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Could Truss be tempted by an early election? – politicalbetting.com
Could Truss be tempted by an early election? – politicalbetting.com
The timing of the next general election is not something that we have looked at very much on PB and the general assumption is that it will be 2024. I just wonder whether Liz Trust, assuming that it is her, might be tempted to go early if by any chance she gets a pulling boost when the result comes out the week after next.
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Tough choice...
1.07 Liz Truss 93%
15 Rishi Sunak 7%
Next Conservative leader
1.06 Liz Truss 94%
15.5 Rishi Sunak 6%
Good article about the Pfizer/Moderna lawsuit.
https://www.science.org/content/blog-post/mrna-vaccine-patent-fight-expands
It actually sounds quite a lot like the antibody lawsuits, which went on for many years. It's complicated; a lot of other people's discoveries were involved in commercialising the technology; and there isn't one thing, but many different things in dispute.
Just a flavour:
...Specifically, they say that Moderna patents filed between 2010 and 2016 have been infringed, and in their press release they highlight two features in particular. They point out that Pfizer took several mRNA vaccine candidates into clinical testing (including some that they say would not have infringed), but ultimately picked one “that has the exact mRNA chemical modification” as theirs. They say that they began developing this in 2010 and were the first to validate it in human trials in 2015. Without seeing the lawsuit itself (which I’m sure we’ll get a look at soon), they have to be talking about pseudouridine incorporation. I am not going to try to do a detailed evaluation of Moderna’s IP here - people get paid a lot of money to do that sort of thing, because it ain’t easy - and I am not going to pass any judgment on who has a case and who doesn’t. But this is surely not going to be as straightforward as the Moderna press release makes it sound (what patent fight ever is?) The first thing to know is that the pseudouridine idea, with its higher levels of transcription and lower immunogenicity, was discovered in 2008 by Katalin Karikó and Drew Weissman and co-workers, and both Moderna and BioNTech licensed their patents. So there’s going to be a lot to work through here - not least because Moderna at first did not license this technology, claiming that it had its own modification and that BioNTech copied that. It’s a mess....
Or one of them, anyway.
Considering that in a five year span, 2018 was the only one with a vote.
You see an ageing population means a greater proportion of workers are spending their time cleaning the bottoms of the elderly.
Now this is important work (if you have an aged population), but it also means that a greater proportion of the workforce is engaged in activities that are fundamentally low productivity and which do not garner any export earnings. Plus, of course, it means that exporting businesses have to pay more to get employees: perhaps they are better off setting up in countries without major demographic drag.
T May did and it was a disaster. GB didn't and it was a disaster. Boris did and in special circumstances it was such a triumph that the next election is nearly lost already.
An election would (almost certainly) get shot of Boris, who'd probably not stand again, but it might be safer to see how the Privileges Committee deals with her main threat.
Hang on and hope something turns up would seem the most likely strategy.
i think.
https://twitter.com/WhiteHouse/status/1562916200866267138
Prediction for how long a "lack of civility" column will be written.
Obviously, we should all have been having more children over the last few decades (thank you Boris, great patriot that you are), but short of a time machine, what should we do now?
I really enjoyed it, and the reviews have been excellent too.
https://www.msn.com/en-gb/money/other/it-s-time-for-the-young-to-pay-for-us-and-stop-complaining/ar-AA113eUt?ocid=entnewsntp&cvid=a0659a99488f4d90565aa6c4d1e49f31
"Thousands of you took to our comments section to air your thoughts on the matter and, while many readers expressed sympathy with the young, there was also outrage – outrage that having to endure food rationing, ballooning inflation, power shortages and myriad financial crashes in previous decades should be seen as “having it easy”. Not to mention the decades of fiscal responsibility, careful saving and hard graft that have translated into comfortable retirements. Advice was freely and generously given on how the young might face down economic hardship. Here is what you had to say... "
"When we were young, we paid for the pensions of the old and retired. Now it’s for the young to pay for us and shut up complaining.”
..."Modern generations, due to, no matter the cost, wanting everything now, have put themselves dangerously in debt and when an unexpected financial crisis happens, they are left all at sea, unable to pay the essential bills first. I am lucky to not be seriously affected by next year’s enormous fuel bills, but why should my savings be raided and my pension frozen to subsidise the fiscally incompetent?”
"When you play the game of thrones, you win or you die..."
Instead, we sacrificed the economy to save those with no more than 2 years to live anyway, or stupid people who just can't stop eating doughnuts
It was insane, and completely counter-Darwinian. And now we shall pay
He is an Indian American, and the Congressman who represents Silicon Valley. He's been on the campaign path in Wisconsin, Ohio, Michigan, etc., which is not something you'd normally do if you weren't interested in... a national campaign.
Because of where is district is, he has been a recipient of donations from some of the richest people in America.
And his big focus is on bringing manufacturing back to America.
I think he's going to run for President with the goal of raising his national standing. And I think he's very impressive. Could he win the nomination? Highly unlikely. But he might well grab himself a good job in the next administration. And if - say - Amy Klobucher was the nominee, he would be a perfect VP pick.
Does that apply to the communal areas or the whole block including the residential properties ?
I had a meeting with a Santander Personal Financial Advisor today. Nice guy, amiable, quite interesting
We got talking about the energy crisis, and he said his solution was "nationalise the energy providers, and take their profits"
I pointed out that Yes you could do that, but it didn't address the fundamental issue, gas and oil is very expensive, because Putin, so the nationalised companies would still have to pay shedloads for energy. He hadn't really thought of this, or so it seemed
After that, he was stumped for ideas. And he is a pro financial expert?
In his defence, I'm not sure anyone has any ideas, and for the rest of the meeting he gave me excellent advice
Is that going to be common for all blocks of flats?
If so I expect to see riots next week?
They are dependent on the oldies.
If they screw over the people who elected them by - you know - acknowledging the problem, then they will be out of power for twenty years.
But if they continue to screw over the workers, then the situation will continue to worsen, and when we finally do recognize it... it will be so much harder to fix.
But my loyalty to the "Conservative Party" is about the same as my loyalty to European golf, practically zero, if not actually zero. Or less
My loyalty is to my fellow humans, my fellow Britons. We have screwed the pooch
"And there you have the Conservatives' massive problem:
They are dependent on the oldies.
If they screw over the people who elected them by - you know - acknowledging the problem, then they will be out of power for twenty years.
But if they continue to screw over the workers, then the situation will continue to worsen, and when we finally do recognize it... it will be so much harder to fix."
And who created the problem that the next generation is having to cope with? I don't remember my generation opposing increased pensions.
1) Increase immigration by allowing British-descended foreigners the right to live and work in the UK
Italy and Ireland make it very easy for descendents of emigrants to move there. We should do the same. Importing lots of semi-literate Somalis or homeless Romanians is politically and socially impossible, but I've never heard any objections to Canadians or Australians. Most of those who take advantage of this would be young and productive. Also we should remove the remaining restrictions on Hong Kongers living and working here.
2) Promote the building of large family houses where people actually want to live
The current planning system is far too skewed towards "density", i.e. stack-a-chav concrete boxes. We need to build more houses that families want to live in to get the country having children again.
3) Stop taxing work and start taxing idleness
It is insane that employment income is taxed more heavily than retirement income, though the old use government services far more than those of working age.
They are dependent on the oldies.
If they screw over the people who elected them by - you know - acknowledging the problem, then they will be out of power for twenty years.
But if they continue to screw over the workers, then the situation will continue to worsen, and when we finally do recognize it... it will be so much harder to fix.
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And who created the problem that the next generation is having to cope with? I don't remember my generation increased pensions.
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Blame the French and hope no-one notices.
What we did was protect the dull fat decrepit morons who can barely make it to the fridge for another tuna sandwich, let alone the Welsh Marches during the early stages of a pandemic
PB commenters: "Of course not, no one would be that stupid"
Have you heard Liz Truss?
I’ll be extra wary when I’m out on my bike. 👍
And @DavidL came up with a SF - not murder as such - novel set in a conveyancing writer's practice in Glasgow c. 1960. The Krugg Syndrome by Angus McAllister. Aliens in Glasgow (though an Easterner such as I would always have this sneaky thought, how would they know?).
I'm thinking it's got to be worth a bet.
However, I would actually lay, on the grounds that if she doesn't go for it, at least you get a small amount of money to make up for the disappointment of not getting her out.
https://www.dailymail.co.uk/property/article-10477033/The-flat-owners-facing-huge-bills-without-energy-price-cap-protection.html
The companies that actually get the stuff out of the ground are making a ton of money, but not the same as the retail energy suppliers.
It is upstream producers - Shell, Apache, Anadarko, etc. - who are making out like banditos.
So it is something that the tories arguably are in a position to tackle, but they keep choosing not to.
17 000 blocks apparently.
https://www.google.com/amp/s/www.dailymail.co.uk/property/article-10477033/amp/The-flat-owners-facing-huge-bills-without-energy-price-cap-protection.html
Despite everything, it has been quite a marvellous summer. Travel, cricket, football, sunshine, Florence, Montenegro, wine, picnics, jazz, Ben Stokes, friends, Rome, Regents Park, more wine, Armenia, children, Greece, dancing, laughter, Soho, cigars, Michelangelo, New Orleans by night...
A perfect summer before the awful storm of winter
That's going to be - ugly.
Boris Johnson is still Prime Minister - the problem is he's much more popular in the Ukraine for whom he has provided money, weapons and support than he is in the UK for which he has provided some bicycles (in London), "got Brexit done" and not much else.
Fair enough - it seems there are still a few diehards who will forgive Boris Johnson anything and everything - that doesn't of course include the majority of the British people or the Conservative Parliamentary Party.
As for these "chicken lickens" - presumably they are the ones who have to pay energy bills - perhaps you aren't one of them?
“domestic customer” means a customer under a domestic supply contract;
“domestic supply contract” means a contract (including a deemed supply contract) for the supply of gas or electricity at domestic premises wholly or mainly for domestic purposes;
England to lose by 500?
So we would NOT be dealing with Putin
https://twitter.com/HarryScoffin/status/1563188537415311360
At the time we brought in the state pension it was not too far from the truth to say that at fifty you were fucked, at sixty you were senile and at seventy you snuffed it (with a healthy dollop of poetic licence of course). What we have missed from our changing society is to accept that not only are people living longer but they are, on the whole living healthily longer as well. A fifty year old is not old, nor even a sixty year old. Many seventy year olds are perfectly capable of holding down a job, if not a very physically demanding one.
And yet when the Government less than a decade ago tried to deal with this by increasing pension ages they were met with screams of anguish and invective.
When the National Insurance Act providing for Old Age Pensions was introduced in 1946, average male life expectancy was 66. That meant you lived on average a year after you retired. Average life expectancy for men now is 79 - 13 years longer. But the pension age has only gone up by 2 years. We need to significantly increase pension age to more reasonably match the increase in life expectancy and the longer healthy, active lives we now live.
To compensate I would make similar changes at he other end of life. Have children start school at 7 rather than 5. Have them do GCSEs at 18 rather than 16 (thus avoiding having to cope with important schooling and the tail end of puberty at the same time) and have them go to University at 20 rather than 18.
Obviously this is not a perfect answer but it would at least go some way to easing the demographic pressures.
Ofgem has been asked by suppliers and Industrial and Commercial (I&C) customers to clarify its interpretation of the terms ‘domestic customer’ and ‘domestic premises’ as they are used in the gas and electricity supply licences. In particular, we are asked how they apply to commercial businesses providing residential services, such as nursing or care homes, and to residential landlords, including local authorities. These businesses and landlords have to date benefited from the wider pricing options available to I&C customers.
Ofgem believes that changes in the definition of ‘domestic customer’ and ‘domestic premises’ were not intended to extend regulatory protection appropriate for domestic customers to I&C customers, whether or not they are in business to provide residential or accommodation services. Ofgem believes that the provision of such services should not be regarded as a ‘domestic purpose’. Consequently, where gas and electricity is supplied in connection with services on a commercial basis (including residential or accommodation services), Ofgem expects that I&C contract terms will continue to apply.
Where the interpretation of ‘domestic customer’ and ‘domestic premises’ remains in dispute, Ofgem may, upon application and if appropriate, determine whether a customer should be treated as domestic or I&C.
If she's planning on having it after 2024, we might have a teensy bit of problem.