This must be the Tweet of the Day – politicalbetting.com

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This must be the Tweet of the Day – politicalbetting.com

Liz Truss denies ever "inviting comparisons" between herself and Margaret Thatcher, and blames "the media for keeping going on about it." pic.twitter.com/PtGeDFeHY1

Read the full story here

DavidL

Yeah, absolutely no idea what they are talking about.

rcs1000

To be fair, Mrs Thatcher never wore bondage jewelry.

DecrepiterJohnL

Betfair next prime minister
1.08 Liz Truss 93%
13 Rishi Sunak 8%

Next Conservative leader
1.07 Liz Truss 93%
13.5 Rishi Sunak 7%

HYUFD

Slight difference too in that Thatcher became Tory leader after the Tory general election defeat of 1974 and initially was only Leader of the Opposition.

Truss will be taking over immediately as PM 12 years into a Tory government. So in fact a better comparison to Thatcher may be who succeeds Truss as Tory leader. Especially if a Starmer government sees strikes and high inflation. Truss may just end up being Heath without the election win with Starmer as Wilson/Callaghan on that basis

SandyRentool

She seems to channel her inner Sarah Palin more than her inner Thatch.

TheScreamingEagles

She’s not fit to lick Thatcher’s boots.

That wasn’t a kink shame btw.

dixiedean

rcs1000 said:

To be fair, Mrs Thatcher never wore bondage jewelry.

Openly.

wooliedyed

New deltapoll
🚨🚨New Voting Intention🚨🚨
Labour lead at twelve points in latest results from Deltapoll.
Con 31% (-)
Lab 43% (+1)
Lib Dem 11% (+1)
Other 15% (-2)
Fieldwork: 19-22 August 2022
Sample: 1,588
(Changes from 21-23 July 2022) https://t.co/fPNaHN9kUV
We appear to be back where we were shortly after the defrnestration, double digit doings

kjh

Pitts Special flight done.

As my wife has said on various stuff I have introduced her to: 'I really enjoyed it but never want to do it again'

Still added benefit is I lost 7 kg to make the weight for the flight.

After 2 rolls and 2 barrel rolls I was feeling a bit ill. I tried to wait it out with some straight flying, but sadly had to call it a day, as another stunt would have been the end. Still feeling the effects, although the 2 pints and a toasted sandwich after, may have something to do with that. Learnt two things:

a) You can't see forward in a Pitts Special so you have to weave both on the ground and when flying so you don't hit stuff and you have to sideslip when landing because otherwise you can't see the runway.

b) What that diamond on the end of the red pole attached to the wing strut is. Anyone here want to hazard a guess.

Sandpit

If we are doing “Tweet of the day”

https://twitter.com/Ukraine/status/1562340882287890432

Alphabet_Soup

Thatcher: "The lady's not for turning."

Truss: "Watch this space."

bigjohnowls

Pressing the nuclear button a no brainer

https://twitter.com/mattgreencomedy/status/1562464432978276354

DecrepiterJohnL

Kwasi OKs French tech billionaire buying BT stake.

https://www.theregister.com/2022/08/23/uk_bt_national_security_altice/

HMG's press release says the 5.9 per cent purchase is OK but does not mention this takes the French company's stake to 18 per cent.
https://www.gov.uk/government/news/government-to-take-no-further-action-under-national-security-and-investment-act-on-bt-share-acquisition

Sandpit

kjh said:

Pitts Special flight done.

As my wife has said on various stuff I have introduced her to: 'I really enjoyed it but never want to do it again'

Still added benefit is I lost 7 kg to make the weight for the flight.

After 2 rolls and 2 barrel rolls I was feeling a bit ill. I tried to wait it out with some straight flying, but sadly had to call it a day, as another stunt would have been the end. Still feeling the effects, although the 2 pints and a toasted sandwich after, may have something to do with that. Learnt two things:

a) You can't see forward in a Pitts Special so you have to weave both on the ground and when flying so you don't hit stuff and you have to sideslip when landing because otherwise you can't see the runway.

b) What that diamond on the end of the red pole attached to the wing strut is. Anyone here want to hazard a guess.

Awesome, well done! Aerobatics pilots do it upside-down and sideways, so says the t-shirt

The attachment on the wing, is it a 360º pitot tube, so the pilot can see his airspeed at any weird angle? Or is it the attachment for the wing-walker to hold on to?

Carnyx

kjh said:

Pitts Special flight done.

As my wife has said on various stuff I have introduced her to: 'I really enjoyed it but never want to do it again'

Still added benefit is I lost 7 kg to make the weight for the flight.

After 2 rolls and 2 barrel rolls I was feeling a bit ill. I tried to wait it out with some straight flying, but sadly had to call it a day, as another stunt would have been the end. Still feeling the effects, although the 2 pints and a toasted sandwich after, may have something to do with that. Learnt two things:

a) You can't see forward in a Pitts Special so you have to weave both on the ground and when flying so you don't hit stuff and you have to sideslip when landing because otherwise you can't see the runway.

b) What that diamond on the end of the red pole attached to the wing strut is. Anyone here want to hazard a guess.

Congrats!

IANAE but until DA weighs in, it looks like a sort of sight to make sure one's position and orientation are correct in respect to some landmark or simply the horizon, for instance when initiating an aerobatic manoeuvre. It seems to be on a transverse line passing through or over the cockpit, in particular.

CorrectHorseBattery

Liz Truss is bloody useless

moonshine

Mexicanpete said:

Cyclefree said:

Mexicanpete said:

Cyclefree said:

A former House of Lords judge once told me years ago that he thought that juries would be much less likely to convict of murder if the death penalty was reimposed.

Awareness of miscarriages was so much greater, he felt, and defence barristers would be certain to make this point. So he thought that such a move would backfire. (Not that he was in favour of it. He thought a lot of judges would resign rather than be party to it.)

You have spend the last years writing erudite headers on this site explaining that our Police forces do not always deliver justice with the rigour that you demand.

So long as that remains the case, killing those convicted by evidence provided by police forces in the name of the state strikes me as a terrible idea.

Lock the convicted up for eighteen years like Judith Ward by all means, but then let them out when it becomes clear that the police case was based on fiction.

Perhaps the most remarkable case regarding a miscarriage of justice that, with the restoration of the death penalty, would have resulted in executions is the Cardiff Five. Not only did they track down the real killer of Lynette White through DNA revealing the detectives who pursued the case against the Cardiff Five did so on a fictional pack of lies, their fabrication was so egregious that a solid case was made against them. Lo and behold South Wales Police lost all the evidence just prior to the trial of their Detectives. The evidence was found again, once the case had been dropped.

I agree. I am against the death penalty. Always have been. Always will be.

Mind you, if someone killed one of my children or tried to I am quite certain that, if I could, I would kill them in revenge or to protect them.

And then hand myself in.

When I was burgled with the burglar walking into my bedroom while I was in bed and, not realising that someone was in the house, fleeing while dropping my own breadknife he had armed himself with, I was so incandescent with fury that if I'd caught the scrote, the police would have needed a hose to wash him off the floor not a police van.

But yes that's why we need a properly functioning justice system not tit-for-tat "justice".

Me too, and I would take my chances with a jury of my peers to determine whether it was self defence, or otherwise.


I don't want future Derek Bentleys dealt with in
my name as they were in the 1950s. I do think a
referendum is a cheap win for cynical populist
politicians and that is a massive fear, and leaving
the ECHR ticks that box.

Yeah a capital punishment referendum would be seriously divisive and drown out everything else for little obvious upside. But if you were having one anyway and you asked me today which way to vote, I’d lean toward reinstate. The problem is we’d have a silly situation where with a change of govt, the new home Sec would take everyone off death row and we’d then have a perpetual wedge issue, where none existed before. Tiresome.

kjh

Sandpit said:

kjh said:

Pitts Special flight done.

As my wife has said on various stuff I have introduced her to: 'I really enjoyed it but never want to do it again'

Still added benefit is I lost 7 kg to make the weight for the flight.

After 2 rolls and 2 barrel rolls I was feeling a bit ill. I tried to wait it out with some straight flying, but sadly had to call it a day, as another stunt would have been the end. Still feeling the effects, although the 2 pints and a toasted sandwich after, may have something to do with that. Learnt two things:

a) You can't see forward in a Pitts Special so you have to weave both on the ground and when flying so you don't hit stuff and you have to sideslip when landing because otherwise you can't see the runway.

b) What that diamond on the end of the red pole attached to the wing strut is. Anyone here want to hazard a guess.

Awesome, well done! Aerobatics is fun

The attachment on the wing, is it a 360º pitot tube, so the pilot can see his airspeed at any weird angle? Or is it the attachment for the wing-walker to hold on to?

Love the idea of a wing walker.

kjh

Carnyx said:

kjh said:

Pitts Special flight done.

As my wife has said on various stuff I have introduced her to: 'I really enjoyed it but never want to do it again'

Still added benefit is I lost 7 kg to make the weight for the flight.

After 2 rolls and 2 barrel rolls I was feeling a bit ill. I tried to wait it out with some straight flying, but sadly had to call it a day, as another stunt would have been the end. Still feeling the effects, although the 2 pints and a toasted sandwich after, may have something to do with that. Learnt two things:

a) You can't see forward in a Pitts Special so you have to weave both on the ground and when flying so you don't hit stuff and you have to sideslip when landing because otherwise you can't see the runway.

b) What that diamond on the end of the red pole attached to the wing strut is. Anyone here want to hazard a guess.

Congrats!

IANAE but until DA weighs in, it looks like a sort of sight to make sure one's position and orientation are correct in respect to some landmark or simply the horizon, for instance when initiating an aerobatic manoeuvre. It seems to be on a transverse line passing through or over the cockpit, in particular.

Yep, spot on. For example when going vertically up or down you can line up with the horizon. I sort of left that stuff up to the pilot.

Stocky

I suppose it could be a series of extraordinary coincidences.

Mexicanpete

moonshine said:

Mexicanpete said:

Cyclefree said:

Mexicanpete said:

Cyclefree said:

A former House of Lords judge once told me years ago that he thought that juries would be much less likely to convict of murder if the death penalty was reimposed.

Awareness of miscarriages was so much greater, he felt, and defence barristers would be certain to make this point. So he thought that such a move would backfire. (Not that he was in favour of it. He thought a lot of judges would resign rather than be party to it.)

You have spend the last years writing erudite headers on this site explaining that our Police forces do not always deliver justice with the rigour that you demand.

So long as that remains the case, killing those convicted by evidence provided by police forces in the name of the state strikes me as a terrible idea.

Lock the convicted up for eighteen years like Judith Ward by all means, but then let them out when it becomes clear that the police case was based on fiction.

Perhaps the most remarkable case regarding a miscarriage of justice that, with the restoration of the death penalty, would have resulted in executions is the Cardiff Five. Not only did they track down the real killer of Lynette White through DNA revealing the detectives who pursued the case against the Cardiff Five did so on a fictional pack of lies, their fabrication was so egregious that a solid case was made against them. Lo and behold South Wales Police lost all the evidence just prior to the trial of their Detectives. The evidence was found again, once the case had been dropped.

I agree. I am against the death penalty. Always have been. Always will be.

Mind you, if someone killed one of my children or tried to I am quite certain that, if I could, I would kill them in revenge or to protect them.

And then hand myself in.

When I was burgled with the burglar walking into my bedroom while I was in bed and, not realising that someone was in the house, fleeing while dropping my own breadknife he had armed himself with, I was so incandescent with fury that if I'd caught the scrote, the police would have needed a hose to wash him off the floor not a police van.

But yes that's why we need a properly functioning justice system not tit-for-tat "justice".

Me too, and I would take my chances with a jury of my peers to determine whether it was self defence, or otherwise.


I don't want future Derek Bentleys dealt with in
my name as they were in the 1950s. I do think a
referendum is a cheap win for cynical populist
politicians and that is a massive fear, and leaving
the ECHR ticks that box.

Yeah a capital punishment referendum would be seriously divisive and drown out everything else for little obvious upside. But if you were having one anyway and you asked me today which way to vote, I’d lean toward reinstate. The problem is we’d have a silly situation where with a change of govt, the new home Sec would take everyone off death row and we’d then have a perpetual wedge issue, where none existed before. Tiresome.

So you would vote reinstate? I'm shocked! Shocked I tell you.

Mexicanpete

kjh said:

Pitts Special flight done.

As my wife has said on various stuff I have introduced her to: 'I really enjoyed it but never want to do it again'

Still added benefit is I lost 7 kg to make the weight for the flight.

After 2 rolls and 2 barrel rolls I was feeling a bit ill. I tried to wait it out with some straight flying, but sadly had to call it a day, as another stunt would have been the end. Still feeling the effects, although the 2 pints and a toasted sandwich after, may have something to do with that. Learnt two things:

a) You can't see forward in a Pitts Special so you have to weave both on the ground and when flying so you don't hit stuff and you have to sideslip when landing because otherwise you can't see the runway.

b) What that diamond on the end of the red pole attached to the wing strut is. Anyone here want to hazard a guess.

I'm glad I read your post, fascinating, for a brief moment I thought Leon had posted a picture of his flight home.

It's been very calm on here this afternoon. Can't think why?

TheScreamingEagles

To be fair Truss she’s more Ted Heath.

RandallFlagg

CorrectHorseBattery said:

Liz Truss is bloody useless

Nah, if you believe Dan Hodges she's going to destroy Starmer at the next election through a war on woke, which people care about far more than whether they can afford to pay their energy bills.

Jonathan

Liz Truss prefers to be compared to Donald Trump.

moonshine

On topic, this is a puerile (and arguably pretty sexist) criticism of Truss. Don’t get me wrong, her policies this winter and her Cabinet picks may deservedly sink her chances of staying in post for long. But if this is the best there is against her, it’s pretty desperate stuff.

TheScreamingEagles

DecrepiterJohnL said:

Kwasi OKs French tech billionaire buying BT stake.

https://www.theregister.com/2022/08/23/uk_bt_national_security_altice/

HMG's press release says the 5.9 per cent purchase is OK but does not mention this takes the French company's stake to 18 per cent.
https://www.gov.uk/government/news/government-to-take-no-further-action-under-national-security-and-investment-act-on-bt-share-acquisition

29.99% is the magic number.

Carnyx

moonshine said:

On topic, this is a puerile (and arguably pretty sexist) criticism of Truss. Don’t get me wrong, her policies this winter and her Cabinet picks may deservedly sink her chances of staying in post for long. But if this is the best there is against her, it’s pretty desperate stuff.

Is it? Really?

Someone so concerned with concocting an image that it gets in the way of her thinking at work, and affects how she is perceived, by other states as well?

We've had quite a lot of that sort of thing since 2019.

PS This point is not gender-related - far from it.

moonshine

Mexicanpete said:

moonshine said:

Mexicanpete said:

Cyclefree said:

Mexicanpete said:

Cyclefree said:

A former House of Lords judge once told me years ago that he thought that juries would be much less likely to convict of murder if the death penalty was reimposed.

Awareness of miscarriages was so much greater, he felt, and defence barristers would be certain to make this point. So he thought that such a move would backfire. (Not that he was in favour of it. He thought a lot of judges would resign rather than be party to it.)

You have spend the last years writing erudite headers on this site explaining that our Police forces do not always deliver justice with the rigour that you demand.

So long as that remains the case, killing those convicted by evidence provided by police forces in the name of the state strikes me as a terrible idea.

Lock the convicted up for eighteen years like Judith Ward by all means, but then let them out when it becomes clear that the police case was based on fiction.

Perhaps the most remarkable case regarding a miscarriage of justice that, with the restoration of the death penalty, would have resulted in executions is the Cardiff Five. Not only did they track down the real killer of Lynette White through DNA revealing the detectives who pursued the case against the Cardiff Five did so on a fictional pack of lies, their fabrication was so egregious that a solid case was made against them. Lo and behold South Wales Police lost all the evidence just prior to the trial of their Detectives. The evidence was found again, once the case had been dropped.

I agree. I am against the death penalty. Always have been. Always will be.

Mind you, if someone killed one of my children or tried to I am quite certain that, if I could, I would kill them in revenge or to protect them.

And then hand myself in.

When I was burgled with the burglar walking into my bedroom while I was in bed and, not realising that someone was in the house, fleeing while dropping my own breadknife he had armed himself with, I was so incandescent with fury that if I'd caught the scrote, the police would have needed a hose to wash him off the floor not a police van.

But yes that's why we need a properly functioning justice system not tit-for-tat "justice".

Me too, and I would take my chances with a jury of my peers to determine whether it was self defence, or otherwise.


I don't want future Derek Bentleys dealt with in
my name as they were in the 1950s. I do think a
referendum is a cheap win for cynical populist
politicians and that is a massive fear, and leaving
the ECHR ticks that box.

Yeah a capital punishment referendum would be seriously divisive and drown out everything else for little obvious upside. But if you were having one anyway and you asked me today which way to vote, I’d lean toward reinstate. The problem is we’d have a silly situation where with a change of govt, the new home Sec would take everyone off
death row and we’d then have a perpetual wedge
issue, where none existed before. Tiresome.

So you would vote reinstate? I'm shocked! Shocked I tell you.

My views are not as clear cut as they once were, when you would never have got me to believe I would ever consider backing it. Living a decade in a country where capital punishment was almost universally supported made me less squeamish to the idea I guess. My hesitation would be that I don’t think British society needs another divisive culture war issue.

moonshine

Carnyx said:

moonshine said:

On topic, this is a puerile (and arguably pretty sexist) criticism of Truss. Don’t get me wrong, her policies this winter and her Cabinet picks may deservedly sink her chances of staying in post for long. But if this is the best there is against her, it’s pretty desperate stuff.

Is it? Really?

Someone so concerned with concocting an image that it gets in the way of her thinking at work, and affects how she is perceived, by other states as well?

We've had quite a lot of that sort of thing since 2019.

PS This point is not gender-related - far from it.

There’s no evidence of that yet though is there as she’s not even in post. You just don’t like her because she wears a Tory rosette, nothing to do with her blouse or jacket. If she were running for Lib Dem leader, which in another universe she might have, and was wearing the same outfits you’d not even mention it.

DavidL

bigjohnowls said:

Pressing the nuclear button a no brainer

https://twitter.com/mattgreencomedy/status/1562464432978276354

I think people are thinking about this nuclear war the wrong way. In particular they are failing to give consideration to the incredible advantages that are likely to arise at the next boundary commission hearings after the war. With London, Liverpool, Birmingham having no more than a couple of constituencies each Tory majorities are nailed on. We need to focus on the bigger picture here.

Carnyx

moonshine said:

Carnyx said:

moonshine said:

On topic, this is a puerile (and arguably pretty sexist) criticism of Truss. Don’t get me wrong, her policies this winter and her Cabinet picks may deservedly sink her chances of staying in post for long. But if this is the best there is against her, it’s pretty desperate stuff.

Is it? Really?

Someone so concerned with concocting an image that it gets in the way of her thinking at work, and affects how she is perceived, by other states as well?

We've had quite a lot of that sort of thing since 2019.

PS This point is not gender-related - far from it.

There’s no evidence of that yet though is there as she’s not even in post. You just don’t like her because she wears a Tory rosette, nothing to do with her blouse or jacket. If she were running for Lib Dem leader, which in another universe she might have, and was wearing the same outfits you’d not even mention it.

No. Have a look at those photos. They are very carefully posed. And the dress also. For instance, the top left one. That is not coincidence.

I lived through the Thatcher years and I'm of an age with the younger echelons of the Tory Party members. I know what I an seeing here and I know how the members will react to that. That has been in the plan for years now.

And she was in post when thopse photos were taken - in Defence, Foreign Office ...

Sandpit

kjh said:

Carnyx said:

kjh said:

Pitts Special flight done.

As my wife has said on various stuff I have introduced her to: 'I really enjoyed it but never want to do it again'

Still added benefit is I lost 7 kg to make the weight for the flight.

After 2 rolls and 2 barrel rolls I was feeling a bit ill. I tried to wait it out with some straight flying, but sadly had to call it a day, as another stunt would have been the end. Still feeling the effects, although the 2 pints and a toasted sandwich after, may have something to do with that. Learnt two things:

a) You can't see forward in a Pitts Special so you have to weave both on the ground and when flying so you don't hit stuff and you have to sideslip when landing because otherwise you can't see the runway.

b) What that diamond on the end of the red pole attached to the wing strut is. Anyone here want to hazard a guess.

Congrats!

IANAE but until DA weighs in, it looks like a sort of sight to make sure one's position and orientation are correct in respect to some landmark or simply the horizon, for instance when initiating an aerobatic manoeuvre. It seems to be on a transverse line passing through or over the cockpit, in particular.

Yep, spot on. For example when going vertically up or down you can line up with the horizon. I sort of left that stuff up to the pilot.

Very good, a half-century-old artificial horizon, that doesn’t contain a half-century-old gyroscope which uses loads of battery power and can ‘topple’ itself with no warning and leave the pilot disorientated. A quick search suggests it’s a common fitment on this type.

dixiedean

DavidL said:

bigjohnowls said:

Pressing the nuclear button a no brainer

https://twitter.com/mattgreencomedy/status/1562464432978276354

I think people are thinking about this nuclear war the wrong way. In particular they are failing to give consideration to the incredible advantages that are likely to arise at the next boundary commission hearings after the war. With London, Liverpool, Birmingham having no more than a couple of constituencies each Tory majorities are nailed on. We need to focus on the bigger picture here.

There's a chance of a LD majority with SNP opposition.
Being as how 649 constituencies will be in Shetland

FrankBooth

In short I've decided that Thatcher was a realist, Truss is a fantasist. Ultimately though Maggie was a Methodist who really took her Christianity seriously. Truss comes across as more of a libertarian. Like many of the Iron Lady's followers they aren't really that in tune with her moral compass.

Chris

DavidL said:

bigjohnowls said:

Pressing the nuclear button a no brainer

https://twitter.com/mattgreencomedy/status/1562464432978276354

I think people are thinking about this nuclear war the wrong way. In particular they are failing to give consideration to the incredible advantages that are likely to arise at the next boundary commission hearings after the war. With London, Liverpool, Birmingham having no more than a couple of constituencies each Tory majorities are nailed on. We need to focus on the bigger picture here.

And if the rate of fallout-induced mutation is high enough, politicians like John Redwood and even Liz Truss may appear almost normal.

MISTY

The narrative of the Sunak camp is that a huge tax and spend package is inevitable and that Truss is saying whatever she needs to say to get elected. There is no alternative right now to a massive dollop of Brownism. People who expect tax cuts and small government are getting royally duped and will be stunned when Truss gives in under enormous pressure in the autumn.

We shall see.

moonshine

Carnyx said:

moonshine said:

Carnyx said:

moonshine said:

On topic, this is a puerile (and arguably pretty sexist) criticism of Truss. Don’t get me wrong, her policies this winter and her Cabinet picks may deservedly sink her chances of staying in post for long. But if this is the best there is against her, it’s pretty desperate stuff.

Is it? Really?

Someone so concerned with concocting an image that it gets in the way of her thinking at work, and affects how she is perceived, by other states as well?

We've had quite a lot of that sort of thing since 2019.

PS This point is not gender-related - far from it.

There’s no evidence of that yet though is there as she’s not even in post. You just don’t like her because she wears a Tory rosette, nothing to do with her blouse or jacket. If she were running for Lib Dem leader, which in another universe she might have, and was wearing the same outfits you’d not even mention it.

No. Have a look at those photos. They are very carefully posed. And the dress also. For instance, the top left one. That is not coincidence.

I lived through the Thatcher years and I'm of an age with the younger echelons of the Tory Party members. I know what I an seeing here and I know how the members will react to that. That has been in the plan for years now.

And she was in post when thopse photos were
taken - in Defence, Foreign Office ...

The only pair of photos that look equivalent to me are the ones with the blue jacket and white cravat blouse thingie. Thatcher was Tory leader for what, 15 years? It shouldn’t be hard to find many such duplicate outfits between the two if this was even by complete chance. Focus on her policies and appointments, not what she’s wearing.

DecrepiterJohnL

Star Sports' The Polling Station covers Trump, the US mid-terms, Brazil, Liz Truss and free condoms at the Conservative Party conference.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BiVk4TMny0M

Warning: read the rules before following advice on the US Senate where various bookmakers have different rules on how to count so-called independent Senators who caucus with the Democrats.

kjh

Sandpit said:

kjh said:

Carnyx said:

kjh said:

Pitts Special flight done.

As my wife has said on various stuff I have introduced her to: 'I really enjoyed it but never want to do it again'

Still added benefit is I lost 7 kg to make the weight for the flight.

After 2 rolls and 2 barrel rolls I was feeling a bit ill. I tried to wait it out with some straight flying, but sadly had to call it a day, as another stunt would have been the end. Still feeling the effects, although the 2 pints and a toasted sandwich after, may have something to do with that. Learnt two things:

a) You can't see forward in a Pitts Special so you have to weave both on the ground and when flying so you don't hit stuff and you have to sideslip when landing because otherwise you can't see the runway.

b) What that diamond on the end of the red pole attached to the wing strut is. Anyone here want to hazard a guess.

Congrats!

IANAE but until DA weighs in, it looks like a sort of sight to make sure one's position and orientation are correct in respect to some landmark or simply the horizon, for instance when initiating an aerobatic manoeuvre. It seems to be on a transverse line passing through or over the cockpit, in particular.

Yep, spot on. For example when going vertically up or down you can line up with the horizon. I sort of left that stuff up to the pilot.

Very good, a half-century-old artificial horizon, that doesn’t contain a half-century-old gyroscope which uses loads of battery power and can ‘topple’ itself with no warning and leave the pilot disorientated. A quick search suggests it’s a common fitment on this type.

It does look like it might just fall off though.

moonshine

MISTY said:

The narrative of the Sunak camp is that a huge tax and spend package is inevitable and that Truss is saying whatever she needs to say to get elected. There is no alternative right now to a massive dollop of Brownism. People who expect tax cuts and small government are getting royally duped and will be stunned when Truss gives in under enormous pressure in the autumn.

We shall see.

Sunak is a lightweight who would have bent in the slightest gust from Treasury mandarins, an organisation still bearing the cultural imprint of The Clunking Fist. “Increase stealth taxes, that’s your job bitch”.

I retain hope that we’ll see some fresh thinking. Perhaps I’ll be disappointed before even carving my Halloween pumpkin. But they deserve a chance, as does any incoming government of this country.

rottenborough

If Rep. Liz Cheney (R-Wyo.), who lost her House primary last week, decides to embark on a presidential run in 2024 as an independent, she could end up hurting President Biden’s chances of reelection more than Trump’s, according to a new Yahoo News/You Gov poll.

https://thehill.com/blogs/blog-briefing-room/3613998-cheney-independent-presidential-run-would-hurt-biden-more-than-trump-poll/

Sandpit

kjh said:

Sandpit said:

kjh said:

Carnyx said:

kjh said:

Pitts Special flight done.

As my wife has said on various stuff I have introduced her to: 'I really enjoyed it but never want to do it again'

Still added benefit is I lost 7 kg to make the weight for the flight.

After 2 rolls and 2 barrel rolls I was feeling a bit ill. I tried to wait it out with some straight flying, but sadly had to call it a day, as another stunt would have been the end. Still feeling the effects, although the 2 pints and a toasted sandwich after, may have something to do with that. Learnt two things:

a) You can't see forward in a Pitts Special so you have to weave both on the ground and when flying so you don't hit stuff and you have to sideslip when landing because otherwise you can't see the runway.

b) What that diamond on the end of the red pole attached to the wing strut is. Anyone here want to hazard a guess.

Congrats!

IANAE but until DA weighs in, it looks like a sort of sight to make sure one's position and orientation are correct in respect to some landmark or simply the horizon, for instance when initiating an aerobatic manoeuvre. It seems to be on a transverse line passing through or over the cockpit, in particular.

Yep, spot on. For example when going vertically up or down you can line up with the horizon. I sort of left that stuff up to the pilot.

Very good, a half-century-old artificial horizon, that doesn’t contain a half-century-old gyroscope which uses loads of battery power and can ‘topple’ itself with no warning and leave the pilot disorientated. A quick search suggests it’s a common fitment on this type.

It does look like it might just fall off though.

The attachments at the wing end are pretty sturdy, and the cross-section is small given the low flying speeds, albeit at some funny angles!

Jonathan

I don’t care what the PM wears or whether they want to dress like one of their predecessors. I do worry if the PM struggles with the truth and calls foul and points to Media when challenged.

Truss is a concern. She seems to have picked up the characteristics of her immediate predecessor.

Carnyx

moonshine said:

Carnyx said:

moonshine said:

Carnyx said:

moonshine said:

On topic, this is a puerile (and arguably pretty sexist) criticism of Truss. Don’t get me wrong, her policies this winter and her Cabinet picks may deservedly sink her chances of staying in post for long. But if this is the best there is against her, it’s pretty desperate stuff.

Is it? Really?

Someone so concerned with concocting an image that it gets in the way of her thinking at work, and affects how she is perceived, by other states as well?

We've had quite a lot of that sort of thing since 2019.

PS This point is not gender-related - far from it.

There’s no evidence of that yet though is there as she’s not even in post. You just don’t like her because she wears a Tory rosette, nothing to do with her blouse or jacket. If she were running for Lib Dem leader, which in another universe she might have, and was wearing the same outfits you’d not even mention it.

No. Have a look at those photos. They are very carefully posed. And the dress also. For instance, the top left one. That is not coincidence.

I lived through the Thatcher years and I'm of an age with the younger echelons of the Tory Party members. I know what I an seeing here and I know how the members will react to that. That has been in the plan for years now.

And she was in post when thopse photos were
taken - in Defence, Foreign Office ...

The only pair of photos that look equivalent to me are the ones with the blue jacket and white cravat blouse thingie. Thatcher was Tory leader for what, 15 years? It shouldn’t be hard to find many such duplicate outfits between the two if this was even by complete chance. Focus on her policies and appointments, not what she’s wearing.

I don't know how old you are, but it is an absolute gut response there. Those are some of the most famous pics of Mrs T, who had a very distinctive dress style. That cuts your coincidence argument down quite heavily (a serious point though that I did consider).

I'ds say that *anyone* emulating that style and other poses is very definitely claiming to the Thatcher Mk 2, or would very soon be warned off if that wasn't the intention.

I'm not the only one to get that instant response. Imagine if Mr Johnson turned up in pinstripes and a cigar. It's that close. Nothing to do with being a supporter or not - but very much a generation thing.

PS As for 'focussing' (!) on policies, what the hell are they? She's been all over the place. But that is a related matter. When I see someone concocting an image then I wonder what their policies actually are.

DavidL

Chris said:

DavidL said:

bigjohnowls said:

Pressing the nuclear button a no brainer

https://twitter.com/mattgreencomedy/status/1562464432978276354

I think people are thinking about this nuclear war the wrong way. In particular they are failing to give consideration to the incredible advantages that are likely to arise at the next boundary commission hearings after the war. With London, Liverpool, Birmingham having no more than a couple of constituencies each Tory majorities are nailed on. We need to focus on the bigger picture here.

And if the rate of fallout-induced mutation is high enough, politicians like John Redwood and even Liz Truss may appear almost normal.

I think that the Redwood one is a little unrealistic but its an interesting point.

moonshine

rottenborough said:

If Rep. Liz Cheney (R-Wyo.), who lost her House primary last week, decides to embark on a presidential run in 2024 as an independent, she could end up hurting President Biden’s chances of reelection more than Trump’s, according to a new Yahoo News/You Gov poll.

https://thehill.com/blogs/blog-briefing-room/3613998-cheney-independent-presidential-run-would-hurt-biden-more-than-trump-poll/

Why don’t all the Independents (and a good chunk of soft democrats) just register as Republican to make sure she’s the nominee rather than Trump?

Sandpit

moonshine said:

rottenborough said:

If Rep. Liz Cheney (R-Wyo.), who lost her House primary last week, decides to embark on a presidential run in 2024 as an independent, she could end up hurting President Biden’s chances of reelection more than Trump’s, according to a new Yahoo News/You Gov poll.

https://thehill.com/blogs/blog-briefing-room/3613998-cheney-independent-presidential-run-would-hurt-biden-more-than-trump-poll/

Why don’t all the Independents (and a good chunk of soft democrats) just register as Republican to make sure she’s the nominee rather than Trump?

Because she’s thinking of running for President as an independent (think Ross Perot), rather than seeking the Republican nomination in their primaries.

Chris

Carnyx said:

moonshine said:

Carnyx said:

moonshine said:

Carnyx said:

moonshine said:

On topic, this is a puerile (and arguably pretty sexist) criticism of Truss. Don’t get me wrong, her policies this winter and her Cabinet picks may deservedly sink her chances of staying in post for long. But if this is the best there is against her, it’s pretty desperate stuff.

Is it? Really?

Someone so concerned with concocting an image that it gets in the way of her thinking at work, and affects how she is perceived, by other states as well?

We've had quite a lot of that sort of thing since 2019.

PS This point is not gender-related - far from it.

There’s no evidence of that yet though is there as she’s not even in post. You just don’t like her because she wears a Tory rosette, nothing to do with her blouse or jacket. If she were running for Lib Dem leader, which in another universe she might have, and was wearing the same outfits you’d not even mention it.

No. Have a look at those photos. They are very carefully posed. And the dress also. For instance, the top left one. That is not coincidence.

I lived through the Thatcher years and I'm of an age with the younger echelons of the Tory Party members. I know what I an seeing here and I know how the members will react to that. That has been in the plan for years now.

And she was in post when thopse photos were
taken - in Defence, Foreign Office ...

The only pair of photos that look equivalent to me are the ones with the blue jacket and white cravat blouse thingie. Thatcher was Tory leader for what, 15 years? It shouldn’t be hard to find many such duplicate outfits between the two if this was even by complete chance. Focus on her policies and appointments, not what she’s wearing.

I don't know how old you are, but it is an absolute gut response there. Those are some of the most famous pics of Mrs T, who had a very distinctive dress style. That cuts your coincidence argument down quite heavily (a serious point though that I did consider).

I'ds say that *anyone* emulating that style and other poses is very definitely claiming to the Thatcher Mk 2, or would very soon be warned off if that wasn't the intention.

I'm not the only one to get that instant response. Imagine if Mr Johnson turned up in pinstripes and a cigar. It's that close. Nothing to do with being a supporter or not - but very much a generation thing.

PS As for 'focussing' (!) on policies, what the hell are they? She's been all over the place. But that is a related matter. When I see someone concocting an image then I wonder what their policies actually are.

The bow in particular was a well known Thatcher trademark.

Carnyx

Chris said:

Carnyx said:

moonshine said:

Carnyx said:

moonshine said:

Carnyx said:

moonshine said:

On topic, this is a puerile (and arguably pretty sexist) criticism of Truss. Don’t get me wrong, her policies this winter and her Cabinet picks may deservedly sink her chances of staying in post for long. But if this is the best there is against her, it’s pretty desperate stuff.

Is it? Really?

Someone so concerned with concocting an image that it gets in the way of her thinking at work, and affects how she is perceived, by other states as well?

We've had quite a lot of that sort of thing since 2019.

PS This point is not gender-related - far from it.

There’s no evidence of that yet though is there as she’s not even in post. You just don’t like her because she wears a Tory rosette, nothing to do with her blouse or jacket. If she were running for Lib Dem leader, which in another universe she might have, and was wearing the same outfits you’d not even mention it.

No. Have a look at those photos. They are very carefully posed. And the dress also. For instance, the top left one. That is not coincidence.

I lived through the Thatcher years and I'm of an age with the younger echelons of the Tory Party members. I know what I an seeing here and I know how the members will react to that. That has been in the plan for years now.

And she was in post when thopse photos were
taken - in Defence, Foreign Office ...

The only pair of photos that look equivalent to me are the ones with the blue jacket and white cravat blouse thingie. Thatcher was Tory leader for what, 15 years? It shouldn’t be hard to find many such duplicate outfits between the two if this was even by complete chance. Focus on her policies and appointments, not what she’s wearing.

I don't know how old you are, but it is an absolute gut response there. Those are some of the most famous pics of Mrs T, who had a very distinctive dress style. That cuts your coincidence argument down quite heavily (a serious point though that I did consider).

I'ds say that *anyone* emulating that style and other poses is very definitely claiming to the Thatcher Mk 2, or would very soon be warned off if that wasn't the intention.

I'm not the only one to get that instant response. Imagine if Mr Johnson turned up in pinstripes and a cigar. It's that close. Nothing to do with being a supporter or not - but very much a generation thing.

PS As for 'focussing' (!) on policies, what the hell are they? She's been all over the place. But that is a related matter. When I see someone concocting an image then I wonder what their policies actually are.

The bow in particular was a well known Thatcher trademark.

It was. @MoonRabbit made some interesting comments on it once, which would help consider Moonshine's argument that it was just a statistical fluke.

moonshine

Sandpit said:

moonshine said:

rottenborough said:

If Rep. Liz Cheney (R-Wyo.), who lost her House primary last week, decides to embark on a presidential run in 2024 as an independent, she could end up hurting President Biden’s chances of reelection more than Trump’s, according to a new Yahoo News/You Gov poll.

https://thehill.com/blogs/blog-briefing-room/3613998-cheney-independent-presidential-run-would-hurt-biden-more-than-trump-poll/

Why don’t all the Independents (and a good chunk of soft democrats) just register as Republican to make sure she’s the nominee rather than Trump?

Because she’s thinking of running for President as an independent (think Ross Perot), rather than seeking the Republican nomination in their primaries.

But wouldn’t it be better for her chances (and everyone else) if she just sought the GOP nomination? Even if she lost it she could still run as an Indie

Pulpstar

Light hearted mask anecdote
My other half had to wear a mask to the hospital for our little ones appointment today with the dietician, who thought it was very funny when she took it off
She's 4 months old.

Pulpstar

rottenborough said:

If Rep. Liz Cheney (R-Wyo.), who lost her House primary last week, decides to embark on a presidential run in 2024 as an independent, she could end up hurting President Biden’s chances of reelection more than Trump’s, according to a new Yahoo News/You Gov poll.

https://thehill.com/blogs/blog-briefing-room/3613998-cheney-independent-presidential-run-would-hurt-biden-more-than-trump-poll/

Shed get about 1%. Still Nader and Stein have affected races with such scores

northern_monkey

Pulpstar said:

Light hearted mask anecdote
My other half had to wear a mask to the hospital for our little ones appointment today with the dietician, who thought it was very funny when she took it off
She's 4 months old.

Young for a dietician.

Jim_Miller

The subject is so emotional for many people that I hesitate to mention this, but there are researchers who argue that capital punishment has a deterrent effect, notably Cass Sunstein:

"Recent evidence suggests that capital punishment may have a significant deterrent effect, preventing as many eighteen or more murders for each execution. This evidence greatly unsettles moral objections to the death penalty, because it suggests that a refusal to impose that penalty condemns numerous innocent people to death. Capital punishment thus presents a life-life tradeoff, and a serious commitment to the sanctity of human life may well compel, rather than forbid, that form of punishment. Moral objections to the death penalty frequently depend on a distinction between acts and omissions, but that distinction is misleading in this context, because government is a special kind of moral agent. The familiar problems with capital punishment— potential error, irreversibility, arbitrariness, and racial skew—do not argue in favor of abolition, because the world of homicide suffers from those same problems in even more acute form. The widespread failure to appreciate the life-life tradeoffs involved in capital punishment may depend on cognitive processes that fail to treat "statistical lives" with the seriousness that they deserve."
source: https://chicagounbound.uchicago.edu/law_and_economics/287/

Cass Sunstein is not a traditional conservative: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cass_Sunstein (FWIW, that Wikipedia biography does not mention the paper I quoted.)

For the record: I do not have the training to evaluate this paper, technically. (Though I can add that Nobel prize-winning economist at the University of Chicago did say publicly, years ago, that he thought Sunstein was right. Can't remember which one, possibly Robert E. Lucas.) And I can say that at least a few other economists have come to similar conclusions.

DavidL

Can I just say thank you by the way: https://www.msn.com/en-gb/news/uknews/scotland-s-public-spending-deficit-hits-record-of-nearly-2-200-a-head/ar-AA1139Z4?ocid=msedgntp&cvid=9b31ed7c111d4045a54d742f9750dd9c

The extraordinary generosity of UK plc last year reached an astonishing £2,184 for every man, women, non binary and child in the country, whatever their orientation. As usual many on this board will be reluctant to acknowledge this kindness and commitment to the Union and even be somewhat curmudgenly about it so I just thought I would put it on the record. Thanks.

eek

Sandpit said:

moonshine said:

rottenborough said:

If Rep. Liz Cheney (R-Wyo.), who lost her House primary last week, decides to embark on a presidential run in 2024 as an independent, she could end up hurting President Biden’s chances of reelection more than Trump’s, according to a new Yahoo News/You Gov poll.

https://thehill.com/blogs/blog-briefing-room/3613998-cheney-independent-presidential-run-would-hurt-biden-more-than-trump-poll/

Why don’t all the Independents (and a good chunk of soft democrats) just register as Republican to make sure she’s the nominee rather than Trump?

Because she’s thinking of running for President as an independent (think Ross Perot), rather than seeking the Republican nomination in their primaries.

And not enough independents will vote in the Republican nomination process to make it worthwhile...

turbotubbs

DavidL said:

Can I just say thank you by the way: https://www.msn.com/en-gb/news/uknews/scotland-s-public-spending-deficit-hits-record-of-nearly-2-200-a-head/ar-AA1139Z4?ocid=msedgntp&cvid=9b31ed7c111d4045a54d742f9750dd9c

The extraordinary generosity of UK plc last year reached an astonishing £2,184 for every man, women, non binary and child in the country, whatever their orientation. As usual many on this board will be reluctant to acknowledge this kindness and commitment to the Union and even be somewhat curmudgenly about it so I just thought I would put it on the record. Thanks.

It’s a shame @malcolmg isnt around to rage at how the number is wrong and actually rUK is indebted to Scotland.

Leon

Toldya

“We Need to Talk About How Good A.I. Is Getting
We’re in a golden age of progress in artificial intelligence. It’s time to start taking its potential and risks seriously.”

https://www.nytimes.com/2022/08/24/technology/ai-technology-progress.html

StuartDickson

dixiedean said:

DavidL said:

bigjohnowls said:

Pressing the nuclear button a no brainer

https://twitter.com/mattgreencomedy/status/1562464432978276354

I think people are thinking about this nuclear war the wrong way. In particular they are failing to give consideration to the incredible advantages that are likely to arise at the next boundary commission hearings after the war. With London, Liverpool, Birmingham having no more than a couple of constituencies each Tory majorities are nailed on. We need to focus on the bigger picture here.

There's a chance of a LD majority with SNP opposition.
Being as how 649 constituencies will be in Shetland

One constituency will suffice to send a representative to the Storting.

Driver

moonshine said:

Carnyx said:

moonshine said:

Carnyx said:

moonshine said:

On topic, this is a puerile (and arguably pretty sexist) criticism of Truss. Don’t get me wrong, her policies this winter and her Cabinet picks may deservedly sink her chances of staying in post for long. But if this is the best there is against her, it’s pretty desperate stuff.

Is it? Really?

Someone so concerned with concocting an image that it gets in the way of her thinking at work, and affects how she is perceived, by other states as well?

We've had quite a lot of that sort of thing since 2019.

PS This point is not gender-related - far from it.

There’s no evidence of that yet though is there as she’s not even in post. You just don’t like her because she wears a Tory rosette, nothing to do with her blouse or jacket. If she were running for Lib Dem leader, which in another universe she might have, and was wearing the same outfits you’d not even mention it.

No. Have a look at those photos. They are very carefully posed. And the dress also. For instance, the top left one. That is not coincidence.

I lived through the Thatcher years and I'm of an age with the younger echelons of the Tory Party members. I know what I an seeing here and I know how the members will react to that. That has been in the plan for years now.

And she was in post when thopse photos were
taken - in Defence, Foreign Office ...

The only pair of photos that look equivalent to me are the ones with the blue jacket and white cravat blouse thingie. Thatcher was Tory leader for what, 15 years? It shouldn’t be hard to find many such duplicate outfits between the two if this was even by complete chance. Focus on her policies and appointments, not what she’s wearing.

I mean, that's obvious, isn't it? Two female politicians who've each had thousands of photos taken of them during their careers are bound to have overlaps.

Mortimer

DavidL said:

Can I just say thank you by the way: https://www.msn.com/en-gb/news/uknews/scotland-s-public-spending-deficit-hits-record-of-nearly-2-200-a-head/ar-AA1139Z4?ocid=msedgntp&cvid=9b31ed7c111d4045a54d742f9750dd9c

The extraordinary generosity of UK plc last year reached an astonishing £2,184 for every man, women, non binary and child in the country, whatever their orientation. As usual many on this board will be reluctant to acknowledge this kindness and commitment to the Union and even be somewhat curmudgenly about it so I just thought I would put it on the record. Thanks.

And a reciprocal thanks back, David. Unionists make the UK family a better, safer and more prosperous place.

I have many Scottish business customers; they rarely talk politics. Almost all of them have quietly told me they'd be straight down the motorway to England if any schism happened; the comment is always unsolicited, but is almost always followed by 'assuming there would be any buyers for my house, that is'.

DavidL

turbotubbs said:

DavidL said:

Can I just say thank you by the way: https://www.msn.com/en-gb/news/uknews/scotland-s-public-spending-deficit-hits-record-of-nearly-2-200-a-head/ar-AA1139Z4?ocid=msedgntp&cvid=9b31ed7c111d4045a54d742f9750dd9c

The extraordinary generosity of UK plc last year reached an astonishing £2,184 for every man, women, non binary and child in the country, whatever their orientation. As usual many on this board will be reluctant to acknowledge this kindness and commitment to the Union and even be somewhat curmudgenly about it so I just thought I would put it on the record. Thanks.

It’s a shame @malcolmg isnt around to rage at how the number is wrong and actually rUK is indebted to Scotland.

I do miss him and I hope he is ok.

Cookie

RandallFlagg said:

CorrectHorseBattery said:

Liz Truss is bloody useless

Nah, if you believe Dan Hodges she's going to destroy Starmer at the next election through a war on woke, which people care about far more than whether they can afford to pay their energy bills.

Issues are only an election-winning issues if parties have different and better strategies for addressing them. Everyone is agreed on the long term solutions (other sources than Russian gas) and there are no sensible short term solutions. You can tweak with who pays the bills like the French are doing, but the bills still need to be paid.
Mind you, what is the solution to woke? The fact all our institutions are getting ever woker even after 12 years of Tory PMs suggests that Tory solution to woke (put up with it but grumble about it) is no better than Labour's.

turbotubbs

Leon said:

Toldya

“We Need to Talk About How Good A.I. Is Getting
We’re in a golden age of progress in artificial intelligence. It’s time to start taking its potential and risks seriously.”

https://www.nytimes.com/2022/08/24/technology/ai-technology-progress.html

Ah yes, the NY Times. Also good on bodies in the street in the hellhole that is plague island U.K…

Sandpit

Leon said:

Toldya

“We Need to Talk About How Good A.I. Is Getting
We’re in a golden age of progress in artificial intelligence. It’s time to start taking its potential and risks seriously.”

https://www.nytimes.com/2022/08/24/technology/ai-technology-progress.html

The eithics of AI is a total minefield, massively complicated by the fact that the Chinese are doing a lot of it, and they have no ethics whatsoever.

turbotubbs

DavidL said:

turbotubbs said:

DavidL said:

Can I just say thank you by the way: https://www.msn.com/en-gb/news/uknews/scotland-s-public-spending-deficit-hits-record-of-nearly-2-200-a-head/ar-AA1139Z4?ocid=msedgntp&cvid=9b31ed7c111d4045a54d742f9750dd9c

The extraordinary generosity of UK plc last year reached an astonishing £2,184 for every man, women, non binary and child in the country, whatever their orientation. As usual many on this board will be reluctant to acknowledge this kindness and commitment to the Union and even be somewhat curmudgenly about it so I just thought I would put it on the record. Thanks.

It’s a shame @malcolmg isnt around to rage at how the number is wrong and actually rUK is indebted to Scotland.

I do miss him and I hope he is ok.

Me too. Somehow his incredibly rude and angry (at least seeming) rants are part of PB essence, and it’s loss is noted.

Taz

Our soon to be departed PM

We all have to endure the cost of living crisis to support Ukraine. How not to retain support for the west backing Ukraine in this conflict. It’s rather tone deaf.

https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-politics-62663247

SeaShantyIrish2

rcs1000 said:

To be fair, Mrs Thatcher never wore bondage jewelry.

Addendum: . . .in public anyway.

Taz

turbotubbs said:

DavidL said:

turbotubbs said:

DavidL said:

Can I just say thank you by the way: https://www.msn.com/en-gb/news/uknews/scotland-s-public-spending-deficit-hits-record-of-nearly-2-200-a-head/ar-AA1139Z4?ocid=msedgntp&cvid=9b31ed7c111d4045a54d742f9750dd9c

The extraordinary generosity of UK plc last year reached an astonishing £2,184 for every man, women, non binary and child in the country, whatever their orientation. As usual many on this board will be reluctant to acknowledge this kindness and commitment to the Union and even be somewhat curmudgenly about it so I just thought I would put it on the record. Thanks.

It’s a shame @malcolmg isnt around to rage at how the number is wrong and actually rUK is indebted to Scotland.

I do miss him and I hope he is ok.

Me too. Somehow his incredibly rude and angry (at least seeming) rants are part of PB essence, and it’s loss is noted.

Agreed, as are his attempts to tip winning gee gee’s.

I do hope he is well.

Mortimer

Taz said:

Our soon to be departed PM

We all have to endure the cost of living crisis to support Ukraine. How not to retain support for the west backing Ukraine in this conflict. It’s rather tone deaf.

https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-politics-62663247

Totally disagree.

It is a rare occurance where Boris is right and the message is right.

'Put a jumper on to hurt Putin!' ought to be this Winter's mantra

Stuartinromford

Cookie said:

RandallFlagg said:

CorrectHorseBattery said:

Liz Truss is bloody useless

Nah, if you believe Dan Hodges she's going to destroy Starmer at the next election through a war on woke, which people care about far more than whether they can afford to pay their energy bills.

Issues are only an election-winning issues if parties have different and better strategies for addressing them. Everyone is agreed on the long term solutions (other sources than Russian gas) and there are no sensible short term solutions. You can tweak with who pays the bills like the French are doing, but the bills still need to be paid.
Mind you, what is the solution to woke? The fact all our institutions are getting ever woker even after 12 years of Tory PMs suggests that Tory solution to woke (put up with it but grumble about it) is no better than Labour's.

The solution to Woke is simple. Keep the generation currently in power, in power for ever. If necessary by putting their brains in jars or downloading their wisdom to an AI.

Generation X just aren't up to the job.

Leon

Sandpit said:

Leon said:

Toldya

“We Need to Talk About How Good A.I. Is Getting
We’re in a golden age of progress in artificial intelligence. It’s time to start taking its potential and risks seriously.”

https://www.nytimes.com/2022/08/24/technology/ai-technology-progress.html

The eithics of AI is a total minefield, massively complicated by the fact that the Chinese are doing a lot of it, and they have no ethics whatsoever.

The Chinese don’t give a fuck about racist AI so they will storm ahead with this tech even as we moan and fret and the Woke try to derail it

It’s another way the West is doomed

Chris

Jim_Miller said:

The subject is so emotional for many people that I hesitate to mention this, but there are researchers who argue that capital punishment has a deterrent effect, notably Cass Sunstein:

"Recent evidence suggests that capital punishment may have a significant deterrent effect, preventing as many eighteen or more murders for each execution. This evidence greatly unsettles moral objections to the death penalty, because it suggests that a refusal to impose that penalty condemns numerous innocent people to death. Capital punishment thus presents a life-life tradeoff, and a serious commitment to the sanctity of human life may well compel, rather than forbid, that form of punishment. Moral objections to the death penalty frequently depend on a distinction between acts and omissions, but that distinction is misleading in this context, because government is a special kind of moral agent. The familiar problems with capital punishment— potential error, irreversibility, arbitrariness, and racial skew—do not argue in favor of abolition, because the world of homicide suffers from those same problems in even more acute form. The widespread failure to appreciate the life-life tradeoffs involved in capital punishment may depend on cognitive processes that fail to treat "statistical lives" with the seriousness that they deserve."
source: https://chicagounbound.uchicago.edu/law_and_economics/287/

Cass Sunstein is not a traditional conservative: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cass_Sunstein (FWIW, that Wikipedia biography does not mention the paper I quoted.)

For the record: I do not have the training to evaluate this paper, technically. (Though I can add that Nobel prize-winning economist at the University of Chicago did say publicly, years ago, that he thought Sunstein was right. Can't remember which one, possibly Robert E. Lucas.) And I can say that at least a few other economists have come to similar conclusions.

There isn't really anything to evaluate in it concerning the statistical argument, as far as I can see. It just cites a number of other studies without giving any details.

Obviously such studies are controversial and have been criticised. For example:
https://deathpenaltyinfo.org/policy-issues/deterrence/discussion-of-recent-deterrence-studies

You'd need to look at the details of the statistical analysis, but statements like "each execution prevents some eighteen murders, on average" don't suggest a very sophisticated grasp of the potential complications. There's a footnote saying, in effect, that he will use that claim for "expository convenience" while taking it as read that it isn't accurate. But in any case, as the author is a lawyer rather than a statistician, it would be pretty surprising if he were able to evaluate the statistical evidence adequately.

Theuniondivvie

Carnyx said:

Chris said:

Carnyx said:

moonshine said:

Carnyx said:

moonshine said:

Carnyx said:

moonshine said:

On topic, this is a puerile (and arguably pretty sexist) criticism of Truss. Don’t get me wrong, her policies this winter and her Cabinet picks may deservedly sink her chances of staying in post for long. But if this is the best there is against her, it’s pretty desperate stuff.

Is it? Really?

Someone so concerned with concocting an image that it gets in the way of her thinking at work, and affects how she is perceived, by other states as well?

We've had quite a lot of that sort of thing since 2019.

PS This point is not gender-related - far from it.

There’s no evidence of that yet though is there as she’s not even in post. You just don’t like her because she wears a Tory rosette, nothing to do with her blouse or jacket. If she were running for Lib Dem leader, which in another universe she might have, and was wearing the same outfits you’d not even mention it.

No. Have a look at those photos. They are very carefully posed. And the dress also. For instance, the top left one. That is not coincidence.

I lived through the Thatcher years and I'm of an age with the younger echelons of the Tory Party members. I know what I an seeing here and I know how the members will react to that. That has been in the plan for years now.

And she was in post when thopse photos were
taken - in Defence, Foreign Office ...

The only pair of photos that look equivalent to me are the ones with the blue jacket and white cravat blouse thingie. Thatcher was Tory leader for what, 15 years? It shouldn’t be hard to find many such duplicate outfits between the two if this was even by complete chance. Focus on her policies and appointments, not what she’s wearing.

I don't know how old you are, but it is an absolute gut response there. Those are some of the most famous pics of Mrs T, who had a very distinctive dress style. That cuts your coincidence argument down quite heavily (a serious point though that I did consider).

I'ds say that *anyone* emulating that style and other poses is very definitely claiming to the Thatcher Mk 2, or would very soon be warned off if that wasn't the intention.

I'm not the only one to get that instant response. Imagine if Mr Johnson turned up in pinstripes and a cigar. It's that close. Nothing to do with being a supporter or not - but very much a generation thing.

PS As for 'focussing' (!) on policies, what the hell are they? She's been all over the place. But that is a related matter. When I see someone concocting an image then I wonder what their policies actually are.

The bow in particular was a well known Thatcher trademark.

It was. @MoonRabbit made some interesting comments on it once, which would help consider Moonshine's argument that it was just a statistical fluke.

In a sense her Thatch cosplay isn’t the most important bit, it’s Truss’s denial of its existence in the face of the bleeding evidence in front of everyone’s eyes. It’s one with her denial of the meaning of her explicit statements after the event and doesn’t’ bode well for our impending collision with grim reality.

Pulpstar

DavidL said:

Can I just say thank you by the way: https://www.msn.com/en-gb/news/uknews/scotland-s-public-spending-deficit-hits-record-of-nearly-2-200-a-head/ar-AA1139Z4?ocid=msedgntp&cvid=9b31ed7c111d4045a54d742f9750dd9c

The extraordinary generosity of UK plc last year reached an astonishing £2,184 for every man, women, non binary and child in the country, whatever their orientation. As usual many on this board will be reluctant to acknowledge this kindness and commitment to the Union and even be somewhat curmudgenly about it so I just thought I would put it on the record. Thanks.

How do the figures look if Scotland is properly assigned its oil and gas extraction as well as renewables on a current electricity price basis though ?

StuartDickson

Leon said:

Sandpit said:

Leon said:

Toldya

“We Need to Talk About How Good A.I. Is Getting
We’re in a golden age of progress in artificial intelligence. It’s time to start taking its potential and risks seriously.”

https://www.nytimes.com/2022/08/24/technology/ai-technology-progress.html

The eithics of AI is a total minefield, massively complicated by the fact that the Chinese are doing a lot of it, and they have no ethics whatsoever.

The Chinese don’t give a fuck about racist AI so they will storm ahead with this tech even as we moan and fret and the Woke try to derail it

It’s another way the West is doomed

PB’s very own Private Frazer.

I wonder if Frazer saw dildos everywhere, believed in little green men, toked joints and had a tiny shoe size?

Alistair

Leon said:

Toldya

“We Need to Talk About How Good A.I. Is Getting
We’re in a golden age of progress in artificial intelligence. It’s time to start taking its potential and risks seriously.”

https://www.nytimes.com/2022/08/24/technology/ai-technology-progress.html

A prize for the person who gets closest to guessing the prompt that generated these 4 variations.

HYUFD

Leon said:

Sandpit said:

Leon said:

Toldya

“We Need to Talk About How Good A.I. Is Getting
We’re in a golden age of progress in artificial intelligence. It’s time to start taking its potential and risks seriously.”

https://www.nytimes.com/2022/08/24/technology/ai-technology-progress.html

The eithics of AI is a total minefield, massively complicated by the fact that the Chinese are doing a lot of it, and they have no ethics whatsoever.

The Chinese don’t give a fuck about racist AI so they will storm ahead with this tech even as we moan and fret and the Woke try to derail it

It’s another way the West is doomed

Humanity is doomed if we lose control of AI

Leon

HYUFD said:

Leon said:

Sandpit said:

Leon said:

Toldya

“We Need to Talk About How Good A.I. Is Getting
We’re in a golden age of progress in artificial intelligence. It’s time to start taking its potential and risks seriously.”

https://www.nytimes.com/2022/08/24/technology/ai-technology-progress.html

The eithics of AI is a total minefield, massively complicated by the fact that the Chinese are doing a lot of it, and they have no ethics whatsoever.

The Chinese don’t give a fuck about racist AI so they will storm ahead with this tech even as we moan and fret and the Woke try to derail it

It’s another way the West is doomed

Humanity is doomed if we lose control of AI

We are very arguably doomed WITHOUT AI

Look how we have screwed the climate. We need a robot to rule us

Theuniondivvie

DavidL said:

turbotubbs said:

DavidL said:

Can I just say thank you by the way: https://www.msn.com/en-gb/news/uknews/scotland-s-public-spending-deficit-hits-record-of-nearly-2-200-a-head/ar-AA1139Z4?ocid=msedgntp&cvid=9b31ed7c111d4045a54d742f9750dd9c

The extraordinary generosity of UK plc last year reached an astonishing £2,184 for every man, women, non binary and child in the country, whatever their orientation. As usual many on this board will be reluctant to acknowledge this kindness and commitment to the Union and even be somewhat curmudgenly about it so I just thought I would put it on the record. Thanks.

It’s a shame @malcolmg isnt around to rage at how the number is wrong and actually rUK is indebted to Scotland.

I do miss him and I hope he is ok.

Pretty sure he's on Twitter and tweeting quite recently, eg

https://twitter.com/malcolm48762561/status/1562466695989452800?s=20&t=WWZqM5KtyMAf_Zw6YdA4Fg

HYUFD

Leon said:

HYUFD said:

Leon said:

Sandpit said:

Leon said:

Toldya

“We Need to Talk About How Good A.I. Is Getting
We’re in a golden age of progress in artificial intelligence. It’s time to start taking its potential and risks seriously.”

https://www.nytimes.com/2022/08/24/technology/ai-technology-progress.html

The eithics of AI is a total minefield, massively complicated by the fact that the Chinese are doing a lot of it, and they have no ethics whatsoever.

The Chinese don’t give a fuck about racist AI so they will storm ahead with this tech even as we moan and fret and the Woke try to derail it

It’s another way the West is doomed

Humanity is doomed if we lose control of AI

We are very arguably doomed WITHOUT AI

Look how we have screwed the climate. We need a robot to rule us

No, just produce more renewables and nuclear energy to replace fossil fuels and more of our own energy supplies

Malmesbury

StuartDickson said:

Leon said:

Sandpit said:

Leon said:

Toldya

“We Need to Talk About How Good A.I. Is Getting
We’re in a golden age of progress in artificial intelligence. It’s time to start taking its potential and risks seriously.”

https://www.nytimes.com/2022/08/24/technology/ai-technology-progress.html

The eithics of AI is a total minefield, massively complicated by the fact that the Chinese are doing a lot of it, and they have no ethics whatsoever.

The Chinese don’t give a fuck about racist AI so they will storm ahead with this tech even as we moan and fret and the Woke try to derail it

It’s another way the West is doomed

PB’s very own Private Frazer.

I wonder if Frazer saw dildos everywhere, believed in little green men, toked joints and had a tiny shoe size?

"I'll call my article," meditated the war correspondent, "'Mankind versus Ironmongery,' and quote the old boy at the beginning."

And he was much too good a journalist to spoil his contrast by remarking that the half-dozen comparatively slender young men in blue pajamas who were standing about their victorious land ironclad, drinking coffee and eating biscuits, had also in their eyes and carriage something not altogether degraded below the level of a man.

murali_s

Leon said:

HYUFD said:

Leon said:

Sandpit said:

Leon said:

Toldya

“We Need to Talk About How Good A.I. Is Getting
We’re in a golden age of progress in artificial intelligence. It’s time to start taking its potential and risks seriously.”

https://www.nytimes.com/2022/08/24/technology/ai-technology-progress.html

The eithics of AI is a total minefield, massively complicated by the fact that the Chinese are doing a lot of it, and they have no ethics whatsoever.

The Chinese don’t give a fuck about racist AI so they will storm ahead with this tech even as we moan and fret and the Woke try to derail it

It’s another way the West is doomed

Humanity is doomed if we lose control of AI

We are very arguably doomed WITHOUT AI

Look how we have screwed the climate. We need a robot to rule us

Possibly.

In the meantime we can mitigate some of the ongoing damage by kicking out this wretched Tory administration.

#ToriesOut

DavidL

Theuniondivvie said:

DavidL said:

turbotubbs said:

DavidL said:

Can I just say thank you by the way: https://www.msn.com/en-gb/news/uknews/scotland-s-public-spending-deficit-hits-record-of-nearly-2-200-a-head/ar-AA1139Z4?ocid=msedgntp&cvid=9b31ed7c111d4045a54d742f9750dd9c

The extraordinary generosity of UK plc last year reached an astonishing £2,184 for every man, women, non binary and child in the country, whatever their orientation. As usual many on this board will be reluctant to acknowledge this kindness and commitment to the Union and even be somewhat curmudgenly about it so I just thought I would put it on the record. Thanks.

It’s a shame @malcolmg isnt around to rage at how the number is wrong and actually rUK is indebted to Scotland.

I do miss him and I hope he is ok.

Pretty sure he's on Twitter and tweeting quite recently, eg

https://twitter.com/malcolm48762561/status/1562466695989452800?s=20&t=WWZqM5KtyMAf_Zw6YdA4Fg

Thanks, that's good to see.

Mortimer

murali_s said:

Leon said:

HYUFD said:

Leon said:

Sandpit said:

Leon said:

Toldya

“We Need to Talk About How Good A.I. Is Getting
We’re in a golden age of progress in artificial intelligence. It’s time to start taking its potential and risks seriously.”

https://www.nytimes.com/2022/08/24/technology/ai-technology-progress.html

The eithics of AI is a total minefield, massively complicated by the fact that the Chinese are doing a lot of it, and they have no ethics whatsoever.

The Chinese don’t give a fuck about racist AI so they will storm ahead with this tech even as we moan and fret and the Woke try to derail it

It’s another way the West is doomed

Humanity is doomed if we lose control of AI

We are very arguably doomed WITHOUT AI

Look how we have screwed the climate. We need a robot to rule us

Possibly.

In the meantime we can mitigate some of the ongoing damage by kicking out this wretched Tory administration.

#ToriesOut

I'd love to know the thought process behind the last line.

'If I put a hashtag on a site with one of the most sophisticated communities of comments audiences on the internet, it'll really strike home'?

murali_s

O/T Liz Truss is unhinged. Nothing more, nothing less.

The right wing nutters who live on this blog seem to think she is something special. She is no Thatcher. She is likely to give Cameron and Johnson a good run for the worst PM ever.

Cookie

turbotubbs said:

DavidL said:

turbotubbs said:

DavidL said:

Can I just say thank you by the way: https://www.msn.com/en-gb/news/uknews/scotland-s-public-spending-deficit-hits-record-of-nearly-2-200-a-head/ar-AA1139Z4?ocid=msedgntp&cvid=9b31ed7c111d4045a54d742f9750dd9c

The extraordinary generosity of UK plc last year reached an astonishing £2,184 for every man, women, non binary and child in the country, whatever their orientation. As usual many on this board will be reluctant to acknowledge this kindness and commitment to the Union and even be somewhat curmudgenly about it so I just thought I would put it on the record. Thanks.

It’s a shame @malcolmg isnt around to rage at how the number is wrong and actually rUK is indebted to Scotland.

I do miss him and I hope he is ok.

Me too. Somehow his incredibly rude and angry (at least seeming) rants are part of PB essence, and it’s loss is noted.

Yes, Malc was astonishingly rude, but his rudeness was so indiscriminate that it was hard to take personal offence.
I used to like it when he'd talk about a day he'd had at the races, and genuine happiness and enthusiasm would come into his day, quite apart from his success or otherwise. Like a ray of sunshine on a stormy day.

Sandpit

Cookie said:

RandallFlagg said:

CorrectHorseBattery said:

Liz Truss is bloody useless

Nah, if you believe Dan Hodges she's going to destroy Starmer at the next election through a war on woke, which people care about far more than whether they can afford to pay their energy bills.

Issues are only an election-winning issues if parties have different and better strategies for addressing them. Everyone is agreed on the long term solutions (other sources than Russian gas) and there are no sensible short term solutions. You can tweak with who pays the bills like the French are doing, but the bills still need to be paid.
Mind you, what is the solution to woke? The fact all our institutions are getting ever woker even after 12 years of Tory PMs suggests that Tory solution to woke (put up with it but grumble about it) is no better than Labour's.

The woke stuff is as a result of a 25-year effort since 1997, to fill the institutions with Blairites, specifically so they could prevent a Conservative government from implementing their policies.

The only way it goes away, is with some very well-crafted legislation, that can survive the process of judicial review and “human rights” legal challenges. That and, as suggested by Mrs Badonock, holding the chief execs of qangos accountable for their failure to implement directions from the government of the day.

Theuniondivvie

Mortimer said:

murali_s said:

Leon said:

HYUFD said:

Leon said:

Sandpit said:

Leon said:

Toldya

“We Need to Talk About How Good A.I. Is Getting
We’re in a golden age of progress in artificial intelligence. It’s time to start taking its potential and risks seriously.”

https://www.nytimes.com/2022/08/24/technology/ai-technology-progress.html

The eithics of AI is a total minefield, massively complicated by the fact that the Chinese are doing a lot of it, and they have no ethics whatsoever.

The Chinese don’t give a fuck about racist AI so they will storm ahead with this tech even as we moan and fret and the Woke try to derail it

It’s another way the West is doomed

Humanity is doomed if we lose control of AI

We are very arguably doomed WITHOUT AI

Look how we have screwed the climate. We need a robot to rule us

Possibly.

In the meantime we can mitigate some of the ongoing damage by kicking out this wretched Tory administration.

#ToriesOut

I'd love to know the thought process behind the last line.

'If I put a hashtag on a site with one of the most sophisticated communities of comments audiences on the internet, it'll really strike home'?

murali_s has posted this on another site?

RobD

Mortimer said:

murali_s said:

Leon said:

HYUFD said:

Leon said:

Sandpit said:

Leon said:

Toldya

“We Need to Talk About How Good A.I. Is Getting
We’re in a golden age of progress in artificial intelligence. It’s time to start taking its potential and risks seriously.”

https://www.nytimes.com/2022/08/24/technology/ai-technology-progress.html

The eithics of AI is a total minefield, massively complicated by the fact that the Chinese are doing a lot of it, and they have no ethics whatsoever.

The Chinese don’t give a fuck about racist AI so they will storm ahead with this tech even as we moan and fret and the Woke try to derail it

It’s another way the West is doomed

Humanity is doomed if we lose control of AI

We are very arguably doomed WITHOUT AI

Look how we have screwed the climate. We need a robot to rule us

Possibly.

In the meantime we can mitigate some of the ongoing damage by kicking out this wretched Tory administration.

#ToriesOut

I'd love to know the thought process behind the last line.

'If I put a hashtag on a site with one of the most sophisticated communities of comments audiences on the internet, it'll really strike home'?

+1

DavidL

Pulpstar said:

DavidL said:

Can I just say thank you by the way: https://www.msn.com/en-gb/news/uknews/scotland-s-public-spending-deficit-hits-record-of-nearly-2-200-a-head/ar-AA1139Z4?ocid=msedgntp&cvid=9b31ed7c111d4045a54d742f9750dd9c

The extraordinary generosity of UK plc last year reached an astonishing £2,184 for every man, women, non binary and child in the country, whatever their orientation. As usual many on this board will be reluctant to acknowledge this kindness and commitment to the Union and even be somewhat curmudgenly about it so I just thought I would put it on the record. Thanks.

How do the figures look if Scotland is properly assigned its oil and gas extraction as well as renewables on a current electricity price basis though ?

Yes, the oil price made a considerable difference this year compared with last and narrowed the deficit/GDP ratio a bit but expenditure soared even higher, considerably higher in relation to Covid than England, with the result that our deficit ratio did not fall as much as the UK ratio did.

Output from the North Sea has been falling for many, many years now and a reluctance to open new fields has not helped.

BartholomewRoberts

HYUFD said:

BartholomewRoberts said:

HYUFD said:

BartholomewRoberts said:

Selebian said:

BartholomewRoberts said:

Selebian said:

Mexicanpete said:

moonshine said:

.

Mexicanpete said:

turbotubbs said:

Mexicanpete said:

DavidL said:

Mexicanpete said:

DavidL said:

Mexicanpete said:

darkage said:

Pulpstar said:

DavidL said:

Cyclefree said:

OldKingCole said:

Cyclefree said:

OldKingCole said:

CorrectHorseBattery said:

- @SuellaBraverman: tipped for Home Sec
- @theresecoffey: senior cabinet role, fixer or chief whip

Liz Truss is a moron

What could Suella Braverman do right that Priti Patel has done wrong?

I do not say it is right. I do not think it is.

But I suspect she will try to leave the ECHR. She's talked about it often enough during her campaign to be leader.

I fear you may be right! If ever it could be said that the Conservative party had departed from Churchill's legacy it would be that.

It would be a day of shame for Britain to do that.

But party party day for all those lefty legal aid lawyers who would get to argue all the same points again in respect of whatever replaced it. It is so blindingly obvious that this would be the consequence that even Braverman can surely see it. Maybe if her officials used smaller words....

Our own court system would have let the flight go ahead outwith the last minute intervention by the ECHR. There's enough legal layers (3 (High, Appeal, Supreme)) without needing a 4th (ECHR). Our own courts only changed their mind when the ECHR basically told them to.
It's an unnecessary layer imo, and since we're outside the EU, and therefore outside of protocol 14 of the Lisbon treaty it's something we ought to ditch.
Personally I'd vote to head back into the EU and accept we'd need to be under it's remit (Thems the breaks) - but if we're out the EU I don't see the point.

I think it is a mistake to see this purely in terms of being an administrative/ procedural issue. The problem with leaving the ECHR is the international significance of it. It undoes a lot of long term foreign policy objectives, IE promoting human rights and stopping the death penalty. The suspicion is that this is actually part of the plan.

The day capital punishment is restored is the day to plan my exit. Not in my name!

Are you volunteering to be first up on the block like? That is very public spirited of you.

To ensure such an abomination is never reintroduced it is certainly a hill worth dying upon.

There was a good documentary on BBC3 which I ended up watching when stuck in an hotel room in Aberdeen about a University based organisation that was trying to stop executions in Texas just over a week ago. I am not sure I could do that kind of work.

In contrast there is a well sourced story about the Judges in the High Court who dealt with the appeal of the last man hanged in Scotland. Counsel was asked if this was going to take long as they had a really interesting trust problem to address at 11.00am. Different days.

So let's never return to them.

And w are not going to. Why do think we will?

It a cheap way to attract votes for an unpopular and cynical Government or an ambitious cynical Opposition that wants to creep over the line.

Priti Patel and I believe Suella Braverman (although apologies, I may be wrong) are advocates as are many Conservative MPs, like
Gale, for example. The fact that when the likes of Ian Huntley are tried there are dozens and dozens of mawkish protestors demanding his life suggests it would be politically popular if morally wrong. Without the EU, without the ECHR all obstacles slip away. I believe a referendum is a clear and present danger. Once we get the hang (pun intended) of executing Ian Huntley and Gary Glitter, who and what for next?

Most people in the UK are quite dishonest with themselves over the death penalty. They think being aghast about the idea of it makes them morally superior. And it feels nice to be morally superior. But…

Jeremy Corbyn was about the only person who thought the execution by drone of the ISIS Beatles was a “tragedy”. Everyone else watched that news with their cornflakes and thought, jolly good show. Ditto Bin Laden. Ditto Shipman topping himself, even Blunkett admitted to cheering that one. Equally if we woke up at the weekend to vigilante justice being delivered in this Liverpool case, near everyone would think privately that the scumbag got what was coming to them.

There wasn't a safer way of dealing with the Isis Beatles, or Bin Laden.

Shipman made his own decision in order that his wife could benefit from a pension as I recall. Fred West too. I'd have preferred Shipman and West end their final years in s***hole prisons like Strageways and Winson Green.

As for your lynch mob, they will also serve time for the murder of a scumbag.

Agree re Shipman, I was not happy about that.

One of the reasons I oppose the death penalty is that, for some - particularly the superior, cocky Shipman type - I think it a lesser sentence than life imprisonment. He, presumably, took the same view.

(Other reasons have been well articulated by others)

I'm a firm pro-choice believer in death with dignity. If anyone wants to end their own life, then with safeguards, that should be allowed. Their life, their choice.

Safeguards with the likes of Shipman for that would need to be serious, but if they want 'the easy way out' then that should be their choice, same as it should be anyone else's. So long as the safeguards ensure its genuinely their choice.

Keeping them alive, against their wishes, just to punish them more is for me a form of torture that I would not accept. If you want to keep them alive, against their wishes, it should be for more than just punishment's sake.

I'm with Mexicanpete on this. Happy to withhold any right to death during a prison sentence.

I do support access to euthanasia for the general public, in principle, although I believe there are huge practical problems around, effectively, informed consent for that. There are conditions for which I would choose death over life, I think, but only at the appropriate point, which would probably be at a point after I was able to provide informed consent. Setting clear conditions in advance is tricky as you don't know how you would feel at that point in time. For non-physical reasons, it's even more problematic.

My wife and I have both said to each other we'd prefer euthanasia than going into a Care Home. She works in one and while she cares passionately about her job, most of her colleagues frankly don't and most of the residents don't want to be there either. There are some people there who are happy to be there, but there are many who say every single day that they want to die. She's said she never, ever wants to end up somewhere like that.

Of course closer to the time we might change our minds, but people should have a right to choose. Their life, their choice.

I find prohibitions on euthanasia as unacceptable as prohibitions on abortion. Hopefully one day it'll be as alien too to think people were once denied that freedom to choose.

Abortion is of course ending the life of another not your own, whatever time limit you set for it.

There is also a danger euthanasia is not your own choice, especially if not of sound mind. I would consider it for terminal illnesses with less than 6 months to live only

Abortion there is no other life that has been born yet, which is why birth should be the limit.

If people of sound mind wish to die, that should be their choice, even if not terminal. If someone is paralysed by an accident and faces years, maybe decades "living" but completely paralysed then if they make the choice they want to end it all they should have (after appropriate safeguards) the dignity of their choice respected.

Similarly if someone facing dementia makes that choice then if they want to end it all while still of sound mind before they're not, that again should be their choice.

People should be able to die with dignity, not have grim forms of suicide as the only alternative.

Rubbish, arguably life begins at conception but at most it begins at 24 weeks as is the legal UK abortion time limit. Abortion up to birth is therefore in my view murder.

The state should also have no business murdering someone who will survive whatever illness or disease they suffer, care and medical treatment is its only role. Life is sacred and the state has no business ending it except in extreme circumstances, such as for convicted serial killers or those with a terminal illness nearing the end of life who consent to that

Birth is the legal limit for abortion in limited circumstances in this country, as it absolutely should be.

24 weeks is the legal limit for other circumstances. Personally I don't care enough to argue about that, I'd prefer birth for all circumstances, but can live with 24.

Life is not "sacred", there is absolutely nothing "sacred" about life at all and if people wish to end their own life then that is not the state murdering them, it is them killing themselves. A humane and dignified method of ending your own life should be available to anyone of sound mind who wants it, rather than forcing them to inhumane continuing of life they don't want, or inhumane suicide as an alternative.

Euthanasia is people legally and humanely controlling and choosing the end of their own lives, its not murder.

Pulpstar

DavidL said:

Pulpstar said:

DavidL said:

Can I just say thank you by the way: https://www.msn.com/en-gb/news/uknews/scotland-s-public-spending-deficit-hits-record-of-nearly-2-200-a-head/ar-AA1139Z4?ocid=msedgntp&cvid=9b31ed7c111d4045a54d742f9750dd9c

The extraordinary generosity of UK plc last year reached an astonishing £2,184 for every man, women, non binary and child in the country, whatever their orientation. As usual many on this board will be reluctant to acknowledge this kindness and commitment to the Union and even be somewhat curmudgenly about it so I just thought I would put it on the record. Thanks.

How do the figures look if Scotland is properly assigned its oil and gas extraction as well as renewables on a current electricity price basis though ?

Yes, the oil price made a considerable difference this year compared with last and narrowed the deficit/GDP ratio a bit but expenditure soared even higher, considerably higher in relation to Covid than England, with the result that our deficit ratio did not fall as much as the UK ratio did.

Output from the North Sea has been falling for many, many years now and a reluctance to open new fields has not helped.

Yes, Scotland has resources but I agree Sturgeon is not the best person to exploit those. Doesn't help that she is reliant on the greens tbh when it comes to oil and gas

Nigelb

moonshine said:

On topic, this is a puerile (and arguably pretty sexist) criticism of Truss. Don’t get me wrong, her policies this winter and her Cabinet picks may deservedly sink her chances of staying in post for long. But if this is the best there is against her, it’s pretty desperate stuff.

Puerile stuff entirely instigated by her.
In what way is it sexist ? I’d like to hear the ‘arguable’ argument.

Cookie

Today, pb, I am sad, and I am sad because my wonderful, sparky, lively, bright middle daughter is sad. She is sad because of her upcoming 11+. She is sad because of all the work which is needed to prepare for it over the course of her precious ten year old summer, and sad because she may not pass, and even if she does she will be split frpm her friends.
We have tried and tried and tried not to pressure her. But she feels it anyway.
I don't say this to say that the 11+ is wrong. (It may or may not be, but if it is wrong it is not because it makes my daughter miserable. Something can make children miserable and still be the right thing to do.) It just, in the Cookie house, at the moment, feels a very high price to pay. That's all.

turbotubbs

murali_s said:

O/T Liz Truss is unhinged. Nothing more, nothing less.

The right wing nutters who live on this blog seem to think she is something special. She is no Thatcher. She is likely to give Cameron and Johnson a good run for the worst PM ever.

Johnson I’ll give you but Cameron? Formed a coalition that worked well for 5 years then won a majority. Gave the nation a chance to vote on its political future over Europe, something all others denied since the 70’s. A decent man, and a decent PM. Your countrymen and women are the ones to blame for Brexit, not Cameron.

murali_s

First it was the number of likes, now it’s the use of the hashtag. The self appointed PB Gestapo are out in force today.

IshmaelZ

HYUFD said:

Leon said:

Sandpit said:

Leon said:

Toldya

“We Need to Talk About How Good A.I. Is Getting
We’re in a golden age of progress in artificial intelligence. It’s time to start taking its potential and risks seriously.”

https://www.nytimes.com/2022/08/24/technology/ai-technology-progress.html

The eithics of AI is a total minefield, massively complicated by the fact that the Chinese are doing a lot of it, and they have no ethics whatsoever.

The Chinese don’t give a fuck about racist AI so they will storm ahead with this tech even as we moan and fret and the Woke try to derail it

It’s another way the West is doomed

Humanity is doomed if we lose control of AI

There's any amount of po faced garbage on the internet about When Good AI Goes Bad, all based on really shit sci fi scenarios about paperclip maximising. It ignores 2 crucial points

1. AI isn't going to have time to Go Bad off its own bat, cos it's not as if bad men are not strongly attracted to computer based nefariousness anyway. So it's not about misinterpreting a paperclip goal, it's about accurately interpreting instructions to take over the world.

2. When AI Goes Good is just as big a problem anyway. It is easy to mock dear old IA and the laws of robotics but you do actually need something like An AI may not injure a human being or, through inaction, allow a human being to come to harm. So assume a tech billionaire appointing an AI as his secretary: assuming a famine anywhere in the world the AI is duty bound to take over the bank account, leave the billionaire enough for subsistence living in the Bay Area, and spend the rest on famine relief. Try explaining how the rule needs qualifying to avoid this outcome.

BartholomewRoberts

Stocky said:

I suppose it could be a series of extraordinary coincidences.

Not that extraordinary. If you take tens of thousands of pictures of one woman and compare them with tens of thousands of pictures of another that she looks vaguely similar to, you're bound to ultimately get some similarities. People have done these 'lookalike' comparisons for as long as the internet/Private Eye or others have existed.

Was George W Bush trying to look like a monkey?