Is the reporting correct that the £400 grants are also being given to owners of air bnbs, per home?
Probably. The point is to give it to everyone because otherwise you'd need a huge, slow bureaucracy; universal benefits and all that. Where is the cutoff between someone letting their home for a fortnight while they are off skiing in the Bahamas, and someone making their second home available to let for all bar the couple of months they use it? This way, it doesn't matter so Rishi can whack out the dosh immediately. Where there is a concern is round landlords and tenants putting coins in meters (or the modern equivalent).
Perhaps we should get rid of the huge slow bureaucracy around universal credit and other benefits too?
No? It is just the huge slow bureaucracies that would stop the rich getting richer that are a problem.....
The edge cases for utility builds are going to only 5% or 10% of bills. It’s worth the cost of the bureaucracy on the other 90% or 95% would outweigh the savings - and many of the more vulnerable would fail to take advantage of the scheme.
It seems to me the most vulnerable are renters on a meter managed by the landlord. That group get £0, compared to the £800+ for MPs. Quelle surprise.
Yes I agree. As a student I had to feed an electric meter what turned out to be an extortionate rate because it was owned and set by the landlord.
Also I lived in rented accommodation in my first few years working at school and got caught by the same issue. The landlord was the school.
Raising the question. How come we allow landlords to do this? They aren't allowed to set the cost of your Council Tax. Or your shopping.
So inflation is at 9%, utility bills and petrol prices are out of control, there’s still a war in Ukraine threatening food supplies over the summer - and the Opposition are screaming at each other about women’s penises.
Is the reporting correct that the £400 grants are also being given to owners of air bnbs, per home?
Probably. The point is to give it to everyone because otherwise you'd need a huge, slow bureaucracy; universal benefits and all that. Where is the cutoff between someone letting their home for a fortnight while they are off skiing in the Bahamas, and someone making their second home available to let for all bar the couple of months they use it? This way, it doesn't matter so Rishi can whack out the dosh immediately. Where there is a concern is round landlords and tenants putting coins in meters (or the modern equivalent).
Perhaps we should get rid of the huge slow bureaucracy around universal credit and other benefits too?
No? It is just the huge slow bureaucracies that would stop the rich getting richer that are a problem.....
The edge cases for utility builds are going to only 5% or 10% of bills. It’s worth the cost of the bureaucracy on the other 90% or 95% would outweigh the savings - and many of the more vulnerable would fail to take advantage of the scheme.
It seems to me the most vulnerable are renters on a meter managed by the landlord. That group get £0, compared to the £800+ for MPs. Quelle surprise.
Yes I agree. As a student I had to feed an electric meter what turned out to be an extortionate rate because it was owned and set by the landlord.
Also I lived in rented accommodation in my first few years working at school and got caught by the same issue. The landlord was the school.
Raising the question. How come we allow landlords to do this? They aren't allowed to set the cost of your Council Tax. Or your shopping.
It appears to be a loophole in HMO regulations, where the ‘house’ gets a single utility bill, but it’s subdivided among strangers and the landlord can install his own meter in each individual unit, at an unregulated rate.
Most Prime Ministers were not 'Good Chaps', in fact I would go so far as to say that all 'Good Chap' PMs fall in the 'moderate-to-crap' category.
Walpole, the very first PM, must have been a sneaky bastard to survive as long as he did in the post. The highest-achieving Prime Minister of the 20th Century was probably David Lloyd George, whose corruption and personal moral failings make Boris Johnson look saintly by comparison.
I think the political and media bubble (for want of a better term) is more and more inclined to frenzy - every government, for as long as I have been politically aware, has been accused of unprecedented acts of cruelty and stupidity daily, and has been compared to a dictatorship. I fear it is in the nature of government to be dysfunctional - the advantage we have in a democracy is that we know about it.
The facts of the 'elective dictatorship' remain the same: the government can do more or less what it wants as long as it has a majority in the House of Commons. Attempts by Parliament to control the government during the 2017-19 parliament were disastrous - the alternative and better solution is rather for Parliament to elect a Prime Minister of whom it better approves, and, as Cyclefree says, we are still waiting.
Pretty much what I said at 9.04 this morning. Boris is a lying shit of a PM. It really does not make him stand out from the rest.
But I used the word "war" for 2 reasons: the material just released shows the use of army battalions to crush the Uighurs and it is also how Uighur representatives have described it - as a war on their people and culture by the Chinese State.
I find the claims of "Never Again" which get trotted out at regular intervals on memorial days increasingly hollow.
"Again and Again" would be more accurate.
Pretty well what Zelensky has said in relation to the Russian attempt to wipe out Ukraine.
I think we do need different words for "trying to wipe out a culture" and "trying to kill everyone who is part of a culture". Both are horrible, but the former tends to involve censorship and "forced reeducation", while the latter involves mass murder on an industrial scale. Genocide is for many people associated with the latter - specifically with the Nazi attempt to kill every single Jewish person - and using it about stopping people from practicing their culture is an unhelpful analogy which both downgrades the Holocaust (which really wasn't mainly about closing synagogues and persecuting anyone practising Judaism) and undermines the current crimes (because it sounds exaggerated).
It feels awkward, even suspicious, to try to distinguish levels of horror, but being clear what we mean is important. Calling the Uighur oppression "a war on an entire culture" feels the right phrase, and entirely wicked in itself.
I don't disagree with your argument - not every crime of state aggression is alike - but there is already a long agreed and internationally codified definition of genocide.
There are plenty of difference words available to distinguish between different crimes undertaken at a state level - you've used some of them.
I guess the point is that the motivations of the Russian and Chinese states are not dissimilar.
So inflation is at 9%, utility bills and petrol prices are out of control, there’s still a war in Ukraine threatening food supplies over the summer - and the Opposition are screaming at each other about women’s penises.
While the government is talking about bring back pounds and ounces...
It’ll be rickets next…..
I am old enough to have learned about pounds and ounces, and stones and hundredweights and pre-decimal currency…..and the idea is completely barking. I doubted my opinion of Johnson could fall much lower, wrong again! It’s a cheap stunt for a demographic which almost certainly couldn’t give a fiddle about the issue, which neatly encapsulates how little and how badly this government understands the country they purport to govern.
We spent a full f**king week being transphobes in parliament and then we spent weeks during the campaign doing the exact same thing, and it was fucking insane,' an MP says. 'The transphobe thing was an absolute disaster.
I thought that was Mason and an SNP story at first. SNP and Greens knocking lumps out of each other over whether women can have penises. Of course Harvie and his weirdos swear it is true. Mason does not and the wicked witch is going to have him sent to re-education centre for brainwashing.
There's no real opposition to the Greens and the SNP in the independence movement in the real world. Indeed the strongest performing ALBA candidate in the local elections who got 8% in Southside Central in Sturgeon's constituency has already defected to the SNP.
Mason is a bit of a socially Conservative crank on abortion.
Admittedly so is Kate Forbes to a lesser extent which is why the SNP doesn't take any action against Mason.
Their crimes, uselessness and general bad governmnet ar ecatching up with them though and many will drift back to labour the way things are going. If Sturgeon is not ousted the dam will burst and they will go teh way labour did, the sheep will open their eyes at some point. Be interesting to see how they plug the huge holes in the budget going forward and no referendum yet again. Meanwhile the oil which was to have been finished by 2019 has miracuously multiplied and is keeping London afloat. Troubled times ahead for the freeloaders running the SNP.
I think there is a tendency to underestimate Sturgeon because she is the only thing holding the SNP together.
I did underestimate the SNP in last year's Holyrood elections and was surprised she went for such a formal alliance with the Greens afterwards.
I think she will stand down in 2024 and 2025 but I wouldn't be surprised if she stands again in 2026 .
That said the next Holyrood election now looks like all or nothing for SNP/Greens and given the recent council formations you can now see how Sarwar becomes FM just by SNP/Greens narrowly losing their majority.
So inflation is at 9%, utility bills and petrol prices are out of control, there’s still a war in Ukraine threatening food supplies over the summer - and the Opposition are screaming at each other about women’s penises.
While the government is talking about bring back pounds and ounces...
It’ll be rickets next…..
I am old enough to have learned about pounds and ounces, and stones and hundredweights and pre-decimal currency…..and the idea is completely barking. I doubted my opinion of Johnson could fall much lower, wrong again! It’s a cheap stunt for a demographic which almost certainly couldn’t give a fiddle about the issue, which neatly encapsulates how little and how badly this government understands the country they purport to govern.
Might get a few dozen more votes per constituency, so I can't see that it will make a ton of difference either. Perhaps a short boost in the polls but not fur long. What it does show is that if you give this government an inch they will take a mile.
Just got a glimpse of the next Conservative Manifesto and it’s a zinger !! “We intend to restore Great British Values. We are the only party committed to bringing back groats/stocks/smallpox/witch trials/pig bartering. Back to the Future!” https://twitter.com/shaunwkeaveny/status/1530837634494386181
So inflation is at 9%, utility bills and petrol prices are out of control, there’s still a war in Ukraine threatening food supplies over the summer - and the Opposition are screaming at each other about women’s penises.
While the government is talking about bring back pounds and ounces...
It’ll be rickets next…..
I am old enough to have learned about pounds and ounces, and stones and hundredweights and pre-decimal currency…..and the idea is completely barking. I doubted my opinion of Johnson could fall much lower, wrong again! It’s a cheap stunt for a demographic which almost certainly couldn’t give a fiddle about the issue, which neatly encapsulates how little and how badly this government understands the country they purport to govern.
Might get a few dozen more votes per constituency, so I can't see that it will make a ton of difference either. Perhaps a short boost in the polls but not fur long. What it does show is that if you give this government an inch they will take a mile.
I think it’s actually damaging. With all the other things going on the government think this is important?
So inflation is at 9%, utility bills and petrol prices are out of control, there’s still a war in Ukraine threatening food supplies over the summer - and the Opposition are screaming at each other about women’s penises.
While the government is talking about bring back pounds and ounces...
It’ll be rickets next…..
I am old enough to have learned about pounds and ounces, and stones and hundredweights and pre-decimal currency…..and the idea is completely barking. I doubted my opinion of Johnson could fall much lower, wrong again! It’s a cheap stunt for a demographic which almost certainly couldn’t give a fiddle about the issue, which neatly encapsulates how little and how badly this government understands the country they purport to govern.
Might get a few dozen more votes per constituency, so I can't see that it will make a ton of difference either. Perhaps a short boost in the polls but not fur long. What it does show is that if you give this government an inch they will take a mile.
I didn't spot what you were doing there until I got to 'fur long'. Very good.
Just got a glimpse of the next Conservative Manifesto and it’s a zinger !! “We intend to restore Great British Values. We are the only party committed to bringing back groats/stocks/smallpox/witch trials/pig bartering. Back to the Future!” https://twitter.com/shaunwkeaveny/status/1530837634494386181
Now if only they could raise London traffic speeds back to the days of the horse and cart they would get my vote!
The lesson I am taking from Australia is you don't have to generate a wave of enthusiasm to win. Indeed Labor went backwards. You just have to be better than the opponent. Like 2005 and 2010 I guess.
Wrong Lesson if it don’t mention the teal impact on outgoing government
Libdems running with Sunday times story. Interesting it explicitly mentions name of minister and what he done
“It adds that details concerning the "Abba night" party, which it is claimed was held in the prime minister's flat on 13 November 2020, were "tweaked" by Mr Johnson's chief-of-staff Steve Barclay on the eve of publication. It is alleged an earlier draft of Ms Gray's report referred to music being played and stated at what time the gathering ended, but that the information was redacted.”
If the opposition parties keep pushing this cover up idea, especially on the ABBA party, growing number of voters will believe it was a whitewash. What the odds Police reopen this one like they did beergate?
Most Prime Ministers were not 'Good Chaps', in fact I would go so far as to say that all 'Good Chap' PMs fall in the 'moderate-to-crap' category.
Walpole, the very first PM, must have been a sneaky bastard to survive as long as he did in the post. The highest-achieving Prime Minister of the 20th Century was probably David Lloyd George, whose corruption and personal moral failings make Boris Johnson look saintly by comparison.
I think the political and media bubble (for want of a better term) is more and more inclined to frenzy - every government, for as long as I have been politically aware, has been accused of unprecedented acts of cruelty and stupidity daily, and has been compared to a dictatorship. I fear it is in the nature of government to be dysfunctional - the advantage we have in a democracy is that we know about it.
The facts of the 'elective dictatorship' remain the same: the government can do more or less what it wants as long as it has a majority in the House of Commons. Attempts by Parliament to control the government during the 2017-19 parliament were disastrous - the alternative and better solution is rather for Parliament to elect a Prime Minister of whom it better approves, and, as Cyclefree says, we are still waiting.
Pretty much what I said at 9.04 this morning. Boris is a lying shit of a PM. It really does not make him stand out from the rest.
I'm surprised at you. Your attempts to argue that Boris is no worse than his predecessors when it comes to lying flies in the face of all the evidence, both current and historic.
So inflation is at 9%, utility bills and petrol prices are out of control, there’s still a war in Ukraine threatening food supplies over the summer - and the Opposition are screaming at each other about women’s penises.
While the government is talking about bring back pounds and ounces...
It’ll be rickets next…..
I am old enough to have learned about pounds and ounces, and stones and hundredweights and pre-decimal currency…..and the idea is completely barking. I doubted my opinion of Johnson could fall much lower, wrong again! It’s a cheap stunt for a demographic which almost certainly couldn’t give a fiddle about the issue, which neatly encapsulates how little and how badly this government understands the country they purport to govern.
Yes, but it probably won't happen, any more than the last three(?) times it's been announced.
It's just a silly announcement to the make the mouths of the usual suspects water, like Pavlov's dogs.
And if it were ever to be enacted, Boris would need to find another stunt to do the same thing.
So inflation is at 9%, utility bills and petrol prices are out of control, there’s still a war in Ukraine threatening food supplies over the summer - and the Opposition are screaming at each other about women’s penises.
While the government is talking about bring back pounds and ounces...
It’ll be rickets next…..
I am old enough to have learned about pounds and ounces, and stones and hundredweights and pre-decimal currency…..and the idea is completely barking. I doubted my opinion of Johnson could fall much lower, wrong again! It’s a cheap stunt for a demographic which almost certainly couldn’t give a fiddle about the issue, which neatly encapsulates how little and how badly this government understands the country they purport to govern.
Might get a few dozen more votes per constituency, so I can't see that it will make a ton of difference either. Perhaps a short boost in the polls but not fur long. What it does show is that if you give this government an inch they will take a mile.
I think it’s actually damaging. With all the other things going on the government think this is important?
Surely it’s one of the reasons Johnson feels it’s morally incumbent on him not to resign, in order to see the job through…. ?
So inflation is at 9%, utility bills and petrol prices are out of control, there’s still a war in Ukraine threatening food supplies over the summer - and the Opposition are screaming at each other about women’s penises.
While the government is talking about bring back pounds and ounces...
It’ll be rickets next…..
I am old enough to have learned about pounds and ounces, and stones and hundredweights and pre-decimal currency…..and the idea is completely barking. I doubted my opinion of Johnson could fall much lower, wrong again! It’s a cheap stunt for a demographic which almost certainly couldn’t give a fiddle about the issue, which neatly encapsulates how little and how badly this government understands the country they purport to govern.
Might get a few dozen more votes per constituency, so I can't see that it will make a ton of difference either. Perhaps a short boost in the polls but not fur long. What it does show is that if you give this government an inch they will take a mile.
I didn't spot what you were doing there until I got to 'fur long'. Very good.
Well, HMG is sure firkin about with this nonsense.
So inflation is at 9%, utility bills and petrol prices are out of control, there’s still a war in Ukraine threatening food supplies over the summer - and the Opposition are screaming at each other about women’s penises.
While the government is talking about bring back pounds and ounces...
It’ll be rickets next…..
I am old enough to have learned about pounds and ounces, and stones and hundredweights and pre-decimal currency…..and the idea is completely barking. I doubted my opinion of Johnson could fall much lower, wrong again! It’s a cheap stunt for a demographic which almost certainly couldn’t give a fiddle about the issue, which neatly encapsulates how little and how badly this government understands the country they purport to govern.
Might get a few dozen more votes per constituency, so I can't see that it will make a ton of difference either. Perhaps a short boost in the polls but not fur long. What it does show is that if you give this government an inch they will take a mile.
I didn't spot what you were doing there until I got to 'fur long'. Very good.
There isn’t a grain of truth in it, as anyone with an ounce of common sense can see.
Just got a glimpse of the next Conservative Manifesto and it’s a zinger !! “We intend to restore Great British Values. We are the only party committed to bringing back groats/stocks/smallpox/witch trials/pig bartering. Back to the Future!” https://twitter.com/shaunwkeaveny/status/1530837634494386181
Now if only they could raise London traffic speeds back to the days of the horse and cart they would get my vote!
So inflation is at 9%, utility bills and petrol prices are out of control, there’s still a war in Ukraine threatening food supplies over the summer - and the Opposition are screaming at each other about women’s penises.
While the government is talking about bring back pounds and ounces...
It’ll be rickets next…..
I am old enough to have learned about pounds and ounces, and stones and hundredweights and pre-decimal currency…..and the idea is completely barking. I doubted my opinion of Johnson could fall much lower, wrong again! It’s a cheap stunt for a demographic which almost certainly couldn’t give a fiddle about the issue, which neatly encapsulates how little and how badly this government understands the country they purport to govern.
Might get a few dozen more votes per constituency, so I can't see that it will make a ton of difference either. Perhaps a short boost in the polls but not fur long. What it does show is that if you give this government an inch they will take a mile.
I didn't spot what you were doing there until I got to 'fur long'. Very good.
Well, HMG is sure firkin about with this nonsense.
I can't fathom what they are doing. At this rate Labour will be leagues ahead.
So inflation is at 9%, utility bills and petrol prices are out of control, there’s still a war in Ukraine threatening food supplies over the summer - and the Opposition are screaming at each other about women’s penises.
While the government is talking about bring back pounds and ounces...
It’ll be rickets next…..
I am old enough to have learned about pounds and ounces, and stones and hundredweights and pre-decimal currency…..and the idea is completely barking. I doubted my opinion of Johnson could fall much lower, wrong again! It’s a cheap stunt for a demographic which almost certainly couldn’t give a fiddle about the issue, which neatly encapsulates how little and how badly this government understands the country they purport to govern.
Might get a few dozen more votes per constituency, so I can't see that it will make a ton of difference either. Perhaps a short boost in the polls but not fur long. What it does show is that if you give this government an inch they will take a mile.
I quite like the policy, but they'll have to put in the hard yards and come up woth a few solutions to real issues too.
So inflation is at 9%, utility bills and petrol prices are out of control, there’s still a war in Ukraine threatening food supplies over the summer - and the Opposition are screaming at each other about women’s penises.
While the government is talking about bring back pounds and ounces...
It’ll be rickets next…..
I am old enough to have learned about pounds and ounces, and stones and hundredweights and pre-decimal currency…..and the idea is completely barking. I doubted my opinion of Johnson could fall much lower, wrong again! It’s a cheap stunt for a demographic which almost certainly couldn’t give a fiddle about the issue, which neatly encapsulates how little and how badly this government understands the country they purport to govern.
Might get a few dozen more votes per constituency, so I can't see that it will make a ton of difference either. Perhaps a short boost in the polls but not fur long. What it does show is that if you give this government an inch they will take a mile.
I didn't spot what you were doing there until I got to 'fur long'. Very good.
There isn’t a grain of truth in it, as anyone with an ounce of common sense can see.
Most Prime Ministers were not 'Good Chaps', in fact I would go so far as to say that all 'Good Chap' PMs fall in the 'moderate-to-crap' category.
Walpole, the very first PM, must have been a sneaky bastard to survive as long as he did in the post. The highest-achieving Prime Minister of the 20th Century was probably David Lloyd George, whose corruption and personal moral failings make Boris Johnson look saintly by comparison.
I think the political and media bubble (for want of a better term) is more and more inclined to frenzy - every government, for as long as I have been politically aware, has been accused of unprecedented acts of cruelty and stupidity daily, and has been compared to a dictatorship. I fear it is in the nature of government to be dysfunctional - the advantage we have in a democracy is that we know about it.
The facts of the 'elective dictatorship' remain the same: the government can do more or less what it wants as long as it has a majority in the House of Commons. Attempts by Parliament to control the government during the 2017-19 parliament were disastrous - the alternative and better solution is rather for Parliament to elect a Prime Minister of whom it better approves, and, as Cyclefree says, we are still waiting.
Pretty much what I said at 9.04 this morning. Boris is a lying shit of a PM. It really does not make him stand out from the rest.
I'm surprised at you. Your attempts to argue that Boris is no worse than his predecessors when it comes to lying flies in the face of all the evidence, both current and historic.
I gave his comment a like, though it would have been more accurate had it said ‘it does make him stand out from the rest’.
So inflation is at 9%, utility bills and petrol prices are out of control, there’s still a war in Ukraine threatening food supplies over the summer - and the Opposition are screaming at each other about women’s penises.
While the government is talking about bring back pounds and ounces...
It’ll be rickets next…..
I am old enough to have learned about pounds and ounces, and stones and hundredweights and pre-decimal currency…..and the idea is completely barking. I doubted my opinion of Johnson could fall much lower, wrong again! It’s a cheap stunt for a demographic which almost certainly couldn’t give a fiddle about the issue, which neatly encapsulates how little and how badly this government understands the country they purport to govern.
Might get a few dozen more votes per constituency, so I can't see that it will make a ton of difference either. Perhaps a short boost in the polls but not fur long. What it does show is that if you give this government an inch they will take a mile.
I quite like the policy, but they'll have to put in the hard yards and come up woth a few solutions to real issues too.
'hard yard' an unfortunate expression, given the nostalgia for archaism to which Mr Johnson is pandering.
BTW I was recently reading an old deed and trying to work out if it was for the same plot as I had in mind. The dimensions were given in rods, poles *and* perches - completely ambiguous as to whether they were linear or areal.
Libdems running with Sunday times story. Interesting it explicitly mentions name of minister and what he done
“It adds that details concerning the "Abba night" party, which it is claimed was held in the prime minister's flat on 13 November 2020, were "tweaked" by Mr Johnson's chief-of-staff Steve Barclay on the eve of publication. It is alleged an earlier draft of Ms Gray's report referred to music being played and stated at what time the gathering ended, but that the information was redacted.”
If the opposition parties keep pushing this cover up idea, especially on the ABBA party, growing number of voters will believe it was a whitewash. What the odds Police reopen this one like they did beergate?
I really doubt the police reopening any of this and in any respect the publics verdict on Boris is guilty, so it is upto his mps to either back him or sack him as the mail says today
If they are wise (not something they have been so far) they will sack him
Just got a glimpse of the next Conservative Manifesto and it’s a zinger !! “We intend to restore Great British Values. We are the only party committed to bringing back groats/stocks/smallpox/witch trials/pig bartering. Back to the Future!” https://twitter.com/shaunwkeaveny/status/1530837634494386181
Now if only they could raise London traffic speeds back to the days of the horse and cart they would get my vote!
Carts had speedometers then?
Speedometers? Another unnecessary modern invention, perhaps the back to the 1950s party party can get rid of those too.
Just got a glimpse of the next Conservative Manifesto and it’s a zinger !! “We intend to restore Great British Values. We are the only party committed to bringing back groats/stocks/smallpox/witch trials/pig bartering. Back to the Future!” https://twitter.com/shaunwkeaveny/status/1530837634494386181
Now if only they could raise London traffic speeds back to the days of the horse and cart they would get my vote!
Carts had speedometers then?
Speedometers? Another unnecessary modern invention, perhaps the back to the 1950s party party can get rid of those too.
Abigail's Party to add to Get Carter as an inspirational film?
Is the reporting correct that the £400 grants are also being given to owners of air bnbs, per home?
Is Labours claim Rishi’s splurge (as the mail described it) was so poorly targeted in fact a rubbish claim From Labour - on basis it was actually beautifully targeted at the multi property owning voter demographic the Tories need to shore up?
So inflation is at 9%, utility bills and petrol prices are out of control, there’s still a war in Ukraine threatening food supplies over the summer - and the Opposition are screaming at each other about women’s penises.
While the government is talking about bring back pounds and ounces...
It’ll be rickets next…..
I am old enough to have learned about pounds and ounces, and stones and hundredweights and pre-decimal currency…..and the idea is completely barking. I doubted my opinion of Johnson could fall much lower, wrong again! It’s a cheap stunt for a demographic which almost certainly couldn’t give a fiddle about the issue, which neatly encapsulates how little and how badly this government understands the country they purport to govern.
Might get a few dozen more votes per constituency, so I can't see that it will make a ton of difference either. Perhaps a short boost in the polls but not fur long. What it does show is that if you give this government an inch they will take a mile.
I quite like the policy, but they'll have to put in the hard yards and come up woth a few solutions to real issues too.
'hard yard' an unfortunate expression, given the nostalgia for archaism to which Mr Johnson is pandering.
BTW I was recently reading an old deed and trying to work out if it was for the same plot as I had in mind. The dimensions were given in rods, poles *and* perches - completely ambiguous as to whether they were linear or areal.
That's the problem the government has.
From an economic growth point of view, it's obviously a silly idea. Having one set of standards is clearly right, and most of the population would prefer that to be metric.
From an emotional point of view, there's a chunk of the population who prefer the old ways. And because of their age, that cohort are less bothered by the need for economic efficiency and growth. Same as their opposition to new housing or WFH.
We spent a full f**king week being transphobes in parliament and then we spent weeks during the campaign doing the exact same thing, and it was fucking insane,' an MP says. 'The transphobe thing was an absolute disaster.
There are some tories on here who seem to have convinced themselves that banging on about the definition of a woman is the cheat code to winning the next GE.
Yes they have and they are wrong. Most people just don’t care about woke issues. It troubles people at either extreme.
Cost of living and the upcoming recession will be the main issues I expect. I have said that several times to people like Leon but they think Culture wars are a winner.
To be fair to Leon, my understanding of his position is that he is anti woke not for shallow electoral purposes but because he genuinely thinks it is an existential threat to Western civilisation.
I do.
More narrowly, I don’t believe it can win an election by itself. But it can help
I really doubt the police reopening any of this and in any respect the publics verdict on Boris is guilty, so it is upto his mps to either back him or sack him as the mail says today
If they are wise (not something they have been so far) they will sack him
Yes. The problem with backing him is there will be another career ending* scandal along in a minute...
So inflation is at 9%, utility bills and petrol prices are out of control, there’s still a war in Ukraine threatening food supplies over the summer - and the Opposition are screaming at each other about women’s penises.
While the government is talking about bring back pounds and ounces...
It’ll be rickets next…..
I am old enough to have learned about pounds and ounces, and stones and hundredweights and pre-decimal currency…..and the idea is completely barking. I doubted my opinion of Johnson could fall much lower, wrong again! It’s a cheap stunt for a demographic which almost certainly couldn’t give a fiddle about the issue, which neatly encapsulates how little and how badly this government understands the country they purport to govern.
Might get a few dozen more votes per constituency, so I can't see that it will make a ton of difference either. Perhaps a short boost in the polls but not fur long. What it does show is that if you give this government an inch they will take a mile.
I didn't spot what you were doing there until I got to 'fur long'. Very good.
Well, HMG is sure firkin about with this nonsense.
I can't fathom what they are doing. At this rate Labour will be leagues ahead.
So inflation is at 9%, utility bills and petrol prices are out of control, there’s still a war in Ukraine threatening food supplies over the summer - and the Opposition are screaming at each other about women’s penises.
While the government is talking about bring back pounds and ounces...
It’ll be rickets next…..
I am old enough to have learned about pounds and ounces, and stones and hundredweights and pre-decimal currency…..and the idea is completely barking. I doubted my opinion of Johnson could fall much lower, wrong again! It’s a cheap stunt for a demographic which almost certainly couldn’t give a fiddle about the issue, which neatly encapsulates how little and how badly this government understands the country they purport to govern.
Might get a few dozen more votes per constituency, so I can't see that it will make a ton of difference either. Perhaps a short boost in the polls but not fur long. What it does show is that if you give this government an inch they will take a mile.
I didn't spot what you were doing there until I got to 'fur long'. Very good.
Well, HMG is sure firkin about with this nonsense.
I can't fathom what they are doing. At this rate Labour will be leagues ahead.
The 🇫🇷 CAESARs were modified to plug into the 🇺🇦 BMS. I would expect similar modifications to be made to the 🇳🇱 PhZ 2000s to make the most out of these platforms. Same for the M109 that have apparently turned up. https://twitter.com/JakOSpades/status/1530867638997504002
Libdems running with Sunday times story. Interesting it explicitly mentions name of minister and what he done
“It adds that details concerning the "Abba night" party, which it is claimed was held in the prime minister's flat on 13 November 2020, were "tweaked" by Mr Johnson's chief-of-staff Steve Barclay on the eve of publication. It is alleged an earlier draft of Ms Gray's report referred to music being played and stated at what time the gathering ended, but that the information was redacted.”
If the opposition parties keep pushing this cover up idea, especially on the ABBA party, growing number of voters will believe it was a whitewash. What the odds Police reopen this one like they did beergate?
I really doubt the police reopening any of this and in any respect the publics verdict on Boris is guilty, so it is upto his mps to either back him or sack him as the mail says today
If they are wise (not something they have been so far) they will sack him
I can see the police reopening this, the ABBA party. Boris was quick with response in commons and presser on this - by not answering it - just referring to how Gray thoroughly investigated this and the reports and police enquiry conclusion.
But neither Gray or Police have yet fully investigated the Abba party.
It looks like Team Save Big Dog identified this as a problem and neutralised it as a problem.
If not wishing to be accomplices to a cover up, Gray and the MET will have to respond now.
But I used the word "war" for 2 reasons: the material just released shows the use of army battalions to crush the Uighurs and it is also how Uighur representatives have described it - as a war on their people and culture by the Chinese State.
I find the claims of "Never Again" which get trotted out at regular intervals on memorial days increasingly hollow.
"Again and Again" would be more accurate.
Pretty well what Zelensky has said in relation to the Russian attempt to wipe out Ukraine.
I think we do need different words for "trying to wipe out a culture" and "trying to kill everyone who is part of a culture". Both are horrible, but the former tends to involve censorship and "forced reeducation", while the latter involves mass murder on an industrial scale. Genocide is for many people associated with the latter - specifically with the Nazi attempt to kill every single Jewish person - and using it about stopping people from practicing their culture is an unhelpful analogy which both downgrades the Holocaust (which really wasn't mainly about closing synagogues and persecuting anyone practising Judaism) and undermines the current crimes (because it sounds exaggerated).
It feels awkward, even suspicious, to try to distinguish levels of horror, but being clear what we mean is important. Calling the Uighur oppression "a war on an entire culture" feels the right phrase, and entirely wicked in itself.
In Excession, IIRC, the late great Iain M Banks had a Ship which specialised in tracking genocides and other crimes and then inflicting the experience into the mind of those responsible until their hearts gave out and they died. It was a nice conceit and surely would be an appropriate penalty for Xi. A monster of a man, the worst since Mao.
Your hero George Osborne still waves the pompoms for him:
George Osborne has praised Boris Johnson for “seeing off the hotheads” in the Tory party who are calling for a more aggressive UK stance toward China.
Osborne said he saw “a lot of continuity” between Johnson’s China policy, announced in yesterday’s integrated defence and foreign policy review, and his and David Cameron’s, which built stronger ties with Beijing.
The government’s integrated review was criticised by Tory China hawks for not being tough enough on Beijing.
So inflation is at 9%, utility bills and petrol prices are out of control, there’s still a war in Ukraine threatening food supplies over the summer - and the Opposition are screaming at each other about women’s penises.
While the government is talking about bring back pounds and ounces...
It’ll be rickets next…..
I am old enough to have learned about pounds and ounces, and stones and hundredweights and pre-decimal currency…..and the idea is completely barking. I doubted my opinion of Johnson could fall much lower, wrong again! It’s a cheap stunt for a demographic which almost certainly couldn’t give a fiddle about the issue, which neatly encapsulates how little and how badly this government understands the country they purport to govern.
Might get a few dozen more votes per constituency, so I can't see that it will make a ton of difference either. Perhaps a short boost in the polls but not fur long. What it does show is that if you give this government an inch they will take a mile.
I didn't spot what you were doing there until I got to 'fur long'. Very good.
Well, HMG is sure firkin about with this nonsense.
I can't fathom what they are doing. At this rate Labour will be leagues ahead.
Just got a glimpse of the next Conservative Manifesto and it’s a zinger !! “We intend to restore Great British Values. We are the only party committed to bringing back groats/stocks/smallpox/witch trials/pig bartering. Back to the Future!” https://twitter.com/shaunwkeaveny/status/1530837634494386181
Labour MPs forcing Blair out is one of the biggest strategic errors of the 2000s. Poor, poor, poor
I'm not so sure. I think Blair was pretty stale and out of touch (or, less charitably, a narcisstic megalomaniac) by 2007. The financial crisis would have discredited him completely and the Iraq thing would have clung to him more and more.
The mistake was to have replaced him with a dud like Brown. That the Conservatives had picked the uninspiring Heir to Blair David Cameron may have been the only thing that prevented a complete Labour wipeout in 2010.
Just got a glimpse of the next Conservative Manifesto and it’s a zinger !! “We intend to restore Great British Values. We are the only party committed to bringing back groats/stocks/smallpox/witch trials/pig bartering. Back to the Future!” https://twitter.com/shaunwkeaveny/status/1530837634494386181
It has a general reputation for being superb. Hope so!
Oh, and go listen to some of the male-voice choirs.
I’m sitting in an Old Town restaurant about to having hot soup dumplings - khinkali; the square outside is packed with people listening to a small festival of local music. Most of it seems boring quasi-Arabic/Persian wailing quarter toned stuff but the odd ensemble is brilliant
I have ordered two famous Georgian sauces, Adjika and Tkemali
No, I have no idea either
It’s fab being in a place where so much is new and bewildering
On that note, rumours going around that one of the papers has polls for both byelections, done by NCPolitics mostly after Sue Gray Blue team are getting absolutely hammered in Wakefield (much much worse than YouGov's general election model says). Votes going all over the place. David H (formerly of this parish) apparently getting a few. Overall not even close But Tiverton is close and sliding towards the LDems Voters told the poll they’re livid about the photos, Tories getting theirs out to vote is going to be a big problem for them
Update: Apparently it's for one of the dailies, so not out tonight
I don't believe the one about Tiverton & Honiton. It doesn't fit imho.
Go there. See for yourself.
There's an even easier way: ask the pollster. Bet you he doesn't deny it
Just got a glimpse of the next Conservative Manifesto and it’s a zinger !! “We intend to restore Great British Values. We are the only party committed to bringing back groats/stocks/smallpox/witch trials/pig bartering. Back to the Future!” https://twitter.com/shaunwkeaveny/status/1530837634494386181
Wife-selling, as per Thos. Hardy?
I've got a great idea fo dealign with our overburdened prison system - let's return to a system of Weregild, extended for all manner of crimes, so that we need not imprison many people.
Sure, the poor would still need to go to prison, but it would save many others from going, and the government could take a small percentage for its coffers as well.
Libdems running with Sunday times story. Interesting it explicitly mentions name of minister and what he done
“It adds that details concerning the "Abba night" party, which it is claimed was held in the prime minister's flat on 13 November 2020, were "tweaked" by Mr Johnson's chief-of-staff Steve Barclay on the eve of publication. It is alleged an earlier draft of Ms Gray's report referred to music being played and stated at what time the gathering ended, but that the information was redacted.”
If the opposition parties keep pushing this cover up idea, especially on the ABBA party, growing number of voters will believe it was a whitewash. What the odds Police reopen this one like they did beergate?
I really doubt the police reopening any of this and in any respect the publics verdict on Boris is guilty, so it is upto his mps to either back him or sack him as the mail says today
If they are wise (not something they have been so far) they will sack him
I can see the police reopening this, the ABBA party. Boris was quick with response in commons and presser on this - by not answering it - just referring to how Gray thoroughly investigated this and the reports and police enquiry conclusion.
But neither Gray or Police have yet fully investigated the Abba party.
It looks like Team Save Big Dog identified this as a problem and neutralised it as a problem.
If not wishing to be accomplices to a cover up, Gray and the MET will have to respond now.
Sue Gray's report said that as the MET had reviewed this incident and took no further action then neither did she
I would just caution those trying to continue this story, that a time will come when the public, having decided Boris is guilty, will see the continuation as tedious and indeed yesterday's poll a majority (51% +8%) think partygate is a distraction
Libdems running with Sunday times story. Interesting it explicitly mentions name of minister and what he done
“It adds that details concerning the "Abba night" party, which it is claimed was held in the prime minister's flat on 13 November 2020, were "tweaked" by Mr Johnson's chief-of-staff Steve Barclay on the eve of publication. It is alleged an earlier draft of Ms Gray's report referred to music being played and stated at what time the gathering ended, but that the information was redacted.”
If the opposition parties keep pushing this cover up idea, especially on the ABBA party, growing number of voters will believe it was a whitewash. What the odds Police reopen this one like they did beergate?
I really doubt the police reopening any of this and in any respect the publics verdict on Boris is guilty, so it is upto his mps to either back him or sack him as the mail says today
If they are wise (not something they have been so far) they will sack him
I can see the police reopening this, the ABBA party. Boris was quick with response in commons and presser on this - by not answering it - just referring to how Gray thoroughly investigated this and the reports and police enquiry conclusion.
But neither Gray or Police have yet fully investigated the Abba party.
It looks like Team Save Big Dog identified this as a problem and neutralised it as a problem.
If not wishing to be accomplices to a cover up, Gray and the MET will have to respond now.
At this rate, as more evidence comes to light of significant failures to investigate and of ministers interfering in her “independent” report, Sue Gray will want to clear her name. https://twitter.com/RhonddaBryant/status/1530851214136590336
Just got a glimpse of the next Conservative Manifesto and it’s a zinger !! “We intend to restore Great British Values. We are the only party committed to bringing back groats/stocks/smallpox/witch trials/pig bartering. Back to the Future!” https://twitter.com/shaunwkeaveny/status/1530837634494386181
Wife-selling, as per Thos. Hardy?
I've got a great idea fo dealign with our overburdened prison system - let's return to a system of Weregild, extended for all manner of crimes, so that we need not imprison many people.
Sure, the poor would still need to go to prison, but it would save many others from going, and the government could take a small percentage for its coffers as well.
From each according to his ability (to pay) - it's very socialist really.
Labour MPs forcing Blair out is one of the biggest strategic errors of the 2000s. Poor, poor, poor
I'm not so sure. I think Blair was pretty stale and out of touch (or, less charitably, a narcisstic megalomaniac) by 2007. The financial crisis would have discredited him completely and the Iraq thing would have clung to him more and more.
The mistake was to have replaced him with a dud like Brown. That the Conservatives had picked the uninspiring Heir to Blair David Cameron may have been the only thing that prevented a complete Labour wipeout in 2010.
But all speculation, of course, we'll never know.
The biggest error made by labour was to elect Corbyn
And I question whether Labour really needs an alternative, Cameron didn't propose a solution to the GFC, just waited for Labour to lose on their own. As I said, Starmer is following his path to Downing Street
…Ukraine has pushed Russian forces away from Lysychansk-Bakhmut highway. - Luhansk Oblast Governor.
Euromaidan Press @EuromaidanPress Situation in Luhansk Oblast difficult, it is Russia's main goal. Yet: 🔹Sievierodonetsk is under 🇺🇦control, Russian troops are in hotel Myr 🔹Ukraine regained Toshkivka 🔹Near Komyshuvakha, Ukraine pushed Russians 2 km away from key Bakhmut-Lysychansk road … https://twitter.com/EuromaidanPress/status/1530872097941094403
So inflation is at 9%, utility bills and petrol prices are out of control, there’s still a war in Ukraine threatening food supplies over the summer - and the Opposition are screaming at each other about women’s penises.
While the government is talking about bring back pounds and ounces...
It’ll be rickets next…..
I am old enough to have learned about pounds and ounces, and stones and hundredweights and pre-decimal currency…..and the idea is completely barking. I doubted my opinion of Johnson could fall much lower, wrong again! It’s a cheap stunt for a demographic which almost certainly couldn’t give a fiddle about the issue, which neatly encapsulates how little and how badly this government understands the country they purport to govern.
Might get a few dozen more votes per constituency, so I can't see that it will make a ton of difference either. Perhaps a short boost in the polls but not fur long. What it does show is that if you give this government an inch they will take a mile.
I didn't spot what you were doing there until I got to 'fur long'. Very good.
Well, HMG is sure firkin about with this nonsense.
I can't fathom what they are doing. At this rate Labour will be leagues ahead.
Labour MPs forcing Blair out is one of the biggest strategic errors of the 2000s. Poor, poor, poor
I'm not so sure. I think Blair was pretty stale and out of touch (or, less charitably, a narcisstic megalomaniac) by 2007. The financial crisis would have discredited him completely and the Iraq thing would have clung to him more and more.
The mistake was to have replaced him with a dud like Brown. That the Conservatives had picked the uninspiring Heir to Blair David Cameron may have been the only thing that prevented a complete Labour wipeout in 2010.
But all speculation, of course, we'll never know.
There’s quite a distance between “stake and out of touch” and “narcissistic megalomaniac”!
The problem for the Tories is that by getting off Partygate we get onto CoL which they have no answers for.
And Labour does? Do tell....
Labour doesn't need any. As I said above Cameron didn't have any, he just let Labour lose.
As for Labour, as it happens they proposed the windfall tax which the Tories stole - and they want to cut VAT which I expect the Tories will also steal in time too.
And I question whether Labour really needs an alternative, Cameron didn't propose a solution to the GFC, just waited for Labour to lose on their own. As I said, Starmer is following his path to Downing Street
I think an opposition having an alternative can be useful, but people overestimate how necessary it is. So when people retort 'X has no answer for issue Y' it could be true, but may not itself prevent the public thinking X is still best placed.
Indeed, many electoral victories in many countries involved people and parties deliberately being vague abotuj their intentions and plans.
Just got a glimpse of the next Conservative Manifesto and it’s a zinger !! “We intend to restore Great British Values. We are the only party committed to bringing back groats/stocks/smallpox/witch trials/pig bartering. Back to the Future!” https://twitter.com/shaunwkeaveny/status/1530837634494386181
Wife-selling, as per Thos. Hardy?
I've got a great idea fo dealign with our overburdened prison system - let's return to a system of Weregild, extended for all manner of crimes, so that we need not imprison many people.
Sure, the poor would still need to go to prison, but it would save many others from going, and the government could take a small percentage for its coffers as well.
Just got a glimpse of the next Conservative Manifesto and it’s a zinger !! “We intend to restore Great British Values. We are the only party committed to bringing back groats/stocks/smallpox/witch trials/pig bartering. Back to the Future!” https://twitter.com/shaunwkeaveny/status/1530837634494386181
Wife-selling, as per Thos. Hardy?
I've got a great idea fo dealign with our overburdened prison system - let's return to a system of Weregild, extended for all manner of crimes, so that we need not imprison many people.
Sure, the poor would still need to go to prison, but it would save many others from going, and the government could take a small percentage for its coffers as well.
A little harsh on those who are 'not gildy'.
The poor already go to prison disproportionately, so may not see much difference!
(I had meant to include that point for the original gag).
…Ukraine has pushed Russian forces away from Lysychansk-Bakhmut highway. - Luhansk Oblast Governor.
Euromaidan Press @EuromaidanPress Situation in Luhansk Oblast difficult, it is Russia's main goal. Yet: 🔹Sievierodonetsk is under 🇺🇦control, Russian troops are in hotel Myr 🔹Ukraine regained Toshkivka 🔹Near Komyshuvakha, Ukraine pushed Russians 2 km away from key Bakhmut-Lysychansk road … https://twitter.com/EuromaidanPress/status/1530872097941094403
Ukrainians seem to be having a better couple of days. Here's hoping anyway.
The problem for the Tories is that by getting off Partygate we get onto CoL which they have no answers for.
They have just announced a package of measures far more generous than labour proposals which has attracted wide support even from the IFS
Lower income families will receive £400 In October plus upto £650 grant and if pensioners upto £600 extra winter fuel allowance
Additionally benefits and pensions will rise by September inflation rate next April
Rishi has also undertaken to provide further relief next year if required and this is why traditional conservatives are not happy because of this level of intervention
…Ukraine has pushed Russian forces away from Lysychansk-Bakhmut highway. - Luhansk Oblast Governor.
Euromaidan Press @EuromaidanPress Situation in Luhansk Oblast difficult, it is Russia's main goal. Yet: 🔹Sievierodonetsk is under 🇺🇦control, Russian troops are in hotel Myr 🔹Ukraine regained Toshkivka 🔹Near Komyshuvakha, Ukraine pushed Russians 2 km away from key Bakhmut-Lysychansk road … https://twitter.com/EuromaidanPress/status/1530872097941094403
As the Hotel Myr is apparently full of Kadyrovtsy I don't see why the Ukrainians don't just destroy it from a distance.
It has a general reputation for being superb. Hope so!
Oh, and go listen to some of the male-voice choirs.
I’m sitting in an Old Town restaurant about to having hot soup dumplings - khinkali; the square outside is packed with people listening to a small festival of local music. Most of it seems boring quasi-Arabic/Persian wailing quarter toned stuff but the odd ensemble is brilliant
I have ordered two famous Georgian sauces, Adjika and Tkemali
No, I have no idea either
It’s fab being in a place where so much is new and bewildering
The adjika dispute between Georgia and Abkhazia is similar to the 'jam or cream on top' dispute between Devon and Cornwall.
Abkazian ajika is now made and on sale in South Yorkshire:
Khinkali are delicious. Oh yes, oh yes. You suck out the juices and then scoff the minced meat inside, leaving the “hat” - the stem of the dough
The two sauces are also excellent, Adjeri goes well with Khinkai - chili, hot, salty in a paste - whereas Tkemali is more minty and green. Yum but not such a good accompaniment
It has a general reputation for being superb. Hope so!
Oh, and go listen to some of the male-voice choirs.
I’m sitting in an Old Town restaurant about to having hot soup dumplings - khinkali; the square outside is packed with people listening to a small festival of local music. Most of it seems boring quasi-Arabic/Persian wailing quarter toned stuff but the odd ensemble is brilliant
I have ordered two famous Georgian sauces, Adjika and Tkemali
No, I have no idea either
It’s fab being in a place where so much is new and bewildering
Don't make a mess with the khinkali. And don't use a knife and fork.
Just got a glimpse of the next Conservative Manifesto and it’s a zinger !! “We intend to restore Great British Values. We are the only party committed to bringing back groats/stocks/smallpox/witch trials/pig bartering. Back to the Future!” https://twitter.com/shaunwkeaveny/status/1530837634494386181
Wife-selling, as per Thos. Hardy?
I've got a great idea fo dealign with our overburdened prison system - let's return to a system of Weregild, extended for all manner of crimes, so that we need not imprison many people.
Sure, the poor would still need to go to prison, but it would save many others from going, and the government could take a small percentage for its coffers as well.
From each according to his ability (to pay) - it's very socialist really.
As long as it scales with assets and income... Your speeding ticket might seem a little steep if it costs 15% of your total monthly revenue.
Just got a glimpse of the next Conservative Manifesto and it’s a zinger !! “We intend to restore Great British Values. We are the only party committed to bringing back groats/stocks/smallpox/witch trials/pig bartering. Back to the Future!” https://twitter.com/shaunwkeaveny/status/1530837634494386181
Wife-selling, as per Thos. Hardy?
I believe that was a strictly proletarian thing in England - their way of dealing with a failed marriage without the cruel nonsense imposed by the C of E and the upper classes who were the only ones who could afford divorces.
(Indeed, often the 'sale' was purely nominal - the wife and new hubby had agreed already, and this was the way to makie it formally public.)
So, not something the moral megalomaniacs and curtain-twitching oldies would approve of.
…Ukraine has pushed Russian forces away from Lysychansk-Bakhmut highway. - Luhansk Oblast Governor.
Euromaidan Press @EuromaidanPress Situation in Luhansk Oblast difficult, it is Russia's main goal. Yet: 🔹Sievierodonetsk is under 🇺🇦control, Russian troops are in hotel Myr 🔹Ukraine regained Toshkivka 🔹Near Komyshuvakha, Ukraine pushed Russians 2 km away from key Bakhmut-Lysychansk road … https://twitter.com/EuromaidanPress/status/1530872097941094403
Ukrainians seem to be having a better couple of days. Here's hoping anyway.
Yes, the Russians seem to have run out of momentum, if not artillery shells. The Ukranian offensives at Izium and at Kherson do seem to be making progress too.
It has a general reputation for being superb. Hope so!
Oh, and go listen to some of the male-voice choirs.
I’m sitting in an Old Town restaurant about to having hot soup dumplings - khinkali; the square outside is packed with people listening to a small festival of local music. Most of it seems boring quasi-Arabic/Persian wailing quarter toned stuff but the odd ensemble is brilliant
I have ordered two famous Georgian sauces, Adjika and Tkemali
No, I have no idea either
It’s fab being in a place where so much is new and bewildering
Don't make a mess with the khinkali. And don't use a knife and fork.
Khinkali are delicious. Oh yes, oh yes. You suck out the juices and then scoff the minced meat inside, leaving the “hat” - the stem of the dough
The two sauces are also excellent, Adjeri goes well with Khinkai - chili, hot, salty in a paste - whereas Tkemali is more minty and green. Yum but not such a good accompaniment
…Ukraine has pushed Russian forces away from Lysychansk-Bakhmut highway. - Luhansk Oblast Governor.
Euromaidan Press @EuromaidanPress Situation in Luhansk Oblast difficult, it is Russia's main goal. Yet: 🔹Sievierodonetsk is under 🇺🇦control, Russian troops are in hotel Myr 🔹Ukraine regained Toshkivka 🔹Near Komyshuvakha, Ukraine pushed Russians 2 km away from key Bakhmut-Lysychansk road … https://twitter.com/EuromaidanPress/status/1530872097941094403
As the Hotel Myr is apparently full of Kadyrovtsy I don't see why the Ukrainians don't just destroy it from a distance.
Because they'll want to use enhanced interrogation techniques to get HUMINT from them and/or swap them for Ukrainian PoWs.
Just got a glimpse of the next Conservative Manifesto and it’s a zinger !! “We intend to restore Great British Values. We are the only party committed to bringing back groats/stocks/smallpox/witch trials/pig bartering. Back to the Future!” https://twitter.com/shaunwkeaveny/status/1530837634494386181
I thought the whole point of populism was to espouse policies that have at least a degree of popularity? Apart from preserving pints of beer (already the status quo) I don't think there is any support whatsoever for increased use of imperial units.
It has a general reputation for being superb. Hope so!
Oh, and go listen to some of the male-voice choirs.
I’m sitting in an Old Town restaurant about to having hot soup dumplings - khinkali; the square outside is packed with people listening to a small festival of local music. Most of it seems boring quasi-Arabic/Persian wailing quarter toned stuff but the odd ensemble is brilliant
I have ordered two famous Georgian sauces, Adjika and Tkemali
No, I have no idea either
It’s fab being in a place where so much is new and bewildering
The adjika dispute between Georgia and Abkhazia is similar to the 'jam or cream on top' dispute between Devon and Cornwall.
Abkazian ajika is now made and on sale in South Yorkshire:
Tkemali is also fascinating (and surely older). Made from sour green unripe plums! Who knew. It’s delicious
“a bright, zesty, sour sauce made from fresh plums, tkemali underpins many dishes in Georgia. The classic version is made from the small green unripe plums that are prevalent in Georgia. Other plums can be used, as long as they’re not overripe—their skins contain enough acidity to give the sauce its characteristic tang. Mint may not be as traditional in this sauce as cilantro and dill, but Tasting Georgia cookbook author Carla Capalbo includes it for added verve. It’s absolutely delicious with roast or grilled chicken and alongside mtsvadi, Georgian pork skewers.”
So how many Liverpool fans travelled to the match ?
And how many tickets were there for Liverpool fans ?
If the first number exceeds the second then its likely that some Liverpool fans had fake tickets or were attempting to get in without a ticket.
Dunno. 20,000. Yes (or intends to buy one outside the ground). If the counterfeiters had clearly marked their tickets "fake" then these situations might be avoided but is that a sound business model?
Let's do the sums. If Liverpool and Real Madrid are allocated 20,000 tickets each, and the stadium capacity is 80,000, then there are 40,000 genuine tickets that might well end up on the secondary market. Of course, home-based touts will also try to buy from the Liverpool allocation as well, and those tickets will also be genuine.
The point is that if a fan buys tickets from a tout, there is a reasonable expectation they are genuine. (Whether it is legal is another matter but we'll park that.)
So inflation is at 9%, utility bills and petrol prices are out of control, there’s still a war in Ukraine threatening food supplies over the summer - and the Opposition are screaming at each other about women’s penises.
While the government is talking about bring back pounds and ounces...
It’ll be rickets next…..
I am old enough to have learned about pounds and ounces, and stones and hundredweights and pre-decimal currency…..and the idea is completely barking. I doubted my opinion of Johnson could fall much lower, wrong again! It’s a cheap stunt for a demographic which almost certainly couldn’t give a fiddle about the issue, which neatly encapsulates how little and how badly this government understands the country they purport to govern.
Might get a few dozen more votes per constituency, so I can't see that it will make a ton of difference either. Perhaps a short boost in the polls but not fur long. What it does show is that if you give this government an inch they will take a mile.
I didn't spot what you were doing there until I got to 'fur long'. Very good.
Well, HMG is sure firkin about with this nonsense.
No wonder the Tories' polling is dropping like a stone.
Just got a glimpse of the next Conservative Manifesto and it’s a zinger !! “We intend to restore Great British Values. We are the only party committed to bringing back groats/stocks/smallpox/witch trials/pig bartering. Back to the Future!” https://twitter.com/shaunwkeaveny/status/1530837634494386181
Wife-selling, as per Thos. Hardy?
I've got a great idea fo dealign with our overburdened prison system - let's return to a system of Weregild, extended for all manner of crimes, so that we need not imprison many people.
Sure, the poor would still need to go to prison, but it would save many others from going, and the government could take a small percentage for its coffers as well.
From each according to his ability (to pay) - it's very socialist really.
We’ve created a community restorative justice system, instead.
If you read the crime maps, there are interesting crime “deserts”. Especially for certain crimes.
Either no one shoplifts in certain areas or no one reports shoplifting.
In fact what happens is that small shop keepers find that since the police and courts don’t deal with a problem, they do some DIY.
So the shoplifter gets sent to A&E - which could be considered a weregild, I suppose.
So how many Liverpool fans travelled to the match ?
And how many tickets were there for Liverpool fans ?
If the first number exceeds the second then its likely that some Liverpool fans had fake tickets or were attempting to get in without a ticket.
Dunno. 20,000. Yes (or intends to buy one outside the ground). If the counterfeiters had clearly marked their tickets "fake" then these situations might be avoided but is that a sound business model?
Let's do the sums. If Liverpool and Real Madrid are allocated 20,000 tickets each, and the stadium capacity is 80,000, then there are 40,000 genuine tickets that might well end up on the secondary market. Of course, home-based touts will also try to buy from the Liverpool allocation as well, and those tickets will also be genuine.
The point is that if a fan buys tickets from a tout, there is a reasonable expectation they are genuine. (Whether it is legal is another matter but we'll park that.)
Why are these tickets fakeable? For what they cost you could surely incorporate some kind of hologram thingy which it is cost ineffective to fake?
The problem for the Tories is that by getting off Partygate we get onto CoL which they have no answers for.
They have just announced a package of measures far more generous than labour proposals which has attracted wide support even from the IFS
Lower income families will receive £400 In October plus upto £650 grant and if pensioners upto £600 extra winter fuel allowance
Additionally benefits and pensions will rise by September inflation rate next April
Rishi has also undertaken to provide further relief next year if required and this is why traditional conservatives are not happy because of this level of intervention
Very easy to be more generous if you don't even try explain how you will fund it.
So how many Liverpool fans travelled to the match ?
And how many tickets were there for Liverpool fans ?
If the first number exceeds the second then its likely that some Liverpool fans had fake tickets or were attempting to get in without a ticket.
Dunno. 20,000. Yes (or intends to buy one outside the ground). If the counterfeiters had clearly marked their tickets "fake" then these situations might be avoided but is that a sound business model?
Let's do the sums. If Liverpool and Real Madrid are allocated 20,000 tickets each, and the stadium capacity is 80,000, then there are 40,000 genuine tickets that might well end up on the secondary market. Of course, home-based touts will also try to buy from the Liverpool allocation as well, and those tickets will also be genuine.
The point is that if a fan buys tickets from a tout, there is a reasonable expectation they are genuine. (Whether it is legal is another matter but we'll park that.)
Why are these tickets fakeable? For what they cost you could surely incorporate some kind of hologram thingy which it is cost ineffective to fake?
Yes. But that is what we have now. Fake tickets are detected at the ground so fans are turned away which causes bottlenecks outside the ground so fans with real tickets are blocked. That is what happened last night but with added pepper-spray.
Labour MPs forcing Blair out is one of the biggest strategic errors of the 2000s. Poor, poor, poor
Yep - and I was one of the members clear that he had to go. Two reasons: 1. Iraq. The war was so poorly judged and the push to drive it so ham-fisted that I very nearly joined the LibDems. Iraq is the albatross that is still hung around his neck all these years later 2. His laisse-fair "whatever works" strategy had led to them recreating the NHS internal market and increasingly sounding hard-nosed to the same poor / sick people the earlier years of givernment had been so kind to.
I felt he had lost his way and would wander even further off. Given how my own political journey went this was clearly an error in my judgement!
So how many Liverpool fans travelled to the match ?
And how many tickets were there for Liverpool fans ?
If the first number exceeds the second then its likely that some Liverpool fans had fake tickets or were attempting to get in without a ticket.
Dunno. 20,000. Yes (or intends to buy one outside the ground). If the counterfeiters had clearly marked their tickets "fake" then these situations might be avoided but is that a sound business model?
Let's do the sums. If Liverpool and Real Madrid are allocated 20,000 tickets each, and the stadium capacity is 80,000, then there are 40,000 genuine tickets that might well end up on the secondary market. Of course, home-based touts will also try to buy from the Liverpool allocation as well, and those tickets will also be genuine.
The point is that if a fan buys tickets from a tout, there is a reasonable expectation they are genuine. (Whether it is legal is another matter but we'll park that.)
Using mobile phones, crypto and a bit of brains, it is quite simple to create transferable tickets that are verified, sellable etc.
The music world is moving that way, for gigs. Football should.
The problem for the Tories is that by getting off Partygate we get onto CoL which they have no answers for.
They have just announced a package of measures far more generous than labour proposals which has attracted wide support even from the IFS
Lower income families will receive £400 In October plus upto £650 grant and if pensioners upto £600 extra winter fuel allowance
Additionally benefits and pensions will rise by September inflation rate next April
Rishi has also undertaken to provide further relief next year if required and this is why traditional conservatives are not happy because of this level of intervention
Very easy to be more generous if you don't even try explain how you will fund it.
I understand a windfall tax is involved !!! and the treasury has seen a rise from the well publicised tax increases
We spent a full f**king week being transphobes in parliament and then we spent weeks during the campaign doing the exact same thing, and it was fucking insane,' an MP says. 'The transphobe thing was an absolute disaster.
I thought that was Mason and an SNP story at first. SNP and Greens knocking lumps out of each other over whether women can have penises. Of course Harvie and his weirdos swear it is true. Mason does not and the wicked witch is going to have him sent to re-education centre for brainwashing.
There's no real opposition to the Greens and the SNP in the independence movement in the real world. Indeed the strongest performing ALBA candidate in the local elections who got 8% in Southside Central in Sturgeon's constituency has already defected to the SNP.
Mason is a bit of a socially Conservative crank on abortion.
Admittedly so is Kate Forbes to a lesser extent which is why the SNP doesn't take any action against Mason.
Their crimes, uselessness and general bad governmnet ar ecatching up with them though and many will drift back to labour the way things are going. If Sturgeon is not ousted the dam will burst and they will go teh way labour did, the sheep will open their eyes at some point. Be interesting to see how they plug the huge holes in the budget going forward and no referendum yet again. Meanwhile the oil which was to have been finished by 2019 has miracuously multiplied and is keeping London afloat. Troubled times ahead for the freeloaders running the SNP.
I think there is a tendency to underestimate Sturgeon because she is the only thing holding the SNP together.
I did underestimate the SNP in last year's Holyrood elections and was surprised she went for such a formal alliance with the Greens afterwards.
I think she will stand down in 2024 and 2025 but I wouldn't be surprised if she stands again in 2026 .
That said the next Holyrood election now looks like all or nothing for SNP/Greens and given the recent council formations you can now see how Sarwar becomes FM just by SNP/Greens narrowly losing their majority.
We spent a full f**king week being transphobes in parliament and then we spent weeks during the campaign doing the exact same thing, and it was fucking insane,' an MP says. 'The transphobe thing was an absolute disaster.
I thought that was Mason and an SNP story at first. SNP and Greens knocking lumps out of each other over whether women can have penises. Of course Harvie and his weirdos swear it is true. Mason does not and the wicked witch is going to have him sent to re-education centre for brainwashing.
There's no real opposition to the Greens and the SNP in the independence movement in the real world. Indeed the strongest performing ALBA candidate in the local elections who got 8% in Southside Central in Sturgeon's constituency has already defected to the SNP.
Mason is a bit of a socially Conservative crank on abortion.
Admittedly so is Kate Forbes to a lesser extent which is why the SNP doesn't take any action against Mason.
Their crimes, uselessness and general bad governmnet ar ecatching up with them though and many will drift back to labour the way things are going. If Sturgeon is not ousted the dam will burst and they will go teh way labour did, the sheep will open their eyes at some point. Be interesting to see how they plug the huge holes in the budget going forward and no referendum yet again. Meanwhile the oil which was to have been finished by 2019 has miracuously multiplied and is keeping London afloat. Troubled times ahead for the freeloaders running the SNP.
I think there is a tendency to underestimate Sturgeon because she is the only thing holding the SNP together.
I did underestimate the SNP in last year's Holyrood elections and was surprised she went for such a formal alliance with the Greens afterwards.
I think she will stand down in 2024 and 2025 but I wouldn't be surprised if she stands again in 2026 .
That said the next Holyrood election now looks like all or nothing for SNP/Greens and given the recent council formations you can now see how Sarwar becomes FM just by SNP/Greens narrowly losing their majority.
Given she has lied for the umpteenthtime that there will be a referendum, even the blind cult followers will realise the game is up. Therefore they will be voting on incompetence and whether women have penises. It will not end well for SNP if she is left in charge or if Macbeth replaces her. The truth must come out at some point you can only have so many super injunctions.
So how many Liverpool fans travelled to the match ?
And how many tickets were there for Liverpool fans ?
If the first number exceeds the second then its likely that some Liverpool fans had fake tickets or were attempting to get in without a ticket.
Dunno. 20,000. Yes (or intends to buy one outside the ground). If the counterfeiters had clearly marked their tickets "fake" then these situations might be avoided but is that a sound business model?
Let's do the sums. If Liverpool and Real Madrid are allocated 20,000 tickets each, and the stadium capacity is 80,000, then there are 40,000 genuine tickets that might well end up on the secondary market. Of course, home-based touts will also try to buy from the Liverpool allocation as well, and those tickets will also be genuine.
The point is that if a fan buys tickets from a tout, there is a reasonable expectation they are genuine. (Whether it is legal is another matter but we'll park that.)
Why are these tickets fakeable? For what they cost you could surely incorporate some kind of hologram thingy which it is cost ineffective to fake?
Yes. But that is what we have now. Fake tickets are detected at the ground so fans are turned away which causes bottlenecks outside the ground so fans with real tickets are blocked. That is what happened last night but with added pepper-spray.
So if we could educate the fans that fake tickets are not going to cut it, they wouldn't bother buying/turning up with them presumably?
Also there's an actual footballer on twitter saying he got a ticket from UEFA and gave it to a mate and it was rejected as fake when clearly wasn't
The core problem with handling fake tickets and chancers is you have to have a system of filters that means they don't get anywhere near the ground to start with. That wasn't the case yesterday.
Instead you had that, plus local gangs attacking gates and fans.
Which quickly led to chaos, which the French response was blanket secure the gates ad and when they were attacked and deploy tear gas to force people away.
Comments
They aren't allowed to set the cost of your Council Tax. Or your shopping.
I am told Starmer will make this position clear from himself, in weeks to come.
https://twitter.com/DMReporter/status/1530864110027563009
Interesting position for this MP to take, his seat is gone on current polls
There are plenty of difference words available to distinguish between different crimes undertaken at a state level - you've used some of them.
I guess the point is that the motivations of the Russian and Chinese states are not dissimilar.
I am old enough to have learned about pounds and ounces, and stones and hundredweights and pre-decimal currency…..and the idea is completely barking. I doubted my opinion of Johnson could fall much lower, wrong again! It’s a cheap stunt for a demographic which almost certainly couldn’t give a fiddle about the issue, which neatly encapsulates how little and how badly this government understands the country they purport to govern.
I did underestimate the SNP in last year's Holyrood elections and was surprised she went for such a formal alliance with the Greens afterwards.
I think she will stand down in 2024 and 2025 but I wouldn't be surprised if she stands again in 2026 .
That said the next Holyrood election now looks like all or nothing for SNP/Greens and given the recent council formations you can now see how Sarwar becomes FM just by SNP/Greens narrowly losing their majority.
https://twitter.com/shaunwkeaveny/status/1530837634494386181
“It adds that details concerning the "Abba night" party, which it is claimed was held in the prime minister's flat on 13 November 2020, were "tweaked" by Mr Johnson's chief-of-staff Steve Barclay on the eve of publication.
It is alleged an earlier draft of Ms Gray's report referred to music being played and stated at what time the gathering ended, but that the information was redacted.”
If the opposition parties keep pushing this cover up idea, especially on the ABBA party, growing number of voters will believe it was a whitewash. What the odds Police reopen this one like they did beergate?
https://news.sky.com/story/partygate-boris-johnson-faces-despot-charge-over-cover-up-claims-12623349
It's just a silly announcement to the make the mouths of the usual suspects water, like Pavlov's dogs.
And if it were ever to be enacted, Boris would need to find another stunt to do the same thing.
https://twitter.com/SirSocks/status/1530868521219018752
The cones hotline - much derided though it was/is, was a good idea - injecting the idea of accountability into an inscrutable impenetrable bureaucracy
BTW I was recently reading an old deed and trying to work out if it was for the same plot as I had in mind. The dimensions were given in rods, poles *and* perches - completely ambiguous as to whether they were linear or areal.
If they are wise (not something they have been so far) they will sack him
Poland has donated 18 of its most modern AHS Krab self-propelled howitzers to Ukraine.
Poland has also trained 100 Ukrainian artillerymen to operate these howitzers.
Following the 6 Caesar SPGs donated by France, Ukraine now has at least 24 Western SPGs.
https://twitter.com/visegrad24/status/1530869262834860032?
On battleground wipe out poll where all but 3 seats were lost, Bassetlaw was one which survived.
They’ve lost it after this now though.
https://www.theguardian.com/uk-news/2022/may/29/400-second-home-owners-fuel-bills-whistable-kent-seaside-chancellor-payout
From an economic growth point of view, it's obviously a silly idea. Having one set of standards is clearly right, and most of the population would prefer that to be metric.
From an emotional point of view, there's a chunk of the population who prefer the old ways. And because of their age, that cohort are less bothered by the need for economic efficiency and growth. Same as their opposition to new housing or WFH.
More narrowly, I don’t believe it can win an election by itself. But it can help
*for anyone with a shred of shame or honour
https://twitter.com/JakOSpades/status/1530867638997504002
But neither Gray or Police have yet fully investigated the Abba party.
It looks like Team Save Big Dog identified this as a problem and neutralised it as a problem.
If not wishing to be accomplices to a cover up, Gray and the MET will have to respond now.
George Osborne has praised Boris Johnson for “seeing off the hotheads” in the Tory party who are calling for a more aggressive UK stance toward China.
Osborne said he saw “a lot of continuity” between Johnson’s China policy, announced in yesterday’s integrated defence and foreign policy review, and his and David Cameron’s, which built stronger ties with Beijing.
The government’s integrated review was criticised by Tory China hawks for not being tough enough on Beijing.
https://www.cityam.com/george-osborne-hits-out-at-tory-hotheads-who-want-uk-china-cold-war/
The mistake was to have replaced him with a dud like Brown. That the Conservatives had picked the uninspiring Heir to Blair David Cameron may have been the only thing that prevented a complete Labour wipeout in 2010.
But all speculation, of course, we'll never know.
Oh, and go listen to some of the male-voice choirs.
I have ordered two famous Georgian sauces, Adjika and Tkemali
No, I have no idea either
It’s fab being in a place where so much is new and bewildering
Sure, the poor would still need to go to prison, but it would save many others from going, and the government could take a small percentage for its coffers as well.
I would just caution those trying to continue this story, that a time will come when the public, having decided Boris is guilty, will see the continuation as tedious and indeed yesterday's poll a majority (51% +8%) think partygate is a distraction
Voter fatigue may well become apparent
https://twitter.com/OpiniumResearch/status/1530614438147117056?t=ItiVA37-ZwixPmbxAgU5Ng&s=19
https://twitter.com/RhonddaBryant/status/1530851214136590336
And how many tickets were there for Liverpool fans ?
If the first number exceeds the second then its likely that some Liverpool fans had fake tickets or were attempting to get in without a ticket.
Euromaidan Press
@EuromaidanPress
Situation in Luhansk Oblast difficult, it is Russia's main goal. Yet:
🔹Sievierodonetsk is under 🇺🇦control, Russian troops are in hotel Myr
🔹Ukraine regained Toshkivka
🔹Near Komyshuvakha, Ukraine pushed Russians 2 km away from key Bakhmut-Lysychansk road …
https://twitter.com/EuromaidanPress/status/1530872097941094403
As for Labour, as it happens they proposed the windfall tax which the Tories stole - and they want to cut VAT which I expect the Tories will also steal in time too.
Among those who are...
Very comfortable: Con +66
Comfortable: Con +10
Coping: Lab +11
Struggling: Lab+20
Really struggling: Lab+20
Ah well, Labour is really the party of the rich London bubble
Indeed, many electoral victories in many countries involved people and parties deliberately being vague abotuj their intentions and plans.
(I had meant to include that point for the original gag).
Lower income families will receive £400 In October plus upto £650 grant and if pensioners upto £600 extra winter fuel allowance
Additionally benefits and pensions will rise by September inflation rate next April
Rishi has also undertaken to provide further relief next year if required and this is why traditional conservatives are not happy because of this level of intervention
Abkazian ajika is now made and on sale in South Yorkshire:
https://ajika.co.uk/
Khinkali are delicious. Oh yes, oh yes. You suck out the juices and then scoff the minced meat inside, leaving the “hat” - the stem of the dough
The two sauces are also excellent, Adjeri goes well with Khinkai - chili, hot, salty in a paste - whereas Tkemali is more minty and green. Yum but not such a good accompaniment
Anyway. Excellent start
(Indeed, often the 'sale' was purely nominal - the wife and new hubby had agreed already, and this was the way to makie it formally public.)
So, not something the moral megalomaniacs and curtain-twitching oldies would approve of.
https://twitter.com/MrKovalenko/status/1530595518639915008?t=f40kpIF_d__z3vY-Q-wWyQ&s=19
Are v comf/comf objective measures or about how you really *feel*?
“a bright, zesty, sour sauce made from fresh plums, tkemali underpins many dishes in Georgia. The classic version is made from the small green unripe plums that are prevalent in Georgia. Other plums can be used, as long as they’re not overripe—their skins contain enough acidity to give the sauce its characteristic tang. Mint may not be as traditional in this sauce as cilantro and dill, but Tasting Georgia cookbook author Carla Capalbo includes it for added verve. It’s absolutely delicious with roast or grilled chicken and alongside mtsvadi, Georgian pork skewers.”
Let's do the sums. If Liverpool and Real Madrid are allocated 20,000 tickets each, and the stadium capacity is 80,000, then there are 40,000 genuine tickets that might well end up on the secondary market. Of course, home-based touts will also try to buy from the Liverpool allocation as well, and those tickets will also be genuine.
The point is that if a fan buys tickets from a tout, there is a reasonable expectation they are genuine. (Whether it is legal is another matter but we'll park that.)
If you read the crime maps, there are interesting crime “deserts”. Especially for certain crimes.
Either no one shoplifts in certain areas or no one reports shoplifting.
In fact what happens is that small shop keepers find that since the police and courts don’t deal with a problem, they do some DIY.
So the shoplifter gets sent to A&E - which could be considered a weregild, I suppose.
https://www.racingpost.com/news/lester-piggott/lester-piggott-legendary-jockey-and-nine-time-derby-winner-dies-aged-86/517791
1. Iraq. The war was so poorly judged and the push to drive it so ham-fisted that I very nearly joined the LibDems. Iraq is the albatross that is still hung around his neck all these years later
2. His laisse-fair "whatever works" strategy had led to them recreating the NHS internal market and increasingly sounding hard-nosed to the same poor / sick people the earlier years of givernment had been so kind to.
I felt he had lost his way and would wander even further off. Given how my own political journey went this was clearly an error in my judgement!
The music world is moving that way, for gigs. Football should.
Also there's an actual footballer on twitter saying he got a ticket from UEFA and gave it to a mate and it was rejected as fake when clearly wasn't
Instead you had that, plus local gangs attacking gates and fans.
Which quickly led to chaos, which the French response was blanket secure the gates ad and when they were attacked and deploy tear gas to force people away.