Whilst on a walk across the Leicestershire/Derbyshire border area a few years back, I came across a memorial outside an old school to the first World War One soldier to die on the Home Front, the rather magnificently named Theophilus Jones
How interesting. The battery he died at is still preserved and open in Hartlepool (not with the guns he served though, IIRC). Well worth a visit (to HMS Trincomalee as well).
I have just read a post from @NickPalmer calling lockdown "a minor inconvenience". I am as much of a fan or Dr Nick as the next man, but this de trop satire simply jumps the shark I'm afraid Nick!
A minor inconvenience is a fifteen minute queue at the pharmacy, or having to get your second pair of glasses fixed.
No-one with kids would call lockdown a minor inconvenience. Show me the parent who didn't find himself sat at the top of the stairs, crying. Show me the parent who didn't wake up with the hollow dread of another empty day; or, worse, another day in which he was required to do both his own job, from home, and also his kids' teachers job, and also cook, clean and look after the house. Show me the parent who would describe a lost 18 months of his children's life opportunities as a 'minor inconvenience'.
It still makes me shudder to think of it.
I’ve grown to amiably tolerate @NickPalmer over the years, but “minor inconvenience” is bloody insulting. It’s probably true in his case - elderly affluent bachelor, Surrey, no kids - but it’s tin-eared to the point of idiocy
It’s like someone in Cornwall telling Londoners the Blitz was “mildly annoying”
I am sure the bombing of Plymouth and Exeter was also mildly annoying, and also a bit inconvenient for the inhabitants. Everybody was affected by it, just like the covid lockdown.
The way some seem to believe that only London was bombed is really weird.
There were parts of Merseyside still not rebuilt from being bombed in the 80s when I was young. There possibly always will be now with the ruined Church that's never likely to get rebuilt or demolished.
Or, as Stan Boardman put it, "the Germans bombed our chippy", that was true for more than just London.
And occasionally they would get lost and just randomly bomb the crap out of a small hamlet in East Lothian or something.
I know a place where a stick of three bombs was dropped in a wood - not much strategic value there.
IIRC the first civvy death in the UK was a chap in one of the cottages here.
I the fields just behind Lambley in Nottinghamshire you can still see the remains of 'fake Nottingham' which was a site set up to convince German night time bombers that they were over the city and so drop their bombs on open countryside. They were called Starfish decoys. Not sure I would have been too chuffed about that if I had lived nearby given how inaccurate the bombing was anyway.
Apparently most of the major provincial cities had fake versions set up using lights and decoys in nearby countryside. Nottingham had a second at Cropwell Butler.
Oh, yes, indeed. I recently came across htis paper about the Bristol equivalent, and its added rockets to get the bombers.
The same thing was set up in Derby, to the west of the British Celenese plant. I've been told that Derby had more barrage balloons over it than any other city in Britain, due to the presence of Rolls Royce, the railway, Celenese and other industry. They therefore built a fake city between Celenese and Derby to attract bombers (where the sewage works now is).
I was also told (no evidence) that the only machine capable of making the crankshafts for Merlin engines was at RR in Derby (*), and the government were concerned about it. (Shades of a post-war film where an engineer goes to France at the time of Dunkirk to get some vital machinery out - anyone remember the name?)
"Come friendly bombs and fall on this waste! It never been fit for humans now, There's plenty of grass to graze a cow. Swarm over, Death!"
(*) Until the yanks started building their version of the Merlin
The Foreman Went to France. Made in 1942.
There was quite a lot of smuggling secret stuff out of France iirc. The Dieppe Raid (another fiasco) was cover for something (German radar?).
It would be absolutely brilliant if the Dems can hold the house and increase the senate majority. Surely that's a huge rejection of the Trumpian GOP by the electorate.
I have just read a post from @NickPalmer calling lockdown "a minor inconvenience". I am as much of a fan or Dr Nick as the next man, but this de trop satire simply jumps the shark I'm afraid Nick!
A minor inconvenience is a fifteen minute queue at the pharmacy, or having to get your second pair of glasses fixed.
No-one with kids would call lockdown a minor inconvenience. Show me the parent who didn't find himself sat at the top of the stairs, crying. Show me the parent who didn't wake up with the hollow dread of another empty day; or, worse, another day in which he was required to do both his own job, from home, and also his kids' teachers job, and also cook, clean and look after the house. Show me the parent who would describe a lost 18 months of his children's life opportunities as a 'minor inconvenience'.
It still makes me shudder to think of it.
I’ve grown to amiably tolerate @NickPalmer over the years, but “minor inconvenience” is bloody insulting. It’s probably true in his case - elderly affluent bachelor, Surrey, no kids - but it’s tin-eared to the point of idiocy
It’s like someone in Cornwall telling Londoners the Blitz was “mildly annoying”
I am sure the bombing of Plymouth and Exeter was also mildly annoying, and also a bit inconvenient for the inhabitants. Everybody was affected by it, just like the covid lockdown.
The way some seem to believe that only London was bombed is really weird.
There were parts of Merseyside still not rebuilt from being bombed in the 80s when I was young. There possibly always will be now with the ruined Church that's never likely to get rebuilt or demolished.
Or, as Stan Boardman put it, "the Germans bombed our chippy", that was true for more than just London.
And occasionally they would get lost and just randomly bomb the crap out of a small hamlet in East Lothian or something.
I know a place where a stick of three bombs was dropped in a wood - not much strategic value there.
IIRC the first civvy death in the UK was a chap in one of the cottages here.
I the fields just behind Lambley in Nottinghamshire you can still see the remains of 'fake Nottingham' which was a site set up to convince German night time bombers that they were over the city and so drop their bombs on open countryside. They were called Starfish decoys. Not sure I would have been too chuffed about that if I had lived nearby given how inaccurate the bombing was anyway.
Apparently most of the major provincial cities had fake versions set up using lights and decoys in nearby countryside. Nottingham had a second at Cropwell Butler.
Oh, yes, indeed. I recently came across htis paper about the Bristol equivalent, and its added rockets to get the bombers.
The same thing was set up in Derby, to the west of the British Celenese plant. I've been told that Derby had more barrage balloons over it than any other city in Britain, due to the presence of Rolls Royce, the railway, Celenese and other industry. They therefore built a fake city between Celenese and Derby to attract bombers (where the sewage works now is).
I was also told (no evidence) that the only machine capable of making the crankshafts for Merlin engines was at RR in Derby (*), and the government were concerned about it. (Shades of a post-war film where an engineer goes to France at the time of Dunkirk to get some vital machinery out - anyone remember the name?)
"Come friendly bombs and fall on this waste! It never been fit for humans now, There's plenty of grass to graze a cow. Swarm over, Death!"
(*) Until the yanks started building their version of the Merlin
The Foreman Went to France. Made in 1942.
Brilliant, thanks. So it was during the war, not after.
I'd love to know if the Merlin crankshaft story was true - I've been told it since I was a kid. It does make sense, given Rolls Royce's connection with Derby and the unimportance of the Merlin engine before 1938/9. On the other hand, was the Merlin's crankshaft so unusual it could not be made on other machines?
Wasn't it made at Hillingdon (Glasgow) as well? Not sure of details/timing.
I have just read a post from @NickPalmer calling lockdown "a minor inconvenience". I am as much of a fan or Dr Nick as the next man, but this de trop satire simply jumps the shark I'm afraid Nick!
A minor inconvenience is a fifteen minute queue at the pharmacy, or having to get your second pair of glasses fixed.
No-one with kids would call lockdown a minor inconvenience. Show me the parent who didn't find himself sat at the top of the stairs, crying. Show me the parent who didn't wake up with the hollow dread of another empty day; or, worse, another day in which he was required to do both his own job, from home, and also his kids' teachers job, and also cook, clean and look after the house. Show me the parent who would describe a lost 18 months of his children's life opportunities as a 'minor inconvenience'.
It still makes me shudder to think of it.
I’ve grown to amiably tolerate @NickPalmer over the years, but “minor inconvenience” is bloody insulting. It’s probably true in his case - elderly affluent bachelor, Surrey, no kids - but it’s tin-eared to the point of idiocy
It’s like someone in Cornwall telling Londoners the Blitz was “mildly annoying”
I am sure the bombing of Plymouth and Exeter was also mildly annoying, and also a bit inconvenient for the inhabitants. Everybody was affected by it, just like the covid lockdown.
The way some seem to believe that only London was bombed is really weird.
There were parts of Merseyside still not rebuilt from being bombed in the 80s when I was young. There possibly always will be now with the ruined Church that's never likely to get rebuilt or demolished.
Or, as Stan Boardman put it, "the Germans bombed our chippy", that was true for more than just London.
And occasionally they would get lost and just randomly bomb the crap out of a small hamlet in East Lothian or something.
I know a place where a stick of three bombs was dropped in a wood - not much strategic value there.
IIRC the first civvy death in the UK was a chap in one of the cottages here.
I the fields just behind Lambley in Nottinghamshire you can still see the remains of 'fake Nottingham' which was a site set up to convince German night time bombers that they were over the city and so drop their bombs on open countryside. They were called Starfish decoys. Not sure I would have been too chuffed about that if I had lived nearby given how inaccurate the bombing was anyway.
Apparently most of the major provincial cities had fake versions set up using lights and decoys in nearby countryside. Nottingham had a second at Cropwell Butler.
Oh, yes, indeed. I recently came across htis paper about the Bristol equivalent, and its added rockets to get the bombers.
The same thing was set up in Derby, to the west of the British Celenese plant. I've been told that Derby had more barrage balloons over it than any other city in Britain, due to the presence of Rolls Royce, the railway, Celenese and other industry. They therefore built a fake city between Celenese and Derby to attract bombers (where the sewage works now is).
I was also told (no evidence) that the only machine capable of making the crankshafts for Merlin engines was at RR in Derby (*), and the government were concerned about it. (Shades of a post-war film where an engineer goes to France at the time of Dunkirk to get some vital machinery out - anyone remember the name?)
"Come friendly bombs and fall on this waste! It never been fit for humans now, There's plenty of grass to graze a cow. Swarm over, Death!"
(*) Until the yanks started building their version of the Merlin
The Foreman Went to France. Made in 1942.
There was quite a lot of smuggling secret stuff out of France iirc. The Dieppe Raid (another fiasco) was cover for something (German radar?).
They claimed that, but ultimately Operation Jubilee was just a fucking disaster.
McConnell has previously attacked the candidate quality of Trump's Senate picks. As establishment GOP as the Cheneys no surprise he is in Trump's firing line
I have just read a post from @NickPalmer calling lockdown "a minor inconvenience". I am as much of a fan or Dr Nick as the next man, but this de trop satire simply jumps the shark I'm afraid Nick!
A minor inconvenience is a fifteen minute queue at the pharmacy, or having to get your second pair of glasses fixed.
No-one with kids would call lockdown a minor inconvenience. Show me the parent who didn't find himself sat at the top of the stairs, crying. Show me the parent who didn't wake up with the hollow dread of another empty day; or, worse, another day in which he was required to do both his own job, from home, and also his kids' teachers job, and also cook, clean and look after the house. Show me the parent who would describe a lost 18 months of his children's life opportunities as a 'minor inconvenience'.
It still makes me shudder to think of it.
I’ve grown to amiably tolerate @NickPalmer over the years, but “minor inconvenience” is bloody insulting. It’s probably true in his case - elderly affluent bachelor, Surrey, no kids - but it’s tin-eared to the point of idiocy
It’s like someone in Cornwall telling Londoners the Blitz was “mildly annoying”
I am sure the bombing of Plymouth and Exeter was also mildly annoying, and also a bit inconvenient for the inhabitants. Everybody was affected by it, just like the covid lockdown.
The way some seem to believe that only London was bombed is really weird.
There were parts of Merseyside still not rebuilt from being bombed in the 80s when I was young. There possibly always will be now with the ruined Church that's never likely to get rebuilt or demolished.
Or, as Stan Boardman put it, "the Germans bombed our chippy", that was true for more than just London.
And occasionally they would get lost and just randomly bomb the crap out of a small hamlet in East Lothian or something.
I know a place where a stick of three bombs was dropped in a wood - not much strategic value there.
IIRC the first civvy death in the UK was a chap in one of the cottages here.
I the fields just behind Lambley in Nottinghamshire you can still see the remains of 'fake Nottingham' which was a site set up to convince German night time bombers that they were over the city and so drop their bombs on open countryside. They were called Starfish decoys. Not sure I would have been too chuffed about that if I had lived nearby given how inaccurate the bombing was anyway.
Apparently most of the major provincial cities had fake versions set up using lights and decoys in nearby countryside. Nottingham had a second at Cropwell Butler.
Oh, yes, indeed. I recently came across htis paper about the Bristol equivalent, and its added rockets to get the bombers.
The same thing was set up in Derby, to the west of the British Celenese plant. I've been told that Derby had more barrage balloons over it than any other city in Britain, due to the presence of Rolls Royce, the railway, Celenese and other industry. They therefore built a fake city between Celenese and Derby to attract bombers (where the sewage works now is).
I was also told (no evidence) that the only machine capable of making the crankshafts for Merlin engines was at RR in Derby (*), and the government were concerned about it. (Shades of a post-war film where an engineer goes to France at the time of Dunkirk to get some vital machinery out - anyone remember the name?)
"Come friendly bombs and fall on this waste! It never been fit for humans now, There's plenty of grass to graze a cow. Swarm over, Death!"
(*) Until the yanks started building their version of the Merlin
The Foreman Went to France. Made in 1942.
There was quite a lot of smuggling secret stuff out of France iirc. The Dieppe Raid (another fiasco) was cover for something (German radar?).
They claimed that, but ultimately Operation Jubilee was just a fucking disaster.
That's right, take some of your newest and most secret heavy tanks, find theyt don't work on shingle, and leave them for the Germans to examine with great care and dismiss.
McConnell has previously attacked the candidate quality of Trump's Senate picks. As establishment GOP as the Cheneys no surprise he is in Trump's firing line
Presumably the only ones who can remove McConnell are the GOP Senate caucus and presumably they've put up with him for this long. It will be an interesting test of Trump's "reach". A more logical time might be after the midterms if Trump can ensure the GOP caucus which assembles after the elections is more to his liking.
Ah yes, McConnell, that well known "pawn for the Democrats".
There is a non-trivial chance that the Republican Party completely melts down, because the 50% that is anti-Trump is becoming increasingly resolute in that view.
It's astonishing that LAB are only 7% ahead. It shows that Keir hasn't yet sealed the deal.
No it’s actually spectacular good for Labour, 40% from Kantor and LLG of 60. The Opinium had LLG of 59. Now the polls are in they all marry up into an extraordinary shift, not even the Kantor has gone stubbornly rogue with a small Lab lead and %. 😦
Todays Redfield is back to LLG 59 and a 9 lead. Things look to be stabilising again following 'le shift'
The 9% Redfield is the current outlier!
9% Redfield is in line with a 7% Kantar as it goes. The YouGov is the current outlier in truth as its the only one at the moment finding a sub 30 Tory score.
You are right, it’s merely in line, not a “stabilising movement” at all. Talking of stabilising based on one poll is surely same as Londonpubman laughing at labour only have 7% lead, based on a Kantor?
Question is will it stabilise or still get worse during interminable last weeks of the zombie government with its zero action?
Well, im basing it on the fact everyone has found a similar movement but we have not seen anyone finding further movement than this lurch, and the two Redfields since the initial lurch (redwall and today) have not shown further movement and the PM figures have not moved further. It looks like the energy policy and govt inactivity caused apprix a 2 to 3% swing to Labour and Starmer as best PM.
Ah yes, McConnell, that well known "pawn for the Democrats".
There is a non-trivial chance that the Republican Party completely melts down, because the 50% that is anti-Trump is becoming increasingly resolute in that view.
It's time for them to sit at home for two or three cycles until the Trump GOP is wiped away.
It would be absolutely brilliant if the Dems can hold the house and increase the senate majority. Surely that's a huge rejection of the Trumpian GOP by the electorate.
I know a great many Republicans who are in despair: they hate Trump, and while they would prefer more abortion restrictions, they're very much opposed to complete bans.
It would be absolutely brilliant if the Dems can hold the house and increase the senate majority. Surely that's a huge rejection of the Trumpian GOP by the electorate.
And this policy, which I think you might approve, will stay in place.
White House issues new policy that will require, by 2026, all federally-funded research results to be freely available to public without delay, ending longstanding ability of journals to paywall results for up to 1 year. https://twitter.com/ScienceInsider/status/1562826693366415360
Should have been done years ago, but nonetheless a huge improvement.
It would be absolutely brilliant if the Dems can hold the house and increase the senate majority. Surely that's a huge rejection of the Trumpian GOP by the electorate.
I know a great many Republicans who are in despair: they hate Trump, and while they would prefer more abortion restrictions, they're very much opposed to complete bans.
Is the DOJ pursuit of classified documents at Mar-a-Lago cutting through at all?
I have just read a post from @NickPalmer calling lockdown "a minor inconvenience". I am as much of a fan or Dr Nick as the next man, but this de trop satire simply jumps the shark I'm afraid Nick!
A minor inconvenience is a fifteen minute queue at the pharmacy, or having to get your second pair of glasses fixed.
No-one with kids would call lockdown a minor inconvenience. Show me the parent who didn't find himself sat at the top of the stairs, crying. Show me the parent who didn't wake up with the hollow dread of another empty day; or, worse, another day in which he was required to do both his own job, from home, and also his kids' teachers job, and also cook, clean and look after the house. Show me the parent who would describe a lost 18 months of his children's life opportunities as a 'minor inconvenience'.
It still makes me shudder to think of it.
I’ve grown to amiably tolerate @NickPalmer over the years, but “minor inconvenience” is bloody insulting. It’s probably true in his case - elderly affluent bachelor, Surrey, no kids - but it’s tin-eared to the point of idiocy
It’s like someone in Cornwall telling Londoners the Blitz was “mildly annoying”
I am sure the bombing of Plymouth and Exeter was also mildly annoying, and also a bit inconvenient for the inhabitants. Everybody was affected by it, just like the covid lockdown.
The way some seem to believe that only London was bombed is really weird.
There were parts of Merseyside still not rebuilt from being bombed in the 80s when I was young. There possibly always will be now with the ruined Church that's never likely to get rebuilt or demolished.
Or, as Stan Boardman put it, "the Germans bombed our chippy", that was true for more than just London.
And occasionally they would get lost and just randomly bomb the crap out of a small hamlet in East Lothian or something.
I know a place where a stick of three bombs was dropped in a wood - not much strategic value there.
IIRC the first civvy death in the UK was a chap in one of the cottages here.
I the fields just behind Lambley in Nottinghamshire you can still see the remains of 'fake Nottingham' which was a site set up to convince German night time bombers that they were over the city and so drop their bombs on open countryside. They were called Starfish decoys. Not sure I would have been too chuffed about that if I had lived nearby given how inaccurate the bombing was anyway.
Apparently most of the major provincial cities had fake versions set up using lights and decoys in nearby countryside. Nottingham had a second at Cropwell Butler.
Oh, yes, indeed. I recently came across htis paper about the Bristol equivalent, and its added rockets to get the bombers.
The same thing was set up in Derby, to the west of the British Celenese plant. I've been told that Derby had more barrage balloons over it than any other city in Britain, due to the presence of Rolls Royce, the railway, Celenese and other industry. They therefore built a fake city between Celenese and Derby to attract bombers (where the sewage works now is).
I was also told (no evidence) that the only machine capable of making the crankshafts for Merlin engines was at RR in Derby (*), and the government were concerned about it. (Shades of a post-war film where an engineer goes to France at the time of Dunkirk to get some vital machinery out - anyone remember the name?)
"Come friendly bombs and fall on this waste! It never been fit for humans now, There's plenty of grass to graze a cow. Swarm over, Death!"
(*) Until the yanks started building their version of the Merlin
The Foreman Went to France. Made in 1942.
Brilliant, thanks. So it was during the war, not after.
I'd love to know if the Merlin crankshaft story was true - I've been told it since I was a kid. It does make sense, given Rolls Royce's connection with Derby and the unimportance of the Merlin engine before 1938/9. On the other hand, was the Merlin's crankshaft so unusual it could not be made on other machines?
Wasn't it made at Hillingdon (Glasgow) as well? Not sure of details/timing.
I think the thing about the Merlin was that, before 1939, it was just another engine amongst a myriad of others, used in the Hurricane and Spitfire. But as other engines reached their limits or failed (e.g. the ), the Merlin improved its performance and was used on other planes (or even tanks!).
160,000 Merlin variants were built. That's a staggering figure. Earnest Hives should be better-known. Not only did he look at getting Merlin production increased before the war; he was responsible for RR taking over jet work after Rover (ahem) failed... https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ernest_Hives,_1st_Baron_Hives
(Incidentally, I think a relative used to live at his old house. I'd never realised the connection until I read Wiki...)
Perhaps of interest to no-one, this amused me: "He played a critical role in the UK Nuclear Submarine programme. When the highly irascible but utterly pivotal U.S. Admiral Rickover visited the UK in 1957 to inspect the British nuclear design team at Rolls Royce, Rickover was "at his obnoxious worst". After one particularly difficult morning he was introduced to Lord Hives.
'A lord eh? Chairman eh? And what are you then, a banker or a lawyer or what?’ said Rickover. 'What me? No, no, no, no, no! Me, I’m just a mechanic, just a bloody plumber.' said Hives, with a big broad smile on his face. Rickover was thrown, he had not expected that kind of answer. When Hives explained that he had known Henry Royce himself, had worked for him, and had absorbed from him his passion for engineering excellence Rickover’s mood and attitude started to improve. Hives spent much of the lunch telling a captivated Rickover about Royce’s obsession with achieving perfection. He then took Rickover on a personal tour of the works, not in a Rolls-Royce or Bentley but in a very modest Hillman. …when Hives returned after showing Rickover around… the Admiral was a changed man, subdued, pleasant, cooperative, uncritical, and no further put-downs or denigrations of British engineering escaped his lips... That hour of dialogue… changed everything in the British nuclear submarine programme.[19]"
Ah yes, McConnell, that well known "pawn for the Democrats".
There is a non-trivial chance that the Republican Party completely melts down, because the 50% that is anti-Trump is becoming increasingly resolute in that view.
50%? is it that high?
Is that why Cheney got destroyed in Wyoming? Is that why 8 of the 10 Trump impeachers are DoA politically?
McConnell has previously attacked the candidate quality of Trump's Senate picks. As establishment GOP as the Cheneys no surprise he is in Trump's firing line
Presumably the only ones who can remove McConnell are the GOP Senate caucus and presumably they've put up with him for this long. It will be an interesting test of Trump's "reach". A more logical time might be after the midterms if Trump can ensure the GOP caucus which assembles after the elections is more to his liking.
If the Republicans gain Georgia, Nevada and Arizona (plus Vance wins Ohio, and Oz holds Pennsylvania), then the Senate will become more Trumpian.
On the other hand, if they don't make those gains - and in particular if Johnson loses in Wisconsin (which I don't think will happen) - then the Senate is likely to be less Trumpian.
Wait! How exactly have you worked that out? On the election voting its 42 v 33. On best PM it’s hard for opposition leaders to lead, PMs lose elections despite being ahead on this. So you are ignoring the actual voting intention to post on “what if” it was based on the best PM rating instead? Then why not use “best to have a pint with” where Truss leads by 4 “best for darning my socks” where she leads by 8 and easily maintains a commons majority, or the “best to have my baby” were she leads by a whopping 12 points, which added to new boundaries, redwall swingback, and a black swan flying into the back of Keir Starmer’s neck, would see Labour wiped off the map?
Ah yes, McConnell, that well known "pawn for the Democrats".
There is a non-trivial chance that the Republican Party completely melts down, because the 50% that is anti-Trump is becoming increasingly resolute in that view.
50%? is it that high?
Is that why Cheney got destroyed in Wyoming? Is that why 8 of the 10 Trump impeachers are DoA politically?
Ah yes, McConnell, that well known "pawn for the Democrats".
There is a non-trivial chance that the Republican Party completely melts down, because the 50% that is anti-Trump is becoming increasingly resolute in that view.
50%? is it that high?
Is that why Cheney got destroyed in Wyoming? Is that why 8 of the 10 Trump impeachers are DoA politically?
Record GOP turnout in quite a few primaries too. The demise of the GOP is not imminent. Of the 10 impeachers i think only Newhouse will be back, Valadao will lose in November.
Ah yes, McConnell, that well known "pawn for the Democrats".
There is a non-trivial chance that the Republican Party completely melts down, because the 50% that is anti-Trump is becoming increasingly resolute in that view.
It would be impolite to our rodent brethren to call it rats in a sack.
Ah yes, McConnell, that well known "pawn for the Democrats".
There is a non-trivial chance that the Republican Party completely melts down, because the 50% that is anti-Trump is becoming increasingly resolute in that view.
50%? is it that high?
Is that why Cheney got destroyed in Wyoming? Is that why 8 of the 10 Trump impeachers are DoA politically?
Record GOP turnout in quite a few primaries too. The demise of the GOP is not imminent. Of the 10 impeachers i think only Newhouse will be back, Valadao will lose in November.
One can dislike Trump, without voting for his impeachment.
It would be absolutely brilliant if the Dems can hold the house and increase the senate majority. Surely that's a huge rejection of the Trumpian GOP by the electorate.
That would be really hard for the Dems in the house given some of the GOP gerrymandering. It would though I agree be a huge rejection of Trump although of course he’ll blame everyone else and say there was fraud .
Ah yes, McConnell, that well known "pawn for the Democrats".
There is a non-trivial chance that the Republican Party completely melts down, because the 50% that is anti-Trump is becoming increasingly resolute in that view.
50%? is it that high?
Is that why Cheney got destroyed in Wyoming? Is that why 8 of the 10 Trump impeachers are DoA politically?
Record GOP turnout in quite a few primaries too. The demise of the GOP is not imminent. Of the 10 impeachers i think only Newhouse will be back, Valadao will lose in November.
Oh, the Republicans would almost certainly coast to a 2024 win if they had a Trumpian (but non-Trump) candidate.
The problem is that they may instead be offered the choice between Trump and a non-Trumpian.
I'm sure everyone's Swedish is up to this but a very good poll for the Sweden Democrats and a clear advantage for the centre-right coalition.
OTOH, another "rolling pollster", SIFO, in its daily offering, has the centre-left narrowly ahead.
It’s that all it’s going to be for England and Wales then once Davey and Starmer introduces PR - a choice of centre left or centre right governments for ever and ever, never again a Truss v Sunak party election to produce a right wing UK Prime Minister?
I'm sure everyone's Swedish is up to this but a very good poll for the Sweden Democrats and a clear advantage for the centre-right coalition.
OTOH, another "rolling pollster", SIFO, in its daily offering, has the centre-left narrowly ahead.
It’s that all it’s going to be for England and Wales then once Davey and Starmer introduces PR - a choice of centre left or centre right governments for ever and ever, never again a Truss v Sunak party election to produce a right wing UK Prime Minister?
If we had PR in 2015 UKIP and the Tories combined would have got 50% of the vote
Ah yes, McConnell, that well known "pawn for the Democrats".
There is a non-trivial chance that the Republican Party completely melts down, because the 50% that is anti-Trump is becoming increasingly resolute in that view.
50%? is it that high?
Is that why Cheney got destroyed in Wyoming? Is that why 8 of the 10 Trump impeachers are DoA politically?
Record GOP turnout in quite a few primaries too. The demise of the GOP is not imminent. Of the 10 impeachers i think only Newhouse will be back, Valadao will lose in November.
One can dislike Trump, without voting for his impeachment.
Im not sure i've intimated they can, i was merely expanding on a point about the 10 impeachers. I don't see anything to suggest the GOP might completely melt down.
Ah yes, McConnell, that well known "pawn for the Democrats".
There is a non-trivial chance that the Republican Party completely melts down, because the 50% that is anti-Trump is becoming increasingly resolute in that view.
50%? is it that high?
Is that why Cheney got destroyed in Wyoming? Is that why 8 of the 10 Trump impeachers are DoA politically?
Record GOP turnout in quite a few primaries too. The demise of the GOP is not imminent. Of the 10 impeachers i think only Newhouse will be back, Valadao will lose in November.
Oh, the Republicans would almost certainly coast to a 2024 win if they had a Trumpian (but non-Trump) candidate.
The problem is that they may instead be offered the choice between Trump and a non-Trumpian.
I think Trump wins if he gets the nod. As would De Santis. They lose with Romney, Haley, Cheney. They win with someone like Noem, toss up with Abbott. All imo of course
Ah yes, McConnell, that well known "pawn for the Democrats".
There is a non-trivial chance that the Republican Party completely melts down, because the 50% that is anti-Trump is becoming increasingly resolute in that view.
50%? is it that high?
Is that why Cheney got destroyed in Wyoming? Is that why 8 of the 10 Trump impeachers are DoA politically?
Record GOP turnout in quite a few primaries too. The demise of the GOP is not imminent. Of the 10 impeachers i think only Newhouse will be back, Valadao will lose in November.
The last thing McConnell and McCarthy want is a Trumpian landslide. Their tactics were to under perform, just about take the house and blame the under performance on Trump endorsed candidates, which 'can't win.'
There was disaster for them though when Marc Molinaro, no primary and no Trump endorsement, got beat in New York. Disaster. Much tougher now for the Mccers to blame it all on Trump.
No endorsement, no Trump base. They just never showed. No wonder Trump scents blood there now.
Interesting - works out your likely inflation rate, personalised.
Great, but I can't answer a single question beyond the first. Do normal people run personal quickbooks and know whether they spend £128 a month on holidays or not?
That is a fantastic photo. The modern coca cola logo on the bus as counterpoint to all the other things we know are about to go on...
Unter den Adlern.
Close, but Adler pl = Adler.
Dative plural adlern.
good point
I’ve forgotten an embarrassing amount, but it’s odd what you recall from O Level German.
As posted earlier in this very thread:-
Front page of today's Times.
Recalling a language after 50 years? It’s like remembering how to faire du vélo
For those who struggled at the back of French class with irregular verbs, cursing “la plume de ma tante”, your perseverance was not in vain,
As well as never forgetting how to ride a bike, most people also never forget how to faire du vélo and can remember many other foreign language phrases, years after leaving school.
That is a fantastic photo. The modern coca cola logo on the bus as counterpoint to all the other things we know are about to go on...
Unter den Adlern.
Close, but Adler pl = Adler.
Dative plural adlern.
good point
I’ve forgotten an embarrassing amount, but it’s odd what you recall from O Level German.
As posted earlier in this very thread:-
Front page of today's Times.
Recalling a language after 50 years? It’s like remembering how to faire du vélo
For those who struggled at the back of French class with irregular verbs, cursing “la plume de ma tante”, your perseverance was not in vain,
As well as never forgetting how to ride a bike, most people also never forget how to faire du vélo and can remember many other foreign language phrases, years after leaving school.
My grandmother was taught French in an (English) convent pre-war. She never talked in French to my mother, but near her death, when she had dementia, she would only talk in French.
“Our small office unit is also up for renewal next month (E.ON) , just last week was offered 1 Year fix at
Electricity Unit rate 94.5 p/kWh Standing charge 60.0 p/day
Today, checking now its gone to
Electricity Unit rate 157.5 p/kWh Standing charge 58.8 p/day”
And
“Something has to be done by this government for small businesses, its just a joke.
Just looking at today's Gas Tariff Gas Tariff Unit rate 57.75 p/kWh Standing charge 58.8 p/day”
Boris said yesterday it’s a noble cause and we have to live with it.
Unhelpful to say the least
I expect there will be some measures to try to help. I expect it to be too little as truss thinks tax cuts and offering hope not handouts is the solution.
I've not seen much comment (specifically) on the continuing rice in natural gas prices. Up to £6.44 per therm today which is frightening compared with where it was pre the Ukraine conflict.
This seems to this observer to be what we should be concerned about rather than oil which seems to be settling in the $90 - $100 per barrel range at least for now.
That is a fantastic photo. The modern coca cola logo on the bus as counterpoint to all the other things we know are about to go on...
Unter den Adlern.
Close, but Adler pl = Adler.
Dative plural adlern.
good point
I’ve forgotten an embarrassing amount, but it’s odd what you recall from O Level German.
As posted earlier in this very thread:-
Front page of today's Times.
Recalling a language after 50 years? It’s like remembering how to faire du vélo
For those who struggled at the back of French class with irregular verbs, cursing “la plume de ma tante”, your perseverance was not in vain,
As well as never forgetting how to ride a bike, most people also never forget how to faire du vélo and can remember many other foreign language phrases, years after leaving school.
I have just read a post from @NickPalmer calling lockdown "a minor inconvenience". I am as much of a fan or Dr Nick as the next man, but this de trop satire simply jumps the shark I'm afraid Nick!
A minor inconvenience is a fifteen minute queue at the pharmacy, or having to get your second pair of glasses fixed.
No-one with kids would call lockdown a minor inconvenience. Show me the parent who didn't find himself sat at the top of the stairs, crying. Show me the parent who didn't wake up with the hollow dread of another empty day; or, worse, another day in which he was required to do both his own job, from home, and also his kids' teachers job, and also cook, clean and look after the house. Show me the parent who would describe a lost 18 months of his children's life opportunities as a 'minor inconvenience'.
It still makes me shudder to think of it.
I’ve grown to amiably tolerate @NickPalmer over the years, but “minor inconvenience” is bloody insulting. It’s probably true in his case - elderly affluent bachelor, Surrey, no kids - but it’s tin-eared to the point of idiocy
It’s like someone in Cornwall telling Londoners the Blitz was “mildly annoying”
I am sure the bombing of Plymouth and Exeter was also mildly annoying, and also a bit inconvenient for the inhabitants. Everybody was affected by it, just like the covid lockdown.
The way some seem to believe that only London was bombed is really weird.
There were parts of Merseyside still not rebuilt from being bombed in the 80s when I was young. There possibly always will be now with the ruined Church that's never likely to get rebuilt or demolished.
Or, as Stan Boardman put it, "the Germans bombed our chippy", that was true for more than just London.
Norwich got hit pretty badly in the Baedecker raids of 1942, of 35,000 homes in the city only 5,000 were completely undamaged, City Train Station was completely destroyed. Curls department store was completely destroyed and remained a big hole in the ground till 1955 when rebuilt and later became Debenhams. Its a huge empty unfunctional blob today for different reasons. City Hall was undamaged and Hitler had ordered it not to be attacked earlier in the war as it has a very Germanic design and he had planned to make his victory speech from it.
The Swansea Blitz of 19 Feb 1941 – 21 Feb 1941 says hello too! Although the town centre looks worse now than it did then.
I have just read a post from @NickPalmer calling lockdown "a minor inconvenience". I am as much of a fan or Dr Nick as the next man, but this de trop satire simply jumps the shark I'm afraid Nick!
A minor inconvenience is a fifteen minute queue at the pharmacy, or having to get your second pair of glasses fixed.
No-one with kids would call lockdown a minor inconvenience. Show me the parent who didn't find himself sat at the top of the stairs, crying. Show me the parent who didn't wake up with the hollow dread of another empty day; or, worse, another day in which he was required to do both his own job, from home, and also his kids' teachers job, and also cook, clean and look after the house. Show me the parent who would describe a lost 18 months of his children's life opportunities as a 'minor inconvenience'.
It still makes me shudder to think of it.
I’ve grown to amiably tolerate @NickPalmer over the years, but “minor inconvenience” is bloody insulting. It’s probably true in his case - elderly affluent bachelor, Surrey, no kids - but it’s tin-eared to the point of idiocy
It’s like someone in Cornwall telling Londoners the Blitz was “mildly annoying”
I am sure the bombing of Plymouth and Exeter was also mildly annoying, and also a bit inconvenient for the inhabitants. Everybody was affected by it, just like the covid lockdown.
The way some seem to believe that only London was bombed is really weird.
There were parts of Merseyside still not rebuilt from being bombed in the 80s when I was young. There possibly always will be now with the ruined Church that's never likely to get rebuilt or demolished.
Or, as Stan Boardman put it, "the Germans bombed our chippy", that was true for more than just London.
Norwich got hit pretty badly in the Baedecker raids of 1942, of 35,000 homes in the city only 5,000 were completely undamaged, City Train Station was completely destroyed. Curls department store was completely destroyed and remained a big hole in the ground till 1955 when rebuilt and later became Debenhams. Its a huge empty unfunctional blob today for different reasons. City Hall was undamaged and Hitler had ordered it not to be attacked earlier in the war as it has a very Germanic design and he had planned to make his victory speech from it.
The Swansea Blitz of 19 Feb 1941 – 21 Feb 1941 says hello too! Although the town centre looks worse now than it did then.
My father was evacuated to Swansea (well, the Mumbles) during the war.
How do you extrapolate a near Con majority on the Starmer/ Truss figure? Or are you suggesting Labour plus 9 still gives the Tories most seats? If you are, good luck with that.
I have just read a post from @NickPalmer calling lockdown "a minor inconvenience". I am as much of a fan or Dr Nick as the next man, but this de trop satire simply jumps the shark I'm afraid Nick!
A minor inconvenience is a fifteen minute queue at the pharmacy, or having to get your second pair of glasses fixed.
No-one with kids would call lockdown a minor inconvenience. Show me the parent who didn't find himself sat at the top of the stairs, crying. Show me the parent who didn't wake up with the hollow dread of another empty day; or, worse, another day in which he was required to do both his own job, from home, and also his kids' teachers job, and also cook, clean and look after the house. Show me the parent who would describe a lost 18 months of his children's life opportunities as a 'minor inconvenience'.
It still makes me shudder to think of it.
I’ve grown to amiably tolerate @NickPalmer over the years, but “minor inconvenience” is bloody insulting. It’s probably true in his case - elderly affluent bachelor, Surrey, no kids - but it’s tin-eared to the point of idiocy
It’s like someone in Cornwall telling Londoners the Blitz was “mildly annoying”
I am sure the bombing of Plymouth and Exeter was also mildly annoying, and also a bit inconvenient for the inhabitants. Everybody was affected by it, just like the covid lockdown.
The way some seem to believe that only London was bombed is really weird.
There were parts of Merseyside still not rebuilt from being bombed in the 80s when I was young. There possibly always will be now with the ruined Church that's never likely to get rebuilt or demolished.
Or, as Stan Boardman put it, "the Germans bombed our chippy", that was true for more than just London.
Norwich got hit pretty badly in the Baedecker raids of 1942, of 35,000 homes in the city only 5,000 were completely undamaged, City Train Station was completely destroyed. Curls department store was completely destroyed and remained a big hole in the ground till 1955 when rebuilt and later became Debenhams. Its a huge empty unfunctional blob today for different reasons. City Hall was undamaged and Hitler had ordered it not to be attacked earlier in the war as it has a very Germanic design and he had planned to make his victory speech from it.
The Swansea Blitz of 19 Feb 1941 – 21 Feb 1941 says hello too! Although the town centre looks worse now than it did then.
My father was evacuated to Swansea (well, the Mumbles) during the war.
It was the copper capital of the World, hence the Luffwaffe interest. A lot of damage to what was then just a modestly sized town.
Comments
Its currently saying that England are only 40 runs behind South Africa and Crawley is still at the crease at the end of the day.
That can't be right surely?
There is a non-trivial chance that the Republican Party completely melts down, because the 50% that is anti-Trump is becoming increasingly resolute in that view.
White House issues new policy that will require, by 2026, all federally-funded research results to be freely available to public without delay, ending longstanding ability of journals to paywall results for up to 1 year.
https://twitter.com/ScienceInsider/status/1562826693366415360
Should have been done years ago, but nonetheless a huge improvement.
160,000 Merlin variants were built. That's a staggering figure. Earnest Hives should be better-known. Not only did he look at getting Merlin production increased before the war; he was responsible for RR taking over jet work after Rover (ahem) failed...
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ernest_Hives,_1st_Baron_Hives
(Incidentally, I think a relative used to live at his old house. I'd never realised the connection until I read Wiki...)
Perhaps of interest to no-one, this amused me:
"He played a critical role in the UK Nuclear Submarine programme. When the highly irascible but utterly pivotal U.S. Admiral Rickover visited the UK in 1957 to inspect the British nuclear design team at Rolls Royce, Rickover was "at his obnoxious worst". After one particularly difficult morning he was introduced to Lord Hives.
'A lord eh? Chairman eh? And what are you then, a banker or a lawyer or what?’ said Rickover. 'What me? No, no, no, no, no! Me, I’m just a mechanic, just a bloody plumber.' said Hives, with a big broad smile on his face. Rickover was thrown, he had not expected that kind of answer. When Hives explained that he had known Henry Royce himself, had worked for him, and had absorbed from him his passion for engineering excellence Rickover’s mood and attitude started to improve. Hives spent much of the lunch telling a captivated Rickover about Royce’s obsession with achieving perfection. He then took Rickover on a personal tour of the works, not in a Rolls-Royce or Bentley but in a very modest Hillman. …when Hives returned after showing Rickover around… the Admiral was a changed man, subdued, pleasant, cooperative, uncritical, and no further put-downs or denigrations of British engineering escaped his lips... That hour of dialogue… changed everything in the British nuclear submarine programme.[19]"
Is that why Cheney got destroyed in Wyoming? Is that why 8 of the 10 Trump impeachers are DoA politically?
17 days until Sweden votes and one of the country's "rolling" polling organisations has its daily update:
https://www.svt.se/datajournalistik/val2022/valjarbarometer-dag-for-dag/
I'm sure everyone's Swedish is up to this but a very good poll for the Sweden Democrats and a clear advantage for the centre-right coalition.
OTOH, another "rolling pollster", SIFO, in its daily offering, has the centre-left narrowly ahead.
On the other hand, if they don't make those gains - and in particular if Johnson loses in Wisconsin (which I don't think will happen) - then the Senate is likely to be less Trumpian.
But the number is increasing. See: https://www.nytimes.com/2022/07/12/us/politics/trump-approval-polling-2024.html
Of the 10 impeachers i think only Newhouse will be back, Valadao will lose in November.
The problem is that they may instead be offered the choice between Trump and a non-Trumpian.
https://twitter.com/bristoliver/status/1562838799742562306?s=21&t=j8Of03V-o8IbPmEOfRPAyA
I don't see anything to suggest the GOP might completely melt down.
Interesting - works out your likely inflation rate, personalised.
Oh, that's a different David Shepherd...
The last thing McConnell and McCarthy want is a Trumpian landslide. Their tactics were to under perform, just about take the house and blame the under performance on Trump endorsed candidates, which 'can't win.'
There was disaster for them though when Marc Molinaro, no primary and no Trump endorsement, got beat in New York. Disaster. Much tougher now for the Mccers to blame it all on Trump.
No endorsement, no Trump base. They just never showed. No wonder Trump scents blood there now.
https://forums.moneysavingexpert.com/discussion/6382171/small-retail-unit-inside-shopping-unit-87-27p-kwh-quote
“Our small office unit is also up for renewal next month (E.ON) , just last week was offered 1 Year fix at
Electricity
Unit rate 94.5 p/kWh
Standing charge 60.0 p/day
Today, checking now its gone to
Electricity
Unit rate 157.5 p/kWh
Standing charge 58.8 p/day”
And
“Something has to be done by this government for small businesses, its just a joke.
Just looking at today's Gas Tariff
Gas Tariff
Unit rate 57.75 p/kWh
Standing charge 58.8 p/day”
Talking about Truss..
New @IpsosUK polling today asked if the public trust the following to reduce the cost of living
Trust / do no trust
Starmer 39% / 51%
Sunak 36% / 55%
Johnson 35% / 62%
Truss 28% / 61%
Front page of today's Times.
Recalling a language after 50 years? It’s like remembering how to faire du vélo
For those who struggled at the back of French class with irregular verbs, cursing “la plume de ma tante”, your perseverance was not in vain,
As well as never forgetting how to ride a bike, most people also never forget how to faire du vélo and can remember many other foreign language phrases, years after leaving school.
Even those who learnt French 50 years ago — and have never used it since — have similar recall to those who have just taken their exams, academics claim. This is particularly true in emergencies.
https://www.thetimes.co.uk/article/recalling-a-language-after-50-years-its-like-remembering-how-to-faire-du-velo-cjg7jrdj8 (£££)
Betfair next prime minister
1.07 Liz Truss 93%
14 Rishi Sunak 7%
Next Conservative leader
1.07 Liz Truss 93%
14.5 Rishi Sunak 7%
Heartfelt ambush:
https://twitter.com/PA/status/1562827936545243136?s=20&t=yIExLPWOsU_TS4KMIZXdzg
Brains are weird.
Unhelpful to say the least
I expect there will be some measures to try to help. I expect it to be too little as truss thinks tax cuts and offering hope not handouts is the solution.
This seems to this observer to be what we should be concerned about rather than oil which seems to be settling in the $90 - $100 per barrel range at least for now.
Cheeky f@cker.
Not Ukraine
https://twitter.com/raphousetv2/status/1562171302672183297?s=21&t=tmoRzl1m_DbHDzyHQrF_Zg