, which isn't far off what they used to get in Division 2, or whatever the second tier was called then. But they're not the highest non-league - Wrexham getting a dizzying 8,000+, which must be as well as they've ever done. People like to see a team winning, but still. Wrexham is not a big place. Well done Wrexham - must be doing something right. Wrexham's attendances actually only about 10% or so off Bournemouth's, who despite winning promotion appear to have the lowest average attendance in the second tier. And West Ham the third-most attended club!? That never used to be the case. I was slightly sceptical they could fill a much bigger stadium, but they must have had a lot of latent support.
Oh, yeah, absolutely. Initiatives like Non League Day and the exposure to non-league football on BT have definitely helped.
Wrexham are drawing a lot of interest because of the actors, it remains to be seen how well that lasts especially if they don't go up this year.
However, Painter added, the person who breached the court’s confidences should face professional consequences if identified.
“If a justice intentionally did it, I think that justice could be impeached and removed from office,” he said. “If a clerk did it, they could be dismissed and there might be implications at the bar.”...
Would be hilarious if it turns out to be Alito - though if it were him, the inquiry would likely be perfunctory and fail to reach a conclusion.
Imo definitely leaked by supporters of The scrapping of wade v row in June, either over excited oneupmanship, or calculated in making Junes change a fait accompli and yesterdays news.
Does Biden actually have the power to appoint two additional judges? If so all the pressure will pile on Biden to do that to stop it, and Biden becomes the fall guy wether roe v wade is saved or is dumped.
Nigelb probably right, Senate too tight to get it passed. Nigelb possibly wrong if GOP senators visited WH indicating they are not on side of Roe v Wade overturned, which a handful may feel from their own gut politics.
Should we presume all the GOP senators are on board with abortion becoming illegal? Without trawling through each ones position on it, at least a handful may be for the status quo? Especially if RCS is right in claiming 70% of voters in favour of status quo?
I don't think any Republican Senators would go along with court-packing, but, yes, there are a few Republican Senators who are pro-choice: Susan Collins (Maine, who hangs on even though the state usually votes Dem), Shelley Moore Capito (West Virginia) and Lisa Murkowski (Alaska, practically in constant revolt with her party, with frequent rumours she'll cross the floor). So, 3/8 female Republican Senators are pro-choice versus 0/42 men.
Is that all? Just three? 😔
What would be interesting is *any* Republicans crossed the floor - a lot of Biden's legislation is held hostage to the "moderate" Dems in the Senate
Joe "Rollin' Coal" Manchin in particular....
I don't expect much more than performative outrage from them - like Collin's claims yesterday that Kavanaugh and Gorsuch misled her during their confirmation.
Like Manchin, Collins and Murkowski have enjoyed very successful careers badmouthing their party's policies to the right audience. Though unlike Manchin, they don't very often vote against it, especially when it might mean burning bridges..
I absolutely see @NickPalmer's point about motorway service stations and wholeheartedly agree. How fantastic to be anonymous and autonomous and do what you want in his case reading a book what bliss.
And given @OnlyLivingBoy's not inaccurate description of the places it is an activity stripped of all the artifice of usual eating/drinking places. No chance of Siena Miller/Henry Cavill coming to sit at your table and you having to show what a catch you are; no chance of anyone disturbing you; just doing your thing.
As to the cleanliness I disagree - the loos are often super clean and serviceable....
The variability in condition is enormous. The loos are sometimes clean, and sometimes utterly vile.
When I was a road warrior, I used to take notes of where there was an hotel at the services, or just off a junction on the motorway. Anything to avoid the bogs at the services themselves.
However, Painter added, the person who breached the court’s confidences should face professional consequences if identified.
“If a justice intentionally did it, I think that justice could be impeached and removed from office,” he said. “If a clerk did it, they could be dismissed and there might be implications at the bar.”...
Would be hilarious if it turns out to be Alito - though if it were him, the inquiry would likely be perfunctory and fail to reach a conclusion.
Imo definitely leaked by supporters of The scrapping of wade v row in June, either over excited oneupmanship, or calculated in making Junes change a fait accompli and yesterdays news.
Does Biden actually have the power to appoint two additional judges? If so all the pressure will pile on Biden to do that to stop it, and Biden becomes the fall guy wether roe v wade is saved or is dumped.
Nigelb probably right, Senate too tight to get it passed. Nigelb possibly wrong if GOP senators visited WH indicating they are not on side of Roe v Wade overturned, which a handful may feel from their own gut politics.
Should we presume all the GOP senators are on board with abortion becoming illegal? Without trawling through each ones position on it, at least a handful may be for the status quo? Especially if RCS is right in claiming 70% of voters in favour of status quo?
That's about as likely as Tory backbenchers finding the spine to depose Johnson before the local elections.
Yeah I agree, getting a bit speculative all this.
But I did like the post where Biden has to think outside the box, and go in hard where they don’t like it up em. Your posts just pour cold water over every suggestion!
I think term limits would be an excellent and non partisan means of reforming the court. Sadly I don't see any real chance of their being introduced.
I'd be fine with (though less keen on) court expansion, and while it would be easier to achieve, the Democrats simply don't have the votes, and a failed attempt would probably be worse than none at all.
Wait - so we are using historic competitions now? So we can stop just referring to the Premier League era as if football didn't exist in 1993?
We not only can, but should. While we're at it let's start calling it 'League Division 1' again. And also rename the Champions League 'the European Cup'. The old names were both better and more accurate.
A pet hate of mine is things changing their names.
Like PB posters, you mean?
Ha - well two obvious examples there - one changed for understandable reasons, the other because doing so is part of the whole persona. And a few less well known examples. I don't mind that. I'm mainly thinking of sports teams, stadiums, brands, etc - where the implication is that the public should be pleased and excited about the name changes.
Stadium naming rights is particularly annoying, especially to people who aspire to the 92 Club - at the lower levels I'm never quite sure if the team has moved or just got a sponsor. Is the Wham Stadium the same as the Crown Ground? Is the Technique Stadium the same as Saltergate? (I looked it up. Yes and no respectively).
It's a nice little earner for the first sponsor of a new stadium though. The McAlpine will always be the McAlpine, and the Reebok will always be the Reebok. Similarly, I'm pretty sure the Emirates will always be the Emirates to most people (even if it will always be Asburton Grove to me).
And why on earth did they rename the Olympic Stadium to something so bloody dull?
Yes, fair enough, sell your naming rights once - but that is what it shall be called ever after. The MacAlpine and the Reebok are the two which spring to mind for me too.
Similarly the fifth tier of English football shall forever be the Vauxhall Conference. (If it had a previous sponsor, it was before my time.) A mixed blessing - there name is out there forever, but forever associated with a fifth-tier product.
It's always been just "the Conference" to me, except in the chant "we're on our way", where it doesn't scan nearly as well. The National League is in a different sport in a different country, and "National League North" and "National League South" are just silly.
The Alliance Premier League, you mean? (still being won annually by Altrincham, for sure).
And Northern, Southern Premier and Isthmian is what I resort to when thinking, which league is that? And so on.
Alty have done pretty well this season given the makeup of the league, and they're going full time for next season which can only help them.
I think it's been a struggle for a while not to be full time at Conference level - I think Hyde managed 2 seasons before succumbing when they were up around 2010 ish.
The Conference has served its purpose now there is automatic promotion and relegation. It is a full time fifth division in all but name. It isn't really non league at all. Most of the clubs, many of the grounds and attendances aren't either.
The top 6 Conference teams all have average attendances higher than 19 teams in League Two and seven teams in League One.
And, again, at most two of them can go up. It's crazy.
They shouldn't have got themselves relegated to the Conference in the first place. Six of the top seven are "league teams". Well they were in my days on the terraces.
And the team 6th in National League North and set for the play off fun.
Interesting thread from an American former DoD insider:
Essentially the Boris Johnson-lead UK government is acting to politically destroy the "De-escalation faction" in senior positions of the US, French & German governments one advanced military capability at a time.
I absolutely see @NickPalmer's point about motorway service stations and wholeheartedly agree. How fantastic to be anonymous and autonomous and do what you want in his case reading a book what bliss.
And given @OnlyLivingBoy's not inaccurate description of the places it is an activity stripped of all the artifice of usual eating/drinking places. No chance of Siena Miller/Henry Cavill coming to sit at your table and you having to show what a catch you are; no chance of anyone disturbing you; just doing your thing.
As to the cleanliness I disagree - the loos are often super clean and serviceable....
The variability in condition is enormous. The loos are sometimes clean, and sometimes utterly vile.
But they always smell disgusting. Presumably it's just the sheer volume of shit that passes through them. There's also a high probability of encountering racist graffiti, which is always a thoroughly depressing experience.
Most are clean, in my experience.
I've always liked motorway service stations, even before I came across the delights of the Farm Shop chain. Who doesn't enjoy a much needed wee and a caffeine/sugar/carbohydrate boost, and the possibility of buying a new road atlas? Admittedly some service stations are terrible (Corley, I think, was awful last time I was there), but these are rarer and rarer.
However, Painter added, the person who breached the court’s confidences should face professional consequences if identified.
“If a justice intentionally did it, I think that justice could be impeached and removed from office,” he said. “If a clerk did it, they could be dismissed and there might be implications at the bar.”...
Would be hilarious if it turns out to be Alito - though if it were him, the inquiry would likely be perfunctory and fail to reach a conclusion.
Imo definitely leaked by supporters of The scrapping of wade v row in June, either over excited oneupmanship, or calculated in making Junes change a fait accompli and yesterdays news.
Does Biden actually have the power to appoint two additional judges? If so all the pressure will pile on Biden to do that to stop it, and Biden becomes the fall guy wether roe v wade is saved or is dumped.
Nigelb probably right, Senate too tight to get it passed. Nigelb possibly wrong if GOP senators visited WH indicating they are not on side of Roe v Wade overturned, which a handful may feel from their own gut politics.
Should we presume all the GOP senators are on board with abortion becoming illegal? Without trawling through each ones position on it, at least a handful may be for the status quo? Especially if RCS is right in claiming 70% of voters in favour of status quo?
That's about as likely as Tory backbenchers finding the spine to depose Johnson before the local elections.
Yeah I agree, getting a bit speculative all this.
But I did like the post where Biden has to think outside the box, and go in hard where they don’t like it up em. Your posts just pour cold water over every suggestion!
I think term limits would be an excellent and non partisan means of reforming the court. Sadly I don't see any real chance of their being introduced.
I'd be fine with (though less keen on) court expansion, and while it would be easier to achieve, the Democrats simply don't have the votes, and a failed attempt would probably be worse than none at all.
Another thing talked about, in excitement of Biden’s election, was adding two new states strongly favouring democrats with their EVs. How long would that take to pull off?
However, Painter added, the person who breached the court’s confidences should face professional consequences if identified.
“If a justice intentionally did it, I think that justice could be impeached and removed from office,” he said. “If a clerk did it, they could be dismissed and there might be implications at the bar.”...
Would be hilarious if it turns out to be Alito - though if it were him, the inquiry would likely be perfunctory and fail to reach a conclusion.
Imo definitely leaked by supporters of The scrapping of wade v row in June, either over excited oneupmanship, or calculated in making Junes change a fait accompli and yesterdays news.
Does Biden actually have the power to appoint two additional judges? If so all the pressure will pile on Biden to do that to stop it, and Biden becomes the fall guy wether roe v wade is saved or is dumped.
Nigelb probably right, Senate too tight to get it passed. Nigelb possibly wrong if GOP senators visited WH indicating they are not on side of Roe v Wade overturned, which a handful may feel from their own gut politics.
Should we presume all the GOP senators are on board with abortion becoming illegal? Without trawling through each ones position on it, at least a handful may be for the status quo? Especially if RCS is right in claiming 70% of voters in favour of status quo?
I don't think any Republican Senators would go along with court-packing, but, yes, there are a few Republican Senators who are pro-choice: Susan Collins (Maine, who hangs on even though the state usually votes Dem), Shelley Moore Capito (West Virginia) and Lisa Murkowski (Alaska, practically in constant revolt with her party, with frequent rumours she'll cross the floor). So, 3/8 female Republican Senators are pro-choice versus 0/42 men.
Is that all? Just three? 😔
What would be interesting is *any* Republicans crossed the floor - a lot of Biden's legislation is held hostage to the "moderate" Dems in the Senate
Joe "Rollin' Coal" Manchin in particular....
I don't expect much more than performative outrage from them - like Collin's claims yesterday that Kavanaugh and Gorsuch misled her during their confirmation.
Like Manchin, Collins and Murkowski have enjoyed very successful careers badmouthing their party's policies to the right audience. Though unlike Manchin, they don't very often vote against it, especially when it might mean burning bridges..
It should have been obvious to anyone with two braincells to rub together that Kavanaugh and Gorsuch were lying toerags who would tear up Roe vs Wade the minute they had a chance. I'm kind of sick of these "moderate Republicans" who pretend to be nice reasonable people then vote with the Gilead crowd that runs their party 90% of the time. On stuffing the court I am conflicted. The Republicans have acted in such bad faith that I half think that anything goes now. On the other hand if both sides trash the normal political conventions then the US will inevitably slide into a really bad place. Maybe it is better to stick to the rules even if that places you at a disadvantage, do at least some semblance of civilised democracy is maintained.
Call them what you like, Motorway service stations are the most horrible places in Britain, so vile that you find yourself longing for another four hours driving on the motorway until you have to stop at another one. (Cairn Lodge and Fleet are the honourable exceptions that I have encountered).
Just building my rep as PB's eccentric - I like motorway service stations, especially Moto. But then I like fast food, and nowadays they have comfortable sofas to sit while you eat, and you can read a book and nobody bothers you no matter how long you stay. I'm just back from a West Country holiday, and driving leisurely back and stopping for a bite and a chapter every now and then made it a very easy run. What seems to be the problem?
Agree. I love them. They are free, predictable, all human life is there, no pressure to spend money, are open all hours, each has its own ambience. The Economist Christmas edition ran a great article on them of a few years ago, about how they were the ever open still centre of a moving world, and became a world of their own if you inhabited one for long.
And I love the way they are sometimes fantastically busy, and sometimes empty as the grave.
South Mimms is almost a town and road system in its own right.
Some of the treats are off the Motorway system as such. Great Gonerby (if you can find it). Blyth (Notts not Northumberland).
But nothing compares with Tebay. The Ritz and Dorchester of service stations. Service stations in heaven are all like that.
Boris is loved in Ukraine. Problem is for him is that he can't transfer his ratings from there to here.
LOL. The Boris Embankment?
He was loved here once. Maybe it’s just a matter of time you see?
People have posted it lots of times, in the first half of this story EVERYONE thinks he’s great. When the heroine lets him into her bed chamber, she loves him. When the cad disappears, revealed for what he is, the story changes and can never be the same again.
This is the same Boris Johnson currently SCREWING the Ukrainians with a fake refugee scheme.
Looking at the attendances - yes, Conference is healthy isn't it? A definite top 6 pulling 5-8000+ on average, which would comfortably sit with the top half of league 2, and then a massive drop off to the other teams getting below 2500 who would struggle at the bottom end of league 2 attendances.
I hashed together a slight rough lifetime average attendances (over 5000) a few years ago using long term attendance figures, life expectancies and attendance demographics (only on PB, eh!!) and I'm betting those numbers for the top 6 are massively competitive with their long term average attendances taking in many years as League clubs.
Something, whether it's the mystique of the 92, a rally round effect of 'dropping out of the league', the need for rebuilding and to be in top condition to get out the league upwards, I don't know, seems to be in the conference's water, and though 4 up / 4 down seems fair and superficially attractive, I wonder if the scarcity of promotion spots actually helps get old clubs in shape?
More than willing to be shot down, as just an off the cuff theory.
Balance nowadays means getting two Tories into the studio, one pro-Johnson and one anti-Johnson, to fight it out. An undignified Downing Street soap opera, acted out in public view, while the rest of the country faces the biggest squeeze on living standards in a generation. ~AA https://twitter.com/BBCPolitics/status/1521831004075282432
That’s an, er, interesting design for a minister’s leaflet…
Then there’s this:
I think they’re worried.
Do political parties 'own' colour schemes?
“ Do political parties 'own' colour schemes? “
Looking at that fake Tory leaflet, is that the best comment you can make about positive v negative campaigning?
Too late for Tories now, if it is a bad night, lose Wandsworth etc, the fact they didn’t put the positives of voting Conservative and having conservative councils front and centre of the campaign, instead made partygate the big issue with dirty tricks like this front and centre of the campaign is obviously going to get the blame isn’t it?
At least this one’s blue, and it’s got a Union fleg on there. That’s what I expect from Tory leaflets. Like the Labour/EU thing. C’mon guys, you won, we’ve left!
Most interesting though is the circled text.
And the EU flag on the Labour column? WTAF? Truly desperate stuff, the stench of decay around the Tory Party these days is shocking - bring back daily waste collection, the smell is unbearable!
"Vote on local grounds, not Westminster ones! Oh, apart from on Brexit or any other Westminster ones where you might like us; vote on Westminster grounds for them!"
(Unless EU membership and foreign affairs are indeed within the remit of Hartlepool Council, which would seem quite far-ranging powers for any Local Authority)
That’s an, er, interesting design for a minister’s leaflet…
Then there’s this:
I think they’re worried.
Do political parties 'own' colour schemes?
“ Do political parties 'own' colour schemes? “
Looking at that fake Tory leaflet, is that the best comment you can make about positive v negative campaigning?
Too late for Tories now, if it is a bad night, lose Wandsworth etc, the fact they didn’t put the positives of voting Conservative and having conservative councils front and centre of the campaign, instead made partygate the big issue with dirty tricks like this front and centre of the campaign is obviously going to get the blame isn’t it?
At least this one’s blue, and it’s got a Union fleg on there. That’s what I expect from Tory leaflets. Like the Labour/EU thing. C’mon guys, you won, we’ve left!
Most interesting though is the circled text.
And the EU flag on the Labour column? WTAF? Truly desperate stuff, the stench of decay around the Tory Party these days is shocking - bring back daily waste collection, the smell is unbearable!
"Vote on local grounds, not Westminster ones! Oh, apart from on Brexit or any other Westminster ones where you might like us; vote on Westminster grounds for them!"
(Unless EU membership and foreign affairs are indeed within the remit of Hartlepool Council, which would seem quite far-ranging powers for any Local Authority)
This sort of thing goes both ways though. For a long time in the 90s and 00s, Wirral branded itself 'Eurowirral'. And of course, there were the 'nuclear free' cities of the 80s. Not having competence (in either sense of the word) in certain areas has rarely kept councils from opining on them.
That’s an, er, interesting design for a minister’s leaflet…
Then there’s this:
I think they’re worried.
Do political parties 'own' colour schemes?
“ Do political parties 'own' colour schemes? “
Looking at that fake Tory leaflet, is that the best comment you can make about positive v negative campaigning?
Too late for Tories now, if it is a bad night, lose Wandsworth etc, the fact they didn’t put the positives of voting Conservative and having conservative councils front and centre of the campaign, instead made partygate the big issue with dirty tricks like this front and centre of the campaign is obviously going to get the blame isn’t it?
At least this one’s blue, and it’s got a Union fleg on there. That’s what I expect from Tory leaflets. Like the Labour/EU thing. C’mon guys, you won, we’ve left!
Most interesting though is the circled text.
And the EU flag on the Labour column? WTAF? Truly desperate stuff, the stench of decay around the Tory Party these days is shocking - bring back daily waste collection, the smell is unbearable!
"Vote on local grounds, not Westminster ones! Oh, apart from on Brexit or any other Westminster ones where you might like us; vote on Westminster grounds for them!"
(Unless EU membership and foreign affairs are indeed within the remit of Hartlepool Council, which would seem quite far-ranging powers for any Local Authority)
The flags are, presumably, intended as a not-very-subtle "you know what these people are really like".
That’s an, er, interesting design for a minister’s leaflet…
Then there’s this:
I think they’re worried.
Do political parties 'own' colour schemes?
“ Do political parties 'own' colour schemes? “
Looking at that fake Tory leaflet, is that the best comment you can make about positive v negative campaigning?
Too late for Tories now, if it is a bad night, lose Wandsworth etc, the fact they didn’t put the positives of voting Conservative and having conservative councils front and centre of the campaign, instead made partygate the big issue with dirty tricks like this front and centre of the campaign is obviously going to get the blame isn’t it?
At least this one’s blue, and it’s got a Union fleg on there. That’s what I expect from Tory leaflets. Like the Labour/EU thing. C’mon guys, you won, we’ve left!
Most interesting though is the circled text.
And the EU flag on the Labour column? WTAF? Truly desperate stuff, the stench of decay around the Tory Party these days is shocking - bring back daily waste collection, the smell is unbearable!
"Vote on local grounds, not Westminster ones! Oh, apart from on Brexit or any other Westminster ones where you might like us; vote on Westminster grounds for them!"
(Unless EU membership and foreign affairs are indeed within the remit of Hartlepool Council, which would seem quite far-ranging powers for any Local Authority)
It should work quite effectively though, slapping faces of die hard brexiteers who entertained the thought of voting Labour this time? Anyone think this leaflet won’t work, for reminding voters why they now vote Tory not Labour 🙂
As a Libdem supporter I am excited by the prospect of Brexit, as defined by Boris Johnson and his government, being the main thing all voters think of in future when they hear the words Tory or Conservative.
However, Painter added, the person who breached the court’s confidences should face professional consequences if identified.
“If a justice intentionally did it, I think that justice could be impeached and removed from office,” he said. “If a clerk did it, they could be dismissed and there might be implications at the bar.”...
Would be hilarious if it turns out to be Alito - though if it were him, the inquiry would likely be perfunctory and fail to reach a conclusion.
Imo definitely leaked by supporters of The scrapping of wade v row in June, either over excited oneupmanship, or calculated in making Junes change a fait accompli and yesterdays news.
Does Biden actually have the power to appoint two additional judges? If so all the pressure will pile on Biden to do that to stop it, and Biden becomes the fall guy wether roe v wade is saved or is dumped.
Congress can't do so unilaterally - it has no power of appointment.
And a bill to introduce term limits is a waste of time, as you'd have to change the Constitution (or impeach each justice at the end of your imposed term limit, which would be equally impractical).
Congress can unilaterally increase the size of the Supreme Court. It is then up to the President to nominate people to fill the newly created places, with ratification required by the Senate.
Since it could only do so by amending or replacing the Judiciary Act of 1869, it couldn't without also overriding the Presidential veto. That is vanishingly unlikely. And if you had the two thirds majority required, you'd be better off introducing a constitutional amendment to bring in term limits.
Looking down the League 2 (Fourth Division) table, it is full of non-league clubs.
Sutton United, Salford City, Crawley Town, Harrogate Town, Stevenage. WTF?
It doesn't end there - Accrington Stanley, Morecambe and Fleetwood Town in the Third Division. The same league as the Mackems!
Fleetwood have a sugar daddy, AIUI. Accrington Stanley (who are they? Exactly!) had a long history as a football league club before major financial mismanagement in the 50s/60s so not too surprising.
Looking down the League 2 (Fourth Division) table, it is full of non-league clubs.
Sutton United, Salford City, Crawley Town, Harrogate Town, Stevenage. WTF?
It doesn't end there - Accrington Stanley, Morecambe and Fleetwood Town in the Third Division. The same league as the Mackems!
We have seen lots of ex non League clubs do well in the EFL since automatic promotion started. As indicated previously I favour 4 up 4 down from the National League as it provides more opportunity for teams to progress.
It has been harder for traditionally non league teams to get to Championship level, Wycombe is an example, simply because the underlying historic infrastructure and size of fan base generally isn't there.
However we do have Wigan and indeed Wimbledon who became League clubs in the 1970s and got to the top flight!
That’s an, er, interesting design for a minister’s leaflet…
Then there’s this:
I think they’re worried.
Do political parties 'own' colour schemes?
“ Do political parties 'own' colour schemes? “
Looking at that fake Tory leaflet, is that the best comment you can make about positive v negative campaigning?
Too late for Tories now, if it is a bad night, lose Wandsworth etc, the fact they didn’t put the positives of voting Conservative and having conservative councils front and centre of the campaign, instead made partygate the big issue with dirty tricks like this front and centre of the campaign is obviously going to get the blame isn’t it?
At least this one’s blue, and it’s got a Union fleg on there. That’s what I expect from Tory leaflets. Like the Labour/EU thing. C’mon guys, you won, we’ve left!
Most interesting though is the circled text.
And the EU flag on the Labour column? WTAF? Truly desperate stuff, the stench of decay around the Tory Party these days is shocking - bring back daily waste collection, the smell is unbearable!
"Vote on local grounds, not Westminster ones! Oh, apart from on Brexit or any other Westminster ones where you might like us; vote on Westminster grounds for them!"
(Unless EU membership and foreign affairs are indeed within the remit of Hartlepool Council, which would seem quite far-ranging powers for any Local Authority)
The flags are, presumably, intended as a not-very-subtle "you know what these people are really like".
Then why not add the hammer and sickle and Stalins face? 😁
From time to time American politics and culture wars really do impose themselves on our media and social media, and it becomes really quite oppressive. It also means Britain - for we are probably more colonised by this stuff than anyone else barring possibly the Canadians because of our shared language - then internalises debates that came about in a completely different context.
It gets rather oppressive. If there's one consolation it's that we seem to have some form of natural immunity to some, but not all, variants of US culture war.
I would say the big ones are the following, with different levels of salience in the UK:
Gun rights: thankfully almost complete sterilising immunity, indeed the very existence and obvious idiocy of the US gun lobby probably helps to keep any UK equivalent quiet
Abortion: huge issue in the US, so far very strong natural immunity to this topic in the UK but I do fear it's going to create so much noise that some idiots start to pick up on it
Climate change: I think 10-15 years ago this was really starting to have a knock on effect on UK consensus around climate, but thankfully this seems to be one area where the US has moved on. It's now the Australians who seem to be down the rabbit hole in a way that's almost as absurd in its self-harm as the US gun lobby. The UK has its own sceptics but it feels more home grown than US driven
Race relations: the fallout from the George Floyd murder and BLM had massive salience and influence here, to the extent of complete cultural import. Much of that made sense because of shared experience but there is still a big difference between the way the trigger-happy US police operate and even the most knuckle headed forces in the UK.
Covid: thank god we didn't descend into the partisan pit they've ended up with where vaccines and masks become a political football and you have the madness of one half of the country chugging horse dewormers to keep out Bill Gates's microchips while the other half put facemasks on their toddlers at playgroup. We got a bit of this but most Brits just got vaccinated and laughed it off.
I'm not sure whether the particularly vicious TERF / trans debate is originally a US culture war import but I rather get the sense it's rather more locally sourced, organic and Made in Britain.
Call them what you like, Motorway service stations are the most horrible places in Britain, so vile that you find yourself longing for another four hours driving on the motorway until you have to stop at another one. (Cairn Lodge and Fleet are the honourable exceptions that I have encountered).
Just building my rep as PB's eccentric - I like motorway service stations, especially Moto. But then I like fast food, and nowadays they have comfortable sofas to sit while you eat, and you can read a book and nobody bothers you no matter how long you stay. I'm just back from a West Country holiday, and driving leisurely back and stopping for a bite and a chapter every now and then made it a very easy run. What seems to be the problem?
Agree. I love them. They are free, predictable, all human life is there, no pressure to spend money, are open all hours, each has its own ambience. The Economist Christmas edition ran a great article on them of a few years ago, about how they were the ever open still centre of a moving world, and became a world of their own if you inhabited one for long.
And I love the way they are sometimes fantastically busy, and sometimes empty as the grave.
South Mimms is almost a town and road system in its own right.
Some of the treats are off the Motorway system as such. Great Gonerby (if you can find it). Blyth (Notts not Northumberland).
But nothing compares with Tebay. The Ritz and Dorchester of service stations. Service stations in heaven are all like that.
French service stations are better. Particularly the ones that fill their waspy summer car parks with chip vans on unusually busy Belgian traffic days.
My favourite French one is Aire de Chateauvilain/Orgues in Haute Marne. In the woods, nice range of restaurants if you're in no hurry, and plenty of outdoor seating.
I'd like to point out that early on in the conflict, I suggested neighbouring countries repairing tanks and other kit as being a good way of helping Ukraine.
You can add many furious tory voters to that coalition.
What would be the main and major differences in policy between this government and a lib-lab coalition?
Not much at all. The government is failing precisely because they've plunged to the left.
LibLab would clearly do a windfall tax. Anything sentient knows that's a bad idea, but I suspect that a very mild evisceration could be agreed with the big beasts.
Call them what you like, Motorway service stations are the most horrible places in Britain, so vile that you find yourself longing for another four hours driving on the motorway until you have to stop at another one. (Cairn Lodge and Fleet are the honourable exceptions that I have encountered).
Just building my rep as PB's eccentric - I like motorway service stations, especially Moto. But then I like fast food, and nowadays they have comfortable sofas to sit while you eat, and you can read a book and nobody bothers you no matter how long you stay. I'm just back from a West Country holiday, and driving leisurely back and stopping for a bite and a chapter every now and then made it a very easy run. What seems to be the problem?
They tend to be a bit grimy, they are over-priced, they smell of disgusting greasy fast food like McDs, and the toilets stink and are often dirty. Also, and I know this comment doesn't paint me in a great light, they kind of confront you with the reality that we are not in the main a stylish or especially attractive country and perhaps we could do with eating less fast food, or indeed less food full stop.
I recommend a visit to the Deep South, then you will realise the Brits are skinny as fuck. Relatively
Call them what you like, Motorway service stations are the most horrible places in Britain, so vile that you find yourself longing for another four hours driving on the motorway until you have to stop at another one. (Cairn Lodge and Fleet are the honourable exceptions that I have encountered).
Just building my rep as PB's eccentric - I like motorway service stations, especially Moto. But then I like fast food, and nowadays they have comfortable sofas to sit while you eat, and you can read a book and nobody bothers you no matter how long you stay. I'm just back from a West Country holiday, and driving leisurely back and stopping for a bite and a chapter every now and then made it a very easy run. What seems to be the problem?
Agree. I love them. They are free, predictable, all human life is there, no pressure to spend money, are open all hours, each has its own ambience. The Economist Christmas edition ran a great article on them of a few years ago, about how they were the ever open still centre of a moving world, and became a world of their own if you inhabited one for long.
And I love the way they are sometimes fantastically busy, and sometimes empty as the grave.
South Mimms is almost a town and road system in its own right.
Some of the treats are off the Motorway system as such. Great Gonerby (if you can find it). Blyth (Notts not Northumberland).
But nothing compares with Tebay. The Ritz and Dorchester of service stations. Service stations in heaven are all like that.
French service stations are better. Particularly the ones that fill their waspy summer car parks with chip vans on unusually busy Belgian traffic days.
My favourite French one is Aire de Chateauvilain/Orgues in Haute Marne. In the woods, nice range of restaurants if you're in no hurry, and plenty of outdoor seating.
Going to be driving down to south of Lyon this Summer. Might have to take a look! I've been to some godawful French service stations. At least in the UK you will never see a hole in the ground toilet.
However, Painter added, the person who breached the court’s confidences should face professional consequences if identified.
“If a justice intentionally did it, I think that justice could be impeached and removed from office,” he said. “If a clerk did it, they could be dismissed and there might be implications at the bar.”...
Would be hilarious if it turns out to be Alito - though if it were him, the inquiry would likely be perfunctory and fail to reach a conclusion.
Imo definitely leaked by supporters of The scrapping of wade v row in June, either over excited oneupmanship, or calculated in making Junes change a fait accompli and yesterdays news.
Does Biden actually have the power to appoint two additional judges? If so all the pressure will pile on Biden to do that to stop it, and Biden becomes the fall guy wether roe v wade is saved or is dumped.
Nigelb probably right, Senate too tight to get it passed. Nigelb possibly wrong if GOP senators visited WH indicating they are not on side of Roe v Wade overturned, which a handful may feel from their own gut politics.
Should we presume all the GOP senators are on board with abortion becoming illegal? Without trawling through each ones position on it, at least a handful may be for the status quo? Especially if RCS is right in claiming 70% of voters in favour of status quo?
That's about as likely as Tory backbenchers finding the spine to depose Johnson before the local elections.
Yeah I agree, getting a bit speculative all this.
But I did like the post where Biden has to think outside the box, and go in hard where they don’t like it up em. Your posts just pour cold water over every suggestion!
I think term limits would be an excellent and non partisan means of reforming the court. Sadly I don't see any real chance of their being introduced.
I'd be fine with (though less keen on) court expansion, and while it would be easier to achieve, the Democrats simply don't have the votes, and a failed attempt would probably be worse than none at all.
Another thing talked about, in excitement of Biden’s election, was adding two new states strongly favouring democrats with their EVs. How long would that take to pull off?
Call them what you like, Motorway service stations are the most horrible places in Britain, so vile that you find yourself longing for another four hours driving on the motorway until you have to stop at another one. (Cairn Lodge and Fleet are the honourable exceptions that I have encountered).
Just building my rep as PB's eccentric - I like motorway service stations, especially Moto. But then I like fast food, and nowadays they have comfortable sofas to sit while you eat, and you can read a book and nobody bothers you no matter how long you stay. I'm just back from a West Country holiday, and driving leisurely back and stopping for a bite and a chapter every now and then made it a very easy run. What seems to be the problem?
Agree. I love them. They are free, predictable, all human life is there, no pressure to spend money, are open all hours, each has its own ambience. The Economist Christmas edition ran a great article on them of a few years ago, about how they were the ever open still centre of a moving world, and became a world of their own if you inhabited one for long.
And I love the way they are sometimes fantastically busy, and sometimes empty as the grave.
South Mimms is almost a town and road system in its own right.
Some of the treats are off the Motorway system as such. Great Gonerby (if you can find it). Blyth (Notts not Northumberland).
But nothing compares with Tebay. The Ritz and Dorchester of service stations. Service stations in heaven are all like that.
There is no way Trump is not the candidate in 2024:
"The other characteristic of many of those Mr. Trump has endorsed is their unreserved embrace of “Stop the Steal.” It’s apparent why: When you listen to Trump voters — as I’ve discovered conducting regular focus groups with them — their beliefs are crystal clear. A majority believe the 2020 election was stolen and would like to see Mr. Trump run again in 2024, and even those who don’t want him to run still want him to play a big role in the G.O.P."
He makes a good point re Dowdens pathetic whining over the alleged Labour Lib Dem pact . Given the Brexit Party didn’t stand candidates in certain seats to help the Tories in 2019.
Those who want rid of the Tories need to do whatever it takes , and vote tactically if need be .
Call them what you like, Motorway service stations are the most horrible places in Britain, so vile that you find yourself longing for another four hours driving on the motorway until you have to stop at another one. (Cairn Lodge and Fleet are the honourable exceptions that I have encountered).
Just building my rep as PB's eccentric - I like motorway service stations, especially Moto. But then I like fast food, and nowadays they have comfortable sofas to sit while you eat, and you can read a book and nobody bothers you no matter how long you stay. I'm just back from a West Country holiday, and driving leisurely back and stopping for a bite and a chapter every now and then made it a very easy run. What seems to be the problem?
Agree. I love them. They are free, predictable, all human life is there, no pressure to spend money, are open all hours, each has its own ambience. The Economist Christmas edition ran a great article on them of a few years ago, about how they were the ever open still centre of a moving world, and became a world of their own if you inhabited one for long.
And I love the way they are sometimes fantastically busy, and sometimes empty as the grave.
South Mimms is almost a town and road system in its own right.
Some of the treats are off the Motorway system as such. Great Gonerby (if you can find it). Blyth (Notts not Northumberland).
But nothing compares with Tebay. The Ritz and Dorchester of service stations. Service stations in heaven are all like that.
It has spawned a couple of offshoots on the m5, kind of hobbit burrows with sensationally overpriced organicke fayre
Call them what you like, Motorway service stations are the most horrible places in Britain, so vile that you find yourself longing for another four hours driving on the motorway until you have to stop at another one. (Cairn Lodge and Fleet are the honourable exceptions that I have encountered).
Just building my rep as PB's eccentric - I like motorway service stations, especially Moto. But then I like fast food, and nowadays they have comfortable sofas to sit while you eat, and you can read a book and nobody bothers you no matter how long you stay. I'm just back from a West Country holiday, and driving leisurely back and stopping for a bite and a chapter every now and then made it a very easy run. What seems to be the problem?
They tend to be a bit grimy, they are over-priced, they smell of disgusting greasy fast food like McDs, and the toilets stink and are often dirty. Also, and I know this comment doesn't paint me in a great light, they kind of confront you with the reality that we are not in the main a stylish or especially attractive country and perhaps we could do with eating less fast food, or indeed less food full stop.
A recommend a visit to the Deep South, then you will realise the Brits are skinny as fuck. Relatively
I happened to watch the first bit of the NI debates last night. The Alliance candidate does herself no favours in being as fat as she is. Daft.
Call them what you like, Motorway service stations are the most horrible places in Britain, so vile that you find yourself longing for another four hours driving on the motorway until you have to stop at another one. (Cairn Lodge and Fleet are the honourable exceptions that I have encountered).
Just building my rep as PB's eccentric - I like motorway service stations, especially Moto. But then I like fast food, and nowadays they have comfortable sofas to sit while you eat, and you can read a book and nobody bothers you no matter how long you stay. I'm just back from a West Country holiday, and driving leisurely back and stopping for a bite and a chapter every now and then made it a very easy run. What seems to be the problem?
Agree. I love them. They are free, predictable, all human life is there, no pressure to spend money, are open all hours, each has its own ambience. The Economist Christmas edition ran a great article on them of a few years ago, about how they were the ever open still centre of a moving world, and became a world of their own if you inhabited one for long.
And I love the way they are sometimes fantastically busy, and sometimes empty as the grave.
South Mimms is almost a town and road system in its own right.
Some of the treats are off the Motorway system as such. Great Gonerby (if you can find it). Blyth (Notts not Northumberland).
But nothing compares with Tebay. The Ritz and Dorchester of service stations. Service stations in heaven are all like that.
French service stations are better. Particularly the ones that fill their waspy summer car parks with chip vans on unusually busy Belgian traffic days.
My favourite French one is Aire de Chateauvilain/Orgues in Haute Marne. In the woods, nice range of restaurants if you're in no hurry, and plenty of outdoor seating.
Going to be driving down to south of Lyon this Summer. Might have to take a look! I've been to some godawful French service stations. At least in the UK you will never see a hole in the ground toilet.
Troyes Noidant is also decent. Aire d'Urvillers (aire of the d'urbervilles as our family call it) near St Quentin too. We do that drive about 10 times a year and are at the point where we know all the brown signs as well as the aire names.
Their little picnicky ones are nice too. Though those are often the ones with continental loos.
Covid. I know no one really cares anymore. However, hospitalisations seem to be plummeting. Over 30% in a week. Given the news earlier this week that almost 99% of people have antibodies it really does seem to be all over now.
Looking down the League 2 (Fourth Division) table, it is full of non-league clubs.
Sutton United, Salford City, Crawley Town, Harrogate Town, Stevenage. WTF?
It doesn't end there - Accrington Stanley, Morecambe and Fleetwood Town in the Third Division. The same league as the Mackems!
We have seen lots of ex non League clubs do well in the EFL since automatic promotion started. As indicated previously I favour 4 up 4 down from the National League as it provides more opportunity for teams to progress.
It has been harder for traditionally non league teams to get to Championship level, Wycombe is an example, simply because the underlying historic infrastructure and size of fan base generally isn't there.
However we do have Wigan and indeed Wimbledon who became League clubs in the 1970s and got to the top flight!
One of the biggest gaps in the pyramid is in League One with half a dozen ex-Prem clubs being very difficult for traditionally smaller clubs to overcome with good management.
He makes a good point re Dowdens pathetic whining over the alleged Labour Lib Dem pact . Given the Brexit Party didn’t stand candidates in certain seats to help the Tories in 2019.
Those who want rid of the Tories need to do whatever it takes , and vote tactically if need be .
Um, if the BXP had wanted to help the Tories they would have stood aside in Tory target seats, not the ones they already held.
Quite amazing we've gone from a gripe about things changing their names unnecessarily to full-on non-league re-organisation geekery.
PB at its best.
This thread has brought us the Judiciary Act of 1869, the old Third Division North and South abolished in 1958 The Greatest Service Stations in our time And some politics too. And will never end. Someone else has written a header we will all not talk about, and we pile in there, with This thread has been relegated via 1980s playoffs left behind.
We need to be careful to get eight hours sleep in tonight, maybe topped up tomorow afternoon, it’s a long sleepless 60 hours from there if we are going to do this properly?
I’ve got two boxes of wine (about 6 bottles lined up) and a whole lot of lemon chicken pizza I made in the freezer. And the only difficult decision is to open the red or rose box first tomorrow night? 😄
Libdems winning here night! I’m hopeful of winning some “super” councils.
Covid. I know no one really cares anymore. However, hospitalisations seem to be plummeting. Over 30% in a week. Given the news earlier this week that almost 99% of people have antibodies it really does seem to be all over now.
Call them what you like, Motorway service stations are the most horrible places in Britain, so vile that you find yourself longing for another four hours driving on the motorway until you have to stop at another one. (Cairn Lodge and Fleet are the honourable exceptions that I have encountered).
Just building my rep as PB's eccentric - I like motorway service stations, especially Moto. But then I like fast food, and nowadays they have comfortable sofas to sit while you eat, and you can read a book and nobody bothers you no matter how long you stay. I'm just back from a West Country holiday, and driving leisurely back and stopping for a bite and a chapter every now and then made it a very easy run. What seems to be the problem?
Agree. I love them. They are free, predictable, all human life is there, no pressure to spend money, are open all hours, each has its own ambience. The Economist Christmas edition ran a great article on them of a few years ago, about how they were the ever open still centre of a moving world, and became a world of their own if you inhabited one for long.
And I love the way they are sometimes fantastically busy, and sometimes empty as the grave.
South Mimms is almost a town and road system in its own right.
Some of the treats are off the Motorway system as such. Great Gonerby (if you can find it). Blyth (Notts not Northumberland).
But nothing compares with Tebay. The Ritz and Dorchester of service stations. Service stations in heaven are all like that.
French service stations are better. Particularly the ones that fill their waspy summer car parks with chip vans on unusually busy Belgian traffic days.
My favourite French one is Aire de Chateauvilain/Orgues in Haute Marne. In the woods, nice range of restaurants if you're in no hurry, and plenty of outdoor seating.
Going to be driving down to south of Lyon this Summer. Might have to take a look! I've been to some godawful French service stations. At least in the UK you will never see a hole in the ground toilet.
Jeez, that gave me a flashback to a rest stop just outside Izmir back in the 80s. Shudder.
Looking down the League 2 (Fourth Division) table, it is full of non-league clubs.
Sutton United, Salford City, Crawley Town, Harrogate Town, Stevenage. WTF?
It doesn't end there - Accrington Stanley, Morecambe and Fleetwood Town in the Third Division. The same league as the Mackems!
We have seen lots of ex non League clubs do well in the EFL since automatic promotion started. As indicated previously I favour 4 up 4 down from the National League as it provides more opportunity for teams to progress.
It has been harder for traditionally non league teams to get to Championship level, Wycombe is an example, simply because the underlying historic infrastructure and size of fan base generally isn't there.
However we do have Wigan and indeed Wimbledon who became League clubs in the 1970s and got to the top flight!
One of the biggest gaps in the pyramid is in League One with half a dozen ex-Prem clubs being very difficult for traditionally smaller clubs to overcome with good management.
Not easy to get out of League 1! This is why Watford need to stabilise next season and not go straight down again. We need a clear out of the current team, get new players in, use the parachute money wisely and consolidate at Championship level for a few seasons 👿.
Call them what you like, Motorway service stations are the most horrible places in Britain, so vile that you find yourself longing for another four hours driving on the motorway until you have to stop at another one. (Cairn Lodge and Fleet are the honourable exceptions that I have encountered).
Just building my rep as PB's eccentric - I like motorway service stations, especially Moto. But then I like fast food, and nowadays they have comfortable sofas to sit while you eat, and you can read a book and nobody bothers you no matter how long you stay. I'm just back from a West Country holiday, and driving leisurely back and stopping for a bite and a chapter every now and then made it a very easy run. What seems to be the problem?
Agree. I love them. They are free, predictable, all human life is there, no pressure to spend money, are open all hours, each has its own ambience. The Economist Christmas edition ran a great article on them of a few years ago, about how they were the ever open still centre of a moving world, and became a world of their own if you inhabited one for long.
And I love the way they are sometimes fantastically busy, and sometimes empty as the grave.
South Mimms is almost a town and road system in its own right.
Some of the treats are off the Motorway system as such. Great Gonerby (if you can find it). Blyth (Notts not Northumberland).
But nothing compares with Tebay. The Ritz and Dorchester of service stations. Service stations in heaven are all like that.
Yep, on the M6 in the Lake District, and so very different to every other such facility in the country, run by the local people and not a chain brand logo in sight. ALWAYS the planned stop on trips to Scotland.
(I think there might now be something similar on the M5 near Gloucester, but not been there for a long while)
Quite amazing we've gone from a gripe about things changing their names unnecessarily to full-on non-league re-organisation geekery.
What really sits uneasy with me about the lower leagues, Premier League youth teams entering the EFL Cup, my fear is that we'll end up going the Spanish route and having Liverpool, Manchester United, etc B teams in the EFL like Real Madrid B
Covid. I know no one really cares anymore. However, hospitalisations seem to be plummeting. Over 30% in a week. Given the news earlier this week that almost 99% of people have antibodies it really does seem to be all over now.
All the figures today are pretty startling
Not really - the hospital cases, deaths etc have been following this steepening fall for a while.
Wait - so we are using historic competitions now? So we can stop just referring to the Premier League era as if football didn't exist in 1993?
We not only can, but should. While we're at it let's start calling it 'League Division 1' again. And also rename the Champions League 'the European Cup'. The old names were both better and more accurate.
A pet hate of mine is things changing their names.
Like PB posters, you mean?
Ha - well two obvious examples there - one changed for understandable reasons, the other because doing so is part of the whole persona. And a few less well known examples. I don't mind that. I'm mainly thinking of sports teams, stadiums, brands, etc - where the implication is that the public should be pleased and excited about the name changes. Also motorway service stations. There was a wave of that a couple of decades back, where it was decided* that motorway service stations should be free to call themselves what they wanted, and they went from nice poetic names** like Hilton Park to horrible and not even particularly geographically accurate names like Birmingham North. Interestingly, most subsequently changed their names back again. People like to call things what they are called.
*whose decision was this? It feels like a New Labour thing, though it could just as well have been scratching-the-cupboard-for-new-ideas Majorism.
**I don't know which particular civil servant was responsible for this - I'd like to think there has only ever been one - but names for service stations are one of the small joys of living in Britain. Little milestones on your journey: Frankley - Strensham - Michaelwood - Gordano - Sedgemoor - Bridgwater - Taunton Deane - Cullompton - the names going from 'just started' Midlands to 'nearly there' south west as you go. There is almost no more evocative description of a journey to a childhood holiday than that. [I've omitted Gloucester, splendid though it is, as a johnny-come-lately and quite a boringly named one at that.] And you could do the same for any big motorway. Scratchwood-Toddington-Newport Pagnell - Rothersthorpe - Watford Gap - Leicester Forest East - Trowell - Tibshelf - Woodall - Woolley Edge. [I know Tibshelf is a johnny-come-lately too, but it was meant to be there almost from the start - and they kept the planned name even though by then they were free to call it something boring like 'Chesterfield South'.]
I'm with you.
There is a special place in hell for anyone who adopts changed football stadium names. All the horrific 'sponsored' stadiums have a proper name (e.g. Eastlands, Ashburton Grove). The worst one of all is the 'King Power' – which appears to be named after an obscure Thai travel agent and which the fans apparently actually use! I refer to it only as Filbert Way.
It was the Walkers Stadium before the Thais bought it. King Power are a chain of Duty Free in SE Asia.
The Thais are such great owners, not just for the investment in the club but also for club traditions and culture that fans are happy to call it the King Power out of respect for the family.
I suspect that we are the only Premiership team that sings in praise of our owners:
"Vichai had a dream, To build a football team, He came from Thailand, Now he's one of our own."
The odd thing is that many Leicester fans apparently actually call it The King Power – surely an even worse name than naming a ground after a packet of very mediocre crisps.
Filbert Way is its proper name and has the benefit of heritage unlike the truly dismal sponsor names.
Leicester fans love their owners, and for good reason.
It's rare to get good owners in football, so it's great to appreciate those who are.
LFC fans are rightly quite happy with FSG too. Far better than Hicks and Gillette who were not the best a fan could get.
You can add many furious tory voters to that coalition.
What would be the main and major differences in policy between this government and a lib-lab coalition?
Not much at all. The government is failing precisely because they've plunged to the left.
LibLab would clearly do a windfall tax. Anything sentient knows that's a bad idea, but I suspect that a very mild evisceration could be agreed with the big beasts.
Otherwise, there's no difference.
Johnson's calculation is he can go as far left as he wants to keep himself in power because there is nothing to his right.
Its one of the the coldest, most nakedly self interested calculations any PM has ever made, that I can see.
He makes a good point re Dowdens pathetic whining over the alleged Labour Lib Dem pact . Given the Brexit Party didn’t stand candidates in certain seats to help the Tories in 2019.
Those who want rid of the Tories need to do whatever it takes , and vote tactically if need be .
Oliver Dowden has about 48hrs left in front line politics 🙂
On the subject of waste... If I hadn't come to California, I was going to do an app based supplemental trash service. Basically, for people who have a lot of rubbish (you know, like new parents), they'd enter into a subscription and get a certain number of bags, and we'd basically do an Uber for trash service.
Call them what you like, Motorway service stations are the most horrible places in Britain, so vile that you find yourself longing for another four hours driving on the motorway until you have to stop at another one. (Cairn Lodge and Fleet are the honourable exceptions that I have encountered).
Just building my rep as PB's eccentric - I like motorway service stations, especially Moto. But then I like fast food, and nowadays they have comfortable sofas to sit while you eat, and you can read a book and nobody bothers you no matter how long you stay. I'm just back from a West Country holiday, and driving leisurely back and stopping for a bite and a chapter every now and then made it a very easy run. What seems to be the problem?
They tend to be a bit grimy, they are over-priced, they smell of disgusting greasy fast food like McDs, and the toilets stink and are often dirty. Also, and I know this comment doesn't paint me in a great light, they kind of confront you with the reality that we are not in the main a stylish or especially attractive country and perhaps we could do with eating less fast food, or indeed less food full stop.
A recommend a visit to the Deep South, then you will realise the Brits are skinny as fuck. Relatively
I happened to watch the first bit of the NI debates last night. The Alliance candidate does herself no favours in being as fat as she is. Daft.
Haven't seen it, but I can visualise the leader.
What do you see the problem as being? Genuinely interested - personal revulsion on your part or is there another issue/you think it a problem with the electorate in general?
I work, sometimes, with a very overweight epidemiologist. Excellent scientist and a lovely person, joy to work with. Good presenter, too. But it is interesting watching her present findings on the importance of e.g. healthy diet. A bit like someone reporting on smoking risks while puffing on a pipe. But I don't see the obvious parallel with regard to politics.
Quite amazing we've gone from a gripe about things changing their names unnecessarily to full-on non-league re-organisation geekery.
What really sits uneasy with me about the lower leagues, Premier League youth teams entering the EFL Cup, my fear is that we'll end up going the Spanish route and having Liverpool, Manchester United, etc B teams in the EFL like Real Madrid B
That madness needs to be nipped in the bud.
Trophy, not Cup - but, yes. There's major resistance in L1 and L2 to the idea, I know a whole bunch of people who follow various teams at that level and pretty much without exception they no longer go to Trophy games as doing so validates the concept.
I'd like to point out that early on in the conflict, I suggested neighbouring countries repairing tanks and other kit as being a good way of helping Ukraine.
They have a couple of hundred captured Russian tanks to be getting on with, if the Ukranians have sufficient tractors to drag them onto trains.
Wait - so we are using historic competitions now? So we can stop just referring to the Premier League era as if football didn't exist in 1993?
We not only can, but should. While we're at it let's start calling it 'League Division 1' again. And also rename the Champions League 'the European Cup'. The old names were both better and more accurate.
A pet hate of mine is things changing their names.
Like PB posters, you mean?
Ha - well two obvious examples there - one changed for understandable reasons, the other because doing so is part of the whole persona. And a few less well known examples. I don't mind that. I'm mainly thinking of sports teams, stadiums, brands, etc - where the implication is that the public should be pleased and excited about the name changes. Also motorway service stations. There was a wave of that a couple of decades back, where it was decided* that motorway service stations should be free to call themselves what they wanted, and they went from nice poetic names** like Hilton Park to horrible and not even particularly geographically accurate names like Birmingham North. Interestingly, most subsequently changed their names back again. People like to call things what they are called.
*whose decision was this? It feels like a New Labour thing, though it could just as well have been scratching-the-cupboard-for-new-ideas Majorism.
**I don't know which particular civil servant was responsible for this - I'd like to think there has only ever been one - but names for service stations are one of the small joys of living in Britain. Little milestones on your journey: Frankley - Strensham - Michaelwood - Gordano - Sedgemoor - Bridgwater - Taunton Deane - Cullompton - the names going from 'just started' Midlands to 'nearly there' south west as you go. There is almost no more evocative description of a journey to a childhood holiday than that. [I've omitted Gloucester, splendid though it is, as a johnny-come-lately and quite a boringly named one at that.] And you could do the same for any big motorway. Scratchwood-Toddington-Newport Pagnell - Rothersthorpe - Watford Gap - Leicester Forest East - Trowell - Tibshelf - Woodall - Woolley Edge. [I know Tibshelf is a johnny-come-lately too, but it was meant to be there almost from the start - and they kept the planned name even though by then they were free to call it something boring like 'Chesterfield South'.]
I'm with you.
There is a special place in hell for anyone who adopts changed football stadium names. All the horrific 'sponsored' stadiums have a proper name (e.g. Eastlands, Ashburton Grove). The worst one of all is the 'King Power' – which appears to be named after an obscure Thai travel agent and which the fans apparently actually use! I refer to it only as Filbert Way.
It was the Walkers Stadium before the Thais bought it. King Power are a chain of Duty Free in SE Asia.
The Thais are such great owners, not just for the investment in the club but also for club traditions and culture that fans are happy to call it the King Power out of respect for the family.
I suspect that we are the only Premiership team that sings in praise of our owners:
"Vichai had a dream, To build a football team, He came from Thailand, Now he's one of our own."
The odd thing is that many Leicester fans apparently actually call it The King Power – surely an even worse name than naming a ground after a packet of very mediocre crisps.
Filbert Way is its proper name and has the benefit of heritage unlike the truly dismal sponsor names.
Leicester fans love their owners, and for good reason.
It's rare to get good owners in football, so it's great to appreciate those who are.
LFC fans are rightly quite happy with FSG too. Far better than Hicks and Gillette who were not the best a fan could get.
The amazing thing about what Liverpool have done in the past few years, is that the growth has been organic. They’ve developed players and not been afraid to sell them for big money to invest back in the team, and haven’t taken the Chelsea / MC approach of simply throwing money at star signings.
Call them what you like, Motorway service stations are the most horrible places in Britain, so vile that you find yourself longing for another four hours driving on the motorway until you have to stop at another one. (Cairn Lodge and Fleet are the honourable exceptions that I have encountered).
Just building my rep as PB's eccentric - I like motorway service stations, especially Moto. But then I like fast food, and nowadays they have comfortable sofas to sit while you eat, and you can read a book and nobody bothers you no matter how long you stay. I'm just back from a West Country holiday, and driving leisurely back and stopping for a bite and a chapter every now and then made it a very easy run. What seems to be the problem?
They tend to be a bit grimy, they are over-priced, they smell of disgusting greasy fast food like McDs, and the toilets stink and are often dirty. Also, and I know this comment doesn't paint me in a great light, they kind of confront you with the reality that we are not in the main a stylish or especially attractive country and perhaps we could do with eating less fast food, or indeed less food full stop.
A recommend a visit to the Deep South, then you will realise the Brits are skinny as fuck. Relatively
I happened to watch the first bit of the NI debates last night. The Alliance candidate does herself no favours in being as fat as she is. Daft.
Haven't seen it, but I can visualise the leader.
What do you see the problem as being? Genuinely interested - personal revulsion on your part or is there another issue/you think it a problem with the electorate in general?
I work, sometimes, with a very overweight epidemiologist. Excellent scientist and a lovely person, joy to work with. Good presenter, too. But it is interesting watching her present findings on the importance of e.g. healthy diet. A bit like someone reporting on smoking risks while puffing on a pipe. But I don't see the obvious parallel with regard to politics.
Oh just she has a problem and isn't able to deal with it. More important problems might turn up in her in-tray.
Comments
And a bill to introduce term limits is a waste of time, as you'd have to change the Constitution (or impeach each justice at the end of your imposed term limit, which would be equally impractical).
The situation is only going to worsen.
Most get relegated due to inept or corrupt ownership. Then they sort themselves out usually. Or reform as Phoenix clubs. And are still viable concerns. Oldham and Scunthorpe are perfectly capable of doing so. Macclesfield and Bury will be back in a while.
Regionalisation below Championship would make sense too but again it's not going to happen.
https://www.theguardian.com/world/2022/may/04/russian-mercenaries-wagner-group-linked-to-civilian-massacres-in-mali
But I did like the post where Biden has to think outside the box, and go in hard where they don’t like it up em. Your posts just pour cold water over every suggestion!
22 of 23 in the Conference
12 of 22 in Conference North
8 of 21 in Conference South
3 in the Northern Premier
1 in the Isthmian Premier
and 3 at Step 4
200 MPs voted in favor, 16 against, 1 abstained.
https://twitter.com/EuromaidanPress/status/1521854004707434498
Essentially the Boris Johnson-lead UK government is acting to politically destroy the "De-escalation faction" in senior positions of the US, French & German governments one advanced military capability at a time.
https://twitter.com/TrentTelenko/status/1521619551158509573
I guess the counterpoint to that is if you make the Conference, League 3 there is only then a remote chance of the current 92 ever dropping out of the league - they’d have a whole new division underneath as a safety cushion.
When the old Third Division North and South were abolished in 1958, the proposal was to have a national third division. With 4 relegations. And then a Fourth Division North and South with two up from each.
Admitting a whole division load of ambitious clubs from non league.
The clubs voted in favour of the third division. And against the fourth divisions.
Hence the 4 up 4 down between third and fourth level anomaly which persists to this very day.
I reckon the top three divisions should be national and then it should be regional thereafter.
The funny thing is, the fifth tier gets more TV exposure than the third and fourth tiers.
Joe "Rollin' Coal" Manchin in particular....
My curiousity piqued, I've just looked up the stats. Stockport, as I would expect, averaging a very healthy 6000+, which isn't far off what they used to get in Division 2, or whatever the second tier was called then. But they're not the highest non-league - Wrexham getting a dizzying 8,000+, which must be as well as they've ever done. People like to see a team winning, but still. Wrexham is not a big place. Well done Wrexham - must be doing something right. Wrexham's attendances actually only about 10% or so off Bournemouth's, who despite winning promotion appear to have the lowest average attendance in the second tier. And West Ham the third-most attended club!? That never used to be the case. I was slightly sceptical they could fill a much bigger stadium, but they must have had a lot of latent support.
I did read this some months ago, so it's possible some have dropped out. I notice Ilkeston ended up at 998 for example.
Tynesiders! Tynesiders! Tynesiders!
Wrexham are drawing a lot of interest because of the actors, it remains to be seen how well that lasts especially if they don't go up this year.
Like Manchin, Collins and Murkowski have enjoyed very successful careers badmouthing their party's policies to the right audience. Though unlike Manchin, they don't very often vote against it, especially when it might mean burning bridges..
I'd be fine with (though less keen on) court expansion, and while it would be easier to achieve, the Democrats simply don't have the votes, and a failed attempt would probably be worse than none at all.
I've always liked motorway service stations, even before I came across the delights of the Farm Shop chain. Who doesn't enjoy a much needed wee and a caffeine/sugar/carbohydrate boost, and the possibility of buying a new road atlas? Admittedly some service stations are terrible (Corley, I think, was awful last time I was there), but these are rarer and rarer.
On stuffing the court I am conflicted. The Republicans have acted in such bad faith that I half think that anything goes now. On the other hand if both sides trash the normal political conventions then the US will inevitably slide into a really bad place. Maybe it is better to stick to the rules even if that places you at a disadvantage, do at least some semblance of civilised democracy is maintained.
A new embankment in the city of Vasylkiv south of Kyiv is now named after @BorisJohnson.
https://twitter.com/IAPonomarenko/status/1521864832265433090
Boris is loved in Ukraine. Problem is for him is that he can't transfer his ratings from there to here.
And I love the way they are sometimes fantastically busy, and sometimes empty as the grave.
South Mimms is almost a town and road system in its own right.
Some of the treats are off the Motorway system as such. Great Gonerby (if you can find it). Blyth (Notts not Northumberland).
But nothing compares with Tebay. The Ritz and Dorchester of service stations. Service stations in heaven are all like that.
He was loved here once. Maybe it’s just a matter of time you see?
People have posted it lots of times, in the first half of this story EVERYONE thinks he’s great. When the heroine lets him into her bed chamber, she loves him. When the cad disappears, revealed for what he is, the story changes and can never be the same again.
This is the same Boris Johnson currently SCREWING the Ukrainians with a fake refugee scheme.
I hashed together a slight rough lifetime average attendances (over 5000) a few years ago using long term attendance figures, life expectancies and attendance demographics (only on PB, eh!!) and I'm betting those numbers for the top 6 are massively competitive with their long term average attendances taking in many years as League clubs.
Something, whether it's the mystique of the 92, a rally round effect of 'dropping out of the league', the need for rebuilding and to be in top condition to get out the league upwards, I don't know, seems to be in the conference's water, and though 4 up / 4 down seems fair and superficially attractive, I wonder if the scarcity of promotion spots actually helps get old clubs in shape?
More than willing to be shot down, as just an off the cuff theory.
(Unless EU membership and foreign affairs are indeed within the remit of Hartlepool Council, which would seem quite far-ranging powers for any Local Authority)
"It's all downhill from here"
Sutton United, Salford City, Crawley Town, Harrogate Town, Stevenage. WTF?
It doesn't end there - Accrington Stanley, Morecambe and Fleetwood Town in the Third Division. The same league as the Mackems!
Anyone think this leaflet won’t work, for reminding voters why they now vote Tory not Labour 🙂
As a Libdem supporter I am excited by the prospect of Brexit, as defined by Boris Johnson and his government, being the main thing all voters think of in future when they hear the words Tory or Conservative.
And if you had the two thirds majority required, you'd be better off introducing a constitutional amendment to bring in term limits.
What would be the main and major differences in policy between this government and a lib-lab coalition?
It has been harder for traditionally non league teams to get to Championship level, Wycombe is an example, simply because the underlying historic infrastructure and size of fan base generally isn't there.
However we do have Wigan and indeed Wimbledon who became League clubs in the 1970s and got to the top flight!
Is he going to get a Boris' column as well?
Imagine what future satirists will do with that.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7vk5K-4PGYQ
It gets rather oppressive. If there's one consolation it's that we seem to have some form of natural immunity to some, but not all, variants of US culture war.
I would say the big ones are the following, with different levels of salience in the UK:
Gun rights: thankfully almost complete sterilising immunity, indeed the very existence and obvious idiocy of the US gun lobby probably helps to keep any UK equivalent quiet
Abortion: huge issue in the US, so far very strong natural immunity to this topic in the UK but I do fear it's going to create so much noise that some idiots start to pick up on it
Climate change: I think 10-15 years ago this was really starting to have a knock on effect on UK consensus around climate, but thankfully this seems to be one area where the US has moved on. It's now the Australians who seem to be down the rabbit hole in a way that's almost as absurd in its self-harm as the US gun lobby. The UK has its own sceptics but it feels more home grown than US driven
Race relations: the fallout from the George Floyd murder and BLM had massive salience and influence here, to the extent of complete cultural import. Much of that made sense because of shared experience but there is still a big difference between the way the trigger-happy US police operate and even the most knuckle headed forces in the UK.
Covid: thank god we didn't descend into the partisan pit they've ended up with where vaccines and masks become a political football and you have the madness of one half of the country chugging horse dewormers to keep out Bill Gates's microchips while the other half put facemasks on their toddlers at playgroup. We got a bit of this but most Brits just got vaccinated and laughed it off.
I'm not sure whether the particularly vicious TERF / trans debate is originally a US culture war import but I rather get the sense it's rather more locally sourced, organic and Made in Britain.
My favourite French one is Aire de Chateauvilain/Orgues in Haute Marne. In the woods, nice range of restaurants if you're in no hurry, and plenty of outdoor seating.
I'd like to point out that early on in the conflict, I suggested neighbouring countries repairing tanks and other kit as being a good way of helping Ukraine.
LibLab would clearly do a windfall tax. Anything sentient knows that's a bad idea, but I suspect that a very mild evisceration could be agreed with the big beasts.
Otherwise, there's no difference.
He could then retire forthwith, his every ambition fulfilled.
And they do need quite a few replacing.
https://slate.com/news-and-politics/2022/05/after-abortion-decision-leak-what-can-the-chief-justice-do-now.html
https://www.tebayservices.com/
"The other characteristic of many of those Mr. Trump has endorsed is their unreserved embrace of “Stop the Steal.” It’s apparent why: When you listen to Trump voters — as I’ve discovered conducting regular focus groups with them — their beliefs are crystal clear. A majority believe the 2020 election was stolen and would like to see Mr. Trump run again in 2024, and even those who don’t want him to run still want him to play a big role in the G.O.P."
https://www.nytimes.com/2022/05/04/opinion/trump-republicans-ohio-jd-vance.html
Those who want rid of the Tories need to do whatever it takes , and vote tactically if need be .
Their little picnicky ones are nice too. Though those are often the ones with continental loos.
the old Third Division North and South abolished in 1958
The Greatest Service Stations in our time
And some politics too. And will never end. Someone else has written a header we will all not talk about, and we pile in there, with This thread has been relegated via 1980s playoffs left behind.
We need to be careful to get eight hours sleep in tonight, maybe topped up tomorow afternoon, it’s a long sleepless 60 hours from there if we are going to do this properly?
I’ve got two boxes of wine (about 6 bottles lined up) and a whole lot of lemon chicken pizza I made in the freezer. And the only difficult decision is to open the red or rose box first tomorrow night? 😄
Libdems winning here night! I’m hopeful of winning some “super” councils.
Shudder.
https://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/formula1/61313801
One of our finest, and most modest F1 drivers.
(I think there might now be something similar on the M5 near Gloucester, but not been there for a long while)
https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-london-61095510
Apparently Shapps isn't happy about this being announced during Purdah.
That madness needs to be nipped in the bud.
LFC fans are rightly quite happy with FSG too. Far better than Hicks and Gillette who were not the best a fan could get.
Its one of the the coldest, most nakedly self interested calculations any PM has ever made, that I can see.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yLDRu2AxJHg
The numbers looked pretty good.
What do you see the problem as being? Genuinely interested - personal revulsion on your part or is there another issue/you think it a problem with the electorate in general?
I work, sometimes, with a very overweight epidemiologist. Excellent scientist and a lovely person, joy to work with. Good presenter, too. But it is interesting watching her present findings on the importance of e.g. healthy diet. A bit like someone reporting on smoking risks while puffing on a pipe. But I don't see the obvious parallel with regard to politics.
https://www.dailymotion.com/video/x9hmtj