I am working out where to go next, after I’ve finished Armenia and Georgia. I’ve kind of had enough of post USSR states, charmingly ramshackle as they are. That said, I am drawn to the Stans, particularly Kyrgyzstan, which looks small enough to see in a week
But where else could I go within striking distance of the Caucasus? I don’t want to double back to europe. Is there anywhere in India that has decent weather in July? Ladakh sounds like it does, but what the hell is Ladakh?!
I always fancied the area around the Tian Shan mountains in Kazakhstan. It is supposed to be where much of our hard fruit - apples, pears etc - originated. Apparently they still have wild apple forests there.
Really anywhere along the old Silk Route looks amazing. I think perhaps Samarkand in Uzbekistan looks the best, both because of its amazing architecture and its almost mythical history.
Yes, the Tien Shan would be on my list too.
Mrs Flatlander had a tutor that spent a lot of time investigating the origins of the domestic apple and he was the first to confirm it had come from there (using early DNA analysis).
Wow that is brilliant. Travelling the Silk Road has always been my life's ambition. When I was a Kid I imagined doing it by horseback. Then when I got to old for such idiocy I decided it would be better by 4WD. Now I wonder if I could do the whole lot by train.
I understand (as in half listened to someone going on about it on radio 4) that the silk road was a bit less glamorous than it sounds because goods didn't typically travel end-to-end in the hands of one merchant. Usual pattern was a series of small steps so you'd go 25 miles down your end of it, sell your stuff and push off home. The guy you had sold to would go a further 25 miles...
No noticeable delay at passport control. Sent straight through without any questions, not even asking to see the Covid passport which they are supposed to AIUI. Had to ask to be stamped in. Maybe travelling with an EU passport holder helped, maybe it's just not as bad as the scare stories being put about.
Commuter train into the city centre: zero masks in evidence. At most half a dozen out of ~200 passengers on the plane (Norwegian abolished their mask rules a while ago and AFAICT doesn't even recommend them).
Travel update: Cambourne.
No noticeable delay in the waiting area (office); however there was a momentary problem on the landing, when I had to stoop down to pick up a couple of empty tea cups. The journey involved two flights (of stairs). I'm afraid the journey was definitely economy class, and I saw no sign of any stewardesses. There was a minor issue at my destination, as my hands were full when I had to pull open the door to the dining room. Some shuffling allowed me through and to the kitchen sink.
And I did not need to show my passport once!
I must say the lack of a stewardess on a flight that was essentially empty (I was the only passenger) is a poor indicator on Jessop Airways. I hear their rail services are better...
Travel update: Somerset.
Two hour queue through border control into the world's best guarded campsite this morning in 23C blazing sunshine.
Lovely weather this afternoon, but very hard to find shade.
Enjoy!
It will get a bit muddy though. 😕
Nah, the ground is too dry and the forecast rain too little. Festival-goers will be fine this year.
The Russians have taken 307,000 Ukrainian children over the border, and are going to give them a three-year 're-education' course. Russians can adopt them with minimal background checks.
*Anyone* who supports Russia in this hideous conflict is supporting evil. I don't care if you like their politics, or take umbrage at the fact the Ukrainians seem to like Boris, or you like anyone who is against us; you are supporting evil.
Another day, another post from Mr Jessop in which he tilts at those Russia-supporting windmills.
Is that the *best* thing you can think to say about the post? With all that horror, and you attack me for posting about it?
In an additional Glastonbury update, I'm wondering if @Leon has decided to come here as I can see this duopoly of flags flying proudly from where I'm sat.
The Russians have taken 307,000 Ukrainian children over the border, and are going to give them a three-year 're-education' course. Russians can adopt them with minimal background checks.
*Anyone* who supports Russia in this hideous conflict is supporting evil. I don't care if you like their politics, or take umbrage at the fact the Ukrainians seem to like Boris, or you like anyone who is against us; you are supporting evil.
Who do you think on here is supporting Russia?
That aside, I have a feeling this could be a very big issue for years to come. It's a heinous action by the Russian authorities. Far worse than the slaughter of innocent civilians in many ways.
Russian total fertility rate hasn't been above 2 since the fall of the Soviet Union, so they now appear to be solving their demographic issues by stealing their neighbours children.
I didn't say on here. I know someone IRL who does - because apparently we're always the bad guys.
The Russians have taken 307,000 Ukrainian children over the border, and are going to give them a three-year 're-education' course. Russians can adopt them with minimal background checks.
*Anyone* who supports Russia in this hideous conflict is supporting evil. I don't care if you like their politics, or take umbrage at the fact the Ukrainians seem to like Boris, or you like anyone who is against us; you are supporting evil.
Who do you think on here is supporting Russia?
That aside, I have a feeling this could be a very big issue for years to come. It's a heinous action by the Russian authorities. Far worse than the slaughter of innocent civilians in many ways.
Russian total fertility rate hasn't been above 2 since the fall of the Soviet Union, so they now appear to be solving their demographic issues by stealing their neighbours children.
It is a colossal and unspeakable war crime, tantamount to a genocide. If they are really doing this, Putin is making the world uninhabitable for Russians for a generation. No one will want to know them. They will be global pariahs
At least genocidal China also builds roads and airports and bridges for poorer countries. Russia exports vodka, death and barbarism
Where does the moniker "Shropshire North" come from? I see it crop up occasionally, but Parliament has it listed as North Shropshire, as does the Electoral Commission, ONS, Ordnance Survey.. and indeed the Parliamentary Constituencies Order (England) 1983 which created it!
To be fair, there are few other forums I'd bother to have this discussion, but the principle seems clear enough:
Borough Constituencies have the compass point afterwards (Walsall North).
County Constituencies (and they don't come much more 'county' than North Shropshire ) have them before.
No noticeable delay at passport control. Sent straight through without any questions, not even asking to see the Covid passport which they are supposed to AIUI. Had to ask to be stamped in. Maybe travelling with an EU passport holder helped, maybe it's just not as bad as the scare stories being put about.
Commuter train into the city centre: zero masks in evidence. At most half a dozen out of ~200 passengers on the plane (Norwegian abolished their mask rules a while ago and AFAICT doesn't even recommend them).
Travel update: Cambourne.
No noticeable delay in the waiting area (office); however there was a momentary problem on the landing, when I had to stoop down to pick up a couple of empty tea cups. The journey involved two flights (of stairs). I'm afraid the journey was definitely economy class, and I saw no sign of any stewardesses. There was a minor issue at my destination, as my hands were full when I had to pull open the door to the dining room. Some shuffling allowed me through and to the kitchen sink.
And I did not need to show my passport once!
I must say the lack of a stewardess on a flight that was essentially empty (I was the only passenger) is a poor indicator on Jessop Airways. I hear their rail services are better...
Travel update: Somerset.
Two hour queue through border control into the world's best guarded campsite this morning in 23C blazing sunshine.
Lovely weather this afternoon, but very hard to find shade.
Enjoy!
It will get a bit muddy though. 😕
Nah, the ground is too dry and the forecast rain too little. Festival-goers will be fine this year.
The Russians have taken 307,000 Ukrainian children over the border, and are going to give them a three-year 're-education' course. Russians can adopt them with minimal background checks.
*Anyone* who supports Russia in this hideous conflict is supporting evil. I don't care if you like their politics, or take umbrage at the fact the Ukrainians seem to like Boris, or you like anyone who is against us; you are supporting evil.
Another day, another post from Mr Jessop in which he tilts at those Russia-supporting windmills.
Is that the *best* thing you can think to say about the post? With all that horror, and you attack me for posting about it?
Yes, because it keeps begging the question, who are these “Russia supporters” that you keep railing against.
I just take it as given that Russia is currently a proto-fascist or full-fat fascist agent of evil. I think pretty much everyone on here does.
Where does the moniker "Shropshire North" come from? I see it crop up occasionally, but Parliament has it listed as North Shropshire, as does the Electoral Commission, ONS, Ordnance Survey.. and indeed the Parliamentary Constituencies Order (England) 1983 which created it!
To be fair, there are few other forums I'd bother to have this discussion, but the principle seems clear enough:
Borough Constituencies have the compass point afterwards (Walsall North).
County Constituencies (and they don't come much more 'county' than North Shropshire ) have them before.
North Durham & NW Durham? Both are county constituencies, and I guess the Durham in question is the county rather than the city? Therefore, that's compliant with the Commons Library article above.
The Russians have taken 307,000 Ukrainian children over the border, and are going to give them a three-year 're-education' course. Russians can adopt them with minimal background checks.
*Anyone* who supports Russia in this hideous conflict is supporting evil. I don't care if you like their politics, or take umbrage at the fact the Ukrainians seem to like Boris, or you like anyone who is against us; you are supporting evil.
Who do you think on here is supporting Russia?
That aside, I have a feeling this could be a very big issue for years to come. It's a heinous action by the Russian authorities. Far worse than the slaughter of innocent civilians in many ways.
Russian total fertility rate hasn't been above 2 since the fall of the Soviet Union, so they now appear to be solving their demographic issues by stealing their neighbours children.
It is a colossal and unspeakable war crime, tantamount to a genocide. If they are really doing this, Putin is making the world uninhabitable for Russians for a generation. No one will want to know them. They will be global pariahs
At least genocidal China also builds roads and airports and bridges for poorer countries. Russia exports vodka, death and barbarism
And, until recently, the gas that stops Europeans freezing to death.
I am working out where to go next, after I’ve finished Armenia and Georgia. I’ve kind of had enough of post USSR states, charmingly ramshackle as they are. That said, I am drawn to the Stans, particularly Kyrgyzstan, which looks small enough to see in a week
But where else could I go within striking distance of the Caucasus? I don’t want to double back to europe. Is there anywhere in India that has decent weather in July? Ladakh sounds like it does, but what the hell is Ladakh?!
I always fancied the area around the Tian Shan mountains in Kazakhstan. It is supposed to be where much of our hard fruit - apples, pears etc - originated. Apparently they still have wild apple forests there.
Really anywhere along the old Silk Route looks amazing. I think perhaps Samarkand in Uzbekistan looks the best, both because of its amazing architecture and its almost mythical history.
Yes, the Tien Shan would be on my list too.
Mrs Flatlander had a tutor that spent a lot of time investigating the origins of the domestic apple and he was the first to confirm it had come from there (using early DNA analysis).
Wow that is brilliant. Travelling the Silk Road has always been my life's ambition. When I was a Kid I imagined doing it by horseback. Then when I got to old for such idiocy I decided it would be better by 4WD. Now I wonder if I could do the whole lot by train.
I understand (as in half listened to someone going on about it on radio 4) that the silk road was a bit less glamorous than it sounds because goods didn't typically travel end-to-end in the hands of one merchant. Usual pattern was a series of small steps so you'd go 25 miles down your end of it, sell your stuff and push off home. The guy you had sold to would go a further 25 miles...
Did anyone think that the average trader went… 5000 miles from Chengdu to Venice?
The Russians have taken 307,000 Ukrainian children over the border, and are going to give them a three-year 're-education' course. Russians can adopt them with minimal background checks.
*Anyone* who supports Russia in this hideous conflict is supporting evil. I don't care if you like their politics, or take umbrage at the fact the Ukrainians seem to like Boris, or you like anyone who is against us; you are supporting evil.
I appreciate your passion against against this sort of thing - I would also appreciate links to sources of information, as is normal on PB when reporting news.
The source is the Russian military.
I wish people would spend less time on the fence demanding 'sources', and more condemning evil when it is right in front of them.....
You are against evil? Good for you, but what is this hectoring nonsense about requiring othe people to condemn it? Why haven't you condemned Herod's murder of the innocents, for instance?
And sources are not 'sources' they are just sources, and a reasonable thing to ask for. A link would probably be even better than 'the Russian military.'
The Russians have taken 307,000 Ukrainian children over the border, and are going to give them a three-year 're-education' course. Russians can adopt them with minimal background checks.
*Anyone* who supports Russia in this hideous conflict is supporting evil. I don't care if you like their politics, or take umbrage at the fact the Ukrainians seem to like Boris, or you like anyone who is against us; you are supporting evil.
Another day, another post from Mr Jessop in which he tilts at those Russia-supporting windmills.
Is that the *best* thing you can think to say about the post? With all that horror, and you attack me for posting about it?
Yes, because it keeps begging the question, who are these “Russia supporters” that you keep railing against.
I just take it as given that Russia is currently a proto-fascist or full-fat fascist agent of evil. I think pretty much everyone on here does.
@Luckyguy1983@NickPalmer and @Roger have all exhibited somewhat pro-Russia or Ukraine-should-lose sympathies, to my mind
The Russians have taken 307,000 Ukrainian children over the border, and are going to give them a three-year 're-education' course. Russians can adopt them with minimal background checks.
*Anyone* who supports Russia in this hideous conflict is supporting evil. I don't care if you like their politics, or take umbrage at the fact the Ukrainians seem to like Boris, or you like anyone who is against us; you are supporting evil.
Another day, another post from Mr Jessop in which he tilts at those Russia-supporting windmills.
Is that the *best* thing you can think to say about the post? With all that horror, and you attack me for posting about it?
Yes, because it keeps begging the question, who are these “Russia supporters” that you keep railing against.
I just take it as given that Russia is currently a proto-fascist or full-fat fascist agent of evil. I think pretty much everyone on here does.
@Luckyguy1983@NickPalmer and @Roger have all exhibited somewhat pro-Russia or Ukraine-should-lose sympathies, to my mind
The Russians have taken 307,000 Ukrainian children over the border, and are going to give them a three-year 're-education' course. Russians can adopt them with minimal background checks.
*Anyone* who supports Russia in this hideous conflict is supporting evil. I don't care if you like their politics, or take umbrage at the fact the Ukrainians seem to like Boris, or you like anyone who is against us; you are supporting evil.
I appreciate your passion against against this sort of thing - I would also appreciate links to sources of information, as is normal on PB when reporting news.
The Russians have taken 307,000 Ukrainian children over the border, and are going to give them a three-year 're-education' course. Russians can adopt them with minimal background checks.
*Anyone* who supports Russia in this hideous conflict is supporting evil. I don't care if you like their politics, or take umbrage at the fact the Ukrainians seem to like Boris, or you like anyone who is against us; you are supporting evil.
Another day, another post from Mr Jessop in which he tilts at those Russia-supporting windmills.
Is that the *best* thing you can think to say about the post? With all that horror, and you attack me for posting about it?
Yes, because it keeps begging the question, who are these “Russia supporters” that you keep railing against.
I just take it as given that Russia is currently a proto-fascist or full-fat fascist agent of evil. I think pretty much everyone on here does.
@Luckyguy1983@NickPalmer and @Roger have all exhibited somewhat pro-Russia or Ukraine-should-lose sympathies, to my mind
There may be others
Senator Joe McCarthy there....
Tis just the truth, as I see it
Also, it makes sense. PB is fairly representative of wider Britain (or geekland). I have members of my own family who are unexpectedly pro-Putin
In an additional Glastonbury update, I'm wondering if @Leon has decided to come here as I can see this duopoly of flags flying proudly from where I'm sat.
My Glastonbury life has had four distinct phases. 1. Never heard of Glastonbury 2. Couldn't afford to go to Glastonbury 3. Couldn't get tickets to Glastonbury 4. Don't want to go to Glastonbury.
The Russians have taken 307,000 Ukrainian children over the border, and are going to give them a three-year 're-education' course. Russians can adopt them with minimal background checks.
*Anyone* who supports Russia in this hideous conflict is supporting evil. I don't care if you like their politics, or take umbrage at the fact the Ukrainians seem to like Boris, or you like anyone who is against us; you are supporting evil.
Another day, another post from Mr Jessop in which he tilts at those Russia-supporting windmills.
Is that the *best* thing you can think to say about the post? With all that horror, and you attack me for posting about it?
Yes, because it keeps begging the question, who are these “Russia supporters” that you keep railing against.
I just take it as given that Russia is currently a proto-fascist or full-fat fascist agent of evil. I think pretty much everyone on here does.
@Luckyguy1983@NickPalmer and @Roger have all exhibited somewhat pro-Russia or Ukraine-should-lose sympathies, to my mind
There may be others
Senator Joe McCarthy there....
Tis just the truth, as I see it
Also, it makes sense. PB is fairly representative of wider Britain (or geekland). I have members of my own family who are unexpectedly pro-Putin
The Russians have taken 307,000 Ukrainian children over the border, and are going to give them a three-year 're-education' course. Russians can adopt them with minimal background checks.
*Anyone* who supports Russia in this hideous conflict is supporting evil. I don't care if you like their politics, or take umbrage at the fact the Ukrainians seem to like Boris, or you like anyone who is against us; you are supporting evil.
Another day, another post from Mr Jessop in which he tilts at those Russia-supporting windmills.
Is that the *best* thing you can think to say about the post? With all that horror, and you attack me for posting about it?
Yes, because it keeps begging the question, who are these “Russia supporters” that you keep railing against.
I just take it as given that Russia is currently a proto-fascist or full-fat fascist agent of evil. I think pretty much everyone on here does.
The Russians have taken 307,000 Ukrainian children over the border, and are going to give them a three-year 're-education' course. Russians can adopt them with minimal background checks.
*Anyone* who supports Russia in this hideous conflict is supporting evil. I don't care if you like their politics, or take umbrage at the fact the Ukrainians seem to like Boris, or you like anyone who is against us; you are supporting evil.
Another day, another post from Mr Jessop in which he tilts at those Russia-supporting windmills.
Is that the *best* thing you can think to say about the post? With all that horror, and you attack me for posting about it?
Yes, because it keeps begging the question, who are these “Russia supporters” that you keep railing against.
I just take it as given that Russia is currently a proto-fascist or full-fat fascist agent of evil. I think pretty much everyone on here does.
@Luckyguy1983@NickPalmer and @Roger have all exhibited somewhat pro-Russia or Ukraine-should-lose sympathies, to my mind
LuckyGuy maybe. More a general tendency to disbelieve Western propaganda to the absurd end of favouring Russian propaganda.
NickPalmer is just expressing a misguided (in my opinion) form of realpolitik. He is surely not pro-Russian invasion.
The Russians have taken 307,000 Ukrainian children over the border, and are going to give them a three-year 're-education' course. Russians can adopt them with minimal background checks.
*Anyone* who supports Russia in this hideous conflict is supporting evil. I don't care if you like their politics, or take umbrage at the fact the Ukrainians seem to like Boris, or you like anyone who is against us; you are supporting evil.
I appreciate your passion against against this sort of thing - I would also appreciate links to sources of information, as is normal on PB when reporting news.
The source is the Russian military.
I wish people would spend less time on the fence demanding 'sources', and more condemning evil when it is right in front of them.....
You are against evil? Good for you, but what is this hectoring nonsense about requiring othe people to condemn it? Why haven't you condemned Herod's murder of the innocents, for instance?
And sources are not 'sources' they are just sources, and a reasonable thing to ask for. A link would probably be even better than 'the Russian military.'
Can I introduce you to google? Its all the rage you know....
I am working out where to go next, after I’ve finished Armenia and Georgia. I’ve kind of had enough of post USSR states, charmingly ramshackle as they are. That said, I am drawn to the Stans, particularly Kyrgyzstan, which looks small enough to see in a week
But where else could I go within striking distance of the Caucasus? I don’t want to double back to europe. Is there anywhere in India that has decent weather in July? Ladakh sounds like it does, but what the hell is Ladakh?!
I always fancied the area around the Tian Shan mountains in Kazakhstan. It is supposed to be where much of our hard fruit - apples, pears etc - originated. Apparently they still have wild apple forests there.
Really anywhere along the old Silk Route looks amazing. I think perhaps Samarkand in Uzbekistan looks the best, both because of its amazing architecture and its almost mythical history.
Yes, the Tien Shan would be on my list too.
Mrs Flatlander had a tutor that spent a lot of time investigating the origins of the domestic apple and he was the first to confirm it had come from there (using early DNA analysis).
Wow that is brilliant. Travelling the Silk Road has always been my life's ambition. When I was a Kid I imagined doing it by horseback. Then when I got to old for such idiocy I decided it would be better by 4WD. Now I wonder if I could do the whole lot by train.
I understand (as in half listened to someone going on about it on radio 4) that the silk road was a bit less glamorous than it sounds because goods didn't typically travel end-to-end in the hands of one merchant. Usual pattern was a series of small steps so you'd go 25 miles down your end of it, sell your stuff and push off home. The guy you had sold to would go a further 25 miles...
Did anyone think that the average trader went… 5000 miles from Chengdu to Venice?
That’s why Marco Polo was exceptional
I think I sort of did, without really thinking about it. So did James Elroy Flecker by the look of it
The Russians have taken 307,000 Ukrainian children over the border, and are going to give them a three-year 're-education' course. Russians can adopt them with minimal background checks.
*Anyone* who supports Russia in this hideous conflict is supporting evil. I don't care if you like their politics, or take umbrage at the fact the Ukrainians seem to like Boris, or you like anyone who is against us; you are supporting evil.
Another day, another post from Mr Jessop in which he tilts at those Russia-supporting windmills.
Is that the *best* thing you can think to say about the post? With all that horror, and you attack me for posting about it?
Yes, because it keeps begging the question, who are these “Russia supporters” that you keep railing against.
I just take it as given that Russia is currently a proto-fascist or full-fat fascist agent of evil. I think pretty much everyone on here does.
Really?
Very mostly. But if you think they’re are individual posters who do, by all means call them out.
I think like all of us you are outraged and horrified by Russian crimes, but I do not believe you should waste energy taking aim at slightly phantasmal supporters.
Direct your fire full on at Putin and his henchmen.
The Russians have taken 307,000 Ukrainian children over the border, and are going to give them a three-year 're-education' course. Russians can adopt them with minimal background checks.
*Anyone* who supports Russia in this hideous conflict is supporting evil. I don't care if you like their politics, or take umbrage at the fact the Ukrainians seem to like Boris, or you like anyone who is against us; you are supporting evil.
Maybe they and their families and friends should be taken across the border and be given a three year re-education course. That should be long enough to ensure they stop supporting evil.
The Russians have taken 307,000 Ukrainian children over the border, and are going to give them a three-year 're-education' course. Russians can adopt them with minimal background checks.
*Anyone* who supports Russia in this hideous conflict is supporting evil. I don't care if you like their politics, or take umbrage at the fact the Ukrainians seem to like Boris, or you like anyone who is against us; you are supporting evil.
Another day, another post from Mr Jessop in which he tilts at those Russia-supporting windmills.
Is that the *best* thing you can think to say about the post? With all that horror, and you attack me for posting about it?
Yes, because it keeps begging the question, who are these “Russia supporters” that you keep railing against.
I just take it as given that Russia is currently a proto-fascist or full-fat fascist agent of evil. I think pretty much everyone on here does.
Really?
Very mostly. But if you think they’re are individual posters who do, by all means call them out.
I think like all of us you are outraged and horrified by Russian crimes, but I do not believe you should waste energy taking aim at slightly phantasmal supporters.
Direct your fire full on at Putin and his henchmen.
One thing that Freedman fails to note in his excellent piece posted upthread is the Trump factor.
After the mid-terms, we are entering the presidential election cycle, and Trump will surely campaign against “Biden-flation”, and once again pose as a tough-talking businessman who can solve Ukraine mano e mano with Putin.
Begs the question why the LDs spectacularly underachieve at General Elections. It's not just resources. Even Clegg at peak underperformed. Odd.
I guess the LDs are for many primarily a protest vehicle.
The mistake many of us made in 2015 was in thinking that the Lib Dems could effectively run many by-election campaigns in parallel, and thereby hold onto more of their seats. So resources are likely a large part of the explanation.
The other thing is that, for better or for worse, our general elections have now mostly reduced to the question of which of the two party leaders people want to see as Prime Minister. Despite the best efforts of our next Prime Minister, Jo Swinson, it's much harder to convince the public that the Lib Dems are at the races in the national contest.
Winning here? Maybe. Winning nationwide? Lol, no.
The thing is their great strength in by-elections became their great weakness in 2015.
In a by-election they're a great repository for protest votes. They can say anything, do anything, stand for anything depending upon what is popular in that locale. No principles necessary.
They can say to right-leaning voters "vote for us, to stop the Labour Party" or to left-leaning ones "vote for us, to stop the Tories". They can tell NIMBYs that they're against property development, or tell young people they should be able to get on the ladder and not have to rent. Consistency doesn't matter in a by-election where you're just making a point of protest.
But choosing a government? That's different. If you stand for everything, then you stand for nothing. In 2015 it became a case of telling left-leaning voters that a vote for the Lib Dems could let in the Tories, while telling right-leaning voters that a vote for the Lib Dems could let in Labour.
If you're going to stand in the middle of the road, you're in danger of being hit by oncoming vehicles.
And if you way to the right or left, you're in the gutter.
You have to pick a side and get past the gutter to get safely to the pavement.
I don’t think you’re meant to be driving on the pavement however.
“Covid virus likely leaked from Wuhan lab: WHO chief Tedros Ghebreyesus
“According to WHO Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, the most likely explanation was a catastrophic accident at a laboratory in Wuhan, where infections first spread during late 2019, Daily Mail reported.”
Lol. And thus we come a complete full circle, where we end up admitting what was fucking obvious from the beginning, except to idiots
Basically, I am right about everything. Including DEM ALIENS
One 'news' source quotes another 'news' source (Daily Mail, should be enough said at this point), and if you read the actual Mail article, it a 'source' who says that the D-G said it in private. There's no there, there.
The Russians have taken 307,000 Ukrainian children over the border, and are going to give them a three-year 're-education' course. Russians can adopt them with minimal background checks.
*Anyone* who supports Russia in this hideous conflict is supporting evil. I don't care if you like their politics, or take umbrage at the fact the Ukrainians seem to like Boris, or you like anyone who is against us; you are supporting evil.
Another day, another post from Mr Jessop in which he tilts at those Russia-supporting windmills.
Is that the *best* thing you can think to say about the post? With all that horror, and you attack me for posting about it?
Yes, because it keeps begging the question, who are these “Russia supporters” that you keep railing against.
I just take it as given that Russia is currently a proto-fascist or full-fat fascist agent of evil. I think pretty much everyone on here does.
Really?
Very mostly. But if you think they’re are individual posters who do, by all means call them out.
I think like all of us you are outraged and horrified by Russian crimes, but I do not believe you should waste energy taking aim at slightly phantasmal supporters.
Direct your fire full on at Putin and his henchmen.
They are not 'slightly phantasmal'. And it's sad that you take that sort of line.
Your attempts at moral blackmail don’t really wash with me, I’m afraid.
You appear desperate to find some Russian stooge to virtue signal against. I don’t know why, but it’s very conspicuous.
Just saw my first dark, regal, navy blue new-skool British passport being wielded with authority here in Yerevan Airport, Armenia
I know this might not please everyone, but it is an impressive looking thing
It says YES, BRITISH - the land that gave the world this language, plus the industrial Revolution. And Darwin. And newton. And Shakespeare. And the internet. And virtually all of the music you play in your bars
In an additional Glastonbury update, I'm wondering if @Leon has decided to come here as I can see this duopoly of flags flying proudly from where I'm sat.
My Glastonbury life has had four distinct phases. 1. Never heard of Glastonbury 2. Couldn't afford to go to Glastonbury 3. Couldn't get tickets to Glastonbury 4. Don't want to go to Glastonbury.
My Glastonbury life has also had four phases: 1. Walking to Glastonbury. 2. Staying at a campsite at Glastonbury (not festival), and being woken up by the French couple in the next tent having very noisy sex. Or they were skinning a cat. One of the two. 3. Climbing Glastonbury Tor. 4. Walking out of Glastonbury.
The Russians have taken 307,000 Ukrainian children over the border, and are going to give them a three-year 're-education' course. Russians can adopt them with minimal background checks.
*Anyone* who supports Russia in this hideous conflict is supporting evil. I don't care if you like their politics, or take umbrage at the fact the Ukrainians seem to like Boris, or you like anyone who is against us; you are supporting evil.
Another day, another post from Mr Jessop in which he tilts at those Russia-supporting windmills.
Is that the *best* thing you can think to say about the post? With all that horror, and you attack me for posting about it?
Yes, because it keeps begging the question, who are these “Russia supporters” that you keep railing against.
I just take it as given that Russia is currently a proto-fascist or full-fat fascist agent of evil. I think pretty much everyone on here does.
@Luckyguy1983@NickPalmer and @Roger have all exhibited somewhat pro-Russia or Ukraine-should-lose sympathies, to my mind
LuckyGuy maybe. More a general tendency to disbelieve Western propaganda to the absurd end of favouring Russian propaganda.
NickPalmer is just expressing a misguided (in my opinion) form of realpolitik. He is surely not pro-Russian invasion.
Roger…is Roger.
I'll admit freely to believing Russian propaganda in the past, but my posts on this conflict (which have been few) have not been Russian propaganda, they have merely urged caution against accepting wholesale some of the more dangerous propaganda coming from the Ukrainian side. Involvement in this conflict is serious stuff. It deserves looking at with sagacity, not from a standpoint of emotional manipulation, which I find very evident here in the posts of others.
In no way do I support the invasion by Russia of Ukraine.
The Russians have taken 307,000 Ukrainian children over the border, and are going to give them a three-year 're-education' course. Russians can adopt them with minimal background checks.
*Anyone* who supports Russia in this hideous conflict is supporting evil. I don't care if you like their politics, or take umbrage at the fact the Ukrainians seem to like Boris, or you like anyone who is against us; you are supporting evil.
Another day, another post from Mr Jessop in which he tilts at those Russia-supporting windmills.
Is that the *best* thing you can think to say about the post? With all that horror, and you attack me for posting about it?
Yes, because it keeps begging the question, who are these “Russia supporters” that you keep railing against.
I just take it as given that Russia is currently a proto-fascist or full-fat fascist agent of evil. I think pretty much everyone on here does.
Really?
Very mostly. But if you think they’re are individual posters who do, by all means call them out.
I think like all of us you are outraged and horrified by Russian crimes, but I do not believe you should waste energy taking aim at slightly phantasmal supporters.
Direct your fire full on at Putin and his henchmen.
They are not 'slightly phantasmal'. And it's sad that you take that sort of line.
Your attempts at moral blackmail don’t really wash with me, I’m afraid.
You appear desperate to find some Russian stooge to virtue signal against. I don’t know why, but it’s very conspicuous.
The Russians have taken 307,000 Ukrainian children over the border, and are going to give them a three-year 're-education' course. Russians can adopt them with minimal background checks.
*Anyone* who supports Russia in this hideous conflict is supporting evil. I don't care if you like their politics, or take umbrage at the fact the Ukrainians seem to like Boris, or you like anyone who is against us; you are supporting evil.
I appreciate your passion against against this sort of thing - I would also appreciate links to sources of information, as is normal on PB when reporting news.
The source is the Russian military.
I wish people would spend less time on the fence demanding 'sources', and more condemning evil when it is right in front of them.....
You are against evil? Good for you, but what is this hectoring nonsense about requiring othe people to condemn it? Why haven't you condemned Herod's murder of the innocents, for instance?
And sources are not 'sources' they are just sources, and a reasonable thing to ask for. A link would probably be even better than 'the Russian military.'
Can I introduce you to google? Its all the rage you know....
I suppose you could have managed a more lame response but I can't immediately think how. It is courtesy and good sense for the person introducing the subject to produce the evidence
The Russians have taken 307,000 Ukrainian children over the border, and are going to give them a three-year 're-education' course. Russians can adopt them with minimal background checks.
*Anyone* who supports Russia in this hideous conflict is supporting evil. I don't care if you like their politics, or take umbrage at the fact the Ukrainians seem to like Boris, or you like anyone who is against us; you are supporting evil.
Another day, another post from Mr Jessop in which he tilts at those Russia-supporting windmills.
Is that the *best* thing you can think to say about the post? With all that horror, and you attack me for posting about it?
Yes, because it keeps begging the question, who are these “Russia supporters” that you keep railing against.
I just take it as given that Russia is currently a proto-fascist or full-fat fascist agent of evil. I think pretty much everyone on here does.
@Luckyguy1983@NickPalmer and @Roger have all exhibited somewhat pro-Russia or Ukraine-should-lose sympathies, to my mind
LuckyGuy maybe. More a general tendency to disbelieve Western propaganda to the absurd end of favouring Russian propaganda.
NickPalmer is just expressing a misguided (in my opinion) form of realpolitik. He is surely not pro-Russian invasion.
Roger…is Roger.
I'll admit freely to believing Russian propaganda in the past, but my posts on this conflict (which have been few) have not been Russian propaganda, they have merely urged caution against accepting wholesale some of the more dangerous propaganda coming from the Ukrainian side. Involvement in this conflict is serious stuff. It deserves looking at with sagacity, not from a standpoint of emotional manipulation, which I find very evident here in the posts of others.
In no way do I support the invasion by Russia of Ukraine.
'emotional manipulation'
Tell that to the families of the MH17 victims. Or those Ukrainian kids.
I ask again: do you agree with the Dutch findings into MH 17?
The Russians have taken 307,000 Ukrainian children over the border, and are going to give them a three-year 're-education' course. Russians can adopt them with minimal background checks.
*Anyone* who supports Russia in this hideous conflict is supporting evil. I don't care if you like their politics, or take umbrage at the fact the Ukrainians seem to like Boris, or you like anyone who is against us; you are supporting evil.
Another day, another post from Mr Jessop in which he tilts at those Russia-supporting windmills.
Is that the *best* thing you can think to say about the post? With all that horror, and you attack me for posting about it?
Yes, because it keeps begging the question, who are these “Russia supporters” that you keep railing against.
I just take it as given that Russia is currently a proto-fascist or full-fat fascist agent of evil. I think pretty much everyone on here does.
@Luckyguy1983@NickPalmer and @Roger have all exhibited somewhat pro-Russia or Ukraine-should-lose sympathies, to my mind
There may be others
Senator Joe McCarthy there....
Tis just the truth, as I see it
Also, it makes sense. PB is fairly representative of wider Britain (or geekland). I have members of my own family who are unexpectedly pro-Putin
Yeah. My mother is. I find it frustrating, bewildering and not a little upsetting.
Just saw my first dark, regal, navy blue new-skool British passport being wielded with authority here in Yerevan Airport, Armenia
I know this might not please everyone, but it is an impressive looking thing
It says YES, BRITISH - the land that gave the world this language, plus the industrial Revolution. And Darwin. And newton. And Shakespeare. And the internet. And virtually all of the music you play in your bars
Yes, BRITISH
Quiet but commanding. I like.
That reads a bit like your contribution to this year's "Bad Sex in Fiction" award. Was it really that orgasmic?
Just saw my first dark, regal, navy blue new-skool British passport being wielded with authority here in Yerevan Airport, Armenia
I know this might not please everyone, but it is an impressive looking thing
It says YES, BRITISH - the land that gave the world this language, plus the industrial Revolution. And Darwin. And newton. And Shakespeare. And the internet. And virtually all of the music you play in your bars
Yes, BRITISH
Quiet but commanding. I like.
Crikey, is all that on the cover? Or is it on one of the inside pages after (or instead of?) "Her Britannic Majesty's Secretary of State requests and requires in the Name of Her Majesty all those whom it may concern to allow the bearer to pass freely without let or hindrance, and to afford the bearer such assistance and protection as may be necessary.”
I don't care what colour my passport is or whether it says EU on the front or not. But I'll be pissed if I end up queueing longer.
Edit: Interesting though. As someone who uses a passport more than most of us, do you/will you care? Are you going to 'lose' yours so you can get a blue replacement asap?
I am working out where to go next, after I’ve finished Armenia and Georgia. I’ve kind of had enough of post USSR states, charmingly ramshackle as they are. That said, I am drawn to the Stans, particularly Kyrgyzstan, which looks small enough to see in a week
But where else could I go within striking distance of the Caucasus? I don’t want to double back to europe. Is there anywhere in India that has decent weather in July? Ladakh sounds like it does, but what the hell is Ladakh?!
I always fancied the area around the Tian Shan mountains in Kazakhstan. It is supposed to be where much of our hard fruit - apples, pears etc - originated. Apparently they still have wild apple forests there.
Really anywhere along the old Silk Route looks amazing. I think perhaps Samarkand in Uzbekistan looks the best, both because of its amazing architecture and its almost mythical history.
Yes, the Tien Shan would be on my list too.
Mrs Flatlander had a tutor that spent a lot of time investigating the origins of the domestic apple and he was the first to confirm it had come from there (using early DNA analysis).
Wow that is brilliant. Travelling the Silk Road has always been my life's ambition. When I was a Kid I imagined doing it by horseback. Then when I got to old for such idiocy I decided it would be better by 4WD. Now I wonder if I could do the whole lot by train.
I understand (as in half listened to someone going on about it on radio 4) that the silk road was a bit less glamorous than it sounds because goods didn't typically travel end-to-end in the hands of one merchant. Usual pattern was a series of small steps so you'd go 25 miles down your end of it, sell your stuff and push off home. The guy you had sold to would go a further 25 miles...
But of course - that's why all the stops on the way were so wealthy. They weren't just there to provide the 12th Century version of a Holiday Inn Express, they were vibrant trading posts which pulled in local agriculture and manufacturing. And they also allowed information about demand for individual items to travel back again.
The Russians have taken 307,000 Ukrainian children over the border, and are going to give them a three-year 're-education' course. Russians can adopt them with minimal background checks.
*Anyone* who supports Russia in this hideous conflict is supporting evil. I don't care if you like their politics, or take umbrage at the fact the Ukrainians seem to like Boris, or you like anyone who is against us; you are supporting evil.
Another day, another post from Mr Jessop in which he tilts at those Russia-supporting windmills.
Is that the *best* thing you can think to say about the post? With all that horror, and you attack me for posting about it?
Yes, because it keeps begging the question, who are these “Russia supporters” that you keep railing against.
I just take it as given that Russia is currently a proto-fascist or full-fat fascist agent of evil. I think pretty much everyone on here does.
@Luckyguy1983@NickPalmer and @Roger have all exhibited somewhat pro-Russia or Ukraine-should-lose sympathies, to my mind
There may be others
Senator Joe McCarthy there....
Tis just the truth, as I see it
Also, it makes sense. PB is fairly representative of wider Britain (or geekland). I have members of my own family who are unexpectedly pro-Putin
Yeah. My mother is. I find it frustrating, bewildering and not a little upsetting.
To be fair, @Woger is not so much pro-Russian as concerned for the real victims in this -
The people who have been deprived of their yachts.
1. The last LD loss in a "full gas" by election wasn't ten years ago. In the past 6 years, the JDs have gone "full gas" at just five seats (Witney, Richmond Park, C&A, Shropshire North and Tiverton & Honiton), all in by-elections. So far they've won only three. Mind you, the BIG exception (Witney 2016) was fundamentally different in lacking a de facto deal with Labour (in Witney three charismatic, non-LD, Remain, high-energy, Left-leaning candidates shared the anti-Leave vote with the LD), while at T&H there are four non-Tory, Leave, anti-migration candidates to make the Tory's job tougher.
The T&H 1/4 LD odds reflect the judgement of armchair pundits nationwide. The Betfred straw poll reflects attitudes on the Tiverton High St. Admittedly: mostly male, and who knows how many will actually vote? But at least they're in the constituency. Even LD HQ admits the rail strike's in the way of getting its armies down to Tivvy to get the leaflets out,
Well, you should probably say they've won four of five where they've gone "all in" for in the past decade, as we don't know about T&H yet.
Begs the question why the LDs spectacularly underachieve at General Elections. It's not just resources. Even Clegg at peak underperformed. Odd.
I guess the LDs are for many primarily a protest vehicle.
The mistake many of us made in 2015 was in thinking that the Lib Dems could effectively run many by-election campaigns in parallel, and thereby hold onto more of their seats. So resources are likely a large part of the explanation.
The other thing is that, for better or for worse, our general elections have now mostly reduced to the question of which of the two party leaders people want to see as Prime Minister. Despite the best efforts of our next Prime Minister, Jo Swinson, it's much harder to convince the public that the Lib Dems are at the races in the national contest.
Winning here? Maybe. Winning nationwide? Lol, no.
The thing is their great strength in by-elections became their great weakness in 2015.
In a by-election they're a great repository for protest votes. They can say anything, do anything, stand for anything depending upon what is popular in that locale. No principles necessary.
They can say to right-leaning voters "vote for us, to stop the Labour Party" or to left-leaning ones "vote for us, to stop the Tories". They can tell NIMBYs that they're against property development, or tell young people they should be able to get on the ladder and not have to rent. Consistency doesn't matter in a by-election where you're just making a point of protest.
But choosing a government? That's different. If you stand for everything, then you stand for nothing. In 2015 it became a case of telling left-leaning voters that a vote for the Lib Dems could let in the Tories, while telling right-leaning voters that a vote for the Lib Dems could let in Labour.
If you're going to stand in the middle of the road, you're in danger of being hit by oncoming vehicles.
And if you way to the right or left, you're in the gutter.
You have to pick a side and get past the gutter to get safely to the pavement.
I don’t think you’re meant to be driving on the pavement however.
“Covid virus likely leaked from Wuhan lab: WHO chief Tedros Ghebreyesus
“According to WHO Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, the most likely explanation was a catastrophic accident at a laboratory in Wuhan, where infections first spread during late 2019, Daily Mail reported.”
Lol. And thus we come a complete full circle, where we end up admitting what was fucking obvious from the beginning, except to idiots
Basically, I am right about everything. Including DEM ALIENS
The Russians have taken 307,000 Ukrainian children over the border, and are going to give them a three-year 're-education' course. Russians can adopt them with minimal background checks.
*Anyone* who supports Russia in this hideous conflict is supporting evil. I don't care if you like their politics, or take umbrage at the fact the Ukrainians seem to like Boris, or you like anyone who is against us; you are supporting evil.
Another day, another post from Mr Jessop in which he tilts at those Russia-supporting windmills.
Is that the *best* thing you can think to say about the post? With all that horror, and you attack me for posting about it?
Yes, because it keeps begging the question, who are these “Russia supporters” that you keep railing against.
I just take it as given that Russia is currently a proto-fascist or full-fat fascist agent of evil. I think pretty much everyone on here does.
Really?
Very mostly. But if you think they’re are individual posters who do, by all means call them out.
I think like all of us you are outraged and horrified by Russian crimes, but I do not believe you should waste energy taking aim at slightly phantasmal supporters.
Direct your fire full on at Putin and his henchmen.
They are not 'slightly phantasmal'. And it's sad that you take that sort of line.
Your attempts at moral blackmail don’t really wash with me, I’m afraid.
You appear desperate to find some Russian stooge to virtue signal against. I don’t know why, but it’s very conspicuous.
Possibly one of the best precis on Jessop that I've read. A rather self obsessed Don Quixote character fighting windmills.
The Russians have taken 307,000 Ukrainian children over the border, and are going to give them a three-year 're-education' course. Russians can adopt them with minimal background checks.
*Anyone* who supports Russia in this hideous conflict is supporting evil. I don't care if you like their politics, or take umbrage at the fact the Ukrainians seem to like Boris, or you like anyone who is against us; you are supporting evil.
I appreciate your passion against against this sort of thing - I would also appreciate links to sources of information, as is normal on PB when reporting news.
The source is the Russian military.
I wish people would spend less time on the fence demanding 'sources', and more condemning evil when it is right in front of them.....
You are against evil? Good for you, but what is this hectoring nonsense about requiring othe people to condemn it? Why haven't you condemned Herod's murder of the innocents, for instance?
And sources are not 'sources' they are just sources, and a reasonable thing to ask for. A link would probably be even better than 'the Russian military.'
Can I introduce you to google? Its all the rage you know....
I suppose you could have managed a more lame response but I can't immediately think how. It is courtesy and good sense for the person introducing the subject to produce the evidence
Still nothing about Herod, I note. Hmmmm...
I could have asked you to condemn a massacre that happened thousands of years ago, I suppose.
Just saw my first dark, regal, navy blue new-skool British passport being wielded with authority here in Yerevan Airport, Armenia
I know this might not please everyone, but it is an impressive looking thing
It says YES, BRITISH - the land that gave the world this language, plus the industrial Revolution. And Darwin. And newton. And Shakespeare. And the internet. And virtually all of the music you play in your bars
Yes, BRITISH
Quiet but commanding. I like.
It looks essentially identical to the Croatian one. Which is also incredibly dark blue. So dark blue that to my increasingly ancient eyes, it looks black.
The Russians have taken 307,000 Ukrainian children over the border, and are going to give them a three-year 're-education' course. Russians can adopt them with minimal background checks.
*Anyone* who supports Russia in this hideous conflict is supporting evil. I don't care if you like their politics, or take umbrage at the fact the Ukrainians seem to like Boris, or you like anyone who is against us; you are supporting evil.
Another day, another post from Mr Jessop in which he tilts at those Russia-supporting windmills.
Is that the *best* thing you can think to say about the post? With all that horror, and you attack me for posting about it?
Yes, because it keeps begging the question, who are these “Russia supporters” that you keep railing against.
I just take it as given that Russia is currently a proto-fascist or full-fat fascist agent of evil. I think pretty much everyone on here does.
@Luckyguy1983@NickPalmer and @Roger have all exhibited somewhat pro-Russia or Ukraine-should-lose sympathies, to my mind
LuckyGuy maybe. More a general tendency to disbelieve Western propaganda to the absurd end of favouring Russian propaganda.
NickPalmer is just expressing a misguided (in my opinion) form of realpolitik. He is surely not pro-Russian invasion.
Roger…is Roger.
I'll admit freely to believing Russian propaganda in the past, but my posts on this conflict (which have been few) have not been Russian propaganda, they have merely urged caution against accepting wholesale some of the more dangerous propaganda coming from the Ukrainian side. Involvement in this conflict is serious stuff. It deserves looking at with sagacity, not from a standpoint of emotional manipulation, which I find very evident here in the posts of others.
In no way do I support the invasion by Russia of Ukraine.
There is only one side which has welcomed independent UN observers to assess its "dangerous propaganda". And that's not Russia.
The Russians have taken 307,000 Ukrainian children over the border, and are going to give them a three-year 're-education' course. Russians can adopt them with minimal background checks.
*Anyone* who supports Russia in this hideous conflict is supporting evil. I don't care if you like their politics, or take umbrage at the fact the Ukrainians seem to like Boris, or you like anyone who is against us; you are supporting evil.
I appreciate your passion against against this sort of thing - I would also appreciate links to sources of information, as is normal on PB when reporting news.
The source is the Russian military.
I wish people would spend less time on the fence demanding 'sources', and more condemning evil when it is right in front of them.....
You are against evil? Good for you, but what is this hectoring nonsense about requiring othe people to condemn it? Why haven't you condemned Herod's murder of the innocents, for instance?
And sources are not 'sources' they are just sources, and a reasonable thing to ask for. A link would probably be even better than 'the Russian military.'
Can I be the first on here to condemn Herod's murder of the innocents. And can I just say how shocked I am that no one else has stepped up to the plate to make it clear that it was completely unacceptable. Frankly, the silence of so many posters on this issue is a demonstration of their tacit support for Herod.
Just saw my first dark, regal, navy blue new-skool British passport being wielded with authority here in Yerevan Airport, Armenia
I know this might not please everyone, but it is an impressive looking thing
It says YES, BRITISH - the land that gave the world this language, plus the industrial Revolution. And Darwin. And newton. And Shakespeare. And the internet. And virtually all of the music you play in your bars
Yes, BRITISH
Quiet but commanding. I like.
Is this the only "benefit of Brexit"? I think it might well be. Of course, when part of the EU club we had no requirement to go to the little flimsy red/pink ones. It was a British government decision. They could have said no.
At least though we now know what excites @Leon's almost 60 year old loins when he is not watching PornHub or looking at the latest pictures of Tom Daley!
The Russians have taken 307,000 Ukrainian children over the border, and are going to give them a three-year 're-education' course. Russians can adopt them with minimal background checks.
*Anyone* who supports Russia in this hideous conflict is supporting evil. I don't care if you like their politics, or take umbrage at the fact the Ukrainians seem to like Boris, or you like anyone who is against us; you are supporting evil.
Another day, another post from Mr Jessop in which he tilts at those Russia-supporting windmills.
Is that the *best* thing you can think to say about the post? With all that horror, and you attack me for posting about it?
Yes, because it keeps begging the question, who are these “Russia supporters” that you keep railing against.
I just take it as given that Russia is currently a proto-fascist or full-fat fascist agent of evil. I think pretty much everyone on here does.
@Luckyguy1983@NickPalmer and @Roger have all exhibited somewhat pro-Russia or Ukraine-should-lose sympathies, to my mind
There may be others
Senator Joe McCarthy there....
Tis just the truth, as I see it
Also, it makes sense. PB is fairly representative of wider Britain (or geekland). I have members of my own family who are unexpectedly pro-Putin
The Russians have taken 307,000 Ukrainian children over the border, and are going to give them a three-year 're-education' course. Russians can adopt them with minimal background checks.
*Anyone* who supports Russia in this hideous conflict is supporting evil. I don't care if you like their politics, or take umbrage at the fact the Ukrainians seem to like Boris, or you like anyone who is against us; you are supporting evil.
Another day, another post from Mr Jessop in which he tilts at those Russia-supporting windmills.
Is that the *best* thing you can think to say about the post? With all that horror, and you attack me for posting about it?
Yes, because it keeps begging the question, who are these “Russia supporters” that you keep railing against.
I just take it as given that Russia is currently a proto-fascist or full-fat fascist agent of evil. I think pretty much everyone on here does.
Really?
Very mostly. But if you think they’re are individual posters who do, by all means call them out.
I think like all of us you are outraged and horrified by Russian crimes, but I do not believe you should waste energy taking aim at slightly phantasmal supporters.
Direct your fire full on at Putin and his henchmen.
They are not 'slightly phantasmal'. And it's sad that you take that sort of line.
Your attempts at moral blackmail don’t really wash with me, I’m afraid.
You appear desperate to find some Russian stooge to virtue signal against. I don’t know why, but it’s very conspicuous.
Possibly one of the best precis on Jessop that I've read. A rather self obsessed Don Quixote character fighting windmills.
It’s probably a bit mean-spirited of me. I just have a knee-jerk response to sanctimoniousness.
Someone like Leon, who actually *has* praised Putin in the past (though certainly not since the invasion), annoys me far less.
Just saw my first dark, regal, navy blue new-skool British passport being wielded with authority here in Yerevan Airport, Armenia
I know this might not please everyone, but it is an impressive looking thing
It says YES, BRITISH - the land that gave the world this language, plus the industrial Revolution. And Darwin. And newton. And Shakespeare. And the internet. And virtually all of the music you play in your bars
Yes, BRITISH
Quiet but commanding. I like.
It also says, join that long queue that looks like it goes all around the building.
Just saw my first dark, regal, navy blue new-skool British passport being wielded with authority here in Yerevan Airport, Armenia
I know this might not please everyone, but it is an impressive looking thing
It says YES, BRITISH - the land that gave the world this language, plus the industrial Revolution. And Darwin. And newton. And Shakespeare. And the internet. And virtually all of the music you play in your bars
Yes, BRITISH
Quiet but commanding. I like.
Feels a bit flimsy to me, the biometrics page (or whatever it's called) feels like it'll just fall right out. But then I tended to use it as ID on nights out and so would prefer a bit of robustness to my passports.
https://twitter.com/ragipsoylu/status/1539587392511819781 NEW: UK Defense Minister Ben Wallace will visit Ankara tomorrow to discuss regional defense issues including possible cooperation in defense industry, says Turkish defense ministry
UK Foreign Minister Truss will also be in Turkey tomorrow
Which is not to suggest a direct link between the two things, but Turkey is certainly working hard to increase its regional influence.
Just saw my first dark, regal, navy blue new-skool British passport being wielded with authority here in Yerevan Airport, Armenia
I know this might not please everyone, but it is an impressive looking thing
It says YES, BRITISH - the land that gave the world this language, plus the industrial Revolution. And Darwin. And newton. And Shakespeare. And the internet. And virtually all of the music you play in your bars
Yes, BRITISH
Quiet but commanding. I like.
No it looks cheap. Also annoyingly easy to confuse with our kids' American passports which are the same colour. Still, we will have plenty of time to admire it while we stand in long queues at European airports.
The Russians have taken 307,000 Ukrainian children over the border, and are going to give them a three-year 're-education' course. Russians can adopt them with minimal background checks.
*Anyone* who supports Russia in this hideous conflict is supporting evil. I don't care if you like their politics, or take umbrage at the fact the Ukrainians seem to like Boris, or you like anyone who is against us; you are supporting evil.
Another day, another post from Mr Jessop in which he tilts at those Russia-supporting windmills.
Is that the *best* thing you can think to say about the post? With all that horror, and you attack me for posting about it?
Yes, because it keeps begging the question, who are these “Russia supporters” that you keep railing against.
I just take it as given that Russia is currently a proto-fascist or full-fat fascist agent of evil. I think pretty much everyone on here does.
@Luckyguy1983@NickPalmer and @Roger have all exhibited somewhat pro-Russia or Ukraine-should-lose sympathies, to my mind
LuckyGuy maybe. More a general tendency to disbelieve Western propaganda to the absurd end of favouring Russian propaganda.
NickPalmer is just expressing a misguided (in my opinion) form of realpolitik. He is surely not pro-Russian invasion.
Roger…is Roger.
I'll admit freely to believing Russian propaganda in the past, but my posts on this conflict (which have been few) have not been Russian propaganda, they have merely urged caution against accepting wholesale some of the more dangerous propaganda coming from the Ukrainian side. Involvement in this conflict is serious stuff. It deserves looking at with sagacity, not from a standpoint of emotional manipulation, which I find very evident here in the posts of others.
In no way do I support the invasion by Russia of Ukraine.
There is only one side which has welcomed independent UN observers to assess its "dangerous propaganda". And that's not Russia.
Begs the question why the LDs spectacularly underachieve at General Elections. It's not just resources. Even Clegg at peak underperformed. Odd.
I guess the LDs are for many primarily a protest vehicle.
The mistake many of us made in 2015 was in thinking that the Lib Dems could effectively run many by-election campaigns in parallel, and thereby hold onto more of their seats. So resources are likely a large part of the explanation.
The other thing is that, for better or for worse, our general elections have now mostly reduced to the question of which of the two party leaders people want to see as Prime Minister. Despite the best efforts of our next Prime Minister, Jo Swinson, it's much harder to convince the public that the Lib Dems are at the races in the national contest.
Winning here? Maybe. Winning nationwide? Lol, no.
The thing is their great strength in by-elections became their great weakness in 2015.
In a by-election they're a great repository for protest votes. They can say anything, do anything, stand for anything depending upon what is popular in that locale. No principles necessary.
They can say to right-leaning voters "vote for us, to stop the Labour Party" or to left-leaning ones "vote for us, to stop the Tories". They can tell NIMBYs that they're against property development, or tell young people they should be able to get on the ladder and not have to rent. Consistency doesn't matter in a by-election where you're just making a point of protest.
But choosing a government? That's different. If you stand for everything, then you stand for nothing. In 2015 it became a case of telling left-leaning voters that a vote for the Lib Dems could let in the Tories, while telling right-leaning voters that a vote for the Lib Dems could let in Labour.
If you're going to stand in the middle of the road, you're in danger of being hit by oncoming vehicles.
And if you way to the right or left, you're in the gutter.
You have to pick a side and get past the gutter to get safely to the pavement.
I don’t think you’re meant to be driving on the pavement however.
“Covid virus likely leaked from Wuhan lab: WHO chief Tedros Ghebreyesus
“According to WHO Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, the most likely explanation was a catastrophic accident at a laboratory in Wuhan, where infections first spread during late 2019, Daily Mail reported.”
Lol. And thus we come a complete full circle, where we end up admitting what was fucking obvious from the beginning, except to idiots
Basically, I am right about everything. Including DEM ALIENS
One 'news' source quotes another 'news' source (Daily Mail, should be enough said at this point), and if you read the actual Mail article, it a 'source' who says that the D-G said it in private. There's no there, there.
So if I were to quote it from here, I'd be quoting Leon who's quoting IndiaNews, who are quoting the Daily Mail who are quoting an anonymous source who claims the D-G said it in private but never in public, honest.
Just saw my first dark, regal, navy blue new-skool British passport being wielded with authority here in Yerevan Airport, Armenia
I know this might not please everyone, but it is an impressive looking thing
It says YES, BRITISH - the land that gave the world this language, plus the industrial Revolution. And Darwin. And newton. And Shakespeare. And the internet. And virtually all of the music you play in your bars
Yes, BRITISH
Quiet but commanding. I like.
No it looks cheap. Also annoyingly easy to confuse with our kids' American passports which are the same colour. Still, we will have plenty of time to admire it while we stand in long queues at European airports.
Also seems a bit woke to me given they have made the blue so dark it appears black in normal light.
https://twitter.com/ragipsoylu/status/1539587392511819781 NEW: UK Defense Minister Ben Wallace will visit Ankara tomorrow to discuss regional defense issues including possible cooperation in defense industry, says Turkish defense ministry
UK Foreign Minister Truss will also be in Turkey tomorrow
Which is not to suggest a direct link between the two things, but Turkey is certainly working hard to increase its regional influence.
Turkey seems to lead an utterly charmed existence, possibly because it has worked out how to threaten to go either way with credibility. It invades bits of Syria; nobody blinks. It seeks to act as an honest broker between Russia and Ukraine (rather than condemning Russia) and nobody makes so much as a murmur (whilst Germany and France get torrents of abuse for trying to keep the lights on). Russia for its part is happy to work with Turkey despite the latter recently beating it in a proxy war. It frustrates America's plans to draw Sweden and Finland into the NATO alliance. We could learn a lot from Turkey - they have everyone's balls in a drawstring bag.
Just saw my first dark, regal, navy blue new-skool British passport being wielded with authority here in Yerevan Airport, Armenia
I know this might not please everyone, but it is an impressive looking thing
It says YES, BRITISH - the land that gave the world this language, plus the industrial Revolution. And Darwin. And newton. And Shakespeare. And the internet. And virtually all of the music you play in your bars
Yes, BRITISH
Quiet but commanding. I like.
Is this the only "benefit of Brexit"? I think it might well be. Of course, when part of the EU club we had no requirement to go to the little flimsy red/pink ones. It was a British government decision. They could have said no.
At least though we now know what excites @Leon's almost 60 year old loins when he is not watching PornHub or looking at the latest pictures of Tom Daley!
No, bankers an also pay themselves unlimited bonuses now! Definitely what the Red Wall voted for.
Pros. No box 2, 8 or 9, EC sales or intrastat to worry about. Cons. £10k a year to some dutch accountants to enable us to still triangulate fully within the EU.
In an additional Glastonbury update, I'm wondering if @Leon has decided to come here as I can see this duopoly of flags flying proudly from where I'm sat.
My Glastonbury life has had four distinct phases. 1. Never heard of Glastonbury 2. Couldn't afford to go to Glastonbury 3. Couldn't get tickets to Glastonbury 4. Don't want to go to Glastonbury.
My Glastonbury life has also had four phases: 1. Walking to Glastonbury. 2. Staying at a campsite at Glastonbury (not festival), and being woken up by the French couple in the next tent having very noisy sex. Or they were skinning a cat. One of the two. 3. Climbing Glastonbury Tor. 4. Walking out of Glastonbury.
That's about enough Glasto for me.
I went in 2000. The last year you could climb the fence.
Reader, I climbed the fence.
I would love to go back and take everything in a bit more rather than be absolutely off my face for five days - as enjoyable as that was when I was 22 and stupid. At the time me and my mates I went with were all working together, doing afters shifts at a mail sorting office. We finished our shift, thought bugger it lets go, got in the cars and headed straight down there. I miss being that young and spontaneous, free of cares and responsibilities.
I can't remember going to any of the main stages to see anyone specifically. The crowds were too much around them. I still dislike big gigs to this day. But we could see and hear the Pyramid Stage from our tents and I remember Moby playing while I puked as I came up like a rocket after double-dropping. Happy days.
I regret I missed Bowie, but I wasn't really aware of how good he was, or his brilliant back catalogue. An omission I have since rectified.
It is like the real world has been turned off, there are no rules but no-one is nasty and everything is amazing - or that's how it seems through these rose-tinted lenses. It would be great to go back and it not be quite so rammed, and me not munching disco biscuits morning, noon and night.
Weather wasn't too bad in 2000, but I think part of the reason I've never made a serious effort to go back is the potential for Passchendaele-like rain and mud. Friends who have been to wet Glastonburys say it is a thoroughly miserable experience.
https://twitter.com/ragipsoylu/status/1539587392511819781 NEW: UK Defense Minister Ben Wallace will visit Ankara tomorrow to discuss regional defense issues including possible cooperation in defense industry, says Turkish defense ministry
UK Foreign Minister Truss will also be in Turkey tomorrow
Which is not to suggest a direct link between the two things, but Turkey is certainly working hard to increase its regional influence.
Turkey seems to lead an utterly charmed existence, possibly because it has worked out how to threaten to go either way with credibility. It invades bits of Syria; nobody blinks. It seeks to act as an honest broker between Russia and Ukraine (rather than condemning Russia) and nobody makes so much as a murmur (whilst Germany and France get torrents of abuse for trying to keep the lights on). Russia for its part is happy to work with Turkey despite the latter recently beating it in a proxy war. It frustrates America's plans to draw Sweden and Finland into the NATO alliance. We could learn a lot from Turkey....
Just saw my first dark, regal, navy blue new-skool British passport being wielded with authority here in Yerevan Airport, Armenia
I know this might not please everyone, but it is an impressive looking thing
It says YES, BRITISH - the land that gave the world this language, plus the industrial Revolution. And Darwin. And newton. And Shakespeare. And the internet. And virtually all of the music you play in your bars
Yes, BRITISH
Quiet but commanding. I like.
Is this the only "benefit of Brexit"? I think it might well be. Of course, when part of the EU club we had no requirement to go to the little flimsy red/pink ones. It was a British government decision. They could have said no.
At least though we now know what excites @Leon's almost 60 year old loins when he is not watching PornHub or looking at the latest pictures of Tom Daley!
No, bankers an also pay themselves unlimited bonuses now! Definitely what the Red Wall voted for.
They are generous folk in that there Red Wall. I am told they even consider Boris Johnson a man-o-the-people.
The Russians have taken 307,000 Ukrainian children over the border, and are going to give them a three-year 're-education' course. Russians can adopt them with minimal background checks.
*Anyone* who supports Russia in this hideous conflict is supporting evil. I don't care if you like their politics, or take umbrage at the fact the Ukrainians seem to like Boris, or you like anyone who is against us; you are supporting evil.
Another day, another post from Mr Jessop in which he tilts at those Russia-supporting windmills.
Is that the *best* thing you can think to say about the post? With all that horror, and you attack me for posting about it?
Yes, because it keeps begging the question, who are these “Russia supporters” that you keep railing against.
I just take it as given that Russia is currently a proto-fascist or full-fat fascist agent of evil. I think pretty much everyone on here does.
@Luckyguy1983@NickPalmer and @Roger have all exhibited somewhat pro-Russia or Ukraine-should-lose sympathies, to my mind
There may be others
Senator Joe McCarthy there....
Tis just the truth, as I see it
Also, it makes sense. PB is fairly representative of wider Britain (or geekland). I have members of my own family who are unexpectedly pro-Putin
The Russians have taken 307,000 Ukrainian children over the border, and are going to give them a three-year 're-education' course. Russians can adopt them with minimal background checks.
*Anyone* who supports Russia in this hideous conflict is supporting evil. I don't care if you like their politics, or take umbrage at the fact the Ukrainians seem to like Boris, or you like anyone who is against us; you are supporting evil.
Another day, another post from Mr Jessop in which he tilts at those Russia-supporting windmills.
Is that the *best* thing you can think to say about the post? With all that horror, and you attack me for posting about it?
Yes, because it keeps begging the question, who are these “Russia supporters” that you keep railing against.
I just take it as given that Russia is currently a proto-fascist or full-fat fascist agent of evil. I think pretty much everyone on here does.
Really?
Very mostly. But if you think they’re are individual posters who do, by all means call them out.
I think like all of us you are outraged and horrified by Russian crimes, but I do not believe you should waste energy taking aim at slightly phantasmal supporters.
Direct your fire full on at Putin and his henchmen.
They are not 'slightly phantasmal'. And it's sad that you take that sort of line.
Your attempts at moral blackmail don’t really wash with me, I’m afraid.
You appear desperate to find some Russian stooge to virtue signal against. I don’t know why, but it’s very conspicuous.
Possibly one of the best precis on Jessop that I've read. A rather self obsessed Don Quixote character fighting windmills.
It’s probably a bit mean-spirited of me. I just have a knee-jerk response to sanctimoniousness.
Someone like Leon, who actually *has* praised Putin in the past (though certainly not since the invasion), annoys me far less.
It's the belief that some people have their tongues in their cheeks and others really don't!
Hi all. I have a problem regarding a neighbour. I am not new to this, I have seen neighbour disputes for many years and understand that the best answer is to try and talk to people to try and work through them. However, I am now dealing with a very difficult character, and even though I am continuing friendly engagement, the person in question is proving very stubborn and we are heading in to conflict. This has been going on for about 3 years and the situation is becoming really serious. The problem relates to remedial works to a building which we are co freeholders of (50/50) which need to occur to make it habitable and mortgageable. If they don't happen, the loss in value to each of our flats is in the hundreds of thousands of pounds. The actual cost of the remedial works, is in the tens of thousands of pounds. She doesn't see the point of the works, doesn't see the point of complying with any regulations, and assumes that all professionals are ripping people off. Basically, her perspective is hard to explain because it is irrational. She has had this standpoint for the 40 years she has lived in the flat. When there was a freeholder , he did the works, she sued him herself and lost badly; and was paying back the cost for 15 years. But thinks the court decision was a masonic conspiracy. She now believes irrationally that the Council should be paying for the works, which is nonsense. To try and avoid a legal conflict, I have even offered to just pay for all the works myself and take a charge on her flat, she can just pay me back when she sells it. But even reaching a reliable agreement on that is impossible.
The building is deteriorating and water is coming through the roof in various places. The final straw is this. She has now decided that she will just fix the one leak that is affecting her, by herself, and has appointed a cowboy builder for this single task. This is despite us being friendly, exchanging books, going around to each others flats for coffee etc. Is this the point where I give up and go to a lawyer? Is there any other possible way out?
https://twitter.com/ragipsoylu/status/1539587392511819781 NEW: UK Defense Minister Ben Wallace will visit Ankara tomorrow to discuss regional defense issues including possible cooperation in defense industry, says Turkish defense ministry
UK Foreign Minister Truss will also be in Turkey tomorrow
Which is not to suggest a direct link between the two things, but Turkey is certainly working hard to increase its regional influence.
Turkey seems to lead an utterly charmed existence, possibly because it has worked out how to threaten to go either way with credibility. It invades bits of Syria; nobody blinks. It seeks to act as an honest broker between Russia and Ukraine (rather than condemning Russia) and nobody makes so much as a murmur (whilst Germany and France get torrents of abuse for trying to keep the lights on). Russia for its part is happy to work with Turkey despite the latter recently beating it in a proxy war. It frustrates America's plans to draw Sweden and Finland into the NATO alliance. We could learn a lot from Turkey - they have everyone's balls in a drawstring bag.
After Boris Johnson has been PM a little longer the UK might also consider changing it's name to coincide with that of a large fat flightless bird: Dodo
https://twitter.com/ragipsoylu/status/1539587392511819781 NEW: UK Defense Minister Ben Wallace will visit Ankara tomorrow to discuss regional defense issues including possible cooperation in defense industry, says Turkish defense ministry
UK Foreign Minister Truss will also be in Turkey tomorrow
Which is not to suggest a direct link between the two things, but Turkey is certainly working hard to increase its regional influence.
Turkey seems to lead an utterly charmed existence, possibly because it has worked out how to threaten to go either way with credibility. It invades bits of Syria; nobody blinks. It seeks to act as an honest broker between Russia and Ukraine (rather than condemning Russia) and nobody makes so much as a murmur (whilst Germany and France get torrents of abuse for trying to keep the lights on). Russia for its part is happy to work with Turkey despite the latter recently beating it in a proxy war. It frustrates America's plans to draw Sweden and Finland into the NATO alliance. We could learn a lot from Turkey....
Personally, I think Erdoğan is ghastly and could do with putting firmly in his place, but there is no doubt that in terms of near inexplicable Western support (going back to the days of the Crimean War), Turkey does very well.
I am also reminded of a story when we were in the EU, of a car factory closing in the UK, relocating to Turkey because the company was a recipient of an EU development grant!
The Russians have taken 307,000 Ukrainian children over the border, and are going to give them a three-year 're-education' course. Russians can adopt them with minimal background checks.
*Anyone* who supports Russia in this hideous conflict is supporting evil. I don't care if you like their politics, or take umbrage at the fact the Ukrainians seem to like Boris, or you like anyone who is against us; you are supporting evil.
Another day, another post from Mr Jessop in which he tilts at those Russia-supporting windmills.
Is that the *best* thing you can think to say about the post? With all that horror, and you attack me for posting about it?
Yes, because it keeps begging the question, who are these “Russia supporters” that you keep railing against.
I just take it as given that Russia is currently a proto-fascist or full-fat fascist agent of evil. I think pretty much everyone on here does.
Really?
Very mostly. But if you think they’re are individual posters who do, by all means call them out.
I think like all of us you are outraged and horrified by Russian crimes, but I do not believe you should waste energy taking aim at slightly phantasmal supporters.
Direct your fire full on at Putin and his henchmen.
They are not 'slightly phantasmal'. And it's sad that you take that sort of line.
Your attempts at moral blackmail don’t really wash with me, I’m afraid.
You appear desperate to find some Russian stooge to virtue signal against. I don’t know why, but it’s very conspicuous.
Possibly one of the best precis on Jessop that I've read. A rather self obsessed Don Quixote character fighting windmills.
Just saw my first dark, regal, navy blue new-skool British passport being wielded with authority here in Yerevan Airport, Armenia
I know this might not please everyone, but it is an impressive looking thing
It says YES, BRITISH - the land that gave the world this language, plus the industrial Revolution. And Darwin. And newton. And Shakespeare. And the internet. And virtually all of the music you play in your bars
Yes, BRITISH
Quiet but commanding. I like.
Crikey, is all that on the cover? Or is it on one of the inside pages after (or instead of?) "Her Britannic Majesty's Secretary of State requests and requires in the Name of Her Majesty all those whom it may concern to allow the bearer to pass freely without let or hindrance, and to afford the bearer such assistance and protection as may be necessary.”
I don't care what colour my passport is or whether it says EU on the front or not. But I'll be pissed if I end up queueing longer.
Edit: Interesting though. As someone who uses a passport more than most of us, do you/will you care? Are you going to 'lose' yours so you can get a blue replacement asap?
I've has mine for over a year and much as I think it is ok I didn't have an orgasm unlike @leon when it arrived. What will he do when he actually gets his hands on one.
Like you I don't give a toss what it looks like if it can get me passed the queues.
Not sure why my mug has to appear on it on 3 different pages (and 4 times if you count the clear bit on one page so that my face appears twice on that page. Bit of overkill.
I have never been able to get through the e-gates with this or the previous passport. On returning to Gatwick the other day I seriously considered abandoning that queue and going straight to the manned queue, but it worked for the first time. Yeah.
Hi all. I have a problem regarding a neighbour. I am not new to this, I have seen neighbour disputes for many years and understand that the best answer is to try and talk to people to try and work through them. However, I am now dealing with a very difficult character, and even though I am continuing friendly engagement, the person in question is proving very stubborn and we are heading in to conflict. This has been going on for about 3 years and the situation is becoming really serious. The problem relates to remedial works to a building which we are co freeholders of (50/50) which need to occur to make it habitable and mortgageable. If they don't happen, the loss in value to each of our flats is in the hundreds of thousands of pounds. The actual cost of the remedial works, is in the tens of thousands of pounds. She doesn't see the point of the works, doesn't see the point of complying with any regulations, and assumes that all professionals are ripping people off. Basically, her perspective is hard to explain because it is irrational. She has had this standpoint for the 40 years she has lived in the flat. When there was a freeholder , he did the works, she sued him herself and lost badly; and was paying back the cost for 15 years. But thinks the court decision was a masonic conspiracy. She now believes irrationally that the Council should be paying for the works, which is nonsense. To try and avoid a legal conflict, I have even offered to just pay for all the works myself and take a charge on her flat, she can just pay me back when she sells it. But even reaching a reliable agreement on that is impossible.
The building is deteriorating and water is coming through the roof in various places. The final straw is this. She has now decided that she will just fix the one leak that is affecting her, by herself, and has appointed a cowboy builder for this single task. This is despite us being friendly, exchanging books, going around to each others flats for coffee etc. Is this the point where I give up and go to a lawyer? Is there any other possible way out?
My sympathies.
Quite a few older people believe that the cost of doing building works properly is a rip off, because they know someone who can patch it up with a bit of filler, for a tenner.
Hence the state of many houses when sold - "Requires updating".....
It's striking the amount of opprobrium that The Mail is pouring over Sir Keir personally at the moment. I don't recall them being this brutal with Miliband, Brown or even Blair or Corbyn. Odd. Sir Keir seems a ludicrously unlikely bogeyman.
https://twitter.com/ragipsoylu/status/1539587392511819781 NEW: UK Defense Minister Ben Wallace will visit Ankara tomorrow to discuss regional defense issues including possible cooperation in defense industry, says Turkish defense ministry
UK Foreign Minister Truss will also be in Turkey tomorrow
Which is not to suggest a direct link between the two things, but Turkey is certainly working hard to increase its regional influence.
Turkey seems to lead an utterly charmed existence, possibly because it has worked out how to threaten to go either way with credibility. It invades bits of Syria; nobody blinks. It seeks to act as an honest broker between Russia and Ukraine (rather than condemning Russia) and nobody makes so much as a murmur (whilst Germany and France get torrents of abuse for trying to keep the lights on). Russia for its part is happy to work with Turkey despite the latter recently beating it in a proxy war. It frustrates America's plans to draw Sweden and Finland into the NATO alliance. We could learn a lot from Turkey....
Personally, I think Erdoğan is ghastly and could do with putting firmly in his place, but there is no doubt that in terms of near inexplicable Western support (going back to the days of the Crimean War), Turkey does very well.
I am also reminded of a story when we were in the EU, of a car factory closing in the UK, relocating to Turkey because the company was a recipient of an EU development grant!
Erodgan plays Turkey's geopolitical position well. They are (and always have been) at a pivotal location between east and west, and he plays east and west off each other well. Whoever controls that region of the world will always be in that fortunate position.
But Turkey has ?eight? neighbours, and has had problematic relations with all of them in the last century, if not more recently - and he's not helping by actually fighting some of them. He is also looking at whoever will support Turkey best if one or more of those neighbours starts getting frisky in return.
I reckon Turkey will always be neither east nor west politically.
The Russians have taken 307,000 Ukrainian children over the border, and are going to give them a three-year 're-education' course. Russians can adopt them with minimal background checks.
*Anyone* who supports Russia in this hideous conflict is supporting evil. I don't care if you like their politics, or take umbrage at the fact the Ukrainians seem to like Boris, or you like anyone who is against us; you are supporting evil.
Another day, another post from Mr Jessop in which he tilts at those Russia-supporting windmills.
Is that the *best* thing you can think to say about the post? With all that horror, and you attack me for posting about it?
Yes, because it keeps begging the question, who are these “Russia supporters” that you keep railing against.
I just take it as given that Russia is currently a proto-fascist or full-fat fascist agent of evil. I think pretty much everyone on here does.
@Luckyguy1983@NickPalmer and @Roger have all exhibited somewhat pro-Russia or Ukraine-should-lose sympathies, to my mind
There may be others
Senator Joe McCarthy there....
Tis just the truth, as I see it
Also, it makes sense. PB is fairly representative of wider Britain (or geekland). I have members of my own family who are unexpectedly pro-Putin
Yeah. My mother is. I find it frustrating, bewildering and not a little upsetting.
To be fair, @Woger is not so much pro-Russian as concerned for the real victims in this -
The people who have been deprived of their yachts.
Think of all the young Russian ‘models’, and the young Western ‘actresses’, deprived of their ability to earn a living on the yachts of the Med this summer.
The Russians have taken 307,000 Ukrainian children over the border, and are going to give them a three-year 're-education' course. Russians can adopt them with minimal background checks.
*Anyone* who supports Russia in this hideous conflict is supporting evil. I don't care if you like their politics, or take umbrage at the fact the Ukrainians seem to like Boris, or you like anyone who is against us; you are supporting evil.
Another day, another post from Mr Jessop in which he tilts at those Russia-supporting windmills.
Is that the *best* thing you can think to say about the post? With all that horror, and you attack me for posting about it?
Yes, because it keeps begging the question, who are these “Russia supporters” that you keep railing against.
I just take it as given that Russia is currently a proto-fascist or full-fat fascist agent of evil. I think pretty much everyone on here does.
@Luckyguy1983@NickPalmer and @Roger have all exhibited somewhat pro-Russia or Ukraine-should-lose sympathies, to my mind
There may be others
Senator Joe McCarthy there....
Tis just the truth, as I see it
Also, it makes sense. PB is fairly representative of wider Britain (or geekland). I have members of my own family who are unexpectedly pro-Putin
The Russians have taken 307,000 Ukrainian children over the border, and are going to give them a three-year 're-education' course. Russians can adopt them with minimal background checks.
*Anyone* who supports Russia in this hideous conflict is supporting evil. I don't care if you like their politics, or take umbrage at the fact the Ukrainians seem to like Boris, or you like anyone who is against us; you are supporting evil.
Another day, another post from Mr Jessop in which he tilts at those Russia-supporting windmills.
Is that the *best* thing you can think to say about the post? With all that horror, and you attack me for posting about it?
Yes, because it keeps begging the question, who are these “Russia supporters” that you keep railing against.
I just take it as given that Russia is currently a proto-fascist or full-fat fascist agent of evil. I think pretty much everyone on here does.
Really?
Very mostly. But if you think they’re are individual posters who do, by all means call them out.
I think like all of us you are outraged and horrified by Russian crimes, but I do not believe you should waste energy taking aim at slightly phantasmal supporters.
Direct your fire full on at Putin and his henchmen.
They are not 'slightly phantasmal'. And it's sad that you take that sort of line.
Your attempts at moral blackmail don’t really wash with me, I’m afraid.
You appear desperate to find some Russian stooge to virtue signal against. I don’t know why, but it’s very conspicuous.
Possibly one of the best precis on Jessop that I've read. A rather self obsessed Don Quixote character fighting windmills.
It’s probably a bit mean-spirited of me. I just have a knee-jerk response to sanctimoniousness.
Someone like Leon, who actually *has* praised Putin in the past (though certainly not since the invasion), annoys me far less.
So it's sanctimonious to point out the evil Russia is doing, and that people supporting them might just, you know, be doing the wrong thing?
It's striking the amount of opprobrium that The Mail is pouring over Sir Keir personally at the moment. I don't recall them being this brutal with Miliband, Brown or even Blair or Corbyn. Odd. Sir Keir seems a ludicrously unlikely bogeyman.
Shows both the threat they think SKS and the scale of the problems they think Bozo has.
It's striking the amount of opprobrium that The Mail is pouring over Sir Keir personally at the moment. I don't recall them being this brutal with Miliband, Brown or even Blair or Corbyn. Odd. Sir Keir seems a ludicrously unlikely bogeyman.
They are desperate to do him down. This is because, unlike Corbyn, he is a threat because while people have bought the idea that he is boring (probably unfairly) they realise that he looks competent compared to The Clown. Only Corbyn would not be able to achieve this, so they hope that Labour will be stupid enough to remove "safe pair of hands" Starmer with someone as unelectable as Corbyn. Probably why they are generally nice about Angela.
The Russians have taken 307,000 Ukrainian children over the border, and are going to give them a three-year 're-education' course. Russians can adopt them with minimal background checks.
*Anyone* who supports Russia in this hideous conflict is supporting evil. I don't care if you like their politics, or take umbrage at the fact the Ukrainians seem to like Boris, or you like anyone who is against us; you are supporting evil.
Another day, another post from Mr Jessop in which he tilts at those Russia-supporting windmills.
Is that the *best* thing you can think to say about the post? With all that horror, and you attack me for posting about it?
Yes, because it keeps begging the question, who are these “Russia supporters” that you keep railing against.
I just take it as given that Russia is currently a proto-fascist or full-fat fascist agent of evil. I think pretty much everyone on here does.
@Luckyguy1983@NickPalmer and @Roger have all exhibited somewhat pro-Russia or Ukraine-should-lose sympathies, to my mind
There may be others
Senator Joe McCarthy there....
Tis just the truth, as I see it
Also, it makes sense. PB is fairly representative of wider Britain (or geekland). I have members of my own family who are unexpectedly pro-Putin
Yeah. My mother is. I find it frustrating, bewildering and not a little upsetting.
To be fair, @Woger is not so much pro-Russian as concerned for the real victims in this -
The people who have been deprived of their yachts.
Think of all the young Russian ‘models’, and the young Western ‘actresses’, deprived of their ability to earn a living on the yachts of the Med this summer.
Comments
Bring on the heavy artillery.
Freeze the pension and you will freeze plenty of pensioners.
Agree with the rest of your post.
At least genocidal China also builds roads and airports and bridges for poorer countries. Russia exports vodka, death and barbarism
I just take it as given that Russia is currently a proto-fascist or full-fat fascist agent of evil. I think pretty much everyone on here does.
That’s why Marco Polo was exceptional
It’s fucking obvious.
Sort it out, Electoral Commission.
And sources are not 'sources' they are just sources, and a reasonable thing to ask for. A link would probably be even better than 'the Russian military.'
There may be others
and The Kyiv Independent, quoting a Russian new source.
https://twitter.com/KyivIndependent/status/1538461156544847872
Now, may I ask you again: do you believe the Dutch reports in the MH17 shootdown? Do you think they got the events about right?
Tis just the truth, as I see it
Also, it makes sense. PB is fairly representative of wider Britain (or geekland). I have members of my own family who are unexpectedly pro-Putin
1. Never heard of Glastonbury
2. Couldn't afford to go to Glastonbury
3. Couldn't get tickets to Glastonbury
4. Don't want to go to Glastonbury.
NickPalmer is just expressing a misguided (in my opinion) form of realpolitik. He is surely not pro-Russian invasion.
Roger…is Roger.
But if you think they’re are individual posters who do, by all means call them out.
I think like all of us you are outraged and horrified by Russian crimes, but I do not believe you should waste energy taking aim at slightly phantasmal supporters.
Direct your fire full on at Putin and his henchmen.
And it's sad that you take that sort of line.
After the mid-terms, we are entering the presidential election cycle, and Trump will surely campaign against “Biden-flation”, and once again pose as a tough-talking businessman who can solve Ukraine mano e mano with Putin.
You appear desperate to find some Russian stooge to virtue signal against. I don’t know why, but it’s very conspicuous.
I know this might not please everyone, but it is an impressive looking thing
It says YES, BRITISH - the land that gave the world this language, plus the industrial Revolution. And Darwin. And newton. And Shakespeare. And the internet. And virtually all of the music you play in your bars
Yes, BRITISH
Quiet but commanding. I like.
1. Walking to Glastonbury.
2. Staying at a campsite at Glastonbury (not festival), and being woken up by the French couple in the next tent having very noisy sex. Or they were skinning a cat. One of the two.
3. Climbing Glastonbury Tor.
4. Walking out of Glastonbury.
That's about enough Glasto for me.
In no way do I support the invasion by Russia of Ukraine.
Still nothing about Herod, I note. Hmmmm...
Tell that to the families of the MH17 victims. Or those Ukrainian kids.
I ask again: do you agree with the Dutch findings into MH 17?
Was it really that orgasmic?
I don't care what colour my passport is or whether it says EU on the front or not. But I'll be pissed if I end up queueing longer.
Edit: Interesting though. As someone who uses a passport more than most of us, do you/will you care? Are you going to 'lose' yours so you can get a blue replacement asap?
The people who have been deprived of their yachts.
I've been unable to find any reputable source which either confirms or refutes it. Note the DM doesn't actually give a source.
Though I'm not sure what Tedros' opinion would add either way, unless he has unpublished evidence.
China, naturally deny it. FWTW.
https://www.globaltimes.cn/page/202206/1268776.shtml
And that's not Russia.
At least though we now know what excites @Leon's almost 60 year old loins when he is not watching PornHub or looking at the latest pictures of Tom Daley!
I just have a knee-jerk response to sanctimoniousness.
Someone like Leon, who actually *has* praised Putin in the past (though certainly not since the invasion), annoys me far less.
https://twitter.com/ragipsoylu/status/1539587392511819781
NEW: UK Defense Minister Ben Wallace will visit Ankara tomorrow to discuss regional defense issues including possible cooperation in defense industry, says Turkish defense ministry
UK Foreign Minister Truss will also be in Turkey tomorrow
Which is not to suggest a direct link between the two things, but Turkey is certainly working hard to increase its regional influence.
Still, we will have plenty of time to admire it while we stand in long queues at European airports.
Looks legit to me.
Presume he subsists on the blood of nubile Lothian virgins.
https://twitter.com/lbc/status/1539592710662881280?s=21&t=CITs9KZWcjRwIgqtW6I-iw
Good to see him talking sense, though.
Does proficiency with MATCH() and INDEX() functions indicate membership of your tribe?
True Excel nerds know and understand its vagaries.
Not Python, obviously.
Pros. No box 2, 8 or 9, EC sales or intrastat to worry about.
Cons. £10k a year to some dutch accountants to enable us to still triangulate fully within the EU.
Reader, I climbed the fence.
I would love to go back and take everything in a bit more rather than be absolutely off my face for five days - as enjoyable as that was when I was 22 and stupid. At the time me and my mates I went with were all working together, doing afters shifts at a mail sorting office. We finished our shift, thought bugger it lets go, got in the cars and headed straight down there. I miss being that young and spontaneous, free of cares and responsibilities.
I can't remember going to any of the main stages to see anyone specifically. The crowds were too much around them. I still dislike big gigs to this day. But we could see and hear the Pyramid Stage from our tents and I remember Moby playing while I puked as I came up like a rocket after double-dropping. Happy days.
I regret I missed Bowie, but I wasn't really aware of how good he was, or his brilliant back catalogue. An omission I have since rectified.
It is like the real world has been turned off, there are no rules but no-one is nasty and everything is amazing - or that's how it seems through these rose-tinted lenses. It would be great to go back and it not be quite so rammed, and me not munching disco biscuits morning, noon and night.
Weather wasn't too bad in 2000, but I think part of the reason I've never made a serious effort to go back is the potential for Passchendaele-like rain and mud. Friends who have been to wet Glastonburys say it is a thoroughly miserable experience.
The benefits of a near one party state ?
https://freedomhouse.org/country/turkey
Resolver.
Sob.
I loved Resolver.
Still: at least Resolver led to PythonAnywhere
I am not new to this, I have seen neighbour disputes for many years and understand that the best answer is to try and talk to people to try and work through them.
However, I am now dealing with a very difficult character, and even though I am continuing friendly engagement, the person in question is proving very stubborn and we are heading in to conflict. This has been going on for about 3 years and the situation is becoming really serious.
The problem relates to remedial works to a building which we are co freeholders of (50/50) which need to occur to make it habitable and mortgageable.
If they don't happen, the loss in value to each of our flats is in the hundreds of thousands of pounds. The actual cost of the remedial works, is in the tens of thousands of pounds.
She doesn't see the point of the works, doesn't see the point of complying with any regulations, and assumes that all professionals are ripping people off.
Basically, her perspective is hard to explain because it is irrational.
She has had this standpoint for the 40 years she has lived in the flat. When there was a freeholder , he did the works, she sued him herself and lost badly; and was paying back the cost for 15 years. But thinks the court decision was a masonic conspiracy.
She now believes irrationally that the Council should be paying for the works, which is nonsense.
To try and avoid a legal conflict, I have even offered to just pay for all the works myself and take a charge on her flat, she can just pay me back when she sells it. But even reaching a reliable agreement on that is impossible.
The building is deteriorating and water is coming through the roof in various places.
The final straw is this. She has now decided that she will just fix the one leak that is affecting her, by herself, and has appointed a cowboy builder for this single task.
This is despite us being friendly, exchanging books, going around to each others flats for coffee etc.
Is this the point where I give up and go to a lawyer? Is there any other possible way out?
I am also reminded of a story when we were in the EU, of a car factory closing in the UK, relocating to Turkey because the company was a recipient of an EU development grant!
Physician, heal thyself!
Despite the 19k Tory majority, it would be a very likely Lib Dem gain - they held the seat up until 2015 and would start a clear second.
https://twitter.com/DavidHerdson/status/1539621899004968961
https://twitter.com/Gabriel_Pogrund/status/1539586676766527489
Won't let me quote you.. says "undefined" when I try
Like you I don't give a toss what it looks like if it can get me passed the queues.
Not sure why my mug has to appear on it on 3 different pages (and 4 times if you count the clear bit on one page so that my face appears twice on that page. Bit of overkill.
I have never been able to get through the e-gates with this or the previous passport. On returning to Gatwick the other day I seriously considered abandoning that queue and going straight to the manned queue, but it worked for the first time. Yeah.
Quite a few older people believe that the cost of doing building works properly is a rip off, because they know someone who can patch it up with a bit of filler, for a tenner.
Hence the state of many houses when sold - "Requires updating".....
I've just sent it to a potential employer to exhibit my excel nerdery and I'd like to know if it's worth sending..
But Turkey has ?eight? neighbours, and has had problematic relations with all of them in the last century, if not more recently - and he's not helping by actually fighting some of them. He is also looking at whoever will support Turkey best if one or more of those neighbours starts getting frisky in return.
I reckon Turkey will always be neither east nor west politically.
Is that how far you've descended?
=IF(AND(C2="",D2="",E2="",F2="",HG2=""),"",IF(AND(C2="",D2="",E2="",F2="",HG2<>""),MIN(MAX(INDIRECT(AA2))),IF(AND(C2="",D2="",E2="",F2<>"",HG2=""),MIN(MAX(INDIRECT(Z2))),IF(AND(C2="",D2="",E2<>"",F2="",HG2=""),MIN(MAX(INDIRECT(Y2))),IF(AND(C2="",D2<>"",E2="",F2="",HG2=""),MIN(MAX(INDIRECT(X2))),IF(AND(C2<>"",D2="",E2="",F2="",HG2=""),MIN(MAX(INDIRECT(W2))),IF(AND(C2="",D2="",E2="",F2<>"",HG2<>""),MIN(MAX(INDIRECT(Z2)),MAX(INDIRECT(AA2))),IF(AND(C2="",D2="",E2<>"",F2="",HG2<>""),MIN(MAX(INDIRECT(Y2)),MAX(INDIRECT(AA2))),IF(AND(C2="",D2<>"",E2="",F2="",HG2<>""),MIN(MAX(INDIRECT(X2)),MAX(INDIRECT(AA2))),IF(AND(C2<>"",D2="",E2="",F2="",HG2<>""),MIN(MAX(INDIRECT(W2)),MAX(INDIRECT(AA2))),IF(AND(C2="",D2="",E2<>"",F2<>"",HG2=""),MIN(MAX(INDIRECT(Y2)),MAX(INDIRECT(Z2))),IF(AND(C2="",D2<>"",E2="",F2<>"",HG2=""),MIN(MAX(INDIRECT(X2)),MAX(INDIRECT(Z2))),IF(AND(C2<>"",D2="",E2="",F2<>"",HG2=""),MIN(MAX(INDIRECT(W2)),MAX(INDIRECT(Z2))),IF(AND(C2="",D2<>"",E2<>"",F2="",HG2=""),MIN(MAX(INDIRECT(X2)),MAX(INDIRECT(Y2))),IF(AND(C2<>"",D2="",E2<>"",F2="",HG2=""),MIN(MAX(INDIRECT(W2)),MAX(INDIRECT(Y2))),IF(AND(C2<>"",D2<>"",E2="",F2="",HG2=""),MIN(MAX(INDIRECT(W2)),MAX(INDIRECT(X2))),IF(AND(C2="",D2="",E2<>"",F2<>"",HG2<>""),MIN(MAX(INDIRECT(Y2)),MAX(INDIRECT(Z2)),MAX(INDIRECT(AA2))),IF(AND(C2="",D2<>"",E2="",F2<>"",HG2<>""),MIN(MAX(INDIRECT(X2)),MAX(INDIRECT(Z2)),MAX(INDIRECT(AA2))),IF(AND(C2<>"",D2="",E2="",F2<>"",HG2<>""),MIN(MAX(INDIRECT(W2)),MAX(INDIRECT(Z2)),MAX(INDIRECT(AA2))),IF(AND(C2="",D2<>"",E2<>"",F2="",HG2<>""),MIN(MAX(INDIRECT(X2)),MAX(INDIRECT(Y2)),MAX(INDIRECT(AA2))),IF(AND(C2<>"",D2="",E2<>"",F2="",HG2<>""),MIN(MAX(INDIRECT(W2)),MAX(INDIRECT(Y2)),MAX(INDIRECT(AA2))),IF(AND(C2<>"",D2<>"",E2="",F2="",HG2<>""),MIN(MAX(INDIRECT(W2)),MAX(INDIRECT(X2)),MAX(INDIRECT(AA2))),IF(AND(C2="",D2<>"",E2<>"",F2<>"",HG2=""),MIN(MAX(INDIRECT(X2)),MAX(INDIRECT(Y2)),MAX(INDIRECT(Z2))),IF(AND(C2<>"",D2="",E2<>"",F2<>"",HG2=""),MIN(MAX(INDIRECT(W2)),MAX(INDIRECT(Y2)),MAX(INDIRECT(Z2))),IF(AND(C2<>"",D2<>"",E2="",F2<>"",HG2=""),MIN(MAX(INDIRECT(W2)),MAX(INDIRECT(X2)),MAX(INDIRECT(Z2))),IF(AND(C2<>"",D2<>"",E2<>"",F2="",HG2=""),MIN(MAX(INDIRECT(W2)),MAX(INDIRECT(X2)),MAX(INDIRECT(Y2))),IF(AND(C2="",D2<>"",E2<>"",F2<>"",HG2<>""),MIN(MAX(INDIRECT(X2)),MAX(INDIRECT(Y2)),MAX(INDIRECT(Z2)),MAX(INDIRECT(AA2))),IF(AND(C2<>"",D2="",E2<>"",F2<>"",HG2<>""),MIN(MAX(INDIRECT(W2)),MAX(INDIRECT(Y2)),MAX(INDIRECT(Z2)),MAX(INDIRECT(AA2))),IF(AND(C2<>"",D2<>"",E2="",F2<>"",HG2<>""),MIN(MAX(INDIRECT(W2)),MAX(INDIRECT(X2)),MAX(INDIRECT(Z2)),MAX(INDIRECT(AA2))),IF(AND(C2<>"",D2<>"",E2<>"",F2="",HG2<>""),MIN(MAX(INDIRECT(W2)),MAX(INDIRECT(X2)),MAX(INDIRECT(Y2)),MAX(INDIRECT(AA2))),IF(AND(C2<>"",D2<>"",E2<>"",F2<>"",HG2=""),MIN(MAX(INDIRECT(W2)),MAX(INDIRECT(X2)),MAX(INDIRECT(Y2)),MAX(INDIRECT(Z2))),MIN(MAX(INDIRECT(W2)),MAX(INDIRECT(X2)),MAX(INDIRECT(Y2)),MAX(INDIRECT(Z2)),MAX(INDIRECT(AA2))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))
Wow.