I've just got a mechanical keyboard. I've never used one before, not sure how I feel about it.
Don't plug it in. Just use it to type noisily on Zoom calls.
That depends on the switches you use.
I've just updated mine to reflect very annoying habits - so the keyboard is now a random set of yellow or black keycaps and the switches range from silent Cherry MX red switches on letters and numbers to rather noisy Cherry Blue on the space and return keys...
I think I've spent about £200 on it so far but it is rather nice to type on...
It is just unthinkable to me there is yet to parliamentary inquiry in Germany into the past errors on energy policy, the Schröder Kreis, the cause of the errors, the corruption networks, foreign influence, etc. unthinkable in any developed democracy
I am not being facetious, we need Germany to sign a memorandum committing to profound changes in its energy but also economic model. I don’t know anyone who thinks Germany will do it motu proprio
2014: Russia starts its invasion and occupation of Ukraine 2015: Nord Stream 2 signed
Do you get it from a website called something like xenophobia.com? where only negative stories about the hated furriners can be found? I know there is one rather unintelligent poster (the one often apt to posting laughable porkies) who claims you, like him (snigger) have bene on a "journey", but seriously, what happened to turn you from one extreme of the most Europhile of Europhiles to a frothing swivel eyed Europhobe who gets his kicks from posting negative stories about our erstwhile partners?
There are journeys and there are ludicrous lurches. There are gradual movements or evolution from one position to another. But then there is yours. It is like akin to John Mcdonnell waking up one day and switching to the Tories and joining the ERG. Actually even that is not extreme enough to be analogous. As I have said before, I can only imagine someone else has nicked the account that once belonged to @williamglenn Where have you put him please?
NYT ($) - Through It All, Staten Island Cricket Endures Marking its 150th year, a club is still a treasured pastime for New Yorkers from Totten Hill to Kolkata.
SSI - Current president of Staten Island Cricket Club, Clarence Modeste, age 92, joined in 1961 after arriving in NYC from Trinidad & Tobago. Another member, Will Teague, age 60, a native of Staten Island, who got interested in the game after watching a British TV show where it was mentioned. "He found the nearest club and asked to join and learn. That was in April. Three months later he fields sporadically, but hopes to bat next year."
"Chris Sargeant, a financier from London, flew to New York last week specifically for the event [150th anniversary]. He had lived in New York from 2002 until 2007 and had joined the club for the same reasons his British forebearers formed it in the 19th century: a love of cricket.
But he also cherished the [Staten Island-lower Manhattan] ferry and bus rides out of the bustle of the city and into the relative tranquility of Walker Park, where all the tension and worry of city life seemed to melt away under the languorous pace and familiar thwacks of willow on leather. He took the same route Saturday.
'I was not going to miss this," he said. What you find here is a very special bond.'"
But she is chaotic and eccentric, with a manic energy. She grabs hold of random ideas and forces everyone around her to spend inordinate amounts of time talking her out of them. Everyone, from officials to the other Ministers, found her difficult to work with.
"“The energy price cap could go above £4,000, if you can get gas at all. I don’t think the Government yet realises this,” said a member of an industrial group that has presented an emergency plan to ministers."
Are there statistics on how many people/households hit the cap?
Basically all of them, I thought ?
Why would it be all of them?
Because the cap is not a cap on the absolute amount anyone pays, it's a cap on the rate that can be charged per unit consumed and on the standing charge.
Some people are still on fixed tariffs that are below the cap, but over 70% of households are on default variable tariffs that are subject to the cap.
I'm not sure the standing charges are capped. They seem to contain the premium for all the previous companies that went belly-up. If they are capped, then according to my last bill it's ridiculously high!
The former Chancellor is not a man of hidden depths. I have never worked with him but I know people who have and he is how he comes across: a well educated, numerate, polite, well presented man, with limited political skill or imagination. He is the Goldman Sachs analyst he was trained to be.
It is just unthinkable to me there is yet to parliamentary inquiry in Germany into the past errors on energy policy, the Schröder Kreis, the cause of the errors, the corruption networks, foreign influence, etc. unthinkable in any developed democracy
I am not being facetious, we need Germany to sign a memorandum committing to profound changes in its energy but also economic model. I don’t know anyone who thinks Germany will do it motu proprio
2014: Russia starts its invasion and occupation of Ukraine 2015: Nord Stream 2 signed
Do you get it from a website called something like xenophobia.com? where only negative stories about the hated furriners can be found? I know there is one rather unintelligent poster (the one often apt to posting laughable porkies) who claims you, like him (snigger) have bene on a "journey", but seriously, what happened to turn you from one extreme of the most Europhile of Europhiles to a frothing swivel eyed Europhobe who gets his kicks from posting negative stories about our erstwhile partners?
There are journeys and there are ludicrous lurches. There are gradual movements or evolution from one position to another. But then there is yours. It is like akin to John Mcdonnell waking up one day and switching to the Tories and joining the ERG. Actually even that is not extreme enough to be analogous. As I have said before, I can only imagine someone else has nicked the account that once belonged to @williamglenn Where have you put him please?
Almost everyone agrees that Germany has made a very serious mistake by making itself so reliant on Russian energy.
The former Chancellor is not a man of hidden depths. I have never worked with him but I know people who have and he is how he comes across: a well educated, numerate, polite, well presented man, with limited political skill or imagination. He is the Goldman Sachs analyst he was trained to be.
Yes, the more he is analysed the more insubstantial he appears. A pleasant technocrat, devoid of ideas, and with no hard-scrabble life experiences, either
Truss is the better bet. She will probably lose, but Sunak would surely lose
The former Chancellor is not a man of hidden depths. I have never worked with him but I know people who have and he is how he comes across: a well educated, numerate, polite, well presented man, with limited political skill or imagination. He is the Goldman Sachs analyst he was trained to be.
His description of Truss, that you quoted below, is a lot more damning, though.
NYT ($) - Through It All, Staten Island Cricket Endures Marking its 150th year, a club is still a treasured pastime for New Yorkers from Totten Hill to Kolkata.
SSI - Current president of Staten Island Cricket Club, Clarence Modeste, age 92, joined in 1961 after arriving in NYC from Trinidad & Tobago. Another member, Will Teague, age 60, a native of Staten Island, who got interested in the game after watching a British TV show where it was mentioned. "He found the nearest club and asked to join and learn. That was in April. Three months later he fields sporadically, but hopes to bat next year."
"Chris Sargeant, a financier from London, flew to New York last week specifically for the event [150th anniversary]. He had lived in New York from 2002 until 2007 and had joined the club for the same reasons his British forebearers formed it in the 19th century: a love of cricket.
But he also cherished the [Staten Island-lower Manhattan] ferry and bus rides out of the bustle of the city and into the relative tranquility of Walker Park, where all the tension and worry of city life seemed to melt away under the languorous pace and familiar thwacks of willow on leather. He took the same route Saturday.
'I was not going to miss this," he said. What you find here is a very special bond.'"
The former Chancellor is not a man of hidden depths. I have never worked with him but I know people who have and he is how he comes across: a well educated, numerate, polite, well presented man, with limited political skill or imagination. He is the Goldman Sachs analyst he was trained to be.
His description of Truss, that you quoted below, is a lot more damning, though.
That rather depends on the opinion you hold of the other ministers and officials that tried to talk her out of things.
The former Chancellor is not a man of hidden depths. I have never worked with him but I know people who have and he is how he comes across: a well educated, numerate, polite, well presented man, with limited political skill or imagination. He is the Goldman Sachs analyst he was trained to be.
Yes, the more he is analysed the more insubstantial he appears. A pleasant technocrat, devoid of ideas, and with no hard-scrabble life experiences, either
Truss is the better bet. She will probably lose, but Sunak would surely lose
He pretty much much says the same thing, but “if forced” chooses Sunak as “safe”.
Edit: He also note that Sunak appears to have no policy interests beyond fiscal conservatism.
But she is chaotic and eccentric, with a manic energy. She grabs hold of random ideas and forces everyone around her to spend inordinate amounts of time talking her out of them. Everyone, from officials to the other Ministers, found her difficult to work with.
Like his colleague Mr Cummings, Mr Freedman doesn't really do self-awareness, does he?
Although in fairness I never knew him be talked out of any of his random stupid ideas.
This is why the next PM is going to have to remove the whip.
It will be easier for Truss to do it - in sorrow more than anger - because Rishi is going to faced with allegations of being a sell-out traitor from Day 1.
"“The energy price cap could go above £4,000, if you can get gas at all. I don’t think the Government yet realises this,” said a member of an industrial group that has presented an emergency plan to ministers."
Are there statistics on how many people/households hit the cap?
Basically all of them, I thought ?
Why would it be all of them?
Because the cap is not a cap on the absolute amount anyone pays, it's a cap on the rate that can be charged per unit consumed and on the standing charge.
Some people are still on fixed tariffs that are below the cap, but over 70% of households are on default variable tariffs that are subject to the cap.
I'm not sure the standing charges are capped. They seem to contain the premium for all the previous companies that went belly-up. If they are capped, then according to my last bill it's ridiculously high!
I don't think anyone is suggesting the cap is not ridiculously high
But she is chaotic and eccentric, with a manic energy. She grabs hold of random ideas and forces everyone around her to spend inordinate amounts of time talking her out of them. Everyone, from officials to the other Ministers, found her difficult to work with.
Like his colleague Mr Cummings, Mr Freedman doesn't really do self-awareness, does he?
Although in fairness I never knew him be talked out of any of his random stupid ideas.
He seems relatively reasonable in his various writings, unlike say Cummings.
This is why the next PM is going to have to remove the whip.
It will be easier for Truss to do it - in sorrow more than anger - because Rishi is going to faced with allegations of being a sell-out traitor from Day 1.
If I was to guess though, I’d assume he’ll give up this seat to dodge the investigation etc. and his plan (if he has one) is to return via a safe seat when he’s called for as the party’s saviour.
But she is chaotic and eccentric, with a manic energy. She grabs hold of random ideas and forces everyone around her to spend inordinate amounts of time talking her out of them. Everyone, from officials to the other Ministers, found her difficult to work with.
Like his colleague Mr Cummings, Mr Freedman doesn't really do self-awareness, does he?
Although in fairness I never knew him be talked out of any of his random stupid ideas.
He seems relatively reasonable in his various writings, unlike say Cummings.
Being relatively reasonable compared to Cummings is not a great feat.
It is just unthinkable to me there is yet to parliamentary inquiry in Germany into the past errors on energy policy, the Schröder Kreis, the cause of the errors, the corruption networks, foreign influence, etc. unthinkable in any developed democracy
I am not being facetious, we need Germany to sign a memorandum committing to profound changes in its energy but also economic model. I don’t know anyone who thinks Germany will do it motu proprio
2014: Russia starts its invasion and occupation of Ukraine 2015: Nord Stream 2 signed
Do you get it from a website called something like xenophobia.com? where only negative stories about the hated furriners can be found? I know there is one rather unintelligent poster (the one often apt to posting laughable porkies) who claims you, like him (snigger) have bene on a "journey", but seriously, what happened to turn you from one extreme of the most Europhile of Europhiles to a frothing swivel eyed Europhobe who gets his kicks from posting negative stories about our erstwhile partners?
There are journeys and there are ludicrous lurches. There are gradual movements or evolution from one position to another. But then there is yours. It is like akin to John Mcdonnell waking up one day and switching to the Tories and joining the ERG. Actually even that is not extreme enough to be analogous. As I have said before, I can only imagine someone else has nicked the account that once belonged to @williamglenn Where have you put him please?
Almost everyone agrees that Germany has made a very serious mistake by making itself so reliant on Russian energy.
Of course, but that is not the point. @williamglenn posts a gloating negative story about the EU or one of the EU countries with monotonous regularity. This would not be so ludicrous if it were not for the fact that only a short time ago he was more Europhile than Leon Brittan.
This is why the next PM is going to have to remove the whip.
It will be easier for Truss to do it - in sorrow more than anger - because Rishi is going to faced with allegations of being a sell-out traitor from Day 1.
If I was to guess though, I’d assume he’ll give up this seat to dodge the investigation etc. and his plan (if he has one) is to return via a safe seat when he’s called for as the party’s saviour.
At this moment, there are no seats the Tories can consider truly safe. So unless they become more popular, in which case they will not need a 'saviour,' that wouldn't work.
There is a lot of group think here. To lose power starting with a majority of 80 would be unusual. Noting that petrol prices are dropping, the grain deal might work out, and there is a decent chance of a stable Ukrainian victory (of sorts) that will unlock utility price cuts, it feels even harder.
He's surely not going to keep his seat much past 5 September, in the hope of his successor falling apart, is he? He's going to want to start cashing in, which will in itself make it impossible for him to get the top job back.
But she is chaotic and eccentric, with a manic energy. She grabs hold of random ideas and forces everyone around her to spend inordinate amounts of time talking her out of them. Everyone, from officials to the other Ministers, found her difficult to work with.
Like his colleague Mr Cummings, Mr Freedman doesn't really do self-awareness, does he?
Although in fairness I never knew him be talked out of any of his random stupid ideas.
Someone has posted this in the Twitter thread, which I fear may be not inaccurate.
But she is chaotic and eccentric, with a manic energy. She grabs hold of random ideas and forces everyone around her to spend inordinate amounts of time talking her out of them. Everyone, from officials to the other Ministers, found her difficult to work with.
Like his colleague Mr Cummings, Mr Freedman doesn't really do self-awareness, does he?
Although in fairness I never knew him be talked out of any of his random stupid ideas.
Someone has posted this in the Twitter thread, which I fear may be not inaccurate.
Are we talking about Freedman,Truss or the whole fecking pack of them?
He's surely not going to keep his seat much past 5 September, in the hope of his successor falling apart, is he? He's going to want to start cashing in, which will in itself make it impossible for him to get the top job back.
Looks like he is going to stay on the backbenches and wait for his successor to muck up and face a big poll deficit so his party begs him to return.
He now clearly has no intention of departing the scene like say Blair or Cameron to simply make money, instead, like Trump, he will wait for his chance to reclaim the top job
It is just unthinkable to me there is yet to parliamentary inquiry in Germany into the past errors on energy policy, the Schröder Kreis, the cause of the errors, the corruption networks, foreign influence, etc. unthinkable in any developed democracy
I am not being facetious, we need Germany to sign a memorandum committing to profound changes in its energy but also economic model. I don’t know anyone who thinks Germany will do it motu proprio
2014: Russia starts its invasion and occupation of Ukraine 2015: Nord Stream 2 signed
Do you get it from a website called something like xenophobia.com? where only negative stories about the hated furriners can be found? I know there is one rather unintelligent poster (the one often apt to posting laughable porkies) who claims you, like him (snigger) have bene on a "journey", but seriously, what happened to turn you from one extreme of the most Europhile of Europhiles to a frothing swivel eyed Europhobe who gets his kicks from posting negative stories about our erstwhile partners?
There are journeys and there are ludicrous lurches. There are gradual movements or evolution from one position to another. But then there is yours. It is like akin to John Mcdonnell waking up one day and switching to the Tories and joining the ERG. Actually even that is not extreme enough to be analogous. As I have said before, I can only imagine someone else has nicked the account that once belonged to @williamglenn Where have you put him please?
Almost everyone agrees that Germany has made a very serious mistake by making itself so reliant on Russian energy.
Of course, but that is not the point. @williamglenn posts a gloating negative story about the EU or one of the EU countries with monotonous regularity. This would not be so ludicrous if it were not for the fact that only a short time ago he was more Europhile than Leon Brittan.
What is your view of Gerhard Schroeder's continued shilling for Putin's regime? Do you think the circumstances around how he set Germany's catastrophic energy policy are worthy of further investigation? Or does Germany being a member of the European Union mean anything goes?
This is why the next PM is going to have to remove the whip.
It will be easier for Truss to do it - in sorrow more than anger - because Rishi is going to faced with allegations of being a sell-out traitor from Day 1.
If I was to guess though, I’d assume he’ll give up this seat to dodge the investigation etc. and his plan (if he has one) is to return via a safe seat when he’s called for as the party’s saviour.
At this moment, there are no seats the Tories can consider truly safe. So unless they become more popular, in which case they will not need a 'saviour,' that wouldn't work.
I don’t think that’s right. The safest seats just look different - no LibDems, strongly Leave, not Starmer friendly. They won’t be losing some of the East Midlands seers any time soon if there was a by-election, for example.
It is just unthinkable to me there is yet to parliamentary inquiry in Germany into the past errors on energy policy, the Schröder Kreis, the cause of the errors, the corruption networks, foreign influence, etc. unthinkable in any developed democracy
I am not being facetious, we need Germany to sign a memorandum committing to profound changes in its energy but also economic model. I don’t know anyone who thinks Germany will do it motu proprio
2014: Russia starts its invasion and occupation of Ukraine 2015: Nord Stream 2 signed
Do you get it from a website called something like xenophobia.com? where only negative stories about the hated furriners can be found? I know there is one rather unintelligent poster (the one often apt to posting laughable porkies) who claims you, like him (snigger) have bene on a "journey", but seriously, what happened to turn you from one extreme of the most Europhile of Europhiles to a frothing swivel eyed Europhobe who gets his kicks from posting negative stories about our erstwhile partners?
There are journeys and there are ludicrous lurches. There are gradual movements or evolution from one position to another. But then there is yours. It is like akin to John Mcdonnell waking up one day and switching to the Tories and joining the ERG. Actually even that is not extreme enough to be analogous. As I have said before, I can only imagine someone else has nicked the account that once belonged to @williamglenn Where have you put him please?
Almost everyone agrees that Germany has made a very serious mistake by making itself so reliant on Russian energy.
Of course, but that is not the point. @williamglenn posts a gloating negative story about the EU or one of the EU countries with monotonous regularity. This would not be so ludicrous if it were not for the fact that only a short time ago he was more Europhile than Leon Brittan.
What is your view of Gerhard Schroeder's continued shilling for Putin's regime? Do you think the circumstances around how he set Germany's catastrophic energy policy are worthy of further investigation? Or does Germany being a member of the European Union mean anything goes?
I think he'd rather talk about williamglenn's posting habits.
But she is chaotic and eccentric, with a manic energy. She grabs hold of random ideas and forces everyone around her to spend inordinate amounts of time talking her out of them. Everyone, from officials to the other Ministers, found her difficult to work with.
Like his colleague Mr Cummings, Mr Freedman doesn't really do self-awareness, does he?
Although in fairness I never knew him be talked out of any of his random stupid ideas.
Someone has posted this in the Twitter thread, which I fear may be not inaccurate.
Just laughing at the idea of an “energetic” General Staff.
It is just unthinkable to me there is yet to parliamentary inquiry in Germany into the past errors on energy policy, the Schröder Kreis, the cause of the errors, the corruption networks, foreign influence, etc. unthinkable in any developed democracy
I am not being facetious, we need Germany to sign a memorandum committing to profound changes in its energy but also economic model. I don’t know anyone who thinks Germany will do it motu proprio
2014: Russia starts its invasion and occupation of Ukraine 2015: Nord Stream 2 signed
Do you get it from a website called something like xenophobia.com? where only negative stories about the hated furriners can be found? I know there is one rather unintelligent poster (the one often apt to posting laughable porkies) who claims you, like him (snigger) have bene on a "journey", but seriously, what happened to turn you from one extreme of the most Europhile of Europhiles to a frothing swivel eyed Europhobe who gets his kicks from posting negative stories about our erstwhile partners?
There are journeys and there are ludicrous lurches. There are gradual movements or evolution from one position to another. But then there is yours. It is like akin to John Mcdonnell waking up one day and switching to the Tories and joining the ERG. Actually even that is not extreme enough to be analogous. As I have said before, I can only imagine someone else has nicked the account that once belonged to @williamglenn Where have you put him please?
Almost everyone agrees that Germany has made a very serious mistake by making itself so reliant on Russian energy.
Of course, but that is not the point. @williamglenn posts a gloating negative story about the EU or one of the EU countries with monotonous regularity.
A valuable service to PB, as it balances out the tedious Scott.
This is why the next PM is going to have to remove the whip.
It will be easier for Truss to do it - in sorrow more than anger - because Rishi is going to faced with allegations of being a sell-out traitor from Day 1.
If I was to guess though, I’d assume he’ll give up this seat to dodge the investigation etc. and his plan (if he has one) is to return via a safe seat when he’s called for as the party’s saviour.
At this moment, there are no seats the Tories can consider truly safe. So unless they become more popular, in which case they will not need a 'saviour,' that wouldn't work.
I don’t think that’s right. The safest seats just look different - no LibDems, strongly Leave, not Starmer friendly. They won’t be losing some of the East Midlands seers any time soon if there was a by-election, for example.
I wouldn't expect them to lose Cannock, or Bassetlaw, or Stone.
NYT ($) - Through It All, Staten Island Cricket Endures Marking its 150th year, a club is still a treasured pastime for New Yorkers from Totten Hill to Kolkata.
SSI - Current president of Staten Island Cricket Club, Clarence Modeste, age 92, joined in 1961 after arriving in NYC from Trinidad & Tobago. Another member, Will Teague, age 60, a native of Staten Island, who got interested in the game after watching a British TV show where it was mentioned. "He found the nearest club and asked to join and learn. That was in April. Three months later he fields sporadically, but hopes to bat next year."
"Chris Sargeant, a financier from London, flew to New York last week specifically for the event [150th anniversary]. He had lived in New York from 2002 until 2007 and had joined the club for the same reasons his British forebearers formed it in the 19th century: a love of cricket.
But he also cherished the [Staten Island-lower Manhattan] ferry and bus rides out of the bustle of the city and into the relative tranquility of Walker Park, where all the tension and worry of city life seemed to melt away under the languorous pace and familiar thwacks of willow on leather. He took the same route Saturday.
'I was not going to miss this," he said. What you find here is a very special bond.'"
A couple of years ago, my Model M IBM keyboard having finally failed after two decades of use, I ordered its more colorful descendant, from Unicomp: https://www.pckeyboard.com/page/category/UKBD
And I like it. But I can't decide for certain whether I like it because that is what I learned on, or because the "buckling springs" are actually a better technology. This Wikipedia article supports the better technology hypothesis: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Model_M_keyboard
And makes me wonder whether most of would now be better off with systems that had better keyboards and slower CPUs.
(The old keyboard could, probably, have been repaired, by the replacement of the cable.)
This is why the next PM is going to have to remove the whip.
It will be easier for Truss to do it - in sorrow more than anger - because Rishi is going to faced with allegations of being a sell-out traitor from Day 1.
If I was to guess though, I’d assume he’ll give up this seat to dodge the investigation etc. and his plan (if he has one) is to return via a safe seat when he’s called for as the party’s saviour.
At this moment, there are no seats the Tories can consider truly safe. So unless they become more popular, in which case they will not need a 'saviour,' that wouldn't work.
I don’t think that’s right. The safest seats just look different - no LibDems, strongly Leave, not Starmer friendly. They won’t be losing some of the East Midlands seers any time soon if there was a by-election, for example.
I wouldn't expect them to lose Cannock, or Bassetlaw, or Stone.
But then I didn't expect them to lose Oswestry.
At a General Election they wouldn't, an ageing Boris loyalist like Chope could give up his safe seat of Christchurch , Conservative majority 24,617 at the next general election for Boris to jump to from Uxbridge.
Like Trump or Berlusconi he might prove difficult to get rid of
For the aliens, copulating with us would be like bestiality. Zoophilia
But maybe that's why they've come all this way, across a trillion light years? For specialised tastes
OMFG we are being invaded by HORDES OF KINKSTER ALIENS WITH TOSHIBA WANDS THE SIZE OF THE SHARD
You always seem to go for the exceptionalism route. What happens if life is so common, in all its fecund forms, that we're just BORING? We're of no interest. We're worse than Mostly Harmless.
Billions of stars exist within a trillion light years, and possibly tens of billions of planets. Why are we so exceptional that these aliens would want to stop here, instead of that planet on the other side of the Milky Way that had those rather nice nipple-plants?
As you might expect, Ron Mael of Sparks has written a song about this sort of thing. (I Married a Martian)
The former Chancellor is not a man of hidden depths. I have never worked with him but I know people who have and he is how he comes across: a well educated, numerate, polite, well presented man, with limited political skill or imagination. He is the Goldman Sachs analyst he was trained to be.
Yes, the more he is analysed the more insubstantial he appears. A pleasant technocrat, devoid of ideas, and with no hard-scrabble life experiences, either
Truss is the better bet. She will probably lose, but Sunak would surely lose
Sunak is how the Conservatives cut their losses. A certain but smallish defeat.
Truss is double or quits. With a coin that is biased towards losing. But a chance of winning.
Which is better? Depends on your worldview, I guess.
There is a lot of group think here. To lose power starting with a majority of 80 would be unusual. Noting that petrol prices are dropping, the grain deal might work out, and there is a decent chance of a stable Ukrainian victory (of sorts) that will unlock utility price cuts, it feels even harder.
It is groupthink, but also classic midterm hysteria.
I have been posting on here long enough to remember how many people were certain in 2013 that Ed "Aleppo" Miliband would sweep to power in 2015.
Also that Cameron was a dead cert for an overall majority in 2010.
This is why the next PM is going to have to remove the whip.
It will be easier for Truss to do it - in sorrow more than anger - because Rishi is going to faced with allegations of being a sell-out traitor from Day 1.
If I was to guess though, I’d assume he’ll give up this seat to dodge the investigation etc. and his plan (if he has one) is to return via a safe seat when he’s called for as the party’s saviour.
At this moment, there are no seats the Tories can consider truly safe. So unless they become more popular, in which case they will not need a 'saviour,' that wouldn't work.
That's not true in my opinion. Con vs Lab seats with very large majorities are mostly safe for the Tories. It's only seats where the LDs are either in second place or capable of getting into second place where there aren't any safe seats. There are large numbers of seats, on the east coast for example, where the LDs aren't strong enough to do so.
It is just unthinkable to me there is yet to parliamentary inquiry in Germany into the past errors on energy policy, the Schröder Kreis, the cause of the errors, the corruption networks, foreign influence, etc. unthinkable in any developed democracy
I am not being facetious, we need Germany to sign a memorandum committing to profound changes in its energy but also economic model. I don’t know anyone who thinks Germany will do it motu proprio
2014: Russia starts its invasion and occupation of Ukraine 2015: Nord Stream 2 signed
2006: Putin deploys radiological weapons to commit extrajudicial murder in London 2007: Nordstream 1 signs letter of intent for construction.
Incredibly short-sighted.
UK not much better, of course. Londongrad was just too much fun, and even after the Crimean annexation energy security was just far too boring to worry about.
The two couldn't be more different.
Nordstream was Germany getting it's balls into a vice controlled by Putin, allowing him to turn off supply with them having no alternative.
Londongrad was us offering a vice for Russians to rest their balls within, allowing us to seize and sanction their wealth.
This is why the next PM is going to have to remove the whip.
It will be easier for Truss to do it - in sorrow more than anger - because Rishi is going to faced with allegations of being a sell-out traitor from Day 1.
If I was to guess though, I’d assume he’ll give up this seat to dodge the investigation etc. and his plan (if he has one) is to return via a safe seat when he’s called for as the party’s saviour.
At this moment, there are no seats the Tories can consider truly safe. So unless they become more popular, in which case they will not need a 'saviour,' that wouldn't work.
I don’t think that’s right. The safest seats just look different - no LibDems, strongly Leave, not Starmer friendly. They won’t be losing some of the East Midlands seers any time soon if there was a by-election, for example.
I wouldn't expect them to lose Cannock, or Bassetlaw, or Stone.
But then I didn't expect them to lose Oswestry.
At a General Election they wouldn't, an ageing Boris loyalist like Chope could give up his safe seat of Christchurch , Conservative majority 24,617 at the next general election for Boris to jump to from Uxbridge.
Like Trump or Berlusconi he might prove difficult to get rid of
This is why the next PM is going to have to remove the whip.
It will be easier for Truss to do it - in sorrow more than anger - because Rishi is going to faced with allegations of being a sell-out traitor from Day 1.
If I was to guess though, I’d assume he’ll give up this seat to dodge the investigation etc. and his plan (if he has one) is to return via a safe seat when he’s called for as the party’s saviour.
At this moment, there are no seats the Tories can consider truly safe. So unless they become more popular, in which case they will not need a 'saviour,' that wouldn't work.
That's not true in my opinion. Con vs Lab seats with very large majorities are mostly safe for the Tories. It's only seats where the LDs are either in second place or capable of getting into second place where there aren't any safe seats. There are large numbers of seats, on the east coast for example, where the LDs aren't strong enough to do so.
You mean like, say, North Shropshire, where the Liberal Democrats had come second once in thirty years, hadn't won the seat since 1904 and were almost 7,000 votes behind Labour?
He's surely not going to keep his seat much past 5 September, in the hope of his successor falling apart, is he? He's going to want to start cashing in, which will in itself make it impossible for him to get the top job back.
Looks like he is going to stay on the backbenches and wait for his successor to muck up and face a big poll deficit so his party begs him to return.
He now clearly has no intention of departing the scene like say Blair or Cameron to simply make money, instead, like Trump, he will wait for his chance to reclaim the top job
My impression of Boris is that he regards each setback or pratfall merely as an opportunity for demonstrating his powers of recovery and ingenuity and indomitabiity. It all adds to the legend. I'm quite sure he'll be planning his next Houdini Act. The show ain't over yet.
More likely, it was General Freiherr von Hammerstein-Equord.
(I've been thinking, off and on, about that four-fold division, for years, and have decided that it is "clever and lazy", but probably not a good universal rule.)
More likely, it was General Freiherr von Hammerstein-Equord.
(I've been thinking, off and on, about that four-fold division, for years, and have decided that it is "clever and lazy", but probably not a good universal rule.)
It wasn't me that quoted it, either. You see how easy misattribution is...
This is why the next PM is going to have to remove the whip.
It will be easier for Truss to do it - in sorrow more than anger - because Rishi is going to faced with allegations of being a sell-out traitor from Day 1.
If I was to guess though, I’d assume he’ll give up this seat to dodge the investigation etc. and his plan (if he has one) is to return via a safe seat when he’s called for as the party’s saviour.
At this moment, there are no seats the Tories can consider truly safe. So unless they become more popular, in which case they will not need a 'saviour,' that wouldn't work.
I don’t think that’s right. The safest seats just look different - no LibDems, strongly Leave, not Starmer friendly. They won’t be losing some of the East Midlands seers any time soon if there was a by-election, for example.
I wouldn't expect them to lose Cannock, or Bassetlaw, or Stone.
But then I didn't expect them to lose Oswestry.
At a General Election they wouldn't, an ageing Boris loyalist like Chope could give up his safe seat of Christchurch , Conservative majority 24,617 at the next general election for Boris to jump to from Uxbridge.
Like Trump or Berlusconi he might prove difficult to get rid of
North Shropshire majority 2019 - 22,949.
Christchurch won't do the job, but a Brexit-heavy not very liberal seat in Essex probably would.
He's surely not going to keep his seat much past 5 September, in the hope of his successor falling apart, is he? He's going to want to start cashing in, which will in itself make it impossible for him to get the top job back.
Looks like he is going to stay on the backbenches and wait for his successor to muck up and face a big poll deficit so his party begs him to return.
He now clearly has no intention of departing the scene like say Blair or Cameron to simply make money, instead, like Trump, he will wait for his chance to reclaim the top job
My impression of Boris is that he regards each setback or pratfall merely as an opportunity for demonstrating his powers of recovery and ingenuity and indomitabiity. It all adds to the legend. I'm quite sure he'll be planning his next Houdini Act. The show ain't over yet.
There are no disasters, only opportunities. And indeed opportunities for fresh disasters.
He's surely not going to keep his seat much past 5 September, in the hope of his successor falling apart, is he? He's going to want to start cashing in, which will in itself make it impossible for him to get the top job back.
Looks like he is going to stay on the backbenches and wait for his successor to muck up and face a big poll deficit so his party begs him to return.
He now clearly has no intention of departing the scene like say Blair or Cameron to simply make money, instead, like Trump, he will wait for his chance to reclaim the top job
Actually, good point. My last post might be overly derisory and offbeam. After all Donald Trump - who I agree is his role model - is clear betting fav for next US President despite being revealed as a violent far right fascist, so why on earth should Johnson's rather more prosaic flaws and misdemeanours stop him coming back in triumph?
NYT ($) - Through It All, Staten Island Cricket Endures Marking its 150th year, a club is still a treasured pastime for New Yorkers from Totten Hill to Kolkata.
SSI - Current president of Staten Island Cricket Club, Clarence Modeste, age 92, joined in 1961 after arriving in NYC from Trinidad & Tobago. Another member, Will Teague, age 60, a native of Staten Island, who got interested in the game after watching a British TV show where it was mentioned. "He found the nearest club and asked to join and learn. That was in April. Three months later he fields sporadically, but hopes to bat next year."
"Chris Sargeant, a financier from London, flew to New York last week specifically for the event [150th anniversary]. He had lived in New York from 2002 until 2007 and had joined the club for the same reasons his British forebearers formed it in the 19th century: a love of cricket.
But he also cherished the [Staten Island-lower Manhattan] ferry and bus rides out of the bustle of the city and into the relative tranquility of Walker Park, where all the tension and worry of city life seemed to melt away under the languorous pace and familiar thwacks of willow on leather. He took the same route Saturday.
'I was not going to miss this," he said. What you find here is a very special bond.'"
The former Chancellor is not a man of hidden depths. I have never worked with him but I know people who have and he is how he comes across: a well educated, numerate, polite, well presented man, with limited political skill or imagination. He is the Goldman Sachs analyst he was trained to be.
Yes, the more he is analysed the more insubstantial he appears. A pleasant technocrat, devoid of ideas, and with no hard-scrabble life experiences, either
Truss is the better bet. She will probably lose, but Sunak would surely lose
Sunak is how the Conservatives cut their losses. A certain but smallish defeat.
Truss is double or quits. With a coin that is biased towards losing. But a chance of winning.
Which is better? Depends on your worldview, I guess.
No, I think that was Mordaunt. A risk but possibly worth it. Truss is the IDS option - no upside.
He doesn't seem to realize he's been kicked out in personal disgrace as unfit for high office.
"Hasta la vista baby" ... lol ... what a plank.
He can't have been kicked out in disgrace. Security haven't escorted him off the premises and his team have just given him a standing ovation.
Chumps. Serves them right if he keeps reappearing.
Yes, it's a risk. The GOP had the chance with *their* malign populist occupier, didn't they, straight after Jan 6th, but they flunked it. And now look.
NYT ($) - Through It All, Staten Island Cricket Endures Marking its 150th year, a club is still a treasured pastime for New Yorkers from Totten Hill to Kolkata.
SSI - Current president of Staten Island Cricket Club, Clarence Modeste, age 92, joined in 1961 after arriving in NYC from Trinidad & Tobago. Another member, Will Teague, age 60, a native of Staten Island, who got interested in the game after watching a British TV show where it was mentioned. "He found the nearest club and asked to join and learn. That was in April. Three months later he fields sporadically, but hopes to bat next year."
"Chris Sargeant, a financier from London, flew to New York last week specifically for the event [150th anniversary]. He had lived in New York from 2002 until 2007 and had joined the club for the same reasons his British forebearers formed it in the 19th century: a love of cricket.
But he also cherished the [Staten Island-lower Manhattan] ferry and bus rides out of the bustle of the city and into the relative tranquility of Walker Park, where all the tension and worry of city life seemed to melt away under the languorous pace and familiar thwacks of willow on leather. He took the same route Saturday.
'I was not going to miss this," he said. What you find here is a very special bond.'"
He's surely not going to keep his seat much past 5 September, in the hope of his successor falling apart, is he? He's going to want to start cashing in, which will in itself make it impossible for him to get the top job back.
Looks like he is going to stay on the backbenches and wait for his successor to muck up and face a big poll deficit so his party begs him to return.
He now clearly has no intention of departing the scene like say Blair or Cameron to simply make money, instead, like Trump, he will wait for his chance to reclaim the top job
Actually, good point. My last post might be overly derisory and offbeam. After all Donald Trump - who I agree is his role model - is clear betting fav for next US President despite being revealed as a violent far right fascist, so why on earth should Johnson's rather more prosaic flaws and misdemeanours stop him coming back in triumph?
I rather feel that Trump's enduring popularity has been enhanced by his haters' continual use of phrases like "violent far right fascist" which don't ring true with his voters.
He's surely not going to keep his seat much past 5 September, in the hope of his successor falling apart, is he? He's going to want to start cashing in, which will in itself make it impossible for him to get the top job back.
Looks like he is going to stay on the backbenches and wait for his successor to muck up and face a big poll deficit so his party begs him to return.
He now clearly has no intention of departing the scene like say Blair or Cameron to simply make money, instead, like Trump, he will wait for his chance to reclaim the top job
Actually, good point. My last post might be overly derisory and offbeam. After all Donald Trump - who I agree is his role model - is clear betting fav for next US President despite being revealed as a violent far right fascist, so why on earth should Johnson's rather more prosaic flaws and misdemeanours stop him coming back in triumph?
I rather feel that Trump's enduring popularity has been enhanced by his haters' continual use of phrases like "violent far right fascist" which don't ring true with his voters.
The former Chancellor is not a man of hidden depths. I have never worked with him but I know people who have and he is how he comes across: a well educated, numerate, polite, well presented man, with limited political skill or imagination. He is the Goldman Sachs analyst he was trained to be.
Yes, the more he is analysed the more insubstantial he appears. A pleasant technocrat, devoid of ideas, and with no hard-scrabble life experiences, either
Truss is the better bet. She will probably lose, but Sunak would surely lose
Sunak is how the Conservatives cut their losses. A certain but smallish defeat.
Truss is double or quits. With a coin that is biased towards losing. But a chance of winning.
Which is better? Depends on your worldview, I guess.
No, I think that was Mordaunt. A risk but possibly worth it. Truss is the IDS option - no upside.
Eh?
Truss is a slightly awkward figure, who is tainted with a certain section of the electorate by having thrown her lot in with the ERG.
But, she's also a woman who has served in the Cabinets of three different PMs, steadily climbing the greasy poll.
My guess is that she'll be reasonably confident, and will turn out not to be the ERG stooge than some think she is.
The former Chancellor is not a man of hidden depths. I have never worked with him but I know people who have and he is how he comes across: a well educated, numerate, polite, well presented man, with limited political skill or imagination. He is the Goldman Sachs analyst he was trained to be.
Yes, the more he is analysed the more insubstantial he appears. A pleasant technocrat, devoid of ideas, and with no hard-scrabble life experiences, either
Truss is the better bet. She will probably lose, but Sunak would surely lose
Sunak is how the Conservatives cut their losses. A certain but smallish defeat.
Truss is double or quits. With a coin that is biased towards losing. But a chance of winning.
Which is better? Depends on your worldview, I guess.
No, I think that was Mordaunt. A risk but possibly worth it. Truss is the IDS option - no upside.
Eh?
Truss is a slightly awkward figure, who is tainted with a certain section of the electorate by having thrown her lot in with the ERG.
But, she's also a woman who has served in the Cabinets of three different PMs, steadily climbing the greasy poll.
My guess is that she'll be reasonably confident, and will turn out not to be the ERG stooge than some think she is.
The problem with Truss is she is too Remain for hardline Leave voters, too pro hard Brexit and loyal to Boris for Remain voters and too Thatcherite on economics for working class voters in the redwall.
Her best chance is probably just to give up the redwall and Remainers and double down on hard Brexit and Thatcherite economics to at least get the Tory core vote behind her
The former Chancellor is not a man of hidden depths. I have never worked with him but I know people who have and he is how he comes across: a well educated, numerate, polite, well presented man, with limited political skill or imagination. He is the Goldman Sachs analyst he was trained to be.
Yes, the more he is analysed the more insubstantial he appears. A pleasant technocrat, devoid of ideas, and with no hard-scrabble life experiences, either
Truss is the better bet. She will probably lose, but Sunak would surely lose
Sunak is how the Conservatives cut their losses. A certain but smallish defeat.
Truss is double or quits. With a coin that is biased towards losing. But a chance of winning.
Which is better? Depends on your worldview, I guess.
No, I think that was Mordaunt. A risk but possibly worth it. Truss is the IDS option - no upside.
Eh?
Truss is a slightly awkward figure, who is tainted with a certain section of the electorate by having thrown her lot in with the ERG.
But, she's also a woman who has served in the Cabinets of three different PMs, steadily climbing the greasy poll.
My guess is that she'll be reasonably confident, and will turn out not to be the ERG stooge than some think she is.
This is why the next PM is going to have to remove the whip.
It will be easier for Truss to do it - in sorrow more than anger - because Rishi is going to faced with allegations of being a sell-out traitor from Day 1.
If I was to guess though, I’d assume he’ll give up this seat to dodge the investigation etc. and his plan (if he has one) is to return via a safe seat when he’s called for as the party’s saviour.
At this moment, there are no seats the Tories can consider truly safe. So unless they become more popular, in which case they will not need a 'saviour,' that wouldn't work.
I don’t think that’s right. The safest seats just look different - no LibDems, strongly Leave, not Starmer friendly. They won’t be losing some of the East Midlands seers any time soon if there was a by-election, for example.
I wouldn't expect them to lose Cannock, or Bassetlaw, or Stone.
But then I didn't expect them to lose Oswestry.
At a General Election they wouldn't, an ageing Boris loyalist like Chope could give up his safe seat of Christchurch , Conservative majority 24,617 at the next general election for Boris to jump to from Uxbridge.
Like Trump or Berlusconi he might prove difficult to get rid of
North Shropshire majority 2019 - 22,949.
Christchurch won't do the job, but a Brexit-heavy not very liberal seat in Essex probably would.
Christchurch is as safe as any Essex seat at a general election. Chope got 65% of the vote there in 2019, even more than the 64% Eleanor Laing got here in Epping Forest.
In a by election no Tory seat is safe, in a general election however Christchurch is safe as houses
We still have far to go, but we are making good progress on Trump:
"In October 2021, a Quinnipiac University poll found that an overwhelming 78 percent of Republicans said they wanted to see Trump run in 2024. By February, that share had slipped to 69 percent in a CBS News-YouGov poll. In June, it was down to 53 percent, according to a Politico-Morning Consult poll. And last week, a New York Times-Siena College poll found that just 49 percent of Republicans say they would support Trump for a third nomination, while a 51 percent majority wants someone else.
That is a 29-point decline over the past nine months. Trump still has more support than any potential challenger, but more and more Republicans are considering alternatives for 2024."
The columnist who wrote that, Mark Thiessen, is a foreign policy hard-liner, who has worked for both Rumsfeld and George W. Bush.
He'll take the Chiltern Hundreds the second the new PM has kissed the Queen's hand, but he's having fun until then.
He won't, he wants revenge. He is leaving office no longer than May and Brown served despite winning the biggest Tory victory in decades in 2019 and after less time in office than Thatcher, Blair, Cameron and even Major served
He's surely not going to keep his seat much past 5 September, in the hope of his successor falling apart, is he? He's going to want to start cashing in, which will in itself make it impossible for him to get the top job back.
Looks like he is going to stay on the backbenches and wait for his successor to muck up and face a big poll deficit so his party begs him to return.
He now clearly has no intention of departing the scene like say Blair or Cameron to simply make money, instead, like Trump, he will wait for his chance to reclaim the top job
Actually, good point. My last post might be overly derisory and offbeam. After all Donald Trump - who I agree is his role model - is clear betting fav for next US President despite being revealed as a violent far right fascist, so why on earth should Johnson's rather more prosaic flaws and misdemeanours stop him coming back in triumph?
I rather feel that Trump's enduring popularity has been enhanced by his haters' continual use of phrases like "violent far right fascist" which don't ring true with his voters.
Well unlike him and them I tell it like it is. Can't be arsed with political correctness.
"His mother grew up in Poland and fought as a teenager in the Warsaw Uprising, a military struggle in which his grandfather died." https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Marc_Thiessen
So, it is not surprising that he has strong views on foreign policy.
We still have far to go, but we are making good progress on Trump:
"In October 2021, a Quinnipiac University poll found that an overwhelming 78 percent of Republicans said they wanted to see Trump run in 2024. By February, that share had slipped to 69 percent in a CBS News-YouGov poll. In June, it was down to 53 percent, according to a Politico-Morning Consult poll. And last week, a New York Times-Siena College poll found that just 49 percent of Republicans say they would support Trump for a third nomination, while a 51 percent majority wants someone else.
That is a 29-point decline over the past nine months. Trump still has more support than any potential challenger, but more and more Republicans are considering alternatives for 2024."
The columnist who wrote that, Mark Thiessen, is a foreign policy hard-liner, who has worked for both Rumsfeld and George W. Bush.
He's surely not going to keep his seat much past 5 September, in the hope of his successor falling apart, is he? He's going to want to start cashing in, which will in itself make it impossible for him to get the top job back.
Looks like he is going to stay on the backbenches and wait for his successor to muck up and face a big poll deficit so his party begs him to return.
He now clearly has no intention of departing the scene like say Blair or Cameron to simply make money, instead, like Trump, he will wait for his chance to reclaim the top job
Actually, good point. My last post might be overly derisory and offbeam. After all Donald Trump - who I agree is his role model - is clear betting fav for next US President despite being revealed as a violent far right fascist, so why on earth should Johnson's rather more prosaic flaws and misdemeanours stop him coming back in triumph?
I rather feel that Trump's enduring popularity has been enhanced by his haters' continual use of phrases like "violent far right fascist" which don't ring true with his voters.
I don't agree that he's a fascist.
But he's clearly a danger to democracy.
*Wannabe* fascist then. Given the right circs he'd step up to the plate no bother.
He'll take the Chiltern Hundreds the second the new PM has kissed the Queen's hand, but he's having fun until then.
He won't, he wants revenge. He is leaving office no longer than May and Brown served despite winning the biggest Tory victory in decades in 2019 and after less time in office than Thatcher, Blair, Cameron and even Major served
He's passed Brown and he'll have passed May too by the time the contest is over.
You're naive if you think he'll be stewing about how to get revenge from the backbenches, that's not his style. He'll have no interest in being a bit part sideshow to someone else's play, the moment the story isn't about him anymore he'll call it time and move on.
Chiltern Hundreds means he can start cashing in on having been PM without having to declare payments as MPs have to do. There'll be nothing for him left in the Commons on the backbenches.
Besides he's a journalist. If he wants revenge he can get it from snide articles etc just as Osborne and Major etc have sought revenge against May and Boris himself respectively for years now. No need to constrain himself to the green benches to do that.
He's surely not going to keep his seat much past 5 September, in the hope of his successor falling apart, is he? He's going to want to start cashing in, which will in itself make it impossible for him to get the top job back.
Looks like he is going to stay on the backbenches and wait for his successor to muck up and face a big poll deficit so his party begs him to return.
He now clearly has no intention of departing the scene like say Blair or Cameron to simply make money, instead, like Trump, he will wait for his chance to reclaim the top job
Actually, good point. My last post might be overly derisory and offbeam. After all Donald Trump - who I agree is his role model - is clear betting fav for next US President despite being revealed as a violent far right fascist, so why on earth should Johnson's rather more prosaic flaws and misdemeanours stop him coming back in triumph?
I rather feel that Trump's enduring popularity has been enhanced by his haters' continual use of phrases like "violent far right fascist" which don't ring true with his voters.
I don't agree that he's a fascist.
But he's clearly a danger to democracy.
He has been adopted by the fascists in the US, though. That style of politics predates his presidency - though note he latched on to the birther movement, which is part of it, quite early on.
He'll take the Chiltern Hundreds the second the new PM has kissed the Queen's hand, but he's having fun until then.
He won't, he wants revenge. He is leaving office no longer than May and Brown served despite winning the biggest Tory victory in decades in 2019 and after less time in office than Thatcher, Blair, Cameron and even Major served
He's passed Brown and he'll have passed May too by the time the contest is over.
You're naive if you think he'll be stewing about how to get revenge from the backbenches, that's not his style. He'll have no interest in being a bit part sideshow to someone else's play, the moment the story isn't about him anymore he'll call it time and move on.
Chiltern Hundreds means he can start cashing in on having been PM without having to declare payments as MPs have to do. There'll be nothing for him left in the Commons on the backbenches.
Besides he's a journalist. If he wants revenge he can get it from snide articles etc just as Osborne and Major etc have sought revenge against May and Boris himself respectively for years now. No need to constrain himself to the green benches to do that.
He has just told aides he will be back as PM within a year, he will stay on the backbenches and plot his return to Downing Street.
If the Tories lose the next general election he could even then stand for Leader of the Opposition with Sunak and Truss then out the way
He'll take the Chiltern Hundreds the second the new PM has kissed the Queen's hand, but he's having fun until then.
He won't, he wants revenge. He is leaving office no longer than May and Brown served despite winning the biggest Tory victory in decades in 2019 and after less time in office than Thatcher, Blair, Cameron and even Major served
He's passed Brown and he'll have passed May too by the time the contest is over.
You're naive if you think he'll be stewing about how to get revenge from the backbenches, that's not his style. He'll have no interest in being a bit part sideshow to someone else's play, the moment the story isn't about him anymore he'll call it time and move on.
Chiltern Hundreds means he can start cashing in on having been PM without having to declare payments as MPs have to do. There'll be nothing for him left in the Commons on the backbenches.
Besides he's a journalist. If he wants revenge he can get it from snide articles etc just as Osborne and Major etc have sought revenge against May and Boris himself respectively for years now. No need to constrain himself to the green benches to do that.
He has just told aides he will be back as PM within a year, he will stay on the backbenchers and plot his return to Downing Street
He can say what he likes, doesn't mean he's telling the truth.
£20 at evens says he'll talk the Chiltern Hundreds within a year. Can be to charity or direct if you're interested.
We still have far to go, but we are making good progress on Trump:
"In October 2021, a Quinnipiac University poll found that an overwhelming 78 percent of Republicans said they wanted to see Trump run in 2024. By February, that share had slipped to 69 percent in a CBS News-YouGov poll. In June, it was down to 53 percent, according to a Politico-Morning Consult poll. And last week, a New York Times-Siena College poll found that just 49 percent of Republicans say they would support Trump for a third nomination, while a 51 percent majority wants someone else.
That is a 29-point decline over the past nine months. Trump still has more support than any potential challenger, but more and more Republicans are considering alternatives for 2024."
The columnist who wrote that, Mark Thiessen, is a foreign policy hard-liner, who has worked for both Rumsfeld and George W. Bush.
He'll take the Chiltern Hundreds the second the new PM has kissed the Queen's hand, but he's having fun until then.
He won't, he wants revenge. He is leaving office no longer than May and Brown served despite winning the biggest Tory victory in decades in 2019 and after less time in office than Thatcher, Blair, Cameron and even Major served
That may be true, and yet he may still take the Chiltern Hundreds. Forcing a London by-election onto his successor would do a good job of weakening them straight away, assuming that Labour managed to win an Uxbridge contest.
Then, when the clamour for his return reaches a sufficient intensity, his successful defence of a by-election in a safer seat would make the case for his greater electoral appeal. And it's a handy way of him doing a chicken run to a safe seat without appearing to do so.
I can see why Johnson would see it as an appealing narrative arc for an idle daydream. It's not completely impossible.
Considering the foreign leaders Trump is attracted to, for example, the kings of Saudia Arabia and North Korea, I think he is better described as a "monarchist", than as a "fascist". That is also consistent with his desire to see his children succeed him.
But we should also recognize, above all, that he is not a systematic enough thinker to really have an ideology. He illustrates Bagehot's point about monarchy being easier to understand than other forms of government.
He's surely not going to keep his seat much past 5 September, in the hope of his successor falling apart, is he? He's going to want to start cashing in, which will in itself make it impossible for him to get the top job back.
Looks like he is going to stay on the backbenches and wait for his successor to muck up and face a big poll deficit so his party begs him to return.
He now clearly has no intention of departing the scene like say Blair or Cameron to simply make money, instead, like Trump, he will wait for his chance to reclaim the top job
Actually, good point. My last post might be overly derisory and offbeam. After all Donald Trump - who I agree is his role model - is clear betting fav for next US President despite being revealed as a violent far right fascist, so why on earth should Johnson's rather more prosaic flaws and misdemeanours stop him coming back in triumph?
I rather feel that Trump's enduring popularity has been enhanced by his haters' continual use of phrases like "violent far right fascist" which don't ring true with his voters.
I don't agree that he's a fascist.
But he's clearly a danger to democracy.
When does a populist become a fascist? I think incitement to insurrection and attempting to subvert democracy sounds pretty fascist-like to me. He is not a Nazi, but fascist in a modern Mussolini style? I would say so.
He's surely not going to keep his seat much past 5 September, in the hope of his successor falling apart, is he? He's going to want to start cashing in, which will in itself make it impossible for him to get the top job back.
Looks like he is going to stay on the backbenches and wait for his successor to muck up and face a big poll deficit so his party begs him to return.
He now clearly has no intention of departing the scene like say Blair or Cameron to simply make money, instead, like Trump, he will wait for his chance to reclaim the top job
Actually, good point. My last post might be overly derisory and offbeam. After all Donald Trump - who I agree is his role model - is clear betting fav for next US President despite being revealed as a violent far right fascist, so why on earth should Johnson's rather more prosaic flaws and misdemeanours stop him coming back in triumph?
I rather feel that Trump's enduring popularity has been enhanced by his haters' continual use of phrases like "violent far right fascist" which don't ring true with his voters.
I don't agree that he's a fascist.
But he's clearly a danger to democracy.
He has been adopted by the fascists in the US, though. That style of politics predates his presidency - though note he latched on to the birther movement, which is part of it, quite early on.
As the phrase goes, "He's not a fascist, but he's number one with fascists."
It is just unthinkable to me there is yet to parliamentary inquiry in Germany into the past errors on energy policy, the Schröder Kreis, the cause of the errors, the corruption networks, foreign influence, etc. unthinkable in any developed democracy
I am not being facetious, we need Germany to sign a memorandum committing to profound changes in its energy but also economic model. I don’t know anyone who thinks Germany will do it motu proprio
2014: Russia starts its invasion and occupation of Ukraine 2015: Nord Stream 2 signed
Do you get it from a website called something like xenophobia.com? where only negative stories about the hated furriners can be found? I know there is one rather unintelligent poster (the one often apt to posting laughable porkies) who claims you, like him (snigger) have bene on a "journey", but seriously, what happened to turn you from one extreme of the most Europhile of Europhiles to a frothing swivel eyed Europhobe who gets his kicks from posting negative stories about our erstwhile partners?
There are journeys and there are ludicrous lurches. There are gradual movements or evolution from one position to another. But then there is yours. It is like akin to John Mcdonnell waking up one day and switching to the Tories and joining the ERG. Actually even that is not extreme enough to be analogous. As I have said before, I can only imagine someone else has nicked the account that once belonged to @williamglenn Where have you put him please?
Almost everyone agrees that Germany has made a very serious mistake by making itself so reliant on Russian energy.
Of course, but that is not the point. @williamglenn posts a gloating negative story about the EU or one of the EU countries with monotonous regularity. This would not be so ludicrous if it were not for the fact that only a short time ago he was more Europhile than Leon Brittan.
What is your view of Gerhard Schroeder's continued shilling for Putin's regime? Do you think the circumstances around how he set Germany's catastrophic energy policy are worthy of further investigation? Or does Germany being a member of the European Union mean anything goes?
Gerhard Schroeder is a few screws short of a full set and probably the closest to a German Trump. I was living in Germany during the 2005 election, and I remember how he insisted on claiming victory despite having clearly lost to Merkel. His behaviour at the time was quite bizarre.
It is just unthinkable to me there is yet to parliamentary inquiry in Germany into the past errors on energy policy, the Schröder Kreis, the cause of the errors, the corruption networks, foreign influence, etc. unthinkable in any developed democracy
I am not being facetious, we need Germany to sign a memorandum committing to profound changes in its energy but also economic model. I don’t know anyone who thinks Germany will do it motu proprio
2014: Russia starts its invasion and occupation of Ukraine 2015: Nord Stream 2 signed
Do you get it from a website called something like xenophobia.com? where only negative stories about the hated furriners can be found? I know there is one rather unintelligent poster (the one often apt to posting laughable porkies) who claims you, like him (snigger) have bene on a "journey", but seriously, what happened to turn you from one extreme of the most Europhile of Europhiles to a frothing swivel eyed Europhobe who gets his kicks from posting negative stories about our erstwhile partners?
There are journeys and there are ludicrous lurches. There are gradual movements or evolution from one position to another. But then there is yours. It is like akin to John Mcdonnell waking up one day and switching to the Tories and joining the ERG. Actually even that is not extreme enough to be analogous. As I have said before, I can only imagine someone else has nicked the account that once belonged to @williamglenn Where have you put him please?
Almost everyone agrees that Germany has made a very serious mistake by making itself so reliant on Russian energy.
Of course, but that is not the point. @williamglenn posts a gloating negative story about the EU or one of the EU countries with monotonous regularity. This would not be so ludicrous if it were not for the fact that only a short time ago he was more Europhile than Leon Brittan.
What is your view of Gerhard Schroeder's continued shilling for Putin's regime? Do you think the circumstances around how he set Germany's catastrophic energy policy are worthy of further investigation? Or does Germany being a member of the European Union mean anything goes?
I think it is disgraceful. He is a traitor to his country and a disgrace to democracy. That satisfy you?
We still have far to go, but we are making good progress on Trump:
"In October 2021, a Quinnipiac University poll found that an overwhelming 78 percent of Republicans said they wanted to see Trump run in 2024. By February, that share had slipped to 69 percent in a CBS News-YouGov poll. In June, it was down to 53 percent, according to a Politico-Morning Consult poll. And last week, a New York Times-Siena College poll found that just 49 percent of Republicans say they would support Trump for a third nomination, while a 51 percent majority wants someone else.
That is a 29-point decline over the past nine months. Trump still has more support than any potential challenger, but more and more Republicans are considering alternatives for 2024."
The columnist who wrote that, Mark Thiessen, is a foreign policy hard-liner, who has worked for both Rumsfeld and George W. Bush.
We still have far to go, but we are making good progress on Trump:
"In October 2021, a Quinnipiac University poll found that an overwhelming 78 percent of Republicans said they wanted to see Trump run in 2024. By February, that share had slipped to 69 percent in a CBS News-YouGov poll. In June, it was down to 53 percent, according to a Politico-Morning Consult poll. And last week, a New York Times-Siena College poll found that just 49 percent of Republicans say they would support Trump for a third nomination, while a 51 percent majority wants someone else.
That is a 29-point decline over the past nine months. Trump still has more support than any potential challenger, but more and more Republicans are considering alternatives for 2024."
The columnist who wrote that, Mark Thiessen, is a foreign policy hard-liner, who has worked for both Rumsfeld and George W. Bush.
R4 interview this morning with a prominent Trump supporter, forget his name now. To the question, "Are you truly ok with how Donald Trump behaved on Jan 6th?", he offered the answer - "Well he behaved like he always behaves."
This bizarrely seemed to be his idea of a good defence.
"Members of the jury, you have heard how my client hid in a bush and, when the first little old lady came by, jumped out and grabbed her, took her purse, and ran off with it, leaving her shocked and distressed and poorer by the sum of almost fifty pounds. Fine. No argument there. But I must say to you in all sincerity that you must not and cannot convict ... because it's what he does."
Unbelievable it really is. Either I'm going mad or the world is.
It is just unthinkable to me there is yet to parliamentary inquiry in Germany into the past errors on energy policy, the Schröder Kreis, the cause of the errors, the corruption networks, foreign influence, etc. unthinkable in any developed democracy
I am not being facetious, we need Germany to sign a memorandum committing to profound changes in its energy but also economic model. I don’t know anyone who thinks Germany will do it motu proprio
2014: Russia starts its invasion and occupation of Ukraine 2015: Nord Stream 2 signed
Do you get it from a website called something like xenophobia.com? where only negative stories about the hated furriners can be found? I know there is one rather unintelligent poster (the one often apt to posting laughable porkies) who claims you, like him (snigger) have bene on a "journey", but seriously, what happened to turn you from one extreme of the most Europhile of Europhiles to a frothing swivel eyed Europhobe who gets his kicks from posting negative stories about our erstwhile partners?
There are journeys and there are ludicrous lurches. There are gradual movements or evolution from one position to another. But then there is yours. It is like akin to John Mcdonnell waking up one day and switching to the Tories and joining the ERG. Actually even that is not extreme enough to be analogous. As I have said before, I can only imagine someone else has nicked the account that once belonged to @williamglenn Where have you put him please?
Almost everyone agrees that Germany has made a very serious mistake by making itself so reliant on Russian energy.
Of course, but that is not the point. @williamglenn posts a gloating negative story about the EU or one of the EU countries with monotonous regularity. This would not be so ludicrous if it were not for the fact that only a short time ago he was more Europhile than Leon Brittan.
What is your view of Gerhard Schroeder's continued shilling for Putin's regime? Do you think the circumstances around how he set Germany's catastrophic energy policy are worthy of further investigation? Or does Germany being a member of the European Union mean anything goes?
I think he'd rather talk about williamglenn's posting habits.
If Boris is serious, he will utterly destroy his successor’s premiership, and possibly the entire Tory Party.
He seems to have forgotten how grossly unpopular he was.
The sound of his fulsome tribute to himself, and the toadying ovation which followed it, are no doubt still echoing in his ears.
If the Tories had wanted to avoid this, they could easily have kicked him out of No.10 and installed a cypher like Raab for the next couple of months. They've again demonstrated they are not fit to govern.
Comments
I've just updated mine to reflect very annoying habits - so the keyboard is now a random set of yellow or black keycaps and the switches range from silent Cherry MX red switches on letters and numbers to rather noisy Cherry Blue on the space and return keys...
I think I've spent about £200 on it so far but it is rather nice to type on...
And yes it is designed to trigger people....
There are journeys and there are ludicrous lurches. There are gradual movements or evolution from one position to another. But then there is yours. It is like akin to John Mcdonnell waking up one day and switching to the Tories and joining the ERG. Actually even that is not extreme enough to be analogous. As I have said before, I can only imagine someone else has nicked the account that once belonged to @williamglenn Where have you put him please?
Marking its 150th year, a club is still a treasured pastime for New Yorkers from Totten Hill to Kolkata.
SSI - Current president of Staten Island Cricket Club, Clarence Modeste, age 92, joined in 1961 after arriving in NYC from Trinidad & Tobago. Another member, Will Teague, age 60, a native of Staten Island, who got interested in the game after watching a British TV show where it was mentioned. "He found the nearest club and asked to join and learn. That was in April. Three months later he fields sporadically, but hopes to bat next year."
"Chris Sargeant, a financier from London, flew to New York last week specifically for the event [150th anniversary]. He had lived in New York from 2002 until 2007 and had joined the club for the same reasons his British forebearers formed it in the 19th century: a love of cricket.
But he also cherished the [Staten Island-lower Manhattan] ferry and bus rides out of the bustle of the city and into the relative tranquility of Walker Park, where all the tension and worry of city life seemed to melt away under the languorous pace and familiar thwacks of willow on leather. He took the same route Saturday.
'I was not going to miss this," he said. What you find here is a very special bond.'"
Here is link to the club's website:
https://www.statenislandcc.org/
But she is chaotic and eccentric, with a manic energy. She grabs hold of random ideas and forces everyone around her to spend inordinate amounts of time talking her out of them. Everyone, from officials to the other Ministers, found her difficult to work with.
The former Chancellor is not a man of hidden depths. I have never worked with him but I know people who have and he is how he comes across: a well educated, numerate, polite, well presented man, with limited political skill or imagination. He is the Goldman Sachs analyst he was trained to be.
Truss is the better bet. She will probably lose, but Sunak would surely lose
The...er....'wicket' looks like it probably does a bit...
One think they could do with is a proper groundsman!
https://twitter.com/montie/status/1550499753913458690?s=20&t=a38Q91r2WI10gqL2N9TjRA
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/2022_Italian_general_election
Edit: He also note that Sunak appears to have no policy interests beyond fiscal conservatism.
Although in fairness I never knew him be talked out of any of his random stupid ideas.
https://www.msn.com/en-gb/news/uknews/boris-johnson-faces-by-election-humiliation-as-mps-try-to-dance-on-his-political-grave/ar-AAZPLkb?ocid=entnewsntp&cvid=c7a147c444a6464083774a6307d166a2
It will be easier for Truss to do it - in sorrow more than anger - because Rishi is going to faced with allegations of being a sell-out traitor from Day 1.
He's surely not going to keep his seat much past 5 September, in the hope of his successor falling apart, is he? He's going to want to start cashing in, which will in itself make it impossible for him to get the top job back.
He now clearly has no intention of departing the scene like say Blair or Cameron to simply make money, instead, like Trump, he will wait for his chance to reclaim the top job
But then I didn't expect them to lose Oswestry.
And I like it. But I can't decide for certain whether I like it because that is what I learned on, or because the "buckling springs" are actually a better technology. This Wikipedia article supports the better technology hypothesis: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Model_M_keyboard
And makes me wonder whether most of would now be better off with systems that had better keyboards and slower CPUs.
(The old keyboard could, probably, have been repaired, by the replacement of the cable.)
Like Trump or Berlusconi he might prove difficult to get rid of
Here's the great man reciting the lyrics.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8d_ALtSdbQo&ab_channel=SPARKS
And here's the song (from their manic early 80's phase)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=a2h_6q9B0Go&ab_channel=Sparks-Topic
Truss is double or quits. With a coin that is biased towards losing. But a chance of winning.
Which is better? Depends on your worldview, I guess.
"Hasta la vista baby" ... lol ... what a plank.
I have been posting on here long enough to remember how many people were certain in 2013 that Ed "Aleppo" Miliband would sweep to power in 2015.
Also that Cameron was a dead cert for an overall majority in 2010.
Nordstream was Germany getting it's balls into a vice controlled by Putin, allowing him to turn off supply with them having no alternative.
Londongrad was us offering a vice for Russians to rest their balls within, allowing us to seize and sanction their wealth.
https://youtu.be/D7wmMZmMinM
Chumps. Serves them right if he keeps reappearing.
More likely, it was General Freiherr von Hammerstein-Equord.
(I've been thinking, off and on, about that four-fold division, for years, and have decided that it is "clever and lazy", but probably not a good universal rule.)
But he's clearly a danger to democracy.
Truss is a slightly awkward figure, who is tainted with a certain section of the electorate by having thrown her lot in with the ERG.
But, she's also a woman who has served in the Cabinets of three different PMs, steadily climbing the greasy poll.
My guess is that she'll be reasonably confident, and will turn out not to be the ERG stooge than some think she is.
Her best chance is probably just to give up the redwall and Remainers and double down on hard Brexit and Thatcherite economics to at least get the Tory core vote behind her
He'll take the Chiltern Hundreds the second the new PM has kissed the Queen's hand, but he's having fun until then.
In a by election no Tory seat is safe, in a general election however Christchurch is safe as houses
"In October 2021, a Quinnipiac University poll found that an overwhelming 78 percent of Republicans said they wanted to see Trump run in 2024. By February, that share had slipped to 69 percent in a CBS News-YouGov poll. In June, it was down to 53 percent, according to a Politico-Morning Consult poll. And last week, a New York Times-Siena College poll found that just 49 percent of Republicans say they would support Trump for a third nomination, while a 51 percent majority wants someone else.
That is a 29-point decline over the past nine months. Trump still has more support than any potential challenger, but more and more Republicans are considering alternatives for 2024."
The columnist who wrote that, Mark Thiessen, is a foreign policy hard-liner, who has worked for both Rumsfeld and George W. Bush.
"His mother grew up in Poland and fought as a teenager in the Warsaw Uprising, a military struggle in which his grandfather died." https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Marc_Thiessen
So, it is not surprising that he has strong views on foreign policy.
There's a good article here, which I found quite persuasive, looking at how she has played it:
https://slate.com/news-and-politics/2022/07/liz-cheney-not-mad-disappointed.html
You're naive if you think he'll be stewing about how to get revenge from the backbenches, that's not his style. He'll have no interest in being a bit part sideshow to someone else's play, the moment the story isn't about him anymore he'll call it time and move on.
Chiltern Hundreds means he can start cashing in on having been PM without having to declare payments as MPs have to do. There'll be nothing for him left in the Commons on the backbenches.
Besides he's a journalist. If he wants revenge he can get it from snide articles etc just as Osborne and Major etc have sought revenge against May and Boris himself respectively for years now. No need to constrain himself to the green benches to do that.
If the Tories lose the next general election he could even then stand for Leader of the Opposition with Sunak and Truss then out the way
£20 at evens says he'll talk the Chiltern Hundreds within a year. Can be to charity or direct if you're interested.
Then, when the clamour for his return reaches a sufficient intensity, his successful defence of a by-election in a safer seat would make the case for his greater electoral appeal. And it's a handy way of him doing a chicken run to a safe seat without appearing to do so.
I can see why Johnson would see it as an appealing narrative arc for an idle daydream. It's not completely impossible.
But we should also recognize, above all, that he is not a systematic enough thinker to really have an ideology. He illustrates Bagehot's point about monarchy being easier to understand than other forms of government.
He seems to have forgotten how grossly unpopular he was.
ETA it is a ratio scale says Google
(*) open goal for the pedants there.
This bizarrely seemed to be his idea of a good defence.
"Members of the jury, you have heard how my client hid in a bush and, when the first little old lady came by, jumped out and grabbed her, took her purse, and ran off with it, leaving her shocked and distressed and poorer by the sum of almost fifty pounds. Fine. No argument there. But I must say to you in all sincerity that you must not and cannot convict ... because it's what he does."
Unbelievable it really is. Either I'm going mad or the world is.
If the Tories had wanted to avoid this, they could easily have kicked him out of No.10 and installed a cypher like Raab for the next couple of months. They've again demonstrated they are not fit to govern.