Howdy, Stranger!

It looks like you're new here. Sign in or register to get started.

Options

2 months after Rishi collapsed the CON leader market is static – politicalbetting.com

2456

Comments

  • Options
    noneoftheabovenoneoftheabove Posts: 20,735
    Leon said:

    tlg86 said:

    KDB is brilliant. What were the journos smoking when they gave Salah footballer of the year?

    Simply, the best player in the world currently. But, he’s a team man without the ego of Messi or Ronaldo, so it isn’t properly acknowledged.
    Er, Mbappe?
    Leon making a controversial suggestion that is actually correct! Mbappe is indeed the best at the moment, and over the last couple of years.
  • Options
    LeonLeon Posts: 47,147

    Leon said:

    tlg86 said:

    KDB is brilliant. What were the journos smoking when they gave Salah footballer of the year?

    Simply, the best player in the world currently. But, he’s a team man without the ego of Messi or Ronaldo, so it isn’t properly acknowledged.
    Er, Mbappe?
    Mbappe doesn't count, he's playing in a league that is even less competitive than the Scottish Premier League.

    He needs to perform in a non farmer's league.
    I’ve watched Mbappe in internationals. He is unbelievably good. The most obviously naturally gifted footballer I’ve seen possibly since Maradona, certainly he’s up there with Messi/Ronaldo

    Yes he cannot shine in PSG (he should move) but he’s a genius

    It pains me to say this but France right now have the best footballer in the world - Mbappe - and the best rugby player in the world - DuPont - and are therefore quite likely to win the football and rugby world cups in the next two years

    Piquantly, one of the biggest obstacles in their way in both cases is England
  • Options
    tlg86tlg86 Posts: 25,190
    Okay, KDB gets in...

    De Gea

    Walker
    Kompany
    Terry
    Maldini

    Busquets
    Xavi
    Iniesta

    Ronaldo
    Messi
    De Bruyne
  • Options
    MoonRabbitMoonRabbit Posts: 12,415
    ydoethur said:

    Early in his presidency Donald Trump repeatedly grilled his aides on whether China could be manufacturing hurricanes and directing them at the United States, asking whether he could retaliate with military force.

    Trump demanded to know if China had developed a “hurricane gun” and whether using it would constitute an act of war, according to unnamed former officials who spoke to Rolling Stone.

    “It was almost too stupid for words,” one source told the magazine. “I did not get the sense he was joking at all.”


    https://www.thetimes.co.uk/article/donald-trump-asked-if-china-was-firing-hurricanes-at-us-aides-claim-m5bp3pjjh

    Is that where all that nonsense about nuking hurricanes came from?
    I think the japs used the high winds as a weapon against the US during WWII? And also wind but different, the US had a fart weapon during the same war?
  • Options
    Northern_AlNorthern_Al Posts: 7,540
    I would like to say something in defence of Leeds United, who I have supported for 60 years.

    But I can't think of anything.
  • Options
    StuartDicksonStuartDickson Posts: 12,146
    Eurovision winner

    Ukraine 1.57
    England & satellitestates 8.4
    Italy 12.5
    Sweden 12.5
    Castile & satellitestates 34
    Poland 75
    Greece 90
    110 bar
  • Options
    dixiedeandixiedean Posts: 27,965
    edited May 2022

    Bielsas small squad stuff works if you're Man City/Real, not if you're little Leeds

    It works if you don't get injuries. Burnley have kept a small squad for years with very few changes game to game and it works fine. Until you run out of players and then it doesn't.
    Yes but bielsa keeps a small squad then for 3 years ran them into the floor. Too much and not buying in January with no striker and injuries aplenty was the end
    Burnley have done the same. Leeds is a very typical example of second season syndrome. First season back Leeds have extra momentum and other teams not sure on best way to tackle their unusual set up. Second season, everyone knows the right tactics.

    Sheffield United had exactly the same experience with their dynamic centre backs formation.
    Leeds slso, sad to say as a fan, think we are still rightfully a 'big' club,
    We haven't been since Ken Bates bought us for a tin of spam and gutted what was left
    In some ways it is easier for the likes of Burnley, Watford, Bournemouth, Brentford, Wigan, Hull, Charlton etc to have lengthy spells in the Premier League than Leeds, Sheff Weds, Sheff Utd, Forest, Sunderland etc as accepting mere survival as success perpetually is tough for their fans, owners and coaches.
    Tbf Curbishley was forced out at Charlton by fans who thought he'd "taken them as far as they could go."
    So someone else took them as far as League One instead.
    Fundamentally I reckon you're right though.
    Bolton Wanderers too.
  • Options
    noneoftheabovenoneoftheabove Posts: 20,735

    Bielsas small squad stuff works if you're Man City/Real, not if you're little Leeds

    It works if you don't get injuries. Burnley have kept a small squad for years with very few changes game to game and it works fine. Until you run out of players and then it doesn't.
    Yes but bielsa keeps a small squad then for 3 years ran them into the floor. Too much and not buying in January with no striker and injuries aplenty was the end
    Burnley have done the same. Leeds is a very typical example of second season syndrome. First season back Leeds have extra momentum and other teams not sure on best way to tackle their unusual set up. Second season, everyone knows the right tactics.

    Sheffield United had exactly the same experience with their dynamic centre backs formation.
    Leeds slso, sad to say as a fan, think we are still rightfully a 'big' club,
    We haven't been since Ken Bates bought us for a tin of spam and gutted what was left
    In some ways it is easier for the likes of Burnley, Watford, Bournemouth, Brentford, Wigan, Hull, Charlton etc to have lengthy spells in the Premier League than Leeds, Sheff Weds, Sheff Utd, Forest, Sunderland etc as accepting mere survival as success perpetually is tough for their fans, owners and coaches.
    Tbh life in the PL is miserable for all but about 8 teams. My sister is a Norwich season ticket holder, she hates PL seasons.
    Palace fans seem to have the most fun of the lower middling teams. Not quite sure why, but the atmosphere always seems lively and positive there.
  • Options
    wooliedyedwooliedyed Posts: 6,934

    I would like to say something in defence of Leeds United, who I have supported for 60 years.

    But I can't think of anything.

    We are not good
  • Options
    TheScreamingEaglesTheScreamingEagles Posts: 114,426
    tlg86 said:

    Okay, KDB gets in...

    De Gea

    Walker
    Kompany
    Terry
    Maldini

    Busquets
    Xavi
    Iniesta

    Ronaldo
    Messi
    De Bruyne

    You've never seen Divock Origi play?

    You've really missed out, he truly is the GOAT.
  • Options
    TheScreamingEaglesTheScreamingEagles Posts: 114,426

    I would like to say something in defence of Leeds United, who I have supported for 60 years.

    But I can't think of anything.

    At least you're not Manchester United?
  • Options
    tlg86tlg86 Posts: 25,190
    Lucky City, I'd have given that.
  • Options
    CarnyxCarnyx Posts: 39,720

    Angus Council: SNP forms administration with backing from independents

    The SNP is to lead Angus Council after reaching agreement for support with two independent councillors, marking an end to a scandal-ridden Tory dominated administration.

    https://www.thenational.scot/news/20131782.angus-council-snp-forms-administration-backing-independents/

    Ooh, that will interest @DavidL though perhaps not gratify him.

    Not a case of Slab teddies ejected oot tthe bogie as there's only one of them - but even so ...

    Moral probably is, don't have trolls for cooncillors:

    https://www.thenational.scot/news/19406206.derek-wann-angus-locals-petition-twitter-troll-tory-councillor-resign/

    https://www.thenational.scot/news/19394172.derek-wann-angus-tory-councillor-linked-anonymous-anti-snp-troll-account/

    'Derek Wann, who serves on Angus Council for Arbroath East and Lunan, was linked to an anonymous account called "Lady Whistledown" after it shared a link to a council press release - where he was the only person quoted - with the caption "my comments".

    Wann had posted the same press release on his official Facebook page just 15 minutes prior.

    [...]

    Now, The National has discovered that the mobile phone number linked to the Twitter account has the same last two numbers as Wann's [the rest asterisked out].

    Wann has so far not responded to The National’s request for comment, but the Lady Whistledown account was deleted an hour after we lodged the request regarding the mobile number similarities.

    A second Angus councillor, independent Tommy Stewart, also has the same digits at the end of his council mobile number. When contacted, Stewart said he doesn’t have a Twitter account, use the site, or intend to.'
  • Options
    DavidLDavidL Posts: 51,280

    DavidL said:

    That list for player of the season in full

    1 Kevin de Bruyne.

    That’s it.

    Don’t let TSE see this, but Bruyner has just won the title, hasn’t he?
    Yes.

    I did wonder if De Gea deserved a shout for keeping the most dysfunctional and poorly managed team in the division away from relegation. But even he has made his share of mistakes as they get more and more demoralised.
  • Options
    StillWatersStillWaters Posts: 7,032
    Stocky said:

    Leon said:

    FPT for @rcs1000

    “The evidence hasn't changed one jot in two years: the same city where bat viruses are researched is the same city where the virus emerged. It is massive circumstantial evidence, that makes it by far the most likely source of the virus. But it doesn't preclude the small chance that it is entirely zoonotic.”

    +++

    This is not true. Loads more evidence has emerged - the alteration of the Furin Cleavage Site, the fact Daszak put in a bid to do precisely this virological engineering, the endless redacted emails showing that everyone in UK/US initially ASSUMED it came from the lab (then weirdly and inexplicably changed their minds overnight), and so on, and so forth

    Is this all just “circumstantial”? I guess maybe. But if you are waiting for “hard” evidence: ie a video of something tampering with a bat virus then - Ooops! - spilling it near the market, that’s not gonna happen

    Otherwise I agree. We can now say it very likely came from the lab. We cannot say this absolutely, however - and probably never will be able to do that

    Who'd have thought gain of function research would lead to gain of function in a coronavirus.
    Shocker.
    Bat soup though.
    The transfer from non-human animals - pangolin in this case it is said - I guess had plausibility due to HIV coming from bats. I'm not sure Ockham's Razor necessarily points to a lab. Maybe we'll never know.

    What are the views of @Carnyx and @CD13 ?
    Increasing it does look like a lab leak although we are very unlikely to ever know for sure without a whistleblower

    China has done hundreds of thousands of samples on animals over the last 2 years and have found no examples of precursors to the human form of the virus. Similarly all of the samples in the market were environmental; there we no infected animals and the viruses were of the human form again - what happened at the market was most likely an external infection followed by a superspreader event. Pangolin has specifically been debunked as well.

    The closest related virus is from a mine near Mojiang in Yunnan, where a number of miners had previously fallen ill with respiratory disease, which is why the WVI went sampling there.

    Also, for @Leon, the furin cleavage site is not definitive. It has occurred naturally in the past just not in coronaviruses before.

    Book recommendation: Matt Ridley’s Viral



  • Options
    LDLFLDLF Posts: 144
    Not a comment on his competence or lack thereof, but I do not think that either the Tory membership or the country as a whole would vote for Hunt.

    Three not listed in the graph to consider:

    Sajid Javid - Potentially the 'safe pair of hands' option as, while he has recently been in hot water over historical non-dom status, he seems rather good at avoiding scandals or cock-ups.

    Nadhim Zahawi - pro-Brexit and a Boris Johnson supporter. Did well with the vaccine rollout; Education Secretary is a tricky brief but if he survives it he should be considered a contender.

    Kemi Badenoch - Perhaps not yet high-up enough in the government to be considered, but she seems greatly to impress the party membership. Would be a good bet only if you think Johnson is going to remain leader for a while.
  • Options
    CarnyxCarnyx Posts: 39,720
    edited May 2022

    ydoethur said:

    Early in his presidency Donald Trump repeatedly grilled his aides on whether China could be manufacturing hurricanes and directing them at the United States, asking whether he could retaliate with military force.

    Trump demanded to know if China had developed a “hurricane gun” and whether using it would constitute an act of war, according to unnamed former officials who spoke to Rolling Stone.

    “It was almost too stupid for words,” one source told the magazine. “I did not get the sense he was joking at all.”


    https://www.thetimes.co.uk/article/donald-trump-asked-if-china-was-firing-hurricanes-at-us-aides-claim-m5bp3pjjh

    Is that where all that nonsense about nuking hurricanes came from?
    I think the japs used the high winds as a weapon against the US during WWII? And also wind but different, the US had a fart weapon during the same war?
    You may be thinking of the balloon bombs?

    https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fu-Go_balloon_bomb
  • Options
    noneoftheabovenoneoftheabove Posts: 20,735

    I would like to say something in defence of Leeds United, who I have supported for 60 years.

    But I can't think of anything.

    Did you get to see John Charles play or before your time?
  • Options
    StuartDicksonStuartDickson Posts: 12,146
    Carnyx said:

    Angus Council: SNP forms administration with backing from independents

    The SNP is to lead Angus Council after reaching agreement for support with two independent councillors, marking an end to a scandal-ridden Tory dominated administration.

    https://www.thenational.scot/news/20131782.angus-council-snp-forms-administration-backing-independents/

    Ooh, that will interest @DavidL though perhaps not gratify him.

    Not a case of Slab teddies ejected oot tthe bogie as there's only one of them - but even so ...

    Moral probably is, don't have trolls for cooncillors:

    https://www.thenational.scot/news/19406206.derek-wann-angus-locals-petition-twitter-troll-tory-councillor-resign/

    https://www.thenational.scot/news/19394172.derek-wann-angus-tory-councillor-linked-anonymous-anti-snp-troll-account/

    'Derek Wann, who serves on Angus Council for Arbroath East and Lunan, was linked to an anonymous account called "Lady Whistledown" after it shared a link to a council press release - where he was the only person quoted - with the caption "my comments".

    Wann had posted the same press release on his official Facebook page just 15 minutes prior.

    [...]

    Now, The National has discovered that the mobile phone number linked to the Twitter account has the same last two numbers as Wann's [the rest asterisked out].

    Wann has so far not responded to The National’s request for comment, but the Lady Whistledown account was deleted an hour after we lodged the request regarding the mobile number similarities.

    A second Angus councillor, independent Tommy Stewart, also has the same digits at the end of his council mobile number. When contacted, Stewart said he doesn’t have a Twitter account, use the site, or intend to.'
    David will probably be quite pleased. I’m pretty sure he predicted an SNP majority in Angus when he commented on the first published results coming in from the area. So a minority administration is better from his perspective.
  • Options
    StuartinromfordStuartinromford Posts: 14,432
    ydoethur said:

    I don't wish to belittle Sunak but I did say he was rubbish, who knew politicians who gave the voters money then took it away would become unpopular.

    JohnO and myself had lunch yesterday, we reckon Wallace, Truss is too much of a joke, Hunt will make the final two and lose.

    Not sure what happens if Truss and Hunt make the final two.

    Surprise next Chancellor/PM/Tory Leader, Steve Barclay.

    That's my position as well.

    Hunt is unfairly branded as a Remainer/One Nation stooge but I think he's far more sophisticated than that.
    He is, and he's the most plausible Prime Minister the Conservatives can drop into place.

    However, elevating Hunt would also be a pretty clear "we screwed up in summer 2019" message. And I don't see much sign of the Conservative Party being ready to admit that yet.

    The interesting question is why had Truss benefited so little from Sunak's implosion. In theory, she's the biggest beast left who is not obviously utterly unsuitable. And yet...
    Ummmm....
    Whilst Truss is utterly unsuitable, I'd argue that her unsuitability is less obvious than that of Sunak the stingy squillionaire, Gove (just imagine... though he might be the best bet to drive the lemming bus as it inevitably goes over the cliff) or Patel (she's Home Sec, she has to be in the frame, but purrlease).

    And the bottom line is that, if Johnson were to be run over by a bus, somebody would have to take over.

    At least that's my excuse, and I'm sticking to it until the Daily Mail start nagging me.
  • Options
    MoonRabbitMoonRabbit Posts: 12,415
    Carnyx said:

    Sandpit said:

    Government admits today it may send Ukrainian refugees to Rwanda? Tell me I’m wrong. 😟

    You’re wrong. The Ukranian refugees are all being sponsored by UK citizens and residents, and issued visas before they arrive. Those going to Rwanda are the irregular and undocumented arrivals, most of whom turn up on small boats across the Channel.
    Yes that is the answer my family just gave me, after I saw it on the news, only not as polite as you. They said Channel 4 news lying.

    But what if Ukrainians frustrated by the official route try the quicker route believing it’s okay they Ukrainians? Can you rule out they will end up in Rwanda? I think that’s where the government didn’t.
    If it's OK to send a refugee from the war in Syria to Rwanda, why is it not OK to send a refugee from the war in Ukraine there?
    Becuase of disease protection is the obvious answer to your question. We would have to make sure everyone sent there is protected front bungy fever and Malaria wouldn’t we?
    Applies just as well to Syrian folk, though.
    Quite a few of these asylum seekers could get I’ll and die if sent Rwanda? I can’t see many Tory back benchers backing it then if that is the case. So when does it go to a commons vote before the home office can send people there?
  • Options
    GarethoftheVale2GarethoftheVale2 Posts: 1,997
    Betting on Tugendhat for next Con leader is as stupid as betting on Burnham for next PM.

    I don't know who is ramping him but he has no chance and is unlikely to have much appeal to either part of the electorate.
  • Options
    Sunil_PrasannanSunil_Prasannan Posts: 49,288

    Betting on Tugendhat for next Con leader is as stupid as betting on Burnham for next PM.

    I don't know who is ramping him but he has no chance and is unlikely to have much appeal to either part of the electorate.

    Tugendtwat?
  • Options
    SandyRentoolSandyRentool Posts: 20,612

    Eurovision winner

    Ukraine 1.57
    England & satellitestates 8.4
    Italy 12.5
    Sweden 12.5
    Castile & satellitestates 34
    Poland 75
    Greece 90
    110 bar

    Let's hope that Ukraine is able to host next year's event in a state of normality.

  • Options
    tlg86tlg86 Posts: 25,190

    tlg86 said:

    Okay, KDB gets in...

    De Gea

    Walker
    Kompany
    Terry
    Maldini

    Busquets
    Xavi
    Iniesta

    Ronaldo
    Messi
    De Bruyne

    You've never seen Divock Origi play?

    You've really missed out, he truly is the GOAT.
    Just checked the records. I saw him play 10 minutes in a 3-1 win for Liverpool in 2017. Not enough time to tell if he's better than Messi, I'm afraid.
  • Options
    wooliedyedwooliedyed Posts: 6,934

    Betting on Tugendhat for next Con leader is as stupid as betting on Burnham for next PM.

    I don't know who is ramping him but he has no chance and is unlikely to have much appeal to either part of the electorate.

    He's like betting on Rory Stewart or Douglas Carswell
  • Options
    CarnyxCarnyx Posts: 39,720

    Carnyx said:

    Sandpit said:

    Government admits today it may send Ukrainian refugees to Rwanda? Tell me I’m wrong. 😟

    You’re wrong. The Ukranian refugees are all being sponsored by UK citizens and residents, and issued visas before they arrive. Those going to Rwanda are the irregular and undocumented arrivals, most of whom turn up on small boats across the Channel.
    Yes that is the answer my family just gave me, after I saw it on the news, only not as polite as you. They said Channel 4 news lying.

    But what if Ukrainians frustrated by the official route try the quicker route believing it’s okay they Ukrainians? Can you rule out they will end up in Rwanda? I think that’s where the government didn’t.
    If it's OK to send a refugee from the war in Syria to Rwanda, why is it not OK to send a refugee from the war in Ukraine there?
    Becuase of disease protection is the obvious answer to your question. We would have to make sure everyone sent there is protected front bungy fever and Malaria wouldn’t we?
    Applies just as well to Syrian folk, though.
    Quite a few of these asylum seekers could get I’ll and die if sent Rwanda? I can’t see many Tory back benchers backing it then if that is the case. So when does it go to a commons vote before the home office can send people there?
    I have no idea, but it's a good point. No idea how long it would take to have the "approved" course of injections, and if they don't get them, then it gets very dodgy in terms of medical and nursing ethics. I wonder if anyone thought of it or if it was just brushed aside?
  • Options
    StillWatersStillWaters Posts: 7,032
    Carnyx said:

    Stocky said:

    Leon said:

    FPT for @rcs1000

    “The evidence hasn't changed one jot in two years: the same city where bat viruses are researched is the same city where the virus emerged. It is massive circumstantial evidence, that makes it by far the most likely source of the virus. But it doesn't preclude the small chance that it is entirely zoonotic.”

    +++

    This is not true. Loads more evidence has emerged - the alteration of the Furin Cleavage Site, the fact Daszak put in a bid to do precisely this virological engineering, the endless redacted emails showing that everyone in UK/US initially ASSUMED it came from the lab (then weirdly and inexplicably changed their minds overnight), and so on, and so forth

    Is this all just “circumstantial”? I guess maybe. But if you are waiting for “hard” evidence: ie a video of something tampering with a bat virus then - Ooops! - spilling it near the market, that’s not gonna happen

    Otherwise I agree. We can now say it very likely came from the lab. We cannot say this absolutely, however - and probably never will be able to do that

    Who'd have thought gain of function research would lead to gain of function in a coronavirus.
    Shocker.
    Bat soup though.
    The transfer from non-human animals - pangolin in this case it is said - I guess had plausibility due to HIV coming from bats. I'm not sure Ockham's Razor necessarily points to a lab. Maybe we'll never know.

    What are the views of @Carnyx and @CD13 ?
    When the lab is at the epicentre and studies coronaviruses its probably top choice though.
    At least one study presented evidence otherwise - mapped cases pointing ti the market.
    That was the study that had dodgy sampling of cases for the mapping right?
  • Options
    LeonLeon Posts: 47,147
    Carnyx said:

    Leon said:

    Carnyx said:

    Stocky said:

    Leon said:

    FPT for @rcs1000

    “The evidence hasn't changed one jot in two years: the same city where bat viruses are researched is the same city where the virus emerged. It is massive circumstantial evidence, that makes it by far the most likely source of the virus. But it doesn't preclude the small chance that it is entirely zoonotic.”

    +++

    This is not true. Loads more evidence has emerged - the alteration of the Furin Cleavage Site, the fact Daszak put in a bid to do precisely this virological engineering, the endless redacted emails showing that everyone in UK/US initially ASSUMED it came from the lab (then weirdly and inexplicably changed their minds overnight), and so on, and so forth

    Is this all just “circumstantial”? I guess maybe. But if you are waiting for “hard” evidence: ie a video of something tampering with a bat virus then - Ooops! - spilling it near the market, that’s not gonna happen

    Otherwise I agree. We can now say it very likely came from the lab. We cannot say this absolutely, however - and probably never will be able to do that

    Who'd have thought gain of function research would lead to gain of function in a coronavirus.
    Shocker.
    Bat soup though.
    The transfer from non-human animals - pangolin in this case it is said - I guess had plausibility due to HIV coming from bats. I'm not sure Ockham's Razor necessarily points to a lab. Maybe we'll never know.

    What are the views of @Carnyx and @CD13 ?
    When the lab is at the epicentre and studies coronaviruses its probably top choice though.
    At least one study presented evidence otherwise - mapped cases pointing ti the market.
    Worobey. Since debunked
    More than one paper, and it was also a matter of genetic trees not just geography.

    https://www.nature.com/articles/d41586-022-00584-8#ref-CR3

    But I lost interest after that as I had to deal with more urgent matters.
    Look at the author of the article you cite, Amy Maxmen


    She’s do devalued she makes the Turkish Lira look like the Swiss Franc


    “Nature reporter Amy Maxmen denied sitting next to Peter Daszak in this video forgetting she tweeted about what an honor it was at the time.”

    When a photo of her with Peter “Wuhan lab” Daszak emerged, she literally tried to claim it was “doctored” by Breitbart. Then she denied she’d ever said that, then she shut the F up. She’s a clueless hack and a worthless shill

    https://twitter.com/biorealism/status/1510747664270340100?s=21&t=N-DURwqdrZC-CG1cKjaejA

    This stuff is not hard. It takes 5 minutes with a laptop and an open but inquisitive mind
  • Options
    Andy_JSAndy_JS Posts: 26,609
    Good to hear common sense today from the Tory MP about food.
  • Options
    Sunil_PrasannanSunil_Prasannan Posts: 49,288
    Carnyx said:

    ydoethur said:

    Early in his presidency Donald Trump repeatedly grilled his aides on whether China could be manufacturing hurricanes and directing them at the United States, asking whether he could retaliate with military force.

    Trump demanded to know if China had developed a “hurricane gun” and whether using it would constitute an act of war, according to unnamed former officials who spoke to Rolling Stone.

    “It was almost too stupid for words,” one source told the magazine. “I did not get the sense he was joking at all.”


    https://www.thetimes.co.uk/article/donald-trump-asked-if-china-was-firing-hurricanes-at-us-aides-claim-m5bp3pjjh

    Is that where all that nonsense about nuking hurricanes came from?
    I think the japs used the high winds as a weapon against the US during WWII? And also wind but different, the US had a fart weapon during the same war?
    You may be thinking of the balloon bombs?

    https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fu-Go_balloon_bomb
    Rather more morbid were the Ohka purpose-built Kamikaze planes:

    https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Yokosuka_MXY-7_Ohka

  • Options
    CarnyxCarnyx Posts: 39,720

    ydoethur said:

    Early in his presidency Donald Trump repeatedly grilled his aides on whether China could be manufacturing hurricanes and directing them at the United States, asking whether he could retaliate with military force.

    Trump demanded to know if China had developed a “hurricane gun” and whether using it would constitute an act of war, according to unnamed former officials who spoke to Rolling Stone.

    “It was almost too stupid for words,” one source told the magazine. “I did not get the sense he was joking at all.”


    https://www.thetimes.co.uk/article/donald-trump-asked-if-china-was-firing-hurricanes-at-us-aides-claim-m5bp3pjjh

    Is that where all that nonsense about nuking hurricanes came from?
    I think the japs used the high winds as a weapon against the US during WWII? And also wind but different, the US had a fart weapon during the same war?
    Onlu other wind weapon in WW2 I can think of is German. Google german wind gun. But other PB military nerds are available.

    This is US but wrong date.
    https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Vortex_ring_gun
  • Options
    DavidLDavidL Posts: 51,280

    Carnyx said:

    Angus Council: SNP forms administration with backing from independents

    The SNP is to lead Angus Council after reaching agreement for support with two independent councillors, marking an end to a scandal-ridden Tory dominated administration.

    https://www.thenational.scot/news/20131782.angus-council-snp-forms-administration-backing-independents/

    Ooh, that will interest @DavidL though perhaps not gratify him.

    Not a case of Slab teddies ejected oot tthe bogie as there's only one of them - but even so ...

    Moral probably is, don't have trolls for cooncillors:

    https://www.thenational.scot/news/19406206.derek-wann-angus-locals-petition-twitter-troll-tory-councillor-resign/

    https://www.thenational.scot/news/19394172.derek-wann-angus-tory-councillor-linked-anonymous-anti-snp-troll-account/

    'Derek Wann, who serves on Angus Council for Arbroath East and Lunan, was linked to an anonymous account called "Lady Whistledown" after it shared a link to a council press release - where he was the only person quoted - with the caption "my comments".

    Wann had posted the same press release on his official Facebook page just 15 minutes prior.

    [...]

    Now, The National has discovered that the mobile phone number linked to the Twitter account has the same last two numbers as Wann's [the rest asterisked out].

    Wann has so far not responded to The National’s request for comment, but the Lady Whistledown account was deleted an hour after we lodged the request regarding the mobile number similarities.

    A second Angus councillor, independent Tommy Stewart, also has the same digits at the end of his council mobile number. When contacted, Stewart said he doesn’t have a Twitter account, use the site, or intend to.'
    David will probably be quite pleased. I’m pretty sure he predicted an SNP majority in Angus when he commented on the first published results coming in from the area. So a minority administration is better from his perspective.
    The National makes, well actually Pravda is about the only example that comes close, look impartial and objective but I am not dismayed. If the SNP are as competent as they usually are Angus constituency may come into play again.
  • Options
    MoonRabbitMoonRabbit Posts: 12,415

    tlg86 said:

    Okay, KDB gets in...

    De Gea

    Walker
    Kompany
    Terry
    Maldini

    Busquets
    Xavi
    Iniesta

    Ronaldo
    Messi
    De Bruyne

    You've never seen Divock Origi play?

    You've really missed out, he truly is the GOAT.
    Who will snap him up them, and give him chance of regular football. A PL side?
  • Options
    wooliedyedwooliedyed Posts: 6,934
    edited May 2022
    Bout time for Leeds to score and then spectacularly fail to find an equalizer
  • Options
    valleyboyvalleyboy Posts: 605

    I would like to say something in defence of Leeds United, who I have supported for 60 years.

    But I can't think of anything.

    Well played Leeds.
    Guaranteed 6points next year for my team Cardiff city.
  • Options
    StillWatersStillWaters Posts: 7,032
    FWIW I’ve just been to the premiere of Britain’s Strictest Headmistress (no chortling at the back) - showing on ITV in a couple of weeks but highly recommended
  • Options
    CarnyxCarnyx Posts: 39,720

    Carnyx said:

    ydoethur said:

    Early in his presidency Donald Trump repeatedly grilled his aides on whether China could be manufacturing hurricanes and directing them at the United States, asking whether he could retaliate with military force.

    Trump demanded to know if China had developed a “hurricane gun” and whether using it would constitute an act of war, according to unnamed former officials who spoke to Rolling Stone.

    “It was almost too stupid for words,” one source told the magazine. “I did not get the sense he was joking at all.”


    https://www.thetimes.co.uk/article/donald-trump-asked-if-china-was-firing-hurricanes-at-us-aides-claim-m5bp3pjjh

    Is that where all that nonsense about nuking hurricanes came from?
    I think the japs used the high winds as a weapon against the US during WWII? And also wind but different, the US had a fart weapon during the same war?
    You may be thinking of the balloon bombs?

    https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fu-Go_balloon_bomb
    Rather more morbid were the Ohka purpose-built Kamikaze planes:

    https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Yokosuka_MXY-7_Ohka

    Indeed, named for the tree flower.

    To die like beautiful falling cherry petals for the Emperor.

    My dad was expecting any day to be sent out there when the A-bombs fell. He heard a lot about what it was like to be under those planes and their more normal companions.
  • Options
    MoonRabbitMoonRabbit Posts: 12,415
    Big goal at the LNER 👏🏻
  • Options
    RochdalePioneersRochdalePioneers Posts: 27,217
    Evening all! Glad to see that the Tory loon in Ashfield doesn't have enough feet to shove into his mouth. Blaming the poor sods in his constituency who are going to food banks for being too thick to cook demonstrates that he hasn't looked in a mirror recently. He truly is one of the dimmer members of what is already a dim intake.
  • Options
    CarnyxCarnyx Posts: 39,720

    Carnyx said:

    Stocky said:

    Leon said:

    FPT for @rcs1000

    “The evidence hasn't changed one jot in two years: the same city where bat viruses are researched is the same city where the virus emerged. It is massive circumstantial evidence, that makes it by far the most likely source of the virus. But it doesn't preclude the small chance that it is entirely zoonotic.”

    +++

    This is not true. Loads more evidence has emerged - the alteration of the Furin Cleavage Site, the fact Daszak put in a bid to do precisely this virological engineering, the endless redacted emails showing that everyone in UK/US initially ASSUMED it came from the lab (then weirdly and inexplicably changed their minds overnight), and so on, and so forth

    Is this all just “circumstantial”? I guess maybe. But if you are waiting for “hard” evidence: ie a video of something tampering with a bat virus then - Ooops! - spilling it near the market, that’s not gonna happen

    Otherwise I agree. We can now say it very likely came from the lab. We cannot say this absolutely, however - and probably never will be able to do that

    Who'd have thought gain of function research would lead to gain of function in a coronavirus.
    Shocker.
    Bat soup though.
    The transfer from non-human animals - pangolin in this case it is said - I guess had plausibility due to HIV coming from bats. I'm not sure Ockham's Razor necessarily points to a lab. Maybe we'll never know.

    What are the views of @Carnyx and @CD13 ?
    When the lab is at the epicentre and studies coronaviruses its probably top choice though.
    At least one study presented evidence otherwise - mapped cases pointing ti the market.
    That was the study that had dodgy sampling of cases for the mapping right?
    Apparently so fide Leon.

    Will have a look at Matt Ridley's book.
  • Options
    ydoethurydoethur Posts: 67,231

    ydoethur said:

    Early in his presidency Donald Trump repeatedly grilled his aides on whether China could be manufacturing hurricanes and directing them at the United States, asking whether he could retaliate with military force.

    Trump demanded to know if China had developed a “hurricane gun” and whether using it would constitute an act of war, according to unnamed former officials who spoke to Rolling Stone.

    “It was almost too stupid for words,” one source told the magazine. “I did not get the sense he was joking at all.”


    https://www.thetimes.co.uk/article/donald-trump-asked-if-china-was-firing-hurricanes-at-us-aides-claim-m5bp3pjjh

    Is that where all that nonsense about nuking hurricanes came from?
    I think the japs used the high winds as a weapon against the US during WWII? And also wind but different, the US had a fart weapon during the same war?
    If you're referring to the Divine Wind, that's not quite what it meant!

    https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kamikaze_(typhoon)#As_a_metaphor
  • Options
    CarnyxCarnyx Posts: 39,720
    edited May 2022
    DavidL said:

    Carnyx said:

    Angus Council: SNP forms administration with backing from independents

    The SNP is to lead Angus Council after reaching agreement for support with two independent councillors, marking an end to a scandal-ridden Tory dominated administration.

    https://www.thenational.scot/news/20131782.angus-council-snp-forms-administration-backing-independents/

    Ooh, that will interest @DavidL though perhaps not gratify him.

    Not a case of Slab teddies ejected oot tthe bogie as there's only one of them - but even so ...

    Moral probably is, don't have trolls for cooncillors:

    https://www.thenational.scot/news/19406206.derek-wann-angus-locals-petition-twitter-troll-tory-councillor-resign/

    https://www.thenational.scot/news/19394172.derek-wann-angus-tory-councillor-linked-anonymous-anti-snp-troll-account/

    'Derek Wann, who serves on Angus Council for Arbroath East and Lunan, was linked to an anonymous account called "Lady Whistledown" after it shared a link to a council press release - where he was the only person quoted - with the caption "my comments".

    Wann had posted the same press release on his official Facebook page just 15 minutes prior.

    [...]

    Now, The National has discovered that the mobile phone number linked to the Twitter account has the same last two numbers as Wann's [the rest asterisked out].

    Wann has so far not responded to The National’s request for comment, but the Lady Whistledown account was deleted an hour after we lodged the request regarding the mobile number similarities.

    A second Angus councillor, independent Tommy Stewart, also has the same digits at the end of his council mobile number. When contacted, Stewart said he doesn’t have a Twitter account, use the site, or intend to.'
    David will probably be quite pleased. I’m pretty sure he predicted an SNP majority in Angus when he commented on the first published results coming in from the area. So a minority administration is better from his perspective.
    The National makes, well actually Pravda is about the only example that comes close, look impartial and objective but I am not dismayed. If the SNP are as competent as they usually are Angus constituency may come into play again.
    Well, if the Unionists destroy the Scotsman as a balanced middle of the road newspaper, and do the same to the Herald, and try to make up for losing half the Herald newspaper [edit] readers with the National ...
  • Options
    Scott_xPScott_xP Posts: 32,942

    He truly is one of the dimmer members of what is already a dim intake.

    Which is why the former chief whip promised "better" candidates next time.

    In other news, every candidate last time had to swear fealty to BoZo's oven ready deal that threatens the breakup of the UK...
  • Options
    wooliedyedwooliedyed Posts: 6,934
    valleyboy said:

    I would like to say something in defence of Leeds United, who I have supported for 60 years.

    But I can't think of anything.

    Well played Leeds.
    Guaranteed 6points next year for my team Cardiff city.
    Our record against you since the relegation in 2004 is dire!
  • Options
    StillWatersStillWaters Posts: 7,032
    Carnyx said:

    Carnyx said:

    Stocky said:

    Leon said:

    FPT for @rcs1000

    “The evidence hasn't changed one jot in two years: the same city where bat viruses are researched is the same city where the virus emerged. It is massive circumstantial evidence, that makes it by far the most likely source of the virus. But it doesn't preclude the small chance that it is entirely zoonotic.”

    +++

    This is not true. Loads more evidence has emerged - the alteration of the Furin Cleavage Site, the fact Daszak put in a bid to do precisely this virological engineering, the endless redacted emails showing that everyone in UK/US initially ASSUMED it came from the lab (then weirdly and inexplicably changed their minds overnight), and so on, and so forth

    Is this all just “circumstantial”? I guess maybe. But if you are waiting for “hard” evidence: ie a video of something tampering with a bat virus then - Ooops! - spilling it near the market, that’s not gonna happen

    Otherwise I agree. We can now say it very likely came from the lab. We cannot say this absolutely, however - and probably never will be able to do that

    Who'd have thought gain of function research would lead to gain of function in a coronavirus.
    Shocker.
    Bat soup though.
    The transfer from non-human animals - pangolin in this case it is said - I guess had plausibility due to HIV coming from bats. I'm not sure Ockham's Razor necessarily points to a lab. Maybe we'll never know.

    What are the views of @Carnyx and @CD13 ?
    When the lab is at the epicentre and studies coronaviruses its probably top choice though.
    At least one study presented evidence otherwise - mapped cases pointing ti the market.
    That was the study that had dodgy sampling of cases for the mapping right?
    Apparently so fide Leon.

    Will have a look at Matt Ridley's book.
    Doesn’t reach a conclusion but lays out the evidence fairly
  • Options
    MoonRabbitMoonRabbit Posts: 12,415
    tlg86 said:

    tlg86 said:

    Okay, KDB gets in...

    De Gea

    Walker
    Kompany
    Terry
    Maldini

    Busquets
    Xavi
    Iniesta

    Ronaldo
    Messi
    De Bruyne

    You've never seen Divock Origi play?

    You've really missed out, he truly is the GOAT.
    Just checked the records. I saw him play 10 minutes in a 3-1 win for Liverpool in 2017. Not enough time to tell if he's better than Messi, I'm afraid.
    Arsenal a bit short of strikers, this could be the answer 🤭
  • Options
    CarnyxCarnyx Posts: 39,720
    edited May 2022

    Carnyx said:

    Carnyx said:

    Stocky said:

    Leon said:

    FPT for @rcs1000

    “The evidence hasn't changed one jot in two years: the same city where bat viruses are researched is the same city where the virus emerged. It is massive circumstantial evidence, that makes it by far the most likely source of the virus. But it doesn't preclude the small chance that it is entirely zoonotic.”

    +++

    This is not true. Loads more evidence has emerged - the alteration of the Furin Cleavage Site, the fact Daszak put in a bid to do precisely this virological engineering, the endless redacted emails showing that everyone in UK/US initially ASSUMED it came from the lab (then weirdly and inexplicably changed their minds overnight), and so on, and so forth

    Is this all just “circumstantial”? I guess maybe. But if you are waiting for “hard” evidence: ie a video of something tampering with a bat virus then - Ooops! - spilling it near the market, that’s not gonna happen

    Otherwise I agree. We can now say it very likely came from the lab. We cannot say this absolutely, however - and probably never will be able to do that

    Who'd have thought gain of function research would lead to gain of function in a coronavirus.
    Shocker.
    Bat soup though.
    The transfer from non-human animals - pangolin in this case it is said - I guess had plausibility due to HIV coming from bats. I'm not sure Ockham's Razor necessarily points to a lab. Maybe we'll never know.

    What are the views of @Carnyx and @CD13 ?
    When the lab is at the epicentre and studies coronaviruses its probably top choice though.
    At least one study presented evidence otherwise - mapped cases pointing ti the market.
    That was the study that had dodgy sampling of cases for the mapping right?
    Apparently so fide Leon.

    Will have a look at Matt Ridley's book.
    Doesn’t reach a conclusion but lays out the evidence fairly
    ..
  • Options
    LeonLeon Posts: 47,147

    Carnyx said:

    Stocky said:

    Leon said:

    FPT for @rcs1000

    “The evidence hasn't changed one jot in two years: the same city where bat viruses are researched is the same city where the virus emerged. It is massive circumstantial evidence, that makes it by far the most likely source of the virus. But it doesn't preclude the small chance that it is entirely zoonotic.”

    +++

    This is not true. Loads more evidence has emerged - the alteration of the Furin Cleavage Site, the fact Daszak put in a bid to do precisely this virological engineering, the endless redacted emails showing that everyone in UK/US initially ASSUMED it came from the lab (then weirdly and inexplicably changed their minds overnight), and so on, and so forth

    Is this all just “circumstantial”? I guess maybe. But if you are waiting for “hard” evidence: ie a video of something tampering with a bat virus then - Ooops! - spilling it near the market, that’s not gonna happen

    Otherwise I agree. We can now say it very likely came from the lab. We cannot say this absolutely, however - and probably never will be able to do that

    Who'd have thought gain of function research would lead to gain of function in a coronavirus.
    Shocker.
    Bat soup though.
    The transfer from non-human animals - pangolin in this case it is said - I guess had plausibility due to HIV coming from bats. I'm not sure Ockham's Razor necessarily points to a lab. Maybe we'll never know.

    What are the views of @Carnyx and @CD13 ?
    When the lab is at the epicentre and studies coronaviruses its probably top choice though.
    At least one study presented evidence otherwise - mapped cases pointing ti the market.
    That was the study that had dodgy sampling of cases for the mapping right?
    Yes, and co-authored by Kristian Andersen, who wrote the notorious early paper for Nature, which - along with The Lancet letter - tried to squash the lab leak hypothesis at birth, despite private emails from Andersen himself, at the same time - gouged out of the archives by Freedom of Info requests - admitting that a lab leak was the obvious, probable hypothesis

    The cover-up wasn’t even that good, that’s the amazing thing. Yet it was remarkably successful, for a year, probably because Fear of a Trump Re-election meant that social media bought into it
  • Options
    wooliedyedwooliedyed Posts: 6,934
    Norwich back ahead in the race to 80 goals conceded
  • Options
    MoonRabbitMoonRabbit Posts: 12,415
    ydoethur said:

    Early in his presidency Donald Trump repeatedly grilled his aides on whether China could be manufacturing hurricanes and directing them at the United States, asking whether he could retaliate with military force.

    Trump demanded to know if China had developed a “hurricane gun” and whether using it would constitute an act of war, according to unnamed former officials who spoke to Rolling Stone.

    “It was almost too stupid for words,” one source told the magazine. “I did not get the sense he was joking at all.”


    https://www.thetimes.co.uk/article/donald-trump-asked-if-china-was-firing-hurricanes-at-us-aides-claim-m5bp3pjjh

    Is that where all that nonsense about nuking hurricanes came from?
    Big wooden spoon clash for Minor County West tomorrow Doctor Y.

    After Somerset just so kind to Libdems last week, it’s obvious who I’m backing. 😝
  • Options
    ydoethurydoethur Posts: 67,231
    edited May 2022

    ydoethur said:

    Early in his presidency Donald Trump repeatedly grilled his aides on whether China could be manufacturing hurricanes and directing them at the United States, asking whether he could retaliate with military force.

    Trump demanded to know if China had developed a “hurricane gun” and whether using it would constitute an act of war, according to unnamed former officials who spoke to Rolling Stone.

    “It was almost too stupid for words,” one source told the magazine. “I did not get the sense he was joking at all.”


    https://www.thetimes.co.uk/article/donald-trump-asked-if-china-was-firing-hurricanes-at-us-aides-claim-m5bp3pjjh

    Is that where all that nonsense about nuking hurricanes came from?
    Big wooden spoon clash for Minor County West tomorrow Doctor Y.

    After Somerset just so kind to Libdems last week, it’s obvious who I’m backing. 😝
    You'll back anyone who might finish below the cheating racists....

    Although that's illogical I suppose, given how Yorkshire need at least two counties to have absolutely stinking seasons.
  • Options
    wooliedyedwooliedyed Posts: 6,934
    Leeds have conceded 47 in 12 games against the top 6 scoring 0 points.
    Appalling,
  • Options
    DavidLDavidL Posts: 51,280
    Leon said:

    Carnyx said:

    Stocky said:

    Leon said:

    FPT for @rcs1000

    “The evidence hasn't changed one jot in two years: the same city where bat viruses are researched is the same city where the virus emerged. It is massive circumstantial evidence, that makes it by far the most likely source of the virus. But it doesn't preclude the small chance that it is entirely zoonotic.”

    +++

    This is not true. Loads more evidence has emerged - the alteration of the Furin Cleavage Site, the fact Daszak put in a bid to do precisely this virological engineering, the endless redacted emails showing that everyone in UK/US initially ASSUMED it came from the lab (then weirdly and inexplicably changed their minds overnight), and so on, and so forth

    Is this all just “circumstantial”? I guess maybe. But if you are waiting for “hard” evidence: ie a video of something tampering with a bat virus then - Ooops! - spilling it near the market, that’s not gonna happen

    Otherwise I agree. We can now say it very likely came from the lab. We cannot say this absolutely, however - and probably never will be able to do that

    Who'd have thought gain of function research would lead to gain of function in a coronavirus.
    Shocker.
    Bat soup though.
    The transfer from non-human animals - pangolin in this case it is said - I guess had plausibility due to HIV coming from bats. I'm not sure Ockham's Razor necessarily points to a lab. Maybe we'll never know.

    What are the views of @Carnyx and @CD13 ?
    When the lab is at the epicentre and studies coronaviruses its probably top choice though.
    At least one study presented evidence otherwise - mapped cases pointing ti the market.
    That was the study that had dodgy sampling of cases for the mapping right?
    Yes, and co-authored by Kristian Andersen, who wrote the notorious early paper for Nature, which - along with The Lancet letter - tried to squash the lab leak hypothesis at birth, despite private emails from Andersen himself, at the same time - gouged out of the archives by Freedom of Info requests - admitting that a lab leak was the obvious, probable hypothesis

    The cover-up wasn’t even that good, that’s the amazing thing. Yet it was remarkably successful, for a year, probably because Fear of a Trump Re-election meant that social media bought into it
    That would be a real moral dilemma. If you genuinely thought Donald Trump was mad enough to start WW3 if it had been confirmed would you be tempted to fudge it a bit?
    Possibly.
  • Options
    HYUFDHYUFD Posts: 116,992
    Given the local elections results were not as bad as many expected and Labour has still not built up the consistent double digit poll leads needed to make Tory MPs remove Johnson, he is probably safe until the next general election. So the next Tory leader would either be PM once a re elected Johnson decides to go, or Leader of the Opposition
  • Options
    StuartDicksonStuartDickson Posts: 12,146
    DavidL said:

    Carnyx said:

    Angus Council: SNP forms administration with backing from independents

    The SNP is to lead Angus Council after reaching agreement for support with two independent councillors, marking an end to a scandal-ridden Tory dominated administration.

    https://www.thenational.scot/news/20131782.angus-council-snp-forms-administration-backing-independents/

    Ooh, that will interest @DavidL though perhaps not gratify him.

    Not a case of Slab teddies ejected oot tthe bogie as there's only one of them - but even so ...

    Moral probably is, don't have trolls for cooncillors:

    https://www.thenational.scot/news/19406206.derek-wann-angus-locals-petition-twitter-troll-tory-councillor-resign/

    https://www.thenational.scot/news/19394172.derek-wann-angus-tory-councillor-linked-anonymous-anti-snp-troll-account/

    'Derek Wann, who serves on Angus Council for Arbroath East and Lunan, was linked to an anonymous account called "Lady Whistledown" after it shared a link to a council press release - where he was the only person quoted - with the caption "my comments".

    Wann had posted the same press release on his official Facebook page just 15 minutes prior.

    [...]

    Now, The National has discovered that the mobile phone number linked to the Twitter account has the same last two numbers as Wann's [the rest asterisked out].

    Wann has so far not responded to The National’s request for comment, but the Lady Whistledown account was deleted an hour after we lodged the request regarding the mobile number similarities.

    A second Angus councillor, independent Tommy Stewart, also has the same digits at the end of his council mobile number. When contacted, Stewart said he doesn’t have a Twitter account, use the site, or intend to.'
    David will probably be quite pleased. I’m pretty sure he predicted an SNP majority in Angus when he commented on the first published results coming in from the area. So a minority administration is better from his perspective.
    The National makes, well actually Pravda is about the only example that comes close, look impartial and objective but I am not dismayed. If the SNP are as competent as they usually are Angus constituency may come into play again.
    Angus is split in two under the new boundaries. The largest part goes into the new Angus and Strathmore, which takes in significant chunks of the old SNP-held Perth & North Perthshire, Dundee West and Dundee East; transforming it into an SNP nominal seat on 2019 votes.

    Baxter predicts:
    SNP hold 77%
    Con gain 22%

    And that before last Thursday’s SCon fiasco.
  • Options
    MalmesburyMalmesbury Posts: 44,377
    edited May 2022
    Carnyx said:

    ydoethur said:

    Early in his presidency Donald Trump repeatedly grilled his aides on whether China could be manufacturing hurricanes and directing them at the United States, asking whether he could retaliate with military force.

    Trump demanded to know if China had developed a “hurricane gun” and whether using it would constitute an act of war, according to unnamed former officials who spoke to Rolling Stone.

    “It was almost too stupid for words,” one source told the magazine. “I did not get the sense he was joking at all.”


    https://www.thetimes.co.uk/article/donald-trump-asked-if-china-was-firing-hurricanes-at-us-aides-claim-m5bp3pjjh

    Is that where all that nonsense about nuking hurricanes came from?
    I think the japs used the high winds as a weapon against the US during WWII? And also wind but different, the US had a fart weapon during the same war?
    You may be thinking of the balloon bombs?

    https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fu-Go_balloon_bomb
    The French did deploy the 340mm Lapage Creme Brule gun in Ukraine. This renders entire divisions, with a single shot, into Left Bank existentialists who do nothing but question the concept of reality.
  • Options
    MoonRabbitMoonRabbit Posts: 12,415

    Carnyx said:

    ydoethur said:

    Early in his presidency Donald Trump repeatedly grilled his aides on whether China could be manufacturing hurricanes and directing them at the United States, asking whether he could retaliate with military force.

    Trump demanded to know if China had developed a “hurricane gun” and whether using it would constitute an act of war, according to unnamed former officials who spoke to Rolling Stone.

    “It was almost too stupid for words,” one source told the magazine. “I did not get the sense he was joking at all.”


    https://www.thetimes.co.uk/article/donald-trump-asked-if-china-was-firing-hurricanes-at-us-aides-claim-m5bp3pjjh

    Is that where all that nonsense about nuking hurricanes came from?
    I think the japs used the high winds as a weapon against the US during WWII? And also wind but different, the US had a fart weapon during the same war?
    You may be thinking of the balloon bombs?

    https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fu-Go_balloon_bomb
    The French did deploy the 340mm Lapage Creme Brule gun in Ukraine. This renders entire divisions into Left Bank existentialists who do nothing but question concept of reality.
    If I didn’t know you better, I would say you are making it up.
  • Options
    DavidLDavidL Posts: 51,280

    DavidL said:

    Carnyx said:

    Angus Council: SNP forms administration with backing from independents

    The SNP is to lead Angus Council after reaching agreement for support with two independent councillors, marking an end to a scandal-ridden Tory dominated administration.

    https://www.thenational.scot/news/20131782.angus-council-snp-forms-administration-backing-independents/

    Ooh, that will interest @DavidL though perhaps not gratify him.

    Not a case of Slab teddies ejected oot tthe bogie as there's only one of them - but even so ...

    Moral probably is, don't have trolls for cooncillors:

    https://www.thenational.scot/news/19406206.derek-wann-angus-locals-petition-twitter-troll-tory-councillor-resign/

    https://www.thenational.scot/news/19394172.derek-wann-angus-tory-councillor-linked-anonymous-anti-snp-troll-account/

    'Derek Wann, who serves on Angus Council for Arbroath East and Lunan, was linked to an anonymous account called "Lady Whistledown" after it shared a link to a council press release - where he was the only person quoted - with the caption "my comments".

    Wann had posted the same press release on his official Facebook page just 15 minutes prior.

    [...]

    Now, The National has discovered that the mobile phone number linked to the Twitter account has the same last two numbers as Wann's [the rest asterisked out].

    Wann has so far not responded to The National’s request for comment, but the Lady Whistledown account was deleted an hour after we lodged the request regarding the mobile number similarities.

    A second Angus councillor, independent Tommy Stewart, also has the same digits at the end of his council mobile number. When contacted, Stewart said he doesn’t have a Twitter account, use the site, or intend to.'
    David will probably be quite pleased. I’m pretty sure he predicted an SNP majority in Angus when he commented on the first published results coming in from the area. So a minority administration is better from his perspective.
    The National makes, well actually Pravda is about the only example that comes close, look impartial and objective but I am not dismayed. If the SNP are as competent as they usually are Angus constituency may come into play again.
    Angus is split in two under the new boundaries. The largest part goes into the new Angus and Strathmore, which takes in significant chunks of the old SNP-held Perth & North Perthshire, Dundee West and Dundee East; transforming it into an SNP nominal seat on 2019 votes.

    Baxter predicts:
    SNP hold 77%
    Con gain 22%

    And that before last Thursday’s SCon fiasco.
    I hadn’t looked at that. We might no longer be in Dundee West next time. And there I was gearing up to vote for Labour.
  • Options
    wooliedyedwooliedyed Posts: 6,934
    edited May 2022

    DavidL said:

    Carnyx said:

    Angus Council: SNP forms administration with backing from independents

    The SNP is to lead Angus Council after reaching agreement for support with two independent councillors, marking an end to a scandal-ridden Tory dominated administration.

    https://www.thenational.scot/news/20131782.angus-council-snp-forms-administration-backing-independents/

    Ooh, that will interest @DavidL though perhaps not gratify him.

    Not a case of Slab teddies ejected oot tthe bogie as there's only one of them - but even so ...

    Moral probably is, don't have trolls for cooncillors:

    https://www.thenational.scot/news/19406206.derek-wann-angus-locals-petition-twitter-troll-tory-councillor-resign/

    https://www.thenational.scot/news/19394172.derek-wann-angus-tory-councillor-linked-anonymous-anti-snp-troll-account/

    'Derek Wann, who serves on Angus Council for Arbroath East and Lunan, was linked to an anonymous account called "Lady Whistledown" after it shared a link to a council press release - where he was the only person quoted - with the caption "my comments".

    Wann had posted the same press release on his official Facebook page just 15 minutes prior.

    [...]

    Now, The National has discovered that the mobile phone number linked to the Twitter account has the same last two numbers as Wann's [the rest asterisked out].

    Wann has so far not responded to The National’s request for comment, but the Lady Whistledown account was deleted an hour after we lodged the request regarding the mobile number similarities.

    A second Angus councillor, independent Tommy Stewart, also has the same digits at the end of his council mobile number. When contacted, Stewart said he doesn’t have a Twitter account, use the site, or intend to.'
    David will probably be quite pleased. I’m pretty sure he predicted an SNP majority in Angus when he commented on the first published results coming in from the area. So a minority administration is better from his perspective.
    The National makes, well actually Pravda is about the only example that comes close, look impartial and objective but I am not dismayed. If the SNP are as competent as they usually are Angus constituency may come into play again.
    Angus is split in two under the new boundaries. The largest part goes into the new Angus and Strathmore, which takes in significant chunks of the old SNP-held Perth & North Perthshire, Dundee West and Dundee East; transforming it into an SNP nominal seat on 2019 votes.

    Baxter predicts:
    SNP hold 77%
    Con gain 22%

    And that before last Thursday’s SCon fiasco.
    I'd put it at 95/5 minimum, Angus is trending away from Con and the Dundee wards secure it anyway. Perth a little better hunting for Rosses raiders but South Perthshire seems better for them at the moment
  • Options
    SeaShantyIrish2SeaShantyIrish2 Posts: 15,575

    FPT

    [SSI - my own theory is that Pickett was Harney's protege AND both were rash hotheads NOT noted for brainpower]

    Is that the same George Pickett who led the doomed charge at Gettysburg?

    Indeed.
  • Options
    Scott_xPScott_xP Posts: 32,942
    WASHINGTON (AP) — Senate Democrats' bill to write Roe v. Wade into law blocked by GOP-led filibuster as Supreme Court weighs abortion case.
    https://twitter.com/JonLemire/status/1524485922493972482
  • Options
    dixiedeandixiedean Posts: 27,965
    HYUFD said:

    Given the local elections results were not as bad as many expected and Labour has still not built up the consistent double digit poll leads needed to make Tory MPs remove Johnson, he is probably safe until the next general election. So the next Tory leader would either be PM once a re elected Johnson decides to go, or Leader of the Opposition

    What were you expecting? They were pretty damn poor imho
  • Options
    wooliedyedwooliedyed Posts: 6,934
    Scott_xP said:

    WASHINGTON (AP) — Senate Democrats' bill to write Roe v. Wade into law blocked by GOP-led filibuster as Supreme Court weighs abortion case.
    https://twitter.com/JonLemire/status/1524485922493972482

    The dems will need the filibuster after November
  • Options
    StuartDicksonStuartDickson Posts: 12,146
    DavidL said:

    DavidL said:

    Carnyx said:

    Angus Council: SNP forms administration with backing from independents

    The SNP is to lead Angus Council after reaching agreement for support with two independent councillors, marking an end to a scandal-ridden Tory dominated administration.

    https://www.thenational.scot/news/20131782.angus-council-snp-forms-administration-backing-independents/

    Ooh, that will interest @DavidL though perhaps not gratify him.

    Not a case of Slab teddies ejected oot tthe bogie as there's only one of them - but even so ...

    Moral probably is, don't have trolls for cooncillors:

    https://www.thenational.scot/news/19406206.derek-wann-angus-locals-petition-twitter-troll-tory-councillor-resign/

    https://www.thenational.scot/news/19394172.derek-wann-angus-tory-councillor-linked-anonymous-anti-snp-troll-account/

    'Derek Wann, who serves on Angus Council for Arbroath East and Lunan, was linked to an anonymous account called "Lady Whistledown" after it shared a link to a council press release - where he was the only person quoted - with the caption "my comments".

    Wann had posted the same press release on his official Facebook page just 15 minutes prior.

    [...]

    Now, The National has discovered that the mobile phone number linked to the Twitter account has the same last two numbers as Wann's [the rest asterisked out].

    Wann has so far not responded to The National’s request for comment, but the Lady Whistledown account was deleted an hour after we lodged the request regarding the mobile number similarities.

    A second Angus councillor, independent Tommy Stewart, also has the same digits at the end of his council mobile number. When contacted, Stewart said he doesn’t have a Twitter account, use the site, or intend to.'
    David will probably be quite pleased. I’m pretty sure he predicted an SNP majority in Angus when he commented on the first published results coming in from the area. So a minority administration is better from his perspective.
    The National makes, well actually Pravda is about the only example that comes close, look impartial and objective but I am not dismayed. If the SNP are as competent as they usually are Angus constituency may come into play again.
    Angus is split in two under the new boundaries. The largest part goes into the new Angus and Strathmore, which takes in significant chunks of the old SNP-held Perth & North Perthshire, Dundee West and Dundee East; transforming it into an SNP nominal seat on 2019 votes.

    Baxter predicts:
    SNP hold 77%
    Con gain 22%

    And that before last Thursday’s SCon fiasco.
    I hadn’t looked at that. We might no longer be in Dundee West next time. And there I was gearing up to vote for Labour.
    Anas will be devastated.
  • Options
    DavidLDavidL Posts: 51,280
    De Bruyne yet again.
  • Options
    LeonLeon Posts: 47,147
    edited May 2022
    DavidL said:

    Leon said:

    Carnyx said:

    Stocky said:

    Leon said:

    FPT for @rcs1000

    “The evidence hasn't changed one jot in two years: the same city where bat viruses are researched is the same city where the virus emerged. It is massive circumstantial evidence, that makes it by far the most likely source of the virus. But it doesn't preclude the small chance that it is entirely zoonotic.”

    +++

    This is not true. Loads more evidence has emerged - the alteration of the Furin Cleavage Site, the fact Daszak put in a bid to do precisely this virological engineering, the endless redacted emails showing that everyone in UK/US initially ASSUMED it came from the lab (then weirdly and inexplicably changed their minds overnight), and so on, and so forth

    Is this all just “circumstantial”? I guess maybe. But if you are waiting for “hard” evidence: ie a video of something tampering with a bat virus then - Ooops! - spilling it near the market, that’s not gonna happen

    Otherwise I agree. We can now say it very likely came from the lab. We cannot say this absolutely, however - and probably never will be able to do that

    Who'd have thought gain of function research would lead to gain of function in a coronavirus.
    Shocker.
    Bat soup though.
    The transfer from non-human animals - pangolin in this case it is said - I guess had plausibility due to HIV coming from bats. I'm not sure Ockham's Razor necessarily points to a lab. Maybe we'll never know.

    What are the views of @Carnyx and @CD13 ?
    When the lab is at the epicentre and studies coronaviruses its probably top choice though.
    At least one study presented evidence otherwise - mapped cases pointing ti the market.
    That was the study that had dodgy sampling of cases for the mapping right?
    Yes, and co-authored by Kristian Andersen, who wrote the notorious early paper for Nature, which - along with The Lancet letter - tried to squash the lab leak hypothesis at birth, despite private emails from Andersen himself, at the same time - gouged out of the archives by Freedom of Info requests - admitting that a lab leak was the obvious, probable hypothesis

    The cover-up wasn’t even that good, that’s the amazing thing. Yet it was remarkably successful, for a year, probably because Fear of a Trump Re-election meant that social media bought into it
    That would be a real moral dilemma. If you genuinely thought Donald Trump was mad enough to start WW3 if it had been confirmed would you be tempted to fudge it a bit?
    Possibly.
    Yes, despite my righteousness I do kind of get it. Trump was a menace and a madman.

    However in the end I believe Truth must prevail - especially in science - and the attempts to squash a perfectly valid, if not highly probable hypothesis about THE worst global health crisis in a century were morally wrong. Especially as the hypothesis implicated the scientists themselves

    Deeply uncomfortable, sure, but denying it made everything worse - including our handling of the same pandemic

    OK time for me to go sleeeeep. Crossing from Asia to Europe tomozza
  • Options
    MoonRabbitMoonRabbit Posts: 12,415
    HYUFD said:

    Given the local elections results were not as bad as many expected and Labour has still not built up the consistent double digit poll leads needed to make Tory MPs remove Johnson, he is probably safe until the next general election. So the next Tory leader would either be PM once a re elected Johnson decides to go, or Leader of the Opposition

    “ Given the local elections results were not as bad as many expected ”

    Whaaaaaaat? 😆

    The blue wall is in tatters. The red wall had chunks chomped out of it. It was far worse than all the “most serious” predictions.

    You said look at Swindon. Hard for Labour to retake in one go after Tory’s took two Labour seats they have never held before last year, but it’s a different story this year, Labour taking 3/9. An election you calling not as bad as expected revealed a sea change in UK politics if Tory’s hold their Johnson tight,
  • Options
    DavidLDavidL Posts: 51,280

    DavidL said:

    Carnyx said:

    Angus Council: SNP forms administration with backing from independents

    The SNP is to lead Angus Council after reaching agreement for support with two independent councillors, marking an end to a scandal-ridden Tory dominated administration.

    https://www.thenational.scot/news/20131782.angus-council-snp-forms-administration-backing-independents/

    Ooh, that will interest @DavidL though perhaps not gratify him.

    Not a case of Slab teddies ejected oot tthe bogie as there's only one of them - but even so ...

    Moral probably is, don't have trolls for cooncillors:

    https://www.thenational.scot/news/19406206.derek-wann-angus-locals-petition-twitter-troll-tory-councillor-resign/

    https://www.thenational.scot/news/19394172.derek-wann-angus-tory-councillor-linked-anonymous-anti-snp-troll-account/

    'Derek Wann, who serves on Angus Council for Arbroath East and Lunan, was linked to an anonymous account called "Lady Whistledown" after it shared a link to a council press release - where he was the only person quoted - with the caption "my comments".

    Wann had posted the same press release on his official Facebook page just 15 minutes prior.

    [...]

    Now, The National has discovered that the mobile phone number linked to the Twitter account has the same last two numbers as Wann's [the rest asterisked out].

    Wann has so far not responded to The National’s request for comment, but the Lady Whistledown account was deleted an hour after we lodged the request regarding the mobile number similarities.

    A second Angus councillor, independent Tommy Stewart, also has the same digits at the end of his council mobile number. When contacted, Stewart said he doesn’t have a Twitter account, use the site, or intend to.'
    David will probably be quite pleased. I’m pretty sure he predicted an SNP majority in Angus when he commented on the first published results coming in from the area. So a minority administration is better from his perspective.
    The National makes, well actually Pravda is about the only example that comes close, look impartial and objective but I am not dismayed. If the SNP are as competent as they usually are Angus constituency may come into play again.
    Angus is split in two under the new boundaries. The largest part goes into the new Angus and Strathmore, which takes in significant chunks of the old SNP-held Perth & North Perthshire, Dundee West and Dundee East; transforming it into an SNP nominal seat on 2019 votes.

    Baxter predicts:
    SNP hold 77%
    Con gain 22%

    And that before last Thursday’s SCon fiasco.
    I'd put it at 95/5 minimum, Angus is trending away from Con and the Dundee wards secure it anyway. Perth a little better hunting for Rosses raiders but South Perthshire seems better for them at the moment
    Not sure I’d agree with that. If it was tomorrow then yes. But by 2024 Nicola will have made a fiasco of Indyref 2 and might even be gone, leaving the muppets without Kermit. There’s a lot of water to flow before the next election in Scotland.
  • Options
    HYUFDHYUFD Posts: 116,992

    HYUFD said:

    Given the local elections results were not as bad as many expected and Labour has still not built up the consistent double digit poll leads needed to make Tory MPs remove Johnson, he is probably safe until the next general election. So the next Tory leader would either be PM once a re elected Johnson decides to go, or Leader of the Opposition

    “ Given the local elections results were not as bad as many expected ”

    Whaaaaaaat? 😆

    The blue wall is in tatters. The red wall had chunks chomped out of it. It was far worse than all the “most serious” predictions.

    You said look at Swindon. Hard for Labour to retake in one go after Tory’s took two Labour seats they have never held before last year, but it’s a different story this year, Labour taking 3/9. An election you calling not as bad as expected revealed a sea change in UK politics if Tory’s hold their Johnson tight,
    Labour had just a 5% lead on NEV and on other predictions would not even have been largest party in a hung parliament.

    Labour failed to gain a single council in the Midlands and as you say the Conservatives held Swindon, a key town for marginal seats.

    Yes there were some bad Tory results in central London and in the posher parts of the Home Counties in terms of losses to the LDs but it certainly could have been worse and was good enough for Boris to hold on
  • Options
    rottenboroughrottenborough Posts: 58,216

    Evening all! Glad to see that the Tory loon in Ashfield doesn't have enough feet to shove into his mouth. Blaming the poor sods in his constituency who are going to food banks for being too thick to cook demonstrates that he hasn't looked in a mirror recently. He truly is one of the dimmer members of what is already a dim intake.

    Erstwhile office manager for Gloria - the former Labour MP for the area.
  • Options
    turbotubbsturbotubbs Posts: 15,185

    HYUFD said:

    Given the local elections results were not as bad as many expected and Labour has still not built up the consistent double digit poll leads needed to make Tory MPs remove Johnson, he is probably safe until the next general election. So the next Tory leader would either be PM once a re elected Johnson decides to go, or Leader of the Opposition

    “ Given the local elections results were not as bad as many expected ”

    Whaaaaaaat? 😆

    The blue wall is in tatters. The red wall had chunks chomped out of it. It was far worse than all the “most serious” predictions.

    You said look at Swindon. Hard for Labour to retake in one go after Tory’s took two Labour seats they have never held before last year, but it’s a different story this year, Labour taking 3/9. An election you calling not as bad as expected revealed a sea change in UK politics if Tory’s hold their Johnson tight,
    I assume you are too young to remember mid term effects and swing back? This is NOT a prediction, but it is exceeding common to see governments do poorly in local elections in the middle of parliaments only to do far better in the next general election. Weirdly voters often vote differently in local elections to nationally.
  • Options
    StuartDicksonStuartDickson Posts: 12,146

    DavidL said:

    Carnyx said:

    Angus Council: SNP forms administration with backing from independents

    The SNP is to lead Angus Council after reaching agreement for support with two independent councillors, marking an end to a scandal-ridden Tory dominated administration.

    https://www.thenational.scot/news/20131782.angus-council-snp-forms-administration-backing-independents/

    Ooh, that will interest @DavidL though perhaps not gratify him.

    Not a case of Slab teddies ejected oot tthe bogie as there's only one of them - but even so ...

    Moral probably is, don't have trolls for cooncillors:

    https://www.thenational.scot/news/19406206.derek-wann-angus-locals-petition-twitter-troll-tory-councillor-resign/

    https://www.thenational.scot/news/19394172.derek-wann-angus-tory-councillor-linked-anonymous-anti-snp-troll-account/

    'Derek Wann, who serves on Angus Council for Arbroath East and Lunan, was linked to an anonymous account called "Lady Whistledown" after it shared a link to a council press release - where he was the only person quoted - with the caption "my comments".

    Wann had posted the same press release on his official Facebook page just 15 minutes prior.

    [...]

    Now, The National has discovered that the mobile phone number linked to the Twitter account has the same last two numbers as Wann's [the rest asterisked out].

    Wann has so far not responded to The National’s request for comment, but the Lady Whistledown account was deleted an hour after we lodged the request regarding the mobile number similarities.

    A second Angus councillor, independent Tommy Stewart, also has the same digits at the end of his council mobile number. When contacted, Stewart said he doesn’t have a Twitter account, use the site, or intend to.'
    David will probably be quite pleased. I’m pretty sure he predicted an SNP majority in Angus when he commented on the first published results coming in from the area. So a minority administration is better from his perspective.
    The National makes, well actually Pravda is about the only example that comes close, look impartial and objective but I am not dismayed. If the SNP are as competent as they usually are Angus constituency may come into play again.
    Angus is split in two under the new boundaries. The largest part goes into the new Angus and Strathmore, which takes in significant chunks of the old SNP-held Perth & North Perthshire, Dundee West and Dundee East; transforming it into an SNP nominal seat on 2019 votes.

    Baxter predicts:
    SNP hold 77%
    Con gain 22%

    And that before last Thursday’s SCon fiasco.
    I'd put it at 95/5 minimum, Angus is trending away from Con and the Dundee wards secure it anyway. Perth a little better hunting for Rosses raiders but South Perthshire seems better for them at the moment
    According to Baxter, the new Perth & Tay seat is even worse for the Tories than neighbouring Angus & Strathmore.

    There is no “South Perthshire” any more: that seat is split into 4 new seats. The biggest chunk goes into the weird new Forth Valley Mid, where the Tories are highly likely to finish a distant 3rd.
  • Options
    MoonRabbitMoonRabbit Posts: 12,415
    HYUFD said:

    HYUFD said:

    Given the local elections results were not as bad as many expected and Labour has still not built up the consistent double digit poll leads needed to make Tory MPs remove Johnson, he is probably safe until the next general election. So the next Tory leader would either be PM once a re elected Johnson decides to go, or Leader of the Opposition

    “ Given the local elections results were not as bad as many expected ”

    Whaaaaaaat? 😆

    The blue wall is in tatters. The red wall had chunks chomped out of it. It was far worse than all the “most serious” predictions.

    You said look at Swindon. Hard for Labour to retake in one go after Tory’s took two Labour seats they have never held before last year, but it’s a different story this year, Labour taking 3/9. An election you calling not as bad as expected revealed a sea change in UK politics if Tory’s hold their Johnson tight,
    Labour had just a 5% lead on NEV and on other predictions would not even have been largest party in a hung parliament.

    Labour failed to gain a single council in the Midlands and as you say the Conservatives held Swindon, a key town for marginal seats.

    Yes there were some bad Tory results in central London and in the posher parts of the Home Counties in terms of losses to the LDs but it certainly could have been worse and was good enough for Boris to hold on
    Was it not 24 hours of loser Tory leaders across the country calling for Boris to go because he is the issue on the doorstep or you saying I just dreamt that?
  • Options
    dixiedeandixiedean Posts: 27,965
    HYUFD said:

    HYUFD said:

    Given the local elections results were not as bad as many expected and Labour has still not built up the consistent double digit poll leads needed to make Tory MPs remove Johnson, he is probably safe until the next general election. So the next Tory leader would either be PM once a re elected Johnson decides to go, or Leader of the Opposition

    “ Given the local elections results were not as bad as many expected ”

    Whaaaaaaat? 😆

    The blue wall is in tatters. The red wall had chunks chomped out of it. It was far worse than all the “most serious” predictions.

    You said look at Swindon. Hard for Labour to retake in one go after Tory’s took two Labour seats they have never held before last year, but it’s a different story this year, Labour taking 3/9. An election you calling not as bad as expected revealed a sea change in UK politics if Tory’s hold their Johnson tight,
    Labour had just a 5% lead on NEV and on other predictions would not even have been largest party in a hung parliament.

    Labour failed to gain a single council in the Midlands and as you say the Conservatives held Swindon, a key town for marginal seats.

    Yes there were some bad Tory results in central London and in the posher parts of the Home Counties in terms of losses to the LDs but it certainly could have been worse and was good enough for Boris to hold on
    There were some appalling Tory performances outwith those. Way beyond expected.
    Cumbria, Wales, North and West Yorkshire, Somerset.
  • Options
    DavidLDavidL Posts: 51,280
    The really depressing thing is that Wolves are not even playing badly. They are having a good go.
  • Options
    StuartDicksonStuartDickson Posts: 12,146
    DavidL said:

    DavidL said:

    Carnyx said:

    Angus Council: SNP forms administration with backing from independents

    The SNP is to lead Angus Council after reaching agreement for support with two independent councillors, marking an end to a scandal-ridden Tory dominated administration.

    https://www.thenational.scot/news/20131782.angus-council-snp-forms-administration-backing-independents/

    Ooh, that will interest @DavidL though perhaps not gratify him.

    Not a case of Slab teddies ejected oot tthe bogie as there's only one of them - but even so ...

    Moral probably is, don't have trolls for cooncillors:

    https://www.thenational.scot/news/19406206.derek-wann-angus-locals-petition-twitter-troll-tory-councillor-resign/

    https://www.thenational.scot/news/19394172.derek-wann-angus-tory-councillor-linked-anonymous-anti-snp-troll-account/

    'Derek Wann, who serves on Angus Council for Arbroath East and Lunan, was linked to an anonymous account called "Lady Whistledown" after it shared a link to a council press release - where he was the only person quoted - with the caption "my comments".

    Wann had posted the same press release on his official Facebook page just 15 minutes prior.

    [...]

    Now, The National has discovered that the mobile phone number linked to the Twitter account has the same last two numbers as Wann's [the rest asterisked out].

    Wann has so far not responded to The National’s request for comment, but the Lady Whistledown account was deleted an hour after we lodged the request regarding the mobile number similarities.

    A second Angus councillor, independent Tommy Stewart, also has the same digits at the end of his council mobile number. When contacted, Stewart said he doesn’t have a Twitter account, use the site, or intend to.'
    David will probably be quite pleased. I’m pretty sure he predicted an SNP majority in Angus when he commented on the first published results coming in from the area. So a minority administration is better from his perspective.
    The National makes, well actually Pravda is about the only example that comes close, look impartial and objective but I am not dismayed. If the SNP are as competent as they usually are Angus constituency may come into play again.
    Angus is split in two under the new boundaries. The largest part goes into the new Angus and Strathmore, which takes in significant chunks of the old SNP-held Perth & North Perthshire, Dundee West and Dundee East; transforming it into an SNP nominal seat on 2019 votes.

    Baxter predicts:
    SNP hold 77%
    Con gain 22%

    And that before last Thursday’s SCon fiasco.
    I'd put it at 95/5 minimum, Angus is trending away from Con and the Dundee wards secure it anyway. Perth a little better hunting for Rosses raiders but South Perthshire seems better for them at the moment
    Not sure I’d agree with that. If it was tomorrow then yes. But by 2024 Nicola will have made a fiasco of Indyref 2 and might even be gone, leaving the muppets without Kermit. There’s a lot of water to flow before the next election in Scotland.
    I love the smell of Unionist complacency in the morning.
  • Options
    StuartinromfordStuartinromford Posts: 14,432

    HYUFD said:

    Given the local elections results were not as bad as many expected and Labour has still not built up the consistent double digit poll leads needed to make Tory MPs remove Johnson, he is probably safe until the next general election. So the next Tory leader would either be PM once a re elected Johnson decides to go, or Leader of the Opposition

    “ Given the local elections results were not as bad as many expected ”

    Whaaaaaaat? 😆

    The blue wall is in tatters. The red wall had chunks chomped out of it. It was far worse than all the “most serious” predictions.

    You said look at Swindon. Hard for Labour to retake in one go after Tory’s took two Labour seats they have never held before last year, but it’s a different story this year, Labour taking 3/9. An election you calling not as bad as expected revealed a sea change in UK politics if Tory’s hold their Johnson tight,
    To steal a joke from Private Eye, bear in mind that the iceberg didn't have a good night either.
  • Options
    dixiedeandixiedean Posts: 27,965

    HYUFD said:

    Given the local elections results were not as bad as many expected and Labour has still not built up the consistent double digit poll leads needed to make Tory MPs remove Johnson, he is probably safe until the next general election. So the next Tory leader would either be PM once a re elected Johnson decides to go, or Leader of the Opposition

    “ Given the local elections results were not as bad as many expected ”

    Whaaaaaaat? 😆

    The blue wall is in tatters. The red wall had chunks chomped out of it. It was far worse than all the “most serious” predictions.

    You said look at Swindon. Hard for Labour to retake in one go after Tory’s took two Labour seats they have never held before last year, but it’s a different story this year, Labour taking 3/9. An election you calling not as bad as expected revealed a sea change in UK politics if Tory’s hold their Johnson tight,
    I assume you are too young to remember mid term effects and swing back? This is NOT a prediction, but it is exceeding common to see governments do poorly in local elections in the middle of parliaments only to do far better in the next general election. Weirdly voters often vote differently in local elections to nationally.
    Yes but. Tbf she was only responding to the claim that they weren't as bad as expected.
    They were worse.
  • Options
    Scott_xPScott_xP Posts: 32,942

    To steal a joke from Private Eye, bear in mind that the iceberg didn't have a good night either.

    ...
  • Options
    dixiedeandixiedean Posts: 27,965
    DavidL said:

    The really depressing thing is that Wolves are not even playing badly. They are having a good go.

    This result does, however, confirm United in Europe next season.
    Whether that is good is a different question.
  • Options
    DavidLDavidL Posts: 51,280

    DavidL said:

    DavidL said:

    Carnyx said:

    Angus Council: SNP forms administration with backing from independents

    The SNP is to lead Angus Council after reaching agreement for support with two independent councillors, marking an end to a scandal-ridden Tory dominated administration.

    https://www.thenational.scot/news/20131782.angus-council-snp-forms-administration-backing-independents/

    Ooh, that will interest @DavidL though perhaps not gratify him.

    Not a case of Slab teddies ejected oot tthe bogie as there's only one of them - but even so ...

    Moral probably is, don't have trolls for cooncillors:

    https://www.thenational.scot/news/19406206.derek-wann-angus-locals-petition-twitter-troll-tory-councillor-resign/

    https://www.thenational.scot/news/19394172.derek-wann-angus-tory-councillor-linked-anonymous-anti-snp-troll-account/

    'Derek Wann, who serves on Angus Council for Arbroath East and Lunan, was linked to an anonymous account called "Lady Whistledown" after it shared a link to a council press release - where he was the only person quoted - with the caption "my comments".

    Wann had posted the same press release on his official Facebook page just 15 minutes prior.

    [...]

    Now, The National has discovered that the mobile phone number linked to the Twitter account has the same last two numbers as Wann's [the rest asterisked out].

    Wann has so far not responded to The National’s request for comment, but the Lady Whistledown account was deleted an hour after we lodged the request regarding the mobile number similarities.

    A second Angus councillor, independent Tommy Stewart, also has the same digits at the end of his council mobile number. When contacted, Stewart said he doesn’t have a Twitter account, use the site, or intend to.'
    David will probably be quite pleased. I’m pretty sure he predicted an SNP majority in Angus when he commented on the first published results coming in from the area. So a minority administration is better from his perspective.
    The National makes, well actually Pravda is about the only example that comes close, look impartial and objective but I am not dismayed. If the SNP are as competent as they usually are Angus constituency may come into play again.
    Angus is split in two under the new boundaries. The largest part goes into the new Angus and Strathmore, which takes in significant chunks of the old SNP-held Perth & North Perthshire, Dundee West and Dundee East; transforming it into an SNP nominal seat on 2019 votes.

    Baxter predicts:
    SNP hold 77%
    Con gain 22%

    And that before last Thursday’s SCon fiasco.
    I'd put it at 95/5 minimum, Angus is trending away from Con and the Dundee wards secure it anyway. Perth a little better hunting for Rosses raiders but South Perthshire seems better for them at the moment
    Not sure I’d agree with that. If it was tomorrow then yes. But by 2024 Nicola will have made a fiasco of Indyref 2 and might even be gone, leaving the muppets without Kermit. There’s a lot of water to flow before the next election in Scotland.
    I love the smell of Unionist complacency in the morning.
    Ah but Nationalists have been smelling victory since about 2012. And it has eluded them.
    And I am hardly complacent. I am just saying that the 22% from Baxter is more like it than 5%.
  • Options
    kjhkjh Posts: 10,628

    HYUFD said:

    Given the local elections results were not as bad as many expected and Labour has still not built up the consistent double digit poll leads needed to make Tory MPs remove Johnson, he is probably safe until the next general election. So the next Tory leader would either be PM once a re elected Johnson decides to go, or Leader of the Opposition

    “ Given the local elections results were not as bad as many expected ”

    Whaaaaaaat? 😆

    The blue wall is in tatters. The red wall had chunks chomped out of it. It was far worse than all the “most serious” predictions.

    You said look at Swindon. Hard for Labour to retake in one go after Tory’s took two Labour seats they have never held before last year, but it’s a different story this year, Labour taking 3/9. An election you calling not as bad as expected revealed a sea change in UK politics if Tory’s hold their Johnson tight,
    I assume you are too young to remember mid term effects and swing back? This is NOT a prediction, but it is exceeding common to see governments do poorly in local elections in the middle of parliaments only to do far better in the next general election. Weirdly voters often vote differently in local elections to nationally.
    Well that is true, but that is not what @MoonRabbit was referring to. She reacted only to 'the local election results were not as bad as many expected' quote only. Now initially the Tories did seem to be doing ok in minimising their losses but as time went by they grew to nearly 500 which was at the upper end of expectations (ignoring the ludicrous 800 predicted in expectation management). Also remember there are less councillors now than in previous decades so that needs to be taken into account when comparing to previous disastrous results. The only consolation and distraction was that the main opposition, Labour also underperformed.
  • Options
    StuartDicksonStuartDickson Posts: 12,146
    Scott_xP said:

    HYUFD said:

    Given the local elections results were not as bad as many expected

    They were worse


    The Scottish Tories thought losing 20 councillors would be a “bad day”. They lost 63.
  • Options
    HYUFDHYUFD Posts: 116,992
    edited May 2022
    Scott_xP said:

    HYUFD said:

    Given the local elections results were not as bad as many expected

    They were worse


    That chart was a load of rubbish, although it does highlight the fact the less that the Labour net gains were hardly a triumph for Starmer.

    The Conservatives lost far fewer seats than in 2019 and did little different to how they did under Cameron in the 2012 local elections.

    The NEV would give a hung parliament, not a Labour majority and Labour had nowhere near the lead it did in the mid 1990s in local elections under Blair. In fact the Conservatives lost more council seats to the Liberal Democrats UK wide than to Labour.
  • Options
    CookieCookie Posts: 11,445

    HYUFD said:

    Given the local elections results were not as bad as many expected and Labour has still not built up the consistent double digit poll leads needed to make Tory MPs remove Johnson, he is probably safe until the next general election. So the next Tory leader would either be PM once a re elected Johnson decides to go, or Leader of the Opposition

    “ Given the local elections results were not as bad as many expected ”

    Whaaaaaaat? 😆

    The blue wall is in tatters. The red wall had chunks chomped out of it. It was far worse than all the “most serious” predictions.

    You said look at Swindon. Hard for Labour to retake in one go after Tory’s took two Labour seats they have never held before last year, but it’s a different story this year, Labour taking 3/9. An election you calling not as bad as expected revealed a sea change in UK politics if Tory’s hold their Johnson tight,
    To steal a joke from Private Eye, bear in mind that the iceberg didn't have a good night either.
    https://youtu.be/iKDakrjmwJc
  • Options
    turbotubbsturbotubbs Posts: 15,185
    dixiedean said:

    HYUFD said:

    Given the local elections results were not as bad as many expected and Labour has still not built up the consistent double digit poll leads needed to make Tory MPs remove Johnson, he is probably safe until the next general election. So the next Tory leader would either be PM once a re elected Johnson decides to go, or Leader of the Opposition

    “ Given the local elections results were not as bad as many expected ”

    Whaaaaaaat? 😆

    The blue wall is in tatters. The red wall had chunks chomped out of it. It was far worse than all the “most serious” predictions.

    You said look at Swindon. Hard for Labour to retake in one go after Tory’s took two Labour seats they have never held before last year, but it’s a different story this year, Labour taking 3/9. An election you calling not as bad as expected revealed a sea change in UK politics if Tory’s hold their Johnson tight,
    I assume you are too young to remember mid term effects and swing back? This is NOT a prediction, but it is exceeding common to see governments do poorly in local elections in the middle of parliaments only to do far better in the next general election. Weirdly voters often vote differently in local elections to nationally.
    Yes but. Tbf she was only responding to the claim that they weren't as bad as expected.
    They were worse.
    Were they? I certainly expected them to get whacked, and they did. I’d argue labours relatively poor performance in England was the most significant thing, either that or the Lib Dem resurgence.
  • Options
    wooliedyedwooliedyed Posts: 6,934
    edited May 2022
    DavidL said:

    DavidL said:

    Carnyx said:

    Angus Council: SNP forms administration with backing from independents

    The SNP is to lead Angus Council after reaching agreement for support with two independent councillors, marking an end to a scandal-ridden Tory dominated administration.

    https://www.thenational.scot/news/20131782.angus-council-snp-forms-administration-backing-independents/

    Ooh, that will interest @DavidL though perhaps not gratify him.

    Not a case of Slab teddies ejected oot tthe bogie as there's only one of them - but even so ...

    Moral probably is, don't have trolls for cooncillors:

    https://www.thenational.scot/news/19406206.derek-wann-angus-locals-petition-twitter-troll-tory-councillor-resign/

    https://www.thenational.scot/news/19394172.derek-wann-angus-tory-councillor-linked-anonymous-anti-snp-troll-account/

    'Derek Wann, who serves on Angus Council for Arbroath East and Lunan, was linked to an anonymous account called "Lady Whistledown" after it shared a link to a council press release - where he was the only person quoted - with the caption "my comments".

    Wann had posted the same press release on his official Facebook page just 15 minutes prior.

    [...]

    Now, The National has discovered that the mobile phone number linked to the Twitter account has the same last two numbers as Wann's [the rest asterisked out].

    Wann has so far not responded to The National’s request for comment, but the Lady Whistledown account was deleted an hour after we lodged the request regarding the mobile number similarities.

    A second Angus councillor, independent Tommy Stewart, also has the same digits at the end of his council mobile number. When contacted, Stewart said he doesn’t have a Twitter account, use the site, or intend to.'
    David will probably be quite pleased. I’m pretty sure he predicted an SNP majority in Angus when he commented on the first published results coming in from the area. So a minority administration is better from his perspective.
    The National makes, well actually Pravda is about the only example that comes close, look impartial and objective but I am not dismayed. If the SNP are as competent as they usually are Angus constituency may come into play again.
    Angus is split in two under the new boundaries. The largest part goes into the new Angus and Strathmore, which takes in significant chunks of the old SNP-held Perth & North Perthshire, Dundee West and Dundee East; transforming it into an SNP nominal seat on 2019 votes.

    Baxter predicts:
    SNP hold 77%
    Con gain 22%

    And that before last Thursday’s SCon fiasco.
    I'd put it at 95/5 minimum, Angus is trending away from Con and the Dundee wards secure it anyway. Perth a little better hunting for Rosses raiders but South Perthshire seems better for them at the moment
    Not sure I’d agree with that. If it was tomorrow then yes. But by 2024 Nicola will have made a fiasco of Indyref 2 and might even be gone, leaving the muppets without Kermit. There’s a lot of water to flow before the next election in Scotland.
    Turnout will be the SCons best hope and stopping unionists moving to SLab if they continue to recover.
    However, iro Angus, results at Holyrood, the locals and 2019 show SNP well ahead, the SCons won none of the wards in the Angus part of this seat and Dundee will go heavily against them. Angus was keener remain than Aberdeenshire/Banff.
    It's a mountain to climb.
    They have a better chance of reclaiming the newer version of Gordon but that's unlikely too. They should hold Aberdeenshire West and Banff if they avoid further slippage, any gains will be westward if at all, wayyyy westward
  • Options
    Big_G_NorthWalesBig_G_NorthWales Posts: 60,291
    edited May 2022
    HYUFD said:

    HYUFD said:

    Given the local elections results were not as bad as many expected and Labour has still not built up the consistent double digit poll leads needed to make Tory MPs remove Johnson, he is probably safe until the next general election. So the next Tory leader would either be PM once a re elected Johnson decides to go, or Leader of the Opposition

    “ Given the local elections results were not as bad as many expected ”

    Whaaaaaaat? 😆

    The blue wall is in tatters. The red wall had chunks chomped out of it. It was far worse than all the “most serious” predictions.

    You said look at Swindon. Hard for Labour to retake in one go after Tory’s took two Labour seats they have never held before last year, but it’s a different story this year, Labour taking 3/9. An election you calling not as bad as expected revealed a sea change in UK politics if Tory’s hold their Johnson tight,
    Labour had just a 5% lead on NEV and on other predictions would not even have been largest party in a hung parliament.

    Labour failed to gain a single council in the Midlands and as you say the Conservatives held Swindon, a key town for marginal seats.

    Yes there were some bad Tory results in central London and in the posher parts of the Home Counties in terms of losses to the LDs but it certainly could have been worse and was good enough for Boris to hold on
    Wales says hello - shocking results against Drakeford

    You need to wake up and smell the coffee, but then you are a little Englander
  • Options
    rottenboroughrottenborough Posts: 58,216
    "Fetterman is the rare Democrat who sees white working-class and rural voters as a key part of a winning coalition. He thinks many GOP areas are more magenta than ruby red. “We cannot afford to cede a county 80/20, like has been done in the past,” he tells the crowd in Easton. He spent the second-to-last weekend of the primary campaign in five counties that Trump won by at least 35 points."

    https://time.com/6175747/john-fetterman-pennsylvania-senate-primary/
  • Options
    MoonRabbitMoonRabbit Posts: 12,415
    Elimination in the eliminator.

    FULL-TIME: York City 2-1 Chorley

    We should have gone, my Dad says now.
  • Options
    StuartDicksonStuartDickson Posts: 12,146
    DavidL said:

    DavidL said:

    DavidL said:

    Carnyx said:

    Angus Council: SNP forms administration with backing from independents

    The SNP is to lead Angus Council after reaching agreement for support with two independent councillors, marking an end to a scandal-ridden Tory dominated administration.

    https://www.thenational.scot/news/20131782.angus-council-snp-forms-administration-backing-independents/

    Ooh, that will interest @DavidL though perhaps not gratify him.

    Not a case of Slab teddies ejected oot tthe bogie as there's only one of them - but even so ...

    Moral probably is, don't have trolls for cooncillors:

    https://www.thenational.scot/news/19406206.derek-wann-angus-locals-petition-twitter-troll-tory-councillor-resign/

    https://www.thenational.scot/news/19394172.derek-wann-angus-tory-councillor-linked-anonymous-anti-snp-troll-account/

    'Derek Wann, who serves on Angus Council for Arbroath East and Lunan, was linked to an anonymous account called "Lady Whistledown" after it shared a link to a council press release - where he was the only person quoted - with the caption "my comments".

    Wann had posted the same press release on his official Facebook page just 15 minutes prior.

    [...]

    Now, The National has discovered that the mobile phone number linked to the Twitter account has the same last two numbers as Wann's [the rest asterisked out].

    Wann has so far not responded to The National’s request for comment, but the Lady Whistledown account was deleted an hour after we lodged the request regarding the mobile number similarities.

    A second Angus councillor, independent Tommy Stewart, also has the same digits at the end of his council mobile number. When contacted, Stewart said he doesn’t have a Twitter account, use the site, or intend to.'
    David will probably be quite pleased. I’m pretty sure he predicted an SNP majority in Angus when he commented on the first published results coming in from the area. So a minority administration is better from his perspective.
    The National makes, well actually Pravda is about the only example that comes close, look impartial and objective but I am not dismayed. If the SNP are as competent as they usually are Angus constituency may come into play again.
    Angus is split in two under the new boundaries. The largest part goes into the new Angus and Strathmore, which takes in significant chunks of the old SNP-held Perth & North Perthshire, Dundee West and Dundee East; transforming it into an SNP nominal seat on 2019 votes.

    Baxter predicts:
    SNP hold 77%
    Con gain 22%

    And that before last Thursday’s SCon fiasco.
    I'd put it at 95/5 minimum, Angus is trending away from Con and the Dundee wards secure it anyway. Perth a little better hunting for Rosses raiders but South Perthshire seems better for them at the moment
    Not sure I’d agree with that. If it was tomorrow then yes. But by 2024 Nicola will have made a fiasco of Indyref 2 and might even be gone, leaving the muppets without Kermit. There’s a lot of water to flow before the next election in Scotland.
    I love the smell of Unionist complacency in the morning.
    Ah but Nationalists have been smelling victory since about 2012. And it has eluded them.
    And I am hardly complacent. I am just saying that the 22% from Baxter is more like it than 5%.
    Last eleven elections:

    Scots 11
    BritNats 0
  • Options
    StuartinromfordStuartinromford Posts: 14,432
    Scott_xP said:

    HYUFD said:

    Given the local elections results were not as bad as many expected

    They were worse


    Conservative disaster, Labour disappointment... sums things up reasonably well. Labour would have hoped to do better than they did.

    However, some of the losses were in places where they could afford to lose a few votes (the Lab to Green switches in inner London for example) and a fair few of the gains were in places where they can swing seats in their favour, like Southampton.
  • Options
    HYUFDHYUFD Posts: 116,992

    HYUFD said:

    HYUFD said:

    Given the local elections results were not as bad as many expected and Labour has still not built up the consistent double digit poll leads needed to make Tory MPs remove Johnson, he is probably safe until the next general election. So the next Tory leader would either be PM once a re elected Johnson decides to go, or Leader of the Opposition

    “ Given the local elections results were not as bad as many expected ”

    Whaaaaaaat? 😆

    The blue wall is in tatters. The red wall had chunks chomped out of it. It was far worse than all the “most serious” predictions.

    You said look at Swindon. Hard for Labour to retake in one go after Tory’s took two Labour seats they have never held before last year, but it’s a different story this year, Labour taking 3/9. An election you calling not as bad as expected revealed a sea change in UK politics if Tory’s hold their Johnson tight,
    Labour had just a 5% lead on NEV and on other predictions would not even have been largest party in a hung parliament.

    Labour failed to gain a single council in the Midlands and as you say the Conservatives held Swindon, a key town for marginal seats.

    Yes there were some bad Tory results in central London and in the posher parts of the Home Counties in terms of losses to the LDs but it certainly could have been worse and was good enough for Boris to hold on
    Wales says hello - shocking results against Drakeford

    You need to wake up and smell the coffee, but then you are a little Englander
    Wales has never voted anything but Labour for 100 years in a general election, even in 2019 Labour still won Wales despite the big Tory majority UK wide
  • Options
    dixiedeandixiedean Posts: 27,965
    kjh said:

    HYUFD said:

    Given the local elections results were not as bad as many expected and Labour has still not built up the consistent double digit poll leads needed to make Tory MPs remove Johnson, he is probably safe until the next general election. So the next Tory leader would either be PM once a re elected Johnson decides to go, or Leader of the Opposition

    “ Given the local elections results were not as bad as many expected ”

    Whaaaaaaat? 😆

    The blue wall is in tatters. The red wall had chunks chomped out of it. It was far worse than all the “most serious” predictions.

    You said look at Swindon. Hard for Labour to retake in one go after Tory’s took two Labour seats they have never held before last year, but it’s a different story this year, Labour taking 3/9. An election you calling not as bad as expected revealed a sea change in UK politics if Tory’s hold their Johnson tight,
    I assume you are too young to remember mid term effects and swing back? This is NOT a prediction, but it is exceeding common to see governments do poorly in local elections in the middle of parliaments only to do far better in the next general election. Weirdly voters often vote differently in local elections to nationally.
    Well that is true, but that is not what @MoonRabbit was referring to. She reacted only to 'the local election results were not as bad as many expected' quote only. Now initially the Tories did seem to be doing ok in minimising their losses but as time went by they grew to nearly 500 which was at the upper end of expectations (ignoring the ludicrous 800 predicted in expectation management). Also remember there are less councillors now than in previous decades so that needs to be taken into account when comparing to previous disastrous results. The only consolation and distraction was that the main opposition, Labour also underperformed.
    Labour didn't underperform. Widely expected they may not gain any counclils at all. Net six.
    I had 100 gains. Not many demurred. It was double that.
    The LD's did even better. Which shows just how poorly the Tories did.
  • Options
    Big_G_NorthWalesBig_G_NorthWales Posts: 60,291
    DavidL said:

    DavidL said:

    DavidL said:

    Carnyx said:

    Angus Council: SNP forms administration with backing from independents

    The SNP is to lead Angus Council after reaching agreement for support with two independent councillors, marking an end to a scandal-ridden Tory dominated administration.

    https://www.thenational.scot/news/20131782.angus-council-snp-forms-administration-backing-independents/

    Ooh, that will interest @DavidL though perhaps not gratify him.

    Not a case of Slab teddies ejected oot tthe bogie as there's only one of them - but even so ...

    Moral probably is, don't have trolls for cooncillors:

    https://www.thenational.scot/news/19406206.derek-wann-angus-locals-petition-twitter-troll-tory-councillor-resign/

    https://www.thenational.scot/news/19394172.derek-wann-angus-tory-councillor-linked-anonymous-anti-snp-troll-account/

    'Derek Wann, who serves on Angus Council for Arbroath East and Lunan, was linked to an anonymous account called "Lady Whistledown" after it shared a link to a council press release - where he was the only person quoted - with the caption "my comments".

    Wann had posted the same press release on his official Facebook page just 15 minutes prior.

    [...]

    Now, The National has discovered that the mobile phone number linked to the Twitter account has the same last two numbers as Wann's [the rest asterisked out].

    Wann has so far not responded to The National’s request for comment, but the Lady Whistledown account was deleted an hour after we lodged the request regarding the mobile number similarities.

    A second Angus councillor, independent Tommy Stewart, also has the same digits at the end of his council mobile number. When contacted, Stewart said he doesn’t have a Twitter account, use the site, or intend to.'
    David will probably be quite pleased. I’m pretty sure he predicted an SNP majority in Angus when he commented on the first published results coming in from the area. So a minority administration is better from his perspective.
    The National makes, well actually Pravda is about the only example that comes close, look impartial and objective but I am not dismayed. If the SNP are as competent as they usually are Angus constituency may come into play again.
    Angus is split in two under the new boundaries. The largest part goes into the new Angus and Strathmore, which takes in significant chunks of the old SNP-held Perth & North Perthshire, Dundee West and Dundee East; transforming it into an SNP nominal seat on 2019 votes.

    Baxter predicts:
    SNP hold 77%
    Con gain 22%

    And that before last Thursday’s SCon fiasco.
    I'd put it at 95/5 minimum, Angus is trending away from Con and the Dundee wards secure it anyway. Perth a little better hunting for Rosses raiders but South Perthshire seems better for them at the moment
    Not sure I’d agree with that. If it was tomorrow then yes. But by 2024 Nicola will have made a fiasco of Indyref 2 and might even be gone, leaving the muppets without Kermit. There’s a lot of water to flow before the next election in Scotland.
    I love the smell of Unionist complacency in the morning.
    Ah but Nationalists have been smelling victory since about 2012. And it has eluded them.
    And I am hardly complacent. I am just saying that the 22% from Baxter is more like it than 5%.
    Nationalists have been smelling victory since I was a teenager in the 1950s living in Berwick and it will always elude them
  • Options
    dixiedeandixiedean Posts: 27,965

    dixiedean said:

    HYUFD said:

    Given the local elections results were not as bad as many expected and Labour has still not built up the consistent double digit poll leads needed to make Tory MPs remove Johnson, he is probably safe until the next general election. So the next Tory leader would either be PM once a re elected Johnson decides to go, or Leader of the Opposition

    “ Given the local elections results were not as bad as many expected ”

    Whaaaaaaat? 😆

    The blue wall is in tatters. The red wall had chunks chomped out of it. It was far worse than all the “most serious” predictions.

    You said look at Swindon. Hard for Labour to retake in one go after Tory’s took two Labour seats they have never held before last year, but it’s a different story this year, Labour taking 3/9. An election you calling not as bad as expected revealed a sea change in UK politics if Tory’s hold their Johnson tight,
    I assume you are too young to remember mid term effects and swing back? This is NOT a prediction, but it is exceeding common to see governments do poorly in local elections in the middle of parliaments only to do far better in the next general election. Weirdly voters often vote differently in local elections to nationally.
    Yes but. Tbf she was only responding to the claim that they weren't as bad as expected.
    They were worse.
    Were they? I certainly expected them to get whacked, and they did. I’d argue labours relatively poor performance in England was the most significant thing, either that or the Lib Dem resurgence.
    Almost 500 losses? That wasn't widely predicted.
  • Options
    wooliedyedwooliedyed Posts: 6,934
    edited May 2022

    DavidL said:

    Carnyx said:

    Angus Council: SNP forms administration with backing from independents

    The SNP is to lead Angus Council after reaching agreement for support with two independent councillors, marking an end to a scandal-ridden Tory dominated administration.

    https://www.thenational.scot/news/20131782.angus-council-snp-forms-administration-backing-independents/

    Ooh, that will interest @DavidL though perhaps not gratify him.

    Not a case of Slab teddies ejected oot tthe bogie as there's only one of them - but even so ...

    Moral probably is, don't have trolls for cooncillors:

    https://www.thenational.scot/news/19406206.derek-wann-angus-locals-petition-twitter-troll-tory-councillor-resign/

    https://www.thenational.scot/news/19394172.derek-wann-angus-tory-councillor-linked-anonymous-anti-snp-troll-account/

    'Derek Wann, who serves on Angus Council for Arbroath East and Lunan, was linked to an anonymous account called "Lady Whistledown" after it shared a link to a council press release - where he was the only person quoted - with the caption "my comments".

    Wann had posted the same press release on his official Facebook page just 15 minutes prior.

    [...]

    Now, The National has discovered that the mobile phone number linked to the Twitter account has the same last two numbers as Wann's [the rest asterisked out].

    Wann has so far not responded to The National’s request for comment, but the Lady Whistledown account was deleted an hour after we lodged the request regarding the mobile number similarities.

    A second Angus councillor, independent Tommy Stewart, also has the same digits at the end of his council mobile number. When contacted, Stewart said he doesn’t have a Twitter account, use the site, or intend to.'
    David will probably be quite pleased. I’m pretty sure he predicted an SNP majority in Angus when he commented on the first published results coming in from the area. So a minority administration is better from his perspective.
    The National makes, well actually Pravda is about the only example that comes close, look impartial and objective but I am not dismayed. If the SNP are as competent as they usually are Angus constituency may come into play again.
    Angus is split in two under the new boundaries. The largest part goes into the new Angus and Strathmore, which takes in significant chunks of the old SNP-held Perth & North Perthshire, Dundee West and Dundee East; transforming it into an SNP nominal seat on 2019 votes.

    Baxter predicts:
    SNP hold 77%
    Con gain 22%

    And that before last Thursday’s SCon fiasco.
    I'd put it at 95/5 minimum, Angus is trending away from Con and the Dundee wards secure it anyway. Perth a little better hunting for Rosses raiders but South Perthshire seems better for them at the moment
    According to Baxter, the new Perth & Tay seat is even worse for the Tories than neighbouring Angus & Strathmore.

    There is no “South Perthshire” any more: that seat is split into 4 new seats. The biggest chunk goes into the weird new Forth Valley Mid, where the Tories are highly likely to finish a distant 3rd.
    Tbh I meant more what currently constitutes South P is better than North P iro Tory support. They would stand a chance at retaking Ochil if it still existed as is, but yeah, I'm not expecting any Tayside gains for SCon
This discussion has been closed.