Language evolves, and generally new usage and the breaking of arbitrary rules does not bother me. However, the prevalence of ‘iconic’, which has spread like Japanese knotweed in recent years, really grates. I’d love to see its use once again solely restricted to discussions about Orthodox Christianity.
All Christianity, not just our Constantinople and Russian friends. 'Icon' (eikon/ikon) is a proper bible word. (Eg Colossians 1.15).
Never mind an icon, there's a whole iconostasis in St. Dunstan In The West, Fleet Street, which is CofE. Plus a striking clock from 1671 on the outside, which was the first one in London with a minute hand.
Morning all. The MRP YouGov is another piece in the mysterious puzzle for Tory MPs of 'how screwed are we?' Very screwed. In all the worst places. You could always try actually doing something about it. #activategreysuits #ordont #wedontcareanymore
They’ve no idea what to do. None. At this point they hate each other more than anyone else.
It's pretty staggering that someone like DavidL still needs to be educated on an issue like this.
I completely agree with that letter. The inconsistency with which these episodes are treated is a part of the problem as is the truly remarkable lack of clear rules of conduct (other than common sense and decency, of course). I also agree that this is damaging the government.
I am not suggesting that it gets swept under any carpet but I am suggesting that the offender should be treated compassionately if there are explanations for his behaviour. Is that so awful?
Yes. He's a man. So obviously he doesn't deserve compassion. How can you even ask, you sexist gammon(?)
Actually, you're confusing individual and party responsibility. If such an element is not already part of the existing party system, then there is something wrong with the system independent of gender or sex.
Ah thanks. Yes the net has changed language, no question.
Which I'm fine with (although pls note my mild dislike for the missing "of") because that's how it should be. You don't want an ossified tongue.
I've improved my ways on this. I'm tech backward and until recently used to send texts with multiple sentences, each one full and correct as to grammar, spelling and punctuation.
But then I realized that's not how it's done. A text (or a whatsup) like that is actually a bad text. It's not right for the medium and reads poorly. Looks odd to the recipient. So now I only do short ones and I make sure to use abbvs and I don't worry about the spelling or the grammar. Much better.
Disagree. I use proper spelling, punctuation and grammar in texts, because I prefer receiving the same. I've also mostly stopped using emojis, because I found I was using them as a way to avoid putting the effort into being specific about what I thought or felt, and I decided the people I was communicating with deserved the effort.
You're still looking for rules to follow, rather than making the choice for yourself about how you want to use the medium. The point is that there's no right or wrong way to use English. There are no rules. Send texts however you want.
No Rules, yes I pretty much agree with that as regards language (within reason obviously - you do need to be understood).
But I do genuinely prefer this new short and sloppy way - both for send and receive. I think how I used to do it was kind of failing to adapt to a new medium. And it was dreadfully inefficient. Bit like sticking with maps for ages after satnav came along (which I also did tbh).
Much of it is age, I guess. I know I probably come across on here as about 38 or something, due to the youthful brio and progressive politics, but in fact I'm 61.
I hate to say it, but I'm surprised you're 61. You've never come across as a day younger than 70.
You're roughly in between my age and my Dad's. He does the texts with "c u l8r". I find it annoying. My daughter doesn't do any of that - but she didn't start sending text messages until they were essentially free. I can see why people who had to pay 35p a text message would have used abbreviations. She has lost most of her final full stops though. How strange.
Especially as everyone loves beer and korma - Starmer should be using this (scintillatingly clever) nickname everywhere
Surely nobody likes Korma? Its like having curry by Zoom.
Depends on the restaurant. They are the white bread of curries generally but my local Nepalese does a decent twist on them. Anyway, we all need someone to take the piss out of on a night out for ordering one so the sobriquet at least indicates he’s up for one.
Thank you but that doesn't quite work for the example I've highlighted. It says you do it when there's a whole load of reasons for something and you want to head off having to list them - so you say (literally) "because reasons".
Eg I can't stand Boris Johnson because reasons. Implication (a correct one) is there are just too many reasons to mention individually. So ... "because reasons". Fair enough. I happen to like listing them all but I can see how that's a good way of saving time.
However, Leon's one here - "because Covid" - isn't that. All he's done is drop the word "of".
My sense is people are doing it because they think it sounds a bit youthful and internety and adds a bit of punch. But I'm not sure it does. Affectation, I think, and I recommend we try and avoid it. No biggie obviously. Worth an airing but I won't bother mentioning it again.
It’s a neat shortening of the language, therefore useful (see what I did there?)
The “of” in “because of” is unnecessary, indeed I’d say it’s ugly (but that’s subjective). You don’t need “of”. When you say “because Covid” the meaning is clear. Why add “of”?
Presumably you object to “I’m” or “weren’t” or “Arsenal”, instead of “The Arsenal”
No it's fine. You carry on with it. As I say, no biggie. I smelt an affectation but if you're doing it just naturally without thinking - because you - then it wouldn't be. No rules. All good.
And what's wrong with affectations anyway? WTF am I being like this?
Morning all. The MRP YouGov is another piece in the mysterious puzzle for Tory MPs of 'how screwed are we?' Very screwed. In all the worst places. You could always try actually doing something about it. #activategreysuits #ordont #wedontcareanymore
They’ve no idea what to do. None. At this point they hate each other more than anyone else.
They are now starting to exude massive 'what is the point of you?' vibes Which is always terminal. They have a very limited time left to act (if its not already much too late) Sad and pathetic really with a thumping majority. Wasted on them.
If there is a by-election, is there a man in the white suit option?
Michael Fabricant in the neighbouring constituency should be in a straitjacket.
Oh, sorry, is that not what you meant?
Fabricant is an enigma, a barometer for a broken parliamentary system.
How he became.and remains and MP is a mystery. You would have thought someone along the way, be they a Tory selector or a voter would have said hang on, this is not necessarily the best person to represent us.
(There are others like this, but he stands out as a big Why?)
Fabricant is one of the most colourful MPs and has a big personal vote in Lichfield too
By "colourful", you mean he's a bit of a twat?
It's very unfair, and no reflection on him, but I cannot help finding his name utterly distracting given it is also the name of the androids in David Mitchell's Cloud Nine: for instance -
"To keep the orthodox corpocrats quiet, the ascended fabricant would be described as yet another unstable experiment nearing mental entropy [...]
Especially as everyone loves beer and korma - Starmer should be using this (scintillatingly clever) nickname everywhere
Surely nobody likes Korma? Its like having curry by Zoom.
Depends on the restaurant. They are the white bread of curries generally but my local Nepalese does a decent twist on them. Anyway, we all need someone to take the piss out of on a night out for ordering one so the sobriquet at least indicates he’s up for one.
Some people are genuinely very sensitive to capsaicin and cannot even cope with a supermarket spring roll. Pasanda is about their limit.
Republicans are bracing for Donald J. Trump to announce an unusually early bid for the White House, a move designed in part to shield the former president from a stream of damaging revelations emerging from investigations into his attempts to cling to power after losing the 2020 election.
I’m on the bus to my mate’s place, and just saw a fat woman and (presumably) her fat daughter use the bus for a less than half mile journey. They weren’t carrying shopping.
I'd do that and I am not fat and it would be much harder work if I was
All pedestrians should use the bus for short journeys, in order to leave the pavements clear for cyclists.
Especially as everyone loves beer and korma - Starmer should be using this (scintillatingly clever) nickname everywhere
Surely nobody likes Korma? Its like having curry by Zoom.
Depends on the restaurant. They are the white bread of curries generally but my local Nepalese does a decent twist on them. Anyway, we all need someone to take the piss out of on a night out for ordering one so the sobriquet at least indicates he’s up for one.
He gives the impression of a man who until forced to try Korma by his pals always ordered from the English dishes section
I predicted this 6 years ago, Tourism will be rationed by price; only the rich will be allowed to see Venice. It has just been delayed by Covid
tourism has always been rationed by price
Given the place is sinking under the weight of all the tourists and their ships I can’t blame them. Really didn’t enjoy it when I visited because it was so crowded.
I was hoping (with all due respect to the fraternity on here who enjoy such holidays) that Covid would kill off the cruise ship business. The environmental and health harms, particularly in Venice, far outweigh their utility.
While I can understand the view, due to my currently reduced mobility I have been seriously thinking about a cruise. I would like to be taken to see something!
Do it, OKC, but make sure you go on a small ship. It’s a more intimate experience, you can visit smaller places, and don’t just meet fellow passengers when you’re there.
Especially as everyone loves beer and korma - Starmer should be using this (scintillatingly clever) nickname everywhere
Surely nobody likes Korma? Its like having curry by Zoom.
Depends on the restaurant. They are the white bread of curries generally but my local Nepalese does a decent twist on them. Anyway, we all need someone to take the piss out of on a night out for ordering one so the sobriquet at least indicates he’s up for one.
He gives the impression of a man who until forced to try Korma by his pals always ordered from the English dishes section
Especially as everyone loves beer and korma - Starmer should be using this (scintillatingly clever) nickname everywhere
Surely nobody likes Korma? Its like having curry by Zoom.
Depends on the restaurant. They are the white bread of curries generally but my local Nepalese does a decent twist on them. Anyway, we all need someone to take the piss out of on a night out for ordering one so the sobriquet at least indicates he’s up for one.
He gives the impression of a man who until forced to try Korma by his pals always ordered from the English dishes section
Harsh, possibly fair, but harsh.
I heard he bled from the arse for a week after a butter chicken. Takes his coffee without granules. And other classics
If there is a by-election, is there a man in the white suit option?
Michael Fabricant in the neighbouring constituency should be in a straitjacket.
Oh, sorry, is that not what you meant?
Fabricant is an enigma, a barometer for a broken parliamentary system.
How he became.and remains and MP is a mystery. You would have thought someone along the way, be they a Tory selector or a voter would have said hang on, this is not necessarily the best person to represent us.
(There are others like this, but he stands out as a big Why?)
Fabricant is one of the most colourful MPs and has a big personal vote in Lichfield too
By "colourful", you mean he's a bit of a twat?
It's very unfair, and no reflection on him, but I cannot help finding his name utterly distracting given it is also the name of the androids in David Mitchell's Cloud Nine: for instance -
"To keep the orthodox corpocrats quiet, the ascended fabricant would be described as yet another unstable experiment nearing mental entropy [...]
Ah thanks. Yes the net has changed language, no question.
Which I'm fine with (although pls note my mild dislike for the missing "of") because that's how it should be. You don't want an ossified tongue.
I've improved my ways on this. I'm tech backward and until recently used to send texts with multiple sentences, each one full and correct as to grammar, spelling and punctuation.
But then I realized that's not how it's done. A text (or a whatsup) like that is actually a bad text. It's not right for the medium and reads poorly. Looks odd to the recipient. So now I only do short ones and I make sure to use abbvs and I don't worry about the spelling or the grammar. Much better.
Disagree. I use proper spelling, punctuation and grammar in texts, because I prefer receiving the same. I've also mostly stopped using emojis, because I found I was using them as a way to avoid putting the effort into being specific about what I thought or felt, and I decided the people I was communicating with deserved the effort.
You're still looking for rules to follow, rather than making the choice for yourself about how you want to use the medium. The point is that there's no right or wrong way to use English. There are no rules. Send texts however you want.
No Rules, yes I pretty much agree with that as regards language (within reason obviously - you do need to be understood).
But I do genuinely prefer this new short and sloppy way - both for send and receive. I think how I used to do it was kind of failing to adapt to a new medium. And it was dreadfully inefficient. Bit like sticking with maps for ages after satnav came along (which I also did tbh).
Much of it is age, I guess. I know I probably come across on here as about 38 or something, due to the youthful brio and progressive politics, but in fact I'm 61.
I hate to say it, but I'm surprised you're 61. You've never come across as a day younger than 70.
You're roughly in between my age and my Dad's. He does the texts with "c u l8r". I find it annoying. My daughter doesn't do any of that - but she didn't start sending text messages until they were essentially free. I can see why people who had to pay 35p a text message would have used abbreviations. She has lost most of her final full stops though. How strange.
Ah so you've always picked up the underlying wisdom in my stuff. That speaks well of you.
Oh god, no, I don't go that far, 'cul8r' etc. I just stopped writing texts as if they were emails.
Yes, annoying dad talk. Mine came onto the family w/app and started slagging off Kendrick Lamar. I'd do my favourite 'shrug' emoji here if I was on my phone.
"On Thursday evening, the Kremlin submitted a bill to the State Duma on "special economic measures" for "counterterrorist and other operations" outside of Russia.
An explanatory note attached to the bill said that there is, particularly amid Putin's war against Ukraine, "a short-term increased need for the repair of weapons and military equipment.""
"The bill proposed, among other measures, "the implementation of material assets from state reserves" and "the temporary activation of mobilization capacities and facilities," as well as overtime work in "individual organizations.""
So, on one hand, this suggests a significant shortage of Russian material and manpower. On the other hand, it suggests that Russia is mobilising more of its massive industrial capability to sustaining the war - still without calling it a war.
It's hard to see how this improves Russia's economy in the short and medium term. And I wonder how many of the 'capabilities' mobilised will be young men sent to Ukraine to fight.
A bit more shortage of manpower and materials - in the Donbas this time:
Former President Trump has an early edge over President Biden in a hypothetical 2024 rematch, according to a new Emerson College poll.
The national survey shows Trump leading Biden 44 percent to 39 percent in a head-to-head match-up, while another 12 percent of voters say they plan to vote for someone else.
It's pretty staggering that someone like DavidL still needs to be educated on an issue like this.
I completely agree with that letter. The inconsistency with which these episodes are treated is a part of the problem as is the truly remarkable lack of clear rules of conduct (other than common sense and decency, of course). I also agree that this is damaging the government.
I am not suggesting that it gets swept under any carpet but I am suggesting that the offender should be treated compassionately if there are explanations for his behaviour. Is that so awful?
Yes. He's a man. So obviously he doesn't deserve compassion. How can you even ask, you sexist gammon(?)
Actually, you're confusing individual and party responsibility. If such an element is not already part of the existing party system, then there is something wrong with the system independent of gender or sex.
@DavidL is trying to defend the system that existed prior to the current cultural revolution/age of unreason. This system is basically what our entire civilisation post the enlightenment is built on.
This could be described as follows: Firstly; that in your personal affairs you must operate within the boundaries of the law; and secondly; that if there are rules of conduct that apply to you in your professional role, it must be clear to you what they are; and thirdly, that humans are flawed, make mistakes, and in this context, there should be some sympathy and possibility of redemption.
But all this has been swept away and what we actually see is the rules about 'conduct' being made up as we go along by a limited subset of extremely vocal public opinion in a completely uncontrolled and inconsistent way; driven forward by myths and ideas of social progress that are essentially pseudo religious in nature. It brings out all the worst tribal instincts in people.
What really needs to happen, is that the original system needs to be restored, but to be more adaptable to changes in social values. Is that really such a big ask?
I’ve been saying for a while on here that the Midlands is now the Tory heartland. Outside of the big cities and a few university towns like Leamington and Warwick, Labour remains deeply toxic and will do so for a while yet. That makes Tamworth a guaranteed Tory hold. The interesting bit would be the size of the majority.
Ok, why is that?
Labour was on 36% in a YouGov opinion poll the other day. In order to be that low they must be fairly toxic in a lot of areas given how popular they are in the cities and university seats. Otherwise they'd be on 45% in the polls
Especially as everyone loves beer and korma - Starmer should be using this (scintillatingly clever) nickname everywhere
Surely nobody likes Korma? Its like having curry by Zoom.
Depends on the restaurant. They are the white bread of curries generally but my local Nepalese does a decent twist on them. Anyway, we all need someone to take the piss out of on a night out for ordering one so the sobriquet at least indicates he’s up for one.
He gives the impression of a man who until forced to try Korma by his pals always ordered from the English dishes section
When we lived in Exeter the best takeaway chips we could find were cooked by the local Chinese. The absence of a good chippy was one of the most disappointing features of the city. Where I grew up in South London we had a great fish and chip place within walking distance and it was just one of those things that I took for granted, as part of the natural order of things. And then in Exeter there wasn't one.
Morning all. The MRP YouGov is another piece in the mysterious puzzle for Tory MPs of 'how screwed are we?' Very screwed. In all the worst places. You could always try actually doing something about it. #activategreysuits #ordont #wedontcareanymore
They’ve no idea what to do. None. At this point they hate each other more than anyone else.
And maybe there is nothing meaningful to be done.
Any Johnson replacement will be a relative pygmy, and most of them are pretty complicit in letting Johnson get away with it for so long.
The economy is going to hell and we've sold off the handcart to pay next week's pensions. And the ideas cupboard is bare.
Apart from the David Frost fantasy that the people of Britain are crying out for deregulation, and the Nadine Forties fantasy that we want eternal culture wars... What is there?
This is a great book, incidentally, if you like popular linguistics and language and you spend time on the internet. Strongly recommended. (I am an Old Internet Person by her classification.)
You mean language changes because reasons?
I don't think people are missing the 'of' unironically though are they? They're imitating the speech patterns of an imagined person of sub-normal intelligence in a sarcastic way. 'We obviously had to Brexit because reasons'. It is pretty annoying though.
If there is a by-election, is there a man in the white suit option?
Michael Fabricant in the neighbouring constituency should be in a straitjacket.
Oh, sorry, is that not what you meant?
Fabricant is an enigma, a barometer for a broken parliamentary system.
How he became.and remains and MP is a mystery. You would have thought someone along the way, be they a Tory selector or a voter would have said hang on, this is not necessarily the best person to represent us.
(There are others like this, but he stands out as a big Why?)
Fabricant is one of the most colourful MPs and has a big personal vote in Lichfield too
By "colourful", you mean he's a bit of a twat?
It's very unfair, and no reflection on him, but I cannot help finding his name utterly distracting given it is also the name of the androids in David Mitchell's Cloud Nine: for instance -
"To keep the orthodox corpocrats quiet, the ascended fabricant would be described as yet another unstable experiment nearing mental entropy [...]
What came first; the politician or the android?
Cloud nine was published in 2004 and Mr Fabricant has been a MP since 1997, so the timing is not particularly conclusive, especially as the author comes from the Malverns (it's very evident in his writing)., not Staffs. There is at least one use of the word in a 1999 Australian frightener novel to do with genetic engineering. So I think it's just coincidence. Probably the robotic fabricant simply comes from the notion of being fabricated, same root as Fr. fabricant = Mr F's name.
Especially as everyone loves beer and korma - Starmer should be using this (scintillatingly clever) nickname everywhere
Surely nobody likes Korma? Its like having curry by Zoom.
Depends on the restaurant. They are the white bread of curries generally but my local Nepalese does a decent twist on them. Anyway, we all need someone to take the piss out of on a night out for ordering one so the sobriquet at least indicates he’s up for one.
Korma is a superb dish (and I say that as someone who orders the hottest food on the menu as a flex). It’s like vanilla ice cream, the depths of flavour a good chef can instill are really something. It’s also the “basic” dish that tends to be best done because Makhani and Tikka Masala have too much association. If you want to know if an Indian restaurant knows their stuff, have the Korma. Then order a Green Herb Chilli Gohst and blow your head skyward.
Landlords can increase rent by 15% but renters can’t ask for 15% pay rises.
Tickets can go up by inflation, but if rail workers ask for the same with wages they’re being ridiculous.
Everything can go up: prices, asset inflation, profit, rents - but not wages. See how it works?
That has an air of Bastani to my ear.
I agree. It has a feel of comparing non-comparables to generate superficial outrage. It's like "I was forced to do X" when it's actually a voluntary decision - ignoring all the other constraints.
On just the first one, long-run rents have increased more slowly than CPI, which is why rent-controls to inflation + a little, which will validate the control arrangement increase, will be bad news for tenants.
Self-declared tenant-advocates are generally as ignorant as bricks or as thick as planks, who only look at a tiny fraction of the data - typically advertised rents for new tenancies. Whilst ignoring that in place rents, which are 97-98% of them, rise far more slowly.
Private landlords can be a whipping boy, I agree, but our property approach is not a healthy one. On the residential side it should primarily be about homes not about personal wealth creation. Saw a stat yesterday - home ownership for middle income 25/34 year olds has dropped from 60% to 20% in the last 20 years. Terrible. Needs radical change imo but that's no easy matter because the problems are deeply ingrained.
I guess it also makes sense: *how* a mineral formed might be just as important as *what* it is.
I was at a lecture last week on mining and it was utterly fascinating. It’s now possible to dig out a cavern under a mineral deposit and drop the entire deposit into it. The effect on the surface environment is minimal. Really cool stuff.
This is a great book, incidentally, if you like popular linguistics and language and you spend time on the internet. Strongly recommended. (I am an Old Internet Person by her classification.)
You mean language changes because reasons?
I don't think people are missing the 'of' unironically though are they? They're imitating the speech patterns of an imagined person of sub-normal intelligence in a sarcastic way. 'We obviously had to Brexit because reasons'. It is pretty annoying though.
When reading the formulation, "the Tories are doomed because Boris," as opposed to, "the Tories are doomed because of Boris," I hear it in two different ways depending on context.
Sometimes it comes across as someone in such a rush to express themselves that they are stripping out all the extraneous words. It implies an urgency and directness. At other times I hear an implicit pause, as though for dramatic or comic effect, with the implication that the other party knows what is coming next and there is a shared understanding that the reason is obvious.
Both of these possible nuances are missing when the grammatically correct, "the Tories are doomed because of Boris," is used.
Landlords can increase rent by 15% but renters can’t ask for 15% pay rises.
Tickets can go up by inflation, but if rail workers ask for the same with wages they’re being ridiculous.
Everything can go up: prices, asset inflation, profit, rents - but not wages. See how it works?
That has an air of Bastani to my ear.
I agree. It has a feel of comparing non-comparables to generate superficial outrage. It's like "I was forced to do X" when it's actually a voluntary decision - ignoring all the other constraints.
On just the first one, long-run rents have increased more slowly than CPI, which is why rent-controls to inflation + a little, which will validate the control arrangement increase, will be bad news for tenants.
Self-declared tenant-advocates are generally as ignorant as bricks or as thick as planks, who only look at a tiny fraction of the data - typically advertised rents for new tenancies. Whilst ignoring that in place rents, which are 97-98% of them, rise far more slowly.
Private landlords can be a whipping boy, I agree, but our property approach is not a healthy one. On the residential side it should primarily be about homes not about personal wealth creation. Saw a stat yesterday - home ownership for middle income 25/34 year olds has dropped from 60% to 20% in the last 20 years. Terrible. Needs radical change imo but that's no easy matter because the problems are deeply ingrained.
Every private landlord I’ve had has been awful so I’ve no time for the bloody parasites. I’m sure some decent ones exist, but it’s hard to get over the guy who refused to fix the damp in my bathroom despite mushrooms growing from the skirting board, or the chap who tried to charge me for getting the gas man out to stop my kitchen exploding. The sector needs far, far more regulation than it has.
Especially as everyone loves beer and korma - Starmer should be using this (scintillatingly clever) nickname everywhere
Surely nobody likes Korma? Its like having curry by Zoom.
Depends on the restaurant. They are the white bread of curries generally but my local Nepalese does a decent twist on them. Anyway, we all need someone to take the piss out of on a night out for ordering one so the sobriquet at least indicates he’s up for one.
He gives the impression of a man who until forced to try Korma by his pals always ordered from the English dishes section
When we lived in Exeter the best takeaway chips we could find were cooked by the local Chinese. The absence of a good chippy was one of the most disappointing features of the city. Where I grew up in South London we had a great fish and chip place within walking distance and it was just one of those things that I took for granted, as part of the natural order of things. And then in Exeter there wasn't one.
No champion chippy is a reason for riot. No wonder Ben Bradshaw is such an insufferable oaf, no decent chippy!
Especially as everyone loves beer and korma - Starmer should be using this (scintillatingly clever) nickname everywhere
Surely nobody likes Korma? Its like having curry by Zoom.
Depends on the restaurant. They are the white bread of curries generally but my local Nepalese does a decent twist on them. Anyway, we all need someone to take the piss out of on a night out for ordering one so the sobriquet at least indicates he’s up for one.
He gives the impression of a man who until forced to try Korma by his pals always ordered from the English dishes section
Harsh, possibly fair, but harsh.
I heard he bled from the arse for a week after a butter chicken. Takes his coffee without granules. And other classics
I can't believe you made that coffee joke up on the instant.
Former President Trump has an early edge over President Biden in a hypothetical 2024 rematch, according to a new Emerson College poll.
The national survey shows Trump leading Biden 44 percent to 39 percent in a head-to-head match-up, while another 12 percent of voters say they plan to vote for someone else.
Language evolves, and generally new usage and the breaking of arbitrary rules does not bother me. However, the prevalence of ‘iconic’, which has spread like Japanese knotweed in recent years, really grates. I’d love to see its use once again solely restricted to discussions about Orthodox Christianity.
See also passionate. It appears now one can be the p word about making cup cakes and selling time shares, I'd rather it was kept for the tango and the like.
We want what we say to stand out, so we use words for emphasis, but everyone does that and the words lose their power. It’s been like that for millennia. See Guy Deutscher’s “The Unfolding of Language”, https://archive.org/details/unfoldingoflangu00deut
Landlords can increase rent by 15% but renters can’t ask for 15% pay rises.
Tickets can go up by inflation, but if rail workers ask for the same with wages they’re being ridiculous.
Everything can go up: prices, asset inflation, profit, rents - but not wages. See how it works?
That has an air of Bastani to my ear.
OTOH, surely allowing wages to spiral pushes up prices especially if those wage rises are in the transport industries that move and supply the goods. This is why holding down wages has always been the first line of defence against inflation.
Yes the wage price spiral is a real thing. I think the problem comes if it looks like workers in already not particularly well paid jobs are being asked to take one for the team when those who can more afford to do so aren't. A bit like with Osborne's 'austerity'. The brunt was taken - either directly or indirectly - by the very people who could least bear it. That was my problem with him. I was never of the view that we didn't have to address the deficit post the crash.
Former President Trump has an early edge over President Biden in a hypothetical 2024 rematch, according to a new Emerson College poll.
The national survey shows Trump leading Biden 44 percent to 39 percent in a head-to-head match-up, while another 12 percent of voters say they plan to vote for someone else.
The Hill
Christ.
Like most mid-term polls, it probably says more about how rubbish the incumbent is than what is likely to happen when it actually counts.
I’ve been saying for a while on here that the Midlands is now the Tory heartland. Outside of the big cities and a few university towns like Leamington and Warwick, Labour remains deeply toxic and will do so for a while yet. That makes Tamworth a guaranteed Tory hold. The interesting bit would be the size of the majority.
Ok, why is that?
Labour was on 36% in a YouGov opinion poll the other day. In order to be that low they must be fairly toxic in a lot of areas given how popular they are in the cities and university seats. Otherwise they'd be on 45% in the polls
If Blair was leading Labour they absolutely would be.
He'd have an answer on Wokery (indeed, he already does), defence spending, welfare and boats across the channel.
I find myself getting twitchy if I cannot write for at least part of the day. It is as if something is missing somehow.
It is an odd sensation because I have not had it for most of my life, possibly because I did spend a large part of my day writing stuff that needed to be read.
But now it is beginning to bug me and, as there is little more to be said about politics other than WTAF! in as many different ways as one can, I am going to have to concentrate on other topics, of which I've started two. They are of course much harder than berating Westminster twits. Wish me luck!
It's pretty staggering that someone like DavidL still needs to be educated on an issue like this.
I completely agree with that letter. The inconsistency with which these episodes are treated is a part of the problem as is the truly remarkable lack of clear rules of conduct (other than common sense and decency, of course). I also agree that this is damaging the government.
I am not suggesting that it gets swept under any carpet but I am suggesting that the offender should be treated compassionately if there are explanations for his behaviour. Is that so awful?
Yes. He's a man. So obviously he doesn't deserve compassion. How can you even ask, you sexist gammon(?)
Actually, you're confusing individual and party responsibility. If such an element is not already part of the existing party system, then there is something wrong with the system independent of gender or sex.
@DavidL is trying to defend the system that existed prior to the current cultural revolution/age of unreason. This system is basically what our entire civilisation post the enlightenment is built on.
This could be described as follows: Firstly; that in your personal affairs you must operate within the boundaries of the law; and secondly; that if there are rules of conduct that apply to you in your professional role, it must be clear to you what they are; and thirdly, that humans are flawed, make mistakes, and in this context, there should be some sympathy and possibility of redemption.
But all this has been swept away and what we actually see is the rules about 'conduct' being made up as we go along by a limited subset of extremely vocal public opinion in a completely uncontrolled and inconsistent way; driven forward by myths and ideas of social progress that are essentially pseudo religious in nature. It brings out all the worst tribal instincts in people.
What really needs to happen, is that the original system needs to be restored, but to be more adaptable to changes in social values. Is that really such a big ask?
He has form as long as your arm, and the first and most forthright condemnation of him, came from him. So no.
I guess it also makes sense: *how* a mineral formed might be just as important as *what* it is.
I was at a lecture last week on mining and it was utterly fascinating. It’s now possible to dig out a cavern under a mineral deposit and drop the entire deposit into it. The effect on the surface environment is minimal. Really cool stuff.
Language evolves, and generally new usage and the breaking of arbitrary rules does not bother me. However, the prevalence of ‘iconic’, which has spread like Japanese knotweed in recent years, really grates. I’d love to see its use once again solely restricted to discussions about Orthodox Christianity.
All Christianity, not just our Constantinople and Russian friends. 'Icon' (eikon/ikon) is a proper bible word. (Eg Colossians 1.15).
Never mind an icon, there's a whole iconostasis in St. Dunstan In The West, Fleet Street, which is CofE. Plus a striking clock from 1671 on the outside, which was the first one in London with a minute hand.
That belongs to the Romanian Orthodox Church though (the iconostasis, not the clock)
Especially as everyone loves beer and korma - Starmer should be using this (scintillatingly clever) nickname everywhere
Surely nobody likes Korma? Its like having curry by Zoom.
Depends on the restaurant. They are the white bread of curries generally but my local Nepalese does a decent twist on them. Anyway, we all need someone to take the piss out of on a night out for ordering one so the sobriquet at least indicates he’s up for one.
He gives the impression of a man who until forced to try Korma by his pals always ordered from the English dishes section
Harsh, possibly fair, but harsh.
I heard he bled from the arse for a week after a butter chicken. Takes his coffee without granules. And other classics
I can't believe you made that coffee joke up on the instant.
It just came up whilst i was mid bantz with a couple of Mellow Birds.
Landlords can increase rent by 15% but renters can’t ask for 15% pay rises.
Tickets can go up by inflation, but if rail workers ask for the same with wages they’re being ridiculous.
Everything can go up: prices, asset inflation, profit, rents - but not wages. See how it works?
That has an air of Bastani to my ear.
I agree. It has a feel of comparing non-comparables to generate superficial outrage. It's like "I was forced to do X" when it's actually a voluntary decision - ignoring all the other constraints.
On just the first one, long-run rents have increased more slowly than CPI, which is why rent-controls to inflation + a little, which will validate the control arrangement increase, will be bad news for tenants.
Self-declared tenant-advocates are generally as ignorant as bricks or as thick as planks, who only look at a tiny fraction of the data - typically advertised rents for new tenancies. Whilst ignoring that in place rents, which are 97-98% of them, rise far more slowly.
Private landlords can be a whipping boy, I agree, but our property approach is not a healthy one. On the residential side it should primarily be about homes not about personal wealth creation. Saw a stat yesterday - home ownership for middle income 25/34 year olds has dropped from 60% to 20% in the last 20 years. Terrible. Needs radical change imo but that's no easy matter because the problems are deeply ingrained.
Every private landlord I’ve had has been awful so I’ve no time for the bloody parasites. I’m sure some decent ones exist, but it’s hard to get over the guy who refused to fix the damp in my bathroom despite mushrooms growing from the skirting board, or the chap who tried to charge me for getting the gas man out to stop my kitchen exploding. The sector needs far, far more regulation than it has.
A lot of new regulation has come in, but enforcement and awareness from either tenants or landlords, especially at the lower level of the market is patchy at best. The main problem with the sector is it has become too big, by government subsidies and interest rate policies. Of course it has its place but it would be much better for the country if it shrank back to the size it was in 2000 and allowed more young families to own their own homes.
I predicted this 6 years ago, Tourism will be rationed by price; only the rich will be allowed to see Venice. It has just been delayed by Covid
tourism has always been rationed by price
Given the place is sinking under the weight of all the tourists and their ships I can’t blame them. Really didn’t enjoy it when I visited because it was so crowded.
I was hoping (with all due respect to the fraternity on here who enjoy such holidays) that Covid would kill off the cruise ship business. The environmental and health harms, particularly in Venice, far outweigh their utility.
Given Venice’s history of seaborne destruction that’s nicely ironic.
If there is a by-election, is there a man in the white suit option?
Michael Fabricant in the neighbouring constituency should be in a straitjacket.
Oh, sorry, is that not what you meant?
Fabricant is an enigma, a barometer for a broken parliamentary system.
How he became.and remains and MP is a mystery. You would have thought someone along the way, be they a Tory selector or a voter would have said hang on, this is not necessarily the best person to represent us.
(There are others like this, but he stands out as a big Why?)
Fabricant is one of the most colourful MPs and has a big personal vote in Lichfield too
By "colourful", you mean he's a bit of a twat?
It's very unfair, and no reflection on him, but I cannot help finding his name utterly distracting given it is also the name of the androids in David Mitchell's Cloud Nine: for instance -
"To keep the orthodox corpocrats quiet, the ascended fabricant would be described as yet another unstable experiment nearing mental entropy [...]
What came first; the politician or the android?
Cloud nine was published in 2004 and Mr Fabricant has been a MP since 1997, so the timing is not particularly conclusive, especially as the author comes from the Malverns (it's very evident in his writing)., not Staffs. There is at least one use of the word in a 1999 Australian frightener novel to do with genetic engineering. So I think it's just coincidence. Probably the robotic fabricant simply comes from the notion of being fabricated, same root as Fr. fabricant = Mr F's name.
David Mitchell's fabricants prolly descend from replicants in Blade Runner
I guess it also makes sense: *how* a mineral formed might be just as important as *what* it is.
I was at a lecture last week on mining and it was utterly fascinating. It’s now possible to dig out a cavern under a mineral deposit and drop the entire deposit into it. The effect on the surface environment is minimal. Really cool stuff.
“I was at a lecture last week on mining”
Only on PB
I was once at a lecture on miming. Halfway through someone yelled 'for Gods sake shut the fecking window, cant you see the draft blowing through here?!'
I predicted this 6 years ago, Tourism will be rationed by price; only the rich will be allowed to see Venice. It has just been delayed by Covid
tourism has always been rationed by price
Given the place is sinking under the weight of all the tourists and their ships I can’t blame them. Really didn’t enjoy it when I visited because it was so crowded.
I was hoping (with all due respect to the fraternity on here who enjoy such holidays) that Covid would kill off the cruise ship business. The environmental and health harms, particularly in Venice, far outweigh their utility.
Given Venice’s history of seaborne destruction that’s nicely ironic.
Venice like San Francisco is much less twee than it's painted. It is all about material and empire, the churches are all crude expressions of wealth by leading merchant families. Plus it's dingy and smelly, out of the sun.
I was sent a meme the other day about a Mr Gatherer whose first name was “Hunter”.
He was interviewed on TV (a vox pop, nothing specific) and they refused to believe him so put up a strap line naming him as Bill Holcombe
Roger Boyes, the Times journalist, once wrote a piece about a Catholic abuse scandal in Germany. How I laughed. Guiltily.
Wasn't there a petrol queue report recently by one Phil McCann?
When I played for Old Streetonians RFC in London we used to use made up names for our players when we sent the match reports to the local papers, one Hamish Patel was on the verge of a call up by India or Scotland depending on the week in question I recall. Then we managed to attract two players whose real names were Max Beer and Johnny Walker - only then did the Hackney Gazette and the High & I (we just about counted as Islington as well) demand photo ID before running the report.
On topic, if the Conservatives don't win Tamworth they won't win anywhere.
I'd say 'please' but there is a conservative strand of opinion which should be represented in parliament. Just by only a few, though!
It's striking how few of my English colleagues now support the Conservatives. That wasn't the case say 20 years ago. Obviously Conservatives have picked up votes elsewhere but the original cohort are no longer represented.
Most polls still have the Tories slightly above the 30% they got in 1997 and the 31% they got in 2001. Yougov, Comres, Redfield and Opinium still have them above the 32% they got in 2005
So what, unless we Tories rule for all eternity in a democracy we are bound to lose again sometime
There’s losing and losing.
There’s the time when you lose so you come back in 7-10 years refreshed and ready to govern again.
And there’s being pounded into absolute rubble so that you never recover.
Unfortunately in recent decades both major parties seem to have gone for option B without ever quite managing to be eliminated and replaced, which is distinctly unhealthy for our democratic system.
The Tories appear to be going for option C this time which is the one done so spectacularly by their Canadian brethren a few years back - utter annihilation in one election.
Especially as everyone loves beer and korma - Starmer should be using this (scintillatingly clever) nickname everywhere
Surely nobody likes Korma? Its like having curry by Zoom.
Depends on the restaurant. They are the white bread of curries generally but my local Nepalese does a decent twist on them. Anyway, we all need someone to take the piss out of on a night out for ordering one so the sobriquet at least indicates he’s up for one.
He gives the impression of a man who until forced to try Korma by his pals always ordered from the English dishes section
Harsh, possibly fair, but harsh.
I heard he bled from the arse for a week after a butter chicken. Takes his coffee without granules. And other classics
I can't believe you made that coffee joke up on the instant.
It's a bit weak, surely? Extended cogitation would yield a robusta joke.
For those who really want to go to a show court it is worth knowing that persistent checking on their website usually will work in finding tickets pop up the day before. Not every day and probably requires checking a few times. You normally have a web queue first, and once you are in you need to be persistent again. Keep refreshing your browser for the 5 mins or so you are allowed in and tickets will sometimes magically appear.
Especially as everyone loves beer and korma - Starmer should be using this (scintillatingly clever) nickname everywhere
Surely nobody likes Korma? Its like having curry by Zoom.
Depends on the restaurant. They are the white bread of curries generally but my local Nepalese does a decent twist on them. Anyway, we all need someone to take the piss out of on a night out for ordering one so the sobriquet at least indicates he’s up for one.
He gives the impression of a man who until forced to try Korma by his pals always ordered from the English dishes section
Harsh, possibly fair, but harsh.
I heard he bled from the arse for a week after a butter chicken. Takes his coffee without granules. And other classics
I can't believe you made that coffee joke up on the instant.
It's a bit weak, surely? Extended cogitation would yield a robusta joke.
I find myself getting twitchy if I cannot write for at least part of the day. It is as if something is missing somehow.
It is an odd sensation because I have not had it for most of my life, possibly because I did spend a large part of my day writing stuff that needed to be read.
But now it is beginning to bug me and, as there is little more to be said about politics other than WTAF! in as many different ways as one can, I am going to have to concentrate on other topics, of which I've started two. They are of course much harder than berating Westminster twits. Wish me luck!
'May well'? I've not been following but I just naturally assumed she had no chance given the stances she's been taking.
It's interesting why people like that don't cross the floor. But she probably helps the anti-Trumpcase by staying.
10 years ago she would have been a right wing Republican. She doesn't have much in common with Democrats, apart from finding Trumpism offensive, corrupt and dangerous.
'May well'? I've not been following but I just naturally assumed she had no chance given the stances she's been taking.
It's interesting why people like that don't cross the floor. But she probably helps the anti-Trumpcase by staying.
10 years ago she would have been a right wing Republican. She doesn't have much in common with Democrats, apart from finding realising Trumpism is offensive, corrupt and dangerous.
On topic, if the Conservatives don't win Tamworth they won't win anywhere.
Tamworth has always been won by Labour whenever the party has won overall majorities.
I have a longstanding mild prejudice against Tamworth Labour Party. I went for selection there before getting Broxtowe. The selection was in a private house, and they insisted that all the candidates stand outside in the rain until it was their turn, for fear that we might catch something of each others' speeches. As we shivered on the pavement, we discussed forming a Candidates' Trade Union to boycott CLPs like that.
Tamworth is pretty, though - nice swans, as I recall.
'May well'? I've not been following but I just naturally assumed she had no chance given the stances she's been taking.
It's interesting why people like that don't cross the floor. But she probably helps the anti-Trumpcase by staying.
10 years ago she would have been a right wing Republican. She doesn't have much in common with Democrats, apart from finding Trumpism offensive, corrupt and dangerous.
I just cannot get my head around the fact that Trump is going to be allowed to run despite trying lead an insurrection and is probably going to win and return to the WH.
On topic, if the Conservatives don't win Tamworth they won't win anywhere.
Tamworth has always been won by Labour whenever the party has won overall majorities.
I have a longstanding mild prejudice against Tamworth Labour Party. I went for selection there before getting Broxtowe. The selection was in a private house, and they insisted that all the candidates stand outside in the rain until it was their turn, for fear that we might catch something of each others' speeches. As we shivered on the pavement, we discussed forming a Candidates' Trade Union to boycott CLPs like that.
Tamworth is pretty, though - nice swans, as I recall.
The bit by the castle is lovely to look at, and by the bridge across the Tame.
Some very deprived parts of it though with truly grim tower blocks and concrete social housing.
As, indeed, there are in Lichfield (excluding the tower blocks).
For those who really want to go to a show court it is worth knowing that persistent checking on their website usually will work in finding tickets pop up the day before. Not every day and probably requires checking a few times. You normally have a web queue first, and once you are in you need to be persistent again. Keep refreshing your browser for the 5 mins or so you are allowed in and tickets will sometimes magically appear.
Now the show court tickets are electronic, it’s not possible to give them to someone in the queue on your way out any more, but actively decide to play with your phone when half-drunk and leaving.
Short on time. But I have backed Perez at 19 each way on Ladbrokes (with boost) to win. I think those odds, unless I missed a penalty, were just wrong.
For those who really want to go to a show court it is worth knowing that persistent checking on their website usually will work in finding tickets pop up the day before. Not every day and probably requires checking a few times. You normally have a web queue first, and once you are in you need to be persistent again. Keep refreshing your browser for the 5 mins or so you are allowed in and tickets will sometimes magically appear.
Now the show court tickets are electronic, it’s not possible to give them to someone in the queue on your way out any more, but actively decide to play with your phone when half-drunk and leaving.
They probably need to make it you get £5 ph of play refund when you leave early to encourage people to recycle the tickets, and then charge those coming in £10 ph.
Comments
The Republican Accountability Project
@AccountableGOP
This wasn't SNL on a Thursday night.
This was Wyoming's Republican primary debate.
https://twitter.com/AccountableGOP/status/1542866096537145345
You're roughly in between my age and my Dad's. He does the texts with "c u l8r". I find it annoying. My daughter doesn't do any of that - but she didn't start sending text messages until they were essentially free. I can see why people who had to pay 35p a text message would have used abbreviations. She has lost most of her final full stops though. How strange.
And what's wrong with affectations anyway? WTF am I being like this?
Shape up me.
Which is always terminal. They have a very limited time left to act (if its not already much too late)
Sad and pathetic really with a thumping majority. Wasted on them.
"To keep the orthodox corpocrats quiet, the ascended fabricant would be described as yet another unstable experiment nearing mental entropy [...]
https://www.nytimes.com/2022/07/01/us/politics/trump-republicans-campaign-2024.html
NY Times
3 penalties, not a sniff of a try thus far. England aren't entertaining at all. And Oz aren't very good.
Cheney: I will never violate my oath of office, and if you're looking for somebody who will then you need to vote for somebody else on this stage.
https://twitter.com/AccountableGOP/status/1542697658409705475?cxt=HHwWhoCz1ZjW4egqAAAA
He was interviewed on TV (a vox pop, nothing specific) and they refused to believe him so put up a strap line naming him as Bill Holcombe
And other classics
Oh god, no, I don't go that far, 'cul8r' etc. I just stopped writing texts as if they were emails.
Yes, annoying dad talk. Mine came onto the family w/app and started slagging off Kendrick Lamar. I'd do my favourite 'shrug' emoji here if I was on my phone.
https://twitter.com/UAWeapons/status/1543177455149764610
Those Kilometre by kilometre piles of shells? Not so wise.....
The national survey shows Trump leading Biden 44 percent to 39 percent in a head-to-head match-up, while another 12 percent of voters say they plan to vote for someone else.
The Hill
This could be described as follows: Firstly; that in your personal affairs you must operate within the boundaries of the law; and secondly; that if there are rules of conduct that apply to you in your professional role, it must be clear to you what they are; and thirdly, that humans are flawed, make mistakes, and in this context, there should be some sympathy and possibility of redemption.
But all this has been swept away and what we actually see is the rules about 'conduct' being made up as we go along by a limited subset of extremely vocal public opinion in a completely uncontrolled and inconsistent way; driven forward by myths and ideas of social progress that are essentially pseudo religious in nature. It brings out all the worst tribal instincts in people.
What really needs to happen, is that the original system needs to be restored, but to be more adaptable to changes in social values. Is that really such a big ask?
Any Johnson replacement will be a relative pygmy, and most of them are pretty complicit in letting Johnson get away with it for so long.
The economy is going to hell and we've sold off the handcart to pay next week's pensions. And the ideas cupboard is bare.
Apart from the David Frost fantasy that the people of Britain are crying out for deregulation, and the Nadine Forties fantasy that we want eternal culture wars... What is there?
Ou est la masse de manoeuvre?
Aucune
The following BBC article on a new way of classifying minerals is oddly fascinating (for me, at least):
https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/science-environment-62013806
I guess it also makes sense: *how* a mineral formed might be just as important as *what* it is.
Sometimes it comes across as someone in such a rush to express themselves that they are stripping out all the extraneous words. It implies an urgency and directness. At other times I hear an implicit pause, as though for dramatic or comic effect, with the implication that the other party knows what is coming next and there is a shared understanding that the reason is obvious.
Both of these possible nuances are missing when the grammatically correct, "the Tories are doomed because of Boris," is used.
https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tamworth_Manifesto
https://twitter.com/PeacockFlu/status/1542501382678147072?t=huqn-q4BCK2uMg_JhmNXqw&s=19
He'd have an answer on Wokery (indeed, he already does), defence spending, welfare and boats across the channel.
It is an odd sensation because I have not had it for most of my life, possibly because I did spend a large part of my day writing stuff that needed to be read.
But now it is beginning to bug me and, as there is little more to be said about politics other than WTAF! in as many different ways as one can, I am going to have to concentrate on other topics, of which I've started two. They are of course much harder than berating Westminster twits. Wish me luck!
https://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-10975481/Wimbledon-staff-revolt-Fury-workers-sacked-spot-taking-breaks-watch-tennis.html
Thats it. Their one gain.
Only on PB
@FrankLuntz
·
Jul 1
This week may be the moment the GOP changed horses.
Trump continues to lead nationally, but DeSantis is gaining fast in New Hampshire.
This is a repeat of 2008:
Hillary crushing Obama nationally, but Obama surging in in Iowa, NH, and S. Carolina.
https://twitter.com/FrankLuntz/status/1542678703078907904
Creative or analytical?
Tamworth is pretty, though - nice swans, as I recall.
America has lost its mind.
Some very deprived parts of it though with truly grim tower blocks and concrete social housing.
As, indeed, there are in Lichfield (excluding the tower blocks).
https://enormo-haddock.blogspot.com/2022/07/uk-pre-qualifying-2022.html
Short on time. But I have backed Perez at 19 each way on Ladbrokes (with boost) to win. I think those odds, unless I missed a penalty, were just wrong.