The gist is that the actual source of all the information anyone's sharing is Twitter, where the authoritative-sounding accounts consist of say 10% professional analysts, 20% knowledgeable obsessives and 70% people who know nothing but want to sound like they do. If you use Twitter carefully you can get a pretty good idea which is which, but journalists can't quote the anonymous Donbas nerd with a dog avatar who's telling you what's actually going on, so instead they go to an official government source. And the official government source is some kid who knows little enough not to be busy with anything else, and he's going on twitter and briefing the journalists based on the 70% who know nothing.
Joe Armitage @joe_armitage The 39 Conservative MPs most at risk of losing their seats to the Lib Dems at the next election pose the greatest risk to Johnson. 7 have already submitted letters of no confidence and a lot are wavering.
Prime Minister Boris Johnson now the least popular member of his own Cabinet among the Tory grassroots h/t @ConHome
Boris Johnson, winning again!
He will be announcing an order for Spitfires for the RAF next
The RAF already finds it absolutely necessary to operate six (and two Hurricanes).
Probably get more consistent use out of them than much of our kit?
The FAA have closed down their equivalent of the Battle of Britain Memorial Flight (more exactly, handed it over to a charitable trust AIUI). Their priorities are correct ...
'Ok guys, jus' spitballing here, but what if we try tunnels again, only in a different place?'
'Genius, trebles all round!'
Great! They work in Norway and the Faroes. Once again the UK is backwards when it comes to infrastructure.
How many Islands?.... How many tunnels?
Compared to a few ferries now and again?
Tunnels are always going to be better than ferries, due to not having to worry about the weather. Which is why the Greenwich foot tunnel was built during the reign of Queen Victoria.
I don't see any particular reason why the Orkney and Shetland Islands shouldn't follow the Faroes in having tunnels between some of the islands.
I'd say that the people suggesting it are short term political kite flyers rather than strategic planners, so a good reason for it almost definitely not happening (though not a bad idea per se).
There are now over 40,000 refugees here, and this is, please remember, in a population of only 1.3 million. The fact that Britain is still imposing visa restrictions in a piecemeal and incompetent way so that essentially only family members of those Ukrainian citizens already in the country are being let in, means the total number of actual refugeesnin Britain is barely more than Estonia, for a country more than 50 times the size.
We recently had the first and apparently only visit from Social Services to make sure we aren't mistreating "our" Ukrainians. They were fucking hopeless and the Ukrainians found it very unsettling assuming it to be a visit from our version of the KGB. Which, in a sense, it was.
Interesting. Do you think there are any ways in which social services and the KGB are different?
Social services still exist, the KGB don't.
The KGB had some high profile successes as well as clusterfucks. Social services tend only to manage the latter (for 'high profile' cases).
This was a clusterfuck.
They insisted on having their own translator on the phone despite being told many times this wasn't necessary. The translator was fucking terrible and not translating accurately. One of the first things they said was something on the lines of, "We've have to make sure you wouldn't be better off somewhere else". This caused both Ukrainians to start weeping volubly. At this point I thought Mrs DA was going to ask to borrow my Ruger 10/22 and I was going to have to spend all night digging shallow graves in the woods.
Prime Minister Boris Johnson now the least popular member of his own Cabinet among the Tory grassroots h/t @ConHome
Boris Johnson, winning again!
He will be announcing an order for Spitfires for the RAF next
The RAF already finds it absolutely necessary to operate six (and two Hurricanes).
Probably get more consistent use out of them than much of our kit?
The FAA have closed down their equivalent of the Battle of Britain Memorial Flight (more exactly, handed it over to a charitable trust AIUI). Their priorities are correct ...
After that twonk who took out 11 people at Shoreham i'd prefer these things to be maintained and flown by the Air Force, or not at all
'Ok guys, jus' spitballing here, but what if we try tunnels again, only in a different place?'
'Genius, trebles all round!'
Great! They work in Norway and the Faroes. Once again the UK is backwards when it comes to infrastructure.
How many Islands?.... How many tunnels?
Compared to a few ferries now and again?
Tunnels are always going to be better than ferries, due to not having to worry about the weather. Which is why the Greenwich foot tunnel was built during the reign of Queen Victoria.
I don't see any particular reason why the Orkney and Shetland Islands shouldn't follow the Faroes in having tunnels between some of the islands.
There's a tunnel in Greenwich that's only 30cm long?
There are now over 40,000 refugees here, and this is, please remember, in a population of only 1.3 million. The fact that Britain is still imposing visa restrictions in a piecemeal and incompetent way so that essentially only family members of those Ukrainian citizens already in the country are being let in, means the total number of actual refugeesnin Britain is barely more than Estonia, for a country more than 50 times the size.
We recently had the first and apparently only visit from Social Services to make sure we aren't mistreating "our" Ukrainians. They were fucking hopeless and the Ukrainians found it very unsettling assuming it to be a visit from our version of the KGB. Which, in a sense, it was.
Interesting. Do you think there are any ways in which social services and the KGB are different?
Social services still exist, the KGB don't.
The KGB had some high profile successes as well as clusterfucks. Social services tend only to manage the latter (for 'high profile' cases).
This was a clusterfuck.
They insisted on having their own translator on the phone despite being told many times this wasn't necessary. The translator was fucking terrible and not translating accurately. One of the first things they said was something on the lines of, "We've have to make sure you wouldn't be better off somewhere else". This caused both Ukrainians to start weeping volubly. At this point I thought Mrs DA was going to ask to borrow my Ruger 10/22 and I was going to have to spend all night digging shallow graves in the woods.
Shallow is usually a mistake, I think ?
It's easy to sneer, but have you seen how deep a proper grave is? Just not achievable by one man in one night which is the time usually allowed
Some old nonsense just came through on Twitter. Is it true that Johnson went pro- Leave because the Telegraph threatened to remove his £275,000 pa hobble if he did not?
So the cost of Brexit was £275,000 pa. Let's put that on the side of a bus.
I have been catching up with the UK media this morning with a growing sense of disbelief and even rage. Here in Estonia, we recognise that the war in Ukraine is existential for European democracy. If Ukraine loses, the full force of Russian brutality will go on to challenge every other European democracy, including the UK and Ireland.
There are now over 40,000 refugees here, and this is, please remember, in a population of only 1.3 million. The fact that Britain is still imposing visa restrictions in a piecemeal and incompetent way so that essentially only family members of those Ukrainian citizens already in the country are being let in, means the total number of actual refugeesnin Britain is barely more than Estonia, for a country more than 50 times the size. Poland is dealing with over 3.5 million refugees. Meanwhile the Brits are running around patting themselves on the back thinking that Boris is leading the charge. Um... he really is not. Across the Baltic there are crowd funding programmes that are buying equipment and supplies for the Ukrainians. In a single day the Lithuanians (total population 2.7 million) funded €5 million for a Bayraktar. However. although I do find the Daily Mail printing any old rubbish about the war irritating, it is the Johnson circus that has been raising my blood pressure.
The British economy is already trying to compete with one hand behind its back. A chaotic tarrif regime, new restrictions and a massive amount of paperwork have had a strongely negative effect on exports. Small and medium size businesses have been disproportionately affected. I notice daily that the number of previously available British products, from Alpen to Lea and Perrins Worcestershire sauce are no longer available here. This is happening across British export markets.
The response to this is "restore Imperial measurements". In otherwords, impose further costs on the UK economy for no economic gain whatsoever. Basically no one under the age of 60 has been taught the rules of the Imperial system, it is the kind of nostalgia that allows people in the their fifties to talk about the Second World War as though they had anything to do with it. This is a government that thinks going back to the 70s or even the 50s is the solution to their political ills.
Britian has got to escape this absurdity. The nostalgia trap will see us relegated to the lowest economic leagues. The fact that Johnson is doing it to try to save his own worthless political life is simply contemptible.
The Conservative grown ups: Ben Wallace, Therese Coffey, Anne Marie Trevelyan and even Liz Truss, have got to deal with Johnson (and the absurd Rees Mogg) now. The longer this farce continues, the greater the economic damage and the lower the reputation of the country will fall.
If you can consider even Liz Truss would be better, things must look grim.
The news from Eastern Ukraine certainly does. It's starting to look as though the question will be whether Luhansk, Donetsk and the Azov coast will be enough to satisfy Putin, at least for now so that he stops his attacks on the rest of Ukraine.
His past record doesn't exactly inspire hope, and it's quite clear that's not what he wanted.
Any further info from your position on what the Russian government might be thinking?
Donbas and the coast probably would satisfy him, as a salami slice, hence why he should have focused on it from the start. Dare we say international opposition would have been less unified had he done so as well.
One can easily see him declaring job partly done and graciously stating he's willing to ceasefire at that point. Hopefully Ukraine can recover to a strong enough position they are not left with no option but to accept that. Once gone the areas will be gone forever if 'ceasefire' creates a new line.
'Ok guys, jus' spitballing here, but what if we try tunnels again, only in a different place?'
'Genius, trebles all round!'
Great! They work in Norway and the Faroes. Once again the UK is backwards when it comes to infrastructure.
How many Islands?.... How many tunnels?
Compared to a few ferries now and again?
Tunnels are always going to be better than ferries, due to not having to worry about the weather. Which is why the Greenwich foot tunnel was built during the reign of Queen Victoria.
I don't see any particular reason why the Orkney and Shetland Islands shouldn't follow the Faroes in having tunnels between some of the islands.
I'd say that the people suggesting it are short term political kite flyers rather than strategic planners, so a good reason for it almost definitely not happening (though not a bad idea per se).
Makes fair sense for the Shetland main island axis; though one would want to check how deeply glaciated the lateral troughs were. Orkney is more scattered, and the Churchill Barriers already connect the main ring around Scapa, apart from Hoy. A tunnel to the mainland would make some sense, esp if from Hoy to Thurso (and back to Stromness). But I don't think the UK boosters are really thinking: rail tunnels across the Dornoch Firth, Cromarty Firth (from Invergordon) and Kessock Narrows would be a huge improvement all round.
Do Britons believe the Gov't is currently taking the right measures to address the cost-of-living crisis?
Yes 16% No 70%
Do Britons believe a Gov't led by the Labour Party would currently be taking the right measures to address the cost-of-living crisis?
Yes 36% No 36%
It would be interesting to see the entrails
My guess is the answer for the Tories is most of their opponents plus a % of their voters (with opponents from both ends)say no.
For Labour mist of their supporters will give them the benefit of the doubt
In short I’m not sure this polling is particularly illuminating
Also, do people who say not right, all think the error is on the down side. I ain't no hardline weakest go to the wall hard line capitalist, but how it has always worked is, in recessions, individuals tighten their belts and live on fresh air, companies fail, and then you get a recovery. little to no sign of govt help for hard working families. Were we doing it wrong all along?
There are now over 40,000 refugees here, and this is, please remember, in a population of only 1.3 million. The fact that Britain is still imposing visa restrictions in a piecemeal and incompetent way so that essentially only family members of those Ukrainian citizens already in the country are being let in, means the total number of actual refugeesnin Britain is barely more than Estonia, for a country more than 50 times the size.
We recently had the first and apparently only visit from Social Services to make sure we aren't mistreating "our" Ukrainians. They were fucking hopeless and the Ukrainians found it very unsettling assuming it to be a visit from our version of the KGB. Which, in a sense, it was.
Interesting. Do you think there are any ways in which social services and the KGB are different?
Social services still exist, the KGB don't.
The KGB had some high profile successes as well as clusterfucks. Social services tend only to manage the latter (for 'high profile' cases).
This was a clusterfuck.
They insisted on having their own translator on the phone despite being told many times this wasn't necessary. The translator was fucking terrible and not translating accurately. One of the first things they said was something on the lines of, "We've have to make sure you wouldn't be better off somewhere else". This caused both Ukrainians to start weeping volubly. At this point I thought Mrs DA was going to ask to borrow my Ruger 10/22 and I was going to have to spend all night digging shallow graves in the woods.
Shallow is usually a mistake, I think ?
It's easy to sneer, but have you seen how deep a proper grave is? Just not achievable by one man in one night which is the time usually allowed
And tree roots, iron pan, boulders, hard clay subsoil, etc. etc.
'Ok guys, jus' spitballing here, but what if we try tunnels again, only in a different place?'
'Genius, trebles all round!'
Great! They work in Norway and the Faroes. Once again the UK is backwards when it comes to infrastructure.
How many Islands?.... How many tunnels?
Compared to a few ferries now and again?
Tunnels are always going to be better than ferries, due to not having to worry about the weather. Which is why the Greenwich foot tunnel was built during the reign of Queen Victoria.
I don't see any particular reason why the Orkney and Shetland Islands shouldn't follow the Faroes in having tunnels between some of the islands.
There's a tunnel in Greenwich that's only 30cm long?
Rotherhithe tunnel was earlier IIRC. Brunel sen and jun innit.
Prime Minister Boris Johnson now the least popular member of his own Cabinet among the Tory grassroots h/t @ConHome
Boris Johnson, winning again!
He will be announcing an order for Spitfires for the RAF next
The RAF already finds it absolutely necessary to operate six (and two Hurricanes).
Probably get more consistent use out of them than much of our kit?
The FAA have closed down their equivalent of the Battle of Britain Memorial Flight (more exactly, handed it over to a charitable trust AIUI). Their priorities are correct ...
After that twonk who took out 11 people at Shoreham i'd prefer these things to be maintained and flown by the Air Force, or not at all
Fair enough; but it is a secondary question. The first is, is it the job of the Raff to defend the kingdom or is it to give Brexiters wet underwear?
It starts with: "Russia has likely suffered devastating losses amongst its mid and junior ranking officers..."
Whereas all the new outlets are indicating Russian progress, sadly, e.g. the BBC's "Heavy fighting as Russia advances into key eastern city".
No - both things you quote above are true. Russia is taking territory, but slowly, and at great cost.
Ukraine claimed several T62s destroyed yesterday, so it seems Russia is genuinely reduced to throwing in obsolete replacements for their lost equipment.
They still have significantly superior artillery (in numbers, certainly), but recent and ongoing deliveries to Ukraine are beginning to redress the balance. For now there's no real sign of Ukraine's resolve to fight weakening.
I remember the Korean War. The North attacked, drove the South and the Americans almost out of the peninsula. Then the Americans, ourselves and the South landed behind the Northern lines and they were driven back almost to the Chinese border. Then the Chinese joined in and everyone ended up pretty well where they'd started.
That was a very different war, though, as it was as much, if not more a civil war as it was a contest between the west and Russia/China. True, the north invaded the south, but the post WWII division of the country was imposed rather than natural, and there were massive numbers of Koreans in both north and south opposed to the regimes they lived under. As to your last point, that might be true of the border - it certainly isn't true of the people, as there was huge displacement of population in both directions.
Ukraine, in contrast is quite simply an invasion by a hostile power.
'Ok guys, jus' spitballing here, but what if we try tunnels again, only in a different place?'
'Genius, trebles all round!'
Great! They work in Norway and the Faroes. Once again the UK is backwards when it comes to infrastructure.
Linking the smaller islands to the mainland in Shetland could be a bit of a game-changer for the small islands. There's a noticeable difference between e.g. Unst and the main island. The causeways made a big difference to the Western Isles (also some negatives, of course, including implication in the storm surge that took out that family some years back)
See in Faroe this has been done with tunnels. Why tunnels rather than bridges? Weather conditions?
There is a good reason for causeways/bridges, though: to combine with tidal power.
The response to this is "restore Imperial measurements". In otherwords, impose further costs on the UK economy for no economic gain whatsoever. Basically no one under the age of 60 has been taught the rules of the Imperial system, it is the kind of nostalgia that allows people in the their fifties to talk about the Second World War as though they had anything to do with it. This is a government that thinks going back to the 70s or even the 50s is the solution to their political ills.
Britian has got to escape this absurdity. The nostalgia trap will see us relegated to the lowest economic leagues. The fact that Johnson is doing it to try to save his own worthless political life is simply contemptible.
Allowing imperial measurements doesn't impose any costs at all because nobody is obliged to use them if they don't want to.
What's absurd is not giving up on imposing metric conformity but the hysterical reactions of people who engage in this kind of national psychoanalysis. What you're doing is not all that far removed from Maria Zakharova condemning Ukraine for wanting to claim borscht for itself.
It shouldn't be difficult with the aid of computers to provide prices in both sets of measures if people wish.
Then customers can use the set of measures that most suit them.
It's just change for the sake of change. Which is what the left were accused of, once upon a time. I sincerely hope. they won't suggest it for medicine. That really would be 'cat, meet some pigeons!'
Nurse! 1/2800oz of morphine, now, please!
What could possibly go wrong?
Haven't there been incidents with the metric system where mg and μg have been confused? I think μg is banned as a notation in some parts.
Relying on a prefix makes it easier to get wrong. Particularly when the two prefixes are just the same letter in different languages.
Not that I would advocate for grains as an alternative.
I have been catching up with the UK media this morning with a growing sense of disbelief and even rage. Here in Estonia, we recognise that the war in Ukraine is existential for European democracy. If Ukraine loses, the full force of Russian brutality will go on to challenge every other European democracy, including the UK and Ireland.
There are now over 40,000 refugees here, and this is, please remember, in a population of only 1.3 million. The fact that Britain is still imposing visa restrictions in a piecemeal and incompetent way so that essentially only family members of those Ukrainian citizens already in the country are being let in, means the total number of actual refugeesnin Britain is barely more than Estonia, for a country more than 50 times the size. Poland is dealing with over 3.5 million refugees. Meanwhile the Brits are running around patting themselves on the back thinking that Boris is leading the charge. Um... he really is not. Across the Baltic there are crowd funding programmes that are buying equipment and supplies for the Ukrainians. In a single day the Lithuanians (total population 2.7 million) funded €5 million for a Bayraktar. However. although I do find the Daily Mail printing any old rubbish about the war irritating, it is the Johnson circus that has been raising my blood pressure.
The British economy is already trying to compete with one hand behind its back. A chaotic tarrif regime, new restrictions and a massive amount of paperwork have had a strongely negative effect on exports. Small and medium size businesses have been disproportionately affected. I notice daily that the number of previously available British products, from Alpen to Lea and Perrins Worcestershire sauce are no longer available here. This is happening across British export markets.
The response to this is "restore Imperial measurements". In otherwords, impose further costs on the UK economy for no economic gain whatsoever. Basically no one under the age of 60 has been taught the rules of the Imperial system, it is the kind of nostalgia that allows people in the their fifties to talk about the Second World War as though they had anything to do with it. This is a government that thinks going back to the 70s or even the 50s is the solution to their political ills.
Britian has got to escape this absurdity. The nostalgia trap will see us relegated to the lowest economic leagues. The fact that Johnson is doing it to try to save his own worthless political life is simply contemptible.
The Conservative grown ups: Ben Wallace, Therese Coffey, Anne Marie Trevelyan and even Liz Truss, have got to deal with Johnson (and the absurd Rees Mogg) now. The longer this farce continues, the greater the economic damage and the lower the reputation of the country will fall.
Whilst I completely agree with your post and can only imagine how absurd we look on the outside, you have committed the cardinal sin.
You said "Meanwhile the Brits are running around patting themselves on the back thinking that Boris is leading the charge. Um... he really is not. "
We know that Boris has personally armed and trained the Ukrainian army led the free world and is a Hero in Ukraine unlike EU quislings in France and Germany.
That you would post such heresy in Jubilee week just proves that you are one of those statue-cancelling lady cock advocating wokeist traitors that Leon is always complaining about. You don't even have the decency to post from a leaver patriot place like France. Shame! Shame I say!
There are now over 40,000 refugees here, and this is, please remember, in a population of only 1.3 million. The fact that Britain is still imposing visa restrictions in a piecemeal and incompetent way so that essentially only family members of those Ukrainian citizens already in the country are being let in, means the total number of actual refugeesnin Britain is barely more than Estonia, for a country more than 50 times the size.
We recently had the first and apparently only visit from Social Services to make sure we aren't mistreating "our" Ukrainians. They were fucking hopeless and the Ukrainians found it very unsettling assuming it to be a visit from our version of the KGB. Which, in a sense, it was.
Interesting. Do you think there are any ways in which social services and the KGB are different?
Social services still exist, the KGB don't.
The KGB had some high profile successes as well as clusterfucks. Social services tend only to manage the latter (for 'high profile' cases).
This was a clusterfuck.
They insisted on having their own translator on the phone despite being told many times this wasn't necessary. The translator was fucking terrible and not translating accurately. One of the first things they said was something on the lines of, "We've have to make sure you wouldn't be better off somewhere else". This caused both Ukrainians to start weeping volubly. At this point I thought Mrs DA was going to ask to borrow my Ruger 10/22 and I was going to have to spend all night digging shallow graves in the woods.
Shallow is usually a mistake, I think ?
It's easy to sneer, but have you seen how deep a proper grave is? Just not achievable by one man in one night which is the time usually allowed
@Dura_Ace has, though, an unusual quantity of tools at his disposal. It wouldn't surprise me were he to have a ditch digging machine in one of his barns.
'Ok guys, jus' spitballing here, but what if we try tunnels again, only in a different place?'
'Genius, trebles all round!'
Great! They work in Norway and the Faroes. Once again the UK is backwards when it comes to infrastructure.
How many Islands?.... How many tunnels?
Compared to a few ferries now and again?
Tunnels are always going to be better than ferries, due to not having to worry about the weather. Which is why the Greenwich foot tunnel was built during the reign of Queen Victoria.
I don't see any particular reason why the Orkney and Shetland Islands shouldn't follow the Faroes in having tunnels between some of the islands.
There's a tunnel in Greenwich that's only 30cm long?
It's been known as the Greenwich 30cm tunnel since 1973 but the Tories are going to change its name back, apparently.
'Ok guys, jus' spitballing here, but what if we try tunnels again, only in a different place?'
'Genius, trebles all round!'
Great! They work in Norway and the Faroes. Once again the UK is backwards when it comes to infrastructure.
How many Islands?.... How many tunnels?
Compared to a few ferries now and again?
Tunnels are always going to be better than ferries, due to not having to worry about the weather. Which is why the Greenwich foot tunnel was built during the reign of Queen Victoria.
I don't see any particular reason why the Orkney and Shetland Islands shouldn't follow the Faroes in having tunnels between some of the islands.
I'd say that the people suggesting it are short term political kite flyers rather than strategic planners, so a good reason for it almost definitely not happening (though not a bad idea per se).
Makes fair sense for the Shetland main island axis; though one would want to check how deeply glaciated the lateral troughs were. Orkney is more scattered, and the Churchill Barriers already connect the main ring around Scapa, apart from Hoy. A tunnel to the mainland would make some sense, esp if from Hoy to Thurso (and back to Stromness). But I don't think the UK boosters are really thinking: rail tunnels across the Dornoch Firth, Cromarty Firth (from Invergordon) and Kessock Narrows would be a huge improvement all round.
For that matter a rail tunnel under the Firth of Forth to relieve capacity and fatigue loading on the Forth Bridge. There will have been enough studies done for the Queensferry Crossing, and as the Scots generally seem to deliver most such projects on time and within budget (rail electrification, Q. Crossing) in marked contrast to the DfT, it could be quite promising.
I am glad from a political view that Labour now seem to have a popular view on the whole trans debate but I am going to be totally honest when I say, it doesn't impact how I vote and I don't know anyone else who it does either.
I can't believe there is somebody that goes, that CoL crisis is terrible and I am struggling to eat but those trans policies are a bridge too far, Tory for me. Am I wrong?
Ah, I see you're missing the point of the focus on the inability or unwillingness to define a woman.
More that you are missing the point that aside from the hyper partisan and the political zealots nobody else cares.
Its a fascinating bit of political bubble projection that people may be made poorer and may be fed up with the government's massive failings but can't vote Labour because of something one of them said about what a woman us.
Politics was much more fun when the grown ups were on both sides. Could have genuine policy debates. Now its more like having to explain to the other side very excited by lady cocks that their issue is very small and the voters are far away.
I’m not sure telling them they are “very small” is the best choice of phrase
Yeah, is he saying that lady dicks are not as big as mens'?
'Ok guys, jus' spitballing here, but what if we try tunnels again, only in a different place?'
'Genius, trebles all round!'
Great! They work in Norway and the Faroes. Once again the UK is backwards when it comes to infrastructure.
How many Islands?.... How many tunnels?
Compared to a few ferries now and again?
Tunnels are always going to be better than ferries, due to not having to worry about the weather. Which is why the Greenwich foot tunnel was built during the reign of Queen Victoria.
I don't see any particular reason why the Orkney and Shetland Islands shouldn't follow the Faroes in having tunnels between some of the islands.
There's a tunnel in Greenwich that's only 30cm long?
Rotherhithe tunnel was earlier IIRC. Brunel sen and jun innit.
I've walked through the Greenwich and Woolwich tunnels. Not Rotherhithe, yet.
'Ok guys, jus' spitballing here, but what if we try tunnels again, only in a different place?'
'Genius, trebles all round!'
Great! They work in Norway and the Faroes. Once again the UK is backwards when it comes to infrastructure.
How many Islands?.... How many tunnels?
Compared to a few ferries now and again?
Tunnels are always going to be better than ferries, due to not having to worry about the weather. Which is why the Greenwich foot tunnel was built during the reign of Queen Victoria.
I don't see any particular reason why the Orkney and Shetland Islands shouldn't follow the Faroes in having tunnels between some of the islands.
I'd say that the people suggesting it are short term political kite flyers rather than strategic planners, so a good reason for it almost definitely not happening (though not a bad idea per se).
Makes fair sense for the Shetland main island axis; though one would want to check how deeply glaciated the lateral troughs were. Orkney is more scattered, and the Churchill Barriers already connect the main ring around Scapa, apart from Hoy. A tunnel to the mainland would make some sense, esp if from Hoy to Thurso (and back to Stromness). But I don't think the UK boosters are really thinking: rail tunnels across the Dornoch Firth, Cromarty Firth (from Invergordon) and Kessock Narrows would be a huge improvement all round.
For that matter a rail tunnel under the Firth of Forth to relieve capacity and fatigue loading on the Forth Bridge. There will have been enough studies done for the Queensferry Crossing, and as the Scots generally seem to deliver most such projects on time and within budget (rail electrification, Q. Crossing) in marked contrast to the DfT, it could be quite promising.
There are now over 40,000 refugees here, and this is, please remember, in a population of only 1.3 million. The fact that Britain is still imposing visa restrictions in a piecemeal and incompetent way so that essentially only family members of those Ukrainian citizens already in the country are being let in, means the total number of actual refugeesnin Britain is barely more than Estonia, for a country more than 50 times the size.
We recently had the first and apparently only visit from Social Services to make sure we aren't mistreating "our" Ukrainians. They were fucking hopeless and the Ukrainians found it very unsettling assuming it to be a visit from our version of the KGB. Which, in a sense, it was.
Interesting. Do you think there are any ways in which social services and the KGB are different?
Social services still exist, the KGB don't.
The KGB had some high profile successes as well as clusterfucks. Social services tend only to manage the latter (for 'high profile' cases).
This was a clusterfuck.
They insisted on having their own translator on the phone despite being told many times this wasn't necessary. The translator was fucking terrible and not translating accurately. One of the first things they said was something on the lines of, "We've have to make sure you wouldn't be better off somewhere else". This caused both Ukrainians to start weeping volubly. At this point I thought Mrs DA was going to ask to borrow my Ruger 10/22 and I was going to have to spend all night digging shallow graves in the woods.
Shallow is usually a mistake, I think ?
It's easy to sneer, but have you seen how deep a proper grave is? Just not achievable by one man in one night which is the time usually allowed
I once saw an otherwise risible Liam Neeson “angry old man takes out baddies” movie where he recommended wrapping bodies in chicken wire before dumping them in water so the fish could get at them….struck me as a useful tip…
'Ok guys, jus' spitballing here, but what if we try tunnels again, only in a different place?'
'Genius, trebles all round!'
Great! They work in Norway and the Faroes. Once again the UK is backwards when it comes to infrastructure.
How many Islands?.... How many tunnels?
Compared to a few ferries now and again?
Tunnels are always going to be better than ferries, due to not having to worry about the weather. Which is why the Greenwich foot tunnel was built during the reign of Queen Victoria.
I don't see any particular reason why the Orkney and Shetland Islands shouldn't follow the Faroes in having tunnels between some of the islands.
I'd say that the people suggesting it are short term political kite flyers rather than strategic planners, so a good reason for it almost definitely not happening (though not a bad idea per se).
Makes fair sense for the Shetland main island axis; though one would want to check how deeply glaciated the lateral troughs were. Orkney is more scattered, and the Churchill Barriers already connect the main ring around Scapa, apart from Hoy. A tunnel to the mainland would make some sense, esp if from Hoy to Thurso (and back to Stromness). But I don't think the UK boosters are really thinking: rail tunnels across the Dornoch Firth, Cromarty Firth (from Invergordon) and Kessock Narrows would be a huge improvement all round.
For that matter a rail tunnel under the Firth of Forth to relieve capacity and fatigue loading on the Forth Bridge. There will have been enough studies done for the Queensferry Crossing, and as the Scots generally seem to deliver most such projects on time and within budget (rail electrification, Q. Crossing) in marked contrast to the DfT, it could be quite promising.
They need to build another bridge first. There’s three bridges there now, the next one will be the Fourth Bridge.
'Ok guys, jus' spitballing here, but what if we try tunnels again, only in a different place?'
'Genius, trebles all round!'
Great! They work in Norway and the Faroes. Once again the UK is backwards when it comes to infrastructure.
How many Islands?.... How many tunnels?
Compared to a few ferries now and again?
Tunnels are always going to be better than ferries, due to not having to worry about the weather. Which is why the Greenwich foot tunnel was built during the reign of Queen Victoria.
I don't see any particular reason why the Orkney and Shetland Islands shouldn't follow the Faroes in having tunnels between some of the islands.
There's a tunnel in Greenwich that's only 30cm long?
Rotherhithe tunnel was earlier IIRC. Brunel sen and jun innit.
I've walked through the Greenwich and Woolwich tunnels. Not Rotherhithe, yet.
IIRC Rotherhithe might be tricky to walk through without being fried by accident. It was converted to a Tube line at some point, though I've been on the train through it. Not sure about current situation with all the changes.
'Ok guys, jus' spitballing here, but what if we try tunnels again, only in a different place?'
'Genius, trebles all round!'
Great! They work in Norway and the Faroes. Once again the UK is backwards when it comes to infrastructure.
How many Islands?.... How many tunnels?
Compared to a few ferries now and again?
Tunnels are always going to be better than ferries, due to not having to worry about the weather. Which is why the Greenwich foot tunnel was built during the reign of Queen Victoria.
I don't see any particular reason why the Orkney and Shetland Islands shouldn't follow the Faroes in having tunnels between some of the islands.
I'd say that the people suggesting it are short term political kite flyers rather than strategic planners, so a good reason for it almost definitely not happening (though not a bad idea per se).
Makes fair sense for the Shetland main island axis; though one would want to check how deeply glaciated the lateral troughs were. Orkney is more scattered, and the Churchill Barriers already connect the main ring around Scapa, apart from Hoy. A tunnel to the mainland would make some sense, esp if from Hoy to Thurso (and back to Stromness). But I don't think the UK boosters are really thinking: rail tunnels across the Dornoch Firth, Cromarty Firth (from Invergordon) and Kessock Narrows would be a huge improvement all round.
For that matter a rail tunnel under the Firth of Forth to relieve capacity and fatigue loading on the Forth Bridge. There will have been enough studies done for the Queensferry Crossing, and as the Scots generally seem to deliver most such projects on time and within budget (rail electrification, Q. Crossing) in marked contrast to the DfT, it could be quite promising.
They need to build another bridge first. There’s three bridges there now, the next one will be the Fourth Bridge.
It starts with: "Russia has likely suffered devastating losses amongst its mid and junior ranking officers..."
Whereas all the new outlets are indicating Russian progress, sadly, e.g. the BBC's "Heavy fighting as Russia advances into key eastern city".
No - both things you quote above are true. Russia is taking territory, but slowly, and at great cost.
Ukraine claimed several T62s destroyed yesterday, so it seems Russia is genuinely reduced to throwing in obsolete replacements for their lost equipment.
They still have significantly superior artillery (in numbers, certainly), but recent and ongoing deliveries to Ukraine are beginning to redress the balance. For now there's no real sign of Ukraine's resolve to fight weakening.
I remember the Korean War. The North attacked, drove the South and the Americans almost out of the peninsula. Then the Americans, ourselves and the South landed behind the Northern lines and they were driven back almost to the Chinese border. Then the Chinese joined in and everyone ended up pretty well where they'd started.
That was a very different war, though, as it was as much, if not more a civil war as it was a contest between the west and Russia/China. True, the north invaded the south, but the post WWII division of the country was imposed rather than natural, and there were massive numbers of Koreans in both north and south opposed to the regimes they lived under. As to your last point, that might be true of the border - it certainly isn't true of the people, as there were huge displacement of population in both directions.
Ukraine, in contrast is quite simply an invasion by a hostile power.
To be honest, Mr B, I think we're both over-simplifying. AIUI, all the Koreans wanted after 1945 was to be left alone to rebuild their nation after 50 or so years of Japanese colonisation. And Kim (whatever he was) and the S Korean leader were close to being very much the same. Agree about the border, but I don't think many moved North.
In Ukraine there are some at least who still consider themselves Russian.
'Ok guys, jus' spitballing here, but what if we try tunnels again, only in a different place?'
'Genius, trebles all round!'
Great! They work in Norway and the Faroes. Once again the UK is backwards when it comes to infrastructure.
How many Islands?.... How many tunnels?
Compared to a few ferries now and again?
Tunnels are always going to be better than ferries, due to not having to worry about the weather. Which is why the Greenwich foot tunnel was built during the reign of Queen Victoria.
I don't see any particular reason why the Orkney and Shetland Islands shouldn't follow the Faroes in having tunnels between some of the islands.
I'd say that the people suggesting it are short term political kite flyers rather than strategic planners, so a good reason for it almost definitely not happening (though not a bad idea per se).
Makes fair sense for the Shetland main island axis; though one would want to check how deeply glaciated the lateral troughs were. Orkney is more scattered, and the Churchill Barriers already connect the main ring around Scapa, apart from Hoy. A tunnel to the mainland would make some sense, esp if from Hoy to Thurso (and back to Stromness). But I don't think the UK boosters are really thinking: rail tunnels across the Dornoch Firth, Cromarty Firth (from Invergordon) and Kessock Narrows would be a huge improvement all round.
For that matter a rail tunnel under the Firth of Forth to relieve capacity and fatigue loading on the Forth Bridge. There will have been enough studies done for the Queensferry Crossing, and as the Scots generally seem to deliver most such projects on time and within budget (rail electrification, Q. Crossing) in marked contrast to the DfT, it could be quite promising.
Prime Minister Boris Johnson now the least popular member of his own Cabinet among the Tory grassroots h/t @ConHome
Boris Johnson, winning again!
He will be announcing an order for Spitfires for the RAF next
The RAF already finds it absolutely necessary to operate six (and two Hurricanes).
Probably get more consistent use out of them than much of our kit?
The FAA have closed down their equivalent of the Battle of Britain Memorial Flight (more exactly, handed it over to a charitable trust AIUI). Their priorities are correct ...
After that twonk who took out 11 people at Shoreham i'd prefer these things to be maintained and flown by the Air Force, or not at all
Fair enough; but it is a secondary question. The first is, is it the job of the Raff to defend the kingdom or is it to give Brexiters wet underwear?
Well, it's also the job of the army to troop the Colour and the Navy to fire 87 gun salutes for HMQ. Soft power innit. The BoB was an actual thing, not a Leaver construct, and I have to say on the couple of occasions I have seen a Spitfire in flight it has brought a slight lump to my throat, and I am not a Brexiter.
'Ok guys, jus' spitballing here, but what if we try tunnels again, only in a different place?'
'Genius, trebles all round!'
Great! They work in Norway and the Faroes. Once again the UK is backwards when it comes to infrastructure.
How many Islands?.... How many tunnels?
Compared to a few ferries now and again?
Tunnels are always going to be better than ferries, due to not having to worry about the weather. Which is why the Greenwich foot tunnel was built during the reign of Queen Victoria.
I don't see any particular reason why the Orkney and Shetland Islands shouldn't follow the Faroes in having tunnels between some of the islands.
I'd say that the people suggesting it are short term political kite flyers rather than strategic planners, so a good reason for it almost definitely not happening (though not a bad idea per se).
Makes fair sense for the Shetland main island axis; though one would want to check how deeply glaciated the lateral troughs were. Orkney is more scattered, and the Churchill Barriers already connect the main ring around Scapa, apart from Hoy. A tunnel to the mainland would make some sense, esp if from Hoy to Thurso (and back to Stromness). But I don't think the UK boosters are really thinking: rail tunnels across the Dornoch Firth, Cromarty Firth (from Invergordon) and Kessock Narrows would be a huge improvement all round.
For that matter a rail tunnel under the Firth of Forth to relieve capacity and fatigue loading on the Forth Bridge. There will have been enough studies done for the Queensferry Crossing, and as the Scots generally seem to deliver most such projects on time and within budget (rail electrification, Q. Crossing) in marked contrast to the DfT, it could be quite promising.
Shame about the ferries...
Quite, but dont' forget they are the ones you hear about because CArlotta et al don't like to talk about the successes. A reading of Modern Railways is quite the corrective - the general sentiment is one of not taking hostages, and the DfT seem to score almost as low as Mr Ross at ConHome, but devolution per se isn't a reason to hold fire, and the Welsh Gmt have had some flak. But the general feeling is that at least the Scottish Gmt wants and likes railways and takes them seriously ...
Prime Minister Boris Johnson now the least popular member of his own Cabinet among the Tory grassroots h/t @ConHome
Boris Johnson, winning again!
He will be announcing an order for Spitfires for the RAF next
The RAF already finds it absolutely necessary to operate six (and two Hurricanes).
Probably get more consistent use out of them than much of our kit?
The FAA have closed down their equivalent of the Battle of Britain Memorial Flight (more exactly, handed it over to a charitable trust AIUI). Their priorities are correct ...
After that twonk who took out 11 people at Shoreham i'd prefer these things to be maintained and flown by the Air Force, or not at all
Fair enough; but it is a secondary question. The first is, is it the job of the Raff to defend the kingdom or is it to give Brexiters wet underwear?
Well, it's also the job of the army to troop the Colour and the Navy to fire 87 gun salutes for HMQ. Soft power innit. The BoB was an actual thing, not a Leaver construct, and I have to say on the couple of occasions I have seen a Spitfire in flight it has brought a slight lump to my throat, and I am not a Brexiter.
Actually, on second thoughts, it'd make more sense to keep a few Spits (and a Hurrican and Lancaster) than the Red Arrows, given the cost of training fast jet pilots and the increasing proportion of that part of the Raff the Arrows occupy.
There are now over 40,000 refugees here, and this is, please remember, in a population of only 1.3 million. The fact that Britain is still imposing visa restrictions in a piecemeal and incompetent way so that essentially only family members of those Ukrainian citizens already in the country are being let in, means the total number of actual refugeesnin Britain is barely more than Estonia, for a country more than 50 times the size.
We recently had the first and apparently only visit from Social Services to make sure we aren't mistreating "our" Ukrainians. They were fucking hopeless and the Ukrainians found it very unsettling assuming it to be a visit from our version of the KGB. Which, in a sense, it was.
Interesting. Do you think there are any ways in which social services and the KGB are different?
Social services still exist, the KGB don't.
The KGB had some high profile successes as well as clusterfucks. Social services tend only to manage the latter (for 'high profile' cases).
This was a clusterfuck.
They insisted on having their own translator on the phone despite being told many times this wasn't necessary. The translator was fucking terrible and not translating accurately. One of the first things they said was something on the lines of, "We've have to make sure you wouldn't be better off somewhere else". This caused both Ukrainians to start weeping volubly. At this point I thought Mrs DA was going to ask to borrow my Ruger 10/22 and I was going to have to spend all night digging shallow graves in the woods.
Shallow is usually a mistake, I think ?
It's easy to sneer, but have you seen how deep a proper grave is? Just not achievable by one man in one night which is the time usually allowed
I once saw an otherwise risible Liam Neeson “angry old man takes out baddies” movie where he recommended wrapping bodies in chicken wire before dumping them in water so the fish could get at them….struck me as a useful tip…
In Order of Disappearance. It is very good, as is the Norwegian original.
The response to this is "restore Imperial measurements". In otherwords, impose further costs on the UK economy for no economic gain whatsoever. Basically no one under the age of 60 has been taught the rules of the Imperial system, it is the kind of nostalgia that allows people in the their fifties to talk about the Second World War as though they had anything to do with it. This is a government that thinks going back to the 70s or even the 50s is the solution to their political ills.
Britian has got to escape this absurdity. The nostalgia trap will see us relegated to the lowest economic leagues. The fact that Johnson is doing it to try to save his own worthless political life is simply contemptible.
Allowing imperial measurements doesn't impose any costs at all because nobody is obliged to use them if they don't want to.
What's absurd is not giving up on imposing metric conformity but the hysterical reactions of people who engage in this kind of national psychoanalysis. What you're doing is not all that far removed from Maria Zakharova condemning Ukraine for wanting to claim borscht for itself.
It shouldn't be difficult with the aid of computers to provide prices in both sets of measures if people wish.
Then customers can use the set of measures that most suit them.
It's just change for the sake of change. Which is what the left were accused of, once upon a time. I sincerely hope. they won't suggest it for medicine. That really would be 'cat, meet some pigeons!'
Nurse! 1/2800oz of morphine, now, please!
What could possibly go wrong?
Haven't there been incidents with the metric system where mg and μg have been confused? I think μg is banned as a notation in some parts.
Relying on a prefix makes it easier to get wrong. Particularly when the two prefixes are just the same letter in different languages.
Not that I would advocate for grains as an alternative.
'Ok guys, jus' spitballing here, but what if we try tunnels again, only in a different place?'
'Genius, trebles all round!'
Great! They work in Norway and the Faroes. Once again the UK is backwards when it comes to infrastructure.
How many Islands?.... How many tunnels?
Compared to a few ferries now and again?
Tunnels are always going to be better than ferries, due to not having to worry about the weather. Which is why the Greenwich foot tunnel was built during the reign of Queen Victoria.
I don't see any particular reason why the Orkney and Shetland Islands shouldn't follow the Faroes in having tunnels between some of the islands.
There's a tunnel in Greenwich that's only 30cm long?
Rotherhithe tunnel was earlier IIRC. Brunel sen and jun innit.
I've walked through the Greenwich and Woolwich tunnels. Not Rotherhithe, yet.
IIRC Rotherhithe might be tricky to walk through without being fried by accident. It was converted to a Tube line at some point, though I've been on the train through it. Not sure about current situation with all the changes.
Woolwich is longer and more boring and doesn't even go anywhere useful on the north side now, after they closed North Woolwich station. I'm not sure how much use it gets any more, it's been made pretty much redundant by the DLR I would think.
'Ok guys, jus' spitballing here, but what if we try tunnels again, only in a different place?'
'Genius, trebles all round!'
Great! They work in Norway and the Faroes. Once again the UK is backwards when it comes to infrastructure.
How many Islands?.... How many tunnels?
Compared to a few ferries now and again?
Tunnels are always going to be better than ferries, due to not having to worry about the weather. Which is why the Greenwich foot tunnel was built during the reign of Queen Victoria.
I don't see any particular reason why the Orkney and Shetland Islands shouldn't follow the Faroes in having tunnels between some of the islands.
I'd say that the people suggesting it are short term political kite flyers rather than strategic planners, so a good reason for it almost definitely not happening (though not a bad idea per se).
Makes fair sense for the Shetland main island axis; though one would want to check how deeply glaciated the lateral troughs were. Orkney is more scattered, and the Churchill Barriers already connect the main ring around Scapa, apart from Hoy. A tunnel to the mainland would make some sense, esp if from Hoy to Thurso (and back to Stromness). But I don't think the UK boosters are really thinking: rail tunnels across the Dornoch Firth, Cromarty Firth (from Invergordon) and Kessock Narrows would be a huge improvement all round.
For that matter a rail tunnel under the Firth of Forth to relieve capacity and fatigue loading on the Forth Bridge. There will have been enough studies done for the Queensferry Crossing, and as the Scots generally seem to deliver most such projects on time and within budget (rail electrification, Q. Crossing) in marked contrast to the DfT, it could be quite promising.
Shame about the ferries...
Good argument to find an alternative to commissioning more ferries, to be fair
Firstly, can someone kindly explain to the hard of thinking that tunnels costing billions are not a better idea than a few ferries costing millions and paid for by private companies like Stena?
Secondly, a live WW1 grenade has washed up on a beach in Belfast Lough. The nearest ammo dump is Beauforts Dyke (nearly 1000ft deep) 30 miles to the east. There is supposed to be about 1 million tonnes of unexploded ordinance down there. A few years back it was mustard gas washing up...
That is the location of the proposed Boris bridge / tunnel
'Ok guys, jus' spitballing here, but what if we try tunnels again, only in a different place?'
'Genius, trebles all round!'
Great! They work in Norway and the Faroes. Once again the UK is backwards when it comes to infrastructure.
How many Islands?.... How many tunnels?
Compared to a few ferries now and again?
Tunnels are always going to be better than ferries, due to not having to worry about the weather. Which is why the Greenwich foot tunnel was built during the reign of Queen Victoria.
I don't see any particular reason why the Orkney and Shetland Islands shouldn't follow the Faroes in having tunnels between some of the islands.
There's a tunnel in Greenwich that's only 30cm long?
Rotherhithe tunnel was earlier IIRC. Brunel sen and jun innit.
I've walked through the Greenwich and Woolwich tunnels. Not Rotherhithe, yet.
IIRC Rotherhithe might be tricky to walk through without being fried by accident. It was converted to a Tube line at some point, though I've been on the train through it. Not sure about current situation with all the changes.
Rotherhithe is still a road tunnel, and unlike Blackwall you can still walk through it although the air quality must be awful and I've never seen anyone crazy enough to try. It's the much earlier tunnel built by Brunel that has been converted to rail use (formerly East London line, now the Overground) - although this tunnel also crosses at Rotherhithe.
Some old nonsense just came through on Twitter. Is it true that Johnson went pro- Leave because the Telegraph threatened to remove his £275,000 pa hobble if he did not?
So the cost of Brexit was £275,000 pa. Let's put that on the side of a bus.
Conservative MPs get rid of this appalling man.
I want Boris gone, but not because of Brexit, or covid which he was ahead of the game opening the economy, or indeed Ukraine where he has at least supported Ukraine while Germany and France prevaricate
I want him out for partygate and his arrogance in putting his mps and his party in disarray for his own selfish ego
It starts with: "Russia has likely suffered devastating losses amongst its mid and junior ranking officers..."
Whereas all the new outlets are indicating Russian progress, sadly, e.g. the BBC's "Heavy fighting as Russia advances into key eastern city".
No - both things you quote above are true. Russia is taking territory, but slowly, and at great cost.
Ukraine claimed several T62s destroyed yesterday, so it seems Russia is genuinely reduced to throwing in obsolete replacements for their lost equipment.
They still have significantly superior artillery (in numbers, certainly), but recent and ongoing deliveries to Ukraine are beginning to redress the balance. For now there's no real sign of Ukraine's resolve to fight weakening.
I remember the Korean War. The North attacked, drove the South and the Americans almost out of the peninsula. Then the Americans, ourselves and the South landed behind the Northern lines and they were driven back almost to the Chinese border. Then the Chinese joined in and everyone ended up pretty well where they'd started.
That was a very different war, though, as it was as much, if not more a civil war as it was a contest between the west and Russia/China. True, the north invaded the south, but the post WWII division of the country was imposed rather than natural, and there were massive numbers of Koreans in both north and south opposed to the regimes they lived under. As to your last point, that might be true of the border - it certainly isn't true of the people, as there were huge displacement of population in both directions.
Ukraine, in contrast is quite simply an invasion by a hostile power.
To be honest, Mr B, I think we're both over-simplifying. AIUI, all the Koreans wanted after 1945 was to be left alone to rebuild their nation after 50 or so years of Japanese colonisation. And Kim (whatever he was) and the S Korean leader were close to being very much the same. Agree about the border, but I don't think many moved North.
In Ukraine there are some at least who still consider themselves Russian.
The conflict certainly has elements of a Civil War about it, as there are many families who have members in Russia and in Ukraine.
It just makes it all the sadder, and shows what a terrible tragedy this is for both Russia and Ukraine.
'Ok guys, jus' spitballing here, but what if we try tunnels again, only in a different place?'
'Genius, trebles all round!'
Great! They work in Norway and the Faroes. Once again the UK is backwards when it comes to infrastructure.
How many Islands?.... How many tunnels?
Compared to a few ferries now and again?
Tunnels are always going to be better than ferries, due to not having to worry about the weather. Which is why the Greenwich foot tunnel was built during the reign of Queen Victoria.
I don't see any particular reason why the Orkney and Shetland Islands shouldn't follow the Faroes in having tunnels between some of the islands.
There's a tunnel in Greenwich that's only 30cm long?
Rotherhithe tunnel was earlier IIRC. Brunel sen and jun innit.
I've walked through the Greenwich and Woolwich tunnels. Not Rotherhithe, yet.
IIRC Rotherhithe might be tricky to walk through without being fried by accident. It was converted to a Tube line at some point, though I've been on the train through it. Not sure about current situation with all the changes.
The air quality is terrible, driving with windows open would make me feel ill, so it would be a terrible place to walk. I have seen the odd pedestrian but that is probably once every 50 trips. Cyclists are also fairly rare but a disaster to traffic flow as the exits are longish and uphill and nowhere to overtake them so one cyclist will add several minutes to a couple of hundred cars.
I am glad from a political view that Labour now seem to have a popular view on the whole trans debate but I am going to be totally honest when I say, it doesn't impact how I vote and I don't know anyone else who it does either.
I can't believe there is somebody that goes, that CoL crisis is terrible and I am struggling to eat but those trans policies are a bridge too far, Tory for me. Am I wrong?
Ah, I see you're missing the point of the focus on the inability or unwillingness to define a woman.
More that you are missing the point that aside from the hyper partisan and the political zealots nobody else cares.
Its a fascinating bit of political bubble projection that people may be made poorer and may be fed up with the government's massive failings but can't vote Labour because of something one of them said about what a woman us.
Politics was much more fun when the grown ups were on both sides. Could have genuine policy debates. Now its more like having to explain to the other side very excited by lady cocks that their issue is very small and the voters are far away.
I’m not sure telling them they are “very small” is the best choice of phrase
Yeah, is he saying that lady dicks are not as big as mens'?
reactionary bilge.
Nothing reactionary about it. A clitoris is definitely smaller than a penis...
My latest is on shift in mood on the war. Russia advancing. Ukrainians nervous about western support. West looking more divided and uncertain. But - big picture - things still going really badly for Putin. West needs to keep its nerve and concentration
'Ok guys, jus' spitballing here, but what if we try tunnels again, only in a different place?'
'Genius, trebles all round!'
Great! They work in Norway and the Faroes. Once again the UK is backwards when it comes to infrastructure.
How many Islands?.... How many tunnels?
Compared to a few ferries now and again?
Tunnels are always going to be better than ferries, due to not having to worry about the weather. Which is why the Greenwich foot tunnel was built during the reign of Queen Victoria.
I don't see any particular reason why the Orkney and Shetland Islands shouldn't follow the Faroes in having tunnels between some of the islands.
There's a tunnel in Greenwich that's only 30cm long?
Rotherhithe tunnel was earlier IIRC. Brunel sen and jun innit.
I've walked through the Greenwich and Woolwich tunnels. Not Rotherhithe, yet.
IIRC Rotherhithe might be tricky to walk through without being fried by accident. It was converted to a Tube line at some point, though I've been on the train through it. Not sure about current situation with all the changes.
The air quality is terrible, driving with windows open would make me feel ill, so it would be a terrible place to walk. I have seen the odd pedestrian but that is probably once every 50 trips. Cyclists are also fairly rare but a disaster to traffic flow as the exits are longish and uphill and nowhere to overtake them so one cyclist will add several minutes to a couple of hundred cars.
The Rotherhithe tunnel is one place where cyclists should definitely be on the pavement.
'Ok guys, jus' spitballing here, but what if we try tunnels again, only in a different place?'
'Genius, trebles all round!'
Great! They work in Norway and the Faroes. Once again the UK is backwards when it comes to infrastructure.
How many Islands?.... How many tunnels?
Compared to a few ferries now and again?
Tunnels are always going to be better than ferries, due to not having to worry about the weather. Which is why the Greenwich foot tunnel was built during the reign of Queen Victoria.
I don't see any particular reason why the Orkney and Shetland Islands shouldn't follow the Faroes in having tunnels between some of the islands.
I'd say that the people suggesting it are short term political kite flyers rather than strategic planners, so a good reason for it almost definitely not happening (though not a bad idea per se).
Makes fair sense for the Shetland main island axis; though one would want to check how deeply glaciated the lateral troughs were. Orkney is more scattered, and the Churchill Barriers already connect the main ring around Scapa, apart from Hoy. A tunnel to the mainland would make some sense, esp if from Hoy to Thurso (and back to Stromness). But I don't think the UK boosters are really thinking: rail tunnels across the Dornoch Firth, Cromarty Firth (from Invergordon) and Kessock Narrows would be a huge improvement all round.
For that matter a rail tunnel under the Firth of Forth to relieve capacity and fatigue loading on the Forth Bridge. There will have been enough studies done for the Queensferry Crossing, and as the Scots generally seem to deliver most such projects on time and within budget (rail electrification, Q. Crossing) in marked contrast to the DfT, it could be quite promising.
"and as the Scots generally seem to deliver most such projects on time and within budget"
The response to this is "restore Imperial measurements". In otherwords, impose further costs on the UK economy for no economic gain whatsoever. Basically no one under the age of 60 has been taught the rules of the Imperial system, it is the kind of nostalgia that allows people in the their fifties to talk about the Second World War as though they had anything to do with it. This is a government that thinks going back to the 70s or even the 50s is the solution to their political ills.
Britian has got to escape this absurdity. The nostalgia trap will see us relegated to the lowest economic leagues. The fact that Johnson is doing it to try to save his own worthless political life is simply contemptible.
Allowing imperial measurements doesn't impose any costs at all because nobody is obliged to use them if they don't want to.
What's absurd is not giving up on imposing metric conformity but the hysterical reactions of people who engage in this kind of national psychoanalysis. What you're doing is not all that far removed from Maria Zakharova condemning Ukraine for wanting to claim borscht for itself.
What is absurd is banging on about it as though it is an important subject for government to intervene on, but that is what populist apologists for Johnson are doing.
TBOBS - "Tangible Benefits of Brexit" - are so thin on the ground, though, that one has to take what one can get. In this case the visceral thrill of being able to buy a pound of King Edwards.
'Ok guys, jus' spitballing here, but what if we try tunnels again, only in a different place?'
'Genius, trebles all round!'
Great! They work in Norway and the Faroes. Once again the UK is backwards when it comes to infrastructure.
How many Islands?.... How many tunnels?
Compared to a few ferries now and again?
Tunnels are always going to be better than ferries, due to not having to worry about the weather. Which is why the Greenwich foot tunnel was built during the reign of Queen Victoria.
I don't see any particular reason why the Orkney and Shetland Islands shouldn't follow the Faroes in having tunnels between some of the islands.
I'd say that the people suggesting it are short term political kite flyers rather than strategic planners, so a good reason for it almost definitely not happening (though not a bad idea per se).
Makes fair sense for the Shetland main island axis; though one would want to check how deeply glaciated the lateral troughs were. Orkney is more scattered, and the Churchill Barriers already connect the main ring around Scapa, apart from Hoy. A tunnel to the mainland would make some sense, esp if from Hoy to Thurso (and back to Stromness). But I don't think the UK boosters are really thinking: rail tunnels across the Dornoch Firth, Cromarty Firth (from Invergordon) and Kessock Narrows would be a huge improvement all round.
For that matter a rail tunnel under the Firth of Forth to relieve capacity and fatigue loading on the Forth Bridge. There will have been enough studies done for the Queensferry Crossing, and as the Scots generally seem to deliver most such projects on time and within budget (rail electrification, Q. Crossing) in marked contrast to the DfT, it could be quite promising.
"and as the Scots generally seem to deliver most such projects on time and within budget"
I am glad from a political view that Labour now seem to have a popular view on the whole trans debate but I am going to be totally honest when I say, it doesn't impact how I vote and I don't know anyone else who it does either.
I can't believe there is somebody that goes, that CoL crisis is terrible and I am struggling to eat but those trans policies are a bridge too far, Tory for me. Am I wrong?
Ah, I see you're missing the point of the focus on the inability or unwillingness to define a woman.
More that you are missing the point that aside from the hyper partisan and the political zealots nobody else cares.
Its a fascinating bit of political bubble projection that people may be made poorer and may be fed up with the government's massive failings but can't vote Labour because of something one of them said about what a woman us.
Politics was much more fun when the grown ups were on both sides. Could have genuine policy debates. Now its more like having to explain to the other side very excited by lady cocks that their issue is very small and the voters are far away.
I’m not sure telling them they are “very small” is the best choice of phrase
Yeah, is he saying that lady dicks are not as big as mens'?
reactionary bilge.
Nothing reactionary about it. A clitoris is definitely smaller than a penis...
It is this kind of educational detail that draws us to PB.
The 60 Conservative MPs most at risk of losing their seat to Labour - many of whom represent 'red wall' seats - are strikingly more loyal to Johnson. Will this change if Labour win the Wakefield by-election? https://twitter.com/joe_armitage/status/1531233048779493378/photo/1
So the French are blaming the Liverpool supporters
The French and quite a few on pb are blaming the Liverpool supporters.
I’ll go with Mr @TheScreamingEagles and his story. He’s not really your average football fan, was there with the prawn sandwich brigade and arrived in plenty of time to collect tickets and enter the ground. Yet still came across a lot of trouble, that appeared to be mostly the result of poor organisation and policing rather than behaviour of fans.
Firstly, can someone kindly explain to the hard of thinking that tunnels costing billions are not a better idea than a few ferries costing millions and paid for by private companies like Stena?
Secondly, a live WW1 grenade has washed up on a beach in Belfast Lough. The nearest ammo dump is Beauforts Dyke (nearly 1000ft deep) 30 miles to the east. There is supposed to be about 1 million tonnes of unexploded ordinance down there. A few years back it was mustard gas washing up...
That is the location of the proposed Boris bridge / tunnel
'Ok guys, jus' spitballing here, but what if we try tunnels again, only in a different place?'
'Genius, trebles all round!'
Great! They work in Norway and the Faroes. Once again the UK is backwards when it comes to infrastructure.
How many Islands?.... How many tunnels?
Compared to a few ferries now and again?
Tunnels are always going to be better than ferries, due to not having to worry about the weather. Which is why the Greenwich foot tunnel was built during the reign of Queen Victoria.
I don't see any particular reason why the Orkney and Shetland Islands shouldn't follow the Faroes in having tunnels between some of the islands.
I'd say that the people suggesting it are short term political kite flyers rather than strategic planners, so a good reason for it almost definitely not happening (though not a bad idea per se).
Makes fair sense for the Shetland main island axis; though one would want to check how deeply glaciated the lateral troughs were. Orkney is more scattered, and the Churchill Barriers already connect the main ring around Scapa, apart from Hoy. A tunnel to the mainland would make some sense, esp if from Hoy to Thurso (and back to Stromness). But I don't think the UK boosters are really thinking: rail tunnels across the Dornoch Firth, Cromarty Firth (from Invergordon) and Kessock Narrows would be a huge improvement all round.
For that matter a rail tunnel under the Firth of Forth to relieve capacity and fatigue loading on the Forth Bridge. There will have been enough studies done for the Queensferry Crossing, and as the Scots generally seem to deliver most such projects on time and within budget (rail electrification, Q. Crossing) in marked contrast to the DfT, it could be quite promising.
"and as the Scots generally seem to deliver most such projects on time and within budget"
The unfinished ferries at Ferguson's say "hi".
I said 'most'.
True. But "most" is working pretty hard!
Especially given the roads. (I believe the project to dual the A96 from Inverness to Aberdeen has been scrapped despite millions spent on consultancy and prep.)
'Ok guys, jus' spitballing here, but what if we try tunnels again, only in a different place?'
'Genius, trebles all round!'
Well at least they seem to have rejected overwater tunnels.
Or 'almost but not quite breaking the surface' tunnels, which seemed to be mooted for the Johnson Crossing to NI at one time.
The Conwy tunnel was sunk from the surface (an "immersed tube" as it is called officially), although admittedly the bottom is not 300m down...
I remember being at a meeting when the construction of the Conwy tunnel was being discussed, and a member of the public asked why the tubes would not just float up to the surface of the river
The engineer spoke at great length to explain why this was impossible, while everyone else buried their head in their hands
So the French are blaming the Liverpool supporters
The French and quite a few on pb are blaming the Liverpool supporters.
I saw nothing yesterday to suggest Liverpool supporters behaved badly and remember I have been a Man Utd supporter for near 70 years
I've go to say I've always found Liverpool supporters to be fairly genial. Nothing like, say, going to Oldham or Birmingham City where you get the impression that'd they definitely kick the snot of you given half a chance.
Joe Armitage @joe_armitage The 39 Conservative MPs most at risk of losing their seats to the Lib Dems at the next election pose the greatest risk to Johnson. 7 have already submitted letters of no confidence and a lot are wavering.
Some old nonsense just came through on Twitter. Is it true that Johnson went pro- Leave because the Telegraph threatened to remove his £275,000 pa hobble if he did not?
So the cost of Brexit was £275,000 pa. Let's put that on the side of a bus.
Conservative MPs get rid of this appalling man.
Interesting if true. It might be that the famous two articles were actually an earlier and later draft. Boris submitted the Remain version, but then his masters at the Telegraph told him 'If you think we're publishing this crap you've got another thing coming. Do it again.' It certainly doesn't seem beyond the realms of possibility.
I am glad from a political view that Labour now seem to have a popular view on the whole trans debate but I am going to be totally honest when I say, it doesn't impact how I vote and I don't know anyone else who it does either.
I can't believe there is somebody that goes, that CoL crisis is terrible and I am struggling to eat but those trans policies are a bridge too far, Tory for me. Am I wrong?
Ah, I see you're missing the point of the focus on the inability or unwillingness to define a woman.
More that you are missing the point that aside from the hyper partisan and the political zealots nobody else cares.
Its a fascinating bit of political bubble projection that people may be made poorer and may be fed up with the government's massive failings but can't vote Labour because of something one of them said about what a woman us.
Politics was much more fun when the grown ups were on both sides. Could have genuine policy debates. Now its more like having to explain to the other side very excited by lady cocks that their issue is very small and the voters are far away.
I’m not sure telling them they are “very small” is the best choice of phrase
Yeah, is he saying that lady dicks are not as big as mens'?
reactionary bilge.
Nothing reactionary about it. A clitoris is definitely smaller than a penis...
Mrs C, you're right that Johnson is an imbecile but bad energy policy has happened under three parties. I still remember a year or two ago we had micro-breaks in power supply, which was just fantastic for me (working online).
Some old nonsense just came through on Twitter. Is it true that Johnson went pro- Leave because the Telegraph threatened to remove his £275,000 pa hobble if he did not?
So the cost of Brexit was £275,000 pa. Let's put that on the side of a bus.
Conservative MPs get rid of this appalling man.
I want Boris gone, but not because of Brexit, or covid which he was ahead of the game opening the economy, or indeed Ukraine where he has at least supported Ukraine while Germany and France prevaricate
I want him out for partygate and his arrogance in putting his mps and his party in disarray for his own selfish ego
Conservative mps just have to remove him
The point being made was that Johnson instinctively went with the Leave side, not because he believed it to be in the UK's interests but to save his £275,000 sideline.
I would question both your Covid (except for the swift roll out of vaccines) and Ukraine analysis. For the large part I would put both down to spin.
The response to this is "restore Imperial measurements". In otherwords, impose further costs on the UK economy for no economic gain whatsoever. Basically no one under the age of 60 has been taught the rules of the Imperial system, it is the kind of nostalgia that allows people in the their fifties to talk about the Second World War as though they had anything to do with it. This is a government that thinks going back to the 70s or even the 50s is the solution to their political ills.
Britian has got to escape this absurdity. The nostalgia trap will see us relegated to the lowest economic leagues. The fact that Johnson is doing it to try to save his own worthless political life is simply contemptible.
Allowing imperial measurements doesn't impose any costs at all because nobody is obliged to use them if they don't want to.
What's absurd is not giving up on imposing metric conformity but the hysterical reactions of people who engage in this kind of national psychoanalysis. What you're doing is not all that far removed from Maria Zakharova condemning Ukraine for wanting to claim borscht for itself.
What is absurd is banging on about it as though it is an important subject for government to intervene on, but that is what populist apologists for Johnson are doing.
TBOBS - "Tangible Benefits of Brexit" - are so thin on the ground, though, that one has to take what one can get. In this case the visceral thrill of being able to buy a pound of King Edwards.
Ah, but it's the IBOBS that count. The Intangible Benefits of Brexit
Being a free man in a free country. Walking tall, like an American citizen in 1779, inhaling the pure forest air of independence.
We now own our mistakes. Boris Johnson might well be one of them. So we hurl him out of office. We cannot do that to Ursula of the Lying, the Unilateral Imposer of Article 16, but we don't have to worry any more, she has no power over us. We are free
In time, Intangible Benefits like Freedom and Independence tend to turn into Tangible Benefits. But it can take a while (Ireland took at least sixty years), so: brace
Joe Armitage @joe_armitage The 39 Conservative MPs most at risk of losing their seats to the Lib Dems at the next election pose the greatest risk to Johnson. 7 have already submitted letters of no confidence and a lot are wavering.
I am glad from a political view that Labour now seem to have a popular view on the whole trans debate but I am going to be totally honest when I say, it doesn't impact how I vote and I don't know anyone else who it does either.
I can't believe there is somebody that goes, that CoL crisis is terrible and I am struggling to eat but those trans policies are a bridge too far, Tory for me. Am I wrong?
Ah, I see you're missing the point of the focus on the inability or unwillingness to define a woman.
More that you are missing the point that aside from the hyper partisan and the political zealots nobody else cares.
Its a fascinating bit of political bubble projection that people may be made poorer and may be fed up with the government's massive failings but can't vote Labour because of something one of them said about what a woman us.
Politics was much more fun when the grown ups were on both sides. Could have genuine policy debates. Now its more like having to explain to the other side very excited by lady cocks that their issue is very small and the voters are far away.
I’m not sure telling them they are “very small” is the best choice of phrase
Yeah, is he saying that lady dicks are not as big as mens'?
reactionary bilge.
Nothing reactionary about it. A clitoris is definitely smaller than a penis...
I am glad from a political view that Labour now seem to have a popular view on the whole trans debate but I am going to be totally honest when I say, it doesn't impact how I vote and I don't know anyone else who it does either.
I can't believe there is somebody that goes, that CoL crisis is terrible and I am struggling to eat but those trans policies are a bridge too far, Tory for me. Am I wrong?
Ah, I see you're missing the point of the focus on the inability or unwillingness to define a woman.
More that you are missing the point that aside from the hyper partisan and the political zealots nobody else cares.
Its a fascinating bit of political bubble projection that people may be made poorer and may be fed up with the government's massive failings but can't vote Labour because of something one of them said about what a woman us.
Politics was much more fun when the grown ups were on both sides. Could have genuine policy debates. Now its more like having to explain to the other side very excited by lady cocks that their issue is very small and the voters are far away.
I’m not sure telling them they are “very small” is the best choice of phrase
Yeah, is he saying that lady dicks are not as big as mens'?
reactionary bilge.
Nothing reactionary about it. A clitoris is definitely smaller than a penis...
You think?
"The bit of the clitoris that can be seen is about the size of a pea. However, in total, the clitoris can be as long as 5 inches (12 cm) long! Not sounding so small now, huh? While we’re on the subject of size, did you know that in early fetal development, the penis and the clitoris actually start out the same? They form into the different sexual organs around week nine of pregnancy."
The 60 Conservative MPs most at risk of losing their seat to Labour - many of whom represent 'red wall' seats - are strikingly more loyal to Johnson. Will this change if Labour win the Wakefield by-election? https://twitter.com/joe_armitage/status/1531233048779493378/photo/1
Unsurprising in a lot of ways. Without Brexit Boris, they have got good reason to think that they wouldn't have got over the line in 2019.
Boris did that by telling them a pile of porkies, but he's still the best hope that MPs in Red Wall marginals have. And the longer they stick by their man, the sillier they would look if they dropped him.
For some, the point of no return may have passed already.
Mrs C, you're right that Johnson is an imbecile but bad energy policy has happened under three parties. I still remember a year or two ago we had micro-breaks in power supply, which was just fantastic for me (working online).
And will continue. An uninterruptible power supply wouldn't be the worst investment you could make
Some old nonsense just came through on Twitter. Is it true that Johnson went pro- Leave because the Telegraph threatened to remove his £275,000 pa hobble if he did not?
So the cost of Brexit was £275,000 pa. Let's put that on the side of a bus.
Conservative MPs get rid of this appalling man.
I want Boris gone, but not because of Brexit, or covid which he was ahead of the game opening the economy, or indeed Ukraine where he has at least supported Ukraine while Germany and France prevaricate
I want him out for partygate and his arrogance in putting his mps and his party in disarray for his own selfish ego
Conservative mps just have to remove him
While I agree with this, I think even a fairly glancing blow at the vote of confidence will eventually finish Boris off. While he absolutely strikes me as the sort of man who would carry on Black Knight style if he won by a single vote, I think he cares about his place in history and would change his mind sooner or later to avoid the historic humiliation of either
a) being removed in disgrace at a subsequent VOC after the local election annihilation next year; b) losing repeated votes in the HoC - after all he would clearly not have majority support there; c) losing his seat as the Tories get smashed at the next election.
Nobody would want to hear chants of "Are you May in disguise?" Even Theresa May might be chanting that soon...
Some old nonsense just came through on Twitter. Is it true that Johnson went pro- Leave because the Telegraph threatened to remove his £275,000 pa hobble if he did not?
So the cost of Brexit was £275,000 pa. Let's put that on the side of a bus.
Conservative MPs get rid of this appalling man.
I want Boris gone, but not because of Brexit, or covid which he was ahead of the game opening the economy, or indeed Ukraine where he has at least supported Ukraine while Germany and France prevaricate
I want him out for partygate and his arrogance in putting his mps and his party in disarray for his own selfish ego
Conservative mps just have to remove him
The point being made was that Johnson instinctively went with the Leave side, not because he believed it to be in the UK's interests but to save his £275,000 sideline.
I would question both your Covid (except for the swift roll out of vaccines) and Ukraine analysis. For the large part I would put both down to spin.
I would put it down to our different political outlook but we both agree he needs to go
And the EU are yet again failing to agree on Russian sanctions apparently
Jo Maugham @JolyonMaugham · 22h If anyone would care to share a copy of the unredacted Sue Gray report with us - our Threema is on our website - we will consider whether we can bring a private prosecution for misconduct in public office.
Do Britons believe the Gov't is currently taking the right measures to address the cost-of-living crisis?
Yes 16% No 70%
Do Britons believe a Gov't led by the Labour Party would currently be taking the right measures to address the cost-of-living crisis?
Yes 36% No 36%
It would be interesting to see the entrails
My guess is the answer for the Tories is most of their opponents plus a % of their voters (with opponents from both ends)say no.
For Labour mist of their supporters will give them the benefit of the doubt
In short I’m not sure this polling is particularly illuminating
I'd maybe just see it as further evidence that Labour are closing off one of the big trad reasons they lose elections - not trusted on the economy cf the Cons.
Joe Armitage @joe_armitage The 39 Conservative MPs most at risk of losing their seats to the Lib Dems at the next election pose the greatest risk to Johnson. 7 have already submitted letters of no confidence and a lot are wavering.
So the French are blaming the Liverpool supporters
The French and quite a few on pb are blaming the Liverpool supporters.
I’ll go with Mr @TheScreamingEagles and his story. He’s not really your average football fan, was there with the prawn sandwich brigade and arrived in plenty of time to collect tickets and enter the ground. Yet still came across a lot of trouble, that appeared to be mostly the result of poor organisation and policing rather than behaviour of fans.
Crucially, @TheScreamingEagles also reported that his bona-fide ticket was initially condemned as fake by French officials, so we should perhaps take with a further pinch of salt any claims of large numbers of tickets were counterfeit, even if some were.
Some old nonsense just came through on Twitter. Is it true that Johnson went pro- Leave because the Telegraph threatened to remove his £275,000 pa hobble if he did not?
So the cost of Brexit was £275,000 pa. Let's put that on the side of a bus.
Conservative MPs get rid of this appalling man.
Interesting if true. It might be that the famous two articles were actually an earlier and later draft. Boris submitted the Remain version, but then his masters at the Telegraph told him 'If you think we're publishing this crap you've got another thing coming. Do it again.' It certainly doesn't seem beyond the realms of possibility.
Surely "he thought it was his best chance of becoming PM" is more likely?
Some old nonsense just came through on Twitter. Is it true that Johnson went pro- Leave because the Telegraph threatened to remove his £275,000 pa hobble if he did not?
So the cost of Brexit was £275,000 pa. Let's put that on the side of a bus.
Conservative MPs get rid of this appalling man.
I want Boris gone, but not because of Brexit, or covid which he was ahead of the game opening the economy, or indeed Ukraine where he has at least supported Ukraine while Germany and France prevaricate
I want him out for partygate and his arrogance in putting his mps and his party in disarray for his own selfish ego
Conservative mps just have to remove him
The point being made was that Johnson instinctively went with the Leave side, not because he believed it to be in the UK's interests but to save his £275,000 sideline.
I would question both your Covid (except for the swift roll out of vaccines) and Ukraine analysis. For the large part I would put both down to spin.
You seem to have now accepted it as fact, but you had answered your own question in your original comment.
The response to this is "restore Imperial measurements". In otherwords, impose further costs on the UK economy for no economic gain whatsoever. Basically no one under the age of 60 has been taught the rules of the Imperial system, it is the kind of nostalgia that allows people in the their fifties to talk about the Second World War as though they had anything to do with it. This is a government that thinks going back to the 70s or even the 50s is the solution to their political ills.
Britian has got to escape this absurdity. The nostalgia trap will see us relegated to the lowest economic leagues. The fact that Johnson is doing it to try to save his own worthless political life is simply contemptible.
Allowing imperial measurements doesn't impose any costs at all because nobody is obliged to use them if they don't want to.
What's absurd is not giving up on imposing metric conformity but the hysterical reactions of people who engage in this kind of national psychoanalysis. What you're doing is not all that far removed from Maria Zakharova condemning Ukraine for wanting to claim borscht for itself.
What is absurd is banging on about it as though it is an important subject for government to intervene on, but that is what populist apologists for Johnson are doing.
TBOBS - "Tangible Benefits of Brexit" - are so thin on the ground, though, that one has to take what one can get. In this case the visceral thrill of being able to buy a pound of King Edwards.
Ah, but it's the IBOBS that count. The Intangible Benefits of Brexit
Being a free man in a free country. Walking tall, like an American citizen in 1779, inhaling the pure forest air of independence.
We now own our mistakes. Boris Johnson might well be one of them. So we hurl him out of office. We cannot do that to Ursula of the Lying, the Unilateral Imposer of Article 16, but we don't have to worry any more, she has no power over us. We are free
In time, Intangible Benefits like Freedom and Independence tend to turn into Tangible Benefits. But it can take a while (Ireland took at least sixty years), so: brace
That thing where you start out reading a contribution imagining it is satirical, and then about three quarters of the way through you realise that the poster is actually serious, and you check who posted it, and yes it is Leon.
'Ok guys, jus' spitballing here, but what if we try tunnels again, only in a different place?'
'Genius, trebles all round!'
Great! They work in Norway and the Faroes. Once again the UK is backwards when it comes to infrastructure.
How many Islands?.... How many tunnels?
Compared to a few ferries now and again?
Tunnels are always going to be better than ferries, due to not having to worry about the weather. Which is why the Greenwich foot tunnel was built during the reign of Queen Victoria.
I don't see any particular reason why the Orkney and Shetland Islands shouldn't follow the Faroes in having tunnels between some of the islands.
I'd say that the people suggesting it are short term political kite flyers rather than strategic planners, so a good reason for it almost definitely not happening (though not a bad idea per se).
Makes fair sense for the Shetland main island axis; though one would want to check how deeply glaciated the lateral troughs were. Orkney is more scattered, and the Churchill Barriers already connect the main ring around Scapa, apart from Hoy. A tunnel to the mainland would make some sense, esp if from Hoy to Thurso (and back to Stromness). But I don't think the UK boosters are really thinking: rail tunnels across the Dornoch Firth, Cromarty Firth (from Invergordon) and Kessock Narrows would be a huge improvement all round.
For that matter a rail tunnel under the Firth of Forth to relieve capacity and fatigue loading on the Forth Bridge. There will have been enough studies done for the Queensferry Crossing, and as the Scots generally seem to deliver most such projects on time and within budget (rail electrification, Q. Crossing) in marked contrast to the DfT, it could be quite promising.
"and as the Scots generally seem to deliver most such projects on time and within budget"
So the French are blaming the Liverpool supporters
The French and quite a few on pb are blaming the Liverpool supporters.
I saw nothing yesterday to suggest Liverpool supporters behaved badly and remember I have been a Man Utd supporter for near 70 years
I've go to say I've always found Liverpool supporters to be fairly genial. Nothing like, say, going to Oldham or Birmingham City where you get the impression that'd they definitely kick the snot of you given half a chance.
Although in the Shankly era they pioneered the practice of pissing on the terraces. Per my dad. No link or anything peer reviewed.
The response to this is "restore Imperial measurements". In otherwords, impose further costs on the UK economy for no economic gain whatsoever. Basically no one under the age of 60 has been taught the rules of the Imperial system, it is the kind of nostalgia that allows people in the their fifties to talk about the Second World War as though they had anything to do with it. This is a government that thinks going back to the 70s or even the 50s is the solution to their political ills.
Britian has got to escape this absurdity. The nostalgia trap will see us relegated to the lowest economic leagues. The fact that Johnson is doing it to try to save his own worthless political life is simply contemptible.
Allowing imperial measurements doesn't impose any costs at all because nobody is obliged to use them if they don't want to.
What's absurd is not giving up on imposing metric conformity but the hysterical reactions of people who engage in this kind of national psychoanalysis. What you're doing is not all that far removed from Maria Zakharova condemning Ukraine for wanting to claim borscht for itself.
What is absurd is banging on about it as though it is an important subject for government to intervene on, but that is what populist apologists for Johnson are doing.
TBOBS - "Tangible Benefits of Brexit" - are so thin on the ground, though, that one has to take what one can get. In this case the visceral thrill of being able to buy a pound of King Edwards.
Ah, but it's the IBOBS that count. The Intangible Benefits of Brexit
Being a free man in a free country. Walking tall, like an American citizen in 1779, inhaling the pure forest air of independence.
We now own our mistakes. Boris Johnson might well be one of them. So we hurl him out of office. We cannot do that to Ursula of the Lying, the Unilateral Imposer of Article 16, but we don't have to worry any more, she has no power over us. We are free
In time, Intangible Benefits like Freedom and Independence tend to turn into Tangible Benefits. But it can take a while (Ireland took at least sixty years), so: brace
We were perfectly free before you plonker. Otherwise how did we manage to decide for ourselves to have the referendum Duh!
The response to this is "restore Imperial measurements". In otherwords, impose further costs on the UK economy for no economic gain whatsoever. Basically no one under the age of 60 has been taught the rules of the Imperial system, it is the kind of nostalgia that allows people in the their fifties to talk about the Second World War as though they had anything to do with it. This is a government that thinks going back to the 70s or even the 50s is the solution to their political ills.
Britian has got to escape this absurdity. The nostalgia trap will see us relegated to the lowest economic leagues. The fact that Johnson is doing it to try to save his own worthless political life is simply contemptible.
Allowing imperial measurements doesn't impose any costs at all because nobody is obliged to use them if they don't want to.
What's absurd is not giving up on imposing metric conformity but the hysterical reactions of people who engage in this kind of national psychoanalysis. What you're doing is not all that far removed from Maria Zakharova condemning Ukraine for wanting to claim borscht for itself.
What is absurd is banging on about it as though it is an important subject for government to intervene on, but that is what populist apologists for Johnson are doing.
TBOBS - "Tangible Benefits of Brexit" - are so thin on the ground, though, that one has to take what one can get. In this case the visceral thrill of being able to buy a pound of King Edwards.
Ah, but it's the IBOBS that count. The Intangible Benefits of Brexit
Being a free man in a free country. Walking tall, like an American citizen in 1779, inhaling the pure forest air of independence.
We now own our mistakes. Boris Johnson might well be one of them. So we hurl him out of office. We cannot do that to Ursula of the Lying, the Unilateral Imposer of Article 16, but we don't have to worry any more, she has no power over us. We are free
In time, Intangible Benefits like Freedom and Independence tend to turn into Tangible Benefits. But it can take a while (Ireland took at least sixty years), so: brace
That thing where you start out reading a contribution imagining it is satirical, and then about three quarters of the way through you realise that the poster is actually serious, and you check who posted it, and yes it is Leon.
Comments
https://twitter.com/tobiaschneider/status/1531204031426793474
The gist is that the actual source of all the information anyone's sharing is Twitter, where the authoritative-sounding accounts consist of say 10% professional analysts, 20% knowledgeable obsessives and 70% people who know nothing but want to sound like they do. If you use Twitter carefully you can get a pretty good idea which is which, but journalists can't quote the anonymous Donbas nerd with a dog avatar who's telling you what's actually going on, so instead they go to an official government source. And the official government source is some kid who knows little enough not to be busy with anything else, and he's going on twitter and briefing the journalists based on the 70% who know nothing.
Joe Armitage
@joe_armitage
The 39 Conservative MPs most at risk of losing their seats to the Lib Dems at the next election pose the greatest risk to Johnson. 7 have already submitted letters of no confidence and a lot are wavering.
https://twitter.com/joe_armitage/status/1531170019006201856
My guess is the answer for the Tories is most of their opponents plus a % of their voters (with opponents from both ends)say no.
For Labour mist of their supporters will give them the benefit of the doubt
In short I’m not sure this polling is particularly illuminating
So the cost of Brexit was £275,000 pa. Let's put that on the side of a bus.
Conservative MPs get rid of this appalling man.
One can easily see him declaring job partly done and graciously stating he's willing to ceasefire at that point. Hopefully Ukraine can recover to a strong enough position they are not left with no option but to accept that. Once gone the areas will be gone forever if 'ceasefire' creates a new line.
As to your last point, that might be true of the border - it certainly isn't true of the people, as there was huge displacement of population in both directions.
Ukraine, in contrast is quite simply an invasion by a hostile power.
Relying on a prefix makes it easier to get wrong. Particularly when the two prefixes are just the same letter in different languages.
Not that I would advocate for grains as an alternative.
It wouldn't surprise me were he to have a ditch digging machine in one of his barns.
reactionary bilge.
https://www.ianvisits.co.uk/articles/walking-through-a-tunnel-under-the-thames-part-1-11764/
IIRC Rotherhithe might be tricky to walk through without being fried by accident. It was converted to a Tube line at some point, though I've been on the train through it. Not sure about current situation with all the changes.
Agree about the border, but I don't think many moved North.
In Ukraine there are some at least who still consider themselves Russian.
even if it wasn't, deserves Oscar for Best Title.
Firstly, can someone kindly explain to the hard of thinking that tunnels costing billions are not a better idea than a few ferries costing millions and paid for by private companies like Stena?
Secondly, a live WW1 grenade has washed up on a beach in Belfast Lough. The nearest ammo dump is Beauforts Dyke (nearly 1000ft deep) 30 miles to the east. There is supposed to be about 1 million tonnes of unexploded ordinance down there. A few years back it was mustard gas washing up...
That is the location of the proposed Boris bridge / tunnel
https://www.belfasttelegraph.co.uk/news/northern-ireland/ww1-grenade-found-by-child-on-co-down-beach-capable-of-exploding-41700008.html
I want him out for partygate and his arrogance in putting his mps and his party in disarray for his own selfish ego
Conservative mps just have to remove him
It just makes it all the sadder, and shows what a terrible tragedy this is for both Russia and Ukraine.
If we do get rationed electricity then shutting down those gas and coal power stations isn't going to look very smart.
https://twitter.com/gideonrachman/status/1531221980929789953
The unfinished ferries at Ferguson's say "hi".
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zp3iBQKxk3g
Especially given the roads. (I believe the project to dual the A96 from Inverness to Aberdeen has been scrapped despite millions spent on consultancy and prep.)
The engineer spoke at great length to explain why this was impossible, while everyone else buried their head in their hands
you want to justify Klopp telling the cokeheads to go to Paris without tickets?
The temporary timetable means fewer options for fans going to/from Glasgow before & after the game.
The last train to Edinburgh from Glasgow Queen St is 2215, on which those attending the match will be unable to travel.
https://twitter.com/ScotRail/status/1531232092662779905
I would question both your Covid (except for the swift roll out of vaccines) and Ukraine analysis. For the large part I would put both down to spin.
Being a free man in a free country. Walking tall, like an American citizen in 1779, inhaling the pure forest air of independence.
We now own our mistakes. Boris Johnson might well be one of them. So we hurl him out of office. We cannot do that to Ursula of the Lying, the Unilateral Imposer of Article 16, but we don't have to worry any more, she has no power over us. We are free
In time, Intangible Benefits like Freedom and Independence tend to turn into Tangible Benefits. But it can take a while (Ireland took at least sixty years), so: brace
"The bit of the clitoris that can be seen is about the size of a pea. However, in total, the clitoris can be as long as 5 inches (12 cm) long! Not sounding so small now, huh? While we’re on the subject of size, did you know that in early fetal development, the penis and the clitoris actually start out the same? They form into the different sexual organs around week nine of pregnancy."
https://www.naturalcycles.com/cyclematters/5-facts-about-the-clitoris
More feminist propaganda aimed at making those blokes who STILL can't find it all the worse about life....
(Not that I was ever one of those blokes... 😉 )
Boris did that by telling them a pile of porkies, but he's still the best hope that MPs in Red Wall marginals have. And the longer they stick by their man, the sillier they would look if they dropped him.
For some, the point of no return may have passed already.
a) being removed in disgrace at a subsequent VOC after the local election annihilation next year;
b) losing repeated votes in the HoC - after all he would clearly not have majority support there;
c) losing his seat as the Tories get smashed at the next election.
Nobody would want to hear chants of "Are you May in disguise?" Even Theresa May might be chanting that soon...
And the EU are yet again failing to agree on Russian sanctions apparently
Jo Maugham
@JolyonMaugham
·
22h
If anyone would care to share a copy of the unredacted Sue Gray report with us - our Threema is on our website - we will consider whether we can bring a private prosecution for misconduct in public office.
https://twitter.com/JolyonMaugham/status/1530897762845437953
However, I expect the French will continue to blame Liverpool
French Foreign Minister Catherine Colonna visited Bucha in Kyiv region.
Bucha is a symbol of the russian army's crimes against humanity.
https://twitter.com/arnocast/status/1531223117661618177